Jiang Hui looked up and met Jiang Ruyu's gaze, which was red-rimmed. Jiang Hui stared wide-eyed, wanting to leave, but then remembered that class was in session: "Class, that's all for today. We'll continue this afternoon. get out of class dismissed."
The children all stood up obediently and said, "Goodbye, teacher."
After all the children had left the classroom, Jiang Hui packed up his books and chalk and went outside.
"Sister, why did you all come? You didn't even tell me." Jiang Hui, a usually composed person, couldn't help but choke up at this moment.
The village secretary was a sensible and understanding man; he left long before the children left.
Jiang Ruyu looked at her younger brother with red eyes. Fortunately, he was just a little darker and thinner, but there wasn't much change.
"The journey is too far, and I don't know when I'll arrive. I'm telling you in advance so you'll worry about it, right?"
"You're doing well, kid. The village secretary has been praising you all the way here." Zheng Yang didn't expect that in less than a year, this kid could do so well. No wonder he didn't want to stay at home. It's clear that he knows what he's doing.
“That’s just the way the Party Secretary is. He likes us educated youth as long as we don’t cause trouble.” Jiang Hui took the bag from his sister: “Come on, I’ll take you to my place. I live by myself now.”
As Jiang Ruyu walked along, she noticed that the houses on the island were very unique, all built of stone.
"The houses on this island are all very old. You can see that each house has seashells on the outside, which are said to be able to withstand the erosion of the sea wind. Their houses are particularly sturdy. It seems that they were built with glutinous rice mortar in the past, and there are also seashells and the like. I haven't figured out the principle yet, but anyway, it's quite comfortable to live in." Jiang Hui led them to where he was staying.
"This place is quite nice. Look, the main road is paved with stones. People live in close-knit communities, and every household is very close to each other." Jiang Ruyu really liked the architecture here; it was very beautiful.
"Yes, living too far apart is unsafe, especially with typhoons every summer. Living closer together provides a bit more security."
Along the way, Jiang Hui encountered elderly women picking vegetables and chatting at their doorsteps, and he was already able to speak with them in their somewhat broken local dialect.
Jiang Ruyu and the other person couldn't understand, but judging from the way they were stuffing food into Jiang Hui's mouth, they really liked him.
Jiang Hui looked at his sister and Yang Ge's eyes, scratched his head and said a little embarrassedly, "They're just too enthusiastic. They're actually very nice grandmas."
"Well, they don't value you and want you to be their son-in-law or grandson-in-law, do they?" Jiang Ruyu was just joking, but she didn't expect her younger brother to look even more embarrassed.
Jiang Hui smiled awkwardly: "Haha, well, there are grandmas who have asked me that, but I always refuse."
"What did you do to make them like you so much?" Jiang Ruyu was genuinely curious now.
"I didn't do anything, did I?" Jiang Hui didn't understand why they found him so agreeable.
Chatting and laughing, they soon arrived at Jiang Hui's house, which was just a stone house, not very big, with only two rooms. The house was located on the outskirts, and you could see the distant sea from the doorway.
"Jiang Hui, you live in a nice place. You can see the sea right from the yard." Jiang Ruyu was a little envious of her younger brother.
The houses here have very high foundations, and the courtyard walls are only a little over a meter high. Jiang Hui's house has a small vegetable garden right outside the door, where scallions, green beans, leafy greens and other vegetables are planted. It looks quite impressive.
"Well done, Jiang Hui, you're doing a great job growing vegetables. Now we really don't have to worry about you anymore."
Jiang Hui smiled, a little proudly: "I learned this from the old men on the island. It's not too cold here all year round, so even in winter we don't lack vegetables. Come on in, you must be exhausted after such a long train ride."
Jiang Ruyu followed Jiang Hui into the room: "We're alright. After all, we weren't on the train the whole time. We even got off at Jincheng and bought some local specialties."
Jiang Ruyu looked around the room. There were two rooms, neither of which were very big. One was a bedroom, and the other was for eating, reading, and entertaining guests. The room was quite bright, and the windows were made of glass, so it didn't feel too cramped or stuffy.
"Not bad, it's quite clean. You wouldn't believe it, Jiang Lin has become more diligent these days. He makes the bed neatly and doesn't hoard his smelly socks anymore."
Jiang Hui poured water for his sister and Yang Ge: "Sit down and rest. I know he wrote me a letter to brag, saying that next time he goes home, he wants to have a competition with me to see who can fold their blanket better."
"Ha, he's really made something of himself. You used to fold the blankets and wash the smelly socks, and now he's competing with you in folding blankets. He's really made something of himself."
Zheng Yang watched the two siblings chat back and forth. After a while, Jiang Ruyu drank two glasses of water before taking out the things she had brought for him.
"Here, this is for you. Jiang Lin also got one, but when we bought the ham, we also brought you one. Jiang Lin didn't get one."
Jiang Hui felt a warm feeling mixed with helplessness as he looked at the large package: "Sis, you saw it this time, I'm really doing well, I have food and drink, please don't send me anything anymore."
Jiang Ruyu nodded: "Okay, I'll send you some meat coupons or something every month from now on."
"You two rest inside for a while. I'll go to the village to trade for some fish. I'll cook lunch and let you try their cooking methods; they're delicious." Jiang Hui thought that all they had at home were vegetables from their garden, so he decided to go out and trade with the village grandmothers for some seafood.
Living by the sea means you'll never lack fresh seafood. Jiang Ruyu and the others were indeed a bit tired, so they nodded and said, "Okay, go ahead, but don't make too much."
"Okay, you guys take a rest."
Jiang Hui went outside. Jiang Ruyu was indeed a little tired, but after sitting on the train for several days, she couldn't sleep without washing up. Zheng Yang went to the yard to fetch water and boil it so the two of them could wash up first.
When Jiang Hui returned, they had already boiled water: "There's a wooden partition in the yard that's for taking a bath. Sis, why don't you go take a bath there?"
"Okay, what do you need to do? Let Zheng Yang lend you a hand."
When Jiang Ruyu came out after taking a shower, Jiang Hui had already cooked a pot of white meatball soup: "What is this? It looks quite appetizing."
"Fish ball soup. The old man on the island caught a lot of fish today. I bought two for only 80 cents. I don't know what the locals call this kind of fish. It has few bones and tastes especially good when steamed. But today it's made into fish balls, which we've never had before. Sister, I guarantee you'll love it after you try it."
Jiang Hui, wearing an apron, skillfully chopped vegetables. Zheng Yang openly observed and learned from her.
"Sis, have a bowl and try it first. I'll cook a dish for you. This is one you've never had before. It's incredibly delicious."
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