Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi
The heavy rain covered the boy’s boots, and some water got into his shoes. Chi Yan held her up, but his steps were still steady.
Jiang Sui was a little hesitant at first, but then she was attracted by another thing.
Chi Yan was too thin.
His body looked strong and tall, but at this moment, when her soft arms surrounded him, she suddenly felt like he was touching a skeleton. The boy had broad shoulders, but long-term malnutrition had made him very thin. She even felt a little pain from being hit against his body.
The rain suddenly became heavier. Jiang Sui couldn’t care less and quickly covered him with the umbrella.
The young man’s face was expressionless, and his black hair was soaked: “You cover yourself and your schoolbag, I’m already wet anyway.”
He didn’t know whether the little girl heard or not, her little hands shook, but the umbrella still covered the sky above his head.
He said no more and continued walking forward with her on his back.
He had been caught in the heavy rain for a long time, and his body was cold. While the little dumpling on his body was warm, as if it was made of marshmallows.
“Brother Chi Yan.” She suddenly spoke, her words carrying a fragrance, “Will you come back to study?”
“Won’t come back.”
“Oh.” Jiang Sui said, “It’s good to come back to study. Your grades are so good.”
His voice was always cold: “You are still young and won’t understand.”
Jiang Sui sighed in frustration, looking at her white and tender arms with a bit of sadness.
After being neighbors for two years, this was the closest they had ever gotten.
Chi Yan frowned and glanced at the sky. He didn’t go back to the car dealership but carried her back to the courtyard first. He was tall and had long legs, and unlike with Jiang Sui’s dawdling, he quickly carried her to the bluestone outside the courtyard.
“Go back by yourself.” He wiped his face and didn’t ask for the umbrella. He didn’t even look at her and turned around to go back to work.
Jiang Sui held the umbrella in place in a daze and didn’t react until he had walked away.
Jiang Shuisheng wore a raincoat and came out with an anxious look on his face. As soon as he left the courtyard, he saw his daughter standing next to the bluestone.
Jiang Shuisheng shouted: “Sui Sui!”
“Dad.”
Jiang Shuisheng waded through the water and ran over, quickly looking at his daughter: “Why did you come back by yourself when the rain was so heavy? What if you had fallen?”
Before Jiang Sui had time to answer, Jiang Shuisheng had already looked her up and down. Seeing that her pink dancing shoes were clean, Jiang Shuisheng asked in shock: “How did you come back?”
Jiang Sui was speechless as she thought of the boy’s bony back.
….
May passed by in a hurry, and Jiang Sui graduated from elementary school not long after. Summer vacation started in July and August, and everyone at their age had a lot of fun.
After all, this year was different from later generations. You could directly enter Sunshine Junior High School without taking an entrance exam.
The long summer vacation and no homework made the children go crazy.
It was just that no one got to see Jiang Sui. She still couldn’t stop doing balance exercises even during the holidays. So, she spent most of her time at the dance school.
On August 15th, Jiang Shuisheng made mooncakes by himself.
He was very good at making mooncakes, using sugar, red bean paste, flour, and a little honey. He would pat it flat and sprinkle it with crispy sesame seeds. It tasted particularly delicious when chewed.
Jiang Shuisheng had the capital and made a lot.
When the mooncakes were ready, he touched his daughter’s head and said, “Last time Chi Yan brought you home when it rained. This time during the Mid-Autumn Festival, you bring four cakes to the two brothers. If people are kind to us, we must understand and repay the favor.”
Jiang Sui smiled and nodded vigorously.
Jiang Shuisheng wrapped the mooncakes and asked his daughter to hold them in her hands: “Sui Sui, be careful when you walk.”
“I know, Dad.”
After knowing that she needed to practice more balance, Jiang Shuisheng no longer restricted his daughter from walking, but instead liked to let her walk more. Jiang Sui’s illness had improved somewhat, at least now she didn’t fall as frequently as before.
Jiang Sui walked slowly from the south side of the courtyard to the north side. This time it took six or seven minutes less than before.
However, before she entered, she saw an unexpected person outside the gate of Zhao’s house.
Jiang Sui walked over doubtfully: “Aunt Hong.”
A plainly dressed woman in her thirties stood there awkwardly. Seeing Jiang Sui coming over, a friendly and joyful smile appeared on her face: “Sui Sui.”
Jiang Sui asked: “What are you doing here?”
Hong Liyun rubbed her hands and smiled with thin lines at the end of her eyes: “My Qian’er brought mooncakes to Zhao Nan and Chi Yan. I’m waiting for her outside.”
Jiang Sui was stunned.
In fact, she had an impression of Hong Liyun. When Jiang Shuisheng was lying on the hospital bed with cirrhosis of the liver, only Hong Liyun came to see him many times from the people in the courtyard. This woman was kind and gentle and had a completely different personality from her daughter Liang Qian’er.
She became pregnant out of wedlock and suffered a lot when she was young. Later, she worked as a cleaner and raised Liang Qian’er by herself and was very kind to Liang Qian’er.
She had a hard life. She was obviously hardworking and kind, but when Liang Qian’er grew up, she rarely went home to see her.
Because of her gratitude to Hong Liyun, Jiang Sui didn’t have a strong dislike for Liang Qian’er.
