“No son?” Su Qiao was also stunned.
Her gaze returned to the little boy, full of confusion, clearly wanting to ask, “Then who is this?”
Seeing her expression, Xiao Qifeng looked speechless. “This is my sister’s son.”
After saying that, he glanced at her. “You don’t know whether I’ve ever been married? Your eldest aunt never told you anything before?”
Su Qiao froze on the spot.
She never expected—
Su Xiaona actually dared to lie to her about something like this!
How could she be so bold?
Whether he had been married or had children isn’t something that could be hidden.
If anyone casually asked around, wouldn’t it be exposed in an instant?
How could she dare to lie like this?!
Unless… Su Xiaona was certain she would never go to check with anyone.
Thinking of this, Su Qiao’s heart was a jumble of emotions.
There was the anger of being deceived, the disgust toward Su Xiaona, and also the helplessness she had felt toward her past self.
How gullible had she been back then?
To the point that Su Xiaona could coax her without restraint.
She had been completely confident in her trust toward her cousin; anything Su Xiaona said, she would never think to verify with anyone—
So, back then, she had really been a fool.
Seeing Su Qiao’s expression turn sour, Xiao Qifeng’s smile faded, and his face became serious. “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
“Nothing,” Su Qiao said, gathering her thoughts and forcing a faint smile at him.
She didn’t want to continue this topic, so she bent down and softly asked the little boy, “What’s your name? How old are you this year?”
The child didn’t answer her question.
Instead, he suddenly stretched out his little hands toward her and, in a tiny, babyish voice, said, “Auntie, hold me.”
The voice was small and soft, enough to make anyone’s heart melt.
Su Qiao didn’t even have time to think, she had already lifted the child off the bike and into her arms.
Once she held him, she realized how light he was!
Judging by his size, he should be about the same age as Xiao Lan.
Xiao Lan hadn’t been raised well at her aunt’s house and was already rather thin, yet this child felt even lighter than Xiao Lan in her arms.
Su Qiao couldn’t help but pinch the little one through his clothes, she could feel the protruding ribs.
She instinctively looked at Xiao Qifeng.
He understood the meaning in her gaze, yet he just glanced at the child with a helpless expression and didn’t answer.
Obviously, there were things he didn’t want the child to hear.
Su Qiao didn’t press further. Instead, she hugged him a little tighter and said, “Auntie will take you to eat something delicious.”
After saying this, she signaled to Xiao Qifeng and then walked toward the kitchen.
Since they were going out today, Su Qiao had steamed a pot of buns last night, the white flour buns that Su Wei had been clamoring for.
Although they weren’t hot in the morning, they had been kept by the stove and were still warm.
Su Qiao helped the child onto a small stool in the kitchen, broke a bun in half, then thought for a moment and split it in the middle, spooning some white sugar inside.
She handed it to him.
What child doesn’t like something sweet?
At the sight of the bun, the little boy’s eyes immediately lit up.
He cautiously reached out his hand, but his gaze stayed fixed on Su Qiao’s eyes, as if trying to read her true thoughts from them.
Looking at that intense gaze, Su Qiao’s heart suddenly softened. Somehow, it reminded her of her younger sister.
When Xiao Lan wanted something at her aunt’s house, was she also this cautious and careful?
This made Su Qiao feel even more tender toward the child in front of her.
“Go ahead and eat. Auntie gave it to you, it’s okay to eat,” she said gently.
“Xiao Shu.” The child didn’t immediately reach for the bun but suddenly spoke, looking at her.
“Huh?” Su Qiao didn’t hear clearly at first.
“Xiao Shu.” The child raised his voice slightly and repeated it seriously.
Only then did Su Qiao realize he was answering the question she had just asked, he was telling her his name.
“Xiao Shu, what a beautiful name!” Su Qiao said, handing the bun into his hands and patting the top of his head with praise.
She thought to herself that this child was extremely smart, truly talented inwardly.
From the time she asked the question until now, at least ten minutes had passed, and he could still remember what she had asked.
Others might not know, but Su Qiao knew—Xiao Lan could never do this.
