Chapter 19

dn't sleep well, but that night, she slept soundly until natural awakening.Not until the sunlight streamed through the leaky roof and fell into her eyes did she stir, rolling over and opening her eyes...Rong Zhaonan then looked at Ning Yuan's slender back, lost in thought.

The look in her eyes just now, it was filled with a kind of almost sorrowful anger. Why did she react so intensely

Before he could think much about it, Grandma Xia excitedly grabbed him and said, “Boy, give me those fish you grilled. I saw you eating grilled fish the other day!”

Rong Zhao'nan pressed the bridge of his nose glasses: "......Grandma, don't push your luck."

Xia A-po licked her lips and snorted coldly: "I knew you were just putting on a show, being stingy."

Saying that, she turned and walked away with a huff. Rong Zhaonan followed without much expression.

Xia A po and her husband lived not far from the cowshed, in another half-collapsed earthen house at the foot of the mountain.

A gaunt old man lay deep inside the mud-brick house, sleeping on a straw mat. Two broken bowls and a black aluminum pot sat beside him.

Ning Yuan was taken aback. She had originally thought that Rong Zhaonan's dilapidated cow shed hut was bad enough, but she didn't expect there to be a place even worse than a cow shed, more rundown and dilapidated.

Before she arrived at Xia A-po's home, she had speculated that the elderly couple might be having a hard time.

But she didn't expect their lives to be so... difficult.

Seeing someone come in, the old man who was coughing constantly struggled to his feet.

"Ahem... ahem... Is that Xiao Rong Has my wife bothered you again I'm so sorry."

The old man still had a pair of glasses on his nose, one lens missing, leaving only half a frame. He spoke with a Beijing accent.

Ning Yuan immediately knew from his tone of voice that he was a cultured person, and most likely had been sent down for re-education.

Summer Granny "whooshed" from behind Ning Yuan and to the old man's side, helping him up: "Hey, old man, there's food now, eel porridge, it's so fragrant!"

Ning Yuan was surprised by Grandma Xia's agility. This old lady was incredibly nimble.

"What eel congee... you went to find Xiao Rong for food again, you can't have it!" The old man trembled and stood up.

The aroma of the remaining half-pot of eel congee lingered in the room, he couldn't help but swallow, but still shook his head at Xia A-po: "Next time, please don't do this again..."

Ning Yuan saw the situation and sighed inwardly. She carried the pot over and placed it by the old man's bed: "The porridge is here, you eat."

This house doesn't even have a chair, so you can only eat your food on the floor.

“This is your dinner, take it back. Young people need to work the land and eat a full meal. We have sweet potatoes. The elderly don't eat much and aren't hungry.”

The old man pressed his glasses, trembling slightly, and shook his head.

"Old man, you're sick like this, how can you not eat anything Your illness is just because you're starving!" Xia A Po angrily held a pot and stuffed it into his arms.

Ning Yuan caught sight of two small taro root in the blackened, decrepit little pot and couldn't quite describe the feeling she had.

The elderly man, who clearly needed to eat, politely refused the food snatched by his wife, leaving Ningyuan with a heavy heart.

Ning Yuan squatted down and proactively picked up the broken bowl by the bed, filling it with porridge and offering it to him: "Grandpa Tang, you all have to work too. This is me taking the initiative to give to Grandma Xia."

She remembered the dung cart not far away, and finally recognized who this old couple was.

They are the elderly couple in charge of spreading manure and compost in the team.

This job is dirty, smelly and tiring. Everyone avoids it, and normally they don't even come close to each other, let alone speak.

She had only vaguely heard of the old man surnamed Tang who was known as "the poop-passing elder," but she didn't expect him to be such a refined gentleman.

Tang Daye looked at Ning Yuan and smiled kindly: "Ahem ahem... You're Xiaorong's object, right... Ahem... You both are good people."

Ning Yuan smiled: "We still have three fish for dinner. This porridge was made by Dr. Rong...It's Zhao Nan who asked me to bring it to you."

Seeing her old man willing to eat, Grandma Xia was overjoyed and hurriedly took a spoon to feed Grandpa Tang: "Here, I didn't lie to you, Grandpa, eat quickly."

Only then did Tang Ye allow Xia APo to feed him the eel congee.

Rong Zhao walked in and didn't speak. He looked at Ning Yuan squatting there with her slender back, a slight curve to his lips.

The fragrant aroma of fish congee made Summer Granny's mouth water, but she remained silent.

Mr. Tang pushed the pot towards Grandma Xia, "You eat too, I'm sick and can't help you, but you have to work tomorrow."

Summer Grandma suddenly turned around, grabbed another broken bowl, and shoved the two pieces of sweet potato in her mouth: “I don’t like eating eel congee, it’s too fishy.”

Tang Dagong was taken aback and coughed: "Ahem... ahem... Old woman, you really... If you don't eat, how can I eat"

Watching the two elderly people who had shared their lives together subtly push each other away while looking for excuses to feed each other, Ning Yuan couldn't help but feel a little teary-eyed.

She suddenly stood up: "Since Xia A-po doesn't like eel congee, I and Zhao Nan still have grilled fish. Anyway, the two of us can't finish so much fish either. I'll bring you two over."

Saying that, she walked out the door.

Tang Dajiang was taken aback and hurriedly said, "Wait a moment, there's no need..."

Summer Grandma, however, quickly pressed down on Old Man Tang's hand and chuckled, "The working people should help each other. Since the little girl is willing to bring me grilled fish, I'll eat it."

"You..." Old Man Tang wanted to say something.

"Stop dawdling, quickly finish your eel congee so I can wash the pot and send it back to them. Don't delay the newlyweds from enjoying their evening together."

Xia A-po unceremoniously shoved a spoonful of congee into Old Tang's mouth.

Xia A-po's blunt and rough words made Ning Yuan's face flush instantly, she almost tripped over her own feet. She hurriedly reached out to steady herself against the wall.

How can this old woman speak so boldly in this day and age, not afraid of being called a hooligan

The wall wouldn't hold her, so she grabbed onto Rong Zhaonan's sturdy arm by the door.

Rong Zhaonan reached out to steady her, saying in a soft voice, "Be careful, the room is dark."

Ning Yuan only felt the scent of soap and grass brushing past her ear. She blushed instantly: "I'm fine!"

After she finished speaking, she stood up nervously and hurried out.

Looking at Ning Yuan scurrying out of his arms like a startled little rabbit, Rong Zhaonan's long and profound eyes flashed with a peculiar light.

Then Ning Yuan brought back two grilled fish. Xia, the old wolf, gobbled down both fish.

Of course, she didn't forget to specially select boneless fish and force it into Grandpa Tang's mouth.

Last, Ning Yuan and Rong Zhaonan carried the empty aluminum pot back to their own cattle shed hut.

Deep in the Southern countryside on a late autumn night, crickets chirped their tunes and the air still carried the fragrance of grass and trees.

Ning Yuan sat by the simple earthen stove in the backyard, staring at the last remaining grilled perch. Her expression was unreadable.

What a terrible day. I was moved by other people's love stories, and then... I starved myself to death.

If only I had known to save the biggest fish when I was taking them earlier!

So small, how could she possibly eat that And besides, there's a big man waiting beside her to feed her!

"Well, aren't you going to eat" Rong Zhaonan watched Ning Yuan's expressive face and felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.

This little spy only now remembers that one fish isn't enough for them to split, too bad they didn't think of it earlier., a dish of lard stir-fried with water spinach, and a pot of red potato porridge."Eat." Rong Zhaonan handed her chopsticks. Ning Yuan took the bowl and chopsticks, and ate a few mouthfuls of rice and...