Chapter 16 Second Brother is Here
Back home, Cheng Cheng sat down at her desk and drew a picture of the little guy struggling to choose a comic book.
She drew a sketch, but she is actually more skilled at traditional Chinese painting. In a flash of inspiration, she created an adorable chibi-style illustration of a little person.
He couldn't help but laugh, wrote down the date and the reason for the drawing, and habitually reached for the stamp, only to find nothing on the table.
A hint of disappointment flashed across his face, and his brows furrowed, wondering where he could get a seal engraved now.
"Xiaoxiao, come here! Doesn't the drawing look like you?"
Xiao Lingxiao immediately put down the comic book in his hand and ran over.
Her round eyes widened, revealing adorable dimples. "Mommy, it's me!"
Little Lingxiao held the sketch, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Wow, she looks exactly like the person on the paper! Mom is so amazing!"
Receiving the little one's admiring gaze, Cheng Cheng felt as refreshed as drinking an ice-cold soda on a hot day. She turned the page and showed her a chibi version of herself.
Little Lingxiao bit his lip, his eyes filled with confusion, "Mom, is my head really that round?"
"Hahahahaha..."
Cheng Cheng smiled instantly, her eyes crinkling like honey-soaked crescent moons, and she scooped the little one up onto her lap.
After a closer look, she said, "Hmm... your head is quite round, though not this big. But that's okay, Mommy will try her best to raise you to be round and plump!"
Just then, a noise came from outside the door.
"Little sister! Xiaoxiao! Open the door!"
Cheng Xiangming carried a large basket on his back, pounded on the door with his big hands, shouted inside, and bent down to put the basket down.
That's... my second brother's voice!
Cheng Cheng quickly got up, picked up the little one, and went out to open the door.
"Second Brother, what brings you here?"
Cheng Xiangming has strong features, the kind of look that's popular these days, with thick eyebrows and a high nose. He said in a gruff voice, "What, can't I come?"
Lifting the large basket in both hands, Cheng Cheng stepped inside, and without waiting for Xiao Xiao to come in, she followed behind.
"Second brother, that's not what I meant. It's the busy farming season lately. I was just curious why you had time to come over."
Cheng Xiangming carried the basket into the kitchen and replied, "The busy farming season ended yesterday. I came today to inspect the tractor and also to deliver vegetables to you and your older sister."
Cheng Xiangming is the tractor driver of the brigade. Each brigade only has one tractor. As the tractor driver of his brigade, he has multiple jobs and is very busy every day. He goes wherever he is needed.
"Oh, oh."
Cheng Cheng heard it from her older sister. During this busy farming season, the early rice harvest begins at the end of May and the beginning of June. The rice is dried and delivered to the government. After the early rice is harvested, they have to rush to transplant the rice seedlings and plant the late rice. In short, it's very busy!
Cheng Xiangming put the basket on the ground, bent down and took out the contents, the top of which were four or five pounds of bayberries.
"Xiaoxiao, do you miss your second uncle? Look what delicious food your uncle brought you."
Little Lingxiao nodded emphatically, then ran to his second uncle's side, tilted his little face up, and said, word by word, "Yes! It's bayberry~"
Cheng Cheng watched as her second brother took out cucumbers, loofahs, bitter melons, amaranth, eggplants, peppers... and at the bottom was a round winter melon. No wonder he had to carry such a big basket!
"Give me a knife."
Cheng Xiangming looked up at Cheng Cheng and said.
Cheng Cheng said "Oh," and quickly went to get him a kitchen knife and handed it to him.
Cheng Xiangming cut the winter melon in half, then looked up at her and asked, "Which one do you want?"
Cheng Cheng chose the smaller half, and then Cheng Xiangming put the other half of the winter melon back into the basket. Pointing to the vegetables and fruits on the ground, he said, "Take whichever you and Xiaoxiao want to keep. I'll take the rest to my older sister later."
The eldest sister has a husband's family, unlike the younger sister whose husband's family is far away in the capital, making everything convenient for her. If he takes the gifts to the eldest sister's house first, it will be difficult to decide what to give to the younger sister, as giving too much or too little will be awkward.
Why don't we come directly to my younger sister's place first, set aside her share, and then go to my older sister's house last?
After Cheng Xiangming finished speaking, he walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and instead of drinking it, he poured it down his throat, one glass after another, until the teapot was empty in the blink of an eye.
Cheng Xiangming put down his teacup, then picked it up again, looked it over, and said with disdain, "Why did you buy such a small cup?"
Cheng Cheng: ...
It's very expensive, okay? It's just right for her and Xiaoxiao to drink water. Shouldn't it be that he's drinking water wrong? That's not drinking water, that's guzzling!
Cheng Cheng didn't say anything, but silently decided that she would replace the gourd ladle with the gourd ladle when he came next time.
I squatted down and divided the vegetables, taking one-third of each item and putting the rest back in the basket.
The eldest sister's family is large, and she and Xiaoxiao are just the two of them, so they can't eat too much. Moreover, with these vegetables and fruits, she probably won't need to buy any more vegetables for the next week.
Seeing that everything was ready, Cheng Xiangming got up, picked up the basket, put it on his back, and walked out.
Cheng Cheng followed behind and asked, "Second Brother, are you staying for lunch?"
Cheng Xiangming nodded in agreement and instructed, "Cook an extra portion; Wei Hong has also come to the county town."
Cheng Cheng didn't react for a moment. But when her second brother stepped over the threshold and looked back, she suddenly remembered that her cousin from her second uncle's family was named Cheng Weihong.
So he said, "I understand."
Cheng Xiangming waved to his little niece, "Xiaoxiao, do you want to come with your second uncle to your aunt's house to play?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxiao immediately ran over.
