"Roll these tofu lees into little balls!" Wang Qinghua said, startled for a moment by Xu Xiuxiu's question before turning to flip the tofu lees cakes in the pot with her chopsticks.
Xu Xiuxiu nodded and happily rolled up her sleeves to start kneading the tofu lees, quickly turning a pile of them into egg-sized cakes. Meanwhile, the kitchen fell into a relatively silent tranquility.
"Mommy..." Suddenly, a six or seven-year-old girl rushed into the kitchen entrance, her hair tied up in two buns, her cute little face brimming with excitement. But her excitement froze upon seeing Xu Xiuxiu, the disappointment poorly concealed.
Engrossed in checking the tofu lees cakes in the pot, Wang Qinghua looked up at the little girl's call, responded, then immediately started shooing her away, "The kitchen is too small, don't crowd here, go outside and play."
Niuniu's head drooped as soon as she heard her mother ushering her away, then she glanced at the fried tofu lees cakes with her phoenix eyes and turned away gloomily. Clearly, the little girl had a craving.
"Why chase her away, Big Sister-in-Law? The little girl isn't taking up much space in the kitchen!" Xu Xiuxiu immediately spoke up sensibly, then waved to the sulking Niuniu, "Come here, Niuniu, to your Second Aunt, I'll give you some of your mom's fried tofu lees cakes, they're very tasty."
Niuniu, the daughter of Uncle Wang Qinghua, was seven years old this year. Her nickname was Niuniu, full name Song Tianxin, a cute and lively little girl. Xu Xiuxiu usually didn't like the girl much, even sometimes picking on her, flaunting her own son to irritate Wang Qinghua by calling the girl a financial loss, which strained their relationship further.
Niuniu seemed hesitant upon hearing Xu Xiuxiu's call. She looked longingly at the tofu lees cakes, then at Wang Qinghua, who remained silent, her feet reluctant to move.
Understanding the little girl's fear of Wang Qinghua scolding her, Xu Xiuxiu didn't press the issue, instead taking several of the fried tofu lees cakes and placing them in a bowl, "Take these outside to eat, be careful, they're hot," she said, rubbing the little girl's head.
"Thank you, Second Aunt." Niuniu took the tofu lees cakes with a polite nod, smiling and showing off a recently lost baby tooth, then turned to leave contentedly with the cakes.
"Kids will be kids, don't indulge her," Wang Qinghua said after a moment of silence, looking at Xu Xiuxiu, her tone less sharp than usual.
"It's fine, just a few tofu lees cakes, it's not spoiling," Xu Xiuxiu replied with a smile.
The kitchen quickly returned to its quiet ambiance, but the atmosphere between the two women seemed much more harmonious than before.
For lunch, the two ate at the Song Family house, where it was lively with many family members around. However, the little one, Song Chengguang, was young and couldn't eat much. Xu Xiuxiu felt awkward asking for a special meal for the child, so she had to make do and, after lunch was over, she hurriedly took her son back to their own home.
Back in her kitchen, Xu Xiuxiu lit the fire and took the opportunity to quickly slice the tofu she brought back into shreds. When the pot was hot, she poured in the oil. As soon as the oil heated up, she stir-fried some vegetables, poured in the Space Water, and when the water boiled, she added the tofu shreds to cook. After thickening the sauce, she took it out of the pot and served it in a bowl—a delicious bowl of tofu soup was ready.
Song Chengguang was used to being hungry and was usually well-behaved. He would rarely make noise unless he was really hungry, but when Xu Xiuxiu brought him a serving of tofu soup and carefully fed him, the little guy couldn't help but show his excitement, gobbling down the food until his little belly was round and full.
"Xu Xiuxiu, this is the 200 yuan living stipend I've just received; make sure to put it away for household expenses," Song Yuanhuan stepped into the house and said to Xu Xiuxiu, who was tidying up Song Chengguang's clothes. His attitude in handing over the money was decent, though his tone was quite brusque.
Xu Xiuxiu had just soothed a well-fed Song Chengguang to sleep and was about to take the little guy's clothes out to wash in the yard when Song Yuanhuan appeared with 200 yuan. Her gaze lingered on the money in Song Yuanhuan's hand for a moment. "Okay!" The original owner of the body had never been coy about taking Song Yuanhuan's money. Xu Xiuxiu wasn't about to start playing shy either, especially considering the household was already financially stretched thin thanks to the original owner's frivolous spending.
"Song Yuanhuan, I would like to make a trip to the county tomorrow." With the 200 yuan in hand, Xu Xiuxiu suddenly remembered a significant issue that needed resolution.
"What for?" Song Yuanhuan asked with a raised eyebrow and an indifferent tone.
"I want to go to the mall to buy a can of milk formula or colostrum or something for Chengguang." Song Chengguang was too thin, and having just bathed and changed him, she felt heartbroken. She wished she could fatten up the little one straight away.
"Is there anything else you need to buy?" Song Yuanhuan inquired, frowning.
After giving it careful thought, Xu Xiuxiu shook her head. "Not for the time being." It seemed she didn't lack for anything, because when she first obtained the "small space," she stocked up on some food and daily supplies in case of emergencies. After all, having the space, she figured a doomsday scenario couldn't be too far off! With this thought, she hoarded quite a bit, not expecting that instead of doomsday, she would be involved in a car accident and travel through time. Now, with Song Yuanhuan at home, it wasn't convenient for her to blatantly use the supplies from her space.
"I'll take care of the milk formula." His words casually stripped Xu Xiuxiu of her desire to visit the county.
"Oh!" Xu Xiuxiu didn't say much more. After all, Song Yuanhuan would be returning to the military in a couple of days, and she would have plenty of time to get acquainted with the current situation. Having thought it through, she promptly picked up Song Chengguang's clothes and headed out.
The very next morning, Song Yuanhuan borrowed a Phoenix brand bicycle from a neighbor and went to the county. By the time Xu Xiuxiu woke up, he was already back, carrying two large cans of Panda brand condensed milk in his hands.
"Where did you buy these? At the mall?" Xu Xiuxiu examined the two cans of condensed milk, her gaze roaming over Song Yuanhuan as if assessing a treasure chest. This man, he seemed quite capable, huh!
"I have a comrade's wife who works at the mall."
"I see." Xu Xiuxiu nodded and didn't ask any more questions, turning around to prepare the condensed milk for a now-awake Song Chengguang to drink. The little guy eagerly gulped it down from the cup, lacking the fussiness of other children who needed their parents to coax them for ages just to eat or drink something.
"Such a good boy." Xu Xiuxiu was pleased after seeing the cup drank clean. She lovingly kissed the little one, and in a friendly gesture, he turned his head and promptly returned her kiss, amusing Xu Xiuxiu to no end!
Time flew, and three days had passed—it was the day for Song Yuanhuan to return to the military.
Truth be told, Xu Xiuxiu's feelings towards Song Yuanhuan were rather complicated. As a newcomer to this world, she couldn't quite say her husband was good or bad, having not lived together for many days. Still, she rose early in the morning, busily steamed several large buns for him to take on the train.