Unexpected Surprise

Zhuang Zhuang studied it carefully. Other than a small part that was not standing up, the flower he made didn’t look all that different from the other one. It actually looked pretty good, but…

“Flowers don’t have a specific shape. On the contrary, they all have their unique sense of beauty because each one looks different from the others.”

Seeing that Zhuang Zhuang was still looking puzzled, Xiaoguo asked again, “You were playing outside for a long time when we were building the snowmen. Did you notice anything different about the snow?”

“Snow?” Zhuang Zhuang racked his brains and finally shook his head. “What’s so different about snow? Isn’t it always cold and white?”

“Of course not.” Xiaoguo shook her head. With that, she got up and went to the wardrobe. She opened it and rummaged for a piece of black cloth. “Zhuang Zhuang, come here.”

Zhuang Zhuang walked towards her in confusion. He took the black cloth from Xiaoguo and looked up at her in confusion.

“Bring this out and spread the cloth to catch the snowflakes. Observe and see what is special about it.”

Zhuang Zhuang always followed Xiaoguo’s advice. After hearing her words, he immediately went to the courtyard with a cloth and spread it out.

Xiaoguo lifted the curtain and looked at him through the gap.

At first, Zhuang Zhuang didn’t think that there was anything different about the snow. When the snowflakes landed on the black cloth, he followed Xiaoguo’s instructions and leaned in to take a closer look. He quickly noticed that there was something different about the snow. He ran anxiously to Xiaoguo’s side to show her. However, as soon as he entered the house, the snowflakes immediately melted from the heat in the house. All that was left was a small wet patch.

“Mother, they all looked different from each other.”

Zhuang Zhuang seemed to have discovered a whole new world. Previously, he didn’t know that snowflakes were uniquely different from each other. Now that he had seen it for himself, it instantly aroused his desire to explore further.

“There are no identical snowflakes in the world. Every snowflake is unique, but look at how beautiful they are when they are gathered in a vast expanse of white.”

“That’s right! They are very beautiful!” Zhuang Zhuang agreed with Xiaoguo. Indeed, they didn’t have to look exactly the same. Their differences make them unique.

Xiaoguo stroked his head and praised him.

When Zhuang Zhuang went on to fold the remaining flowers, he did not insist on making them look the same. Instead, he let nature take its course. Even if there was a slight depression, he didn’t let it bother him.

Xiaoguo was quite satisfied with this outcome. Some time ago, she had noticed that Zhuang Zhuang was a little perfectionist. She took this opportunity to have a good talk with him. After all, a flower without a petal was still called a flower.

The colored paper that Xiaoguo had bought was not pre-cut. Instead, it was cut out from a larger piece of paper. As she had intended to make the flowers bigger, she needed bigger pieces of paper. When all the flowers were joined together, she would have a garland. It would look pretty and eye-catching when she hangs it up in the room.

Xiaoguo did a count and stopped when she realized that there were enough flowers.

“Mother, aren’t you going to continue making the flowers?”

Zhuang Zhuang pointed at the remaining few pieces of red paper.

“No, I am not. I will need those to write something.”

Xiaoguo looked at the red paper on the table and asked Zhuang Zhuang to count how many pieces were left.

“There are eight left.”

Xiaoguo nodded. There were eight of them. After she used six for writing, there will be two pieces left…

“Mother, what are we going to do next?”

Zhuang Zhuang’s hands were itching to do more. He wanted to do more.

“Hmmm…” Xiaoguo thought for a moment and decided not to do anything else. “Shall we eat? There will be more work in the afternoon.”

Zhuang Zhuang nodded. “Eating is good!”

“Let’s go and cook!” Xiaoguo called Zhuang Zhuang to the kitchen, and watched him as he washed his hands.

After lunch, Xiaoguo wanted Zhuang Zhuang to take an afternoon nap. The older folks used to say that children would grow taller if they slept more. She wished for Zhuang Zhuang to grow taller, but he refused to sleep no matter what. Xiaoguo had no choice.

“Zhuang Zhuang, why don’t you take a short nap?”

“I’m not sleeping. When I sleep, Mother will have to work alone.” Zhuang Zhuang placed his hands on his hips and straightened his back.

“No, Mother is not going to work.” Xiaoguo smiled, trying to fool the boy.

“Then why don’t you sleep with me?” Zhuang Zhuang wasn’t going to be fooled so easily.

