In this courtyard, it’s not some high-ranking Colonel revered by the people of Qingshan County, but that neighborly young man who frequently interacts with their mother and son.
At this moment, Sister Hua felt a surge of warmth fill her eyes.
She responded, sniffed slightly, and without any hesitation, carried the bowl briskly into the small courtyard, her apron with dust swirling as she walked.
Behind her, Huwa was already aware of the situation and obediently followed, not being mischievous.
Sister Hua brought the steaming soup quickly to the eaves of the inner room.
At that time, two little demons lifting a rocking chair placed it by the door under Chen Yuan’s instructions, then Chen Yuan helped the recently awakened Old Wu to sit down.
The emaciated Old Wu was gently placed down by Chen Yuan, almost cradled.
Sister Hua watched as Chen Yuan bent down to care for the elderly man, feeling moved in her heart. People in the county regarded this gentleman as a deity-like figure, having saved Qingshan from life and death crisis multiple times, yet at this moment, in Sister Hua’s eyes, he was exceptionally real.
"Sir, what’s wrong with the elderly? This soup is best served hot, let me feed him." Sister Hua, not overly distant, naturally found it inappropriate to call him "Brother Yuan," as he was kind enough to treat them like family, proving Brother Yuan was a remarkable person, but one shouldn’t get ahead of themselves.
The elderly man before her was indeed different from what she imagined, as he was ill, but judging by his skeletal thinness, it was clearly not as simple as a cold.
Chen Yuan, placing Elder Wu properly, straightened up, glanced at the long-unseen neighbor Sister Hua, and the Little Huwa behind her, smiled slightly, then took the bowl, making light of the situation,
"The old man encountered something, but luckily overcame it, thank you Sister Hua, let me do it!"
He took the bowl, lifted the spoon, bent down, scooped a spoonful of soup, and brought it to Old Wu’s dry, chapped lips.
Only to see the recently awakened, weak Old Wu slowly open his mouth, with self-reproach in his eyes,
"Sir, you are a man of integrity and dignity, I... will do it myself."
Saying this, his frail body trembled, attempting to rise.
Chen Yuan firmly pressed him down, brow furrowed, "Don’t be stubborn, old man, you’ve aged, and I’m here to take you in for old-age care, so you can properly recover."
Old Wu, hearing this, like an old child, obediently lay back, being served soup by Chen Yuan.
After feeding nearly a dozen spoonfuls, Old Wu slowly closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Though he had overcome obstacles, his body was still very weak.
Seeing this, Chen Yuan gestured to the two little ones crouching nearby, "Bring the blanket."
The two little ones immediately scuttled into the inner room.
In the blink of an eye, a blanket flew out from the house, landing on Old Wu, followed by two furry heads emerging from beneath the blanket, the two little ones swiftly darting out.
Meanwhile, Chen Yuan, with half a bowl of Five Red Soup left, didn’t waste it and drank it himself, gulping it down like a large cup of strong liquor, but its taste was more refreshing than a bowl of strong alcohol!
Qingshan County is the place where he was reborn, also his "second hometown," the neighbor Sister Hua and her son he felt very close to, this bowl of hometown soup seemed to wash away all his fatigue from days of expedition.
After drinking, he wiped his sleeve, returning the bowl to Sister Hua, showing concern, "Sister Hua, after I left, has life been difficult?"
"No, no!" Sister Hua hurriedly shook her head, then with a satisfied expression said, "After you left, the county town became more bustling, my stall business improved compared to before, just recently due to the odd snowfall, prices rose, but the County Government officials opened the granary to stabilize the situation."
Saying this, Sister Hua seemed hesitant, rubbing her hands on the apron at her waist, appearing somewhat embarrassed,
"I didn’t know you were coming back, it’s mealtime, and I haven’t prepared anything at home."
She simply thought Chen Yuan finished half a bowl of soup, naively believing he was hungry, that it was rare for the gentleman to return, and she hadn’t prepared.
"No worries, as a person who practices cultivation, I no longer need food."
"How amazing!" At this moment, came an exclamation from behind.
It was Huwa with his tiger-like head, this little one upon hearing this had bright eyes.
Chen Yuan beckoned to Huwa behind Sister Hua, "Huwa, come here."
Huwa obediently stepped forward, adopting his school demeanor, gave Chen Yuan a student salute, "Student, meet the Sir!"
The crisp child’s voice accompanied by his sniffling Azure Dragon, giving an indescribable comic effect at the moment.
Sister Hua’s expression was complex, both gratified that her son showed potential, yet annoyed with the little rascal for not cleaning the thing on his nose.
Chen Yuan laughed heartily, patted his head, "Since you call yourself a student, I’ll teach you some skills!"
"What skills?" Huwa asked innocently.
"Haven’t you always pestered your mom about learning martial arts so you can uphold justice and walk the path of heaven when you grow up? I’ll teach you, how’s that?" Chen Yuan said smilingly, with a faint golden light flowing in his hand.
"Okay!" Huwa replied excitedly.
Beside him, Sister Hua’s face was moved, wanting to speak, her eyes gradually glistening with tears.
She knew this would be a monumental blessing for her son, but she felt guilty, not thinking her mother and son had brought anything to Brother Yuan, yet thinking of her son, her words stuck in her throat.