Seeing this, Sanmao stopped letting her hold him, struggled to get down, and held onto the sofa to get his own toddler stroller.
Shen Wuqiu knew this little brat wasn't exactly well-behaved, so she pushed her toddler stroller over and instructed her, "You play here in the living room, and don't go and bother your older sister, understand?"
Sanmao pursed her cherry lips, her big eyes still watery from crying. She nodded, looking incredibly well-behaved. Shen Wuqiu couldn't resist giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Alright, you go play now. Mom will sit on the sofa for a while."
She sat on the sofa and stared at him. Sanmao was obedient and pushed the toddler around the living room. When he got tired, he sat on the floor and played with the Barbie dolls.
During this time, Er Mao sneaked over again, but as soon as she saw Shen Wuqiu sitting on the sofa, the little guy pushed her little tiger and ran off in a hurry.
"..." Shen Wuqiu stared at the ceiling, suddenly hoping that the little ones could continue to be kittens.
She felt that kittens were much cuter than human babies.
Chapter 162
After entering December, the temperature begins to drop significantly, and the air turns from cold to freezing. Even when walking under the bright sun, there is a chill in the air.
Although the weather is cold, the villagers of Jingrong Village are all actively working in the fields.
For farmers, this time of year is indeed a busy one. In addition to planting rapeseed, they also need to save seeds for other vegetables and manage their cultivation. Furthermore, they need to prepare plots for planting vegetables the following year by freezing the soil to reduce the damage caused by underground pests to the vegetables.
In previous years, the villagers of Jingrong Village were not this diligent. They didn't care about the rented-out fields, and only planted some vegetables on a small plot of land in front of their own houses. They didn't care about the land that was farther away or in a more remote place at all.
But this year is different. People have rekindled their enthusiasm for farming and have dug up all the land that had been abandoned before.
It's not that everyone has become more diligent; it's mainly because everyone has seen the money that Er'aizi and the other vegetable growers in the village have earned. Don't underestimate the simplicity of the supermarket that Shen's father and Lao Du run; it has generated a lot of income for the villagers. Not to mention Er'aizi, even Grandma Min, the 70-year-old villager who is on welfare, used to only see the small amount of money that the village leaders gave her throughout the year. But this year, through her own little over an acre of land, she earned nearly a thousand yuan by selling dried long beans, sweet corn, white peppers, and free-range eggs.
Grandma Min was extremely grateful for this. Even though Mr. Shen didn't want her share, Grandma Min insisted on giving him ninety yuan. In the old lady's words, she was very confident that she could still earn money at her age.
When the villagers saw that even a 70-year-old woman like Grandma Min could turn wasteland into treasure, it greatly motivated them.
Thus, this flourishing farming scene came about. Er Aizi's mother even tasted the sweetness of greenhouse cultivation and reportedly urged her eldest son, who was working outside, to come home and farm with Er Aizi in the village.
Mr. Shen was very pleased with this outcome.
When he was young, he contracted out mountain and farmland, probably really for money and to make a living. But now he has no worries about food and drink, and he truly cares about the abandoned land. The village is so big, he can't contract out all the land, and he can't contract out those scattered plots either.
The villagers were all busy with their small-scale farming, and Shen Wuqiu, the large landowner, was even busier. In addition to planting rapeseed, her orchard was even busier.
First, there's the maintenance of the ponkan orchard in Xishan. These ponkan trees haven't entered their fruiting period yet. Although some "early-maturing" varieties started bearing fruit as soon as they were small this year, the yield is negligible, and most of the fruit is still on the sour side.
To ensure a bumper harvest next year, Uncle Zheng and Duan Guodong stayed on the western mountain every day, expanding and improving the planting holes for the tangerines and applying more fertilizer to promote flower bud differentiation.
After working tirelessly for more than half a month, the busy farming season finally came to an end after a light snowfall following the winter solstice.
Although it was just a light snowfall, the cold air it brought lingered for more than half a month, and the icicles hanging on the trees behind Huashan Mountain never melted.
It wasn't until the Laba Festival that the sun started to shine again.
When the sun comes out, no one is happier than the little ones.
Since this light snow, due to the icy roads, apart from Shen Wuqiu and Gu Miaomiao going out to buy daily necessities, the children have been kept indoors by their maternal grandparents.
Huashan is really cool in summer, but it's really cold in winter.
After being cooped up at home for so long, not only were the kids bored, but even their dad was getting restless. Especially now that the kids have grown into little babies, they're all more energetic than the last, constantly wailing or rummaging through drawers and cupboards.
The saying goes, "There is no harm without comparison." Now, not only does Shen Wuqiu want the children to turn back, but even Father Shen is complaining and wants them to turn back as well.
For example, right now, the four sisters were playing happily on the carpet when he went outside in his socks to take a quick look. Less than five minutes later, a clear cry came from inside, accompanied by his wife's furious rant:
"You're so old, how can you still be so unreliable? I asked you to watch the kids for a little while, and this is how you do it... Oh dear, sweetheart, don't cry, Grandma will help you look for them..."
