My childhood sweetheart, who was reborn with me, ended up as a loser.

Chapter 21, Part 11: Childhood Trauma

In the midst of the scramble for food, the already delicious food became even more delicious, and all five of them thoroughly enjoyed their meal.

After lunch, my grandfather fished out a watermelon that had been soaking in the well all morning. It was a stone watermelon that you can no longer buy in later generations; the rind was really thick, and the flesh was really sweet.

They stomped on the melon rinds after eating them and raced through them, making their front door filthy.

After Xu Qingfan was scolded by his grandmother, the group picked up the melon rinds and threw them into the chicken coop, then fetched water to clean the floor in front of their house.

After finishing all this, the post-meal digestion is almost complete.

Grandpa laid out bamboo mats and cassia seed pillows on the ground. The five of us lay sideways on the mats, with a large fan whirring overhead. As we stared at them, drowsiness quickly crept in.

...

When Xu Qingfan woke up again, he was in this state, being attacked from both sides by Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi.

Both of them were still fast asleep, one tightly gripping his wrist, the other tightly hugging his arm.

It's strange, but both of their skin felt a little cool; it would be so comfortable to sleep with them on in the summer.

Xu Qingfan gently removed Wan Ning and Yi Yi's hands and quietly got up.

I didn't see my godmother or Aunt Zhang at home, but when I came out, I saw Zhang Chunxue getting out of the car.

"Xiao Fan is awake too." Zhang Chunxue smiled and waved to him.

"Aunt Zhang..." Xu Qingfan jogged forward and immediately lowered his voice when he saw Lin Jing still sleeping in the car.

Zhang Chunxue patted his head, thinking how sensible and good the child was. "Xiao Fan, can you show Auntie around the village?"

"Great!" Xu Qingfan was more than happy to agree, as he happened to have something he wanted to ask Aunt Zhang.

Xu Qingfan went home and found two straw hats. After the two of them put them on, they went out hand in hand.

The sun outside was scorching. Xu Qingfan led Zhang Chunxue through the old houses, walking along the cobblestone alleys. A gentle breeze blew through them, and the air was filled with the scent of earth and moss.

"Xiao Fan, did you have any inspiration to write a poem today?" Zhang Chunxue asked with a smile.

She still remembered the poem Xu Qingfan wrote for Lin Jing, and wished that Xiao Fan would write one for her too.

"Hmm, a sentence came to mind when I went to pick vegetables this morning."

"What is it?"

"The asphalt roads in the city are too hard; you can't leave any footprints."

"The asphalt roads in the city are too hard, you can't leave any footprints... That's a line from a song by a sailor, right? Why did Xiao Fan suddenly think of this line?" Zhang Chunxue was slightly taken aback.

"I see that people in the city, whether adults or children, are always rushing around, while people in the village travel slowly and can stop and chat for a long time if they meet someone they know."

Zhang Chunxue seemed to understand something, and praised, "Xiao Fan's insight is really strong. No wonder he can write so many beautiful sentences."

"Um... Aunt Zhang, may I ask you a question?" Xu Qingfan looked up.

"Of course." Zhang Chunxue bent down and caught the ladybug that flew onto his face. Her long black hair fell naturally over his face, and Xu Qingfan subconsciously held his breath.

"There's a little bug." Zhang Chunxue held out her hand to show him, and the ladybug fluttered its wings and flew away.

Xu Qingfan admitted he was genuinely charmed by Aunt Zhang. Before he could say anything, Zhang Chunxue took his hand again and asked, "What were you trying to say, Xiaofan?"

"Oh... I wanted to ask Auntie about Yi Yi." Xu Qingfan realized what was going on and quickly said.

"Xiao Fan wants to ask why Yi Yi hasn't been talking, right?" Zhang Chunxue had expected this.

Xu Qingfan nodded, then shook his head: "Yi Yi talked to me this morning."

"Huh?" Zhang Chunxue froze, her smile replaced by shock.

She immediately asked, her voice trembling with emotion, "Xiao Fan, are you serious?"

Although he was somewhat prepared, Xu Qingfan was still taken aback by Aunt Zhang's agitated emotions. He took a breath, squeezed Zhang Chunxue's hand, and recounted the events in detail:

"In the morning, Wan Ning and Yi Yi came to wake me up. When I came out of the room, Yi Yi suddenly grabbed my clothes and, with great effort, managed to utter four words."

"What are those four characters?" Zhang Chunxue asked hurriedly.

She subconsciously assumed it would be "Happy Birthday," but Xu Qingfan gave her an unexpected answer.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle."

"Coo...caw...caw?"

Coupled with Zhang Chunxue's stunned expression, Xu Qingfan inexplicably found the auntie quite adorable.

"That's right." Xu Qingfan nodded confidently.

"Um... what does 'gugu gaga' mean, Xiao Fan?" Zhang Chunxue was completely baffled.

"It doesn't mean anything. It's like the meaningless cries of a baby. Wan Ning and I were just making those noises for fun, and then we learned them one by one," Xu Qingfan explained, spreading his hands.

"What I really want to ask you is, Auntie, did something bad happen to Yi-yi in her childhood that made her quiet? I think we are good friends, so I want to help Yi-yi."

Zhang Chunxue recalled the past, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Xu Qingfan really wanted to reach out and wipe Aunt Zhang's tears, but unfortunately his short legs weren't strong enough, and even when he jumped, he couldn't reach Aunt Zhang's face.

Fortunately, Zhang Chunxue has a strong ability to regulate her emotions and quickly regained control of her emotions. She wiped away her tears and smiled at him, saying, "Auntie is fine. I was just thinking about some things from the past."

"Auntie, if it's inconvenient for you, it's okay if you don't say anything."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. Auntie is especially grateful to you, Xiaofan. Thank you for telling Auntie this good news. Yiyi hasn't spoken for three years."

Zhang Chunxue led him forward again, trying to hide her tears by looking up, but her choked voice betrayed her.

Xu Qingfan reached out and put his arm around Aunt Zhang's arm, quietly becoming a good listener.

After composing herself, Zhang Chunxue continued, "It happened three years ago. That day was Yi Yi's birthday, but Yi Yi's father and I are usually very busy with work and often travel all over the country."

"I happened to be on a business trip to Shantou that day, and Yi Yi's father was in Guangzhou. I had planned to drive back to celebrate Yi Yi's birthday after I finished my business here, but I was delayed by some things."

"My partner didn't want to disappoint Yi-yi, so he decided to drive her to see me. But then, a landslide happened on the way... Waaah... It's all my fault... Waaah..."

Zhang Chunxue broke down in tears at the end of her speech.

Xu Qingfan sighed. This whole thing was a mess. Zhang Yiyi was only three years old three years ago. No wonder it caused her such a huge psychological trauma.

At times like this, any words of comfort would be like rubbing salt into a wound. Xu Qingfan had no choice but to stop and quietly cry with Aunt Zhang. Let her cry, it'll make her feel better.

Xu Qingfan recalled the day his grandmother passed away; his father didn't cry, and even chatted and laughed while greeting relatives.

While sorting through his belongings at night, they found a sweater that his grandmother had secretly knitted for him, and his father cried his heart out that night.

......