Fat or Puffy

“I’ll go look for Uncle first and ask him to bring me back.”

Zhuang Zhuang had already thought of a way to go back. Although he remembered the way home, he was still a child and didn’t have any money on him. It would be slow and unsafe to walk back alone. He could only go to his uncle first and ask him to bring him home to his mother. His uncle was an adult and he had money.

“That’s a good idea.” Mrs. Kong nodded in admiration. Although Zhuang Zhuang was young, he had a comprehensive plan in mind.

Seeing that she had nothing else to say, Zhuang Zhuang was not in the mood to continue talking with her. He waved her hand away again and continued walking out.

“Hey, hey, hey.” While Mrs. Kong was still in a daze, Zhuang Zhuang had already walked two meters away. She quickly stopped him. “Where are you going?”

“Madam, don’t stop me. My mother must be suffering now. I’m going to look for her!”

“No, no, no. Zhuang Zhuang, listen to me. It’s not what you think!”

Zhuang Zhuang felt that she was deliberately hiding it from him, but he did not dare to shake off her hand again. Afraid that she would get hurt, he could only say anxiously, “It’s getting late. Madam, let go of me!”

“Aiyo, Zhuang Zhuang, listen to me…”

It was really difficult for the elderly Mrs. Kong to hold on to Zhuang Zhuang, who was as strong as a calf.

It took a lot of effort for her to grab hold of Zhuang Zhuang. By the time she got a strong hold on him, the two of them were panting from exhaustion.

“Zhuang Zhuang, the village is flooded, but Peach Blossom Village isn’t. It’s just that some roads are blocked, so your mother cannot travel out of the village. It’ll be fine in a few days.”

Zhuang Zhuang looked at her in disbelief. His big eyes were fixed on her face, trying to tell if she was telling the truth.

“Really?”

“Really!”

Mrs. Kong nodded. “Your master went to ask around early in the morning. There were people who drove past the village on their carriages. They said it themselves.”

When Zhuang Zhuang heard this, he was relieved and finally stopped crying. He also stopped insisting on leaving to look for this mother.

Mrs. Kong only left the room after watching the boy put down his bag and sit down obediently.

—-

In the next few days, the sun was a good sport. It was sunny every day, and the temperature was also the highest in history.

The roads were completely dried up in less than a week. With the help from a group of villagers, the village entrance was cleaned up in three days. After another three days, all normal traffic was resumed.

At the very least, after the heavy rain stopped, all villagers were able to travel normally in about six days. That was the case in Peach Blossom Village. It was said that the other villages were still under reconstruction.

When Xiaoguo heard that the roads were open, she couldn’t wait to drive to the county.

The roads leading out of the village were still a little uneven. It was so bumpy that XIaoguo almost threw up her breakfast. She endured the discomfort and reached the main road to the county. After that stretch, the road conditions were a little better. Although it was still bumpy, the magnitude was much smaller.

When she arrived at Mr. Kong’s house, Xiaoguo thought for a moment. Her timing should be just right—they wouldn’t be disturbed by her arriving at this hour. She went forward and knocked on the door.

After a while, Mrs. Kong walked out of the house, followed by the anxious Zhuang Zhuang.

Xiaoguo saw Zhuang Zhuang through the crack in the door and immediately called out to him excitedly, “Zhuang Zhuang! Zhuang Zhuang!”

“Mother, Mother!” When Zhuang Zhuang heard Xiaoguo’s voice, he started running excitedly. He ran past Mrs. Kong and came to the door. He then tiptoed to reach for the door latch.

The door latch was relatively high, so he couldn’t reach it even on tiptoes. Looking anxiously at Xiaoguo through the gap in the door, he couldn’t help but start to cry.

Mrs. Kong was old and couldn’t run. She could only walk over quickly and open the door for him so that the mother and son could meet.

Zhuang Zhuang threw himself into Xiaoguo’s arms. It had been a long time since she had seen him so sad.

“Zhuang Zhuang, Zhuang Zhuang, don’t cry.”

Xiaoguo wasn’t very good at comforting people. She could only say, “Don’t cry, don’t cry.” Then she tried her best to stroke his back and calm him down.

