DLRC – Chapter 73 Good Son, Aren’t You a Bit Too Excited?

While Yu Wei was urgently knocking on the door outside, Niu Zhongshi was still at home having lunch with his wife. Hearing the commotion, he quickly put down his chopsticks and went to open the door.

“The kid’s mom? What’s going on?” It was the middle of the day—why was she here instead of eating lunch?

“Uncle Niu, does your family have a bicycle I could borrow? I want to deliver lunch to my son.”

“Deliver lunch? Where did your son go?” Niu Zhongshi asked in confusion.

“My son went to kindergarten today. It’s his first day, so he might not be adjusting well. I wanted to bring him lunch and check on how he’s doing.”

Niu Zhongshi nodded in understanding. He didn’t need the bicycle at the moment anyway, so he told her to head to the backyard—the only bicycle there was his.

Yu Wei thanked him repeatedly and hurried downstairs to the backyard. The yard belonged to Niu Zhongshi’s family, but it seemed to have been bought together with Huo Mingwang. Normally, she wouldn’t come in here without a reason.

Niu Zhongshi’s bicycle was leaning against the wall. Yu Wei ran over with joy, pushed it out to the main road, and, seeing the street was mostly empty, decided to give it a try right then and there.

Before transmigrating, she did know how to ride a bicycle—but only the modern ones from the future that were easy to ride and handle.

The start wasn’t smooth. Yu Wei almost fell flat on her face. But her determination to deliver lunch to her son was so strong that, after one fall, she actually got the hang of it almost immediately.

Honestly, bicycles from this era were nothing like the future ones. The frame was tall, and Niu Zhongshi’s bike had probably been sitting idle for a while—it was stiff and hard to steer. Without a bit of strength, it was tough to control.

At last, with just a few minutes left before lunch, Yu Wei placed the lunchbox steadily in the front basket and set off toward the kindergarten!

“Ding-ling-ling——”

The bike bell rang at the same time as the kindergarten security uncle banged his gong—signaling lunch break. Yu Wei happily stopped her bike at the kindergarten entrance, stepped off, and slowly pushed the bike to the gate.

The security uncle had just finished ringing the gong and turned around, spotting Yu Wei with a warm smile, pushing a bicycle toward the entrance.

“Hello, I’m the mother of Yu Hui from the middle class. I brought him lunch—may I go inside?”

The security uncle was about to ask which child she was here for, but the words caught in his throat when he saw her bright and gentle smile. “Oh, you’re here to deliver food to your child?”

That didn’t happen often, but it wasn’t unheard of either.

“Yes, I’m here to bring my son his lunch. May I go in?” Her smile grew even more radiant. She didn’t look like someone with ill intentions.

The security uncle had seen a few parents like this before, so he wasn’t too surprised. He glanced at the lunchbox in her hands and said, “Alright, wait here a moment. I’ll go ask his teacher.”

There were only five or six teachers at the kindergarten. The teacher for the middle class was Fang Man. At that moment, she was in the cafeteria fetching lunch for the children. When the security uncle told her that a parent had come to deliver lunch to one of the kids, she nodded in acknowledgment. The uncle, having completed his task, left the kindergarten.

“Comrade, I’ve spoken to the middle class teacher. She’ll come out to meet you in a moment.”

Yu Wei smiled and nodded. She waited at the entrance for less than two minutes before a woman in a gray padded jacket and red scarf emerged—it was her son’s teacher.

“Hi! Teacher Fang, do you remember me?” Yu Wei waved enthusiastically, as excited as if she’d just seen her son.

Of course Fang Man remembered this beautiful and stylish mom. They’d just spoken that very morning—how could she forget so soon?

She smiled as she walked to the entrance, gestured for the security uncle to open the gate, and then led Yu Wei into the kindergarten.

As Yu Wei passed through, she called back with a smile, “Uncle, can I trouble you to keep an eye on my bike?”

The security uncle waved and signaled he understood, so she turned her head back.

“Thank you for coming to meet me, Teacher Fang. It must be lunchtime now, right?” Yu Wei asked as they walked.

Fang Man smiled and replied, “It’s no trouble at all. Your son didn’t have a great first day, but don’t worry too much. He’s probably just not used to being in a new environment. He didn’t cry, but he hasn’t really talked to the other kids either.”

Yu Wei nodded understandingly. In her mind, she immediately pictured her poor, obedient little boy, curled up all alone in a corner, trembling pitifully. Her heart suddenly clenched.

“Teacher Fang, my son went through some psychological trauma when he was younger. That’s why his personality is a bit different from other children. If it’s possible, I hope you can take a little extra care of him.”

“That’s no problem at all. Mrs. Yu, your child may be quiet, but he’s very well-behaved in class and doesn’t give the teachers any trouble. Honestly, he’s much easier to manage than the naughty ones. We’ll definitely look after him well.”

