1952: Walking through Nantongluo Alley

Not long after, the slightly old door of the Jia family's house was slowly pushed open from the inside. It was Jia Zhang's daughter-in-law, Tingting, who appeared at the door. She was holding two young children tightly in her arms: one was the adorable Huaihua, and the other was the clever Xiaodang.

As for the beloved grandson Bang Geng, it was naturally Jia Zhang who took care of him personally. Even though Jia Zhang herself was ill, she did not dare to leave her precious grandson for a moment and always stayed by his side.

After Tingting struggled to open the door with one hand, her eyes immediately fell on Chen Xiao standing outside. A hint of surprise instantly appeared on her face. It was obvious that she had not expected to see Chen Xiao here.

"Chen Xiao? Why...why did you come here so suddenly?" Tingting couldn't help but ask. You know, Chen Xiao and her Jia family have always had a bad relationship, and Tingting knew this very well.

She subconsciously glanced at what Chen Xiao was holding. Judging by the packaging, it looked like an expensive gift. A closer look revealed it to be a delicious sweet-scented osmanthus cake.

Seeing this, Chen Xiao gently lifted the osmanthus cake in his hand and gestured, "Well, I heard that Jia Zhang was ill, so as a neighbor, I came here to visit her." As he spoke, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a faint smile.

Then, Chen Xiao's lips curled up slightly, revealing a half-smile, his gaze fixed on Tingting like a torch. He raised an eyebrow and asked in a slightly provocative tone, "Why? Don't you feel very welcome to have me come in?"

Tingting felt a little flustered by Chen Xiao's sharp gaze, her face flushing instantly, and she looked extremely embarrassed. But she quickly forced a smile, waved her hands and said, "Welcome, welcome, how could I not welcome you! Come on, please come in, please come in..." As she spoke, she quickly stepped aside to make way and made a gesture of invitation.

Seeing this, Chen Xiao didn't hesitate and strode into the room. He was holding the box of exquisite osmanthus cakes firmly in his hand, with no intention of putting it on the table.

As soon as he entered the room, Chen Xiao went straight to the point and asked Tingting, "Where is Jia Zhang? How is her condition now?"

As Tingting led Chen Xiao into the inner room, she replied, "My mother-in-law is lying in the room." As they spoke, they had already arrived at the door of the inner room.

Pushing open the door, the first thing that came into view was a large bed. Jia Zhang was lying comfortably on it, one hand clutching a large, white steamed bun, chewing it with great passion; the other hand tightly hugged the young boy. Her face, which should have been haggard due to illness, was now filled with happiness and satisfaction, even a hint of smugness. In Chen Xiao's eyes, this scene didn't look sick at all! Instead, she looked much healthier than a normal person!

"Mother-in-law, look who's here to see you." Tingting called out to Jia Zhang in a desperate voice.

After hearing the sound, Jia Zhang, who was originally lying on the bed, quickly twisted her extremely plump buttocks. As her body turned, the whole bed trembled slightly.

"Oh my! Who is it? There is actually someone who wants to visit me, an old woman." Jia Zhang muttered.

As Jia Zhang slowly turned over, her sleepy and tired eyes gradually cleared up. However, when she saw clearly that the person standing in front of her was Chen Xiao, her already unpleasant expression instantly turned extremely gloomy, and her eyes revealed an undisguised disgust. At the same time, the words that emanated from her mouth were full of disdain and contempt for Chen Xiao: "Oh, look who this is? Isn't it that Chen Xiao? The sun rises from the west today? How can you, a busy man, still have the time to visit an old woman like me?"

Facing Jia Zhang's harsh attitude, Chen Xiao remained remarkably calm, not even attempting the slightest exchange of pleasantries. He knew full well that his true purpose for coming wasn't to establish a friendship with Jia Zhang, but to bring her a plate of carefully prepared sweet-scented osmanthus cake—of course, he had tampered with it, ensuring it would cause unbearable abdominal pain and diarrhea. Naturally, he had a hidden reason for doing so.

Chen Xiao looked at Jia Zhang expressionlessly and said in a cold tone, "Hmph, I didn't come to see you on purpose. I'm just worried that if you, this old man, suddenly died of illness in bed one day, there would be no one to take care of your Tingting. So, I was merciful and bought some so-called "good things" to nourish you. But then again, for a mean-spirited old woman like you, no matter how many supplements you take, it won't help!"

After saying this, Chen Xiao deliberately glanced at Tingting, as if hoping to gain some support or approval. Tingting, however, looked a little embarrassed, forcing a forced smile. As she began to answer, her eyes kept glancing at Jia Zhang, fearing she might accidentally say something wrong and anger her. Although everyone in the Jia family, including Jia Zhang, except for her, deeply resented and disliked Chen Xiao, Tingting feared she would never have had the chance to marry into the city and achieve her magnificent transformation from a humble chicken to a golden phoenix if Chen Xiao hadn't helped her.

"Mother-in-law, please stop criticizing Chen Xiao. After all, he bought some nice things to come visit you."

Jia Zhang's fat face was full of disdain. She curled her lips and said contemptuously: "Good stuff? Humph! What good things can he bring to me? Don't joke!" However, despite her arrogant words, her greedy eyes would glance at Chen Xiao's hand from time to time, as if she wanted to see through the layer of oil paper to see what kind of treasure was hidden inside.

Chen Xiao carefully held the object, tightly wrapped in yellow oil paper, making it impossible to guess what was inside. Meanwhile, Jia Zhang craned her neck, eyes wide open, trying to peek through the cracks in the paper.

