Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 25

Thinking of this, Ying Su patiently explained, “Baby, you’re right, money should be spent on useful things. You need to learn to read and write, so if I buy you paper and brushes, that’s spending money on something useful, isn’t it?”

The little bun thought for a moment. That did seem to make sense, so he nodded.

“These past years, your grandmother has taken care of the two of us. If I buy some meat to show my filial piety to her, that’s something I should do too, right?” Ying Su continued.

The little bun pursed his lips slightly, thought it over, and felt it was reasonable. He nodded again.

“You’re so thin and small. If I buy you some good food to nourish your body, that wouldn’t be wrong either, would it?”

The little bun bit his lip, his dark eyes glistening with moisture. “Mommy, being able to fill our stomachs now is already more than enough. How can we afford to buy treats to nourish the body? I know you love me, but our family is poor.” 

“Your son doesn’t need any good food. We must save some money at home. Neither of us can earn money, and we don’t have any fields. Who knows, one day we might not even have food to eat.”

As he spoke, the little bun pressed his lips tightly together, tears circling in his eyes, about to fall. “It’s not easy for Grandma to save money either. We can’t keep relying on her for help…”

Ying Su sighed, hugged the little bun into her arms, and rubbed his head, her heart aching. This child might be young, but he was pitifully mature. Having lived too long in poverty, he was terrified of going hungry, with no sense of security, always worrying about whether they would have food to eat in the future.

She gently comforted him, “Mommy already has a way to earn money now. From here on, our days will only get better. I will never let you go hungry again. Don’t worry, our family won’t be without money.”

She had originally planned to tell him about catching fish to sell, but fearing he would nag and object, she decided against it.

The little bun’s attention was immediately caught by her mention of earning money. He quickly asked, “Mommy, what way have you thought of to earn money?”

“Do you remember the last time I told you that we could make money with hawthorn berries from the mountains? They can be made into candied hawthorn skewers, hawthorn cakes, hawthorn sugar balls, hawthorn jam, fruit leather, even canned goods. Once we turn them into these treats, we can sell them in town!” Ying Su said with full confidence.

“Really, we can make money? Then, Mommy, let’s hurry and go pick hawthorns from the mountain!” The little bun’s eyes lit up, and he excitedly grabbed her hand.

Seeing his excitement, a smile tugged at Ying Su’s lips. “Baby, it’s already dark. Let’s tidy up and sleep early tonight. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the mountain to pick hawthorns. I already bought white sugar in town today. Once we have the hawthorns, we can make something delicious to sell for money.”

With this plan, the little bun’s mood improved greatly. He didn’t ask how much the sugar had cost but instead started thinking hard about how they could gather all the hawthorns in the mountains.

Watching his furrowed brows and deep-in-thought expression, Ying Su couldn’t help tapping him lightly on the head. “Don’t think so much! Help me tidy up first. Once we’re done, we’ll sleep early so we can head to the mountain early tomorrow.”

The little bun realized she was right, so he obediently helped Ying Su pack up. In her heart, Ying Su had already decided that tomorrow she would find Li Dalang and take on the work of making a wheelchair, so she could quickly earn some silver to build a few new rooms.

By the time the two finished tidying up, the sky was already completely dark. Ying Su took out the oil lamp she had bought at the market and lit it.

When the little bun saw the lamp, his little face showed a trace of heartache, and he muttered softly, “Lighting a lamp wastes money on oil…”

Ying Su ignored him and continued pulling things out, handing him a set of the Four Treasures of the Study.

The little bun had been upset about the money, but when he saw the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone in his hands, he couldn’t help but beam with joy, his mouth wide in a smile that revealed a row of neat white teeth.

But soon, his smile faded. With every item Ying Su brought out, his expression grew more bitter.

Seeing his face, as if his heart might break from pain, Ying Su quickly reassured him, “Everything I bought is necessary. We’ll earn it all back very soon.”

“Oh,” the little bun answered gloomily, though in his heart he thought, ‘Earning it back soon isn’t the same as holding money in your hand.’ Luckily, he hadn’t given his mother the six coins he had secretly saved otherwise, they would surely be gone by now.

Noticing his unhappiness, Ying Su quickly pulled out the sugar she had bought and dangled it before him. “Look, I bought this sugar. Tomorrow I’ll boil it into syrup, coat the hawthorns with it, and we’ll sell them for money.”

The moment she mentioned making money, the little bun perked up. His face softened a little, and he asked, “Mommy, will the hawthorns taste good coated in syrup? Will people really buy them? After all, hawthorns are just wild fruit, and the mountains are full of them.”

Ying Su patted her chest, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly, the corners lifting into a confident curve. She laughed proudly and declared, “Baby, just wait and see! One day, the entire Ten-Li Town will know about our family’s candied hawthorn skewers!”

The little bun was infected by her confidence, the worry on his face easing, replaced by a smile. “Then I’ll go with Mommy, walking through the streets to sell candied hawthorns!”

“Good!” Ying Su agreed happily. From the bucket, she pulled out the new clothes she had bought for him. “Come, try these on and see if they fit.”

At the sight of the new clothes, the little bun’s expression flickered with countless emotions. Though still a child, Ying Su could clearly read his feelings: surprise, heartache, then hesitation. He must like the clothes, hence the surprise. The heartache came from seeing her spend more money. And the hesitation was likely from wondering whether he should nag her about it again.

“What are you thinking? Try them on quickly! This is the first time Mommy has ever bought you clothes. Believe me, money is earned, not saved, and certainly not just pinched out by scrimping!”

Before he could respond, Ying Su had already started pulling the clothes over his head. But she had forgotten one thing, ancient clothes weren’t worn like modern pullovers.

Seeing her fumbling, the little bun couldn’t help laughing. “Mommy, that’s not how you wear them…” He took the clothes from her hand with a helpless look. “Let me put them on myself.”

Taking off his old outer clothes, he was just about to put on the new set when Ying Su remembered she had also bought two sets of cotton underclothes. She quickly pulled them out and handed them to him. “Change the underclothes too.”

The little bun accepted the inner garments, his dark eyes glimmering faintly with tears as he looked at her. Ying Su knew he was moved again. Afraid he might actually cry, she turned away hurriedly. “Quickly change and let me see. I won’t look while you’re changing, so you won’t be embarrassed!”

Her words successfully diverted his attention. He answered obediently and quickly took off his clothes, hurriedly but carefully putting on the new ones. Even in his rush, there was a careful, cherishing touch in every movement. His small hands brushed over the soft, cool fabric, and his heart felt as sweet as honey.