Time passed day by day, and soon it was December. The average temperature in Shancheng in December was already down to single digits. Today was Saturday, and Su Yizhou was dragged out to the streets by his mother to buy clothes. Like most boys, he deeply hated shopping—not because he disliked buying clothes, but because...
Actually, after visiting just two shops, his clothes were already bought in less than 30 minutes. What followed was the long, arduous journey of accompanying Ms. Liu Shiran on her shopping spree.
After walking around for a long time, Liu Shiran finally looked with satisfaction at the various bags in her hands and prepared to take Su Yizhou home.
"Oh, Zhouzhou, look, aren't those Qianxi and Granny setting up a stall over there?" Liu Shiran said in surprise. She had chatted with Granny a few times during the apology before, so she was very familiar with their faces.
Su Yizhou looked over as well. A tricycle was parked there, with a rack full of candied haws mounted on the back. Little Ji Qianxi stood nearby, her cheeks flushed red by the wind. Even though her nature was a bit timid, she was still trying hard to help Granny attract customers.
Granny, however, wore a face full of worry, apparently distressed by the rack full of unsold candied haws.
Winter had arrived, and despite the single-digit temperature, Granny was only wearing a thin jacket. Although a bit old, it was still very clean. Ji Qianxi, on the other hand, was wrapped up like a dumpling in the clothes Granny had chosen for her. Although she wasn't wearing a down jacket like Su Yizhou, it was clear she had on many layers.
Looking at the sensible Ji Qianxi, Granny sighed. She actually wanted Ji Qianxi to stay safely at home to rest, but the little girl seemed to have her own stubbornness in this matter and insisted on coming out with her.
This time, it was Su Yizhou who pulled his mother and ran toward them, shouting Ji Qianxi's name as he ran.
Seeing her good friend running over, Ji Qianxi hurriedly waved back.
"Hello, Granny," Su Yizhou and his mother warmly greeted Granny, and then Su Yizhou went over to Ji Qianxi and whispered something to her.
"Ji Qianxi, Granny can even make candied haws? That's amazing," Su Yizhou asked.
"Mhm, Granny is the most amazing person in my heart!" Mentioning Granny, she lost her usual soft tone, and a trace of pride faintly showed.
Seeing Granny wearing such a thin jacket, Su Yizhou thought about something, but he didn't ask further. He just pestered his mother, saying he wanted to eat lots of candied haws.
Hearing this, Liu Shiran just smiled and chatted with Granny: "Granny, do you still remember me? We met because of my kid last time!"
"I remember, I remember! Don't look at how old I am, my memory is still as good as ever!"
"In such cold weather, why is Xixi following you out here?" Hearing Liu Shiran's question, Granny paused for a moment, then explained:
"There's no help for it. Xixi insisted on coming out with me, and there's no one at home to take care of her. I couldn't bear to leave her all alone at home either." With that, she waved her hand, signaling that she didn't want to talk about this matter anymore.
Sensing something, Liu Shiran changed the subject to the candied haws. Looking at Granny's thin attire, she asked for three sticks.
Granny looked puzzled, wondering if the three of them could possibly finish eating all three sticks.
"It's fine, his dad likes them too," Liu Shiran replied. *(Today, even if Su Jin doesn't like eating them, he's going to eat them whether he wants to or not!)*
Watching Liu Shiran hand the candied haws to him, Su Yizhou was secretly surprised: Today, Mom actually showed mercy and let me eat so much candy!
Knowing that Ji Qianxi also liked to eat candy, Su Yizhou bit off one piece and then held it out near Ji Qianxi's mouth, gesturing for her to eat as well.
Little Ji Qianxi found it hard to resist the temptation of candy, but she also knew that this was bought by Su Yizhou, so it belonged to him. She was on the selling side—how could a buyer ever treat her to her own goods?
Watching the interaction between the two little ones, Liu Shiran felt a pang in her heart. At an age similar to her own son's, the little girl was already so sensible it made one's heart ache. Then she looked back at her own son, who had been babbling for candy just a short while ago and acting so reluctant just to go shopping with her. *(Sure enough, you always find faults with your own child while everyone else's child is a precious treasure.)*
Seeing Ji Qianxi desperately resisting the temptation, Su Yizhou didn't care about the sugar residue stuck to his hand. He plucked off a piece of candied haw and shoved it right into the mouth of Ji Qianxi, who was staring at it with drool practically about to flow out.
Only after a delayed reaction did Xixi come to her senses. She glanced at the smiling Granny and Su Yizhou, her face turning red, before she finally began to chew.
If you wondered why someone selling candied haws could still crave them so much, even at her young age Ji Qianxi could see that Granny had it tough. Lately, Granny started working in the kitchen as soon as dawn broke to make the candied haws; how could she ever bear to eat them? Even when Granny offered them to her, she always pretended not to like them.
Of course Granny knew her precious granddaughter was thinking of her, and she understood her stubborn streak in these matters. She didn't offer her any more, but just sighed again, holding back her tears. Despite her red-rimmed eyes, she continued to bury her head in making the candied haws.
Seeing Su Yizhou wipe the sugar residue onto his down jacket, Liu Shiran shook her head again, deciding to let Su Yizhou thoroughly experience the joy of washing his own clothes today.
She also couldn't bear to watch such a carved-jade little girl having to run around everywhere with Granny for a living at such a tender age, going wherever the streets were crowded that day, especially in the dead of winter, when she was clearly still so small.
Turning to Granny, she suggested, "Granny, why don't I come pick Xixi up to play with Zhouzhou at our house on the weekends? This brat cries about being bored every single weekend, so having the two of them together will give them some company."
Granny was not the kind of person to trouble others. Her lifelong philosophy was to solve her own problems, especially when it concerned two people she had no blood relation with. This wasn't just a matter of pride; it also involved a favor that seemed very hard to ever repay.
Yet, thinking of her granddaughter, she still hesitated. If she could trade her old face to keep her granddaughter from enduring this kind of hardship on weekends—suffering the wind and sun without uttering a single cry of complaint—it would be worth it.
Liu Shiran saw the struggle on Granny's face at that moment. She stepped forward, took one of Granny's hands, and said softly:
"Granny, Xixi is so well-behaved, she won't be any trouble for me at all. On the contrary, my son is so noisy at home every day; having Xixi come over will at least give him a moment of peace."
Beside them, Su Yizhou wore a look of utter bewilderment. He was already much more sensible than a normal kid, alright? Still, he didn't voice any objection to his mother, because he didn't want to watch Ji Qianxi suffer through so much hardship either.
Granny fell silent, but she gave a slight nod in agreement. She knew that her pride was worthless in front of her granddaughter; if she had any relatives she could possibly entrust her to, she certainly wouldn't want to rely on her old face either.
However, she insisted that Su Yizhou and Liu Shiran must come to her house for dinner tonight. Knowing that this would make Granny feel a little better, Liu Shiran agreed.