Words spoken cannot be taken away. Zhang Moyan knew clearly that after this earnest conversation, she and Xiao Xingyu had seen each other for the last time in this life.

After returning home, she was so exhausted that she lay on the balcony and looked at the stars all night, and fell ill the next day.

She ran a fever of 39.5°C for two days, her throat so swollen that even drinking water hurt. Finally, she struggled to even get takeout, so she called Huang Qin and Zhang Feng to come and take care of her. While complaining, the two elders took her to the hospital for an examination. After a day of intravenous drip, Huang Qin decided to stay for a few days to take care of her daily needs.

After Huang Qin's careful care, and with someone to sleep with her to make up for the sleep, by the fifth day, Zhang Moyan's fever had finally subsided and she was able to clean the house.

She was putting a new bag on the wet trash can that had just been replaced when she heard Huang Qin greeting someone in the corridor outside. She put the bag in place and walked into the living room. Huang Qin had already come in carrying bags of things.

"Mom, why did you buy rice? And oil! It must be tiring for you to carry it all back from the supermarket by yourself. We still have some at home." Zhang Moyan took the 5L peanut oil in Huang Qin's hand, and looked at the 20 kilograms of rice and several large bags of daily necessities on the ground with admiration.

"Not tired at all!" Huang Qin closed the door and changed her shoes in the entrance hall. "I just happened to run into your neighbor across the street at the supermarket. He offered to help me carry my things. I saw that the young man was quite sincere, so I didn't refuse! Your kitchen is running low on rice and oil, so I bought some for you so you can save some effort and have enough to eat for a while."

Zhang Moyan was surprised: "Mom, how can you let your neighbor do hard labor? He just moved in and I don't even know him!"

"I knew you hadn't met him yet," Huang Qin said with worldly wisdom. "Of course you have to find out the details of your neighbor across the street. If he's a suspicious person, you have to take precautions as soon as possible! I specially listened in on the door for two days before I finally found him. The guy across the street is a burly young man. He bought the house to get married, so he's not a tenant. He even showed me the property deed, which made me feel much more at ease. The young man is quite polite. He was the one who greeted me at the supermarket today."

"Mom, you've even seen the birth certificate? You're amazing! You'd be a scout before the Liberation!" Zhang Moyan has always been impressed by the square dance aunt's social skills. She touched her waist and untied her apron. "Then I'll go thank them."

"No need to go," Huang Qin said, wearing slippers and holding a bag of shower gel or something. "The young man dropped me off and went downstairs. He said he had work to do!"

Huang Qin went to the bathroom to put her things away, saying as she walked, "Why are you in such a hurry to thank me? We live next door, so we'll have plenty of opportunities to meet! We're neighbors, so you help me this time, and I'll help you next time. It's good for us to look after each other on a regular basis."

Zhang Moyan had nothing to say about Huang Qin's self-righteous attitude.

After putting her things in place, Huang Qin came out of the bathroom and walked over to Zhang Moyan, helping her take off her apron and put it on herself. "Is your throat sore better now?"

Zhang Moyan nodded and reassured her parents, "It's healed now. It doesn't hurt at all."

Huang Qin patted Zhang Moyan's cheek in understanding. "How could it be possible that he got better so quickly? But he's definitely much better than the last two days. So, let's not have porridge today. Mommy will make you tomato and egg noodles. They're also softer and a little more fragrant, okay?"

"That's great," Zhang Moyan hugged Huang Qin's arm and leaned her head on her shoulder, "I love the tomato and egg noodles my mom makes the most!"

Huang Qin immediately went to the kitchen and started working enthusiastically. Zhang Moyan stood outside the kitchen and watched Huang Qin through the glass as she beat eggs and cut tomatoes. She felt as if her internal organs were being simmered slowly over a low fire, and it was very warm.

So what if she was treated as a substitute? She was just a little uncomfortable when she was called "Doudou", but compared with the love she received from her mother and father, it was negligible.

After a while, two bowls of delicious tomato and egg noodles were served on the table. Zhang Moyan sat down and ate with relish, praising the food repeatedly while eating.

Huang Qin couldn't help but put down her chopsticks when she saw Zhang Moyan eating so happily, and her eyes gradually became absorbed in watching.

"Mom? What's wrong with you?" Zhang Moyan looked up.

Huang Qin came back to her senses when their eyes met. She lowered her head and stirred the noodles in the bowl with her chopsticks. After struggling for a while, she said softly, "Mom is just worried that one day I won't be able to see you eat even if I want to."

"How could that be?" Zhang Moyan was stunned, not knowing why Huang Qin suddenly had this idea.

Huang Qin rubbed her nose and looked at Zhang Moyan with some concern. She asked, "Doudou, will you always be your mother's daughter? If that Professor Chen comes looking for you again, will you go with him? After all, he's a professor at a Japanese university. His conditions in all aspects are much better than ours..."

"Mom..." Zhang Moyan put down her chopsticks and immediately reached out to hold Huang Qin. "I won't leave you! You raised me since I was a child. I remember all the kindness you've shown me. We've been inseparable family for a long time. Don't say that man is just a professor. Even if he was the Prime Minister of Japan, I wouldn't go with him!"

Huang Qin nodded repeatedly with red eyes after hearing what Zhang Moyan said. Zhang Moyan squeezed her hand tightly and promised, "Mom, I swear to you, I will never leave you, Dad, and Grandpa and Grandma. Don't worry, I will always be your daughter and granddaughter. You will never lose me in your life!"

"Okay... okay, good child!" Huang Qin was relieved and overwhelmed with emotions after hearing Zhang Moyan's words. She held Zhang Moyan's hand tightly as if afraid of losing it. "Then Mommy is relieved. Come on, eat quickly! Is it enough? If not, Mommy will give you some more."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!