CH 2

Lin Mai just entered the house and heard the coughing sound coming from the inner room, immediately he put down the basket and ran in: “Ama, do you wake up? How do you feel?”

[Tl notes: Ama: grandmother, I also call my grandmother ‘Ama’.]

Li Fang patted Lin Mai’s soothing hand on his chest and said, “Never mind, I’m fine.”

“It’s good that you are okay. Why don’t you rest again? I’ll go and make something for you to eat?” Lin Mai made a gesture to help her lie down.

Li Fang hurriedly waved her hand, “Don’t! I’ve been sleeping for most of the day. How can I sleep? Right now, I’m in high spirits.”

“Then how about I help you to sit down for a while in the courtyard?”

Li Fang nodded, let Lin Mai help her up and sat her down under the peach tree in the courtyard.When Lin Mai saw that Li Fang had nothing to say, he went to the kitchen to prepare the food.

Li Fang looked at Lin Mai, who was busy going in and out then felt a sorrow in her heart. Li Fang knew in her heart that her health’s condition was not good. She can’t be of much help. On the contrary, she was being a burden to her little grandson. Nowadays, most of the young Gers and girls in the village are married. But unlike this child, there was even no one who would come to their door to propose a marriage?

Thinking of this, Li Fang hated being unable to bite her own teeth and break it into pieces. She blamed herself for being blind and letting her son marry that shameless ger. Before the bones of his son were cold, that shameless creature had run off with a wild man.Now his grandson received a cold stare and was spitted on and cursed in the village. Li Fang’s heart regretted it so much ah! However,she also could not help it too since her own body right now was….

“Ama, what are you thinking about? The meals are ready. Let’s eat!” Lin Mai put the finished dishes on the table then he turned back to the kitchen to bring the porridge that had been boiled.

Li Fang frowned at the plate of ‘stir-fried pork with dried radish’, turned around to see Lin Mai coming out of the kitchen, so she said in a warm voice, “Mai Zi, this pork is from that boy Lin Cheng again, right?”

Lin Mai nodded and said, “When I came back from the mountain, I happened to meet Brother Chengzi when he returned from his stall, so I talked to him for a bit.”

“Mai Zi, Ama told you, you can’t ask for that kid’s meat again.” Li Fang took Lin Mai’s hand and said with a frown, “If those garrulous shrews in the village see this, I don’t know what they will say about you behind your back!”

“Ama, you don’t need to care about those people who have a bad mouth. I didn’t do anything sneaky. Am I still afraid they will say anything?” Lin Mai put down the porridge in his hand and shook his head unconcernedly.

Besides that, there were still people gossiping about him in the village.What was the point of caring? In the end, the one who would be angry would be himself anyway. It was better to pretend that he didn’t hear anything, so that he could be more at ease and save himself the trouble of being angry all the time.

But when Li Fang heard him say that, she was a bit angry, “You..this silly child! Why couldn’t I talk through you?”

“Ama, don’t be angry…!” Lin Mai patted Li Fang’s chest to smooth the air. He lowered his head and thought for a while before saying in a low voice,”In their eyes, even if I just talk to other guys, I’m still accused of being unrestrained.”

“What did you say?”

Lin Mai’s voice was so low that Li Fang couldn’t hear him at once, so she asked a question in return.

Lin Mai didn’t answer, he just picked up his chopsticks and gave Li Fang some meat before then buried his head in his food.Li Fang didn’t say anything else when he saw him like this as she started eating again after a soft sigh.

After finishing the meal, Lin Mai cleaned up the dishes. Before then, carrying the dishes that had just been heated in the pot after cooking, he said to Li Fang, who was sitting down under the tree to take a nap, “Ama, I’m going out for a while.”

Li Fang was blown by the breeze and dozed off. When she heard Lin Mai’s words, she hurriedly opened her eyes and said, “The sun is still hot, where are you going?”

“I’ve got some food to take over to Brother Cheng Zi.” Lin Mai turned around and said.

“You must go and return quickly.” Li Fang thought for a moment and stood up and walked two steps, “Why don’t Ama go with you?”

Li Fang’s idea was actually very simple to save Lin Mai from meeting those shrews in the village on the way over, and being talked about by them.

“Ama, you sit down! What a big deal, it’s only a few steps I can go by myself.” Lin Mai hurriedly waved his hand and ran out.

Li Fang ran out the door, seeing that Lin Mai was already far away, and did not go to follow him. She went back to the house and took out the half-finished pair of shoes and continued to finish it.

Lin Mai ran all the way to Lin Cheng’s house, just in time to see Lin Dashan coming out of Lin Cheng’s house.

