DLRC – Chapter 50 Mommy, You’re So Pretty

After shopping at the department store, the mother and son ended up spending quite a bit. The little one held his mother’s hand as they walked home. In his other hand, the plush panda had been replaced with the new hat they’d just bought.

Even though Mommy kept smiling all day—over who knows what—there was one thing Yu Hui was sure about: he loved the knitted hat Mommy bought him!

He had wanted to wear it immediately after they paid, but fortunately, Yu Wei stopped him just in time.

She made up an excuse: “It’s not cold yet, it’s not time to wear hats.”

But the real reason? She was scared that if she saw her adorable son wearing that silly little hat, she might just laugh herself senseless right there on the street!

Her sweet son was basically a clueless little nugget—he could be sold off by his own mother and still be grinning while helping her count the money.

The more she thought about it, the more the corners of Yu Wei’s lips curved upward. She bent down and picked him up. She let Yu Hui carry a few small shopping bags, while she looped the bigger ones on her arms, swinging them lightly as she walked.

Yu Hui was overjoyed to be picked up by Mommy. All he could think about was how dazzling she looked earlier in her wool coat.

He leaned his little head against her shoulder, wrapped his chubby arms around her neck, and with a soft, milk-sweet voice, said, “Mommy, you’re so pretty.”

Yu Wei was surprised and delighted. She turned and gave his soft cheek a big kiss. “My good boy, you’re super handsome too!”

Later that evening, after dinner, the two lay on the bed playing around. Little Show-Off Hui proudly took out his new hat and put it on. He even grabbed Yu Wei’s mirror to admire himself. Finally seeing what he looked like, instead of feeling silly, the little guy was overjoyed.

He adored his reflection, couldn’t stop looking at himself, and muttered, “Mommy bought this for me—a pretty hat with little pom-poms!”

He reached up to feel the two yarn pom-poms on the hat. They swayed gently in the air, making Yu Hui look even cuter.

With his innocent little face, he tilted his head and asked, “Mommy, when will winter be here?”

“It’s already here,” Yu Wei replied, lying on her back with her hands behind her head, watching her son being all vain.

It was late November, and the temperatures in Lucheng had dropped drastically. Mornings and evenings were already very chilly.

With a sly smile, Yu Wei reached out and yanked the hat off her son’s head, tossing it to the foot of the bed. Then she pulled him into her arms.

Yu Hui squirmed, trying to find a comfy spot. He looked up with big puzzled eyes and asked, “But Mommy, if it’s winter already, why can’t I wear my hat?”

“Silly boy, because it’s not cold enough yet.” Yu Wei couldn’t help but pinch his soft little cheeks—they felt amazing, addictive to touch. She asked, “Look around, is anyone on the street wearing hats right now?”

Hearing that, Yu Hui looked a little disappointed. He gently pushed away his mom’s mischievous hands and said with a pout, “Okay then, I’ll wait until it’s really cold.”

After chatting for a bit, Yu Hui still wasn’t sleepy. He asked Mommy to tell him a bedtime story.

Lately, his most annoying habit was clinging to Yu Wei for bedtime stories. Ever since she told him one a few days ago, he was hooked.

He knew Mommy was busy with the shop during the day, so he didn’t bother her. But at night? She was his—all his—and she would tell him stories until he fell asleep!

Yu Wei really wanted to travel back a week and stop herself from starting this habit.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t tell stories—she could. But her son was a unique little character: the better the story, the more energized he became.

They were supposed to be bedtime stories, yet each time she got into it, his bright deer-like eyes sparkled in the warm lamp light—he was nowhere near sleepy.

Looking into those expectant eyes, Yu Wei sighed. “Fine. Do you want a fairy tale or a myth?”

Yu Hui gave a triumphant smile, snuggled into her and pressed his little head against her belly before answering: “A myth!”

“Alright then, Mommy will tell you a myth—how about the story of Jingwei filling up the sea?”

Her gentle voice rose softly in the quiet air. The little guy listened intently, and to enjoy it even more, he closed his eyes and focused.

“Once upon a time, there was a bird named Jingwei…”

By the time the story ended, half an hour had passed. Yu Wei looked down and saw his eyes tightly shut—relieved, thinking he had finally fallen asleep.

But then came the soft voice: “Mommy, are you done?”

“…Yeah, I finished,” Yu Wei replied, a little defeated.

Still not satisfied, Yu Hui wrapped his little arms around her waist, sniffed deeply at her skin, and asked, “Mommy, why did Jingwei want to fill the sea? That sounds really hard.”

“Because…” The question stumped Yu Wei. She remembered hearing the story herself as a child but never thought about why Jingwei did it. But now that her precious son had asked, she had to come up with a good answer!

She furrowed her brows and thought hard before giving a child-friendly explanation.

Yu Hui was still too young to understand deep logic, but after hearing Mommy’s explanation, he seemed to understand something.

“Mommy, I get it now! Kids should be like the Jingwei bird and never give up!”

“…Yes! Exactly!” Yu Wei wasn’t entirely sure, but as long as her son felt like she answered well—then that was the right answer.

Being a mom is so hard.

At last, little Yu Hui felt satisfied. His curiosity was soothed, though he still wondered why Jingwei was so determined. But Mommy said: Persistence is victory!

Jingwei must’ve been looking for that victory—so she persisted!

Yes, that must be it!

. . .

After yawning five times, Yu Hui finally fell into a deep sleep in Mommy’s arms.

The room was dim, lit by a warm yellow glow. Yu Wei carefully moved him to the inside of the bed and tucked him in before lying down herself.

Even in the semi-darkness, under the gentle light, she could still catch the faint scent of milk from her son’s breath. When she leaned in, she could see the fine baby hairs on his cheeks.

