Chapter 6 – This Girl Has a Good Heart

Xia Tian didn’t waste any time. She left the room and prepared to make breakfast, noticing that Shen Nian didn’t seem like the type of person who could cook for himself.

She stepped into the courtyard and glanced around. Apart from the main house, there were three rooms. To the east, there was a side room, which, based on local building habits, was most likely the kitchen.

Xia Tian walked straight to the east room, and sure enough, it was the kitchen.

She rummaged through the kitchen. There were several grain bags in a large container. She opened each one to check – rice, flour, millet, and cornmeal—there wasn’t much, but it seemed enough to last a few days.

In the cupboard, there were cooking utensils, bowls, chopsticks, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and a few eggs. The seasonings were fairly complete.

Considering Shen Nian’s frail appearance, she figured he wouldn’t be able to digest anything too hard. For breakfast, she decided to make some millet porridge and fry a couple of egg pancakes—simple, delicious, and nutritious.

Without hesitation, Xia Tian washed her hands, filled a pot with water, and lit the firewood to boil the water. While waiting for the water to boil, she rinsed some millet and set it aside.

She looked around the kitchen but didn’t see any vegetables or green onions. She recalled seeing a small garden behind the house earlier, so she went out to check, wondering if there were any plants growing there.

As she reached the garden, she saw that it wasn’t planted with vegetables, but there was a small patch of green onions at the edge. Clearly, no one had tended to them, and they were sparse and unkempt. Xia Tian picked a few tender leaves and brought them back to the kitchen.

When the water was boiling, she took a clean bowl, scooped out some water, and then added the millet to the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon before covering the pot and simmering it on low heat.

Next, she took a porcelain bowl, added some flour, cracked two eggs, and added some seasonings and salt. She mixed it into a thin batter using lukewarm water, preparing to make egg pancakes.

Suddenly, she remembered she hadn’t asked Shen Nian if he had any food restrictions. She hurried out of the kitchen and, without entering his room, directly asked, “Shen Dage, I’m making breakfast. Are there any foods you can’t eat?”

“No,” he replied, his voice slightly hoarse, likely from just waking up.

Xia Tian sprinkled some green onions into the egg batter and mixed it well. Then, she lit the small stove and heated up some vegetable oil in a small iron pan to fry the pancakes.

Once the egg pancakes were ready and the millet porridge was done, she ladled some porridge into a large bowl and set it on a bamboo tray with the chopsticks, carrying it to Shen Nian’s room.

She called out from the doorway, “Shen Dage, I’m coming in.” Without waiting for a response, she lifted the curtain and entered.

She placed the tray on the table and called Shen Nian over to eat. “Shen Dage, I’m not sure what you like, so I made some millet porridge and fried a couple of egg pancakes. Please try them and see if they suit your taste.”

Shen Nian got off the bed, sat at the table, and looked at the single set of bowls and chopsticks. He glanced at Xia Tian, who smiled at him. “I had breakfast before I left this morning.”

Shen Nian didn’t respond. He quietly began eating. The food wasn’t bad—the millet porridge was thick and soft, and the egg pancakes were fluffy and sweet. It was clear that Xia Tian had some skill in cooking.

The breakfast wasn’t much, but after Shen Nian finished eating slowly, Xia Tian collected the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Afterward, she poured him a cup of cool water and returned to her own room.

She had woken up early and had been busy, so now Xia Tian felt a little tired. She climbed onto the bed, wiped down the bedding with a cloth, and laid out the blankets, ready to take a short nap. The blankets were all new, which made her feel a little more at ease.

As soon as she lay down, her hand brushed against the pouch in her pocket. She took it out, opened it, and counted the coins inside—seventeen copper coins.

A tinge of bitterness filled her heart. Although the Xia family couldn’t protect their children, her mother’s love for her was the same.

All the family’s money was in her grandmother’s hands, and she wasn’t sure how her mother had managed to save these few coins.

Thinking back to her own mother, Xia Tian couldn’t help but remember how her mother had always favored her younger brother, but still managed to send her to college.

After she started working, her mother often found excuses to ask for money. Even when Xia Tian bought a house, her mother had given her tens of thousands to help with the down payment.

She tucked the pouch back into her pocket and lay down. Before long, she fell asleep.

