Chapter 230: Chapter 230: Come into My Arms, I’ll Warm You

Recalling the verbal abuse and harsh treatment she had suffered as a child, An Hui couldn’t help but feel a knot of resentment in her chest.

After perfunctorily sending off a few of her sisters-in-law, she returned to the courtyard. Her gaze softened when she saw Jiang Moli squatting bored under the eaves with her daughter.

She walked over to them. "We’re going home tomorrow after celebrating your grand-uncle’s birthday. You two, stop causing trouble."

It sounded like a scolding, but her tone was full of affection.

Jiang Moli said, "Mom, Dad already gave us a talking-to."

Seeing her trying to act cute to get her way, An Hui didn’t press the issue. Instead, she went into the main hall to smooth things over with her eldest brother.

Although she felt her brother and sister-in-law deserved it, she still had to keep up appearances.

...

After cleaning the stove, Li Yurong boiled a large pot of water. She ladled half a basinful and brought it to Jiang Moli’s group.

"Grand-Aunt, Grand-Uncle, Third Cousin-Aunt, you can wash up first."

Jiang Moli had brought her own washcloth, but rural folks weren’t so particular. The basin for the water was the same one they’d used to kill the chicken earlier.

"Never mind, I’m not washing my face. You guys go ahead."

Lu Deyao and An Hui were clearly not used to it either, so they decided to skip washing their faces and just wash their feet.

Soaking one’s feet in hot water during the winter was quite comfortable.

It’s just that soaking four pairs of feet in one basin was a bit crowded.

As they were soaking, Lu Tingting suddenly asked, "They aren’t going to use this basin for food tomorrow, are they?"

Jiang Moli replied, "Be more confident. Drop the ’aren’t’."

A bizarre silence fell over the group.

Jiang Moli added, "And after we’re done, they’ll use this same basin to wash their faces and feet."

Lu Tingting cried out, "Stop it! That’s so disgusting! I’m not eating lunch tomorrow!"

Jiang Moli cackled.

Lu Deyao and An Hui, however, didn’t think much of it.

The couple had both come from harder times.

After washing her feet, Jiang Moli found her toothbrush and cup to brush her teeth. Then, she used a water ladle to scoop some well water, wet her washcloth, and wiped her face.

Once they were all washed up, An Hui asked her sister-in-law for a kerosene lamp and led the other three to the old house to rest.

The old house had a three-room layout with a single main entrance. The central room was the main hall, flanked by a bedroom on each side.

The side rooms didn’t have separate doors; you had to enter them from the main hall.

An Hui inspected the rooms and beds, then handed the kerosene lamp to Jiang Moli. "You can keep the lamp on your side."

"We don’t need it."

Jiang Moli reached into her bag and pulled out a pure white candle, lighting it with the kerosene lamp.

Lu Tingting was puzzled. "Where did you get a candle?"

"Where else? I brought it from home."

Lu Deyao chuckled and praised her, "Moli is always so thoughtful."

"I took care of everything. I even sprinkled some delousing powder on the bed, so Mom and Dad, you can sleep without worry. Tingting and I will be right next door, so just give us a shout if you need anything."

This made Lu Deyao and An Hui laugh.

An Hui, still a bit worried, reminded the two, "You two get to sleep early, and no fighting."

"Got it."

Jiang Moli carried the candle into the east room, with Lu Tingting following behind her.

"What else did you bring in your bag?"

"Don’t ask about things that don’t concern you."

"Fine, don’t tell me! I don’t want to hear it anyway!"

Bickering, the two of them entered the east room.

Walking over to the bed, Jiang Moli lifted the quilt and sheets. She held the candle and scanned the bed from head to foot. Seeing no trace of lice, she dripped a couple of drops of hot wax onto the old adjacent table and fixed the candle to its surface.

Lu Tingting took off her shoes first and got into bed, sleeping on the inner side.

Jiang Moli took the outer side.

After taking off her jacket and outer pants, she turned to look at Lu Tingting, who was already lying down, and asked, "I’m blowing out the candle?"

"Don’t. Leave it lit."

"Are you afraid of the dark?"

"None of your business."

Jiang Moli didn’t mind. Candles from this era didn’t last long; it would burn out in half an hour at most.

