Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Having made up her mind, Tang Tang felt she had to change things from now on!
Looking at the ingredients on the stove, Tang Tang decided to cook a dish for the little guy herself to appease him.
“Aunt Li, let me cook these ribs. I want to make a dish for the baby.”
“Ah?” Aunt Li was extremely surprised. “You’re going to cook? You can cook?”
Tang Tang could now easily handle such questions, replying, “I think I can. Maybe I used to be able to. Just let me try.”
Aunt Li genuinely didn’t know if Tang Tang could cook before. Although she was skeptical, she didn’t want to discourage her enthusiasm, so she nodded and said, “Okay, go ahead.” If she failed, she could just make another one.
Tang Tang smiled sweetly, picked up the chopped ribs, and rinsed them under the sink. Fortunately, she had been secretly observing Aunt Li’s cooking movements for the past two days and had a good understanding of the kitchen utensils. Although she wasn’t used to using them, she wouldn’t make any mistakes.
After washing the ribs, Tang Tang started marinating them with seasonings first, which would make them taste better. That’s how she always did it before.
Aunt Li, watching Tang Tang’s skillful movements, was extremely surprised. If she hadn’t known that Tang Tang hadn’t changed, she would have really thought this wasn’t Xiao Zhuo’s mother. How could someone change so suddenly, completely like a different person? Could it really be due to amnesia?
Tang Tang ignored Aunt Li’s astonishment; she couldn’t control it anyway. She focused on preparing her ribs, a dish she was quite good at. She had always loved cooking. Growing up in that small courtyard, she had to fend for herself. From the age of five, she learned to cook from her wet nurse. Later, as her wet nurse grew older, she became the head chef, and her cooking skills improved steadily. Besides embroidery, cooking was her greatest hobby.
The ribs were quickly cooked, their aroma filling the air. Even Aunt Li felt ashamed of herself; she knew without tasting it that the dish was delicious, no worse than hers.
Aunt Li realized for the first time that Xiao Zhuo’s mother, when she wasn’t drinking or acting out, actually had some good qualities. Perhaps her Master liked women like that, which was why he married her. She just didn’t know why she changed later.
“Aunt Li, go call Xiao Zhuo out for dinner.” She figured she wouldn’t be able to get him to come; the little guy was still angry.
Aunt Li nodded, picked up the dishes and placed them on the table before going to the room to call the little guy.
For some reason, the little guy obediently came out, but remained expressionless the whole time, not even glancing at Tang Tang.
Tang Tang placed the sweet and sour pork ribs in front of the little guy. “Baby, try Mommy’s pork ribs, they’re delicious!”
Aunt Li, unusually, chimed in, “Xiao Zhuo, Mommy made this especially for you, try it!”
The little guy remained unmoved, scooping up some eggplant from another plate and saying with a straight face, “I don’t like pork ribs.”
Aunt Li shook her head helplessly, giving Tang Tang a resigned look.
Tang Tang wasn’t disappointed, because she noticed that when the little one was picking up other dishes, his eyes would always quickly glance at the ribs, which made Tang Tang want to laugh.
The little guy was so awkward, but so cute.
Tang Tang thought for a moment, picked up her bowl, and, leaning on her cane, walked towards the kitchen. “I’m going to the kitchen to get some more rice. Aunt Li, are you coming?”
“Ah? I’m still—” Aunt Li’s words trailed off as she understood Tang Tang’s intention, and immediately said, “I’m also out of rice, I’ll go get a bowl too.”
The two went to the kitchen, and to make it easier for the little one outside, they deliberately lingered inside for a while before coming out. When they came out, the little one was still eating as before, seemingly unchanged, but Tang Tang knew that a rib was missing from his plate.
Tang Tang secretly smiled to herself, feeling cheerful all over, and decided that she would cook more delicious food for the little one in the future, and definitely try to appease him. Before, when her nanny was angry, she would make her favorite pastries, and then her nanny would stop being angry.
Just then, music started playing, and Aunt Li’s phone rang in her pocket. She quickly put down her bowl and took out her phone to answer. “Hello, son, why are you calling me now?”
After hearing what was said on the other end, Aunt Li’s expression changed instantly, and she stood up abruptly. “How could you be so careless! Are you alright now?”
“Okay, okay, I’ll find a way to come right away. Take good care of Fangzi, okay?”
Aunt Li hurriedly hung up the phone, glanced at Ji Xiaozhuo and Tang Tang, her eyes growing increasingly anxious. She picked up her phone again and tried to call, but couldn’t get through. Frustrated, she stamped her feet. “My husband isn’t answering the phone! He must not be back yet! What should we do!”
Seeing Aunt Li’s anxiety, Tang Tang asked, “Aunt Li, what’s wrong? What happened?”
“My son just called and said my daughter-in-law accidentally fell and went into premature labor. She’s still in the hospital, and my grandson has no one to take care of him. They need me to go take care of him, but… but what will happen to Xiao Zhuo if I leave? I can’t get through to my husband. Oh, I’m so worried!”
Tang Tang understood; premature labor was very dangerous for a woman, and the situation must be urgent. It was no wonder Aunt Li was anxious.
