Shishi leaned over the right wall and saw Liu Mei sitting by the well washing vegetables.
She thought for a long time, then looked at the sky before calling out a name, "Star Mom, Shishi is back."
She remembered one of her younger brothers had the same name as a star in the sky, but she didn't know the names of the other younger brothers.
Sigh, it's still easier to just call him "Egg".
That's the downside of being human; there are too many names to remember. She didn't even know Xingxing's full name, let alone Xingxing's mother's name.
Sigh...
His repeated sighs amused the two people beside him, one big and one small.
Chou Chou covered her mouth and chuckled, winking at Xie Lin: "Brother, she's probably thinking of a name."
The head of the household immediately understood: she didn't know, so she most likely couldn't remember.
Before, they were all eggs, so she didn't care what anyone's name was.
After learning to address people by their names, they are considered relatives in both Shanghai and Beijing, and have titles for each other.
She calls strangers "sister" and "brother," and he wonders how she addresses acquaintances whose names he doesn't know.
He taught her to call them "uncle" and "aunt," but Aunt Liu is Xingxing's mom, and Political Commissar Li is most likely Xingxing's dad. So what will the Chief of Staff and his wife call her?
The first time I heard the little girl sigh, it was because she was having trouble remembering her name. How adorable!
Liu Mei was stunned for a moment, then looked up.
Oh, isn't this the Queen that my youngest son talks about day and night?
Star Mom?
Sister Tong had boasted to her that the little girl could greet people normally now, and it turns out it's true.
"Hey, Shishi is finally back! Xingxing missed you so much. He's not back yet. When he comes back, let him come and play with you."
“Shishi saw him, Xingxing’s mom. Xingxing is going to my mom’s house for dinner. Shishi is treating, so you don’t need to cook for him.”
Liu Mei smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll treat you to something delicious another day."
"Okay." She understood the importance of reciprocity.
Seeing a strange thing by the well, he lifted his leg to climb over the wall, but Xie Lin stopped him.
He greeted Liu Mei and asked Shishi to come down.
"Shishi, it's time to take a bath. Mom will be waiting for us after she's made dinner."
"Look, Stinky Egg, Xingxing's family has that, but we don't."
Liu Mei looked in the direction she was pointing, and the smile in her eyes deepened.
"Shishi, you forgot? This is the device you designed to turn water into fresh water. Thanks to you, Auntie doesn't have to fetch water every day anymore, and many families in the compound are using it."
"Because of insufficient materials, this batch was distributed by lottery. My son, Xingxing, drew the lot and he was lucky; he won on his first try."
“When the next batch of materials comes back, the whole compound should be able to use them. Before, when you weren’t home, the team didn’t get to use them, so you, the best contributor, were not able to.”
"Xiao Xie, get your water from here at home. Don't let Shishi and Chou Chou use the well water."
We didn't have the means before, but now that we do, of course we want to prioritize our children.
When she drew the lot, her husband, Mr. Li, wanted to give it up, but she refused.
Who says leaders have to sacrifice themselves for others? She has a little one at home too.
Using too much saltwater is never good. It's one thing for older women to lose their youthful looks, but children have delicate skin that can't withstand such treatment.
The lottery relies on luck, and no one can use fallacies to manipulate it.
Of course, no one dared to approach her, since she always carried her little notebook with her when she kept accounts.
Compared to money and future prospects, what is carrying water? Some people would probably be willing to carry manure.
Shishi nodded happily, "Yes, Shishi is great."
Ugly was curious and jumped up and perched on the wall.
This is Shishi's design; it looks quite fun.
It turns out to be a solar-powered water filtration system. The little girl's efforts have finally paid off. Now let's see who dares to gossip about her behind her back.
"Okay, Auntie, I'll go back to the house and get two buckets of water to bathe Shishi and Chou Chou."
When Liu Mei heard that the child wanted to take a bath, she thought that Xie Lin's family probably didn't have any firewood, so she asked him to wait a while and come over to get hot water.
It's getting cold, so girls shouldn't take cold showers.
Xie Lin had originally only come back to fetch water as a formality, intending to take the two animals into his space to bathe, but now he couldn't very well refuse.
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Hey, we're all neighbors, no need to be so polite." Liu Mei waved her hand and walked towards the kitchen.
Shishi jumped off the wall and went back to the house with Xie Lin.
Zhang Tong often comes to clean, and the house is spotless, without a speck of dust.
"Shishi, Chou Chou, you two go into the space to take a hot bath. I can use Auntie's water later. Remember to take out the clothes you changed out of so I can wash them."
There are four washing machines in the space, two large and two small.
He and Chou Chou use one washing machine, Shi Shi uses another for her outerwear, and Xiao Shi uses yet another. There's also a small one that's not used; it was specifically chosen for washing socks in winter.
When Shishi had her period last time, he asked Tao Lao about it, and Tao Lao said that girls need to be protected.
Especially in terms of hygiene, you can't be as careless as those men; it's best to wash outer and inner clothes separately.
If there isn't enough water, wash the inner garment first, then the outer garment, to avoid getting dirty or unseen items on it.
But now that I've just returned, and new neighbors have moved in, I'll stick to hand washing as before.
He glanced to his left, wondering who the new resident was and if he could give them any leverage.
He still has quite a few tickets left, and he plans to find an opportunity to buy two more, one for his mother-in-law and one to keep at home as a decoration.
"good."
Both disappeared in response.
Not long after, Liu Mei peeked over the courtyard wall and called for help.
"Xiao Xie, the water is boiled. Bring a bucket over to fill it up."
Xie Lin agreed and took out the two buckets he had prepared.
Just as I stepped out of the hospital gate, a young woman came out from the left courtyard, also carrying a bucket.
He didn't greet the stranger and walked into the Li family's courtyard on his own.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
