Chapter 45

Seeing Xia Zhu didn't take it, he simply walked into Xia Zhu’s house. This was his first time coming inside Xia Zhu’s house. Xia Zhu’s house was the same as many families here, with empty walls, looking destitute at a glance.

Su Xinghui walked into the kitchen at the back. Xia Zhu’s mother was decocting medicine in the kitchen. This was her daily homework. Xia Zhu’s father had to drink medicine every day. Su Xinghui called out "Auntie" and put all the meat and vegetables on the kitchen cutting board.

Xia Zhu’s mother was only in her forties this year, but the hardships and heavy pressure of life had long bent her back. She looked like someone in her fifties. Seeing Su Xinghui, she hurriedly shouted "Little Su cadre."

When she saw the vegetables Su Xinghui brought, she complained, "Little Su cadre, how can we let you bring vegetables to our house? This is really too rude!"

Su Xinghui smiled, "Auntie, it’s nothing. I’m also eating at your house at noon today. How about this, I’ll cook at noon today, and you and Uncle can also taste my craft."

Xia Zhu’s mother didn't know what to say, so she could only nod, "Alright, thank you, Little Su cadre!"

Su Xinghui went out of the room and saw that Xia Zhu’s eyes were already red, and tears were swirling in her eyes. He said gently, "Xia Zhu, don't cry. Didn't you call me Brother Xinghui? Since I am your brother, what does it matter if I bring some vegetables? You won't be pretty if you cry again!"

Xia Zhu wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked up and said seriously to Su Xinghui, "Brother Xinghui, thank you!"

Next, Su Xinghui began teaching Xia Zhu sketching. Today, he brought her some soft-lead pencils and some white paper he usually used for sketching. This type of paper wasn't too smooth on the surface, making it just right for a beginner like Xia Zhu.

Sure enough, by using the soft-lead pencils in combination with the harder ones Xia Zhu already had, her still-life drawing today was even better. The soft pencils were suitable for drawing the darker parts, while the harder ones were better for the lighter parts. With this coordination, the resulting sketch looked much more realistic.

The greatest benefit of learning to sketch was further increasing Xia Zhu’s ability to model forms and enhancing her artistic literacy. Once Xia Zhu became more proficient at sketching, Su Xinghui would teach her Chinese painting. With a multi-faceted skill set, her ability to create bamboo-woven art would also grow stronger.

Su Xinghui’s own enlightenment teacher in art was, of course, Mr. Pan Yuxuan. Su Xinghui’s talent for art was beyond question; he had learned to draw very well since he was a child.

In elementary school, art lessons generally consisted of watercolor and sketching because the requirements for these methods were relatively simple. Later, Su Xinghui began learning Chinese painting from his uncle-in-law, Yu Maode.

In his previous life, when Su Xinghui’s career hit a rough patch, he poured his emotions into calligraphy, seal carving, painting, and musical instruments. He spent a tremendous amount of energy on these pursuits. Although he was multi-talented, his former wife grew increasingly resentful, calling him unprofessional and accusing him of neglecting his duties for trivial hobbies.

After his rebirth, he was able to use these very talents to teach Xia Zhu.

Seeing such talent in Xia Zhu, Su Xinghui’s mood was naturally excellent.

After an hour of teaching, Su Xinghui went into the kitchen. Xia Zhu’s mother had already prepped all the vegetables, and the fish had been cleaned and placed on the cutting board.

Su Xinghui began slicing the meat and filleting the fish, with Xia Zhu helping him on the side. She had initially said she would do the cooking, but Su Xinghui insisted on preparing a meal for their family, so she had to let him. She was also quite curious: could such a great talent really cook?

Su Xinghui was very nimble. He made a stir-fried green pepper and pork dish, a boiled fish fillet dish, a tofu soup made with the fish bones, and a few green vegetables. He stir-fried the greens with pork fat, making them incredibly fragrant. Xia Zhu, standing nearby, was beaming with delight.

Su Xinghui was quite satisfied with the dishes he cooked today. Xia Zhu’s family used a large earthen stove, and the large iron pot was heated by firewood. Dishes cooked in such a large pot over a wood fire were exceptionally fragrant, especially since he had used lard today.

