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

In the afternoon, He Yu walked with Wen Ze towards the clinic, which was in the opposite direction from Auntie Li’s house.

On the other end of the street, Shitou’s mom was taking Shitou to Auntie Li’s house.

Shitou spotted his little friend from far away and excitedly shouted, “Wen…”

Before the next second, Shitou’s mom covered his mouth and scolded, “What are you yelling for? Shut up.”

Shitou reluctantly swallowed his words, “Mom, where is Wen Ze going? Isn’t he coming to Auntie Li’s house with us?”

He even said they would play hide and seek together in the afternoon.

Thinking about her two sons who were so disobedient, Shitou’s mom felt a surge of anger, “You’re asking me? I should ask a ghost. I told you not to play with that wild child, didn’t I?”

Shitou was the youngest in the family and couldn’t bear the slightest grievance. His wrist was pinched so hard it hurt, struggling and yelling, “Ouch, Mom, let go of me. Wen Ze is not a wild child, he has a dad.”

Shitou’s mom, with a grim face, dragged her son to Auntie Li’s doorstep.

Seeing Auntie Li washing her granddaughter’s face in the yard, Shitou’s mom asked urgently, “Did that person take the wild child away? Will they not be here anymore?”

Auntie Li frowned, knowing who she was talking about without even thinking, and didn’t bother arguing with her, “Hmm.”

Shitou’s mom’s tone was sharp and harsh, “She looks like a seductive womanizer. It’s a good thing that the wild child is not here anymore. My Shitou has been led astray because of him.”

Auntie Li couldn’t stand it anymore, “Shitou’s mom, your words are too harsh. She didn’t provoke you, why make things difficult for this widow and her child?”

A few years ago, He Yu arrived in Jiang County with a big belly and no man by her side. A big girl, pregnant and alone, came to a strange place, attracting various opinions from the people around her.

She was generous, beautiful, and kind, making it hard for people to say harsh words and unconsciously feel pity and protection for her.

Neighbors on the street whispered behind her back, but still smiled and helped her when needed. At that time, many young people who had gone to the countryside returned to the city. Even though He Yu tried to keep a low profile, the men on the street couldn’t help but pay more attention.

Before long, someone reported to the neighborhood office that He Yu was having illicit relationships. In those days, this was a serious crime punishable by imprisonment.

He Yu promptly produced a marriage certificate and various proofs, which made those people behave themselves.

Shitou’s mom had always cursed and disliked He Yu, one reason being that her eldest son, Xin Li, who had returned from the countryside, fell for this new girl at first sight.

Since then, Xin Li had been circling around He Yu, helping her in various ways and even saying that he was willing to treat her child as his own son.

He Yu firmly rejected him, leaving no room for negotiation.

Shitou’s mom was furious. Her eldest son had suffered in the countryside for so many years, and she didn’t dare to speak harshly to him. Helpless, she vented her anger on He Yu, who was innocent.

“How am I making things difficult for her? Am I not allowed to speak the truth? Maybe that wild child is the seed of some man on this street. Sister Li, you better be careful. Don’t be kept in the dark when your man is seduced.”

Auntie Li slammed the towel into the basin, “Shitou’s mom, if you keep saying these baseless nonsense, don’t bother talking to me anymore.”

Shitou was young, but hearing these words was harsh. He couldn’t help but speak up, “Mom, you can’t say such things about Xiaoze’s mom. Auntie He is so beautiful, and she even gives me candy.”

Shitou understood a lot. Auntie He is also very good. He didn’t understand why his parents didn’t let him play with Xiaoze.

Shitou’s mom slapped him on the head, “Eating, eating, eating, is that all you know? Haven’t I given you candy before? What’s good about that vixen, little brat, who’s your real mother anyway?”

Shitou couldn’t stand still and sat down on the ground, crying loudly, “Waaah, Auntie He won’t hit me, waaah…”

The behavior of her biological son made Shitou’s mom feel like her face was being rubbed on the ground. Her face turned purple, and she roared in anger, “Why are you crying? If you like that vixen so much, don’t come back tonight.”

One after another, they were all so untrustworthy, always against her.

Auntie Li couldn’t stand Shitou’s mom’s constant harassment of He Yu, but Shitou was innocent. Usually, he got along well with Wen Ze in the community.

She pulled Shitou up and kindly advised, “Shitou’s mom, how can you say such things in front of your child? Shitou is your own son.”

Shitou rubbed his sore buttocks and screamed without care, “I’m going back to tell Dad that you pushed me!”

Before Wen Ze went to Auntie Li’s house, Shitou was the little tyrant on the street, and almost all the children of the same age listened to him. Naughty and mischievous, people disliked him.

Shitou’s dad was the deputy director of a food factory, and Xin Li took over Shitou’s mom’s job after returning. Their family was better off than the families in the community. It was normal for Shitou’s mom to look down on He Yu. With Xin Li’s conditions, it would be easy to find a decent girl from the county.

He Yu gained Xun Qingrui’s approval last year and entered the clinic for study and work, so she sent the little rascal to Auntie Li’s place. Wen Ze, at four years old, was different from ordinary children and could take care of himself completely.

In less than a week, Shitou, who was spoiled by his family, followed Wen Ze obediently. He even forbade others from competing with him.

