*”Little girl, did you come to the wrong house?”*

Grandpa Ye looked at the sweet, delicate little girl with some surprise.

Since he and his grandson, Xiaocheng, were sent to this picturesque mountain village and moved into this little thatched house, aside from the occasional visit from the brigade leader, Song Jiandang, to check on how they were doing, few people had come to visit.

After all, the Ye family’s background wasn’t great, so it was understandable that the villagers kept their distance.

“No, I didn’t come to the wrong house. Grandpa Ye, I’m here to bring you some food.”

The little girl chatted away while pulling items out of the small bundle she carried.

Hearing this, Grandpa Ye’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that what his late wife had told him in a dream a few days ago was true? Were these things sent by her through this little girl?

Ye Chenchuan watched his grandfather’s emotional reaction, a flicker of sadness passing through his dark eyes.

“Here’s some rice, some flour and some cornmeal. Oh and there are some medicines for your cough, Grandpa Ye. And these pork bones—my grandma asked me to bring them. Bone broth will make you strong and healthy.”

As Song Wanyue laid out all the items from her bundle, she swung the now-empty bag over her shoulder and was about to say goodbye to the Ye family when she noticed both Ye Chenchuan and his grandfather staring at the pile of goods with tear-filled eyes. Confused, she asked:

“Grandpa Ye, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Grandpa Ye looking at the familiar handwriting on the medicine was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down his wrinkled face.

“It’s her, it’s really her. I knew it was her.”

He recognized that handwriting well—it belonged to his late wife, the woman who had been his companion for decades.

Seeing his grandmother’s handwriting, a rare warmth appeared in Ye Chenchuan’s usually cold eyes.

However, the touching moment was interrupted by the sound of a growling stomach. The little girl blinked her big, round eyes and exclaimed:

“Brother Chenchuan, your stomach is growling!”

Ye Chenchuan: …

Unlike the embarrassed young man, Grandpa Ye was more open about it:

“Little girl, to be honest, my grandson and I are running low on money. We haven’t eaten all day.”

“That won’t do! Food is essential, especially when someone’s sick. How can Grandpa Ye go without eating for a whole day?” The little girl was alarmed.

“But now you have food. Brother Chenchuan, hurry up and cook!”

The young man, who didn’t know how to cook: …

Grandpa Ye stepped in to help: “To tell you the truth, little girl, in the past, I was the one who did the cooking.”

Hearing this, Ye Chenchuan’s face remained stoic, but he was clearly embarrassed.

Back when the Ye family was well-off, they had a housekeeper who did all the cooking. Ye Chenchuan, being a young master, never had to lift a finger in the kitchen. Later, when the family fell on hard times, he tried cooking a few times but ended up burning the food or overcooking the porridge. The one time he managed to cook a meal properly, it tasted terrible.

After that, Grandpa Ye forbade his grandson from cooking, not wanting to waste any more precious food.

“So Brother Chenchuan doesn’t know how to cook?” The little girl shook her head regretfully. “Brother Chenchuan, a life without cooking is missing out on a lot of fun!”

Then, with a determined look, she rolled up her sleeves and announced:

“Grandpa Ye, just wait—I’ll cook! Brother Chenchuan, you can wash the vegetables. After that, clean the pot. Today we’re having cabbage dumpling soup!”

The young man, who was now being ordered around: …

**Can this little girl really cook?**

—

As it turned out, the delicate little girl not only knew how to cook, but she was also quite good at it.

Looking at the steaming bowl of dumpling soup that was fragrant and delicious, Ye Chenchuan wisely began eating without hesitation. He had to admit, the little girl’s cooking was impressive—the soup was rich and warm, comforting both the body and soul.

Grandpa Ye, possibly because of how hungry he was, downed two big bowls of the dumpling soup before finally setting his chopsticks down, a satisfied smile spreading across his wrinkled face.

“Thank you, little girl. If it weren’t for you, Xiaocheng and I would have gone hungry for much longer.”

