“Gah!”

The old courtyard door was pushed open suddenly from the inside, making a creaking sound.

The wooden door scraped against the corner of the wall, making a rather harsh sound.

Hua Shi clenched her somewhat cold hand and stood firmly outside the door frame.

"Are you... Hanatoki?"

The old lady who came to open the door had gray hair. She raised her old face and looked carefully at the visitor with her cloudy old eyes.

"Grandma He, it's me." Hua Shi held the bamboo basket tighter and nodded quickly.

"It's cold outside, come in quickly."

Old Mrs. He bent her hunched back and waved her hand, indicating Hua Shi to come in quickly.

The yard I saw last time was still spacious, and the things placed there were very messy, including a stone mill, shelves, dry firewood, a wellhead... one thing after another.

Hua Shi followed behind Old Lady He and was led all the way to the main hall before stopping.

"Come, drink some hot water."

Grandma He warmly poured her a glass of water.

Hua Shi reached out to take it, and his gesture paused when it touched the cold edge of the porcelain cup.

This tea is obviously cold...

She quickly looked down at the tea in the cup. There were broken tea leaves floating on the surface, and the water at the bottom of the cup looked like boiled water that had not been brewed.

Facing Grandma He's kind gaze, Hua Shi gritted her teeth and took a sip.

The water I drank was indeed fresh well water, with just some tea leaves added to it...

"Don't stand, sit here."

Grandma He looked at her lovingly, and after seeing her drink the tea, she turned around again, moved a wooden chair from the corner, and motioned for her to sit down.

The old lady seemed to be preoccupied with her own thoughts. Without waiting for Hua Shi to speak, she pulled her sleeve, pressed her hand, and asked her to sit down.

Hua Shi couldn't persuade her and had to sit down.

"Grandma He, can I borrow your kitchen for a while?"

Hua Shi looked at the old lady's smiling profile and asked tentatively.

Grandma He kept tilting her head and looking towards her feet, as if her attention was attracted by something.

Hua Shi followed her gaze and looked down at her feet.

"Meow……?"

The black cat, who was sitting quietly by her feet and licking its paws, noticed Hua Shi's gaze and looked over, then raised its head and called out in confusion.

"Is this black cat your cat?"

Old Mrs. He suddenly asked, her eyes so cloudy that her pupils could not be seen clearly, and she was glued closely to the black cat.

Hua Shi noticed that something seemed amiss with the old man, so he bent down, picked up the black cat, and placed it in his arms before nodding and saying, "Yes."

After hearing her answer, Grandma He tilted her head and seemed to be frozen in place, dazed and motionless for a long time, as if she was lost in some memories.

Hua Shi pinched her palms and felt a little uneasy for a moment.

In fact, she came here after much consideration.

If Hua Yu had not lied to her last time, all of Grandma He's family members would have passed away, and what she was muttering were just her own fantasies. She said those words because her memory and mental division were confused.

Whether it was the last meeting or this meeting, Grandma He's emotions were very stable, no different from ordinary people.

She came here with selfish motives. Grandma He was an elderly woman living alone at home. The location of Grandma He's house was a bit remote. She had to cross two mountain roads before she could see another house.

It can be seen that this place is very secluded. The road is lined with weeds and piled snow, and it can be seen that few people come here.

She didn't know anyone in the village, and with Li in the Hua family, there was no way for her to do anything. After thinking about it, she thought of Grandma He...

As Hua Shi was thinking, her eyes couldn't help but fall secretly on the wooden table on the left side. There were three spirit tablets on the table, the spirit tablets of her husband, son, and daughter... Just like what she saw last time, they were still neatly placed.

The spirit tablet was wiped clean, without a speck of dust...

"... Ah Shi, what did you just say? Sorry... I'm old and useless, I didn't hear what you said."

Hua Shi was lost in thought when she suddenly heard Grandma He's old and hoarse voice.

She was stunned for a moment, then immediately came to her senses and said hurriedly, "This is it, Grandma He, I want to borrow your small kitchen, is that okay?"

"The kitchen...? Sure, go ahead. It's in the east room outside the yard. You can see it when you go out."

This time the old lady agreed quickly, and her previous daze seemed like an illusion.

"Okay, thank you, Grandma He."

Hua Shi stood up, holding the basket in one hand and the black cat in the other, and walked out of the yard.

The moment she stood up, Grandma He also stood up.

Hua Shi thought she would follow him out, but she didn't. Grandma He just stood up and walked towards the full basket of cotton in the main room. She hunched her back and turned the cotton in the basket with her rough hands.

Hua Shi walked out of the main room, pursed her lips, and looked at the snow falling in the yard, feeling a little strange.

There was something obviously wrong with the way Grandma He looked at Xiao Hei just now.

Grandma He was just stunned for a moment, but she didn't show it. Instead, she agreed with her in a daze.

"Meow……?"

The black cat, nestled comfortably in her arms, suddenly stopped in a daze when it saw the flowers, and scratched the back of her hand with its claws in confusion.

Hua Shi bent down and put the black cat on the ground, then walked towards the kitchen in the east room that Grandma He mentioned.

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