"Oh, there's something delicious, Doudou wants soda, soda is yummy."
A child's greatest joy is good food, bouncing and twirling around Xie Sui.
"I didn't buy soda today. Drinking too much of that stuff isn't good for you. I'll make you fruit juice later. There's cake, fruit candies, and hawthorn jelly, malt candy. I originally wanted to buy some sour plum powder, but then I thought you're boys, you probably don't like sweet and sour things, so I didn't buy it."
Ding Ding's small face creased with struggle. He liked sour plum powder too. A little taste from a friend before had been unforgettable, the sweet and sour flavor.
He could even make it into a drink. He wanted it.
"Um, Dad, Ding Ding can be a girl."
Lin Wanwan, holding water for Xie Sui, said: "..."
Silly son, for sour plum powder, he could even be a girl. Truly simple-minded.
"Stop bothering your dad. You must be tired. Have some water."
"Thank you, wife. The water you brought me is extra sweet."
"It's the same water. I didn't put any sugar in it for you. What's sweet about it!"
Xie Sui picked out a piece of sponge cake and handed it to Doudou: "Give this to great-grandma. Run an errand for Dad, can you do it?"
"Mission will be completed."
After sending the two children off, Xie Sui sneakily pulled Lin Wanwan into the house: "I bought you something good too. Don't say I don't think about my wife."
He took out a floral shirt. Lin Wanwan's eyes lit up. She loved it but said, "What are you buying this for? Wasting money. I have clothes."
Xie Sui looked at her rough blue cloth half-sleeve, a patch on the hem. It was wide and coarse, making her waist seem even slimmer, as if it could be held in one hand.
In his past life, such a figure would be the dream of countless girls, but to Xie Sui, it wasn't beautiful because she was emaciated.
Since she had followed him, Lin Wanwan had probably never eaten a full meal.
He couldn't help but gently hug her: "I'm sorry, wife. I made you suffer before."
"Who lives without hardship? Let go, are you trying to take advantage of me!"
"You're my wife, what's wrong with a hug?"
Xie Sui's words lacked conviction, because he wasn't in the right. His wife was indeed his, but he hadn't fulfilled his duty as a husband.
"I wanted to buy you pants. Wen Feng said it was cheaper to buy fabric and make them, so I bought fabric. And clothes for the children. Can you sew them?"
Lin Wanwan had already seen the fabric. She measured with her hands, already thinking about how to make clothes for the children. "Do you think I can't? If I couldn't, what would we three wear?"
She hadn't known how to at first, but life had taught her everything. Lin Wanwan could now make even the children's padded jackets look quite presentable.
"My wife is so capable. Next time we'll buy shoes. We've spent all the money we earned this time."
"Spent it all again, Xie Sui! You can't eat yourself poor or dress yourself poor, but if you're not careful, you'll end up poor. You have the air of a nouveau riche. From now on, all purchases must go through me. Got it?"
"Okay, I got it. I'm going to go see Mom and Dad. I'll make the canned food when I get back."
He took some flour, pork, homemade canned food, brown sugar, and other items, filling a large basket, and went to the old house.
Xie Sui's father, Xie Dahe, was not yet fifty but looked over sixty, his face covered in wrinkles like old tree bark. He was tall and thin, with a hunched back, a typical old farmer's appearance.
Xie Sui's mother, Zhao Xiue, was just as aged, with loving eyes. She had worried herself sick for her children her entire life.
Xie Sui was the youngest son. He had three older sisters. When Zhao Xiue was young and didn't have a son, she endured much gossip. Her mother-in-law also disliked her. Fortunately, her husband was honest and dependable. She only stood up straight after Xie Sui was born.
When it came to spoiling her son, Zhao Xiue was even more excessive than her mother-in-law. Xie Sui was the brother in the legendary "sister-spoiling-brother" archetype.
"Your father, people say Xiao Sui is doing business now, he's on the right path and making money. Why don't we go take a look?"
Zhao Xiue held a winnowing basket, rubbing corn cobs. When it was cooler, she would take it to the village mill to be ground into cornmeal. This small amount of corn would last a week. The old couple could barely survive.
"Look at what? If he remembered his old parents, he would come to see us. Why should an old man go see his son? I'm too proud."
Xie Dahe knew Xie Sui was making canned food. He would tell any villager he met about his son's affairs. Before, it was to complain or mock. Now, it was praise and congratulations, which made him unaccustomed to it.
His hunched back had straightened a bit.
He had thought they could finally enjoy their son's success, but after waiting for a few days, there wasn't even a shadow of him. Xie Dahe was fuming.
"You're just stubborn. If you don't go, I'll go myself tomorrow. I miss Doudou and Ding Ding."
"Dad, Mom, I'm back."
Xie Sui looked at the low courtyard with mud walls, the house was also made of rammed earth with a thatched roof. A strong wind could blow it down.
He sighed inwardly. The old house needed to be renovated.
That house was built with his father's last efforts and a lot of borrowed money. They had originally planned to live together, but Xie Sui had been too disappointing, relying on his parents so much that he had no choice but to move back to the old house.
"So you remember you have parents!"
Xie Dahe puffed on his pipe, not even wanting to look at him.
"Dad, I forgot myself, but I couldn't forget my own father. I was too busy the other day and didn't come to see you. It's my fault. Look what good things I brought you."
He still had a box of Shilin cigarettes left from going to the county town and gave it to his old man.
"Oh my, you little rascal, buying such expensive cigarettes, you're courting death."
Xie Dahe felt heartbroken. He could buy a pound of pipe tobacco with that, which would last a month. This was only a few sticks?
"Dad, pipe tobacco isn't good for you. From now on, your son will treat you to good cigarettes.
Mom, here's some food. Eat as much as you want. Don't be stingy. Your son can make money. From now on, we'll have meat every meal."
"Ah, good, making money is good. So much of it. You don't need to give it to us. Let Wanwan and the children eat. We won't starve. We can still move around and support ourselves."
Zhao Xiue tearfully wiped her eyes. Her son was finally filial. She had dreamed of this day.
"There's enough for everyone, Mom. Eat with confidence."
"How much did you earn? You're just spending carelessly. You never knew how to manage money since you were little."
Xie Dahe's teeth clenched in pain. He hadn't bought so much meat even during the New Year. There were about two pounds of brown sugar. His hand itched to hit him, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Just a few dozen yuan a day."
Zhao Xiue almost dropped her winnowing basket. "Heavens, son, don't lie to your mother to make her happy. What kind of work earns that much money? City workers only make a few dozen yuan a month. We can't do anything illegal."
"How could I? Your son is also a hero who does good deeds. It's all hard-earned money."
He explained to the two elders, in detail, how he traded canned food for grain and then sold it in the county town, to reassure them. Otherwise, they would never dare to eat this food.
"Good, our son has been smart since he was little. He can cause trouble and deceive people, but he can only deceive those he has the ability to."
Xie Dahe said happily. Xie Sui's cheeks twitched. With a father who doted on him like this, he wasn't surprised he had done so many bad things in his past life.
"Dad, Mom, little brother is also home."
A middle-aged woman, not yet thirty, entered from outside. Her shoes were so worn that her toes were showing. She looked at them shyly.
"Eldest sister, come in quickly. How is everything at home?"