Cai Wei always had keen hearing. Upon hearing the noise from next door, she got up and walked out, peering over the neighboring wall. Seeing that Aunt Zhou had just finished sending Uncle Zhou and Jiujin back, she called out, "Aunt Zhou!"
Aunt Zhou was startled upon seeing Cai Wei, jumping as if she’d seen a ghost. She exclaimed in surprise, "Wei’er, what are you doing here?"
Cai Wei laughed and said, "I was bored in the capital, so I thought I would come back and stay here for a few days. You’re not going to mind, are you, Auntie?"
"You silly girl, listen to you. How could I mind? To be honest, I thought that after you went to the Capital, I would not see you in this lifetime."
As she spoke, her voice began choking up, and she lowered her head to wipe her tears.
Seeing Aunt Zhou shedding tears, Cai Wei quickly stepped out of her own courtyard, took a few steps to enter the Zhou family courtyard, grabbed Aunt Zhou’s hand, and said cheerfully, "Auntie, I was just teasing you. I didn’t mean to upset you and make you cry, I deserve to be punished!"
Aunt Zhou glared at her and said, "You really do deserve to be punished. You come back without a word and quietly move into your old room. Don’t you know the town isn’t safe these days? If something happened to a girl like you staying alone at night and if..."
Stopping abruptly, she simultaneously smacked her lips, spitting out several "Bah bah bah" sounds.
"Look at me with my crow’s mouth. As soon as you return, I speak such unlucky words. Wei’er, don’t be offended by your aunt!"
Cai Wei laughed, "In my heart, Auntie, you’re just like my mother. How could I be mad at you?"
Upon hearing Cai Wei’s words, a tinge of melancholy tinged Aunt Zhou’s smile.
If Cai Wei could have married her Jiujin, wouldn’t Zhou have become Cai Wei’s mother?
What a pity, ever since Cai Wei’s illness last year, she has become more and more distant. Now, she was brilliant and dazzling. Without anyone mentioning it, she knew her son was no match for Cai Wei!
"I’m glad you’re not angry with me. Now, let’s go inside."
Aunt Zhou warmly took Cai Wei’s hand and led her into the room. While walking, she mumbled, "I will fry some meatballs for you later, you loved them when you were little. But back then, we were poor and worried about wasting oil, so we couldn’t let you eat your fill. Now that we have enough money at home, I will let you eat to your heart’s content today..."
Cai Wei laughed, recalling when she was a child. During the New Year celebrations, Aunt Zhou would always fry a bowl of warm meatballs to offer the ancestors. After the offerings were presented, the meatballs would be taken down and given to her and Jiujin.
Back then, Jiujin would always eat slowly, giving her the larger meatballs and keeping the smaller ones for himself. Seeing her eating the oily meatballs, he’d always squint his eyes and smile contentedly, looking happier than when he ate them himself...
The layout of the Zhou’s house was the same as her own. As soon as she entered the door, there was a hall for receiving guests. There was a main room to the left and a secondary main room to the right.
Aunt Zhou sat with Cai Wei in the hall. At that moment, a seven or eight-year-old little maidservant quickly served tea and placed it upon the table. As she set down the tea, she tilted her head to the side and gave Cai Wei a big smile.
Cai Wei exclaimed. At first glance, she recognized the little maidservant. Wasn’t this the same Yuan’er from her nursing home? The idea to start a nursing home had come to her after watching her and her grandfather.
"Hello, Sister Wei?" Yuan’er greeted, smiling cheerfully.
Cai Wei asked in surprise: "Aren’t you at the nursing home? Why are you here?"