Ling Chengyan boiled most of a pot of water, mixed it with cold water to wash her face and feet... After a long day on the move, she should have been washing her hair and taking a bath, but as it was too late, she had to wait until the next day.
The girl remained silent but very diligent, quickly helping Ling Chengyan to pour water and change it; Ling Chengyan didn’t refuse and conveniently asked her na, age, and family situation.
The girl said, "I’m called Xiaoyu, fifteen years old this year. My father passed away long ago, and this ti I went begging with my mother, but she got sick halfway and died. So people from the sa village brought here..."
Speaking about her companions, Xiaoyu hung her head down and fell silent.
Ling Chengyan didn’t insist and handed Xiaoyu a toothbrush while washing.
Speaking of which, she learned this during militia training, using this toothbrush and toothpaste to brush in the morning and evening felt much fresher than the tooth powder and tooth dicine she used before.
Xiaoyu had never used such a thing before, watching Ling Chengyan, she followed along, squeezing toothpaste—brushing her teeth, and ended up with foam all over her mouth and hand.
Xiaoyu was arranged to sleep at the end of the kang, covered with an old quilt.
Even so, Xiaoyu felt as if she was dreaming; without the n who eyed her like wolves all the ti, she could sleep in a warm bed and a comfortable quilt... She turned towards the kang cabinet at the end and silently cried.
Ling Chengyan, with her keen hearing, certainly heard Xiaoyu’s suppressed sobbing, she quietly sighed and handed over a towel, gently patting the young girl’s shoulder: "Sleep, it’s alright."
Ling Chengyan’s simple three words ’it’s alright’ seed magical, suddenly dispersing the accumulated blockages in the young girl’s heart. She used the towel to cover her face, crying with tears flowing across her face, but she stifled any sound so as not to wake the two children.
She cried for a long while until she felt suffocated, then finally removed the towel, letting out a long breath.
Using the towel, she wiped her swollen, painful eyes, silently murmuring in her heart: "Mother, don’t worry, I’ve t a good person."
The young girl finally fell asleep, her breathing particularly light, without snoring, teeth grinding, or any quirks, sleeping very peacefully.
Ling Chengyan also slowly fell asleep, and before closing her eyes, she thought: Is the young girl suddenly arriving at a stranger’s house in a strange environnt similar to when I first arrived?
Thinking so, does this an the two of them share similar fates?!
As she fell asleep, Ling Chengyan’s lips carried a faint smile.
The night was silent, and early the next morning, Ling Chengyan was awakened by subtle movent.
She opened her eyes to find the person at the end of the kang was gone, and the bedding was neatly folded. Sounds of water being scooped and poured and people moving ca from the outer room, along with the aroma of food.
She dressed and got off the kang, lifting the curtain, and sure enough, Xiaoyu had woken up early and was sitting in front of the stove, tending to a fire.
"I made sweet potato gruel..." The originally relaxed young girl suddenly beca tense after seeing Ling Chengyan, speaking with a stutter, not finishing her sentence, and lowering her head.
Ling Chengyan fetched water to wash her face, casually saying: "Since you slept so late last night, you should rest more."
"I’m not tired... I’m used to getting up early..." Xiaoyu hurriedly explained.
Ling Chengyan smiled at her, saying nothing further, and began washing up.
The young girl’s hair was braided into plaits, tied with indistinctly colored cloth strips.
The morning light shone brightly, allowing Ling Chengyan to see the young girl’s appearance clearly. This was a graceful girl, with facial features not too striking yet very proper—a small oval face, subtle eyebrows, a small nose, and a petite mouth, making for a very pleasant look.
Ling Chengyan finished washing and went inside to apply so snow cream on her face before taking out two hair ties from the drawer to give to Xiaoyu: "These belong to Xiao Xing, you can use them first."
"I... I can’t accept them." Xiaoyu hesitated with her hands, shaking her head repeatedly, but Ling Chengyan forced the hair ties into her hands.
"After breakfast, heat a pot of water, and wash up thoroughly," Ling Chengyan saw there was no point in saying more, so she decisively instructed her directly.
Indeed, Xiaoyu sensed the undeniable tone in her voice and timidly held onto the hair ties, nodding in agreent.
Finished washing up, Ling Chengyan went inside to wake Xiao Xing, helping the little girl to dress and put on shoes, leading her to wash her face and comb her hair, and then introduced Xiaoyu to her: "This is your sister Xiaoyu, she’ll be staying with us for a while."
Xiao Xing blinked at Xiaoyu, then looked up at her mother and broke into a wide smile: "Great, I have a sister now."
Ling Chengyan noticed that the little girl’s words seed to ease Xiaoyu’s tension, softening and relaxing her expression.
Xiao Xing barely had her hair braided when Shi Tou woke up, whimpered a couple of tis without response, and began to cry loudly.
Ling Chengyan didn’t even glance over, continuing to braid Xiao Xing’s hair, then calmly walked over to wipe Shi Tou’s tears with a towel: "Shi Tou’s awake? Be good, don’t cry."
"Mmm mmm..." Shi Tou saw his mother and whimpered twice, really stopping the cries.
As Xiaoyu observed the surprising scene, she could hardly believe it.
She had witnessed many families valuing boys over girls, where all resources were prioritized for the sons, and daughters were given rely enough food to survive since raising them would earn a bride price or they would simply exchange them for a bride.
Ling Chengyan picked up Shi Tou, changed the little one’s diaper, wrapped him up again snugly, then placed Shi Tou back on the kang, washed her hands, and made formula milk...
Shi Tou whimpered on the kang, his eyes following Ling Chengyan’s movents continuously, but didn’t cry anymore.
"Shi Tou is really easy to console." Xiaoyu couldn’t help but remark.
Ling Chengyan raised her eyebrows and said, "Yes, he’s quite sensible."
After speaking, she shook the bottle to test the temperature, then returned to feed Shi Tou milk.
When Shi Tou finished drinking, the al was also ready. The three gathered around the low table to eat.
Ling Chengyan noticed Xiaoyu only cradled the bowl, sipping so sweet potato gruel, and handed her a corn cake: "Eat up."
Once breakfast was over, Ling Chengyan led Xiaoyu to examine her flour jar and stored ingredients: "When steaming cakes, mix a scoop of soybean flour and a scoop of white flour. There’s salted fish, pickled vegetables, and so sweet potatoes and carrots in the basent... For now, we can only eat these, and the vegetables just planted will take ti before they can be eaten."
Xiaoyu nodded in response, and at the end, she said, "The wild vegetables in the fields are growing, we can dig so up to eat."
Ling Chengyan glanced at her: "Stay at ho for now, don’t go out of the village."
Xiaoyu imdiately recalled the people in the woods and lowered her head.
Xiao Xing, watching from the side, assud her mother didn’t allow her sister Xiaoyu to go out and play, making her unhappy.
She hurriedly held onto her sister Xiaoyu’s hand, saying: "Sister, I’ll play with you, show you picture books, let you listen to the radio."
The picture books that Ling Chengyan bought for her were rare items in the village, let alone the radio, which only the old principal’s family had one in the entire brigade, not even the grandfather’s family had one.
Ling Chengyan wasn’t concerned with the children’s affairs, instead saying: "As for the radio, I’ll go buy batteries later."
Just as she finished speaking, Wang Lianqi’s voice sounded at the door: "Hey there, forth sister’s family, have you had your breakfast yet?"
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