Chapter 19

o have some unclear relationship with Ning Yuan....Even to protect Ning Yuan, he suppressed the matter of him injuring Auntie Bai last time."We are here to check the results of your recent mental rest...Rong Zhaonan then looked at Ning Yuan's slender back thoughtfully.

The look in her eyes just now, it was filled with a kind of almost sorrowful anger. Why was her reaction so intense

Before he could think much about it, Grandma Xia excitedly pulled him over: "Boy, can you give me those few fish you roasted I saw you eating grilled fish the other day."

Rong Zhaonan pressed his glasses on the bridge of his nose: " ...... Grandmother, don't push your luck."

Xia A-po licked her lips and let out a cold snort: "I knew you were just putting on a show, being cheap."

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

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

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

Ning Yuan was stunned. She thought Rong Zhao Nan's shed was bad enough, but she didn't expect there to be anything worse than a shed.

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

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

Seeing someone enter, the old man who was constantly coughing struggled to get up.

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

The old man still had a pair of spectacles on his nose, one lens missing, leaving only half a spectacle. When he opened his mouth, it was in a Beijing dialect.

As soon as Ning Yuan heard his words, she knew he was a cultured person and that he was most likely sent down for reform.

Xia A-po suddenly darted from behind Ning Yuan and to the old man's side, helping him up. "Hey, old man, there's food now, eel porridge, it smells so good!"

Ning Yuan was surprised by Xia A Po's agility. This old lady was so nimble.

“What eel congee...you went to find Xiaorong for it again, you can't have it!” The old man trembled and got up.

The aroma of the remaining half pot of eel congee wafted through the room, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva, but still shook his head at Grandma Xia: "Next time, please don't do this again..."

Seeing this, Ning Yuan sighed inwardly and walked over with the pot. She placed it by the old man's bed: "The porridge is here, you guys eat."

This house doesn't even have chairs, so we have to eat our meals on the floor.

"This is your dinner, you can take it back. Young people need to work the fields, they can't do it without being full. We have sweet potatoes, the elderly eat less, and they aren't hungry."

The old man trembled and pressed his glasses, shaking his head.

"Old man, you're getting so sick like this, how can you not eat anything Your illness is just from hunger!" Xia A-Po angrily brought the pot and stuffed it into his arms.

Ning Yuan caught sight of two small sweet potatoes in the blackened, rickety little pot. She couldn't quite put a name to the feeling welling up inside her.

The old man, who clearly needed to eat, politely refused the food his wife had snatched for him, which made Ning Yuan feel very heartbroken.

Ning Yuan crouched down and proactively picked up the broken bowl by the bed, filling it with congee and offering it to him: “Grandpa Tang, you all need to work too. This is me taking the initiative to give it to Grandma Xia.”

She remembered the dung cart not far away and finally realized who this elderly couple was.

They are the elderly couple responsible for collecting manure and compost in the team.

This job is dirty, smelly and tiring. Everyone avoids it, rarely coming into contact with each other, let alone speaking.

She had only vaguely heard of Old Man Tang, the poop-throwing old man, but she never expected him to be such a polite and cultured gentleman.

Tang Daye looked at Ning Yuan and smiled kindly: “Ahem ahem ahem… You are Xiao Rong’s partner, right… ahem… You are both good people.”

Ning Yuan smiled. "We still have three fish for dinner. This porridge was made by Dr. Rong... Ah, it was Zhaonan 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 Old Tang: "Here, I didn't lie to you, old man, eat quickly."

Tang Daye only then allowed Xia A-po to feed him congee with eels.

Rong Zhaonan entered the room without speaking, and seeing Ning Yuan's slender figure squatting there, a slight curve appeared at the corner of his lips.

The fragrant aroma of the fish congee made Xia A-po's lips twitch involuntarily, but she remained silent.

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

Xia's grandmother suddenly turned around, grabbed another broken bowl, and shoved the two pieces of sweet potato into her mouth. "I don't like eating eel congee, it's too fishy," she said.

Tang Daye was taken aback and coughed, "Cough cough cough... Old woman, you really... If you don't eat, how can I possibly eat"

Seeing the elderly couple, who had spent their lives together, pushing each other away with excuses to get the other to eat, Ningyuan couldn't help but feel a lump in her throat.

She suddenly stood up: "Since Xia APo doesn't like eel congee, and Zhao Nan and I still have grilled fish, we can't finish that much fish anyway, so I'll bring two over to you."

As she spoke, she walked toward the door.

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

Xia Lao Po quickly grabbed Tang Da Ye's hand, giggling: "Working people should help each other. The little girl is willing to bring me grilled fish, so I'll eat it."

“You...” Grandpa Tang wanted to say something.

"Don't dawdle, finish your eel congee quickly so I can wash the pot and send it back. Don't delay the happy couple from enjoying their wedding night."

Summer Grandma unceremoniously shoveled a spoonful of congee into Old Man Tang's mouth.

Xia A-po's rough and blunt words made Ning Yuan's face flush instantly, she almost tripped over herself, hurriedly reaching out to grab the wall for support.

How dare this old woman speak so boldly in this day and age, she's not afraid of being called a hooligan.

The wall wasn't there to support her, so she grabbed hold of Rong Zhaonan's sturdy arm by the door.

Rong Zhaonan reached out and gently helped her up, saying softly, “Be careful, the room is dark.”

Ning Yuan only felt the scent of soap and grass passing by her ears, she suddenly felt her ears heat up: "I'm fine!"

After she finished speaking, she stood unsteadily and hurried out.

Seeing Ning Yuan darting out of his arms towards the door like a frightened little rabbit, Rong Zhaonan's long and deep eyes flashed with a strange light.

When Ning Yuan brought back two grilled fish, Xia Laotang wolfed them down.

Of course, she also didn't forget to specially choose boneless fish meat and stuffed it into Grandpa Tang's mouth.

Finally, Ning Yuan and Rong Zhao Nan carried their empty aluminum pots back to their own cow shed hut.

In the southern countryside on a deep autumn night, crickets chirped softly, and the air was still filled with the fragrance of grass and trees.

Ning Yuan sat by the simple earthen stove in the backyard, watching the last remaining grilled small perch. Her expression flickered uncertainly.

What a day! I was touched by other people's love stories and then... I starved to death.

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

So small, where could she possibly eat enough Not to mention there's a big man waiting to feed her by the side!

"Well then, aren't you going to eat" Rong Zhaonan looked at Ning Yuan's colorful expression and inexplicably felt like laughing.

Only now does this little spy realize that one fish isn't enough for them to share, is he regretting it heren came to our village to help with farming and studied with us young educated youths, so he knows us quite well.""I noticed you rarely use titles like 'Vice Secretary Li Yan' or 'Li Yan, the Secretary...