Taking care of every child was part of being a teacher, and now that the child’s mother had asked her directly, Fang Man would pay even closer attention to Yu Hui.

And to be honest, in all her seven or eight years as a kindergarten teacher, Yu Wei’s son was the most well-behaved and beautiful child she’d ever seen!

That soft, delicate face alone could melt her heart. This morning, when she led the children to the yard for morning exercises, the other teachers all swarmed over asking about him—everyone wanted to touch or hug him.

Yu Wei didn’t know that her son’s little face was that popular and lovable!

Hearing Fang Man’s kind words finally put Yu Wei’s heart at ease. After walking for only a couple of minutes, they arrived at the classroom.

Yu Wei followed closely behind Fang Man, but didn’t rush in right away. Instead, she quietly stood at a blind spot by the door, peeking inside to observe the kids.

It was lunchtime. The children’s meals had just been brought out by the teacher, and an auntie was serving food. Each child sat properly at their desks with their hands folded neatly in front of them. In front of each was a small bowl of rice and a small plate for the dishes the auntie was serving.

Yu Wei tiptoed over and glanced at the plate of the child nearest the door. There was both meat and vegetables—not bad. Though the portions weren’t large, they seemed enough for a child’s appetite.

Fang Man had just walked into the classroom and was about to tell Yu Hui that her mom had arrived when she turned back—and saw Yu Wei hiding behind the wall outside the classroom.

She glanced at her with a puzzled look, and Yu Wei responded with a smile and a “shhh” gesture. Fang Man understood and turned her head back. “Alright, little ones, eat properly and don’t be picky.”

“Okay, Teacher Manman!”

A few children sat up straight at the table and responded cheerfully. Once the auntie brought their food, they all excitedly picked up their little spoons and began shoveling it into their mouths.

Yu Wei craned her neck to peek into the classroom and finally spotted her son sitting in the window seat she had chosen for him that morning.

The little guy sat alone near the back center of the room, looking sulky and completely different from the laughing children nearby.

He stared blankly at the table with his head lowered. Occasionally, a few girls came up to say something to him, but he just gave them a fleeting glance and remained silent.

The zipper on his panda jacket was undone, revealing the white sweater underneath, and his knit hat had been placed on the table.

He didn’t notice the mother standing outside the classroom sneaking a peek at him. It wasn’t until the lunch-serving auntie came over with the food that he finally lifted his gaze slightly, casually watching the ladle as it moved back and forth.

Just before it was his turn, Yu Wei finally stepped into the classroom. Amid gasps of surprise from the children, she took small steps and slowly walked toward Yu Hui.

“Wow! Who is she? She’s so pretty!”

“Whose mom is she? Or maybe an older sister? So pretty!”

“I know her! She’s Yu Hui’s mom!” a chubby boy announced with a mouthful of rice, speaking unclearly.

As soon as the words were out, Yu Hui, who had been listlessly sitting on his stool, instantly looked up. Wasn’t that his mom walking toward him?

“Mama—!”

Seeing Yu Wei, the little guy lit up with excitement. He jumped off the small stool, his large black-glass eyes widened in disbelief, and he rubbed at them twice. Like a lively little monkey, he leaped into Yu Wei’s arms in the blink of an eye.

It was such a familiar embrace, the scent he knew so well—his mom’s scent, which he had missed all morning—filled his entire being.

“Mama…” Was this a dream? His mama had come.

“My good boy, aren’t you a little too excited?”

The moment Yu Wei spoke, Yu Hui almost cried.

It was his mom. That tone—without a doubt—was his mom’s!

“Mama!” Yu Hui finally lifted his head from her arms, his eyes red with emotion under the gaze of his classmates.

“Mama, why are you here?” His childish voice trembled slightly, and the sound made Yu Wei’s heart skip a beat.

She crouched down and gently wiped away the tears welling in his eyes. “Mama knew you missed me, so I came to see you.”

Yu Hui sniffled and held back his tears. Even though his body trembled, his heart felt steady and at peace.

“Did my baby miss me?”

“Mm!” Yu Hui nodded hard and threw himself back into her arms.

Yu Wei chuckled and patted his back. A few of the nearby children gaped in amazement, forgetting even to eat, their eyes fixed on Yu Hui in his mother’s arms.

So the new, pretty classmate missed his mom that much.

After squatting for a while, Yu Wei gently pushed her son away, pulled over his little stool and sat down, then took out a small panda lunchbox and shook it in front of Yu Hui.

“Look!”

Yu Hui’s eyes lit up as he saw it. It was like discovering some amazing surprise. “Mama! A panda?!”

“Come, come—Mama made this special panda lunch just for you today. Open it and have a look.”

