Downstairs in the family compound, a group of children were playing together. The boys were playing marbles, and the girls were playing hopscotch.
Today is a rare weekend, so the children didn't take their usual afternoon nap.
Just then, Liang Dapang was troubled by losing marbles when he looked up and saw An'an walking in from outside. He exclaimed in surprise, "An'an, Yuanyuan, why are you back?"
Then I saw An'an's mother walk in. Why is she back too?
Didn't you sell An'an and Yuanyuan?
Li Cheng'an was quick-witted and instantly sensed the disbelief in Liang Dapang's tone. He retorted with a question that was quite reminiscent of Li Hanting's imposing manner.
Why can't we come back?
Liang Dapang blurted out, "Didn't your mother sell you and Yuanyuan?"
The surrounding children boasted and looked at An'an's mother with fear.
Liang Dapang then realized he had said the wrong thing and immediately covered his mouth.
Li Yuanyuan was furious. She put her hands on her hips and retorted angrily.
"Big Fatty, you're talking nonsense. My mom never sold me and my brother. My mom is so nice. She even buys clothes and storybooks for me and my brother. Do your moms do that?"
The children around looked at Yuanyuan with envy.
"I…"
Liang Dapang stammered and couldn't answer. He had just been bragging about having dumplings at home tonight, but compared to others, it was nothing.
Li Cheng'an looked directly into Liang Dapang's eyes and asked, "Who told you that?"
Given Da Pang's intelligence, he couldn't possibly be thinking too much.
Big Fat Mom was there this morning, could she be spreading rumors?
Thinking about how good An'an was at playing marbles, Liang Dapang was afraid that An'an would not play with him anymore, so he quickly distanced himself, "An'an, it wasn't me, it was my mother who said it."
Su Jingjing was initially upset about being wronged, but the two little ones' protectiveness warmed her heart instantly.
"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Wu Xiuying suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pretending to pat her son's shoulder, her eyes darting around as she tried to distance herself from him.
The next second, she looked up at Su Jingjing and slightly curled her lips, "That... Da Pang is talking nonsense, aren't the two children fine?"
Not only did Liang Dapang not understand his mother's meaning, he also undermined her by breaking free from her hand.
"Mom, it's what you said, you even said that An'an's mother would suffer..."
Before the word "punishment" could be uttered, his mother covered his mouth, but it was too late.
The two children's expressions immediately changed, and they glared menacingly at Wu Xiuying.
Wu Xiuying felt uneasy being stared at by the two little brats, as if they were about to devour her.
It’s over!
Her son had a loose tongue and spilled the beans. If Liang Haishan finds out, won't she be sent back to her hometown?
Thinking of this, Wu Xiuying felt caught in a pincer movement and broke out in a cold sweat.
Su Jingjing walked towards Wu Xiuying with a half-smile.
Wu Xiuying shuddered, took her son and backed away, her mouth trembling, "What...what are you going to do?"
Anyway, she didn't spread rumors in the compound, so it can't be blamed on her.
Su Jingjing's lips curled slightly, but the pressure was palpable.
"Listen, I, Su Jingjing, hereby declare that from now on, these two children will be the apple of my eye, and their lives will only get better and better."
After saying that, he led the children into the stairwell.
Wu Xiuying was left in shock, along with a group of children who were watching the commotion.
At this moment, a woman in her forties walked over, carrying a vegetable basket in her hand.
He frowned slightly. "Why did you provoke her again?"
Upon seeing Zhou Qian, Wu Xiuying immediately snapped out of her daze and embellished the scene, reenacting what had just happened.
"I am truly innocent, and I'm being falsely accused instead."
"Just because she's the commander's wife doesn't make her special."
Zhou Qian put a finger to her lips, "Keep your voice down, it won't be good if she hears you."
"She is, after all, the wife of the regimental commander."
Their husbands were all under Li Hanting's jurisdiction, and they dared not openly anger Su Jingjing.
Having spent several years together, Zhou Qian knew Wu Xiuying's personality very well, and there was bound to be some exaggeration in her description.
Feeling too ashamed to stay any longer, Wu Xiuying pulled her son upstairs.
The other children ran off as well, treating what had just happened as a funny incident, and told all the adults in their families about it.
Within an afternoon, the entire residential compound knew about the interesting things that had happened during the day.
Li Cheng'an watched his mother calmly pack her things, then hesitated for a moment at the door before speaking.
"Aren't you angry when they say those things about you?"
Su Jingjing paused, straightened up and looked at An'an, smiling calmly, "I was a little angry at first, but seeing how you and Yuanyuan defended me, nothing she said really bothered me."
"An'an, thank you for today, Mom."
Li Cheng'an touched the tip of his nose, slightly embarrassed, and stubbornly said, "I wasn't defending you, I just didn't want others to talk badly about our family outside."
"Okay, okay, then can my sweet little man help me with the laundry?"
As she spoke, Su Jingjing handed over the clothes she had just bought, and she still needed to clean the pig offal.
Li Cheng'an's first reaction was not that his mother was making things difficult for him, because he knew that his mother still had to wash smelly things.
Li Yuanyuan darted out after her, "Mom, I'm going to wash with my brother."
She washes clothes very well.
"Okay, you go to the bathroom with your brother to wash your clothes so you can wear them to school the day after tomorrow. Be careful not to get your clothes wet."
Su Jingjing entrusted the task of washing clothes entirely to her two children. She loved her children, but that didn't mean she spoiled them. Delegating some tasks to them appropriately could achieve twice the result with half the effort.
Li Yuanyuan happily took the pretty dress to the bathroom, not forgetting to grab her brother's two outfits as well. But she couldn't carry too many, so she said softly to her brother, "Brother..."
Li Cheng'an understood, grabbed his clothes, and went to the bathroom with his sister.
Su Jingjing shook her head, no longer caring how the two children washed clothes. It seemed that the two children had been ordered to wash clothes by the original owner since they were little, so she was not worried at all that the clothes would be ruined.
Next, she went to the kitchen to clean the pig offal thoroughly, and then let it braise overnight so it would be more flavorful the next day.
The idea was wonderful, but when she was cleaning, Su Jingjing was so overwhelmed by the stench that she almost vomited. She quickly stuffed a wad of tissue into her nose and finally felt a little better.
She scrubbed the food repeatedly with salt several times, and as time passed, the flavor gradually faded. Only then did Su Jingjing put it in the pot to braise.
She bought star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, and other ingredients today, believing that the taste of the braised dish would be almost identical to that of later generations.
At this moment, Su Jingjing didn't know if the two children had finished washing clothes. She quietly walked to the bathroom door and watched Yuanyuan stubbornly wringing out the clothes without letting her brother help. She wondered whose stubbornness she had inherited from.
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