Chapter 19: Jiaojiao should have no objection
After finishing the meal, Lu Mingyang washed the dishes and put them away. He checked the kitchen to make sure everything was OK before taking his younger brother and sister to the west room. He took off Lu Mingkai's shoes, carried him to the kang, and covered his belly with a tattered thin quilt.

"Mingkai, be good. Stay at home with your sister. Don't come out unless necessary. Your second brother and I will pick up some firewood and take it home. If you have anything else, wait until we come back and talk to you. If you want to pee, pee in the jar. Mingfang, keep an eye on your little brother!"

"Okay, big brother, I will make sure to take good care of Mingkai."

Lu Mingyang and Lu Mingliang gave instructions for a long time before they quietly went out. The two children walked towards the foot of the mountain under the scorching sun. When they passed by the door of old Lu's house, they were suddenly called.

"Mingyang, Mingliang, wait a moment!" Xie Jinghao called them softly, looked around a few times, trotted to them, and took out two steamed buns from her arms. She took them out secretly when the people from the old Lu family were not seeing. She rummaged through the kang cabinet for a long time, but found nothing to eat.

"You must be starving, eat quickly. Auntie has only got two. You guys can fill your stomachs. I'll give you some food tonight. There are cucumbers in the private plot. I'll see if I can pick some for you later. It will help you keep yourself full!"

Lu Mingyang knew that her life in the Lu family was not easy. Xiaogang was still young, her third uncle was still working outside, and she was pregnant. If they ate these two steamed buns and were discovered, her third aunt would be blamed again.

"No, Third Aunt, you can take it back. My mother made white noodles for us at noon and fried eggs. We were full. Really, she said she would make us delicious food in the evening. Third Aunt, you just need to take care of Xiaogang. Don't worry about us."

Xie Jing looked at Lu Mingyang in surprise. Shen Meng made noodles for the children and even fried eggs, so why didn't she believe it?
"Really? You can't lie to me. Your mother is still injured. Can she go out to cook for you?"

"Really, Third Aunt, my mother is much better today. When we got home, she cooked white flour noodles for us and fried greasy eggs. My brother and I ate a big bowl each. Third Aunt, my brother and I still have to collect firewood. We're leaving now. You should go home quickly and don't let anyone see us."

After Lu Mingliang finished speaking, he pulled Lu Mingyang and ran away. He just saw someone from the old Lu family not sticking his head out, and he was afraid that he would see Third Aunt bringing them food and say something unpleasant again.

Xie Jinghao watched the two children run away and opened his mouth to call for help, when he saw Zhou Jiaojiao coming out of the yard.

"Did the third sister-in-law bring food to Mingyang and Mingliang? Why did they run away?"

Xie Jinghao puffed out her belly, took out the two steamed buns in her hand, and gestured to Zhou Jiaojiao.

"Of course I am. I was afraid that the children would be hungry, so I gave them two steamed buns. Besides, my Jiasheng is working outside to earn money. Without him at home, our third room will have one less ration. The saved ration will be given to the children of my eldest brother. Jiaojiao should have no objection, after all, my eldest brother and his wife give three yuan a month for our parents' retirement!"

Zhou Jiaojiao's expression of watching the show was gone, she looked at Xie Jing and said gently: "How can that be, Third Sister-in-law? I came out just to ask Mingyang and the others to come home for dinner. Mother was just saying that in anger, how could she really not give the children dinner? Wouldn't Big Brother be angry when he comes back? Hey, it's already this late, why hasn't Big Sister-in-law come to eat yet? No, I'll take some food over to see her!"

Zhou Jiaojiao was about to go home as she spoke, but Xie Jinghao did not stop her. She slowly and carefully arranged the cloth that was used to wrap the steamed buns.

"No need, Jiaojiao. I heard from Mingyang that my sister-in-law cooked for them. My sister-in-law doesn't get along with you, so she will probably be unhappy if you go. I'll go and take a look. If they don't eat, I'll come home to find you. You can make something hot for my sister-in-law and them. If they eat it, it will be perfect. It will suit mother's wishes, right?"

"I"

"I'm going over there, you go back. I'm afraid this steamed bread won't be useful anymore, so you can take it back with you!"

Zhou Jiaojiao looked at Xie Jinghao's back as she walked towards Shen Meng's house, gritting her teeth in anger. She didn't know what was wrong. Ever since Shen Meng woke up, nothing she did went smoothly. Xie Jinghao was a little hesitant when she walked to the gate of the courtyard, but she couldn't let go of the children. When she pushed the door open, she could still smell a faint fragrance in the air. She breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Mingyang and Mingliang were not lying. The eldest sister-in-law really cooked for the children.

Shen Meng didn't sleep well. She heard some noise in her daze. She opened her eyes and heard someone knocking on the door.

"Who?"

"Sister-in-law, are you awake? I'm Jinghao, can you come in?"

Xie Jinghao didn't come alone. She was accompanied by Lu Mingfang and Lu Mingkai. The two children heard someone entering the yard and thought it was Lu Mingyang and Lu Mingliang who came back, so they got off the kang and came out to see. When they saw it was Xie Jinghao, the two of them hurriedly surrounded her.

Xie Jinghao thought that if Shen Meng really wanted to live a good life in the future, she must get along well with the children, so she simply coaxed the two children to come with her.

"Come in, the door is not locked." Shen Meng said as she got off the kang. Seeing Xie Jinghao coming in with two children, she raised her eyebrows.

"Are you feeling better, sister-in-law? I didn't have time to see you yesterday, so I came to check on you now that I have nothing to do. Mingfang also told me that you made egg noodles for them at noon, which was very delicious. They each had a big bowl!"

Shen Meng smiled and looked at the two timid children without saying anything, then poured Xie Jinghao a cup of brown sugar water.

"Oh, I'm fine, why would I need such a good thing? Sister-in-law, keep it for yourself to replenish your body!"

"Drink it. You're still pregnant, so you need to nourish your body as well. I feel much better now. The children went to collect grass for the pigs early in the morning. I waited for a long time but didn't see anyone from the old courtyard calling us to eat, so I got up and cooked for myself. Thanks to the production team, we had some fine grains at home, so I made some noodles."

Xie Jinghao didn't drink the brown sugar water. She brought it to Lu Mingkai and fed him a mouthful. The little guy looked at his third aunt, then at Shen Meng, and couldn't help but took a few small sips and didn't dare to drink it anymore.

"Hey, mother is like that. Otherwise, sister-in-law would better give in to mother and bring the children home for dinner in the future." Xie Jinghao tested calmly.

Shen Meng's eyes moved slightly, pretending not to hear.

"I'm afraid mother doesn't want us to go over there for dinner. What's the point of giving in? Don't ask me to give up the house again. It's autumn now and the weather is getting colder. It's winter now. How are we going to live in this leaky house? If we don't want to go, then don't go. Your eldest brother will send his allowance back soon. We won't starve anyway."

Xie Jinghao took the opportunity to say, "It's so awkward to live like this, eating together but separately. It doesn't feel like a separate family. It makes others laugh at us."

"Of course, it would be better to split up the family directly!" Shen Meng added.

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