Mrs. Kong was old and couldn’t stand people crying. She couldn’t help but wipe her eyes as well.

Xiaoguo’s heart ached. All the tension that she was feeling over the past days had instantly disappeared the instant she saw Zhuang Zhuang again.

Xiaoguo was happy, but at the same time, she was especially tired.

Mr. Kong heard the commotion and came out of the house. At first, he thought that Zhuang Zhuang was being bullied. He was going to come out and settle scores with whoever was bullying him, but when he saw Xiaoguo, he understood. He put down his arms and stood beside Mrs. Kong.

Zhuang Zhuang sobbed and lay on her shoulder. After a while, Xiaoguo gently touched him and realized that he had fallen asleep.

“He hasn’t been sleeping well the past few days because he was worried about you. He hasn’t eaten much either.”

Mrs. Kong explained from the side. Over the past few days, she had been staying by Zhuang Zhuang’s side. Afraid that he would sneak back if she wasn’t paying attention, she was well aware of his every movement.

When Xiaoguo heard this, she was touched and angry. She looked at the child in her arms with tears in her eyes. What can she say? She was already an adult. Why would she need a child to worry about her?

“Bring him home and let him rest for a few days. You can send him back in a few days.”

Xiaoguo had the same thoughts. She looked at Mr. Kong and nodded gratefully. “Then we’ll go back first.”

“Go on.”

Xiaoguo couldn’t move Zhuang Zhuang on her own. In the end, the three of them worked together to carry him onto the donkey cart.

Along the way, Xiaoguo couldn’t bear to wake Zhuang Zhuang up from his deep sleep. She gently pulled him into her arms and looked at his fair and tender face. Xiaoguo couldn’t help but kiss him and take a bite. She kissed Zhuang Zhuang until he subconsciously turned his head away.

Xiaoguo snickered and slowly drove the donkey cart home.

In front of the house, she bumped into Mrs. Yang, who was coming out to sunbathe. Xiaoguo greeted her silently.

Mrs. Yang had good eyesight. She spotted Zhuang Zhuang in her arms at a glance and instantly swallowed her words.

When Xiaoguo returned home, she stopped the donkey cart and thought about how to carry Zhuang Zhuang in. She was in a dilemma. Back then, she had carried two calves back on her own. Could Zhuang Zhuang be heavier than the two calves?

Xiaoguo tried her best, but her efforts were in vain. In the end, she confirmed one thing. Zhuang Zhuang was heavier than the calves…

Xiaoguo straightened up and wiped the sweat off the tip of her nose. The two cows from before were so starved that they were almost reduced to bones. In addition, they were newborns, unlike Zhuang Zhuang. Although he was only four years old, he had grown a lot recently. In addition, all the flesh on him was much more substantial than the two cows at that time.

This was really not a joke, although it sounded a little exaggerated.

Didn’t Mrs. Kong say that he hadn’t eaten well recently? Why was he still so heavy? It seemed that her Zhuang Zhuang was really fat, and not puffy…

In the end, after much consideration, she had to wake Zhuang Zhuang up. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to carry him in at all. If he continues sleeping out in the cold, he will catch a cold. “Zhuang Zhuang, wake up. Let’s go back to the house and sleep.”

Xiaoguo called out to him softly, and Zhuang Zhuang followed her back into the house in a daze. When he lay on the familiar bed, he was overwhelmed by his drowsiness. He rolled over in relief and fell back into deep sleep.

—-

“Mother?”

“Sigh…”

Xiaoguo, who was in the outer room, heard Zhuang Zhuang calling out to her. She subconsciously responded and opened the door. She realized that he was still asleep. He was calling out to her in his sleep. She chuckled and closed the door again.

“Is he still asleep?”

Mrs. Yang asked curiously when she saw Xiaoguo return.

“Yes. I guess he was calling out in a daze.” Xiaoguo smiled and nodded before sitting down opposite her again.

Mrs. Yang looked at her enviously. “Look at your son. He’s still thinking about you even when he’s sleeping. Unlike my Xiaohu. One day, in the middle of his sleep, he got up and cried out for sesame candy.”