"Big brother, come out and play." Big brother was speechless when the voice from outside saved him.
"Hey, I'm here." With that, he got up and ran.
Erwa, always following his older brother around, immediately ran out as well.
When Zhao Qinglan returned and saw that the two brothers, Da Wa and Da Wa, were not there, she was not worried and began to put away the things she had bought.
The surrounding area is either a military camp or a family quarters, so even if Da Wa and the others are playing, they certainly won't go far.
The sentries at the main gate wouldn't let these children out either.
The only vegetables available right now were cabbage and radishes. She had seen some meat at the grocery store earlier and was tempted, but the family had already used up their meat coupons for the month, so she could only buy some large bones that didn't require coupons.
Besides the large bone, she also bought a piece of tofu, some eggs, and other seasonings.
Use half of the pork bones to make soup, and the other half to stew with cabbage and tofu. It's delicious even without meat.
It would be even better if there were glass noodles, but she couldn't find them at the grocery store.
If all else fails, she can only make some sweet potato noodles herself, which can be used to make many delicious dishes.
With limited ingredients available now, she has no choice but to find ways to improve the food.
Even if we don't consider the children's sake, she couldn't stand eating only radishes and cabbage every day.
Wu Mei's three children are all in school, and there's no one at home, so she just grabs whatever's convenient for lunch.
There was only one primary school in the military camp. Students had to go to middle and high school in the district. For this reason, the military even sent a car every day to pick up and drop off the children in the family area.
Wu Mei's three children are currently in high school and junior high school. They don't come home for lunch; they only come back after school in the afternoon.
While Wu Mei was sewing shoe soles, she smelled a wonderful aroma, and her stomach, which she had just eaten, suddenly felt hungry.
"Who's having something delicious to eat? It smells so good." She muttered to herself as she walked into the yard with the shoe sole in her hand.
Once inside the courtyard, the fragrance became even stronger. After looking around, Wu Mei figured out where the aroma was coming from.
Just now, when Zhao Qinglan bought the big bones, she tried to stop her, saying that they were all bones and had no meat, so why waste money on them?
Now, smelling this aroma, she's starting to question her existence—how could a big bone smell so good?
She was about to go over and ask Zhao Qinglan how she did it, but she turned back halfway there.
She was afraid that if she asked, Zhao Qinglan would think she wanted some more and give her more, which would make her feel embarrassed.
After all, the Li family now has three children, and there are plenty of mouths to feed. How could she possibly compete with other children for food?
During the few days that the two brothers ate at her house, Li Huai also sent them grain coupons.
These days, unless it's a special family, food is scarce for most households. It's considered a blessing to be able to eat well every day, let alone have a good meal.
Lured by the aroma from next door, Wu Mei made herself a steamed egg as soon as she entered the house. With a drop of sesame oil, it tasted incredibly delicious.
Wu Mei felt a little embarrassed because she was eating alone while her children and husband were not home.
With a determined heart, she took a few more eggs and started stewing them, thinking that when her family members came back in the afternoon, she would treat them to something nice.
As for Zhao Qinglan, once the bone broth was ready and the dishes were almost done, she turned to look at her daughter.
"Xiaoduo, go and find Dawa and Erwa to come back for dinner."
Although both children have formal names, calling them "Big Brother" and "Second Brother" feels more affectionate.
Xiao Duo had been craving it for a long time, and as soon as she heard about it, she immediately ran out to find someone.
"This Li Huai said he was going to the logistics department, but he still hasn't shown up." She muttered to herself as she looked at the clock on the wall.
Li Huai, whom she was talking about, was currently in the military camp.
Although both the regimental commander Sun Shengli and the political commissar Zhou Hai said they would come over after they had completely sorted out their family affairs.
Li Huai felt bad about it, because he couldn't have asked for so many days off according to the proper procedures. It was only because the regimental commander and political commissar were considerate of him.
He just got back yesterday, and it's understandable that he's busy at home and doesn't go to the military camp, but today he feels too embarrassed to stay at home all the time.
"Mom, Mom, something terrible has happened! Big Brother is fighting!" Xiao Duo ran back, panting.
"What!" Zhao Qinglan rushed out of the house.
"Where is she? Take me there quickly!" With that, she took off her apron and ran out.
Xiao Duo quickly led the way.
When Zhao Qinglan ran over, she saw that Da Wa was shielding Er Wa behind him and being scolded by a woman with a fierce look on her face.
"You motherless bastard, look what you've done to my precious Da Bao."
The older child had a bruise on his face and his face was tense, while the younger child's face was covered in tears.
"Say it again if you dare!" Zhao Qinglan walked over with a frosty expression.
"Who are you?" Qian Hongxia asked impatiently.
"I am his mother." With that, she stood in front of the eldest son, firmly shielding the two brothers behind her.
Xiao Duo stood beside Da Wa and whispered to him, who was still shocked by Zhao Qinglan, "Brother Da Wa, don't be afraid, my mom is amazing." Xiao Duo looked very proud when she mentioned this.
"Heh, who am I talking about?" Qian Hongxia looked at Zhao Qinglan with disdain, clearly already knowing who she was.
"If you have any skills, use them on me. Why are you yelling at a child like that!" Zhao Qinglan said unhappily.
"Oh, so you're already showing off as soon as you arrive. It's a pity that a stepmother is always a stepmother. Some of these bastards can't be tamed. I hope you don't end up with nothing to show for your efforts." Qian Hongxia said sarcastically.
"You don't need to worry about my family's affairs."
"I'm telling you, you need to discipline this kid properly. Look what he did to my eldest child. Since you insist on intervening, give me an explanation. Apologize to my eldest child first, and then we can talk about compensation. My eldest child needs to go to the hospital for a proper check-up."
After saying that, Qian Hongxia paused again. "This child is so young and she's already being so ruthless. If we don't stop her, she'll end up in jail and facing execution later."
When Zhao Qinglan thought of Da Wa's previous life, how he ended up like that trying to avenge his younger brother, her pupils suddenly contracted, and she slapped Qian Hongxia hard across the face.
"I'll show you!"
“My eldest child is a good kid. You only say that he hit your eldest child, but why don’t you look at how bad the injury on his face is? And I believe that he must have had a reason for hitting him.”
In her memory, Li Huai described Da Wa as a kind and righteous person, especially kind to his younger brother, despite his strained relationship with his father, Li Huai.
Perhaps Li Huai views his deceased child through a father's lens, but Da Wa was certainly not a bad person overall, and Li Huai is not one to lie.
Moreover, Da Wa was already gone by then. What good would it do for Li Huai to describe his son as a flower? He felt more regret, longing, and remorse.
Da Wa, who had been keeping a serious expression on his face and hadn't shed a tear even when he was hit or cursed by Qian Hongxia, suddenly burst into tears because of Zhao Qinglan's slap and the words of support she gave him.
Ultimately, he was just a child who was a little over six years old, not even seven years old yet.
As soon as tears fell, he quickly tilted his head back, not wanting anyone to see them.
The last time he cried was when his biological mother, Zhu Kexin, passed away.
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