In the process of raising a child, Wen Qian would also have questions, like why a child wants to urinate as soon as they soak their feet in water.
Why a child would burst into tears if the order of putting on shoes is different.
Why she cannot understand the mumbled words from the child's mouth.
Some answers can be found in parenting books, but sometimes it requires an unspoken understanding between herself and the child that cannot be conveyed through words alone.
In any case, she was living her life stumbling along with the child.
When Wen Qian was forty-nine years old, the child was three.
As An An would say: "I'm not a child anymore, I've grown up, I'm three."
Hearing this made Wen Qian laugh for a while. Children feel they've grown up with each year older.
Little did they know, as children desperately want to grow up to become adults, only when they grow up do they realize that only children can be carefree.
Now at three years old, the child could do many things. Apart from Wen Qian's share of household items, there appeared smaller versions for the child.
Small towels, small shoes, a small stool and small blanket specifically for the child.
Small bowls and chopsticks just for the child, all in miniature sizes.
The child would mimic Wen Qian, putting things in order after she tidied up.
Wen Qian grew vegetables in the courtyard, and An An wanted to as well, so after Wen Qian finished her own work, she sectioned off a small area for the child to plant whatever she wanted.
The child randomly pointed here and there, planting one of each kind, then watering and weeding every day, almost killing all the vegetables.
Even the strawberries Wen Qian often grew - when the vines started spreading, Wen Qian prepared a small pot, and the child wanted to grow her own pot too.
But she watered too much, and they withered. After the seedlings died, Wen Qian told the child not to overwater, and transplanted a new one for her.
Wen Qian had told her beforehand, but the impatient child thought the more water she gave, the faster the strawberries would grow.
Before, when Wen Qian was alone, she grew a row of strawberries, picking the ripe ones and leaving the rest in the space.
Now with a child, the two of them would have none left in storage.
The child liked strawberries, but every time she picked them, she would feed them to Wen Qian instead of eating them all herself.
Wen Qian hadn't taught her this - it was just that when Wen Qian ate something, she would share with the child, so the child shared with her too.
Some things don't need to be taught, reasoning is useless - it's better to set an example first.
Of course, when the child made a mistake, Wen Qian wouldn't let it slide, but would definitely point it out and ask for correction.
At this age, the child had many questions, endless "whys". Wen Qian would answer what she could, and look up what she couldn't in books.
Because Wen Qian read books, it piqued the child's curiosity too. When Wen Qian wasn't reading, the child would flip through the books.
Though she couldn't recognize the words, she would look at the pictures, so Wen Qian showed her picture books of wild plants and animals to help her learn to identify them first.
At this stage, the child could only speak, not read or write, and Wen Qian didn't teach her those skills so early.
The child would look at the picture books over and over, then point out plants she recognized in the wild and ask the adults for a trowel to dig them up.
Wen Qian would emphasize which wild plants were edible, which were inedible, and which indicated danger to stay away from.
Children's learning ability was astonishing, but she didn't know if the child would still remember as she grew older.
Once when going to the market with some neighbors, Wen Qian brought the child to get deworming medication from the doctor.
After returning, the child stayed very quiet. Wen Qian thought she was just tired from the trip and didn't pay much attention.
But when it was time for bed, the child was pouting, and Wen Qian finally realized something was off.
At first she felt the child's forehead to check for fever, but there was no issue.
Only after Wen Qian asked repeatedly did the child tell the truth.
"Why do others have mothers but I don't?"
Wen Qian instantly recalled the few mothers with children she saw at the doctor's earlier.
"Do you want a mother?" Wen Qian wiped the child's tears.
The child asked in a small voice, "Can I call you mom instead of grandma?"
"Sure, if that makes you happy."
An An's face brightened with a smile as she hugged Wen Qian and began softly calling her mom.
Wen Qian answered, and the child called out "mom" again immediately.
It became uncontrollable, with the child continuing to call out "mom" until she fell asleep.
Wen Qian thought the child would ask where her mom was, not that she wanted to call Wen Qian mom. She had the child call her grandma due to her age.
Actually, when Wen Qian was young, she wanted to call her grandparents mom and dad too, but hesitated for a long time and only called them that in a very small voice.
Thinking back now, perhaps her grandparents, whom she thought were asleep, had actually heard her after all.
After changing to calling her mom, the child became very happy, as if her previous low spirits had dissipated.
When An An was still young, Wen Qian had told her the story of Nuwa creating humans from mud. So with many people created, it's inevitable that there would be abnormalities, like Wen Qian having five fingers while the child has six.
She had prepared the explanation before the child even asked, so the child didn't become afraid or insecure about being different from others.
As for the mother issue, since the child resolved it herself, Wen Qian didn't give further explanation.
If she wants to call her mom, then so be it.
Not only at home, but the child would also loudly call Wen Qian "mom" in front of neighbors.
Because the neighbors had heard the child call Wen Qian "grandma" when she first learned to speak, they thought Wen Qian had changed her mind when the child started using the new name.
When they asked Wen Qian, she could only smile and point at the child, saying, "She asked if she could change it, so I changed it."
The neighbors realized it was the child who wanted to call her mom, thinking to themselves, who says children aren't sensible? Even young children understand certain things.
Indeed, a three-year-old child knows quite a lot, already aware that rabbits aren't family, and how rabbits should be prepared to taste good.
She would also help start the fire when her mom cooked, and remind her mom to add salt.
When Wen Qian had a backache, An An would help massage her back and waist, and would also fetch things and pour water for her mother. Even when going out to work in the fields, she would imitate her mother and lend a hand nearby.
Her adorable behavior was beyond description.
The little child was always busy, having many things to take care of every day – making sure the doors were closed, feeding the rabbits, and worrying about many other matters.
Wen Qian watched as the other grew from a tiny infant to a three-year-old child running and jumping in the courtyard, marveling at how fast time had flown.
