Chapter 23 A Person of Extraordinary Talent
On Friday afternoon, Cheng Cheng finished work and, along with her baby Xiao Xiao, was packed up and taken back to her parents' home.
During this period, Ding Manman tried to visit her twice, but Ms. Xu Fengying was there each time. Ding Manman would block her way to and from get off work, probably trying to plead her case or borrow money.
Hehe, you wouldn't believe it, would you? Ms. Xu Fengying personally escorted her to and from get off work. Although Ms. Xu Fengying's original intention was to keep an eye on her, it had an unexpected effect!
As soon as Ding Manman saw Ms. Xu Fengying, she turned and ran away like a mouse seeing a cat.
That's not surprising, her mother is just that amazing and powerful!
"Xiaoxiao, do you miss your uncle?"
Cheng Xiangming lifted the little girl up and put her on the front of the tractor. Little Lingxiao's eyes were shining, and she touched the tractor with her little hands and nodded vigorously.
Cheng Xiangming reserved seats for his mother and younger sister in the front, as the smoke was heavy in the back and those sitting there would likely have to inhale black smoke the whole way.
"Fengying, I haven't seen you at work for several days. What's wrong?"
As Liu Xiaochun spoke, he glanced at the youngest daughter of the Cheng family and muttered to himself that Xu Fengying usually worked every day and earned full work points, but suddenly she asked the team leader for a few days off and didn't go to work. Instead, she ran off to the city. Everyone was wondering about this!
When asked about gossip by the two daughters-in-law of the Cheng family, they kept saying they didn't know, or that they should ask their mother-in-law. Now that they had caught Xu Fengying, not only Liu Xiaochun was curious, but everyone else on the tractor was also talking at once.
Xu Fengying had already prepared her explanation for this. She stretched out her left arm, her expression natural, and said, "Hey, it's because I worked too hard recently. My arm has been hurting for several days. I can't even raise my arm to comb my hair normally."
“This can’t go on, my husband told me to go to the hospital to get checked out.”
Cheng Cheng remained silent, only nodding.
Yes, yes, yes, her mother is right. It's a great pity that her mother, with such acting skills, didn't become an actress.
"Anyway, it's not like there's nowhere to stay in the city. My little daughter took me to the hospital to get checked out, and I had acupuncture for a few days. I'm much better now."
"Hey, you must have been exhausted during the busy farming season. Not to mention you, even after the harvest, my whole body aches, but I still grit my teeth and go to work every day."
"Fengying, is that doctor really that skilled? I'll go to the hospital to have a look sometime!"
Everyone started talking about this topic. One said her legs hurt, another said her back hurt. When you get to this age, you can't deny that you're getting old. You have problems everywhere, especially after finishing work every day, you're so tired that you don't want to move at all.
I'm not as strong as I used to be. When I was young, I was strong and healthy. After a day's work in the fields, I would just be a little tired, but I wouldn't be in pain all over. Now that I'm middle-aged and getting older, I can't take this kind of strain anymore!
Cheng Cheng sat quietly next to her mother, listening to the aunties and uncles chatting away, which she found quite fascinating.
At this moment, Cheng Xiangming got on the tractor, picked up his little niece and put her in her arms, and said to the group of aunties and uncles behind him, "Aunties and uncles, sit tight, I'm starting the tractor."
After Cheng Xiangming finished speaking, he sat down, started the tractor, and the next second a sputtering sound began, not continuously, but like a series of "putt...putt...putt..."
However, once the tractor started running, the rhythm became noticeably faster, the pause after each "thump" became shorter, and then it became a continuous and heavy "thump thump thump thump thump thump".
Cheng Cheng sat behind her second brother and could hear the low hum of the engine running.
At first, Cheng Cheng found it amusing, but she stopped laughing when she inhaled a puff of black smoke from the tractor.
Although they were sitting in the front, the black smoke from the exhaust pipes underneath was blown from the back to the front by the wind, and inevitably some of the exhaust fumes were inhaled. Everyone in the car was the same, it was just a matter of how heavy or light the concentration of black smoke was.
