Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng hadn’t discussed in detail when to have children, but they had agreed before marriage not to rush for the first two years.

Nobody knew how Zhou Cheng had communicated this with his family, but the Zhou family indeed never pressured Xia Xiaolan about it.

The Zhou family was generally harmonious. Previously, only Jiang Hong had been difficult, but after owing Xia Xiaolan a great favor regarding Zhou Yi’s situation, she had become Xia Xiaolan’s staunchest supporter in the family. Without her criticism, relationships were naturally peaceful.

“Zhou Yi was going to come back for New Year’s, but your uncle convinced her not to,” Jiang Hong complained about her husband’s decision.

Time flew – Zhou Yi’s daughter Zhou Ke was already over two years old. Zhou Yi had left the country shortly after giving birth; Zhou Ke’s age marked the duration of her mother’s absence.

She had returned once – when she caught Yuan Han’s infidelity and divorced him.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder – now that Zhou Yi had cut ties with Yuan Han, Jiang Hong’s feelings were gradually shifting from indifference to longing.

Raising Zhou Ke hadn’t been easy!

Though they had a nanny, how could that compare to Jiang Hong’s devotion?

Under Jiang Hong’s care, Zhou Ke grew plump and healthy. At just over two years old, she could feed herself, though she still scattered rice grains with her spoon – not bad for a child under three.

She was adorable and well-mannered, calling Xia Xiaolan “Auntie” in her baby voice that melted Xia Xiaolan’s heart.

Despite having met Xia Xiaolan only a few times, she was very affectionate, always staying close to her.

Perhaps learning from Zhou Yi’s example, Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong were very strict with Zhou Ke’s upbringing.

Though Zhou Ke could use a spoon, her small hands weren’t steady enough to prevent rice grains from falling onto the table.

What Zhou Ke did next surprised Xia Xiaolan. The child glanced at Zhou Wenban, then used her chubby hands to pick up every grain from the table and put them in her mouth, one by one.

Her movements weren’t awkward at all, clearly a regular practice… Everyone at the table was stunned, looking between Zhou Ke and Zhou Wenban’s couple.

Zhou’s aunt wondered if Zhou Yi’s overseas studies had put financial strain on her eldest brother’s family.

Zhou Ke, not even three years old, picking up rice grains from the table!

It wasn’t very hygienic.

People often say “A little dirt won’t hurt,” and children should be raised to be hardy, but Xia Xiaolan believed illness enters through the mouth. More concerning was how practiced the child’s movements were, obviously a regular habit.

Zhou Ke didn’t understand what she’d done wrong. With all the adults staring silently, the little girl nervously fidgeted her lotus-root-like chubby hands.

The older generation typically favored grandchildren over children. While Old Master Zhou had previously looked down on Zhou Yi, he was very loving toward his great-granddaughter Zhou Ke. He held her and asked why she picked up the rice grains.

“We can’t waste food.”

Zhou Ke said this while looking at Zhou Wenban.

Everyone knew whose words these were.

Zhou Wenban tried to explain:

“Mainly because she kept scattering rice while eating, I told her we couldn’t waste food and that she had to eat what fell on the table. It made her more careful when eating.”

Zhou Ke wasn’t concerned about the cleanliness of table-dropped rice – children that age rarely understand such concepts. The main issue was that her small hands weren’t dexterous enough, making picking up rice grains troublesome… As Zhou Wenban said, to avoid this task, she quickly improved her spoon-handling skills.

Old Master Zhou snorted, “Now you know to be strict with Zhou Ke – where was this before?”

This time Zhou Wenban dared not argue.

Well, being lectured by his elderly father in front of the whole family was embarrassing for a man over fifty.

But what could he do? This was the “glory” Zhou Yi had earned him.

Zhou Ke, still confused, wiggled out of Old Master Zhou’s arms and toddled toward Zhou Wenban.

Though Old Master Zhou was speaking up for her, she didn’t understand.

The little girl had been raised by Jiang Hong and Zhou Wenban all this time – they were her closest family.

Zhou Wenban felt comforted, and Jiang Hong thought the little one showed some gratitude.

Xia Xiaolan privately remarked to Zhou Cheng:

“Uncle and Aunt are once bitten, twice shy, afraid Zhou Ke might become a second Zhou Yi.”

Zhou Cheng nodded, “After Zhou Yi’s incident, who in the family isn’t worried? The aunts all fear their daughters following Zhou Yi’s path. She’s become the family’s negative example. Only when she makes a name for herself in America will Uncle and Aunt be able to hold their heads high.”

No one was giving Zhou Wenban grief – he and Jiang Hong were creating their anxiety.

Zhou Yi surely understood this too, which was why she stayed and worked hard in America.

Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng walked home hand in hand.

Though Old Master Zhou had criticized Zhou Wenban for overcompensating, his actions showed otherwise. Xia Xiaolan heard that the next day, he had Jiang Hong send Zhou Ke to stay with them during the day, only returning her in the evening.

Confused and not daring to challenge her father-in-law, Jiang Hong sought Xia Xiaolan’s help:

“Xiaolan, what do you think the old master is doing? Zhou Ke comes home exhausted every day but won’t say what she does.”

“Aunt, shall I go check?”

That was exactly what Jiang Hong wanted.

Xiaolan was the elders’ favorite – Jiang Hong was asking her to investigate.

Zhou Cheng was on holiday leave, and the young couple had nothing particular to do, so they decided to visit the elders.

They arrived after 11 AM, and Grandmother Zhou immediately complained to her grandson and daughter-in-law: “I think that old man’s gone senile. How can such a small child do work? I’m embarrassed to face Wenban’s wife!”

She blushed at how her husband was treating their eldest son’s granddaughter.

Xia Xiaolan peeked outside – it was a nice day, and Old Master Zhou sat on a stool in the courtyard, watching Zhou Ke work.

Zhou Ke was indeed working.

When Xia Xiaolan had visited for dinner days before, that part of the courtyard had been a flower bed. Now the flowers were gone, the soil tilled, and Zhou Ke was bent over, using a small stick to dig holes.

She would dig a small hole, put seeds in with her chubby hands, then water it with a tiny watering can… No wonder the child complained of exhaustion – who would make a not-yet-three-year-old plant garden?

Even Zhou Cheng was shocked – such a tiny laborer challenged his understanding:

“Grandfather, what’s the point of this?”

Zhou Ke spotted her pretty aunt and abandoned her watering can to run over.

Caught red-handed, Old Master Zhou remained unabashed. “Zhou Ke, you tell them.”

Zhou Ke’s voice was still babyish, but her expression was serious: “Great-grandfather taught me not to waste food.”

Being a Zhou, she called Zhou Wenban and Jiang Hong Grandfather and Grandmother rather than maternal grandparents, making Zhou the elder “Great-grandfather.” Zhou Wenban had ordered her not to spill food on the table, and Zhou Ke had complied out of fear of his strictness, not truly understanding the concept of “not wasting food” – she was just mimicking and repeating what Zhou Wenban had told her.

Old Master Zhou had the guard remove the flowers and till a small plot, making Zhou Ke “work” daily until she was tired while teaching her why not to waste food. Though she couldn’t understand at her age, she would certainly remember this experience… The old master was the strictest of all!