Gratitude for what one has

  The landlady brought over the hot buns and saw a young, elegant woman smiling peacefully at the little girl beside her. The little girl was laughing innocently on one side, and the whole scene was indescribably beautiful. The landlady didn't know what she was thinking of, but quietly moistened the corners of her eyes.

  At this time, An Yan raised his head and happened to capture the scene of the boss's wife. And An Yan just naturally let his gaze pass by, looking at a small stall on the street in the distance. From the boss's wife's point of view, An Yan seemed to be looking away from her, and it just so happened that he glanced over here. Moreover, judging from his appearance, he should not have noticed anything unusual about her.

  The boss's wife quietly wiped away the marks at the corner of her eyes with her sleeve and brought over a hot package to An Yan and Pang Ya's table.

  "Come and try the master's craftsmanship."

  The boss's wife looked at An Yan and Pang Ya with a soft smile and deep nostalgia.

  An Yan looked around and thought the boss shouldn't be very busy, so he smiled and said: "Boss, I rarely come to the county. Now that I've come, I couldn't even find my way around, so I'd like to ask for your guidance."

  An's words were warm and gentle, her tone affectionate, as if a younger person was coaxing an elder. The boss's wife listened, and indeed, she smiled all over her face, her eyebrows and eyes filled with kindness. As soon as An finished speaking, the boss's wife automatically sat down beside her.

  Her words also looked at the boss's wife's face and kindness, and seemed to have some regret, it was hard to avoid having a close relationship. On the one hand, she could use this opportunity to learn more about things in Hsinchu County, on the other hand, the boss's wife's eyebrows and eyes were full of kindness, just like modern mothers, which suddenly raised a strong sense of reverence in her heart.

  "I have a cousin studying at the Xin Zhu Shu Yuan in the county, but our home is quite far away, so I don't know much about this Xin Zhu Shu Yuan. Do you understand it, can you tell me something about it?"

  The mistress listened and said with a smile: "My husband's surname is Yu, if you don't mind, just call me Aunt Yu."

  "Alright, Aunt Yu. My name is Jin Xiu, you can just call me Jin Xiu."

  Her words and facial expressions are intimate, her tone is soft and gentle, just looking at her makes people happy. There's always a strange power about her that calms the mind and spirit, making one feel an irresistible urge to get closer.

  As expected, Yu Shu saw this and the joyful color in her eyes became even more intense.

  "This new Hsinchu Academy is the only academy in Hsinchu County. Although Hsinchu County is a small place, it has a great reputation. This academy, not to mention in Qingcheng, even in Nanguan, also has some fame. And the reason for this is that Hsinchu Academy once produced an Exploring Flower Gentleman."

  "Oh? The Flower Explorer?"

  Suddenly came interest, unexpectedly three elder brother Bai An stupid book academy, actually also produced a winner of the imperial examination.

  "Yes, that Exploring Flower Gentleman was originally from Qingcheng, but he came as a teacher at the Xin Zhu Book Academy. Who knew that after studying here for just one year, he would go on to take the Imperial Examination and become an Exploring Flower Gentleman? From then on, the Xin Zhu Book Academy also became widely known."

  "Qingcheng person? I don't know which teacher from Xinzhu Shuyuan, actually let that Flower Explorer give up Qingcheng's famous teacher and run to the county instead?"

  She was somewhat curious, what kind of teacher would make a young man from Qingcheng come to this small county to study. And she didn't know if her third cousin had the good fortune to learn under this teacher as well.

  "That teacher, everyone calls him Mr. Shang Zhu. This gentleman was born as a jinshi and could have had a better place to go. However, he is not after fame or fortune, and has always been calm and natural in his temperament. It's just that the new bamboo academy has a character for bamboo that matches his name quite well, so he stayed at the new bamboo academy. And because of Mr. Shang Zhu's arrival, many students came from all over. Everyone admires Mr. Shang Zhu's character and wants to take a look."

  "This Mr. Shang Zhu, listening to him is indeed a man of temperament."

  "Yes, that gentleman is said to be meticulous in his studies and responsible towards his students, earning the admiration of his pupils."

  Yu Shu spoke with great respect, but between her eyebrows and eyes, she couldn't help but quietly surge up a thread of melancholy.

  Yu Shu's face moved slightly, and the soft voice of the tree said: "The tea and buns on Yu Shu's side are delicious, it's hard for me to leave. I don't know if there are any other people in Yu Shu's family, if there is a chance in the future, I will definitely come to visit and disturb you."

  Yu Shu's face was full of bitterness, her eyes were not satisfied with the desolation. An Yan looked at her and saw a hint of surprise in her eyes, her face full of concern, "Aunt Yu?"

  She called out softly, her tone barely concealing her concern.

  On the other side, the chubby girl was eating a steamed bun, with one cheek bulging. At this moment, she also lifted her small head and quietly looked at An Yan and Yu Shu with her big, shiny eyes.

  It seems that Yu Shu was moved by the pure and innocent eyes of Pangzi, and she began to talk about her past: "When I see you two, I feel especially close, because this scene is so similar and familiar. I used to have a daughter as big as this little girl, and at that time, I took her to a small teahouse to rest. It was also on that day that I lost her. For many years, I searched everywhere, but never found her. Later, I simply opened another small teahouse here, in the same place as the original one. I hope my daughter will remember this place and come back someday."

  Upon hearing this, An felt a pang of regret in her heart and hurriedly comforted her, "Heaven will not disappoint those who work hard. You and your daughter will eventually have a day to reunite. Yu Shu, don't think too much, take care of yourself instead."

  "Uh, I'll definitely wait for my daughter to come back. My life has been bumpy, my husband passed away unexpectedly when my daughter was just born, and she got lost at the age of three. As for my son, he went to join the army five years ago and hasn't returned yet. All the separations that one should experience in life, I've experienced them all."

  Her words choked in her throat, and she couldn't speak for a moment. It has to be said that Yu Shu's experiences were extremely bumpy, but looking at Yu Shu, even when talking about such sad topics, there was still a smile on her face, and her eyes were full of hope. Even though life was so difficult, Yu Shu still had hope in her heart, and she continued to live with perseverance. A woman like this makes people admire her from the bottom of their hearts. The tragic experiences evoke sympathy, but Yu Shu's strong will is what makes people truly respect her.

  "My wife is now running a small tea stall here during the day and goes back home to play with our grandson at night. Life is still happy. Heaven, after all, has not treated me badly."

  When mentioning Little Sun, An Yan smiled and asked: "How old is Yu Shu's little grandson?"

  "He's six years old, and it's the most mischievous age. The child is too young, so I let his mother take care of him at home, anyway, I'm busy enough here by myself. But my daughter-in-law is too filial, even though she has to take on some laundry and needlework tasks, she still can't rest from dawn till dusk. With a daughter-in-law like this, our Chen family must have burned high incense in the previous life."

  Her words suddenly moved me, this woman who has been tormented by life and experienced hardships. Yet now, she is expressing her gratitude to heaven, what a state of mind and magnanimity. People are actually very strange, they can always see what they have lost, but it's hard to see what they have. Those negative people may spend their whole lives in the midst of hardships, sinking into despair. While someone like Yu Shu, still cherishes heaven, cherishes everything she has now.

  Anwen's mindset underwent a subtle change at this moment, she thought that her current life was also a kind of blessing from heaven. What she had now, wasn't it a happiness after rebirth?