Chapter 52: Xiao Heng Seeks Help

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Xiao Heng Seeks Help

Fu Xiaoxiao arrived at school, and before Lu Lin could say anything upon seeing her, Niuwa had already dashed excitedly toward her.

"Uh... Mrs. Fu, are you here to see Lu Lin?" Niuwa stood in front of Fu Xiaoxiao, suddenly becoming quiet and pretending to be obedient.

The kids trailing behind, including Gou Dan, caught up, and seeing Niuwa pretending to be obedient, they all tugged at their clothes, trying hard to act well-behaved.

"...You’re looking for me?" Fu Xiaoxiao looked at them and felt a bit uneasy.

"No, no, we’re all good brothers of Lu Lin. We can help Mrs. Fu take it to him!" Niuwa said, blinking his big eyes, his gaze falling on the basket in Fu Xiaoxiao’s hand.

Fu Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, then picked up the basket and smiled gently. "I brought some pumpkin soup for Lu Lin. Would you like to try some?"

"Pumpkin?" Gou Dan’s eyes showed some disappointment as he heard it was just pumpkin. He thought it might be something delicious.

Niuwa sniffed lightly, and for some reason, he instinctively felt that anything Fu Xiaoxiao made with pumpkin must taste better than what his mother made.

"Yes!" Niuwa eagerly agreed.

"Do you have bowls?" Fu Xiaoxiao looked at their empty hands, wondering how to share the soup.

"Yes, yes, yes! I’ll get them right away!" Niuwa and the others immediately ran to the classroom and quickly brought out their own bowls.

Lu Lin walked up to Fu Xiaoxiao, looking at her basket in silence.

Fu Xiaoxiao gently ruffled his hair. "They’re your little friends, so let them have a taste. I didn’t bring much today; I’ll bring more next time."

"Okay." Lu Lin nodded, willing to share.

"I made a big pot today; there’s still more at home!" Sensing his disappointment, Fu Xiaoxiao gently pinched his cheek to comfort him.

"How’s Xiao Chen? Is Mr. Lu okay?" Lu Lin asked, noticing that Lu Chen hadn’t come with Fu Xiaoxiao.

"I left him at home to eat! Mr. Lu is doing fine. He should be back home now. He’ll be recovering at home from now on, so you can see him every day." Fu Xiaoxiao explained the situation to Lu Lin.

"Good." Lu Lin couldn’t hide his happiness upon hearing that Lu Feng had returned.

"We brought our bowls!!" Niuwa was the first to run over with a bowl, smiling sheepishly at Fu Xiaoxiao.

Once all the kids had gathered around, Fu Xiaoxiao shared the pumpkin soup among them, leaving a small half-bowl for Lu Lin.

"Is this pumpkin...what?" Niuwa asked incredulously after taking a bite. "It’s so sweet, so fragrant, and so delicious."

Niuwa had tasted pumpkin before, as it was often steamed with other ingredients at home, but pumpkin typically had no flavor, which they didn’t enjoy eating.

Fu Xiaoxiao told them that the sweet and fragrant taste in their mouths was pumpkin, and they really couldn’t believe it.

"Maybe it’s because I added sugar!" Fu Xiaoxiao chuckled. She had simmered the pumpkin down into a puree, making it naturally soft and sweet.

This dish required careful handling of the heat, as too much would burn it and give it a bitter taste.

"Your mom is amazing, making even pumpkin taste this good!" Niuwa looked at Lu Lin enviously, wishing he had such a stepmother.

"She’s a great cook." Lu Lin nodded in agreement. Fu Xiaoxiao’s cooking skills were exceptional; no matter what she made, it was delicious.

After finishing, Lu Lin returned the bowl to Fu Xiaoxiao, just as the preparatory bell rang, indicating class was about to start.

"I’ll go home by myself after school; you don’t need to wait for me." Lu Lin gave Fu Xiaoxiao a glance, awkwardly waved his hand at her, and then, feeling embarrassed, ran back to the classroom with a flushed face.

