Chapter 38 Second Aunt
☆
“It’s those two. Kids grow up fast. The next time you see them, they’ll look different.” Leaning on her cane, Chen Yuzhen slowly moved her feet and stood in the yard. She looked through the kitchen door at She Ning and She Ni, who were busy with their respective tasks in the kitchen. Her face was full of pride.
"You know what, after a few years, when I see her outside, I wouldn't even recognize her. Girls really do change a lot as they grow up, becoming more and more beautiful," the man replied with a smile.
Inside the kitchen, thirteen-year-old She Ning was slender with fair skin, already showing signs of becoming a pretty young girl.
Her long, flowing hair was braided to the side and tied with a light blue ribbon, with a few stray strands falling across her forehead. Her focused gaze revealed her seriousness.
She kneaded the dough vigorously with both hands, her movements practiced and skillful. The dough gradually became smooth and elastic in her hands, and then, one after another, cute and plump dumplings were born from her hands.
She Ni, a few years younger than She Ning, sat on a small stool and tended the fire on one side. She was tiny, with a round and cute figure. Her chubby face had big eyes, long and curled eyelashes, and her skin, which had been rested for a few days, was fair and shiny. She looked like a porcelain doll.
She would occasionally add firewood to the stove, the firelight reflecting on her rosy face, her long, curled eyelashes fluttering, making her look exceptionally lively.
“These two kids are destined for great things. You and Hongmei can just wait to enjoy life.” Standing in the yard for a while, watching the two sisters, She Ning and Chen Yuzhen, patting Chen Yuzhen’s hand, Yang Hongli’s tone was filled with envy and emotion.
Chen Yuzhen smiled slightly, looking tenderly at the two children busy in the kitchen, and said softly, "That's right. They've been sensible since they were little, and Hongmei has always taught them very diligently. Aning is meticulous, and Xiaoni is clever. These two sisters are kind and supportive of each other, and their future will definitely be bright."
"Don't talk about mine, your Jianhua and Xiuni are great too. I know Xiuni often brings you things after she started working," Chen Yuzhen teased Yang Hongli.
"It's all good, it's all good," Yang Hongli said with a smile, covering her mouth.
"Ah Ning, Xiao Ni, come out for a moment." Seeing that She Ning had stopped what she was doing in the kitchen, Chen Yuzhen raised her voice slightly and called out.
Hearing the sound, She Ning looked up, and some hair fell from her temples. She tucked it back up, and flour from her hands got on her face, making her look a little dazed. She wiped her hands on the towel on her apron and cleaned the flour off her face before leading She Ni, who came out from behind the stove, outside.
"Grandma, Second Aunt." Upon seeing the people beside Chen Yuzhen, She Ning waved and greeted them.
Having regained her memories of this life, she naturally recognized Yang Hongli, the wife of village secretary She Aijun. According to seniority, she should call her Second Aunt, but usually, the "Tang" part is omitted, and she is simply called Second Aunt.
When She Ning was little, Yang Hongli often visited the She family. In recent years, everyone has been busy and various things have changed, so their visits have decreased. However, She Ning remembers that before the Lunar New Year, Yang Hongli had Aunt Xiu Ni bring over a lot of things.
She Ni hadn't seen her much, but when her sister called out, she stood beside She Ning and greeted her in a natural and generous manner, "Hello, Second Aunt."
"Oh, good children, all good children." With that, Yang Hongli reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of White Rabbit milk candies, handing them to She Ni and She Ning.
She Ning waved her hand and quickly refused, "Second Aunt, my teeth hurt and I can't eat candy. It would be a waste for me. You can keep it for yourself."
This thing isn't cheap.
In this day and age, White Rabbit candy is a luxury in the eyes of children; unless it's Chinese New Year, families won't buy it.
She Ning was embarrassed to accept the candy. In her memory, her second aunt's family had several children. She probably didn't want to use the candy to appease the children. If they accepted such a large handful, Yang Hongli would have nothing left to appease the kids.
She Ni was very good at reading people's expressions and always followed her sister's lead. When she saw that She Ning wouldn't accept it, she shook her head, cupped her left cheek with one hand, opened her mouth with an "ah" sound, revealing the tooth socket inside, and said, "My teeth are bad too, I can't eat candy."
"That's a pity," Yang Hongli said listlessly, withdrawing her hand.
"What's there to regret? Haven't you given them enough to eat?" Chen Yuzhen said with a laugh as she watched from the side.
Seeing this, She Ning gave She Ni a wink. She Ni immediately understood what she meant, stepped forward, took Yang Hongli's hand, looked up, and put on a pitiful expression: "Second Aunt, look at my teeth, they're almost all gone. If I eat any more candy, maybe all my teeth will really fall out."
Yang Hongli was amused by She Ni's cute and clever appearance and burst into laughter. Her regretful expression vanished instantly: "You little rascal, Ni Ni, you're such a clever girl. Alright, alright, your second aunt won't give it to you anymore. Your second aunt will keep it, okay?"
She Ni nodded repeatedly, grabbed Yang Hongli's hand, and began showering her with compliments without any awkwardness, "Second Aunt, you're the best, the very best! It's all thanks to you that I was able to keep my teeth and not go bald."
She Ning watched from the side and couldn't help but laugh. She knew that She Ni, this clever little devil, could calm people down.
