Su Wanyu explained, "Mom, these two kids are our neighbors’. They came to do homework with Mianmian."
Li Lan and Wang Li came over and politely greeted, "Hello, Grandma Jiang."
"Ah, good, good kids. Come on, Zhiwen, Zhiwu, go play with your brother and sister." Zhang Guihua pushed her two grandsons towards them, letting the children play together.
She noticed that Wang Li and Li Lan were dressed neatly in good-quality clothes, a clear sign that their family was well-off. She thought it would be good for her grandchildren to interact with them and make more city friends.
Jiang Mianmian also stepped forward timely to introduce everyone.
"Eldest brother, second brother, this is Wang Li, this is Li Lan."
"Wang Li, this is my eldest brother, Jiang Zhiwen, and this is my second brother, Jiang Zhiwu."
Su Wanyu knew her daughter could take good care of the children, so she led Zhang Guihua to the living room sofa, "Mom, let the kids play by themselves. You must be tired. Have a seat here; I’ll get you a glass of water."
"Come, eldest daughter-in-law, take these vegetables and eggs. Everything costs money here in the city. This bamboo shoot was dug up by Laosan and the second brother yesterday on the mountain. It’s tender and Mianmian’s favorite," Zhang Guihua said cheerfully.
The old lady had come this time, especially with a basket full of chicken eggs and tender bamboo shoots, clearly well-prepared.
"Thank you, Mom. Look at you, carrying them all the way here, so tiring. Next time, just wait for Changhai to bring them when he comes back," Su Wanyu said considerately.
"How can that be? These bamboo shoots should be eaten now; they won’t be good in a few days. If my granddaughter loves them, no matter how tiring, it’s worth it," Zhang Guihua said, looking at Jiang Mianmian playing on the side.
"Thank you, Grandma. I knew you loved me the most," Jiang Mianmian sweetly cooed, looking over when she heard Zhang Guihua’s words.
Glancing at the clock, Su Wanyu prepared to go to the kitchen to make lunch. "Mom, have a rest. I’m going to make lunch."
"Okay, go ahead, Don’t worry about me."
Zhang Guihua, being older, felt tired after the journey and just sat on the sofa, watching the kids playing together.
"Mianmian, are you doing your homework?" Zhiwen pointed at the homework on the dining table and asked.
"Yes, eldest brother. Have you two finished your homework?" Jiang Mianmian asked teasingly, knowing that Zhiwen and Zhiwu always crammed their homework in the days before school started.
"Haha, Mianmian, we did finish it this time. Dad made us sit down at gunpoint to do it," Zhiwu laughed and whispered.
When Wang Li heard Zhiwu’s comment, he felt a sense of camaraderie and slapped Zhiwu’s shoulder, saying both proudly and sympathetically, "Haha, that’s too harsh, isn’t it? Then you guys must not have had a fun summer, right?"
"Exactly, not only could we not go out, but we also had to work in the fields with my dad. Look what I’ve turned into, I’m going to get laughed at when school starts," Zhiwu said, lifting his sleeve to look at his sun-darkened arm, looking somewhat distressed.
Listening to this, Wang Li said empathetically, "Ah, brother, I really feel for you. Compared to you, I’m truly blessed. My dad goes to work every day and has no time to bother with me. I spend my days reading comics, living the life."
Those days were all in the past.
He used to be able to play around the neighborhood every holiday, openly reading his comics.