Chapter 40 Does she really think she's a vegetarian?
Zhao Fei drove the baby to the photo studio for his 100-day photos.
The background cloth was sky blue with a few white clouds painted on it.
Wen Xiaoxiao placed Yizhen and Yibao on a rattan chair covered with red velvet. The two little ones were wearing matching red floral cotton-padded jackets, which Zhao Fei had specially bought for them when he went to the provincial capital to sell pigs last time.
They couldn't sit still and had to lean against something.
The old master held up a toy to attract attention, while Zhao Fei and Wen Xiaoxiao hid behind the chair on either side to hold it up.
"Look here, look here—smile!" The old craftsman squeezed the rubber duck.
Yi Bao is very brave; she stares at the camera with her big, dark eyes full of curiosity.
Yizhen was a little shy, her little mouth twitched, and she looked like she was about to cry.
Wen Xiaoxiao quickly and gently shook the bell on her wrist, while Zhao Fei whispered to her from the other side.
Just then, the experienced photographer pressed the shutter.
"Alright, alright! Great photos!" The old man looked at the camera and nodded in satisfaction. "The young lady is beautiful. Come pick up the photos in two or three days."
After leaving the photo studio, Zhao Fei didn't rush home.
He drove to the entrance of the department store in town. "Get out of the car and go inside for a look," he said to Wen Xiaoxiao.
Wen Xiaoxiao was holding one child, and Zhao Fei was holding another.
Upon entering the department store, there weren't many people inside, and the shelves were filled with various enamel basins, thermos flasks, and fabrics.
Zhao Fei walked straight to the counter selling ready-made clothes.
"Comrade, take that plaid one, and that navy blue one, yes, that's her size." Zhao Fei pointed to the two women's coats hanging there, both made of thick corduroy, which looked very warm.
The saleswoman, a middle-aged woman with curly hair, smiled and took it down: "You have good taste, sir. These are all new styles from Shanghai, warm and fashionable. Why don't you let your partner try them on?"
Wen Xiaoxiao's face flushed red instantly, and she hurriedly shook her head: "No need, big brother, I have clothes to wear..."
“Your clothes are too thin, it’s going to get cold soon.” Without waiting for a reply, Zhao Fei handed the child in his arms to the saleswoman to hold temporarily, picked up the navy blue coat, and gently draped it over Wen Xiaoxiao’s shoulders. “Try it on.”
Wen Xiaoxiao couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she had no choice but to put on the sleeves.
The clothes fit her perfectly, and the navy blue color made her pale face look more energetic.
"It's fine, this one will do." Zhao Fei nodded, then pointed to the red plaid one, "Wrap that one up too, so we can alternate wearing them."
"Big brother, you really don't need two pieces..." Wen Xiaoxiao whispered.
"You're already exhausted from postpartum care and taking care of the baby, what's wrong with wearing nice clothes?" Zhao Fei paid the bill, his tone casual but carrying an air of unyielding authority.
Just then, a familiar voice came from the knitwear counter next door: "Hey? Xiaoxiao?"
It was Sister Hu from the tailor shop, picking out several pairs of nylon stockings.
She noticed the new clothes Wen Xiaoxiao was trying on, then looked at the child in Zhao Fei's arms, and Wen Xiaoxiao was also holding one. Her eyes lit up, and she walked over with a smile: "Wow, these two children are getting more and more beautiful! Your family of four is so enviable!"
She naturally came to regard them as family.
Wen Xiaoxiao opened her mouth, but the words "Sister Hu, it's not..." stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say them.
Zhao Fei didn't explain, he just nodded to Sister Hu: "Um... buying something?"
"Buy a few pairs of socks. Okay, I won't keep you any longer. Go back now, the child is small, don't let him catch a cold." Sister Hu smiled, waved, and left.
The car was quiet on the way back.
The two children were tired after taking photos and fell asleep in the safety baskets in the back seat.
Wen Xiaoxiao stared at the trees rushing past outside the window, her mind in turmoil.
Sister Hu's words, "a family of four," were like a pebble, stirring up ripples in her tranquil heart.
In the evening, Zhao Yidi went to her classmate's house to do her homework.
Inside the main room, Yizhen and Bao lay side by side on the kang (a heated brick bed) covered with thick mattresses, playing with their little hands and making cooing noises.
After 100 days, they were indeed much easier to take care of, and their routines became more regular.
However, Wen Xiaoxiao's milk supply is not enough for both of them, so she is currently alternating between breast milk and formula.
After feeding them their last milk before bedtime, the two little ones quickly fell asleep, their breathing even.
Wen Xiaoxiao sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), mending a child's clothes by the dim light.
Zhao Fei came in after clearing away the dishes and sat down next to her.
The room was quiet except for the soft hissing sound of the kettle on the stove.
Zhao Fei's gaze fell on Wen Xiaoxiao's exposed wrist, which was empty.
He suddenly reached out and gently took her hand as she was threading a needle.
Wen Xiaoxiao's hand trembled, and she almost pricked her finger with the needle.
"Why aren't you wearing the bracelet I gave you?" Zhao Fei's voice was low, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
His large, warm palm completely enveloped her slightly cool hand.
