"Xin Xin, is this the snowman your sister built?"
Speaking of this, the little girl was also very proud, puffing out her little chest and tilting her head back.
"No, it was Xin Xin, Tiger Brother, and the other brothers who piled it up together."
"Wow! Xin Xin, how are you so amazing?"
Cheng Chao wasn't exaggerating. He got closer and took a closer look. These snowmen were quite large, but they were clearly made with great care. Their bodies and heads were round and firmly pressed down. Judging from this, they hadn't been there for just a day. They were still stable and intact, so they must have been quite heavy.
In addition, the details of the nose, eyes, and hair, though the technique is somewhat immature, are not crude.
A row of more than ten snowmen, each with a different expression—red, green, and black eyes; red noses, green noses, and so on; some with upturned corners of their mouths, others with slanted eyebrows, and still others with stern eyes. As Cheng Chao walked past, he nodded repeatedly.
"You guys are really something, aren't you? I saw some people coming over to watch just now, weren't they?"
"Wow, what we made looks great!"
"Okay, okay, you guys are the best!"
Jian Dan was speechless. These past few days, the kid has been so smug, his lips have never left his mouth.
How come I never noticed before that this child is so willing to hear nice things?
Not only her, but the village children, including Hu Zi, were the same way. They would show off to everyone they met that these were their creations, which made it so that there were always people at her door. She hadn't dared to go out for the past few days and had been staying inside the house.
Jian Wenxiu came to say goodbye. He originally planned to stay here for a while to rest and recuperate before going back to prepare for a new mission. However, after seeing Jian Xin, he felt that some things might not be as he had guessed.
Perhaps he is already caught in a conspiracy, or perhaps the Jian family has been targeted by someone else.
He wanted to keep the child with him and take care of him himself, but it wasn't the time for him to feel at ease yet. What was going on with Sheng Zhiyuan? Where did things go wrong, or was someone taken advantage of? All of this was still unknown.
At this moment, he didn't trust anyone else, only himself; he wanted to investigate and gather evidence himself.
No matter how reluctant he was, he could only continue to entrust the child to Jian Dan.
Jian Wenxiu was a man that Cheng Chao didn't quite understand. He didn't talk much, but sometimes you could sense that Cheng Chao both respected and feared him, even more so than he did his uncle Cheng Jin.
To put it simply, they didn't really have anything to do with her. It's just that she and Cheng Chao got along well, without any romantic feelings between them, yet they were unconsciously close.
As for Jian Wenxiu, he was simply saved. There was a feeling of closeness when they met, but as they spent time together, there was a subtle resistance to getting close from time to time. There was a strange sense of familiarity. Overall, he was not unpleasant.
However, no matter what, they are all good people and trustworthy, which is why Jian Dan allows them to come over from time to time without asking why.
Regardless of Jian Wenxiu's relationship with Jian Xin, or even with Shengshi, Jian Xin is now Jian Dan's younger sister, on the same household registration. Therefore, upon hearing Jian Wenxiu's words, Jian Dan didn't hesitate.
“Xin Xin is my younger sister. It’s too formal to say that I’m taking care of her. It’s my responsibility as her older sister.”
In what capacity did you say these words?
Jian Wenxiu was stunned by Jian's seemingly ambiguous smile.
Cheng Chao looked at this and that, scratching his head in confusion.
"Yes, Uncle Jian, didn't you say you were my uncle? Are you sure?"
Little Jianxin also tilted her head to look.
Jian Wenxiu clenched his fist, then relaxed it, then relaxed it again, but ultimately didn't give a direct answer.
This time, he obediently left nothing behind, only a pile of money and tickets, and solemnly asked Jian Dan to take care of him before leaving.
"Child, please take good care of me. I'll go back and investigate. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, when I return, I can openly tell her that I am her uncle."
Jian Wenxiu came and went in a hurry, while Cheng Chao was not in a rush and did not follow him.
Aren't you curious?
He simply rolled his eyes at me.
"Didn't everyone say he was my uncle?"
"Wasn't that just something I said offhand?"
Simply pause in your tracks.
"You always thought he just said it casually?"
Cheng Chao turned to look at Jian Xin, who was playing in the snow with the puppy, and asked in confusion,
Isn't that so?
Jian Dan was also a little confused. How did this uncle get out in the first place?
Oh, it was Jian Wenxiu who suggested it.
Is he a kind-hearted person?
It's no wonder Cheng Chao didn't think about it. He didn't know Jian Wenxiu's level of influence, but he vaguely knew that he had disappeared for six years. The first time he returned was when he met Jian Dan, and after that, he never left this place or contacted his family. He had been adapting to the environment here.
When they arrived here, Jian Xin was asked to call him "uncle." Cheng Chao thought that Jian Wenxiu simply liked Jian Xin.
Thinking back on their interactions since his return, Cheng Chao muttered to himself,
"No wonder,"
"What do you mean, 'no wonder'? No wonder what?"
When Cheng Chao mentioned Jian Wenxiu's comment when they went up the mountain together, "Maybe I really am her uncle," it turned out that it might not have been a joke after all.
Children's happiness is always simple and pure; building snowmen took over half of Jianxin's winter.
As the weather gets colder day by day, Jian Dan and her sister are too cold to go out. Since there's no farm work to do right now, Jian Dan takes her simple textbook and teaches Jian Xin to recognize characters every day after breakfast.
The little girl is young but intelligent, which makes Jian Dan feel very accomplished.
As December arrived, the weather grew increasingly cold.
Today's harvest was pretty good. Several families in the village also made steamed buns with bean paste. This year, we simply didn't make any; last year's batch is still being preserved at the base.
This stuff is soft, sticky, and filled with sweet bean paste. It tastes good, but it's only good for trying once in a while. She would rather not eat it every day like the villagers do.
Last year, we didn't eat much at all. We gave some away, mailed some, and stored the rest at the base. There's still quite a bit left. Jian Dan didn't pay any attention to it this year.
After Jian Xin came this year, she cooked twice. Jian Xin was okay the first time, she could eat three or four pieces. She was barely okay the second time, but then she couldn't eat anymore. As soon as she saw this, she would stare at you longingly.
Another thing is that this stuff is sticky and difficult to digest, so it's not a staple food for them. Besides rice, the two sisters make all kinds of noodles, steamed buns, dumplings, and steamed bread.
After eating them a few times, Jian Dan discovered that the little girl preferred dumplings and buns with fillings, and she always ate them with great satisfaction. She was slightly less satisfied with soupy or watery dishes.
Seeing everyone else busily making dumplings, Jian Dan thought to herself, "Why don't I make some frozen dumplings too? The outside is a natural freezer. Just put them out and they'll be frozen solid in less than an hour. If I don't feel like cooking them anytime, I can just bring them back and cook them."
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