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Zhiqi quickly finished clearing the weeds from the field, and Jiang Ning waved at him.
Huo Zhiqi ran over.
Jiang Ning patted the spot next to her and said, “Come up.”
Zhiqi climbed onto the swing, pushing with his little legs to get up.
Jiang Ning handed him a handful of candies and a cookie.
“Good job, this is your reward,” Jiang Ning said, patting him on the head.
The unique fresh scent of a girl surrounded him, and Huo Zhiqi’s face turned red. Sister Jiang seemed to really like patting his head. He had lost his mother at a young age and had never experienced the feeling of being cared for by a mother.
Looking at the candies and cookie in his hand, Huo Zhiqi thought about how these things were also available at Uncle Wang’s house, but Aunt Wang and Grandma Wang had never given him any.
He had even overheard Grandma Wang saying more than once that these things were not for him.
Living in someone else’s house, he knew he couldn’t compete with them for food.
Jiang Ning peeled a piece of candy and put it in her mouth, savoring the fruity aroma. Seeing that Zhiqi was holding the candy and cookie but not eating them, she wondered if the child, being more mature, even liked these things. She picked up another piece of candy, peeled it, and offered it to Zhiqi.
Huo Zhiqi instinctively opened his mouth, and the sweet taste exploded in his mouth, a sensation he had never experienced before, making his scalp tingle.
Shen Mo was applying cement to the pool, and his legs were getting numb from squatting. He straightened up to stand for a moment and, out of the corner of his eye, saw the two of them sitting on the swing.
Their small feet dangled and swung gently from the edge of the swing.
Seeing this scene, Shen Mo felt a moment of being bewildered, then bent down to continue his work.
“Sister Jiang,” Huo Zhiqi called out.
The candy in his mouth had melted, leaving a lingering sweet taste.
Jiang Ning turned her head to look at him. “Hmm? What is it?”
Huo Zhiqi lowered his head, his small face turning red, but he didn’t say anything.
Jiang Ning tapped him on the head. “What’s wrong? Speak up. A young man like you shouldn’t be as shy as a girl.”
Jiang Ning could tell that this child had developed this personality from living under someone else’s roof for so long. He didn’t dare to express his inner thoughts and would suppress any ideas he knew were impossible.
As soon as Huo Zhiqi heard Jiang Ning say he was like a girl, he immediately widened his eyes, jumped off the swing, and patted his arm. “I’m not like a girl. I have a lot of strength.”
Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow. “So, what did you want to say just now?”
Huo Zhiqi lowered his head again.
Jiang Ning leaned against the swing rope.
Alright, this child was used to being quiet, and there was no point in pressuring him.
“……”
The little one pouted and seemed to say something, but Jiang Ning didn’t catch it.
“What?”
Huo Zhiqi gathered his courage and looked up. “Can I continue learning English with you?”
Jiang Ning didn’t expect the little guy to have such a strong desire to learn. At his age, most kids were more interested in playing and mischief.
Jiang Ning said, “Sure, as long as you don’t complain about it being hard, I can keep teaching you.”
The little guy was quick and decisive in his actions, like he had learned from someone.
As soon as Jiang Ning agreed, he ran into the house, brought out his torn backpack, and pulled out a pen and notebook.
“There are no tables and chairs outside, let’s go inside to write,” Jiang Ning said with a laugh, and led Huo Zhiqi into the house.
Little did they know, Shen Mo had overheard their conversation.
Shen Mo scanned the yard, finally deciding that the spot under the big tree would be perfect for a table and chairs.
Huo Zhiqi was smart, quick to understand, and fast to learn. Jiang Ning was growing to like him more and more.
Around 5 PM, Jiang Ning went to the kitchen to see what they would have for dinner. As soon as she entered the kitchen, the little guy had packed up his backpack and ran out of their yard.
Jiang Ning didn’t even have time to call him.
Meanwhile, Shen Mo had spent the entire afternoon finishing the pool.
Shen Mo took off his wet vest and walked into the house, pouring himself a cup of water from the kettle on the table.
After finishing the water, Shen Mo realized that there was only Jiang Ning in the house.
He asked, “Where is Zhiqi?”
This was the second time Jiang Ning had seen his bare upper body, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him for a while.