At this moment, Chen Xiao smiled slightly, then slowly walked to Jia Zhang's bedside and gently placed the oil-paper bag in his hand on the bedside. After doing all this, he breathed a sigh of relief as if he had completed a difficult task, and casually clapped his hands.

Then, Chen Xiao explained: "Actually, there's nothing special about it. I just bought some osmanthus cake when I went out just now. It's not worth much. It only cost me a little over one dollar in total." When Jia Zhang heard the price, she was stunned for a moment, as if she couldn't believe her ears.

For Jia Zhang, the exquisite sweet-scented osmanthus cake had always existed only in legend. Despite living in the bustling and bustling city of Beijing, she had never had the opportunity to taste this mouth-watering delicacy. The most crucial factor was its prohibitive price, leaving her, from her modest family, only to admire it with regret.

When Jia Zhang saw the sweet-scented osmanthus cake Chen Xiao had sent her, she gasped in surprise and disbelief. She had never imagined that this seemingly ordinary Chen Xiao would be so generous as to give her such a precious gift. At the thought, Jia Zhang's throat moved up and down unconsciously, and she began to swallow uncontrollably.

At this moment, Jia Zhang was completely immersed in her fantasy of the sweet-scented osmanthus cake, so she didn't even notice that Chen Xiao was watching her reaction. Seeing that Jia Zhang was still silent, Chen Xiao smiled and said softly, "I'll leave the things here. If there's nothing else, I won't bother you for now." After that, he turned around and prepared to leave.

At this moment, Tingting, who was standing next to him, quickly said, "Wait, let me take you there." Before she finished speaking, she had already walked quickly to Chen Xiao's side and walked towards the door with him.

As soon as the two of them left the room, Jia Zhang, who was lying on the bed, jumped up in a hurry as if she had received a shot of chicken blood. She rushed to the table in two steps and quickly opened the osmanthus cake that was tightly wrapped in yellow oil paper.

As the oil paper was slowly peeled back, a rich sweet osmanthus fragrance filled the air. Jia Zhang's eyes widened in amazement as she stared at the golden, fragrant sweet osmanthus cake before her. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh my God, it really is sweet osmanthus cake!" Immediately, she reached out her right hand, carefully pinched a piece, and gently placed it to the tip of her nose. She took a deep breath, savoring the enchanting fragrance.

At this moment, Jia Zhang's face showed an expression of extreme intoxication, as if she was completely immersed in this wonderful taste. Her focused and greedy look was just like a smoker who had smoked opium for decades and finally got the opium he had always dreamed of.

Jia Zhang licked her lips and then swallowed the whole piece of osmanthus cake.

Jia Zhang placed the osmanthus cake in her mouth and gently chewed it. Instantly, a rich osmanthus fragrance and a sweet, glutinous texture filled her mouth. An expression of satisfaction and ecstasy crossed Jia Zhang's face. She slowly closed her eyes, as if trying to imprint this wonderful taste deeply into her mind.

"Fragrant! It smells so good." Jia Zhang couldn't help but murmur softly, her voice full of love for this osmanthus cake.

At that moment, Banggeng, who had been soundly sleeping in bed, was suddenly awakened by the alluring aroma. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and sniffed hard. When he confirmed that the fragrance was from the osmanthus cake, the little guy immediately opened his mouth and burst into tears in the bed. The cry was loud and urgent, as if he was protesting to Jia Zhang: "I want some osmanthus cake too!"

However, faced with her grandson's crying, Jia Zhang simply turned her head and glanced at him nonchalantly, then turned back to enjoy the delicious food as if nothing had happened. While stuffing her mouth with osmanthus cake, she said to Banggeng slowly, "Banggeng, you're still young, you can't eat this osmanthus cake. When you grow up, grandma will definitely buy you lots of osmanthus cakes and let you eat as much as you want. But for now, these osmanthus cakes will all be eaten by grandma." After that, Jia Zhang reached out without hesitation, picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, opened her mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.

Tingting, beaming, held her two adorable children as she slowly walked to the door to bid farewell to Chen Xiao. The little ones nestled quietly in their mother's warm embrace, blinking their big eyes curiously at their departing uncle.

Tingting said gently, "Chen Xiao, the children will be feeding soon. I have to go back to cook and can't see you off any longer." As she spoke, she gently patted the back of the baby in her arms, her eyes full of maternal love and apology.

Chen Xiao waved his hand nonchalantly and responded with a smile: "It's okay, you should go and take care of the children, there are a lot of things to do at home!" After that, he turned around and strode straight towards his home.

When Chen Xiao returned home, he saw Qin Huairu busy at work. He couldn't wait to walk up to her and tell her in detail what happened today about the osmanthus cake.

Qin Huairu listened quietly. When she heard the last part, a brilliant smile gradually appeared on her beautiful face, as charming as a flower blooming in spring. She said softly, "That's the right thing to do. As the saying goes, it's better to resolve a feud than to create one. We all live in the same courtyard and see each other every day. We should still practice harmony."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Huairu rewarded Chen Xiao with a sweet kiss on the cheek. Chen Xiao felt the warmth coming from the place where Qin Huairu had kissed him, and he couldn't help but feel a little distracted. He subconsciously reached out and touched the place where he had been kissed, muttering to himself: "I wonder how Jia Zhang is doing? Is she having diarrhea or loose stools now?"

Thinking of this, Chen Xiao couldn't help but cast his gaze in the direction of the Jia family. However, to his disappointment, the Jia family was still as calm as usual, without any unusual movement.

............................................................

Tingting carried Xiaodang and Huaihua back into the house.

At this time, Jia Zhang had already eaten up a bag of osmanthus cake.

She was still not satisfied and burped with satisfaction.

"Hiccup~~~~~~~"