Landlady who likes to hoard land

Xu Yao stared wide-eyed at Wang Chengyu's waving hand, still somewhat doubtful.

"Really? Mom, you can really earn this much money now?"

"Of course, look, this is the money Mom has earned recently."

Wang Chengyu had over 10,000 yuan in her WeChat account. She showed the balance to her two brothers to prove that she hadn't lied.

"Mom really made money! That's great! Mom, I want to eat hot pot. Shall we go eat hot pot?"

Xu Yao stared at Wang Chengyu with his clear, bright eyes.

Xu Wen stared at Wang Chengyu with bright eyes. That's great! Mom won't have to ask Grandma for money anymore, and she won't argue with Dad about money anymore. Mom being able to earn money makes him happier than if he gets good grades on his exams.

“Okay, Mom wants to eat hot pot too. Let’s go out for hot pot as a family this Saturday.”

Seeing that his mother agreed so readily, Xu Wen was relieved. His mother was earning her own money, and their family would no longer have to accept charity from his grandparents. That was great!

"Now, Mom needs both of you to help me finish the food on the table, okay?"

"it is good!"

The two brothers answered loudly in unison.

Money isn't everything, but at this moment, it seems that only money can give Wang Chengyu and her two children enough sense of security.

……

When Wang Chengyu wasn't at the hospital, she usually took her two sons to and from school, while Xu Jianren took them every two or three days.

If he doesn't show up for a long time, the two children will definitely ask. To avoid the children from suspecting anything, he will have dinner at Wang Chengyu's place every few days when he picks up and drops off the children.

"Dad, Mom said she's treating us to hot pot on Saturday. Are you working that night? If you are, I'll call Grandpa to ask you for leave."

When Xu Jianren came to eat that day, Xu Yao excitedly shared with him the good news that Wang Chengyu was going to treat everyone to hot pot.

Worried that Xu Jianren would have to go to work, they even volunteered to help him ask for leave.

"Really? It's rare for Mom to treat us to a meal. I'll definitely ask for leave in advance."

Xu Jianren had no reason to refuse. Nor did he want to. After all, he still maintained the image of a good father.

"Great! Our whole family is going to have hot pot together!" Xu Yao clapped his hands happily.

Wang Chengyu did not object. She hoped that the children would find out about their parents' divorce as late as possible, as she had not yet figured out how to tell them.

As far as she knows, many children of divorced parents have psychological problems of varying degrees.

Xu Wen already lacked a sense of security. If he knew that his parents were divorced, he might fall into even greater anxiety and panic. Wang Chengyu dared not imagine what the consequences would be.

She needs to prove first that she has the ability to raise them independently, give them enough security, and strive to minimize the harm of divorce to them.

Two days later, on Saturday night, Xu Jianren drove his mother and her three children to the famous Hedilao Hot Pot restaurant in the area.

This was their first time visiting this hot pot restaurant. Wang Chengyu felt that now that she was capable, she should definitely try places she had never been before.

When it first opened, I heard that you had to wait in line to eat here. Now, there are still quite a few people coming to eat hot pot, but not as many as before, and you don't need to wait in line.

Instead of choosing a private room, the four of them opted for a table on the side of the main hall. With the waiter's patient and detailed explanation, they selected a tomato hot pot and discussed what other dishes to order.

The two children were very excited. They often heard their classmates brag about how they could fish in the riverbed, and they were always envious when they heard it. Now they had something to talk about too.

Children also have a competitive spirit, and if parents do not guide them well, it can lead to children feeling inferior and not fitting in with others.

Wang Chengyu is just an ordinary person, neither a psychologist nor a parenting expert, and doesn't know how to guide children.

She couldn't provide her children with a high-quality material life before, but now that she has the means, she's decided to take them to try as many new things as possible within her means, to enhance their sense of superiority and boost their self-confidence.

The service at Hedilao was indeed very attentive and thorough, so much so that Wang Chengyu felt a little uncomfortable, but seeing how excited the children were, he didn't show it.

The food was served quickly and tasted great. Most importantly, the kids were very happy and excited, commenting on which dishes were presented beautifully and which ice cream flavor was the best.

As the group was finishing their meal, a group of waiters walked through the middle of the aisle.

The lead waiter pushed a small cart with a large two-tiered cake on it. Four or five waiters followed behind, some holding "Happy Birthday" signs, others holding hand clappers, and the last person was dressed in a brown bear costume.

"Oh, is it a child's birthday party?"

Wang Chengyu occasionally sees videos on her phone of people celebrating birthdays by fishing them out of the river, or of waiters dressed in mascot costumes celebrating a child's birthday. She thinks that if it were her, she would probably die of embarrassment on the spot.

She hoped the children could experience the joy of celebrating a birthday.

"Xu Wen, Xu Yao, look! A child is having a birthday party here today. Go and see if the older siblings sing the birthday song for the child. Is it nice?"

"Brother, let's go take a look quickly."

Xu Yao, who loves to join in the fun, immediately got up and pulled Xu Wen to watch together.

Xu Wen didn't really want to join in the fun, but Xu Yao wouldn't let go of him, and Wang Chengyu also encouraged him to go and take a look.

"Xu Wen, go with your brother to see them, and come back after they finish singing the birthday song."

"Brother, hurry, hurry!"

Xu Yao stared intently at the brown bear plush toy, urging him on.

Xu Wen had no choice but to get up and follow the waiter with Xu Yao to see other people celebrate their birthdays.

When the child wasn't around, Wang Chengyu stopped pretending and ignored Xu Jianren, eating hotpot and scrolling through her phone by herself.

Xu Jianren didn't provoke her, and the two lived in peace.

After watching just two videos, Xu Wen and Xu Yao returned looking listless. It must take them at least a minute to walk back and forth, not to mention that the teddy bears have difficulty walking and move very slowly.

"Why are you back so soon? Did you finish singing the birthday song?"

Wang Chengyu noticed that the two children were acting strangely, completely unlike their previous enthusiastic selves.

Xu Wen sat back in his seat without saying a word, and Xu Yao, who was usually very talkative, was also unusually silent.

"What's wrong? If you don't like watching, then we won't watch. Let's eat hot pot first."

Noticing the two children's low spirits, Xu Jianren tried to comfort them while glancing back at the private room where the birthday celebration was taking place.

I didn't see anything unusual. Several children were jumping and hopping around at the entrance of the private room, and the cheerful melody of "Happy Birthday" was playing from inside.

"Mom, I'm full, let's go home!"

"Are you full so quickly? Then Dad and I will eat quickly too, and then we'll go back."

Something is wrong, absolutely wrong.

Wang Chengyu gave Xu Jianren a wink, and Xu Jianren immediately understood.

"You guys eat first, I'm going to the restroom."

Xu Jianren got up and walked towards the private room where the birthday celebration was being held.

After all, they've been married for many years, so they have that kind of understanding.