Chapter 26 Chapter 26 So, Jiang Cub was a surrogate mother last night...

After the phone call, the little boy Jiangzai started crying again.

Perhaps he truly realized he wouldn't be able to see his grandmother again, so he heard her voice this time. He was fine at the time, but tears started flowing after he hung up the phone. Xia Li thought it was understandable, but also a bit helpless. She just hoped the child would outgrow his memory and adapt quickly to living well here with her.

As they walked back, Xia Li, still mindful of his hunger, bought Jiangzai some kid-friendly snacks nearby, hoping to comfort him. The packaging was vibrant; there were so many snacks available these days. Afterward, she took Jiangzai to a nearby restaurant to buy some braised food to eat with the meal.

When she got home, Xia Pingzhi was still in the kitchen. Xia Li walked over and saw that there were already several dishes next to her. Seeing that her aunt was sweating slightly on her forehead, she felt very distressed.

The weather is very hot and humid now. There is a floor fan in the kitchen, but it doesn’t do much. It’s just better than a sauna.

She hurried over to grab the spatula, but her aunt pushed her aside with disgust. "Go out quickly and take the food out. I'll be ready soon. With your mediocre skills, what kind of dish have you ever cooked? And you still try to grab my spatula." Xia Pingzhi rolled her eyes at her.

Charlie was deeply despised. Well, she really couldn't cook.

But she doesn't have the opportunity to practice now. When her father was around, he doted on her. When her mother wanted to order her around, she would either go to school or ask her father for favors, so she rarely worked. Later, when she met Jiang Dong, she became even less willing to work. When she arrived in Guangcheng, she first ate in the cafeteria and later lived with her aunt. But her aunt no longer trusted her cooking skills after she cooked once. She didn't even light the pot at that time, did she?

But, Xia Li, such a smart person, didn't think she couldn't cook. It was just a matter of time. She just didn't have time to learn.

Xia Li was about to take the food to the living room. Before leaving, her aunt told her to turn on the air conditioner so as not to overheat the child, after all, he had just come back from outside.

Charlie pursed her lips in frustration. It seemed that her status in her aunt's heart had dropped significantly. She had always been treated like this before.

Well, she could continue to use the air conditioner anyway. At that time, this was all thanks to Jiang Zai.

As soon as Jiang Zai came back early, Xia Li arranged for him to go to the bathroom to wash his face and hands first. Now she entered the room and found him sitting obediently on the sofa, and it seemed that he had washed his hands and face clean.

Xia Li went over and pretended to check it, then praised it very sincerely, and then asked: "Is it hot? Wait a minute, Mom will turn on the air conditioner." Anyway, she couldn't tell the difference between being wet with sweat and being wet with washing.

Jiangzai was very happy. He didn't know what an air conditioner was, but he knew that once his mother and the aunt asked them to turn on the air conditioner, the room would become cool in a short time, as cool as home, and very comfortable.

The weather at his mother's place is really hot. It is the hottest summer he has ever felt. He doesn't know why. It is obviously cool at home, but why is it still so hot at his mother's place? His little head is very confused at this moment.

Xia Li turned on the air conditioner and adjusted it to a comfortable temperature. Then she walked over to the mahogany sofa at home and sat down, leaning against Jiang Zai and letting out a comfortable sigh.

On hot days, this hard wooden sofa cools down quickly, and I don’t feel afraid even if I sweat a little. It is much better than a fabric sofa.

"Snacks?" She tore open a bag, took two and popped them in her mouth, then handed them to Jiangzai. "They taste pretty good, have some." Xia Li didn't know that children shouldn't eat snacks before meals, or they wouldn't eat properly. The snack she opened was called something like "rice crackers," and they were crispy and yellow. She had never bought them before, but she didn't expect children's snacks to be so delicious. It seemed like people's living conditions had really improved.

I thought it was delicious and fun, so Jiangzai and I shared the bag of snacks, taking turns taking a bite, and we enjoyed the meal very much.

Xia Pingzhi came out and saw this scene. She smiled and felt helpless.

This mother is so unreliable. It's time to eat, but she and her child are fighting over snacks. Fortunately, this happens at home, so she doesn't have to be laughed at by others.

"Xia Li, don't let the child eat. Hurry up and prepare dinner."

“Hey.”

Charlie turned her head to look at Jiangzai, shrugged, and then put away the remaining snacks. She pointed to where they were and said to him, "Mommy put them here. If Jiangzai wants to eat, just come here and get them."

The things she had just bought were also placed on the coffee table, so Charlie took them to the kitchen, put them on plates, and would serve them on the table soon.

The dishes tonight were very rich. Charlie looked at the plate of shrimps on the table and said that her aunt was really spending too much money. This plate of shrimps was really delicious.

In addition to a dish of boiled shrimp, there was also a steamed fish, two stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a bowl of winter melon and pork ribs soup.

Add to that the braised food that Xia Li packed up, and this sumptuous meal was worth a mountain of gold and silver.

Not only Xia Li, but also Jiang Zai was sitting on a high chair, looking at the food on the table, looking at this and that, he hadn't eaten any of them.

Looking at the high-standard meal tonight, Xia Pingzhi said with satisfaction at the table: "Eat more vegetables and less rice tonight, and don't leave any leftovers." As she spoke, she picked up a shrimp, peeled it carefully, and put it in Jiangzai's bowl.

"Here, try the shrimp, it's delicious."

