The two people sitting on the kang looked at the lit candles on the kang table and were speechless for a moment.
The atmosphere became a little awkward and subtle.
Cao Jingheng looked at Shen Anning opposite him, cleared his throat, and broke the awkwardness first, "How have you been this year? Are Anyu, Anxuan, and Zixi all okay?"
"Life is okay. Every day is ordinary but solid. The children are very obedient, and Xixi has grown up a lot."
"How about you, is your military career going well?"
"Just like what I wrote to you: training, missions, injuries, and recuperation."
Shen Anning couldn't hold it back, and smiled, "If you talk to Grandpa Cao and Grandma Cao like this, they will probably be so anxious that they will beat you up."
Hahahahahahaha, "So I only report good news to them, not bad news."
Of course, Shen Anning knew that the army had files on the family members who had been demoted, so if Cao Jingheng wanted to stand out in the team and have a good future, he would probably have to work twice as hard as others, or even harder.
She looked at her watch and it was already half past nine. She had just delivered something to Grandpa Cao on the day when the abducted child in the village was sent back two days ago. But it was night now, and the grandfather and grandson must reminisce when they meet.
Judging from Cao Jingheng's appearance, he definitely didn't bring any cooked food. He probably bought snacks and the like. "You lie down and rest for a while. I'll go to the kitchen to make you some food and bring it over later."
"Let me help you."
Holding the man's shoulders, she said, "Get some sleep. You can only come over at night during your vacation. I'll just cook something. It's quick. I can do it by myself."
Watching Shen An Ning leave the house, the kang in the east wing was connected to the kitchen. Soon, Cao Jingheng felt that the room was a little hot. He took out all the things he had prepared for Shen An Ning, his younger brother and sister, and his niece. After a closer look, he found that the things he had inadvertently prepared for her actually took up nearly half of the space in his bag.
He smiled, holding his forehead with his hand, a little speechless.
Listening to the sound of pots and pans colliding coming from the kitchen across the wall, Cao Jingheng felt very at ease. He couldn't help but change his posture, half lying on the kang, just staring at the beams. He gradually felt sleepy, even more sleepy than in the afternoon after being tired for several days.
"Brother Cao."
He sat up with a start, put on his shoes and took over the lunch boxes from Shen Anning.
"Put it on the kang first, it's still hot right out of the pot."
"It's late at night, and I'm afraid the smell of other food will be too strong, so I called the village scoundrels over. I happened to make some dumplings a few days ago, with several flavors, and I cooked some for you and Grandpa Cao and Grandma Cao."
Cao Jingheng put the lunch box into his bag, and the bag, which was empty just now, suddenly became "heavy" again.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, An Ning. I brought some things from Guangdong for you and your brothers and sisters. They're all on the kang. My vacation this time is longer, and I've rented a small courtyard in town. I'll be here until the end of the month. If you need my help, come find me. I'll come to the village on time at 9:30 pm unless there's something special."
After seeing Cao Jingheng off, Shen Anning watched him cross the bridge before closing the gate. It had been more than a year since he last saw his grandson, and Grandpa Cao and Grandma Cao would probably be so excited that they wouldn't be able to sleep today.
When Cao Jingheng arrived at the cowshed, it was already ten o'clock. He did not dare to disturb others. He walked to the window and imitated the call of a turtledove. This was an agreement he and his grandparents had made a long time ago.
Sure enough, after two calls, there was a very slight movement at the door. Watching the door slowly open, Cao Jingheng walked in carefully and then closed the door carefully without making any sound.
Cao Yiqian and Wang Lingyun looked at their eldest grandson and hugged him excitedly. Having not seen him for more than a year, they could only hold their grandson's arms and sob softly.
Cao Jingheng didn't say anything, he just hugged his grandparents and comforted them carefully. He knew that this year was the most difficult for his grandparents. With Shen An Ning helping to take care of them, he felt at ease in the army, but his grandparents had no way of knowing the big and small things that happened in the army.
After waiting for a long time, Cao Yiqian saw that his wife was in a better mood. He covered the windows and door gaps with black rags and placed a lit candle on the kang table. Only then could the grandfather and grandson see each other clearly.
Cao Jingheng pulled his grandmother to sit on the kang, opened the bag, and placed a few boxes of dumplings that were still warm on the kang. He hid the snacks and milk powder, and then sat down to have a good chat with his grandparents.
The two elders seemed to be in good spirits. Although they were a little thinner than when they were in Beijing, a closer look revealed that grandpa and grandma seemed to have less white hair.
Unable to withstand the scrutiny of her grandson, Wang Lingyun smiled and said, "Ever since we were put here, An Ning has been taking care of us. She always gets a portion of the supplements she prepared for Old Shen. When An Yu and An Xuan go up the mountain alone, they also help us two old men collect firewood. They are children and can move around easily, so An Ning often sends them to bring us food. Don't look at us getting thinner; it's better to be thinner. How can we explain ourselves if we don't lose some weight when we come here?"
"It can be seen that Sister An Ning is a good person. If the Cao family ever makes a comeback in the future, I will definitely not forget her kindness. Even if there is no hope of revival, I will do my best to help them wherever they need me." Cao Jingheng stuffed the dumplings into the hands of his grandparents.
"It's still hot, let's eat it while it's hot."
Grandpa Cao didn't even pick up his chopsticks. He just picked up one and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it with great enjoyment. "Well, An Ning's dumpling-making skills are really amazing."
Wang Lingyun looked at his worthless appearance and couldn't help but laugh: "Didn't you just eat it a few days ago? Why does it seem like the first time you've eaten it?"
"You don't understand, I eat these dumplings every day and never get tired of them."
The grandfather and his grandson chatted and laughed for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, Cao Jingheng put away his lunch box and quietly left the cowshed in the dark. No one knew he had been there that night.
There were a few boxes of snacks and money in the bag for my cousin Wang Wenjia, as well as clothes for my little nephew. I glanced at the courtyard built by Wang Wenjia and Lin Erjun, gave up the idea of knocking on the door, jumped over the wall, and put the things on the pile of firewood under the shed in the yard. They would be able to see them when they got up tomorrow.
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