Chapter 12: A Visitor Drops By

“Granny Su, quick, come in!”

It was rare for someone to visit, so Luo Yaqing quickly shook the water off her hands and ran into the house to bring out two stools.

“Please sit, please sit.” She greeted the grandmother and grandson warmly, then pulled a candy out of her pocket. “Jianguo, what’s this?”

Little Jianguo replied sweetly in a soft voice, “Candy~”

“Then, what do you call me?” Luo Yaqing teased with the candy.

“Auntie~”

“Good boy! Auntie’s giving Jianguo candy.”

Luo Yaqing gently pinched his chubby cheeks and smiled as she unwrapped the candy.

Granny Su reached out to stop her. “No, no, no, he doesn’t like sweets.”

“What kind of child doesn’t like candy?” Luo Yaqing replied with a bit of annoyance and popped the candy into Jianguo’s mouth.

Jianguo’s cheeks puffed up as he sucked on it, “Sweet~”

“You little rascal!”

Granny Su gave her grandson a couple of light smacks on the butt over his thick cotton pants.

Luo Yaqing laughed heartily.

Granny Su smiled and said, “We didn’t come here just for the treats.”

Before Luo Yaqing could respond, Granny Su continued, “You gave Jianguo a peach pastry before, and he remembered it. He kept pestering me to come to your house and give you something in return.”

Hearing this made Luo Yaqing genuinely happy, her eyes crinkling as she looked at little Jianguo.

Jianguo had forgotten the whole thing and was still focused on the candy. But with Granny Su’s reminder, he suddenly remembered.

He pulled a wad of paper out of his padded jacket pocket. Inside was a small, golden pastry.

“Auntie, here’s a sugar pastry.”

“A sugar pastry?” Luo Yaqing feigned surprise.

Granny Su smiled, “We made some sweet pastries this morning. He got a few, and wouldn’t eat them himself—insisted on bringing one over to you.”

“Auntie, eat~” Jianguo raised the sugar pastry to Luo Yaqing’s mouth.

Not wanting to disappoint the child—and even more so not wanting Granny Su to think she was being pretentious—Luo Yaqing gladly accepted and took a bite from Jianguo’s hand, savoring it happily.

Seeing that she wasn’t picky, Granny Su was delighted.

Because of that one sugar pastry, the distance between them melted away, and the conversation became easy and cheerful.

Luo Yaqing continued washing clothes while listening to Granny Su chat about various interesting stories, chiming in now and then.

Granny Su was practically the intelligence agent of the family compound. She knew everything—from world affairs to neighborhood gossip.

Though prone to exaggeration, she never lied.

Luo Yaqing just listened for entertainment.

“Auntie, soap~” Jianguo crouched beside the aluminum basin, handing over the old laundry soap.

“Good boy!”

Luo Yaqing rolled up her sleeves, took the soap, rubbed it on the dirty clothes, and got back to washing.

Granny Su glanced at the scar on her left wrist. “You’ve got a fiery temper. That cut must’ve hurt like hell.”

Luo Yaqing paused her work. “I was willful before. Looking back, I really regret it.”

“Your family used to be capitalists—wealthy, with servants for everything. No wonder you’re not used to the current life.”

Granny Su wasn’t being judgmental—just stating that girls from bourgeois families had a hard time adapting to the working-class life.

“…” Luo Yaqing gave an awkward laugh.

If she had actually lived one day of the original Luo family’s life, maybe she wouldn’t feel so aggrieved right now.

“When you marry a chicken, follow the chicken. Marry a dog, follow the dog. No matter how rich your maiden family was, it has nothing to do with you now.”

The original Luo Yaqing’s parents had passed away long ago. As the old saying goes, with your parents gone, your home is gone too. Without them, there was no one to rely on, and the rest of the Luo family didn’t care for her. Rich or not—it had nothing to do with her anymore.

And it certainly had nothing to do with the current Luo Yaqing.

“Exactly!” Granny Su agreed. “Yaqing, you’re married now. It’s time to settle down and live well with Captain Han.”

Elders often gave advice in old-fashioned ways—part reminder, part genuine care.

Luo Yaqing nodded obediently.

“Xiaolian, where are you off to so early?” Granny Su suddenly stretched her neck and called out toward the next courtyard.

Luo Yaqing looked over and saw Ma Xiaolian from next door with a green scarf on her head and a basket on her arm—she looked ready for a long trip.

“To the health clinic,” Ma Xiaolian answered while walking. After a few steps, she paused and looked over the fence. “Granny, why are you at her house?”

Since when did Granny Su get so chummy with that Luo girl?

“Still not over your cold?” Granny Su dodged the question and asked one instead.

Ma Xiaolian smiled faintly, “My head still hurts a bit.”

“Oh, why so serious?”

“Mm.”

“Why’re you carrying a basket to the clinic?”

Granny Su eyed the basket, which was tightly covered with a floral cloth.

Ma Xiaolian instinctively adjusted the cloth. “Oh, it’s nothing…”

Just then, an impatient voice called from inside her house: “Mom! Mom! Where are my meat and egg dumplings?!”

A second later—

A boy around eight or nine came running out. It was Ma Xiaolian’s younger son, Hu Shuangyang.

Ma Xiaolian snapped, “Are you looking to die? Get back in and finish your homework!”

“Mom, what’s in the basket?” Hu Shuangyang asked, eyes glued to it.

Ma Xiaolian’s face darkened. “Nothing. Go away. Stop bothering me.”

Then she turned to leave.

But Hu Shuangyang wasn’t letting go—he grabbed the basket tightly. “I want meat and egg dumplings! I want meat and egg dumplings!”

“Didn’t you already eat?!”

“Only six! Barely enough to fill the gap between my teeth! I don’t care—I want more!”

“There’s none left!”

“Mom, don’t lie. I counted! You made twenty dumplings. Dad didn’t have any before work this morning. There were fourteen left!”

“…”

“Confess and be lenient. Resist and be punished! Mom, hand over the dumplings in the basket!”

“You little brat—how dare you challenge your own mother…” Ma Xiaolian was so furious she raised her hand to smack him.

Hu Shuangyang shrank back, but still managed to threaten, “I’ll tell Dad you hit me, didn’t give me dumplings, and gave them to some outsider instead!”

“You…” Ma Xiaolian was about to explode.

Over the fence, Granny Su had already stood up from her stool, watching with interest.

Not wanting outsiders to see the joke, Ma Xiaolian tamped down her anger, grabbed a few dumplings from the basket, and hissed, “Just wait till we get home!”

Hu Shuangyang ignored her completely, stuffing dumplings into his mouth.

As soon as Ma Xiaolian left, Granny Su leaned over the fence and kindly spoke to the boy.

“Shuangyang, why aren’t you at school today?”

“Stomachache. I took the day off,” he mumbled, mouth full of dumplings.

Granny Su smiled. “Your mom’s dumplings aren’t bad.”

“They’re not boiled—they’re steamed dumplings!” he corrected.

Granny Su chuckled. “Oh, steamed, huh? Your mom’s really something. Shuangyang, who’s she taking them to?”

Hu Shuangyang stuffed the last dumpling in his mouth. “Someone named Ye-something-ping. I heard Mom say she’s sick.”

Granny Su looked at Luo Yaqing. “That’s the nurse at the clinic, Ye Hongping? Nurse Ye?”

Luo Yaqing found it strange too.

Granny Su wanted to ask more, but Hu Shuangyang had already taken off.