ng Shuyan took off his pajamas. The little guy, clearly not very adept, got stuck when the clothes bunched up around his neck. He let out a few soft grunts, and his soft little body toppled backward.
Her usually composed son had such an amusing side to him. Tian Sangsang couldn't help but chuckle as she held his hands and said softly, "Let do it."
She gently freed his fluffy little head from the collar of the clothes. Then, grabbing the fresh set of clothes nearby, she started to dress him. ng Shuyan's head hung low, his tender, fair little face flushed red. In a quiet, small voice, he said, "Mommy, I can do it myself."
Oh~~~ he's embarrassed now. Tian Sangsang, full of mischief, thought to herself how incredibly adorable her son looked at that mont. She kissed him on the cheek and said, "It's okay, Mommy will help you~"
As she dressed him in the sumr clothes, ng Shuyan would sneak glances at her from ti to ti. Tian Sangsang pretended not to notice and focused earnestly on getting him dressed. But the clothes... they felt awful. The fabric was rough to the touch. For soone used to better clothing, Tian Sangsang could only sigh as she looked at the gray little t-shirt and shorts worn by her son's tiny fra. The clothes were patched up at the knees, making him look like a complete mishmash, and it broke her heart to see him like this.
Once she finished dressing him, Tian Sangsang went to the bathroom. The toilet was still just a small chamber pot indoors. Pulling up her pants afterward, she couldn't help but feel a bit out of sorts. But still, it was better than the outdoor pit toilets with two bricks and a hole in the ground.
When washing her face, there was no cleansing cream or facial wash. When brushing her teeth, she used a willow twig dipped in a bit of salt. No one had yet told ng Shuyan that he needed to brush his teeth, but even so, his little teeth were gleaming white. Basic habits started early, she figured, so Tian Sangsang decided to teach him now, planning to encourage him to develop a daily brushing routine. Teeth reflect a person's image, she thought. Growing up in the countryside herself, she hadn't brushed her teeth until she was seven or eight years old, and by then, her teeth were already in bad shape. Thankfully, she at least went through the phase of losing her baby teeth and growing new ones.
She took every last grain of rice from the bottom of the rice jar to make porridge. Now the jar was completely empty—als were becoming scarce. Luckily, there were still two chickens left in the yard. Unless absolutely necessary, Tian Sangsang wouldn't consider killing them. She planned to save them, hoping they could lay eggs, and then the eggs could hatch into more chickens. Hopefully, this chicken-and-egg cycle would go on forever...
Looking up, she noticed her son running toward her with his tiny legs as she carried a gray bucket out the door. "Mommy," ng Shuyan called out, his eyes filled with panic and fear.
Tian Sangsang bent down awkwardly with the water bucket, cupping his chubby little cheeks. "Yanyan, there's no more water at ho. Mommy is going to the well to fetch so. I'll be right back."
"I'll go with you, Mommy!" He clung to her thick, sturdy leg and stubbornly tilted his little head upward.
It seed her son was still too sensitive, scared she might leave or disappear if he wasn't watching. Tian Sangsang chuckled and said, "Good boy, Mommy's not going anywhere. I'm just fetching water. I'll be back in no ti. Can you trust Mommy? Let's make a pinky promise."
She extended her little finger, the flesh around it revealing her small blackened knuckle, making the bone almost invisible. ng Shuyan hesitated for a mont, his watery eyes fixated on her finger. After a while, he finally extended his own tiny finger to hook onto hers.
"Such a good boy!" She took the chance to muss up the little curls on his head.
"I'll wait for you to co ho, Mommy~" ng Shuyan said.
With her son's reluctant gaze following her every step, Tian Sangsang left their small yard. The surrounding area was dotted with farmhouses and crisscrossed by narrow dirt paths. As she walked further, she could see patches of farmland stretching out in the distance. Following her mory, Tian Sangsang headed down the path toward the well. In this area, about a dozen households shared a single well, and people often carried water back and forth with yokes and buckets. It was terribly inconvenient. But what choice did they have? Things didn't beco easier just because they felt hopeless—they still had to endure.
In the past, whenever Tian Sangsang felt overwheld, she would think about how many people in the world were worse off than she was. That thought worked like a balm, dissolving so of the negativity in her heart. Looking back now, she realized just how fortunate she had been back then. No matter what, there had always been food to eat and clothes to wear.
The morning air was fresh, and small flowers and grasses grew along the roadside. Occasionally, a neighbor's "coolly dressed" auntie would walk by—truly "coolly dressed." Many rural won didn't wear bras at this ti of day, and everything was plain to see. Tian Sangsang was thankful that the previous "owner" of her body at least wore a simple tank top. That relieved her just a bit.
So of the passersby were familiar faces, so Tian Sangsang greeted them all with a cheerful smile.
"Good morning, Auntie Li~"
"Morning, Sister-in-law Li~"
"Brother Tian, good morning~~"
"..."
The crowd was visibly startled. If yesterday's events had left a deep impression on them, then today's cheerful and sunny Tian Sangsang was once again rewriting their perceptions of her. She carried on as if nothing had happened yesterday, happily nodding and greeting everyone—what in the world was going on? It was truly baffling!
"She's definitely up to sothing again!" soone muttered under their breath.
Judgntal stares surrounded Tian Sangsang, treating her like so kind of freak or outlier. She could only smile bitterly at this. With her dark, unkempt appearance, even she was hesitant to look in the mirror this morning. Honestly, she had never experienced such outright prejudice before. Turns out, being ostracized felt incredibly painful.
At the well, people were drawing water one after another. Once they had their fill, they left hurriedly, as if she were so kind of plague.
It was now the turn of a boy about ten years old, skinny and clearly malnourished. His scrawny arms gripped the hemp rope as he pulled up a bucket of water. When the bucket neared the top, his balance faltered slightly.
"Careful," Tian Sangsang instinctively reached out to steady him.
The boy set the bucket down and, looking fierce, struck her arm with surprising strength. "You stupid fatty!" he spat, baring his teeth before storming off with the bucket.
Despite his slender build, the boy had quite a bit of strength. Though Tian Sangsang's skin was rough and thick, she still felt the sting from the unexpected blow. Watching the boy march away, she wondered if the original "Tian Sangsang" had stolen food from him before. That brat sure looked familiar...
"I say, Sister Sang, even your third aunt ignores you. Why bother with her kid?" A woman standing nearby leaned lazily against sothing, arms crossed as she looked Tian Sangsang up and down.
Drawing on the original owner's mories, Tian Sangsang recognized her. It was the widow ng from the western end of the village. ng was a beauty, no doubt about it, with an especially curvy figure that the loose clothing of the countryside couldn't hide. Such a shape was considered a magnet for gossip in rural communities. At just thirty years old, she was bold and lively, wearing fitted clothes and showing no regard for external judgnt.
The boy was none other than her third aunt Chen Guilan's son. No wonder he had looked so familiar.
"I just didn't want him to fall, so I reached out..." Tian Sangsang explained with a small smile. But who would have thought that a good deed would be seen as ddling? Who could have guessed a little kid could hurl such sharp insults?
Reviews
All reviews (0)