Chapter 54: Being a Stepmother 21
There was a moment of silence in the air. I was not embarrassed to hold him, but others were. Ye Zhiqiu took the initiative to muster up the courage to urge: "I'm going to sleep. There are only two rooms in the house. Do you want to sleep with the child or sleep alone in the next room?"
"Han Yue, do you want to sleep with daddy or Aunt Ye?" Han Dalin could see that she was trying to back down, but he couldn't help but want to tease her.
Han Yue took it seriously, shook her head to reject his invitation, and insisted on sleeping with Ye Zhiqiu. She didn't want to sleep with her dad, Aunt Ye was still the best, and it was enough for her dad to play with her during the day.
Ye Zhiqiu felt that his love for the little girl was not in vain, and he still stood by her at the critical moment. In front of the child, the two of them did not say anything too intimate, and simply talked about the arrangements for the next day and went to sleep.
Ye Zhiqiu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him leave honestly.
Han Dalin had seen her nervousness a long time ago, and he didn't say anything because he wanted her to get used to being with him. Although he hadn't thought about them sleeping in the same bed for the time being, there would always be a day when that would happen.
He didn't want to wait too long. After spending some time together, the two of them knew each other well enough that it would be natural for them to sleep in the same bed. Many couples had met each other before marriage and still slept in the same bed on their wedding night.
Ye Zhiqiu lay on the bed, still thinking about Han Dalin. In the first two worlds, she had a husband in name only, but she was actually single. This was the first time she had been in close contact with a man.
The thought of getting married and having children gave her a headache. She had no experience and didn't know how to manage a family and marriage. She just hoped that Han Dalin would understand. If he didn't understand, she wouldn't mind replacing him with someone who did.
Han Dalin didn't know that Ye Zhiqiu had already planned to replace him. He felt that everything was unfamiliar when he slept on his own kang. He was so sleepy and tired that he couldn't fall asleep.
The kang had been heated, but it had not been used for a long time and was not hot even when it was heated. Fortunately, he was not afraid of the cold. If Ye Zhiqiu had slept on it alone, he would have caught a cold.
The next day, Han Dalin woke up before dawn. His biological clock, which he had developed over the years, kept him awake. He wanted to get up and run a few laps, but when he opened the door, there was a thick layer of snow on the ground.
Without saying a word, he swept the snow in the yard and also cleared the path in front of his house. When he was done, he was sweating all over. When he returned to the house, he found that Ye Zhiqiu had already prepared breakfast.
Millet porridge, poached eggs, a small dish of chopped peppers and pickled cucumbers, a small bowl of spinach sprouts and a few multi-grain steamed buns. The golden millet porridge is paired with green vegetables and other dishes, and the colorful appearance makes people's appetites whet.
He was about to wake Han Yue up when the little girl woke up after smelling the fragrance. She opened her eyes and asked for food. He didn't know whether to feed the child or not, so he could only look at Ye Zhiqiu for help.
"Wash your face and brush your teeth before you eat." Ye Zhiqiu doesn't spoil his children. Good hygiene habits are a must.
Han Yue has long been accustomed to having breakfast only after washing up. She would pour water, brush her teeth and wash her face without her urging. After washing, she would apply perfume on her own. This was her favorite part, nothing else.
She had asked a long time ago, and found out that other children in the village didn't have Xiangxiangmo, so they said Aunt Ye was a stepmother, and they must be jealous that she had a good stepmother.
Humph, she wouldn't be fooled. Not only the children didn't have Xiangxiang, but their mothers didn't have Xiangxiang either.
Taking a bite of her favorite fried egg, Han Yue hoped that her father would go back to work earlier. Usually, she and Aunt Ye's breakfast not only had eggs, but also meat and delicious fruits. Today, there was nothing, and she definitely couldn't let him know.
She promised not to tell anyone, but asked if he could go back earlier because she wanted to eat meat buns.
Han Dalin didn't know that he was not as good as the meat buns in his daughter's heart. After eating, he felt that the food at home was not bad. He didn't know whether the money he had sent to Ye Zhiqiu before was enough.
If Ye Zhiqiu was asked, she would definitely say it was enough. She couldn't say that she had the space in her hands and she didn't need these little things at all. If she wasn't afraid that others would find something unusual, she wouldn't even want to work for a day.
Han Dalin was worried that she was not telling the truth, so he decided to go to the old house to ask. No matter what the relationship between the two sides was, he had to make this trip when he came back, otherwise if he told others, someone would definitely criticize him for being unfilial.
It was still snowing outside, so Han Yue and Ye Zhiqiu didn't need to go, he could go alone. Ye Zhiqiu was happy and relaxed, but Han Yue was not happy to go out on a snowy day, she didn't want to dirty her new shoes.
The shoes were brought back specially by Han Dalin. If it were someone else, they might have kept them until New Year's Day before giving them to their children.
Ye Zhiqiu doesn't think that new clothes and shoes must be worn during the Chinese New Year. Children can wear them anytime they want, and happiness is the most important thing. If they have to wait until the Chinese New Year to wear them, the children may lose that happiness.
Han Dalin knew that this was how children were raised in the village, but to be honest, he had never taken care of Han Yue for a day, so he naturally had no say in the matter. He did whatever Ye Zhiqiu said, and although the leather shoes were expensive, he could still afford them with his salary.
Seeing the happy smile of the child, he didn't want to go to the old house. He felt a headache when he thought of the same words he had heard over and over again. He tried hard to make his family live a better life, but this family definitely did not include the people in the old house.
Father Han didn't know what Han Dalin was thinking. He had been expecting his eldest son to come to his house early in the morning, but he hadn't seen him since breakfast. He was just hesitating whether to ask his youngest son to urge him when he arrived.
"You're here, what else do you want to bring?" The stepmother reached out to take the thing from Han Dalin's hand, but she didn't expect him to hand it directly to Han's father.
"What good stuff?" Han's father was not polite. He took the thing and opened it directly, as if he didn't notice the embarrassment of the person next to him.
Han Dalin didn't say anything even if he saw it. He was still wondering if Ye Zhiqiu had enough money to spend, and whether he should give her some extra money, or just hand over his salary directly.
It's not that he didn't have this awareness, but Han Yue's biological mother was a person who loved to support her family. After he knew about it, he had been managing her own salary and only gave a little living expenses every month.
Father Han had already unpacked the package and said with a look of disdain, "You only brought some food from a long distance. What's the use of these things? Who will know after you eat them? There are so many good things in big cities, can't you bring something that can be used for a long time?"
"What do you want to bring?" Han Dalin was already accustomed to his father's dissatisfaction. Instead of asking him to rack his brains to bring a gift, it would be better to ask directly.
"Next time, bring a flashlight or a small alarm clock. If you have a ticket, it would be even better if you can bring a large clock to hang on the wall. Everyone who comes home can see it at a glance." Han's father actually wanted a radio more, but he didn't dare to ask.
He had been in the house for so long, but no one had said anything to ask if he was okay outside, and he was rude when he asked for things. See, this was why he didn't want to go back to the old house. Even though he had gotten used to it, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
But now he has learned to hide his emotions, and will find a suitable reason to refuse Father Han if he is unwilling. He wanted to buy it, but he didn't have a ticket, so he could only bring some local specialties home that didn't require a ticket.