"Hey, old man, don't just stand there. Hurry up and bring it in for Aunt Miao to eat."
"Thank you for thinking of us so much." Old man Chu was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions.
Chu Jueming took the earthenware jar from Xu Zhiyi's hand and carried it into the house.
"Zhiyi is here, thank you for your concern."
Miao Feng sat up from the bed and Xu Zhiyi helped her sit up.
Even when he was in the cowshed and suffered hardships, Miao Feng remained calm and maintained a carefree attitude.
Miao Feng's face still showed fatigue. When Chu Jueming brought the porridge over, he wanted to feed her, but she refused.
"You should go eat something too. You must be hungry after doing so much work this afternoon."
Miao Feng held the food in his hand but hadn't eaten it yet. He was concerned about Chu Jueming first.
"Okay, I'll bring the bowl over and we'll eat together."
"Aunt Miao, you guys eat first, I'll go back first. If you have anything else, just come to me."
Xu Zhiyi said hello and said goodbye, leaving a warm moment for the two of them.
When she returned to the Pei family, Grandma Dong was still awake and sitting under the eaves.
"Grandma Dong, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I sleep less as I get older. If I can't sleep, I'll get up and sit for a while."
"Pei Yan will be back soon."
"Yes, this is the first time in the past few years that Ayan has been away from home for such a long time. Although he didn't grow up with me, Ayan is a filial and good child.
Although he usually looks cold and quiet, he is actually a very soft-hearted child at heart."
Perhaps because she was sad at night, Grandma Dong told Xu Zhiyi about Pei Yan's childhood.
Xu Zhiyi sat next to Grandma Dong and listened to her talk.
"When he first arrived at Xiangyang Village, he locked himself in his room all day. No matter how we called him, he wouldn't speak. He had nightmares every night, crying and shouting, 'Mom, don't want me!'
Such a small child watched his mother hang herself in front of him in the house, cried all night, and didn't speak for several months.
Xu Zhiyi was stunned. She had never imagined that Pei Yan would have such a tragic experience.
"What about his father?"
"It's all because of my unfilial son. After the Lin family got into trouble, for his own future, he distanced himself from the Lin family and directly published a divorce in the newspaper, abandoning his wife and children. What an ungrateful bastard."
Even after all these years, Grandma Dong still feels uncomfortable when Pei Niansheng is mentioned.
She felt that she had raised her son very well, so how come he changed so quickly after joining the army and getting promoted?
This is not her son at all, he is just an ungrateful and cowardly person.
Even after becoming an official, he completely forgot about his mother who lived in a remote village.
What resemblance does he have to his father?
"Pei Yan was sent back to Xiangyang Village. That was the first time I saw him since he was born.
When he was first brought here, he barely ate or drank anything and just sat in his room all day. During that time, I didn't dare go out and stayed by his side day and night.
I fed him and watched over him as he slept at night. Later, he had two high fevers and his condition was very serious. It was the village chief who helped send him to the hospital.
One day I was so exhausted in the hospital, he woke up and called me grandma, and that’s how he grew up to be what he is today.”
Xu Zhiyi's heart suddenly hurt, clearly and distinctly, as if it was pricked by a thin and sharp needle, causing a sour and astringent pain.
It turned out that he was suffering so much.
Xu Zhiyi wanted to say a few words with a smile to comfort Grandma Dong.
But all he could manage was a wry smile.
"Grandma Dong, Pei Yan is doing really well now. He's kind, reliable, and straightforward. If you give him some more time, he'll definitely grow into a man of integrity."
"I don't ask what will happen to him in the future, as long as he is well."
"Oh! Look at me, an old woman is just full of thoughts. I won't say any more. Zhiyi, go to bed early."
After Grandma Dong finished speaking, she slowly stood up and went back to the house.
Xu Zhiyi sat still, looking at the twinkling stars in the sky, his mind in turmoil.
When I first met Pei Yan, he was very defensive, and his cold disguise was just to prevent others from getting close to him.
Xu Zhiyi herself didn't realize that her attention to Pei Yan had already crossed that invisible line.
The heartache and longing have revealed her thoughts.
But she hasn't noticed it yet.
One night, she dreamed of the first time she met Pei Yan.
His indifference keeps others at a distance, he doesn't like to talk, and he can't even smile.
The scene changed, and Pei Yan was walking alone in the darkness, dragging his heavy steps like a zombie. He was surrounded by a deep sadness, as if he had been abandoned by the whole world.
In the desolate space, darkness seemed to want to swallow him up. He didn't even resist and let it sink.
Xu Zhiyi wanted to reach out and pull him, but failed and suddenly woke up from her dream.
It seems that after waking up, the soreness in the chest still exists and does not go away for a long time.
The emotions were so intense that she no longer felt sleepy.
As soon as it was daybreak, she calmed herself down and decided to cook porridge again the way Fang Yingzi taught her last night.
When Grandma Dong got up, Xu Zhiyi had already cooked porridge in the kitchen. Except for a little more water and a little less rice, it was still edible.
When Fang Yingzi arrived, porridge and pickled radish cooked by Xu Zhiyi were already on the table.
"Yingzi, come quickly, your sister Zhiyi made the porridge today."
A bad thought arose in the stunned Fang Yingzi's mind. After all, she had also seen Xu Zhiyi's dark cuisine. She felt a little resistant, but her legs moved towards the table.
"Eat it quickly. Cooking porridge is so simple. I'll continue next time."
Xu Zhiyi was very happy at this moment. She learned how to cook porridge by herself. She had finally taken the first step towards becoming a kitchen chef.
But this first step is both the beginning and the end.
Fang Yingzi looked at the slightly pale rice soup and the layer of cooked white rice at the bottom of the bowl, and took a sip carefully.
Well, apart from the fact that the rice soup tasted too bland, it was pretty normal, with no weird smell.
"You little girl, how can your sister Zhiyi's cooking be so bad? Look how scared you are."
It was not difficult to tell what Fang Yingzi was thinking from the expression on her face, and Grandma Dong teased her with a smile.
"Sister Zhiyi, you did a good job this time. Keep it up next time."
Fang Yingzi has become familiar with Xu Zhiyi during this period, and she will also relax and joke with Xu Zhiyi.
After breakfast, Xu Zhiyi went to work. Fang Yingzi would clean up and wash the dishes before staying with Grandma Dong for a while and sweeping the yard.
Fang Yingzi is only twelve years old this year. Fang Hai feels sorry for his sister, so since he has no place to go to school, he lets her stay at home.
The sensible and hardworking Fang Yingzi still goes back to cut grass for the pigs every afternoon.
She works seriously. While other kids can play while cutting grass, she can cut enough grass to fill two baskets.
It can be exchanged for three work points.
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