Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Weishan Village.

Eldest Wu carried a load of water from the river to the He household.

Old Lady He put down her needlework, opened the lid of the water vat, and said, "With Sheng’er and Li Niang both in the city, it’s such a blessing to have you brothers helping out—bringing firewood and fetching water. Otherwise, how could an old woman like me, with two children unable to do heavy work, manage to have firewood and water every day?"

Eldest Wu replied, "When their mother asked us for help, we agreed before she left that we'd be responsible for the firewood and water."

Over the past month, their help with chores had earned them some money, enough to feed all four siblings.

With some savings, they wouldn’t go hungry this winter.

Old Lady He said, "We only agreed you’d handle the water and firewood for making soy milk and tofu pudding, but you and Young Wu come to fetch water daily and chop firewood every few days."

Eldest Wu poured all the water into the vat and said, "It’s no trouble at all."

After emptying the buckets, Eldest Wu asked, "It’s been getting colder lately. Should we make less soy milk and tofu pudding tomorrow?"

Old Lady He pondered for a moment and said, "Better make less, to avoid waste."

Fewer people were going to town now, and the soy milk and tofu pudding cooled quickly, so they couldn’t make as much.

Even with the insulated buckets her granddaughter-in-law had suggested, the journey took an hour, and if it wasn’t sold within half an hour at the market, it would turn cold.

Besides, some villagers had started their own soy milk businesses, also using mountain spring water. So now, they relied mainly on selling tofu pudding for income. And since the earnings had to be split three ways, what used to bring in fifty or sixty copper coins gradually dwindled. Recently, they hadn’t even made thirty copper coins per trip.

After Eldest Wu left, Old Lady He went into the house. Chun Hua was talking to Qiu Hua.

Before Qiu Hua’s mother left, she had insisted that someone talk to Qiu Hua every day, worried that otherwise the child might have trouble speaking fluently later on.

When Old Lady He entered, both children looked up at her.

Noticing Chun Hua’s reddened eyes, she asked, "What’s wrong?"

In contrast to her sister, Qiu Hua remained calm and said, "Sister misses Mother."

Chun Hua pursed her lips and stayed silent.

Old Lady He turned to Qiu Hua and asked, "Don’t you miss her, Qiu Hua?"

Qiu Hua blinked. Though her expression didn’t change, she nodded emphatically. "I do."

Old Lady He smiled and said, "Your mother will be back soon."

Every day, without someone to bicker with, it felt strangely quiet.

At her words, not only did Chun Hua’s eyes light up, but Qiu Hua also stared intently at her.

"Really?" Chun Hua asked eagerly, full of hope.

Old Lady He nodded. "Counting the days, they should be back in a few more days."

Chun Hua asked again, "When they come back, will Uncle Qi’s eyes be able to see?"

Old Lady He paused, then smiled faintly. "Yes, he’ll be able to see."

That was what she hoped for most.

In the morning, Old Lady He had Eldest Wu carry the prepared tofu pudding and soy milk out of the kitchen.

The ox cart was already waiting outside the courtyard gate.

After loading the soy milk and tofu pudding onto the cart, Eldest Wu left.

Old Lady He watched the cart depart, then turned back to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Once the meal was ready, she called out to the children, "Stop feeding the chickens. Come and have breakfast."

The two children obediently came over.

Old Lady He ladled half a bowl of steaming soy milk for each of the sisters and handed them boiled eggs.

They took the eggs, tapped them gently on the table, and began peeling them.

As the children were peeling their eggs, an old woman walked in carrying a basket.

"Oh, having breakfast, I see."

Noticing the two girls eating whole eggs, she looked surprised.

Old Lady He said, "The soy milk you asked me to save is in the kitchen. Come with me, and I’ll get it for you."

The old woman followed her into the kitchen, glanced at the two children outside, and muttered, "You’re being wasteful."

Old Lady He frowned and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

The old woman glanced outside and said, "Even biological granddaughters might not get to eat a whole egg once in ten days or half a month. How can you bear to give them to these foster granddaughters?"

Old Lady He’s face darkened. "What’s it to you? They’re my eggs. I’ll give them to whoever I want. Since when do you decide?"

Seeing she was angry, the old woman quickly said, "No, no, I was just saying."

Old Lady He snorted. "I’m not heartless. Their mother is Sheng’er’s lucky star. She’s even working to earn money for his treatment. I wouldn’t begrudge them an egg."

The old woman still muttered under her breath, "Their mother isn’t here. Who would know if you didn’t give them any?"

Looking at the children now—not exactly fair and plump, but clean, neat, less tanned, and with fuller faces—they were clearly better cared for than other girls in the village.

They bore no resemblance to their former selves when they first arrived in Weishan Village—scrawny, dark, and bony.

Old Lady He scoffed coldly. "Only a black-hearted person would do such a thing."

The old woman, indirectly called black-hearted, fell silent.

She took a large bowl of soy milk, paid two copper coins, and hurried away.

Old Lady He snorted again, covered the pot, and came out of the house.

She noticed Qiu Hua peeling her egg very slowly, removing only the shell but leaving the membrane intact.

Every time she ate an egg, this child would peel off the shell, leave the membrane-covered egg, and only tear it open at the very end.

Old Lady He said, "You’re quite patient, child. Later, you can learn embroidery from me."

