Ling Chengyan prepared half a bottle of milk and handed it over. Little Shi Tou guzzled it down eagerly. The elder uncle's wife and the elder cousin's sister-in-law watched with delight, and even the elder uncle and the two cousins leaned in to look, their faces full of joy.
"With an appetite like that, he'll surely grow into a fine boy!"
"Indeed, this little guy will definitely grow up sturdy and strong!"
Ling Chengyan looked at little Xing, who was leaning against her, slowly nibbling on a piece of peach biscuit, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart: The two families within the Wang Family were just worlds apart.
How unfortunate for these two kids to be born into the wrong household. If they were born into the elder family, they wouldn't have to endure so much hardship.
The elder uncle and aunt wanted to keep the mother and children for dinner, but Ling Chengyan refused.
In these times, no family has an abundance of provisions. Besides, she and the two kids still belong to the second family; their household registration and work points are all there. Why eat elsewhere and save for them instead?
"Alright, I'll escort you back," Qu Cui, the elder uncle's wife, said, taking little Xing's hand and leading her out.
Ling Chengyan couldn't refuse, so she held little Shi Tou, nodded to the elder uncle and elder cousin, and followed behind Qu Cui.
In the Wang Family's second household, Wang Guizhang was lying down with a leg injury, and Zhou Xiuying had applied a plaster and, claiming to have a headache, had also been lying down all day.
The eldest daughter-in-law was reluctantly cooking in the kitchen, complaining as she tended the fire: The youngest son's wife is a community teacher, a cultured person, something she couldn't compare to. Even the usually honest and hardworking second son's wife seemed to have taken some aggressive pills, suddenly turning from a meek lamb into a bossy figure...
Thinking about how she had been thrown out single-handedly by the second son's wife... the eldest daughter-in-law couldn't help but shudder.
Forget it, for the rest of the day, she'd better keep her distance from the second son's wife.
Qu Cui led little Xing inside and almost stepped into a pile of chicken droppings, causing her to click her tongue in annoyance as she led little Xing around it and continued inside.
"Each and every one of them is so lazy, don't they know how to clean up a bit?" Qu Cui criticized as she walked inside, her voice loud enough for everyone in the second household to hear.
"The elder aunt is here!" Shao Darong, the eldest daughter-in-law, came out of the kitchen, holding a ladle with porridge dripping from it.
The elder aunt wrinkled her nose in disgust, waved her hand to indicate Shao Darong to continue her work and not bother, then pushed open the half-closed door to the main room and went inside on her own.
"Second son's wife," the elder aunt called out with a frown from the main room.
"Elder aunt!" It was Wang Lianxiang who came out instead of Zhou Xiuying.
"Where's your mother?" The elder aunt's face grew longer. This girl is so grown up but knows nothing about manners. Her elder aunt came, and though Wang Lianxiang must have heard the commotion from the courtyard, she didn't come out to greet her. Even when the aunt entered the room, she didn't budge until she had to be called.
Really, no upbringing or discipline. Whoever marries such a daughter will be truly unlucky.
Wang Lianxiang hesitated, not daring to look at Ling Chengyan, who was following the elder aunt, and softly muttered, "My mom says her headache is severe. She's lying..."
The elder aunt didn't bother to let her finish, brushing her aside to lift the curtain and enter the inner room: "Second daughter-in-law, can you manage to get up? Freshen up and let's gather some rations to visit a few neighbors..."
"Sister-in-law, my headache is unbearable..." Zhou Xiuying complained, her head in her hand, without bothering to lift it.
"Everyone has aches and pains, it's no big deal, and you haven't lost an arm or leg. Hurry up! Do you know that little Shi Tou has no milk to drink? He's not even three months old and can't eat anything else. Don't you, as his grandmother, care? Get up quickly, I'll go with you to find some wet nurses to help feed the baby..."
Saying this, she didn't give Zhou Xiuying any opportunity to object, pulling her up, dressing her, and swiftly whisking her out the door.
Ling Chengyan was amazed by the elder aunt's decisiveness; she silently applauded the old lady's power. The elder aunt was formidable!
Wang Lianxiang was shocked by the elder aunt's fierceness and hadn't recovered when Ling Chengyan instructed: "Steam two eggs and make a scallion egg soup, bring it to me when it's done."
Wang Lianxiang shuddered back to reality, as Ling Chengyan, carrying little Shi Tou and leading little Xing, had already returned to the east wing.
After being dragged around ten or so households, finally obtaining a promise from three well-milked women to help feed little Shi Tou, Zhou Xiuying returned home and collapsed onto the kang, not even bothering to eat.
The headache she pretended to have earlier was now real.
The eldest son's wife was too much; it was one thing to boss her around at home, but she didn't even leave her dignity intact outside… Sob, she's too much!
Wang Lianxiang had eaten, but she was holding back a fire and grievance in her heart. She eagerly awaited her mother's return and immediately jumped in to complain: "Mom, you don't know, the one in the east wing is too arrogant. She actually ordered me to steam eggs and make egg soup as if she sees me as a servant girl… Mom…"
"What did you say? Steamed eggs and egg soup?" Zhou Xiuying sat up instantly, not even minding the wet towel falling into the bedding.
Hearing this, it would've been at least three eggs. Two eggs in the morning and three more later… Five eggs in a day, what daughter-in-law eats like this? There's no way to continue living like this!
Wang Lianxiang, unhappy that her mother focused on the eggs and ignored her plight, felt even more wronged and began to cry, "Mom, she's bossing me around like a servant, how can I face anyone after this… Sob sob…"
Zhou Xiuying, however, couldn't hear her daughter's grievances, slapping Wang Lianxiang and scolding, "Are you dead? Whatever she tells you to do, you do it?"
Wang Lianxiang was dumbfounded, staring blankly at her mother...
Footsteps sounded at the door; it was Ling Chengyan coming in: "I'm here to take the thermos."
Having said that, she picked up the sole thermos on the table without even looking at the old couple on the bed and Wang Lianxiang, and left.
Wang Lianxiang, overwhelmed with grievance, felt a surge of courage and jumped up to follow.
"Oh, just in time. I forgot to mention earlier: you should wash the diapers. Make sure they're clean and without stains," Ling Chengyan stopped and instructed Wang Lianxiang who had rushed to the door, her expression indifferent and her tone casual.
But Wang Lianxiang felt all her courage drain away, like a balloon being punctured, she deflated.
Silently trailing behind Ling Chengyan, she entered the east wing to fetch a few changed diapers from the previous day, carrying them out in a basin to wash.
That night, the old couple in the north room couldn't sleep. Their younger daughter, Wang Lianxiang, cried with grievance all night.
The next morning, Ling Chengyan continued to instruct Wang Lianxiang to steam eggs and make scallion egg soup, two eggs each. However, the diapers changed during the night were handed to the elder daughter-in-law, Shao Darong, who had come over to watch the commotion.
As for Ling Chengyan, she took the two children and the fabric she bought the day before to the elder's home to seek the elder aunt's help with cutting and sewing. She wanted to make a set of quilted pants and jackets for herself and little Xing, to have something to change into when the weather got warm.