The fish soup was delicious and the fish was tender; everyone enjoyed the meal. Aunt Wei was very hospitable to Xiaoxiao, which made Xiaoxiao feel less reserved.
Wei Ping and Wei An drank the fish soup and ate half a bowl of fish, but still wanted more. It's better for such young children to eat a little less at mealtimes; overeating can easily upset their spleen and stomach. "Oh dear, there's not much left. If you eat any more, there won't be any for Grandma tomorrow morning. Grandma's legs will hurt if she doesn't eat the fish soup and fish!" Song Yan said earnestly to Wei Ping.
Wei Aiguo and Jiang Xiaoxiao's first reaction was to give what was in their bowls to the two children. Song Yan grabbed Wei Aiguo's bowl and shook her head at Xiaoxiao.
Aunt Wei wanted to say she didn't need any food, but she swallowed the words back. Everyone says life under a stepmother is tough. But at least with a stepmother, there's a biological father. These two children have nothing. They'll be living under their uncle and aunt's care from now on. She's getting old, and men are more easygoing; whether Wei Ping and Wei An are well depends on Song Yan. Aunt Wei didn't want to upset Song Yan about the children, so she said nothing.
Wei Ping hesitated for a moment. "Grandma's legs hurt a lot, Grandma should eat." With that, she reluctantly got out of bed.
"Grandma, let's eat." Wei An followed his brother down from the table without hesitation.
"You're all so good. Go play in the yard!" Song Yan praised.
Wei Aiguo couldn't help but say, "I'll save what's in my bowl for them to eat tomorrow morning!"
Song Yan thought to herself, "Who is he talking to? How is Xiaoxiao supposed to eat like this? I hope you don't eat a single bite of the fish I caught!" But she didn't dare to argue with him. Song Yan went to the outer room and ladled out a large bowl of fish and broth, pouring half into each of her mother-in-law's and Xiaoxiao's bowls. "The two children are too young, I'm just worried they'll get indigestion. Don't worry, there's plenty outside."
Wei Aiguo was embarrassed…
After dinner, Song Yan insisted on escorting Jiang Xiaoxiao back to the educated youth settlement, earnestly instructing her not to walk alone at night. In the original book, Xiaoxiao was harassed by Cheng Yi, a local hoodlum, and it was Li Yuanzhao's insistence on protecting her that prevented her from being forced into marriage. However, this incident severely damaged Xiaoxiao's reputation, and her later unhappy marriage was largely due to this. It was also because of this incident that Li Yuanzhao gained prestige.
Before Xiaoxiao could even say, "You dropped me off, aren't you going to come back all alone?" Aunt Wei called out to Wei Aiguo, telling him to go with Song Yan.
On their way to and from the educated youth settlement, Song Yan and Wei Aiguo walked one after the other. Suddenly, Song Yan pulled Wei Aiguo and jumped into the roadside bushes.
He Jianian staggered over from the opposite side.
Wei Aiguo felt particularly uncomfortable. Why was he hiding from people when he could be doing this openly? It was Song Yan and He Jianian who had done the wrong thing. Song Yan grabbed Wei Aiguo, who was about to stand up, and said, "Just hide for a little while." The two were so close that Wei Aiguo could feel the warmth of Song Yan's hand, which made him feel very uncomfortable. Wei Aiguo intended to pull his hand away from Song Yan, but in her haste, Song Yan hugged him tightly, saying, "Don't move, just wait a little while."
Wei Aiguo's entire body stiffened. He felt Song Yan's soft chest brushing against his arm.
Seeing He Jianian alone, how could Song Yan miss the opportunity? Only after He Jianian had walked far away did Song Yan let go of Wei Aiguo. She squatted behind Wei Aiguo and used her mind to throw a clod of dirt from her spatial storage, which hit He Jianian directly on the back of the head.
"Who, who threw this! Come out here!" He Jianian searched everywhere but couldn't find anyone. It was getting dark, and the surroundings were empty. The hairs on his body stood on end.
Watching He Jianian's hurried departure, Song Yan cursed, "Coward!"
Wei Aiguo kept thinking the whole way: Was Song Yan doing this for his own benefit? And how did she throw that clod of dirt so far and so accurately!
Song Yan didn't care what Wei Aiguo thought! She was in a good mood, so she skipped and hopped back.
Upon returning, Song Yan immediately filled a clay pot with fish soup, shouldered some grass, and went to visit Old Han and the others. She was kind to them partly out of respect for their knowledge and character, and partly to cultivate a good relationship with Old Han. She didn't expect him to impart all his knowledge, but just wanted him to share his knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine with her occasionally. That way, it wouldn't be too surprising if Song Yan knew about these things in the future.
…Watching Song Yan pour out the fish soup and even pick out fish pieces, the group exchanged bewildered glances. So what if Old Han helped her mother-in-law set her leg? Why was she being so kind to them? Old Han couldn't help but say, "I already paid your mother-in-law quite a bit for setting her leg."
Old Han: "It won't be good for you if someone sees this!"
Song Yan wasn't afraid; she had a cheat code. "I'm here to deliver hay. No one will know unless you tell them the rest."
"You're carrying an earthenware pot, what will you say if someone sees you like that?" Old Liao asked. Old Liao was the proudest among them, and also the one in the worst health. He never groveled before those who came to lecture them, always resisting with silence. Of the four, only Old Liao didn't live to see the day he returned home; he died.
"I'm confident I won't get caught if I dare to come. As long as you don't get caught while you're eating, it'll be fine." Song Yan didn't linger and left in a hurry.
Old Han urged everyone, "Let's eat!"
"Thanks to you yesterday, the fish soup was so delicious! And there's still fish meat today." Old Du picked up the soup and took a big gulp, letting out a long sigh of relief as he savored its aroma…
Song Yan's words about not walking alone at night and not being alone also caught Wei Aiguo's attention. It was completely dark by then, and she still hadn't returned, so Wei Aiguo started to worry. When Song Yan finally came back, he was a little angry, "Why are you only just getting back?"
Song Yan never imagined that Wei Aiguo was angry because he was worried about her. "Did the fish soup make you so full that you took it out on me?"
Feeling indebted to someone for their hospitality, and burdened by the misunderstanding he'd made with Song Yan at the dinner table, Wei Aiguo felt a bit short of breath. He softened his tone, "Didn't you just tell Jiang Zhiqing not to walk at night? Look, it's completely dark now. Don't walk at night next time either."
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