Chapter 8: Chenchen Spoke

Chapter 8: Chenchen Spoke

Su Taotao frowned, unsure of what her mother meant. "What are you talking about?"

Su Taotao had never concerned herself with affairs in the production team before. She had no idea who lived around them, as she had never paid attention to the neighbors.

Zhou Linglan folded the letter and placed it back into Su Taotao's arms, letting out a sigh. "Taotao, this money is probably gone for good. This Comrade Cao Guohua lives in the cowshed behind our house. He's been living there for two years, and his family's home has probably been ransacked and looted countless times. When he arrived, he was dressed in rags, and everything he brought with him was searched repeatedly. He probably couldn't hide even a thread, let alone any money."

Su Taotao was utterly shocked. She hadn't expected such a twist. No matter the times, those who owe money act like kings. She had anticipated that getting this money back wouldn't be easy, but to think it was gone for good.

"Mom, why do you call him Teacher Cao? What's his character like?"

Zhou Linglan paused, her mind drifting to over two years ago... Her eyes flickered, and her expression turned slightly uneasy. She busied herself tidying the table to hide her emotions and said, "I don’t know him well. He was a comrade-in-arms with Fu Zhengtu’s father, and we only met him once. Later, I heard he transferred to a military academy as a teacher. Two years ago, he was suddenly sent down here. There's already enough gossip around a widow's doorstep. I never dared to interact with him alone, but sometimes I let Yuanhang deliver some fruits and vegetables to him. He would secretly teach Yuanhang things not found in textbooks."

"I see." This explanation was enough for Su Taotao to understand. During the Cultural Revolution, many teachers were labeled as 'stinking ninth' and sent to the countryside for re-education. If they didn't make any serious mistakes, they could eventually return to the city and resume their jobs.

The money would definitely be recovered, but it would take a few more years.

The problem was she needed money urgently now. Fu Zhengtu wouldn't return for at least another six months. Leaving aside other things, Chenchen's nutrition was lacking. Even if she couldn't buy milk powder, she needed something like malted milk to supplement him.

She only had 13.85 yuan left. Not enough to buy anything substantial.

Su Taotao had a sudden epiphany. Sugar! White Rabbit creamy candies! These were considered top-tier back then. She remembered reading that a few White Rabbit candies contained as much calcium as a glass of milk.

But she couldn't buy much, and more importantly, she didn't have sugar coupons.

It was truly a case of "a clever housewife can't cook without rice."

Su Taotao was distracted during breakfast, her mind racing with ways to get money.

Zhou Linglan knew she couldn't get used to eating sweet potato porridge and pickles. Though called sweet potato porridge, only Su Taotao and Chenchen’s bowls had a few grains of white rice mixed in. Zhou Linglan and Fu Yuanhang's bowls were almost entirely sweet potatoes. There wasn't much fine grain at home, so they had to prioritize Su Taotao and Chenchen.

She scooped out half of the steamed egg custard from Chenchen's bowl, added a few drops of soy sauce, and placed it in front of Su Taotao. "If you can't eat the pickles, have this with your porridge."

Su Taotao snapped out of her thoughts.

She looked at the steamed egg custard in front of her, then at her bowl of rice and sweet potatoes, and finally at the others. Chenchen had the same meal as her. Back then, just being well-fed and warm was a luxury for a child. No one needed to spoon-feed him. The little one was already adept with a small spoon, steadily and accurately scooping porridge and egg custard into his mouth, bite after bite, eating with great relish.

Logically, if he ate like this every day, Chenchen wouldn't be so thin. But maybe he didn't get to eat eggs every day. Maybe the previous Su Taotao took the eggs to sell for money, since she had already spent all the family’s savings. Without that money, Zhou Linglan wouldn’t have enough to buy even basic necessities like salt or matches.

Fu Yuanhang and Zhou Linglan were accustomed to this and ate their sweet potatoes with rice gruel and pickles.

Su Taotao felt a deep sense of guilt, knowing how much this gentle and kind mother and son deserved better.

