Chapter 31 Running with the Ball
Tiger nodded blankly: "Sister, how do you know my mother's name?" He remembered that his mother hadn't introduced herself last time. In fact, since she came here, she hadn't introduced herself to anyone. Apart from the people in the cowshed, she hardly spoke to outsiders.
How did she know? Qin Suisui had a million curses running through her mind! How come she hadn't thought of it when Tiger first gave her that silver bullet casing!
In the original book, besides his only son, Maida, the nobleman also had a beloved woman who died young, whom he met while on a secret mission. At that time, he was injured and alone, and was rescued by his beloved woman who was gathering herbs in the mountains. She admired his greatness, and he admired her intelligence. The young man and woman quickly developed feelings for each other and slept together.
Later, however, the white moonlight learned that he was married with children, so she simply left him, and then they were separated. The author didn't elaborate much on what happened afterward, only mentioning in one chapter that a benefactor went to visit the white moonlight's grave, and even specifically depicted a silver bullet casing embedded in the tombstone, along with the name Xie Ting beneath it.
Qin Suisui suddenly realized that the original book did not explain Hu Zi's whereabouts. Could it be that the nobleman did not know of Hu Zi's existence? That's why he said that Maida was his only descendant? Or was Hu Zi not the nobleman's son, but a child born to Xie Ting after her marriage?
Thinking of this, Qin Suisui tentatively asked, "Tiger, where's your dad?"
Unexpectedly, his question caused Tiger, who had been happy just moments before, to instantly become dejected. He lowered his head and said, "I've never met my father. My mother said that my father died before I was born, and I've been living with my mother all these years."
Qin Suisui realized she had asked a pointless question. Right, if Hu Zi was Xie Ting's child with someone else, why would she name him "Xie Simai"? "Si" means longing, and "Mai" means wheat—it clearly shows she still harbored feelings for her benefactor! So she ran away pregnant back then! How exciting!
Thinking of this, Qin Suisui quickly used the cloth bag as cover to take out some commonly used medicines from her spatial storage: cold medicine, anti-inflammatory drugs, fever reducers, allergy medicine... She took a little of each and stuffed them into Hu Zi's arms. Then she made a secrecy gesture: "Take these medicines back quietly, don't let anyone find out. Your mother understands pharmacology and knows how to use them. If you need anything else, you can come to me anytime. I live in the second district of the family compound next door. My name is Qin Suisui, my husband's name is Pei Jiuyan, and this is my son Pei Yifan, nicknamed Zanzan."
Qin Suisui did this not only to help Hu Zi and the others, but she also had a selfish motive. If Hu Zi was indeed the son of a nobleman, then she would help take good care of Hu Zi and Xie Ting. That way, if the nobleman wanted to deal with Pei Jiuyan and the others in the future, he would show mercy considering them. That's why she deliberately revealed the names of her whole family.
After saying goodbye to Hu Zi, as they walked towards the Mai family's house, Zan Zan felt a little heavy-hearted. He no longer swung his little feet like before, and after a long silence, he finally spoke: "Mom, why did Brother Hu Zi say that he didn't deserve to take medicine? But how can a person get better if they don't take medicine when they're sick? And where is the cowshed? Sister Xiao Hua and Brother Xiao Li told me before that I can't go to the cowshed, why?"
Qin Suisui didn't know how to explain the current social situation to Zan Zan. Since he was born, society had been like this, and in his eyes, this was the norm.
She had no choice but to explain to him in a way that Zan Zan could understand: "Zan Zan, have you ever had a cold? When you have a cold, it's very uncomfortable, isn't it? And after you have a cold, the daycare teachers will ask the children to study at home and be separated from their classmates until they are fully recovered before they can go back to school, right?"
"Our society is like it has caught a cold. Tiger and his friends are like those who have the cold. They feel terrible, but they're afraid of infecting other children, so they need to be isolated in a separate place, which is the cowshed. Once they recover, they can run in the sunshine, play with other children, and contribute to this country and this society, just like us!"
Zan Zan nodded as if she understood, "Mom, I understand! I will take good care of Brother Hu Zi, and when he gets better, we can play together!"
