NOVEL WEB Chapter 420: Closeness
Just as I was about to knock on the door and call for someone, the door opened from the inside, and I ran into Caogen who happened to be opening it.
I saw Caogen's eyes widen, followed by his mouth dropping open, then he smiled with surprise and joy and shouted towards the courtyard, "Brother Da Liu, Brother Gouzi, Hua'er, all of you come quickly, our great benefactor sister is here."
The joyful emotion was easily felt by Hua Jin, causing her to smile, and even Hua Chengtian couldn't help but smile too. These kids looked quite adorable!
Then the sound of footsteps running over could be heard as a group of children appeared at the doorway.
"Sister Jin," they all called out in unison, even Da Liu did the same, their eyes all fixated on Hua Jin, almost instinctively ignoring the shadow on the side.
"Sister Jin, come in quickly," Gouzi, always the quickest to react, exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly stepped aside to make way, beckoning Hua Jin to enter the courtyard. It was only then that he noticed someone beside Sister Jin, causing him to pause and look at Hua Jin.
"Sister Jin, this is…" His words carried a hint of caution. After all, it was a stranger, even if he had come with their benefactor sister. The wariness formed over the years wasn't so easily dismissed, almost instinctively raising his guard.
"… Let me introduce to you, this is my father, you can call him Uncle Hua."
The mention of the benefactor sister's father made the children even more nervous, their expressions becoming more cautious and reserved.
"Hello, Uncle Hua," all the children bowed almost simultaneously, their cautious attitude inexplicably making Hua Chengtian feel a twinge of heartache.
"Good, good. I'm Jin'er's father, very pleased to meet you all. This is Gouzi, right? I've heard your Sister Jin'er mention you; she says you're a very clever child."
"Really, Sister Jin'er really said Gouzi is clever?" Gouzi was clearly delighted, his eyes shining with bright light as he eagerly looked at Hua Chengtian, the caution on his face easing a bit, and there was even a trace of shyness.
"Of course it's true, not just you, she also mentioned Da Liu, Hua'er, Caogen, and other younger siblings. If you don't believe it, you can ask Sister Jin."
Thus, all the children's gazes eagerly turned to Hua Jin, and when they saw her nodding seriously, their faces broke into wide smiles.
The usually shy and bashful Hua'er and Wan'er, two little girls, bravely reached out to gently hold Hua Jin's hand, saying, "Sister Jin, let's go inside." Seeing that their benefactor big sister didn't refuse their touch, the two little girls joyfully raised their eyebrows in dance.
"Not so fast," Hua Jin gently patted the hands of the two little girls, then together with her father moved the two large buckets that had been placed by the door into the children's room, along with a basket of food and supplies.
This included some dried vegetables, ten eggs, salt, sugar, grain, sweet potatoes, potatoes... They even brought some saltpeter.
The children had brought three to four hundred pounds of food with them when they came, along with some that she had left last time. But several months had passed, and even with frugal eating, there wouldn't be much left, with nine children, consuming a fair amount, and she wasn't sure when she'd be able to come again. She really liked these independent and strong kids.
She had always been willful, and for those she liked, she was generous, giving as much as she wanted without feeling distressed.
"Sister Jin…" Upon seeing all this, Da Liu and the others had reddened eyes.
Sister Jin was so good to them, not only saving their lives but also bringing so many good things, something even their own relatives couldn't do, inadvertently healing their scarred hearts bit by bit.
The children, moved, looked at Hua Jin, their hearts warm, feeling cared for was very comforting. Even though Hua Jin was only a little older than them, she felt to them like an elder, and they looked at her with admiration and dependence.
"Alright, Da Liu, quickly put these away. By the way, have you eaten?"
"We have, we have, we ate fish porridge. Sister Jin, have you eaten?" Hua'er replied in a soft voice, then shyly lowered her head when Hua Jin looked over.
"We have," Hua Jin said softly, her voice unconsciously gentle as she watched the shy little Hua'er with a tender look.
"Sister Jin, we dried a lot of salted fish, and we prepared a lot for you too," Gouzi said, his gaze seeking approval from Hua Jin, his eyes full of eagerness.
"Really? How did you know I wanted to eat salted fish? That's great." Hua Jin's surprised expression successfully delighted the children, who then dashed happily into the house like little birds, returning shortly with a whole basket of salted fish.
Hua Chengtian picked up a fish weighing about one to two pounds, others three to four pounds, and some were palm-sized. They were very cleanly prepared, showing the children had put in effort, no wonder their daughter kept them in mind.
These things, when set aside, could indeed save lives, and giving such a large amount at once showed they understood gratitude, making it worthwhile to save them. Hua Chengtian's impression of these children improved even more.
Seeing the basket of fish warmed Hua Jin's heart as well. Although saving them was done on a whim without expecting any repayment, she felt it was rare for these children to retain such pure hearts under such harsh conditions, willing to lend a helping hand. Seeing they weren't ungrateful people, Hua Jin couldn't help but praise her judgment in people.
"Do you have more?" Hua Chengtian asked.
These children already lived a tough life, and Hua Chengtian didn't want to take advantage of them.
The children nodded in unison, "We still have some," Da Liu said, swiftly pulling out another basket, thinking the benefactor's father wanted more. But even after sorting through, they truly didn't have much left, at most half a basket.
Seeing the basket of fish being pulled towards him, Hua Chengtian hurriedly stopped them, holding back his laughter. The children had clearly misunderstood his intention.
"No, no need, this is already a lot. What I meant was you've given too much."
"Ah…" Da Liu only then realized it was a misunderstanding, but having already brought it over, he couldn't possibly take it back, and besides, they did still have some, though not much, but for their benefactor, Da Liu was willing to give it, "We still have some," Da Liu said, his face flushing.
"Yes, yes, we still have," Gouzi quickly chimed in, appreciating the big sister who had brought them so many things again. Not only did she bring food and daily necessities, she even brought fabric, so they were more than happy to give her some dried fish which she liked.
Whether they had more or not, Hua Jin obviously knew. As soon as she entered, her spiritual power took in everything in the room clearly, and while there was indeed half a basket of fish left, it wouldn't last many days.
"This is already quite a lot," Hua Jin said, pulling one basket to her side, "Put the rest away for yourselves."
Gouzi: "Sister Jin, we really still have more…"
Hua Jin: "What, you're not going to listen to Sister Jin anymore?"
As expected, after hearing this, the children didn't dare say anything more. Da Liu obediently moved the other basket back; they definitely didn't want to upset the big sister.
"That's more like it," Hua Jin said with satisfaction.
After this little episode with the salted fish, the atmosphere became much more harmonious. Hua Jin inquired about the children's recent situation, chatted with them for a while, taught them how to make ice, and then left with her father under the children's reluctant gazes.