Chapter 1556 - 1512: The Harsh Mother-in-Law Arrives (Part 39_2)

"You two aren’t locals, are you?"

The woman came over and asked.

Anning smiled: "You’re the owner, right? We aren’t locals. We’re here visiting relatives."

The landlady smiled: "Over here, we generally don’t freshly squeeze juice, so the shop isn’t prepared for it. If you want to drink some, I can have the waitress go buy some. There’s a juicer in the kitchen, so I can make it for you."

"Zhenhua, what would you like to drink?"

Anning asked Xi Zhenhua.

Xi Zhenhua thought for a while: "Mango juice."

Anning smiled at the landlady: "Then two glasses of mango juice, please."

"Alright." The landlady readily agreed and called the waitress to buy mangoes while she went into the kitchen herself.

In no time, the landlady brought two cups of tea water: "It’ll take a while to buy the fruit. You two have some water first."

"Thank you."

Anning nodded.

The landlady handed the two cups of water to Anning and Xi Zhenhua.

Xi Zhenhua looked at the water placed in front of him, blushing as he thanked the landlady: "Thank you."

Anning picked up the water and looked at the landlady: "You’re a local, aren’t you?"

The landlady pulled up a chair, sat down, and smiled: "Yes, I’ve been married here for more than ten years, I’m used to living here, and I’m incredibly familiar with the county."

"What about your husband?" Anning, with nothing else to do, started chatting with the landlady: "Why are you the only one keeping busy?"

The landlady waved her hand: "He passed away early. That good-hearted fool drowned himself saving someone back then. He left, leaving my daughter and me alone. If I hadn’t stood up, my daughter and I wouldn’t have survived. Fortunately, I learned a skill back in the day, I’m quite good at cooking, so I opened this shop, and now we’re getting by."

"You’re really impressive." Anning complimented: "Managing everything on your own as a woman isn’t easy. You’re busy with your career and raising a child; it’s really tough."

"Isn’t it?" The landlady gave a bitter smile: "These hardships, only we women truly understand."

She looked at Anning and Xi Zhenhua: "You two are visiting relatives, whose family is it? I know quite a few people in this county."

Anning didn’t hide it: "It’s at Teacher Wu Chunli’s place, who teaches at the county middle school."

"Oh, her place." The landlady thought for a moment and remembered: "Are you Ms. Wu’s sister or sister-in-law?"

Anning shook her hand with a smile: "Oh no, Teacher Wu calls me Auntie. There’s a generation gap."

She pointed to Xi Zhenhua: "My son is about the same age as Teacher Wu."

The landlady was taken aback: "This is your son? If you hadn’t said, I would have thought you were a couple. You look so young; how do you maintain it?"

Just then, the waitress returned with the fruits.

The landlady had them taken to the kitchen to make juice; she stood up and said to Anning: "Please wait a moment, I’ll be back soon."

"Go ahead." Anning smiled as she waved the landlady off: "Don’t worry about us."

The landlady laughed as she went into the kitchen. In no time, the waitress brought two plates of dishes and two glasses of juice: "These are cold dishes and stir-fried seasonal vegetables. Please enjoy."

Anning picked up her chopsticks to try some, and her eyes lit up immediately.

She turned to Xi Zhenhua: "I must say, for such a small place, the food really is quite delicious."

Xi Zhenhua also tasted it, and after a few bites he remarked: "It really is quite good. Actually, life in a small county is pretty nice. Housing prices are low here, and the commute is actually convenient. Groceries and other things are cheap, too. Just this restaurant’s dishes, this taste, this portion, would cost double in Su Hai."

Anning nodded: "That’s true."

Anning and Xi Zhenhua ate their meal leisurely, and after finishing, Xi Zhenhua settled the bill. They then went for a stroll in the park before going back to rest.

The next day, Mr. Xia said he wanted to take Anning and the others to the mountains.

Anning wanted to go, but Xi Zhenhua said he wasn’t feeling well and wouldn’t go. He told Anning to enjoy herself with Xi Jingchen and Xia Man, not to worry about him.

Seeing that Xi Zhenhua wasn’t feeling well, Anning decided not to go.

But Xi Zhenhua insisted that Anning should go.

With no choice, Anning followed Mr. Xia to a resort on the mountain to have fun.

The mountains were indeed very cool, a great place to escape the heat, and the scenery was beautiful. Anning felt very comfortable staying there for two days and didn’t want to leave.

However, there were still many matters to attend to in Su Hai, so she had to hurry back.

Therefore, the group went back down the mountain to the hotel area.

On the way back, Anning spoke to Xia Man and Xi Jingchen: "Once we get to the county, I need to have another meal at that restaurant by the park."

Mr. Xia, driving the car, chimed in when he heard this: "It’s almost noon, how about we have lunch first, and then send you back to the hotel?"

"Sure." Anning quickly replied: "I’m just hungry, and I find the food at that restaurant very tasty. It makes you want to have more."

Mr. Xia chuckled: "You’re talking about the restaurant Ni Si runs, right? Her food is indeed good, and it’s clean as well. Both Manman’s mom and I often eat there, and Manman used to love eating there during high school."

"You know the landlady?"

Anning chatted with Mr. Xia, alternating sentences: "The landlady also knows Manman’s mom."

"Of course, I know her." Mr. Xia turned a corner, passing a steep slope, and didn’t speak until they cleared that part of the road: "Speaking of Ni Si, she’s another one with a difficult life. Her husband passed away when her daughter was less than a year old, and she’s managed to raise her child on her own over these years."

Anning listened and felt pensive.

Mr. Xia drove to the restaurant entrance, and Anning, Xia Man, and Xi Jingchen got out of the car.

The four of them entered the restaurant, and Anning’s sharp eyes immediately spotted Xi Zhenhua.

At this time, the restaurant wasn’t very crowded; there were only a few people. It wasn’t yet the busiest lunchtime hour.

Yet here was Xi Zhenhua, eating at this exact time, and from the looks of it, he had been eating for a while, almost finishing his meal, with his juice already nearly gone.

At the moment, he wasn’t eating but was sitting across from the landlady, chatting with her.