"Oh, I see, ah, poor kid, tsk tsk tsk."
"Alas, we also have one in our team, had a fever when little, the adults didn't take it seriously, and as a result, the child's brain was damaged."
"Exactly, raising a delicate child really requires extra care, otherwise the child suffers, and later on it's also suffering for the adults who take care of her."
People at the same table began to exchange with each other.
At this moment, the old man in the shroud apparel turned to Li Zhiyuan and asked, "How old are you?"
Li Zhiyuan lied about his age by one year. Although Qin Li was actually only one month younger than him, he certainly couldn't say he was ten years old. They didn't look like twins at all, and "Mom" also couldn't possibly give birth to two litters in one month.
Otherwise, it would bring up another story about one child being brought by the widower father and the other by the widow mother, forming a blended family from second marriages.
That way, the whole table's discussion would definitely become even more enthusiastic, and people from the next table might even join in.
"Have you started school yet?"
"Yes, the fourth grade."
"Oh, and your sister?"
"My sister hasn't gone to school yet. She just stays at home sitting all day. We only took her out today because of the banquet."
The old man in the shroud apparel stopped asking further questions and turned to chat with other people at the same table.
Li Zhiyuan finally got a moment of respite. He looked at Qin Li, who was sitting next to him, leaned over, and whispered,
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
This wasn't an act of courtesy, but a reassurance. The implication was to keep calm and not to explode.
Qin Li turned her head and looked towards Li Zhiyuan.
Li Zhiyuan couldn't see any emotion in her eyes.
Then, Qin Li turned her head back and continued to space out.
Li Zhiyuan felt that she should be able to understand. After all, she could eat by herself... She wasn't incapable of taking care of herself, and moreover, she had a cleanness compulsion.
Every time after eating, Grandma Liu would help wipe her clean.
Now, with some free time, Li Zhiyuan began to pay attention to the dishes on the table.
Currently, all the dishes served were cold appetizers: cylindrical shaped chilled spinach, century egg with tofu, stir-fried peanuts, and plated salted duck eggs...
Purely non-vegetarian dishes were only two: salted meat slices and braised spare ribs. However, the quantity of these two dishes was very small. Fortunately, they were cut into small pieces, enough for everyone at the table to have a couple of bites each.
The braised spare ribs, which were to be eaten cold, sweet but not greasy, were right in front of him. Last time he attended a banquet, Li Zhiyuan had a profound impression of this dish.
But now, looking at it, he had no appetite at all. Heaven knows what this stuff really is.
Suddenly, a singing voice arose.
People from nearby tables all looked in that direction, and many even stood up.
Li Zhiyuan also turned to look. In the open area in the center of the banquet setting, a man and a woman were standing with an old man holding a musical instrument by their side.
The man and woman were dressed in opera robes, with even richer makeup on their faces, which, on top of the thick pink rouge, had added more extensions and exaggeration.
With the accompaniment of the old man's musical instrument, the man started singing and then, accompanied by some bodily movements, the woman continued to sing.
Li Zhiyuan knew that this was a local form of opera from Nantong - the Child Opera.
Li Weihan and Cui Guiying had once taken him to watch it at the village dam. This opera is characterized by its sharply harsh and peculiar vocals, high-pitched sorrow, and a strong impact.
To outsiders, it's... extremely unpleasant to listen to.
Back then, when Li Zhiyuan had just arrived in Nantong and was still learning the local dialect, Li Weihan and Cui Guiying were mesmerized by the performance, while Li Zhiyuan felt like he was suffering from a terrible noise.
This time it was the same, everyone at the table and nearby was very engrossed, whereas Li Zhiyuan once again looked towards Qin Li. Thankfully, she had no reaction.
Throughout the performance, someone began to distribute chopsticks to each table in a basket, and another person came around with vinegar and soy sauce to pour into dishes, six dishes per table, generally shared by two people.
The old man in the shroud apparel picked up a piece of rib and placed it in Li Zhiyuan's bowl.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
"Eat, don't just look."
"Yes, Grandpa, you eat too."
At this moment, Li Zhiyuan noticed many cats and dogs running underneath the table, with one not far from his feet.
Li Zhiyuan picked up the rib, and while no one was paying attention, he flung it underneath. The dog below immediately snatched it and began to eat.
Afterwards, Li Zhiyuan continued to dispose of the food that the enthusiastic old man gave him in the same way, throwing it under the table, and soon there were a lot of cats and dogs gathered around his area.
Li Zhiyuan was actually quite familiar with these cats and dogs; he had seen them during the day in the paper-mache piles, but at that time they weren't as lively or gluttonous as they were now.
Grandpa in the shroud apparel said, "Kid, you should tell your sister to eat too, she's just sitting there, not eating at all."
Li Zhiyuan could only turn his head and motion, "Sister, you should eat."
Who would have known that just after he spoke, Qin Li picked up her chopsticks and began to pick up the food. She picked up three bites into her bowl, then lowered her head and opened her mouth.
No, you're really going to eat?
Li Zhiyuan hurriedly pulled at her hand.
Qin Li turned her head, looking at Li Zhiyuan, and this time there was indeed emotion in her eyes, although very faint, it was truly there - confusion.
Li Zhiyuan could only whisper into her ear; whispering to each other as siblings was quite normal:
"Don't eat, feed it to the animals below."
Qin Li looked down, glanced at the crowd of cats and dogs beneath, then stood up and directly took a plate from the table.
It looked like she was planning to pour the whole plate down to feed them.
This act of picking up a plate directly immediately drew frowns and discontent from other people at the table.
Li Zhiyuan had to stand up quickly, snatch the plate from her, put it back, and said with a smile, educating her, "Sister, this is for everyone to share, you can't be greedy, it's not all yours."