"Yes, if you think like that, you’re absolutely right," Du Chang praised.
"Brother Cheng, Nian’an and younger sister Xu are here," Ling Dong reported eagerly upon seeing the Xu siblings arriving.
Just after Du Chang had finished massaging his leg, Pei Yicheng quickly pulled over the blanket to cover his legs and said, "Ask them to wait outside for a while."
"I’ll go take a look, not sure if Nianhua girl has brought something delicious," Du Chang was particularly craving the braised pork Nianhua had made before, which was fatty but not greasy and irresistibly delectable.
"Grandpa, you should eat less braised pork,"
Pei Yicheng quickly cautioned, aware that while braised pork was delicious, it was also quite greasy.
"Nianhua girl," Du Chang’s eyes sparkled as he looked toward Xu Nianhua, who sometimes brought over a dish and sometimes some pastries.
"Du Grandpa, I made some cake myself, would you like to try it?" Xu Nianhua placed the cake on the table.
She had divided it into four portions, clearly one for each of the four of them.
"Sure," Du Chang said as he started unpacking it, "Everything Nianhua girl makes is tasty."
"Du Grandpa, that’s right, my little sister’s cooking is truly delicious. You have no idea, when I watched her make this cake, it seemed so magical," Xu Nian’an chimed in eagerly.
Yesterday, Xu Nianhua had been busy making cake, which wasn’t easy to do without modern mixers, whipping eggs by hand was quite the strenuous task.
However, the unanimous praise from the family made her feel that all the effort was worthwhile.
The cakes she brought today were specially saved for the Du family.
Du Chang took a bite, finding it soft and fragrant, with a delightful egg flavor; there was only one flaw—it was gone too quickly.
"Du Grandpa, next time, I’ll make dumplings for you," Xu Nianhua changed the subject.
"Grandpa, let me try too," Cheng Hao, worried his portion might be gone, quickly grabbed it.
"Okay, you said so," Du Chang said happily.
"It’s delicious, particularly delicious."
Cheng Hao felt the days in Gaoliang County were almost heavenly.
He had even met a beautiful girl and earned some money; his parents and grandfather would definitely be happy.
When Ling Dong wheeled Pei Yicheng out, as soon as they entered the living room, they were greeted with the aroma of the cake.
"Yicheng, let’s talk about this, give me that piece," Du Chang eyed the two pieces of cake, wishing he could eat them both.
"See, Grandpa just massaged you, and you said I worked hard, right?"
Du Chang smacked his lips like a child craving sweets.
Pei Yicheng picked up the cake, and even without tasting it, the aroma was tantalizing. He broke it in half for Du Chang, saying, "Grandpa has worked hard."
"Grandpa, I’ll also share half with you,"
Ling Dong gave half to Du Chang too.
Du Chang was immediately content, nibbling slowly, afraid the taste would disappear before he savored it.
"Next time, I’ll make more," Xu Nianhua said with a smile, her eyes landing on Pei Yicheng’s leg. Thinking about the ancestral massage technique she had learned, she wondered how she could offer him a massage.
Beyond being mindful of the differences between men and women, how could she even begin to explain the technique?
Xu Nianhua felt troubled; suddenly, her eyes lit up and she asked, "Du Grandpa, did you massage Brother Cheng’s leg to prevent muscle atrophy?"
"That’s right," nodded Du Chang, adding in praise, "Nianhua girl knows quite a bit."