In another small iron pot, a pot of rice had also finished steaming. Rice steamed in an iron pot over a wood fire was also particularly fragrant. He scooped out all the fluffy rice from the top, leaving only a layer of crispy, fragrant scorched rice at the bottom. This was a delicacy. He ladled a large scoop of mountain spring water into the pot and let it simmer slowly over the dying embers. Once the fire went out, a pot of delicious scorched-rice porridge would be ready.

By the time the scorched-rice porridge was ready, the meal would be finished. Having a bowl of that porridge then would be absolutely refreshing.

Xia Zhu was surprised that Su Xinghui even knew how to make scorched-rice porridge. Su Xinghui explained that he had seen Huang Sao, who cooked at the township government canteen, make it, so he had learned. This wasn't a lie, though it was a memory from his previous life.

The meal was ready, and it was time to eat. The Xia family always used a small table placed on Xia Zhu’s father’s bed to make it easier for him to eat. Today, because Su Xinghui was there, Xia Zhu’s father suggested he eat at the large table in the main room, otherwise, it would be impolite.

However, Su Xinghui moved the small table to the bed himself, then brought the dishes over, eating just as they usually did.

This moved Xia Zhu’s parents deeply. As they picked up their bowls, tears streamed down their faces uncontrollably.

Xia Zhu’s father, named Xia Shisheng, used to be a very skilled herb gatherer. He could often find rare medicinal herbs in the mountains, which allowed him to support his family. But now that he had fallen and been injured, they had no money for treatment, leaving him bedridden and the family in dire straits.

For a man in his forties to encounter such a situation, even needing to marry his daughter off to a cripple to change the family’s circumstances, the inner torment he felt was unimaginable. If not for his concern for his children, he might have even considered ending his own life.

During this period, it was precisely because of Su Xinghui’s appearance that the Xia family had regained hope. Their daughter, who had always been worried and distressed, now showed a sweet smile. Today, Su Xinghui had even specifically bought groceries and cooked for their family. How could they not be grateful?

Xia Shisheng choked out, "Cadre Su, you are the benefactor of our entire family!"

Su Xinghui quickly said, "Uncle Xia, please don't say that. This is what we cadres at the township government should do! Hurry up and eat, see how the dishes I cooked taste, and if they suit your appetite?"

Everyone picked up some food to taste, and they nodded in unison, "Delicious, simply delicious!"

How could it not be delicious? The Xia family hadn't tasted fish or meat for at least a month, and this meal had been meticulously prepared by Su Xinghui. To them, this was no different from a feast of delicacies!

Su Xinghui smiled, "If it's delicious, eat more!"

Su Xinghui urged them to eat more, but he didn't eat much fish or meat himself, sticking mostly to the greens and tofu. In truth, the taste of these items was also quite good.

Su Xinghui said to Xia Zhu’s mother, "Auntie, you all eat more. I still have some meat and fish left; I'll cook it for Xia Zhu’s younger siblings when they get back from school. No need to save it for now; I'll buy some more next time."

Xia Zhu’s younger siblings were studying at the township middle school, so they didn't come home for lunch.

Xia Zhu’s mother was startled and said, "Cadre Su, this won't do. You’ve already spent so much today; how can we let you buy groceries again next time?"

Su Xinghui laughed, "It's fine, Auntie. I'm just a glutton myself. Won't I be eating here next time I come anyway? I can buy some good food and eat it myself too! Besides, I don't need to spend my money at home; my salary is enough for me to eat on my own."

Xia Shisheng said, "Cadre Su, it is our honor that you come to our house to eat. We should be the ones buying the food. This is truly shameful! It’s all the fault of this damn injury of mine!"

Su Xinghui asked, "Uncle, this injury of yours should be treatable, right?"

Xia Shisheng said, "I went to the hospital for a check-up, and they said it could be treated. Something about the nerves not being completely dead, that there was a hematoma pressing on the nerves, and it could be recovered through surgery followed by rehabilitation. The best result would be recovering most of the function. But our family has no money, so..."

At this point, Xia Shisheng shook his head. Xia Zhu said, "Dad, don't worry. Once I earn some money, I will pay for your treatment. You will definitely be cured!"

Xia Shisheng shook his head with a gloomy expression. This kind of illness required long-term treatment and a lot of money. He didn't believe Xia Zhu could earn that amount so quickly. Now, he only hoped the family could get by; he no longer dared to hope for a miracle.