Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Don't touch my parents!

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu turned to look at He Daqing. He Daqing, unusually, blushed and glared at him with a look of helplessness.

"Mom, what about my maternal grandfather's side? How come I don't have any uncles or aunts?" He Yuzhu reacted quickly and immediately changed the subject.

"Sigh, logically speaking, he should have passed away long ago. Your father went back to look for him years ago, but there was no sign of him. If he were still alive, he would have come looking for him all these years ago." Chen Shuxiang sighed, and as soon as she finished speaking, her eyes reddened, and she raised her hand to wipe away her tears.

"Mother, don't cry. These days are chaotic with war, and no one can say for sure. We've been fighting for so many years, and as long as our family is safe and sound, that's more important than anything else," He Yuzhu quickly comforted her in a soft voice.

"Oh, oh, my son is so good at talking and understands things. As long as our family is doing well, that's more important than anything else." Chen Shuxiang stopped sobbing, a hint of relief showing in her tearful eyes.

He Daqing glanced at his son intently, his doubts growing stronger: Was this child even his own? Not only was his intelligence peculiarly advanced...

His martial arts skills are almost on par with a veteran, and he speaks eloquently and logically, unlike a ten-year-old child.

"Forget it, let him be. I can't control him anyway. As long as he acknowledges me as his father, that's better than anything else." He Daqing comforted himself and decided not to pursue the matter any further.

But He Yuzhu then threw out another question he hadn't expected: "Dad, what about my grandpa? Don't I have any uncles or aunts?"

"Sigh, your grandfather passed away before you were born. I was his only son, and this old house with its two rooms is the only memento he left me." He Daqing's tone was low, revealing little sorrow but rather an indescribable helplessness.

Well, He Yuzhu didn't even get a sip of the gossip, and wisely refrained from asking any further questions. He had originally been fantasizing that his grandfather was still alive, and had even imagined some melodramatic plot of him marrying a widow.

The previous topic had been too heavy, and the atmosphere in the room gradually became heavy. As everyone remained silent, someone suddenly broke the silence—He Yushui, the little girl, suddenly burst into tears. Chen Shuxiang checked her; it wasn't a wet diaper, she was probably hungry.

She pointed to the things on the table and said to He Yuzhu, "How do you make this? Zhuzi, do you know how?"

Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run, right? He Yuzhu immediately patted his chest and said, "Yes! The person selling these things taught me how to use them."

In fact, the system hadn't taught him anything, so he could only bite the bullet and go for it. Anyway, he knew that this milk powder wasn't the kind that dissolved instantly when mixed with water like in later generations; it had to be stirred slowly.

"That's good. Make a bottle of milk for me. By the way, if this gets cold, can I heat it up and still drink it?" Chen Shuxiang looked at the bottle, a little unsure.

"It will heat up. Dad, you have to use hot water to make it; it won't dissolve in cold water. You should learn how to do it carefully later, so that if your sister wakes up hungry at night, you can make it for her," He Yuzhu instructed.

"Okay, I can learn it in one look. How can this be more difficult than making my secret sauce?" He Daqing said with a relaxed expression.

The father and son carried their things into the kitchen. The stove was still burning, and hot water was boiling inside. He Yuzhu skillfully rinsed the baby bottle with the hot water first. He Daqing, watching from the side, was puzzled and casually asked, "What are you doing?"

He Yuzhu immediately blurted out, "Disinfect!"

This sentence nearly gave He Daqing a heart attack. He raised his hand and slapped He Yuzhu hard across the neck, cursing, "You brat, you dare to give poison to your sister? Is it disinfectant or poison?"

"Dad, my disinfection is just like how you wash your hands after using the toilet. It's all about cleanliness and hygiene," He Yuzhu explained to his father, rubbing his forehead with a wronged expression.

"You should have said so earlier! If you had just said you washed it clean, that would have been fine. You scared me half to death. I thought you had added pesticide!" He Daqing patted his chest and breathed a long sigh of relief.

After the first rinse, He Yuzhu turned around and ran back into the house to get another baby bottle.

Chen Shuxiang was puzzled inside the house, thinking that the glass object had been accidentally broken by the father and son.

He Yuzhu quickly explained, "These are for later use. You can also rinse two bottles at once to save the trouble of going back and forth."

Hearing her son say this, Chen Shuxiang didn't ask any more questions. She waved her hand and urged him to hurry up, as the baby was still crying for milk.

He Yuzhu took the milk powder and bottle back to the kitchen. After preparing a bottle, He Daqing immediately exclaimed that he had learned how to make it.

Neither the father nor his son had a clear idea of ​​how many scoops of formula to use.

He Yuzhu didn't dare to put in too much, and only carefully scooped in two spoonfuls.

It depends on whether this stuff can keep a child full. Although that jar weighs two pounds, it doesn't look like much, so it probably won't last long.

