Chapter 180: Chapter 180 The Great Kindness of Heaven
After a while, Zhao Xiaojuan, disheartened by Grandma Zhang, walked towards the kitchen, intending to cook some coarse grain porridge to fill her daughter’s stomach no matter what.
Her heart was heavy, but she was not upset because of the grandmother’s scolding. Instead, she was saddened by her failure to secure some rice for her daughter.
She thought, “I truly am a failure as a mother!
Her daughter had just come back from the hospital, and the doctor had specifically instructed that she should eat something nutritious, yet now she couldn’t even have a bowl of rice porridge.
Su Wanyu also heard the grandmother’s scolding from inside the room. Once the scolding had subsided, she got up, put on her cotton-padded jacket, and climbed down from the heated brick bed.
“Wife, where are you going?” Jiang Changhai asked while lying on the bed.
Su Wanyu opened the cupboard and took some rice: “I’m going to send some rice over to Zhaodi for her to make porridge.”
The girls from the second room were always very sensible, and as the wife of the eldest uncle, she naturally wanted to look after them when she could.
“My wife is not only beautiful but also kind-hearted. Marrying you really means I’ve accumulated blessings for eight lifetimes,” Jiang Changhai said with a cheeky grin, heaping praise on her.
Su Wanyu accepted his compliments without any modesty: “Isn’t that so.”
While speaking, she took the porcelain bowl they used for drinking water, scooped out a full bowl of rice, and walked out with it.
When Su Wanyu stepped out, Zhao Xiaojuan was in the kitchen rinsing the rice while secretly wiping away her tears.
Seeing someone enter, she quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then looked up: “Sister-in-law, you’re still up too.”
Su Wanyu pretended not to notice her crying, walked over, and handed her the bowl of rice: “Zhaodi, use this bowl of rice to make some porridge for Zhaodi. Feeding her something good will help her recover faster.”
Looking at the full bowl of rice in front of her, Zhao Xiaojuan initially did not want to accept it; her family already owed the main branch too much.
But the love for her daughter prevailed, and she took the bowl, expressing her immense gratitude: “Thank you, sister-in-law.”
“What’s there to thank for? I am also the child’s aunt. I can certainly afford to give a bowl of rice. Alright, it’s getting late. Go and make the porridge for the child, eat early and rest early,” Su Wanyu said, patting the other’s hand before turning back to the room.
Zhao Xiaojuan began cooking the porridge quickly but didn’t dare to use all the rice, only half of the bowl, adding two sweet potatoes to it.
The sweet aroma of the potatoes mixed with the rice soon wafted from the pot.
Holding a large bowl of sweet potato porridge, she returned to the room with a smile, saying, “Zhaodi, Mom made you sweet potato porridge.”
“Mom, where did you get the rice?” Zhaodi asked in surprise.
Her grandmother had just scolded them so harshly; surely she would not give them rice.
“It’s from your Uncle and Auntie,” Zhao Xiaojuan replied and urged, “Drink it quickly. I’ve cooled it outside before bringing it in so you can sleep after.”
Upon hearing this, Zhaodi felt indescribable emotions stir within her.
She was not ungrateful. Regardless of the main family’s motives for their kindness, they had provided warmth to her and her sisters during the hardest times.
At that moment, Da Ya whispered, “Uncle and Auntie have always been good to us sisters.”
Zhao Xiaojuan nodded, seizing the moment to teach, “That’s why when you grow up, you should be as filial to them as you are to us.”
Zhaodi pursed her lips. Here it came again.
Just for some small favors, they expected her to repay them as though it were an immense debt of gratitude.
She didn’t want to endure it anymore, so she quietly asked, “Mom, can we separate from the family and live on our own?”