Tang Tang thought for a moment and said, “Aunt Li, then you go take care of your daughter-in-law. I’ll take care of the baby. I’ll take good care of him, don’t worry.”
“Ah? This…” Aunt Li was worried. After all, two days of peace couldn’t make up for the bad years before. How could she entrust Xiao Zhuo to her? What if she started drinking and acting crazy again?
Aunt Li was sweating profusely with anxiety. Undeterred, she called Ji Yan again, but still no one answered.
Just then, Ji Xiaozhuo, who hadn’t spoken until now, finally said, “Grandma Li, you can go back now. I’m fine. I can take care of myself.”
Aunt Li hesitated for a while, but in the end, she had no better idea. So she could only grit her teeth and say to Tang Tang, “Then take good care of Xiao Zhuo. Don’t bully him, and don’t drink anymore.”
Tang Tang just nodded. “Don’t worry, Aunt Li, I promise!”
Aunt Li looked at Ji Xiaozhuo again and again, still worried. She then said to Ji Xiaozhuo, “My phone number is in your watch. Call Grandma Li if anything happens.”
Ji Xiaozhuo nodded obediently.
Aunt Li hurriedly went into the room to pack some things. When she came out, she gave Tang Tang a card and a stack of money. “This is the money the master gave me for household expenses. I’m giving it all to you now. Take good care of Xiao Zhuo. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
Tang Tang roughly understood that the red paper was money. So she took it. “Aunt Li, I understand. You can go and take care of your daughter-in-law without worry.”
Aunt Li sighed and left with a lot of worry. Only Tang Tang and the little guy were left in the house.
Ji Xiaozhuo took a tissue to wipe his mouth, then slowly shuffled off the chair and ran into his room.
Tang Tang tried to stop him, but her legs weren’t as nimble as his, and she couldn’t catch up. She turned and went to the dining table to clear the dishes. Because of her limp, it was a slow process, and by the time she finished cleaning the kitchen, an hour had passed.
Tang Tang couldn’t read the clock on the wall, so she could only guess that it was getting late. She thus limped to the little guy’s door and knocked. “Baby, it’s time for you to sleep. Mommy will come in and give you a bath, okay?”
There was no sound from inside. Tang Tang tried turning the doorknob and was pleasantly surprised to find that the door wasn’t locked from the inside this time.
Tang Tang opened the door and looked inside. There was a little bundle on the bed, the little guy curled up in the blankets, sleeping. She didn’t know if he was asleep or not.
Tang Tang slowly walked over and tentatively pulled the blanket covering the little guy’s head down, revealing his head. “Baby, are you asleep?”
The little guy didn’t move with his eyes closed, but Tang Tang noticed that his eyelashes fluttered twice.
This little guy was pretending to be asleep.
Tang Tang smiled silently, as if talking to herself, “Oh, baby is asleep.”
The little guy’s eyelashes fluttered again.
Tang Tang gently lifted the blanket a little and found that the little guy had changed his underwear and smelled nice. It seemed that he had taken a bath. She felt even more affection for him. Such a young child could not only eat by himself, but also bathe himself. He was so good. She still remembered the scene when her eldest sister, who had married out of the manor, brought her child back to the manor. Her eldest sister’s son, Mao Ge’er, was already five years old, and he was followed by maids everywhere he went. He even needed a wet nurse to feed him. He was not as capable as her little guy.
Tang Tang suddenly felt very proud, a sense of pride that her child was better than other people’s children, and couldn’t help but praise, “My baby is so capable! He can even bathe himself! So amazing!”
The little guy’s tummy bulged.
Tang Tang pretended not to notice, gently patted the little guy, and decided to take this opportunity to apologize to him properly. Although she wasn’t the one who did wrong, she was now occupying the original owner’s body. Since she had obtained everything from the original owner, she would have to live as the original owner from now on, so the mistakes made by the original owner were also her mistakes, and she should bear them.
“Baby, Mommy was wrong. Mommy was very bad before, right? That’s because Mommy’s brain was damaged, but now Mommy is injured, and her brain has become good again. She knows she was wrong and will correct herself in the future. Mommy will definitely love you well in the future, and she will also be good to Daddy. You can supervise Mommy, okay?”
Tang Tang noticed that the little guy’s body suddenly heaved violently, and his little mouth pursed tightly.
Having said what she wanted to say, Tang Tang bent down and kissed the little guy on the forehead, tucked him in, and then went out. As she closed the door, she said to him, “Baby, Mommy’s going to sleep now.”
The little guy remained motionless. But Tang Tang smiled and gently closed the door.
….
The next day, Tang Tang woke up early to make breakfast. Not only that, she also made an extra red bean cake for the little guy to take to kindergarten.
Just as she finished, Tang Tang went to wake the little guy, only to find him standing quietly behind the kitchen door, watching her. She didn’t know how long he’d been watching, but just as she was about to greet him, he turned and ran away.
Tang Tang was speechless for a moment, then placed the breakfast on the table and said to the little guy on the sofa, “Baby, come on, let’s eat! After you eat, you have to go to school!”
This time, the little guy reacted. He climbed off the sofa, toddled to the table, and used the table for leverage to climb onto the chair. Then he sat up straight and began to eat.
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