Chapter 253 Before the Storm

ures. It was like Hao Ren himself had turned into Zhao Yanzǐ and was experiencing her school life: there was a blackboard in front of him, the teacher lecturing, classmates sitting beside him, Xiao Li...Chapter 253: Before the Storm...

Xie Yujia hesitated for a couple of seconds before she confirmed what Zhao Yanzi had said. She thought about it and replied, "Alright, I'll carry you."

Xie Yujia knew that Zhao Yanzi harbored hostility towards her. But she preferred to think that Zhao Yanzi was too embarrassed to let Hao Ren carry her, hence the request.

She walked straight up to Zhao Yanzi and slightly bent over.

Zhao Yanzi blushed and gritted her teeth before placing both hands on Xie Yujia's shoulders.

"Get on!" Xie Yujia turned around and gave her a gentle smile.

She didn't want to quarrel with Zhao Yanzi, and she found Zhao Yanzi quite cute at times.

Hmph! Thinking I'm too embarrassed to get on Zhao Yanzi exerted some force and jumped onto Xie Yujia's back.

Xie Yujia felt her weight and started walking forward.

Hao Ren stood by the side, watching them with bewilderment. What’s going on here

"Let's go!" Xie Yujia said to Hao Ren.

Zhao Yanzi bit her lip and softly leaned against Xie Yujia’s body.

Xie Yujia felt more energetic than before, but carrying Zhao Yanzi was still a little strenuous since she was a girl after all.

Hao Ren quickly walked over and cleared his throat. "Cough, cough, Ah Zi, maybe I should carry you"

"No way! I want her to carry me!" Zhao Yanzi moved her head from Xie Yujia's left shoulder to the right one.

Hao Ren was at a loss. In fact, it was Xie Yujia who remained unfazed and said, "It’s fine; just for a short distance anyway. Besides, Ah Zi is a girl, wouldn’t it be strange if you carried her"

Zhao Yanzi probably heard the last part because she thought about it before suddenly saying, "Uncle, I want you to carry me!"

"Eh" Hao Ren looked at her in surprise.

"That’s right! I want you to carry me!" Zhao Yanzi said sternly.

Hao Ren was thoroughly stumped this time. "Alright, alright, fine, I’ll carry you."

He walked over to Xie Yujia and bent slightly.

Zhao Yanzi immediately grabbed Hao Ren's shoulder with one hand and transferred herself without even touching the ground.

Hao Ren didn't say it out loud, but he was thinking to himself, "Are you a monkey Clambering around like that."

However, when Zhao Yanzǐ's body pressed down on Hao Ren's back, his feelings immediately changed.

In Hao Ren's mind, she was still just an eighth-grade girl, but the softness of her skin made Hao Ren feel a sudden blankness in his heart.

Zhao Yanzǐ herself felt somewhat embarrassed too; her face turned bright red. However, under the lingering glow of the sunset, it was hard to tell if it was from blushing or just the light's effect.

She had wanted to get back at Xie Yujia but ended up being carried by Hao Ren instead.

"Alright, settle down," Hao Ren didn't think too much about it and grabbed her inner knees, walking on under the afterglow of sunset.

Xie Yujia smiled helplessly as she walked beside them.

Zhao Yanzǐ's hands were hooked around Hao Ren’s neck; her legs felt a bit sore, but her cheek was pressed against his hair. She suddenly felt an inexplicable little surge of emotion in her heart.

Hao Ren’s steps were steady and smooth, showing no sign of jostling or bouncing. Even Xie Yujia noticed Hao Ren deliberately adjusting his pace to prevent Zhao Yanzǐ from swaying on his back. She could feel how meticulous Hao Ren was being with her; she didn't know that just a few days ago when Zhao Yanzǐ fell ill, Hao Ren had anxiously scoured the streets looking for a pharmacy.

Zhao Yanzǐ obediently lay across Hao Ren’s broad back. She knew that no matter how much she squirmed, it wouldn’t make a difference, so she could only pout and use up some of Hao Ren's energy to vent her frustration.

As they walked on, they finally arrived at the villa entrance where Grandma was leaning against the door frame, waiting for them.

"Grandma!" The moment Zhao Yanzǐ saw her grandma, she immediately jumped down from Hao Ren’s back and ran over to hug her.

Hao Ren rubbed his shoulders but didn't feel any soreness in his waist or back. Instead, he felt pain where Zhao Yanzǐ's arms had clamped around his neck.

"Haha, Little Purple!" Grandma opened her arms and welcomed Zhao Yanzǐ into them.

During the time she was in Zhejiang helping her fellow villagers with farming work, she felt like she'd returned to her youth with renewed energy. But during this period, she missed Little Purple very much.

Xie Yujia walked over and called out softly, "Grandma."

"Ah, my dear little Yujia!" Grandma extended her wrinkled arms to embrace Xie Yujia too; she also missed Xie Yujia a great deal.

Both Zhao Yanzǐ and Xie Yujia were people whom she could not bear to part with.

In comparison, she was somewhat neglectful of her grandson Hao Ren.

"Come in quickly; it's chilly at night," Grandma took one hand each of the girls, guiding them into the house.

Poor Hao Ren had carried Zhao Yanzǐ halfway but could only sneak in behind unobtrusively. Grandma was too busy with Zhao Yanzǐ and Xie Yujia to give him even a nod or a greeting.

"Grandma, what local specialties did you bring for me" Zhao Yanzǐ rushed to ask as soon as she entered the house.

"Hehe, I brought something you like best." Grandma pretended to be mysterious and opened a bag.

Zhao Yanzǐ put her head close and exclaimed excitedly, "Haha! Sweet potatoes!"

