Grandma Zhuo Xun’s surname was Zhang.
She looked at the white-haired girl who jumped off the tractor and ran straight into Aunt Wen’s arms, eyes full of surprise.
“Is this your granddaughter? She’s really beautiful!”
“This girl has been running around outside since she became an adult. I don’t know what’s gotten into her this time. She insisted on coming over when she heard I was staying here for a bit.”
Aunt Wen’s eyes were full of kindness.
No wonder she’s a senior — her acting skills are flawless.
“Hehehe, I was just worried about Grandma!”
Jiang Yin understood that Aunt Wen was feeding her lines.
“Coincidentally, I made a new friend who said she’d been here before, so we decided to come travel together.”
“Friend?”
Aunt Wen smiled as she put on her glasses, glancing meaningfully at Wen Ling but saying nothing.
Wen Ling, on the other hand, seemed frozen in place, her expression stiff and showing none of the acting they’d agreed upon earlier.
It wasn’t until Jiang Yin secretly poked her that she snapped back to reality.
She quickly greeted.
“Hello, Grandma…”
“Eh~ Good child.”
Jiang Yin, afraid she would slip up, swiftly changed the topic and looked toward the other grandmother.
“This grandma must be your new best friend, right?”
“Call her Auntie Zhang.”
“Auntie Zhang, hello~”
“Good, good, such good children.”
Auntie Zhang smiled, her eyes full of kindness.
Only then did Jiang Yin have a moment to size up her current state.
The elderly woman’s face was deeply lined.
According to the records, she was the same age as Aunt Wen, but compared to the happy retired life of a Magical Girl that Aunt Wen enjoyed, her face bore the marks of hardship, making her look nearly ten years older.
Her withered hands were covered in calluses, and she wore a knitted woolen hat.
Deep in her eye sockets lingered a hint of sorrow, softened by her smile.
Her clothes were faded from washing but had no patches.
The family didn’t seem particularly poor — most likely, she was just used to thrift and reluctant to throw away old clothes.
Anyone could see she was a very, very good person.
‘Sigh…’
‘A frayed rope always breaks at its thinnest point, and misfortune always finds the unfortunate.’
For such an elder to experience the pain of losing a grandchild in her twilight years was truly moving.
Jiang Yin’s gaze darkened.
Her own relatives had passed early, so she felt the same sorrow.
Aunt Wen glanced at the expression in the white-haired girl’s eyes and knew exactly what she was thinking.
Then she looked at Wen Ling and couldn’t help but quietly purse her lips.
These two juniors were unreliable.
It had to be her who took charge.
So she immediately smiled and spoke up.
“Old friend, since you have time today, come have lunch at my place.”
“Both kids are here, and I can’t handle this Northeast stove very well. Come help me out. I’ll slaughter that big rooster I’m raising in the yard, and we’ll have a good meal.”
“Alright!”
Auntie Zhang exuded the straightforwardness of a Northeasterner, accepting without hesitation.
As a peer, she knew well how tiring it was for people their age to kill chickens and cook large meals.
Besides, she liked lively gatherings.
But as she’d gotten older, with her son and daughter-in-law working in the city and her husband gone early, even the grandson who used to keep her company was gone.
But…
“Don’t think too much!”
Aunt Wen could tell from her expression what she was thinking and changed her tone.
“At our age, we should just be happy.”
“Yes, we should enjoy ourselves.”
Auntie Zhang nodded with a smile.
“Just as well, I still have some dried mushrooms at home. Today, let’s make Chicken Stew with Mushrooms for the two kids.”
“It’ll definitely be delicious. I can’t wait.”
Jiang Yin held back for a long time to make sure she was speaking in standard Mandarin, even adding a formal tone.
Actually, she usually had no accent — she’d scored a Class A in the university Mandarin exam and was the kind of person who surprised her online friends when they found out she was from the Northeast.
But suddenly being back home, and with Auntie Zhang’s accent around, hiding her own accent was suddenly geometrically more difficult.
She was terrified of accidentally letting it slip.
After all, she was currently playing Aunt Wen’s granddaughter, who wasn’t supposed to speak Northeast dialect.
“Xiao Wen Ling, don’t just stand there. Come help out.”
Auntie Zhang clearly recognized Wen Ling but, for some reason, chose not to say so directly.
Only now did she subtly show her attitude.
“Yes, Auntie Zhang, I’m coming.”
By this time, Jiang Yin and Aunt Wen had already entered the courtyard.
The elderly woman flashed her a tactical hand sign, and the girl immediately understood.
This was her cue to go do whatever needed to be done while they were cooking.
Auntie Zhang’s house wasn’t big, but she had enough time during the meal prep to take a walk around inside.
But the investigation couldn’t be rushed.
After all, the whole point of this trip was not to let Auntie Zhang know the truth.
They were at the final step — it wouldn’t do to expose themselves now.
So she dragged Wen Ling around the yard.
At a glance, she spotted the big rooster wandering freely.
“Grandma, did you raise this chicken?”
The chicken looked over a year old.
She scratched her head, feeling like something was off.
“You kid.”
Aunt Wen rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“What, do I look like I can use magic to raise a chicken this big in just a few days?”
“This one was raised by Auntie Zhang. I bought two from her.”
As someone who grew up in a Northeast rural village, Jiang Yin obviously knew better — she was just making small talk.
“It’s raised really well.”
She reached out to tease the big rooster, bracing herself to get pecked.
But the chicken didn’t attack; instead, it shot her a sidelong glance like she was an idiot, then strutted off proudly.
“Hey——!”
Jiang Yin was indignant.
She rolled up her sleeves, ready to choke it with her bare hands, but Auntie Zhang stopped her.
“Girl, don’t mess with it.”
She grabbed the rooster’s neck with ease.
“It hurts if you get pecked by this fellow.”
“It’s looking down on me!”
The girl pouted, clinging to Auntie Zhang’s arm.
She quickly channeled her magic in, but found no trace of resentment.
‘Looks like Auntie Zhang’s mental state is still strong.’
She was worrying for nothing.
If there had been any issues, Aunt Wen would’ve noticed already.
“Hahaha, why are you fighting with a chicken?”
Auntie Zhang laughed heartily.
Through the girl’s figure, she seemed to see her grandson’s silhouette.
He used to quarrel with the big rooster at home when he was little, too…
As people grow old, everything around them stirs memories.
They carry things in their hearts that bubble up from time to time, making it hard to keep quiet.
And yet, talking about it helps.
Perhaps saying it out loud made it easier to bear.
“My grandson used to quarrel with the big rooster in the yard just like you. Once, he got pecked so badly he had a deep wound and sat there wailing all afternoon.”
“And after that?”
Wen Ling blinked, curiosity piqued.
“After that?”
Auntie Zhang thought for a moment.
“He ate the chicken and enjoyed it thoroughly.”
Jiang Yin: “…..”
She knew it!
“So don’t fight with this silly thing anymore.”
Auntie Zhang was still smiling.
“It’s about to end up in the pot anyway.”
“Yeah! I won’t fight with it!”
Jiang Yin agreed cheerfully.
“I’ll just eat its brain!”
Aunt Wen: “….”
She couldn’t keep up with young people’s logic.
What’s with this…
Eat what you need to supplement?