Chapter 12
“Mommy, are you angry?” Yun Juan asked worriedly, his chubby little face scrunched up.
Yun Shu lowered her head nervously, stealing glances every now and then.
Yun Chuman could roughly guess why the two children hung up the phone. The original owner's relationship with her parents was terrible, so the phone calls were probably never pleasant.
She smiled and gently comforted, “Of course not, because I know you wanted to protect Mommy, right?”
Yun Juan and Yun Shu immediately widened their eyes and nodded vigorously like chicks pecking at rice.
They didn't want Grandma to bully Mommy, nor did they want Mommy to be sad.
"Thank you, little Juan and little Shu."
Yun Chuman patted their little heads and said, "But next time Grandma calls, can you leave it to me? I'll definitely protect myself."
"Okay!" Seeing that she wasn't angry, Yun Shu jumped up and down like a little spring. Naturally, she agreed to whatever she said.
Yun Juan hesitated slightly, but agreed in the end.
Yun Chuman checked the time, stood up, and led them to the bedroom: "Let's put Grandma's matter aside for now. Go change your clothes, and I'll take you out to eat and buy some things."
"What does Mommy want to buy?" Yun Shu asked, shaking her hand.
"Some work supplies. There's still a week before recording the next variety show and I want to use this time to prepare for a new job."
Yun Chuman picked out two identical outfits from Yun Juan and Yun Shu's wardrobe, held them up to them, and said, "Little Juan and little Shu, you can tell me what you want to buy."
The two children were stunned.
Work? Recording?
"Then Mommy will have to leave for a long time again?" They didn't want to be separated from their mommy, nor did they want to be cared for by an unfamiliar auntie.
Agitated, Yun Juan took a step forward, looked up at Yun Chuman, patted his little chest vigorously, and vowed, "Mommy doesn't need to work, I can support you!"
He could go to act to earn money. This way, Mommy could come to the set with him and they could bring little Shu along. The three of them wouldn't have to be separated!
Yun Shu nodded vigorously: "That's right! Elder Brother can support Mommy!"
She scratched her cheek and stammered, "I...I...I can learn how to cook, and then cook for Mommy!"
Yun Chuman: ...
She looked at the two earnest little ones, both amused and exasperated. Did they really think she was so useless?
"Okay, okay, Mommy will rely on you from now on."
She smiled as she helped them change their clothes, "But you're still young, so it's better for me to support you. Little Juan and little Shu can do whatever you like. There's no need to earn money to support the family. It's not too late for that when you're older."
"Whatever I like?"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu were a little confused, but they didn't think about it too much, because Yun Chuman clearly didn't believe them!
"Mom, I'm telling the truth! Although I failed the audition last time, I have other opportunities," Yun Juan said, counting on her fingers, "Elder Sister Zhao, Uncle Qian... they all want me to audition."
Yun Shu added anxiously, "I've watched so many food shows! Next time I can cook for Mom!"
"Okay, okay, little Juan and little Shu are so good."
Yun Chuman nodded perfunctorily, but secretly felt pleased. Was she being spoiled by the two children?
Then she gave each of them a lollipop, patted their little heads, and said, "I'm going to change my clothes. Little Juan and little Shu, wait patiently outside for a while."
She then went into the next bedroom.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu stared blankly at her retreating figure until the door slammed shut, which brought them back to their senses.
The two were dressed in hip-hop style clothes—white tops and black bottoms—looking quite handsome.
Arms crossed and pouting, Yun Juan frowned, "I really can earn money. Why doesn't Mommy believe I can support her?"
He sounded a little aggrieved as he spoke with pursed lips.
Yun Shu was also in a bad mood. She squatted down, curled into a small ball, and rested her cheeks on her hands, which caused her chubby cheeks to scrunch up.
She pondered for a moment, "Is it because you don't earn enough, elder brother?"
Yun Juan looked at her sharply. His face was clearly saying, "That makes sense."
Actually, the two children didn't really understand the concept of "how much,". They just felt that their current situation was similar to that of an animated film about a protagonist working hard to earn money to improve their lives.
Yun Juan frowned and said, "What should we do then..."
