The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: A Response, a Pleasant Surprise

Early morning sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, illuminating the bed.

Han Xiaorui woke to an upset stomach. She immediately jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom.

A moment later, Han Xiaorui stood by the sink, looking at herself in the mirror.

The woman who was once pale with sunken eyes now had a spark in her eyes and vigor in her body.

She squeezed a little toothpaste onto her white toothbrush and quickly brushed her teeth.

After washing her face with plain water, she applied a little bit of children’s face cream, having no other skincare products.

By the time she was ready, it was only seven o’clock.

Children with autism were often picky eaters, leading to malnutrition.

In her past life, Han Xiaorui’s younger sister was a special education teacher, so she knew a bit about autism.

’Picky eating is a sign of illness. The body is rejecting certain foods, and that’s why they become picky.’

For example, Pingping and An’an currently didn’t eat egg yolks, only the whites.

’It’s possible they really don’t like the taste, or it could be because the yolks are dry and difficult to swallow.’

But egg yolks are full of rich nutrients and many trace elements, which are especially good for children.

So, Han Xiaorui decided not to just make boiled eggs anymore. Today, she was making steamed egg custard.

Pingping liked sweet flavors, so Han Xiaorui added a little sugar to her egg custard.

An’an preferred savory, so she added a bit of salt to hers.

Han Xiaorui didn’t neglect herself, either. She liked her steamed eggs plain—so smooth and tender!

’In the apocalypse, getting a bite of steamed egg like this was nearly impossible!’

’The kids don’t like vegetables?’

’Heh, that’s even easier to deal with!’

She crushed some bok choy in a garlic mortar, then mixed it with flour to make a batter.

She put a little oil in a small pan, poured in a layer of the green batter, sprinkled some white sesame seeds on top, and pan-fried it on both sides until cooked.

They didn’t have any ketchup at home. If they did, she could have drawn cute little animals on the vegetable sesame pancakes.

That would have boosted the children’s appetites.

Hearing a noise at the door, Han Xiaorui looked down from upstairs and saw the milkman putting milk into the milk box by the entrance.

Her father-in-law, Yang Zhigang, had ordered the milk for the two children.

Although her husband, Yang Jianming, and her mother-in-law weren’t good people, her father-in-law doted on his two granddaughters.

Han Xiaorui went downstairs to get the milk, placing the bottles in hot water to warm them up.

’My family back home lives in a mountain village. After paying taxes, there’s barely any money left from the farm’s output at the end of the year. To earn money, one has to leave and find work, but that’s simply impossible for a woman alone with two children. Being near the sea makes it convenient for me to fish. Staying here is the right choice. Besides, the children’s autism needs treatment. That’s a long-term process, not something that can be fixed in a few days.’

And just like that, breakfast for the mother and her two daughters was ready—simple and nutritious.

Han Xiaorui returned to the bedroom and saw that the two children were already awake. They were playing silently on the bed, not making a single sound.

”Pingping, An’an, time to eat!” The moment Han Xiaorui saw the children, her eyes filled with tenderness and gratitude.

A spontaneous maternal love welled up and filled Han Xiaorui’s heart. It was probably an instinct left behind by the body’s original owner.

Han Xiaorui didn’t reject it. She was strong and held a reverence for life; she would treat these two children well.

Hearing their mother’s gentle voice and seeing her warm smile, both Pingping and An’an turned to look at her.

The older sister, Pingping, didn’t smile, but there was a light in her eyes.

The younger sister, An’an, opened her little mouth but couldn’t form any words, though her eyes curved into crescents.

Seeing the children react to the outside world made Han Xiaorui even more thrilled.

’The most worrying thing about autism is a complete lack of response to external stimuli. The effectiveness of treatment is very poor in those cases.’

The children were wearing long johns, with denim overalls on top and a thick jacket over that.

