The Little Widow’s Daily Routine Of Raising Cubs In The 1980’s

Wen Ze deeply felt the long-lost warmth from his mother and cried while trying hard to put on a smiling face.

His fair and handsome little face was so adorable that it was hard to look straight at him.

He Yu squinted her eyes, unwilling to admit that this dirty-looking child with tear streaks on his face was born to her.

After a tired day, she wasn’t in the mood to coax the little brat. She poked his soft cheek and said slowly, “You can continue crying here, and later I’ll make bitter melon with eggs for you to eat. Hmph, just make one dish, see whether you eat it or not.”

After Wen Ze was born, he didn’t cry much, and when he was one or two years old, he often smiled when he saw people. As he grew older, he became quieter, unwilling to let others touch him outside and always with a cold face.

But nights were always quiet, saving her a lot of worry. What was happening today?

Wen Ze wiped away his tears, lifted the jujube cake high, and foolishly showed his affection, “Mom, you eat. No matter what mom cooks, I’ll always love to eat it.”

He remembered his mom’s specialty dish – bitter melon stir-fried with any other thing. It was usually made when he was mischievous, but it rarely appeared on the dining table.

He Yu twisted her sore arm and ate it without any manners, “You still have a little conscience, knowing how to pity your mom. Look at the clothes on my shoulder, all wrinkled by your crying.”

Children of four or five years old changed their behaviors every day, and with her slender arms and legs, she couldn’t hold him for long. If she hadn’t noticed that the little brat had been quietly shedding tears, she would have let him walk home by himself long ago.

Wen Ze guiltily tugged at his clothes, “Mom, I’m sorry.”

He Yu walked into the house, “Alright, alright, go get some tissue to wipe your face, and when you’re done, come help with cooking.”

No eating without working, she had to start educating the little brat from an early age. She hoped that in a few years, there would be food waiting for her when she got home.

The dinner for the two of them was simple, with two dishes and one cold dish.

A small bowl of steamed eggs, drizzled with soy sauce and a small dollop of lard, sprinkled with chopped green onions; a plate of stir-fried cabbage, green and lush, with a few shreds of red chili pepper on top; a plate of cold cucumber salad, with just a little soy sauce, retaining the crispness of the cucumber.

The cucumbers were grown in the yard and were very productive. They were tender and slightly sweet, didn’t need to be peeled, and were delicious raw.

There was no bitter melon because neither the adult nor the child liked it, so it was impossible to buy it at home. He Yu’s words were just meant to scare the child.

After cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, she turned around and saw the little brat waiting eagerly at the door like a little chick.

“Why are you squatting here? Go get your clothes; we’ll take a bath later.”

Wen Ze ran back to the room to get his clothes.

He Yu filled a wooden basin with hot water and started undressing him as soon as she closed the door.

Wen Ze blushed instantly, hugged his collar with both hands, took a small step back, and carefully asked, “Mom, I want to bathe by myself.”

He was five years old now, but he had the mentality of an eighteen-year-old. Although he hadn’t interacted much with the outside world, he was still modest. How could he let his mom bathe him when he was so grown up?

He Yu was waiting for this response, “Okay, do it yourself then.”

She thought that the situation today was somewhat special, the little brat had cried for a long time, so she wanted to comfort him while giving him a bath.

Look at that, there was no need for that now.

Shengsheng had been asking to bathe himself since he was about four or five years old. At most, she helped him with putting on clothes.

Taking advantage of this moment of free time, He Yu scooped another half basin of water and went outside to wash her hair.

The fan behind her spun quickly, blowing away the summer heat and the ubiquitous mosquitoes. The gardenia flowers by the wall bloomed quietly, emitting a faint fragrance.

Before she finished washing her hair, the little brat came out of the room. His clothes were twisted, but it was evident that he had tried to straighten them out.

She casually said, “Shengsheng, go back to the room. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the yard.”

“I won’t go back; I’ll help mom kill mosquitoes.” Wen Ze squatted behind his mom, staring at the mosquitoes flying in the air without blinking.

As soon as a mosquito landed on He Yu’s skin, he reached out and brushed it away.

He also wanted to spend more time with his mom, afraid that this was another false dream, and he would wake up back in the cold little room.

He Yu went along with him, washed her hair comfortably, and then took a bath in the room. The heat and exhaustion of the day were all washed away.

After returning to the room, Wen Ze lay on the soft bed, still feeling like it was unreal.

