The boy and the villagers, who caught up, quickly controlled the cow.
Chen Jianhe also rushed out of the courtyard, using his burly figure to block Granny and Qiqi.
The crisis was resolved.
Zhang Xifeng's legs went soft, and she sat on the ground. She panted heavily, and her out-of-focus eyes still could not focus.
Qiqi turned around and pursed her lips. She raised her little hand and patted the old woman's shoulder awkwardly. "Granny, don't be afraid ..."
As soon as she opened her mouth, her small body was suddenly pulled into the old woman's arms, hugging her tightly.
"You, you damn kid, who told you to grab the bull's horns? Ah? Where did you get the courage from?" Zhang Xifeng's eyes were red as she cursed loudly.
She was so angry that she raised her hand and wanted to hit the child's little butt a few times.
Thinking of the injuries she had seen while bathing the child, she couldn't bring herself to do it. In the end, she slapped her thigh.
She was going to die of anger!
Qiqi didn't say anything.
She noticed that the old woman holding her was trembling all over.
She had a strange feeling as she was held in that embrace.
It was as if someone had opened up a small harbor for her, a place to shelter her from the wind and rain.
Qiqi lowered her eyes and tried to lean her head on the old woman's thin shoulder. Her small hands were crossed, and she wrapped her arms around the old woman's neck little by little.
"You borrowed the courage from the heavens, right? You dared to fight with a bull? You, how can you be so reckless!"
"Granny, I'm also scared." the child's soft and gentle voice rang in Zhang Xifeng's ears.
Zhang Xifeng's mouth opened and closed. Before she could say anything, her tears fell first.
...
Chen Jianhe's courtyard was expansive and surrounded by high walls.
There were pigsties and cattle pens inside, and there was a pressurized water well near the kitchen.
Their living conditions were slightly better than Zhang Xifeng's.
However, the Chen family's courtyard was filled with the strong smell of Chinese medicine.
Zhang Xifeng brought Qiqi to the Chen family's central room. The people who greeted them were Chen Jian and his wife, Li Cuifang.
Qiqi called her second aunt.
"Aunty, is this the child, Qiqi? She's really good-looking." Li Cuifang was in her forties and had a delicate appearance. She spoke softly and gently, but her face looked a little sickly.
Knowing that Granny had been frightened by the incident at the door, she didn't mention it again and changed the topic.
It was a pity that she couldn't divert it. Zhang Xifeng still had a lingering fear, and her legs were still trembling as she sat in the room.
As soon as she heard her asking about Qiqi, she snorted angrily. "She is pretty but also so gutsy!"
As she spoke, Zhang Xifeng also glared at the little child with feigned ferocity.
The little child pouted and smiled at her timidly.
Zhang Xifeng couldn't keep up her act.
Li Cuifang looked at the interaction between the old and the young and found it interesting. She burst into laughter.
No wonder Auntie liked this child. She was indeed very well-behaved. She liked her just by looking at her.
At this moment, Chen Jianhe had just dispersed the villagers in front of his house. He strode in and said, "It's the old village chief's cow. I don't know what happened, but it suddenly went crazy. Fortunately, no one was hurt."
He had witnessed the scene just now with his own eyes, and he was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat.
It was fortunate that no one got hurt in the end.
At the thought of this, he glanced at the little child sitting obediently on the stool. He stretched out his large hand and stroked the child's head. "What a good child."
This was the first time Qiqi had seen Chen Jianhe in person. She had only heard his voice before.
In Qiqi's eyes, this second Uncle Chen was like a mountain.
It was tall and big.
He had thick eyebrows and a dark face and looked a little fierce when he looked at people.
She didn't know if it was because she knew that second Uncle Chen had saved her, so she didn't feel afraid of this tanned uncle. Instead, she felt a sense of familiarity in her heart.
"Second Uncle Chen," She called.
Chen Jianhe was stunned for a moment. The tanned man's cold and serious face softened unconsciously as he hummed in agreement.
"Aunt, why did you come over at this time? If you need anything, call me, and I'll go over." Chen Jianhe asked.
Only then did Zhang Xifeng remember the important matter. "The pig at home is willing to eat and no longer has diarrhea. I guess it's nothing serious, so I came to tell you that you don't have to go to town to invite people tomorrow."
After a pause, Zhang Xifeng stood up and walked out. She motioned for Chen Jianhe to follow her. There's one more thing I want to discuss with you.
Chen Jianhe subconsciously glanced at the little child and followed.
The two of them stopped in front of the kitchen.
At this distance, the people in the living room couldn't hear clearly.
"Auntie, have you made your decision?" Chen Jianhe was the first to speak.
Both of them knew what this decision meant.
Zhang Xifeng nodded.
"I want to adopt Qiqi." She said. "Since I rescued her, it might be fate. After spending a day together, I've grown to like that child more and more. I really can't just leave her to wander around."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Chen Jianhe quietly, her eyes filled with determination.
Chen Jianhe was silent for a while, and then he nodded. "Since Auntie has decided, we'll do as you say."
"You don't object?" Zhang Xifeng was a little surprised.
After all, when she revealed this idea in the afternoon, Chen Jianhe showed his disapproval.
Chen Jianhe knew what Granny Zhang was thinking and smiled helplessly. "Auntie, I didn't agree with you adopting the child at first, but I had my concerns. You're old, and the hard work you've put in all year round is only enough for you to eat. If you feed another person, your days will be even harder."
Raising a child was not as simple as adding a bowl and a pair of chopsticks to the house.
Besides, apart from herself, there wasn't much help in auntie's own family so she couldn't earn more income.
He was afraid that the child would become a burden to the old woman in the future.
Secondly, he was even more afraid that the old woman would be hurt in the future.
In the past, families in the surrounding villages adopted children, but the children they raised later were ungrateful brats.
When the children grew up, they would see the elderly as a burden and ignore the gratitude of raising them.
In order to raise the child, the elderly worked hard for half their life, but in the end, they starved to death in bed and were only discovered by the neighbors a few days after their death.
"I know what you're worried about." Zhang Xifeng turned her head to look at the central room, her expression clear and relieved. "I want to raise Qiqi not because I want her to repay me in the future. Besides, I'm just an old widow. I'm already a few decades old. How many years can I live? It's just for company and peace of mind."
Chen Jianhe also looked at the central room. The sky was dark, but the lights were on the inside.
"That child knows how to be grateful." He said.
Chen Jianhe was touched that such a young child could do such a thing in the face of danger.
His aunt was a widow at a young age and had lived alone for decades. It might be a good thing that she had Qiqi to accompany her.
As for the future, he would try his best to help and support more people.
Qiqi didn't know about the conversation in front of the stove door.
There were many things in front of her. There was cane sugar wrapped in colored candy paper, a small square biscuit, and a small handful of plums hanging with white frost.
They were all taken out by second aunt.