Chapter 19: Jiaojiao shouldn't have any objections, right?

Chapter 19: Jiajiao Shouldn't Have an Objection, Right?

After finishing the meal, Lu Mingyang washed the dishes and utensils, tidied everything up, and checked the kitchen to ensure there were no issues before taking his younger brother and sister to the western room. He helped Lu Mingkai into his shoes, carried him onto the heated kang bed, and covered his small belly with a tattered thin quilt.

"Mingkai, be good. Stay home with your sister and don't come out unless you have to. Your second brother and I will head home as soon as we've gathered enough firewood. If anything happens, wait until we get back. If you need to pee, use the chamber pot. Mingfang, keep a close eye on your little brother, okay!"

"Got it, Big Brother! I promise I'll watch Mingkai closely."

Lu Mingyang and Lu Mingliang gave their instructions for quite a while before silently heading out the door. The two children walked toward the foot of the mountain under the blazing sun. As they passed the entrance to the old Lu family home, they were suddenly called out to.

"Mingyang, Mingliang, wait a moment!" Xie Jinghao called out softly. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then jogged up to them and pulled two steamed buns (wowo tou) from her bosom. She had snatched them while the rest of the Lu family wasn't looking; she had rummaged through her own cupboard for a long time but hadn't found anything to eat.

"You must be starving. Eat these quickly. Your Third Aunt could only get two. Use them to tide yourselves over. I'll see if I can bring you some more food tonight. There are cucumbers in the vegetable patch; I'll see if I can pick some for you later. They'll help keep you full!"

Lu Mingyang knew that her life in the Lu family wasn't easy either. Xiaogang was still small, the Third Uncle was working away from home, and she was pregnant. If they ate these buns and were discovered, his Third Aunt would be scolded again.

"No need, Third Aunt, please take them back. My mother made us white flour noodles for lunch and even fried some eggs. We are full, really. She said she'll make us something delicious tonight. Third Aunt, just take care of Xiaogang; don't worry about us."

Xie Jinghao looked at Lu Mingyang in surprise. Shen Meng made noodles and fried eggs for the children? Why didn't he believe her?

"Really? Don't lie to me. Your mother is still recovering; can she really go to the fields to cook for you?"

"It's true, Third Aunt! Mother is much better today. When we went home, she made us white flour noodles, and the fried eggs were all glistening with oil. My brother and I each ate a huge bowl. Third Aunt, my brother and I have to go gather firewood now, so we have to go. Hurry home so no one sees you!"

After saying this, Lu Mingliang grabbed Lu Mingyang and ran off. He had just seen someone from the old Lu house peeking around, and he was afraid they might see Third Aunt giving them food and say something nasty.

Xie Jinghao watched the two children run away, her mouth open as if to call them back, when she saw Zhou Jiajiao emerge from the courtyard.

"Did Third Sister-in-law bring food for Mingyang and Mingliang? Why did they run off?"

Xie Jinghao puffed out her stomach, pulled out the two steamed buns, and gestured toward Zhou Jiajiao.

"Indeed. I was afraid the children would go hungry, so I brought them two buns. Speaking of which, my Jia Sheng earns good money working away from home. Since he isn't here, our branch of the family has one less portion of rations. Using that saved portion for Big Brother's children shouldn't be an issue, right? After all, Big Brother and Sister-in-law contribute three yuan every month to their parents for elder care!"

Zhou Jiajiao's "spectator" expression vanished. She looked at Xie Jinghao and said gently, "How could it be an issue, Third Sister-in-law? I only came out because I wanted Mingyang and the others to go home and eat. Mother was just speaking out of anger; how could she truly refuse to feed the children? Wouldn't Big Brother be angry if he found out? Sigh, at this time of day, why hasn't Sister-in-law come over to eat? This won't do, I'll take some over to check on her!"

As Zhou Jiajiao spoke, she made a move toward the house. Xie Jinghao didn't stop her, instead calmly smoothing out the cloth wrapping the buns.

"No need, Jiajiao. Mingyang said Sister-in-law already made them food. She and you don't get along; if you go, she likely won't be happy. I'll go take a look. If they haven't eaten, I'll come back and ask you to make something warm for them. If they have already eaten, then it's perfect—it will please Mother, won't it?"

"I..."

"I'm going now. You should head back. It looks like these buns won't be needed, so you might as well take them back with you!"

Watching Xie Jinghao's retreating figure as she walked toward Shen Meng's house, Zhou Jiajiao gritted her teeth in anger. She didn't know why, but ever since Shen Meng woke up, nothing she did went smoothly.

Xie Jinghao hesitated a little at the courtyard gate, but she truly couldn't stop worrying about the children. As she pushed the door open, she could still catch a faint, lingering aroma in the air. She breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed Mingyang and Mingliang hadn't lied—Sister-in-law really had cooked for the children.

Shen Meng wasn't sleeping soundly. In her daze, she heard a noise and opened her eyes to the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Sister-in-law, are you awake? It's Jinghao. May I come in?"

Xie Jinghao hadn't come alone; Lu Mingfang and Lu Mingkai were with her. Hearing someone enter the courtyard, the two children thought their brothers had returned and climbed off the kang to look. Seeing it was Xie Jinghao, they quickly crowded around her.

Thinking that if Shen Meng truly wanted to live a peaceful life, she had to get along with the children, Xie Jinghao had coaxed them into coming along with her.

"Come in, the door isn't locked," Shen Meng said as she climbed off the kang. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Xie Jinghao enter with the two children.

"Are you feeling any better, Sister-in-law? I didn't have time to visit you yesterday, but since I'm free now, I thought I'd stop by. Mingfang told me you made them egg noodles for lunch. They said it smelled delicious and they each ate a huge bowl!"

Shen Meng smiled at the two timid children without saying a word, then poured a cup of brown sugar water for Xie Jinghao.

"Oh, I'm fine. There's no need for such good things. Keep it for yourself to nourish your body, Sister-in-law!"

"Drink it. You're pregnant; you need to nourish your body too. I'm much better. The children went to gather pig grass early this morning. After waiting a long time without hearing anyone from the old courtyard call us for dinner, I got up and cooked for myself. Thanks to the production team, we have a bit of fine grain at home, so I made some noodles."

Xie Jinghao didn't drink the brown sugar water. Instead, she held it and fed a sip to Lu Mingkai. The little guy looked at his Third Aunt, then at Shen Meng, and couldn't resist taking a few small pecks before daring not drink any more.

"Sigh, Mother is just like that. If you were to soften your stance with her, Sister-in-law, maybe you could bring the children home to eat in the future," Xie Jinghao tested the waters subtly.

Shen Meng's eyes flickered slightly, but she pretended not to notice.

"I don't think Mother wants us coming over to eat anymore. What's the use of softening my stance? Who knows, she might demand I hand over my house next. Autumn is approaching and the weather is getting colder. When winter comes, how are we supposed to survive in these drafty rooms? If we aren't invited, we won't go. Your Big Brother will be sending his stipend back soon anyway; we won't starve."

Xie Jinghao took the opportunity to say, "Living like this is so awkward. Being together yet eating separately... it's not even a proper split household. It'll just make people laugh at us."

"Exactly. We might as well just split the household outright!" Shen Meng added.