Double Life: My whole world is you

Cheng's mother pulled them to sit on the long chair in the living room and asked, "Tell me what happened."

"Mom, I said, can you not be angry?" Cheng Zhu asked.

Cheng's mother nodded, and Cheng Zhu started talking from the time they left the house. He clenched his fists when he was angry, and finally concluded, "Although they also beat us, my sister and I beat the four of them, and we didn't lose."

"Mom, we finally severed ties with them." After Cheng Zhu introduced the process, Cheng Qiao calmly introduced her last words.

"Are you injured anywhere else?" Cheng's mother gently touched the corner of Cheng Zhu's mouth and said, "I'm sorry for not protecting you well."

"Mom, it's okay." Cheng Qiao looked at her mother with tears on her face. She was afraid that she would get sick again like she did ten years later (in 2017 in her previous life). She held her hand tightly and said, "Mom, you must not be in trouble. You still have us. We need your protection."

"Mom is fine." Cheng's mother held back her tears. She held each student's hand and said, "From now on, our family of three will depend on each other."

Cheng Qiao also held her gently and asked tentatively, "Mom, don't you blame me?"

"I don't blame you, child," she said. "I always thought they were your closest relatives and hoped they could help you in big things in the future. But I didn't expect them to be so vicious. Several adults beat you two children in broad daylight. It's mom's fault. Mom failed to protect you."

Cheng Qiao leaned into Cheng Ma's arms with red eyes, "Mom, we have a home as long as you are here."

"Mom, don't worry. My sister and I can live well without relying on them in the future." Cheng Zhu also promised.

Cheng's mother nodded with relief, "Let's go, let's make New Year's Eve dinner ourselves."

"Great!" Cheng Zhu jumped up excitedly.

"Mom, does your head still hurt?" Cheng Qiao gently touched her head, then touched her own head. The temperature of their foreheads was almost the same. Although she didn't have a fever anymore, she didn't know how she was recovering.

"Mom is fine now." Cheng's mother said with a smile, "I'll be fine after eating the porridge you cooked!"

"Mom, let me cook the dishes later!" Cheng Qiao said, "You just control the heat under the stove."

"You can?" Cheng Ma and Cheng Zhu looked incredulous.

"I will." Cheng Qiao answered affirmatively. She did not explain, and the dishes she cooked would prove it.

Finally, Cheng Qiao made dry pot cauliflower, shredded cabbage, spicy and sour potato shreds, stir-fried lotus root slices, stir-fried pork with peppers, stir-fried pork with mushrooms, fish balls with black fungus, and braised crucian carp. Cheng Qiao served the last fish soup and said with a smile, "These dishes are not a good showcase of my cooking skills."

"Sister, I didn't expect it to be so delicious." Cheng Zhu smelled the fragrance of the food but did not pick up his chopsticks.

"What a coincidence! Let's fry these two too." Cheng's mother took a braised chicken leg and beef from the room. "I was planning to cook it when your aunt and her family come on the third day of the New Year! This is our family's first New Year's Eve dinner, so I won't hide it anymore."

"Wow! Chicken legs." Chengzhu shouted happily.

"Okay, Mom, turn on the fire again. I'll stew the chicken legs first." After Cheng Qiao took the dish, she picked up the peppers next to her and started cutting them.

These two dishes were ready to cook and they were fried very quickly. All the dishes were on the table after a quarter of an hour. Ten dishes and one soup were quite a feast for three people. Cheng's mother took out a large bottle of Coke and a pack of firecrackers. Cheng Zhu ran to the kitchen to get matches and set off the firecrackers. They were small and they were all gone after ten seconds. Cheng Qiao poured Coke for the three of them. Cheng's mother raised her glass and said with a smile, "From now on, we will have a New Year's Eve dinner together as a family. I wish my two babies good health, peace and success in their studies."

"Thank you, Mom." The two stood up and clinked their glasses with Cheng's mother and said happily, "I wish Mom good health and all the best."

"Okay!" Cheng's mother sat down, took a bite of the dish and said quickly, "You two should eat quickly! Qiao's cooking skills are great!"

"Sister, the food you cook is so delicious!" Cheng Zhu said with his mouth full of food.

"If it tastes good, eat more vegetables and less rice." Cheng Qiao said with a smile.

"It's still more fun to eat at home!" Chengzhu complained, "I never get enough to eat at their house every year."

"Me too, I always feel uncomfortable." Cheng Qiao glanced at Cheng's mother and saw that her expression did not change. Then she said, "I don't like being with them."

"It's good not to see them anymore." Cheng Zhu was very happy and picked up his glass and clinked it with Cheng Qiao's.

Cheng's mother looked at them tenderly, but her eyes were somewhat confused. She didn't know if it was right to take them away from this big family. She didn't know if she could take care of the two of them with her own abilities. She didn't know if the two children would blame her when they grew up and faced big things without their relatives to help them...

"Mom, you eat the big chicken leg." Cheng Zhu picked up a chicken leg and handed it to her.

Cheng Qiao picked up some black fungus fish balls and beef for her, "Mom, eat more! Believe me, we will definitely live a good life in the future! With a house, a car and savings!"

"Okay! Mom believes in you." Cheng's mother smiled and picked up a piece of lotus root for each person and said, "Eat more smart vegetables."

Cheng Qiao smiled firmly at Cheng Ma, "Ten years at most! Five years is possible."

"Silly child." Cheng's mother said nothing. "Eat quickly! It's getting cold."

The family finished their meal happily. Except for the crucian carp, which cannot be eaten according to the custom here, as it means there will be surplus (fish) every year. They ate half of the other dishes, more than half of the meat dishes, and drank half of the carp soup.

After dinner, Cheng's mother wanted to clean up, so the two of them took her to sit and rest. Cheng Qiao kindly handed her a thermos bottle, Cheng Zhu washed the dishes, and Cheng Qiao swept the floor. It was less than one o'clock before they finished, and Cheng Qiao persuaded Cheng's mother to lie down on the bed, letting her sleep for two hours before calling her to get up and make dumplings. Cheng Zhu wanted to watch TV, so Cheng Qiao took him to clean the yard outside and the road in and out. Although the snow was melting, it was not that fast after all. The place after the snow melted was overgrown with weeds because no one came and went. They were going to stay at home for a few days and it was inconvenient to go back and forth.

They went upstairs and found a sickle hidden by Cheng's mother. There was also a shovel at home. The two put on rain boots. Cheng Zhu used the shovel to shovel snow, and Cheng Qiao used the sickle to cut weeds. The two cooperated with each other, and after an hour, they finally finished the two or three meters wide yard and the 20-meter long path.

Chengzhu panted, "Sis, I don't feel cold at all, I feel hot."

"You must be hot after working for an hour!" Cheng Qiao took the shovel from his hand, "Go back and rest for a while, we still have a lot of other things to do."

"Ah, what else is there?" Cheng Zhu asked dissatisfiedly.

The two talked as they walked. When they reached the door of their house, they saw the sister from the neighboring house on the left come out. She saw the two siblings smiling at them. Cheng Qiao walked over and called sweetly, "Fourth sister."