"Did you remember?"
As the two little ones ran out hand in hand, Xie Zhuo stopped them and repeated himself.
“I’ve got it,” Da Bao nodded.
“I’ve remembered that too,” Xiao Bao said.
"Okay, go ahead, but don't run, walk slowly," Xie Zhuo reminded them, worried they might fall if they ran too fast.
Xie Dabao and Xie Xiaobao have been going out less these past two years, but no matter what, they are still children who grew up in the village, and they know the way around Qingshan Brigade like the back of their hand.
They even knew who Xiao Xu, the educated youth, was, even though Xie Zhuo hadn't explained.
An old woman, seeing the two of them walking side by side on the road with curiosity, asked, "Hasn't your third uncle gone home?"
“I’m back,” Da Bao replied.
"Xie Laosan has gone home, why are you two still running around outside? Don't run around in this hot sun," the old woman said.
After saying that, she took out two apricots that were still a little green and not fully ripe from her pocket. "Here, Grandma has something good for you."
Xiao Bao walked over.
The old woman stuffed the apricot into his pocket, then patted his head. "Go home quickly, your third uncle will be coming to find you soon."
Unlike later generations, where one could eat whatever fruit they wanted, in this era of scarcity, especially in economically underdeveloped rural areas, no one would spend money to buy fruit.
Apples cost 48 cents a pound, and eggs were only 50 cents a pound. People in those days couldn't even afford to eat eggs.
So, some families in the village grow an apricot tree or a pear tree.
Even so, you still have to guard against some kids who stay up late at night and come to steal unripe apricots.
"It was Third Uncle who sent us out," Xiao Bao said when she asked him what was going on, having already taken the things from her.
"Your third uncle gave it up?" the old woman asked, somewhat puzzled. "What were you going to do with it?"
"Go and invite Third Aunt," Da Bao said as he pulled Xiao Bao along, worried that Xie Zhuo would get impatient waiting at home.
It wasn't until the two little brats had run far away that the old woman suddenly realized that the third aunt he was talking about was Little Xu, an educated youth from the educated youth settlement.
Then they stopped cooking and prepared to squat at the door to watch the excitement.
Da Bao and Xiao Bao walked and ran for a while, and arrived at the educated youth settlement in about ten minutes.
The gate to the educated youth settlement was wide open, and it was quiet inside. The two of them stood at the gate for a while, but no one came out, so they asked, "Is anyone home?"
Xu Yan was still boiling water in the kitchen.
For some reason, the stove is emitting thick smoke that isn't going in; it's just billowing out. The whole kitchen is almost unbearable to stay in.
It was hot and choking.
She had just finished washing up and had been inside for less than ten minutes when she was covered in sweat again.
Not only that, her hands were also washed in vain. She didn't know where she had touched, but there was a black mark of plant ash on the back of her hand, which contrasted sharply with her fair skin.
Just as she was about to add another bundle of firewood to try, a child's soft voice suddenly came from outside.
She looked outside.
Then I met two pairs of big, dark, grape-like eyes.
"Hello," Xu Yan waved to the two children who were standing outside the gate, their faces covered in sweat.
Da Bao and Xiao Bao looked at her, then slowly walked into the courtyard of the educated youth settlement.
"Hello, sister," Da Bao said sweetly.
"Hello, sister," Xiao Bao repeated.
"Hello," Xu Yan said, tossing the firewood he was carrying aside so they wouldn't choke if they went into the kitchen, and came out. "Are you looking for someone?"
Da Bao nodded.
“We’re looking for Third Aunt,” Xiao Bao said, having heard Da Bao mention it earlier and remembered it.
Third Aunt?
Xu Yan didn't react for a moment.
"There are no threes here..."
“We’re looking for Xiao Xu, the educated youth,” Da Bao added before Xu Yan could finish speaking, “Our third uncle sent us to find him.”
Xiao Xu, a former educated youth, is also known as Third Uncle.
Putting these two titles together, Xu Yan understood everything. The two adorable children in front of him were Xie Zhuo's two nephews!
Although she had told Xie Zhuo that he was handsome and that his two nephews would be cute, she didn't expect them to be even better looking than she had imagined.
She has big, double-lidded eyes, and although she is young, you can tell that her nose will be quite high when she grows up. Her skin is tanned to a wheat color, and her clothes are clean.
He was looking at him at that moment.
"Isn't she here, pretty sister?" Da Bao asked in a soft, sweet voice after waiting for Xu Yan to speak for a while.
"Yes, yes, yes," Xu Yan's mood improved even more after being praised for her beauty.
The sweet-talking child gets candy. She took out the candy she had prepared for herself from her pocket and gave each of them two pieces. "I am Little Xu, an educated youth."
Da Bao paused, his hand holding the candy still.
"Did your third uncle tell you to find... your third aunt?" Xu Yan asked again.
Xiao Bao looked at Da Bao.
Da Bao looked at Xu Yan, then slowly nodded. "He said please."
On the other side, Xie Zhuo, who was kneading dough to make noodles, suddenly felt a chill on his back, turned his head and sneezed.
When Xu Yan turned off the fire in the kitchen, washed her hands, and returned to the Xie family with the two little ones, Xie Zhuo was already preparing to cook noodles.
"Third Uncle," Xiao Bao called out before even entering the door.
"Yes," Xie Zhuo responded.
The Xie family's kitchen was located in a different spot from the educated youth settlement; it wasn't facing the main gate, so they couldn't see the people at the gate.
"Third Aunt is here!" Xiao Bao called out.
Xie Zhuo's hand slipped when he heard this address, and he almost dropped the chopsticks he was using to scoop noodles into the pot.
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