Mu Yunniang held a needlework basket in one hand and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear with the other, sowhat shyly saying, "ng Niang, I, I’ve co to you for so needlework."
Yi ng quickly patted the heated brick bed and invited, "Co on up. On a rainy day like this, there’s nothing else to do but needlework. It’s just as well you’ve co over, third sister-in-law, otherwise I’d find doing needlework alone quite boring."
Whether or not these were re courtesies, they made people feel warm inside just hearing them.
Mu Yunniang truly envied her fourth sister-in-law. She’s good-looking, educated, knows a lot, and most importantly, is articulate.
Unlike herself, who speaks as awkwardly as a gourd, never able to express what’s on her mind.
Mu Yunniang sat across from Yi ng and took out her own needlework.
The family lacked for nothing in terms of candles now, and mother-in-law wouldn’t begrudge the expense, so no one’s forbidden from lighting candles in their rooms.
However, Mu Yunniang had always been frugal, reluctant to light candles during the day and only keeping them lit as briefly as possible at night.
Now, entering the room of her fourth sister-in-law, she saw it was brightly lit with candles, making not only the room but her mood much brighter compared to her own room.
The two worked on their needlework, occasionally chatting, but it was always Yi ng who initiated the conversation, to which Mu Yunniang would respond once or twice.
Yi ng knew her third sister-in-law’s nature—quiet, honest—and if she didn’t bring up topics, the woman would likely stay silent the whole visit.
Moreover, Yi ng also knew Mu Yunniang wasn’t one to wander into others’ rooms casually; her needlework visit must have an ulterior motive.
So, Yi ng picked a lot of topics to talk about.
Sotis it was about work in the fields, sotis about the town shops, and sotis it shifted to the chickens, ducks, pigs, and horses at ho.
All topics were t with simple responses, with no further developnt from the other side, so Yi ng realized she hadn’t yet hit on the issue.
However, apart from these topics, Yi ng couldn’t imdiately think of sothing new to discuss.
Just then, Xiao Shiyi let out a soft whimper, and Yi ng quickly patted the little one’s back. Seeing the child just whimpered a bit before falling back asleep, Yi ng no longer needed to find a topic as Mu Yunniang couldn’t help but remark:
"ng Niang, these kids of yours are well-behaved, each better than the last."
Yi ng chuckled, saying, "Well-behaved? Except for this youngest one who can’t cause trouble yet, the rest co back dirty every day."
"That’s still considered sensible."
Mu Yunniang earnestly said, "ng Niang, truly, they are very sensible."
Seeing her reaction, Yi ng almost thought Mu Yunniang was praising her own children.
However, she finally grasped the true purpose of her third sister-in-law’s visit; it must be about the children.
Thinking about the two kids in the third household, Qi Wulang was already a half-grown boy, sensible enough to help around the house.
As for Qi Qilang, who was only a few months younger than her own Liulang, he could be considered the most mischievous among the Qi family boys.
And looking at the patchwork Mu Yunniang was doing, the patches could be said to be the most nurous among all the Qi Family clothes.
It was obvious they belonged to Qi Qilang.
"Third sister-in-law, there’s sothing you don’t understand. Sensible children are good in our eyes, but mischievousness also has its rits."
Yi ng’s voice was gentle, causing Mu Yunniang to pause in her work, looking up with confusion written on her face, "Mischievousness has rits?"
"Of course!"
Yi ng laughed, "Mischievous children have many ideas they want to try out. What’s this? It’s a sign of strong hands-on ability!"
"They have ideas and then act on them. Isn’t that an advantage over children who only follow adult instructions without question?"
Yi ng smiled at Mu Yunniang, her gaze steady and unwavering.
It was precisely this determined look that led Mu Yunniang to instinctively trust Yi ng’s assertions.
"Is that so? Well, it seems pretty good then."
Mu Yunniang hesitantly asked, "But being mischievous is also problematic. ng Niang, how do you suggest teaching such mischievous kids?"
"That’s easy. Mischievous children are smart and understand what adults say. As adults, we shouldn’t treat them as re children but as friends."
Yi ng resud sewing clothes with a needle and thread, "Imagine when we were young, our parents and elders forbade us from doing this or that. What did we think? Usually, we obeyed, but in our hearts, we wondered what would happen if we didn’t listen?"
"We were obedient, but only imagined. However, so mischievous kids wouldn’t listen and insisted on going against the grain, often driving adults to furious discipline with brooms or sticks."
Seeing Mu Yunniang listen attentively, Yi ng continued, "But think about it from another angle. If soone around our age—sisters or friends—told us not to do certain things, even without much explanation, we might feel their words made more sense than our parents’."
"Treat, treat children as friends?"
Mu Yunniang, though awkward and honest, wasn’t foolish. She understood Yi ng’s point, but imagining being friends with her youngest son felt bizarre.
"But, but ng Niang, how can we befriend children? Wouldn’t it make them even harder to manage later?"
Mu Yunniang couldn’t figure out how to befriend children.
Yi ng laughed and shook her head, "Being friends isn’t just superficial; it’s about genuinely considering things from the child’s perspective. We can’t think from the viewpoint of being sixty years old because we aren’t there yet, right? Even thinking won’t help us understand what we’ll be like at that age."
"But we’ve been kids before or interacted with many children. So if we, as adults, practice a little more patience and think more from a child’s viewpoint, that’s how we truly befriend them."
Yi ng put down her needlework, looking up at Mu Yunniang, "Third sister-in-law, in relationships, empathy is crucial. Understanding things from the other person’s perspective is the best way to comprehend why they act a certain way."
Seeing Mu Yunniang nod in understanding, Yi ng added, "Of course, empathy isn’t for everyone. We must distinguish whom to consider. For outsiders, those irrelevant to us, we don’t have to bother. We must focus on ourselves, our family, loved ones, and those we care about."
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