Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 14

The sweet fragrance of corn cakes mixed with the fresh aroma of fish soup drifted out. Seeing the golden-yellow corn cakes by the edge of the pan were ready, Ying Su said to the little bun, “Baby, put out the fire.”

There was no table at home, so Ying Su flipped a wooden basin upside down to use as one. She peeled the corn cakes from the pan, placed them in a bowl, and set it on top of the basin. Then she dished out the fish, along with two bowls of fish soup.

The little bun kept sniffing, drool never-ending at his lips. Ying Su couldn’t help but smile. She poured a basin of clean water and called, “Baby, come wash your hands.”

The little bun answered with an “Oh,” then walked over. Ying Su took hold of his slightly rough little hands and placed them into the basin. “Mommy will wash them for you.”

Her large hands held his small ones, rubbing them gently in the water. Suddenly, the little bun’s eyes reddened, a faint sheen of tears glimmering in his dark pupils. His nose tingled sourly as he lifted his gaze to the mother who was so carefully washing his hands.

Mommy is so good to me. I must be good to her in the future. The little bun made a secret vow in his heart.

Ying Su carefully scrubbed away the dirt under his nails, then dried his hands. The two squatted before the makeshift table. Ying Su passed him chopsticks. “Baby, let’s eat.”

The little bun picked up a corn cake and took a bite. His black eyes sparkled, and before he could swallow, he praised, “Mommy, it’s so tasty!!”

Ying Su used her chopsticks to pick out a large piece of meat beneath the fish gills where there were fewer bones. She carefully removed the remaining spines and placed the clean piece in front of him. “If it tastes good, eat more. Only by eating more can you grow taller and stronger.”

The little bun nodded hard. “I must grow up quickly so I can help Mommy establish our own household.”

The four-to-five-catty fish was devoured between the two of them. The little bun rubbed his round, bulging belly and groaned, “I’m stuffed to death!”

“Walk around a bit to digest,” Ying Su said.

She washed the dishes clean, filled the pot with water again, and began boiling bathwater.

Once it was ready, Ying Su poured the water into the wooden tub, adjusted the temperature, then called to the little fellow still pacing in circles to digest, “Baby, come bathe.”

The little bun looked at the tub and his face flushed red. “Mommy… you want me to bathe here?”

Ying Su nodded. “Of course!” She didn’t notice anything wrong.

“Mommy, how can a son undress and expose himself out here? It’s far too embarrassing…” The little bun lowered his head, cheeks burning, mumbling shyly.

Seeing his reddened ears, Ying Su finally realized her little bun was embarrassed again! Heavens, this son of hers was really… she couldn’t even think of the right word. The boy wasn’t even five years old yet, just a tiny little child. Did he really need to guard his chastity so seriously!?

In the end, she had no choice but to give in. Ying Su carried the tub indoors. She had originally planned to help him bathe, but the little bun shooed her out, insisting, “Men and women are different. Even if you’re my mother, you’re still a woman!”

Who on earth had taught this boy such rigid ideas?! Ying Su sat gloomily on a stone outside the thatched hut, gazing at the bright, round moon. In her heart, she wondered how she could raise her little bun to be an enlightened and thoughtful young gentleman in the future.

Just then, a voice interrupted her thoughts. “Cuihua?”

She had already heard footsteps earlier and thought the person would keep standing there before speaking, so she hadn’t bothered to look. Now she lifted her head.

It was Li Jinfeng, standing beside a woman in her mid-twenties, dressed in a blue diagonal-collared blouse, with willow brows and large eyes. Li Jinfeng spoke first. 

“Cuihua, my sister-in-law came to see you.”

Ying Su rose, lips curved slightly, and nodded.

Liu Chuncao sized her up from head to toe. The woman before her had clear brows and eyes, her gaze bright, her smile lacking the coquettishness of before, instead carrying an indescribable grace. 

Liu Chuncao was faintly surprised. She had heard her mother-in-law and sister-in-law say Shen Cuihua’s madness was cured, but she hadn’t believed it. Now, seeing her, it seemed true.

“Cuihua…” Liu Chuncao looked into Ying Su’s bright eyes, astonished, hesitantly asking, “You… are better now?”

Ying Su smiled faintly, nodded, but said nothing. Back then, when the villagers said Shen Cuihua was pregnant with Li Dalang’s child, Liu Chuncao had beaten her harshly and insisted she be driven out of the village. Meeting now, Ying Su had no words for her.

Liu Chuncao froze for a moment, unsure of what to say. Li Jinfeng quickly broke the awkwardness, “Cuihua, why are you sitting alone outside? Where’s Huzi? I heard from Mother that you even gave him a proper name, Shen Weixin? That’s a good name, it sounds very scholarly.”

“Huzi’s inside bathing. The child is shy and won’t let me help, even driving me out.” Ying Su smiled as she answered.

Liu Chuncao kept stealing glances at her. Her words were courteous, her smile calm, her brows and eyes clear. Though dressed in ragged clothes, her bearing was nothing like a common village woman. 

Compared to before, she was a completely different person. A thought stirred in Liu Chuncao’s heart, could Shen Cuihua actually have been the daughter of a wealthy household before her mother-in-law bought her?

But how could the daughter of a wealthy family end up in such a place? Liu Chuncao quickly dismissed the idea. Remembering the wooden bowl her son Dazhuang had brought home, carved with the twelve zodiac animals, and how her mother-in-law had praised it endlessly, she recalled her reason for coming.

“Cuihua, I heard Mother say you can do woodworking? The bowl you gave Dazhuang, he really likes it. When Dalang saw it, he was amazed. He said even after working as a carpenter for more than ten years, he couldn’t produce such craftsmanship! Your skill is truly remarkable.”

When she and Dalang had gone home, their mother-in-law had shown them the bowl Cuihua made.

Dalang had been apprenticed as a carpenter since his teens. At a glance, he knew the bowl’s work was exquisite, something that would take at least a decade of carving practice. Even the master craftsmen in the city’s furniture shops might not match it. He had been shocked and hurried over with Liu Chuncao right after supper to test whether Cuihua really had such ability.

Although Madam Li had already insisted the bowl was indeed Cuihua’s work, Dalang still had his doubts.

“It was nothing, just something I made casually. As long as Dazhuang likes it, that’s what matters.” Ying Su replied softly, unconcerned.

Liu Chuncao carefully watched her expression. Hearing this, her heart rippled, her dark eyes flashing. Perhaps… she really could help Dalang after all?

“Cuihua, where did you learn woodworking? My big brother has been apprenticed since he was a child, and when he saw that bowl, his eyes nearly popped out. It’s just a wooden bowl carved with a few animals, what’s so amazing? Still, I like it too. Could you make me one when you have time?” Li Jinfeng tugged at Ying Su’s sleeve, smiling and pleading.