As Zeng Yiming was talking to his mother, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan, who were in the distance, were stunned.
They never expected that the Zeng family from Nan Province would actually come to Haishi. They didn't even know when they had arrived.
"Yiming?" Shen Yanming called out.
Zeng Yiming paused in his steps as he walked back. He asked his mother, "Did you hear that? It sounds like someone is calling me?"
Zeng's mother was still basking in the joy of winning the argument and hadn't heard a word her son said. When he finally stopped, she asked, bewildered, "What happened?"
Zeng Yiming: "..." He knew it; his mother would forget everything when she was happy.
"Yiming!" Shen Yanming called out again.
Zeng Yiming was now certain. He quickly turned his head to look and saw Shen Yanming waving at him.
Zeng Yiming chuckled, thinking that he hadn't even planned to bother the other person, but they still ran into each other. After telling his mother, he ran over.
"How did you end up in Haishi?" Shen Yanming asked with a smile.
Zeng Yiming smiled and said, "It's a long story. How have you been lately? This must be An'an and Nuannuan, I haven't met them yet."
"Yes, An'an and Nuan Nuan, this is Uncle Yiming, come and say hello."
The two children waved and laughed, "Hello, Uncle Yiming!"
"Oh, hello there, you're all so cute. It's a pity we met in such a hurry, I didn't prepare a gift for you, I'm sorry." Zeng Yiming squatted down to greet them.
The two children smiled nonchalantly: "It's okay."
Zeng Yiming patted their heads, then stood up, greeted Bi Qiaoan, and prepared to talk about their experiences.
Before he could even speak, Zeng's mother rushed over: "Oh my goodness, whose little darling is this? She's so beautiful. I told you to find a girlfriend sooner rather than later, but you kept putting it off. Now you can't find one even if you want to, can you?"
"If you had listened to me earlier, the child would be this age by now. You..."
"Mom, can you give me some face? My friend is right here!" Zeng Yiming complained with a wry smile.
"Who is it?" Mother Zeng then turned her gaze to Shen Yanming, and pointed at him in surprise, saying, "You, aren't you the one who cut the snake in half?"
Shen Yanming smiled and said, "Hello, Auntie, I'm Yanming. It's been so long, you must have forgotten me, right?"
"Ah, Yanming, I remember you. You've gotten older, though, so I don't quite recognize you. Hello, hello, how have you been lately? Is this your little one? He's so cute."
"Oh dear, what's wrong with me? What am I doing standing here? Anyway, we have nothing to do, shall we go home and sit for a while?"
The couple did not refuse and happily followed Zeng's mother and Zeng Yiming back to District D.
Along the way, Zeng's mother kept rambling on: "We came to Haishi a few months ago. It's a nice place. The guards are kind and friendly, all the rules are clear, and the management is strict."
Unlike Kunmeng Mountain, where there are too many people and the guards put in a lot of effort to manage, the food there is terrible, lacking in oil and fat. If your uncle and I weren't getting old and didn't want the hassle, we would have left long ago.
But I didn't stay long; the winters there were just too cold. Although the land hadn't been flooded by the sea, it was incredibly barren, impossible to cultivate. And there were practically no wild vegetables or mushrooms, unlike here, where produce is quite abundant…”
Zeng's mother kept talking, and Zeng Yiming shrugged and smiled helplessly, mouthing, "That's just how my mom is, please forgive her."
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan were also good-natured. Although they didn't speak along the way, they still chimed in with "hmm," "ah," "really?" and "yes," showing a strong sense of participation.
The group arrived at Zeng Yiming's house in no time. As soon as the door opened, Zeng's mother invited them to sit down.
"Xiao Shen, Xiao Bi, please make yourselves at home. Auntie will pour you some water right away."
"Auntie, don't bother, we're not thirsty. Let's just sit down and chat," Shen Yanming politely declined.
Zeng's mother glared at him: "How can you come to your aunt's house and not even drink a sip of water? Wait here, okay!"
Shen Yanming smiled and nodded, saying nothing more.
Then the four of them recounted their lives over the past two years.
After hearing that Shen Yanming was living so comfortably in Haishi, Zeng's mother exclaimed that she regretted not coming to Haishi directly, but instead going to Kunmeng Mountain with her son. She thought life would be good, but it turned out to be just so-so.
But Shen Yanming said, "Actually, it wasn't that good. We were swept far away by the sea and encountered a lot of dangers outside. It was not easy for us to get back to Haishi."
That period was quite dark. My wife, my son, my daughter, and I were swept away by the flood to different places. If we hadn't met a friend along the way, we probably wouldn't have been able to reunite so quickly.
Shen Yanming didn't elaborate, but Zeng's mother and Zeng Yiming understood. Their family had witnessed the darkness of human nature during their journey from Kunmeng Mountain to Haishi. So, they weren't surprised at all.
Mother Zeng thought to herself that she had misunderstood something earlier. If they had arrived in Mishi before the tsunami, they might have been swept away by the floodwaters and perished. Being able to reach Kunmeng Mountain was a stroke of luck.
"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore. Stay for dinner tonight, and Auntie will cook something delicious for you," said Mrs. Zeng, waving her hand.
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan certainly couldn't accept someone else's food, so they politely declined. It took a lot of persuasion before they finally convinced Zeng's mother to give up.
Seeing that it was getting late, the couple said goodbye. Zeng Yiming tried to persuade them to stay, but to no avail.
“It’s alright, we’re all in Haishi, there will be plenty of opportunities to get together in the future. Let’s go to your house for dinner sometime. Qiao An and I will prepare something nice for you,” Shen Yanming said.
Zeng Yiming nodded: "Alright, let's get together another day."
"Hey, you can keep this radish and its leaves for yourselves," Bi Qiaoan said with a smile.
Although Zeng's mother was somewhat tempted, she still refused: "No need, no need, I planted them outside, and they will be ready for harvest in a couple of days."
They arrived late and planted late; the radishes hadn't even grown yet.
Bi Qiaoan smiled and said, "It's alright. My husband, Lao Shen, and Yiming are good friends. We can't leave without showing some appreciation for your visit. Don't worry, we still have plenty of radishes in our field."
Zeng's mother looked at Zeng Yiming, wanting her son to help her make a decision. Zeng Yiming knew that Old Shen was a capable man, so he nodded.
Zeng's mother happily accepted the woven bag, and then asked Zeng Yiming to see the other party off.
After leaving the house, Nuannuan walked ahead hand in hand, while the couple spoke quietly to Zeng Yiming behind her.
The two little ones were jumping around and almost bumped into someone.
The boy stared blankly at them, his expression completely blank. An'an and Nuannuan, seeing his dazed look, were terrified and quickly ran back to hide behind Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan.
Before the couple could even ask what was wrong, they heard a furious roar from inside the house: "Where has that little brat gone again? He's just as mentally challenged as his dead mother. If I had known you had this genetic disease, I shouldn't have let that jinx of a mother into the family. She's just dragged my son down with her."
"God, you're so unfair!"
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