Chapter 580: Extra—Ai Xiaolan 1

Chapter 580 Extra—Ai Xiaolan 1

Ai Xiaolan looked curiously at the man Amu carried out to get some sun by the doorway.

He wore an ethnic-style jacket, was somewhat thin, and his face had a pale, sickly look.

Amu told her to bring the man a bowl of *mǐxiàn*. Ai Xiaolan handed him the bowl.

He gave her a cold glance, refusing to take it. His attitude was unfriendly, ignoring her as he turned his head to gaze at the distant mountains.

Ai Xiaolan didn’t take offense. She placed the bowl on the stool beside him and started eating the *mǐxiàn* Amu had prepared for her.

She loved *mǐxiàn*. Hers had mushrooms and a poached egg. She noticed Amu’s bowl didn’t have any, but hers and the man’s did.

Amu pointed at the man and said in heavily accented Mandarin, “Xi Xi, Brother Aru, Brother Aru…”

Ai Xiaolan understood—his name was Brother Aru.

After finishing the noodles, she played with the village dog at home. In just half a month, she had become friends with the yellow dog named Xiao Feng. Xiao Feng was smart, and she thought he must look a lot like Shan Shan’s Xiao Hua.

Brother Aru was still silent, like a mute. Slowly, Amu began taking her outside.

Early in the morning, when the sky was still faintly lit, Amu led her into the mountains to pick mushrooms. Using gestures and dialect, she taught Ai Xiaolan which mushrooms were edible (to put in the basket) and which were poisonous (to stomp on).

They split up to search. Amu would occasionally look up to check on Ai Xiaolan, relieved to see her still within sight before continuing her search.

When the sun rose, Amu waved at her, calling out. Ai Xiaolan understood from her gestures and the word “Xi Xi” that she was being called home.

She walked over and showed her basket. “Amu, look, are these okay?”

She had heard that eating poisonous mushrooms could kill, so she didn’t dare be careless.

Amu looked through her basket—half-full of mushrooms—then smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, meaning, “Good job!”

Ai Xiaolan’s eyes lit up. She thought Amu was really nice.

As they walked back, they crossed a narrow bridge over a stream. Amu reached out to hold Ai Xiaolan’s hand, afraid she might lose her balance. Ai Xiaolan felt Amu’s calloused hand grip hers tightly as they strode across the bridge made of two bound logs.

Amu took good care of her. She brought Ai Xiaolan to the stream to wash clothes and bedding, carrying the load herself while letting Ai Xiaolan hold the washing paddle. She even caught crabs for her to play with.

When they met people, Amu would point at Ai Xiaolan, talking animatedly with a bright smile.

Ai Xiaolan thought Amu reminded her of Granny Liao from the streets—the way she boasted about her eldest grandson was exactly like Amu’s expression. She couldn’t understand what they were saying, so she just smiled at everyone.

Amu took her to the fields to pick vegetables, placing a straw hat on Xiao Lan’s head and smoothing her hair. She rinsed a cucumber and handed it to her, then took a bite of her own, gesturing for Ai Xiaolan to eat.

Ai Xiaolan imitated her, taking a big bite. The cucumber was crisp and sweet. She said excitedly in Mandarin, “It’s delicious! So sweet!”

Amu, as usual, nodded at whatever she said. “*Mhm, mhm, hao hao hao*.”

Gradually, Ai Xiaolan picked up a few simple phrases in the local dialect, and Amu praised her again for being clever.

Amu took her to the market to sell mushrooms and fruits, having her stand nearby while Xiao Feng sat at her feet. She kept checking on her now and then, relieved to see Ai Xiaolan staying put.

After selling everything, Amu held her hand on the way home. Passing a meat stall, she paused, looked at Ai Xiaolan, then thought of her son at home and asked for half a pound of pork.

On the way back, noticing Amu looked tired, Ai Xiaolan took the basket from her back. Xiao Feng, smelling the meat, kept circling her excitedly, licking her feet.

Ai Xiaolan laughed heartily and ran towards the village, with Little Feng chasing after her, barking excitedly.

Mama also ran after her, shouting, "Xi Xi, Xi Xi..."

Little Feng gave birth to three puppies, all with beautiful fur. After they were a month old, Mama wanted to take them to the market to sell, each for three mao. Ai Xiaolan couldn’t stand the thought of selling them, so none of the three puppies were sold.

When they grew a bit older, villagers came to ask for the puppies to raise, but Mama refused.

The village was swarming with mosquitoes. Even though they had used branches to smoke them out, the room still buzzed with mosquitoes. Ai Xiaolan shifted in her sleep, and in her half-asleep state, she felt Mama sit up and gently fan her with a large palm-leaf fan, bringing a refreshing cool breeze.

With four dogs in the house, it became even livelier. Every time Ai Xiaolan sat at the doorstep with her bowl to eat, Little Feng and her three children would squat in front of her, gazing hungrily.

Ai Xiaolan named the three puppies "Meatball, Curly, and Live Long."

Curly had slightly curly fur, and Live Long had three circles on his body. People said one circle was good, two circles were bad, and three circles meant an early death, so Ai Xiaolan named him Live Long, hoping he’d defy the superstition.

She liked Meatball the most because his fur was white with yellow spots, absolutely adorable.

Hearing Ai Xiaolan repeatedly calling, "Meatball, Meatball, Meatball," Mama shouldered her basket with a sigh and left. When she returned in the afternoon, she brought a small piece of meat, and the kitchen soon clanged with the sound of chopping.

Ai Xiaolan ran in and saw Mama beating eggs into the minced meat, mixing it with chopsticks. She couldn't help but ask, "Mama, what delicious food are you making?"

Mama smiled and said, "Weren’t you craving meatballs? Mama is making meatballs for you."

Ai Xiaolan was stunned. She knew Brother Aru needed medicine and the family wasn't well-off. It hadn’t occurred to her that her calling the puppy "Meatball" would make Mama think she wanted to eat meatballs and prepare them for her.

She ran to the room to check and found the dried mushrooms in the wooden box were gone. Mama had said they would fetch a higher price if they waited for the merchant to come. She had stored them carefully, often taking them out to dry to prevent mold, planning to sell them at a good price.

Ai Xiaolan felt a bit envious of that heartless man, Brother Aru. His Mama was so good to him, yet he always made her cry. She almost wanted to feed him poisonous mushrooms.

Mama grew a lot of corn. Ai Xiaolan followed her, carrying basket after basket down from the mountain. She fell once, and it hurt terribly.

When she got home and saw Mama, she couldn't hold back anymore. She burst into tears, wailing loudly.

She didn't know why she felt so aggrieved. Even when Ai Chengpeng had beaten her until her skin split and she passed out, she hadn't cried. She felt she was becoming less and less strong.

Mama pulled up her pant leg to reveal her bloody knee, with fresh red blood oozing out. She frowned and muttered rapidly in their local tongue.

Hearing Ai Xiaolan's cries, Brother Aru turned his head and told Mama to pick the herbs he had planted in the yard, chew them, and apply them to Ai Xiaolan's knee.

The herbs felt cool against her skin, and the pain seemed to lessen.

Ai Xiaolan couldn't go to the cornfield anymore. Mama let her rest at home while she went to harvest the corn alone.

By the time all the corn was brought back, dried, and shelled grain by grain, Mama had grown gaunt and sunburnt from exhaustion. Fortunately, the corn merchant arrived, and the corn sold for a good price—over three hundred pounds of kernels earned eighty-one yuan.

Mama happily went to the market to buy meat. She said she would make meatballs for Xi Xi, buy some medicine for Brother Aru, and get Xi Xi a pair of nice sandals.