Late at night, after Gu Bei left, Gu Nian still couldn’t sleep.
She had long predicted that as soon as Gu Bei returned, she wouldn’t stay here for long.
But the sudden occurrence left her feeling uncontrollably uneasy.
With so much happening at home, plus Nan Jin Yu, if she left this time, would they ever have the chance to meet again in this lifetime?
Ha!
Gu Nian suddenly felt she was thinking too much.
Nan Jin Yu had been away for quite a while, and until now, he hadn’t even sent a letter, so why should she be so concerned about whether they could meet again?
Just as she was thinking, there was a sudden noise outside.
Lin Sanshui rushed back, followed by a pair of unknown siblings, while Dahu and Erhu quickly secured the ox cart and caught up.
Gu Nian hurried out, and as she reached the door, she heard Lin Sanshui introducing the siblings.
He only mentioned they were the children of an old acquaintance, now left in hardship and had come seeking shelter, but didn’t specify which acquaintance it was.
"Dahu’s mother, we returned from town and haven’t eaten yet. Could you quickly prepare something for the children?" Lin Sanshui said, looking at Mrs. Jiang, who had a stiff expression.
Mrs. Jiang nodded and left without a word.
Jing’er perceptively followed, "Aunty, let me help. It’s late and we’re already causing trouble; I can’t let you do all the work for us."
"No need, Miss Jing’er, you should rest. I’ll handle it," Mrs. Jiang replied politely, always feeling that this girl looked familiar.
Jing’er had endured hardships and learned to read people’s expressions, so she knew Mrs. Jiang wasn’t being polite but actually distancing herself.
Watching Mrs. Jiang hurry away, Jing’er turned her head and saw Gu Nian standing at the doorway.
With a gentle smile, Jing’er turned and walked inside.
Looking at Lin Sanshui, her face showed clear guilt, "Mr. Lin, is aunty being too polite to me?"
"No problem, your aunt is used to doing these things, let her be," Lin Sanshui said casually, then called the siblings over, leaving Dahu and Erhu aside.
When Gu Nian entered the kitchen, Mrs. Jiang was stoking the fire, but the flames in the stove were dying, and she wasn’t adding any fuel.
Gu Nian stepped forward and said, "Mom, let me tend the fire?"
Mrs. Jiang suddenly came to her senses, hurriedly rekindling the fire, "You don’t need to tend the fire, it’s cold at night, go to bed quickly."
She seemed to remember who Jing’er resembled, Mrs. Jiang pursed her lips, and her face turned pale.
"Hurry back to bed, I said you don’t need to help," Mrs. Jiang lit the fire, stood up, and gently pushed Gu Nian out, resuming her tasks.
There wasn’t much to eat late at night, so she just made two bowls of sweet egg soup for each person.
When she brought the bowls over, Mrs. Jiang stood at the door, composed her expression, then entered, "There isn’t much to eat at night, just two eggs each, I hope you siblings don’t mind."
"Thank you, aunty, Jing’er wouldn’t dare to mind."
Mrs. Jiang smiled, "It’s already prepared, why wouldn’t you dare? Alright, eat up quickly, it’s late and you’re all tired. After eating, let your Uncle Lin take you home. It’s not good for a girl to be out so late."
Jing’er’s eyes instantly turned red, as did Cheng’s.
Lin Sanshui hurriedly stepped forward, "I haven’t had a chance to tell you, Jing’er and Cheng’s family suddenly experienced a major upheaval, their parents have passed, and their family property was seized by relatives, leaving them with no place to go, so I planned to let them stay at our home for the time being."