Chapter 129 - 126: Bratty Child
The first day after Li Xiu left, Nuonuo cried four times. The first time was because she turned her nose up at her mom’s cooking, complaining it wasn’t as tasty as her dad’s. It took her nearly two full hours to finish lunch, and even then, she only managed to eat a bowl of steamed egg custard and an apple.
The second time she cried, she was looking for her dad to put her down for her nap. Nuonuo was still little and needed to sleep for an hour or two during the day. However, Li Xiu was almost always the one who coaxed her to sleep, and Nuonuo had grown accustomed to it. So, when naptime came, of course she started looking for her dad! It took Zhou Lian nearly an hour to finally get her to sleep.
The third crying spell was over dinner. Again, she was picky. Zhou Lian was on the verge of tears herself. ’Someone please tell me how my daughter can find fault with millet porridge and a boiled egg,’ she thought in exasperation. After much pleading, Nuonuo finally drank a bowl of porridge and ate the egg yolk.
At bedtime, however, she didn’t cry. That was because Nuonuo still wanted her milk. Feeling sorry for her, Zhou Lian hadn’t weaned her yet. Nowadays, she only had milk once at night and occasionally in the morning. She fell asleep right after her bottle, and Zhou Lian breathed a sigh of relief. ’This little tyrant is finally asleep.’
When she woke in the middle of the night needing to pee, she called out for her dad. But it was her mom who got up. Nuonuo’s wails echoed for what felt like an eternity, leaving a groggy Zhou Lian feeling completely helpless. After finally getting her daughter settled and back to sleep, Zhou Lian found that she herself was wide awake.
’In her last life, Nuonuo was close to Li Xiu, too, but it was never like this,’ Zhou Lian thought. ’A little brat who just turned one, not only being picky about her food but also waking up in the middle of the night crying for her dad.’
Thinking back on the day, Zhou Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’Raising a child in my last life never felt this hard. Li Xiu has really spoiled me. And this is just the first day! He won’t be back for another half a month. This is going to be tough.’
Meanwhile, the subject of Zhou Lian’s thoughts, Li Xiu, was on a train. Listening to the chorus of snores rising and falling around him, he didn’t feel the least bit sleepy. He missed his wife and daughter. ’I wonder if she can take care of herself and the baby,’ he thought. ’Even though she raised a child in her last life, she really hasn’t had to do much of it in this one. I’ve handled everything myself ever since Nuonuo was born. I hope she can manage.’
The next day, Nuonuo cried twice, both times because she was picky about her mother’s cooking. Zhou Lian watched her helplessly, grinding her teeth. ’In our last life, this little stinker was never picky,’ she fumed internally. ’Even after she got married, she still loved my cooking. But look at her now! She’s barely over a year old and she’s already turning her nose up at it.’
A full week passed before Nuonuo finally adjusted to the new routine, though she still occasionally cried for her dad. Zhou Lian felt that taking care of her daughter was more exhausting than working in the fields back in her hometown. She didn’t dare leave Nuonuo alone on the *kang* bed while she cooked, so she had to put her in the little baby chair Li Xiu had made. But sometimes, Nuonuo refused to sit in it and insisted on being held. At mealtimes, she wouldn’t let Zhou Lian feed her, wanting to eat by herself. By the time she was finished, her face would be a mess, just like a messy little kitten.
Between doing laundry, cooking, and watching the baby every day, Zhou Lian wished she could split herself in two. The little rascal was a bundle of energy, like a jumping bean; from the moment she woke up, she never stopped moving. Zhou Lian had no idea where she got it all from. The only time Nuonuo looked like a little angel was when she was asleep. Her daughter’s antics left Zhou Lian torn between love and exasperation. ’How on earth did Li Xiu manage her when he was home? I don’t remember my daughter being this much of a handful in my last life!’
