Mrs. Wang supported Chen Afu's right arm, her "son" held her left hand, and her "younger brother" grasped Mrs. Wang's other hand, as they all walked forward. Chen Afu walked unsteadily, so they moved very slowly, occasionally being overtaken by pedestrians from behind.
Chen Afu noticed that her brother was actually limping, walking with an uneven gait.
Looking at Mrs. Wang's clothes, she saw they had many patches. Her own clothes had fewer patches, but still several. The two boys' clothes not only had patches but were also too small, as if they were strapped onto their bodies.
Chen Afu thought to herself that life in this new family would be difficult.
Listening to their conversation, Chen Afu learned that her son was named Chen Dabao and her brother Chen Alu, and they also had a father. They had come to the county town to sell the embroidery made by Mrs. Wang, to get medicine for their father who was suffering from lung disease, and to treat and get medicine for Chen Afu's dementia. Because a monk had once said that Chen Afu's dementia could be cured, the family had never given up on treating her, tightening their belts to regularly come to the county town for her medical treatment.
Fragrant smells drifted occasionally from the street vendors, who were cooking and calling out to sell their wares. There were those selling noodles, wontons, steamed buns, and flatbreads...
Especially when passing by a noodle shop, the fragrance was particularly intense. Chen Afu's stomach growled several times, and she couldn't help drooling.
Mrs. Wang stopped walking and, seeing the drool at the corner of her daughter's mouth, said, "Today, after getting medicine for you and your dad, and buying some delicate food for your dad, a pork liver, we've almost spent all our money..." She hesitated, then added, "Why don't we just have a bowl of plain noodles? However, this noodle shop is expensive, they charge ten cents a bowl. There's a cheaper stall on the edge of the town, where a bowl costs just seven cents."
Chen Afu's face reddened, she looked at the sun slanting westward in the sky, realizing it was already past noon.
They walked for another quarter-hour or so and caught sight of the tall city gate in the distance. They turned into an alley where many villagers sat on the ground selling goods, munching on flatbreads they had brought from home.
They stopped in front of a noodle stall. This stall was run just by a husband and wife—the husband cooked the noodles and prepared the sauce, while the wife served the bowls, washed them, and cleaned the tables. The business was doing fairly well with four small tables, occupied by six or seven people.
Mrs. Wang said, "Young lady, cook a bowl of plain noodles."
The stall owner asked, "Sister-in-law, just one bowl for the four of you?"
Mrs. Wang smiled and uttered an "Eh."
They sat down at a table, and the four of them occupied it completely. Mrs. Wang took out a small bundle from her basket and unwrapped it to reveal four corn flatbreads. She handed one to Chen Dabao and Chen Alu, took one for herself, and wrapped the remaining piece neatly back into the basket. She said to Chen Afu, "Afu, the noodles will be ready soon."
Chen Afu then understood that the bowl of noodles was meant only for her, while the others would eat the corn flatbreads brought from home. Looking at the two boys, who were contentedly munching on their flatbreads, she couldn't help but blush with embarrassment.
The stall owner brought them three bowls of noodle water and said, "The flatbreads are dry, have some water."
Chen Dabao sweetly replied, "Thank you, auntie."
The stall owner smiled and pinched his dirty little face.
As the three of them nibbled on their flatbreads, Chen Afu took the opportunity to carefully observe the few family members of this life.
Mrs. Wang was around thirty to nearly forty years old, with a delicate appearance. Despite her clothes being patched, they were clean and tidy, and she was spry, unlike the farmers here, possessing an indescribable charm. Especially her hands—they were delicate and fair, not like those of someone who did rough work.
Although Chen Dabao and Chen Alu's little faces were dirty, their handsome features were not fully concealed.
Especially Chen Dabao, with his delicate facial features and eyes like a painting, his deep eyes shone like stars—people with such eyes must be extremely intelligent and wise. This child's appearance was truly remarkable.
Chen Alu was also good-looking, just not as striking as Chen Dabao, and it was truly unfortunate that he had a limp.
Having a beautiful son like Chen Dabao meant the mother couldn't be ugly, so she must also be quite attractive. Just as Afu thought this, she shivered. Chen Dabao, his last name was Chen, just like his mother, and the original host was a fool with a muddled mind. Could it be that the original host had been violated and then given birth to a child...
She became nervous, and saliva flowed down from the corner of her mouth.
Chen Dabao thought his mother was drooling because she was hungry. He jumped off his stool, came to Afu's side, and tiptoed to wipe off her saliva with his sleeve. He then stuffed a piece of cornbread into her mouth and said softly, "Mother, have a bit of the bread first, the noodles will be ready soon."
Such understanding from such a small child embarrassed Afu while also deeply moving her.
Since she was here, she might as well accept it. In her previous life, she had no relatives, but in this life, not only did she have relatives, but they also treated her so well. No matter how bad things were, it was much better than some stories where as soon as the female lead crossed over, she faced being sold or starving to death.
Thinking this, she felt relieved.
The noodles were served, a big earthen bowl full of them, topped with a few chopped green onions. The aroma of the noodles and onions wafted in the air, causing Afu's saliva to uncontrollably flow again; she heard swallowing sounds from Dabao and Alu. They were embarrassed by their greed, both blushing, turning their eyes away.
Afu chuckled a bit and with effort, pushed the bowl towards Mrs. Wang, using chopsticks to serve her some noodles.
Mrs. Wang was a bit stunned and asked, "Afu, what are you doing?"
Afu struggled to utter two words, "Mom, eat."
Alas, with a unclear mind, an uncoordinated body, uncontrollable limbs, and a dysfunctional mouth and tongue, this body responded somewhat like a cerebral palsy child from her previous world. She would have to exercise regularly to regain function as soon as possible.
Then, she pushed the bowl towards Chen Alu and Chen Dabao, serving them noodles as well. Although her movements were slow, she managed to serve them right.
Mrs. Wang, Chen Alu, and Chen Dabao were surprised and delighted, staring at her in amazement. Chen Dabao was almost moved to tears, pouting his little lips and saying, "My mother is so smart, my mother isn't foolish."
Chen Alu nodded happily, "Yes, sister's illness is better, sister isn't foolish anymore."
Mrs. Wang had already started crying, she clasped her hands together and said, "Amitabha Buddha, Afu's dementia is much improved."
Afu struggled to say, "Mom, Alu, Dabao, you—eat—noodles."
"Yes, let's eat," the three of them happily ate their noodles while watching Afu.
Afu also began to eat her noodles, she was so hungry she could feel her stomach sticking to her back. Since crossing over, the only thing she had mastered was the act of eating; her hands and mouth coordinated relatively well, at least she wasn't stuffing noodles into her nose.
Chen Dabao proudly said, "Mother is so clever, she didn't even get the noodles in her nose."
Afu paused her hands, had the original host really stuffed food into their nose before?
Mrs. Wang, still smiling, passed the remaining piece of bread to Afu, "You gave us so much noodles, now eat this piece of bread."
.........
This story will warm up slowly, gradually becoming excellent. Unlike "Farm Girl's Splendor," where the highlights were all at the beginning, where little dad left, making many relatives anxious to see the life after little dad returns, missing out on many exciting parts... But this story will really be fascinating, you'll see in the future.