Mrs. Wang leaned on Chen Afu's right arm while her "son" held her left hand and her "younger brother" clung to Mrs. Wang's other hand, and they all moved forward. Chen Afu walked clumsily, thus rather slowly, and was frequently overtaken by pedestrians behind them.
Chen Afu noticed that his brother was a little lame, hobbling as he walked.
He saw that Mrs. Wang's clothing consisted of many patches, his own clothes had fewer patches, but there were still some. The clothes of the two little boys were not only patched but also too small, as if they were tied to their bodies.
Chen Afu thought to himself, life in this new home won't be easy.
Listening to their conversations, Chen Afu learned that his son was named Chen Dabao, his younger brother was Chen Alu, and they also had a father. They came to the county town to sell the embroidered goods that Mrs. Wang created, to buy medicine for their father's lung disease, as well as to get treatment and medicine for Chen Afu's dementia. Because a monk once said that Chen Afu's dementia could be cured, the family never gave up treating her, saving on food and clothes to regularly bring her to the county town for medical attention.
From time to time, delicious aromas wafted from both sides of the street as food vendors cooked and shouted out their offers. There were those selling noodles, dumplings, buns and pancakes...
Especially when they passed a noodle restaurant, the tantalizing aroma was particularly strong. Chen Afu's stomach growled a few times, and he couldn't help but drool.
Mrs. Wang stopped, looked at the drool on Afu's mouth, and said, "Today we bought medicine for you and your father, and some fine food and a piece of pig liver for your father. We've almost spent all our money..." She hesitated, then suggested, "How about we get a bowl of plain noodles? But this noodle restaurant is expensive, a bowl of plain noodles costs ten cents. There's a noodle stall on the edge of the town that's cheaper, you can get a bowl for seven cents."
Chen Afu's face flushed as he noticed that the sun was past the zenith and heading west, indicating that it was well past noon.
They walked for another short while, in the distance they saw the tall city gate. They turned into an alley, which was full of villagers selling goods on the ground, who nibbled on their own buns as they hawked their wares.
They stopped in front of a noodle stall. It was run by a husband and wife duo: the husband cooked the noodles and ladled the toppings, while the wife served, cleared, washed dishes, and wiped the tables. They had decent business, with six or seven people occupying their four small tables.
Mrs. Wang said, "Sister, one bowl of plain noodles, please."
The woman asked, "Sister, you four people, just want one bowl?"
Mrs. Wang smiled and made an "eh" sound.
The group sat down at a table, the four of them filling it completely. Mrs. Wang took out a small bundle from her basket, revealing four corn cakes inside. She gave Chen Dabao and Chen Alu one each and took one for herself, then wrapped up the last one and put it back into her basket. She told Chen Afu, "Afu, wait a little bit, the noodles will be ready soon."
Chen Afu finally understood. The bowl of noodles was meant for him alone, while the others would eat the corn cakes they brought from home. Seeing the satisfyied faces of the two boys as they nibbled the corn cakes, he couldn't help but blush.
The noodle shop's owner brought over three bowls of noodle soup for them, saying, "The cakes are dry; have some soup."
Chen Dabao sweetly said, "Thank you, auntie."
The store owner laughed and pinched his dirty little face.
As the three of them nibbled on their cakes, Chen Afu carefully examined the family members of his new life.
Mrs. Wang was probably in her late thirties, beautiful in her own subtle way. Even though her clothes had many patches, they were clean and tidy, and she was a capable woman. Unlike the rural women here, she had an indescribable charm. Especially her hands, delicate and fair, did not look like they were used for rough work.
Even though Chen Dabao and Chen Alu's little faces were grimy, it couldn't conceal their handsome features.
Especially Chen Dabao's, his face was exquisitely handsome and his eyes were like stars, impossibly bright. Anyone with eyes like that was surely very wise and intelligent. The boy's appearance was extraordinarily outstanding.
Chen Alu was also good-looking, just not as striking as Chen Dabao, and it was such a pity that he had a limp.
With such a handsome son as Chen Dabao, it was unlikely that his mother was ugly. It seemed she must have been a beauty herself. The realization sent a shudder down Afu's spine. Chen Dabao, his surname was Chen and so was his mother's, the original owner of this body was known for not being too bright, could it be that she was... She quickly dismissed the horrible thought.
In her panic, drool trickled down the corner of her mouth.
Thinking his mother was hungry, Chen Dabao hopped off a stool and went to Afu, standing on tiptoes, he wiped the drool with his sleeve and stuffed a piece of cornbread into her mouth. "Mother, have some bread first. The noodles will be ready soon."
Such a considerate act from a little boy made Afu feel both embarrassed and touched.
After all, it's always better to seize the day and accept whatever comes. In her last life, she had no family. In this life, not only did she have a family, but they were also very kind to her. Even considering the current unfortunate circumstances, it was much better than scenarios from other books she had read, where characters were either sold or starved to death after crossing over.
This realization made her feel calmer.
The noodles were served in a big clay bowl, filled to the brim. The intense aroma of the onions and noodles wafted up, prompting Afu to once again salivate. A couple of swallowing noises could be heard from Dabao and Alu, who were embarrassed by their eager anticipation.
Afu gave a small smile, painstakingly pushed the bowl towards Mrs. Wang, took her chopsticks and began to serve the noodles.
Mrs. Wang was surprised, "Afu, what are you doing?"
With great difficulty, Afu managed to produce two words, "Mother, eat."
Alas, her cloudy mind and defective limbs were not very cooperative. She reminded of a patient with cerebral palsy from her previous life. She would have to exercise and train her body to recover her abilities as quickly as possible.
Then, she pushed the bowl towards Chen Alu and Chen Dabao, serving them noodles as well. Albeit her movements were slow, she managed to serve them all.
Mrs. Wang, Chen Alu, and Chen Dabao were both surprised and delighted. Chen Dabao was particularly touched, he mumbled, "My mother is so smart. She's not foolish."
Alu also expressed his joy, "Yes, sister is not foolish anymore."
Seeing this, Mrs. Wang's eyes welled up with tears, she pressed her hands together, "Amitabha Buddha, Afu's dementia has indeed improved."
Afu struggled again to form a sentence, "Mother, Alu, Dabao, you eat...noodles."
"Okay, we're eating." The three of them joyfully started eating while watching Afu.
Afu started to eat too. She was so hungry, feeling as though her stomach was pressed against her back. Thankfully, the one thing she seemed to have mastered after crossing over was eating. Her hands and mouth coordinated well enough to keep her from stuffing noodles up her nose.
Chen Dabao bragged, "My mother is so smart, not even sending the noodles up to her nose."
Afu paused, had the original host actually put food up her nose before?
Mrs. Wang passed her the remaining piece of cornbread, chuckling, "You gave most of the noodles to us. Have some cornbread now."
...............
This story will gradually unfold and is not like 'Farmer Girl's Splendid Life,' where the highlights are placed at the forefront. After her father left, many readers impatiently awaited his return and missed out on many exciting developments... However, this story will be very exciting, and you'll find out soon enough.