The old woman looked at her with a smile, saying that the white steamed buns were for her daughter-in-law who was about to give birth, and they were freshly cooked today. Seeing that she was eating well, she even asked the maid to pour Ye Yun a bowl of warm water.
The little girl gently carried a bowl of warm water and placed it on the stone table in front of her.
Ye Yun politely said thank you.
"How old is the little girl?" She broke off a small piece of steamed bun and handed it to the little girl.
The little girl was pale and thin, clearly having never eaten anything good, but when faced with the white steamed bun in her hand, she shook her head.
"This is for you to eat," the little girl said politely in a clear voice.
The old woman was pleased with the little girl's thoughtfulness. She smiled, took the little girl's hand, pointed to Ye Yun's belly, and made a gesture as if she were holding a baby.
The little girl immediately smiled and turned to Ye Yun, saying, "Grandma said that you're pregnant too, is the baby in your belly a little brother?"
Um?
Ye Yun was slightly surprised, but smiled gently, "Auntie doesn't know yet whether the baby in her belly is a boy or a girl."
The little girl said happily, "My mom is carrying a little brother in her belly. He'll be born in a few days!"
"Really? Best wishes to you."
"Thank you, sister!" The little girl was very polite and quickly reminded Ye Yun to drink water.
From beginning to end, the old woman watched the little girl with a smile and did not interrupt the little girl's conversation with Ye Yun. Although she was mute and old, she was a very sensible elder.
Perhaps it was the new environment that put her in a good mood, but Ye Yun ate a steamed bun without realizing it.
The old woman smiled and gestured, asking if she wanted more.
Qin Zheng also looked at her. He was happier than anyone else that his wife could eat, and asked her if she wanted another steamed bun.
Ye Yun quickly waved her hand, knowing that if she ate any more, she would stuff herself to the point of bursting.
Qin Zheng knew she had eaten enough for the day, so he asked the old woman to bring him a small jar filled with about half a jar of fermented bean curd. He then handed the old woman the jar along with the money for the steamed buns she had just eaten.
He gave her a lot, and when the old woman saw that there were several dollars, she quickly pushed his hand back.
Qin Zheng told her to just keep the money. This amount of money was far less than the white steamed bun Ye Yun had just eaten. To outsiders it was just a steamed bun, but to him it was a timely help.
The old woman accepted the money Qin Zheng handed her and nodded to him with a smile.
She patted the little girl on the shoulder again and gestured to her. The little girl immediately ran back into the house.
When she came out again, she was holding a pretty little red bib.
"Sister, this was made by my grandma for my little brother. I'm giving it to you!" The little girl smiled shyly and handed the baby bib to Ye Yun with her small hands.
The little bib is red, with a peace and safety pattern embroidered on it in yellow thread.
Ye Yun accepted it with a look of surprise, stroking the embroidery on it, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Auntie, your embroidery skills are so good?"
The old woman smiled shyly.
Unable to speak, she waved her hand, urging Ye Yun to quickly put the undergarment away.
Ye Yun smiled and nodded, folding the undergarment and holding it in her hand. An idea came to her mind, and she looked at the old woman, "Auntie, who usually makes the tofu?"
The old woman shook the little girl's hand.
The little girl said, "My grandpa and dad made it, but they went out on business. Sister, do you still want some stinky tofu? I'll ask my grandpa when he gets back. He knows how to make a lot of tofu; he taught my dad everything!"
Ye Yun smiled and gently patted her little head, saying, "Okay, then you must remember to ask your grandfather for me."
"good……"
Before the little girl could finish speaking, she suddenly looked in the direction behind Ye Yun, her eyes lit up, and pointed behind Ye Yun, saying, "Look! My grandpa and my dad are back!"
Ye Yun couldn't help but turn her head.
Qin Zheng also helped her up and followed her gaze toward the door.
Three people walked in from outside the door.
An old man with pockmarks wearing a headscarf from his in-laws' family, a dark-skinned farmer of average height, and a young woman with braided pigtails all entered the house with worried faces and an unpleasant atmosphere.
Upon seeing this, the old woman's expression changed, and she hurriedly went to greet her with worry.
"Ah...ah?"
The old woman, pulling on the old man's hand and babbling incoherently, pointed at the girl, her face full of anxiety.
The old man understood what she meant, sighed heavily, and without replying, walked into the yard, sat down on a bench, and began to smoke his old pipe in silence.
The old woman looked anxious and grabbed the arm of the farmer next to her, "Ah..."
The farmer sighed heavily and said bitterly, "That Guo family is too much! That damned old woman is now looking down on us, saying that we... well, she's afraid our Xiu'er will give birth to a mute, and that she'll only give us two chickens at most, and not a penny more in betrothal gifts!"
"ah?"
Upon hearing this, the old woman was so surprised that she almost couldn't speak.
She anxiously patted the farmer's arm, then suddenly seemed to remember something and went to hit her good-for-nothing daughter next to her.
Her daughter's eyes suddenly reddened from the beating, and she stamped her foot while wiping away her tears, saying, "How can you blame me! Guo Youcai didn't say his mother was so stingy when he was dating me! He spoke so sweetly about how good and rich his family was! He even said his family had two jars of grain! Who knew his mother was like this!"
The young woman became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and she covered her face, tears streaming down her face, and ran into the house to cry.
The little girl felt sorry for her aunt and quickly ran after her into the house, repeatedly calling out, "Auntie! Auntie! Don't cry!"
The old woman sighed heavily.
Perhaps it was those words, which could also produce a mute, that hurt her, for her eyes reddened, and she couldn't help but wipe away her tears with a sense of grievance.
She felt that it was all because of her, the old mute, that she had hindered her children's marriages.
The family members were either sulking or wiping away tears. Ye Yun sat on the stool, feeling extremely uncomfortable, and silently exchanged a glance with Qin Zheng while holding his hand.
Ye Yun: How embarrassing.
Qin Zheng: ……
You hear news about the Guo family everywhere you go, as if they've been cursed for eight lifetimes and their spirits will haunt you forever. What bad luck!
"Huh? Why are there two more people here?"
Old Ma Zi then noticed Ye Yun and Qin Zheng, and a look of surprise appeared on his still sullen face.
The farmer noticed them too, and looked up at Ye Yun and Qin Zheng, his eyes filled with scrutiny and wariness. "What do you two do?"
The old woman quickly patted the farmer again, using her eyes to stop his rudeness.
She stepped forward, pointed to the rice bowl in front of Ye Yun, made a gesture with the size of a steamed bun, then pointed to the fermented bean curd in the jar in Qin Zheng's hand, and finally took out a few yuan from her pocket and showed it to the two of them.
The farmer looked on in surprise.
He blurted out, "A beggar? You ate one of our big steamed buns? And you want to take it all home? You dare ask you for money?"
The old woman looked completely bewildered: "..."
Ye Yun: "..."
Qin Zheng: "..."
Ye Yun couldn't help but facepalm. No, I mean, is there such an outrageous interpretation as yours?
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