Luckily, she thought the sun was too strong, and the sun hadn't set yet. It wouldn't set until six or seven o'clock. She and Xiaoxiao were both wearing straw hats.
She took off her straw hat and covered her mouth and nose, and so did her baby Xiaoxiao.
Her action quickly drew teasing from the other passengers on the bus, but Cheng Cheng just smiled and refused to say a word.
I truly admire her mother and those older women and men; they could still talk so fluently and passionately even under such circumstances.
Moreover, the tractor was loud, so everyone had to speak loudly so that the other person could hear them. Cheng Cheng felt like there was a flock of ducks and geese quacking incessantly in her ears, which was very noisy!
In addition, these days the roads are all dirt roads, the kind of muddy dirt roads that are full of potholes. Recently, it has been sunny and there has been no rain. When the tractor runs, it kicks up clouds of yellow dust, making us look really dusty!
Not only Cheng Cheng, but even her baby Xiao Xiao on her lap looked listless.
Cheng Cheng gripped the railing tightly with one hand and held the little one close with the other. The jolting made her feel nauseous, and the road conditions were absolutely terrible, with the little one being tossed around every now and then.
After being jostled around for over an hour, my butt felt like it was about to break in two, before I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Their production team belonged to Xintang Brigade, and the commune above them was called Santang Commune. Santang Commune was further divided into several villages, and their Xintang Brigade belonged to Fengtian Village.
When we arrived at the village entrance, everyone got off the bus there.
When Cheng Cheng came down, her legs were weak. Her mother carried Xiao Xiao down, and she held onto the railing as she slowly stepped onto the ground.
Cheng Xiangming mocked him, "You're hopeless!"
Cheng Cheng: ...
Without a strong will, you really can't handle this kind of delicate work!
"Alright, go home now."
Xu Fengying led Xiaoxiao by the hand and walked towards the Cheng family's house.
The Cheng family compound was newly built after the family split up. Their large family was the eldest branch, and they were related to the brigade leader, Cheng Aimin.
Cheng Aiguo and Cheng Aimin are brothers. Cheng Aiguo is the eldest, and Cheng Aimin is the second eldest. Their parents are still alive.
Grandpa Cheng and his wife are in good health and live in the old house, not with their children and grandchildren. However, their children and grandchildren are quite filial and will send some of the good food to the old man.
"Grandma, Auntie, you're back."
Cheng Jiawei was playing outside with his two younger brothers, Jiayong and Jiapeng, when they saw their grandmother in the distance and ran over.
Cheng Cheng recognized that this was her eldest brother Cheng Xiangguang's son. She had an older sister, two older brothers, and a younger brother who was her twin. Her younger brother, Cheng Xiangyang, was serving in the military and was away from home most of the year.
The eldest brother, Cheng Xiangguang, and his wife, Wu Yufang, had two sons and a daughter. The eldest nephew was Cheng Jiawei, the second nephew was Cheng Jiayong, and the youngest niece, Cheng Jiahui, was two years older than Xiaoxiao.
The second brother, Cheng Xiangming, and his wife, Chen Meiling, have only one child. Their nephew, Cheng Jiapeng, and niece were born in the same year, one in the first half of the year and the other in the second half, with a half-year age difference between them.
Cheng Cheng casually took out a few candies from her pocket and gave one to each of the three boys.
"Thank you, Auntie!"
The three children exclaimed in unison, overjoyed, their faces beaming with happiness as they ran home shouting, "Grandma and Auntie are back!"
"Mother……"
Little Lingxiao let go of his grandmother's hand, ran to his mother, and reached out to hug her.
Cheng Cheng bent down and hugged the little girl, realizing that the little girl was probably shy around strangers and lacked a sense of security in an unfamiliar environment.
It seems I need to come back more often and take the little one to play with Jiawei and Jiayong more often, so she can get to know them better. Usually in the city, the little girl doesn't have any peers to play with.
Perhaps if Xiaoxiao had peers to play with, she wouldn't be so shy and timid.
"Auntie!"