Next to the bed was a table with many things on it, and on the wall hung a photo of him and his mom from earlier this year.

There were two sets of pillows and quilts on the bed, the smaller one was his.

Wen Ze stared blankly at his mom wiping her hair, his eyes moist again. He sniffed, pulled the thin quilt over his face, and covered his mouth, unwilling to make a sound.

The fan kept spinning, masking the occasional sob.

It wasn’t until He Yu lay down on the bed that she saw the bulging little bundle twitching up and down, not knowing what he was doing.

“Shengsheng, why are you hiding under the covers? Aren’t you hot?”

Wen Ze, like a silkworm pupa, wriggled several times before slowly speaking, “Mom, you won’t leave me, right?”

Although he was trying hard to suppress his crying, He Yu still sensed that something was wrong. Frowning, she reassured him, “You’re Mommy’s treasure. Of course I won’t leave you.”

No mother would want to leave her child, unless forced to do so, helpless.

What was wrong with the child? Did he hear unpleasant words from Aunt Li? Over the years, she had raised her child alone and had heard much gossip from outsiders.

He Yu pondered, “Wen Ze, did someone say something to you?”

Wen Ze stiffened, knowing that his unusual behavior had aroused his mother’s suspicion.

“No, they envy me for having such a beautiful mom. I just dreamed that you were gone.”

He would rather it be just a dream.

He Yu lifted his little quilt and said unkindly, “If I disappear one day, you’ll get your wish.”

The arrival of the child was purely accidental.

She was pregnant, and when she found out, she hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to keep it.

She had also been panicked and frightened, never thinking that a new life could be born so easily.

He Yu is a ginseng spirit that grew up by absorbing the essence of heaven and earth. She had no parents or relatives. She didn’t understand what the so-called blood relationship was.

Since she was transformed from a ginseng into a human, the number of friends she had could be counted on one hand.

Her acquaintance with Wen Chen was also an accident. Afterwards, some things happened and they got married inexplicably. Her belly grew bigger day by day, and she could slowly feel the baby’s lively heartbeat.

In this process, she gradually realized a bond called family affection and blood relationship. It seemed that she was no longer alone, and there was another little life accompanying her.

Wen Ze panicked, his big eyes like black grapes were soaked with tears. He turned over, and with trembling little hands he tried to hug his mother.

He kept apologizing: “Mom, I…I didn’t mean that. Shengsheng knows I was wrong and I won’t say stupid things again.”

Mom is right, how can he keep talking about bad things? It’s so unlucky.

He Yu used her hands to hold back his embrace and glanced at him: “Do you know you are wrong?”

Wen Ze nodded like a chick pecking at rice: “Yeah, I know I was wrong.”

After saying that, he begged softly, “Mom, I don’t want to go to Grandma Li’s house anymore. Can I go to Great Grandpa’s house with you? I’ll be good.”

He wanted to stay with his mother and be alert to everyone around him. The people in the clinic were good people. He was afraid that his mother would run into those bad people on the road.

After being trapped for several years, Wen Ze finally found out that his biological father’s nominal brother was a terrible scumbag who had actually asked someone to monitor his and his mother’s lives.

He didn’t know who was behind this, but he knew there were more than one or two people.

He Yu did not answer but asked: “Why? Shengsheng, I asked you before, and you said you could do it alone.”

“Mom doesn’t go to the clinic for fun, she has a job. We need money for everything in life. What you eat, wear and use are all earned by mom with hard work. It’s impossible for me to accompany you anytime and anywhere.”

The Xun family treated her well, but that didn’t mean she could push them too far. Even if the kid was well behaved and didn’t cause trouble or cry, just standing there would distract her.

The boy’s father left her a lot of property before he died. Most of the real estate and gold and silver jewelry were taken back by the Wen family. However, there were several passbooks in her name, and the money in them was all deposited by the boy’s father.

That money is enough for the mother and daughter to live lavishly for several lifetimes.

But Heyu didn’t want to touch the money. Whenever she saw the passbook, she would think of the scene where the flamboyant young man excitedly gave her the passbook and waited for her praise.

The memory was still fresh, and there is an inexplicable sense of melancholy in her heart.

She found the people from the Wen family disgusting and didn’t want to have any contact with them at all.

Wen Ze pursed his lips and said coquettishly, “Mom, I don’t want to play with the kids. They are so annoying. They cry and make a fuss all of a sudden. It’s really hard to handle. Mom, please promise me, okay?”

His five-year-old body and immature mental state made him unconsciously rely on childish instincts to act.