They were so delicate and soft—just like him.

Yu Hui radiated a kind of sweetness that made people want to love and protect him. Right now, he looked like a harmless little white bunny. His pink lips were slightly puckered, and his steady breathing rose and fell, making Yu Wei’s heart melt.

She turned off the light, closed her eyes, and all she could see in her mind was the way her son looked when he stared at her—so full of joy.

His eyes were pure, the whites and pupils perfectly clear. Even without speaking, they sparkled when he looked at her. His long, curled lashes fluttered like little fans, brushing against her heart.

And then, suddenly, her thoughts drifted to the new landlord.

She had to admit—even if he was cold and distant—that face… tsk tsk, it was something else. No wonder she couldn’t help thinking about him even now, lying in bed.

Enough! Time to sleep! Stop thinking!

Maybe heaven had heard Yu Hui’s wish about wearing the hat, because the next morning, the indoor temperature had dropped sharply—and it was even worse outside. The cold wind cut right through the bones!

Yu Wei was shivering while brushing her teeth in the bathroom.

What had she envied most in her life? Northern people with central heating!

Not like them Southerners who had to rely entirely on pure willpower to survive winter!

Shaking arms and legs all day long just to stay warm—it was the only way to avoid freezing to death outside.

Winters in the 1980s were no joke, and Lucheng’s were especially cruel.

Even though she used warm water from the thermos, Yu Wei was still freezing.

She had always been sensitive to cold—even traveling through time hadn’t changed that. She couldn’t even eat popsicles in summer without getting sick.

Her body temperature was usually lower than others’. In winter, her hands were like ice blocks.

That’s why she kept holding Yu Hui’s little hands lately—not just for warmth but because they were warmer than hers.

Yu Hui knew. Others might think Mommy was just affectionate, but he knew the truth—she was using him to stay warm.

And he wasn’t mad—he felt proud.

It meant Mommy needed him. Without him, she’d be freezing!

As breakfast steamed in the kitchen, she opened her phone out of habit to browse the community app and see what silly posts were trending.

What she didn’t expect was a huge surprise that hit her head-on.

Jiumi Live had a message waiting in her inbox. Thinking it was just another system promo, she clicked the red dot… and was stunned.

“Dear host, thank you for using Jiumi Live. Our system has detected that you’ve earned 5,000 yuan from your broadcasts! As a reward, we’ve opened the skincare zone and music mini-theatre for you. Thank you and have a great day!”

Yu Wei: “???”

She clicked the link, and the page jumped to the so-called “skincare zone.”

What she saw nearly gave her a heart attack!

It was a skincare version of the redemption mall! Nearly every product she used in the future world was available here!

Yu Wei was thrilled. The water in the pot boiled over before she even noticed—she quickly turned off the heat and couldn’t wait to dive into browsing.

The skincare mall wasn’t anything fancy—just like the baking section—but for her, it was life-saving!

Ever since arriving in the ’80s, her biggest frustration had been not finding any decent skincare products.

Back in the future, as a food streamer, her face was everything. She loved beauty and took skincare seriously.

Here, though, everything she used was nonexistent. She settled for affordable alternatives from the department store—not ideal, but better than nothing.

The hardest part was sunscreen. There wasn’t any in Lucheng, and who knew when it’d be available.

Now with this skincare mall, her prayers had been answered!

The more she browsed, the more excited she got. After carefully selecting products, she placed an order—choosing brands she used often in her past life.

Toner, moisturizer, serum, sunscreen, face wash, makeup—and a baby cream just for her son!

All reasonably priced—well within her budget. Now she just had to wait for the next 5,000 yuan reward!

With all the shiny bottles and jars lined up, Yu Wei dashed off to the bathroom to rewash her face.

Cold water splashed on her skin like icy needles, but she didn’t care. She was too excited to feel anything.

Happily, she applied her new products in front of the mirror.

Even the sunscreen—ever since arriving here, she had avoided going out during the day for fear of sun damage. She only took Yu Hui out in the evenings.

As she applied cream, Yu Hui woke up, rubbing his eyes and sleepily asked, “Mommy, what are you doing?”

Yu Wei set down the products and went to wash her hands. She came back, sat on the bed, and scooped him out of the covers.

Still soft and mushy from sleep, he slumped against her like a puddle.

“Mommy, I don’t think I’m awake yet…”

“Come here, let Mommy kiss you—one kiss and you’ll wake up!” She playfully smushed his cheek until it turned red. He weakly pushed her away, giving her a pouty glare. She felt like a rogue harassing a gentle lady.

But sucking on her baby was too satisfying!

“Mommy, don’t hold me! Hui Hui needs to brush his teeth and wash his face!” He was awake now, and without something supporting his back, he felt cold. Yu Wei let him go and watched as he went to pick out clothes.

What a thoughtful child—didn’t need her help with any of it. Amazing!

Yu Hui threw on his sweater and ran toward the bathroom. Yu Wei quickly called him back and grabbed the new baby cream from the nightstand.

“Hui Hui, wait! Mommy has something good for you!”

“What is it?” he asked curiously, staring at the bunny on the packaging.

“It’s a good-smelling cream. You always say Mommy smells nice, right? Well now, you can smell nice too!”

His eyes lit up, and he perked up instantly. Yu Wei patted his shoulder with a grin. “Alright, go wash up—breakfast’s almost ready.”

Yu Hui accepted the cream and beamed. “Mommy, how much should I use?”

“Hmm… Your face is small, just this much.” She pinched a little portion with her pinky. He memorized it and dashed into the bathroom.

When breakfast was all set, Yu Hui came running out, bouncing with excitement.

“Mommy! I finished! I even used the cream—it smells so good! Maybe even better than you!”