She couldn’t help but glance sideways at Xiao Qifeng, suddenly understanding why the child didn’t dare speak freely in front of him.
Hearing Xiao Shu’s answer, Xiao Qifeng also reached out and patted the boy’s head.
Then he gave Su Qiao a helpless expression and explained for his nephew: “Shu, as in little tree, his full name is Xu Jiashu. He’s almost four years old.”
“Sis, why didn’t you call me when you got up?”
At that moment, Su Wei walked in yawning.
Seeing Xiao Qifeng, he paused briefly, then turned to scold his sister: “Sis, Brother Xiao is here and you didn’t call me? If I hadn’t woken up, you’d have made Brother Xiao wait like this!”
Because Su Qiao had to catch an early bus, Xiao Qifeng and the others had arrived very early. Even though they’d been talking for a little while, it still wasn’t even six o’clock in the morning.
So she hadn’t woken her younger siblings.
Faced with her brother’s complaints, Su Qiao didn’t argue. Instead, she pointed at the little one quietly nibbling on the bun and said to him: “This is Xiao Shu, Brother Xiao’s nephew. You take him back to the room and play for a bit. That box of toys Xiao Peng has, take them out for him.”
Hearing that he was Brother Xiao’s nephew, Su Wei immediately walked over.
He first bent down and grinned at Xiao Shu, then leaned closer and spoke to him gently for a while.
Su Qiao’s mother, Chang Qiuyue, died in childbirth when giving birth to her youngest daughter, so Xiao Lan had no mother from the day she was born.
For the sake of making a living, Su Qiao’s father, Su Changhe, was always out looking for work and didn’t have much time to take care of the children at home.
Su Qiao was a good student and kept going to school, while Su Wei, since he couldn’t really learn much at the village school, stopped going at an early age.
So whether it was Xiao Peng or Xiao Lan, they were almost entirely raised by him.
When it came to interacting with children, no one in the Su family understood it better.
Sure enough, Xiao Shu, who had even been a little tense around Su Qiao earlier, was “captured” within a few words by Su Wei.
He didn’t even finish his bun before holding Su Wei’s hand and heading back inside.
He didn’t even want to stay with his uncle.
Xiao Qifeng watched his nephew “abandon” him like that with a stunned expression, completely at a loss.
Su Qiao couldn’t help but laugh.
But the morning was too precious, and with Xiao Shu already taking up a lot of time, she dared not waste any of the rest.
“Brother Xiao, why don’t you go inside and sit? I’ll have Su Wei pour you a glass of water,” Su Qiao said politely, subtly trying to shoo him away.
But he didn’t show any sign of leaving.
“I’m not thirsty. Is there anything here that I can help with?”
Seeing this, Su Qiao realized he had something he wanted to talk to her about.
So she didn’t bother with formalities and handed him a head of garlic: “Then you can peel the garlic for me.”
Xiao Qifeng accepted the task happily and stood beside her, peeling carefully.
As he worked, he explained: “My brother-in-law was sentenced to six years for profiteering while raising pigs for someone else. When he was sent for labor reform, my sister was pregnant with Xiao Shu. The little guy had a rough start in his mother’s womb, and when he was born, he was as tiny as a little mouse, my mother was worried he wouldn’t survive.
After my sister passed away, no one on my brother-in-law’s side wanted to take him in, so my mother brought him back and raised him herself. But the conditions were so poor that even after all this time, he still hasn’t fully caught up.
This kid has suffered so much, he’ll probably need more care before he can be completely okay.”
At this, Xiao Qifeng gave an apologetic look: “Because of my brother-in-law’s situation, Xiao Shu hasn’t had many playmates since he was little. He’s small for his age and often gets bullied by other kids.
I felt bad that he was lonely all the time, and since Xiao Lan is about the same age, maybe they could play together. So I brought him over.
It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and I didn’t give you any notice in advance. I hope it hasn’t caused you any trouble.”
After saying this, Xiao Qifeng stopped peeling, turned, and looked at Su Qiao.
What he didn’t expect was that when he turned, he saw Su Qiao’s face, utterly shocked beyond belief!
He fell silent for a moment, his eyes showing genuine surprise.
