At lunchtime, Chen Gang and Jia Shuling, for the first time ever, came downstairs.
Chen Gang was even thinner than when he was in the hospital, and his complexion didn't look good either.
Everyone was surprised.
Even Chen Lin put down his chopsticks, thought for a moment, and said, "Sit down, everyone, and eat."
Xiao Bao was sitting next to Xu Ruantang.
As soon as Chen Lin finished speaking, Xiao Bao shook his head and muttered, "Time to eat, time to eat."
The old lady glanced at Chen Gang, then casually asked Xu Ruantang, "Is it okay for Xiaobao to only eat rice?"
Everyone at the table turned to look this way.
Xu Ruantang was holding a small bowl and was filling it with rice.
Today's rice was cooked by my godmother. Before she made it, Xu Ruantang specifically instructed me to steam it until it was soft.
She plans to teach Xiaobao to eat by himself.
"Grandma, Xiaobao is fine. I'll make her some milk after she finishes eating."
At home, Xu Ruantang would usually cook separately for Xiaobao. She would chop up various vegetables, add meat and thin noodles, cook them until soft, and then add a little salt.
Xiao Bao is not even two years old yet, and adult food is still too salty for her.
Xu Ruantang blew on the bowl to cool the rice down before giving it to Xiaobao, but Xiaobao got impatient and grabbed the bowl while making noises.
"Little Bao, let Mommy blow on it to cool it down for you. It's too hot now, it'll burn your mouth."
Xu Ruantang patiently explained to her.
Xiao Bao was so anxious that he scratched his head and kept reaching for the rice bowl with his hands.
"Then blow it yourself, whoosh."
She was too anxious. Xu Ruantang chuckled and held the bowl out to Xiaobao. Xiaobao actually pouted and imitated Xu Ruantang by blowing air.
Children's actions are always innocent and naive, which makes the atmosphere at the table much better.
"Ruan Tang, you eat, I'll feed Xiao Bao."
Ye Lan saw that she had been taking care of the child, so she wanted to help her.
Xu Ruantang quickly refused, saying, "Mom, you eat yours, I want Xiaobao to eat by himself."
"She's so young, how can she eat by herself?"
Ye Lan laughed at Xu Ruantang, "You've never raised children before. Our kids, even when they were little and could run around, were still fed by their grandma."
“Yes,” the old lady replied, “especially your eldest brother. He wouldn’t eat properly back then, it was so worrying.”
As they were talking, the rice had almost cooled down.
Xu Ruantang handed the bowl to Xiaobao, who immediately hugged it tightly and stuffed the rice into his mouth.
Everyone stopped eating and watched her move.
Xiao Bao stuffed a mouthful of rice into his mouth, nodding his little head as he ate with great relish.
While eating, she smiled at Chen Gang, who was sitting opposite her.
Chen Gang, who hadn't smiled since the incident, slowly curled the corners of his lips into a smile.
"Hey, the child has fallen all over himself."
He's still just a child, and when he tries to eat by himself, he makes a mess of rice grains everywhere. Ye Lan couldn't stand it and reached out to help Xiao Bao wipe it up.
Xu Ruantang stopped her in time, "Mom, don't worry about her, it's okay if she's dirty. I'll change Xiaobao's clothes after we eat."
Xiao Bao ate the white rice with great relish, as if he were eating some kind of delicacy.
She ate with such gusto that everyone at the table was infected by her appetite and ended up eating a little more.
Xu Ruantang really didn't pay any attention to her. At most, when she finished the last bit of rice in her bowl and reached out for more, she would add a little more rice to her bowl.
By the time Xu Ruantang had finished eating, Xiaobao had also almost finished eating.
Xu Ruantang took the bowl from her hand, but Xiaobao was unhappy and made a whimpering noise, probably because he hadn't eaten enough.
"Little Bao, we still need to drink milk later. Look at your little tummy, you'll get full if you eat any more."
Xiao Bao's belly was visibly bulging.
Xu Ruantang lifted Xiaobao off the stool, turned her head, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The once clean stool now has rice grains stuck to its back.
Everyone at the table laughed.
"Oh, my little darling, you really ate from head to toe."
Xu Ruantang carried Xiaobao into the yard. Xiaobao was covered in rice grains from his neck to his legs.
As she was led along, she reached out her little hand and pinched grains of rice to put into her mouth.
Xu Ruantang helped her tidy up a bit and then took her into the room to change clothes.
After Xiaobao learned to run, he became like a mudfish.
It wasn't even summer yet, but Xu Ruantang worked up a sweat while changing her clothes.
After finally getting Xiaobao all dressed, Xu Ruantang took her to wash her hands together.
While washing her hands, she vaguely heard arguing coming from the main room.
"no!"
It was the old lady's voice, "How can you do this to Shuling?! Chen Gang, she's already gone, can't you look forward?"
Then came Chen Lin's voice, "Chen Gang, are you trying to kill your mother with anger? Or do you want her to bury her child? You're insane!"
Xiao Bao shook the water off his hands, raised his little head, and timidly called out, "Mommy."
Xu Ruantang snapped out of her daze, picked up a towel from the shelf, and gently dried Xiaobao's hands, soothing him softly, "It's okay, it's okay, Xiaobao, don't be afraid."
Xiao Bao's eyes sparkled, "I'm not afraid!"
When she finally managed to take Xiaobao back to the main room, she only saw the old lady and godmother sitting on the sofa.
The old lady was shedding tears, and her godmother was gently comforting her.
Xu Ruantang sat down, and before she could say anything, the old lady took her hand, tears streaming down her face.
"Ruan Tang, good child, please help your grandma persuade your second uncle and aunt."
Xu Ruantang was completely confused. "Grandma, what's wrong?"
She only heard the arguing and had no idea what was going on.
The godmother sighed and recounted what had just happened on behalf of the old lady.
It turns out that Chen Gang had a compelling reason for coming downstairs for dinner—to announce to everyone that he and Jia Shuling had agreed to divorce.
This news came out of nowhere.
No one knew what they were thinking, including the old lady.
"Why?"
Xu Ruantang blinked and asked in confusion.
The old lady wiped away her tears, "It must be Chen Gang. He feels that he has held Shuling back."
"Look at him now, half-dead, he doesn't look like a normal person at all!"
The old woman suddenly raised her voice, her tone filled with anger, and slammed her hand on the sofa, saying, "What sins have I committed! What sins have I committed!"
The old lady was very emotional, and it took Xu Ruantang and her godmother a long time to calm her down.
After the old lady went back to her room to sleep, Ye Lan came out of the kitchen and asked worriedly, "How is she?"
"She's asleep."
Xu Ruantang gently closed the door from the outside and pointed to the sofa.
Xiao Bao got off the sofa, then quickly climbed back up, and was having a great time playing by himself.
She couldn't understand, nor did she know what the adults were worried about.
Ye Lan sighed softly, "I knew this day would come."
She said quietly, "Your second uncle may seem mild-mannered, but he's actually the most stubborn person in the family. He'll never turn back even after hitting a wall."
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