Everyone in Kindergarten was reborn, except for…[90’s] - Chapter 7

When Second Aunt returned home, she immediately took charge with a commanding presence, creating a bustling atmosphere. This would irritate most daughters-in-law in ordinary households.

But Tao Lihua is not an ordinary person, she is the “Squad Leader of the Second Class”.

Tao Lihua went back to her room happily and wittily, took out her wool to knit a sweater, and complimented her with a smile on her face: “Second Sister, your cooking is indeed better than mine. Even our mother says so. I’m just a novice in the kitchen.”

Rong Jiahui proudly replied, “Of course, my cooking is unparalleled. Mom and Dad have grown accustomed to my skills. Even my elder sister can’t compare.”

Upon mentioning Elder Sister Rong, Tao Lihua and Rong Jiahui exchanged a glance and shivered slightly, as if struck by a chill. They both feared the sternness of Teacher Rong.

“Let’s not bring that up.”

“Absolutely, no need.”

As sisters-in-law, their harmony was unusual.

Not to mention, Rong Jiahui and her husband were quite capable. In no time, the house became tidier, and lunch was quickly prepared. As the dumplings were close to being cooked, Rong Jiahui repeatedly looked out the window, curious about her parents’ whereabouts.

After several glances, she finally spotted her parents riding bicycles back home. Grandpa Rong was pedaling swiftly with Grandma Rong seated behind.

“Xuebao, Xiaoyu, it’s time for lunch,” she called out to the kids playing below the window. Xuebao heard and happily shook her little braid, saying, “I’m going home for lunch. Can we play again in the afternoon?”

Kong Tiantian agreed, “Sure.”

Xuebao’s smile widened, and she enthusiastically suggested, “We can watch cartoons together too. ‘Shu Ke and Beta’ are on this evening.”

For Kong Tiantian and Su Meng, memories of watching cartoons were distant, but seeing Xuebao’s joyful excitement, they immediately agreed, “Let’s play together and watch cartoons.”

Xiaoyu chimed in, “Shu Ke Shu Ke, I am Shu Ke the pilot; Beta Beta, I am Beta the tanker.” He then burst into song, “Shuke, Shu Ke, flying the airplane, Shu Ke; Beta, Beta, driving the tank, Beta…”

Xuebao joined in, singing cheerfully, “Shu Ke who loves to learn… Beta who loves to work…”

The cousins’ joint singing brought great delight, while Kong Tiantian and Su Meng found themselves tapping their toes in rhythm.

They also couldn’t help but find Xuebao incredibly adorable.

As Grandpa Rong and Grandma Rong parked their bicycles, they watched their grandchildren proudly. Grandpa praised, “You’re singing so well. You could become a singer when you grow up.”

Xuebao eagerly raised her hand and declared, “I want to fly the airplane. I’m the little mouse Shu Ke.”

Grandma Rong’s pride swelled, “Oh my, our Xuebao is amazing. So young and already so determined.”

Xuebao grinned, showing her little white teeth.

She bared her small teeth, hehe, proudly holding her head high. Grandma Rong held her little granddaughter with a smile and said, “Let’s all go home for dinner, it’s getting late.”

“Okay, see you again, Grandpa Rong, and Grandma Rong, let Xuebao come together this afternoon.”

“Roar!!!”

The children dispersed, and Grandma Rong led the two children home. Xiaoyu was like a monkey, he ran up the stairs first. As soon as he entered, he could smell the fragrance in the room. He sniffed and said, “It smells so good.”

Rong Jiahui smiled: “I refined the oil residue, you can eat some after dinner. Eat the dumplings first.”

She opened the table, put out the dumplings, and asked, “I left a plate for the Jiadong, is it enough?”

Tao Lihua: “That’s enough, he’s helping someone drive a wedding car today, and he hasn’t come back yet, so he probably ate there.”

She led the two children into the bathroom to wash their hands. Seeing that her daughter’s face, which was clean when she went out in the morning, now looked like a little tabby cat, Tao Lihua washed her face again and said, “Just play around, how can you still make a face like a little flowery dog?”

Xuebao raised her head unconvinced, and said, “Mom is talking nonsense, I don’t.”