After thoroughly mixing the milk, the father and son took the bottles and went into the inner room together.

When Chen Shuxiang reached out and took the baby bottle, her face involuntarily flushed slightly.

She stared at the shape of the baby bottle and muttered to herself: I wonder which scoundrel designed this thing. It's clearly made to look like a woman's breast.

She held the baby bottle to He Yushui's lips, and a rich milky aroma immediately wafted out, making the little one smack her lips incessantly.

As soon as the pacifier was put in her mouth, He Yushui immediately started sucking on it vigorously.

In no time at all, half a bottle of milk was gone.

She must have been really hungry, because she gulped down another half bottle, and the milk stains that spilled from the corner of her mouth ran down her chin and onto her neck.

Even so, the little guy continued to suck mechanically, refusing to let go.

Chen Shuxiang quickly removed the baby bottle and called He Daqing to bring a handkerchief. She carefully wiped the milk stains from He Yushui's mouth and cheeks clean.

The little guy didn't seem to have had enough. He smacked his lips a few times before slowing down and then started yawning.

Chen Shuxiang gently placed her in the quilt and lay down quietly.

Then, Chen Shuxiang asked He Daqing to find a clean cloth, carefully wrap the milk bottle tightly, and place it in the warmest place on the kang (heated brick bed) – the side closest to the stove.

As long as the kang (heated brick bed) doesn't cool down completely, the milk in the bottle will stay warm.

"Alright, Zhu Zi, you've had a long day, go back to sleep."

"Father, please don't forget to tell Mother about what I just told you."

"This is such a small matter, do you think your father can't handle it? Stop nagging and get back to sleep!"

"Okay!"

After He Yuzhu left, He Daqing got up, locked the door, and then turned and went into the inner room.

Chen Shuxiang asked, "What did Zhu'er tell you just now?"

He Daqing recounted in detail how to prevent neighbors from peeping and how to keep things confidential.

Chen Shuxiang nodded and said, "Zhuzi is right. Putting aside whether those neighbors do bad things or not, if they see us and gossip about us, wouldn't that just invite trouble for nothing?"

Especially that woman from the Jia family, her mouth is looser than a cotton trouser waistband, she'd spill every penny.

Well, you'd better keep this safe after you're done using it.

If you find it inconvenient to take care of the child, just ask Zhuzi to come and help you.

But... how can we cover up this milky smell? We can't just easily fool everyone like this, can we?

Just say that my milk has come in, but I don't have enough milk, so I have to mix some rice water and rice oil with it to feed my daughter.

Now... she's used to drinking formula, would she still be willing to drink rice water?

Where does all this fuss come from? Let's see if she'll eat when she's really starving!

Chen Shuxiang, on the other hand, was quite open-minded.

Fine, she's still your own daughter anyway, as long as you don't feel bad about it.

He Daqing shook his head helplessly.

Hmph, so what if she drinks some rice porridge and rice oil? If our family gets into trouble because of this, won't she be the one who suffers in the end?

Chen Shuxiang immediately retorted.

Okay, okay, stop saying such unlucky things.

Our family will definitely live a good life; our lives will only get better and better.

With my son's current skills, we're sure to be able to enjoy a comfortable life together in the future.

He Daqing stopped wondering where his son's skills came from and began to look forward to a better life ahead.

Alright, alright, stop daydreaming.

No matter how capable Zhu Zi is, he's still just a ten-year-old child.

Can he go out and make a lot of money as a cook, or can he find a proper construction job?

You should just go out and earn money to support your family. Why are you thinking about those unrealistic things all day?

I was just thinking about it casually, is it not even allowed to think about it?

Then just keep thinking about it in your dreams; anything can happen in dreams.

Go to sleep.

Okay, time to sleep! I don't have to get up in the middle of the night to cook rice porridge tonight, hehe.

He Daqing happily washed his feet, took off his clothes, and lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Leaving aside the harmonious scene at the He family's house, not long after He Daqing led his son inside, Yi Zhonghai returned to his own courtyard with a dark expression.

Upon entering the house, Yi Zhonghai, with a sullen face, instructed Yi Li to bring up the peanuts and wine.

He sat down at the table, picked up his wine cup, and began to drink in silence.

After a few drinks, Yi Zhonghai finally spoke, his voice carrying an indescribable gloom:

Guihua, find an excuse to go to Old He's house tomorrow.

go for what?

As Li Guihua poured wine for her husband, she asked him with a puzzled look.

Go outside and find out what's going on. See what rare items He Daqing brought back from outside tonight.

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and said with a gloomy face.

As for what He Daqing brings back, that's his own ability, so let's not meddle.

It's better to avoid trouble. Just listen to my advice, okay?

Li Guihua gently advised from the side.

I just can't swallow this!

All I asked him to do was ask him to bring me some meat, and he deliberately embarrassed me, making me lose face in front of the entire neighborhood.

I've now made an enemy of him.