A little girl with braids ran out of the yard, looking at her with bright eyes. Cheng Cheng recognized her as her niece, Jia Hui, and took out two candies from her pocket.
The little girl's mouth formed an "O" shape. Cheng Cheng shushed her, and the little girl immediately nodded, closed her mouth tightly, and hid the candy behind her back.
I shook my head at my aunt, "I won't tell!"
Little Lingxiao looked down at his older cousin, then hugged his mother's neck tightly, his little mouth pursed.
Cheng Cheng peeled a piece of candy and fed it to the little guy, "This is Sister Jia Hui, Xiao Xiao, do you remember her?"
After eating the candy, the little boy looked down at the little girl again. The candy that her mother had fed her was no longer as straight as before.
She nodded her chin. "I remember."
Cheng Jiahui unwrapped the candy, reluctant to throw it away. She ate the candy her aunt gave her and even got one more than her brothers. Her smile was radiant!
He stretched out his hand, "Little sister, come down here, let's play together!"
She has the demeanor of a great older sister!
Xiao Lingxiao immediately buried his face in his mother's neck, shook his head, and refused to get down, hugging his mother tightly.
Cheng Cheng patted the little guy on the back and said to her niece, "Your sister is quite attached to me now. Jia Hui will take your sister to play later."
"Okay, sister-in-law!"
Upon entering the Cheng family courtyard, she greeted her with further concern, but the little one clung tightly to her neck, unwilling to get down.
Xu Fengying was wondering why her little granddaughter was still shy. Cheng Cheng guessed that the little one felt loved and felt confident enough to be willful.
She usually indulges the little guy's temper, but in this respect, she is very insistent, turning the little guy's head around, lifting it up, and calling for help.
"Wow, it's been a while! Xiaoxiao has gotten even prettier!"
Second sister-in-law Chen Meiling walked over with a beaming smile, looked at her niece, and teased, "Xiaoxiao, what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"
Little Lingxiao shook his head and obediently greeted, "Second Aunt~"
Chen Meiling patted the little girl and said, "Come down, don't be shy, go play with your older brothers and sisters!"
As Chen Meiling spoke, she reached out and took Xiao Lingxiao from Cheng Cheng's arms, placing him on the ground.
Shouting at the top of his lungs, "Dawei, Dayong, Dapeng, Jiahui, bring your sister along to play!"
Children are no match for adults' strength. Little Lingxiao was unwilling, but in the end he stood on the ground, leaning against his mother, his little fingers intertwined.
"Mommy~"
The next second, he was surrounded by his older cousins who ran over and pulled him outside to play.
"Little sister, let them play. They're just kids, don't worry about them!"
Out of the corner of her eye, Chen Meiling glanced at her mother-in-law and saw her go inside to talk to her father-in-law. Her expression immediately lit up with joy, and she quickly whispered to her younger sister, "What did Mom go to the city for this time? Little sister, do you know? Tell your sister-in-law, I promise I won't let Mom know!"
Before Chen Meiling could finish speaking, Wu Yufang also came over, looking at her younger sister with a gossipy expression.
Actually, after her mother-in-law passed away, Chen Meiling and her sister-in-law Wu Yufang subtly inquired about her cousin Cheng Weihong. However, the girl was slippery and tight-lipped, and they couldn't get anything out of her.
The mystery surrounding it only fueled the sisters-in-law's curiosity. They secretly discussed it several times, trying to guess what it was all about.
What is it that the mother-in-law is keeping from everyone?
The more I thought about it, the more anxious and restless I became, the more I wanted to know what was going on.
Cheng Cheng: "Uh..."
She's under immense pressure, but even if you're all staring at her like that, she can't say a word!
She had no choice but to bring up her mother's story from the tractor: "Mom was tired a while ago and her arm hurt, so she came to the city for medical treatment."
That's it? That's all?
Chen Meiling asked in surprise, clearly not believing it. She stared at her younger sister with her upturned phoenix eyes and nudged her shoulder: "Little sister, just tell your second sister-in-law. This matter has been on my mind for four or five days. The more I think about it, the more it itches. Tell me, tell me. We're not strangers. Am I still your dear second sister-in-law?"
