Aunt Jin brought the last bowl of soup from the kitchen, refusing to join them at the table.
Pei Yining didn’t call her again, whispering to Xu Nianhua, "Aunt Jin must be going to feed her mute daughter."
"Her mute daughter is Aunt Jin’s eldest, who, because of a fever during childhood and taking the wrong medicine, nearly died. She survived, but she can’t speak and her brain was damaged."
Pei Yining sighed; Aunt Jin really had it tough, raising several children all by herself. Because mom had helped Aunt Jin, she had always looked after this house, making sure it was exceptionally clean whenever they came over.
"The medical conditions back then were indeed not very good," Xu Nianhua remarked.
"Let’s not talk about that anymore. Let’s hurry up and try Aunt Jin’s dishes; my grandfather and my mom used to love her cooking," Pei Yining enthusiastically invited Xu Nianhua to start eating.
After a hearty dinner, the four of them worked together to quickly wash up the dishes. In the courtyard, under the wisteria, there was a marble table set up.
Pei Yining cut some fruit and laid it on the table, joyfully saying, "Try this, the mango tastes really good."
"And there are grapes too."
Pei Yining brought the fruits one by one, warmly calling everyone to try them.
"Yining, I’ve just eaten my fill," Xu Nianhua touched her stomach; she was already full from the meal.
"Fruits won’t fill you up that much."
Pei Yining handed her a mango, saying, "It’s especially sweet."
"I’ve never tried it before," Xu Nian’an looked at the golden mango and said very straightforwardly, not hiding the fact that he had never tried it before.
Pei Yining loved mangoes. As she peeled the skin for them, she silently showed them how to eat it. Biting into it was delicious, although it made the hands a bit messy.
Xu Nian’an followed suit, peeled the skin, and after tasting it said, "It really is good, pretty sweet."
"Try this one too," Pei Yining handed a small bunch of grapes to Xu Nian’an, saying, "These grapes are especially sweet."
"Yicheng, are you in your second or first year of university now?"
Xu Nianhua, indeed full, couldn’t eat anymore. She set the mango down on the table and asked Pei Yicheng.
Pei Yicheng leaned back in his chair, his posture very relaxed, his dark eyes upon her surprised face as he explained, "I studied on my own and passed the exams, so naturally, I moved up a grade."
Xu Nianhua gave him a thumbs up. It wasn’t easy for Pei Yicheng to settle down to self-study amidst such misfortune.
"What’s impressive is you. The last manuscript you translated, my friend said it was exceptionally well done," Pei Yicheng praised, his deep eyes holding not only admiration but perhaps a hint of indulgence?
Xu Nianhua thought it must be because the moonlight was dim, causing her to see things blur.
"It’s not as good as you say. There were some phrases that I mulled over for a long time, afraid I might not translate accurately," Xu Nianhua modestly responded, even though deep down she knew her translation was very good. But being praised by Pei Yicheng made her heart inexplicably sweet, like a primary school student receiving praise from a teacher, exceptionally happy.
"You both should stop praising each other; you are both incredible, and I’m the worst." Xu Nian’an ate grapes one by one, looking listless, "All three of you are in the same school, while I’m the only one at Medical University. Ah, I should have applied for Beining University from the start."