Li Jiajia stamped her foot fiercely.
Forget it, she was just going to live in this dump anyway, and it was far from the military compound. Ninety-nine of her original one hundred worries were put to rest.
Hearing this, Liu Dongdong also inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
For some reason, she harbored a thought of not wanting Si Nian to have a better life than her own.
Si Nian was driven off to the countryside, while she, originally from the countryside, had managed to establish herself in the city through her own efforts.
Liu Dongdong actually felt a sense of superiority deep down.
A feeling of superiority that suggested she was meant for more than this.
Seeing the place really was old now, she too breathed a sigh of relief.
Although this area was lively, it was far from matching the luxury of the new district.
Still, these houses were quite well-built, no wonder Li Jiajia had said wealthy people used to live here.
"Let's go, forget about her. We need to hurry back, Fu Yang will be off work soon."
Remembering she still had to bring food to Fu Yang, Li Jiajia could no longer bother with Si Nian and hurriedly pushed Liu Dongdong to leave.
Liu Dongdong had originally wanted to go in and take a look, but seeing her like this, she didn't press the matter and could only leave.
...
Si Nian returned home and went into the kitchen.
The house was old, and the kitchen still had an old-fashioned stove with a large iron wok embedded in it.
Nowadays, not many people in the city burned firewood; most used coal or electricity.
But it wasn't completely unheard of.
There was quite a bit of dry firewood stacked to the side, likely delivered by someone Zhou Yueshen had arranged.
Si Nian started the fire to cook. She was already adept at these tasks, getting it done in just a few minutes.
The kitchen had a chimney, so the smoke wouldn't linger inside the house.
Before long, wisps of cooking smoke rose from the house that had been cold and quiet for many years.
Si Nian cleaned the fish, shrimp, and crabs she had bought. The children hadn't eaten crab before and had been eyeing them all day, so she bought some.
Truth be told, not being a coastal city, these things were incredibly expensive at this time.
But no matter how expensive, they were still food. When it came to eating, Si Nian never skimped on herself.
It was also a good chance for the children to try them.
She was also craving crayfish, so she bought quite a few.
She planned to make steamed crab, garlic crayfish, and fish soup.
Fish soup was very nutritious and great for protein.
It being their first day moving in, she intended to make a proper meal to reward the hardworking older man.
Thinking of Zhou Yueshen, a gentle curve unconsciously lifted the corner of Si Nian's lips.
Soon, delicious aromas wafted out from the house.
The child next door, who had been lying on the second floor watching the big dog, was practically drooling. His little nose twitched as he craned his neck, trying hard to peer into Si Nian's house. "So fragrant! What's that smell? It smells so good!"
...
Just as Si Nian had put the rice on to steam, someone knocked on the front door.
She went out to find a woman in her fifties holding a little child's hand, standing at her gate.
The child was gazing longingly toward her house.
This scene gave Si Nian a momentary pause.
For a second, it felt like she was back to when she first went to Zhou Yueshen's home.
Back then, Aunt Zhang was also standing at the door holding Shitou's hand, and the little one had the same longing look in his eyes.
Same world, same kids indeed.
The difference was, the two before her were dressed quite exceptionally. The woman wore a patterned blouse. Though old-fashioned, one could tell it was made of real silk.
Her hair was tied up neatly without a strand out of place, adorned with a simple jade hairpin.
Her face bore the marks of time, but her skin was fair and well-maintained. She looked spirited and lively—the very picture of a legendary true wealthy lady.
The child's clothes were even more needless to say. Dressed in a blue tracksuit, the logo was a luxury brand of this era.
The little boy looked about the same age as her Little Han, with delicate and handsome features.
While Si Nian observed them, they were also observing her.
She walked over and opened the gate, greeting them politely, "Hello, may I ask who you are?"
"Hello, we're from next door. We saw you moving in today and wanted to come say hello. Oh, our family name is Jiang. You can call me Aunt Jiang or just auntie. This is my grandson, Jiang Jiu."
The other party also greeted her very politely.
Her voice sounded warm and gracious.
Si Nian blinked, "So you're our neighbors. My apologies, we just moved in today and haven't had the chance to greet everyone yet."
"Hello, Aunt Jiang. My name is Si Nian."
Aunt Jiang asked curiously, "Si? Not relatives of the Wang family?"
The Wang family had moved away four or five years ago, and the house had been sitting empty ever since.
Seeing someone move in now, she had originally thought they might be relatives of the Wangs.
To find out their surname was Si.
Si Nian explained, "We bought this house. We're not relatives of the Wang family."
Aunt Jiang suddenly understood, "Oh, no wonder."
"Hello, sister! Your house smells so good, and you have a big doggie!" The little fellow, noticing the two adults were only focused on talking to each other and ignoring this little handsome guy, immediately let go of his grandma's hand, took two steps forward, tilted his head up, and called out.
Si Nian was momentarily taken aback, then immediately smiled, "Hello, little friend! This is my Da Huang."
Hearing the commotion, Little Lao Er came pattering out. He immediately spotted the little boy about his own age standing in front of his mother, hands behind his back, talking in a very well-behaved manner.
Little Lao Er's eyes widened.
He remembered him—the kid from next door.
"Ah! It's you!"
"Ah! It's you!"
Both pointed at each other simultaneously.
"Grandma, I want to play with him!" Not waiting for his grandma's agreement, the little one dashed toward Little Lao Er.
And, considering himself quite the gentleman, extended his hand, "Hello, my name is Jiang Jiu."
This left Zhou Zehan rather baffled, "Fussy?"
"No, it's Jiang, J-I-U, Jiu."
"Hahaha, your name is really strange! Not like me, I have two names, plus a nickname, so that's three names altogether. I'm the person with the most names in our whole village!"
Little Lao Er's nose was practically pointing to the sky.
Si Nian: "..."
She awkwardly looked at the other woman and said, "Sorry, Aunt Jiang, this child doesn't know any better. I'll talk to him later."
Aunt Jiang laughed, unfazed, "Haha, it's fine, they're just children."
Jiang Jiu stared with wide, envious eyes, "Really? How come you get to have so many names?"
Little Lao Er was momentarily stumped. He didn't really know either, but in front of someone who admired him, of course he said, "Probably because I'm awesome."
"I'm the fastest runner in my class."
Si Nian: "..."
Zhou Zehan continued on his own, "You can just call me Little Lao Er from now on. My parents like to call me that."
Of course, the reason I'm not called Little Lao Da is because I have an older brother. He's older than me, otherwise I'd be the eldest.
Little friend Jiang Jiu was even more envious, "Wow, you're so lucky, you even have an older brother. Not like me, I only have a younger brother."
Zhou Zehan: "..."
Thanks for the subtle dig.
He hurriedly changed the subject. Once he started talking, he couldn't help but spill every story from since he was in the womb.
After hearing the origins of his three names, little Jiang Jiu ran to his grandma and announced, "Grandma, don't call me Xiao Jiu anymore."
His grandma's mouth corner twitched, "Then what should I call you?"
Little Jiang Jiu puffed out his chest, his nose in the air. "Call me Little Third Boss!"
...
