Chapter 3 Adopted Son

After eating, Chen Afu felt the noodle soup trickling down her chin. Before she could raise her arm, Chen Dabao came over. He took a handkerchief from her bosom and helped her clean her mouth.

Chen Afu laughed and said, "What a capable son."

Chen Dabao broke into a reminiscent face and said, "Mother, you are so smart, you even know how to compliment your son."

A nearby elderly woman, surprised, said, "Good heavens, this young lady must be only fourteen or fifteen. She still has a pair of young hair buns, yet she has a son -- such a big one at that?"

Mrs. Wang quickly explained, "My daughter is unique. This is her adopted son."

So, Dabao is her own adopted son, and she is still so young.

Chen Dabao didn't like hearing this. With tears welling up in his eyes, he rushed into Chen Afu's arms and said, "Mother is Dabao's real mother, and Dabao is mother's real son."

Chen Afu felt little Dabao trembling. She held him tighter.

Chen Alu quickly reassured Dabao, "We all consider Dabao as sister's real son, my real nephew, my parent's real grandson."

Chen Dabao blinked his eyes and looked at Mrs. Wang expectantly.

Conscious of having hurt Dabao's feelings while trying to cover for her daughter, Mrs. Wang quickly said, "Grandma misspoke just now. Dabao is your mother's real son, grandma's real grandson."

The group reached the city gates and found their village cart. There were already six people seated in it. Mrs. Wang helped Chen Afu onto the cart. Chen Alu struggled to lift Chen Dabao onto it, then they both climbed in and sat on either side of Chen Afu. Dabao crawled onto Chen Afu's legs and leaned into her arms.

A sense of happiness welled up in Chen Afu again. They were really good family members. They didn't despise her because she had dementia.

After waiting for a while, two more people squeezed onto the cart, and the driver finally urged the ox cart forward.

Mrs. Wang and Chen Alu were both introverts. Apart from greeting others when they first got in the cart, they rarely spoke. However, Chen Dabao was a chatterbox. He sweetly addressed everyone in the cart. Everyone in the carriage loved him, and the two older women occasionally reached out to pinch his cute little dirty face.

The young boy was proud to introduce that his mother was cured and that she even knew how to serve him food and compliment him for being capable. But when the other passengers saw Chen Afu's still blank gaze, despite Chen Alu's support of her story, everyone clearly didn't believe him. This hurt the little boy's feelings, and he later deflated and closed his mouth.

It wasn't that Chen Afu didn't cooperate with him. Rather, her physical coordination was simply not yet good. The original host probably had cerebral palsy. She's been inflexible since childhood and lacked exercise, which caused her current stiffness and lack of agility.

She squeezed Dabao again with all her might and knocked his head with her chin.

Seeming to sense that his mother was comforting him, Chen Dabao lifted his head, rolled his eyelids to look at Chen Afu, and softly called out "mother."

It is now March. All along the way, the grass grew, and the orioles flew. The smell of flowers accompanied the chirping of birds. The wheat fields were green, and many farmers could be seen busy working in them. The air was fresh, the breeze was warm, the sunshine bright; it was a delightful spring day, lifting people's spirits.

As Chen Afu admired the beautiful countryside, holding the skinny little boy against her, she felt soft and warm inside. She quietly vowed to herself that she would try to live better for her family. She preferred not to marry. Staying with her family and adopted son, she wanted to be a wealthy but hidden landlord. If she must marry, she'd stay away from rich and handsome men and find a match from within her own social status. She did not want to repeat her past life -- being played by a rich and handsome man, not only losing her dignity, but also her life.

At the same time, she paid attention to the conversation in the cart, trying to learn as much as she could about the current place.

About half an hour later, Chen Dabao pointed to a village in front of them and said, "Mother, we're almost home."

Looking ahead, at the end of the wheat fields, a village was nestled among green trees and bamboo.

As she neared her hometown, Chen Afu was somewhat excited and also a little nervous.

As soon as the cart reached the entrance of the village, they all got out. Their house was in the northeastern corner of the village. They walked about a hundred meters north and saw a dilapidated small yard. The yard, with a hedge fence, was small and contained only three adobe houses with thatched roofs and a date tree.

Compared to other yards, their home was undoubtedly one of the poorest.

At that time, a thin man in his thirties was sitting under the eaves, weaving a straw mat. This man was her father in this life. From their conversation, it seemed that her father was suffering from a disease of affluence and lung disease. He couldn't be overworked, needed good food, and often took medication.

As they entered the yard, Chen Dabao announced the good news aloud, "Grandpa, Mother is cured."

Chen Ming knew that although Dabao was young, he was not a person who spoke without a plan. However, this news was so shocking that he looked at Mrs. Wang and Chen Alu in disbelief.

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "Indeed, she is much better. She knows how to call mother and little brother, and Dabao. But, she is still not very agile. Let's see after she takes a few more doses of medicine."

After returning home, the usually shy Alu perked up somewhat. He tugged at Chen Ming's clothing and said, "Sis knows how to share food. She served me, mother, and Dabao food."

Chen Ming looked at Chen Afu joyfully and said, "That's good. There's always hope."

Mrs. Wang laughed and said, "The monk back then really is a senior monk. He said that Afu is fortunate and could be cured of her dementia. It looks like his words are coming true."

Chen Afu found this thin yet gentle and good-looking man rather appealing. Despite his frailty, he seemed clean and didn't look like an authentic farmer. She smiled at him, opened her mouth, and uttered, "Dad."

Chen Ming's joy intensified. He quickly responded, "Aye, good girl."

They walked into the house happily.

Upon entering, they were met with the kitchen which had two stoves – for cooking and heating the bed. The wainscoting and ceiling were black from smoke. There was also a chopping board, cupboards, and two large jars. Despite its dilapidated state, it appeared clean.

Mrs. Wang put down her heavy basket, fetched a basin and scooped out half a basin of water, and washed Chen Afu's face and hands. Then, Chen Alu and Dabao washed separately, before Mrs. Wang finally washed herself.

They then entered the West Room, where the bed was placed against the window. The end of the bed was aligned with a row of old cabinets; on the floor, two heavy old boxes, along with an old table, two chairs, and two stools could be seen.

Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang sat on the bed, while Chen Afu and Chen Alu, and Dabao sat on the edge of it.

Mrs. Wang took several packets of medicine and several oil-paper bags, a pig's liver, and said, "The sales from this round of clothing totaled three hundred and ten cents. The medicines cost one hundred and twenty cents, Fu'er's medicine was eighty cents. We also bought some tremella, lily, rock candy, and a pig's liver and ate a bowl of noodles. Only one cent remains." Reporting the account, her face turned red, revealing an expression of pain. She clucked her tongue and said, "Money is really hard to come by. We've been hustling for half a month and everything's gone."

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