Sun Guixiang had been keeping an eye on him, and the tiny arc did not escape her eyes.
A deeper smile instantly welled up in her cloudy eyes, as if they were filled with honey. She said nothing, but just picked up another piece of emerald green bean sprouts and put them in Ye Qingliu's bowl.
The small mountain of golden cakes on the plate gradually became smaller, until only the last few were left.
The old people were all very satisfied with the meal, their faces were flushed with satisfaction, they patted their stomachs and joked with each other.
"No, no, I can't walk anymore because I'm so full!" The fat aunt rubbed her belly exaggeratedly.
"Sister Sun, with your craftsmanship and the kid's skill in making pancakes, you can open a shop!" Grandpa Li smiled and gave a thumbs up.
"That's right! From now on, we'll have our senior reunion dinner at Sister Sun's place!" Grandma Zhang also agreed with a smile.
Sun Guixiang felt happy seeing everyone happy.
She stood up and began to clear the dishes on the table.
At this moment, Ye Qingliu also put down his chopsticks. He did not get up and leave immediately as usual, but sat quietly, his gray-blue eyes fixed on the few remaining red bean glutinous rice cakes on the table.
The sunlight shines through the window lattice, and attractive spots of light dance on the golden surface.
He seemed to be thinking about something.
Just as Sun Guixiang stacked a few empty bowls together, she heard the clear voice of Ye Qingliu. It was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the contented laughter of the old people:
"Grandma, do you have...a bag?"
Sun Guixiang was stunned and turned to look at him: "Bag? What do you need a bag for?"
Ye Qingliu's gaze was still on the cakes, his long and thick eyelashes drooped slightly, covering the expression in his eyes.
He was silent for a few seconds, as if trying to form his words or overcome some invisible obstacle.
Finally, he raised his eyes, his gray-blue eyes calmly sweeping over the elderly people sitting around him. His voice was still cold, but less distant than usual:
"Grandpa and grandma... take them back."
This sentence was like pressing the mute button.
The noisy main room suddenly became quiet.
All the old people who were chatting and laughing stopped talking and paused.
The fat auntie's hand stopped mid-air while rubbing her belly, the smile on Grandma Zhang's face froze, and Grandpa Li forgot to drink his teacup...
All eyes, with incredible astonishment and great surprise, were focused on the young man in white who was sitting quietly.
What did he just say?
He said... let grandpa and grandma... take it back?
He... took the initiative?
A great silence fell upon the little house, broken only by the occasional crackling of the embers in the stove.
Sun Guixiang was the first to react.
"Yes! Yes! Grandma has a bag!" Her voice was nasal, and she almost pounced on the old cabinet in the corner where miscellaneous items were stored, and began to search in a panic.
"It's clean! It's a clean grocery bag! Grandma is keeping it!"
She quickly found a few clean, transparent food bags, then hurried back to the table and carefully put the last few golden, still warm red bean and glutinous rice cakes into the bags one by one.
Ye Qingliu watched her pack the pancakes quietly.
When Sun Guixiang packed a bag, he stretched out his hand, and his cold, slender fingers took it very naturally.
Then... he made a move that made all the old people hold their breath again.
He took the bag of cakes, stood up, and walked straight to the fat aunt who was closest to him.
The fat aunt was still rubbing her belly, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide open.
She looked at the bag in front of her, which was emitting an alluring aroma, and the calm gray-blue eyes behind the bag, and was completely stunned.
"For... for me?" Her voice trembled with disbelief.
Ye Qingliu didn't say anything, just nodded slightly and handed the bag forward.
"Hey! Hey! Thank you, little friend! Thank you, little friend!" The fat aunt woke up as if from a dream, her face instantly burst into smiles, and her wrinkles were squeezed into a blooming chrysanthemum.
She took the bag with trembling hands, as if she were holding some rare treasure, and her voice was so loud that it could lift the roof off the room, "Oh my! This is a pancake made by a child himself! I have to put it on display! I'll go back and show it to my old man!"
Ye Qingliu didn't stop, picked up the next packed bag and walked towards Grandma Zhang.
Grandma Zhang's eyes were red with excitement. She looked at the bag handed to her, her lips trembling, and she wanted to say something, but only sobs came out.
She stretched out her skinny hand, tightly grasped the bag, and also held Ye Qingliu's hand holding the bag - although it was only for a very brief moment.
"Good boy... Thank you... Thank you, little boy..." Her voice was choked with sobs, and her cloudy eyes were filled with love and emotion.
Ye Qingliu's hand stiffened almost imperceptibly the moment she touched it, but he did not pull it back immediately.
It was not until Grandma Zhang let go of her hand and took the bag that he nodded slightly and walked towards the next elderly person.
Grandpa Li, Master Wang... Every elderly person received a bag containing "Children's Brand" red bean glutinous rice cakes.
Each delivery was silent and brief, with only a slight nod of acknowledgement.
But the initiative under calmness and the affection that needed no words shocked and warmed the old people more than any passionate confession.
The atmosphere in the small main room became incredibly warm and touching. The elderly, holding their bags, watched the cold figure walking among them, their faces filled with undisguised surprise and satisfaction.
The fat aunt even secretly wiped the corners of her eyes.
When the last bag was handed to a white-haired old man, Ye Qingliu stopped.
His hands were empty.
Ye Qingliu stood where he was, his gray-blue eyes calmly sweeping over the wrinkled faces in front of him, which were filled with emotion and love.
The sunlight filtered through the window lattice and fell on him, on the traces of flour on his cold, pale cheek that had long since dried but still seemed to bear a mark, and on the silver-wire glasses frames that were stained with a little oil.
He pursed his lips slightly, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to express it.
In the end, he said nothing.
Just under the gaze filled with silent gratitude and great warmth, he nodded again very slightly, yet very clearly.
Then he turned around, walked back to Sun Guixiang and sat down quietly.
It was as if the silent "delivery of thoughts" just now was just a natural and logical step in his sophisticated thinking.
Sun Guixiang watched him sit down, watched his slightly lowered profile, watched his fingertips covered in flour and oil twisting unconsciously and gently.
Her skinny hand, with complete tenderness and unspeakable pride, gently covered the back of his slightly cool hand and held it tightly.
"Good boy..." She choked, her voice as light as a sigh, but full of heavy power.
"Grandma knows...we kids...all understand..."
Ye Qingliu's hand curled up his fingertips almost imperceptibly in her palm.
He didn't pull his hand away, nor did he look up.
The sunlight fell on his drooping eyelashes, casting a thick shadow.
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