They set off in the morning and returned to their old home in the mountains around noon.
The sidecar stopped in front of Tian Xiaohui's house. Just as they put Tian Xiaohui down, they heard a clear barking from the neighboring hillside.
Ye Yun looked up.
The half-grown little coal ball stood proudly on the slope, its eyes wide and bewildered, tilting its head and staring at them intently.
Qin Zheng called out, "Dog!"
"Woof—"
The coal ball finally recognized its long-absent owner and darted down the slope.
"Woof woof woof!"
Qin Zheng bent down and caught the coal ball. The half-grown coal ball put its two front paws on Qin Zheng and whimpered pitifully. Its black tail, held high, almost wagged like a propeller.
Ye Yun reached out and touched the coal ball's head, and it immediately grabbed her hand and started licking it.
"Little guy, you've grown so big!"
"Woof woof..." After licking her hand, Coal Ball gently nibbled at her sleeve with its teeth. The little dog looked aggrieved, as if it wanted to pull her off the car and take her home.
The fence gate on the slope opened.
A young man came out following the sound, carrying a spatula in his hand.
The young man was about twenty years old, tall and thin, with slightly dark skin. He was wearing a white t-shirt and black trousers, and had a neat short haircut. His eyebrows and eyes bore a six-tenths resemblance to Qin Xiang'e.
He looked down with a puzzled expression.
Upon seeing Qin Zheng, a look of surprise appeared on his face. "Brother? You're back!"
In just a few seconds, the man ran down the slope and stood happily in front of Qin Zheng and Ye Yun, his two rows of white teeth shining brightly in the sunlight.
Ye Yun blinked. What brand of toothpaste is so hard?
"Fourth brother?"
Qin Zheng looked at the young man in front of him with surprise, clearly not expecting anyone to have returned home.
The fourth brother nodded and grinned, "Brother, it's me. We haven't seen each other for many years."
It's been many years.
Since Qin Zheng went out to work and Lao Si went out to study, it has been five or six years since they last saw each other.
When Qin Zheng left, Lao Si was just a high school student.
He looks like an adult in the blink of an eye.
"Brother, my mother went to town to sell mung bean cakes. She said business is good today because it's the Mid-Autumn Festival, so she'll probably be back later," the fourth brother said.
Qin Zheng nodded.
He turned to Ye Yun and introduced, "Wife, this is our aunt's son, the fourth one."
"Hello, sister-in-law." The fourth brother looked at Ye Yun in the car with a keen eye, a simple smile on his face. "I'm the fourth brother. My mother has been talking about you a lot these past two days since I got back."
Ye Yun smiled slightly and said, "Hello."
The fourth brother smiled again, his expression simple and honest.
Although he went to university and saw a wider world, it did not extinguish his pure and innocent nature.
"Hurry home, I still have chicken stewing in the pot. We can eat when my mother comes back." The fourth brother suddenly remembered the chicken in the pot, told Qin Zheng, and hurriedly ran home with the spatula in his hand.
Qin Zheng chuckled helplessly, "Your appearance has changed, but your absent-minded personality hasn't."
"ah?"
"I'm telling you, Fourth Brother, you were a bit absent-minded as a child, and you're still absent-minded now that you're grown up. It's strange, though. Someone as absent-minded as you is not absent-minded at all when it comes to studying. You passed all the exams and got into university. You were the first university student in our surrounding villages," Qin Zheng said with a smile.
Even so, his pride was practically overflowing from his words.
When Lao Si took the college entrance exam, the country had just opened up the college entrance exam system, and Lao Si became one of the first batch of college students from the mountain village.
In their town, there was only one college student, the fourth son.
Children in the mountains usually only go to primary school to learn basic numbers so they won't be easily cheated or deceived.
After growing up, they followed the expected path of getting married and having children.
Most people spend their entire lives farming and working as peasants.
Few can afford to go to school.
In addition, the mountains are poor and educational resources are limited, so very few people can go to high school, let alone go to university. Getting into university is considered extremely lucky.
But the fourth child passed the exam.
Not only did their ancestors receive good fortune, but it also gave Qin Xiang'e, a widow with a bad reputation, a much-needed victory.
Qin Zheng didn't want Ye Yun to climb the hill while heavily pregnant, so he started the sidecar and drove straight into the house.
Little Coal Ball followed behind, howling.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw the old lady sitting in the sun at the entrance of the main room.
Goodness.
The seasons change, from early summer to mid-autumn.
When they left, the old lady was sitting in the sun at the entrance of the main room. When they returned, she was still sitting in the sun at the entrance of the main room. What a resolute heart she had!
"Wife, let me help you down."
Qin Zheng took the things out of the car pocket and reached out to help Ye Yun.
Ye Yun was helped out of the car by him.
As soon as she landed, the old woman seemed to sense something, and her cloudy gaze suddenly fell on her swollen belly.
It was a bit chilly during the Mid-Autumn Festival, so Ye Yun wore a long-sleeved shirt and loose overalls, which made her belly protrude quite noticeably. Her face looked a little round from eating, and her figure appeared somewhat clumsy.
"Grandma," Ye Yun greeted.
She raised her voice, worried that the old lady might not hear her.
The old lady glanced at her belly seemingly casually. Although her eyesight was poor, a satisfied smile still appeared on her kind old face.
Under the stove shed, Lao Si's spatula was spitting smoke as he swung it around.
Not only did he stew chicken in the earthen pot, but he also stir-fried seasonal vegetables in a small pot next to it.
It seems he'll be the head chef this holiday season.
"Honey, lie down and rest for a while. I'll go help Lao Si." Qin Zheng pulled over a recliner and let Ye Yun lie down.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