Shen Mo also noticed that his wife seemed to enjoy looking at his body. It was okay; his wife could look all she wanted.
Jiang Ning’s eyes remained fixed, but she responded, “Zhiqi ran off. That child is always in such a hurry; I don’t know where he went.”
Shen Mo glanced at the time. “He’s probably back at Chief Wang’s house for dinner.”
Jiang Ning nodded, then curiously asked, “Why is Zhiqi being raised in someone else’s house? What about his parents and family?”
Faced with Jiang Ning’s question, Shen Mo didn’t answer immediately. After a moment of silence, he said, “His mother passed away from illness when he was three years old. As for his father, he was a comrade in my regiment. Unfortunately, he was killed in action three years ago. Zhiqi has no other family now, so he is temporarily being fostered at Chief Wang’s house.”
Five years ago, after Zhiqi’s mother passed away, his father brought him to the military base to raise him. But as fate would have it, three years ago, during a mission, Zhiqi’s father tragically died in the line of duty.
Jiang Ning was taken aback. She hadn’t expected that such a young child had already lost both of his parents.
She had thought he was only temporarily staying with someone else, but it turned out that he had to live with others because his mother had passed away and his father had died in the line of duty. There was no one left to support him, no wonder the child was so sensitive.
“Jiang Ning.”
While Jiang Ning was still feeling sorry for Zhiqi’s situation, she heard Shen Mo call her name.
“Hmm?”
Jiang Ning turned around and saw Shen Mo with a hesitant expression. She asked, “What is it?”
Shen Mo looked at her, his hesitation turning into determination. “If possible, I hope Zhiqi can come to our house for meals more often.”
Jiang Ning didn’t see any problem with that and immediately agreed. “Of course, I really like Zhiqi.”
In this era, raising a child was much easier compared to modern times. It was just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks. In the modern world, everyone was competitive, and it started with children.
She hoped that children could be happy and carefree. In the future, children wouldn’t be like they are now, where a single piece of candy could make them happy for a long time.
Shen Mo didn’t detect any reluctance in Jiang Ning’s expression.
Back then, there was a period of contention within the military about Zhiqi’s guardianship. Most of the wives who accompanied their husbands to the base were unwilling to adopt Zhiqi. It was only when the chief learned about the situation and allowed Zhiqi to be temporarily fostered in his home that the matter was settled, preserving the chief’s reputation.
However, Zhiqi’s stay was only temporary because the chief’s mother never agreed to the adoption. The chief couldn’t go against his mother’s wishes, so he proposed a temporary fostering arrangement.
Shen Mo knew that Zhiqi’s life at the chief’s house wasn’t ideal. The men in their regiment often had to go on missions and couldn’t take care of a young child.
The soldiers in their regiment had secretly given Zhiqi money, but the child always refused to accept it and even found opportunities to return it.
—
At dinner time, Chief Wang’s family sat around the table.
Huo Zhiqi noticed that most of the meat on the table was in the bowls of Wang Xiaotian and Wang Xiaodi, with the remaining pieces in Chief Wang’s bowl.
Wang Jianwei picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Zhiqi’s bowl. “Zhiqi, eat more. You’re at an age where you need to grow.”
“Thank you, Uncle Wang,” Huo Zhiqi said.
Wang Jianwei had a habit of reading the newspaper while eating. After giving Huo Zhiqi a piece of meat, he lowered his head to eat and read the newspaper.
He completely missed noticing that the meat in Zhiqi’s bowl was taken away.
Wang Xiaotian made a face when he took the meat from Zhiqi’s bowl.
Wang’s wife and Grandma Wang pretended not to see it, and Grandma Wang even smiled and patted her beloved grandson on the head.
Huo Zhiqi was used to it and continued eating the green vegetables on the table.
After finishing half a bowl of rice, Zhiqi went to the kitchen to get a second bowl. As he did, a sharp and harsh voice came from behind him, “You’re just a child. One bowl is enough. If you eat two bowls and get full, what will people say about our care for you?”
Huo Zhiqi remembered the large bowl of white rice that Sister Jiang had pressed down for him at noon. The bowl of rice he had just eaten was less than half of what Sister Jiang had given him.
He lowered his head and placed the bowl on the stove.