Lin Wanwan chuckled at his nervous look, feeling as if she were jealous, but truly, it was just annoyance, nothing else.
"Wife, are you jealous?"
Xie Sui realized it belatedly, his face lighting up with joy.
"No, you're thinking too much. Me, jealous of you? Don't dream so big. Let's go home quickly. Do you want to make preserves?"
Xie Sui chuckled. His wife was shy, her words not matching her feelings, and he understood that his efforts over the past few days hadn't been in vain.
He bought another two pounds of meat and sugar. Xie Sui saw some wind-up tin frogs for sale at the supply store and thought Doudou and Dingding would love them. "Get two tin frogs."
"One yuan each. Are you sure you want two?"
Back then, children's toys were rare. People could barely afford to eat, let alone spend money on toys for their children. Most kids ran around the village playing with mud.
Lin Wanwan was also startled. "Don't buy that. A pound of pork is only eighty cents. It's too expensive."
"If the kids are happy, any price is worth it. Money is meant to be spent. Wife, listen to me, buy them. Your man can earn money."
The saleswoman smiled. "You're so lucky to have a husband who dotes on the children so much. It's hard to find."
Lin Wanwan blushed. "Fine, let's buy one, so they can play together."
"Alright, one. And some fruit candies, and those crispy pastries."
Lin Wanwan retorted, "Why don't you just move the entire supply store home? Being so extravagant, is this how you plan to live?"
Xie Sui replied, "We can consider that. When policies open up and allow private supply stores, we'll open one. Living well means eating well and dressing well. We're not short on money, so there's no need to be so frugal."
Lin Wanwan stated, "One doesn't get poor from eating or dressing, but one gets poor from not planning. I manage the money, and I have the final say on household expenses."
The saleswoman grew impatient. "Are you two doing a comedy act here? Go home and argue. Do you want them or not?"
"Yes!"
"No!"
Lin Wanwan glared, and Xie Sui relented. "Let's listen to her. Wife, let's just buy a little less. When the children get home, they'll cling to your legs, asking 'Mom, did you buy us any good food?' And you'll say, 'Eat? Eat what? Just eat me instead!' See how sad the children will be."
Xie Sui mimicked Lin Wanwan's tone and mannerisms so vividly that he even made the saleswoman laugh. "Your husband is really amusing!"
Lin Wanwan also laughed. "Such a smooth talker. Half a pound of crispy pastries, two mao worth of candy, one frog, and those pencils, notebooks, and erasers. That's all."
Finally, Lin Wanwan paid the bill, which came to over five yuan. She couldn't help but feel a pang of regret; in the past, five yuan could last a month.
Back home, the two little ones were playing near Auntie Wang's door. They rushed over when they saw them. "Mom, Mom, did you buy us anything good to eat?"
Xie Sui grinned proudly. "See, didn't I tell you?"
Lin Wanwan shot him a look, then patted her son's head. "Yes, I bought you pencils and notebooks. Starting tomorrow, you'll learn to write. No playing if you don't learn."
Doudou: "..."
Dingding: "..."
They felt like hard times were coming.
Xie Sui scooped up both boys. "Mom was just teasing you. Of course, there's good stuff to eat. Let's go wash our hands. Dad bought gifts, I guarantee you've never seen them before."
"What gifts? Dad's so good. You're my real dad from now on."
Xie Sui thought, *So I wasn't a real dad before?*
Well, he had been a bit of a scoundrel in the past, and indeed, he hadn't deserved to be a good father.
Lin Wanwan took out the pastries and candy. When she revealed the tin frog, the two children went wild. "Tin frog! Great!"
They wriggled to go play with it. Xie Sui playfully refused to let go. "You haven't thanked Dad yet. Give Dad a kiss and say, 'Dad, I love you,' and then Dad will let you play."
Lin Wanwan said, "Aren't you being cheesy?"
"No, my sons are kissing me, why would that be cheesy?"
His eyes lingered on her lips with intense desire. He would have been even happier if his wife had kissed him. Lin Wanwan blushed under his gaze and ignored their father-son antics, going to the kitchen to cook.
"Dad,
The two boys, as they wished, went to play with the tin frog and ate the crispy pastries, experiencing the joy of childhood.
Xie Sui went into the kitchen to help Lin Wanwan cook. "Wife, you rest. I'll do it."
"I don't need your help, I can do it."
"I'm afraid you'll ruin such good meat. I don't want to speak the truth, but your cooking is really terrible."
Lin Wanwan angrily threw down the spatula. "Fine, you cook then. You can cook from now on."
"Hey, I promise to take good care of my wife."
Lin Wanwan walked out of the kitchen, watching Xie Sui busy himself, his movements skilled as he cooked, half-afraid it was all a dream.
"Mom, taste the crispy pastry. It's delicious."
Doudou handed her a piece. The sweet pastry brought Lin Wanwan back to reality. "Eat it, Doudou. Mom has already tasted it."
"Okay. Dad's so good. Will he always be good to us in the future?"
Doudou also worried that Dad might change. He liked his current dad.
"Who knows? Let's take it one day at a time."
Doudou tilted his head and thought for a moment. "When he's good to us, I'll call him Dad. When he's not, I won't. I'll call him a big bad wolf."
"Don't be rude. He's your father, and he'll get better. Go play now."
"Okay! We're going to find Chen Xiaohu to play. We'll show him our tin frog, okay?"
"Yes, but don't fight. Have fun."
Children also have their vanities. In the past, they envied others' toys, like wooden swords and toy guns made by their fathers, which attracted envious glances from their peers. They had always envied others, and now they wanted to make their friends envious.
"Is this Xie Sui's house?"
"Yes, it is. Do you need something?"
"We heard Xie Sui is buying peaches. Is he still buying them?"
Xie Sui poked his head out from the kitchen. "Yes, we are. Wife, can you weigh them? I can't get away from my hands right now."
The visitors exchanged glances. A man cooking, a woman working? This family was quite unusual.
Lin Wanwan weighed the peaches. Each person had over thirty jin, earning six yuan, and they were all very happy. "Will your family always buy peaches? Do you want other kinds of peaches?"
Xie Sui poked his head out again. "Yes, we do. Apricots, pears, apples, mulberries, mountain walnuts, and persimmons can all be sold for money. Just bring us any good things you find. Also, live animals like pheasants, wild rabbits, scorpions, foxes, and civets. This mountain is full of treasures, really. As long as you're diligent, making money isn't hard."