The sky in the distance began to turn red. She Ning looked up at the sky and thought that She Hongmei would be home soon. She invited her, "Second Aunt, we cooked a lot of dishes at home today. Why don't you stay and try my cooking tonight?"
In her memory, Yang Hongli had helped her family before. They reciprocated with kindness, and She Ning wanted to give back in kind.
“Ah Ning’s cooking skills are really good, you should really try it.”
"Look at Xiao Ni's fair and tender face, it's all thanks to Aning." Chen Yuzhen praised She Ning enthusiastically from the side, and then her gaze fell on She Ni, speaking without favoritism.
"Xiao Ni is also very capable. She helps her older sister with the fire and washing vegetables. She has excellent fire-starting skills, controlling the fire temperature very precisely, whether it's high, low, or medium. She is Aning's capable little helper."
Before Yang Hongli could say anything after Chen Yuzhen's words, She Ning blushed with embarrassment. She Ning had always felt that She Ni had a hidden social cow attribute.
Unlike She Ning's reaction, She Ni smiled proudly when her grandmother praised her for her fire-starting skills. She wiped her little hands on her apron, puffed out her little chest, and said, "Of course! I'm really good at starting fires!"
Yang Hongli naturally wouldn't stay for dinner. The She family's life had only recently started to improve, and she couldn't possibly eat their food. Using the excuse that she had to go home to cook, she turned to leave.
Seeing that she refused to stay for dinner, She Ning quickly went into the kitchen, packed some of the wrapped dumplings into a box, and then filled a stainless steel bowl with the braised dishes.
She Ning carefully placed the box and stainless steel bowl in the bamboo basket and then carried the basket out.
"What are you doing? Take it back and put it away properly." Yang Hongli looked at the bowl, which She Ning had filled to the brim with, and the box was stuffed full of dumplings. She declined, refusing to accept them. "Yuzhen, you're too kind. We're all relatives. What are you doing?"
Chen Yuzhen remained calm and advised her, "They're all relatives, what's the big deal? Take it back quickly."
"Otherwise, I won't accept your things next time either."
Chen Yuzhen was very assertive, while the She sisters looked at her expectantly. Yang Hongli had no choice but to take the things away in the end.
"Where did you come from?" When I got home, I happened to run into She Aijun, who was home.
He was repairing a broken hoe in the yard when he saw his wife carrying a basket, the enticing aroma of braised meat wafting over. He stopped what he was doing and asked her a question.
Yang Hongli didn't reply to him. She went to the kitchen to put the things down and told her daughter-in-law, who was cooking, to add two dishes for dinner. Only then did she come out and say, "It was given to me by Yuzhen's family."
"I went to see her this afternoon to catch up, and when I was leaving, her daughter Ning insisted on giving it to me." She said, rubbing her slightly sore back, her tone filled with praise and envy.
"Yuzhen's two granddaughters are very sensible, well-behaved and capable. Not to mention the older one's excellent skills, the younger one, who is only five years old, is amazing at tending a fire and has excellent control over the heat."
“I heard from her grandmother that Xiao Ni is doing very well in her studies and is planning to skip a grade to go to the third grade in the second half of the year.”
“Compared to our family, A-Jun is a year older than her.” Yang Hongzhen looked at her grandson playing with a slingshot in the yard and said with some disdain.
Forget about starting a fire, he can't even light one. All he does is run around all day, and his grades are terrible. The teachers complain about him every day.
"Please take good care of Yuzhen's family. Even if we're not related, we should still be concerned about Wei Dong's status as a martyr. Otherwise, they might feel disheartened."
“I’ve heard that the She family has a lot of resentment towards Yuzhen’s family because of She Yaozu’s matter. Given her husband’s personality, who knows what he might do. As the village secretary, you must handle this impartially and pay close attention,” Yang Hongzhen said earnestly.
She Aijun didn't speak. He put down the hoe he was repairing, picked up the water pipe on the side, lit the tobacco, took a puff, and the water pipe made a gurgling sound. Then he exhaled a puff of smoke, and after a while he said in a muffled voice, "I know what I'm doing."
When She Hongmei returned home, it was getting late. She Ning had originally planned to eat in the yard, but now she had to move back to the main room.
Under the candlelight, the family of four sat around the octagonal table.
The iron pot of grilled fish on the stove sizzled, and the aroma of garlic and the unique fish flavor became increasingly rich as it heated up.
The slightly charred fish skin and tender fish meat intertwine in your mouth, crispy, fragrant, tender, and smooth, with a rich texture. When stewed with garlic, the aroma of garlic and fish permeates each other, making the fish meat taste as soft, tender, and smooth as garlic cloves.
The steamed razor clams with vermicelli were a little cold, but that didn't diminish their deliciousness.
Shepherd's purse dumplings have a fragrant and tender taste, with the unique flavor of shepherd's purse. They are delicious and nutritious. Plantain salad is crisp and tender, refreshing on the palate with a slight bitterness followed by a subtle sweetness. It is also good for reducing internal heat.
"By the way, Aning, I ran into Director Xia on my way back. She wants you to go to the school tomorrow." While eating, She Hongmei suddenly said, "She didn't say what it was about, but she seemed quite happy."
-----------------------
Author's Note: This novel will be available for purchase on February 7th, starting from Chapter 22. Thank you all for your support and companionship along the way.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
