The Fat Wife of the 1980s Awakens

"Yeah, we were saying it's time for Xiaobao to learn how to cook delicious meals!"

Erbao's answer was like a clear thunder in the summer, straightforward and without any hesitation.

Xiaobao was stunned, with a big question mark flashing in his round eyes, and his expression seemed to be saying, "Did I hear it wrong?"

Under the clear sky, there seemed to be an invisible thunderbolt, making the warm atmosphere suddenly tense.

"Brother, I'm just a child!"

There was a slight tremor in Xiaobao's voice as he tried to refute weakly, with a hint of innocence and confusion in his eyes.

"Not young anymore. In our family, my elder brother and I started learning to cook when we were seven years old. Now we have to study hard every day, and dad works so hard. Do you want to see mom and Xiaoyun busy because we have to eat?"

There was unquestionable firmness in Erbao's words, and his voice rose unconsciously, as if every word was adding a weight of responsibility to the empty kitchen.

After that, he gave the order without further ado: "From now on, stop playing around and go home early. Our little chef is about to start his job!"

Xiaobao's response was just a series of silent ellipsis. Although he was reluctant in his heart, facing the expectations of his brother and the burden of responsibility at home, he could only nod silently. There seemed to be tears in his eyes. The taste of growing up was both fresh and bitter for him.

Xu Xiufang looked at this scene with mixed feelings in her heart. Her lips moved slightly as she wanted to say something but finally turned into a helpless sigh.

At dinner time, Xie Yi also dragged his tired body back home. Erbao hurriedly told his father that he would teach Xiaobao how to cook, but Xie Yi just smiled and nodded without saying much. His deep eyes seemed to hide his satisfaction with the children's growth and an imperceptible worry.

As night falls and the moonlight is like water, the family, tired after a day's work, falls asleep early, leaving only the tranquility of the night and the protection of the starry sky.

In the middle of the night, a slight noise broke the tranquility of the night. Xu Xiufang woke up from her dream and dimly saw Xie Yi gently lifting the quilt and preparing to get out of bed.

"Where are you going so late?"

Xu Xiufang rubbed her sleepy eyes and asked softly.

Xie Yi's voice was full of guilt: "Did I wake you up? I noticed that the light in Erbao's room was still on, so I wanted to go see what he was doing."

"Erbao's light is still on? What time is it now?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiufang lost all sleepiness. She sat up abruptly and looked through the window towards Erbao's room. Sure enough, the warm light was still there.

She picked up the watch on the bedside table and the time showed "12 o'clock midnight".

Without waiting for Xie Yi to answer, Xu Xiufang quickly stood up, full of worry: "Did he forget to turn off the lights?"

"do not know."

Xie Yi said with a hint of worry in his tone, "I'll go take a look."

"I will go with you."

As Xu Xiufang spoke, she put on a thin coat. The two of them tacitly did not turn on the lights, only using the faint light of the flashlight to illuminate the front, and quietly went out.

When they arrived at Erbao's room, they found that the door was not locked. For fear of disturbing the child, Xu Xiufang carefully pushed the door open.

The scene before her stunned her for a moment: Erbao was sitting upright at the desk, his eyes fixed on the book. His concentration and seriousness seemed something she had never seen before!

Xu Xiufang felt mixed emotions: "Is this really the child of mine who used to be extremely resistant to studying and who I had to persuade with all my heart every time?"

She exchanged a surprised look with Xie Yi and called out at the same time: "Erbao?"

"Dad, Mom? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Erbao looked up from the sea of ​​books, his eyes full of fatigue, and rubbed his eyes which were a little dry due to reading for a long time.

"I was just about to ask you, it's so late, why aren't you sleeping yet?"

Xu Xiufang's tone was filled with heartache and blame. She took a few steps forward and gently closed the book in front of him. "It's twelve o'clock now. Don't study anymore. Go to bed!"

"But I only have a few words left to memorize, so I..."

Erbao tried to turn the pages of the book again, with a determination in his eyes that was unwilling to give up.

Xu Xiufang held his hand and gently dissuaded him, "Recite it tomorrow. Make sure you get enough sleep first, so that you can have better learning efficiency, understand?"

Erbao wanted to argue, but was interrupted by Xu Xiufang: "Have you forgotten that you are still growing? Staying up late will not make you grow taller. Don't forget your dream of becoming a soldier, which has height requirements!"

This sentence was like a key that instantly unlocked Erbao's heart knot, and he immediately climbed back into bed obediently.

Xu Xiufang found the light switch and reminded her again: "Remember, don't stay up late to read anymore. Mom knows you work hard, but rest is just as important. Only when you rest well can you study more effectively. Do you understand?"

Erbao nodded obediently, and that rare docility made Xu Xiufang feel a little relieved.

Just as she was about to turn off the lights and leave, Xie Yi came in with a cup of hot milk and handed it to Erbao: "Drink it before going to sleep."

"For me?"

Erbao jumped up from the bed, his eyes full of surprise. He didn't expect that his father would personally make milk for him.

Xie Yi's lips curled up into a smile, and he half-jokingly said, "When you pooped your pants when you were a kid, didn't I wipe your butt for you? What's the big deal?"

Er Bao was immediately embarrassed, and wailed inwardly: "Why do you still want to mention this? I worked so hard to create this heroic image!"

Even so, he obediently took the milk, drank it in one gulp, and then lay down peacefully.

Xu Xiufang and Xie Yi turned off the lights for him, closed the door quietly, and returned to their room.

Xu Xiufang still looked incredulous: "Is he working too hard now?"

Xie Yi hugged his wife and comforted her: "It's a good thing to work hard towards the goal. We should be proud of him."

"But I'm afraid he'll tire himself out."

Xu Xiufang's brows were furrowed, and her eyes revealed a trace of regret and self-blame, "Did we push too hard before?"

Xie Yi shook his head, his eyes gentle: "Xiufang, he has grown up and has his own ideas and pursuits. We should let him fly. You don't have to blame yourself too much."

Xu Xiufang sighed, the stone in her heart slowly fell to the ground, and she accepted this fact.

After thinking for a moment, she suddenly had an idea: "I will stew a chicken for him tomorrow to nourish his body."

"good idea."

Xie Yi nodded in agreement.

In the following days, Xu Xiufang seemed to have opened the door to a nutritious diet. Various kinds of soups were prepared one after another under her skillful hands, and the storage room at home was also filled with nuts, walnuts and various nutritional supplements.

She confidently handed over the cooking task to Erbao.

Recently, Erbao has vowed to teach Xiaobao how to cook, hoping to reduce the housework burden for his mother.