Hot and fragrant meals had Daqing and Erqing’s eyes welling up with tears in an instant. They had never eaten such a proper and delicious meal before, and as they looked up at the people around the table, admiration filled their hearts.
Mingyang placed a large piece of chicken in Daqing’s bowl.
"What are you looking at? Do you think that will fill you up? Eat quickly."
"Thank, Thank you."
Seeing his brother serve Daqing, Ming Liang also picked up a piece and placed it in Erqing’s bowl.
"You don’t cough, it’s fine to eat this, eat more, only when you are full can you nourish your body."
Shen Meng watched the children at the dining table, very pleased with the behavior of her own children who knew how to care for others; they spoke and acted in a manner that was comfortable for others. Ming Fang watched Daqing munching on the chicken and took a bun from the basket and stuffed it into his hand.
"Brother Daqing, eat, the buns my mother makes are really delicious, very fragrant."
"Alright."
Xiao Long didn’t say anything, he just kept watching who finished their bun to offer another, and refilled the bowls with millet porridge for those who had finished theirs. Living with the Lu Jiasheng family for a while now, he had become even better at taking care of others.
"Xiao Long, I was thinking of taking advantage of the break to visit home soon, do you want to come with me?"
"I can’t go back yet. The furniture needed for my uncle’s wedding is not ready yet, and I want to personally make two chairs. My master said I still need to hone my skills and encouraged me to learn well!"
"That’s fine, the two villages are close anyway. Whenever you want to go home, just tell your master. I’ve kept something delicious for you in the kitchen, we can go back after we finish eating."
Xiao Long immediately exclaimed, "Ah," feeling truly cherished by his aunt.
Half an hour after lunch, Shen Meng brought some medicine for Erqing to take.
"Auntie, your home is really nice."
"Silly boy, take your medicine. I’ve spoken with your mom, she won’t lose her temper anymore and will cherish Erqing deeply. Once you get better, you can have good days with your brother and Yaoyao as well."
Erqing didn’t respond, just held the teacup with his head down and silent for a good while before finally lifting his head.
With slightly reddened eyes, he said, "Okay."
Shen Meng felt a pang in her heart; Daqing and Erqing were both sensible kids. They knew their mother had hard days, becoming a venting outlet at times which was really upsetting, but they still deeply cherished their own mother.
It’s natural!
The next day, Shen Meng took Ming Kai to Shenji. Somehow, news had leaked. The village chief and secretary were already waiting at the entrance early in the morning.
"Mr. Shen is back, see how busy you are normally, it’s hard even to see you. Let’s go inside and talk, everything is ready."
Shen Fugui couldn’t help but look up at his own door frame as he listened to the village chief’s words, confirming that it was indeed his own house. He thought the village chief was entertaining guests at the brigade!
A group of people were about to enter the house when the Secretary quickly stopped them.
"Xiao Meng, you rarely come back, spend some quality time with your parents first. The village chief and I will head back now. We will be eating at the workshop at noon; they are already preparing the meal over there."
"What are you doing..."
"Alright, Secretary, then I’ll head home first. We can chat later."
The village chief wanted to say more, but the Secretary firmly held his hand. After everyone had entered the yard, he shook off the Secretary’s hand.
"What are you doing? Shen Meng is home so rarely. We need to chat quickly and grow our workshop bigger and stronger. Right now, we are only selling some pastries in the county and the Cooperative Society’s shop, which is entirely different from what we expected. Look at Lu Family Village; they are already handling international orders. We need to strive for that too. Why are you stopping me?"
"Oh Old Wu, why are you in such a hurry? The girl hasn’t returned to her parents for half a month, and here she finally gets to see her folks. Naturally, there would be some private matters to discuss. Besides, Xiao Meng has already agreed to have lunch at the workshop. At that time, we can tour the workshop and see how our workers are doing, chat over a meal and some drinks. Everything can be settled."
Village Chief Wu, realizing this was true, nodded his head and hurried towards the workshop to check what dishes were being prepared. After all, Shen Meng was like a god of wealth; they had to entertain her well.
Shen Fugui, sitting in the hall with his lips pursed and back straight, looked quite like a proud rooster.
"Now that you are so capable, you are indeed bringing glory to your father. Whenever he goes out, people give him cigarettes, send gifts; he is really showing off."
Shen Mengqing chuckled and said, "It’s worth showing off. Your daughter is so capable, you can flaunt however you want."
Wang Guizhi fetched a piece of shortbread for Lu Mingkai and poured some warm water for Shen Meng. Settling down, she let out a long sigh.
"Ah, your elder brother, second brother, elder sister-in-law, and second sister-in-law are all at the food workshop now. They are earning wages too, and our family’s life is getting better and better. Now, I just hope your brother can get married soon; then I can truly rest easy."
"Exactly, once Xiao Bin gets married, our duties will be considered fulfilled, and then we can look forward to grandchildren."
Shen Meng frowned and said, "My second sister-in-law’s belly is so big now, why is she still working at the workshop? No, from tomorrow, no, starting this afternoon, she should stop going and rest well at home. How can we handle it if something happens?"
"Your second sister-in-law feels that the good life now is all thanks to you. She and your elder sister-in-law agreed they must work hard, so no one would speak ill of you. They are very diligent at the workshop, fearing others might gossip and affect you."
Shen Meng choked up for a moment. Her family was so protective of her, and naturally, she was happy, but one must always take care of themselves first!
"Let’s talk about it at noon then. I’ll speak with my second sister-in-law at lunchtime. My efforts nowadays are to ensure a better life for our family in the future, not for our family to be overly cautious. If that’s the case, it would be more comfortable to work in the fields!"
Shen Fugui and Wang Guizhi listened in silence for a long moment. Although everyone praised their daughter whenever they went out, there were still many who gossiped behind their backs.
"I came today mainly to bring some things, especially for my second sister-in-law. She’s about to give birth, and her nutrition must keep up. I’ve already spoken to Dr. Cheng from the maternity department at the county hospital; she has reserved a bed for my second sister-in-law and will personally oversee the birth. This is from Dr. Cheng for my second sister-in-law; calcium supplements, iron supplements, vitamins, and continue taking the folic acid that she used to take, don’t be lazy."
Wang Guizhi looked at the medicines, hospital papers, and various supplements, feeling immensely proud inside. People used to say her daughter was no good, but now, there was no one more decent and kind-hearted than her daughter.