Fu Xin Ci could no longer manage anything else. She said, "Brother Qi, I'm going to the general store for a moment. Wait for me here," and plunged into the nearby general store.
"..." Qi He really wanted to ask: What is Sister Fu going to the general store for? But Sister Fu didn't say, and she asked him to wait here, so he didn't make a sound. He couldn't be the annoying one that Sister Fu disliked.
Fu Xin Ci didn't expect Qi He to be so honest. When she told him to wait somewhere, he just stood there, unmoving.
Fortunately, not long after, Fu Xin Ci came out of the general store with a paper-wrapped half-pound of coarse salt in her hand.
"Sister Fu, you bought salt?"
"Yes, and some other things." Fu Xin Ci spoke vaguely, intending to present some items when they returned and bluff her way through.
After thinking for another moment, she felt her preparations were adequate. She then took Qi He's hand, preparing to chase after her cheap dad.
"Wait, Sister Fu, wait."
"What is it?"
"Sister Fu, Uncle Fu carried away the flour sack, so you let me carry your basket." Qi He always felt that it was not right for him, a young boy, to be empty-handed while Sister Fu, a young girl, carried a basket.
"Ah? I forgot about that. These few cantaloupes are indeed quite heavy."
Fu Xin Ci only emphasized the weight of the cantaloupes and didn't mention anything else.
Qi He quickly steadied the basket on Fu Xin Ci's back and deftly took out the five cantaloupes, holding them himself.
Eh, this seemed contrary to his original intention. However, Fu Xin Ci didn't give him a chance to ramble. She walked forward with light steps.
"Sister Fu, wait for me."
Qi He: He originally bought the cantaloupes to quench Sister Fu's thirst, but they were already walking back, and Sister Fu hadn't eaten any yet. He was worried.
"Brother Qi, keep up." With fewer cantaloupes in the basket, Fu Xin Ci's walking speed greatly increased.
Qi He still wanted to say something, but considering that it was right to take the cantaloupes back and eat them together, he quickly caught up and followed behind Sister Fu.
Yu'er sat in the shade of a tree by the roadside, constantly looking in the direction of the market, waiting for his sister and Brother Qi to return with delicious food for him.
The first thing that caught his eye was his father's tall, thin figure, carrying something unknown. Then, he seemed to see his sister and Brother Qi. Brother Qi seemed to be holding green-skinned cantaloupes in his arms. Yu'er immediately smiled and, with his two short legs, was about to rush over.
"Brother Qi, Sister, Sister."
"Hey. Yu'er, don't run, just wait there." Qi He liked Yu'er's enthusiasm, but he was also afraid Yu'er would fall, so he quickly stopped him from running further.
"Okay, I'll just stand here and wait for Sister and Brother Qi." The little guy said the most obedient words, but his eyes were fixed on the cantaloupes Qi He was holding, not moving.
Meng Qing Ping looked at his grandson's little appearance, his heart filled with bitterness. It was he, the grandfather, who had implicated the whole family. Especially the two children, who had experienced hardships at such a young age that they shouldn't have.
"Father." Fu Yu walked up to Meng Qing Ping and placed the flour sack he was carrying on a clean, large rock.
"What did you buy?"
"It looks like corn flour."
"Corn flour is good, we can eat a few more meals." Meng Qing Ping didn't have many requirements for food now; being able to eat his fill was enough.
It was only from afar that he saw the Qi kid carrying several cantaloupes, and his own granddaughter still had a small basket on her back.
What made him even more unbelievable was that his granddaughter was smiling at them as she walked. From his granddaughter's playful smile, he seemed to glimpse some unknown secret.
"Brother Qi, Sister." Yu'er saw that his sister and Brother Qi had finally reached him and immediately opened his small hands to greet them.
"Sister." He hadn't forgotten that Sister had said she would buy him delicious food.
"Here, the delicious food is all in my basket." Fu Xin Ci loved to see Yu'er's surprised expression the most. She turned and squatted down to show Yu'er the contents of the basket.
"Ah, Caozi cake, so much Caozi cake." Yu'er hadn't eaten this kind of pastry for many days. Seeing that his sister had bought so much Caozi cake at once, he was so happy that his little hands waved.
"Yu'er, eat. Sister will buy more for you in the future."
"Okay." Yu'er agreed and grabbed a piece of Caozi cake, first handing it to his grandfather: "Grandfather, eat."
"Aiya, good child, Grandfather will eat."
Seeing his grandfather accept the Caozi cake, Yu'er grabbed another piece and handed it to Qi He, "Brother Qi, eat."
Qi He looked at the Caozi cake Yu'er offered him, and his heart felt warmer than the weather in June.
"Thank you, Yu'er."
"Hehe, Brother Qi, no need to thank me. Mom and Dad, you eat too." Yu'er grabbed a piece in each hand and handed them separately to his parents.
Then he grabbed two more pieces, one for his sister and one for himself to eat.
The family watched Yu'er's series of actions. Although they didn't say much, they all approved of Yu'er's behavior.
"Wow, this Caozi cake is delicious, even better than the Caozi cake from Han Ji Bakery in our county town." Yu'er only took one bite and could already tell the difference in taste.
Qi He was still pondering when Sister Fu bought the Caozi cake when he was drawn in by Yu'er's exclamation about the deliciousness of the Caozi cake.
How could he miss delicious food? He took a bite of the Caozi cake, not bothering to think about when Sister Fu bought it. His mind was filled with only two words: delicious.
"Mmm, Grandpa Meng, this Caozi cake is really delicious. Mmm... it's just a bit dry."
"Hahaha, Brother Qi, slow down. Drink some water before you eat." After speaking, Meng Qing Ping handed him his water skin.
"Mmm, thank you, Grandpa Meng." Qi He took the water skin and took a big gulp of water before comfortably patting his chest.
"Grandfather, Yu'er also wants to drink water."
"Okay, our Yu'er will drink water too." Meng Qing Ping habitually picked up the water skin, preparing to feed Yu'er.
"Father, let me do it. You also try this Caozi cake, it really tastes good."
"Mm, good." Seeing his son offering to feed his grandson water, Meng Qing Ping happily handed it over. With his son and daughter-in-law here, his greatest joy was watching his children and grandchildren enjoy themselves.
He looked down at the Caozi cake in his hand and, remembering what his son had just said, decided to try it. "Indeed, this Caozi cake tastes different from Han Ji's. Our Yu'er's little mouth is quite effective, he could tell the difference with just one bite."
Alas, as he got older, he preferred soft foods, and Meng Qing Ping was no exception. Moreover, he had a bad stomach. Caozi cakes were always kept at home in the past, in case he felt hungry and could eat something to fill his stomach at any time.
Thinking of his late wife, Meng Qing Ping's expression dimmed again. However, he didn't want his children and grandchildren to worry about him, so he forced himself to look at his little grandson.
Yu'er, praised by his grandfather, his eyes sparkled. He looked up at his grandfather with his small face, thinking about asking Sister if she had any more good things. He wanted to give them to his grandfather; his grandfather would like them very much.