Chapter 215: Young Couple, Old Companions
Changshan ran up to her like a little whirlwind, grinned, and shouted loudly, "Grandma!"
The cook patted Changshan's arm with a cheerful smile, then turned to introduce him to Su Zhenzhen, "Miss Su, this is my eldest grandson, Changshan."
He then gave Changshan a wink, "Changshan, quickly greet Miss Su."
Changshan was quick-witted; he immediately stood up straighter, and when he called out, his white teeth shone brightly against his sun-darkened, yellowish face, exuding a simple and honest charm.
"Hello, Miss Su."
Su Zhenzhen nodded with a smile, "Hello to you too."
These three simple words made Changshan's heart skip a beat, and an indescribable feeling welled up inside him. He was somewhat at a loss and flattered.
Although he had never interacted with the wealthy people in the city, he once stopped at the entrance of a shop when he went to the city with his mother to look for his grandmother as a child.
The mother smiled and greeted the shopkeeper cautiously. Although the shopkeeper didn't chase them away, his eyelids drooped, as if he didn't see the mother and son.
From that time on, Changshan vaguely felt that the nobles in the city were sitting on clouds, and that there was an invisible but thick high wall between them and the common people.
But this Miss Su actually responded to him! This unexpected and sudden "equality" was like a pebble that stirred up huge ripples in his calm heart, surprising this simple young farmer and touching him in an indescribable way.
Other farmers on the ridges of the field also peered out curiously. "Auntie, who is this? He looks quite distinguished."
Although Su Zhenzhen was simply dressed, her composed demeanor was clearly not something that could be cultivated in the fields.
Besides, the cook's attitude speaks for itself; calling her "esteemed guest" is sure to be the right thing to do.
The cook's smile vanished instantly, and she snapped, "Don't pry into things you shouldn't be asking. Get back to work."
Some of the men who looked up scoffed, but they all wisely kept quiet. They knew perfectly well that the rumors in the village were that the nobles from the city were strange and unpredictable, and that it wasn't uncommon for them to beat or kill their servants.
The cook led Su Zhenzhen home, with Changshan following closely beside her.
The layout of Tianjia Village is square and the houses are arranged in a neat and orderly manner, looking like a chessboard when viewed from a distance.
The cook's house was located slightly to the right of the middle of the village, a small mud-brick courtyard. The courtyard wall was made of yellow earth, and a small vegetable garden was fenced off in front of the house, with some chickens and ducks enclosed by a low fence.
The gate to the courtyard was made of wooden planks. For some reason, there were two large, smooth, shiny stones placed outside the threshold, and an old man with gray hair was sitting on the stones.
The old man's cloudy eyes lit up the moment he saw the cook. "Old woman, you're back?"
The cook didn't even lift her eyelids, and led Su Zhenzhen straight ahead, stepping aside to let her step into the courtyard first.
“Miss Su, my home is humble and simple, and I have nothing to offer you.”
"No need to be so polite, I'll just go along with whatever you say." Su Zhenzhen replied with a light laugh. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the old man sitting on the stone outside the door, looking angry but not daring to lash out. She couldn't help but smile, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
Such a simple and down-to-earth life can indeed soothe the worries in one's heart instantly.
In the courtyard, Changlin was butchering a chicken when he caught sight of the cook returning. He quickly put down his knife and called out, "Grandma!"
The cook's expression immediately changed. She stepped forward to block Su Zhenzhen and launched into a tirade against Changlin.
"You silly child! Don't you see there's a distinguished guest with Grandma? The chicken is being killed right here in the yard! Where's your father? With his swift and skillful chopping, the chicken should be in the pot by now!"
Changlin, his hands still stained with chicken blood, scratched his head sheepishly. “Dad and Mom went up the mountain to chop firewood. I wanted to ask my second uncle and aunt to come and help, but Grandpa said… he was afraid they would see us eating chicken and get suspicious.”
The cook spat fiercely, "Pah! Don't listen to his nonsense! We're family, why all the scheming and backstabbing?"
As she spoke, the cook suddenly turned her head and shouted towards the courtyard gate, "And that old man at the gate! He's utterly useless! He always messes up when it comes to doing anything! In other families, the adults handle killing chickens and geese, but in our family, we have to force this half-grown boy to do it!"
The old man sitting on the rock immediately stretched out his neck and retorted defiantly, "He's a sixteen-year-old lad, killing a chicken shouldn't be difficult for him!"
The cook first gave Su Zhenzhen an apologetic smile, then deftly took the knife and chicken from Changlin's hand and began to prepare them quickly.
Changshan, who was standing nearby, was very perceptive. He quickly went into the house and brought out a small stool. He even put down his rolled-up sleeves and carefully wiped the stool surface twice with the lining of his sleeves before looking at Su Zhenzhen with a simple and honest expression.
"Miss Su, please have a seat."
Su Zhenzhen didn't mind standing, but she was touched by the kind gesture and felt that refusing would be too formal, so she readily sat down.
The cook's hands never stopped moving, and her mouth was like a boiling kettle, constantly muttering to herself.
"Your grandpa, ever since he was a child, has never known how to enjoy good fortune or do any work! He's stuck in the middle of the family line, never getting a chance to be the first to do good things, nor is he ever the scapegoat for bad things. He's a bit of a fool, relying on his wife to support the family in middle age, and now he's counting on his sons and grandsons to take care of him in his old age. Look at Mantianjia Village, from eighty to eight years old, everyone's busy with their hands and feet. But him! He just sits at the door like a doorstep waiting for his meal! Old Zhang in the back house is a year older than him, and he knows to bring water and food to the fields! But him, he just sits on two stones and thinks he can guard the house? That's all he's good for, at least he can scare away stray dogs!"
The old man outside heard everything clearly, craning his neck even further, and grumbled in dissatisfaction, "You old woman, all you do is gossip about me in front of the younger generation! Humph, you think you're so great, enough already!"
His words were a complaint, but a subtle smile, one that he himself didn't even realize was a smile born of his habit of being scolded, quietly crept across his wrinkled eyes and brows.
Su Zhenzhen's smile deepened; this old couple was truly amusing.
A young couple becomes companions in old age; this is probably what it means.
After the cook finished preparing the chicken, she instructed her two grandsons, "Changshan, go up the mountain and call your father and mother back. Don't chop any more firewood yet. Go to the west end of the village and call your second uncle's family. Changlin, go and catch another chicken."
The two young men responded and went to work.
As Su Zhenzhen watched them run away, she couldn't help but think of the layout of Tianjia Village. The eldest son's family (the cook's family) was located in the eastern part of the village, and in ancient customs, the east was considered the most honorable direction. However, the cook's second son lived in the western part of the village, which showed that the second son's family was not as wealthy as the eldest son's.
But that's normal. According to the cook, the eldest son had always stayed home, honestly farming and tending to the family property. The second son had gone to the city to learn a trade when he was young, so his connections in the village were naturally weaker than his elder brother's.
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