"Brother Li Si!"
Li Rouniang was born to great surprise, and Li Si hadn't even noticed her at first. But after being called out, he turned around and, upon closer inspection, realized it was the little girl from next door when he was a child.
He exclaimed in surprise, "Ruan Ruan! How did I run into you here?"
Li Si stepped forward happily and said warmly, "It's been many years since we last met. Come, come, let's find a place to sit down and chat."
Li Rouniang was also moved and pleasantly surprised; she hadn't expected to meet Li Si.
The joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land is indescribable.
"You brat, that's what you call being cheeky." Zhao Dahu slapped Zhao Daya hard, then gave Li Rouniang and the others a fawning look before hurriedly leaving with Zhao Daya. If Li Rouniang chased after him demanding compensation, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Li Rou had completely given up on Zhao Daya by this point, but Li Si dragged her and the others to a restaurant.
Xiuer should have left, since it was clear that the two knew each other well and had just reunited after a short separation, so they naturally had a lot to talk about.
But she couldn't stop her heart from pounding, and unconsciously followed.
The waiter recognized Li Si and greeted him, "Master Li has arrived. Please come this way."
After the three of them sat down and ordered their food, Li Si asked, "How did you end up here? Did something happen back home?"
"Yes, Brother Li, the Western Yue people invaded and entered the village. We fled here," Li Rouniang said sadly.
Li Si looked at him with pity: "You must have suffered a lot on this journey."
"Thankfully, it's all over now. By the way, Brother Li, what are you doing here? I remember you said you were going out to make your way in the world, so this is where you came from?" Li Rouniang asked.
She and Li Si were neighbors since childhood and played together. Li Si lived with his grandmother; his parents had died early. Her mother felt sorry for him and would sometimes lend a hand, making clothes or snacks for Li Si.
Therefore, the two have known each other since childhood and call each other brother and sister.
Back then, my mother jokingly said that when she grew up, she would marry her off to Li Si.
Li Si even said back then that he would marry her when she grew up, which is quite funny to think about now.
So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and thinking about some of the fun things from my childhood makes me feel interesting.
The boy rode a bamboo horse and played with green plums around the bed.
Those childhood memories surged up, and the two felt much closer to each other again.
"Not really. After leaving, I traveled to many places and experienced a lot. Now I've settled down in this county town and become a minor clerk." Li Si briefly recounted his experiences, though they had been quite difficult.
After saying that, Li Si looked at Li Rouniang's attire, his eyes darkening slightly, but he still tentatively asked, "You're married? How does your husband treat you? Where are you staying now? If you have time, I'll go visit you, as your brother from your maternal family, to give you some support."
At that time, he was still thinking about marrying her, but later his grandmother passed away, and he found it difficult to make a name for himself in the village, so he left. He only remembered little Ruan Ruan, who firmly said that she would wait for him to come back. Unfortunately, many years have passed since then, and they are no longer the same people they once were.
However, if Ruan Ruan is living a happy and fulfilling life, he can rest easy.
"Yes, I got married, but we got divorced later. Now I live in Zhao Family Village with my children. You can come visit me when you have time. I'll cook you something delicious then," Li Rou Niang replied with a smile.
Li Si could see a hint of vicissitude in Li Rou Niang's smile. How could he not feel sorry for that little girl who wanted to pamper and cherish her?
He nodded and changed the subject: "Okay, I'll come and try your cooking then. I remember when I was little, my aunt's pastries were the best. I wonder how much of her skills you've inherited. Oh, by the way, how is my aunt now? Did she go south with you?"
When Li Si left, Li Rou Niang's mother was still alive. Li Si thought they would go south together, so he asked her the question. In Li Si's memory, Li Rou Niang was still the little girl who was loved by her parents.
Li Rouniang sighed sadly and said, "Not long after you left, my mother passed away. Then my father remarried, and they had a son, which fulfilled my father's wish to have a boy."
Later, when I got a little older, my father married me off, and I had no further contact with them.
After listening to Li Rouniang's words, Li Si, who had been struggling for years, also began to understand the situation.
My heart aches.
If he had known that the sweet, soft-spoken little girl would go through all this, he would have preferred to marry her back then. It wasn't that he didn't want to go back; he wasn't doing very well at the time and couldn't provide Li Rou Niang with a stable life. He thought about how she had been pampered and loved by her parents since she was a child, and he couldn't be so selfish as to take her on a life of wandering.
So he reluctantly severed this childhood affection and silently wished her happiness, never imagining that she would go through so much.
But it's a bit too late to say these things now; some things, once missed, are gone forever.
So he changed the subject and asked, "And who is this?"
"Oh, she's my good sister, her name is Zhao Xiu. Xiu'er, this is my neighbor from my old village, her name is Li Si."
After catching up, the two remembered Xiu'er sitting next to them. Xiu'er felt a little embarrassed. She knew she shouldn't have come along, but she did anyway, so she didn't complain that the two had ignored her.
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