After they were dressed, Han Xiaorui didn’t brush the children’s teeth for them as usual. Instead, she guided them hand-over-hand, teaching them how to brush their teeth while talking to them.

Fortunately, the two children didn’t resist, which was a great relief to Han Xiaorui.

Arriving at the dining table, she put bibs on the children.

The children were thirsty and started drinking their milk, finishing half of it in one go.

The steamed eggs, smooth and tender, smelled delicious.

Han Xiaorui began to guide them, scooping a spoonful into her own mouth. ”Mmm, it’s so yummy and smells so good.”

Perhaps it was Han Xiaorui’s animated expression, but both Pingping and An’an picked up their spoons and tried the egg custard.

Pingping loved the sweet egg custard and finished her whole small bowl. An’an still had a little left.

The vegetable sesame pancake was cut into small, fan-shaped wedges. They each ate two small pieces, polishing off half the pancake between them.

Today they had eaten more than before—including egg yolk and the vegetable pancakes.

This amount of food was already enough to make Han Xiaorui overjoyed.

After breakfast, it was already 7:40 AM. Han Xiaorui changed her jacket, tied her hair into a high ponytail, and got ready to go out.

Just as she was locking the door, Yang Zhigang appeared carrying a basin, a tense look on his face. He was worried Han Xiaorui was taking the children and running away. ”Xiao Rui, where are you taking the kids?”

Han Xiaorui respected Yang Zhigang. ”To the maternal and child health hospital. I saw on TV a couple of days ago that there’s a specialist who studied abroad holding a clinic.”

Hearing this, Yang Zhigang breathed a sigh of relief. ”You’ll have to squeeze onto a bus and then transfer. It’ll be a hassle and probably take two hours to get there.”

”You and the kids wait here. Put these prawns in the fridge. I’ll go find Song Sixth and have him drive you. Take a taxi back—I’ll reimburse you for the fare.”

”Thank you!” Han Xiaorui was grateful. Her former father-in-law’s concern for the children was genuine, and he was willing to make sacrifices for them.

Han Xiaorui put the prawns away, and by then, a minivan had already pulled up to the door.

Song Sixth opened the back door, and Han Xiaorui lifted the two children inside. ”Thank you, Uncle Six.”

”Don’t mention it.” Song Sixth was dark-skinned and thin. He usually made money by driving people or hauling goods in his minivan.

As they passed her in-laws’ house, Han Xiaorui asked Song Sixth to stop for a moment. She rolled down the window. ”Pingping, An’an, say goodbye to Grandpa.”

Pingping and An’an recognized their grandfather. They smiled at him and waved, but still didn’t speak.

But even this reaction made Yang Zhigang very happy. In the past, the children never smiled, much less waved goodbye.

Yang Zhigang smiled kindly and patted his two granddaughters’ little heads. His voice was gentle. ”Goodbye, Pingping, An’an. Be good and listen to your mother when you’re out.”

Then, something surprising happened. An’an and Pingping actually nodded in response to their grandfather’s words.

Yang Zhigang’s old eyes reddened slightly. He was deeply gratified. He took out his wallet and stuffed a handful of ten-yuan bills into Han Xiaorui’s hand.

”Xiao Rui, take some extra money for the kids’ appointment. If it’s not enough, just call me, and I’ll bring you more.”

Han Xiaorui didn’t refuse her father-in-law’s money. She took it, grateful. ”Thank you.”

”No need to thank me. I’m their grandfather; it’s what I should do.” Yang Zhigang waved and then called out to Song Sixth in the front, ”Old Liu, drive slowly and steadily. And don’t smoke while you’re driving. It’s not safe, and the smoke will bother my granddaughters.”

”Whatever you say, Old Yang, I’ll be sure to do it.” Song Sixth smiled, flattering Yang Zhigang.

After all, Yang Zhigang’s family had the biggest fishing boat and made a lot of money every year.

He was practically the richest man in Jinshan Bay, so everyone showed him respect.