Bad uncle, you want to take his mother away? Dream on! He suppressed the coldness in his eyes, raised his head, and a perfect expression of doubt and curiosity appeared on his pretty face.

"Mom, this uncle is really nice. He not only invited us to dinner but also offered to take us home."

Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu lowered her head and pinched her son's fair face, "Little idiot, just because I treat you to a meal and send you home, I'm a good person? Why are you so easy to please? Remember, there is no such thing as kindness without reason, and there is no such thing as pie in the sky."

Pei Ziheng blinked, "You mean, Uncle Yan is not a good person?"

"You don't need to worry about whether it's good or bad, just remember that he has nothing to do with us."

"oh."

Fortunately, mom is not that stupid.

Pei Ziheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

——

After returning home, Shen Mingzhu went to the bathroom to get some water and prepared to take a bath.

The weather is getting warmer now, so you won’t feel cold when taking a shower at home.

Knowing that she loved taking baths, when Pei Yang was at home, he specially asked someone to make a wooden tub for her to take a bath, and also bought a large aluminum pot to boil water for her to take a bath.

The aluminum pot is light and rust-proof, and it conducts heat quickly, so a large pot of water can boil in just a few minutes.

While the water was not turned on, Shen Mingzhu went back to her room to find some clothes to change into.

Pei Ziheng took the opportunity to pick up the phone on the table and called his aunt Pei Wenping.

"Aunt, I want to borrow money from you..."

The next day, Pei Wenping took advantage of the lunch break to come to the kindergarten to find Pei Ziheng.

"What do you need a loan for when you're such a small kid?"

Pei Ziheng's eyes, which were as beautiful as black gemstones, blinked and looked particularly well-behaved. "Please treat mom to a meal."

After learning that yesterday was Shen Mingzhu's birthday, Pei Wenping blamed Pei Ziheng for not telling her earlier, and then asked him how much he wanted to borrow.

Pei Ziheng raised a white and tender little finger.

Pei Wenping took out a big unity banknote from her wallet and handed it to him.

Pei Ziheng shook his head, "It's one hundred."

Pei Wenping's eyes almost popped out of her head. "What kind of meal would cost a hundred yuan? Do you want to eat dragon meat?"

"It's not dragon meat, it's steak. I ate it yesterday..."

Pei Ziheng told the mother and son everything about how he met Yan Yi at dinner yesterday and how Yan Yi treated the mother and son to a luxurious Western meal.

Pei Wenping stared blankly after hearing this.

My goodness, they spent a hundred bucks on a steak meal, which is enough to buy half a cow at the meat processing plant! Pei Wenping couldn't help but pinch her nephew's chubby face, "You two gluttons, you spent two months' salary on a meal!"

Pei Ziheng didn't move, looking quiet and well-behaved, as if he knew he was wrong.

It's a good deal if you can borrow a hundred yuan just by being caught.

In that era, one hundred yuan was not a small sum of money, and Pei Wenping didn't have that much money on her, so she asked Pei Ziheng for the address of the restaurant.

"I'll take the money out of my passbook tomorrow and send it directly to the restaurant."

"Thank you, auntie. I'll ask my dad to return the money to you when he comes back."

Pei Wenping waved her hand nonchalantly, "Alright, you're just a kid, why do you worry so much?"

After saying that, he couldn't help but mutter, "I've never eaten steak in my life. What does it taste like? I think I can become an immortal if I eat it. I can spend a hundred bucks on a steak."

"It's very fragrant and tender, with a strong milky flavor. Auntie, when I grow up and make money, I'll treat you to steak every day."

Pei Wenping was originally very unhappy, thinking that her sister-in-law Shen Mingzhu was too spendthrift. However, when she heard the big promises made by her nephew, she immediately smiled and all her anger disappeared.

"Aunt, please don't tell my mother that I'm asking you to borrow money."

"Why?"

"It's Mom's birthday and Dad isn't at home with her, so we have to give him a chance to perform."

Pei Wenping thought it made sense, and happily praised her nephew for a long time, then pulled him aside and whispered, "Ziheng, you have to be a little man in the future and take good care of your mother. When your father is not at home, we have to guard the rear for him and take care of his wife, so that she will not be abducted by bad men outside."