“Qingzhi… she passed away? When did this happen?!” Su Qiao asked urgently, her voice trembling, and her eyes already welling up.
She had first met Qingzhi when she went with her mother to help prepare her dowry.
In her memory, Qingzhi was gentle, soft-spoken, and extremely shy.
If the adults teased her even a little, her face would flush redder than the bright red cotton jacket she wore.
Yet she was also kindhearted, always secretly sneaking a peanut or a red date into Su Qiao’s mouth without her noticing.
Although they hadn’t known each other long, Su Qiao really liked her.
They hadn’t been in contact before, and she hadn’t thought much about it. But now, after connecting with Xiao Qifeng, memories of the past kept flooding back.
Many people, many moments, all of them came rushing into her mind.
Just last night, she had been thinking of asking him to pass a message to Qingzhi, hoping that one day she could come visit.
But before she could even send the message, Qingzhi was gone.
“Last year.” Hearing her sister’s name, Xiao Qifeng’s chest tightened with grief.
He steadied his emotions before cautiously asking, “Your aunt… she never told you anything about our family before?”
Su Qiao shook her head. “I’m sorry. Back then, I was completely focused on preparing for university. The moment my aunt mentioned the engagement, I completely lost it—I didn’t hear a word. I really didn’t understand your family situation.
I didn’t know you were Aunt Xiuping’s son, and with my second cousin deliberately misleading me, many misunderstandings arose. Later, I even said things about you in front of the villagers that weren’t fair…”
Su Qiao recounted, word for word, everything Su Xiaona had told her.
Then she said, “Whatever the reason, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have believed rumors without checking the facts. I spoke carelessly and caused you trouble. I’m truly sorry.”
“It’s nothing. Don’t overthink it,” Xiao Qifeng said, falling into thought.
He furrowed his brows, pondering for a long while but still couldn’t understand: “But why would your second cousin do that? What did she gain from it?”
Yes, why would she do such a thing?
Su Qiao had never been able to understand it either.
But just now, she suddenly understood.
She realized the jealousy and hatred that Su Xiaona must have felt when she learned that the person Su Qiao intended to marry was Xiao Qifeng.
Su Qiao and Xiao Qifeng weren’t close, but that didn’t mean Su Xiaona wasn’t familiar with him.
After all, he had been classmates in middle school for several years with her eldest cousin, Su Xiao Jun.
It was said that at one point, their relationship had even been quite good.
So Su Xiaona must have known very well how outstanding Xiao Qifeng was, and it was even very likely that she had long harbored feelings for him.
Thus, upon learning that the Xiao family had singled him out to be engaged to Su Qiao, her anger and jealousy drove her to do everything possible to break up the engagement.
Of course, Su Qiao couldn’t say this to Xiao Qifeng, so she just shook her head and replied vaguely, “Who knows? Maybe she just can’t stand to see me happy, used to causing trouble, probably.”
Hearing this, Xiao Qifeng pressed his lips together and reminded her, “Stay away from her from now on.”
“Mm, I will.”
After saying that, Su Qiao got to work.
She picked up the basin from the stove, lifted the damp cloth, and took out the kneaded white dough she had prepared earlier.
Sprinkling dry flour on the cutting board, she began to roll out the dough.
She flattened the dough into slightly thick rounds and set them aside. Then she lifted the damp cloth again and took out a ball of kneaded sorghum dough.
Next, Su Qiao placed the sorghum dough inside the white dough like wrapping a bun, rolled it into a ball, flattened it again, and then rolled it out into a thin, large round sheet, as if preparing noodles.
Xiao Qifeng had never seen noodles made this way before and was utterly amazed.
He stared at Su Qiao’s skillful hands without blinking, even stopping his garlic-pounding task.
Only after Su Qiao folded the rolled dough and cut it into evenly thick noodles did he finally ask, “What are you making? I’ve never seen it done like this before.”
“This is called stuffed noodles. In some places, it’s called [1]“Bao-pi noodles” (包皮面) is a traditional type of Chinese noodle made by wrapping a coarse-grain dough, such as sorghum or millet, inside a layer of wheat flour dough. This technique makes … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1729879_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1729879_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });bao-pi noodles. It’s a way of refining coarse grains. Sorghum alone is too harsh on the throat, so wrapping it in white flour makes it smoother to eat.”
