The warm sun of late spring, like melted honey, spreads stickily on Sun Guixiang's courtyard.
At the foot of the wall, there is a pot of succulent rosette named "Green Bean Cake". Its leaves are so thick that they are almost transparent, and the pink halo on the edges looks like the shy cheeks of a girl in the light.
However, this small peaceful place has now become the most lively "pilgrimage site" in the old city's shantytowns.
The group of elderly people who followed Sun Guixiang's tour group even regarded this place as their second home.
It goes without saying that there are Aunt Fat, Grandma Zhang, and Grandpa Li. Even Grandma Zhao, who has a slow mobility, and Grandpa Wu, who has a little hearing loss, have become regular customers.
When they came, they naturally brought "offerings" - the fat aunt carried a basket of tender cucumbers with flowers and thorns that she had just bought from the morning market; Grandma Zhang held a jar of homemade, creamy lard; and Grandpa Li carried a small bag of high-quality new rice, saying that it was the best way to make porridge for children.
Their eyes, like spotlights, always focus precisely on the same place at the first moment - the white figure under the old plum tree, either reading a book or quietly wiping the leaves of the "mung bean cake".
"Sister Sun! The little boy looks so good today! Look at his face, so rosy and fair!"
As usual, the fat aunt's loud voice was the opening gong and drum. She put down the cucumber basket, walked a few steps to the tree, walked around Ye Qingliu, praised him, and her eyes were eager enough to melt the ice.
Grandma Zhang took a step slower, put down the lard can, and smiled: "That's right! Your body looks much stronger! Sister Sun, your mung bean soup is a big credit!"
Grandpa Li put the rice bag in the corner, put his hands behind his back, and looked at him with admiration: "Well, you are full of energy! Your eyes are brighter than before!"
Sun Guixiang came out of the kitchen carrying a basket of freshly picked vegetables, with a smile on her face, but the "sea of jealousy" in her heart, which had been stirred up by her old sisters, was quietly beginning to ripple.
She was really happy. It was her greatest comfort that her child was loved and cared for sincerely by so many people.
But the intensity of this "like" expanded day by day like fermenting dough, almost pushing her, the real "mother-in-law", into a corner.
She put down the dustpan and was about to ask everyone to sit down.
The fat aunt had already taken the lead and picked up a very fresh cucumber. She rubbed it on her clothes and stuffed it into Ye Qingliu's hand enthusiastically: "Come on! Little boy! Try it! Freshly picked! So juicy! Quench your thirst after tiring yourself reading!"
Ye Qingliu was holding an extremely fine soft-bristled brush, concentrating on cleaning the almost invisible dust in the gaps between the leaves of the "mung bean cake".
The sudden intrusion of passion and the cucumber with an earthy smell that was almost touching his fingertips made his movements freeze for a moment.
He frowned slightly, raised his gray-blue eyes from the succulent leaves, and looked calmly at the hand extended by the fat aunt and the smiling face full of expectation.
The sour feeling in Sun Guixiang's heart was immediately suppressed by the instinct to protect her cub.
She stepped forward, smiled, and took the cucumber: "Auntie! Our children's hands are covered with dirt! Wash them before eating! Come, try some of grandma's freshly pickled radish tops, they're so crispy!"
She cleverly changed the topic and the cucumber, and took the opportunity to block Ye Qingliu behind her.
Ye Qingliu lowered his eyelashes and continued to concentrate on cleaning his leaves, as if the little episode just now had never happened.
The old people sat down together, and the topic naturally turned back to Ye Qingliu like vines.
"Sister Sun, you are so blessed, it must have taken you several lifetimes to cultivate!" Grandma Zhao sighed, clapping her thighs, her cloudy eyes looking at the figure under the tree.
"Children are so much easier to take care of! Unlike my naughty monkey, who will tear off the roof if he's not punished for three days!"
"That's right! Smart! And thoughtful!" Although Grandpa Wu couldn't hear clearly, he knew who was being praised by looking at everyone's expressions, so he echoed loudly and gave a thumbs up.
"Last time! He fixed my broken radio! It worked after just a few tinkerings! God!"
"More than that!" Grandpa Li immediately chimed in, his voice filled with genuine admiration. "I've worn my reading glasses for over a decade and they've worked just fine, but this kid spotted something wrong right away! He's so accurate! He's a hundred times better than the guy in the optician's shop!"
He turned to Sun Guixiang, his tone undisguised with envy, "Sister Sun, what's wrong with this kid's brain? He knows everything!"
"That's right!" Grandma Zhang also joined in.
"I was feeling a little down the inside that day, and before I could say a word, the kid brought me a bowl of mung bean soup! As soon as I drank the soup, I felt much better! This kid has a really kind heart! He's like a little boy in front of the Bodhisattva!"
Sun Guixiang listened with a smile on her face, but the jar of aged vinegar in her heart was bubbling even more happily.
Her skinny fingers unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes, and her cloudy eyes looked at the boy under the tree who was so quiet that he seemed isolated from the world.
This was clearly the treasure she had warmed up bit by bit from the cold and oblivion, using bowls of soup, whispers, and clumsy but full-hearted hugs to keep under her wings.
How come she's become everyone's "mascot" now? The unique intimacy that belongs only to her seems to be silently diluted.
She was immersed in this little thought that she didn't want to tell anyone else. Over there was the most lively fat aunt. She watched Ye Qingliu clean the leaves of the "green bean cake" and then picked up the small spray bottle and sprayed water on the leaves as gently as if he was treating a newborn baby.
In the sunlight, the fine mist reflected a small rainbow, which fell on his focused profile and cold white fingers. The picture was so beautiful that it was hard to look away.
The fat aunt loved him more and more as she looked at him, and a strong urge to express intimacy surged in her heart.
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