Chapter 121 Sweet Troubles Zhijia never knew children's...
At nine o'clock in the morning, Li Hongmei carried her daughter, who had just finished washing up, down from the second floor.
The little girl was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, her still thin hair was tied into two thin braids, and a bow was tied on them with a pale yellow ribbon.
"Ah..." Minmin's little head didn't yet understand what it meant to love beauty; she just kept smiling and reaching out to touch her little braids.
Wu Cong sat quietly on the sofa in the living room watching TV, his hands resting properly on his knees, sitting upright.
Seeing Li Hongmei and Minmin come down, she greeted them politely, "Good morning, Auntie. Good morning, little sister."
A fragrant aroma of rice porridge wafted from the kitchen, seemingly mixed with the smell of roasted lamb chops.
Li Hongmei hadn't seen Chen Mian since she woke up. Smelling the delicious aroma coming from the kitchen, she naturally assumed Chen Mian was making breakfast.
Li Hongmei's voice preceded her arrival: "Mianmian, you're too kind. You didn't even wake me up this morning, and you even made us... breakfast."
"How come it's you?" Li Hongmei's voice stammered the moment she saw Ji Yu, and her expression became extremely unnatural.
When she stayed overnight at Chen Mian's house last time, they weren't married yet, so there was nothing awkward about it.
But this time, whenever Li Hongmei thought about how she had slept in the couple's master bedroom for one night, she wished there was a crack in the ground she could disappear into.
Minmin didn't know why her mother had suddenly stopped talking. She blinked her big eyes curiously and stared at the tall, unfamiliar uncle.
After a moment, Ji Yu broke the silence first, "This must be Minmin. She's grown up so much. She's so cute."
"Yes, kids grow up so fast," Li Hongmei chuckled. "What are you making for breakfast? I could smell the aroma from the stairs."
Ji Yu succinctly stated: "Century egg and lean pork congee, roasted lamb chops, and salt and pepper scallion pancakes."
"Where's Mianmian? I can't find her." Li Hongmei looked around.
"She's still catching up on sleep. I'll go wake her up when dinner is ready."
Fearing that the child would go hungry, Ji Yu turned around and took out a small white bowl and spoon from the cupboard, preparing to scoop a bowl of porridge for Minmin first.
After thinking for a moment, he ladled a bowl for Wu Cong as well and called him over to eat first.
"The lamb chops and scallion pancakes will have to wait a little longer." Ji Yu handed the bowl of porridge to Li Hongmei and smiled gently at Minmin.
"Thank you, Officer Ji." Li Hongmei sat at the dining table with her child in her arms. She scooped up a spoonful of rice porridge, blew on it carefully, tested the temperature with the tip of her tongue, and then slowly fed it to her daughter.
While drinking his porridge, Wu Cong curiously peeked at the interaction between Li Hongmei and Minmin.
This was the first time he had ever seen a mother feed her child.
Ji Yu then took out the fermented dough from the pot, took out a small ball, rolled it out into a rectangle, and sprinkled plenty of chopped green onions on top.
Fold it several more times to shape it into a circle. Brush a thin layer of water on the surface and sprinkle with pre-roasted sesame seeds.
Scallion pancakes are made with small scallions, but the best ones are wild sand scallions, which are so delicious they'll make your eyebrows fall off.
The scallion flavor isn't overpowering, and with the salt and pepper powder kneaded in beforehand, the outer layer is crispy and the inside is soft and delicious after frying.
The lamb chops in the clay oven were almost done roasting.
This clay stove was suggested casually by the local workers during the renovation. They like to eat naan and roast meat, and many people would make a clay stove specifically for their homes.
Chen Mian thought that since the kitchen was big, she would just go along with it.
Li Hongmei fed Minmin half a bowl of rice porridge, and without minding her daughter's drool, she picked up the bowl with one hand and finished the rest of the porridge.
She looked up at the figure still busy in the kitchen and suddenly remembered something.
"Officer Ji, is your mother about to give birth?"
Ji Yu kneaded the dough in her hands and casually replied, "Yes, it's the last two months."
Li Hongmei asked, "Have you found a nanny to take care of you during your postpartum period?"
Ji Yu was taken aback. He had been busy with work lately and hadn't really paid attention to this issue.
“My dad said before that he would take a long vacation to stay home and take care of my mom and the kids.”
Upon hearing his words, Li Hongmei knew that they were oversimplifying the postpartum period.
Ji Yu's parents are not young. Pregnant women are very weak after giving birth, and even she, who is still young, found it very difficult to recover.
One person definitely can't take care of it all.
Li Hongmei, carrying the child, walked to Ji Yu's side and said earnestly, "Ji Yu, I'm taking advantage of Mu Mian's absence to say a few more words to you."
"You're a man, you don't know how hard it is for us women to give birth, it's like going through the gates of hell!"
Newborn babies aren't easy to care for; they need to be fed several times a night.
Ji Yu put down what she was holding and listened attentively to what Li Hongmei had to say.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but yesterday I overheard Mianmian mention that my godmother is planning to go and help your mother during her postpartum period.”
Ji Yu learned that after Li Hongmei gave birth, she recognized Chen Mian's mother as her godmother.
But he really didn't know about what Li Hongmei was talking about.
Li Hongmei thought for a moment about how to explain the reasons behind it to him, and finally decided to tell the truth.
"I'm straightforward and I speak my mind. If you don't like what I'm saying, don't blame it on me. These are just my own thoughts."
