“Old man~~”
Xu Huo entered the kitchen as if it were his own home, carrying groceries and navigating through its winding paths.
“Why are you here today?”
The old man was busy in the kitchen and was a little surprised to see Xu Huo.
He greeted him with a chuckle.
Xu Huo found an empty table, set down his bags, and smiled, “Ranran got direct admission, so I came to tell Granny Qin the good news…”
“Hm?”
The old man paused, not congratulating him like Granny Qin.
Instead, he pondered Xu Huo’s words for a moment, then winked at him with a mischievous expression, “You saw it?”
“She even cried.”
Xu Huo smiled and nodded, his tone a little helpless, “She was fine before, but this time she’s in a wheelchair. If it were me, I’d find it hard to accept, let alone her?”
“Hahahahaha!”
“Laugh! Laugh! Laugh! Isn’t she your wife?”
Xu Huo seemed to be sticking up for Granny Qin, grabbing a dishcloth and tossing it at him.
The old man caught it, wiped away some spilled soup, then tossed him a bag of garlic, “Good timing, peel these for me!”
“You peel them yourself, they sting my eyes…”
“Nonsense! If they didn’t sting your eyes, why would I ask you to peel them? Don’t you understand respecting the elderly and cherishing the young?”
“Did you cherish the young?”
“You’re no ‘youngster.’ The first time I saw you, you were already like a little adult.”
The old man looked disgusted, “What have you been eating to grow so tall all these years, it’s annoying to look at… The kitchen’s already small, and you come in and block the way.”
Xu Huo genuinely didn’t want to peel garlic, so he reluctantly moved a small stool over.
“Granny Qin said she just fell, but I feel like she didn’t want Ranran to worry, so I didn’t dare to ask too much… What’s the real situation?”
“Nothing much, she just slipped. If it were a young person, they’d be fine after a few days in the hospital. But she’s old, isn’t she? The doctor suggested a cast and wheelchair, so it looks more serious.”
Hearing this, Xu Huo looked up at the old man’s weary eyes and asked, “Then taking care of both the old and the young these days, are you keeping up?”
“The old one is considerate, the young one is peaceful. What’s not to keep up with?”
“Then you’ll tell Ranran the same thing later, too, right?”
“How would I know how to comfort her?”
The old man immediately glared, “When she fell before, I told you to call her and give Ranran a heads-up, so she wouldn’t just burst into tears without knowing anything when she saw her. But she stubbornly refused, saying she was afraid of affecting her college entrance exam… I found it strange, it’s not like I asked her to tell Ranran directly. Don’t I have you, kid, to pass on the message? Now look, she still cried, didn’t she?”
“But Ranran is indeed a good girl. So many people have left here, and she’s the one who only stayed for a few days, but she comes back the most often.”
“Isn’t that because she lives close by and has free time?”
“That’s not how you say it. There was someone about her age before, also adopted by a local family, but they haven’t returned once in all these years. That family is quite wealthy, too. Truly heartless.”
“Maybe something happened?”
Xu Huo didn’t want to speculate too much about others behind their backs.
While peeling garlic, he boredly looked around, his gaze naturally falling on the large cake gift box on the dining table.
He then asked, “Whose birthday is it today?”
“Old Qin’s.”
“Granny Qin’s birthday today?!”
“Yes.”
***
“How would I know? Ranran didn’t mention it either!”
“We never celebrated it before; she’s not a child anymore… But this year, you’re not the only ones who came. Some other young girl brought it over. If you hadn’t come, we really wouldn’t have been able to finish it!”
“Was she also from here?”
The old man waved his hands repeatedly, “No, she was passing by here while filming a show. She’s a minor celebrity. She knew there was a welfare institute here and that its financial situation wasn’t great, so she’d send things over little by little. That day Old Qin fell, she happened to be here, and she’s the one who found someone to help take Old Qin to the hospital. Otherwise, I would’ve had to call you. I don’t know how she found out it was Old Qin’s birthday.”
“Where is she then?”
“She said she still had some things to get, she should be back soon. I’m telling you, that girl is quite pretty… About this much, probably. Don’t stare blankly when you see her and embarrass me.”
The old man grinned.
While he said “a bit,” his gestures indicated he wished he could stretch from his feet to his head.
Xu Huo rolled his eyes, “What does her being pretty have to do with you? She’s not your daughter…”
“Nonsense! If she were my daughter, would you even see her? I’d be too busy keeping her away from you!”
“It’s fine. Daughters are like their fathers; I should be hiding from her.”
The old man was so annoyed he wanted to put Xu Huo on the chopping block.
“When I was young, girls always chased me!”
“Really? I can’t tell…”
As they chatted, the sound of light running footsteps came from behind them.
“Grandpa Chen!”
The voice sounded a little familiar.
Clear and ethereal, like a lively, youthful oriole…
Xu Huo turned, wanting to see the “pretty girl” the old man spoke of, but when he clearly saw who it was, he was instantly bewildered.
Han Xiao?
“Xu Huo!”
Han Xiao froze, her long eyelashes blinking.
The old man was shocked, “You two know each other?”
Xu Huo nodded, “…Sort of classmates.”
“Why are you here?”
Han Xiao frowned, a little unable to comprehend.
Xu Huo gave a wry smile, “…My sister came from here.”
“Not biological?”
Han Xiao was astonished.
“No.”
“Why didn’t you say so before?”
“You never asked.”
Han Xiao still hadn’t recovered from this explosive news.
It wasn’t until the old man spoke, “Xiao Yatou, what are you carrying?”
Han Xiao finally came to her senses, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
She presented the black plastic bag in her hand to the old man as if it were a treasure.
The old man leaned closer to observe, letting out a surprised sound.
“Whoa! Butter crabs!”
“And they’re all top-grade ones!”
“Top-grade” refers to the highest quality butter crabs, where the crab oil has permeated the joints, and if you break a leg, you can see the oil dripping out.
“…That must have cost a lot, right?”
“It’s alright, I’m a celebrity, I can afford it.”
Han Xiao sounded a little smug.
But the old man didn’t think so.
In this season, such a large bag of butter crabs would definitely cost a five-figure sum.
Celebrities just earn more money, they’re not stupid.
There were no cameras here; she must feel a pang of regret spending so much on others for no reason.
Xu Huo felt even more so; his expression was exactly the same as when Ranran said she didn’t spend much money.
“Don’t do this next time. You’ll make their tastes too refined. They’re just a bunch of little kids, how would they know which crabs taste good and which don’t? If you serve it to them, they might even find it troublesome, just like this kid here. Just bring some fried chicken; it’s cheap, plentiful, and hits the spot…”
“Okay, okay, I’ll pay attention next time. But since I’ve already bought them today, should we just steam them?”
“Hey! Wait!”
Xu Huo quickly grabbed Han Xiao’s hand.
Their arms touched.
Her skin was slightly sweaty, and when he touched her arm, he could feel a slight coolness.
From this angle, he could see her slightly reddened face, with a few strands of hair clinging to her skin, creating a unique kind of beauty.
This woman was a bit enchanting.
Like a blooming rose, its fragrance alluring, its color captivating.
Just standing there, she made a man’s thoughts become active.