Granny Lu was rolling out dumpling wrappers at an impressive speed, and each one was uniformly thin, which made stuffing the dumplings a breeze. Back when the whole family gathered for als, it was Granny Lu who did all the cooking. The Du Family favored sons over daughters, and Granny Lu certainly suffered her share of hardships living with them. Only now, in her old age, has she begun to live a life where she doesn’t go hungry or cold. As such, she’s a content soul, and very kind-hearted.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t possibly allow a stranger to walk into her house so casually, offering them noodles to eat and water to drink.
The old man outside was still seated there, unmoving. Conghua would occasionally glare with her shrewd eyes, steadfastly watching people. If soone moved even a little, Conghua would react in kind.
"Sigh..." Granny Lu heaved a sigh. "The poor thing, probably scared from hunger. After we finish making the dumplings, let’s give him a bowl to eat and so money too."
Qin Xiangnuan had no objections. Giving was just giving, after all. It was only so money and a al.
The two made quite a number of dumplings. Taotao didn’t need to be picked up, as Jian Zhiqin would co to collect him after school. Taotao’s classes ended half an hour later than Jian Zhiqin’s, and unless Jian Zhiqin had school duties or there were school affairs to deal with, Taotao would always be picked up by him.
"Granny, we’re back."
As expected, not long after, Zhiqing returned, holding Taotao’s little hand. They would be hungry upon arrival, especially since he had sneakily eaten so of Taotao’s snacks; otherwise, he truly might have starved.
"Granny, Taotao is back," called out Taotao in a babyish voice as soon as he crossed the threshold.
Upon laying eyes on the person seated at the stone table, Jian Zhiqin couldn’t believe what he saw and rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
He wasn’t seeing things, was he?
No, it couldn’t be. He didn’t see wrong. Why did he feel so tense all of a sudden?
Taotao tilted his little head and blinked his round eyes; he didn’t quite rember this person. Letting go of Jian Zhiqin’s hand, he ran into the kitchen. "Granny, I’m hungry," Taotao hugged Granny Lu’s legs, clamoring about his empty stomach.
"I’ll cook you so dumplings in a bit."
With joy, Granny Lu scooped up Taotao and gently scraped his little cheek. "Go play with your brother for a while; the dumplings will be ready soon."
Taotao obediently bobbed his little head, then ran out of the kitchen, only to see Jian Zhiqin standing in front of the old man, looking guilty of so wrongdoing. Biting his little finger, then he scurried over and hid behind Jian Zhiqin. Clutching the corner of Jian Zhiqin’s clothes tightly, he peeked out with a pair of naïve eyes that were fixed on the dreadful old man, the blue of his irises reflecting nothing but innocence and purity.
It seed like trouble was brewing.
After washing her hands clean, Qin Xiangnuan followed suit, stepping out. After all, nowadays, there were many child traffickers out there. Even with Conghua around, she was ultimately just a dog. If soone were to throw a bone laced with dicine her way, Conghua might end up butchered for at, not to ntion the vulnerable Jian Zhiqin and Taotao.
You all...
The words he was about to say hadn’t yet left his mouth when he was startled by the scene before him, at a loss for how to react.
Could it be...
Soone he knew?
There sat Taotao on the old man’s knee, chirping away about sothing, while Jian Zhiqin hung his head, as if he was either examining his own shoe tips or his shadow on the ground, looking like soone who had done sothing wrong; Taotao might be small, but he was quite shy around strangers, ignoring those he wasn’t familiar with, let alone allowing them to hold him and talk affectionately, and even if Taotao was young, Jian Zhiqin wasn’t. He should certainly prevent Taotao from getting too close to strangers.
Could this old man, mysteriously appearing at their doorstep and brought back by Granny Lu, be related to the Jian Family?
"Linlin, who is he?"
Not knowing the man, she directly asked outright.
Jian Zhiqin looked up, his deanor as awkward as that of a young wife, no, more like that of a child who had committed a misdeed.
"Sister, he is my maternal grandfather," he pouted as he spoke, startling Qin Xiangnuan with his revelation.
Jian Zhiqin’s maternal grandfather—wasn’t that Mr. Li of the Li Family? She heard from Jian Zhiqin that the elders in the Jian Family were gone, leaving only Li Qiuhua’s father, who had led troops in war and still held high status, although he was no longer involved in active affairs. Nevertheless, his influence remained, from Capital City to the whole country, a founding figure who could once make the entire Capital tremble with a stomp. Now, older in years, he paid less heed to affairs, but his influence persisted.
This Mr. Li had a sowhat quirky temperant. Although Jian Zhiqin referred to it as quirkiness, Qin Xiangnuan always felt that it was just how the elderly were, rely wanting more of the younger generation’s ti.
This Mr. Li was wearing clothes that looked sowhat old, though whether worn from ti or from running over here was unclear. Mud stained the soles of his shoes, and he wasn’t very talkative, yet he exuded an air of seriousness. Before, Qin Xiangnuan hadn’t given it much thought, but now, upon closer examination, she noticed, indeed, a serious deanor. And she had found his face vaguely familiar but couldn’t quite place it; now, realizing it resembled Jian Zhiqin’s, especially the eyes—those very eyes inherited by both Zhiqing and Jian Zhiqin from their grandfather; even slightly narrowed, they held a sowhat frightening severity.
This old man was of the Li Family, and he was of the Jian Family. She was certain of it. What she didn’t understand was why an elderly man like him would run off to this place. It couldn’t be age-related Parkinson’s, could it? But he seed not to be, as Zhiqing had ntioned issues with his legs and an unwillingness to go ho; Qin Xiangnuan sotis wondered if it was just excessive pride, and seeing him now, it did seem to be sowhat the case.
Qin Xiangnuan walked over to the house phone and dialed out.
"Hello, this is Jian Zhiqing," ca Zhiqing’s voice through the phone, calm and steady, instilling a sense of reassurance upon hearing it. Of course, this was for her or soone indifferent; if one had motives, it would not be reassurance, but rather fear, that they felt.
"Brother Jian, it’s ."
Qin Xiangnuan cradled the receiver as she sat down, her eyes occasionally glancing outside. Mr. Li was holding Taotao, a smile now on his face, but Jian Zhiqin still stood there, seemingly quite afraid. Mr. Li’s gaze swept over in her direction, causing Qin Xiangnuan’s heart to skip a beat—an odd feeling, as if a thorn had suddenly pricked at her, giving her eyes a sharp sting. This made her truly understand why so said that a person’s gaze could kill.
She let out a soft sigh and put down the receiver.
Mr. Li must have known whom she called, and yet, without saying much, evidently, he had given his tacit consent.
This Mr. Li was indeed hard to please, but Granny Lu was much better in comparison.
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