“Xin Zeng! Are you going to let your dad beat me to death for a vixen and let your dad marry that vixen?”

Shitou’s mom asked her youngest son, whose formal name was Xin Zeng.

Shitou looked disdainful and spoke the truth, “Aunt He is not blind. She doesn’t even like big brother. How could she like my dad?”

The adults and children present fell silent for a moment.

The adults were secretly amused and tried to hold back their laughter as they passed by. The children couldn’t understand the adults’ complicated conversations and were chattering and arguing among themselves.

“Aunt He is so pretty. I also want Aunt He to be my family.”

“I don’t have a big brother, and my dad is ugly. Why don’t I have a big brother!! Waaah…”

“I have a big brother! Hehehe.”

“Humph, your big brother is not as tall as Aunt He. Having a brother or not is the same.”

“Aunt He is as pretty as Xiaoze. Shitou, Shitou, why hasn’t Xiaoze come yet?”

The last sentence was from Huahua.

Shitou was annoyed by his mom’s harsh words and the misunderstanding of his intentions. He ran to Huahua’s side, disappointedly saying, “When I came, I saw Aunt He taking Wen Ze to another place.”

Huahua exclaimed, her young face full of unhappiness.

……..

At the clinic.

After He Yu brought the little rascal to the clinic, she had just found a small stool for him to read his picture book, and Xun Qingrui called her to work.

The picture book was brought from home, mostly with simple drawings. He Yu didn’t know many characters at first, but her memory was good, and Wen Chen taught her to recognize many characters.

In the first year or two after arriving in Jiang County, He Yu was accompanied by Sun Qiao because Wen Ze was still young. She had nothing to do, so she learned to read and recognize characters.

Later, she found Wen Ze looking through the books in the box, so she bought him many children’s picture books to pass the time.

Today was Friday, and after a week of classes, Xun Ying hurried back as soon as school was out.

Entering the house, she saw a child reading a book earnestly. His thick, black eyelashes were long and curled, and his round eyes looked like a soft bun.

Xun Ying’s hand itched, and she reached out to pinch his cheek from behind.

Before she got close, Wen Ze turned his head, his gaze calm as if asking what she was doing.

She innocently retracted her hand and looked around before teasing him, “Kid, why are you here? Call me sister, and I’ll treat you to ice cream.”

“Cold and sweet, oh.”

Wen Ze didn’t call out, and he didn’t want ice cream either. He lowered his head and continued to think about important things from his previous life. He had to remember them quickly to prepare for the future.

Xun Ying hummed lightly, threw her cloth bag onto an empty chair, and ran out. A few minutes later, she ran back with two identical packaged ice creams in her hand.

She placed one of them on the table, “Eat, your mom probably hasn’t bought you ice cream before.”

She didn’t mean anything else by this, just a simple question. After all, He Yu was raising a child alone, which was more difficult than other families.

The mother and son were dressed in new clothes and looked clean and handsome. Just the beautiful clothes He Yu wore were worth a lot of money.

This mother and son pair looked so well-off.

Wen Ze pursed his lips in rebuttal, “Mom said ice cream is too cold, and children can get sick if they eat it.”

He was a premature baby and not very healthy. Although he had taken various tonics over the years and became stronger, he still couldn’t be reckless.

He Yu rarely let him eat cold food for fear of him getting sick accidentally.

Xun Ying didn’t know about this. She tore open the packaging and took a bite, feeling the cold spread through her body, making her feel comfortable.

“That’s just what adults say to coax children. Try a bite. Ice cream is perfect for summer, it’s not cold at all. When July and August come, I can eat several pieces of ice cream in one day.”

Wen Ze said, “I don’t want it.”

After saying it, he felt a bit stiff and added, “Thank you, Auntie.”

The people in the Xun family had experienced setbacks in their previous lives because of him and his mother. Xun Ying, in front of him, had lost her life while searching for his mother.

Wen Ze felt guilty, “I can’t call you sister. You and my mom are friends.”

His mom had taught him how to address people, and he had good memory, remembering everyone he had met.

He had met Xun Ying before, and he just followed his usual way of addressing people. Although Xun Ying had privately asked him to call her sister, he felt it wasn’t right.

Xun Ying, who had felt the child didn’t know what was good for him, suddenly became furious.

“Who’s friends with her? Aaargh, little brat, are you doing this on purpose!!!”

She was only 17 years old and still in school. She was called Aunt by him? If her classmates and friends heard about this, they would definitely make fun of her. They might even think she was in her thirties or forties.

He Yu was so hateful, teaching her child like this, really made her angry. But this kid didn’t listen to anyone else; he only had his mom in his eyes and heart.

Xun Ying gnashed her teeth and wanted to pinch his cheek to vent her anger, but she was afraid of making him cry. Then she wouldn’t be able to clean up the mess.

She angrily took a bite of the ice cream, the coldness making her teeth chatter, and swallowed it. The ice cream cooled from her mouth to her stomach.

“No, you must call me sister, or else… or else I’ll tell your mom that you’re not obedient.”

Wen Ze looked innocent…

He blinked and pointed behind Xun Ying, reminding her in a low voice, “Auntie, Great-grandpa is behind you.”