Chen Meiling also dragged her sister-in-law Wu Yufang into the conversation, saying, "It's not just me, your sister-in-law definitely wants to know too. You can ask her if you don't believe me!"
Wu Yufang nodded, but hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mom, I think I mentioned a while ago that my arm hurt, but I didn't take it to heart."
Just as Cheng Cheng was wondering what to do and what excuse to give her two sisters-in-law, she heard her mother's roar: "Second sister-in-law, is dinner ready? Hurry up and cook! You've got nothing better to do all day. You don't even know who you are when your mother's not around. You always expect me to give you chores!"
"The donkeys in the village that pull the millstone are more diligent and capable than the two of you. They won't work unless you're whipped or urged to do the work. They even know to circle around the millstone!"
Chen Meiling: ...
Wu Yufang: ...
The two women exchanged a glance. Chen Meiling, who had just been scolded, winked at her sister-in-law, while Wu Yufang mustered her courage and asked her mother-in-law, "Mom, is it alright to cook sweet potato rice for dinner tonight?"
"You have to ask your mother to cook rice? You have to ask me for everything? What are you all good for?!"
Cheng Cheng lowered her eyelids. Why did she feel that her mother's temper was getting worse and worse after she came home? Her temper was getting stronger and stronger. Surely it wasn't still directed at her?
She's been very well-behaved these past two days. Cheng Cheng tried hard to recall, and it shouldn't be her fault.
She and her eldest sister got married, and Xu Fengying and Cheng Aiguo kept the rooms in the house for their two daughters so that they would have a place to stay when they brought their children back to their parents' home.
Cheng Cheng carried her bag back to her room, put her things down, and looked around the room. The room was small and simply furnished, with a bed, a wardrobe, and a dressing table and desk combined into one unit.
The bedding on the bed should be clean, as if it had been sun-dried. She smelled a sun-dried scent, or more accurately, the smell of cotton mites or something similar in the bedding being exposed to the sun and then decomposed by the high temperature.
Cheng Cheng took out a box of jujube paste cakes from the bag, preparing to take Xiao Xiao to visit her grandparents at the old house.
She came out carrying her things and happened to run into her sister-in-law coming out of the cellar, carrying a basin of sweet potatoes.
She said, "Sister-in-law, I'm going to my grandparents' house."
"Okay, go ahead. Dinner's still a while away. Just be back before dark!"
Jiawei, Jiayong, and a few others took Xiaoxiao outside and played "Eagle Catches Chicks" with other older children. There were quite a few people, and there were two eagles, one big eagle and one little eagle, to catch the chicks.
Jiawei is the big eagle, and Xiaolingxiao is the little eagle. Cheng Cheng doesn't recognize the child who plays the mother hen. She seems to be a very straightforward girl with short, choppy hair and a tanned complexion. She is spreading her arms to protect the chicks behind her.
In no time, Xiao Lingxiao was covered in sweat, his cheeks flushed, no longer as shy and timid as when he first arrived. He followed his older cousin all over the field, chasing after the chicks.
Cheng Cheng stood by and watched for a while. Seeing that the little one was tired from running, she called her over.
I knelt down to wipe the little one's sweat and asked her, "Was it fun?"
Little Lingxiao nodded, his little face flushed, his complexion noticeably better than before, no longer listless, but full of energy.
"So fun!"
When Cheng Jiawei saw his aunt arrive, he stopped and ran over.
"Auntie!"
"My little sister likes to play 'Eagle Catches Chicks,' and I'm the eagle; I protect my sister!"
"Yes, Jiawei did a great job! You guys keep playing, I'm taking my sister to visit Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma."
Cheng Cheng lifted the little one by the arm, picked her up, and headed to her grandparents' house.
In my memory, Grandpa Cheng Deshun and Grandma Su Ninghua doted on the original owner of this body.
Grandpa Cheng Deshun was a very serious man who didn't like to talk or laugh, but he often made wooden toys for the younger generation. The tables, chairs, benches, and cabinets in the house were all made by Grandpa himself.
