Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s

Chapter 489: Chapter 482: Darkness Beneath the Sunshine

Du Du, having awoken from his nap, looked around and cooed a few times. Seeing that no one responded, he wasn’t discouraged and turned his head towards Sisi, who was making dumplings with Granny Zhao.

"Ah ah!"

"Oh, the little baby is awake!"

Zhu Aiqing was the first to notice Du Du awake. She quickly set down the dumpling wrapper she was holding, gently brushed off the flour, and with a big smile, picked up Du Du to change his diaper.

It’s strange to say, Zhu Aiqing wasn’t exactly a loving mother to Sisi, clearly favoring her son over her daughter. But that’s normal given the fact that blood ties are evident. However, Zhu Aiqing showered Du Du with immense affection, even more so than she had been with Donghua and Qinghua when they were younger!

Sisi could only sigh at this, thinking her son’s charm was too strong; he conquered Zhu Aiqing’s heart with just one glance.

After Du Du had his fill post-diaper change, he called out towards the door and then sweetly smiled at Sisi.

Clearly, the little guy wanted to go out for a stroll again.

"Ah Nan, take Du Du out for a walk. Stop making dumplings, you’re not fast at it anyway," Granny Zhao commanded, and everyone else agreed.

Sisi, having gotten used to her secondary status in the family, cleaned her hands, dressed warmly, and also put a coat and hat on the little one. The tiny tot didn’t like wearing too much; if dressed too heavily, he would start to fuss—often wearing even less than Sisi. Granny Zhao explained it’s because Du Du’s body is "warm and energetic."

"You little rascal, always wanting to go out. It’s so cold outside, what’s so fun about that?"

Sisi made a funny face at Du Du; she really didn’t want to go outside in the cold wind, but since the elders had spoken, who was she to refuse?

"We’ll be back soon, be careful of the wind; don’t let Du Du catch a chill."

As they were about to leave, Granny Zhao reminded them again. Sisi verbally agreed but inwardly muttered to herself, thinking the little rascal drinks cold air every day without any issues, his health couldn’t be better.

The past few days had brought great weather, with bright sunshine. The recent snow had melted, leaving the ground dry. There were quite a few people out sunning with their children.

"Teacher He, are you taking Du Du out today?"

People occasionally greeted Sisi, and she responded with a smile each time. Inside the stroller, Du Du was energetically vocalizing and several times he even twisted his body, appearing as if trying to lean out, but each attempt ended in failure. Yet, he was not discouraged and kept persistently trying.

Everyone in the courtyard was amazed; where else could you find a three-month-old baby already trying to twist his body like that?

But seeing Du Du’s chubby, lively, and healthy vitality, it didn’t seem so surprising after all. Being from a vice-secretary’s wealthy family, they heard Teacher He consumed a chicken a day, feeding the child so well certainly made a difference from other children!

Along the way, Sisi ran into Su Ping, who was walking in with her daughter Zhu Lei. Zhu Lei called out first, "Aunt He!"

Seeing Sisi, Su Ping was very pleased, handed her bag to Zhu Lei, instructed her on something, and after entertaining Du Du for a while, Zhu Lei went home.

"Sister-in-law Su, your girl Lei Lei seems so much more sensible than before, she’s really grown over the past year!" Sisi remarked with a smile.

Su Ping said emotionally, "I have you to thank for that, Sisi. If it weren’t for your advice, how could I feel as content as I do now?"

Su Ping was truly grateful to Sisi. Ever since she took Sisi’s advice and stopped working so laboriously like before, not only did her health improve a lot, but her mood also became much more pleasant. Most importantly, Old Zhu and the two children had changed a lot too. They were no longer like before, relying on others to provide for their every need, especially her daughter who sometimes would cook dinner early when she got home from school. Although the taste wasn’t great, Su Ping felt it was the most delicious meal in the world.

"That’s also due to your own good fortune, Sister-in-law Su, to have a husband and children who care so much about you." Sisi’s words made Su Ping smile brightly.

The two of them walked and chatted together. Su Ping said, "I plan to enroll in an advanced course after the New Year, to recharge myself. Old Zhu and the kids are very supportive!"

"That’s really great. It’s good to learn more things while you’re still young. Since your eldest son Zhu Jian has already been admitted to Capital Middle School, you can go study with peace of mind." Sisi was very supportive.

Su Ping nodded with a smile, feeling the same way. Most importantly, Old Zhu was even more enthusiastic about this than she was. She remembered what Sisi had once said, that men also care about their face. Having a wife who is beautiful, works well, and has high education levels would indeed make them proud.

As they exited the County Committee building, Sisi pushed a stroller and went to a nearby park where Du Du loved to play.

The park was quite crowded, mostly with elderly and children, mostly grandparents taking their grandchildren out to play. Seeing Du Du, they all came forward to greet the little guy, making Du Du wave his hands and feet, extremely happy.

Su Ping looked at Du Du with envy, "You have raised Du Du so well, look how adorable he is, everyone loves him!"

Sisi pursed her lips, "Yeah, now my grandparents and parents only have eyes for this little ancestor, I’ve been completely forgotten by them."

Su Ping burst out laughing, "You, as a mother, are actually jealous of your own son, that’s hilarious."

Sisi herself laughed too and made a funny face at Du Du, but Du Du was busy exchanging glances with a little chubby girl next door and didn’t bother with his mother.

The little chubby girl was probably about one year old, with a red dot on her forehead, clearly a beauty in the making. Judging from her clothes and appearance, her family seemed very well-off. The lady accompanying the little chubby girl was a kindly, elegantly mannered old lady.

"How old is your baby?" asked the old lady kindly.

"Three and a half months," replied Sisi.

The old lady was extremely surprised, "I thought he was already six months old, you have raised him so well."

"Not at all, your granddaughter is truly well-nourished! She will definitely be a beautiful lady when she grows up," said Sisi modestly.

The old lady laughed heartily, "This is my great-granddaughter, my eldest grandson’s daughter. My daughter-in-law and great-granddaughter-in-law both work and don’t have the time to take care of the baby."

"Oh my, you take such good care of yourself!"

Sisi and Su Ping’s compliments made the old lady beam with joy, and soon they were all chatting amiably, letting the two little ones play in the stroller.

This old lady’s maternal family name was Wu, and her husband’s surname was Zheng, from Kyoto. Her eldest grandson and his wife both worked in Huang Yuan County; the grandson was a researcher at Qiling One Research Institute, and his wife was the manager of a trading company, both very busy. The great-granddaughter had always lived with them in Kyoto, and she was specially brought over this time so she could see her parents, lest she forget what they looked like.

Sisi knew that deep in the suburbs of Huang Yuan County was Qiling One Research Institute, said to be directly managed by higher authorities, a nationally important secret agency; exactly what it researched was unknown to outsiders, but Sisi guessed it must be related to military defense.

The three of them chatted warmly and hit it off well, with the nearby children happily playing about, making anyone who saw these lovely children feel that life was truly joyful and beautiful.

No one noticed that, in a dark corner of the park, a few plainly dressed men and women were watching intently towards Sisi and the others. These people had a simple, honest look, appearing just like honest laborers, if it weren’t for the dark sneer in their eyes revealing their hidden grimness.