“No need to thank me, Grandpa Ye. It was nothing, really. Just call me Wanyue from now on. It’s getting late, so I’ll head home. Goodbye, Grandpa Ye, Brother Chenchuan.” The little girl put on her raincoat and cheerfully said goodbye to the two of them.

“Wanyue, since Grandpa is sick and can’t get out of bed, Xiaocheng, you should walk her home,” Grandpa Ye instructed.

Ye Chenchuan nodded, his long legs quickly catching up to the little girl as they headed out the door.

Outside, the light rain continued to fall, the fine droplets tapping against the willow trees along the road. It had been raining for three days and nights, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, and there was still no sign of it clearing up.

Song Wanyue frowned as she looked up at the gray sky, her expression so focused that she didn’t even notice the raindrops dampening her bangs.

Ye Chenchuan, expressionless as always, noticed the water droplets on her little face and moved the umbrella in his hand to cover her better. He spoke in his usual cold tone:

“I’ll walk you only this far.”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Song Wanyue waved her small hand:

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Goodbye, Brother Chenchuan.”

Ye Chenchuan handed the umbrella to the little girl and looked down at her:

“You helped me today. Consider this umbrella a thank-you gift.”

With that, the young man turned and left, hands in his pockets.

The little girl stood there, holding the umbrella, dumbfounded.

No, she didn’t help out just to get an umbrella…

—

Oh well, never mind. She should hurry home—Grandma was probably waiting for her.

With that thought, the little girl hurried home, holding the large umbrella. She didn’t notice that behind her, in the continuous drizzle, Ye Chenchuan silently watched over her until she entered the Song family’s gate.

Only then did Ye Chenchuan linger for a moment before turning to leave.

—

When the little girl entered the house, Chen Juhua was sitting on a small stool under the eaves, doing some sewing. Hearing movement at the door, the old woman looked up and smiled when she saw her granddaughter.

“Wanyue, did you deliver the package to Grandpa Ye?”

“Yes, I delivered it. Grandma, Grandpa Ye wanted me to thank you for the pork bones.” Song Wanyue took off her raincoat and answered with a smile.

“Oh, there’s no need to thank me. It’s not much, just some pork bones.”

The Ye family wasn’t doing well either. In these times, even good people could be brought low. Old Brother Ye was clearly a cultured man. When did being educated become a crime?

As Chen Juhua was lamenting this, a tearful and furious Liu Hongmei suddenly burst through the door, exclaiming:

“Mother, you’re being too unfair!”

What was this about? How was she being unfair? Chen Juhua was stunned.

The little girl was also confused. What happened to Third Aunt? Did something make her lose her mind on her way back from her parents’ house?

With snot and tears streaming down her face, Liu Hongmei wailed:

“Mother, I know you don’t like me. But how could you give away something as good as pork bones to outsiders instead of sending it to my father? He’s still bedridden and unable to move. How could you be so heartless?”

So that’s what this was about.

Hearing Liu Hongmei’s words, Chen Juhua chuckled coldly.

Look at that—just a few pork bones and the third daughter-in-law was already calculating. Over the years, the Song family had lent Liu’s family nearly twenty or thirty yuan, but they had never seen a penny of it returned.

Slowly and deliberately, Chen Juhua said, “Third daughter-in-law, now that you mention the Liu family, it reminds me. Over the years, your brothers and mother have borrowed more than twenty yuan from our family. Did you ask them when they plan to pay it back?”

Liu Hongmei was stunned. What? Why was her mother-in-law bringing up the money now?

“Mom, my father is still sick. We don’t have any money. And besides, it’s been years since they borrowed that money. Why are you asking for it back now?”

Liu Hongmei stammered.

Chen Juhua sneered again, “So, after all these years of borrowing without repaying, your family has the nerve to covet a few pork bones? Tell me, third daughter-in-law, have you ever sent less meat or money to your family during festivals? I’ve turned a blind eye to it all these years out of consideration for my third son. What’s going on now? Are you thinking of leaving the Song family? If that’s the case, you can pack up and leave today!”

Her fierce outburst scared Liu Hongmei so much that she fell to her knees. It was over, completely over. This situation had blown up.

————-