The old man is seventy years old this year and in good health. He still goes to the fields to grow vegetables and do chores. He is very open-minded and loves his younger relatives very much. But he doesn't smile much, he is very serious, and his temper is a bit strange. When they were young, all the siblings seemed to be afraid of their grandfather.
My grandmother, Su Ninghua, was three years older than my grandfather. In my memory, she was a very dignified and well-mannered person. Her every move exuded the aura of a wealthy family, kind yet authoritative.
When she was little, her mother told her that her grandmother used to be a maidservant to a young lady from a wealthy family, and her grandfather was a farmhand for that family. Later, he joined the revolution with the young master.
But after the war was won, the young master never came back. Later, the grandfather took the grandmother back to their hometown and stayed there ever since.
Cheng Cheng frowned, carefully recalling her memories. Her grandmother had exceptional embroidery skills, though that didn't necessarily mean anything. However, her grandmother's usual manners and conduct didn't resemble those of a maidservant from a wealthy family; rather, they were those of a true lady from a noble household.
Grandma used to teach them to read and write, and to learn the knowledge and principles from books. But around the time she was ten years old, Grandma seemed to stop teaching them these things and told her brothers and sisters to study hard at school and learn from their teachers.
"Xiaoxiao, do you still remember your great-grandparents? What should Xiaoxiao say when you see your great-grandparents?"
Little Lingxiao looked up with his rosy cheeks and said in his childish voice, "Remember, Xiaoxiao should say hello to Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma~"
"Great!"
Cheng Cheng touched the little guy's forehead with her own and continued to coax him gently: "That's right, Xiao Xiao should greet his great-grandfather and great-grandmother, and care about their health, whether they are in pain, and whether they are eating on time, understand?"
"That's right, when you were little, your great-grandmother made you a lot of bibs, embroidered with flowers, tigers and fish. Your great-grandmother was old and embroidering these things took a lot of energy, but she still made them for Xiaoxiao. Your great-grandmother loved our Xiaoxiao very much, didn't she?"
When Cheng Cheng was organizing her wardrobe for the first time, she found seven or eight very exquisite children's bibs from under the wardrobe and showed them to the little guy.
Little Lingxiao remembered this, nodded emphatically, and the little boy frowned, saying each word carefully, "Great-Grandma, you've worked so hard~"
When they arrived at the gate of the old house, the little girl took the initiative to get down. Cheng Cheng was very pleased to see the little girl holding onto the door frame and stepping over the threshold with her short legs.
A little voice said, "Great-Grandpa, Great-Grandma, Xiaoxiao and Mommy have come to see you!"
There was a pile of wood and scrap in the yard. Cheng Deshun was planing wood in the yard when he heard a noise, so he stopped what he was doing and looked at the source of the sound.
"Xiaoxiao, Orange Girl."
"Great-grandfather~"
"grandfather."
The mother and daughter spoke at the same time, and Cheng Deshun laughed immediately, but he quickly suppressed his smile and returned to his serious and unsmiling expression. However, you could tell from his brows that the old man was very happy to see his granddaughter and great-granddaughter!
"Great-Grandpa, what are you doing?"
Little Lingxiao ran over, frowning as he looked down at the wood chips on the ground.
Although Cheng Deshun's expression was serious, his voice was very gentle, "Great-grandfather is making stools for someone else."
Little Lingxiao reached out and brushed the wood chips off his great-grandfather's clothes, saying sensibly, "Great-grandfather, you've worked hard, don't overwork yourself."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Deshun smiled, but then suppressed the smile, his voice becoming even more affectionate: "Alright, alright, great-grandfather isn't tired, he'll listen to his little grandson."
Cheng Cheng looked around but didn't see her grandmother. She asked, "Grandpa, where's Grandma?"
"Going to the vegetable garden in the back to pick vegetables."
Just then, Su Ninghua came out from behind. When he saw Cheng Cheng and Xiao Lingxiao, the old man's face was filled with a loving smile.
"grandmother."
Cheng Cheng quickly ran over and carried the bucket for her grandmother.
Su Ninghua waved her hand in refusal, "No need, I can carry it!"
