At Night. Zhao Yucai and his wife Li Shi layed in bed. Li Shi told Zhao Yucai about Zhao Ce's situation. After listening, Zhao Yucai's furrowed brow relaxed a lot. He said, "What you said is indeed possible." "After all, didn't the fortune teller say it before?" "Our Ce'er is the incarnation of the God of Literature." "He is destined for good fortune." "I guess he doesn't need to worry about these things."
Li Shi felt relieved and said, "That's good." "With the blessings of his parents, our Ce'er will definitely have good luck." "Oh, by the way!" Li Shi slapped her thigh. "There's a witch in the neighboring village." "Tomorrow, I'll bring something and go see her for advice." When she said this, she felt much more relaxed. Thinking about making arrangements for tomorrow. After chatting for a while, Li Shi fell asleep first.
Zhao Yucai, listening to his wife falling asleep, couldn't sleep for a long time. At this moment, the smile on his face disappeared. He muttered to himself, "I have to ask." "If I ask, I'll feel more at ease..." In the beginning, Zhao Ce told him. He said that this little girl is from out of town. She couldn't find a place to go back to. Zhao Yucai also hadn't had a formal conversation with Su Caier. So, he didn't know which dialect Su Caier was speaking. Now he discovered that Su Caier is from Xiahe village downstream.
And there are rumors about her being a child of another family from another village. These things, as her husband, does Zhao Ce really not know? But he could only pretend not to see the issues involved, considering all that Zhao Ce had done for this little girl. Zhao Yucai sighed softly. "Children and grandchildren have their own blessings..." saying that, he closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.
............
Early in the morning, when Zhao Ce woke up. The spot next to him was already empty. He knew that the little girl had gotten up early. Zhao Ce got up, and put on his clothes. Wearing his new slippers, he went to the kitchen. Sure enough, the little girl was sitting inside. By the light of the stove, she had already sewn most of the shoes.
Seeing Zhao Ce coming in, Su Caier raised her head. "Husband, you're awake?" Zhao Ce looked at the shoes in her hand and helplessly said, "Why didn't you finish during the day?" Su Caier smiled and said, "They're almost done." As she said that, she finished sewing the last few stitches. "Finished early, so my husband can wear new shoes earlier." Su Caier handed over the shoes she had finished making. "Look, they're done!"
In the kitchen, Only the light of the stove was shining on the young girl's face And those bright eyes. Zhao Ce took them, held them in his hand, and looked at them. Su Caier's face had a faint smile. She said, "Husband, you walk a lot usually." "So, I intentionally made the shoes a bit thicker." "I'll go fetch water for you to wash your face, and you can try them on first." Saying that she happily walked out to fetch water for Zhao Ce to wash his face.
The young girl walked past Zhao Ce. A faint scent of soapnuts drifted down from her hair, entering Zhao Ce's nose. Zhao Ce instinctively reached out and held her. Su Caier blinked curiously, looking up at him. Zhao Ce had one hand holding the brand-new shoes. For modern people, buying a pair of shoes is as simple as moving their fingers. But the pair in his hand was different. It was made by the person in front of him, stitch by stitch, waking up early and working late for him.
Zhao Ce glanced at her with a gentle look in his eyes. "It's nothing." "Thank you." He let go of her hand. The young girl, with a curved brow and eyes, said, "I also want to thank husband." As for what she was thanking him for, she didn't say.
After saying that, she walked out briskly. Leaving Zhao Ce alone in the kitchen, he chuckled and thought, "Su Caier, why are you so stubborn?" "I told her, my old shoes can still last a few more days." "No need for her to wake up early and work so hard...". The voice of the young girl came from outside. "Husband, the water is ready." Zhao Ce put down the shoes in his hand and said, "Coming."
.......
After washing up, Zhao Ce finished his breakfast and put on the new shoes. "The soles are indeed thicker than the previous pair, very comfortable." Zhao Ce curiously looked at his new shoes. Su Caier looked at her husband's feet, at what he was wearing. They were all made by her own hands. She explained happily, "Yes, husband, you have to walk a lot." "So, I thought of making the soles thicker." "That way, you'll be more comfortable walking." "What do you think, husband?"
There was a smile in Zhao Ce's eyes as well. "Well, they are indeed very comfortable." "I feel like I won't get tired when walking." Zhao Ce's words were somewhat exaggerated. But it was also an affirmation to the young girl. Su Caier smiled and lowered her head. Then she thought of something else. "I still need to make a new purse for my husband."
Listening to the young girl's murmuring, Zhao Ce felt a tingling sensation in his heart, as if being bitten by ants. It felt a bit ticklish. His fingers twitched. In the end, he couldn't help himself and gently embraced the young girl. The girl in his arms was thin and small. But she took care of his clothing, food, shelter, and transportation clearly and transparently. Zhao Ce lightly patted her slender back. "Alright, you make it." "I'll carry it with me every day."
In the warm embrace, their hearts touched. Su Caier didn't even have time to feel shy. Zhao Ce had already let go of her. "Now that I have new shoes, I'll go out of the city today to talk to Brother Wenhua about the sugar matter.". He ruffled the young girl's head. Turned around and went to the cupboard to take out the packed sugar. Originally, he had thought that if the shoes weren't ready in these two days, he would temporarily stay at home. But since he had put on the new shoes today, He decided to take care of this matter early.
Su Caier hadn't even had time to relish this brief embrace. Hearing that her husband was going out, she quickly fetched water with a bamboo tube. After packing everything up, Zhao Ce put on his book box. When the young girl saw him off, she looked at him eagerly. Looking at her gaze, Zhao Ce couldn't help but smile and ask, "What's wrong?"
Su Caier hesitated and said, "Hus... husband..." "Can I hug you again?" "I..." While saying that, Zhao Ce directly hugged her again. "Well, you can." After the hug, looking at the blush that appeared on the young girl's face, as if she had just realized it, He chuckled softly. "I'm leaving."
After saying that, He turned around and walked out the door. By the time Su Caier snapped out of her thoughts, her husband had already become a distant figure. Su Caier wrapped her hands around her small face. Couldn't help but blush and smile sweetly. She muttered to herself in a soft voice, "Husband, hugged me..." "And he hugged me twice." After standing for a while, she finally turned around and went back inside. Preparing to finish sewing the other things.