“You figured this out yourself?” Xiao Qifeng’s eyes were full of admiration.
“I’ve seen others make it occasionally,” Su Qiao replied.
Then, she reached for the mortar nearby and handed it to him. “Brother Xiao, help me crush some garlic, will you?”
Xiao Qifeng immediately agreed.
The topic shifted naturally, and Su Qiao finally relaxed.
There was no way she could tell him that this was a specialty snack from Shanxi, something she had carefully learned while on a business trip there.
After all, in this life, the farthest she had ever been was the county town; she had never traveled beyond that.
The noodle sauce was the tomato-and-egg sauce Su Qiao had prepared early in the morning, which had been simmering by the stove.
The noodles were rolled out, now all that was left was to boil them before eating.
Watching Su Qiao bring the water to a boil, Xiao Qifeng put down the mashed garlic and glanced toward the door. “Should I go call them to get ready for the meal?”
“No need, let’s eat first. They can sleep a little longer. When they wake up, Xiao Wei will cook for them,” Su Qiao explained.
Boiling the water, cooking the noodles until done, then scooping them into bowls and mixing them with the tangy, refreshing tomato-and-egg sauce…
Xiao Qifeng watched the noodles carefully. The cooked noodles looked only slightly darker in color, but if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t guess there was any coarse grain mixed in.
They looked like pure white fine noodles!
Even without tasting them yet, he could already imagine the flavor: silky smooth, full of wheat aroma.
While he was still daydreaming, Su Qiao had already placed a large bowl in his hands. “Eat it while it’s hot. Taste my cooking, how do you like it? If you want garlic, you can add a spoonful of the garlic sauce.”
As she spoke, she took the mortar again, added salt, vinegar, and sesame oil, and quickly prepared a tangy garlic-vinegar sauce.
Xiao Qifeng took the bowl, picked up a bite with his chopsticks, and found the noodles’ outer layer perfectly smooth, the inside chewy, bursting with rich wheat fragrance.
Paired with the savory, flavorful tomato-and-egg sauce… the taste was so good he wished he could swallow his tongue along with it!
With Xiao Qifeng’s help, Su Qiao naturally made it to the first bus on time and, as usual, arrived in Jiao County just after eight.
Her visit to the county today had an important purpose: she wanted to check out the newly opened free market.
If possible, she wanted to buy some meat to make jerky.
Yesterday, when Xiao Qifeng had refused payment, Su Qiao had already been thinking about how to repay this favor.
Buying clothes or daily necessities would be too personal, too intimate.
After considering various options, she decided the best choice was food.
After all, food is consumed and gone; it carries no burden for either the giver or the recipient.
Xiao Qifeng had mentioned that he would return to the army in a few days, so Su Qiao thought she would make some of her specialty smoked jerky to give him before he left.
For this purpose, she had even brought along a large bag today, hoping to return fully loaded.
That morning, the man had mentioned his brother-in-law, Xu Qinghua, saying that because the family was too poor, he had wanted to earn a little money to provide extra nutrition for his pregnant wife. So he secretly went to work at a privately run pig farm, but got caught red-handed.
When Xu Qinghua was arrested, it was right after the national “exercise campaign,” a time when everything was still uncertain and policies were unclear. Back then, even selling a few eggs could get someone accused of wrongdoing, let alone running a pig farm.
So even if he had only gone there to work, the sentence he received was extremely harsh.
Now, several years later, with policies easing, some people had begun tentatively starting small businesses.
Su Qiao knew that with profit as motivation, people would take risks no matter how dangerous the work seemed, just like running a pig farm. In the newly emerging free market, if you arrived early, there was a good chance you could buy pork.
But now it was almost eight o’clock, and she wasn’t sure if she could still make it in time.
Following the memory from her previous life, Su Qiao headed toward the largest free market in Jiao County.
Calling it a “free market” was a bit of a stretch; it was really just a somewhat hidden alley.
The alley was not far from the back gate of Jiao County No. 1 Primary School.
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