The old house was lived in so rarely that it was a bit damp. Combined with it being winter and the quilt not being very thick, the bed was still cold even after lying in it for a while.

Noticing Lu Tingting inching closer to her, Jiang Moli turned her head and asked, "Cold?"

Lu Tingting shot her a look but didn’t say anything.

Jiang Moli turned on her side to face Lu Tingting, raised her right arm slightly, and said with a grin, "Come into my arms. I’ll warm you up."

"Come on."

Jiang Moli was wearing a rose-pink sweater An Hui had knitted for her. In the flickering candlelight, her picturesque features looked gentle and warm.

It made Lu Tingting feel an irresistible urge to move closer.

Just as she got close to Jiang Moli, Jiang Moli suddenly pulled the quilt up, covering Tingting completely, head and all.

PFFFT. PFFFT.

She let out two stinky farts in a row.

"AHHH! You witch! It stinks so bad!"

Lu Tingting scrambled out from under the quilt like a madwoman and pounced on Jiang Moli.

As the two of them roughhoused, the ancient old bed began to creak loudly.

Hearing the commotion, An Hui called out worriedly from the west room, "You two, stop fooling around! The bed is going to collapse again..."

Before she could even finish her sentence, the bed made a loud CRACK!

Lu Deyao threw on a jacket and inspected the bed, discovering that one of the bed slats had broken.

The bed slats are the main weight-bearing components. One broken slat wouldn’t prevent them from sleeping on it, but they definitely couldn’t afford for another one to break.

Otherwise, the bed would collapse sooner or later.

An Hui grumpily scolded them, "Truly a pair of archenemies. Every single time you sleep in the same bed, you manage to break it. Now lie still and go to sleep! If anyone makes another peep, I’m tying them up with a hemp rope!"

Afraid the bed really would collapse and they’d have to sleep on the floor, the two of them finally settled down and didn’t dare to fool around anymore.

Li Yurong’s room was right next to Jiang Moli and Lu Tingting’s.

Her husband was a soldier stationed in Black Province and was away from home year-round. Normally, the two An sisters slept in the same room with her.

The three of them—the sisters and their sister-in-law—had heard the commotion from Jiang Moli and Lu Tingting crystal clear.

An Liu whispered to the other two, discussing Jiang Moli, "Third Cousin-Aunt is so beautiful."

An Cui replied with her eyes closed, "Not only is she beautiful, she’s also formidable. She even brought Grandma and Grandpa to heel."

Li Yurong shushed her. "Shh, be careful Mom and Dad don’t hear you. They’ll get you for that."

An Cui opened her eyes and stared at the pitch-black ceiling, saying with envy, "I wish I could be as formidable as Third Cousin-Aunt. Then if anyone dares to bully me, I’ll beat them until they’re spitting teeth."

Hearing this, Li Yurong fell silent as well.

’As a daughter-in-law, how could she not have her own grievances and resentments?’

Sneaking chicken and slaughtering the old hen with Jiang Moli was the only rebellious act of her entire life.

She had never felt so liberated. It felt like her days finally had meaning and hope.

’So this is another way to live!’

「The next morning」 An Fu took Lu Deyao, Jiang Moli, and Lu Tingting to town on a tractor.

The four of them had left so early they didn’t have time for breakfast.

When they got to town, they first went to a small restaurant to eat the local specialty: hand-pulled noodles.

The cooked noodles were glistening and smooth. A large, oily spoonful of minced meat sauce was ladled on top, followed by a sprinkle of scallions, all to be mixed with the seasonings at the bottom of the bowl.

The noodles were exceptionally chewy, and the flavor was savory, aromatic, numbing, and spicy.

Jiang Moli also ordered a pound of aged cured meat, which the four of them ate with their noodles.

Gulin Town was a large town, and its main industries were liquor, handmade noodles, and aged cured meat.

After eating and drinking their fill, they bought new rice bowls, went to a distillery to get ten pounds of liquor, and then took the tractor back home.

When they returned to An Family Village, the oldest uncle’s house was bustling with activity.

Three large iron woks were set up in the courtyard, each billowing white steam. Stewing, boiling, and stir-frying were all happening at once.

In the empty space outside the courtyard and along the road, seven or eight tables and chairs of various shapes, colors, and materials had been set out. They had all been borrowed from relatives.

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