Chapter 18.2: Wanru Goes to the Market

After lunch, Lin Heng went to fetch water. The new buckets also needed breaking in. Once the bathtub was cleaned and placed in Wanqing’s room, Wanru started heating the water.

Seizing the moment while no one was watching, Wanqing secretly added a generous amount of spiritual spring water into the tub.

Once the water was ready, she told Wanru to go first, deciding to take on the role of assistant—bringing in more hot water, preparing shampooing soap, and even helping Wanru wash her hair.

After Wanru finished, they emptied the tub and refilled it with clean water. Wanqing then took her turn. In reality, she didn’t need to bathe—she could do that inside her own space—but she had to keep up appearances.

As she began washing, Madam Li came in to help rinse her hair. Outside, Wanru sat in the sun drying hers.

While washing, Madam Li commented, “Qing’er, your hair feels so much softer now. It used to be dry and brittle, like straw.”

“Well, I’ve been eating well and drinking good water every day—it’s bound to get better. Mother, can we start eating white rice and fine wheat flour every day from now on?” Wanqing pleaded. She really didn’t want to keep eating that throat-scratching coarse grain.

In a world where medical resources were scarce, even a simple cold could be deadly. Eating well was essential to maintaining health.

Madam Li didn’t refuse, replying gently, “Alright.”

“You’re such a kind and understanding mother,” Wanqing praised, unable to hold back.

Madam Li chuckled and playfully tapped Wanqing’s forehead. “Since when did you become so mischievous?”

“Mother, I’ve always been like this. I was just suppressing it before, too afraid to show it. Now I can finally be myself, no need to pretend anymore.”

“So you were pretending before, and this is the real you?” Madam Li doted on her daughter and didn’t mind at all. Whatever Wanqing said, she went along with it.

“Alright, the water is getting cold.”

After drying off and getting dressed, Wanqing was surprised when Madam Li announced she wanted to soak as well. She said the water was still clean and that they could just add some hot water instead of changing it.

But how could Wanqing allow that? Water in ancient times didn’t cost money—only effort to fetch—so she firmly refused.

In the end, she insisted on refilling the tub with fresh water, secretly adding more spiritual spring water. Madam Li, too, enjoyed a luxurious soak.

Next, Zhiwen, Zhiqin, and Zhiyuan all took turns—no one was spared.

Lin Heng wasn’t home—after lunch, he had taken the leftover pastries and sweets from the previous day to visit the village chief.

Curious, Wanqing asked Zhiqin and Zhiyuan how they felt after the bath.

Zhiqin said he felt light all over, though he couldn’t quite explain it—he just felt incredibly comfortable.

Zhiyuan, on the other hand, dramatically declared that after the bath, he could fly and jump super high. To prove his point, he dashed around the courtyard, leaping excitedly.

Wanqing sighed. The effects of the spiritual spring water were undeniable. But if she wanted to nurture a truly gifted younger brother, she would have to take it slow.

After her hair dried, Wanru began washing clothes. Her face, now flushed from the bath, had a healthy glow.

Ever since the family separated and started having enough to eat, Wanru’s cheeks had begun to fill out. Unlike before, when she was so thin from hunger that her bones jutted out, she now had some proper flesh on her.

Wanqing wanted to help, but Wanru wouldn’t allow it. She firmly insisted that her little sister go rest. After soaking in the bath, Wanru felt energized and full of strength.

Not wanting to dampen her older sister’s enthusiasm, Wanqing had no choice but to leave.

Inside the house, Madam Li was busy sewing clothes. These days, she had been adding extra cotton to their old garments. October was fast approaching, and the cold winter would soon set in. Making clothes and shoes for the whole family was no small task.

With nothing else to do, Wanqing headed to the kitchen. She decided to cook something delicious to reward everyone.

But what should she make? She frowned at the sight of cabbage and radishes.

During winter, their food options were mostly limited to cabbage and radishes, which could get tiresome day after day.

Then, inspiration struck!

She would make stir-fried twice-cooked pork, a pot of cabbage soup, and some appetizing pickled radish.

As for the staple dish, Madam Li would handle that. Wanqing didn’t know how to knead dough—she could only cook rice. In her previous life, white rice had always been her favorite.

The radishes they bought today had already been set aside for pickling. If radishes were cheap enough, drying some to make preserved radish strips would be a tasty idea too.

When Madam Li entered the kitchen and saw that Wanqing had already prepared everything, she quickly got to work steaming buns. With one person tending the stove and the other stir-frying, the food was ready before the sun had set.

“That smells amazing!”

Zhiqin and Zhiyuan followed their noses to the kitchen, their faces lighting up at the sight of the twice-cooked pork, rich in color with its deep red sauce and green peppers, flavored with fermented bean paste and garlic.

Tonight’s meal was quite a feast—three dishes in total, a mix of meat and vegetables, plus the appetizing pickled radish. Everyone ate their fill, even Wanqing, who ended up eating an extra bun. Thankfully, Madam Li had anticipated this. Knowing there was meat, she had made extra buns.

“I wish we could have meat every day,” Zhiyuan said, smacking his lips, savoring the aftertaste.

“If you eat it every day, you’ll get sick of it,” Wanqing teased.

“No way! I’ll never get tired of eating meat every day!”

His eager expression made everyone burst into laughter.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make sure you have plenty of meat to eat. Soon, your little face will be round and chubby,” Wanqing said, pinching Zhiyuan’s cheeks.

Zhiyuan twisted and squirmed, trying to escape his second sister’s grasp, but he was too small to get away.

The siblings playfully bickered, while the rest of the family watched with amusement, none of them stepping in to stop the fun.