The King Koi felt utterly humiliated in front of the handsome boy! It whimpered, stretching out its tiny fins to hide its blushing face and with a flick of its tail, it swam deep into the white porcelain fishbowl.

Song Wanyue noticed the King Koi’s dejected expression and smiled as she gently covered the fishbowl with her small hands.

“Brother Chenchuan, my grandma just made some delicious sour plum juice this morning. It’s sweet and tangy, perfect for this hot weather. Why don’t we have some together to cool off?”

Chen Juhua, who was nearby, also chuckled and chimed in,

“That’s right. It’s scorching hot out today. Just standing outside for a moment makes you sweat. And after carrying those heavy watermelons all this way, Chenchuan, you must be tired. Come on, you two, don’t just stand there, sit down and have some of Grandma’s sour plum juice.”

With a warm smile, Chen Juhua poured two glasses of the refreshing sour plum juice into clean, flower-patterned glass cups and set them on the stone table in the yard, inviting the two children to drink.

“Alright, coming!” Song Wanyue carefully placed the white porcelain fishbowl on the table inside the house. Seeing that the King Koi still looked a bit down, she sprinkled some fish food into the bowl.

The King Koi, who had been sulking, immediately perked up and eagerly began munching on the food. Seeing the fish eat happily, the little girl felt relieved and joyfully ran outside to grab Ye Chenchuan to join her.

“Brother Chenchuan, let’s go drink the sour plum juice!”

By now, Ye Chenchuan had already taken off the bamboo basket from his back. Suddenly feeling the warmth of the little girl’s soft touch as she grabbed his sleeve, his usually cold eyes tightened slightly as he suppressed the flutter in his heart. With a hoarse voice, he replied,

“Okay.”

In the clean, neatly swept farmyard, the cicadas chirped as the pink roses on the fence bloomed brightly, their fragrance filling the air. On the cool stone table, Chen Juhua had lit some mugwort leaves in a brass burner to ward off mosquitoes.

In the countryside, with its abundant greenery, there were many mosquitoes. No matter how clean the Song family’s yard was kept, there were always more mosquitoes due to the flowers they grew. Concerned that her granddaughter might get bitten, Chen Juhua would pick large bunches of mugwort leaves from the back mountain every summer, dry them and then burn them in the copper burner to keep the mosquitoes away. It was an old, tried-and-true method passed down for generations in the countryside and it worked very well.

The little girl, wearing a dress, sat on a small stone stool, gulping down the sour plum juice. She then picked up a chilled slice of watermelon from the stone table and took a big bite, delighting in the sweet and refreshing taste.

“Brother Chenchuan, Grandpa Ye’s watermelons are so sweet!”

She happily swung her little feet as she enjoyed the watermelon. 

In front of Ye Chenchuan, there was a plate of neatly cut watermelon slices. He looked up at the little girl’s face, now smeared with watermelon juice and the corners of his usually cold mouth curled up slightly.

“Grandpa always takes everything he does very seriously. Since we moved to the countryside, life has become much harder, so we grow watermelons to sell at the market in exchange for rice and grain.”

“Wow, Grandpa Ye is amazing!”

The little girl beamed and nodded, clearly impressed.

Watching the little girl’s joyful expression, Ye Chenchuan’s stern demeanor softened. Life had indeed become much tougher for the Ye family since they moved to the countryside. With the recent bad harvests, food shortages made their situation even worse. The grandfather and grandson barely made ends meet by Ye Chenchuan breaking rocks in the production team and Grandpa Ye selling watermelons. Even with all their hard work, they could only afford to eat a couple of coarse grain buns a day to stave off hunger.

But Ye Chenchuan didn’t want to burden Song Wanyue with tales of their hardships. A bright and lively girl like her shouldn’t be weighed down by such gloom.

Lowering his gaze, the boy silently handed her another slice of watermelon.

The little girl, already feeling a bit too full, hesitated.

In the end, after rubbing her full belly, the little girl cheerfully waved goodbye to Ye Chenchuan.

“Brother Chenchuan, see you later!”

Ye Chenchuan, now carrying a bamboo basket filled to the brim, walked away. Inside were coarse grains, vegetables and fruits, sweet potatoes, potatoes, sorghum and a bunch of fresh wild vegetables that Chen Juhua had stuffed into the basket. Even Ye Chenchuan, who was usually calm and composed was a bit surprised by how much she had given him. In these times when food was scarce, it was remarkable that Grandma Song could offer so much.

Chen Juhua knew that Ye Chenchuan was a steady and quiet young man and she was aware of the harsh conditions he and his grandfather endured in their small straw house. Wanting to help them, she seized the opportunity when Chenchuan brought the watermelons to generously fill his basket with food. Even the little girl was surprised by her grandmother’s actions but she obediently persuaded Ye Chenchuan,

“Brother Chenchuan, these are all gifts from Grandma. Watermelons are expensive these days, so take these back to help Grandpa stay strong.”

