She was doing a proper job of it.
Then she wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking thoroughly worn out.
The dirt on her hands smeared onto her face, turning her into a little mess in an instant.
Si Nian watered the soil, planning to wait for her two sons to come home before planting vegetables together.
Although a few foam boxes couldn't compare to the yard back home, at least they wouldn't have to buy scallions and cilantro anymore.
They could also grow some pea shoots and bok choy.
She loved scallion oil noodles, and bok choy grew quickly. Pinching a few leaves to cook with noodles would be fresh, tender, and absolutely delicious!
After finishing everything, she finally led the grimy little toddler inside for a bath.
Da Huang stamped the mud off its paws on the ground before wagging its tail and following them in.
During this time, it had already gotten familiar with the new home.
The mother dog didn't tie it up anymore. Soon, this place would be Da Huang's domain.
Zhou Yueshen wasn't home, but he had sent plenty of meat.
The pork ribs were already chopped.
Considering there were children at home, they were cut into smaller pieces.
Beside them were a few large bones, cut into sections.
You could see the marrow inside.
Si Nian took them out to wash, planning to make garlic pork ribs and bone broth for dinner.
She had bought some wild mushrooms, which would make the soup very flavorful.
The children were at the age where they needed to grow, so they should eat more meat and bone broth to grow tall and develop strong bones.
After washing the bones and blanching them, she put them in a pot of cold water to start simmering.
There wasn't much meat on the bones, but it would keep Da Huang busy chewing for a day.
Si Nian also thought that since coming to the city, she had been too busy and hadn't taken Da Huang out for walks much. Today, she even made it do hard labor.
She should make a good meal to reward it.
Si Nian liked making bone broth because it was simple. Although it took a long time, it basically required no effort from her.
If it could simmer all night, the flavor would be incredibly fragrant.
She just needed to wash some side dishes.
Unhurriedly, she added scallions, ginger, and garlic to the bone broth.
Someone knocked on the gate.
The door wasn't closed, and it faced the kitchen. She opened the window and saw a stranger. "Who is it?"
"Is this the Zhou household? I'm from the building next door. I just saw your dog is quite capable, so I came to take a look."
It was a woman around thirty or forty years old, wearing a dacron shirt.
In this old part of the city, apart from the houses left by these wealthy families, there was only the residential building at the intersection.
It was said to be a residential building for a textile factory not far away.
Quite large.
Si Nian had just dug the soil from over there.
The people there weren't as well-off as those here, so they grew some of these things themselves.
Si Nian put the lid on the pot and went out.
Da Huang wagged its tail and followed, and Yaoyao immediately trailed behind the dog's tail.
The other woman was carrying a vegetable basket, seeming like she had just returned not long ago.
"Auntie, is there something you need?" Si Nian asked.
"I just saw you moving so much soil. Are you planning to grow vegetables in the yard?" The woman keenly noticed the few foam boxes Si Nian had placed in the corner of the wall.
Some people upstairs did the same. To save money, every bit of land downstairs was taken, all planted full of vegetables by people.
But she was unlucky. When she arrived, the remaining room in the residential compound was on the fourth floor.
Their building had five floors. The rooftop was taken, the ground floor was taken, so naturally, nothing was left in the middle.
She could only grow a little vegetables on her balcony to eat.
But she was on the fourth floor, and going up and down was too difficult.
Seeing Si Nian using her dog to pull things, she came over immediately.
"I also want to grow some vegetables, but I'm on the fourth floor, and it's hard to climb. Could I ask your dog to help pull some soil up for me too?"
Si Nian gave her a strange look. Hold on, do they know each other?
She doesn't even know her name, and she's already here to borrow her dog.
"Sorry, auntie, my Da Huang is wary of strangers and gets scared. It probably can't help you."
The woman's expression immediately turned somewhat awkward: "It should be fine, right? You can just come along and keep an eye on it. We're neighbors, after all."
Si Nian smiled: "You're right, but my Da Huang only works if it gets meat to eat. If you're willing to buy some meat for Da Huang, auntie, I'll definitely take it to help you."
The woman immediately turned and left briskly, as if she had never been there.
Although they lived close by, since Si Nian had been here, apart from Grandma Jiang next door, she hadn't interacted with these people.
Maybe it was because recently, the younger son had gotten bolder and was running around everywhere, so those people over there had noticed them.
Helping out as neighbors wasn't something she couldn't do, but it was limited to small favors—borrowing something, returning something.
Moving soil was such tiring work, and on the fourth floor too. The other party showed no sincerity at all. She really had some nerve.
Si Nian turned and went back inside. Seeing the bone broth boiling, she turned the heat to low to continue simmering.
Seeing there was still time, she took out her books to prepare for tomorrow's lessons.
She had planned to wait for the two children to come home before cooking, but instead of them, she received a call from the school.
Hearing that Zhou Zedong had bullied a classmate, Si Nian was incredulous.
She thought she had misheard.
If it were the younger son, she might not have been so shocked.
And it was Zhou Zedong who had thrown the first punch.
Si Nian rushed to the school without delay.
The little girl was still sobbing, her eyes red from crying.
Zhou Zedong stood to the side, his head turned away, his expression indifferent.
Wu Ren'ai looked at the two children with a headache.
One only knew how to cry.
The other refused to speak.
Seeing Si Nian arrive, he immediately cast a pleading look her way.
"Ni... Teacher Si, please ask your child quickly. He's been refusing to say why he bullied the girl."
Hearing the voice, Zhou Zedong abruptly turned his head to look at Si Nian.
His usually expressionless face now showed a rare hint of grievance, as if he might burst into tears the next second.
He seemed afraid Si Nian would blame him, immediately lowering his head and sniffling softly, "Mom, I didn't bully her."
Si Nian's heart ached to hear it. The older son had always been strong and reserved.
She had never seen him hit anyone before.
He rarely showed his emotions.
This was the first time he had shown a wronged expression in front of her.
"Xiao Dong, tell Mom, why did you hit first?"
Zhou Zedong pursed his lips and said, "She tried to snatch my sweet pancake. I wouldn't give it to her, so she knocked over my lunchbox."
Hearing this, Wu Ren'ai said with a headache, "But you still can't hit people! How can a boy hit a girl?"
When he was a kid in the compound, he was always the one getting hit by girls.
Hearing this, Si Nian frowned. "Xiao Dong, you don't like sharing your food with others?"
She had seen how at home, the older son always saved the best for his younger brother and sister.
She didn't expect him to get into a fight over a sweet pancake.
Zhou Zedong said matter-of-factly, "I don't like it."
The things Mom made for him, he only gave to his brother and sister.
He wouldn't give them to anyone else!
Just as Si Nian was about to speak, a middle-aged woman ran over anxiously.
She was still carrying a bag.
Seeing her daughter crying, she rushed over with a shriek.
"Sweetie, what's wrong with my sweetie? Who dared to hit you!"
...
It's not that I haven't tried to write more, but for some reason, once the word count hits four thousand, I can't write another word.
I've contracted an illness where I can't write past four thousand words.
Although I'm really tempted by everyone saying that extra updates come with gifts, it seems like that's just not in the cards for me—cue the waterfall of tears!
