Chapter 659 - 342: Snobbish Servant

Chapter 659: Chapter 342: Snobbish Servant

Juhua laughed from the side. "You’re getting quite good at this. You really look the part."

Yun Ying shot her a proud glance. "Weren’t you the one who said I should spend more time around babies? Well, I’m finally starting to understand them a little."

As it turned out, Juhua and Liu Yunlan had been incredibly busy one day, so Juhua had shoved little Hulu into Yun Ying’s arms. She’d then casually made something up, saying that Yun Ying needed to spend more time around babies to better understand their behaviors. The more she saw, she claimed, the more it would help her medical practice when it came to delivering babies and treating sick children.

Yun Ying had thought it over and decided it made sense. And so, little Hulu became her test subject. She took every opportunity to hold him and observe his daily life—sleeping, nursing, and so on. It got to the point where even Juhua started to wonder, ’Could it actually be true? Did I just happen to be right by complete accident?’

Liu Yunlan hurried over, took her son from Yun Ying’s arms, and smiled apologetically. "Doctor Yun, I’m so sorry to have you cleaning up after Hulu. That’s so embarrassing. Juhua, why didn’t you give me a shout?"

Juhua laughed. "Yun Ying wanted to observe a baby’s every little habit—eating, drinking, sleeping, the works. She’s quite the expert now."

Shi Tou’s mother was also changing her son. Afterward, she held him to nurse, but the little guy was crying the entire time.

Hearing what Juhua said, Zhao Qing rushed over to Yun Ying, her face full of adoration. "Yun Ying, my little brother is always crying. Juhua says it’s because I spoiled him and now he has a bad temper. Could you take a look? I can tell you anything you need to know about him."

Yun Ying was very fond of Zhao Qing, so she smiled, took her hand, and went over to look at Zhao Feng as he nursed. The baby’s head was beaded with sweat from crying, his face flushed red as he suckled furiously. She checked his pulse, which was normal, and then smiled. "He was just hungry. This baby does have a bit of a temper, though. He always wants attention. You can’t indulge him too much, or it’ll become a habit that’s hard to break."

Shi Tou’s mother said fiercely, "Don’t you worry. Once he’s a little older, if he cries like this, I’ll give him a good smack. He’s just too little to hit right now."

Juhua and the others all laughed.

As if he could sense his mother scolding him, Zhao Feng let go of her breast, puckered his lips, and started crying again. This infuriated Shi Tou’s mother, who stuffed her nipple back into his mouth and snapped, "Can’t even keep your mouth shut while you’re eating? Cry again and I’ll stop feeding you! I’ve raised two other children and neither was this much trouble. This one is just asking for a spanking. If you make me angry enough, you’ll get a smack, I don’t care how little you are!"

Juhua noticed that although the little baby had stopped crying, he was now sniffling pitifully. She wondered in surprise, ’Can a baby that small really sense his mother’s emotions?’

Yun Ying watched as Liu Yunlan finished nursing little Hulu, put him in his baby walker, and then, in a whirlwind of activity, rushed to the outhouse to rinse the chamber pot. Next, she moved firewood, went to the garden to pick vegetables, washed them, and finally disappeared into the kitchen to get busy. Yun Ying then turned to Juhua and said, "I’ll go steam some soup buns for you. For a change of flavor."

Juhua was overjoyed. "I was just craving some of your pastries but was too embarrassed to ask!" she said with a laugh. "Tell me which vegetables you need for the filling, and I’ll help you prepare them. Third Aunt can help knead the dough. Let’s make a big batch so everyone can have a taste. I wouldn’t want to eat them all by myself."

Yun Ying pouted. "You? Embarrassed? Weren’t you the one telling me just last night that you wanted pastries? I have a hard time believing you’d be embarrassed about anything. I’m making these to thank Uncle and Aunt Zheng, and Uncle and Aunt Zhang. They’ve been so good to me, I should make things for them often to show my gratitude. As for you... why don’t you cook me some pickled vegetables with pork intestines tomorrow? I’m craving intestines, and some pork stomach, too."

It was this very dish of offal with pickled vegetables that had first made her jealous. Consequently, she had a love-hate relationship with any dish made from offal. She staunchly refused to wash or cook with it, yet she absolutely loved to eat it. So, she always had Juhua make it, not lifting a single finger to help.

Juhua readily agreed. "That’s no problem at all. I’ll make it for you. Lighter food is better this time of year, though. A dish like pickled vegetables with pork stomach is better in the winter."

And so, Zhao Qing watched the two little ones in the courtyard while everyone else went into the kitchen to get busy. Juhua made bean jelly, Yun Ying made soup buns, Liu Yunlan prepared dinner, and Shi Tou’s mother helped out. Together, they conducted a symphony of pots, pans, and bowls: spatulas CLANGED against the wok, knives THUDDED on the cutting board, and dishes CLINKED together, all mixed with boisterous laughter and conversation. The scene was bustling with life.

Shi Tou’s mother was full of praise for Liu Yunlan’s efficiency. She then asked about Liu Yunlan’s maiden family, and upon learning that she had a younger brother who wasn’t yet betrothed, she immediately offered enthusiastically, "I have a niece on my side of the family! She takes right after me—very straightforward and capable. She’s fourteen this year. Why don’t we arrange for our two families to have them meet?"