Chapter 94: An Egg

Yang Tianxing actually hadn't expected that Liu Jiaoyue really had a younger cousin, only that she was very young.

"Where is Grandma?"

Liu Jiaoyue crouched down to help the little girl wipe her face; Yang Tianxing took a glance by the bright moonlight, the little girl's body was somewhat thin and weak, with small arms and legs, but her eyes were quite large; right now she couldn't yet be described as "pretty or ugly," cute was the best interpretation.

"Grandma is at the entrance of the alley."

The little girl pointed ahead, and only then did she see Yang Tianxing and Shao Ziyang; her footsteps shrank back a little, hiding behind Liu Jiaoyue, curiously sizing the two of them up.

Liu Jiaoyue turned her head and said, "This is my uncle's child, you can call her A'ning."

"My name is Liu Ningning."

The little girl blinked her big eyes and said in a small voice.

Yang Tianxing was just about to walk up to greet her, but the little girl was a bit shy, and as soon as she turned her head, she ran back.

"Shao Ziyang, look at you, so ugly; the moment you close your eyes it's like it's pitch black, you've scared the child half to death."

Yang Tianxing turned his head to look at Shao Ziyang and said.

Shao Ziyang was very dissatisfied: "I didn't even say a word, it was clearly you who scared her away."

Walking another twenty-some steps forward, an old woman was leaning on a cane with one hand and holding a candle in the other; her eyes were cloudy but very kind, and after seeing Liu Jiaoyue, a cluster of gratified smiles bloomed on her weather-beaten face.

"Grandma."

Liu Jiaoyue walked up to support the old woman, her voice even choking up a little; it seemed she really missed her.

"It's good that you're home."

The old woman took Liu Jiaoyue's hand and held it tightly, then took another look at Yang Tianxing and Shao Ziyang.

"Grandma, he is Yang, Yang, Yang..."

"Grandma, hello, my name is Yang Tianxing, he is called Shao Ziyang, we are Liu Jiaoyue's classmates."

Liu Jiaoyue stuttered several times and couldn't get it out, so Yang Tianxing simply introduced himself.

The old woman nodded and, without saying anything, walked toward the house.

Shao Ziyang pulled Yang Tianxing and said quietly: "I'm actually a bit nervous meeting the parents for the first time, Little Yang."

Yang Tianxing curled his lip: "You're nervous for nothing, does it have half a cent to do with you?"

……………

Liu Jiaoyue's courtyard was very small; to the left and right of the main room were two bedrooms, the left side was a storage room, and the right side was the kitchen.

Pushing open the brushwood gate, Liu Jiaoyue's grandmother asked: "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

Liu Jiaoyue shook her head.

"Then go make some food for your classmates first," the old woman said.

There was no gas stove in the small kitchen, nor was there a coal stove, only an earthen stove built from adobe; don't look at how slowly Liu Jiaoyue spoke, she was very nimble when doing things, lighting the fire, heating the stove, boiling water, and putting in the noodles all in one go.

Yang Tianxing kicked Shao Ziyang: "Young man, don't just know how to sit there all day, you need to have some initiative, go help with the fire."

Shao Ziyang huffed and puffed as he ran to the side of the stove to start helping add firewood; Yang Tianxing just sat there teasing the dog and petting the cat.

Liu Jiaoyue's home had a drab-colored little mongrel dog and a yellow-and-white house cat, circling around Yang Tianxing's feet.

The old woman spoke very little, sitting on a stool with her eyes narrowed as if she had fallen asleep.

Little A'ning snuggled in the old woman's arms, her big eyes blinking as she peeked at the two strange big brothers.

Liu Jiaoyue walked out of the small kitchen and said: "Grandma, there are no eggs in the basket."

"Go take a look in the chicken coop, there should still be some in there," Liu Jiaoyue's grandmother said slowly.

Liu Jiaoyue was just about to move when she was pulled back by Yang Tianxing: "No need for eggs, plain noodles will do."

Liu Jiaoyue shook her head gently: "You won't be full."

"It's fine, don't you have chili at home? Just eating that with the noodles will be enough."

Just as the two were at a stalemate, A'ning suddenly climbed out of the grandmother's arms and ran out; before long, the sound of "cluck-cluck-cluck" came from a corner of the courtyard.

After little A'ning returned, her slightly yellow hair was stained with a chicken feather or two, and her palms were a bit dirty, but she was carefully holding two eggs: "Big Sister, for you."

Liu Jiaoyue took them and fried two eggs; Yang Tianxing said to A'ning: "Thank you."

