How can someone travel through time and space and become a beggar?

Wang Yong bought the vegetables in advance and came back later than Dong Xiaohuan and the others. Dong's mother took the vegetables and went into the kitchen. Xia Tian followed behind, "Grandma, let me help."

Dong's mother turned around and smiled gently, "Good boy, go play, grandma can do it alone."

Xia Tian shook her head, took the basin for washing vegetables, filled it with water, and squatted beside it waiting. Dong's mother laughed helplessly. Who wouldn't love a child like this? "How old are you this year?"

Xia Tian thought about it, his memory was too vague. When he was a beggar, the only thing on his mind every day was to fill his stomach. Later, when he took in his brothers, he thought about how to keep them alive. He couldn't even remember his birthday. "I don't remember."

Poor child, Dong's mother sighed quietly, "You don't even remember your birthday?"

Xia Tian shook his head. When his mother was still alive, she would boil him an egg on his birthday. It was probably winter, because it was very cold. Their clothes weren't thick enough, and they were shivering from the cold. Mother would make them stay in bed, wrapping them in blankets to keep them warm.

Dong's mother was silent for a while, then said, "Since your name is Xia Tian, let's choose a day in the summer for your birthday. Then we can discuss it with your mother and decide on it."

"Yeah." Xia Tian smiled, "Now every day is my birthday, and I have boiled eggs to eat every day."

Dong's mother felt sad when she heard this. She remembered that when the family was in trouble, Xiaohuan had only a boiled egg to eat on her birthday. She always felt that she owed this child. She wondered if she hadn't raised her well when she was young, so she couldn't get pregnant. Now everything is fine, and having a child will be fine. And there are these well-behaved and lovable ones. She collected her thoughts and rubbed Xia Tian's head, "When your birthday is set, grandma will make you longevity noodles, cooked in chicken soup, and add two fried eggs. Okay?"

"Thank you, Grandma." Xia Tian smiled, but tears welled up in his eyes. The longer he stayed in this home, the more he realized how wonderful home was. But since he lost his mother, he no longer had a home.

"Good boy, have you forgotten your younger brothers' birthdays?" asked Dong's mother.

"I don't know." They don't have time to think about birthdays. They are lucky enough to be alive.

"Xiaohuan didn't say she would choose one for you. You are becoming more and more careless as you get older." Dong's mother couldn't help but complain.

Xia Tian, however, could not bear to hear anyone say bad things about Dong Xiaohuan, and hurriedly explained, "We're all too busy. Mom is so good to us. I have three new sets of clothes and new shoes, and my brothers have them too. Dad even taught me martial arts. I'm so happy now, and birthdays aren't that important anymore."

Seeing his excitement, Dong's mother smiled and praised him again, saying, "Good boy." As a parent, she certainly didn't think her child was bad at all, she just said it casually, but she didn't expect the child to get so anxious.

"One plus two," Xia Chu said, holding a handful of grass stems. He placed one on the left and two on the right, then asked Dong Dongdong, "How many are there?"

"One, two, three." Dong Dongdong counted them, then looked at his sister with a smile.

"How many does it equal?" Xia Chu asked.

"Two." Dong Dongdong said with a smile.

Xia Chu's eyes widened. "How many?"

Dong Dongdong laughed, "Four."

Zhang Zhou and Guan Xu were stunned. They looked at Dong Dongdong, then at each other, confused. Wang Yong slapped his thigh with laughter. Dong Xiaohuan elbowed him and told him to keep his voice down.

Xia Chu covered his forehead and said patiently: "This is one, these are two, add them up, one, two, three, three."

Dong Dongdong nodded, "Three."

"Then what is one plus two?" Xia Chu asked again.

"Two!" Dong Dongdong said firmly.

Wang Yong laughed even louder, clapping his thighs loudly. Dong Xiaohuan didn't have time to pay attention to him, she was laughing so hard herself.

Xia Chu felt numb when she saw Dong Dongdong's innocent smile.

"It's three, brother." Guan Xu couldn't help but pick up the grass and count it for him. But when asked again, Dong Dongdong still insisted that it was two.

When it was Zhang Zhou's turn, he bent Dong Dongdong's fingers and taught him to count one, two, three, four, and five. After he got used to it, he asked him to make a fist and hold up one finger, then two, and then asked, "One, plus two, what's the number now?"

Dong Dongdong nodded his little head and counted, "Three."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; they had finally learned the lesson. Only Wang Yong was still laughing, and Dong Xiaohuan slapped him again.

After hearing the praise from his brothers and sisters, Dong Dongdong felt that he was really amazing. He ran to find his grandmother with his two short legs and started shouting from a distance: "Grandma, Grandma, Dongdong is really good at counting!"

"Dongdong is still young." Dong Xiaohuan made an excuse for her nephew and didn't want to admit that he was stupid.

For dinner, Dong's mother cooked chicken with mushrooms. The chicken was raised at home, and the mushrooms were picked from the mountains; they were fresh and fragrant. The children ate without even looking up, and Dong's mother was delighted. Unlike the old man at home, who had the same expression on his face no matter what he ate, and couldn't tell the difference between good and bad. Li Xi was a meat lover; she loved any meat, regardless of the flavor. Dong Dongdong was still young and felt full after eating very little. She loved watching Xia Tian and the others like this; it made her hungry.

After dinner, Dong's mother, having failed to secure the task of washing the dishes, took Dong Xiaohuan's hand and explained what she couldn't eat or do during her pregnancy. She was especially advised to avoid bending over and lifting heavy objects, though cooking wouldn't be affected. She also warned her son-in-law that a pregnant woman shouldn't sit idle, or else the child would grow too big and she'd suffer greatly during birth.

The couple listened attentively. Mother Dong nodded in satisfaction. Then she noticed that little Xia Chu was also nodding repeatedly. She couldn't help but said with a smile, "Our Xia Chu is also listening very attentively."

Xia Chu said seriously, "I'll remember this and supervise Mom from now on."

Wang Yong didn't take it seriously and laughed, "You're still supervising your mother?"

Dong Xiaohuan rolled her eyes at him and said, "What are you laughing at? This child is sensible."

"Then let our Xia Chu be the housekeeper and take care of your mother, okay?" Dong's mother said, touching her face.

"Okay." Xia Chu nodded.

I thought the biggest benefit of Dong's mother coming was that it would be easier for them to set up their stall. But I didn't expect that after she helped to stew a pot, she actually improved their recipe and the stewed food became even more delicious!

"Grandma, you're amazing, aren't you?" Xia Chu took a bite. Their previous cooking was just average, perhaps a little better than what ordinary people make. But what Dong's mother cooked was even better.

"I'm glad I could help." Dong's mother wiped her hands on her apron. "Xiao Huan is really unlike me. She only learned the basics of cooking."

"Learning the basics is enough," Dong Xiaohuan couldn't help but tell the children about their mother's past. "Your grandmother was a popular cook in every village. It was considered a great honor to invite her to any happy occasion."

"What happened next?" Guan Xu asked.

"Later," Dong Xiaohuan's smile faded. Later, someone disliked her and put something in the dish. Although it was clarified, people were holding a wedding for good luck. Who would want to cause trouble?

Xia Chu knew at a glance that something must have happened, so he pinched a piece of kelp and stuffed it into Guan Xu's mouth, "Brother Xu, try this."

"It's delicious. I'll have another bite." With food to eat, Guan Xu forgot about the previous question in a blink of an eye.