Chun Hua said, "I want to learn too."

Old Lady He nodded. "If you can sit still, you can learn too."

As long as they aren't as restless as their mother, it's fine. She only stitched the soles of a pair of shoes and hasn't even started on the uppers yet.

Old Lady He, thinking they would be back in a few days, tidied up the house and aired the mats.

While cleaning, she found the half-finished shoes.

Their mother was simply not cut out for needlework.

After breakfast, Old Lady He took some money and took the two children to the village head's house to get a hen.

The village head's wife had her eldest daughter-in-law catch a chicken for her and asked, “Why the sudden decision to get a chicken?”

Old Lady He replied, “Sheng Geer and Li Niang have been in the city for almost a month now. I thought I’d get a hen to help them build up their strength when they return.”

The village head's wife tallied the days and said, “They really should be back soon. After a month of traveling, they definitely need some nourishment.”

After chatting for a while, the village head's wife gave a small handful of dried peanuts to the two girls.

Chun Hua and Qiu Hua looked at Old Lady He and only took the peanuts after she nodded.

Chun Hua said, “Thank you, Mrs. Village Head.”

Qiu Hua followed her sister and said, “Thank you, ma'am.”

The village head's wife laughed, “These children are so well-mannered.”

Old Lady He glanced at the two girls and smiled, “It’s all thanks to their mother’s teaching. These sisters are very well-behaved and easy to look after.

At night, I have someone to talk to, so it’s not so lonely.”

The village head's wife added, “Not only are they polite, but they’re also growing more and more pretty.”

She looked at the girls’ identical big eyes, seemed to remember something, and suddenly turned to Old Lady He, “If even these two children have changed so much, do you think your granddaughter-in-law will look different when she returns from the city?”

Old Lady He chuckled, not too concerned, “Li Niang always had good features. It was just hardship that made her look worn out. Whether she changes or not doesn’t matter—as long as she comes back safe and sound.”

Before going to Guangkang City, Li Niang already looked like an ordinary woman.

After all, it wasn’t Old Lady He who would spend a lifetime with her, so she didn’t care much about whether Li Niang was pretty or not.

After lunch, Old Lady He brought the two children to nap.

Half-asleep, she seemed to hear noises outside the courtyard. Being a light sleeper, she woke up.

Listening carefully, she thought, “In broad daylight, it can’t be a thief, can it?”

After a moment’s thought, she considered that it might be Liu Sanlang returning. She got out of bed quietly, put on her shoes, and tiptoed out of the room.

Old Lady He listened carefully and realized the sound was coming from the kitchen. She picked up a carrying pole leaning against the wall and slowly made her way toward the kitchen.

Before she could get close, she saw a woman in apricot-colored clothes walking out of the kitchen.

She was stunned for a moment, exclaiming in surprise, “Who are you? How… Li Niang?”

Though she didn’t recognize her granddaughter-in-law at first glance, it only took a few seconds for her to realize who it was.

Lu Yuan beamed at the sight of Old Lady He, “Grandma, did you miss me?”

Old Lady He was startled for a moment and looked around, searching for her grandson, “Where’s Sheng Geer?”

Lu Yuan replied, “He’s on his way. I was in a hurry to use the outhouse, but the road was rough. I ran back as soon as we reached the village entrance.”

Knowing they were napping, she didn't disturb them. After using the outhouse, she went to the kitchen for a drink of water. She hadn’t expected to come out and find the old lady ready to fight off a thief with a carrying pole.

Old Lady He put down the pole and looked at her expectantly, her lips trembling as she asked, “Sheng Geer’s eyes… are they cured?”

Lu Yuan didn’t keep the old woman in suspense and said directly, “They’re about 60% better. He can see clearly without any major issues.

We came back on Liu Sanlang’s oxcart. He should be arriving home soon.”

They had spent a long time in the city asking about oxcarts heading to Anping Town.

Fortunately, they found out that one would be returning today, which happened to be market day. They managed to catch Liu Sanlang’s cart and returned two or three days earlier than planned.

Old Lady He wasn't concerned with how they returned. The only thing she heard was that her grandson could see again.

Without asking anything else, she turned and ran out of the courtyard.

Lu Yuan quickly warned her, “Grandma, slow down!”

After the reminder, she smiled and entered the house.

The two children seemed to have heard her voice and woke up.

Both sisters were sitting up, looking sleepy as they met Lu Yuan’s gaze when she opened the door.

Lu Yuan walked to the bedside with a smile, gently tapping their heads playfully, “What’s wrong? Are you stunned? Don’t you recognize your mother?”

Chun Hua opened her mouth, cried out “Mom!” and burst into tears, throwing herself into her mother’s arms.

Lu Yuan held her and said, “I’m back. Aren’t you happy? Why are you crying?”

Qiu Hua, though not crying, also rushed over and hugged her.

Lu Yuan held both children in her arms, gently patting their backs, “There, there, don’t cry. I brought back some treats for you. Once Uncle returns, I’ll share them with you.”

After Lu Yuan comforted them for a while, there was noise outside. She helped the children put on their cloth shoes and warm clothes, then led them out into the courtyard.

Qi Cheng was helping Old Lady He, whose eyes were red-rimmed, as they entered the courtyard.

The couple glanced at the people beside each other, their eyes also red-rimmed, and exchanged a helpless smile.