The little girl was a bit embarrassed by the praise and ran back into the old woman's arms, hiding in the crook of her arm to secretly look at this tall brother.

Soon, three steaming bowls of noodles were brought up; the two bowls with eggs were for Yang Tianxing and Shao Ziyang, and the one without was Liu Jiaoyue's; she took out some chili oil to put in the noodles and began to eat in small bites.

"Little Yang..." Shao Ziyang couldn't bring himself to eat.

Yang Tianxing waved his hand: "Eat your food, this is her heart."

Then he picked up his bowl and moved the egg to Liu Jiaoyue's: "Stop pushing it back and forth, you know I find these things annoying."

Seeing Yang Tianxing's serious expression, Liu Jiaoyue didn't dare to decline again, but she split the egg into two halves and called little A'ning over to feed her: "Is it delicious?"

Little A'ning's eyes curved into smiles like little crescent moons: "It's delicious when Big Sister feeds me!"

When the little girl smiled, Liu Jiaoyue smiled along with her; the smile that Liu Jiaoyue occasionally revealed made Shao Ziyang understand why King You of Zhou would light the beacon fires to tease the feudal lords just to win a beauty's smile.

But thinking of how a single egg was just split between three people, Shao Ziyang felt a pang of sadness; he raised his head and glanced at Yang Tianxing beside him.

Yang Tianxing's face was as calm as water, his expression not changing much.

………………

After finishing the meal around the stove, Yang Tianxing's expression still hadn't changed; Liu Jiaoyue went to help Yang Tianxing and Shao Ziyang make their beds, and the little girl followed to help.

Tonight the two of them were sleeping in the storage room; fortunately, the room was airtight, and after everything had settled down, Shao Ziyang curled up in the quilt and asked: "Little Yang, when are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

Yang Tianxing replied.

"So soon?"

Shao Ziyang actually wanted to look around here.

Yang Tianxing chuckled: "You didn't come here for Liu Jiaoyue's cousin, did you? Anyway, you've already met."

"Bullshit."

Shao Ziyang got angry just thinking about it and shoved his childhood friend beside him: "It was clearly you who wanted to take Liu Jiaoyue home, yet you lied to me saying we were coming to Sichuan and Chongqing for a trip, you son of a bitch."

Close friends don't hold such things against each other, and Shao Ziyang was only joking; furthermore, Yang Tianxing generally acted as the commander and the mastermind between the two.

Before long, Shao Ziyang had forgotten about the matter, and he discussed with Yang Tianxing: "Little Yang, before I leave, I want to leave all the money I have on me to Grandma and little A-Ning. Although it's only a little over 100, I figure the eggs were for her to nourish her body, and I feel bad in my heart for having eaten them."

Yang Tianxing nodded: "Just give it to her. In any case, the tickets back to Jinzhou are already bought, and I will leave the old lady some as well when the time comes."

"How much are you planning to give?"

Shao Ziyang asked curiously.

"800."

Yang Tianxing said, narrowing his eyes.

Shao Ziyang was stunned for a moment, then said: "Given your personality, I thought you would give 2,000 or 3,000."

"I paid Liu Jiaoyue her wages; I can't be bothered to ask how she uses them, but I'm only leaving 800 here."

Yang Tianxing wrapped the quilt tighter around himself: "The filial piety I'm giving my old man and old lady this year is 1,000 each; not even the King of Heaven can exceed this standard."

After listening, Shao Ziyang nodded silently: "You've always had principles in everything you do since you were small; it seems there are no exceptions."

The room fell into silence once again, and after a while, Yang Tianxing suddenly remembered something and kicked Shao Ziyang, who was beside him: "Are you asleep?"

"Damn, even if I were asleep, I'd have been kicked awake by you."

"Not yet, what is it?"

Yang Tianxing coughed: "After we return to Jinzhou, in case Little Zhiliao asks what we were doing these past few days, you know what to say, right?"

Shao Ziyang had finally caught onto something he could use to "threaten" Yang Tianxing, and he wanted to take the opportunity to put on airs: "I'll tell Little Zhiliao that you took a girl who is just as pretty as her back to her hometown."

After hearing this, Yang Tianxing didn't say a word; he sat up and began rummaging through his wallet.

"What are you doing?"

A bad feeling suddenly rose in Shao Ziyang's heart.

"Nothing, you keep on acting tough."

Yang Tianxing lowered his head and said: "I'll tear up your train ticket, let's see how you go back to snitch."