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墨書 Inktalez
When I first arrived at this home, I quickly realized that the meals were terribly inadequate.
The children's faces were not looking well, especially Da Bao, who was so thin that he seemed like nothing but skin and bones, clearly suffering from malnutrition.
I secretly took some meat and eggs from my supplies and woke up early every morning to cook a bowl of noodles with meat or egg drop soup for the children.
"Mom, this is delicious!" Little Yu exclaimed, her mouth shiny with oil and her eyes sparkling.
I patted her little head, feeling a wave of tenderness in my heart.
Da Bao and Er Bao were much more reserved; they ate cautiously, as if afraid I would suddenly snatch their bowls away.
"Eat slowly, don't choke. There will be plenty every day," I said gently.
Da Bao glanced up at me with suspicion in his eyes but lowered his head to continue eating.
Li Jianguo said nothing about the improvement in our meals, but on the third morning, he stared at the eggs on the table for quite a while, hesitating to say something.
"Why don't you have one too?" I offered him a boiled egg.
He was taken aback for a moment, then took the egg and silently peeled it before eating.
By the end of the week, the children's complexions had noticeably improved, especially Da Bao, who no longer coughed as often.
With their bellies full, I began to think about teaching the children how to read and write.
In this era, not many children had the opportunity to go to school, especially in rural areas.
I gathered a few sheets of paper and a pencil, and began teaching Xiao Yu to recognize characters.
"This is the character 'ren' (人), with two strokes leaning towards the center, resembling a person standing," I held Xiao Yu's hand and wrote the first character.
Xiao Yu was quite clever and learned quickly, but she was impatient; if she wrote it wrong, she would pout and ask me to help her.
"Write it yourself. It's okay if you make mistakes; just practice more," I didn't give in to her pleas.
Xiao Yu pouted, her eyes glistening with tears as she looked at me. "Mother, you used to help me write."
It dawned on me that the original owner had indeed spoiled Xiao Yu too much.
"Xiao Yu, I'm doing this for your own good. Look at Da Bao and Er Bao; they are writing so diligently," I pointed to the two boys quietly writing nearby.
Reluctantly, Xiao Yu picked up the pencil and scribbled a few crooked characters before starting to pout again.
I ignored her and turned to teach Da Bao and Er Bao.
The two boys were very focused, especially Da Bao. Although he was young, his handwriting was neat and much better than I had expected.
"Da Bao, you’re amazing! Your writing is so good," I praised him sincerely.
Da Bao blushed, lowering his head to continue writing, but I could see the corners of his mouth lift slightly.
Seeing me praise Da Bao, Xiao Yu, feeling competitive, also began to write seriously.
I nodded to myself; this child just needed a little motivation.
In the evening, Li Jianguo returned home and was taken aback when he saw the calligraphy practice sheets on the table. "You taught them how to write?"
"Yes, it's always good to learn to read and write," I replied while rinsing rice.
He didn't say anything further, but I noticed he picked up the calligraphy sheets and studied them for quite a while, especially Da Bao's work, which he examined intently.
Taking advantage of the quiet night, I secretly went to my space and brought out some vegetable seeds.
The items in my space were extraordinary. I selected some inconspicuous vegetable and radish seeds and planted them in a small patch of land behind the yard.
The next morning, I was astonished to find that the seeds had already sprouted, and they were growing much faster than ordinary ones.
Three days later, the vegetables were ready for harvest. The speed was simply unbelievable.
I carefully picked some and cooked a dish of Vegetable Noodle with Shredded Meat using a bit of meat I had taken from my space.
"Mom, these vegetables are so tender! They taste much better than Aunt Wang's from the village," Er Bao said, enjoying his meal.
I smiled and ruffled his hair. "That's because the vegetables I grow have magic."
The children all laughed, and even Da Bao, who was usually the quietest, showed a smile.
Seeing the rosy faces of my children warmed my heart.
I began to ponder how to use my space to improve our family's economic situation.
The vegetables in my space grew quickly and were of high quality; selling them in town would surely fetch a good price.
I found a basket and filled it with some vegetables from the space. While Li Jianguo was off to work, I took Xiaoyu to the town.
"This vegetable looks so fresh!" a woman exclaimed as she picked up my greens.
Before long, all the vegetables I brought were sold out, and I made quite a bit of money.
On the way home, Xiaoyu tugged at my hand, bouncing with excitement. "Mom, we have money now! Can we buy some candy?"
I smiled and nodded, buying her two pieces of candy.
Seeing her happy face filled me with warmth.
Once home, I hid the money away, planning to sell again in a few days.
Recently, Li Jianguo's attitude towards me had subtly changed.
He noticed that the meals at home were getting better and that the children's faces were brighter. He looked at me with a bit more respect.
One time, he came back to find me washing his clothes in the yard. He paused for a moment and asked, "Why are you washing my clothes?"
"They get dirty and need to be washed. You work so hard every day; your clothes get dirty quickly," I replied without looking up.
He stood there watching me for a while, hesitating to say something. In the end, he simply gave a soft "hm" and turned to go inside.
I knew that his wariness towards me was gradually diminishing.
Da Bao's cough had not improved. I took some medicinal herbs from the space and brewed some medicine for him to drink.
"Da Bao, this medicine is a bit bitter, but it's very effective for coughs. Just bear with it and drink it down," I said as I handed him the bowl.
Da Bao scrunched up his little face but still managed to gulp down the medicine in one go.
"You're so brave," I praised him, then offered him a piece of candy.
Three days later, Da Bao's cough had noticeably improved.
Li Jianguo looked at the lively Da Bao in surprise. "His cough... is better?"
"Yes, I brewed some herbal medicine for him," I replied while preparing vegetables.
Li Jianguo stared at me for a while, his expression complicated. "Thank you."
It was the first time he had said thank you to me, and my heart warmed at his words. I smiled and shook my head. "We're family; there's no need for thanks."
He paused for a moment before turning to leave, but I noticed his ears were slightly red.
I gradually realized that to change the fate of this family, the key lay in treating them sincerely and genuinely.
Not to please anyone, but to truly care for them as if they were my own family.
I began learning some skills from this era, such as mending clothes and knitting sweaters.
Aunt Wang from the village kindly taught me a few things when she saw how clumsy I was.
"Weren't you good at these things before? Why do you seem like a beginner now?" Aunt Wang asked in confusion.
I made up an excuse, saying I had forgotten many things after falling ill, and Aunt Wang didn’t think much of it.
Gradually, my sewing skills improved, and I knitted a sweater for each of the children, making sure not to leave out Li Jianguo’s.
When I handed the sweater to Li Jianguo, he was clearly taken aback. "For... me?"
"Winter is coming; it will keep you warm," I said as I stuffed the sweater into his arms and turned to busy myself with other tasks.
That evening, I saw him carefully touching the sweater, his gaze softening considerably.
Days passed like this, and I quietly improved our living conditions with the resources from my space while also striving to integrate into this family.
I knew the road ahead was long, but I had already seen the glimmer of hope.
In this era of scarcity, my space was the greatest wealth, and figuring out how to make the best use of it to provide a better life for this family became my biggest challenge and motivation.
Watching the children grow taller each day and seeing Li Jianguo's eyes soften over time, I knew I was doing the right thing.
This unexpected home was gradually becoming my true home.
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