Tao Lihua said to her: “This is for you to clean up, you dare to talk back.”

The little girl smiled and hugged her mother’s leg, mumbling: “Don’t talk back, Xuebao is very good.”

Tao Lihua playfully scolded, “You…”

Teasing her daughter, she picked her up and walked toward the dining table. By this time, everyone was seated and ready to eat. Without waiting for Rong Jiadong, they began their meal. Grandpa Rong looked at his son-in-law and said, “Da Qiang, tomorrow morning, bring your identification documents home. Go to the factory and see Director Sun to complete the formalities for your official position.”

Upon hearing this, Tang Daqiang nearly choked on his food, taken aback by the sudden proposition. He looked at his father with a mix of surprise and gratitude, saying, “Dad, this… this…”

Grandpa Rong glanced at him and asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t want to be a regular employee?”

Tang Daqiang stammered, “I do, I’ve always wanted to. It’s just… I didn’t expect this…”

His eyes welled up with tears, and he started to cry, overcome with emotion. “I finally have a stable job. Dad, you’re amazing.”

Grandpa Rong shot him a look of disdain. “Pull yourself together. What’s this? Crying like this embarrasses us. Letting the kids see you like this is a joke.”

Tang Daqiang managed an “Um.”

Rong Jiahui was also deeply moved, her eyes slightly red as she expressed her gratitude, “Dad, thank you.”

Grandpa Rong glanced at his second daughter and said, “You’re my daughter. How could I not look out for you? Would I let you live poorly? Back then, there might not have been opportunities, but as long as there’s a chance, I’ll always take it.”

On this matter, Rong Jiahui understood her father well. With his age and experience, he had never been on the losing side of any deal.

She asked, “So, Daqiang is going to…?”

Grandpa Rong replied, “He’s being placed as a workshop worker.” He raised his eyes and asked, “What else can he do if not in the workshop?”

Quickly trying to appease him, Rong Jiahui smiled and said, “Dad, I understand. I think the workshop is a good fit. The machinery factory has good benefits. With overtime pay included, he’ll earn quite a bit in a month. If he works well in the workshop for a few years, we might even get a house allocation.”

“Don’t think about unnecessary things. Those opportunities have come and gone. Focus on working well and quietly saving money.”

After hearing this, Rong Jiahui nodded in understanding and said, “I know.”

While the adults were talking, the children were oblivious to the conversation. Xuebao sat on a stool, eating dumplings with big bites despite her small size. Tao Lihua looked at her daughter and said, “No one is competing with you. Eat slowly, take smaller bites. Why eat in such a hurry?”

Xuebao mumbled softly, “I want to finish eating and go play.”

Tao Lihua disagreed, “What’s the rush to play in the middle of the afternoon? You’ll go to bed later. Children need enough sleep to grow.”

Xuebao’s small mouth drooped, “Oh…”

Clearly, she wasn’t pleased with that response.

“What are you sulking about? You take naps at the kindergarten during lunchtime, right?”

Xuebao raised her face and said, “But there are many friends to sleep with at the kindergarten.”

Tao Lihua responded, “Your cousin can sleep with you.”

Xiaoyu was busy eating and didn’t even look up. With a mouth full of dumplings, he said, “Not me. I’m a boy. I can’t sleep with girls. It’s not good for my reputation.”

The entire family: “…”

Oh, come on, ‘a boy.’

This little boy could certainly talk big.

Xuebao became more determined, saying, “Look, look, Cousin doesn’t sleep either.”

Tao Lihua added, “Then Mom will sleep with you.”

Xuebao widened her eyes, unable to come up with any more excuses. With a resigned pout, she reluctantly agreed.

Children, oh children, they can surely spin tales. Despite Xuebao’s attempts to avoid sleeping, once she was full, she grew sleepy. Her little head nodded gradually. Seeing her like this, Tao Lihua picked her up and carried her to the room. She placed her on her and her husband’s bed, covered her with a blanket, and made sure she wouldn’t catch a chill.

