After Xinyan left, the young daughter-in-law of the Tong Family walked into the kitchen: "Mom, this chicken soup Xinyan made smells so good. I didn’t expect that little girl to be such a good cook."
Old Mrs. Tong took a large platter to cover the big bowl of chicken soup, jokingly said: "I’ll cover this chicken soup first, so that we won’t drool into it later."
The aroma of the chicken soup was really too strong. After covering it, she continued, "Xinyan knows a lot of things."
She had heard Granny Zhang talk about Xinyan quite a bit. This child was not only good at studying but also good at cooking. Most importantly, besides attending classes at school, she was also learning medicine from Mr. Du, a master of Chinese medicine.
He Jinxuan finished drinking the chicken soup that Xinyan had served her and completed all the chores she saw in the yard before entering the house to greet Granny Zhang and prepare to leave.
Xinyan brought out a small handbag and a mesh bag from the house: "Take these home with you. The small handbag contains winter clothes I made for you. The mesh bag has spicy sauce, pickled vegetables, and fermented vegetables that I made. You can eat them with your meals."
Looking at the items handed over to her, He Jinxuan’s heart instantly felt warm. If Sister Chen weren’t standing in the yard, she would have wanted to pull the little girl into her arms. She could only suppress the rush of emotions in her heart, reached out, and took them.
She wanted to say something, but with Sister Chen standing not far away, she could only tenderly say, "You’re so busy, don’t bother with these things in the future. Just take care of yourself."
After greeting Sister Chen, He Jinxuan walked out with her stuff.
Xinyan escorted her to her car.
He Jinxuan placed the items in the car, and reached out to hold Xinyan’s hand: "Yanyan, thank you. You’ve been so busy lately, don’t do these things anymore. Take care of yourself so I can be at ease."
Xinyan playfully said, "What, don’t you like the things I make?"
Seeing her say this, He Jinxuan pinched Xinyan’s nose: "You little ingrate. I wish I could eat your cooking every day, but I’m just worried about you.
You already have so much coursework every day, and still have to learn from your master. Now you also take care of Granny Zhang, which leaves you little time to rest. And you still prepare these things for me, when do you get to rest?"
Xinyan laughed when she saw his affection: "I was just teasing you, and you took it seriously."
Seeing no one was around, He Jinxuan directly hugged her: "Take care of yourself."
Soon he let go of her: "I’ll come over when I have time in the next few days. Leave any heavy work to me, don’t tire yourself out. Go back, I’m leaving now."
Xinyan gestured for him to go ahead.
With no other choice, He Jinxuan got into the car first.
Watching his car enter the main road, Xinyan then turned and went into the alley.
*
On the other side, Zhou Jingzhe finally caught up with Han Jingchen: "Uncle Han."
Han Jingchen, needing to go on a business trip for a few days, came back to pick up some things, unexpectedly ran into the daughter of his long-lost comrade: "What are you doing here?"
Han Jingchen wasn’t fond of this girl. If it weren’t for the sake of his comrade, he wouldn’t even want to talk to her.
She had previously wanted to become his goddaughter, and he had declined several times. Yet, every time she was in front of him, she acted as if nothing had happened, which left him at a loss for words.
Su Jingsong noticed it was Zhou Dongping’s eldest daughter again, and his brow furrowed directly: "What are you doing here?"
Zhou Jingzhe ignored Su Jingsong and directly approached Han Jingchen: "Uncle Han, I heard you’ve found your biological daughter?"
Hearing her mention Yanyan, Han Jingchen became cautious, knowing the girl’s intentions were clear: "Yes."
Although Zhou Jingzhe concealed it well, Han Jingchen and Su Jingsong, both with military backgrounds, naturally didn’t miss her micro-expressions.
Su Jingsong stepped forward: "Mr. Han has important business, if you have nothing else, please leave. We need to pick up some things and leave too."
Zhou Jingzhe wasn’t willing to leave so easily once she saw Han Jingchen: "Uncle Han, I heard your sister is a student at Beijing University. I happen to know someone working there. Which department is your sister in? I can ask my friend to look after her."
Han Jingchen’s face darkened: "You don’t have to worry about my daughter’s affairs. I have something to do, you should go back. It’s not close to your home from here, it’s not safe so late."
After speaking, he walked around Zhou Jingzhe and entered the yard.