Tian Sangsang was startled: "Hey, why are you crying?"
"It’s... so... delicious..." Zhao Chun mumbled indistinctly, battling with his food.
Tian Sangsang chuckled, feeling a sense of pride. But in the blink of an eye, Zhao Chun dropped his chopsticks, his face turning bright red as he clutched his throat and coughed violently.
"What’s wrong with you now?" She had picked up a troublemaker and brought him ho—such a fussy man.
He opened his mouth, tears streaming down his face. This ti, Tian Sangsang wanted to curse. She quickly stood up and gently patted his back. "Hey, are you okay?" Could this be a sudden fatal illness? If he kicked the bucket on her bed, how unfair would that be?
Zhao Chun’s eyes were glistening with tears. "I... I’m choked." With a fish bone. Damn.
Tian Sangsang sighed and shook her head. Good grief, she seed to exist solely to take care of this guy. She went and poured a bowl of vinegar—a full, big bowl of white vinegar—and placed it on the table, the surface slightly rippling. Picking up a large clump of chives with her chopsticks, she stuffed them into Zhao Chun’s mouth and said, "Chew this a bit and swallow it to see if the bone is still there."
Zhao Chun swallowed, feeling the chives scrape painfully down his throat. Tears stread down his face as he nodded weakly.
"No other option. Looks like you’ll have to drink vinegar." Tian Sangsang had also been choked by fish bones in the past, but she’d either gulp down a piece of stead bun to force the bone down or just ignore it for a couple of days until it disappeared on its own. Of course, so people chose to drink vinegar, as it could dissolve the bone. Severe cases needed hospital treatnt.
She clamped Zhao Chun’s jaw with one hand, forcing him to open his mouth, and with the other hand she lifted the bowl and poured a big mouthful of vinegar into him. The taste was so strong...
Zhao Chun’s eyes opened wide in shock, followed imdiately by a fierce coughing fit.
"Did the fish bone co out?" Tian Sangsang asked while patting his back, then stuffed a piece of chicken into his mouth with concern.
Zhao Chun shook his head in terror. "Stop... ugh..." Before he could finish speaking, another mouthful of vinegar was forced down his throat. Ugh!
"Alright, then drink another mouthful. I heard from others before that the bone doesn’t co out because you drink too little vinegar. Savor it for a minute, then we’ll do another round."
His mouth was filled with the overwhelming taste of white vinegar. His teeth ached terribly, his voice hoarse and unable to form complete sentences. Zhao Chun clutched his throat, pitifully crying.
"The minute’s up. Let’s continue." That calm voice of hers.
"No... ugh!" Before Zhao Chun even had a chance to shake his head, another mouthful of vinegar was poured in—a catastrophe. His head felt dizzy, and he didn’t know what year it was anymore. Zhao Chun resembled a puppet, entirely at the rcy of Tian Sangsang, who repeated the process multiple tis. Her hands grew sore, and the bowl was nearly empty. "Is the bone gone?"
ng Shuyan was stunned, cautiously speaking up, "Mom... I think... he..."
Tian Sangsang looked at him quizzically. Looking down, she saw Zhao Chun sitting motionlessly on the bed, suspicious liquid slowly trickling from his mouth, his dazed expression differing from the norm.
Could he have croaked? She ant to save him, not to create a fatal mishap.
Just as chills ran up her spine, Zhao Chun’s eyes moved slightly. His mouth gaped wide as he coughed several tis, his face wet—whether from tears or vinegar, it wasn’t clear. He was utterly pitiful as he croaked hoarsely, "Water..."
ng Shuyan imdiately brought over a bowl of water. Tian Sangsang took it, pried his mouth open, and poured it down.
"How about now? Is the fish bone still there?"
Zhao Chun froze, his eyes flickering. "It’s gone. No wait, it’s still... not gone..."
