Gong Mingxia hadn't expected to be so lucky to meet two kind people all at once, and she immediately expressed her gratitude.
"Thank you, Mr. Deng. I will certainly work hard, ensure the workers are well-fed, and definitely live up to the standard of four yuan per person."
Deng Guoqiang nodded at her with satisfaction, "Alright, that's settled then. I'll have someone go buy you a trike shortly, and once you have the trike, you can purchase some groceries; I reckon the stock isn't much. Here's one thousand yuan, use this for now, and come back to me if you need more."
Gong Mingxia took the money, and Deng Guoqiang left. Seeing he was gone, Xiao Xiao lifted her adorable braided head and spoke in a childlike voice.
"Mom, hurry up and eat already. The noodles have all clumped together, and they won't taste good when they're clumpy."
Her daughter had already eaten half of her noodles. Gong Mingxia bowed her head and looked at her cleverly sweet little darling, feeling nothing but awe inside. Such a good child, how could her fate have been so poor in her past life? In this life, she must protect her well.
"Sweetie, Mom will eat right now. Once Uncle gets the trike, Mom will take you to buy some groceries. I'll also buy you some notebooks and pencils. Would you like me to teach you how to draw?"
The child was five years old. She planned to start with basic pronunciation exercises, uncertain of when her daughter could afford schooling in the future. To ensure her daughter wasn't left behind, she planned to give her some targeted pre-school education. Since her daughter's fingers were not yet fully developed, she did not teach her to write but would start her with drawing to get accustomed to the feel of holding a pen and the necessary aesthetic matching.
With regard to her past life's academic excellence, her mind was sharp, suitable for studying, but learning was not the only path. Nurturing her interests was equally essential, but she didn't yet know if her daughter had any natural talent in those areas. In her previous life, she had studied drawing, dance, and piano from a young age, but she eventually gave these up in high school.
Luckily, after she started working, the intensity of her job didn't allow time for physical exercise, so she consistently practiced yoga. She couldn't clearly remember dance moves anymore, but her daughter could practice yoga along with her. Yoga could relieve work stress, ease her from lumbar muscle strain, and other neck, shoulder, and spine fatigue. Thus, since she had started her career as a doctor, she never stopped practicing yoga almost daily for an hour. If it had not been for that epidemic...
Recalling her previous life, Gong Mingxia felt a wave of sadness again, and she had to restrain herself from thinking about her parents.
"That's great, Mom! I want to learn to draw,"
Her daughter's crisp voice brought her back to reality. Quickly finishing the noodles in her bowl and tidying up the kitchen, she took her daughter to the storeroom.
After a morning of continuous work, the moment they lay down on the bed, their muscles seemed to relax completely.
After a brief rest, she took off her coat, only wearing long johns, and led her daughter through some simple stretching exercises. Xiao Xiao was very interested in this new form of entertainment, and their mother-daughter relationship was greatly enhanced in this moment.
From the cat stretch to the pigeon pose, a few simple yoga moves were successfully performed with Xiao Xiao's cooperation.
Once their bodies were completely relaxed, they both drifted into a nap. However, she dared not let herself sleep for too long, so she set the alarm for 3 PM. With just over an hour for rest, it was sufficient for a nap.