She slept deeply, and when she woke up, it was already past noon.

Hastily, she got up, her stomach growling. She guessed that Shen Nian must be starving by now.

She had promised the boss she would do well today, but she hadn’t expected to fall asleep and lose track of time.

She left the room quietly and went to the kitchen to cook. She lit the fire, boiled water, and mixed the dough. Soon, she had two bowls of noodles ready, and she cracked an egg into one bowl, sprinkling a little green onion on top before bringing it to Shen Nian.

“Shen Dage, come eat. You must be starving, right? I accidentally fell asleep and delayed making lunch.” Xia Tian explained apologetically.

“It’s fine,” Shen Nian said, putting down the book in his hand. He glanced at the table, noticing that there was only one bowl of noodles, and didn’t pick up the chopsticks right away.

“I’ll go to the kitchen to get mine.” Xia Tian quickly understood and brought her own bowl of noodles over before sitting on another stool to eat.

She hadn’t expected Shen Nian, who seemed distant, to actually be quite warm. Xia Tian smiled to herself.

Shen Nian had lived for twenty years, and he had never eaten so simply. Even in the past few months, when he had fallen to such a state, Mu Yang would still prepare two dishes for every meal.

Thinking of Mu Yang made Shen Nian’s heart heavy. If Mu Yang hadn’t taken that knife for him, he would have been dead by now.

But sadly, Mu Yang hadn’t made it…

Shen Nian hadn’t moved his chopsticks for a while. Xia Tian looked up in confusion, realizing that he was staring at the bowl. She quickly understood. “I saw there weren’t many eggs left, so I only boiled one. But you’re in poor health, you should eat more nutritious food. I can go buy more from the village later, it’s fine, I didn’t eat much.”

Shen Nian paused before picking up his chopsticks again. “There’s no need for that.”

This girl really did have a good heart, even though she often misunderstood things.

“I know, I won’t neglect myself. Shen Dage, please eat before the noodles get cold.” Xia Tian smiled and continued eating once she saw that Shen Nian had started.

Even though there were no vegetables, and the noodles were just plain noodles in water, they actually tasted pretty good. This was the most comforting meal Shen Nian had had in the past few days since Mu Yang passed.

After they finished eating, Xia Tian didn’t rush to leave. “Shen Dage, I hear you coughing a lot, but you haven’t been taking any medicine. Has your medicine run out? Do you want to see a doctor?”

Shen Nian’s expression darkened. “No need.”

His illness couldn’t be cured…

Xia Tian didn’t dare to insist. After all, they had just met and she didn’t know much about his condition. Pushing him too much might make him uncomfortable.

She just hoped he would live a bit longer and feel more at ease.

In this strange world, having someone to talk to would keep her from feeling too lonely.

Life was already tough for women, let alone for a single woman.

Having someone to accompany her gave her peace of mind, even if it was just someone like her boss.

“Well, Shen Dage, I see the weather is nice today. You should get some fresh air in the courtyard and relax a little. It might help you feel better.” Xia Tian said nervously, glancing at Shen Nian.

“Hmm,” Shen Nian murmured, his brow furrowing. He didn’t want to think any further. Lately, he had been having all sorts of strange thoughts.

When Xia Tian saw that Shen Nian agreed, she was instantly delighted and quickly went to clean up the dishes.

She washed the pot, lit the fire to boil more water, and filled Shen Nian’s teapot. She then filled a container with the rest of the water, covered it, and left it to cool so it would be nice to drink.

Xia Tian then moved Shen Nian’s teapot and the table and stools into the courtyard, placing them under a apricot tree near the south wall, and invited him to sit outside.

Shen Nian, seeing Xia Tian’s busy movements, didn’t refuse her kindness. He stepped out of the room and sat in the courtyard.

The weather wasn’t too hot in March, and the breeze under the tree felt quite comfortable.

Xia Tian watched as Shen Nian sat outside with his eyes slightly closed. She didn’t disturb him, but quietly went back inside to clean the room and wash the clothes he had taken off.

There was no well in the courtyard, so she didn’t know where to fetch water.

Just as she was about to ask Shen Nian, she heard someone calling from outside. “Is Mrs. Shen home?”