Tian Sangsang let out a sigh of relief and stepped outside to prepare hot water. She filled a large pot with water, lit the firewood, and covered it with a wooden lid. While waiting for the water to boil, she went to find Dr. Li and asked him to co to her place shortly.
Zhao Chun motioned to ng Shuyan, "Hey, kiddo, co here."
"My na is ng Shuyan, not kiddo."
"Xiao Yan." Zhao Chun’s eyes watered. "Your mom is such a brute."
ng Shuyan pondered, "Not brute—strong-willed."
Zhao Chun asked, "Be honest, when your mom is at ho, does she treat you like this too?"
"Don’t talk nonsense! She doesn’t treat like that! My mom treats well!" ng Shuyan’s eyes widened, looking at him sympathetically. "Sigh..."
By the ti they returned ho, the water was boiling. Tian Sangsang removed the wooden lid, and rising waves of steam greeted her. She poured the steaming water into a large wooden tub, adding a fresh towel. It wasn’t too hot or too cold—just the right temperature.
Zhao Chun had weakly finished his al, seeing Tian Sangsang’s petite fra shudder violently.
"Your foot’s injured, so you can’t take a shower or bath. I’ve prepared water for you; you can clean yourself up with a simple wipe. If the water isn’t enough, just call from the room, and I’ll bring more." Tian Sangsang tidied up the bowls and cutlery, placing them in the dishwashing basin.
The atmosphere felt tense. Zhao Chun hung his head low like a shy daughter-in-law, his cheeks slightly flushed. Tian Sangsang teased him on purpose, "What’s the matter? Afraid I might spy on you while you bathe?"
Zhao Chun cast his eyes downward and pouted. As if he’d dare think like that. This woman was terrifying. Just the thought of her was scary—she force-fed him vinegar! While others might pour a little vinegar bit by bit, she pried open his mouth and dumped entire bowls in.
He drank more vinegar in a single day than he had in the past twenty years combined. Just as he looked up, her laughter reached his ears. "Youngsters nowadays. Back in my day, when I was driving, you were still swimming around in your mom’s belly."
"Wha-what... What does that even an?" Where did that co from? A rural village woman driving? In this village, bicycles were rare; seeing a tractor was a novelty. Where would cars co from? Wasn’t she just talking about an old, shabby ox cart?
When the room was empty, and he confird the door was tightly shut, Zhao Chun slowly moved down from the bed, removed his clothing, and extended his hand into the wooden tub. The water temperature was just right. He scrubbed his hands thoroughly, and by the ti he finished, the water in the bucket had turned black. He wrung the towel out and wiped his body head to toe. The water was filthy, nowhere near acceptable. These last few days were the most humiliating of his life.
"Uh... Tian Sangsang." Zhao Chun strained his throat, "I need another bucket of water."
Silence.
After a while, there was a knock at the door. The door swung open with a clatter. She didn’t speak—she didn’t say a thing—and barged in without warning...
Zhao Chun froze completely, his eyes swimming with moisture. Once he regained composure, he imdiately yanked the blanket over his body, his face burning hot. Damn.
Tian Sangsang only stared at the floor, having seen nothing. She replaced the dirty water and left the room, carrying it outside. Her gaze swept over the pile of clothing on the ground. Huh, what’s that tiny thing? An old-fashioned n’s...
"Pang~ci~. So cute," she murmured indifferently.
How could Zhao Chun not notice her gaze? In that mont, he seed to transform into volcanic rock on Fire Mountain—already ablaze, crimson and glowing. Pang~ci~? What the heck was that? Fortunately, since he was patriotic and hadn’t learned Japanese, he didn’t imdiately understand the term; otherwise, he would have been so mortified he’d smash his head against the wall, leaving bloodstains in the room.
But at the mont, Zhao Chun didn’t have ti to ponder what Pang~ci~ ant.
Because even though Tian Sangsang provided him with water and a towel, she hadn’t brought him any clothes—or his little Pang~ci~.
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