"I just went outside to take a look and see if the ice had melted." Mr. Chen was also quite annoyed. Seeing his doll-like granddaughter crying her eyes out only made him more annoyed. This little crybaby wouldn't be satisfied unless she cried three or four times a day. "What's wrong now?"
Sanmao cried, her little white finger pointing straight at the chubby baby Simao. She hiccuped three or four times but couldn't say anything coherent.
Simao acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to eat the cotton candy in her hand with her head down, taking small bites, completely ignoring what she was saying.
Seeing this, Sanmao cried even more heartbreakingly, "It's...it's...no...hiccup...waaaah..."
Mr. Shen listened for a long time but still couldn't understand. He looked at Su Yunzhi, who was also confused. He had no choice but to bend down and look at Simao, "Simou, what's going on?"
As if just realizing what was happening, Si Mao looked up at him, then licked her lips, and then stuffed the remaining half of the marshmallow into her mouth.
"Waaah...waaah..." Sanmao cried even more miserably and started rolling on the ground.
"..." Both Mr. Shen and Su Yunzhi were on the verge of collapse.
Finally, Ah Shu, who had cat ears, cautiously told them, "The Four Little Gods stole the Three Little Gods' cotton candy."
"..." Su Yunzhi quickly picked up Sanmao, "Okay, okay, let's not cry anymore. Grandma will buy you some, okay? Grandma will buy you lots of cotton candy..."
Sanmao continued to cry, but Simao was different. She got up and slowly walked to Su Yunzhi, tugged at her trouser leg, looked up at her, and said, "Yes, yes."
When Sanmao saw her, he cried even harder.
Su Yunzhi knew what these kids were like. It wasn't that she favored anyone, but Sanmao, that little brat, his crying was really giving her a headache. "Sanmao, don't cry, okay? We won't buy it for your sister, we'll buy it for Sanmao..."
Si Mao pouted, but when she caught sight of the older woman holding a Barbie doll, she felt guilty and cautiously crawled back to her little territory, pretending to start building with blocks.
Su Yunzhi had to use all her patience to finally calm the crying girl down.
After wiping the sweat from her forehead, she went to scold Mr. Chen: "I told you to keep an eye on things, so keep an eye on things! What are you going out to look for? Wuqiu and the others are in the orchard, Xingxing is still upstairs, and it's just the two of us downstairs. You still ran out. If something happens, I'd like to see how you explain it to Wuqiu."
"You always have so many tricks up your sleeve. I was only gone for a few minutes."
"How old are they?" Su Yunzhi was almost driven mad by him. "What could such young children understand?"
"Nothing happened, it was just a little snatching, and you keep making a fuss." Mr. Shen was exasperated, looking at the group of toddlers with amusement. "You're all such a handful! You were so well-behaved before, how did you become such troublesome little babies..."
"Shut up!" Su Yunzhi was so angry at his increasingly outrageous behavior that she grabbed his arm and pinched it. "How can you talk like that? Our child is disobedient! What do we need to know to be obedient?"
After being scolded by her, Mr. Shen belatedly realized that he had gone a bit too far. He remained silent with a stern face, plopped down on the carpet, and after a while, took out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe Sanmao's tears, softening his voice as he said, "Your sister took your things, so just take them back. Why are you crying?"
"..." Su Yunzhi almost choked when she reached the kitchen door, but when she turned around and saw Sanmao talking to her in a babbling voice, she swallowed her words.
Enough!
There always needs to be a leader among a group of children.
Sigh, I wonder when these kids will start to greet people. How come such smart kids are so slow to start talking?
Chapter 163
The weather was kind to us; it was sunny for half a month as the year drew to a close.
With the good weather, Mr. Shen couldn't stay on Huashan Mountain any longer and went to reopen the supermarket that had been closed for more than half a month. As soon as the supermarket opened, everyone spontaneously delivered vegetables to their door. This time of year is the peak season for cilantro and spinach.
However, because of the good weather, other villagers were carrying vegetables to the market to sell, and city dwellers didn't bother to come to this poor, remote place. Without outsiders buying, these seasonal vegetables naturally couldn't be sold.
Mr. Shen started to worry. If things continued like this, wouldn't the supermarket go out of business?
Shen Wuqiu was quite open-minded: "This supermarket is seasonal anyway. Do you really think it can compare to the big supermarkets in town?"
Mr. Shen understood, but thinking of the high expectations everyone had for his supermarket, he wanted to push a little harder. "Well, everyone's already brought the vegetables up, right? Daughter, you're so clever, can you come up with a way to attract people by selling something?"
"What can I do?" Shen Wuqiu rolled her eyes at her father, then glanced at Er Mao, who was up to his old tricks again. She reached out and scooped Er Mao up from the drawer in front of the TV wall. "The New Year is coming soon, and there's a lot to do at home. You shouldn't go to the supermarket."
"Lion... Lion..." Er Mao wanted to climb up the TV cabinet through the drawer to get the TV remote. He was unwilling to give up after not getting the remote, and kept fiddling with it, his eyes fixed on the remote on the cabinet.
