Auntie Hongās condition was indeed very serious; she was alarmingly thin, with sunken eye sockets, colorless lips, and lifeless eyes. She seemed as if she could close her eyes for the last time at any moment, and even when Yang Chuxia spoke to her, the replies were weak and breathless.
After leaving Uncle Hongās place, Yang Chuxia and Ye Ziāan went to Jufeng Tower, stayed briefly in town, and then returned to Yangshu Village. Ziāan felt a bit of regret. He had wanted to go to the seaside with Xiaxia; he had heard that there was a big ship there that specialized in taking people out to sea for pleasure trips. Unfortunately, after taking a trip to Constable Hongās home, they ran out of time.
"Letās go some other time in the future!" Yang Chuxia said after knowing his wishes.
"Thatās the only choice now. Itās a pity that we, who were born by the seaside, have never been out to sea," Ziāan pondered that aside from those who went out to sea each year to fish and catch shrimp, the others really never had the chance.
It was said that ever since the owner of that big ship started this pleasure cruise last year, he has made a fortune by now.
Yang Chuxia, however, didnāt feel it was a pity. She had not been to sea in this life, but in her previous life, she had. The sea was roughly the same everywhere; there was nothing special about it.
"Exactly, Iāve never been to sea either."
As soon as the carriage stopped, the little boy who had been left at home to do his homework dashed out.
Seeing him, Ye Ziāan couldnāt help but ask, "Have you finished your homework?"
"Of course!" Yangyang grinned at Mingcui and Mother Li as they moved things from the carriage into the house, "Mom, what did you buy? Did you get anything for me?"
"No!" Yang Chuxia shook her head.
"Ah," Yangyang objected upon hearing this, "How can you do this, Mom? Not only do you abandon me, but you also donāt even include me in your purchases? Am I not your son anymore?"
"Youāre not lacking in food, clothes, nor in stationery for writing; your toys are also abundant. What else do you need?" Ziāan glanced at him, "How long did it take you to finish your homework?"
"Why are you asking this?" Yangyang met Ziāanās gaze with a sharp look, "Iām not going to tell you. You must be thinking if I finished early, youād just give me some extra assignments, right? Iām not that foolish."
"Pfft, silly boy, if I, your father, want to give you more homework, I can do so any time. Do you think I wonāt add more just because you donāt say? Youāre really too naĆÆve." Ye Ziāan chuckled, and seeing that it was still early, he just thought about asking him to go back up and copy two essays.
Realizing something was amiss, Yangyang instantly turned tail and ran, shouting over his shoulder, "Iām also having dinner at Grandmaās house tonight."
"Hey, this kid sure knows how to run fast!"
"Heās not stupid. Seeing the look on your face, he knew something bad was coming. Why wouldnāt he run?"
Yang Chuxia chuckled and entered the house, quite pleased with the spoils on the table.
"Speaking of pan-fried ground beans, Old Uncle Shenās skills are unmatched." Yang Chuxia had encountered other ground bean stalls in town and thought they looked good, so she bought a few portions. However, they didnāt taste that great now. They seemed to be lacking something.
"If you want to eat it, just make it yourself. I remember Uncle Bo gave you the recipe for the ground bean sauce, didnāt he?"
"Thatās true. These years, Iāve only made fried ground bean slices and sticks, never pan-fried beans. Initially, Uncle Bo agreed that if he sold arrowroot beans we wouldnāt, and although heās no longer selling, I donāt plan on getting back into that business. Still, making some for us to eat is fine."