At the beginning, he took his seven younger siblings to join Yi Zhonghai.

evening.

Tan Xiulian used the duck bones she brought back at noon to make a radish and duck bone soup.

Then they said that the tradition of eating dumplings before boarding and noodles upon disembarking should not be lost.

I made another delicious braised noodle dish.

The whole family ate until they were stuffed.

After dinner.

Tan Xiulian was playing with several children on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Yi Zhongding and his elder brother had tea in the living room for a while.

Then they all went back to their rooms to sleep.

Mr. and Mrs. Yi Zhonghai were lying in bed, but neither of them had fallen asleep yet.

"Honey, listen, that must be Xiao Qi's voice. It's so clear and melodious, I'd be happy to listen to it for a lifetime."

Tan Xiulian tilted her ear, trying hard to hear the sounds from the next room.

"Hehe, I think it's Xiao Ba's. When I was giving him a bath this afternoon, hey, this kid's legs are really strong, I almost couldn't grab them."

Yi Zhonghai, too, listened to the commotion next door and said with a cheerful smile.

"Xiaoqi is so strong! This child cries uncontrollably as soon as she gets wet, it breaks my heart."

Tan Xiulian squinted, as if reminiscing about the afternoon.

"Hmm, those are the voices of two girls. Oh dear, every time they call me 'Big Brother,' I feel like I could rip my heart out."

Yi Zhonghai heard new noises.

"You're one to talk! I should have gone to pick them up too. Now they're all closer to you, and it's hard for me to even give them a hug."

Tan Xiulian said with a hint of jealousy.

"Why are you so concerned about this? You'll stay home and take care of them every day from now on, and they'll become closer to you."

Yi Zhonghai said with a smile.

You're right.

"By the way, we'll have to be very careful with the household expenses from now on. Although we have some savings, we still have eight boys to feed, drink, and take care of all their needs."

Tan Xiulian thought for a moment and then said.

"Don't worry, I'll put in the effort and get a senior technician certificate as soon as possible, then my income will increase."

Yi Zhonghai nodded and agreed.

"It didn't matter when it was just the two of us, but now God has taken pity on us and sent us this group of treasures."

"The children are all growing, so to put it bluntly, they need to eat meat at least twice a month."

"Fortunately, the country is stable now. If it were still the era of the white dogs, life would be very difficult."

Tan Xiulian started counting on her fingers to calculate how much it would cost.

"Two times isn't enough, let's do it four times. Each time it'll be two jin (1 kg), and one jin costs seven mao (0.7 yuan). That's only six yuan and forty mao a month."

"In the future, don't render the fat first. Just let them eat as much of that big, white, fatty meat as they want."

"There's also their tuition, book fees, and six little ones need to drink at least malted milk powder, as formula is hard to find."

"I'll get up and do the math carefully, so I can have a better understanding of the situation."

"If that doesn't work, I'll think of some other ways, like making spare parts for people or something. That'll be some income."

As he spoke, Yi Zhonghai sat up in bed and took out paper and pen to write down each item one by one.

"Honey, what about that old lady in the backyard? Given our current situation, I definitely can't take care of her anymore."

"We can't even take care of these few precious babies."

Tan Xiulian glanced at the backyard and said softly.

"Yes, she's still quite nimble. She can empty the chamber pot in the morning and do other things, but she can still cook for herself."

"It might cause some trouble later, but don't worry, I'll think of a solution."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai put down his pen and looked towards the backyard with a somewhat uncertain expression.

He knew perfectly well what his purpose was in serving that deaf old woman.

But now I have so many younger brothers and sisters.

There's absolutely no need to rely on anyone else.

The deaf old lady became a burden.

However, he couldn't simply abandon the situation.

He himself didn't seem to care.

But it's not good for some children.

One reason is that I didn't set a good example.

Don't let your child feel that you are heartless and cruel.

Another point is that outsiders would certainly be blunt in their comments.

What matters most is what kind of negative words will be said about the children in the future.

Therefore, we need to figure out a foolproof method.

Thinking this way.

His gaze fell on the main building in the central courtyard.

It seems that he has made up his mind.

So his expression immediately relaxed.

"What should we tell the children? Let me tell you, our children can't just recognize a woman they have no relation to for no reason."

Tan Xiulian nudged him and said meaningfully.

"That won't do. We, the descendants of the Yi family, can't just recognize other people, especially not a widowed old lady. What if she borrows the luck of our younger siblings?"

"But, I've just thought about it again, and we still need to take care of the old lady."

Yi Zhonghai looked at the paper and pen beside him.

Why?

Tan Xiulian asked, puzzled.

"We're family, and we're all doing this for the children. I won't hide it from you, it's about the house."

"Think about it, we have so many kids. When they all grow up, they'll need their own rooms."

"You can't keep sleeping on the same bed when you grow up. It's okay for boys, but it won't work for two girls. Besides, they will eventually have to get married and start their own families."

"The deaf old lady's place has three rooms in the back courtyard, which can accommodate three people in the future."

"She's getting on in years, she won't live much longer. Taking care of her for a while and then moving her to three different rooms is a win-win situation for us."

Yi Zhonghai said with a deep gaze.

"Well... I'd be willing, it wouldn't be that tiring."

"But isn't that a bit problematic? And is the old lady willing to leave the house to us?"

Tan Xiulian said hesitantly.

"What's wrong with that? We're not doing anything immoral. We're taking care of her as a widow and ensuring she enjoys her old age. It's only right that she leaves the house to us."

"What can she do but take the house with her? As for whether she's willing or not, I'll take care of that."

"This old lady is a very insightful person; she has a strong sense of justice."

"We used to say we'd take care of her in her old age and didn't want anything from her, but she knows perfectly well what we really want."

As Yi Zhonghai spoke, he touched the table, but then quickly withdrew his hand.

"Is it a craving for cigarettes? There's still some in the cupboard."

Tan Xiulian understood immediately upon seeing his actions.

"No, I've quit. Although I don't smoke heavily, I still smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. A pack of economy cigarettes costs eight cents, and a carton costs eighty cents. That's four cartons a month, which adds up to three dollars and twenty cents."

"Nowadays, every penny counts. Although we don't need to be as calculating as Old Man Yan from the front yard, we adults need to be careful with the kids."

Yi Zhonghai shook his head and said.

"I'll continue to take care of the old lady, but the children need to stay away from her."

"Besides, the old lady knows what she'll think when she finds out about our precious children, so we have to be careful."

Tan Xiulian nodded.

"That makes sense. This old lady has seen so much in life; she's very shrewd."

Yi Zhonghai nodded in agreement.

"What about the Jia family? That Jia Zhangshi is not someone to be trifled with."

Tan Xiulian then looked across the street.

"Hmph, if she wants Dongxu to have a good time at the factory, then she'd better behave herself in the yard."

"Speaking of which, she has a mouth that loves to spew nonsense. And her children have lost their parents. I'll have to give her a warning tomorrow."

"If she talks nonsense in front of the child, I'll slap her to death."

"As for Jia Dongxu, I'm not his father, and I never explicitly said that he would take care of me in my old age. Now, it's fair to say that I've done a favor for the Jia family."

"If this family dares to cause trouble, humph, whether it's in the factory or the yard, I'll make sure they can't move an inch."

A rare hint of ruthlessness appeared on Yi Zhonghai's honest face.

He too crawled out of piles of dead bodies on his journey of fleeing famine.

Those kind-hearted people are so foolish, they don't even know which patch of land they've fertilized.