Seeing him shy and embarrassed was a rare sight, causing a smile to curl at the corner of Fu Xiaoxiao’s lips.

Though cautious, the two youngsters were actually quite cute once you got to know them.

Of course, that was provided they didn’t make trouble for her.

Smiling, Fu Xiaoxiao walked out of the school. She hadn’t gone far when a hand pulled her into the woods.

Fu Xiaoxiao was about to raise her hand to strike when she heard Xiao Heng’s voice from behind.

"It’s me, Xiao Heng."

"What’s the matter?" Fu Xiaoxiao paused, gently relaxing her hand.

"Thank you for the medicine. My grandpa is now out of danger." Xiao Heng looked earnestly at Fu Xiaoxiao, expressing his gratitude.

"It was nothing, really. No need to thank me. Besides, you already paid me, didn’t you?" Fu Xiaoxiao said with a smile, remembering that day he had given her five yuan.

A few pills for five yuan - she had profited.

"But that’s different. That was my grandpa’s life!" Xiao Heng shook his head. To Fu Xiaoxiao, it was a small effort, but to him, it was his grandpa’s life.

"If it weren’t for your help, buying the medicine, my grandpa might not have made it through..." Xiao Heng’s eyes dimmed.

"Why tell me this?" Fu Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, puzzled as to why Xiao Heng was sharing such important information with her. "Aren’t you afraid I’d report you?"

She could guess that Xiao Heng’s grandpa was probably one of those who had been sent down.

"You wouldn’t." Xiao Heng looked earnestly at Fu Xiaoxiao, his tone firm and confident.

"Well, thank you for having such trust in me." Fu Xiaoxiao said with amusement, although she wasn’t sure why he was so confident she wouldn’t report him, she indeed wasn’t planning to do so.

"So what do you need from me?" Fu Xiaoxiao blinked, curious.

"...I wanted to ask if you could help me again... I know it’s a lot to ask, but I really can’t trust anyone else." Xiao Heng looked at Fu Xiaoxiao. Although his grandpa’s fever had subsided, he was still very weak. As a young intellectual, Xiao Heng couldn’t always take leave to leave the village.

He had no choice but to ask Fu Xiaoxiao for help.

"Don’t worry, I definitely won’t ask you to do it for nothing." Xiao Heng took out twenty yuan. He wasn’t short of money but didn’t want to draw attention from others.

"But even if I get the medicine, it wouldn’t be convenient for me to give it to you?" Fu Xiaoxiao knew this was a matter of life and death. In this era, those who had been sent down were mostly old professors and intellectuals, and they were being treated unjustly.

Xiao Heng was troubled; indeed, he couldn’t have much contact with Fu Xiaoxiao.

She was a military wife, and he was a young intellectual. If she came to find him, it would easily incite gossip without a proper reason.

"How about this? If you trust me, tell me about your grandpa. I’ll deliver the medicine to him under the cover of night when I get it." Fu Xiaoxiao considered and decided to help.

"I trust you, of course." Xiao Heng looked deeply at Fu Xiaoxiao, gratitude filling his eyes.

Xiao Heng shared some details known only to him and his grandpa, also telling Fu Xiaoxiao where he was living in the cowshed.

"Okay." Fu Xiaoxiao nodded, remembering Xiao Heng’s words.

"By the way, your grandpa was sent down, so why are you unaffected?" Fu Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, looking at Xiao Heng.

"Before grandpa was sent down, he publicly severed ties with my mom through the newspaper. My mom changed our surname to her maiden name, so no one knows." Xiao Heng’s eyes were filled with sadness as he looked at Fu Xiaoxiao.

"You and your grandpa have a good relationship." Fu Xiaoxiao stated confidently.

"Yes, my grandpa raised me when I was little!" Xiao Heng did not deny it; in his childhood, with his parents absent, only his grandpa was there, single-handedly raising him.

So when his grandpa had troubles, he couldn’t just leave him and have a good life in the city, secretly deciding to volunteer for the countryside to find him.