The next day, Tao Xiaoxi woke up naturally and found that her husband and children were gone. There was a note left on the bedside, with full handwriting: Mom, we went to the morning market with Dad.
Going to the morning market? Tao Xiaoxi slapped her head. Yes, that was it. She had agreed to go to bed last night. It was her suggestion, and she had reneged on it. On the table was the breakfast Li Nanshan had left for her: soy milk, fried dough sticks, and a bowl of noodles with scallion oil, warmed in hot water. The noodles were a little lumpy, but that didn't affect the taste.
Tao Xiaoxi finished eating, changed her clothes and went out to meet her husband and children.
During the day, it was much busier here. It wasn't far from the beach, just across the street. On that side of the street was the coastal defense line, the beach, and the sea, while on this side was the residential area, with all sorts of shops, restaurants, and snacks. Many local residents brought their own seafood and sold it on the ground. The prices were very fair, and the seafood was very fresh. Tao Xiaoxi walked slowly, squatting from time to time to ask the price. By the time she met the father and daughter, she had two handfuls of food in her hands.
She bought everything that she liked and that she could talk to.
Li Nanshan tilted his head and looked at her with a smile, then raised the things in his hand helplessly. He also bought them.
"It's okay. We'll eat it at noon and at night. If we can't finish it, we'll continue eating it tomorrow. Eating seafood won't make you fat, so the more the better." Tao Xiaoxi smiled back.
Li Nanshan took the ingredients from her hand. What he actually wanted to say was that since they were already at the seaside, they should eat fresh food and there was no need to stock up. But it didn't matter, as long as his wife was happy.
After buying the food, the family went back home, but Manman wanted to go to the beach to build sand castles, so Tao Xiaoxi suggested that they go to the beach to play for a while before going back to cook.
"You take Manman first, I'll go back and put these things away." Li Nanshan said.
Tao Xiaoxi took Manman with her, and the mother and daughter walked towards the beach.
Some people say that the world's seas are actually connected. The seven continents and four oceans are interconnected and jointly regulate the global climate. So it is not unreasonable for some people to express their love by the sea.
Tao Xiaoxi stood barefoot by the sea, arms open to welcome the ocean breeze. Every breath was tinged with salty air, and she felt a profound sense of relaxation and refreshment. The sea tirelessly lapped against the sand day and night, smoothing its edges and corners while also shaping its own broadness. It could be said that the sea and the beach complemented each other. Like the moon, the sea is the most ancient being in the world, roaring and silent for hundreds of millions and tens of thousands of years, stubborn and unwavering.
Looking back, Manman had already built a sand castle. This child probably inherited Li Nanqiu's architectural talent. The sand castle he built was well-organized and you couldn't tell that this was the first time a child had completed something independently.
"Manman, there are houses over there, let's go and take a look." Tao Xiaoxi said, pointing to a house not far away.
Manman took a look at it and thought it seemed quite interesting. He clapped his hands, then stood up and went with his mother.
Li Nanshan returned home, dealt with the seafood briefly, and then went out to the beach to look for his wife and children, but they were nowhere to be seen.
Tao Xiaoxi was attracted by the wind chimes in front of a stone house. Those wind chimes were all made of shells, with a small bell hanging underneath. When the wind blew, the chimes kept jingling. It was obvious that the wind chimes were made by the owner of the house himself. They were not very delicate and the workmanship was a bit rough, but it was rare that local materials were used.
Just as the mother and daughter were watching the film with great interest, the door opened and an old woman came out, leaning on a cane. The heavy wrinkles on her face scared Manman, and she subconsciously retreated behind her mother.
Tao Xiaoxi gathered herself and pretended to be calm. She had never seen anyone so old before. She hugged her daughter but still smiled. "Grandma, this wind chime in your house is very beautiful. Did we disturb you?"
"What?" The mother-in-law turned sideways and put her ear forward, but her hearing was not very sensitive.
"I think the wind chime in your house is very beautiful." Tao Xiaoxi said loudly again.
The mother-in-law smiled, her mouth wide open, which scared Manman again. There was only one long yellow tooth in her mouth. She couldn't help but think of the witches in those picture books. No offense was meant, she just thought they looked alike.
"What's so good about it? I made it myself." The mother-in-law smiled and went into the house with her body bent, but did not lock the door.
Tao Xiaoxi thought she had disturbed the old lady and was about to say goodbye, but her mother-in-law forgot to close the door, so she wanted to talk to her.
However, she didn't expect that her mother-in-law would go in and bring out stools for them to sit on. Tao Xiaoxi hurriedly stepped forward to take the small stool from her mother-in-law's hand and put it under the steps.
"Please sit down." The old woman pointed at the stool and spoke loudly.
Tao Xiaoxi looked inside the house. It seemed no one else was there. Grandma must have finally found someone to chat with, so how could she let it go so easily? Never mind. She had come to me on her own initiative. I'll just chat with her for a bit.
But talking to my mother-in-law is very tiring for my voice. I have to shout, otherwise the old lady won’t be able to hear me at all.
My mother-in-law is talkative and likes to laugh. She always smiles at the end of whatever she says. Tao Xiaoxi asked her where her children are.
The old woman waved her hand, which was as wrinkled as a withered vine. She looked towards the sea and pointed with her cane, "There."
"Have you gone to work somewhere else?" Tao Xiaoxi guessed that there were tall buildings and a more prosperous city on the other side of the sea.
Grandma shook her head and said, "Buried in the sea."
Tao Xiaoxi was speechless for a moment.
"It's okay. How many years has it been? Thirty or forty years? I can't remember clearly." The mother-in-law smiled again.
Tao Xiaoxi's throat tightened, and she pulled Manman to ask her to call her "Grandma," "Louder! Grandma can't hear you."
"Mother-in-law!" Manman shouted loudly.
"Hey, this girl is smart. Wait a moment." The mother-in-law got up and went back into the house.
Tao Xiaoxi didn't know what her mother-in-law was doing there. Judging by the situation, the old lady should be going in to get some food, but Manman might not agree. The girl was a mysophobe and wouldn't easily eat other people's things. If that happened, her mother-in-law would definitely be upset. Well, if Manman didn't eat, she would eat it, no matter if it tasted good or not, she would just eat it with her eyes closed.
However, her mother-in-law disappointed her. Instead of bringing food, she brought out a string of wind chimes to give to Manman.
She was so happy that she smiled and said "Thank you, grandma" several times.
The old man laughed so hard that the wrinkles on his face became even more prominent, but Tao Xiaoxi really thought that the smile was very pretty, even prettier than that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl.
"Girl, help your mother-in-law bring out the basket in the room." said the mother-in-law.
Tao Xiaoxi didn't react at first and thought her mother-in-law pointed at her because she called her Manman.
"Oh, a basket." Tao Xiaoxi walked into the house. She never thought that even though she was a mother of two children, she could still be called a girl by people other than Li Nanshan. She felt quite proud.
There is a table at the entrance, and on the table is a basket with pearls and fishing line in it.
"If you're not in a hurry, just help your mother-in-law string two bracelets." said the mother-in-law.
Tao Xiaoxi thought to herself that this old lady still loved beauty. Even though she had no teeth and a hunched back, she wore a pearl necklace around her neck and on her hands. She was more fashionable than her.
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