Yu Wei placed the box on the table. Even though most of the kids had nearly finished eating, the delicious aroma wafting from Yu Hui’s lunchbox made them take a few deep sniffs.

Even before it was opened, the uniquely designed panda lunchbox had already caught everyone’s attention. Once Yu Hui fully opened the lid, a bunch of little heads leaned over to take a peek.

“Waaah—!”

“Ah! A panda!”

“I know, I know! That’s a panda! But it’s rice! A panda made out of rice!”

“So pretty… so amazing…”

As the wave of exclamations filled the air around him, Yu Hui’s mind went blank.

He turned stiffly toward Yu Wei, who smiled at him with soft, crescent-shaped eyes and gently upturned lips. With just her gaze, she was asking him: Do you like it?

The rich, fragrant aroma kept drifting into his nose. Who would’ve thought that something as simple as a packed lunch could be turned into such a work of art by Yu Wei?

And it wasn’t just decorative—this lunchbox had it all: color, aroma, and taste!

The lunch-serving auntie finally got to Yu Hui’s table, and Yu Wei smiled and said, “Thank you for the trouble. My son’s eating the lunch I brought today. You can give the rest to the other children.”

“Alright,” the auntie replied with a smile. After dividing up the food among the others, she called out, “Who’s still hungry?”

“Me, me!” The chubby kid across from Yu Hui shouted, “Auntie, I’m still hungry—give it to me!”

The auntie laughed and gave him the rest of the food.

Meanwhile, Yu Hui was still in a daze, clutching his little spoon. The aroma from the panda lunchbox had already been fully inhaled by the kids nearby, yet he just sat there, stunned.

“Did my sweet little one get dumbfounded?” Yu Wei teased, rubbing his back. “Eat up—it’s all your favorites. There’s even a glutinous rice dumpling for after lunch.”

“Mama…” Yu Hui suddenly turned and dove into her arms again. Caught off guard, she stumbled a bit as he wrapped her in a tight hug.

“What’s wrong, sweetie?” Yu Wei asked, confused, especially as the other kids once again turned their attention to them. She patted his shoulder gently.

“Mama.” Yu Hui looked up and locked eyes with her. “Mama, you made me a panda.”

He was so happy. Mama had actually made a panda for him. Such a realistic and adorable panda—his favorite kind of panda.

On such a lonely day, he had received a handmade panda bento from his mom. He was really, truly happy—super happy!

Most importantly, he was the only kid in class whose mom came to bring him lunch—and not just any lunch, but something this special.

“That’s right. My little Huihui was such a brave boy on his first day of school, so Mama made your favorite panda rice balls. Are you happy?”

“Mm!” He nodded vigorously, no trace of the cold and aloof attitude from earlier. What remained now was simply a four-year-old child basking in the warmth of his mother’s love.

“Since you’re happy, hurry up and eat before the food gets cold.”

Yu Hui rubbed his eyes and finally went back to sit on the little stool, beginning to eat the panda bento lovingly made and personally delivered by his mother.

It wasn’t unheard of for parents to deliver food to their children at kindergarten, but most parents didn’t go to such lengths. And even if they did, it was usually only for kids in the younger class.

For someone like Yu Hui, who was in the middle class, this was indeed quite rare.

Fang Man hadn’t eaten lunch yet. The teachers at the kindergarten typically ate only after all the children had finished. That was the usual routine.

She brought over a small stool for Yu Wei to sit on. Yu Wei accepted it with pleasant surprise and thanked her before settling down beside her, contentedly watching her son eat.

He ate with extreme focus and care, like a gourmet food critic. His chubby cheeks puffed up with every chew, moving up and down with his jaw like little balloons. He looked just like Crayon Shin-chan—absolutely adorable.

Yu Wei couldn’t help but laugh as she watched. Yu Hui bit into a piece of chicken breast and turned to her with a goofy smile, “Mom, have you eaten?”

None of the other kids had seen this side of Yu Hui before. That morning, plenty of them had tried to approach him to play or chat, only to be coldly turned away by the aloof little prince.

Who would have thought that Yu Hui wasn’t really a cold little prince at all? He was just cold… to them.

Yu Wei smiled and replied, “I’ve already eaten, sweetheart. I ate a long time ago. You focus on eating, okay?”

“Okay.” Yu Hui happily turned back and continued munching on his panda bento. A few grains of rice stuck to the corner of his mouth, but he quickly licked them away with a flick of his tongue.

Spoonful after spoonful, he had already eaten more than half of the panda bento. The other children, unable to eat it themselves, flared their nostrils to greedily inhale the scent.

They couldn’t eat it, sure—but they could still smell it! And just that smell alone was enough to be satisfying. Though they had just finished their own meals, their cravings were stirred up all over again.

“Yu Hui.” A little girl with pigtails swallowed a mouthful of saliva as she looked at his lunchbox. “It smells so good, Yu Hui.”