When her refusal was ignored, Cheng Cheng snatched the wooden bucket from her hand. Not to mention that the bucket was made of wood and was heavy, it was also filled with vegetables, cucumbers and eggplants, which were also quite heavy.
Cheng Cheng carried the package to the yard and stuffed the oil paper package into Su Ninghua's hand. "Grandma, I bought jujube paste cake. Try it and see if it's good."
Su Ninghua opened the oil paper package and beckoned her great-granddaughter over.
"Great-Grandma~"
Su Ninghua handed over the oil paper package, offering the little girl a piece of jujube paste cake. Little Lingxiao shook her head at her great-grandmother, saying in a childish voice, "Great-grandmother, eat!"
"Grandma's hands are dirty, Xiaoxiao eats first, and then Grandma washes her hands before she eats."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingxiao remembered that she hadn't washed her hands either, and immediately ran over to ask her mother to help her wash them.
She ran back, raised her little face, looked at her great-grandmother, reached out and took a piece of jujube paste cake, stood on tiptoe, and said, "Great-grandmother, eat!"
Su Ninghua smiled kindly and gently, bent down to take the jujube cake from her great-grandson's hand, and said, "Great-grandmother has eaten, Xiaoxiao, you can eat now."
Xiao Lingxiao shook his head again, took another piece of jujube paste cake, and ran to his great-grandfather's side to feed him.
"Great-grandfather~"
Cheng Deshun also bent down and ate the jujube paste cake. It's estimated that if he hadn't eaten it, his great-grandson could have held the jujube paste cake up and still not eaten it.
Xiao Lingxiao fed his mother another piece of jujube paste cake before finally feeding himself.
Su Ninghua looked at her great-granddaughter with a happy smile and praised her little granddaughter: "You have taught Xiaoxiao very well. She is polite, sensible, respectful to the elderly and kind to the young. You should teach her well. When she grows up, she will definitely be a reasonable person who can distinguish right from wrong."
I don't expect my child to be outstanding. I just hope that my child can be responsible, reasonable, able to distinguish right from wrong, and have principles, and live by their own conscience.
Cheng Cheng nodded, inquired about her grandparents' health, and was relieved to learn that the elderly couple were in good health.
Grandpa was a man of few words. He, Grandma, and Xiao Lingxiao did most of the talking. Grandpa listened to them while doing his carpentry work, looking very focused.
Cheng Cheng carefully recalled her memories, and it seemed that her grandfather had always been like this in her memory: he didn't like to talk and was very serious. Only when he was talking to her grandmother would his aura become gentle.
Cheng Cheng suspected that her grandfather might have post-war trauma, and the kind that was very severe. He didn't like to talk to people or interact with them, and was always immersed in the world of woodworking.
The villagers often talked about him behind his back, calling him a strange old man. Although everyone respected Grandpa, they couldn't help but gossip. In those days, there were few entertainment options. Apart from chatting, gossiping, and telling stories, there were few other pastimes. Moreover, the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder didn't exist back then.
Cheng Cheng took out a piece of paper from her pocket, handed it to her grandmother, and said, "I designed a toy for Xiao Xiao called building blocks, and I want Grandpa to help me make it."
Su Ninghua glanced at it and immediately understood his granddaughter's intention. "This is not difficult. Your grandfather can do it."
Sure enough, Cheng Deshun glanced at the blueprints and said, "It will be ready by tomorrow."
Cheng Deshun moved the piece of wood he was working on to the ground, picked out a few smaller pieces of wood, and began to plan.
Little Lingxiao stood beside his great-grandfather, watching him work with wide-eyed curiosity, his little hands mimicking his great-grandfather's movements.
Cheng Deshun had an idea and asked the little guy if he wanted to learn woodworking from him, but he was interrupted by Su Ninghua as soon as he finished speaking.
The child's hands are too delicate, how can he learn carpentry from him? The old man is really too happy to think straight!
Little Lingxiao looked at his mother and ran over.
