Chapter 37: Not Ashamed to Ask Those Below
Zhu Yanyi tilted her head, looking at Gan Juhua. "Why does no one want me? I have a father and a mother. How can no one want me?" Then she turned to Zhu Shunyao and asked, "Father, do you only want my younger brother and not me?"
Zhu Shunyao hurriedly replied, "Nonsense. How could Father not want you? You must not let your imagination run wild."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "Father doesn't know how to use idioms. What 'imagination running wild'? I wouldn't let my imagination run wild. I just ask when I don't know something. Grandpa said we shouldn't pretend to understand what we don't. We should not be ashamed to ask those below us, so that our knowledge can improve."
"Eldest Brother, has A-Ni learned something?" Zhu Jinguixue asked. At present, she still quite liked her nieces, unlike later, when she would be full of schemes.
"He's learning some knowledge from my father-in-law. I don't know how well he's doing, but the results seem quite good," Zhu Shunyao said with a smile. He trusted Xie Zhong's abilities and was grateful for everything his father-in-law had done. Raising children should ideally be the parents' responsibility, but if left to him, he lacked the capability, given that his education only reached the primary school level.
In fact, Zhu Shunyao felt that Zhu Yanyi's knowledge had absolutely improved. For a five-year-old to blurt out an idiom like "not ashamed to ask those below," few would believe it if told. This made Zhu Shunyao even happier, filling her with more hope for life. Her eldest daughter was honest, her second daughter was intelligent, and there was another child yet to be born. Regardless, with the two elder sisters setting a good example with their fine character, the third child's character wouldn't be far off. Life felt quite complete. Of course, it would be even better if the third child were a boy.
Xie Xinlian quickly finished cooking all the dishes and cleaned the stove before coming out. As soon as Zhu Yanyi saw her, she patted the empty spot beside her and called out, "Mother, sit next to me. I saved you some meat patties and meatballs."
Xie Xinlian smiled at Zhu Yanyi, then respectfully addressed Zhu Guifu and Gan Juhua, "Father, Mother, the dishes are cooked, and the stove is cleaned."
"Hmm, you must be tired. Sit down and eat," Zhu Guifu said directly. His daughter-in-law had done what was expected of her, and as her father-in-law, he had nothing to fault.
There were fourteen people in total, big and small, who had come today. Therefore, Zhu Guifu set up two eight-person tables. It wasn't like later times, where at least a ten-person round table would be used; if it were modern times, a single fifteen-person round table would suffice. Nowadays, family meals were held at eight-person tables, and households that owned such tables were considered to be in a decent financial position.
With two eight-person tables and four children—excluding Nan Hong, who, though awake, still needed to be held by her mother while eating, as three-year-olds were like monkey bottoms, unable to sit still for long—there was no seat reserved for her. The two daughters and two daughters-in-law occupied one table, while the others sat at the other.
Xie Xinlian sat beside Zhu Yanyi. Seeing the dishes in her bowl, she smiled at Zhu Yanyi, reached out to ruffle her hair, and began to eat. She didn't mind that the food had grown slightly cold; instead, a thread of warmth filled her heart.
"It's a pity Xiangyao isn't here. Otherwise, we would have a complete family reunion," Zhu Guifu remarked.
No one picked up on the topic of Zhu Xiangyao. Everyone present, except for the young children who didn't understand, knew the status Zhu Xiangyao held in the hearts of the two elders.