“Aunt Hong, stand over here, the sun is brighter there.”
Hong Liyun quickly stood up, smiled and nodded: “Are you here to deliver mooncakes too?”
Jiang Sui also smiled at her, with a slight dimple on her cheek: “Yeah.”
Jiang Sui walked in and, as Hong Liyun said, Liang Qian’er was reluctantly handing mooncakes to Chi Yan.
Chi Yiming folded his arms and looked at her from the door with a sarcastic expression.
Liang Qian’er said: “The outermost ones are stuffed with peanuts and sesame seeds, and the smaller ones are filled with bean paste.” She looked reluctant and had raised her brows slightly, wishing Chi Yan would take it quickly so she wouldn’t waste her time.
Chi Yan was fetching water, so beads of sweat were sliding down the boy’s slightly red neck, soaking the piece of clothing on his back.
Liang Qian’er wrinkled her nose, as if Chi Yan had an unbearable smell of sweat on his body.
Chi Yan took it and his expression didn’t change much, as he nodded to Liang Qian’er: “Thank you.”
Liang Qian’er turned around, ignored him and left.
Jiang Sui looked at this scene hesitantly for a moment. After Liang Qian’er left, she looked down at the small bag her father had packed for her. In midsummer, the crispy fragrance in the bag was spreading slightly. She hesitated for a moment. Although she felt that they no longer needed her mooncakes, she still planned to bring her gratitude with her.
She walked over slowly.
When Chi Yiming saw Jiang Sui, his sarcastic expression turned into surprise.
Chi Yan put down the bucket and paused when he saw her.
Jiang Sui carefully handed over her bag to Chi Yan: “Thank you, these are the mooncakes made by my father. They are delicious. I wish you a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.”
Chi Yan looked at her lightly.
The little girl kept her little arm raised, but Chi Yan lowered his head and picked up the bucket again: “No need, you can take it back and eat it yourself.”
Jiang Sui took back the bag in her hand.
Chi Yiming came over at this time: “Little fool, show me your mooncakes.”
Jiang Sui was most afraid of seeing him, so she subconsciously hid behind Chi Yan.
Chi Yiming smiled and turned behind him: “Oh, it smells good!”
Chi Yiming couldn’t help laughing when he saw her, and gently pulled the little girl’s yellowish and soft hair: “Give it to me, give it to me too.”
Jiang Sui turned her head to look at him, extremely angry, her small ears red.
Just as Chi Yiming was about to laugh, Chi Yan suddenly put down the bucket.
The sound of “dong” was not loud, but it was enough for people to hear.
Chi Yan’s voice was hoarse due to being under the sun for too long: “Don’t take other people’s things randomly.”
Chi Yan did not look at Jiang Sui but said this to Chi Yiming. Chi Yiming hesitated for a moment, looked at his brother’s cold expression, and finally did not take Jiang Sui’s mooncakes.
Jiang Sui felt like she was being pardoned and hurried out.
After walking a long way, she looked at the mooncakes in her hands and felt a little depressed when she remembered that her own mooncakes were rejected.
Her Dad made it after over three hours.
However, her mood suddenly became brighter. Everyone had a preference. Everyone said that Liang Qian’er was the person Chi Yan liked when he was young. Between her own mooncakes and Liang Qian’er’s mooncakes, it was normal that he didn’t want hers.
Even if Liang Qian’er didn’t like him this year, how could an unfriendly attitude restrain one’s feelings of liking someone?
With Liang Qian’er’s mooncakes, they could have a happy Mid-Autumn Festival.
Jiang Sui was carrying mooncakes, thinking about bringing them to her little cousin’s house.
Jiang Xue loved sweets the most.
….
A full moon hung high in the sky at night.
It was quite pleasant to enjoy the cool air with a cattail leaf fan on a summer night. Chi Yan came out of the house and handed a mooncake from the newspaper to his brother.
Chi Yiming took it and took a bite: “Brother, why did you want Liang Qian’er’s mooncake?”
Chi Yan glanced at him lightly: “Aunt Hong had a backache a few days ago, so I helped her push the stroller home.”
Chi Yiming understood: “So this mooncake is a reward? This is really shabby.”
Chi Yan remained silent.
It was better than nothing, and food could not be wasted. This was something that he and Chi Yiming had engraved in their bones. It didn’t matter who gave it to him, just take it if you can eat it.
Chi Yiming said: “What about Jiang Sui? Why did her family send mooncakes?”
Chi Yan pursed his lips and finally said, “I don’t know.”
“Don’t you?” Chi Yiming looked at his brother suspiciously, but Chi Yan’s face was calm, and he couldn’t tell anything no matter how he looked.
Chi Yan chewed the mooncake in his mouth, his masseter muscles bulging from time to time.
The full moon was bright and gentle, and his life was like this night. It was rare to have such a peaceful and quiet moment.
He felt comfortable accepting the mooncakes from Liang Qian’er’s family as reward.
However, when it was from Jiang Sui’s family, he lowered his eyes and thought that he didn’t want to accept it.
He didn’t take her home for payment or a reward.
It was just raining heavily that day, and he didn’t know why, but looking at the little girl lying in front of the window watching him repair the car, he wanted to do this, so he did it.
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron and access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents • Next