Clinging to her great-grandmother, she tried to sweet-talk herself: "Great-grandmother, Mom says Xiaoxiao is very smart, a genius baby. I learn everything very quickly. Please, Great-grandmother, let Great-grandpa teach me how to plan wood!"
"Xiaoxiao wants to learn~"
Little Lingxiao imitated his mother's coquettish tone, lying on his great-grandmother's lap and acting coquettishly towards her.
Cheng Cheng watched with a smile, without saying a word to help, letting the little one fend for herself; whether she could learn or not was up to her!
Su Ninghua affectionately stroked the little girl's hair, "Xiaoxiao, tell your great-grandmother what you've learned?"
"Recognizing characters, writing characters, drawing pictures, braiding hair..."
"Xiaoxiao can recognize words now?"
Su Ninghua turned to look at her granddaughter. Cheng Cheng nodded and said, "Xiaoxiao is very smart. She has a photographic memory. She can remember things after being taught only once."
Upon hearing this, both Su Ninghua and Cheng Deshun were surprised. Su Ninghua glanced at the old man.
Cheng Deshun put down his work, got up and took out a notebook and pen from the house, handed them to his wife, and the old couple began to test Xiao Lingxiao.
More than ten minutes later, the surprise on Su Ninghua and Cheng Deshun's faces faded, replaced by solemnity and seriousness.
Cheng Deshun instructed his granddaughter: "This child is exceptionally talented, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. You must keep this a secret. Do not let anyone know about Xiaoxiao's talent except for your closest relatives."
Cheng Cheng understood her grandfather's concerns, and nodded seriously, "I understand, Grandpa."
Su Ninghua sighed softly. If it were in the past, this child's talent... well, the past cannot be changed. She looked at her granddaughter. This child used to be so ignorant, but now she seems to have grown up and her eyes are clear.
"Although the situation outside is not good right now, Cheng'er, you must remember what Grandma said: studying is always useful. Studying can make people wise. This is the situation now, but it doesn't mean that it will be the same in the future. Everything is in flux."
"Good is bad, and bad is good. You may not understand now, but you will naturally understand Grandma's words when you experience more in the future."
To say such things shows that the other person must be a visionary with profound insight, who has clearly seen through the essence of the matter, and whose words come from the bottom of their heart.
Cheng Cheng solemnly promised, "Grandma, I will definitely remember this and I will never give up on my studies, no matter what happens."
“You must teach Xiaoxiao well,” Su Ninghua paused, frowned, as if she remembered something, and instructed her granddaughter, “Never mind, bring Xiaoxiao to my place when you have time.”
Cheng Cheng said "oh," understanding that her grandmother wanted to personally teach Xiao Xiao, and she had no objection to it.
Xiao Lingxiao thrived at his great-grandparents' house, becoming extremely popular with the elderly couple, who smiled much more often.
Su Ninghua asked them to stay at the old house for dinner before going back, and Cheng Cheng agreed. It would be good to spend more time with the elderly, so she took the initiative to cook dinner, to properly show filial piety to her grandparents and let them taste her granddaughter's cooking.
The old house was filled with laughter and joy. With Xiao Lingxiao around, Su Ninghua and Cheng Deshun ate half a bowl more rice than usual.
It was still early after dinner, and the sky was not yet dark. A large area of purple clouds covered the horizon. Cheng Cheng sat in the yard with her baby Xiao Xiao, chatting with the elderly couple.
Listening to Xiao Lingxiao tell the story of Journey to the West, the little girl was articulate and had a clear, melodious voice. She was exceptionally gifted. She remembered all of Cheng Cheng's stories of Journey to the West and could even retell them to her great-grandparents.
Cheng Cheng was once again shocked by her daughter's talent!
Su Ninghua wasn't surprised. There are always some exceptionally talented people in the world. She was fortunate enough to meet one when she was young, and now her great-grandchild has also produced such a blessed individual.
Su Ninghua looked at Xiaoxiao, and the affection in her eyes seemed to have a few other emotions mixed in.
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Author's Note: Tomorrow's a holiday! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] Goodnight, everyone! [Owl] Have a good rest and relax! [Milk tea][Sprinkling flowers][Laughing]
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