After hearing what Old Lady Chen said, no one was willing to say anything. It wasn't that the teacher didn't teach well, it was that Chen Agui couldn't concentrate on reading.
Chen Ming smiled and said, "Studying depends on one's diligence and understanding. Not every child can do it. When A-Lu's leg is completely healed in a few months, he can go to Sheung Shui Private School. It would be best if he can pass the exam to become a scholar. If he can't pass, he must learn to read and write." Seeing Dabao's expectant eyes, he smiled again and said, "Dabao is too young. Wait until he turns five next year before going."
Changgen's wife smiled again and said, "It's just right. My little Shitou will be six years old next year and it's time for him to go to school. Then they can keep him company."
The boys were very happy, especially A-Lu, whose mouth was grinning the whole time.
Old Lady Chen asked curiously, "I heard that the owner of Tangyuan was born into a wealthy family in Beijing. How wealthy is he?"
Changgen's wife shook her head and said, "I don't know exactly how big it is, but I only heard from my father-in-law that the Chu family is a prominent family in the capital, and they are very powerful. Madam Chu's maiden name is Luo, and they are from a high-ranking official family in the provincial capital."
When Changgen's wife left, Chen Afu gave Xiaoqing a chicken doll. The chicken was tender and yellow, making Xiaoqing giggle. Changgen's wife praised again, "Oh, Afu is so thoughtful, this little chicken is so cute..."
He also gave Chen Daya a chicken doll for Old Lady Chen to take back. Chen Afu appreciated Chen Agui and Gao's kindness, but he couldn't make things difficult for them, especially Gao, so he kept his distance.
Chen Ming's family of three also had dinner in the new courtyard, eating up all the leftovers from lunch. They discussed that the two families would still eat together in the old house in the future. Chen Afu also said that they paid 200 wen per month for roommates.
Wang disagreed and said, "It's not right for a girl to charge a meal fee when she comes home for dinner. Besides, you often buy meat and vegetables, and you probably spend more money than us."
Chen Ming also said, "Yes, you have given so much silver to your parents as a filial gift. We are not short of money."
Chen Ahfu shook his head and smiled, "It's better to set the rules first, so there won't be chaos in the future."
After talking for a long time, Chen Ming and Wang Shi had no choice but to agree when they saw that their daughter insisted.
When it was completely dark and the sky was filled with stars, the lark that had been singing all day also stopped singing. Only then did Chen Ming and the other two get up and return to the old courtyard.
Chen Afu sent them to the old courtyard, closed the small door, and looked around the small courtyard again.
Under the starlight, the courtyard was very small, half blocked by a large tree with lush branches and leaves, making it look even more cramped. The yellow earthen walls, the yellow thatched roof, and the dim light coming through the window.
This is your home. No matter how small or simple it is, it is a place that can shelter you from the wind and rain.
At this moment, Chen Dabao was looking up at Chen Afu with his eyes wide open. The starlight fell into his eyes, and his pupils became bright.
He murmured, "Mother, there are only two of us left now."
Chen Ahfu smiled and picked him up, kissed his little face and said, "Yes, yes."
Dabao hugged her neck and whispered into her ear, "Mom, we will always depend on each other like this and never separate."
"Yes." Chen Afu agreed.
"Remember, we will never separate, no matter if I marry a wife or my mother gets married." The little brat said very insistently. As he raised his voice, his breath made Chen Ahfu's ears itchy.
This is too precocious.
Chen Ahfu patted his little butt and said, "Nonsense, my mother has established a female household and will not marry."
"No matter what, we will never be separated. I don't want to be like my grandpa, who was separated from his mother. Mom has to promise me." He added, his little face serious.
"Okay, I agree." Chen Afu promised.
After receiving his mother's solemn promise, Chen Dabao smiled brighter than the stars in the sky. He kissed Chen Afu twice again and pressed his little face against Chen Afu's big face. Now, it was very natural for him to express his love for his mother in this way.
After giving Dabao a bath in the kitchen, Chen Ahfu carried him to the kang. “Stay on the kang and don’t come out,” he said.
The little boy nodded and said, "Son, don't go out. If you go out, you will get stye."
Chen Ahfu added warm water to the large wooden tub and took a bath. Although it was not the ideal large bathtub, it made her feel comfortable. This was the most enjoyable bath she had taken since she came here.
There was a new mattress on the kang, which was fluffy and had a pleasant cotton smell. Dabao was sticking up his little butt and sniffing the mattress greedily.
Chen Ahfu got on the kang and buried his head in the mattress to smell it for a while. It smelled really good. The urine odor that had been lingering in his nose was finally gone.
This mattress had been made a long time ago, but Dabao refused to use it. He insisted that he could only use the new mattress after moving into the new house.
The little brat used to be sensitive and pitiful, but since his mother became smarter and more powerful, he probably felt that he had straightened his back, and became more independent and strong.
Chen Ahfu always believed that boys should have their own opinions and be more assertive. So as long as Dabao said something that was right or something Chen Ahfu could tolerate, he would listen to him.
Chen Ahfu's hair was not dry yet, so he leaned against the kang cabinet and told stories to Chen Dabao. He had told Andersen's or Grimm's fairy tales before, but the little boy was not interested. Later, he racked his brains to think of some stories from "Journey to the West" and "Arabian Nights". Although he didn't remember everything, it was enough to enlighten the child.
Being in the new house and sitting on the new mattress, the mother and son were very excited and talked until very late before going to bed.
In the middle of the night, there was a sudden thunder and lightning, and it started to rain heavily. Chen Dabao was so scared that he crawled into Chen Afu's arms. In a daze, Chen Afu was worried that Jin Yanzi, Qiqi, and Huihui had not returned home yet.
Chen Ahfu felt someone scratching her face while she was sleeping. She thought it was Dabao, so she waved her hand and said, "Stop it."
Jin Yanzi whispered, "It's me. I'm back, and I brought you a little bodyguard so you don't have to rely on him all the time."
Chen Afu opened his eyes. The bodyguard he brought back, who knew what it was from the forest, suddenly woke up and said quickly, "Don't bring scary things to my house."
She got up and lit the small oil lamp. She saw that Jin Yanzi was soaked like a drowned rat, with water dripping from its feathers. She quickly lifted it out of the kang and asked, "What bodyguard?"
Jin Yanzi said, "He is the son of the most powerful wild dog in the forest. His mother fought with a tiger for a long time before the tiger ate him. I snatched him from the tiger's mouth. Don't look at his small size now, he will be very powerful when he grows up."
It turned out to be a puppy, which was acceptable.
Chen Ahfu's mind turned again, and he asked in confusion, "There are dogs in the deep mountains?"
Jin Yanzi said impatiently, "I don't know either. Its mother looks like a dog. It might be a hunting dog lost by a hunter."
The golden swallow flew out of the window again, came in with a rope in its mouth, and dragged the rope into the house with all its strength.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