Wen Xiaoxiao lowered her head, "...I dare not wear it."
She was afraid that Li Yugu would see it, afraid that outsiders would see it, and even more afraid that once she put it on, she would never be able to take it off again and would never be able to return to the identity of "sister-in-law".
Zhao Fei tightened his grip on her hand.
He was silent for a moment, then said firmly, "Xiaoxiao, one day I will make sure you can follow me openly and honestly. I will make sure you can wear what I give you with dignity."
The determination within her was so intense it almost burned her.
She didn't pull her hand away; instead, she gently, tremblingly, squeezed his hand back.
This subtle gesture was like a silent agreement and encouragement.
Zhao Fei's eyes suddenly turned deep.
He raised his other hand and touched her cheek.
Wen Xiaoxiao closed her eyes, and the next second, his passionate kiss landed on her.
When dry wood meets a raging fire, everything becomes self-evident.
Emotions that had been suppressed for too long were suddenly ignited during their cautious touches.
An autumn wind is rising outside, making the paper windows rustle softly.
Inside the room, under the dim light, two souls who had been lonely for too long embraced tightly.
The weather is getting colder every day.
The jujube trees in the yard have lost all their leaves, leaving only bare branches pointing towards the gray sky.
Zhao Fei hauled an extra truckload of coal from the coal yard, and the shiny black coal chunks piled up like a small mountain in the yard.
"We need to prepare more this year, and we also need to add another stove in the east wing." He said to Wen Xiaoxiao, who came out to pour water, "The two children are small and can't get cold. You...you're also afraid of the cold."
Wen Xiaoxiao's face now had a rosy glow, and she was holding a baby who was wrapped up tightly in her arms.
Watching Zhao Fei's busy figure, she felt a warm glow in her heart and softly hummed in agreement.
After school, Zhao Yidi always likes to sneak into the east wing.
She grew increasingly fond of her two chubby little sisters and would tell them stories in her childish voice.
"Second Aunt, can I sleep with you and my sister tonight?" One night, Zhao Yidi tugged at Wen Xiaoxiao's clothes and asked expectantly.
Looking into the child's clear, dependent eyes, Wen Xiaoxiao's heart melted.
Li Yugu was away for a long time, and Zhao Fei, being a grown man, needed the companionship and warmth of a woman.
"Okay." Wen Xiaoxiao patted her head. "But there might not be enough room on the kang. Your dad will have to add another section to the kang."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Fei, without saying a word, found some wooden planks and bricks, and after working for a long time, he extended the kang (heated brick bed) in the east wing further outward.
In this way, Wen Xiaoxiao, along with her two children and Zhao Yidi, finally had some space to sleep.
I don't know when it started, but rumors began to spread quietly, like autumn fog.
"Hey, that eldest brother-in-law from the Zhao family, he's really close to his sister-in-law..."
"Li Yugu is hardly ever home anymore, leaving only a lone man and woman with several children..."
"Tsk tsk, Zhao Qingda is a terrible person. He doesn't care about his wife and children, and he's out there..."
The talkative Aunt Liu bumped into Zhao Yidi, who was returning home from school, at the alley entrance. She couldn't help but go up to him and casually asked, "Yidi, do you sleep in the same room as your second aunt tonight?"
Zhao Yidi nodded and obediently replied, "Yes, I sleep with my second aunt and my sisters. My second aunt tells me stories."
The child's innocent answer, however, became another form of confirmation to some people with ulterior motives.
Some of these words inevitably reached Wen Xiaoxiao's ears.
At first, she pretended not to hear, but the rumors did not stop because of her silence; on the contrary, they seemed to intensify.
That afternoon, the weather was unusually fine, with no wind.
Wen Xiaoxiao used the stroller that Zhao Fei bought to push her two children to the entrance of the alley to bask in the sun.
Several gossipy women were whispering amongst themselves, but when they saw her arrive, their voices lowered.
Wen Xiaoxiao stopped pushing the cart, then straightened up, turned around, and faced the women. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear, carrying a fierce determination:
"Some people can't even keep their own messy affairs under control, yet they have the time to worry about whether other people's homes are cold or hot? Are they just too full, or are their own men too useless, and they're just itching for something to do?"
She paused, a cold smile even appearing at the corner of her lips:
“I, Wen Xiaoxiao, am a woman whose husband is never home and whose mother-in-law doesn't take care of her. I raised my own child single-handedly, without stealing anyone's rice or owing anyone any debts! If anyone continues to gossip behind my back and spread rumors, don't blame me for hearing it and blocking your doorway to curse your ancestors for eighteen generations! Do you really think honest people have no temper and are just vegetarians?”
His words were barbed and sarcastic, making veiled accusations and leaving the women blushing and pale, none of them daring to respond.
They never expected Wen Xiaoxiao to be so scathing when she started cursing; every word she uttered was piercing to the heart.
After Wen Xiaoxiao finished cursing, she finally felt some of the anger that had been building up inside her for so long.
She stopped looking at them and her tone instantly softened: "Yizhen, Yibao, let's go home."
At the entrance of the alley, several women remained, looking at each other in bewilderment, unable to come to their senses for a long time.
Her kindness has its limits.
Her silence also had its limits.
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