Chapter 43: We Are Not the Same

The moment Li Jiayi heard this, her eyes lit up and she replied crisply, “Thank you, grandaunt.” She picked at the pumpkin seeds in the dish, but after eating just two, she got up to busy herself again.

Watching Li Jia unable to sit still, Bai Xi couldn’t help but wonder—there really wasn’t that much to do in this treehouse. Still, Bai Xi didn’t want to stop her, only reminding her not to wear herself out, which made Li Jia feel all the more moved.

By the evening of the third day, Chen Zhaodi hurried back. The weather was still hot, and it was customary to cool off a bit before bedtime. After finishing up her work, Chen Zhaodi told her mother-in-law she was heading out and went next door.

She greeted Li Jia’s mother-in-law, and the two of them sat by the door, chatting.

“How was it these past three days?” Chen Zhaodi naturally inquired about her time cooking for Bai Xi.

Li Jia smiled, “It was great. Grandaunt is very kind, easy to serve, never fussy or difficult, and she’s so considerate.”

She could have waited until the next morning to return, but Chen Zhaodi was restless. Whether it was because she was married now or for some other reason, she always wanted to come back to Niuluo Village. Though the journey was tiring, as soon as she caught sight from afar of the tall treetop where grandaunt lived, her heart inexplicably felt at peace.

People said Niuluo Village had strange rules, but it was these very rules that kept things harmonious. Neighbors rarely held grudges, and even if arguments arose, they’d blow over in a couple of days. When something happened, everyone pitched in as best they could—mostly with help, since no one had much money to spare.

“That’s right,” Li Jia went on, “grandaunt is neat and has a good temper...”

Chen Zhaodi laughed, “And how was Blackie? Did he give you any trouble? Don’t worry—with grandaunt around, Blackie’s as docile as a kitten.”

Li Jia laughed in agreement. “Exactly! You should have seen it—on my first day, he fetched grandaunt’s slippers for her. I was stunned. He really understands people.”

“It’s been three days since I last saw grandaunt. I really miss her,” Chen Zhaodi said. At that, a flicker of disappointment crossed Li Jia’s face. Now that Chen Zhaodi was back, she couldn’t cook for grandaunt anymore. It had been agreed from the start, but she couldn’t help feeling a little lost.

During those three days, when she returned from grandaunt’s place, her mother-in-law hadn’t made her do any chores, and her attitude had softened a lot. Li Jia hadn’t asked about it, but she understood—it was because she’d grown closer to grandaunt.

Noticing her thoughts, Chen Zhaodi comforted her, “Don’t dwell on it. You’re carrying a child, after all. And as you grow, it’ll get harder to manage those stairs. Even if I wanted you to go, grandaunt wouldn’t agree.”

Li Jia nodded. Grandaunt was considerate—she’d even sent Blackie to walk her home twice. Though she’d been frightened all the same, perhaps grandaunt realized she was afraid of Blackie, so she didn’t send him again.

The two soon moved on to other topics.

The next morning, while Bai Xi was still lost in dreams, there was a knock at the door. Hearing the sound, Bai Xi turned over in bed upstairs and ignored it. Blackie was downstairs, after all—if he didn’t open the door, it must be someone from the village, likely bringing breakfast.

Chen Zhaodi saw Blackie watching her and instinctively glanced upstairs. Not hearing any movement from Bai Xi, she guessed she was still asleep, so she didn’t call out. She quietly set down the food box, took out the breakfast and two kinds of pickles, placed a salted duck egg in a bowl, covered everything neatly, and then left with the empty box.

It wasn’t until noon, when Bai Xi saw Chen Zhaodi arrive, that she realized she was back. Unlike Bai Xi’s calm demeanor, Chen Zhaodi was beaming as she called out “grandaunt” before heading off to cook.

Perhaps to make up for her three-day absence, she made braised eggplant and fried fish for the meal. Both dishes used a fair bit of oil, but when they’d slaughtered the wild boar, the village chief traded two pounds of boar meat for two pounds of pork fat from the neighboring village, just for grandaunt’s cooking oil.

As Bai Xi ate, she could faintly hear a commotion in the village, but didn’t pay much mind. When it grew livelier, and she was almost done eating, she asked casually, “What’s going on in the village? Why is it so lively?”

Chen Zhaodi answered at once, “It’s Chen Weiguo’s family bringing his father back.”

Bai Xi understood immediately—two days ago, Chen Daliu had come to ask about it. Chen Weiguo was indeed Chen Xiong’s son, and Chen Xiong had left Niuluo Village, but still had cousins here, so confirmation wasn’t difficult.

The delay had been due to rain and the time needed to confirm things. Now, with time to spare and a good date, they’d arranged the matter.

“They’re going to add Chen Weiguo’s family to the genealogy in the ancestral hall. Would grandaunt like to see?”

Bai Xi had never witnessed this ceremony and, feeling bored anyway, took Blackie and went along with Chen Zhaodi.

Before they even got close, the sounds of excitement reached them. Entering the ancestral hall and being written into the genealogy was a major event—of course, Chen Weiguo’s family was delighted. They’d even brought sweets bought at the town to share with the village children.

Even if it wasn’t milk candy, who didn’t like sweets? The children were overjoyed, and the adults smiled to see them happy.

Soon, someone spotted Bai Xi approaching.

“Grandaunt is here!”

“Grandaunt’s here!”

“Hello, grandaunt!”

The adults all greeted her warmly, while the children, seeing Bai Xi, crowded around her in a flurry, each eager to present the candy they’d received, pushing Chen Zhaodi aside in the process.

“Grandaunt, have some candy!”

“Grandaunt, this candy is really sweet,” one child said, speaking around the piece in his mouth.

“Grandaunt, my candy is for you!”

Of course, because Blackie was with Bai Xi, everyone kept half a meter away by instinct, so there was no danger of knocking her down.

Some children hesitated, reluctant to part with their precious sweets—candy was rare. But seeing their friends give theirs, they felt they’d be seen as selfish if they didn’t. Besides, this was grandaunt; giving her candy was a sign of respect. Even the youngest among them sensed it was right to do so, so they handed over their tightly-clutched sweets, calling out in their small, earnest voices for grandaunt to have some.

Xiao Shunzi and his friends pushed their way through to stand before Bai Xi, solemnly pulling out two candies each from their pockets and offering them to her.

They had eaten three of grandaunt’s milk candies before, so giving her just two still left them owing her one.

“Grandaunt, please have ours.”

“Yes, grandaunt, we’re giving you all our candy.”

As they spoke, Xiao Shunzi and his friends shot a proud glance at the others, full of satisfaction. After all, they were different—they’d played with grandaunt before and even helped pick up Blackie.