Rebirth 78, the beginning of the marriage was broken off by the female educated youth

The curtain in the main room was lifted with a sound, and Zhu Qiuju peeked out. When she saw Pang Weinong behind Li Xiangnan, she was stunned for a moment, and then her face immediately lit up with genuine surprise.

"Oh, Wei Nong, you've finally arrived! Come in quickly, it's freezing outside!"

As she spoke, she quickly came out to greet him, and without saying a word, she grabbed Pang Weinong's cold hand and led him into the house.

Pang Weinong was caught off guard by this enthusiasm. He felt Zhu Qiuju's warm and rough palms, which were incredibly thick and thick. The familiar motherly temperature and touch made him stiffen for a few breaths, and a strong sour feeling welled up in his nose.

He thought of his mother, a kind and honest Uyghur woman, far away in the northern border region. He also thought of Dingxiang's mother, a woman who was just like Zhu Qiuju. His heart trembled, and this trembling made his throat tighten.

“Aunt Zhu…” Pang Weinong could barely speak.

"Stop calling yourself Aunt Zhu! Hurry up and come inside, look how cold your hands are!"

Zhu Qiuju scolded him playfully, but her grip on his hand didn't loosen at all, and she pulled him directly into the warm and cozy main room.

Inside the house, Tang Qingshuang was sitting by the coal stove sewing shoe soles, Qin Ruobai was gently rocking little Xitang, and Lin Youwei was playing with building blocks with two children on a small stool next to them.

Upon seeing Pang Weinong enter, everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their gazes to him.

There was a moment of silence in the air.

Pang Weinong stood at the door, wearing an old-fashioned military overcoat covered in mud and snow. He had a stubble beard, red eyes, and looked haggard. His hands seemed to have nowhere to go. He looked out of place with the warm and tidy environment inside the house, appearing both jarring and somewhat pitiful.

Qin Ruobai was the first to react. She stood up, holding Xiao Xitang, with a gentle and unreserved smile on her face, and said in an incredibly soft voice, "Weinong, you're here! Come and sit down, warm yourself by the fire, and you can have a bite of roasted sweet potato from Nanwan later!"

She seemed completely oblivious to Pang Weinong's disheveled appearance, speaking as if he had only arrived a little late.

Tang Qingshuang also put down her work. She had already heard Zhu Qiuju talk about the child's experiences after Li Xiangnan left, and she felt very sorry for him. So she stood up, pushed up her reading glasses, and looked at Pang Weinong carefully.

"Child, how did you get so thin? If the food at Xiangnan's hospital isn't good, you should tell him! Come, come, sit here with Grandma and have some hot tea to warm up!"

She made a teasing remark to put Pang Weinong at ease, and then immediately went to get the teapot on the table to pour water.

Lin Youwei also stood up, smiled at Pang Weinong, her smile full of concern, understanding, and care, but without any probing or sympathy. She simply patted the seat next to her gently: "Grandma is right, Weinong, sit here, it's warm here!"

The two little ones, Duoduo and Lele, also raised their heads and looked at the unfamiliar uncle with curiosity.

Pang Weinong was caught off guard by this series of natural and kind greetings. His guard and armor crumbled inch by inch in the face of this pure warmth.

With a loved one gone and parents not by your side, you struggle alone in a foreign land. Who can understand the bitterness of this?

His Adam's apple bobbed violently a few times, his eyes reddened even more, and he could only nod awkwardly, sitting down next to Tang Qingshuang and Lin Youwei. He approached the stove, and his face was brightened by the firelight from the lace-trimmed stove.

The small stool was a bit low, and his tall frame felt somewhat cramped sitting on it, especially since he was wearing a military overcoat, which made him look even more comical.

But the heat from the stove instantly enveloped his icy limbs, giving him a slight boost.

Zhu Qiuju had already deftly taken a clean white porcelain mug, poured in boiling hot tea, and handed it to him: "Hold this, warm your hands, and then take a sip. It'll make you feel so warm! Your military overcoat is wet too, take it off and I'll dry it for you!"

As she spoke, she naturally reached out to help, just like a mother helping her son undress.

"No...no need, Aunt Zhu, I can do it myself..." Pang Weinong hurriedly put down his teacup and clumsily unbuttoned his coat.

His hands were still trembling slightly, and he couldn't untangle it no matter how many times he tried.

Li Xiangnan watched silently from the side, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He didn't step forward to help because he knew that at this moment, his mother and grandmother, Ruo Baiyouwei, and their seemingly ordinary actions were more powerful to Pang Weinong than any deliberate comfort.

They were telling him in the simplest way: This is still your home, we are all here, we all care about you, you are not alone.

If you ask yourself honestly, Li Xiangnan was in the same situation when he left his hometown. At that time, he was like Pang Weinong, with no relatives or friends and had to rely on himself for everything.

A bowl of porridge in the morning is enough to move him for a long time.

“Weinong, look, this is Xitang! Xitang, this is Uncle Pang, he is Daddy’s good friend, and he even lived in our hometown!” Qin Ruobai was already holding little Xitang, and gently walked to Pang Weinong, bending down so that his daughter in the swaddling clothes could be seen by him.

Little Xitang had just woken up and was full of energy. She opened her big, bright, clear eyes and curiously looked at the unfamiliar uncle in front of her. Her little mouth was slightly open, and she made soft "ah-ya-ah-ya" sounds. Her pink little fist waved in the air.

At that moment, all of Pang Weinong's tension, embarrassment, and sadness seemed to be frozen in those pure and innocent eyes.

He stared blankly at the tiny, vibrant life in the swaddling clothes, at her slightly furrowed and then relaxed brows, at her unconsciously moving little mouth, at her delicate and adorable little face that inherited the best features of her parents…

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

He saw the original, most beautiful form of life.

It was as if, across time and space, I saw a phantom that could never be touched.

An overwhelming grief and a strange, painful tenderness overwhelmed Pang Weinong like a tidal wave.

Tears welled up again without warning, streaming down his rough cheeks.

He didn't make a sound, just watched quietly, crying.

The main room quieted down, with only the soft crackling of the stove fire remaining.

Zhu Qiuju turned her face away and quietly wiped the corner of her eye.

Tang Qingshuang silently gave him a few sips of tea and then added some hot water.

Lin Youwei lowered her head and gently hugged the two children.

Li Xiangnan stood a little distance away, his hands in his pockets, watching his brother's trembling back, his eyes welling up with tears.

Qin Ruobai neither dodged nor spoke, but continued to hold the child gently, allowing Pang Weinong to watch and shed tears as he pleased.

She understood that some emotions, suppressed for too long, needed an outlet.

After a long while, Pang Weinong seemed to wake up from a long dream.

He frantically tried to wipe away his tears with the back of his hand, but the more he wiped, the more tears he shed, and his voice became hoarse and incoherent.

"I...I'm sorry...I lost my composure...I just thought of...that's it..."

"It's alright, Wei Nong, it's alright!" Qin Ruobai comforted her softly, pushing the child forward slightly. "Do you want to hold her?"

"what?"

Pang Weinong shuddered, abruptly raising his head, his eyes filled with disbelief and immense longing, but this was quickly replaced by the fear he desperately suppressed…