After dinner, Mrs. Wang washed the dishes. She then sat on the bed, lighting the small oil lamp, and resumed her embroidery work. Alu, accompanied by Dabao, fetched some water for the pot, and they further reduced the fire in the stove.
Subsequently, Alu and Dabao also sat on the bed. They took out an old book and started recognizing characters under the oil lamp, with Chen Ming teaching them. Only Chen Afu, who had nothing to do, sat farthest from the oil lamp on a chair, watching the few of them work and study.
Originally, Chen Afu wanted to go out into the yard to stretch her limbs, but neither Mrs. Wang nor Chen Dabao wanted her to, fearing that she would fall.
They were reciting the "Thousand Character Classic," and it was clear that Chen Alu wasn't as smooth in reciting as Chen Dabao. Some parts Dabao seemed to have already memorized, but he patiently followed along with Alu, repeating several times over. It wasn't that Chen Alu was slow, but rather, Dabao was too smart. He was only four years old, a true prodigy.
No wonder Chen Ming didn't seem like a regular farmer; he was literate after all.
Looking at Mrs. Wang's slightly squinting eyes, Chen Afu thought that she must soon strengthen her body to liberate her from the nightly embroidery work. Otherwise, in a few years, Mrs. Wang would go blind.
Mrs. Wang's embroidery work was excellent, but she only took on intricate handkerchiefs, wallets, and other small items, with the largest being a round fan's cover. Perhaps such items were quicker to embroider, thus making money faster.
As for Alu's lame leg, if it was a result of a fall, she would need to find a way to spend money on a good doctor for treatment.
As Chen Afu's mind wandered, the sparrows outside the window started causing a commotion again. There was a sparrow's nest under the eaves with two sparrows inside. She thought of the sparrow from her dream and, associating it with the teleportation text, she suddenly felt a small hint of glee. Could it be that she brought the teleportation ability with her as she started farming? The small magical sparrow couldn't come out of the teleportation space, isn't that why it was irritably blaming her?
Only after she had recovered her body would she be able to find answers.
About the space and spiritual object, Chen Afu's spirits were lifted; she had to hurry and strengthen her body to seek unknown answers.
She stood up and went to the table by the bed, sitting next to Chen Dabao and joining him and Chen Alu in reciting loudly. In this way, she not only found a fruitful way to improve her character recognition but also exercised the muscles in her throat, mouth, and tongue. However, her voice mixed with the two clear and pleasant young boy voices made her sound unusually abrupt.
The whole family, however, were extremely delighted by her and did not dislike her.
Around mid-morning, save for Mrs. Wang who was still working, the others had all rested.
Chen Afu shamelessly had the two children pour water for her to wash her face and feet, changed out of her own clothes, and stunned Chen Dabao, who praised her, "Mother is so capable, we don't need to help her anymore."
However, the boy had to help her dry her feet. As soon as she lifted her foot, her body unresponsively fell onto the bed, nearly kicking Dabao in the process.
Dabao covered her with the blanket, went out to wash his face and feet, and then came back to crawl into bed. Chen Afu clasped him in her arms as she used to hold a pillow in her previous life. However, this little "pillow" of hers was too thin, not soft at all, and a bit bony.
With his skinny little arm around Chen Afu, Dabao said, "Mother, I'm not a trickster, I will always be your son, I will take good care of you, and also provide for you when you're old."
At the dinner table, Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang urged them not to speak about Chen Afu's improved condition for the time being. Although no reason was given, the sensitive little guy was still worried. He hoped his mother would recover, but he was afraid that if her illness improved, his grandmother, grandaunt, Aunt Aju would drive him away and not allow him to be her son anymore. They, along with some people in the village, all said he was a wild child picked up by the Chens to provide for the fool.
Chen Afu comforted him, "Yes, Dabao is— mother's son, no one can— change that." Although her speech was slow, it was firm and resolute.
The little guy listened, burying his head into Chen Afu's bosom, moved.
Chen Afu then asked, "Does grandfather— still remember how to read?"
Chen Dabao replied, "Yes. Grandmother often said that when grandfather was young, he was a child student. If he hadn't contracted lung disease, he would definitely have been a successful scholar…" He said with pride, "Mother, actually I can recite half of the 'Thousand Character Classic', and I have already memorized the entirety of the 'Three Character Classic' and 'The Hundred Family Surnames'. However, I can't recognize all the characters in them, nor can I write."
"Son— is capable, very good," Chen Afu praised. Children should be praised, especially this child who was so intelligent that it was too much. She added, "Later— when mother's illness is cured, we will buy— brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, so that Dabao can— go to school."
Chen Dabao, pleased, pulled his head out of her arms, his glowing eyes, wide open as he asked her, "Really?" The moonlight that shone through the window lattice made his eyes shine even brighter.
He was completely trusting in this fool of a mother.
"Yes," Chen Afu agreed.
Dabao pursed his lips, laughing for a while before adding, "If mother makes money, we should first treat Uncle's leg injury. Grandmother always says, it's because both of us eat for free, that there's no extra money to treat Uncle's leg…"
His voice grew quieter and quieter, and soon, heavy breathing could be heard.
Chen Afu wanted to ask about how Alu's leg got injured, but he had already fallen asleep. Afu didn't sleep until much later; she closed her eyes, pondered over things, and even exercised her mouth movements: open mouth, close mouth, stick out tongue…
After a good night full of dreams, the next morning, Chen Afu was awakened by a burst of crowing and chirping. The sky was slightly bright, and the dawn light shone in through the small window.
Chen Afu turned her body to look, Dabao was still asleep. The child looked absolutely beautiful, with clear skin, thick eyebrows flying up at the corners, closed long eyelashes slightly curling up, finely shaped nose, thin angular lips, and even a shallow little groove on his pointed chin. Nowadays, this type of pointed chin is considered an attractive feature.
Such a handsome boy appeared once in a thousand years. She watched so many movies and television programs in her previous life, but never saw such a beautiful child star. From the modern world to the ancient times, wouldn't that be more than a thousand years?
The only downside was that he was far too thin.
His lips would move from time to time as he mumbled words. This was when he truly resembled a child, as his daytime self was too mature, the kind of maturity that breaks hearts.
Thankfully, during the day, the boy wore tattered clothes, and his little face was dirty, so he didn't stand out.
Dabao, not knowing what his dream entailed, furrowed his brows and mumbled, "Mother, mother, don't leave me…"
Chen Afu heaved a small sigh. It's understandable, knowing at such a young age that he was adopted, and even acting as a son to a fool. Even with such a lowly status, he was afraid he would lose it, afraid of being thrown out and becoming homeless. Therefore, he had to please everyone, especially this silly mother. He had to have a place in this home...Even with the protection of Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang, he still felt that he was surviving between a rock and a hard place, living extremely cautiously.
......
Thank you for all the support, gratefully appreciated! Thanks for the red envelope, keppra, much appreciated!