Qin Suisui nodded: "That's right! Zanzan is so smart, but you can't sneak off to find them, you have to come with Mommy! Otherwise, Mommy will be angry!"
Zanzan started shaking his little feet again: "I know, Mom! Mom is afraid that I'll catch a cold if I sneak in. Next time I'll come with Mom and bring some snacks for Brother Huzi!"
The mother and daughter rode to Mai's house while chatting.
Grandma Mai was sitting under the big locust tree in the yard, shucking oysters. When she saw Qin Suisui coming over, she quickly washed her hands and greeted her: "Little Comrade Suisui, you've finally arrived! I was thinking you'd be coming these past few days, so I shucked a lot of oysters and conch meat. I specially made oyster sauce and conch sauce for you!"
After talking for a while, we finally saw Zan Zan following behind Qin Sui Sui.
"Huh? Who is this little kid? Is he your son or your brother?" It's no wonder she asked that, because Qin Suisui was only 18 years old. Although she was charming, she also had a lively and energetic air about her, which made her look much younger.
Qin Suisui smiled: "Grandma, this is my son, Zanzan. He didn't go to the nursery today, so I brought him here. Maybe he can even play with Ada!"
When Zan Zan heard her mother introduce her, she also stood up generously to greet Grandma Mai, which made Grandma Mai laugh heartily: "So playful! Our Ada is probably only three or four years old now." She pointed to her head, and Qin Suisui nodded to indicate that she understood.
Instead of rushing to see the oyster sauce the old lady mentioned, Qin Suisui took out the medicine she had prepared beforehand and went with Grandma Mai to the inner room to see Ada.
Ada was still lying in bed because he had a very serious abrasion on his leg that directly affected his ability to walk.
Seeing Qin Suisui enter, Ada's eyes remained blank and unresponsive. Zanzan, however, knew that Qin Suisui had warned him beforehand, so he understood that the older boy's reaction would be slower than other children because of his injury. Without any sign of disdain, he held out his little black hand, offering two slightly melted White Rabbit candies to Ada: "Hello, Brother Ada, I'm Zanzan. Can we be friends?"
Perhaps it's easier for children to connect with each other, because when Ada heard Zan Zan's words, his dull eyes twitched slightly, and he subconsciously reached out to take the two White Rabbit milk candies from Zan Zan's hand.
Zan Zan clapped her hands happily: "Great! Brother Ada, if you accept my candy, it means you agree to be my best friend. Let's pinky swear, and never go back on our promise!"
Seeing Zan Zan's outstretched finger, Ada curiously copied him, bending his little finger into a hook and extending it as well. Zan Zan's eyes lit up, and he quickly hooked his own little finger onto the hook, even stamping it. Then he grinned foolishly, "Great! Brother Ada is my best friend now!"
Seeing the innocent smile on Zan Zan's face, perhaps sensing the kindness, Ada, whose face had been expressionless for so long, suddenly broke into a smile.
Grandma Mai watched with tears welling up in her eyes. Her Ada, though simple-minded before, still had emotions; she would laugh when happy and cry when unhappy. But ever since those damned brats pushed her into the cesspool a few days ago, she had become like a stone doll, unresponsive.
The arrival of Qin Suisui and Zanzan brought hope to Ada. She looked at Qin Suisui with loving eyes, and then at Zanzan. As expected of a girl favored by the sea god, she can indeed bring good luck to their family!
After the two children finished making friends, Qin Suisui began to check Ada's injuries. The medicine Grandma had left behind had never failed; Ada's external wounds were healing rapidly, and his overall condition was gradually improving. She then asked Grandma Mai to confirm that Ada hadn't had a fever in the past two days before instructing her, "Ada's injuries are much better now. He can't stay cooped up indoors all day. Children need to go outside more, get some sunshine, and breathe fresh air to grow strong and heal faster!"
Grandma Mai hesitated for a moment: "The doctor said that Ada got this problem after being bitten by mosquitoes, so I usually don't dare to let him run around. There are mosquitoes everywhere in the village in the summer, and it's impossible to guard against them. I can't let him carry mosquito coils on his body, can I?"