Ye Chenchuan, holding back his emotions, glanced at the concerned little girl and the kindly smiling Chen Juhua. After clenching and unclenching his fists, he finally nodded and accepted the gifts.

He knew that Grandma Song and the little girl were genuinely concerned about him and his grandfather. Deeply moved, he strapped on the heavy basket. Just as he was about to leave, the sky, which had been overcast for a while, suddenly began to rain. The cold wind whipped around him, tugging at his faded shirt.

Chen Juhua watched as the boy disappeared into the distance and sighed softly,

“Such a pitiful situation!”

Hearing her grandmother’s sigh, Song Wanyue’s heart ached as well. She had noticed earlier that when Brother Chenchuan handed her the watermelon, his hands were rough and full of calluses. Grandma had told her that Brother Chenchuan was now working with the village elders at the riverbank every day, breaking rocks to earn relief grain.

The little girl felt a wave of sorrow. She secretly resolved that once the rain stopped, she would beg Grandma to take her to the town’s supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few boxes of ointment to give to Brother Chenchuan.

But the rain came too quickly, too suddenly and too heavily. It poured from the afternoon until the sky grew dark. By the time all the Song family members had returned home and sat down for dinner, the rain outside was still drizzling steadily.

For the past few days, the men of the Song family had been working on the mountain, building the river embankment. Knowing how tired they were, Chen Juhua had prepared a large pot of steamed buns and a pot of hot, fragrant rice porridge, served with homemade pickled radishes. The meal was simple but satisfying, with each bite of bun and pickled radish tasting delicious.

For her granddaughter, Chen Juhua had also made a special dish of braised pork, which she placed in front of the little girl with a smile.

“Eat up, my dear. Grandma made this especially for you. It’s delicious. You’ve only been recovering for a few days and you’re still so skinny.”

Before she could finish her sentence, her eyes reddened and she was about to wipe away tears again. Seeing this, Song Wanyue quickly picked up her chopsticks and began eating the braised pork, assuring her,

“Grandma, just watch! I’ll finish this entire bowl of braised pork!”

“Good! Good!”

Seeing her granddaughter eating so heartily, Chen Juhua’s face bloomed with joy.

“Look, dear, our granddaughter is eating so well,” she said to her husband.

Old Man Song nodded in satisfaction.

The rest of the Song family also smiled, except for Liu Hongmei, who sat nearby, fuming.

Hmph! This entire Song family speaks nothing but lies!

That Wanyue girl has been eating nothing but chicken soup and eggs every day, looking plump and healthy. Where does she look skinny at all?!

Clearly, her mother-in-law is just making excuses for her favoritism.

Hmph! Such a pampered little girl, eating such good food every day. In the end, she’ll just end up in someone else’s household!

As Liu Hongmei grumbled to herself, Chen Juhua noticed her displeasure and shot her a sharp look,

“What are you muttering about, Third Sister-in-law? If you’ve got something to say, let’s hear it! If not, why don’t you go back to your mother’s house and say it there?”

Liu Hongmei was terrified.

Oh no, is she trying to send me back to my mother’s house again?

But I didn’t even say anything out loud, how could she know what I was thinking?

“N-No, Mother, I wasn’t thinking anything. I was just worried about tomorrow’s cleanup since it’s been raining so much.”

Liu Hongmei stammered, clearly intimidated.

Chen Juhua, a shrewd old woman, could easily see through Liu Hongmei’s pretense. She remembered how Liu Hongmei had mysteriously gotten struck by lightning at the hospital, rolling back to her parents’ house with smoke coming off her body. Her parents had been utterly confused when they saw her, but when Liu Hongmei tearfully explained what had happened, even her sister-in-law couldn’t stand it.

Clearly, Liu Hongmei had been cursed. Otherwise, why else would she have been struck by lightning in broad daylight? Such an unlucky person couldn’t be allowed to stay with her family; she might bring bad luck to them.

After her sister-in-law spread gossip about her, Liu Hongmei was no longer welcome at her parents’ house. With nowhere else to go, she tearfully squatted at the doorstep of the Song family’s home.

Although furious, Chen Juhua eventually allowed her to come back, considering her son and grandson, Haozi(called for song wenhao).

For the past few days, Liu Hongmei had been on her best behavior. But now, seeing her about to cause trouble again, she was immediately suppressed by the formidable old lady and slunk back to her room, defeated.

At that moment, the rain outside intensified and with a loud clap of thunder, a tall, rain-soaked figure burst into the Song family’s main room. It was Song Xiangdong, dressed in a raincoat, bringing with him the fierce wind and rain as he rushed in.

“Mother! Something terrible has happened! The dam has collapsed! There’s going to be a flood!”