"Auntie peeled a nice big shrimp for Jiangzai. It's really delicious. Come and try it." Xia Li cheered enthusiastically, and Xia Pingzhi looked on encouragingly. Jiangzai gradually relaxed at the table. Children can sense the kindness of those around them. He picked up the shrimp in his bowl with chopsticks, stared at it for a moment, and took a bite.

As expected, this bouncy texture is the easiest to conquer children. Jiangzai's eyes lit up after chewing it twice. He ate the big shrimp in three or two bites, and even licked his lips with his tongue after eating.

The two adults next to them were laughing.

Seeing that the child enjoyed the food, Xia Pingzhi put down her chopsticks and prepared to peel shrimp for the child. At her age, it didn't really matter what she ate. The older she got, the softer her heart became. Seeing the child eat happily made her happy too.

How could Xia Li let her aunt suffer so she quickly took over the job: "Aunt, aunt, you are already tired from cooking, let me do it, I will peel it for him."

Sometimes, Xia Pingzhi couldn't compete with Xia Li, so she didn't rush to peel the shrimp. Today's fish was also good. She specially bought one with few bones. It was fragrant and tender, and also suitable for children to eat.

She picked out a piece of meat from the belly of the fish, looked carefully to make sure there were no bones, and put it into Jiangzai's bowl, asking him to try it.

Xia Li peeled several shrimps in a row and then stopped peeling for the child. The shrimps were big and a child’s stomach could hold many. She peeled a few more for her aunt and herself.

The tender, bouncy shrimp meat lingered in her mouth, leaving a lingering fragrance. Xia Li couldn't help but sigh. It looked like she'd have to earn more money in the future. Looking at the food on the table, while her aunt said it was out of an elder's love for the younger generation, she still had to be more careful in the future and not let her spend too much on them.

"Aunt, come here, I'll serve you some soup."

"Oh, okay, serve the child a portion too. Let's have some soup first."

Her aunt had been here for years and was quite accustomed to the local cuisine, often making delicious soups. Charlie had no idea if they were authentic, as she'd rarely tried anyone else's, but she found the flavors of her aunt's to be quite suitable for her. She felt they had both adapted to the local customs.

After dinner, after cleaning up, my aunt took advantage of the cooler weather and went out for a walk in the park.

I was originally planning to call the mother and child, but then I thought that the child had just arrived and needed more time to adapt, so I didn't rush and called them.

Charlie went into her room and hung up the mosquito net she'd forgotten to put up last night before sitting down in the living room. She'd been so exhausted last night, her aunt had cleaned it and put it away while she was gone the other day. No wonder she'd felt something was off the moment she entered the room. Something was off. She couldn't place it for a moment, but now she realized it was something missing from the bed.

Mosquito nets are an essential lifesaver in southern China. They're truly indispensable. She wasn't bitten by mosquitoes last night, not because she was lucky, or because the mosquitoes didn't find her. It was because she had a more tender child beside her. Damn it, she only just now noticed the large red bumps on Jiangzai's neck and legs.

So, Jiangzai was the one who suffered last night. This child probably inherited his skin condition. Although it is whiter than the average person, the bumps are very large when bitten by mosquitoes and insects, and they don't go away easily.

Charlie had no other choice but to dig out the cooling oil from the drawer again. She finally managed to pry open the coin-sized lid. She sat down on the sofa and saw Jiang Zai still watching cartoons. Charlie took a quick look and saw what looked like a cat riding a motorcycle with a gun in its hand. Uh, it looked like a police officer.

What kind of animation? It seems quite interesting.

This was the channel she had found for Jiangzai before entering the house. "Is it good, Jiangzai?" Xia Li asked him.

Jiang Zai didn't answer, just nodded without looking at Xia Li.

Xia Li didn't care. She scooped some cooling oil with her fingertips and applied it to the red bumps on Jiang Zi's body. Jiang Zi flinched and turned to look at Xia Li, who was sitting next to him. Xia Li showed him what she had in her hand and said, "I'll put some cooling oil on you to relieve it." Jiang Zi knew about cooling oil and what it was used for, so he stopped hiding. He thought it was something else.

After applying the ointment, Charlie didn't leave. She poured herself a glass of water and sat next to him, watching the show with him.

Of course, watching TV with him wasn't the purpose. More importantly, Xia Li felt she had to have a good chat with her child about her work schedule. After all, it was her failure to communicate with him in a timely manner yesterday that had left Jiang Zai feeling down all day.

It was indeed her fault. Although she had little experience raising children, she knew from her own perspective that the child must be terrified. First, she had followed her all the way to a strange place, unfamiliar with the surroundings and the climate. After finally falling asleep with her mother, whom she had only just gotten to know, she woke up and her mother was gone again.

He must be worried that his mother doesn't want him anymore, and he must be very scared.

Xia Li felt that although Jiang Zai was only a few years old, she still had to try to talk to him, even though he might not understand it very well. But it was better to say something than not to say anything, and mother and son should not have overnight conversations.

Originally, mother and son rarely spend time together. If Jiangzai doesn't have a good start here, he will always be in such an insecure state, which will not be conducive to his future growth.

Although her initial motivation for bringing the child to live with her wasn't pure, after actually seeing the child, Charlie knew she was wrong. She still couldn't completely let go of her past. This child was her flesh and blood, and no matter what, she wanted her child to be well and didn't want to leave a bad impression on him.

Which mother who has affection for her child wants to be the bad mother in her child’s heart?