Just then, Stephen Chow came out of the kitchen and saw Er Mao babbling. Following her bright eyes, he handed her the remote control and turned it on casually.
"Oh my gosh~" As soon as he saw the picture on the TV screen, Er Mao clapped his little hands and jumped up and down happily.
Stephen Chow found it a bit strange: "Tsk, our Er Mao can watch TV now?"
Mr. Shen glanced at Sanmao, who had quickly stood up from the playpen next to him, and said with a look of anticipation, "See? Another one is going to practice his voice."
Shen Wuqiu also saw Sanmao walking over while holding onto the railing. She glanced at the TV and looked on with a headache and helplessness. "The two sisters just had a fight because of watching TV. We finally turned off the TV and calmed them down, and now you're here again."
The kids have been cooped up indoors lately, and these past few days they've developed a new hobby with their grandpa—watching TV. However, the sisters, with their distinct personalities, each have their own unique hobby. Er Mao likes watching all sorts of animals fighting and killing, while San Mao, the little princess, only likes watching cute cartoons like Fairy Tale and Peppa Pig.
Unfortunately, when we installed the TV at home, we didn't consider that our four kids had different interests, so we only installed a 55-inch TV in the living room.
Just now, the two sisters got into a fight in front of the TV cabinet because they couldn't keep up with each other while watching TV.
Stephen Chow has been leaving early and returning late lately and has never seen such a scene before, so he was a little dismissive, saying, "Just show them what they like, how could they be fighting?"
Shen Wuqiu was too lazy to talk to her anymore. Seeing Sanmao walking over, she said, "Then you can find one they like."
“They’re all little girls, so they definitely like watching cute little animals, like… what’s that one with Xiong Da in it again…” Zhou Xingxing sat down on the sofa and started looking for shows for the kids with the remote. “Right, there’s another one with lots of pigs in it, what’s that again… Oh, I remember, Peppa Pig, yes, that’s it, xzpq, okay, that’s the first one…”
When her favorite show appeared on the screen, Sanmao was overjoyed. She ran happily to Stephen Chow, reached out her hands, and cried, "Hug me! Hug me!"
"Oh dear, our little princess Sanmao has gained weight again recently." Stephen Chow picked her up and weighed her in his hands. "But she's still a cute and pretty little fairy."
Sanmao loved hearing such boastful talk, so he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
The baby's lips were so fragrant and soft. Zhou Xingxing wanted to move his other cheek closer so that Sanmao could give him another kiss, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Ermao had somehow slipped off Shen Wuqiu and was just standing there staring at her.
She didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a child trying to get attention, so she stretched her neck and brought her other cheek close to Er Mao's face, saying, "Come on, give Auntie a kiss too."
Er Mao pursed her lips, unmoved.
"..." Zhou Xingxing blinked, wondering what was wrong with the child, when she saw the little guy suddenly pounce on the sofa. But Sanmao reacted even faster, snatching the remote control away from her.
"..." Zhou Xingxing looked at Shen Wuqiu, then turned to look at Sanmao. He saw the little guy quickly and nimbly climb onto the TV cabinet, and then with a "snap," the TV screen went black.
"..."
"Wow!" Sanmao was engrossed in the reading when, in the blink of an eye, tears welled up in her eyes.
Er Mao didn't care. After turning off the TV, she sat on the TV cabinet, swinging her legs and striking a cool pose with her arms crossed over her chest, just watching her younger sister cry.
“…Really…” Zhou Xingxing didn’t know what to say. Looking at the two resentful sisters, he sincerely sighed to Shen Wuqiu, “You know, these little ones, if you say they don’t know anything, look at the mess they’re making… but if you say they do know anything, they’re over a year old and still can’t call me ‘Mom’.”
Speaking of this, Shen Wuqiu was also frustrated, but he didn't show it. "Maybe his language development was a little late."
Meanwhile, Da Mao, who was sitting in the enclosure with Ah Shu building blocks, perked up her ears and clenched her little fists tightly. Only when Ah Shu came over and tugged at her little hand did she continue building blocks as if nothing had happened.
Sanmao, that little crybaby, takes forever to soothe when she cries. Shen Wuqiu lost patience after trying to comfort her once, so she handed the responsibility over to Zhou Xingxing, saying, "You made her cry, so you're the one who should comfort her."
"Tch..." Zhou Xingxing quickly took out his phone, opened Taobao, and said, "Come on, Sanmao, let's not cry anymore. Aunt Ai saw a lot of pretty dresses last night. Let's choose some together, okay?"
The adorable and spoiled little princess was immediately soothed and started tapping away on Stephen Chow's phone.
Shen Wuqiu was too lazy to talk to her anymore. She got up and picked Er Mao off the TV cabinet. "It's cold here. Let's not sit here."
Hearing his mother's gentle voice, Er Mao secretly kissed her on the cheek, and then, without needing her to hold him, he toddled off to play with Da Mao and the others.