He wanted to spend more time close to his mother so that he could find the bad people with bad intentions and change the tragic ending of his previous life.

As for those who hurt him and his mother, none of them should be let off and they must pay the price.

Wen Ze didn’t want to tell his mother about his rebirth from the bottom of his heart. It was because of him in his previous life that his mother accidentally exposed herself.

He is the culprit behind these tragedies.

Just thinking about it, he felt sad. Her white and tender face seemed to be about to cry but holding it back, her body was drooping, and she was surrounded by a gray aura.

He was the one who was immersed in regret and couldn’t extricate himself, wishing he could die.

He Yu felt a sharp pain in her heart when she saw him getting discouraged. She touched his head and said, “You are also a child. Why are you pretending to be an adult? There is no child who doesn’t cry or make trouble. Shengsheng, you won’t be able to make friends if you always follow your mother.”

Wen Ze perked up and puffed out his chest: “No, Shitou and Huahua want to play with me every day and even say they want to go home with me. And I don’t need friends!”

Shitou and Huahua are two children living on the same street, a boy and a girl, the same age as Wen Ze.

Wen Ze has been smart since he was young, and he is good at listening and learning. In the eyes of other children, he is the one who knows the most.

Shitou worships him.

Wen Ze loves cleanliness and always keeps himself clean no matter where he is. He is rare among the children who roll on the ground, drool and pick their noses.

Huahua likes to stick to him and thinks he smells sweet.

He Yu asked softly, “Doesn’t Shengsheng like to get along with them? There are no children in the clinic to play with you. And there is also the great grandfather who will scold you at any time.”

The old man of the Xun family was always serious and only treated patients with a little gentleness. What if he caught him and scolded him?

She doesn’t want to go home from get off work every day to take care of her child.

Wen Ze had a deep impression of the Xun family’s great grandfather, “Mom, I’m not afraid, Great grandfather is a good man.”

He Yu was helpless and confirmed again and again: “Are you sure you want to follow your mother to the clinic? Once you decide, you will have no chance to change it before you go to elementary school.”

Wen Ze nodded heavily, his eyes and eyebrows resembling someone else’s revealed joy: “Sure. Mom, do you promise me?”

“Also, don’t come back crying if you get scolded. I won’t comfort you.”

“I won’t cry, I won’t cry. I’m a man and I have to protect my mother.”

“Okay, I’ll go ask tomorrow morning and tell you when I come back at noon.”

——

The person in charge of Xun’s Medical Clinic is Xun Huiling, the only son of Xun Qingrui.

He Yu arrived at the clinic early but didn’t see anyone. When she asked Xun Huiling’s wife, Sun Qiao, she found out that he had gone out on a long trip in the early morning.

She had no choice but to talk to the old man who loved to curse.

Xun Qingrui didn’t react, neither saying good nor bad, he just snorted at her, as if she had done something evil.

He Yu thought that he disagreed, and thought that going back would help the boy give up the idea.

When she went out in the morning, the kid was afraid that she would forget, so he kept talking to her like an old woman. She really didn’t know who was the parent or the child between them.

Unexpectedly, when she was about to go home at noon, Sun Qiaoxi came over with a big smile and said, “Xiaoyu, Dad agreed that you can bring Shengsheng here. I have said, it’s not very safe having someone else looking after your child.”

Earlier, Sun Qiao had suggested that she bring Shengsheng with her. There were always people at the clinic who could help take care of him.

He Yu didn’t want to cause trouble for the Xun family, so she politely declined.

“Grandpa Xun agreed?!”

Sun Qiao nodded: “My dad is just like that. He didn’t say a word, but he wanted you to bring Shengsheng here. Shengsheng is sensible and smart, and very likable.”

Xun Qingrui, who was standing on the other side of the wall, held his breath and listened carefully. He felt so embarrassed that he slammed the table with a sullen face.

Sun Qiao lowered her voice and said, “Look, you’ve shown what is in his heart. I won’t say any more. I’m going to go make dinner.”

He Yu suppressed her laughter and agreed, then walked to the next room: “Thank you, Grandpa Xun, I will bring Shengsheng here this afternoon.”

Xun Qingrui sulked and walked into the house. After turning around, his expressionless face softened unconsciously.

This little girl, don’t think he didn’t hear the laughter in her words. At such a young age, she dared to laugh at an old man like him.

It seems that the learning tasks given are not heavy enough. He thought in his heart to add some in the afternoon.