lcionline Chapter 40 A stepmother is still a mother
Chapter 40 A stepmother is still a mother
Old Zhou's mouth dropped open in surprise. The house was obviously quite valuable; it was such a large brick and tile house that even the village chief in his village didn't have such grandeur.
No wonder this girl dared to offer him a monthly allowance of two taels of silver.
The donkey cart soon stopped in front of the Wang family's house.
"I'm back," Yunyi called out.
The courtyard gate was quickly opened, and a group of little rascals rushed out, surrounding her in a circle. They didn't say a word, just stared at her with their big eyes.
"Da Bao, hurry up and get everyone to get their things." Yun Yi glanced at everyone and then called out.
However, no one moved.
"What's wrong?" Yunyi frowned.
"Wah..." Xiao Bao suddenly burst into tears.
The other children also had tears in their eyes.
"So you still know how to come back?" Er Ya wiped away her tears and glared at Yun Yi.
"I...shouldn't I have come back?" Yunyi frowned. "I got lost on the mountain, came down from the other side, and arrived in Longdong Prefecture. I finally made it back, and now you..."
"Yunyi, you're back!" Xia Songshi ran out upon hearing the commotion, her eyes filled with tears of excitement.
"They seem... not to want me to come back?" Yunyi gestured towards the kids.
“No, they all want you back.” Xia Songshi hurriedly waved her hand. “Everyone is worried about you, really.”
"It's good that you're... back." Da Bao finally came to his senses, glanced at Yun Yi with a complicated expression and awkward tone, and then called on his younger siblings to help him carry the things.
Old Zhou looked at this scene with surprise, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he helped carry the things down and then stood aside.
Actually, Uncle He had already settled the fare when he hired the car, so he could have left. But now he suddenly wanted to stay.
"you……"
"Master, I want to stay." Old Zhou said hastily when he saw Yun Yi looking at him.
"Okay." Yunyi nodded. "I'll prepare the contract in a bit."
"However, there are still some things to settle in Qingshui Town. Could you give me three days?" Old Zhou rubbed his hands nervously.
Yunyi nodded, then took out five taels of silver and handed it over: "I'll give you five days to go back and handle things."
"This……"
"Settlement allowance".
Old Zhou took the money, his eyes slightly moist, but he joked, "Aren't you afraid I'll run away?"
"you try?"
"Hehe, just kidding." Old Zhou hurriedly waved his hand. "Then, boss, I'll be going now." With that, he quickly got into the cart and drove away.
Back in the courtyard, the children looked at Yunyi with some trepidation.
Yunyi frowned as she looked at them, feeling a bit of a headache. She didn't know what tone to use to address them. No wonder people say that raising children is a headache that makes you go bald.
"Mother." It was Xiao Qibao who broke the awkward silence first, running over and looking at Yunyi timidly, calling out cautiously.
"What did you call me?" Yunyi squatted down.
"Mother." Tears welled up in Xiao Bao's eyes. He was scared, but he was unwilling to give up.
"Don't blame him, he's still young, you don't like him..."
Yunyi gently rubbed Xiaobao's head and said, "Since you've started calling me 'Mom,' you're my son from now on." She then took out a piece of candy and popped it into Xiaobao's mouth as a reward.
Xiao Bao's eyes widened instantly, then lit up with joy: "Sweetie."
Yunyi pinched her cheek, then looked at the others: "Do you want to call me? There's a reward for calling me."
The six boys looked at each other in bewilderment. Only Er Ya was furious. This woman had come back and started causing trouble. However, they didn't dare to say anything, fearing that if they did, she would leave again.
"Mother." Liu Bao smacked his lips and called out. He had been feeling much better lately and no longer needed to lie on the kang (a heated brick bed) every day like before. He knew that this was all thanks to his stepmother.
Yunyi gave Liubao another piece of candy.
Then, Wuya and Sibao also came over and received rewards as well.
In the end, only Da Bao, Er Ya, and San Ya remained.
Sanya also wanted to come over, but she still had to watch her sister's expression.
“You are not my mother.” Er Ya’s eyes reddened.
"Yes." Yunyi nodded. "So, this is voluntary." She turned to leave, not wanting to waste time with those kids.
"Stepmother!" Er Ya suddenly called out.
Yunyi paused, turning back to look at her: "You..."
“You’re not my biological mother, you…you’re my stepmother.” Er Ya’s face turned red.
Yunyi's eyes flashed for a moment, then she smiled. A stepmother is still a mother, after all. This girl is really quite awkward.
Er Ya was annoyed when she saw Yun Yi laugh. She had put a lot of effort into shouting it out, but this woman was still mocking her, mocking her... Her body, which had just turned around, suddenly stopped, and all her senses were focused on the hand above her head.
"Okay." Yunyi patted Er Ya's head. "I'm not your biological mother, so it's fine if you call me stepmother." As she spoke, she stuffed a piece of candy into Er Ya's mouth. "A reward."
Er Ya's face turned even redder.
"Stepmother!" Sanya hurriedly ran over, smiling happily after receiving the reward.
"And you?" Yunyi then looked at Dabao.
"I..." Da Bao bit her lip, "Can I call you sister?"
"Huh?" Yun Yi frowned. What was this kid up to?
“You’re only a few years older than me, and besides, you’re not married to my father, so…”
"You call me sister, but do you expect them to call you dad?" Yunyi chuckled and gestured towards Er Ya and the others.
Da Bao's face immediately turned red: "Then... stepmother."
When Xia Songshi saw this, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief, as long as the family was harmonious.
Wang Qiao'er pursed her lips and muttered something under her breath.
Yunyi glanced at her. Although others couldn't hear her, she could hear clearly that the little girl said, "I hope I can keep up the act for a little longer this time."
Wang Qiao'er quickly avoided her gaze and turned to leave.
Yunyi stopped paying attention to the children and instead worked with Xia Songshi to organize the food and supplies they had bought. The house would take some time to be finished, and they would need to stay there for a while longer.
"Uncle Wang." Yunyi handed some Dendrobium officinale that she had left over to Wang Tianshun. "I picked these on the mountain." She had heard him complain that he was out of Dendrobium officinale last time, so she left some for him this time.
“This quality…” Wang Tianshun’s eyes lit up. “Not bad, not bad.” Suddenly he thought of something. “Yunyi, I think you seem to know a lot about medicinal herbs. Why don’t you learn medicine from me?” That way, you’ll have a skill and won’t have to go up the mountain so hard.