Rong Zhaonan looked at Ning Yuan's slender back thoughtfully.
The way she looked at him just now was filled with an almost sad anger. Why did she react so violently?
But before he had time to think about it, Granny Xia pulled him excitedly: "Boy, give me the fish you grilled. I saw you eating grilled fish two days ago."
Rong Zhaonan pressed the glasses on the bridge of his nose: "...Grandma, don't push yourself too far."
Grandma Xia licked her lips and snorted coldly: "I knew you were hypocritical and stingy."
With that said, she turned around and walked away angrily, and Rong Zhaonan followed without expression.
Grandma Xia and her husband lived not far from the cowshed, in a half-collapsed adobe house at the foot of the mountain.
A scrawny old man was lying deep in the adobe house, sleeping on the straw-covered floor, with two broken bowls and a dark aluminum pot beside him.
Ning Yuan was stunned for a moment. She originally thought that the cowshed hut where Rong Zhaonan lived was dilapidated enough, but she never thought that there could be a house more collapsed and dilapidated than the cowshed.
Before she came to Grandma Xia's house, she guessed that Grandma Xia and her husband might be having a hard time.
But she didn't expect that their life would be so... difficult.
Seeing someone coming in, the old man who kept coughing could barely support himself——
"Ahem...is it Xiaorong? Is my old lady bothering you again? I'm really sorry."
The old man also has a pair of glasses with a missing leg on the bridge of his nose, with only half a lens left, and he speaks with a Beijing accent.
As soon as Ning Yuan heard his conversation, she knew that he was a cultural person, and most likely he was decentralized and reformed.
Grandma Xia jumped from behind Ning Yuan to the old man and helped him up: "Hey, old man, there is something to eat. The eel porridge is delicious!"
Ning Yuan was shocked by Granny Xia's agility. This old lady was quite flexible.
"What eel porridge...you went to Xiao Rong again to ask for food, you can't ask for it!" The old man stood up tremblingly.
The aroma of the remaining half pot of eel porridge wafted through the room. He couldn't help but swallow his saliva, but he still shook his head at Granny Xia: "Next time, don't do this again..."
Seeing this, Ning Yuan sighed secretly, walked over with the pot, and put it down beside the old man's bed: "The porridge is here, you can eat it."
There are not even stools in this house, so the food can only be placed on the floor.
"This is your dinner. Take it back. The young people have to work in the fields and they can't eat until they are full. We have sweet potatoes. The old people eat less and are not hungry."
The old man pressed his glasses tremblingly and shook his head.
"Old man, you're so sick, how can you do without eating? You're sick because you're hungry!" Granny Xia angrily took the pot and stuffed it into his arms.
Ning Yuan caught a glimpse of two small pieces of sweet potatoes in the dark broken pot on one side, and she couldn't tell how she felt.
The old man clearly needed food, but he graciously refused the food his wife grabbed, which made Ning Yuan very sad.
Ning Yuan knelt down, took the initiative to pick up the broken bowl next to the bed, filled the porridge and handed it to him: "Uncle Tang, you also have to work. I took the initiative to give this to Aunt Xia."
She thought of the dung truck not far away, and finally recognized who the old couple were.
They are an old couple in the team who are responsible for pulling manure and fertilizing.
The work was dirty, smelly, and tiring. The guys walked around and rarely saw each other, let alone talked to each other.
She had only vaguely heard that the surname of the old man who was shitting was Tang, but she didn't expect that he was such a gentle and gentle old man.
Uncle Tang looked at Ning Yuan and smiled kindly: "Ahem, cough, cough...you must be Xiaorong's partner...ahem...you are all good people."
Ning Yuan smiled: "We still have three fish for dinner. This porridge is from Dr. Rong... Zhaonan asked me to bring it to you."
Seeing that her old man was willing to eat, Grandma Xia was very happy. She quickly took a spoon and fed it to Uncle Tang: "Hey, I'm not lying to you. Eat it quickly, old man."
Only then did Uncle Tang let Aunt Xia feed him eel porridge.
Rong Zhaonan said nothing as he walked in. Looking at Ning Yuan's slender back squatting there, he slightly curved the corners of his lips.
The fragrant smell of fish porridge made Grandma Xia lick the corners of her mouth, but she said nothing.
But Uncle Tang pushed the pot in the direction of Grandma Xia: "You eat too. I'm sick and can't help you, but you still have to work tomorrow."
Grandma Xia suddenly turned around, grabbed another broken bowl, and stuffed the two sweet potatoes in her mouth: "I don't like eel porridge, it's very fishy."
Uncle Tang was stunned and started to cough: "Ahem, cough, cough...Old woman, you are really...how can I eat if you don't eat?"
Seeing the old couple who loved each other rejecting each other and finding excuses to let each other eat, Ning Yuan couldn't help but feel a little sore in her eyes for some reason.
She suddenly stood up: "Since Grandma Xia doesn't like eel porridge, Zhao Nan and I also have grilled fish. We can't eat that much fish anyway, so I'll bring you two."
With that said, she walked out the door.
Uncle Tang was stunned and said hurriedly: "Wait a minute, there's no need..."
Grandma Xia hurriedly pressed Uncle Tang's hand and smiled: "Working people should help each other. If the little girl is willing to bring me grilled fish, I will eat it."
"You..." Uncle Tang wanted to say something.
"Goodbye, please eat the eel porridge quickly so that I can wash the pot and send it back. Don't delay the newlyweds' evening enjoyment."
Aunt Xia unceremoniously stuffed a spoonful of porridge into Uncle Tang's mouth.
Grandma Xia's rude and straightforward words made Ning Yuan's face turn red instantly. She almost tripped and hurriedly stretched out her hand to support the wall.
How can this old lady speak so boldly in this era without fear of being accused of being a hooligan?
As a result, the wall was not holding her, so she held Rong Zhaonan's strong arm by the door.
Rong Zhaonan reached out to support her and said calmly: "Be careful, the room is dark."
Ning Yuan felt the smell of soap and grass passing by her ears, and her ears suddenly felt hot: "I'm fine!"
After saying that, she stood up in a panic and walked out quickly.
Seeing Ning Yuan jumping out of his arms like a frightened little rabbit, a strange light flashed in Rong Zhaonan's long and deep eyes.
When Ning Yuan brought back two grilled fish, Mrs. Xia devoured both fish.
Of course, she didn't forget to choose boneless fish meat and stuff it into Uncle Tang's mouth.
Finally, Ning Yuan and Rong Zhaonan returned to their cowsheds carrying empty aluminum pots.
In the southern countryside on a late autumn night, insects are chirping, and the fragrance of vegetation still lingers in the air.
Ning Yuan sat by the simple earthen stove in the backyard and looked at the remaining grilled small bass, her face changing unexpectedly.
Damn it, one day I am moved by someone else's love, and then... I starve to death.
If I had known, when I took the fish just now, I would have saved the biggest one!
There's not enough food for her with such a big palm, let alone a big man waiting for her to feed her!
"Why, don't you want to eat?" Rong Zhaonan looked at the rich expression on Ning Yuan's face and felt like laughing for no reason.
This little spy has just now remembered that one fish is not enough for them to share. Does he regret being here?
