Over the course of the meal, Cheng Jin praised his niece's cooking skills, while Cheng Chao was so pleased with herself that she couldn't stop smiling, her face beaming with satisfaction.
In China, a lot can be accomplished over a meal, let alone something like this. After a meal, the group of people were able to communicate naturally like friends. In particular, Cheng Jin and Jian Dan had already lost the restraint and awkwardness they felt in the morning. They were now talking like elders and juniors in ordinary families, only with a less intimate tone, since it hadn't been long.
However, both parties were in good spirits, and with Jian Xin's help to lighten the mood, the atmosphere of the meal was very cheerful.
After the meal, Cheng Chao diligently tidied up, and then had the honor of following Jian Xin to visit their little guy's vegetable garden.
As the only elder among them, Cheng Jin checked the safety thoroughly from beginning to end, and was still very worried when he left, repeatedly giving instructions.
"This wall isn't much of a problem if someone knows some kung fu. I'll make it thicker and higher next time I come. If that doesn't work, I'll go back and get some bricks and replace it with a brick wall."
"That door is a bit too thin; it can be kicked open with a single kick,"
"This window..."
"This door won't work either,"
Finally, Cheng Jin became even more disgusted.
"Let's not change it, let's just build you a brick house."
Not to mention Jian Dan was dumbfounded, even Cheng Chao was speechless. Who was it that said this small house was pretty good?
Jian Dan's expression of refusal was too obvious. Besides, after spending so much time together, Cheng Chao had also noticed that Jian Dan didn't like to make a fuss about anything, so he quickly interjected.
"Uncle, don't talk to your sister about your taste. A brick house? Do you see a single brick house in the village? Are you just afraid people won't know that your sister has enough to eat?"
Cheng Jin was blinded by concern; he felt that his own child was never good enough.
Upon hearing Cheng Chao's words, they immediately realized that being flamboyant and eye-catching was not necessarily a good thing at this time. Being like everyone else was the best thing to do, and being a poor peasant for eight generations was the most glorious thing.
He slapped his forehead suddenly, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"I misunderstood, I misunderstood,"
However, looking at the small courtyard, his eyes were full of dissatisfaction.
"Alright, I'll have your brother come over in a couple of days and give you a good tidying up. Cheng Chao, did you hear me? Look how well your sister has tidied up the inside. You need to fix up the outside walls properly. Add another layer, make it sturdy. If that's not enough, put a ring of stones around it, and then plaster a layer of mud on the outside. Do whatever makes it safe, understand?"
Safety is the top priority for the little girl's accommodation.
"Okay, okay, I got it. I'll take a day off tomorrow and come over. I promise I'll fix everything up perfectly."
What do you mean by "stones and mud"? Just listen to that. Who builds two layers of walls like that?
Without exchanging a single word, the two of them had already settled the matter. Watching them walk away, bickering, Jian quietly decided that he would get up early the next day and put away all the mousetraps and hidden weapons buried against the wall, lest they accidentally hurt his own people again.
Jian Xin didn't understand the adult world yet. Seeing that the two were about to fight, she pursed her lips tightly and didn't dare to act cute. Only after they had walked away did she frown and ask Jian Dan.
"Sister, are Brother Cheng Chao and Uncle angry? Are they going to fight?"
He simply said "Ah," and looked up to see nothing but the figures at the village entrance.
"Ah, no, no, they just disagree on something and are trying to persuade each other. They're not fighting, it's just an argument about differing opinions."
Really?
The two of them were arguing, but they didn't control their voices, creating an atmosphere of a group fight. No wonder the child was puzzled.
"Really, don't worry, they won't fight, they're just loud."
The child sighed.
"Sigh, even the adults don't listen."
"You're the most obedient, okay?"
Today was so lively that Jian Xin lost her desire to take a nap. She followed Jian Dan around the yard, but Jian Dan couldn't find any work to do.
Cheng Chao was really diligent. He watered the garden, pulled the weeds, swept the yard, fed the dog, and tidied up the kitchen and house. Even Jian Xin's vegetable garden was thoroughly watered thanks to Cheng Chao's efforts.
"How about we go to sleep?"
"I won't sleep," the little girl shook her head vigorously.
"I'm not sleeping."
As the day grew warmer, going into the mountains in the late afternoon wasn't a good idea, so the two sisters each grabbed a book and sat in the shade of the yard. The warm breeze made it very comfortable.
When Liu Weimin arrived, the two of them were almost asleep.
"Uncle, what brings you here? Please have a seat."
The first thing Liu Weimin noticed was the book in Jian Xin's hand; it looked like the comic book Third Master had mentioned. His gaze immediately turned fiery.
Jian Xin seemed to sense something, gripping the book tightly with her small hands. She looked up at Liu Weimin and cautiously moved her small stool closer to Jian Xin, creating as much distance as possible from Liu Weimin. She also turned her body to the side to block Liu Weimin's view.
That wary and defensive demeanor made Liu Weimin both amused and exasperated. Could it be that he was going to try and snatch it?
However, it's hard to say for sure; the book she's holding looks brand new.
Before Third Master went to find him, he had heard a lot from his grandson, who said that Jian Xin told them stories about monkeys, oh no, not monkeys, but something like Sun Wukong.
At the time, he really thought it was a story about a monkey. But for days on end, the child kept talking about Sun Wukong. Every day when he came home, he would mutter different things, like "He beat this one today, he beat that one tomorrow," while holding a stick and making noises.
Surprisingly, it was quite fun.
"Uncle, is there something you need?"
The weather was nice, so he didn't go inside but just sat outside. Seeing his serious expression, Jian Dan thought something had happened.
"Xiao Jian, I heard from the child that you bought storybooks?"
"ah?"
When asked abruptly how long ago she had bought the book, she was taken aback.
"Ah, yes, the kids like watching it,"
Jian Xin was indeed watching, but upon hearing their conversation, she immediately looked up and met Liu Weimin's gaze. She uttered just one sentence...
"This is mine."
Liu Weimin quickly waved his hand, indicating that he had no intention of snatching the child's hand.
Then I heard Jian Dan say something.
"Knowing it's yours, you don't need to tell everyone."
"Uncle, what's wrong? Does Black Egg want to read too?"
Because this child was so showy, almost all the children in the village knew that she had good books, and they were afraid to come to her. They followed Hu Zi around every day, and Jian Xin usually went out to play with Hu Zi and the others.
Even if Jian Xin doesn't go out, they can still hear Xiao Hua or Hu Zi talking about how powerful Sun Wukong is; the children are completely engrossed in listening.
"No, that's not it,"
Liu Weimin knew his own child well. He was fine with listening to stories, but reading books was out of the question. He didn't even know many words, so he didn't want to mess with him.
"What I was trying to say was, since you happen to have books, could you teach the children to recognize some characters, and I'll give you work points in return?"
They've just begun their lives; they can't be like us, living our whole lives blind.
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