My Happy Daily Life After Being Reborn-Chapter 213 - 31 Brainwashing

"Big sister, what brings you here?" Lin Xiaoguai rushed to the gate upon hearing the announcement, surprised to see the mother and son duo.

"Little auntie." Xu Ji smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"Yeah." Lin Xiaoguai responded, reaching out to pat his head.

"I need to talk to you about something, can we find a place to sit for a bit?" Han Shouzhen smiled.

Lin Xiaoguai led them to the school’s pavilion and then asked Xu Ji, "What would you like to eat? Little auntie can buy something from the grocery store for you."

"There’s no need, little auntie. I just had a bowl of tofu pudding on the way here, and I’m still full." Xu Ji’s face beamed with a smile; he was in a good mood—it was his first time ever eating street stand tofu pudding.

"If that’s the case." Seeing that he wasn’t just being polite, Lin Xiaoguai spoke with a hint of regret.

"Wanwan, could you sew a backpack for Ping’an?" Han Shouzhen hesitated, "He doesn’t want a single-shoulder bag; he wants a double-strap backpack like Nuonuo’s. You can’t buy those outside, and he’s never satisfied with the ones I make, saying they’re not as good as the ones you make."

The double-strap backpack she talked about was the one Lin Xiaoguai had previously made for Nuonuo, crafted from red canvas with two large and one small silly stuffed bears embroidered on it—both sturdy and attractive.

"Sure, it’s no big deal." Lin Xiaoguai agreed without a second thought. Her elder aunt’s sewing was rough and uneven, she couldn’t even make a proper pattern; no wonder Ping’an was fussy about it.

"That’s wonderful." Adding to that, Han Shouzhen pulled out the blue canvas she had prepared in advance from her bag, "I’ve brought the fabric, along with the embroidery thread. I didn’t know what was good, so I just picked the expensive kind."

"There’s no need to go through all that trouble; I’ve got plenty of that here." Lin Xiaoguai complained.

"But that won’t do; I can’t let you be out of pocket because of this." After saying that, Han Shouzhen glared at her son, "Are you satisfied now?"

While she’d never admit that it bothered her when her own son was critical of her handiwork, she was happier to see that her son was finally expressing his preferences. Unlike before, when he was indifferent to everything, as if it didn’t matter at all.

Xu Ji smiled shyly at Lin Xiaoguai, "Sorry for the trouble, little auntie."

"It’s no trouble at all. So, does that mean Ping’an is getting ready to start school?" Lin Xiaoguai asked with a smile.

"Yes." Han Shouzhen nodded, "His school registration is already sorted out. He’ll be in the same class as Nuonuo, so they can look out for each other."

Lin Xiaoguai turned to see the light twinkling in Xu Ji’s eyes, clearly thrilled at the prospect of going to school.

"Who came looking for you?" After sending Han Shouzhen and Xu Ji off, Lin Xiaoguai returned to the dormitory with the canvas and embroidery thread, where Zhu Huixi asked with curiosity.

"My elder aunt." Lin Xiaoguai placed the items on the desk, "She asked me to make a backpack for my nephew."

Zhu Huixi found the topic dull and returned to her studying.

Yang Xiaoli was frustrating herself, nearly pricking her hand several times with the crochet hook. Eventually, she threw her work down angrily, "I’m not doing this anymore..."

Lin Xiaoguai peered at the half-finished sock she was crocheting, "You’ve missed several stitches; no wonder your yarn is fraying." This girl really wasn’t patient. Initially, she’d do fine, but then she would get impatient at the slow progress, and mistakes were bound to happen as a result.

"Xiao Guai, you know how to do this too?" Yang Xiaoli asked, face alight with surprise.

"This isn’t hard." Lin Xiaoguai said nonchalantly.

Many people might not know, besides knitting, there’s another crafting technique called crochet. It’s very similar to knitting but uses a crochet hook instead of knitting needles.

Lin Xiaoguai herself had been clueless, until a military wife in the Shanghai Military Family Area had given her an introduction. Afterward, she gradually developed more patterns, sometimes innovating on her own or learning from books.

Actually, crochet is even simpler than knitting sweaters.

"I know it’s not hard, but just thinking about the quantity I have to make gives me a headache." Yang Xiaoli pulled out a pile of yarn from the cupboard, "Look, these all need to be done."

"Why did you buy so much yarn?" Zhu Huixi asked, puzzled.

"Who says I bought it?" Yang Xiaoli said with a wry smile, "My mom sent it to me. Crochet is becoming popular back home, and she plans to sell these items. She didn’t even ask before shipping them to me, telling me to make them and then send them back."

She paused, "Truth be told, I think it’s a lost cause. My mom always jumps on trends without thinking. The money spent on the yarn will most likely end up as a loss."

Lin Xiaoguai didn’t express an opinion, simply asking, "Do all these need to be turned into socks?"