A charming widow in her 70s married a factory manager and raised his children.

Chapter 165 Laughter and Joy

The two adults were practically digging their toes into the ground, but the child, not understanding, kept asking questions.

"Mom, you just hugged Uncle Lu again. Does that mean Uncle Lu can be my dad now?"

Little Qian Yue only had longing for her father.

Zhuang Qingxiang's face turned so red it looked like it could bleed.

What do you mean she hugged Lu Congyue again? He was clearly the one holding her and wouldn't let go...

Lu Congyue coughed a few times, cleared his throat, and said softly, "Yueyue, you saw wrong. Just now, it was... your mother got some dust in her eyes, and your uncle was blowing it out for her. Um... you should take Yueyue back to the house first. I'll watch the fire here."

Nobody would believe this reason, but it might fool a child.

Xiao Qianyue immediately asked Zhuang Qingxiang worriedly, "Mother, are your eyes better? Let me blow on them for you."

"Okay, let's go back inside first. Yueyue will help Mom blow on it when we get back." Zhuang Qingxiang took the opportunity to pull her daughter's little hand and quickly leave the sweltering kitchen.

Back inside, Zhuang Qingxiang pretended to have Xiao Qianyue blow on her eyes a couple of times, afraid that the little girl would say something shameful again, and quickly asked her if she had been bullied at Qian Dayou's house.

Even though she had already heard it from Lu Congyue, Zhuang Qingxiang was still furious when Xiao Qianyue said it again.

Little Qian Yue was very perceptive; seeing her mother's unpleasant expression, she timidly asked, "Mother, should I not have come back to see Uncle Lu?"

My mother said that since she had been paid, she should just stay there and be fine, but she ran away with my younger brother and even took all of my mother's things...

"Waaaaah..." Little Qian Yue pouted and couldn't help but sob, "Mom, I'm sorry, I forgot to take all our money and things, waaaaah..."

As soon as she cried, the two little children, who couldn't understand but had their eyes wide open, also started wailing.

Zhuang Qingxiang was at her wits' end. She didn't say anything more and just focused on comforting the child.

Just as he calmed the little girl down, Lu Congyue rushed in: "What's going on? Why are all the children crying at once? This is so noisy..."

The deafening noise was absolutely terrifying.

As he spoke, he picked up a child and began to comfort him. Zhuang Qingxiang was taken aback and wanted to remind him that he was holding Cheng Lin, not Xiao Donghua.

But seeing how clumsy he was at coaxing the child, she stopped talking and started to hold and soothe Xiao Donghua.

Xiao Qianyue wiped away her tears, occasionally sobbing.

Lu Congyue felt sorry for the little girl when he saw her like this, and asked, "Yueyue, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Tell your uncle if you have something to say, and your uncle will help you."

"It's nothing," Zhuang Qingxiang answered for her. "She was worried I'd be angry if she didn't find the things, so I told her it's okay, we'll find them."

Little Qian Yue looked at Lu Congyue with teary eyes: "Uncle Lu, is it really possible to find it?"

"With Uncle Lu here, we'll find even the smallest needle for Yueyue!" Lu Congyue said confidently.

Little Qian Yue immediately stopped crying and started laughing. Standing on the kang (a heated brick bed), she reached out to Lu Congyue for a hug: "Wow! Uncle Lu is the best!"

Lu Congyue smiled and turned around, letting her climb onto his back. He carried one child on his back and rocked them around the room, making the two children laugh.

Little Donghua in Zhuang Qingxiang's arms stopped crying, stretched out his arms and opened his little mouth to laugh, and the room was filled with laughter.

Looking at them, Zhuang Qingxiang also smiled.

How wonderful! This must be the kind of home she had dreamed of countless times—no arguments, no need to be overly cautious, no need to humble herself, just a happy family...

But such a home was destined not to belong to her.

Zhuang Qingxiang's smile faded. She put Xiao Donghua on the kang (a heated brick bed), then got off and put on her shoes.

"You stay here and comfort them for a while, I'll go cook."

A family can't just eat stewed chicken all the time; they need to prepare something else, especially since they have two children to feed.

While Zhuang Qingxiang was busy in the kitchen, Lu Congyue came over twice with the child in his arms, but she sent him back both times.

She dared not be alone with him again.

In the north during this season, the temperature drops significantly as soon as the sun goes down. When Zhuang Qingxiang finished her chores and came out of the kitchen carrying the food, she shivered as she was hit by the cold wind.

"I'll do it." Lu Congyue happened to come out and saw it, so he quickly came over and took the tray.

"It's cold, you bought clothes that are too thin," he said.

"It's alright," Zhuang Qingxiang replied from behind.

Once we get all the clothes back from Qian Dayou's house, we'll have clothes to wear. It's just that the cotton in our padded jackets is all rotten, so we'll have to find some cotton somewhere.

We need to make two sets of cotton-padded jackets and trousers for the two children in winter, and also some small cotton-padded quilts...

I don't dare to think about it; it makes me anxious. Cotton is a scarce commodity these days, and it's very difficult to get.

Lu Congyue also realized that the weather in the north gets cold quickly, so he needed to prepare cotton-padded clothes in advance.

"I'll find someone to get some cotton and thick fabric later, and you can make a cotton-padded coat for the four of you," he said.

Zhuang Qingxiang opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything.

She'll do it, she'll do it for him and Xiao Donghua. As for herself and the two children, she'll find a way to get some from the black market.

It's pointless to bring this up now, as it will only lead to arguments.

Zhuang Qingxiang hadn't been able to have a proper meal in many days, and she didn't want to spoil the atmosphere.

The chicken stew was very fragrant, and the soup was delicious. The two of them ate to their hearts' content. Lu Congyue ate until he was stuffed, and Xiao Qianyue's belly was also round and full.

Fearing she might have indigestion, Lu Congyue took her out for a walk after dinner to help her digest.

Zhuang Qingxiang looked at the two children, took out a pen and paper, and wrote down a list of everything she had left at Qian Dayou's house.

After Lu Congyue returned from his walk with Xiao Qianyue, he saw the list she had written, glanced at it, and immediately made some changes.

Zhuang Qingxiang glanced at it and was startled.

He actually changed the amount she wrote as being owed to over three hundred, complete with decimals, as if it were a real debt.

"This... I don't have that much money," Zhuang Qingxiang quickly said.

Lu Congyue: "Are you stupid? All the money's gone, so you can just say whatever you want it for?"

Zhuang Qingxiang: "..." It seems to make a lot of sense.

Lu Congyue was still a little regretful: "I originally wanted to get seven or eight hundred directly, but the amount was too large and it would be difficult to explain. Three hundred would be fine."

"This number... is acceptable."

It's beyond explanation.

Everyone knows she arrived at the Lu family penniless, and now she claims to have lost over three hundred yuan. Who would believe that?

"Although your salary is only five yuan a month, I give you a lot of bonuses. Anyone who doesn't believe me is looking down on me," Lu Congyue said righteously.

Seeing Zhuang Qingxiang's worried expression, Lu Congyue said in a low voice, "Don't overthink it. Just play it by ear tomorrow. You have to pay for the lost items and compensate for the damage done to Yueyue. As long as you don't give in, I'll help you get it all the way."

Zhuang Qingxiang clenched her fist and said firmly, "I'll listen to you, I won't budge!"

Lu Congyue smiled, wanting to pat her head or hug her to reassure her, but he could only restrain himself in front of the three children.

However, she said that it would be possible tonight...

Thinking that it was getting late and the children would be asleep, the night would belong to them, Lu Congyue was moved and looked at Zhuang Qingxiang with intense passion.