“Mother still has a lot of work to do…” Xiaoguo subconsciously told the truth, but it was too late to take back her words.

Zhuang Zhuang gave her a knowing look.

Knowing that she was in the wrong, Xiaoguo sighed. “Fine, if you don’t want to sleep, so be it.”

In any case, with Jiang Danhe’s genes, Zhuang Zhuang wouldn’t grow up to be too short. Besides, Xiaoguo’s height was also above average. Therefore, based on genetics, Zhuang Zhuang’s potential height should not be a cause for worry. If he didn’t wish to sleep, so be it. He can make up for the lost sleep when tomorrow comes.

At the thought of this, Xiaoguo felt relieved. “Alright then. Let’s take a break. After the food has been digested, we’ll go to the kitchen to prepare the food.”

“Okay…”

In any case, Zhuang Zhuang wasn’t trying to be difficult—he just wanted to stay by his mother’s side.

—-

“Mother, what should we do first?”

Zhuang Zhuang stood beside Xiaoguo, wearing a special apron. He looked like he was going to show off his culinary skills

“…”

“Are you going to do it?” Xiaoguo glanced at Zhuang Zhuang from head to toe. Those who didn’t know better would think that he was the assisting chef.

“Hehe.” When Zhuang Zhuang heard this, he came down in embarrassment and moved his stool further away to make room for her. “Please go ahead.”

Xiaoguo shook her head. This silly boy was behaving more and more like Jiang Danhe. Based on her observation, they were definitely biologically related.

“Then let’s cut the vegetables first.”

Xiaoguo looked at the vegetables that were laid out neatly on the table. Not only did they look good, they also brought her joy when she was cooking. Although she was now living in the olden times, she still made sure to appreciate the finer things in life. This was something that she did not abandon during the apocalypse, and she was even more adamant about it now, living in this period.

“Then I’ll wash the vegetables!”

Zhuang Zhuang volunteered to help. His mother would not let him hold the knife, so he couldn’t cut the vegetables. In any case, he didn’t know how to do it either. Hence, the job of washing vegetables had to go to him since he was very good at it.

Xiaoguo took a large basin and placed all the vegetables she needed in it. Then, she poured hot water into the basin and mixed it with some cold water. She tested the water temperature before handing it over to Zhuang Zhuang. “Go ahead.”

Zhuang Zhuang stood obediently at the side and watched Xiaoguo. After getting her approval, he started washing the vegetables.

He was still young. His mother was right—there were many things that he could not do just by putting on a brave front. If it were in the past, he would definitely try to show off in spite of his ability. But now, he understood. He could only help his mother to the best of his abilities. When he gets older, he could take on all the responsibilities, and his mother would not have to work so hard anymore.

If Xiaoguo knew about Zhuang Zhuang’s grand wish, she would definitely be touched.

While Zhuang Zhuang was washing the vegetables, Xiaoguo sharpened the knife and prepared to cut the meat. She cut a large piece of pork based on the estimation she had in mind.

According to her invitation, Qin Anming should be back at noon. She wondered if Ruyi and the others would follow him. After all, the shop was very busy. It was likely that they couldn’t come.

Xiaoguo hesitated for a while and decided to include their portions too. Even if they couldn’t make it for the party, it wouldn’t hurt to have some extra food.

For lunch, they would be having noodles, stir-fried chives with eggs, and cabbage shredded pork. In addition, she would prepare meatballs, braised pork and stir-fried mushrooms with bok choy. There will also be spicy chicken cubes.

As she counted the items on her list, there were a total of six dishes. It should be just nice.

Xiaoguo put down the kitchen knife and placed all the cut ingredients on a plate. She covered them with pieces of gauze. In this weather, they wouldn’t spoil overnight. She could just stir-fry them tomorrow. It was very convenient.

“Mother, what else should we do?”

Zhuang Zhuang was massaging Xiaoguo’s back. When his mother straightened her back just now, there was a cracking sound at her waist. She must be feeling tired.

“That’s all for the dishes, but I still have one more dish to prepare.”

Zhuang Zhuang stopped and hugged Xiaoguo. He blinked his big eyes and asked curiously, “What is it?”

Xiaoguo smiled mysteriously and touched Zhuang Zhuang’s little face. It was still the same bouncy face, but she was not going to tell him about the little surprise.

“I’m not telling you.”