Chen Ming gave a hum of agreement before continuing, "However, the child is sensitive and worries too much. He's scared we might listen to his elder sister-in-law and.. not want him anymore." He hesitated to mention his wife, paused, then added, "Don't let word of our earlier conversation get out, or else he'll start worrying again. Also, tell the two boys to keep mom's recovery a secret for now. It would be fine if her condition improves completely, but if not, it'll just create more problems."
"Alright," Mrs. Wang agreed.
Chen Afu was deeply touched, her parents were incredible. Regardless of whether it was in ancient times or modern times, not all parents would be so kind to their disabled children. Some unsympathetic parents might even go so far as to abandon or kill their disabled children. Yet, her parents not only planned for her future but also spent money seeking treatment for her.
Moreover, this world didn't seem to be harsh to women. Unmarried women could still establish their own family units.
Chen Afu struggled to turn her body, thinking about starting her rehabilitation training. She wanted to get healthier as soon as possible to repay her family's love and care. Also, even if she recovered, she wanted to continue treating little Dabao as her own son. The child was endearing. In her previous life, she was past thirty and though unmarried and childless, her maternally affection overflowed whenever she encountered lovely children.
However, to continue treating Dabao as her son, she needed to assert her influence and overrule her obnoxious aunt.
With great effort, Chen Afu sat up, then shuffled towards the cabinet, opened it, and found a few sets of her and Dabao's clothes, and some handkerchiefs.
She picked a peach colored top and blue skirt. Both were lined, the outer layer was fine cloth while the inner layer was coarse. Despite some fading and patched-up areas, they were noticeably better than the others' clothes.
Dressing took her a significant amount of time—around half an hour. Realizing her difficulty with drooling, she stuffed a handkerchief into her chest. Then considering how difficult it would be to retrieve the handkerchief, she tied it onto the disc button of her top. Despite looking childish, it was better than relying on others to wipe her mouth.
After getting off the bed, she struggled to put on her shoes. Spotting a small bronze mirror on the table, she looked at her reflection and was stunned. Her small face was incredibly pretty, with fair skin, soft almond eyes, a small, straight nose, and luscious lips. My goodness, she was even more beautiful than in her previous life, a thought that brought her immense joy.
However, her gaze was vacant, which made her look like a simple-minded beauty. Moreover, her hair was frazzled, resembling a bird's nest, it was impossible for her in this state to comb, let alone style her hair like those in the ancient times.
She put down the mirror, mentally encouraging herself, "Come on, Afu, train hard and get better soon."
She paced around the room a few times, stretching her neck and hips, doing basic stretching exercises. Feeling slightly sweaty, she decided to step out of the east room.
Mrs. Wang was cooking while Chen Ming was helping stoke the fire. Seeing Chen Afu emerge from the room fully dressed on her own, both were surprised.
"Afu, did you dress yourself?" They asked in unison.
Chen Afu nodded, stuttering, "Yes, yes—I dressed myself. From now on, I will—dress myself." Her hoarse voice contrasted greatly with her beautiful appearance.
Delighted, Mrs. Wang put down her knife, clasped her hands together, and started silently reciting her prayers.
Chen Ming was rubbing his sparse beard, repeatedly praising, "Good, good, our little girl is becoming more and more capable."
Chen Afu smiled, her gaze fell onto the half sliced pig's liver on the chopping board. Stir-fried pig liver or spicy pig liver could suppress the off-putting flavor of the organ. Unconsciously, saliva started pooling in her mouth again.
Seeing this, Mrs. Wang dried her hands on a towel, wanting to wipe her daughter's mouth. But before she could reach her, she saw her daughter lift up her hand to wipe her mouth using the handkerchief.
Mrs. Wang praised her daughter, "Afu is so smart, knowing to tie the handkerchief on the button for easy access."
Chen Afu blushed, then headed for the door. As she was about to step out, Mrs. Wang approached, "Afu, are you going out?" When Chen Afu nodded, Mrs. Wang added, "Don't go far. You're a beauty, Afu, don't let any bad people see you …" She paused then said, "The door sill is quite high, let me assist you."
Chen Afu shook her head and said, "I can do it myself." Holding onto the door frame, she carefully lifted her leg to step over the threshold. She then carefully descended the two stone steps to steady herself.
By this time, it was already dusk. The rooftops of each household was billowing with smoke from cooking. The setting sun dyed the sky and the distant continuous mountain range to the west a rosy hue.
Chen Afu pointed at the mountains saying, "There..."
Chen Ming in the room said, "That's Honglin Mountain, about twenty miles from here. The scenery on the mountain is picturesque, and there's a Lingyin Temple. When you're better, we'll let your mom take you, Dabao, and Alu to play in the mountains."
Mrs. Wang continued, "The monk who said Afu was blessed is from Lingyin Temple. Once Afu recovers from his illness, we will go to the temple to thank the Bodhisattva and the senior monk for the accurate prediction."
Just then, Dabao and Alu rushed through the courtyard gates with some chickens. Alu carried a small bundle of firewood, and Dabao carried a small basket filled with wild vegetables.
The two of them shouted for help, then Alu herded the chickens into the yard's chicken coop and instinctively began to chop up the wild vegetables and mixed them with bran to feed the chickens.
Dabao, on the other hand, ran into the kitchen, grabbed something from beneath the stove, ran back out to Chen Afu, bent over, and smudged her face a few times.
"What—the hell are you doing?" Chen Afu exclaimed.
The boy helplessly said, "Mother doesn't remember? Whenever you go out or spend time in the yard, you always blot your face." He sighed and shook his head, saying, "Ah, what are we to do? It's just that Mother is too attractive."
It's true, this body is indeed a rare beauty. In the countryside, such a beauty, especially one with dementia, is bound to attract the wrong kind of attention from men.
However, this child is too cunning for his own good.
After smearing Chen Afu's face, Chen Dabao proceeded to help Chen Ming to his feet, then he sat by the stove to light the fire.
The children of the poor become independent early in life, and both of these children have been raised well.
Their dinner was served on the table in the West Room. It consisted of coarse rice with sweet potato, a pot of pig liver and cabbage soup that was heavy on the cabbage, and a dish of salted radish.
Looking at the pot of dark soup and cabbage leaves, Chen Afu couldn't help but groan inside. Her palate had already become too picky in her past life along with Chen Xudong. She said, "Mother, you can stir-fry—the liver, with some—salted vegetables and garlic sprouts, and preferably some—chili, which would—make it tastier. If you really want to make soup—you can as well, but use less cabbage and more ginger."
Having a picky palate can indeed spur a person's potential. Despite her impaired speech, Chen Afu had managed to get out this long sentence without even drooling.
The room fell silent, and everyone stared at her, stunned for several seconds.
Chen Dabao was the first to react, saying excitedly, "My mother is indeed capable, even more capable than Dabao. She can speak such long sentences." His voice even choked up a little towards the end, and he looked at Chen Afu with eyes full of admiration.
Alu chimed in, "Sister, you said so much and didn't even drool."
What a sincere child.
Mrs. Wang put down her chopsticks and started reciting Buddhist prayers, while Chen Ming grinned from ear to ear.
This meal was full of warmth and happiness. Although the pig liver didn't look appetizing, it tasted pretty good, perhaps it was because the pig was free-range. Mrs. Wang served the most to Chen Ming, followed by Chen Afu, then the two children, and she ate the least.
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