Chapter 24: Standing as Punishment

Meng Yao knew her way around the kitchen and had excellent knife skills. She could also skillfully use a scalpel.

She once spent two months practicing her knife skills cutting potatoes. She could cut the potatoes thinly and thread them through a sewing needle.

Meng Yao sliced the noodles thinly and made Dragon Beard noodles. They were much thinner than the hand-rolled noodles Zhao Xiaoshu usually ate. Meng Yao’s noodles were one-third the thickness of the hand-rolled noodles Song Xiu’er once made.

Meng Yao added the noodles to the clear broth, garnished them with chopped scallions, and added some sesame oil to stimulate the fragrance of the dish. It was a dish Meng Yao had eaten before.

There was no pollution in ancient times, so the food tasted better compared to the future.

“Is there no meat?” Zhao Dahe was disappointed.

“You don’t have to eat if you don’t want to,” Meng Yao said.

Zhao Dahe stopped complaining and guzzled down his food when he thought about the delicious breakfast his mother made.

“Carefully chew before you swallow, Xiaoshu. Don’t be like your brother. He looks like an animal when he eats.”

Meng Yao didn’t want to mock Zhao Dahe, but he ate rudely. He even finished his noodles in just two slurps.

“That was delicious, Mother!” Zhao Dahe immediately praised.

Meanwhile, Zhao Dajiang and Zhao Xiaohua weren’t any different. Zhao Dajiang looked ugly when he ate, but Zhao Xiaohua ate faster than her two brothers combined. She wanted another bowl.

“Oh, Xiaohua,” Meng Yao sighed.

“Have some, Mother. The noodles will get soggy if you don’t eat them now. Why isn’t Zhao Xiaoshu eating with us? You’re spoiling him, Mother. He’s already a grown-up, yet he’s still eating in his room. I know Xiaoshu needs to rest, but you can’t pamper him. He doesn’t even feel sorry for you, Mother. He even asked you to bring him food,” Zhao Xiaohua complained animatedly.

“Didn’t I tell you not to speak ill of others behind their back?!” Zhao Dahe thundered.

“I’m not speaking ill of Xiaoshu. I was just telling the truth,” Zhao Xiaohua showed her tongue to Dahe.

“You’re being silly!”

“That’s enough! You’re a grown-up, yet you’re bickering with your sister. Xiaohua, didn’t you say you’re a big girl now? Then why are you behaving like a child?” Meng Yao interrupted her children’s argument and glared at Zhao Dahe. “Shut your mouth when you eat!”

Zhao Xiaohua was delighted that her mother was still protective of her. However, she was dumbfounded when her mother took the bowl from her hands.

“Go to your room and stand against the wall for half an hour,” Meng Yao ordered.

Zhao Xiaohua’s heart shattered when she realized she couldn’t eat anymore, and Meng Yao had punished her.

“Don’t cheat because I will check on you later. Remember to raise your head and stick out your chest. You must also press the back of your head and butt against the wall,” Meng Yao said.

Zhao Dahe gloated, but he did not show it on his face for fear of his mother punishing him. Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaohua returned to her room reluctantly.

Then Meng Yao took her time eating her share of the noodles and was full.

“Don’t forget to wash the dishes from Zhao Xiaoshu’s room, Dahe. Dajiang, remember to give Xiu’er’s bowl and chopsticks to Dahe after you finish eating,” Meng Yao walked away as she instructed.

“Ugh, yes, Mother,” Zhao Dahe answered exasperatedly. ‘Thank goodness I’m returning to school tomorrow.’

Meng Yao went to Zhao Xiaohua’s room and saw the little girl standing there obediently yet aggrievedly. Zhao Xiaohua turned away from her mother as she entered.

Meng Yao walked to her daughter’s side and stood against the wall. She developed a habit of standing for half an hour after every meal. She believed she would suffer from indigestion or develop gastroptosis.

Meng Yao thought she wouldn’t develop those things if she stood close to a wall and used her core.

Meng Yao stood quietly.

Since Zhao Xiaohua was still a child, she couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you standing here, Mother? Did someone punish you too?”

“Did you forget what you said today?” Meng Yao asked.

“What did I say?” Zhao Xiaohua was puzzled since she spoke a lot that day.

“You said you want to lose weight,” Meng Yao reminded.

“I can get thin just by standing around?” Zhao Xiaohua couldn’t believe it.

“You only ate one bowl of noodles, right?” Meng Yao asked.

“Yes, but I’m not full yet.” Zhao Xiaohua was disappointed. She thought her mother no longer loved her because Meng Yao didn’t let her eat snacks or eat her fill. She felt that her mother only loved Zhao Xiaoshu.

“Are you hungry?” Meng Yao asked.

Zhao Xiaohua blinked and wondered if she was still hungry. She didn’t feel hungry, but she could usually eat two big bowls of noodles. Sometimes she could even eat three.

“You ate so quickly and swallowed the entire bowl of noodles. You didn’t even give your stomach a chance to digest the food. One bowl was enough, but you ate more because your stomach hadn’t reacted yet. Your stomach was already full when you put down the last bowl. Did you feel bloated after that?” Meng Yao explained.

It was no wonder Zhao Xiaohua would feel bloated and burp non-stop.

“Does that mean I can only have one bowl of food per meal?” Zhao Xiaohua asked.

Meng Yao pondered and answered, “Not necessarily. I want you to chew at least twenty times before you swallow.”

“Why is that, Mother?” Zhao Xiaohua asked.

“So your stomach can digest the food better,” Meng Yao replied. “Also, you won’t overeat.”

Zhao Xiaohua nodded thoughtfully. “Will I lose weight then?”

Meng Yao nodded assuringly.

Zhao Xiaohua was still growing, but she would lose weight if she didn’t overeat. She was thrilled, “Don’t stand with me, Mother! You’re already so thin! You will disappear if you stand too long!”

Meng Yao was dumbfounded. However, she insisted on standing with Zhao Xiaohua for half an hour, which touched Zhao Xiaohua.

“I’ve boiled some water on the stove. Soak your feet in it for fifteen minutes before going to bed,” Meng Yao instructed.

Overeating and overdrinking were harmful to the spleen and stomach. The spleen was in charge of circulation, and the body would quickly accumulate fluids if it got damaged.

Zhao Xiaohua would rid her body of excess fluids by soaking her feet. Of course, it would be better to boil the water and infuse it with herbs beforehand. However, they didn’t have access to herbs yet, so Zhao Xiaohua could only soak her feet in warm water.

As usual, Zhao Xiaohua asked why, but Meng Yao dismissed her question with a single sentence, “Soak your feet and go to bed.”

“When will you teach me how to dislocate joints, Mother?” Zhao Xiaohua still thought of that.

It was still too early to sleep, and Meng Yao had nothing else to do, so she decided to teach Zhao Xiaohua since she was in the mood.

Meng Yao went to Zhao Xiaoshu’s room and asked for some paper from Zhao Dahe. Then she went to the stove, picked up a piece of burnt charcoal, and wrapped it in a rag.

Meng Yao used the make-shift pencil to draw a human skeleton on a piece of paper. She needed to teach Zhao Xiaohua about the human structure before teaching her how to dislocate joints.