When Zhao Qinglan asked her the question, Niu Xiangyun snapped out of her reverie and gave a shy smile.
"Auntie, I live in the second-to-last house in the alley. My mom said she saw someone in your yard. A relative gave us a lot of apples, so she asked me to come and give you a few."
Although surprised, she still exclaimed, and her response was deliberate.
On the one hand, she wanted Zhao Qinglan to think that their family was doing well, and on the other hand, she wanted to increase Zhao Qinglan and her son's goodwill towards her.
"Oh, okay, then Auntie will accept it. Erwa, go inside and get a box of the pastries that Mom put in the cupboard."
Erwa quickly ran away.
"Girl, apples aren't easy to come by in this cold winter. Auntie will give you a box of pastries. They're from a big restaurant in Hong Kong. They taste really good. Take them home and have your family try them."
Zhao Qinglan wouldn't take things from others for nothing.
As they were talking, Erwa ran over with a box of snacks.
"Mom, here."
"Here, for this lady." Zhao Qinglan raised her chin.
Erwa was then placed into Niu Xiangyun's hands.
"Auntie, this isn't quite right," Niu Xiangyun said, feigning modesty.
“If you don’t accept it, Auntie won’t dare to take the apple.”
Niu Xiangyun then carefully took the pastry box. "Thank you, Auntie."
"We still have guests at home, so we won't talk to you any longer. It's quite cold outside, so go home quickly."
Since Zhao Qinglan had said so, Niu Xiangyun couldn't stay any longer. She just glanced at Da Wa before slowly moving home.
She thought she had acted quite naturally, but Zhao Qinglan still noticed and found it a bit strange.
When the old man finished resting and came out, Wei Hong had just left, and Zhao Qinglan immediately asked about it.
"Is that the second one at the entrance of the alley?" the old man recalled.
“That girl looks…” she described Niu Xiangyun’s appearance in detail.
The old man had lived here for many years and knew exactly which families lived in the alley. He knew who they were just by listening to Zhao Qinglan talk about it.
"The girl you're talking about is from the Niu family, named Xiangyun."
"Grandpa Dou, do you have a good relationship with the Niu family?" Zhao Qinglan asked, voicing her suspicions.
"No, we just know each other. It's strange, their family situation is just average, and they don't usually have any contact with me. Why would they come to deliver apples?" the old man muttered.
Zhao Qinglan immediately recalled the glance Niu Xiangyun gave her son, but perhaps she was just overthinking it.
She didn't voice her suspicions, but after entering the house and seeing the children, she gave them a few words of advice.
"It's cold outside, so don't go out unnecessarily. We'll stay in the capital for a few days and then go home."
The children simply thought it was their mother's habitual nagging and nodded in agreement.
Although it's a holiday, my eldest child still remembers that he is a prospective college entrance exam candidate. He does take occasional breaks and relax, but most of the time he still reads books and does practice questions.
When he is studying diligently, his younger siblings will also be careful not to disturb him.
Zhao Qinglan was planning to stay up all night and visit her sister and uncle the next day, but unexpectedly, her uncle came by car that evening.
"It's so cold at night, Uncle, why did you make a special trip over here?"
"Knowing you were coming, I couldn't sit still, so I came over as soon as the meeting was over."
"Uncle, have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet, just grab a bite."
Sun Guangming's car was parked outside, and people coming and going in the alley could see it.
The Niu family members, overhearing the discussions in the courtyard, began to speculate about the identities of Zhao Qinglan's family.
Sun Guangming would occasionally come here to visit Grandpa Dou and chat with him. The neighbors also inquired about it with Grandpa Dou, but he kept his mouth shut and didn't say anything.
Niu Xiangyun overheard people talking about how that family probably had a powerful background, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to occupy such a large courtyard all to themselves. She immediately thought of Da Wa.
I must say, he's handsome and manly, which is exactly her type. He's good-looking and comes from a good family, making him much better overall than the other blind dates I've introduced her to before.
The cow's mother had already been considering this idea after her daughter-in-law suggested it to her today, and now that idea is even stronger.
Perhaps it's a good thing for my daughter to be with that family's son all the time?
Knowing her daughter was a strong-willed person, she called her into her room to ask her questions. Old Man Niu was there, drinking a little wine, listening to the radio, and nodding his head.
"Mom, what's wrong?" Niu Xiangyun asked.
"Xiangyun, I heard that there's a young man about your age at that family they mentioned. How about I find someone to introduce you two?"
Upon hearing her mother's words, Niu Xiangyun's face lit up with joy. "Okay!"
With her parents and elders involved, that would be perfect. Otherwise, she couldn't keep making excuses to deliver things. After all, she bought those apples at a high price with her own money.
The cow mother was somewhat surprised by her daughter's reaction.
After all, in the past, whenever they mentioned introducing potential partners to their daughter, she would always seem impatient. This was the first time they had seen her so agreeable, which made her even more optimistic about the matter.
Zhao Qinglan didn't make anything complicated; she just cooked some noodles and stir-fried some vegetables, and brought them over for her uncle to eat.
I also brought a big bowl of noodles to my uncle's driver.
"This smells delicious," Sun Guangming said with a smile.
"Then Uncle, you should eat it while it's hot. There's more if you want."
"Qinglan, get me a bowl of noodle soup. I want to have some hot soup too," said Grandpa Dou.
"If you're hungry, I can make you some more noodles."
"No need to trouble yourself, I'm not hungry, I just want some noodle soup."
Zhao Qinglan had no choice but to go and serve the soup.
When the noodle soup was brought back, she sat down beside her uncle and watched him eat the noodles, chatting as she went.
Sun Guangming was really hungry. Zhao Qinglan's hand-pulled noodles were especially fragrant, and the bowl was empty in no time.
He let out a satisfied burp before putting down his bowl. "It's always the most comforting thing to eat at home."
During the Spring Festival, he ate countless lavish meals and now all he wants is some light, home-cooked food.
"Uncle, if you like it, I'll make it for you these next few days."
The three of them were chatting and laughing, but it got dark and cold, so Zhao Qinglan left her uncle and his driver at home.
The next morning, Sun Guangming took a car to work. After Zhao Qinglan and the children finished breakfast, the car returned and took them to her younger sister Qingju's place.
This time, Ding Yu and Liu Dandan didn't come along; Zhao Qinglan and the four children squeezed together in the car.
Knowing that her uncle, nephew, and niece had all come to the capital, Zhao Qingju had been looking forward to it. It was cold outside, so she would often stand at the window and look out.
"Look, even your older sister and the others can't stand it. Why don't you sit down and rest?" Wei Yaohui advised.
"Don't worry about me, go in and see if the baby is awake." Her baby is almost a year old now.
Wei Yaohui had no choice but to go inside to check on the children.
No sooner had Zhao Qinglan and her group left than the "matchmaker" entrusted by Niu Mu knocked on Zhao Qinglan's door.
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