When Tao Wanniang returned, Ling Dapeng was still there.
"Mother, Mother, I've missed you so much!" Ling Dapeng said exaggeratedly and urgently.
"What are you doing? Get away!" Tao Wan's mother shouted in disgust. "What are you doing here instead of staying with your pregnant wife?"
"Mother, I...I've come to ask you for advice. How should we get through this?" Ling Dapeng said with a worried face.
Tao Wanniang raised an eyebrow and said bluntly, "You should live within your means. Why do you need to ask me about such a trivial matter?"
"But...but I want my wife and children to have a better life," Ling Dapeng said weakly. "Mom, please help me one more time!"
"You want money?" Tao Wanniang frowned at Ling Dapeng. "Ling Dapeng, are you still breastfeeding?"
Ling Dapeng was stunned. Hearing Tao Wanniang's words, he felt extremely ashamed. "Mother, I just... I just... want Xiaoyun to have a good life."
"Ha, that's your wife, so you're right to think that way," Tao Wanniang sneered. "But how can you let your mother help you raise your wife and child? Wasn't it enough that I raised both of you?"
“Your wife is perfectly capable, and her pregnancy of just over four months won’t affect anything. If she wants to eat and drink well, she should earn her own money!” Tao Wan’s mother said sternly. “I’ve already said the unpleasant things. What kind of life did you live before? Why can’t you live that way now?”
"If the money you have doesn't last long, it means you're overestimating yourselves. What, you think you can eat and stay well while I'm in charge, and then go out on your own and do the same? You'll have to see if you have the ability to do that."
Ling Dapeng shrank back slightly after being scolded by Tao Wanniang.
"We didn't eat anything particularly good either. Meat and fish were expensive," Ling Dapeng said guiltily.
"Heh, you still eat meat!" Tao Wan's mother laughed. "Ling Dapeng, your mother has money to buy meat, and I don't like to eat alone. You've all raised your standards!"
"Why don't you go and find out how you're going to support a family on that income? How are you going to manage their food, clothing, and other necessities?"
Tao Wan's mother's rudeness felt like a slap in the face to Ling Dapeng. "Mother, you weren't like this to me before," Ling Dapeng said resentfully.
“We used to think you were a posthumous child, so we've doted on you ever since you were born. You also have an older brother, who does most of the household chores. Ling Dapeng, don't take other people's kindness for granted.”
"Since you want a life with a wife, kids, and a warm bed, I'll grant your wish, but don't come crying to me. Go home and take care of your wife and kids!"
Ling Dapeng slunk away. His brother and sister-in-law scolded him, and his mother scolded him too. Was it wrong for him to love his wife and children?
Back at his own home, Ling Dapeng saw Cao'er playing with Zhi'er and Liu Ma sweeping the floor, but he didn't see Zhou Xiaoyun.
"Where's Xiaoyun?" Ling Dapeng couldn't help but ask.
"Madam is sleepy, she's sleeping in the room," Cao'er said obediently.
It's already evening, and they're still sleeping? Ling Dapeng felt a little disheartened. He went back to the kitchen to check and saw that there was rice in the rice bin and salt in the salt jar. He had gone to the mansion but hadn't gotten anything.
Let's save some of the restaurant's dishes. Once it opens, he can bring some back from the restaurant.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Ling Dapeng, and his mood instantly improved. He strode out of the kitchen and said to Cao'er and Liu Ma, "It's time to cook dinner. You two go and make a few dishes, just be frugal. Zhi'er, come on, let Daddy carry you to find Mommy."
Cao'er and Aunt Liu looked at each other, wondering if they didn't think they could eat what they had cooked.
Zhou Xiaoyun had just finished sleeping. These past few days had been the most carefree she had ever experienced. There was no longer a domineering mother-in-law to weigh on her; no capable sister-in-law to make her feel useless; and no more worrying about seeing her adopted daughter living a much better life than her.
Just then, Ling Dapeng pushed the door open carrying his son, and Zhou Xiaoyun immediately asked, "Where did you go?"
“I went, but didn’t get anything,” Ling Dapeng said directly. “Xiaoyun, I have something to tell you. The restaurant won’t be open for another month, and we won’t have any income for that month. We’ll have to tighten our belts.”
Seeing Ling Dapeng's somewhat guilty yet ingratiating expression, Zhou Xiaoyun knew that he must have been scolded over there.
"Dapeng, I know it's all because of me. I understand why you're willing to split the family business for me. As long as the three of us are together, I'm willing to endure some hardship." Zhou Xiaoyun calculated the money she had on hand; at least she wouldn't starve.
“No, it’s a family of four!” Ling Dapeng emphasized. His wife is so understanding, he must treat her well.
However, despite Zhou Xiaoyun's understanding nature, her face fell after eating the meal prepared by Cao'er and Aunt Liu that evening. Pickled vegetables? Rice soup?
"Xiaoyun, eat up. Eat whatever you have at home first. When the restaurant opens, I'll take you to a fancy restaurant," Ling Dapeng said immediately when he saw Zhou Xiaoyun's displeased expression.
Zhou Xiaoyun endured it. She lived a life of hardship, eating only coarse food and drinking only thin gruel. She couldn't let Ling Dapeng think that she was lazy and good-for-nothing.
Aunt Liu and Cao'er weren't allowed to sit at the table. The two of them fed Ling Zhi together, but the child seemed to have gotten used to the good food and would spit out the pickled vegetables as soon as he ate them.
"Egg, egg..." Ling Zhi mumbled, but his chubby little face was still puffed up with anger.
"Madam, Master, the young master refuses to eat!" Cao'er said sadly.
"Go boil an egg, then mash it and put it in the soup for Zhi'er." Zhou Xiaoyun suppressed her disgust and then said to Ling Dapeng, "Dapeng, it's okay for me to suffer a little, but Zhi'er needs to grow. From now on, all the eggs in the house should be for Zhi'er!"
"That won't do. You're pregnant too. How about this, from now on, there will be two eggs a day, one for you and one for Zhi'er." Ling Dapeng did the math. They couldn't afford meat, but they couldn't afford eggs!
"Go and boil two eggs," Ling Dapeng ordered. "Why aren't the chickens laying eggs yet?" he muttered.
"Dapeng, have you been free these past few days? How about we go see Father tomorrow? We had to ask Father for Gao Cuiniang, but in the end, she ended up taking care of Zhi'er and Xiaofeng."
Zhou Xiaoyun said with some dissatisfaction, "Father should know about our family's division of property."
"Xiaoyun, you don't want to live in the General's Mansion, do you? I'm not going." Ling Dapeng knew his wife well enough to refuse immediately when he heard Zhou Xiaoyun say that.
"Idiot, if we visit before lunch, we can save on a meal, and the kids can eat well too," Zhou Xiaoyun said through gritted teeth. "Who am I saving money for?!"
This... seems like it could work! Seeing Zhou Xiaoyun biting her lip and looking at him with a melancholy expression, Ling Dapeng felt a little guilty. He hadn't been able to give his wife a good life!
"Then... let's go take a look, but we can't stay long." Ling Dapeng thought for a moment, and finally listened to Zhou Xiaoyun's words.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com