The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 80: Chapter 80: The Importance of Human Relations

The three kids rushed over, crowding around the large basin and staring, gulping repeatedly.

”Mama, sweet, want sweet.” Pingping tugged on her mother’s sleeve. Just from the smell, she knew it would be delicious.

Han Xiaorui put some honey into a bowl for each of them and gave them spoons. ”Eat it yourselves now, and try not to spill.”

Holding a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, the three children shoveled the honey into their mouths.

They were wearing smocks, so she wasn’t worried about them getting their clothes dirty.

The sweet, fragrant taste left them feeling very content.

Han Xiaorui offered some to her younger sister as well. ”It’s so sweet and fragrant!”

”Sis, I’m not a kid anymore!” Han Xiaoqing shook her head. Even though she wanted to try some, she felt she was too old for it.

Han Xiaorui paid her no mind, picking up a piece of the peach blossom honey and holding it to Han Xiaoqing’s lips. ”Since when does enjoying good food have an age limit? Back when the family was poor, even if we had something nice, it was never our turn to eat.”

”We’re not poor anymore. We can afford to eat well and dress well, so why not enjoy it?”

”Don’t be embarrassed. Liking good food and enjoying it just proves that we love life!”

Liang Xiaoyu’s face lit up with a smile as she listened. ”Xiao Rui, you sound just like my mother-in-law. She always says it’s better to figure out something good to eat than to get angry at my father-in-law.”

”No matter how hard life used to be, or how unreliable my father-in-law was, my mother-in-law could always whip up something delicious with the simplest ingredients.”

”None of the other old ladies in the village her age have as good a complexion or are as healthy as she is.”

Hearing what her sister and Sister-in-law Xiao Yu said, Han Xiaoqing felt warm and happy inside.

”This is so delicious! Eating this honey makes life itself feel sweet! It’s as if all the past hardships, suffering, and anger don’t even matter anymore!”

Han Xiaorui nodded emphatically. ”Exactly! Food is the most important thing in life, and it’s also the greatest comfort to the soul.”

Liang Xiaoyu pinched her own waist, swallowed hard, and said with a touch of regret, ”It’s true what they say—a carefree heart leads to a plump body. Xiao Rui, you used to be too skinny. You look much better now with a little more weight on you.”

”But I don’t dare eat too much anymore! Even though I work hard every day, my mother-in-law’s cooking is just too good. I end up overeating every night, and my waist is a whole inch thicker!”

Han Xiaorui burst out laughing. ”That’s my fault. We usually just grab a quick bite on the boat to get by. Of course we can’t resist when we get home at night and see a proper, delicious meal.”

Liang Xiaoyu waved her hand dismissively. ”How could that be your fault? It’s clearly just me being a glutton! Anyway, now that the honey’s extracted, let’s hurry up and get it into jars!”

”And while we’re at it, we can figure out what delicious dishes to make with it for dinner.”

With Liang Xiaoyu’s help, they filled twenty-five one-liter jars to the brim.

There were still two or three pounds left over, which they kept in a large bowl.

They had dried lemon slices at home, so Han Xiaorui steeped them in boiling water. Once the lemon-infused water had cooled, she stirred in the peach blossom honey.

A simple honey-lemon tea was ready. It was refreshingly sweet and tart, and also good for digestion.

In the afternoon, Han Xiaorui bought some pork ribs to make honey-glazed ribs.

The layer of honey gave the ribs a richer color and made them taste even sweeter and more fragrant.

She beat some eggs, mixed in some water, and then added honey. Another option was to drizzle honey on top after they were steamed. And just like that, nutritious honey-steamed eggs were ready!

Making pastries with the honey would have been a bit difficult for Han Xiaorui, as she didn’t have all the right tools.

Han Xiaorui simply gave two jars to Liang Xiaoyu to take home.

Liang Xiaoyu had been bustling about all afternoon and had done the bulk of the work, which made things much easier for Han Xiaorui.

The children had eaten a lot of honey and dishes made with honey today, so Han Xiaorui made sure they brushed their teeth well.

After dinner, Han Xiaorui looked her two daughters in the eyes. ”Pingping, An’an, do you want to go play with Sister Minmin?”

”We do!” Pingping and An’an said in unison.

”When we go to a friend’s house to play, it’s nice to bring a gift. Have you thought about what you’d like to bring for her?” Han Xiaorui asked, trying to find more ways to engage her daughters in conversation.

Pingping began to think. Her eyes landed on the many jars of honey on the table, and she pointed. ”Mama, honey. Sweet. For sister.”

An’an nodded eagerly. ”Yes, honey. Give Sister Minmin honey.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”Go get your little backpacks, and I’ll put one jar in for each of you.”

The sisters turned and ran to get their little backpacks, and they even knew to empty them out first.

Han Xiaorui tightened the lids firmly, placed a jar of honey in each backpack, and helped the girls put them on.

She slung a basket over her arm, in which she had placed three more jars of honey.

They had so much honey at home, they could never finish it all themselves.

Han Xiaorui had no intention of selling it; she’d rather give some to people she was on good terms with.

’Relationships are deepened through these everyday interactions. If you don’t give, how can you expect others to give back?’

’When you’re in trouble, why would people scramble to help you?’

’That’s just how society works. There’s no such thing as hate without a reason, and certainly no such thing as love without a reason.’

Han Xiaorui was teaching her two children this lesson through her own actions.

It was precisely because of these frequent visits that Yang Minmin had grown very fond of Pingping and An’an.

When she came home from school, she’d use her allowance to buy treats like sour plum powder or malt candy and make a special detour just to bring them to the two younger girls.

They weren’t expensive, but they were the kinds of treats little kids loved.

As a result, Pingping and An’an’s communication with Yang Minmin became much smoother.

They would subconsciously observe Yang Minmin’s movements and speech, which was an excellent, proactive way for them to learn.

When Han Xiaorui reported this development to Expert Wang, he agreed that having a patient older child play with them was an excellent way for them to learn on their own.

For this very reason, Han Xiaorui was more than willing to proactively build a good relationship with Wu Cuicui’s family for her children’s sake.

They were relatively close in terms of kinship.

Emotionally, they were close as well.

If something were to happen suddenly to her and her sister, Wu Cuicui and Yang Jianguo were the ones she could entrust her two children to.

The moment Wu Cuicui saw Han Xiaorui arriving with the children, her face lit up. ”Jianguo! Minmin! Xiao Rui is here with Pingping and An’an!”

Yang Jianguo immediately put down his enamel tea mug, and Yang Minmin stopped doing her homework and ran out from her room.

Overjoyed, she laughed as she took her two little sisters by the hands and spun them around in the yard.

Han Xiaorui quickly took the honey jars out of their backpacks; being made of glass, they would surely break if the girls fell.

Seeing the honey, Pingping pulled on Yang Minmin’s hand. ”Sister, honey! Sweet!”

An’an simply picked up a large jar of honey and thrust it into Yang Minmin’s arms. ”For you to eat, Sister!”

Hugging the large jar, Yang Minmin beamed even more brightly. ”Alright, let’s eat some right now!”

Han Xiaorui quickly cut in, ”Minmin, just scoop some out for yourself. Don’t give any to Pingping and An’an. They’ve already had quite a bit this afternoon!”

”You got it!” Yang Minmin agreed. But after scooping some honey into a bowl, she secretly pulled the two younger girls aside to hide and sneak a few bites.

One spoonful for you, one for me... Pingping and An’an opened their little mouths wide, waiting for Sister Minmin to feed them.