Yu Hui silently turned his body to the side, shielding his food just a little.

“Yu Hui, what did your mom make for you? It must be really tasty, huh?” A chubby boy waddled over to his other side, taking a deep breath of the fragrant air.

Yu Hui silently turned back again and resumed eating in the direction of the pigtail girl.

No one knew what exactly Yu Wei had put in that panda bento, but the rich, savory aroma overpowered all other scents in the room. The kids who got close could clearly smell something so delicious it made their mouths water.

Yu Wei glanced around and finally noticed all the little kids staring hungrily at her obedient son.

“Eat slowly, no one’s going to steal it from you.”

Her little one was clearly in a much better mood now—completely different from the miserable little boy she’d heard about before arriving.

Yu Wei tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. “We’ll need to get your hair cut this weekend.”

Yu Hui glanced at the surrounding kids and responded while chewing, “Haircut. I want it cut really short, really short.”

Yu Wei smiled with the doting look of a mother watching her child eat happily. Then, as if remembering something, she reached into her cloth bag and took out a big package of cat ear cookies.

“Teacher Fang!”

She called out to Fang Man, who had just returned after lunch. Fang Man walked over with a smile. “Yes?”

“I made some snacks to share. Please give them to the kids.”

Fang Man was pleasantly surprised as she accepted the big bag of cookies. She peeked inside and exclaimed, “So many?”

She weighed it in her hands—whoa, this had to be three or four jin (about 1.5–2 kg)!

“Yu Hui’s mom, all this?”

Yu Wei glanced at her son, who was still eating happily, and said, “It’s just a little something from me. I thought I’d let Hui Hui’s classmates have a taste.”

The classroom instantly erupted in excited chatter.

If they heard correctly, Yu Hui’s mom had brought over something delicious—and was going to share it!

Fang Man understood at once and quickly thanked her, “You must’ve worked hard making so many! With so many kids in the class, that’s no small task!”

“It’s nothing, really. This is what I do for a living—it was just something I whipped up. Didn’t take much effort at all.” Yu Wei smiled as she tucked her hair behind her ear. The brilliance of her smile dazzled Fang Man.

She genuinely liked this child’s mother—so generous, beautiful, and full of grace. And bringing so many snacks for the kids on her son’s very first day? A model parent!

She turned to the eager children and called out with a smile, “Alright, everyone sit properly! Yu Hui’s mom brought snacks for you all. I’ll give them first to whoever’s sitting the best!”

“Waaah—!”

The kids immediately straightened up. A moment ago they were all gathered around watching Yu Hui eat his bento, and now they were sitting bolt upright, like rows of tiny pine trees.

Fang Man began distributing the cat ear cookies. She did a quick estimate—eight per child should be just right for the 40 or so kids in class.

“Teacher Fang, no need to give any to my son.”

Fang Man paused for a second. “Oh, alright.”

Once everyone had their share, the whole classroom was buzzing with excitement.

“Wow! Yu Hui’s mom is amazing!”

“It smells so good!”

“Dudu, let me see yours. Are they the same as mine?”

“They are, but mine look nicer—mine are round ears!”

The room filled with the chatter of happy children. After distributing everything, there were still about twenty left. Yu Wei told Fang Man to keep them for herself—there were plenty more at home, and her son could have some later.

The fragrant smell rising from the bag and the joyful faces of the children made Fang Man pop one into her mouth. The crispy, savory taste was bursting with flavor—almost like barbecue.

She didn’t know Yu Wei had used cumin powder. She just knew that whatever this was, it didn’t just smell amazing—it tasted phenomenal.

Fang Man walked back to Yu Wei, eyes squinting in delight. “Yu Hui’s mom, you’re incredible! I’ve bought these before from the department store, and they weren’t nearly this good!”

Yu Wei smiled quietly. Fang Man, curious, asked, “You said this is your line of work—do you work at a food factory or something?”

“I don’t work at a factory. I own a pastry shop—just two blocks up, on Boxue Road. Do you know it?”

“Oh! You opened that pastry shop on Boxue Road?” Fang Man gasped. “I heard a coworker mention a new shop with unique flavors just last month—so that’s yours?”

Yu Wei thought for a moment. As far as she knew, hers was the only dessert shop on Boxue Road, and it had indeed opened in the last six months. So it must be the one her coworker mentioned.

She nodded, and Fang Man looked even more impressed.

“Wow, Yu Hui’s mom, you’re really something. Your skills are amazing, and you’ve opened a store on Boxue Road too.” With talent like that, she probably made quite a bit every day.

Fang Man’s husband was a factory worker, and so were the rest of her family. She rarely encountered women like Yu Wei who ran their own businesses, so this was quite new—and admirable—to her.

“Your husband and son are truly blessed!”