Chapter 28: Heading to He Ziqing’s Aunt’s House

Qiu Yinuo made two large bowls of noodles, and the two of them sat at the small table on the heated brick bed, eating heartily.

“And I added the pickled vegetables we made the other day. It goes so well with the hot noodles. You should try it!”

He Ziqing picked up a bite of noodles, and as the hot noodles entered her stomach, her entire body warmed up.

Then she took a bite of the cucumber pickles. The taste was simply delicious.

As she picked up another bite of noodles, she found a boiled egg hidden among them, and her eyes immediately turned red.

“Sister Yinuo, why did you add an egg for me? You should have it instead. You’re feeding the kids, and you need to nourish your body.”

Seeing her about to put the egg in her own bowl, Qiu Yinuo quickly picked up the bowl and took it away. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t treat myself badly. I have one in my bowl too. You eat first. I won’t get much nourishment from eating one more.”

He Ziqing ate the noodles, mixing tears into each bite, and eventually finished the whole bowl in one go.

Qiu Yinuo noticed her red eyes and asked softly, “Qingqing, did something happen? You can tell me. Let’s think of a way together.”

He Ziqing bit her lip, then said, “There’s something, Sister Yinuo, I’m sorry, but I can’t work here anymore.”

“Why? Is it because of something I did, or is it your own reason?”

Without He Ziqing, life would be really inconvenient for her. After all, it would be hard to find someone like her—pure-hearted, good with children, and never causing trouble.

“Sister Yinuo, it’s my own reason.”

Qiu Yinuo pursed her lips, then tentatively asked, “Did something happen at your aunt’s house?”

He Ziqing hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Seeing her like that, it was clear she didn’t want to talk about it further, so Qiu Yinuo didn’t press her on her family matters.

In the end, she could only let her go, but she still said, “If your aunt’s issue gets resolved, you can come back anytime.”

“Thank you, Sister Yinuo.” If she stayed any longer, she knew she would never want to leave once Dabao and Erbao woke up. “Sister Yinuo, I’ll go pack my things.”

“…Okay.” Qiu Yinuo had always been someone who parted amicably with people and never mistreated her workers.

She took out five yuan from the cabinet. Since He Ziqing had come in the middle of the month, her wages were usually paid around that time. Now, it was still before the end of the month, meaning she had worked for less than half a month.

But Qiu Yinuo still wanted to give her a full month’s wage, as since He Ziqing came, she hardly had to worry about the kids or the household at all.

So, this money was well-deserved.

She pushed the five yuan into He Ziqing’s hand, but He Ziqing refused. “Sister Yinuo, I only worked here for half a month, and I’m leaving so suddenly. I can’t accept your money. Please take it back.”

“He Ziqing, having money is always better than not having any. If you’re in trouble, come to me. Even if I can’t help, I’ll think of a way with you. Right?”

He Ziqing was never the type to cry easily, but being treated so kindly by this sister for the first time, she couldn’t help but shed tears.

“Sister Yinuo, thank you.” He Ziqing understood Qiu Yinuo well. She knew that if she didn’t accept the money, Sister Yinuo wouldn’t let her leave.

Once the dust settled, she would buy some things and send them as a way to repay Sister Yinuo for her kindness.

After He Ziqing left, the house felt much quieter.

Qiu Yinuo sat with the two children on the heated bed, but there wasn’t much to do to pass the time.

She couldn’t help but sigh. Where else would she find a girl like He Ziqing who worked so efficiently?

She also wondered what had happened at He Ziqing’s aunt’s house. If money could solve the problem, it would be easy to fix.

Qiu Yinuo thought for a moment and felt that she should go to He Ziqing’s aunt’s house to check things out.

With that thought in mind, she climbed off the heated bed and put the twins into the space. “If you see the giant panda, don’t agree to bind the system so easily.”

Dabao showed a look on his face that was unusual for his age, as if to say: “Do you think I’m a fool?”

Qiu Yinuo could immediately understand him. Was this the connection between mother and child?

She patted his little head. “Keep an eye on your brother.”

He nodded in response.

Qiu Yinuo didn’t know exactly where He Ziqing’s maternal cousin lived, but she was certain Aunt Cai would.

So, she headed to the supply and marketing cooperative and asked Uncle Cai to inquire about their address.

After asking Aunt Cai for the directions, Qiu Yinuo went and bought quite a few items before making her way to Qingqing’s aunt’s house.

The aunt was washing clothes with her two older daughters, who were about eleven or twelve years old. Their little hands were as cold as carrots. Three younger children were playing in the snow outside, their clothes were full of patches, and their little faces were pale and yellow.

Qiu Yinuo furrowed her brows. She could never understand how, in such a difficult time, so many children were born.

“You are?”

“I’m Qiu Yinuo. You must have heard He Ziqing mention me.”

When the aunt heard this name, she immediately welcomed her warmly.

“Oh, so you’re the Shao family’s daughter-in-law who helped our Qingqing! I’ve heard so much about you. Qingqing told me everything. She brought back all those things from you yesterday. You’re so kind! You really shouldn’t have. When Qingqing left, I even had her bring some of my homemade pickled vegetables. Did you try them?”

Qiu Yinuo’s heart tightened. From the way the aunt spoke, it didn’t seem like anything had happened at home.

That’s bad. The person in trouble might not be the aunt’s family, but He Ziqing.

Qiu Yinuo blamed herself for not noticing sooner.

It seemed the aunt didn’t know anything yet. Qiu Yinuo suppressed all her doubts and immediately smiled. “I did try them, and they were really delicious. That’s why I wanted to come by before the New Year, to personally visit you and see the kids.” She then took out a few pieces of candy from a bag and handed them to the children.

When the children saw the candy, their eyes lit up with desire.

With their mom’s permission, they carefully took the candy.

The children seemed reluctant to eat it, gently licking it first. The sweet taste made them close their eyes in happiness.

Qiu Yinuo felt a little uncomfortable seeing this. She thought of her troublesome nephew, who, when he was young, wouldn’t even eat regular imported candy.

Now, these kids were unwilling to eat a piece of candy filled with industrial saccharin, which made her heart ache.

“Don’t be shy, eat it. I bought plenty, and later Auntie can share them with you. But remember, only one piece a day, or it’s too sweet for your teeth.”

Qiu Yinuo sat with them for a little while longer before leaving.

Once she stepped outside, the chill in the air helped her calm down. She thought carefully for a moment, then made her way straight to Aunt Cai’s house—most likely, only Aunt Cai would know where He Ziqing had gone.

An hour later, Qiu Yinuo appeared at the black market.

As expected, in a dim corner, she found He Ziqing with her face smeared in soot, completely disguised.

“Little sister, I have some pork here. Do you want to buy it?”

When the other party didn’t respond, He Ziqing looked up—and saw someone equally dressed in plain, dusty clothes, cheeks tinged with windburn… but with eyes so bright and familiar it made her heart jolt.

If it weren’t for those unmistakable eyes, she really wouldn’t have recognized her.

“S-Sister Yinuo, what are you doing here?”