"Right, Yu'er, let me ask you something," Feng Yu suddenly said.
"At the village entrance, that Zhang Laosan who runs the grocery store—his daughter, that… uh, rather sturdy, round-faced girl—what's going on with her exactly?"
"This afternoon, when I came back from town and passed by his store, Zhang Laosan suddenly stopped me with a black face and a full head of steam. He started complaining! Said you bullied his precious daughter! And that he was going to demand an explanation from me!"
"Huh??" Qin Yu froze on the spot, blinking rapidly, his face full of confusion and utter innocence. "Zhang… Zhang Pangya? I bullied her? When? I didn't do anything!"
"Oh? So there's a story here, huh?"Beside him, Feng Yang—who had just been about to take off his apron—perked right up. He paused mid-motion, leaned against the kitchen doorway with his arms crossed, and gave a grin that said he was ready for a good show. He even raised an eyebrow playfully."Not bad, Yu'er. You're getting bolder, huh? Haven't even gone to Kyoto yet, and you've already learned how to tease little girls?"
"Er Ye Ye! Don't talk nonsense! What are you even saying!"Qin Yu panicked instantly. His handsome face flushed bright red as he waved his hands frantically, defending himself like his life depended on it."I'm innocent! I swear I'm more wronged than Dou E ever was!"
He rushed to explain what really happened:
"It was the day before yesterday afternoon! I'd just come down from the back mountain after gathering some fresh herbs. When I got to the big banyan tree at the village entrance, I suddenly heard a girl scream 'Ah-yo!' from behind me!"
"I got a fright, turned around, and saw it was Zhang Pangya! Don't know how it happened—she wasn't watching where she walked, missed a step, and twisted her ankle! She was in so much pain she was tearing up, squatting there and couldn't even stand, just crying nonstop!"
"I saw how pitiful she looked, so I kindly went over to help her up! But she was hurting so bad she couldn't walk properly, so I thought—well, might as well do a good deed to the end, right? Since it was on my way, I supported her and helped her all the way back to her house!"
"But only to the door! I swear! I didn't even step one foot inside her courtyard!"
Feng Yu's sharp eyes swept up and down like a hawk's gaze. His tone was calm and unreadable."Just that? Nothing else happened?"
"Really, nothing else! Absolutely not!" Qin Yu immediately held up three fingers, almost swearing to the heavens to prove his innocence."If you don't believe me, Da Ye Ye, you can ask the girl from next door—Wang Lao'er's daughter, Xiaocui! She was there too! She saw everything clearly!"
"Oh, right! I just remembered!" Qin Yu's eyes suddenly lit up as if recalling key evidence. He slapped his thigh."At that time, Xiaocui was carrying a net bag full of big red apples. I don't know if the bag wasn't sturdy or what, but halfway there, the bottom ripped open! All the apples rolled everywhere!"
"I saw her squatting there all flustered, trying to pick them up but couldn't manage it alone, so I, being the helpful guy I am, lent a hand! Picked up more than ten for her! To thank me, she insisted on giving me two of the biggest, reddest ones! Look! Those two right there! I left them on the table and haven't eaten them yet! They still have the dents from when they fell—see for yourself if you don't believe me!"
While talking, Qin Yu quickly ran to the square table in the corner, picked up the two rather battered apples—each with visible scuff marks and a somewhat tragic appearance—and held them out with both hands as he trotted back to Feng Yu. His expression was pure, sincere, and completely innocent, like a textbook example of "a young man who just wants to help others."
Feng Yu: "…"Feng Yang: "…"
The two elders—each having lived for over two centuries and seen just about everything there was to see—shared a look of perfect understanding.In each other's eyes, they saw the same thing: deep helplessness… and a headache beyond words.
Feng Yu accepted the two "pieces of evidence," placed them casually on the nearby table, then lifted his hand and rubbed his throbbing temples wearily. He let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Sigh… this child…"
Feng Yang shook his head too, stepping forward with an exasperated yet fond expression. He reached out and habitually flicked Qin Yu's nose, speaking half-jokingly but with a trace of real concern.
"You and that blasted natural charm of yours—who did you inherit that from, I wonder?"
"At this rate," Feng Yu said with a troubled look at his overly handsome, overly kind-hearted, and overly attention-grabbing grandson—who somehow managed to stir up trouble wherever he went—"I'm afraid we might not be able to stay peacefully in Qingliu Village for much longer…"
"Huh?" Qin Yu blinked in confusion, still completely lost about where this sudden concern was coming from."Why? What does that have to do with me?"
"What else could it be?" Feng Yang said gruffly, giving him a light smack on the head."It's your face, kid! And that bleeding-heart personality of yours!"
"Your peach blossom luck is overflowing! Today you're helping a girl with a twisted ankle, tomorrow you'll be saving another who tripped, and the day after that you'll be rescuing one from some local thug—keep this up and one of these days you'll land yourself in a mess even we old bones won't be able to protect you from!"
"Alright, alright! Enough of your nonsense. Don't scare the boy," Feng Yu interrupted, rubbing his forehead helplessly."The food's going to get cold! Come on, all of you—wash your hands, and eat!"
"Got it! Dinner time!" Qin Yu replied instantly, as if granted amnesty, and dashed cheerfully out to the old stone well in the courtyard. The sound of splashing water soon rang out as he washed his hands.
Soon, the simple meal of three dishes and one soup was served. Though they were nothing fancy—stir-fried vegetables, mapo tofu, braised pork ribs, and a big bowl of refreshing winter melon rib soup—in Feng Yang's skilled hands as a retired chef, they were still vibrant, fragrant, and mouthwatering.
The three of them sat together around the old square table, its edges worn smooth by time, its surface uneven with age. Through the window, the last gentle rays of sunset spilled in, bathing everything in a warm golden glow.
The quiet, peaceful air was filled with the comforting feeling of home.