Cheng Cheng: "Second brother, you have long legs and walk so fast, Xiao Xiao can't keep up with your pace."
Suddenly, Cheng Xiangming bent down, picked up Xiao Lingxiao, held her in his arms, and strode outside.
Little Lingxiao, nestled in his uncle's arms, laughed heartily, his eyes crinkling with laughter, his two dimples sparkling as he turned to look at Cheng Cheng and waved.
Cheng Cheng: ...
With 30 or 40 pounds on their backs and a little one in their arms, fine, whatever makes you happy!
Cheng Cheng turned around and went back to wash the rice and cook. She was thinking about her cousin Cheng Weihong. In her memory, her cousin Cheng Weihong was two years older than the original owner of this body, and the two sisters didn't seem to have a good relationship.
They used to get along so well, but things changed when the original owner's grandfather gave her the marriage in the capital. The cousins had a serious falling out, and the second uncle's family also had their own reasons for blaming the grandparents for being biased!
It seems that unless necessary, the cousins would never speak to each other. I have never seen this cousin come to the house before. Occasionally when the original owner comes back to the village, the two of them will hardly greet each other even if they meet face to face.
Cheng Cheng felt something was off. Given how the two sisters, Zhaotang and her brother, had never spoken to each other before, it was strange that the other was coming to their house today.
Since I couldn't figure it out, I put it aside for the time being, tidied up the house, and thought about what dishes to cook for my second brother and the others for lunch.
She was lucky when she went to the market to buy groceries in the morning. She happened to come across a fish stall that had a grass carp and a few carp left. She quickly grabbed the small grass carp first.
Carp has a strong earthy smell, and according to their local saying, it's considered a "trigger food." If given a choice, they definitely wouldn't even glance at carp. When resources are scarce, they don't care whether something is poisonous or not.
The grass carp was small, only a little over a pound. Cheng Cheng kept it in a bucket, planning to have Cheng Xiangming kill it when he returned.
She doesn't want to do it herself if someone else can do it for her!
She kept four loofahs, peeled one large and one small, sliced them thinly, peeled a few cloves of garlic, heated oil in a wok, sautéed the garlic until fragrant, and then added the loofah slices.
I stir-fried it for a few seconds, then poured a ladle of water into the pot and made a loofah soup.
It was scooped out and placed in a large stainless steel basin, then left to cool on the table.
Loofah soup is the best thing to eat in summer, and it must be cooked in advance and cooled down. It's especially delicious when used to soak rice!
Not long after, they heard noises coming from outside.
Before Cheng Cheng even went outside, she heard the little guy's laughter, which was clear, melodious, and full of energy.
She raised the corners of her lips and strode out, where she saw Xiaoxiao standing in the basket, being carried on her second uncle's back. Her little face was flushed from the sun, and she was full of excitement!
"Mother!!"
Little Lingxiao's face was beaming with a bright smile, revealing his white teeth and bright, dark eyes. He excitedly waved his little hand at Cheng Cheng.
A child's carefree smile is the most infectious. Cheng Cheng's eyes flickered, and she seemed to be deep in thought. Suddenly, a joyful exclamation brought her back to her senses.
Suddenly, Cheng Xiangming grabbed Xiao Lingxiao's arm from the basket and, in a flash, placed the little girl on Cheng Xiangming's shoulder.
This caused the little guy to squeal with excitement, his big, dark eyes filled with joy and excitement. There was no fear on his face, only cheers and leaps of joy!
Clutching her uncle's head, she shouted, "Mommy!!"
Look at me!
Cheng Cheng's gaze faltered as she looked at the little guy's unreserved smile. She let out a barely perceptible sigh. It seemed that the father's role was irreplaceable in a child's growth, and the presence or absence of a father's love would definitely affect the development of the child's personality.
Cheng Xiangming held the little Lingxiao on his shoulder with one hand and took the basket off his back with the other, then casually threw it on the ground.
I carried my little niece around the yard a few times, letting the little one have a great time. Then I lifted her up high and asked loudly, "Xiaoxiao, are you scared?"
Xiao Lingxiao answered excitedly, "I'm not afraid!"
The next second, Cheng Cheng's heart stopped!
"Giggle giggle giggle..."
The carefree laughter unique to children rang out like silver bells, but Cheng Cheng's face darkened: "Cheng Xiangming!"
Little Lingxiao was tossed into the air, giggling without any fear, and landed steadily in Cheng Xiangming's arms.
The two, one big and one small, had a great time, but they scared Cheng Cheng half to death!
"Cheng Xiangming! Is this how you play with a child?"
When Cheng Cheng got angry, she stopped calling him "Second Brother" altogether!
Cheng Xiangming shrugged, looking indifferent, and smiled at his little niece while holding her, "Xiaoxiao, tell your mother whether you're happy or not?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxiao glanced at his uncle, then at his mother's expression. His smile wasn't as cheerful and carefree as before, and he whispered, "Happy~"
Cheng Cheng noticed the little guy's mood and immediately realized that this might be the difference between men and women raising children, so she pursed her lips.
He then glared at Cheng Xiangming, gave a smile, and said helplessly, "Fine, fine, whatever you want, but be careful."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxiao's face lit up with joy, as if he had secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and he smiled sweetly at his mother.
Cheng Xiangming immediately scolded her, "Look how scared you've made Xiaoxiao! She's too scared to even breathe! Isn't that right, Xiaoxiao? Don't be afraid, your uncle is here, even your mother has to listen to him!"
After saying that, Cheng Xiangming tossed the little girl into the air again, but this time he didn't toss her very high. Little Lingxiao giggled happily again.
The uncle and nephew played the game two or three more times in front of Cheng Cheng.
Cheng Cheng: "..."
Sometimes, the urge to kill someone is impossible to hide!
A note from the author:
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Tomorrow's update will be at midnight.
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