The voluptuous and beautiful nanny, Technician Shen fell for her.

Su Nianhe hung the washed old clothes on a bamboo pole, and water dripped onto the yellow mud ground.

The sun was setting in the west, not as scorching as at midday, and the wind felt cool on my face.

Old Mrs. Shen came out of the main room carrying a worn-out bamboo basket, her black cloth shoes making a clattering sound.

"Girl, don't wash anymore, come outside with Grandma for a walk." The old lady beckoned to her.

Su Nianhe wiped her hands on her apron, walked over and asked, "Are you going to pick peanuts in the field? I'll go get the sickle right now."

"Why are you thinking about those peanuts? We can hire someone to pull them up." Old Mrs. Shen shoved the bamboo basket into Su Nianhe's hands. "Take a wooden basin, let's go to the river by the door to catch some snails and maybe catch a fish."

Su Nianhe followed Old Lady Shen out of the courtyard.

The stream is located at the end of the village. The water is crystal clear, and the round stones and lush green water plants at the bottom are clearly visible.

Several crooked willow trees grow by the river, and the cicadas' chirping is so loud it rings in your ears.

"Let's go into the water. It's shallow here, only up to our calves at most." Old Mrs. Shen found a flat rock on the bank and sat down, fanning herself with a large palm-leaf fan.

Su Nianhe rolled up her trousers and carefully stepped into the water.

The river water was very cold, and the stones were covered with moss, making them very slippery.

She held the wooden basin in both hands and on her shoulders, afraid of getting her clothes wet.

She was scolded or even beaten for getting her clothes dirty from a young age, so she got used to being timid and hesitant in everything she did.

Grandma Shen looked at her restrained appearance from the shore and shook her head.

"Go ahead and touch it freely. If your clothes get wet, go back and change. What are you afraid of!" the old lady said in a loud voice. "When you're with Grandma, no one will complain!"

Upon hearing this, Su Nianhe's tense shoulders slowly relaxed.

She bent down, reached into the crevice between the rocks, groped around for a bit, and pulled out a snail the size of a walnut.

"Grandma, here's a big one!" She held up the snail in her hand, her voice rising unconsciously.

"Throw it in the basin, keep rummaging! I'll stir-fry some pickled bamboo shoots for you tonight!"

Su Nianhe perked up and bent over, swimming around in the water.

There were many snails at the bottom of the river, and in no time I had collected half a basin of them.

She got more and more excited as she touched it, and without noticing, she stepped on a round stone covered in moss. She lost her balance and fell into the shallow water with a splash.

Water splashed all over her head and face, and her plaid shirt was soaked.

She instinctively closed her eyes, waiting to be scolded, but after a long time, she heard Old Mrs. Shen's loud laughter coming from the shore.

"Oh my, you little rascal, are you planning to take a bath in the river?"

Su Nianhe opened her eyes, wiped the water off her face, and laughed.

She sat in the water, her clear and melodious laughter echoing across the river.

At that moment, she completely forgot that she was a nanny who had fled from war, and forgot all the anxious scheming. She laughed without any restraint, just like an ordinary teenage girl.

Startled by the commotion of her falling, a small black fish darted out of the water plants and headed straight for her legs.

With quick reflexes, Su Nianhe lunged forward with both hands and firmly pinned the fish down.

The fish struggled desperately in my hand, its tail slapping against the water's surface.

"I caught it! Grandma, I caught a fish!" Su Nianhe shouted happily, holding the slippery black fish in both hands, and stumbled as she ran to the shore, throwing the fish directly into the bamboo basket.

In the evening, the two returned home carrying half a basket of snails and a black carp.

The stove in the kitchen was burning brightly, and steam was rising from it.

Su Nianhe changed into dry clothes and quickly sliced ​​the fish and cut the pickled bamboo shoots.

Grandma Shen helped add firewood, and the two chatted and laughed.

Inside the main room, Old Man Shen, smelling the food, tapped the ground with his cane to urge the meal to be served.

