Chapter 324: Chapter 324

Ye He Ping didn’t feel that it was wrong for his daughter to chase the guests away after just a few words. Instead, he was pleased to see his daughter gradually change from being withdrawn to her current state. After Zhang Zhenlian left, Ye He Ping and his daughter took some paper and walked toward the back of the village. They walked half a mile through the dry fields, and Ye Ling could already see the weed-cleared grave from a distance. Even before reaching it, her eyes were already moist. Seeing his daughter who was previously cheerful now fall silent, Ye He Ping also felt his heart ache.

The father and daughter silently reached the grave, quietly burning the paper. Only after that did Ye Ling, with tears falling, tell her grandmother about events at school, finding some solace in doing so. As they walked home, both father and daughter carried heavy hearts. Once they got home, Ye He Ping said he would cook, but Ye Ling stopped him.

"Dad, I’m your daughter. How can I let you cook? If you want to take a walk, go for one; if not, just rest in the house. I’ll cook." Ye Ling knew her father was also feeling upset.

Ye He Ping appreciated his daughter’s concern and nodded, "Alright, I’ll take a walk in the village and meet some of the elders. I brought some rice and flour with me, you can decide what to do with it."

He checked his watch again as he was leaving, "It’s only three o’clock now. I’ll be back a little after four." Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

Ye Ling watched her father leave, then returned inside. After the production team disbanded, buying things no longer required grain tickets or such; everything was bought with money. So shopping became convenient — as long as you had money, you could buy anything, unlike a few years ago when even buying a can required a ticket, and couldn’t be bought otherwise.

Having just visited her grandmother’s grave, Ye Ling couldn’t bring herself to swallow rice. She decided to make some cold noodles, perfect for the summer, both refreshing and appetizing.

The water tank at home was full of water. Ye Ling went to the garden to pick cucumbers, scallions, and cilantro, and grabbed two peppers as well. She sliced the cucumbers into strips, chopped the others finely for mixing with noodles later, and put them on a plate. She added water to the pot, waiting to boil the sliced noodles. While boiling water on one side, she rolled out the noodle dough. Upon hearing someone arrive, she looked up and saw Zhang Zhenlian enter, followed by Si Daochen and Wang Shumei. The three had come together, surprised to see Ye Ling cooking.

"Ye Ling, let me help you," Zhang Zhenlian offered, but Ye Ling stopped her.

"No need, it’s just some sliced noodles; I can manage. Have you all eaten?" Ye Ling politely refused Zhang Zhenlian’s help.

Zhang Zhenlian was merely being polite. Seeing Ye Ling decline, she didn’t insist. "Not yet; Daochen and Shubo wanted to come check on you, so we came first. We planned to walk by the river in the evening; you should join us."

Ye Ling had been amiable at noon, so Zhang Zhenlian felt brave enough to say this now.

Without even thinking, Ye Ling directly refused, "You go ahead; three days on the train really tired me out."

"That’s fine; there will be other opportunities," Zhang Zhenlian replied with a smile.

Si Daochen, who hadn’t spoken since entering, had been observing Ye Ling intently, with surprise in his eyes until Zhang Zhenlian and Ye Ling finished their conversation. He finally spoke, "Did Ye Qian go to the company? How is she doing there?"

This one question left Ye Ling’s expression unchanged, but Zhang Zhenlian and Wang Shumei’s faces fell. Zhang Zhenlian quickly composed herself, while Wang Shumei turned sullen and walked off in a huff.

Hurriedly, Zhang Zhenlian explained, "Ye Ling, don’t overthink it. Shumei is just in a bad mood. Her brother’s temporary job might end soon without a new assignment, and her temporary work was also lost. That’s why she gets angry easily."

But how is this related to what Si Daochen said?

Perhaps this was just an opportunity to talk about how tough things were for Wang Shumei?

Ye Ling understood Zhang Zhenlian’s purpose. Ever since the production team disbanded, life for the Wang Family hadn’t been as good as before. Previously, Zhang Zhenlian was a follower of Wang Shumei, always paying attention to her moods. As the saying goes, the east of the river changes to the west in thirty years. Now Zhang Zhenlian had her chance to finally speak freely, seeing Wang Shumei in a worse situation.

Nevertheless, Ye Ling didn’t intend to cooperate with Zhang Zhenlian, instead responding to Si Daochen, "She came back during the New Year, seemed fine. Since you two are on good terms, why not write her a letter? My dad has her address. If you want to write, you can ask my dad later."

Si Daochen, eager to contact Ye Qian, appreciated Ye Ling’s straightforwardness, which felt like a stroke of fortune, bringing a smile to his face, "Ye Ling, you’ve indeed changed."

Ye Ling wouldn’t have been so easygoing in the past.

Ye Ling smiled faintly, "People change."

Upon hearing Si Daochen ask for Ye Qian’s address, Zhang Zhenlian’s smile turned somewhat forced, providing an excuse, "Daochen, let’s head back first and ask Uncle Ye for the address in the evening."

"No need, we have nothing else to do at home. Uncle Ye will be back for dinner soon anyway," Si Daochen replied, insisting on staying.

Realizing Si Daochen wouldn’t be dissuaded, Zhang Zhenlian had no choice but to stay too.

When Ye He Ping returned, Ye Ling had already finished cooking the noodles, soaking them in cold water, and had cooked egg sauce with hot oil. Seeing his return, she scooped the noodles out of the water into a large bowl, arranged the side dishes on the table, ready to be added individually when eating.

Upon hearing Si Daochen ask for his younger daughter’s address, Ye He Ping didn’t inquire further; he simply wrote it down and handed it to Si Daochen, who after a few words, left with Zhang Zhenlian.

"Let’s eat," Ye Ling said, mixing her noodles first.

Seeing how his daughter mixed hers, Ye He Ping followed suit, taking a bite with a delightful blend of sauce flavor and mild spiciness from the chili, the cool noodles further increasing his appetite, "These noodles taste great."

"I thought since it was hot, this would be just right," Ye Ling too found it delicious.

They finished the half pot of noodles, and after clearing the table, Ye Ling asked about her father’s health, "Dad, it seems your stomach isn’t well; you kept pressing it while eating. Is it not better yet? You don’t have to lie to me, or I won’t forgive you if I find out."

Having finally experienced a reunion of fatherly love and familial bonds in this life, Ye Ling didn’t want to lose it. Despite her fears, watching her father’s actions while eating, she couldn’t help but feel concerned.

Seeing the worry on his daughter’s face, Ye He Ping sighed, "You can’t hide anything from you. According to the doctor, part of my stomach should be removed, but I haven’t scheduled it yet, thinking it’s no big deal, so I hadn’t told you, to save you from worry." (To be continued. If you work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)