Jiang Xiangbei thought for a moment and said, “It’s fine. No matter what tricks she’s up to, we’ll just watch. We’ve seen worse before, so we’re not afraid of this.”
As he spoke, Jiang Xiangbei reached out and patted Jiang Yinan’s head. “If the sky falls, your big brother will hold it up. Don’t be afraid.”
Jiang Yinan nodded.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xia had just finished washing the dishes and was about to return to her room when she heard movement at the front gate.
Although it wasn’t completely dark yet, in the countryside, almost every household had already tucked themselves into bed, ready to sleep.
Who could it be?
Jiang Xia thought for a moment and immediately tensed up.
Could it be that Wang Shi had brought people again?
Jiang Xia cautiously approached the front gate, not daring to make a sound.
Outside, someone gently knocked on the door.
“Xiaobei? Is Xiaobei there?”
Jiang Xia recognized the voice—it was Zhang Shi, who had spoken to her earlier in the day.
Jiang Xia quickly opened the door and smiled. “Auntie, why are you here so late at night?”
Zhang Donglian was startled to see Jiang Xia opening the door for her.
She lived next door to Jiang Xia and had visited countless times before, but Jiang Xia had never once opened the door for her.
Jiang Xia was notoriously lazy, spending her days lying around at home, ordering her three half-grown children around.
If it weren’t for the fact that the four children were so adorable and pitiable, Zhang Donglian wouldn’t have taken pity on this lazy woman!
Seeing Jiang Xia greet her with a smile, Zhang Donglian couldn’t bring herself to look displeased and softened her expression. “Today, I steamed some vegetable wowuo at home and brought some for the children to try.”
As she spoke, she placed a small basket in Jiang Xia’s arms.
She specifically mentioned that it was for the children to try, so even if this lazy woman had no shame, she surely wouldn’t dare to snatch this little bit of vegetable wowuo from the children, right?
Jiang Xia accepted it with a smile, feeling warmth in her heart as she looked at the steaming vegetable wowuo.
She looked up at Zhang Donglian and said, “Auntie, I’ve really relied on you so much since I returned these past six months. If it weren’t for you, openly and discreetly, giving food to my children, I don’t know what would have become of my four kids.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Donglian stared at Jiang Xia as if she had seen a ghost.
Was…was this something Jiang Xia could say?
Had her ears gone bad?
In the past, Jiang Xia had always looked down on poor neighbors like her.
Jiang Xia went back inside to put away the vegetable wowuo and then brought out the last bowl of coarse rice and pumpkin porridge she had planned to save for the next morning, handing it to Zhang Shi.
“Auntie, this is porridge I made tonight. There’s really nothing else I can give you, so please take this back and make do with it.”
As she spoke, she placed the bowl in Zhang Shi’s hands.
Zhang Donglian was even more bewildered.
Jiang Xia, this lazy woman, actually knew how to make porridge?
Could it be that she had truly changed?
After all, earlier that day, Jiang Xia had actually stood up for her own son. Zhang Donglian had thought she was just putting on a show.
Now, it seemed she was even cooking for the children—a truly good thing.
Zhang Donglian was straightforward and kind-hearted. Seeing this, she chuckled and said, “Is this your first time cooking? It’s always like this the first time. You’ll get better with practice.”
Jiang Xia smiled and nodded.
After seeing Zhang Donglian off, Jiang Xia closed the front gate.
She knew that, in the six months since her return, only this neighbor had treated her kindly.
Even though the original owner had been so awful in the past, this simple and kind-hearted auntie had always taken good care of their family.
The auntie’s husband was surnamed Li, named Li Qingtian. Besides farming at home, his main work was helping out at the blacksmith shop in town. Jiang Xiangbei was also taken there by him to work, receiving a lot of help from him.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xia felt a warmth in her heart.
True feelings are revealed in times of hardship; only those who lend a hand when you’re in desperate straits are truly trustworthy.
In contrast, her own relatives spent their days thinking about how to take advantage and gain benefits from her.
They really weren’t even as good as the neighbors.
Meanwhile, Zhang Donglian returned home. Li Qingtian had just finished wiping himself down and, seeing Zhang Donglian come back with a bowl, said, “What? Didn’t they want it?”
He thought Zhang Donglian had gone to deliver the vegetable wowuo and been rejected.
Zhang Donglian smiled and explained everything to Li Qingtian.
Li Qingtian was very surprised, his eyes widening as he said, “Really? Jiang Xia really cooked for the kids?”
Zhang Donglian nodded with a smile. “Yes, indeed. She even called me ‘Auntie.’ I’d never heard that from her before.”
As she spoke, Zhang Donglian looked at the porridge in her bowl, took a sip, and her expression instantly changed.
“Hey, dear, try this porridge Jiang Xia made. How come it’s actually quite tasty?”
Hearing this, Li Qingtian leaned over, took a sip, and savored it carefully before saying, “Hahaha, not bad. Jiang Xia has finally come to her senses and knows how to treat her sons properly.”
Zhang Donglian nodded in agreement. “Exactly. It’s easy for a person to turn bad, but hard to turn good. If Jiang Xia can change for the better, the happiest ones should be those four poor children.”
Li Qingtian nodded at her words.
Back at Jiang Xia’s place, she closed the gate tightly, only to notice that it had become dilapidated from years of neglect.
Even the lock on the gate was broken.
Fortunately, her rundown thatched cottage looked like it had nothing worth stealing, otherwise, it might really attract thieves at night!
Jiang Xia made a mental note to find a way to earn some money. This shabby house couldn’t be lived in for too long.
Returning inside, she saw Jiang Xiangbei had finished wiping himself down and was sitting on a small stool washing his feet.
Not expecting Jiang Xia to suddenly come in, Jiang Xiangbei’s face instantly turned awkward.
Jiang Xia noticed the change in his expression, thought for a moment, then moved a stool over and sat down in front of him.
Jiang Xiangbei immediately became even more uneasy.
Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Xiaobei, don’t be nervous. I just want to talk to you.”
Jiang Xiangbei pressed his lips tightly together, not uttering a word.
Looking at him, Jiang Xia thought: he’s only an eight-year-old child. When she was eight, she was still playing with mud. How could this poor child have to bear so much responsibility and take care of his younger brothers at such a young age?
Feeling heartbroken, Jiang Xia said, “Xiaobei, I want to discuss something with you.”
Jiang Xiangbei seemed to have been prepared for this. Hearing her words, he looked at her warily and said, “Just say what you want directly.”
“Just one thing—please don’t separate us four brothers. I’m begging you.”
As he spoke, his beautiful eyes turned slightly red.
It looked like he was about to cry.