She hailed a tricycle and asked, "Are you going to Shangxi Village?"
The driver said it was fine and even helped her carry her luggage. Xu Lai sat in the back seat, and the driver started the car, saying, "Hold on tight."
Zhao Qingyun was driving to work in the county town when he sensed a familiar figure. He turned his head and saw that it was the woman from the noodle shop last night.
Xu Lai arrived home safely. She took out cash to pay the driver and handed him an apple, saying, "Thank you, driver. You've worked hard."
The driver waved his hand to indicate that it was his duty, and he helped Xu Lai take the things down before driving away in his tricycle.
Xu Lai glanced at the closed door and sighed. Her grandparents were probably not home; they were probably working in the fields.
She rummaged through the place where she usually kept her keys and found them. She opened the door, took the groceries to the kitchen, and carried her suitcase upstairs. Their old house was a two-story brick house with painted walls inside and a layer of red bricks on the outside.
Xu Lai tidied up her things, cleaned the room, made the bed, and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
She checked the time on her phone; it was already ten o'clock. Just then, she heard a noise downstairs—it was her grandfather's voice: "Didn't you lock the door when you left today?"
Grandma's voice rang out: "No, I remember it was locked. Could a thief have broken in?"
Xu Lai wanted to laugh, so she leaned out from the balcony and said, "Grandpa and Grandma, it's me who's back."
The two elderly people were momentarily stunned before speaking: "Lai Lai, it's Lai Lai back. You old woman, you said there was a thief in the house."
Xu Lai ran downstairs, hugged her grandparents, and said, "I missed you."
Grandma Xu wiped away her tears: "It's good that you're back. Stay a few more days."
Xu Lai helped them into the house and said, "I'm not leaving again for a while now that I'm back. I want to spend more time with you."
The old man didn't ask for the specific reason, he just smiled and said okay.
As lunchtime approached, Xu Lai rinsed the rice, blanched the pork bones, washed and chopped the corn and yam, and started making the soup.
I blanched and washed the ribs, then cooked them in a pressure cooker for a while before pouring them out to reduce the sauce. Finally, I stir-fried some bok choy and it was time to eat.
A large bowl of soup was served, and there was still some left. Grandma saw it and said, "Lai Lai, Grandma Jiang from next door came back a while ago. Why don't you take some of this soup over there?"
Xu Lai took out a bowl, ladled out the soup, and carried it to the next room, where they were also preparing to eat. Grandma Jiang was cooking.
Seeing her arrive, he asked with some confusion, "Who are you?"
Xu Lai placed the soup on the table and said, "Grandma Jiang, I'm Xu Lai from the Xu family next door. I've brought you some soup."
"Xu Lai?" Grandma Jiang murmured for a moment, then suddenly remembered, "Oh, look at my memory, you're Xiuying's granddaughter, aren't you?"
Xu Lai nodded and pointed to her home: "I've been home these past few days. You can call me if you need anything. I'll head back now; dinner's being served at home."
Grandma Jiang nodded. "Thank you very much."
Xu Lai turned around and smiled: "It's nothing."
Grandma Jiang took a sip of the soup and was surprised. "It tastes even better than the soup I usually make. Xiuying's cooking skills are quite good."
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