Chen Zhaodi smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Little Lan. Jiaojiao would have really suffered if it weren't for you." As she spoke, she pulled a chicken and a duck from the basket on her back. "We raised them ourselves. You can stew them with those mushrooms."
The chicken and duck flapped frantically, sending downy feathers flying everywhere.
Lin Lan looked embarrassed. "Aunt Chen, you're too kind. Uncle Wan just brought over dried mushrooms yesterday, and now you're bringing a chicken and a duck. Please, come in and sit for a while."
"A small gift like this is nothing compared to the trouble you all went through carrying Jiaojiao out."
After some polite back-and-forth, Chen Zhaodi and her daughter followed Lin Lan into the courtyard. Pointing at the vegetable garden, Chen Zhaodi lamented, "Your mother used to keep this garden so neat. Look at it now, she's only been away for half a year and it's already full of weeds."