Yun Shu obediently shook her head: "I don't know."
Yun Juan stared at her for a while. Then he suddenly squatted down beside her, whispering, "Why don't you come and act with me, little Shu? That way we can earn lots of money!"
"Me?" Yun Shu's eyes lit up, but she quickly lowered her head again. She poked her knees with her chubby little hands and said uncertainly, "Can I?"
"Of course you can! You're so cute!"
Yun Juan lifted his face. Thinking it over and over again, he lowered his voice, "Besides, I overheard Elder Sister Xiaoxi and Mommy saying we're famous now."
Yun Shu's eyes widened in surprise: "Really?"
"Why would I lie to you? Come to the audition with me next time."
"Okay!" Yun Shu clenched her little fists on her knees, agreeing excitedly.
"What are you whispering about? Have you decided what to buy?"
Yun Chuman came out after changing her clothes and saw two little ones squatting in front of the door and Yun Juan was holding Yun Shu's face.
The two children immediately stood up, shaking their heads with smiles.
"It's okay, we can think about it as we walk." Yun Chuman didn't press further, assuming they were discussing what to buy. Each hand held one child and they left the house.
The summer in S City was occasionally breezy, making it quite cool.
Yun Chuman wore a large sun hat, while the children on either side wore little yellow duck sun hats, with small fans hanging under the brims.
The two children headed straight to the food street, ate some cold noodles, and then went to the nearby shopping mall.
Yun Chuman glanced at the mall map, found the store she wanted to go to, and slowly led Yun Juan and Yun Shu upstairs.
She would go into each toy store they passed, but the two children showed no interest in anything.
"Don't you want anything?"
Seeing that this was the last toy store, Yun Chuman finally couldn't help but ask.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu shook their heads listlessly, staring at the ground and stepping on each other's shadows.
Yun Chuman scratched her cheek, not looking like she was putting on a brave face or enduring something. She hadn't expected there to be children in the world who didn't like toys, and two of them at that.
She smiled helplessly and led them into the store next door—an art supply store.
Painting was the only activity she was allowed to do in her previous life.
And precisely because of this, Yun Chuman took it very seriously. As a result, she actually made a name for herself. While her works weren't priceless, they had quite a few admirers.
Unfortunately, painting required immense energy, which her body struggled to handle, resulting in a limited output.
Acting was out of the question, so Yun Chuman had no choice but to pick up her paintbrush again to earn a living.
She understood all too well that success in this industry takes time and effort, but her goals weren't grand. She didn't aspire to the same fame and fortune as in her previous life. She simply wants to support herself and the two children.
Coincidentally, a new artist competition was in two weeks. Winning a prize would not only bring a substantial cash reward but also opportunities for commercial opportunities.
Therefore, she must hurry and finish her entry before the next episode of the variety show begins filming and send it out.
Yun Chuman took a deep breath as she entered the shop—it smelled familiar!
Yun Juan and Yun Shu looked around the unfamiliar displays and merchandise and were bewildered. This place seemed different from anywhere else.
"Mommy, where is this?" Yun Shu asked, blinking her big eyes.
"Mom, what kind of movie are you acting in? What are we buying here?" Yun Juan thought he knew a bit about acting, but he still didn't know what this shop was for.
Yun Chuman paused for a moment and laughed, "Who said I'm acting? My new job is painting and this is a shop that specializes in art supplies."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu stared wide-eyed in surprise. They weren't wondering why their mommy had suddenly learned to paint. They were more concerned that their mommy wouldn't have to go out acting anymore! And she wouldn't be separated from them anymore!
The two children immediately perked up. If it weren't for the rule against making noise in the shop, they probably would have held hands and spun around for a while.
The shop was well-stocked, with art supplies neatly categorized on the shelves.
Yun Chuman led Yun Juan and Yun Shu straight to the oil painting section. She could actually paint other types of paintings, but oil painting was suitable for her entry in the competition.
She didn't plan to buy expensive materials. Medium quality would be fine and the cost wouldn't be too high.
The two children followed behind her.
Yun Juan's gaze remained fixed on Yun Chuman. Every time she selected something, he would curiously whisper, "Mommy, what's this?"
