Dongdong knew that an injured person needed to eat something nutritious, but right now he only had a single cornbread bun left over from yesterday, as hard as a rock.
It was one he had saved, unable to bring himself to eat it, hidden away in secret.
Afraid that his mother would choke on it, he acted like a little adult and instructed: "Mom, you need to drink a sip of water first, and then eat."
At that moment, Jiang Tang's emotions were exceptionally complicated, impossible to describe in a few simple words.
Sensitive Dongdong sensed that his mother was in low spirits and quickly consoled her: "Mom, tomorrow Dongdong will work a little harder, so Mom can have something else to eat."
In the Shen Family, not only did the original body have to do a mountain of chores every day, but Dongdong, little more than three years old, had to work as well.
The two of them did the most work yet ate the least. When they felt hungry, they usually quenched their hunger with water, or subsisted on wild vegetables, barely managing to survive.
Not wanting Dongdong to worry about her, Jiang Tang forced a smile: "Dongdong is still a little child, you don't need to do so much work."
"It's okay, Mom, Dongdong can take care of you."
As Jiang Tang got up from the bed, Dongdong reached out to steady her, only to be pulled straight into her arms in a full embrace.
His round eyes widened in sheer disbelief. His hands remained awkwardly suspended in mid-air, while the corners of his mouth couldn't help curving upward.
Mom was hugging him, and Mom's body felt so warm.
In Dongdong's memory, his mother had never hugged him before. Even when he took a fall, his mother would only tell him to get up by himself.
Now Mom was holding him, and her embrace was so warm.
His two little hands gently hugged his mother, and his mother even smelled nice.
"Dongdong, it was Mom's fault before. Can you forgive Mom?" Jiang Tang asked in a gentle tone.
Jiang Tang felt a genuine ache in her heart for him. The feeling was utterly surreal; by all rights, she shouldn't have been experiencing such intense emotions, yet the moment she looked at Dongdong, a pang of sorrow gripped her heart.
It felt as though this had always been her life.
Regardless of how the original body had treated Dongdong in the past, she would definitely love him well.
Dongdong shook his head: "Dongdong has never blamed Mom."
It was already wonderful enough that Mom had brought him into the world. Besides, Mom had to do so much work every day; it was truly exhausting.
Jiang Tang loosened her embrace and smiled at Dongdong.
Looking at his mother's smile, Dongdong felt happy inside, too. It had been a long, long time since he last saw his mother smile, and she looked so pretty when she did.
"Rumble." Dongdong's stomach growled. He looked shyly down at the floor—he had just forgotten to drink a bit more water.
"Wait a moment, and Mom will make something delicious for you."
Jiang Tang took hold of Dongdong's hand.
Feeling that his mother's hands were cold, Dongdong immediately used both of his own hands to warm them up.
In the book, Dongdong had always yearned for maternal love, desperately hoping for the original body's affection and affirmation.
When he was little, people beat and cursed at him, but he didn't care about any of that; the only person he cared about was the original body. Later on, when he followed her to the military base, whenever anyone spoke ill of the original body, he was always the very first to stand in front of her to shield her.
After the original body died, his personality underwent a drastic transformation. He became taciturn and reticent. Although he grew up to be exceptionally capable, he never smiled once, leaving his inner world a barren wasteland where expression only returned to his face when he stood before the original body's grave.
Looking at the lively Dongdong before her, Jiang Tang felt a heavy tightness in her chest.
From this moment on, Dongdong was her child, and she would absolutely not let him live the way he had before.
Jiang Tang slowly stood up and glanced around their living quarters. A single glance took in the entire house; if not for a bed and a wobbly table with a broken leg, it wouldn't even look like a room fit for human habitation.
Stepping outside, Jiang Tang finally saw the overall layout of the house.
The courtyard was very large. In the enclosure on the left were two chickens, and the eggs they laid on a regular basis were collected and stockpiled by Mother Shen, Wang Guifen, reserved exclusively to be eaten by Shen Guifang, the son born of her eldest son Shen Shan.
There were three rooms in total. Mother Shen occupied one; Shen Shan, his wife Wang Cuihua, and their children shared another. By that reckoning, there should have been a third room for Jiang Tang, but Mother Shen refused to let Jiang Tang live there, forcing them instead into the cramped, poorly ventilated room previously used for storing miscellaneous junk.
In the original story, upon learning that Shen Chuan was about to return, Mother Shen specifically made the original body move back inside the house.
Jiang Tang saw that the kitchen was situated right beside the east wing.
She walked straight into the kitchen. On the floor was a pile of sweet potatoes, the rice jar contained rice, the flour bin nearby held flour, and on top of the cabinet sat some refined white flour, with seasonings neatly arranged on the stove counter.
Seeing all this food, Jiang Tang had already decided what to make.
"Dongdong, watch from the side while Mom makes you something to eat."
Jiang Tang took down the white flour, pouring out a full bowl. Dongdong tightly clutched the hem of his shirt, guessing what his mother was about to do.
He had only ever smelled dishes made with white flour; they smelled exceptionally fragrant.
"Mom..." Dongdong's eyelashes fluttered nervously. "Grandma said we aren't allowed to touch the things in the kitchen, and especially this flour—we can't eat it."
"I'm afraid Grandma will hit Mom."
Mother Shen had never given the original body a pleasant look, working her to the bone like a beast of burden.
The original body had resisted, but her strength was too meager, and every beating left her battered. Whenever Mother Shen frowned, her body would involuntarily tremble.
Seeing his timid expression, Jiang Tang felt a sharp tug at her heart. She squatted down and said with utmost earnestness: "Don't be afraid, Dongdong. Those people will never be able to bully us again."
"This food was originally bought with money your father sent over. It belongs to us in the first place, and since it's ours, of course we can eat it."
The word "Father" flashed across Dongdong's mind and vanished without leaving a trace.
He understood what his mother meant: this was their property.
Jiang Tang loved researching all kinds of culinary delicacies, so cooking was a breeze for her.
First, she added water to the flour, kneading it into a firm dough. After letting the dough rest three times and kneading it three times, she rolled it out paper-thin and used a knife to cut it into uniform widths.
She lit the stove fire, poured in a small splash of oil, and once the wok was hot, cracked in two eggs.
As soon as the eggs hit the hot oil, a rich, fragrant aroma instantly invaded Dongdong's nostrils, and he hurriedly took a few deep sniffs. Mom was so amazing!
Jiang Tang glanced at the green vegetables nearby and picked them up, preparing to wash them first.
Dongdong piped up: "Mom, I'll wash them."
He wanted to help his mother with chores.
Jiang Tang smiled and said: "All right."
Looking at the freshly washed greens, Jiang Tang's eyes softened, and she praised him without hesitation: "Dongdong is so capable. You washed these vegetables so cleanly."
Dongdong's face flushed red with shyness. Mom had praised him.
Once the water came to a boil, the noodles went into the wok. When the noodles were nearly cooked through, she tossed in the greens.
The fragrant bowl of noodles was ready.
Dongdong sat obediently at the table, waiting for Jiang Tang to join him for the meal.
He hadn't eaten all day and his stomach was completely empty, yet he exercised restraint. The aroma of the noodles kept wafting straight into his nose; his heart yearned, but he didn't act.
Seeing Jiang Tang enter, his eyes lit up: "Mom."
Jiang Tang sat down and asked with a smile: "Do you want Mom to feed you?"
Dongdong shook his head and said with deadpan seriousness: "No need, I can take care of myself."