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Nanhua Village was Zhuang Zi’ang’s hometown, where his grandparents lived.
Every winter and summer vacation, he spent his time in that beautiful village.
All the few joyful memories from his childhood were left there.
This time, Zhuang Zi’ang wouldn’t wait for summer vacation; he wanted to go back and take a look.
Perhaps it would be his last chance.
Su Yudie initially thought Zhuang Zi’ang wanted her to do something difficult, but upon learning it was just to go out and have fun, she immediately agreed with joy.
However, the condition was that they had to return before dark to catch the 6:10 PM bus.
Zhuang Zi’ang played with Su Yudie’s braid, taking off the lucky red string from his wrist and tying it into a bow at the end of her braid.
His method of tying the bow was cumbersome, a technique his grandfather had taught him for tying shoelaces, making it look somewhat clumsy.
Later, he had seen a classmate do it in a much simpler way, like a magic trick, with just a twist of the hands.
He practiced for a long time but never managed to learn it, so he gave up.
After all, the way that girl tied her bows was taught by her mother, and he had long since lost his mother.
“Your bow is as ugly as ever,” Su Yudie pouted.
“Not at all! They look the same!” Zhuang Zi’ang insisted, then quickly changed the subject, “Last week, I went to the Xiaoyao Palace, and the fortune teller there said this was something from there.”
“He’s not a fortune teller; he’s just an old con man! Only a fool would fall for his tricks,” Su Yudie laughed.
“I think he has an ethereal presence and quotes classics; he doesn’t seem like a fraud,” Zhuang Zi’ang said weakly.
“You big dummy, just admit it—how much did you get scammed for? ”
“Uh… ten yuan.”
Su Yudie’s loud laughter echoed across the grass.
With that level of intelligence, he was still the top student in the grade!
Zhuang Zi’ang’s face turned red; he thought to himself, I was just worried about you.
Reflecting on that day with the fortune teller, even though he rambled on with what seemed like reasonable arguments and clever phrases, it was all nonsense.
He had received no help in finding Xiao Butterfly.
Fortune telling is inherently ambiguous, pretentious in its complexity.
To those who believe, it provides comfort; to those who don’t, it’s meaningless — merely a way to buy peace of mind.
“By the way, I met a grandmother selling snacks there; her tofu pudding was delicious. Do you know her?” Zhuang Zi’ang asked.
“No, I don’t know her; I’ve never seen her,” Su Yudie shook her head.
Zhuang Zi’ang felt puzzled. Since she knew the fortune teller, it was strange that she didn’t know the grandmother selling tofu pudding.
Zhuang Zi’ang initially thought the two were in cahoots, selling bundled goods.
Su Yudie patted her chest. “If you want to eat tofu pudding, you don’t need to spend money. The tofu pudding I make is even better than what you can buy outside.”
Zhuang Zi’ang asked with a grin, “You can make tofu pudding?”
“Of course! It’s very simple. Soak the soybeans overnight, grind them into soy milk with a stone mill, filter out the foam, cook it while stirring, let it cool slightly after boiling, add coagulant, and wait for it to solidify…”
Su Yudie explained confidently, then added with a teasing tone, “Isn’t that simple?”
Zhuang Zi’ang was left dumbfounded, mumbling, “Yeah… it is quite simple.”
He had seen villagers make tofu back in his hometown.
Tofu pudding was a semi-finished product of tofu, with fewer steps, but it still seemed incredibly tedious to him.
With that much effort, wouldn’t it be better to just buy a bowl?
However, recalling the scene of Su Yudie making kites, he understood her enthusiasm.
She must have enjoyed the whole process.
Transforming ordinary soybeans into soft and silky tofu pudding was indeed a magical experience.
Suddenly, he really wanted to taste her tofu… pudding.
The evening glow filled the ground, and the flowing water was silent.
Time gently slipped away with the breeze by the riverside.
As it neared six o’clock, it was almost time to part ways.
Zhuang Zi’ang accompanied Su Yudie to the bus stop, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, “I have nothing to do anyway. How about I walk you home?”
Xiao Butterfly shook her head. “No, I’m not a child; I can go back by myself.”
“I just want to spend a little more time with you!” Zhuang Zi’ang said, tugging at her wrist like a child begging.
Su Yudie fixed her gaze on Zhuang Zi’ang’s eyes, extending her finger to poke his nose.
“Are you trying to come home with me, saying you’re tired and want to go inside for a drink, then dawdle and never leave, wanting to stay overnight and do something inappropriate in the middle of the night?”
Zhuang Zi’ang’s face turned red as he stammered, “No… I wasn’t thinking that much.”
Su Yudie burst into laughter. “Why are you so flustered? I’m just teasing you!”
Zhuang Zi’ang glared at her, his face long and sulky.
You’ve already stayed over at my place twice, yet you won’t tell me where you live.
And then you pretended to be drunk and took away my first kiss, acting like nothing happened afterward.
Isn’t that a bit rogue?
The bus No. 19 turned the corner, and it was time to say goodbye.
Su Yudie said softly, “Alright, I’ll come back to play with you tomorrow.”
“Please don’t disappear for a long time again,” Zhuang Zi’ang said reluctantly.
“I won’t! If I have something to do, I’ll let you know in advance,” Su Yudie replied, taking a couple of steps before turning back to wave. “Goodbye, big dummy!”
The bus slowly pulled away, stirring up a few fallen leaves from the road.
In the evening sky, you could see both the sun and the moon.
When the bright moon shone, it once illuminated the colorful clouds returning.
After dinner, Zhuang Zi’ang returned to his rental apartment and dialed his grandfather’s phone number.
It rang a few times before being picked up; it seemed his grandfather, Zhuang Jianguo, was still getting used to using a mobile phone.
“Hello, who is this?”
Zhuang Jianguo’s aged voice came through the receiver.
Even though the phone displayed the caller ID, he couldn’t see it clearly and didn’t know who was calling.
“Grandpa, it’s me!” As soon as Zhuang Zi’ang spoke, he felt a bit emotional.
“Zi’ang, is your dad bullying you again?” Zhuang Jianguo asked hurriedly.
“No, Grandpa. Since the day you left, I haven’t gone back,” Zhuang Zi’ang replied.
“Alas, what a nice family it used to be, and now it’s turned into this.” Zhuang Jianguo sighed.
The old man had spent his life worrying about his children and grandchildren, but when faced with such a situation, he didn’t know how to resolve it.
Zhuang Wen Zhao, over forty, was defying him, and he truly couldn’t do anything about it; he felt helpless.
“Grandpa, I’ll come back to see you on Saturday,” Zhuang Zi’ang said.
“Really?” Zhuang Jianguo’s voice was filled with surprise, then he paused for a moment. “You have a heavy study load; if you don’t have time, you don’t need to come back. Your grandma and I are doing just fine.”
“I miss Grandma’s cooking,” Zhuang Zi’ang tried to keep his tone light.
“Alright, I’ll have Grandma prepare it early,” Zhuang Jianguo said, his happiness evident in his voice.
Elderly people like him awaited the visits of their children and grandchildren day and night.
Yet they wouldn’t say it outright, preferring to let them focus on work and studies.
“By the way, Grandpa, I have a friend coming back with me.”
“Who is it? A boy or a girl?”
“You’ll find out when I get there!” Zhuang Zi’ang teased, holding back a smile.
Xiao Butterfly was so adorable; his grandparents would definitely like her.