The family was struggling, and Su Taotao knew she had to find a way to improve their situation.

Su Taotao took a deep breath and shared some of the white rice from her bowl with Zhou Linglan and Fu Yuanhang. She divided the remaining egg custard into three tiny portions—just a spoonful each—and added them to their bowls.

"Eat. I said yesterday that from now on, we eat the same meals. No more separate meals. Mom, how could you forget? Consider the old Su Taotao gone. From now on, I’m the one in charge."

Su Taotao then began to eat her porridge, head lowered.

Let there be a drastic change in personality. Let there be suspicion. She believed that even if she told this mother and son that she was from the 21st century, whether they believed her or not was another matter. But they certainly wouldn't spread the word. She didn’t want to burden them with explanations—it was too complicated.

Zhou Linglan and her son exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes.

From yesterday until now, Su Taotao had shocked them too many times. Only now did they truly believe she had changed, as if she had become a completely different person.

This new version of her was amazing.

“Clang, clang...”

The sound of the spoon hitting the bowl. It turned out that the little guy was imitating them. He scooped a spoonful of egg custard from his own bowl and put it into his uncle's bowl. The spoon accidentally hit the edge of the bowl, and the little guy had a very serious expression on his face, frowning and saying, “Eat...”

Fu Yuanhang nearly dropped his bowl in shock. He quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks, grabbed both of Chenchen's little hands, and examined him left and right. “Chenchen, did you just talk? Tell Uncle, did you just speak?”

Zhou Linglan covered her mouth and nodded, her hand tightening and loosening as she said excitedly, “Yes, I heard him! Chenchen spoke!”

It’s no wonder they were so excited. Chenchen was almost two years old, and other kids his age could already form short sentences and express themselves clearly. At the very least, they could call their parents or throw out a few words here and there.

But Chenchen, on the other hand, rarely cried or fussed. He could understand everything you said and could learn anything with just one try, but he just wouldn’t open his mouth to speak. Sometimes he would even zone out, immersed in his own world.

Su Taotao had been a negligent mother, never showing any concern for her son, leaving Zhou Linglan and Fu Yuanhang to worry endlessly.

There were many rumors in the production team about Chenchen. Some said he was mute, others said he was dumb, and still others said he was both.

Fu Yuanhang had gotten into his first fight because a classmate called Chenchen a mute in front of him. After beating that person up, no one dared to say it again in his presence.

Even the usually calm Zhou Linglan would lose her temper whenever someone said something like that about Chenchen, shouting, “Smart children speak late.”

Deep down, Zhou Linglan wasn’t sure either. Without a father and with a mother who barely paid attention, Chenchen, despite being so young, understood everything. He likely refused to speak because he was hurting inside. But now, it was all better. Chenchen had finally spoken.

He wasn’t mute, and he certainly wasn’t dumb.

It was probably because Su Taotao had been talking to him and showing him affection for the past two days, and just now, she had shared her food with them. He knew his mother had changed for the better and that she cared about him, so he was willing to speak. He was just a smart child who spoke late.

Su Taotao was also very fond of him. She moved her little stool to sit next to the little guy, looked him in the eye, and teased, “Chenchen, your first word should be ‘Mom.’ I'm your mom. Say it for me, Chenchen.”

However, the little guy gave her an exasperated look and then shifted his gaze away, continuing to eat with a calm expression.

It was as if that precious “Eat” had just been their illusion.

Su Taotao wasn’t upset. She moved her bowl closer and said in a playful tone, “Chenchen just shared his egg with Uncle. Now Mom wants some too.”

Chenchen still looked helpless, pursed his lips, and scooped a little from his bowl into hers. Su Taotao laughed heartily, then scooped most of the remaining third of the egg custard into his bowl, leaving only a little bit for herself, and said, “Thank you, Chenchen. Mom is sharing hers with you too. From now on, we'll share with each other. Eat more, Chenchen, so you can grow tall and strong.”

The spring sunlight streaming through the window felt especially warm and gentle today, much like the family itself. Though they were poor, love and warmth were finally beginning to fill their home.