Hao Ren, who had just entered the house, was speechless. It really was sweet potatoes.

"I knew you love eating sweet potatoes, and your neighbor told me that you and Ah Ren went to steal them," Kong Jing patted Zhao Yanzǐ's head, her eyes filled with unspeakable affection.

"Yu Jia, I didn't buy anything for you, but I brought some wild vegetables from the mountains. Mainly, I just wanted to see you," Grandma looked at Xie Yujiā gently.

Xie Yujiā smiled warmly as well; she had a deep connection with her grandmother too, though she was not like Zhao Yanzǐ who could be quite spoiled.

"Uncle Wang isn't home today" Seeing the trio's excited faces, Hao Ren approached and finally got a chance to speak. "He doesn't know I'm back today, so he must still be at his own house," Grandma said looking at Hao Ren. "It seems you've grown taller in this period without seeing each other."

"Grandma, I miss you too," Hao Ren said.

"You naughty boy! You didn't even call me a few times; that's how much you miss me If anything, I think you'll turn out just like your father," Grandma teased him with a smile, showing her love for her grandson as an instinctive response.

"The three of you will stay here tonight and are not allowed to go back!" Grandma continued in what sounded like a threatening tone.

She looked at Zhao Yanzǐ, "I'll call your parents." She then turned towards Xie Yujiā, "Yu Jia should also give her family a heads-up."

"Okay, okay!" Not having to go home meant avoiding homework, so Zhao Yanzǐ was very willing and immediately pulled out her phone.

Xie Yujiā didn't want to disappoint Grandma. She didn't need to call home; she just sent a message to Marlene informing her that she wouldn't be returning to the dorm tonight.

As for how Marlene would respond, Xie Yujiā left it up to her.

"I'm hungry, and you two... who will cook dinner for Grandma" Grandma looked at them expectantly, clearly liking both of them equally.

Zhao Yanzǐ, who couldn't even make a fried rice with eggs, could only remain silent when she heard her grandma's question.

Xie Yujiā nodded. "Grandma, let me cook some simple dishes."

"Hmph!" Zhao Yanzǐ expressed her displeasure with a low hum.

Ignoring it, Xie Yujiā walked to the kitchen. Seeing there was nothing in the fridge, she went back into the living room and picked up the sweet potatoes and wild vegetables Grandma had bought before returning to the kitchen, tying an apron around her waist.

Hao Ren's gaze followed Xie Yujiā as she moved about in the kitchen. Zhao Yanzǐ, rolling her eyes, punched Hao Ren hard. "What are you looking at So what if she can cook"

The remark seemed directed at Hao Ren but could also be heard by Xie Yujiā.

"If you can't cook, all four of us will go hungry." Grandma reached out and pinched Xiao Ziyu Zhao's little nose.

Sadly, she genuinely liked Zhao Ziyu; in her view, such a young girl could make a sweet granddaughter-in-law. The thought of it was so adorable.

But Xie Yujia She was so gentle and kind that Grandma felt at ease just thinking about her being the future granddaughter-in-law.

Looking at her grandson, who was getting more handsome by the day, even as a grandma, she couldn’t help but feel a little greedy.

With only one sweet potato and some wild vegetables without any other ingredients or seasonings, Xie Yujia managed to whip up three delicious dishes and a soup that left Hua Ren, who wasn't much of a cook, speechless. Even Grandma was quite amazed.

"It’s just sweet potato soup and stir-fried wild vegetables." I can do it too," Zhao Ziyu pouted but didn’t raise her voice.

"Haha, Yujia has done so much for us today," said Grandma as she happily sat down at the dining table.

“It’s what a granddaughter should do.” Xie Yujia removed her apron and pulled out a chair for Grandma.

Zhao Ziyu didn’t want to eat, but her rumbling stomach was unbearable. Also, since this house had been empty for more than half the month, everything in the fridge had long been moved out to prevent spoilage and pests from being attracted. Now it would be difficult to find even a slice of bread or a cracker in this entire villa.

However, when she picked up her chopsticks and tried some stir-fried wild vegetables, she immediately felt that the taste was different—this level of skill was even better than what her mother could do!

Zhao Ziyu looked at Xie Yujia with a strong sense of unease.

She thought her mother Zhao Hongyu was the best cook, but this Xie Yujia seemed to be more skilled in cooking than even her own mom!

"Yujia’s stir-fried dishes are excellent," said Grandma with high praise.

"Oh, it's because of the quality ingredients for these wild vegetables," replied Xie Yujia humbly.

Because this was a seaside villa, they could enjoy the view of the sea right from their dining room while having dinner.

Hua Ren also tasted Xie Zaijia's exquisite cooking and admired her skill but didn’t want to praise her with Zhao Ziyu looking so unhappy. So he just kept his mouth shut and ate quietly.

Grandma, feeling both happy and excited, chatted about the events of these few days in Zhejiang Province as if she had become decades younger again. Zhao Ziyu finally started talking about school matters, bringing a smile to Grandma’s face.

Xie Yujia remained calm, just glad that her grandmother was well.

After dinner ended, Hua Ren volunteered to clear the table.

The atmosphere during this dinner had been relatively peaceful. But Hua Ren couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was like the sea outside; a calm before a storm.

"Yujia and Ziyu, come upstairs and choose your rooms! There are three rooms in total. How should we arrange them for all four of us" Grandma went up the stairs and asked Zhao Ziyu and Xie Yujia to follow her.ader of that sect which had injured Ye Su personally visited to apologize, bringing many spiritual herbs as a show of sincerity.The status of the Qingyin Sect seemed to have risen overnight from a fou...