Down south, Li Xiu was already preparing to head back. He had spent five and a half days on the train, and the moment he arrived, he hit the ground running. The watches and radios there were incredibly cheap. Li Xiu had brought two thousand yuan with him. After setting aside three hundred for emergencies, he spent the entire remainder on watches and radios. There were other goods, like electric fans and televisions, but Li Xiu decided against them this time, thinking they were too bulky.
Back at the inn, Li Xiu looked at his packed goods. An idea struck him. He went out again to buy two cotton quilts and his train ticket back to the Capital City. Returning to his room, he unpacked everything, carefully wrapped the watches and radios in the quilts, tied the bundles securely with rope, and then stuffed them into large woven sacks. Only then did he smile, satisfied.
The weather was clear and the sun was pleasantly warm. Zhou Lian grabbed her wallet and keys, put Nuonuo in the stroller, and headed out to do some shopping. They were going back to their hometown for the New Year, which meant they needed gifts for all their relatives. Since Li Xiu wouldn’t be back for several more days, she decided to get a head start on things to avoid the last-minute holiday rush.
Zhou Lian was naturally beautiful, and her education gave her a refined, scholarly air. Nuonuo was delicate and adorable, dressed in clothes all bought by Li Xiu. Needless to say, the mother and daughter made for a beautiful sight as they went down the street.
At a store not far from her house, she happened to run into a classmate who was also shopping. Because Zhou Lian lived off-campus, she rarely socialized with her peers. She recognized most of them by sight but didn’t actually know them. However, just because she didn’t know them didn’t mean they didn’t know her.
"Zhou Lian, you’re out shopping, too?" a smiling, bespectacled girl with rosy, apple-like cheeks called out to her.
The girl looked familiar, so Zhou Lian figured she must be a classmate. She smiled and replied, "Yeah, just taking my daughter out for a bit."
"Is your husband not with you?"
Zhou Lian looked at her, confused. ’She’s my classmate, right? But why is she asking about my husband? What’s that about?’
Seeing Zhou Lian’s confused expression, the girl’s face turned beet red. She realized her question could be taken the wrong way and quickly waved her hands, explaining, "Oh, Zhou Lian, please don’t misunderstand! It’s just that outside of class, your husband is always with you. I was just curious since he wasn’t here today. That’s the only reason I asked, I swear! I didn’t mean anything else!"
Seeing the girl so flustered she looked like she was about to cry, Zhou Lian let out a small laugh. "It’s okay, don’t worry. I didn’t misunderstand," she said. "My husband is busy with something, and since I was free, I decided to take the baby out."
When she saw Zhou Lian smile, realizing she truly wasn’t offended, the girl let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. You probably don’t know my name yet, do you? I’m Zhang Hongying, your classmate."
Looking at the girl’s innocent expression, Zhou Lian smiled. "It’s nice to meet you, Zhang Hongying."
"You too, you too! I live around here as well," Zhang Hongying said, her somewhat childish and cheerful nature coming through as she chattered on. "I heard from some other students that you live nearby, and I was just thinking, how have I never run into you before!"
Zhou Lian listened to her chatter as she pushed her daughter’s stroller through the store. ’This girl certainly warms up to people fast,’ she thought. ’But she seems nice. She knows what’s appropriate to say and what isn’t; she’s quite tactful.’ Zhou Lian glanced sideways at her. ’Perhaps I could make a good friend here.’
After buying bags of all sizes, Zhou Lian was walked right to her front door by the enthusiastic Zhang Hongying. It was the first time the Li family courtyard had ever welcomed a guest.
Zhang Hongying helped Zhou Lian carry all the bags into the east wing. As she took in the spotless kitchen and the *kang* bed in the inner room, she sat down on its warm surface. Cradling the cup of chrysanthemum tea Zhou Lian had poured, she took a contented sip and said with a beaming smile, "Zhou Lian, this *kang* of yours is amazing! The winters in the Capital City get so cold. It must be wonderful to have this. I’m going to ask my dad to build one in my room when I get home."