"Zhenzhen, what's your name?"
"My name is Wen Zhen. My mom gave me this name."
Cheng You gently stroked his small face, finding him more and more like a girl.
"Sister doesn't need to look anymore, I am a girl. I am six years old this year."
Wen Zhen could see what Cheng You was thinking.
Perhaps sensing that Cheng You also no longer had a mother, she felt like a little matchstick that could huddle with others, feeling understood in her current sadness.
So she wasn't alone.
Cheng You looked at her. Her small frame, at six years old, was about the same as a three or four-year-old.
She clearly looked malnourished.
Now that her mother had passed away, what would happen to her?
Cheng You held Wen Zhen's hand, watching Zhou Wenxuan arrange for people to handle the funeral, and watching Wen Zhen cry out heartbrokenly for her mother not to leave.
It reminded her of the day her own mother died. So this was how an observer felt.
She looked at Zhou Wenxuan, "Are you going to take Wen Zhen home with you?"
In the blink of an eye, it was dark.
Zhenzhen cried herself to sleep, calling for her mother even in her dreams.
Zhou Wenxuan said softly, "Cheng You, Wen Jie was the first woman I wanted to marry."
He was only seventeen then, his young heart stirred, and he fell in love with a woman older than him, who had been kicked out because she had a child out of wedlock.
But undoubtedly, his family would not agree.
If Wen Yan had only been older, but not had a child out of wedlock, his family would have compromised.
Ultimately, the struggle ended without a resolution because Wen Yan herself refused him.
Cheng You merely sighed inwardly, not particularly moved.
The world was full of joys and sorrows; she couldn't be touched by all of them.
"So have you figured out how you're going to arrange for Zhenzhen?"
Zhou Wenxuan fell silent.
He couldn't take Zhenzhen home; his family wouldn't accept her.
"Cheng You, could I trouble you to..."
Cheng You sneered, "I'll take her back, not to help you, but for Zhenzhen's sake."
"Thank you..."
Cheng You couldn't be bothered with him. With his personality, he only dared to be aggressive towards outsiders.
He couldn't assert himself in front of his family, and taking Zhenzhen back would only lead to her being wronged.
Cheng You took the child home. Hearing the commotion, Cheng Wenyu quickly ran out.
"Sis, why are you back so late! Huh, where did you pick up this little imp?"
Cheng You said, "It's a long story. Let's go inside first."
Cheng Wenyu let her in and closed the door, leaving Zhou Wenxuan outside.
Although Zhenzhen was small, Cheng You's arms were numb from carrying her all the way.
As soon as she put her down, Zhenzhen woke up.
She startled awake and cried out, "Mama!"
Only when she saw Cheng You's face did her memory return.
Mom was gone...
"Zhenzhen, this is my home. This is my younger brother. You can call him Gege."
Zhenzhen pouted, her head drooping listlessly.
She didn't want a Gege; she wanted Mama.
Cheng You stroked her head, "Sister will cook you some noodles, okay?"
Zhenzhen still didn't speak, her small face filled with gloom.
Cheng You understood her feelings. She asked Cheng Wenyu to watch her while she went to cook noodles.
She and Cheng Wenyu hadn't eaten yet either. She cooked three bowls, each topped with a poached egg, the broth rich and fragrant.
"Eat up."
Cheng You placed a pair of chopsticks in front of her.
Zhenzhen looked at her, her small hands curled up, looking uneasy.
She swallowed hard. These noodles smelled so good. She had never eaten such fragrant noodles before.
"Zhenzhen, eat. Don't you like it?"
Zhenzhen shook her head and said in a childish voice, "Mom and I have never eaten such fragrant noodles. Am I dreaming?"
Cheng You was taken aback for a moment. Perhaps she preferred to be dreaming.
"It's not a dream. If you want to eat them, I'll make them for you every day from now on."
Zhenzhen blinked and asked, "Will I live with you from now on?"
Cheng You didn't give a definite answer. She planned to discuss it with Uncle Li before telling her.
"For now, eat until you're full, and then sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, I'll tell you where your new home is, okay?"
Zhenzhen's small face drooped. "You don't want me. I'm a burden."
Everyone said that, that she was her mother's burden.
"You are absolutely not! In fact, I'm willing to adopt you, but I'm not married yet and have never been a mother, so I don't know if I can raise you well. I want to send you to my master's home. He's a very kind person, and if you're willing, he will definitely be very, very good to you."
Zhenzhen asked, "Is your master a doctor?"
"Yes."
"If I follow him, can I become a doctor too?"
Cheng You nodded, "As long as you work hard, of course you can."
Zhenzhen clenched her small fists. "Then I want to be a doctor."
If she could heal, Mama wouldn't have died.
Cheng You touched her little face and put the chopsticks into her hand.
"To be a doctor, you need to be strong. You have to eat more to have the strength to go up the mountain to gather herbs."
Zhenzhen carefully picked up a mouthful of noodles, pursed her lips, and bit them off.
They were so delicious.
She glanced at Cheng You, then at Cheng Wenyu, noticing they both had poached eggs in their bowls.
She looked at her own bowl, having deliberately saved the poached egg for last.
"Sister, I don't eat eggs."
"Why?"
Zhenzhen said, "I don't eat eggs, and I don't need to eat fine grains. I can grow up on coarse grain steamed buns. I'm easy to take care of."
Cheng You frowned with difficulty. "That would be too difficult. We only have fine grains at home. Where would we find coarse grains for you to eat?"
This was the first time Zhenzhen had heard someone say they couldn't find coarse grains.
She was momentarily stunned, speechless with surprise.
Cheng You tapped her forehead. "You're really giving me a hard time."
Zhenzhen waved her hands in panic. "Then never mind. I'll eat whatever you give me. You don't have to specially look for anything for me."
Cheng You pointed to the poached egg in her bowl.
"So if I give you this poached egg, shouldn't you eat it?"
Zhenzhen hesitated for a moment, then obediently picked up the poached egg and took a bite.
So this was what an egg tasted like.
Cheng You packed up her only two sets of clothes, gave her a bath, and changed into clean clothes.
"Am I sleeping here?"
"Yes, this is my room. You'll sleep with me tonight. Tomorrow I'll take you to Uncle Li's house."
Zhenzhen touched the soft quilt, which was warm.
She and her mother had never slept in such a soft bed.
Zhenzhen lay in the quilt, her limbs stretching out uncomfortably.
"Go to sleep. You can ask any questions you have tomorrow," Cheng You patted her head.
Zhenzhen whispered, "Can I hold your hand while I sleep?"
"Of course."
Cheng You pulled her close, holding her as she closed her eyes.
That night, Zhenzhen felt groggy.
She had lost her mother, but she had met kind people.
She slept in a comfortable bed and ate the best noodles she had ever had.
She nuzzled her little face. The sister, who had also lost her mother, was so gentle and smelled so nice.