Qiao Qingyan sensed a rustling movement beside her.
When she turned her head, she suddenly saw a chubby little hand sticking out into her line of sight.
“Ah—!”
She jumped in fright and sprang to her feet.
Hearing the commotion, Zeng Yumei hurried into the room.
“Duoduo! You scared your sister-in-law!”
A moment later, Qiao Qingyan saw a little round head cautiously peeking out from beneath the table.
The little girl looked to be about six or seven years old. She wore a tiny tank top and shorts, with a plump little belly and two short pigtails. She was unbelievably adorable.
Her gaze toward the adults was innocent and vacant, tinged with a hint of timidity.
So it was just a child.
Qiao Qingyan placed a hand over her racing heart and let out a long sigh of relief.
“Qingyan, don’t be afraid. This is your little sister. You probably know already… she’s a little different from other children.”
Zeng Yumei pulled Duoduo out from under the table, gave her a light smack on the bottom, and scolded her gently.
“Why were you hiding under the table? Look how badly you scared your sister-in-law.”
Instead of crying after being smacked, Duoduo giggled and pointed at the bowl of sugar water on the table.
“Duoduo… drink… sweet…”
Qiao Qingyan finally calmed down. Looking at the girl’s simple, innocent expression, she couldn’t help smiling.
“That’s for your sister-in-law, you silly girl.”
Duoduo was rather chubby, and Zeng Yumei, being physically weak, couldn’t carry her. She simply held the girl’s little hand and led her over.
“This is your sister-in-law, Duoduo. Say ‘Sister-in-law.'”
The little girl blinked her dazed eyes, stuck a finger into her mouth and swirled it around. When she pulled it back out, a string of drool followed.
In her soft, childish voice, she called out,
“Sis… Sis-ter-in-law.”
The sweet little attempt melted Qiao Qingyan’s heart.
How could there be such an adorable little girl? She’s just too cute!
She crouched down with a gentle smile, lightly pinched Duoduo’s chubby cheek, and softly asked,
“How old are you?”
Seeing this, Zeng Yumei finally relaxed and smiled.
She had been worried that her new daughter-in-law would dislike Duoduo.
Fortunately, Qingyan didn’t.
Duoduo looked at her blankly, apparently not understanding the question.
Zeng Yumei brushed the damp strands of hair off her forehead.
“Tell your sister-in-law. How old are you?”
Duoduo held up both hands, wiggled her fingers, and only managed a couple of muffled sounds instead of a complete sentence.
Zeng Yumei gently tugged one of her ears in helpless amusement.
“Your brother just taught you a few days ago. Did you forget already?”
She arranged Duoduo’s fingers into the shape of a six.
“You’re six years old this year, right?”
The little girl sniffled and slowly repeated,
“Six…”
“Good girl.”
The more Qiao Qingyan looked at her, the more she liked her.
“Do you want some sweet sugar water?”
Duoduo nodded eagerly.
Qiao Qingyan picked up the bowl from the table, crouched down again, and held it to her lips.
“Go ahead.”
Duoduo wrapped both soft, chubby hands around the bowl and gulped it down with loud swallows.
After finishing, she licked her lips in satisfaction, tugged at the shorts that had ridden up, squeezed past Qiao Qingyan, and happily ran outside to play.
Watching her daughter, Zeng Yumei sighed softly.
“This child has been intellectually disabled since she was little. She learned to walk and talk much later than other children, and she’s slow at learning everything.”
“You’ve raised her very well,” Qiao Qingyan said sincerely. “She seems very obedient and well-behaved.”
Zeng Yumei smiled.
“That’s mostly thanks to Jinye. He was the one who taught her. This little one is incredibly attached to her brother…”
Halfway through the sentence, she paused, glanced at Qiao Qingyan, and added,
“Qingyan, although Duoduo is still young, she won’t become a burden to you and Jinye. Once you two have children, we’ll divide the household. You and Jinye can live your own life, and I’ll take care of Duoduo myself.”
“Auntie, please don’t say that.”
Qiao Qingyan shook her head gently.
“Since I’ve married into this family, we’re all one family now. I’ll help you take care of Duoduo.”
Her instincts told her that this family was filled with good people.
Her mother-in-law was gentle and courteous, and the house was kept in perfect order.
Although her little sister-in-law wasn’t intellectually bright, she was innocent, lovable, and heartwarming.
Qiao Qingyan thought that with a mother like Zeng Yumei, Xiao Jinye was probably a good man as well.
She found herself growing increasingly curious about the husband she had yet to meet.
As noon approached, Zeng Yumei slaughtered a chicken to prepare lunch.
Qiao Qingyan wanted to help in the kitchen, but Zeng Yumei shooed her back outside.
So while Zeng Yumei cooked, Qiao Qingyan stayed in the courtyard playing with Duoduo.
She took the opportunity to carefully look around the Xiao family’s home.
The courtyard walls were built from packed earth bricks. They were clearly old and somewhat weathered.
All the poultry cages were neatly arranged along the left side, while the right side, against the wall, was planted with all kinds of flowers and greenery. Pink climbing roses stretched gracefully over the worn courtyard wall, creating an unexpectedly beautiful scene.
When she had lived in the city with her aunt, her aunt had also loved growing flowers. The balcony had always been filled with potted plants.
The house had always been spotless, and her quilt had always carried the fresh scent of sunshine.
After returning to her biological family’s home in the countryside, however, the yard constantly reeked of chicken droppings, and the house was always a chaotic mess.
Every time she cleaned, the three adults in the family would quickly make it filthy again.
Eventually, she stopped bothering and only cleaned her own room.
Now that she was at the Xiao family home, Qiao Qingyan couldn’t help marveling.
This was the first rural courtyard she had ever seen that was kept so neat and orderly.
She could tell that Zeng Yumei was an exceptionally meticulous woman.
Earlier, when she slaughtered the chicken, she had taken it outside the courtyard. Afterward, she used a shovel to bury the blood and the fishy-smelling innards under a layer of soil before sprinkling lime powder over them.
That not only concealed the odor but also enriched the soil.
After fermenting for several months, this patch of earth would be perfect for growing healthier vegetables and plants.
The courtyard sat on slightly elevated ground.
Looking over the wall, she could see more than half of the village.
Behind the house lay Chaiyuanling, a lush green mountain blanketed in dense forest.
Qiao Qingyan tilted her head toward the blazing midday sun.
Its light was dazzling, yet its warmth was indescribably comforting.
In just a few hours, she and Duoduo had already become quite close.
Duoduo grabbed one of Qiao Qingyan’s fingers and led her to a cage tucked away in the corner of the courtyard.
Inside was a snow-white rabbit, surrounded by scattered cabbage leaves.
“Rabbit…”
Duoduo proudly showed off her beloved little pet.
Qiao Qingyan gently stroked the rabbit’s soft fur.
“Who gave you this little rabbit?”
Duoduo didn’t answer.
She held a cabbage leaf up to the rabbit’s mouth, but it shrank back instead of eating, its bright red eyes nervously watching the two of them.
After a long while, Duoduo finally murmured slowly,
“Brother… rabbit…”
Qiao Qingyan immediately understood.
The rabbit had been a gift from Duoduo’s older brother.
She gently patted the little girl’s hair and squatted beside the cage, resting her chin in her hands as she watched Duoduo happily play with the rabbit.
A short while later, the sound of approaching footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
She stood and looked toward the entrance.
By then, the newcomer had already stepped through the courtyard gate.