As Xuebao kicked her legs and muttered, Tao Lihua quickly patted her to lull her to sleep. Once she was settled, Tao Lihua left the room. She found that Rong Jiahui had already cleared the dining table. Rong Jiahui was holding a small plastic basket and said, “Since you’re home, we’ll take Dad and Mom to have a bath.”

Tao Lihua immediately went to get money, but Rong Jiahui gave her a stern look and said, “A bath only costs a little money. What are you doing? Are you criticizing me?”

Tao Lihua smiled and explained, “Second Sister, no…”

“That’s enough, let’s go.”

Led by the family of three, the elderly couple headed out. With nothing else to do, Tao Lihua decided to rest with her daughter. Every week when the Second sister came back, quite a few people would come to her to stir things up. However, Tao Lihua had always been clear-headed; their visits could bring both positives and negatives. Not only did they provide some support for the family, but they also helped take care of the elderly. This made their lives quite relaxed.

So, this time, considering Grandpa Rong’s age, he couldn’t delay it any further. It was time to pass on the work to his son-in-law. Tao Lihua didn’t express any opinions. With both of them having jobs, the weakest link in the family’s finances was the Second Aunt. Having her husband take over made perfect sense.

That morning, the elderly couple went out to handle this matter. In fact, Grandpa Rong had retired last year, but because he had agreed to train some new recruits, he postponed the formal procedures until recently.

However, it was easy to predict that Second Aunt’s husband handling the official procedures tomorrow would cause quite a stir. After all, it’s not common for a family to pass on a job to their son-in-law…

Even if there’s no one in the family to take over, the job could also be sold. Actually, some people had inquired about it at Tao Lihua’s place a while back. Everyone knew that the couple had secure jobs, so this wasn’t an issue for them.

Tao Lihua always avoided getting involved in such family matters and managed to sidestep these issues.

However, she knew that the next day would be far from quiet. She wondered how many people would come to inquire about the news.

Rubbing her temples, she thought about these things. Waking up early in the morning made her feel drowsy. She soon fell asleep…

Tao Lihua hadn’t slept for long when she felt an itch on her face, as if a dragonfly had landed on it. She let out a muffled groan and swatted her hand, but her hand was caught. She opened her eyes in a daze, only to see her husband’s mischievous smile. He was lying beside her, looking relaxed, and sneakily gave her a kiss.

She extended her arm to hold him and asked, “Just got back? Have you had your meal?”

Rong Jiadong kicked off his shoes, laid down beside her, and the three of them—husband, wife, and daughter—cuddled closely at the edge of the bed. Little Xuebao sprawled across half the bed, her little feet sticking up high. You could almost take a bite if you reached higher.

In a hushed voice, Rong Jiandong replied, “Yes, we ate. The main household took care of the meal.”

Tao Lihua didn’t want to wake up their daughter. She lowered her voice even more and recounted today’s events. Rong Jiadong nodded and said, “I know about that. Dad talked to me about it early this morning. On behalf of both of us, I expressed our support for our Second brother-in-law taking on this job. The second Sister’s family is doing well. They’ve earned much more from this job than we did from selling it. This account adds up, there’s no doubt about that. We can’t be shortsighted.”

Tao Lihua laughed, “You don’t have to tell me these things. I listen to you.”

Rong Jiadong caressed his wife’s face and said, “Wife, you’re wonderful.”

Tao Lihua gently patted his hand and said, “You just be honest. Our child is here.”

Rong Jiadong grinned. Tao Lihua blushed slightly and gave him a stern look before continuing in an even softer voice, “Tonight…”

Rong Jiadong raised an eyebrow and said, “I didn’t mean that. I didn’t expect you to be so impatient…” He had just finished speaking when Tao Lihua playfully swatted him twice. Tao Lihua whispered, “You always tease me.”

Rong Jiadong feigned an innocent look, saying, “Now you’re the one bullying me. You hit me and then say I’m the one bullying you?”

“You, it’s all you!” Tao Lihua hit him again twice. Rong Jiadong pretended to evade, and the two of them collided and ended up on the floor!

Thud!

Xuebao: “Huh?”

The little girl rubbed her eyes sleepily and murmured in a soft and sleepy voice, “It’s thundering…”