"Um!"

——

"...I was so busy that I forgot it was your birthday yesterday. Come to my house for dinner tonight. I have arranged everything. You don't need to bring anything, just come directly."

Unable to refuse such a kind offer, Shen Mingzhu agreed.

Although Pei Wenping said that you don't need to bring anything, you still have to observe basic etiquette when visiting someone's home.

What's more, it's not just about treating her to a meal, but about celebrating her birthday.

After answering Pei Wenping's call, Shen Mingzhu took her wallet and went out to buy some fruits, flour, peanut butter, milk, salted eggs, etc. She went home and baked snacks such as peanut cookies and egg yolk biscuits.

After baking, let it cool, then seal it in small transparent bags, two pieces at a time, for easy storage.

Time was limited, so she didn't bake much. She was worried that if the portion was too small, she wouldn't be able to give it away, so she didn't dare leave any for Pei Ziheng.

After finishing the work, it was just time for the kindergarten to get out of school.

Shen Mingzhu changed into some decent clothes, picked up some fruits and cookies she had baked herself, picked up Pei Ziheng and went straight to Chen's house.

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

When we arrived at Chen's house, Pei Wenping was already busy in the kitchen wearing an apron.

Shen Mingzhu was a little surprised and also a little touched.

The clerical staff of the cotton mill were supposed to get off work at 5:30, but it was only 5:15 now. Obviously, Pei Wenping had left work early to go home and prepare for her birthday.

"Big sister, let me help you."

"That won't work. You're the birthday girl today. Go sit in the living room and watch TV. You're not needed here."

Pei Wenping, like Pei Yang, is a strong-willed person who keeps his word. She told Shen Mingzhu not to help and simply pushed her out of the kitchen and closed the door.

Shen Mingzhu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and turned around to help the twins with their homework.

As a result, when I walked to the door of the twins' room, I saw Pei Ziheng standing next to his cousin Chen Xiaochao, teaching him how to make sentences in a serious manner.

"...curiosity, for example, you saw a pile of dog poop on your way home from school today, and you picked it up and smelled it out of curiosity."

Shen Mingzhu: “…”

But Chen Xiaochao didn't think there was a problem. While praising Pei Ziheng for his ability, he picked up a pen and quickly wrote the sentence content on the exercise book.

Chen Chaolu, who was sitting on the other side, was relatively normal. She glanced at the two brothers with disdain, picked up her pen and started to make a sentence, but changed "dog shit" into "little flower".

When it was almost dark, Chen Yi also came back with a beautiful cream cake in her hand. The twins, a boy and a girl, jumped for joy, it was just like New Year's Day.

Obviously, birthday cakes aren't a common occurrence at home, which is why there would be such a reaction.

Shen Mingzhu's heart was touched even more.

Pei Wenping’s cooking skills are pretty good, and her dishes are very rich in variety, with a combination of meat and vegetables. She even specially made Shen Mingzhu’s favorite garlic spare ribs.

After dinner, Pei Wenping and her in-laws neatly cleared the table, put the birthday cake on it, and put candles on it. The whole family clapped and sang the birthday song together, creating a lively and warm atmosphere.

Under the dim candlelight, Shen Mingzhu's eyes quietly turned red.

When she made a wish, she subconsciously prayed for Pei Yang in her heart——

Come back safely.

——

In a blink of an eye, it was the weekend, and Shen Mingzhu took Pei Ziheng to participate in the study group's outdoor activities.

The place is in a mountain villa in the suburbs.

The villa is built on the hillside with a Western architectural style. The main building is a castle-style dome villa, surrounded by artificial lakes, lawns, and flower beds. A little further away, there are vegetable fields, orchards, and farms.

The venue for the event is located on the lawn at the rear of the villa.

When the villa's management brought Shen Mingzhu and her son to the venue, everyone looked at them in surprise.

The activity stipulates that one must bring a family member. Other students bring their significant other or partner, while single students bring their friends or besties.

Only Shen Mingzhu brought her son.

"Shen Mingzhu, you don't think today is a parent-child activity, do you?"

"Today's outdoor activity, everyone will be assigned tasks. You are with your son. When the task is done, will you be busy doing the task or busy taking care of the child?"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of laughter.