NOVPUB
Chapter 161: Chapter 155 Educating Children
That night, the meal Shen Yunfang prepared surpassed the dishes served at the previous day’s wedding banquet by a wide margin. There was a large bowl of "pork feast vegetable," topped with a generous layer of thinly sliced fatty pork. She fried a big plate of pork chunks, took half back to her own room as a snack for herself and her husband. Then she made "stir-fried pork chunks" with finely shredded cabbage, radishes, and carrots, seasoning them with sugar and vinegar and arranging it all on a big plate. Additionally, she found some peanuts in their room, fried them in oil, sprinkled some salt on top, and set them aside as a side dish for Old Li to enjoy with his drinks.
Then came the individual bowls of bone broth for each person, sprinkled with a bit of chopped green onion—exceptionally appetizing.
The Li family hadn’t had such delicious food in many years. The chopsticks flew, and everyone from old to young, all eleven of them, devoured the dishes until they were wiped clean.
Before going to bed, Shen Yunfang relit the stove and filled the pot with water to continue simmering the bone broth.
Lying on the kang, Li Hongjun whispered tenderly in the dark, "Wife, you worked hard today."
Shen Yunfang laughed; she was in good health, and these tasks were nothing much to her. As long as Li Hongjun acknowledged her efforts, it was all worthwhile.
Although Shen Yunfang didn’t hesitate to argue with her mother-in-law in front of Li Hongjun, it was because she had reason and nobody could fault her. At the same time, she showed Li Hongjun that while she might argue, when it came to doing the work and showing filial piety to her in-laws, she was a dutiful daughter-in-law who didn’t shirk her duties.
After all, Li Hongjun was her son, and even though he verbally supported Shen Yunfang, he still cared for his own parents. She intended to be a wife with a fierce tongue but a kind heart.
Early the next day, as soon as Shen Yunfang got up, she lit the brazier and tossed two eggs in. By the time they were both ready, the eggs were roasted, and they each ate one as a morning snack.
Li Hongjun didn’t say anything and ate along. If those eggs had been brought to the dining table, they certainly wouldn’t have reached the pair of them. He could go without, but his wife deserved to eat.
Shen Yunfang was still the one cooking, and the breakfast was much simpler. She boiled a big pot of porridge, fried some cornbread, and mixed a couple of salty pickles, and that was all.
Li Family’s eldest son’s two children were at the age when they were particularly difficult to cope with. Having known there was good food in the kitchen yesterday, they couldn’t stop thinking about it, and the first thing they did upon waking up today was to sneak over and steal some meat.
Li Shiguo entered the kitchen, grabbed a handful of pork chunks, and dashed out, worried that his aunt Yunfang would forbid him from eating or catch him and drag him back. As soon as he stepped outside, he stuffed the meat into his mouth, leaving Li Shijia, who followed him, drooling with envy.
Li Shijia tugged at his brother’s clothes, persistently whispering, "Bro, bro, give me a bite, give me a bite."
"Get lost, if you want to eat, go get it yourself."
Li Shiguo didn’t care about his younger brother trailing behind; he hadn’t had his fill yet. Annoyed by the persistent tugging, he yanked his brother’s hand away, nearly causing Li Shijia to trip and fall.
The younger boy didn’t manage to get any meat and now fell over feeling wronged, bursting into loud tears.
This commotion drew Wang Dan and Qiu Shuping out from the house.
When Wang Dan saw her two sons standing at the kitchen entrance, the eldest with his cheeks stuffed, it was clear what they were up to.
She angrily splashed water from the basin onto the ground, struck both children on their bottoms, and scolded, "You two gluttons, just like your father, always sneaking food. Are you lacking anything? Can’t you be a little more promising?"
"That’s right, thieves need to be smacked hard!" added Li Xianghe from the side.
Shen Yunfang really couldn’t bear to watch. How can children be educated like this? And why say they’re just like their father? That’s teaching the children to look down on their own father subconsciously. As if that could ever raise filial and well-behaved kids.
But they weren’t her own children, so she had no place to say anything.
Listening to her sister-in-law scolding the children, and hearing their heart-wrenching cries, Yunfang felt unbearably irritated.
Shen Yunfang put down what she was holding and grabbed a handful of meat from the bowl. She squatted in front of the two children, looking at their tear-streaked faces, closed her eyes briefly, and then, opening them with a smile, said, "Alright, you’re both boys, you can’t keep crying. Tell Auntie, do you want to eat some meat?" She shook the meat in her hand to catch their attention.
The children stopped crying, their eyes following the meat in Shen Yunfang’s hand intently, "Want," said the younger one while sucking on his finger.
"You want it, huh? Then let’s give Erdan a piece." Shen Yunfang cheerfully stuffed a piece of meat into Li Shijia’s mouth.
Li Shijia chewed on the meat with small teeth, looking as cute as a little hamster, although it would have been better if his face were cleaner.
"Is it tasty?" Shen Yunfang continued to tempt. 𝔫𝔬𝖛𝖕𝔲𝖇.𝖈𝖔𝖒
Unable to speak with his mouth full, Li Shijia could only nod.
"Auntie, I want to eat too," Li Shiguo, the older brother, couldn’t resist any longer as drool began to trickle down.
"You want some too? Alright, here’s one for you too," Shen Yunfang thought for a moment, then stuffed a piece into Li Shiguo’s mouth.
After eating, the two children gazed at Shen Yunfang with anticipation, waiting for her to continue feeding them.
"Do the meat pieces taste good?" Shen Yunfang asked, shaking the meat in her hand.
Both children nodded vigorously.
"Do you want some more?"
The children nodded just as vigorously.
"Auntie has seven more pieces here. How should you two brothers divide them? If you come up with a good method, I’ll give all seven pieces to you," Shen Yunfang said, spreading her hands with a smile.
Li Shijia was still counting on his fingers, while Li Shiguo grabbed a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, "Now, it’s three pieces each."
Shen Yunfang was speechless; the kid was clever, indeed, or else he wouldn’t have calculated so quickly.
Seeing that Li Shiguo looked like he was about to cry again, she quickly pacified him and divided the meat between the children, "Goudan, as the older brother, you should think of your younger brother when there’s something delicious, and not just think of eating yourself. Also, next time you want something, just ask Auntie openly, and don’t go stealing it, understand?"
Shen Yunfang didn’t know if the children had taken her words to heart as they ran off with the meat, leaving their aunt behind.
When she entered the kitchen, she heard Li Xianghe give a snort of derision, probably laughing at her for wasting her efforts.
Shen Yunfang didn’t mind. The words she had spoken to the children were not for the adults’ sake; she mainly pitied the children. She spoke what she felt was right according to her conscience, and whether it had any effect was beyond her control. Being true to herself was what mattered.