I just feel sorry for my godmother. She's not young anymore, and taking care of her during her postpartum period is so hard. She doesn't even get a full night's sleep. I don't want her to suffer like that.
Besides, what sense does it make to go and take care of your in-laws during their postpartum period?
Ji Yu nodded earnestly, her eyes sincere. "Thank you, sister. I understand what you mean. I'll discuss it with my dad. I definitely can't let my mother-in-law take care of her."
He paused, then added, "Don't worry, I won't tell Mianmian about this."
Li Hongmei waved her hand, "No need to call me sister." After saying that, she didn't stay in the kitchen any longer, and took her daughter to the living room to watch TV.
Ji Yu rolled out the remaining scallion pancakes and put them in the pan. While the pancakes were cooking, she took a rag and wiped the entire kitchen.
It was gleaming, and the marble countertop was so clean you could see your reflection in it.
The dishes and chopsticks in the cupboard were neatly arranged, and the grease on the stove was wiped clean.
Ji Yu glanced at the kitchen with satisfaction, then washed his hands and went upstairs to wake his wife.
Li Hongmei thought to herself that this was the first time she had ever seen a man work so efficiently and cleanly.
People who have served in the military are different from ordinary people.
After the group finished breakfast and were sitting in the living room talking, someone knocked on the door again.
Ji Yu got up and went out to open the courtyard gate. It turned out that Zhijia had brought Aji with her.
I hadn't seen her for a few days. She was wearing a red wool coat, and her hair, which was originally mixed with gray and white strands, had been dyed black.
She looked completely different, with a happy smile on her face.
She carried an exquisitely packaged gift box in one hand and held her son's hand in the other.
Aji was also dressed very smartly, wearing a light green sweater under a khaki coat, and brown pants tucked into small leather boots.
Ji Yu stepped forward, took the things from her hands, and walked into the house together.
With her son found, Zhijia's voice rose: "Officer Ji, I brought my child here specifically to thank you."
Ji Yu nodded politely: "No need for thanks, it's what we should do."
“Don’t worry, I know this is nothing and can’t express my gratitude,” Zhijia continued. “I’ve also ordered a banner for you, which I will send to the police station tomorrow along with a handwritten thank-you letter.”
Ji Yu never expected to receive a banner of appreciation. Recalling her embarrassing experience last time, she decided on the spot to rest at home for another day.
Aji obediently replied, "Thank you, police officer, for taking me back to my mother."
Since having a new mother, he realized that he could live in a big house by himself and eat whenever he wanted.
His mother made him so many beautiful new clothes that he couldn't even wear two a day.
There were many cute dolls on the bed in the bedroom, and he had never seen the toys in the box before; they came in all sorts of colors.
His mother told him that his mother used to be a bad person, which was why she treated him badly.
It's not because he's disobedient; he's already very obedient and sensible.
Hearing the familiar voice, Chen Mian urged them to come in quickly, "It's cold outside, come in and we'll talk."
Aji remembered Chen Mian, the aunt who stood with her mother that day, who was just as beautiful as her mother.
When he entered the house, he saw Minmin being held in Li Hongmei's arms, and turned to ask Chen Mianmian, "Auntie, where is your baby?"
There were three women in the room: the mother had a baby, and another unfamiliar auntie also had a baby. Where was Aunt Chen's baby?
Chen Mian couldn't help but chuckle. She bent down and pinched Aji's soft little face, saying with a smile, "You little rascal, Auntie doesn't have a baby yet."
"Okay." Aji was a little disappointed; he wanted to play with Aunt Chen's baby.
Aunt Chen is so beautiful, her baby will definitely be very good-looking.
The adults sat back down on the sofa and exchanged pleasantries, while the children sat on the carpet playing with their toys.
Aji looked left and right, his round eyes filled with confusion. "Mommy, didn't we come to see Aunt Chen? Why are the police officers here too?"
Zhijiayi never knew how children could have so many questions in their heads, more than a hundred thousand whys.
Since we brought Aji home, he's been asking all sorts of questions, from the heavens to the earth.
Even when a little bird flies past the window, he still asks the bird where it's going.
Zhijia's face was full of sweet trouble. She peeled a hawthorn candy for her son, trying to shut him up with a snack, "because Aunt Chen and the policeman are a couple."
As Aji ate the sweet and sour hawthorn candy, his attention was drawn to his younger sister, so he leaned over and started talking to her.
Zhijia then shyly revealed her purpose to Chen Mian.
She came today partly to express her gratitude; if it weren't for Chen Mian saving her, she wouldn't be alive today.
If Ji Yu hadn't caught that damned human trafficker, her Aji wouldn't have been able to return to her side.
On the other hand, she wanted Chen Mianmian to help her buy a house.
“When Aji wasn’t back, I was fine sleeping in the office by myself. Now that my child is back, I want to give him the best.”
"I feel at ease having my own place to live," said Zigai.
Chen Mian nodded in agreement. She didn't have children yet, but she could understand Zhijia's feelings.
Before Zhijia could continue, she readily agreed, "Don't worry, I have some spare money on hand. I can lend you as much as you want anytime."
Zhijia was taken aback, and quickly waved her hand to explain, "Mian, you misunderstood, that's not what I meant."
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Author's Note: I've already decided to write about the female lead's cubs. The names were already chosen from the beginning, and just thinking about them melts my heart.
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