"What delicious food are you making!" the old man shouted.

Grandma Shen carried out a plate of stir-fried pickled bamboo shoots and snails and placed it on the octagonal table.

"Just eat yours! We're having pickled fish today!" the old lady snapped at him.

The old man was hard of hearing, and he missed a lot of words, so he heard "disbanded fish" instead.

"Break up? Break up with whom!" The old man slammed his cane on the ground, puffed out his beard, and glared. "I'm not even dead yet, and you're already planning to split up!"

Grandma Shen rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay him any attention.

Su Nianhe brought out a large bowl of steaming hot pickled fish and placed it in the center of the table. She then quickly went to the old man and explained loudly.

"Grandpa! It's pickled cabbage fish! Not 'breakup fish'!"

The old man finally understood, snorted, picked up his chopsticks, and put a piece of fish into his mouth.

"Hmm, this pickled fish is really well made," the old man mumbled a compliment.

At the dinner table, Grandma Shen took the serving chopsticks and put the tenderest piece of meat from the belly of the fish, which had no small bones, into Su Nianhe's bowl.

"Eat more, you're so thin. You soaked in the water for so long this afternoon, don't catch a cold."

Su Nianhe looked at the fish in the bowl, and her eyes suddenly felt a little hot.

From childhood to adulthood, any good food at home always went to her father, Su Dahe; she never even had the right to sit at the table. Even her own grandmother scolded her as a good-for-nothing. Now, in the home of this grandmother with whom she had no blood relation, she was eating the best piece of fish and hearing the most ordinary words of concern.

She lowered her head, shoveling large mouthfuls of rice into her mouth, eating with relish, her heart brimming with joy.

After dinner, it was completely dark.

The elderly couple were quite old, so they went back to their inner room to rest early.

Su Nianhe, having eaten her fill, carried a wooden basin and a towel, intending to go to the backyard bathroom to fetch water for a bath.

She lay in bed after taking a shower, still smelling wonderful, but here she didn't have to worry about being smelled by anyone.

Thinking this way, she relaxed completely and fell asleep quickly.

Having slept soundly last night, Su Nianhe quietly got up early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

She casually tied her hair back, pushed open the door and walked into the kitchen, intending to make breakfast before the elderly couple got up.

As soon as they stepped across the threshold, they saw the fire burning brightly in the earthen stove.

Guihua was stirring the rice porridge in the pot with a large iron ladle, and the aroma of the steaming rice porridge wafted into people's noses.

"Auntie, why are you up so early?" Su Nianhe walked over and took the spoon from her hand.

Guihua stepped aside, saying, "Oh, girl, don't get involved. My sister-in-law Liu told me that the old lady and old man in the village would leave all the cooking and laundry to me. Now that the old lady hasn't told me not to come, how could I dare to slack off? I'll still do it as usual."

Hearing her say that, Su Nianhe didn't want to force the bowls and chopsticks, so she could only help by getting them from the side.

The porridge was cooked until thick, and the cornbread was ready.

The elderly couple hadn't gotten up yet when Guihua ladled out two large bowls of porridge and took two flatbreads, carrying them out to the yard.

"Come on, let's go eat outside, it'll be cooler there." Guihua nudged Su Nianhe with her elbow.

The two moved a small stool and sat under the old poplar tree in the courtyard.

Guihua took a big bite of the cornbread, chewed it a couple of times, and turned to look at Su Nianhe: "Girl, let me ask you something honestly. When Da Niu came yesterday, what happened between you two? You really didn't like each other?"

Su Nianhe stopped drinking her porridge.

"Auntie, I'm really not looking for a boyfriend," she replied honestly. "I still have work to do in Jiang City, and I have to go back in a couple of days."

Guihua sighed, somewhat regretfully: "My son was still talking about it last night when he got home, saying that girls from the city are so fair-skinned. But you can't force a relationship, and I won't pressure you."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.