“Anran? What’s wrong?” Ji Rou looked at her daughter who has never risen her head once. She put down the newspaper she was holding and asked, “is it not to your taste? Or are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?” Ji Rou was a bit worried, her daughter was her everything!
“Hm?” Lu Anran snapped out of her thoughts, and looked at Ji Rou sitting opposite her. “No, it’s not bad.” She said and took another mouthful of pickled radish and vegetables, with a bowl of porridge that she ate until there was nothing left. The soft white rice porridge was fragrant and Lu Anran ate quite happily. she was distracted for a moment only because she recalled the bad memories of the past.
Ji Rou looked tenderly at her own daughter, “how about not going to school today, your fever had only gone down last night, take a day off today! Ok?” After thinking about it, she still felt that it wasn’t safe, “I’ll take leave today to keep you company, and in the afternoon, I’ll bring you to hospital to check (her health) again!”
“I’m fine.” Lu Anran gave Ji Rou a reassuring smile, “Mum, don’t worry about me.” She stood up from the dining table side and as if she remembered something, Lu Anran asked Ji Rou, “Mum, is Auntie Rong coming back today?”
“She will set off at noon today and reach back tomorrow night. Why?” asked Ji Rou.
“This time, let Auntie Rong bring back her son and daughter-in-law together with her!” Lu Anran used the serviette on the table to wipe her mouth and said, “Auntie Rong is getting old, her husband died early, and only have a son, since it also wasn’t easy for him to marry, staying in the mountains continuously is not good. It can’t be that we wait until Auntie Rong becomes old and then let her go back to the mountains right!
“So, that means?” Ji Rou suddenly felt like her daughter had grown up.
“Let Auntie Rong’s son be the gardener!” Li Anran looked at the flowers and grasses in the courtyard, “It makes me annoyed every time we need to invite an outsider, letting our own people do it is much more reliable!” Lu Anran said, “Auntie Rong’s son and daughter-in-law can come in and assist Auntie Rong to do the household chores, make a meal etc, isn’t there still a vacant bedroom on second floor?”
“En…” Ji Rou thought and nodded, “Ok, I’ll call Auntie Rong now.”
“This time they should come together, they don’t have much properties in the mountains anyways.” Lu Anran carried her schoolbag, “Mum, I’m off to school!”
“Go then! Take care!” Ji Rou rubbed Lu Anran’s head.
“Yup!” Lu Anran smiled sweetly to Ji Rou, and upon turning around her smile disappeared. She remembered in the previous lifetime, Auntie Rong’s son and daughter-in-law got into a car accident on the way home after sending Auntie Rong home, both of them passed away and Auntie Rong, a white hair person having to send off a black hair person1, was very pitiful. Also, in her previous lifetime, the temporary gardener coordinated with outside and inside attacks to kidnap her, resulting in her hand muscles snapping. This time, she wants to thoroughly strangle all the calamity in the cradle!
1 白发人送黑发人 (white hair person sending off a black hair person): meaning to see one’s child die before oneself.