Chapter 259: Visiting the Elders (Part 2)
In just a moment, Ning Xiyue saw a friendly-looking woman in her thirties, wearing a blue apron, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, hands covered in white flour, hurrying over.
Seeing the two at the door, she tilted her head slightly and tentatively asked, “Are you the Ning siblings?”
Ning Xiyue was both surprised and delighted. She hadn’t expected Aunt Shen to recognize them at first glance.
This made her feel even more confident about today’s visit.
The siblings exchanged a glance, smiles spreading across their faces, and replied in unison, “Yes, Aunt Shen.”
Shen Qingxia’s eyes were full of warmth as she pushed open the half-closed door with her elbow and invited them in:
“Oh, you two are really grown well! Come in, don’t just stand at the door. Let’s go inside and chat.”
“Thank you, Aunt Shen. Sorry to bother you.”
The siblings carried their gifts into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, a table was set with flour and prepared fillings.
A little girl of about five or six sat by the table, her hair in two small pigtails, curiously watching the filling in the bowl. Hearing the movement, she looked up at the newcomers.
Shen Qingxia was about to close the door when Ning Xiyue nudged her brother’s arm. Seeing this, Ning Qingyuan hurried forward to help:
“Aunt Shen, I’ll close it for you since your hands are full.”
“All right, you do it,” Shen Qingxia agreed cheerfully and invited them in further:
“I’m just kneading dough and preparing dumpling skins. You should stay and eat some dumplings later.”
“Aunt Shen, these are mushrooms we dried ourselves in the mountains. I hope you don’t mind.”
Ning Qingyuan handed over the mushrooms and malted milk, though he only mentioned the mushrooms.
Ning Xiyue followed suit, handing over the cured meat she brought:
“This is homemade too. We’d like you to try it.”
“You two, bringing gifts along with you?” Shen Qingxia teased, though inside she was genuinely pleased.
Even knowing the children came to seek her help, it didn’t matter. These gifts showed they valued her. It wasn’t about the items themselves, but the thought behind them.
“It’s the right thing to do. We’re juniors—visiting elders is proper,” Ning Qingyuan said, offering the gifts again.
After politely declining once, Shen Qingxia finally accepted the gifts with a big smile, leading the two to the table in the middle of the courtyard and pulling out two small benches:
“Sit here.”
“Thank you, Aunt Shen.”
Once the two were seated, Shen Qingxia said to her daughter:
“Xiao He, this is Sister Xiyue and Brother Qingyuan. Go greet them.”
Shen Qingxia had no worries about her daughter and went back inside with the items she had been carrying.
“Hello, Brother and Sister!” the little girl Xiao He called out loudly without any shyness.
“You’re so well-behaved. Are you Xiao He? Come here, I have something for you,” Ning Xiyue said softly, beckoning her over.
Xiao He jumped off the bench and ran a few steps to Ning Xiyue, curious.
Ning Xiyue pulled a pack of White Rabbit candies wrapped in wax paper from her bag and handed it to her—about half a pound in total.
She hadn’t considered the small child when picking gifts, but fortunately, her space contained plenty of snacks.
These White Rabbit candies had been bought by her brother before, making them perfect for a gift.
Even with Aunt Lin’s letter requesting help, it was important to show proper manners. Especially with something as important as changing household registration, she had to consider everything, including a child, to show sincerity. Seeing this, Aunt Shen would be even happier.
Ning Qingyuan was touched. His sister had thought of everything—even giving away her favorite White Rabbits. He decided he would buy more for her at the supply store later. This was about his matter, and he couldn’t let his sister suffer.
Xiao He curiously held the bag. When she saw it was full of White Rabbit candies, her eyes lit up. But still, she reluctantly handed it back to Ning Xiyue, shaking her head seriously:
“Sister, I can’t take it. Mom says I can’t accept things from others.”
Ning Xiyue was momentarily surprised. This child was obedient and could resist temptation. She could refuse even a whole bag of candies—her parents had done a good job raising her. Ning Xiyue gently touched the child’s pigtails and said softly:
“Then just hold onto it for now. When your mom comes out, you can ask her first. If she says no, you can return it to me.”
“Here she comes,” just then Shen Qingxia came out carrying two cups of tea:
“Xiyue, Qingyuan, come have some tea.”
“Thank you, Aunt Shen.”
Ning Qingyuan and Ning Xiyue stood, taking a step to accept the tea.
Xiao He happily ran to her mother, holding the candy and asking:
“Mom, Sister gave me a pack of candy. Can I take it?”
“You two, next time just come directly. Don’t do this again,” Shen Qingxia said with a laugh, noticing the White Rabbit candies, lightly scolding Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan.
“Yes, yes,” they responded with smiles. Next time, they would handle it properly.
Shen Qingxia handed the candy to her daughter:
“Your sister gave it to you. Accept it and say thank you to her and your brother.”
“Thank you, Sister!” Xiao He hugged the candy and bowed to Ning Xiyue, then ran smiling to Ning Qingyuan:
“Thank you, Brother.”
“You’re welcome,” Ning Qingyuan and Ning Xiyue said in unison.
“It’s been so long since I last saw you two. I remember the first time, Qingyuan was just as small as Xiao He. Xiyue must have been smaller.”
Shen Qingxia gestured with one hand kneading dough and the other indicating their heights:
“When I went to Aunt Lin’s house on an errand, I saw you two sitting on little stools helping her pick vegetables. So well-behaved and cute. Now, look at you—grown so fast!”
“Xiyue has become a graceful young lady, and Qingyuan is a handsome young man. Both excellent,” she praised.
“You flatter us,” Ning Xiyue said, covering her mouth and smiling.
Ning Qingyuan nodded with a smile and stood:
“You overpraise me. I’ll help roll the dough.”
“Sure, I won’t mind. You can handle the dough,” Shen Qingxia said, stepping aside toward the bowl of cabbage and pork filling.
Ning Qingyuan washed his hands and then rolled the dough diligently.
Ning Xiyue and Shen Qingxia stood nearby, filling dumplings while chatting, talking about her matters with Aunt Lin, and caring about how the siblings’ life was in the countryside.
Naturally, the conversation turned to the mining activities of their team. Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan steered the topic this way intentionally.
The chat eventually led to Ning Qingyuan’s upcoming position as the storekeeper for the mining team.
Shen Qingxia was happy for him:
“That’s wonderful! Being a warehouse manager is much better than doing manual labor. Congratulations, Qingyuan! This is a big deal.”
With the conversation at this point, the siblings seized the opportunity. It was the perfect moment to bring up the real purpose of their visit.
Ning Xiyue gave her brother a meaningful glance. Ning Qingyuan, receiving the signal, looked sincerely at Shen Qingxia:
“Aunt Shen, to be honest, the reason we came today is for this matter. We’d like to seek your advice.”
“Oh? Tell me about it.”
Shen Qingxia became interested, looking at him with curiosity. Finally, they were getting to the point. She would listen carefully to the children’s thoughts.