"Turpentine oil, it's for cleaning brushes," Yun Chuman explained patiently in a low voice.
Yun Shu wasn't interested in these things. Bored, she followed behind, stepping on their shadows, until her attention was drawn to the comic book section, where two people were engaged in a silent tug-of-war over screentone paper.
After noticing the children's reactions, Yun Chuman vaguely felt she should find an opportunity to find out their interests later.
When she accompanied Yun Juan to his audition that day, she noticed that Yun Shu seemed very interested in acting.
As for Yun Juan, she had assumed he liked acting, but seeing his enthusiasm for art supplies today, she wasn't so sure.
After buying the art supplies, Yun Chuman went to the supermarket to buy some snacks before taking the two children home.
When she got downstairs, she suddenly realized she was missing one of her art supplies: "I forgot my palette knife at the store."
"Is it for scraping the palette?" Yun Juan asked.
Yun Chuman was slightly surprised. She hadn't expected him to remember after only mentioning it once!
"Yes, I'll go get it from the store and be right back."
"We’ll go with Mommy!" Yun Juan and Yun Shu said simultaneously.
Yun Chuman raised an eyebrow. Although the two children said that, their eyes kept glancing towards home.
She checked the time on her phone and thought to herself, "Just as I thought." It was almost 5:30, Yun Juan and Yun Shu's daily cartoon time. The two children were clearly eager to get home to watch TV.
She suppressed a laugh: "I can go by myself. But little Juan and little Shu, can you go upstairs by yourselves? Go home and watch TV first, and wait patiently for me to come back."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu's cheeks flushed simultaneously when they realized their plan had been exposed.
"We...we'll accompan..."
"It's okay, I'll be back in five minutes," Yun Chuman interrupted them, smiling and patting their little heads.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu exchanged a glance, stepped forward to take the bag of snacks and art supplies from her hand, and hung it around their necks. They then grabbed the easel from her hands, saying, "We'll help Mommy carry these things upstairs first."
"This is too heavy, I'll carry it myself," Yun Chuman said.
The bags around their necks weren't too heavy.
The easel was a cheap, small one she'd bought, but it was still a bit heavy for the children. She didn't feel comfortable letting them carry it.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu didn't speak, stubbornly refusing to let go.
Yun Chuman stood her ground for a while, but finally gave in.
She sighed helplessly, thinking no one would want the easel, and said, "Alright, then be careful. If you can't carry it, leave it in the stairwell, and I'll bring it up when I come back."
Yun Juan and Yun Shu nodded happily upon hearing her agreement, each carrying one side, and wobbled into the stairwell with the easel.
Chuman watched them go up one floor before turning away with relief.
The third floor wasn't particularly high or low.
Yun Juan and Yun Shu rested five or six times before finally managing to lift the easel up.
"Almost there, little Shu, keep going!" Straining, Yun Juan said. His little face turned red.
"Mmm!" Yun Shu's cheeks were also flushed. She gritted her teeth and replied, not daring to say more.
After struggling up the last step, the two children carefully placed the easel on the ground, panting heavily as they relaxed.
Both of them were covered in sweat. They took out tissues from their pockets, wiped each other's brows, and gave each other a high-five with smiles: "Yay!"
Once their breathing had calmed down, Yun Juan took out his keys from his neck and opened the door.
With a click, the door opened. A loud, angry voice came from inside: "Where have you been all this time! Your wings have hardened now? Not answering the phone. Do you even recognize me as your mom anymore?!"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu then noticed that the house, which had been clean and tidy just moments before, was now a mess. The drawers and cabinets were ransacked, the snacks on the coffee table were all open, and empty bags were scattered everywhere.
On the sofa, a woman wearing a fuchsia top was eating snacks while scolding and rapidly pressing the TV remote.
"Grandma?"
Yun Juan and Yun Shu's faces paled. How did she get here?
Author's Note:
[Cub's Diary]
Yun Juan: I must make Mommy believe that I can earn money to support the family!
Yun Shu: Sigh, Elder Brother doesn't earn enough. I have to help him and earn money with him to support the family.
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