"Don't you have to wear it everywhere? What's the difference?"
Even when you go back to your uncle's, you can't go without your cotton-padded coats, can you?
Cheng Rui kicked the snow with his toes.
"But originally, my mom only made us one cotton-padded jacket and one pair of cotton-padded shoes. We would dry them after playing in them until they got wet, and then wear them again."
Most importantly, there's the endless nagging.
It's not that I'm saying anything bad about his mother, nor am I complaining; I'm just stating the facts.
And who would believe it if I told them? They were treated better than their own mother by their sister in the next room. They had better food and clothes. They weren't three or five years old, so they always felt bad that they were spending a lot of their sister's money.
This question is so simple, you don't even need to think about it.
"Is that even a question?"
If it's the same amount of money, how many portions will your mother have to divide it into?
Your dad, the two of you, that's three portions. Food, drink, and even sanitation—which of these is free?
Your dad has to subsidize his comrades from time to time, right? Doesn't that mean another portion has to be given away?
Your dad has been there for so many years, you can't skimp on social obligations, right?
How many portions are there?
And there are always unforeseen circumstances, so you should always keep some emergency money on hand, right?
In case something unexpected happens, we won't be completely helpless.
You are still children, and your mother can't help but think about your future.
"You guys do the math. With just the two of them earning their salaries, divided into so many portions, it's already quite an achievement to keep this family afloat. I reckon you guys can afford to get a new outfit every year, and even if you don't make a new cotton-padded jacket every year, you'll at least add new cotton every year, right?"
"It seems so,"
A simple sigh.
"Your mom definitely doesn't have it herself, right?"
Cheng Rui was taken aback, and his steps faltered.
"Sis, now that you mention it, it does seem to be true."
The clothes my mom is wearing look like they were worn by both of us when we were little.
Her cotton-padded coat is the same. When I was eight years old, I accidentally burned a hole in it, and she sewed a patch on it. For the past few years, it's still the same cotton-padded coat with a patch.
And her shoes, the soles were showing at the heels.”
Details he had never noticed before were now being magnified and made clearer before his eyes, which surprised him and made him feel somewhat sad.
"Sis, now that you mention it, I remember too."
Several times, towards the end of the month, my mother would say she wasn't hungry, and when it was time to eat, she would only eat a little bit, or just drink porridge, leaving us with all the dry food.
At that time, I didn't know either; I thought my mom really wasn't hungry...
"Don't you think we've been too inconsiderate? My mom is so frugal with herself, and we didn't even notice?"
Children who are away from their parents are often exceptionally sensible, and they are no exception. It's normal for boys to be careless and miss some details, but this child was able to quickly spot the problem and admit it without hesitation, which is already very gratifying.
Other families only have naughty little rascals, but my son is a total sweetheart.
"It's good that you know your aunt's feelings for you. When you become parents, you naturally have more things on your mind, especially your children, who are always your top priority. It's a parent's instinct, but if you can understand their good intentions, they will be even happier to know."
Cheng Rui was still somewhat downcast.
"Really? We're all grown up, yet we're still so immature and inconsiderate. Won't my mom be very sad?"
How could that be?
I simply didn't want to lie to my child, but I also didn't want to be too harsh and cause them to lose confidence.
"Although I am still a child, I can understand my parents' thoughts to some extent. Any parent who loves their child wants to give them the best of everything."
In a parent's heart, their own child is always the best, and even the smallest growth makes them very happy. The fact that you can think this way and understand your parents is already a huge step forward; I have to praise you!
Cheng Rui was, after all, just a child. A few words from him only fueled his self-doubt.
"Really? Is that so?"
Of course.
I know what you're thinking; I'm very generous to you all.
But you have to understand, we are brothers and sisters, it's only right that we take care of each other, and our eldest brother treats us the same way, right?
Another point is that I'm living alone now, so you could say I'm single and have no family to worry about. The food is distributed by the village, the vegetables are grown by ourselves, and we made a lot of clothes when I came here, so we don't need to make them often. There are no other expenses, and we don't need to pay many social obligations, which has already saved us a lot of money.
On the other hand, as you know about my background, I have money and things left to me by my maternal grandfather, paternal grandfather, father, and mother. My older brother and younger uncle also often give me money, tickets, and things. I am not poor, and I don't lack anything.
Another thing, as you know, I'm strong enough that I never come up the mountain empty-handed. I always manage to bring back some meat. You saw it today, too. The auspicious ones, and that little one, also bring back things from time to time. Tell me, doesn't that save us a lot of money?
Don't you see how big our cellar is? We lack nothing.
My family's situation is different from yours. You live in a compound where all your neighbors are people. Your dad is a leader, so you have to be careful about everything you do. Even if you have something good, you can't be too conspicuous, right?
"You can tell from this incident that even with all the precautions, some people still don't like it. But look at us now, we're so far from the village, no one will find out what we eat, isn't that great?"
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