He had already informed Xiao Jian before coming, so neither he nor Hu Zi went out today.
The crops in the fields have been mostly harvested, and it's not yet time to sow winter wheat, so the two of them have been relatively free these past few days.
After helping Xiao Mengjie harvest her two acres of sweet potatoes, the three of them had nothing else to do except occasionally go to the river to set fish traps.
Ever since Xiao Mengjie cooked a meal for them last time, they often invite her over whenever they have free time. The three of them buy groceries or catch fish together, and then cook a delicious meal together.
Xiao Mengjie's mother has been taking medication. It's unclear whether the medication prescribed by the large hospital is more effective or whether the comfortable environment has affected Gu Meiying's mood, but in any case, her condition is getting better and better.
Her gaze was no longer so dull. Sometimes she would sit quietly, watching her daughter and Xiao Jianhu play around, and would occasionally smile, looking very content.
Because of Xiao Weiguo's deliberate concealment, news of Xiao Feng has not yet reached the village.
As time went by, no one brought up what happened to her family last year anymore.
Xiao Mengjie gradually regained her cheerful and outgoing personality. Compared to Xiao Jian and Hu Zi, she was always the most talkative when they played together.
Once a relationship reaches a certain point, the sense of distance will gradually disappear.
Xiao Mengjie, who had been all alone and helpless, now considers Xiao Jian and Hu Zi as her family. She doesn't hold back when dealing with them, no matter what happens.
I usually cook for them, do their laundry, and tidy up their room. After all, boys aren't as meticulous as girls in these areas.
Of course, she didn't need two people to keep her from eating; she naturally ate with her mother there. Gradually, she began to resemble the lady of the house.
Compared to these two relatives who have no blood relation, her original family members, Xiao Changsuo and Xiao Lian, have now become strangers.
Those two extremely selfish people wouldn't care whether the mother and daughter lived or died. With Xiao Feng gone, it seemed as if they no longer belonged to that family.
Normally, even in the same village, Xiao Mengjie never returned to the courtyard of that house, where she lived peacefully with her mother in the small courtyard that Liu Ye's family used to live.
When Xiao Weiguo and Jiao Bai entered, Xiao Jianzheng and Hu Zi were playing chess on either side of the stone platform.
It's neither military chess nor Chinese chess, but a very simple game from Xiao Weiguo's hometown in Jiaonan.
People from the 1960s and 70s all knew how to play this game. It involves drawing four intersecting lines on the ground to form a 3x3 grid.
The pieces are made from whatever is readily available—pebbles, leaves, clods of dirt, anything goes. Each player has four pieces. Each player occupies one side of the board. A player captures an opponent's piece by placing two connected pieces on a horizontal or vertical line and locking down the opponent's single piece.
If a player is left with only one piece, they lose.
Despite its simple gameplay, mastering it requires a certain level of intelligence. It was one of the main games for many people during their childhood.
Intellectually, Tiger is clearly a bit weaker than Xiao Jian. He has already lost one piece, and another piece is being chased around by Xiao Jian, and it looks like it's about to be lost as well. Right now, he's scratching his head, racking his brains for a solution.
Xiao Mengjie sat between them, her back to the door, holding a shoe sole in her hand. While watching the two of them play chess, she stitched the thick cloth shoe sole stitch by stitch.
Every now and then, I would run the needle through my hair, using the oil secreted by my scalp as a lubricant, so that the needle would be easier to pass through the sole of the shoe.
The weather was lovely today, crisp and clear, neither too hot nor too cold. Xiao Mengjie took her mother out to bask in the sun, and as they walked, they came to Xiao Jian and Hu Zi's small courtyard.
Since there was nothing else to do, Xiao Mengjie found a seat for Gu Meiying and let her sit in the sun by the entrance of the main room. She herself watched Xiao Jian and Hu Zi's battle of wits.
In this small courtyard, the scene appeared so peaceful and serene.
The door wasn't closed, and when Xiao Weiguo and Jiao Bai entered, the first person to see them was Gu Meiying, who was in a daze.
Xiao Weiguo wondered if he was seeing things, but the moment Gu Meiying saw him, her eyes suddenly became much clearer, and her previously dazed eyes blinked several times.
She raised her hand and opened her mouth as if to greet Xiao Weiguo, but ultimately no normal sound came out.
Finally, she made two "ah ah" sounds, and her arms fell limply to her sides.
It was her voice that caught the attention of the three people standing by the stone platform.
Following Gu Meiying's gaze, they saw Xiao Weiguo and Jiao Bai walking in one after the other.
Xiao Jian dropped the leaf chess piece he had captured from the tiger-shaped chess piece, stood up, and greeted Xiao Weiguo.
"Brother, you've arrived."
Tiger dashed over to Jiao Bai and did a front flip on the spot. Then he stood up straight.
"Master, I feel that my skills have improved again."
Indeed, Tiger has become much stronger in the past two months, and the muscles on his arms have become noticeably more prominent.
He put in a lot of effort when it came to practicing his skills.
Xiao Mengjie also hurriedly stopped what she was doing and stood up with her.
"Big brother."
She smiled and called him "Big Brother," which was her way of greeting him.
She was very grateful to Xiao Weiguo, although she didn't know what his purpose was in helping her and her son.
But ultimately, it was with Xiao Weiguo's help that they escaped their misery, that is an indisputable fact.
In this little girl's heart, Xiao Weiguo was the savior of her and her mother, and she was always thinking about how to repay such a good person.
Xiao Weiguo nodded to his younger brother, then asked Xiao Mengjie.
"How have you been lately? Have you had any difficulties? I think your aunt's illness seems to have improved a lot. You must have been quite worried about her."
Although taking care of the mother and daughter was only to fulfill a promise to Xiao Feng, Xiao Weiguo did not really regard them as a burden.
He had grudges with Xiao Changsuo and Xiao Feng, but no grudges with this poor mother and daughter.
Strictly speaking, their current predicament is largely due to Xiao Weiguo. Regardless of who is right or wrong, it was Xiao Weiguo's actions that caused them, mother and daughter, to suffer.
Therefore, Xiao Weiguo still felt somewhat guilty towards the mother and daughter.
"Yes, thank you, brother. Things have been pretty good lately. My mother's illness hasn't flared up as much, and she can even help me with some chores sometimes."
The little girl answered Xiao Weiguo's question very carefully. Then she flew back into the house and brought out two stools for the two of them to sit down.
"Brother, you and Brother Jiao sit for a while, I'll go get you some water."
Xiao Weiguo sat down with some confusion, watching Xiao Mengjie bustling about like a hostess, pouring water.
Now, is this little girl already so familiar with this family?
His gaze did not fall on his younger brother Xiao Jian, but instead landed on Hu Zi.
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