"It's okay, it's not like we eat like this every day," Shiyue said with a smile.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade her, Liang Yueming didn't continue. It was supposed to be a happy occasion, and she didn't want to upset Shiyue because of her nagging.
There's no need for that.
Because they were making steamed dumplings, the two sisters-in-law lit all the stoves today so that several pots could be steamed at the same time.
Just as the little ones went to wash their hands, another basket of steamed dumplings came out of the pot; this was the third basket already.
Shiyue and Liang Yueming went inside to lift the lid of the pot. Because the steamer basket was large, one person had to hold the basin while the other lifted the lid to fill it with food.
"That should be enough after you finish filling this basin. After you finish filling it, sister-in-law, you take the others and deliver the steamed dumplings over first. I'll make some seaweed soup while I have time."
Once the soup is ready, I'll push it over myself on a flatbed cart..."
"Thief! Stop thief!"
Just as Shiyue was speaking, children's shouts suddenly came from outside.
Both of them were startled.
Since when have there been thieves on this island?
Liang Yueming didn't even bother to pack the dumplings; she simply placed the bowl on the stove and ran off.
Shiyue also quickened her pace, taking the steamed dumplings out of the steamer basket and then following along.
As soon as Shiyue went out, she saw a little boy surrounded by Xiaofei and his friends. Xiaofei was holding the boy's hand and loudly scolding him.
The little boy looked up at him with a hateful gaze, his lips pressed tightly together, not uttering a single word.
The others, Jiajia, Huzi, and Niu Niu, stood beside Xiao Fei, angrily pointing fingers at the boy.
Tiger stepped forward and was about to kick the child.
"Tiger!" Liang Yueming, who had rushed over, quickly stepped forward and hugged Tiger, preventing the kick from landing on the boy.
Shiyue walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"
"He stole dumplings!" Xiaofei said angrily.
"These dumplings are for the experts; no one else is allowed to eat them!"
"Exactly! He wants to eat it even though we haven't sent any to the grandfathers yet! If he eats it, the grandfathers won't have any left!"
“Aunt Shiyue, you didn’t see it, his hands were so dirty, and he was so fast. We saw him sneak in and we ran over as soon as we entered, and we saw him grab a handful of dumplings. His dirty hands got all the other dumplings dirty too!”
"Exactly! You can't steal food just because you want to! Where are your family? Talk to them!"
Shiyue looked at the child.
The child was probably six or seven years old, and looked to be about the same age as Hu Zi. But he looked much thinner than Hu Zi.
His arms and legs were probably not even half as thick as Tiger's.
The child was wearing a blue and white short-sleeved sailor shirt and khaki pants; the outfit looked brand new, most likely bought on the island.
But I don't know how long I've worn these clothes; they're really dirty and smelly.
The original color of that sailor shirt was completely obscured; the tarnish on it was so thick you could practically scrape it off.
The sour smell could be detected from a great distance.
Shiyue knew this must be a child who had just disembarked yesterday, although she didn't know whose child it was. She could tell that the child hadn't had a good life back in his hometown.
So she tugged at Xiaofei, signaling him to let go.
Although Xiaofei was unwilling, he did as instructed.
After Xiaofei moved aside, Shiyue saw that the child's two fists were clenched tightly, and through the gaps in the fists she could see the steamed dumplings that had been squeezed to pieces.
"Auntie gave you these dumplings, take them and eat them," Shiyue quickly said.
She couldn't even utter a single word of reprimand at that moment; she was just worried that the freshly steamed dumplings might burn the child's hands!
Hearing her say that, the boy didn't say a word, but simply bowed to her and then turned and left.
From beginning to end, Shiyue and the others did not hear the child utter a single word.
Seeing that Shiyue had let the boy go, Xiaofei and the others were unhappy.
Xiao Fei said, "Aunt Shiyue, you're just letting him go like this? What if he comes back next time? There are quite a few children on our island now. What if they come in groups to steal things?"
Liang Yueming had just seen the boy's hands, which were burning red, and he was in considerable pain right now.
Hearing Xiaofei's words, he smiled and said, "No, there aren't that many bad kids. They probably had a hard life at home before, so they can't stand the smell of delicious food. Once they come to the island and have enough to eat, they won't be like that anymore."
"That's hard to say," Xiao Fei muttered.
But he was a few years older than the other children, and seeing that the two adults weren't going to pursue the matter, he naturally didn't say anything more.
Shiyue and Liang Yueming packed the steamed dumplings, and the children followed along to deliver them to the experts' building.
Shiyue originally planned to push the soup over herself in a small cart after it was cooked, but she didn't need to do it because Xiaofei and the others ran back first.
With his help, Shiyue and the others had much less to worry about and were able to free up time to continue making steamed dumplings for their own family.
Everyone enjoyed the meal, especially the younger ones, whose little bellies were all round and full.
Only after they had all eaten and drunk their fill and left did Shiyue remember to pull He Lixuan aside and ask about the little boy.
He Lixuan told her that the little boy's name was Chen Mingli, and he was the son of Engineer Chen from the Physical Chemistry Group.
Chen was a researcher at the research institute, but he was later labeled a "cadre" and sent to a cadre school for re-education.
When he arrived, his wife had just given birth to their daughter and was still in postpartum confinement, while their son, Chen Mingli, was only three years old and not yet four.
So his wife stayed in the capital.
Chen was selected from the cadre school and went directly to the island. He had no chance to contact his family before he went to the island, so he had no idea what the situation was like at home.
When He Lixuan and his group arrived, they learned that Chen's daughter had not survived, and his wife had also fallen ill due to the trauma she experienced during her postpartum period.
Firstly, due to his poor health, and secondly, because of Engineer Chen, his wife lost her job, and his family basically stopped contacting him.
The mother and son lived entirely on the family's meager savings.
If Chen hadn't reconnected with his family after arriving on the island, the mother and son would have been in dire straits.
He Lixuan said he knew Chen Mingli had a habit of petty theft, but there was nothing he could do but watch the child change slowly.
His mother's health is such that she gets out of breath after walking just a few steps. Forget about managing him, she can hardly control herself either.
This child really grew up wild and untamed.
Moreover, he had to learn to take care of his mother from a very young age, so it's inevitable that he has a somewhat eccentric personality.
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