“Eh, Lin Mai? What are you doing here?” Lin Dashan scratched his hair and looked at Lin Mai with a puzzled expression.

“Nothing, I’m looking for Brother Chengzi for something.” Lin Mai said.

Lin Dashan pointed towards the house and said, “Then go in, he’s still tidying up in the kitchen.”

“Okay.” Lin Mai nodded and went inside.

Lin Da Shan didn’t think much of it when he saw him go in and went home.

“Brother Chengzi?” Lin Mai looked into the kitchen, he saw that Lin Cheng was tidying up the table in the kitchen with his back to him, so he called out.

“Huh?” Lin Cheng was a bit confused, he turned around and saw that it was Lin Mai, so he took a cloth towel and touched his hands, laughing, “Mai Zi, it’s you, I thought it was someone else.What’s wrong?”

Lin Mai walked in and put the bowl on the counter and smiled, “Nothing, I brought you some dishes, but I think I’m a bit late.”

“Hey, it’s not late, not late at all. I just had dinner with that boy Da San and I didn’t even have a few bites so I was wondering if I should stir-fry another dish to eat. You delivered it just in time.” Lin Cheng was not trying to comfort Lin Mai, but he really hadn’t eaten enough. it’s all Da Shan’s fault, that Dashan’s boy is too good at eating ….

“Is that so?” Lin Mai smiled and didn’t say anything more, and only after a while did he say, ” That’s all. I’m going back too. I don’t want my grandma to come looking for me later.”

“Okay.” Lin Cheng followed Lin Mai after two steps, suddenly as if remembering something, tapped his head and said, “Eh, Mai Zi you wait ……”

“Hn?” Lin Mai watched in some confusion as Lin Cheng ran back inside. He scratched his face standing there waiting for Lin Cheng to come out.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Lin Cheng to go in and come out again, but the difference was, when he came out, he was holding a grey cloth.

Lin Cheng smiled and said to Lin Mai, “Last time, didn’t I say I wanted to make a cloth? But I’m not going back to the market, I also didn’t like the ones sold at the market, so I wanted you to make me some clothes when you were free.”

Lin Mai took the cloth in his hand and looked at it, “You’ve bought a bit too much cloth, you could make three dresses out of this and still have leftovers.”

“It’s okay! It’s okay! You can make another one for you and your Ama with the rest of the cloth. It will be cooler in a few days, so it’s perfect to wear then.” Lin Cheng waved his hand and said unconcernedly.

“This can not be. Every time this happens, it’s not going to be always like this! Set aside the food and meat you gave me, but you’ve always paid for the clothes and shoes I made right? Moreover, you always give me the extra fabric.I can’t always take advantage of you like this.”Lin Mai said this as he was about to return the cloth in his hand to Lin Cheng, but Lin Cheng laughed and dodged it.

“Come on! If you keep pushing it around, it’ll be just like this morning again.” Lin Cheng said.

Lin Mai frowned at this, he was about to say something when Lin Cheng interrupted:”Mai Zi, don’t think too much about it! This fabric is really not worth much. Besides, I’m a pig slaughterer, I don’t have much of anything but only pork. I have so much leftovers that I can’t eat it all by myself,right?”

Seeing Lin Mai’s disapproving face, Lin Cheng patted him on the top of his head and continued, “In this weather, the meat can’t be kept for a long time.Besides, if I want to make something like bacon, I can’t too,right? So, don’t think there’s anything inappropriate with that, okay?”

Lin Mai thought for a while before saying, “Okay then! Therefore you don’t have to pay for the work, either.In the end, I’m still taking advantage of you.”

“Okay, okay, deal! if you say I do not need to pay then don’t pay.” Lin Cheng nodded his head while sending Lin Mai out the door. Anyway, whatever Lin Mai said just now, he would just accept it. As for, when the time comes, isn’t it still up to him to decide whether to give him (the money) or not?

Lin Mai’s heart was not so twisted as he thought that Lin Cheng promised him so he left without saying anything.

Lin Cheng looked at Lin Mai’s back as he walked away and sighed helplessly, when would this child understand?

If you want to say that Lin Cheng had something else in his mind for Lin Mai,it was true that he did. Although it was more of a feeling of deep concern and pity for him, the fact that he felt something was not a lie. However, Lin Mai’s nerve was so thick, it could be used to tie people up. This left Lin Cheng speechless, but what could he do? He had no choice but to accept it.

Lin Cheng shook his head and went back into the house to continue cleaning up …

The author has something to say :

I’m guilty!!! I can’t stand the fact that I haven’t updated for so long! So here, I’d like to say to all of you who read my writing! I’m sorry! And thank you all for your bookmark! ～Muach~!

~~~