The little carp patted her small belly, looking at the table full of dishes with a helpless expression.
"Dudu, what's wrong?"
"Why aren't you hungry anymore?"
The little carp was dejected. How could drinking air fill her stomach? She found it strange herself.
"Alright, if you don't eat soon, we'll finish it all."
Liu Nanfeng tapped her little head, and the little carp finally came to her senses.
She quickly started eating with big bites. Although she wasn't hungry, with so much delicious food, she had to stuff some into her belly even if it meant being full, otherwise, it would be a loss.
After the meal, Su Jinxiu and Su Huamei cleaned the dishes, while Liu Nanfeng held Little Jin Hua and took the two children to the swing.
"How have these past few days been? Are you getting used to it here?"
For Liu Nanfeng, he had only sent Little Carp in last night, but in reality, Little Carp had been here for five days.
"Used to it? I'm too happy!" Little Carp said gleefully.
But soon, her expression turned a little sad. "I just miss my mother a little."
The little one had never been away from Zhu Yin’e for this long in her life, so it was understandable that she missed her.
"Then why don't you go back with me later?"
"I..."
Before Little Carp could finish her sentence, Gugu, who was beside her, hugged her tightly.
"Gugu."
Her eyes were wide open, and her meaning was obvious: she wanted Little Carp to stay and play with her.
"That won't do, Little Carp misses her mother," Liu Nanfeng said, stroking her little head.
Upon hearing this, Gugu sadly let go of Little Carp.
She lowered her head and murmured something. Although her voice was soft, it couldn't escape the ears of Liu Nanfeng and Little Carp.
Liu Nanfeng was very surprised because Gugu had just whispered the word "mother." Besides the time she had said it in front of Yu Huilan, this was the second time she had truly spoken.
However, Liu Nanfeng couldn't bear to hurt her feelings, so he said nothing.
But Little Carp didn't know about this. She asked curiously, "Gugu, do you miss your mom too? I haven't met your mom yet! Can you bring your mom over for me to see?"
"What do you mean by 'bring her over for you to see'? You say such nonsensical things." Liu Nanfeng chuckled and playfully tapped her little head.
Liu Nanfeng thought that Gugu wouldn't answer this question, but unexpectedly, Gugu raised her head and nodded heavily this time.
She even let out a sound of affirmation.
"If you miss her, we'll go find her," Liu Nanfeng said, gently stroking her cheek.
Liu Nanfeng guessed that Gugu's sudden change in attitude might be because she had observed Su Jinxiu as a mother during this time, and also because Little Carp often mentioned her own mother around her.
This had gradually helped Gugu let go of the unknown reservations in her heart.
She wanted to go home to find her mother.
Just then, time seemed to reverse, and the surroundings changed instantly. Little Carp gasped and hugged Liu Nanfeng's leg, looking around nervously.
They were no longer in the flower garden but on a bustling street filled with pedestrians.
However, as these people brushed past them, they acted as if they couldn't see them, as if they simply didn't exist.
Little Carp finally relaxed and looked around curiously.
Little Carp didn't understand, but Liu Nanfeng knew that the scene around them was likely from the early nineties.
Liu Nanfeng saw a beauty calendar hanging in front of a shop window. Below the calendar, there was the inscription "July 1992."
So it was 1992?
Beepers, slicked-back hairstyles, dark sunglasses, bell-bottom pants...
Everything was filled with the sense of that era.
Smoke curled up from nearby, carrying a pleasant aroma. It was a misty morning, filled with the scent of everyday life.
"Shaobing, freshly baked shaobing..."
A middle-aged man selling shaobing shouted loudly. Behind him was a video rental store with its doors closed. It was early morning, so no one was there to watch movies.
Video rental stores often operated all night, but they usually closed around five or six in the morning, only to reopen in the afternoon, around three or four o'clock.
"Mahua for sale, mahua for sale..."
The call came from an old man riding a tricycle. In the basket behind him was a glass cabinet with the words "Tianjin Big Mahua" written in red.
One mahua was as thick as Little Carp's arm, golden brown in color, and sprinkled with white sugar and sesame seeds, looking very tempting.
"Fresh live fish, just caught..."
"Homegrown vegetables, no pesticides, eat well, grow strong..."
"Waiting for a thousand years for a chance..."
...
This was an ordinary small town, but it gave Liu Nanfeng a feeling of stepping back in time, so familiar.
"Wow, does that bing bing look delicious? That uncle is shouting so hard."
Little Carp stared in the direction of the shaobing seller and then was quickly captivated by the old man selling mahua next to her, and then her gaze was drawn by the aroma from a nearby breakfast stall.
In short, her eyes couldn't take it all in; she felt that two eyes were completely insufficient.
"Mom, when are we going to Grandma's house?"
Just then, a child's voice sounded in their ears.
The voice had a hint of familiarity, and both Little Carp and Liu Nanfeng turned to look.
Then, Little Carp's eyes widened, and she excitedly tugged at Gugu beside her, saying, "Gugu, Gugu, there are two of you!"
"But that one is Little Gugu."
As they walked past, it was Gugu and her mother, along with a little boy.
Gugu's mother was an ordinary-looking woman, slightly plump with rosy cheeks, and wearing a blue headscarf.
She held Gugu's hand with one hand and a little boy's with the other.
The little boy appeared to be one or two years older than Gugu and also bore some resemblance to her.
"I'll buy something to take with us," Gugu's mother said.
At this moment, the little boy next to her spoke.
"Mom, I'm hungry."
The little boy looked at the breakfast stalls by the roadside, licking his lips with a greedy expression.
"Mom, I want to eat meat buns too," Gugu quickly added.
"Meeting you two troublemakers is the worst luck of my life," Gugu's mother said, but she still pulled the two children towards the nearby breakfast stall.
She then not only bought them buns but also two bowls of soup.
"You two sit here and eat, I'll go buy something nearby," Gugu's mother said.
The two children couldn't bother with anything else at the moment, devouring the buns.
Gugu's mother didn't say anything further and turned to go into a small shop nearby, presumably to buy gifts for Gugu's grandmother's house.
"Wow, big meat buns, I want some too," Little Carp said from the side, swallowing her saliva.
The steaming meat buns looked fluffy and soft, making them very appetizing, no wonder Little Carp was so envious.
However, Liu Nanfeng paid no attention to these things. His entire focus was on Gugu. Ever since her mother appeared, Gugu had been staring intently at her.
Just then, someone suddenly shouted, "The flood is coming!"
The originally lively street instantly descended into chaos.
July 1992.
The great flood of the century.
This information instantly flashed into Liu Nanfeng's mind.