Qin Suisui thought for a moment, then took out a homemade mosquito repellent sachet from her spatial storage and handed it over: "This is a mosquito repellent sachet that I made myself using Chinese herbal medicine. Have Ada wear it every time he goes out. He doesn't need to go far; just walk around the doorway or the vegetable garden and get some sun."
Grandma Mai hurriedly took the mosquito repellent bag: "Good, good, you are truly a benefactor to our family. This old woman doesn't know how to thank you enough! You won't take the money you offer, and you won't even stay for a meal. Well then, it's still very hot now, so Grandma will bring you and Zanzan each a bowl of cold noodles!"
Qin Suisui didn't want to refuse, but when Grandma Mai brought out the jelly, she was very glad she hadn't. Grandma Mai's jelly was made with some unknown ingredient; it was a dark brown color after solidifying, and had an extremely smooth texture. Grandma Mai also added coconut juice and coconut meat to the jelly, making it look particularly appealing with its black and white color. It was also incredibly refreshing and cooling.
Qin Suisui ate two bowls in one go, and Zanzan also ate a big bowl.
Grandma Mai watched them finish eating with a smile, then took Qin Suisui to the vegetable garden: "Grandma will pick more vegetables for you to take home. You're too thin, you need to eat more, eat as much as you want, and then come back to Grandma's to pick more!"
Returning from the vegetable garden, seeing the oysters still unopened on the ground, and remembering the oyster sauce she had specially made before, Grandma Mai hurriedly went to get two large jars. One jar contained larger pieces of oyster meat, and the other contained smaller pieces of conch meat. Both jars were rich and dark, with bright red chilies visible. They looked delicious!
Qin Suisui accepted the two bottles of sauce without any hesitation: "Grandma, this looks delicious! I love this kind of strong flavor. Your cooking is really good!"
Grandma Mai smiled so much her eyes almost disappeared: "Good, good! I'm glad you like it! Grandma doesn't know how to make anything else, but I'm good at making these things. Eat as much as you want, and come back to Grandma for more when you're done!"
Qin Suisui smiled and agreed. Just before leaving, she noticed that the sponge cake hanging on the handlebars of the car was still there. They had bought it in the city that morning, and it was still fresh. She took it down and handed it to Grandma Mai: "Look! As soon as we arrived, Grandma was telling me about the delicious food, and I completely forgot about this! This is a sponge cake I bought in the city this morning. It's still fresh. You and Ada can have it together! If you like it, I'll bring some more next time!"
Grandma Mai didn't stand on ceremony. The old lady knew that for two people to get close, they had to reciprocate. Besides, although she hadn't known Qin Suisui for long, she knew that the girl wasn't one to take advantage of others. So she generously accepted, "Alright, alright, come again in a few days, and Grandma will make you some cold noodles again!"
When the mother and son returned, it was not yet time to finish work, so Qin Suisui did not go to the educated youth settlement. Instead, she asked Grandma Mai where they were working and went directly to the rubber plantation to look for them.
Su Yunyi was tapping rubber in the rubber plantation when she heard someone calling her. She took off her gloves and came out. Qin Suisui gave her a bag of pastries and half a pound of milk candy, and introduced her to Zanzan. After chatting for a while, Zhou Zecheng also came over, drawn by the smell.
Upon seeing Qin Suisui, he greeted her very warmly, a stark contrast to his previous indifference at the educated youth settlement. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were close friends! Truly, a man's heart is unfathomable. Qin Suisui, with the mindset that while she wasn't close to him, she also couldn't offend him, simply exchanged a few words with him.
Su Yunyi, on the other hand, probably because she had promised Qin Suisui, wanted to get away from Zhou Zecheng when she saw him. So she made an appointment with Qin Suisui for their next meeting, urged her to go back quickly, and then quickly disappeared into the rubber forest.
Seeing that Su Yunyi had left, Zhou Zecheng lost the desire to talk to Qin Suisui and hurriedly followed Su Yunyi inside.
Qin Suisui clicked her tongue in surprise. Had the plot reversed? Had the male lead become Su Yunyi's simp?
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