In the courtyard, everyone is afraid of the little boy who is so smart!

Outside the window, the night has fallen deep, wrapping the entire world like thick ink. The biting cold wind is whistling and hitting the windows, making a "woooo" sound.

It seemed to be telling the loneliness and coldness of the winter night. Inside the house, Wang Jianguo lay alone on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling with empty eyes, his mind churning with tangled thoughts.

What was discussed at Director Liu's home that day was the many difficulties in building a new brick factory and the upcoming unknown situation.

It kept flashing before his eyes like a kaleidoscope of thoughts, making him upset and worried, but he couldn't make sense of it.

Just when everything was quiet, a crisp knock on the door suddenly broke the silence in the house.

"Bang, bang, bang," each hit was like a heavy hammer hitting Wang Jianguo's heart, pulling him out of the whirlpool of complicated thoughts.

Then, He Yushui's voice, as clear as a silver bell and with a hint of concern, came from the door:

"Brother Jianguo, are you awake? I cooked some porridge for you. Get up and drink some. Otherwise, you will feel uncomfortable sleeping on an empty stomach in the middle of the night."

The voice was like a ray of warm light, instantly penetrating the darkness and coldness in the room, shining straight into Wang Jianguo's heart, making his originally tense heart relax a little.

Wang Jianguo's body shook slightly, as if he had just woken up from a long and heavy nightmare, and it took him several seconds to come back to his senses.

He took a deep breath, as if to dispel the haze and sorrow in his heart, then raised his hand and rubbed his temples vigorously.

Trying to relax the nerves that were tense due to excessive thinking and make myself look a little more energetic.

Then he slowly sat up, fumbled to put on his shoes, and dragged his legs that felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, moving step by step towards the door.

When he reached the door, Wang Jianguo grasped the door handle, paused for a moment, and tried to adjust his facial expression, trying to force out a smile that looked relaxed and natural.

Although he knew in his heart that he was exhausted and worried at the moment, the smile might be a little far-fetched.

But he still hoped to show strength in front of He Yushui and not let the little girl worry too much about him.

Then he gently turned the doorknob, and the door slowly opened with a creaky sound.

He Yushui was standing at the door. The dim light poured out from the house, sprinkling on her energetic face, outlining a circle of soft halo, as if she was covered with a layer of golden gauze.

She held a bowl of steaming porridge steadily in her hand. The curls of hot steam rose up, blurring her face but highlighting the concern in her eyes.

He Yushui raised her head slightly, looked at Wang Jianguo, with a faint smile on her lips, and said softly:

"Brother Jianguo, drink it while it's hot."

Wang Jianguo looked at He Yushui in front of him, and a warm feeling surged in his heart, and his eyes unconsciously became slightly moist.

He tried to make his voice sound calmer and more cheerful, and said:

"Yushui, thank you for always being so thoughtful. Where's Brother Shuzhuo? Has he woken up? He drank quite a bit today, so he must be feeling uncomfortable now."

As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously passed He Yushui and looked towards Zhao Shuzhuo's room, his eyes full of concern.

In this difficult and confusing moment, the mutual care and concern among companions is like a charcoal fire in a cold night.

Giving each other the strength to persevere warms people's hearts and gives them more courage to face difficulties.

Inside the house, the dim light was like a layer of gauze, gently sprinkling in every corner, adding a bit of warmth to this slightly shabby space.

He Yushui stood in front of Wang Jianguo's door. She looked petite but very agile.

At this moment, her big eyes, which usually sparkled with light, widened slightly, as if hiding two crystal black pearls, and her eyeballs rolled around.

Then, the little mouth, as pink and delicate as a rose petal, pouted high.

Just like a delicate flower that was wet by the morning dew and felt wronged, its cheeks bulged slightly, and it looked like a little angry.

She snorted softly, breaking the silence in the room, her clear voice full of blame:

"You still have the nerve to care about Brother Shuzhuo."

As he spoke, he slightly raised his small chin, his eyes revealing some childish complaints.

"Brother Shuzhuo is much better than you. When we came back, he helped me clean the kitchen and put it in order. He was very skillful and there was nothing wrong with it."

"Unlike you, you lost your soul as soon as you came back. You rushed into the house and fell into a deep sleep. It's already so late. The sun is about to set, and you're just getting up now."

In order to emphasize his dissatisfaction, He Yushui stomped his feet lightly, and the pair of old cloth shoes on his feet collided with the ground, making a few slight "dong dong" sounds.

But even under this pretended anger, the barely perceptible heartache for Wang Jianguo was still revealed in her eyes.

"Let's go. If you dawdle any longer, Brother Shuzhuo will drink up all the porridge."

As He Yushui spoke, she glanced in the direction of the main hall, and the image of Zhao Shuzhuo drinking porridge like whirlwind seemed to have emerged in her mind.

"You also know that Brother Shuzhuo has a famous appetite. You will have to go hungry then."

Before she finished her words, she took two quick steps forward, stretched out her slender but powerful little hand, and grabbed Wang Jianguo's arm.

This pull was carried out with unquestionable determination. Wang Jianguo's body swayed, he staggered and almost fell.

I had no choice but to let her drag me along the dim and narrow corridor towards the main room.

The walls on both sides of the corridor appeared mottled due to the erosion of time. Occasionally, a cold breeze blew in through the cracks in the wall, blowing up a few strands of hair on He Yushui's temples.

Just as they reached the door of the main hall, before they could stand firmly on their feet, they heard Zhao Shuzhuo's bright and loud voice coming from inside:

"Jianguo, wake up, come quickly, the rain water made porridge, it's delicious, if you don't come I will drink it all, come and try it."

The voice was full of enthusiasm, as if it could dispel the cold of winter.

As they walked into the main room, warmth instantly surrounded them.

On the big stove in the middle of the main room, firewood was burning happily with a crackling sound, the jumping flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the porridge in the pot was still boiling slightly.

The hot steam rises up, carrying the fragrance of grains, filling the entire room, adding a strong sense of homely flavor to this cold winter evening.

Zhao Shuzhuo was seen sitting steadily in front of the thick wooden table, with the bowl of porridge in front of him almost empty.

He was putting the porridge into his mouth in big mouthfuls, his cheeks puffing out and down, he was eating with great enjoyment.

Hearing the noise, he raised his head, with a few shiny grains of rice hanging from the corners of his mouth, and said incoherently:

"Hey, Jianguo, you're finally awake. Come and taste the rainwater's cooking. It's so delicious!"

Although he was joking and looked like he was going to finish the porridge, Zhao Shuzhuo's hands were very honest.

Wang Jianguo smiled helplessly and walked towards the table.