Mangang looked at his uncle and wondered if he truly wouldn’t be able to run away from this fate. He was so scared that he even forgot about the ribs, wanting nothing more than to run away, “Mom, I want to go home—”
Han Qingsong said sternly, “You are a man, so why behave so coquettishly?” He said to Eldest Aunt Han, “Eldest Sister, don’t worry, let Mangang stay here and I will train him up to shape within half a month.”
Eldest Aunt Han didn’t believe that Han Qingsong would treat a child . After all, this was his nephew and not his son, so if Mangang stayed for a bit, he probably wouldn’t dare to put the kid through laborious training.
She happily said, “Okay, I’ll let him stay.”
Seeing her agreeing to the conditions, Han Qingsong said, “Then you should prepare some food. Prepare as much as the child needs to eat so that he doesn’t starve.”
Eldest Aunt Han was stunned, “Third Brother, you can’t afford to let your nephew eat with you? Or perhaps you can’t have the final say in your family because your wife won’t let you? Third Brother, you can’t be stingy with your eldest sister but we are siblings by blood.”
Han Qingsong, “Eldest Sister, it has nothing to do with siblings, even with parents. We are a family of seven, and only Lin Lan earns work points. The children and I eat Lin Lan’s food, so you have to prepare it yourself .”
Eldest Aunt Han rolled her eyes and slapped her thigh, “Based on what Third Brother is saying, you don’t have enough food. That’s alright, let your eldest sister know; I don’t have much but I can still lend you one or two hundred catties of food. I can go get it later… Ah, no need, I’ll take them and send it over to you when I pick up Mangang during Chinese New Year.”
“No need to wait until then; you can go now since I’m still at home anyways,” Han Qingsong said seriously, not seeming to bear a tinge of humour in his words.
He placed the glutinous rice in his hand on the stove, “I’m going to push the bicycle,” Then, he promptly went out.
Seeing that he was in a hurry, Eldest Aunt Han quickly ran after him and grabbed his arm, “Third Brother, don’t rush, don’t rush.”
Lin Lan was about to die laughing.
Just then, the children rushed home.
Sanwang led the way, followed by Erwang. Maisui led Xiaowang along the way whereas Dawang carried his schoolbag, trailing behind his younger siblings lazily with a cold expression.
“Mother, what good food is there to eat today?” Sanwang yelled and ran into the yard. When he saw Eldest Aunt Han, he was stunned for a moment before he greeted her and went into the house. There, he mumbled, “What sort of crafty Diao Yide is there now…”
Xiaowang corrected him, “It’s Diao Deyi(1).”
(T/N: A character in a drama that is a special agent of sorts. Shining in his role in the National Salvation Army, he was known to be a man of tricks and stealthy strategies. Hence, people would call someone Diao Deyi if they possessed less than pure thoughts and only wants to do something for certain benefits)
All the children greeted their Eldest Aunt and ran into the house to talk to Lin Lan.
Lin Lan said with a smile, “Your Eldest and Youngest Aunt came over, so mother didn’t have the chance to make any sweet soups today, but I will cook something delicious for you tonight.”
The children asked what delicious food was there to look forward to.