Chapter 4

After her trip to the county town, Xu Jiaojiao had bought a variety of things, leaving her with very little of the money Qin Zhengye had left behind.

Looking at her watch, she realized it was already 10:30 AM.

Considering the difficulty of traveling to the county town, Xu Jiaojiao decided to take her purchases straight to the post office. There, she wrote a letter to Qin Zhengye and mailed it.

On the bus ride home, Xu Jiaojiao was so exhausted she kept dozing off, her head repeatedly bumping against the window.

She thought the bus ride was the worst part, but the muddy mountain road that followed proved to be the real ordeal.

“I’m back,” Xu Jiaojiao announced as she arrived home at 1:00 PM.

Inside the room, Qin Jiashu lay obediently on the bed, his gaze fixed on the doorway.

Hearing a sound outside, the boy immediately sat up, his eyes sparkling with delight as Xu Jiaojiao pushed the door open.

“Xiao Shu, are you hungry?” Xu Jiaojiao asked, setting down her bags and sitting beside the bed.

She had hoped to return before lunchtime, but her shopping trip had taken longer than expected. The half-hour mountain trek had stretched into an hour and a half.

Qin Jiashu shook his head, wrapped in his blanket.

Seeing how well-behaved he was, Xu Jiaojiao’s heart melted. She longed to cup his face and shower him with kisses, but fearing her enthusiasm might frighten him, she restrained herself.

“Your aunt went to town today and bought you new clothes and shoes, Xiao Shu. Try them on and see if they fit.”

Xu Jiaojiao pulled out a brown jacket and helped Qin Jiashu put it on.

Qin Jiashu was very thin, and the three-year-old’s clothes Xu Jiaojiao had bought were too big for him. She had to roll up the sleeves.

“Come on, let’s put on your little shoes.” Xu Jiaojiao pulled Qin Jiashu off the bed, sat him on her lap, put on his thick pants, and then slipped on the yellow leather shoes.

Qin Jiashu, now looking completely refreshed, was placed back on the floor by Xu Jiaojiao. He stood awkwardly and stiffly.

He lowered his head to look at his new shoes, afraid to step too hard, as if afraid of damaging them. Then he looked up at Xu Jiaojiao with a pleading smile.

“Do you like them?”

Qin Jiashu nodded.

“Your aunt also bought bubu gao and walnut pastries. If you get hungry, you can eat these to tide you over.” Xu Jiaojiao unwrapped the pastries and placed both packages on the stool beside the bed.

“Your aunt will go make lunch now.” Xu Jiaojiao patted the child’s head, suppressing her fatigue as she rose and headed toward the kitchen.

Qin Jiashu, warm and cozy in his new clothes, didn’t feel cold at all. His gaze lingered on the pastries before he took two tentative steps, his small hand gripping the doorframe as he peeked at Xu Jiaojiao’s retreating figure.

Tap-tap-tap…

Wearing his brand-new little shoes, Qin Jiashu cautiously walked back to the stool where the pastries were placed. He tentatively picked up a piece of bubu gao and put it in his mouth.

The snow-white bubu gao was sweet and soft, melting in his mouth.

So delicious!

Qin Jiashu squinted in disbelief, slowly finishing the piece of bubu gao. He pursed his lips in delight, then looked down at his yellow calfskin shoes. He took a few steps, keeping his left foot still as he moved his right foot forward, curling his toes and wiggling them back and forth.

His aunt had bought him new shoes and clothes—they were so beautiful!

Qin Jiashu grinned happily and reached for a walnut crisp.

The walnut crisp was especially brittle, crumbling at the first bite. Qin Jiashu ate it while catching the crumbs with his small hands.

Crunch, crunch…

Before he could even swallow the walnut crisp, Qin Jiashu’s joy abruptly vanished.

The little boy’s face paled as he pressed his lips together. He set down the remaining half of the walnut crisp and trembled as he stared at his calfskin shoes.

“No…”

Qin Jiashu choked out the word, shaking his head. Tears welled in his eyes as he bent down to take off his shoes. Stubbornly, he yanked off his new pants and then his warm coat.

Hmph! Xiao Shu doesn’t want to wear new clothes!

Turning around, Qin Jiashu ran barefoot into the kitchen, tears streaming down his face.

Xu Jiaojiao was slicing potatoes in the kitchen. Hearing the child’s footsteps, she looked up with a smile, only to see Qin Jiashu standing at the doorway, his face wet with tears and wearing the thin clothes Qin Zhengye had bought him for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Qin Jiashu’s voice trembled with sobs. “Waaah… don’t sell me…”

“I don’t want new clothes…”

“Waaah…” Qin Jiashu choked out the words, his emotions completely overwhelming him. The anxious little boy, having finally expressed his fear, burst into uncontrollable tears.

Xu Jiaojiao immediately understood. She set down the kitchen knife and washed her hands.

“Xiao Shu,” she said, walking over and picking him up.

“Don’t sell me… I’ll be good…” Qin Jiashu clung to Xu Jiaojiao, trembling in her arms.

His shivering was partly from the cold wind, but mostly from the terror of being sold.

“Silly boy,” Xu Jiaojiao murmured, her heart breaking at the child’s tears. “How could your aunt sell you? I could never bear to part with you.”

The original owner of her body had been truly awful. Within days of Qin Zhengye’s return to his military post, she had plotted to sell Qin Jiashu to a childless family in the neighboring town. She had even contacted the buyers.

When Xu Jiaojiao was preparing to sell Qin Jiashu, she, who had never shown him any kindness before, meticulously helped him put on the clean clothes Qin Zhengye had bought for him and smiled tenderly at him.

Just then, Mother Xu came to visit her daughter. When she learned of Xu Jiaojiao’s plan to sell Qin Jiashu, she vehemently opposed it.

Qin Jiashu was just over three years old. Though young, he had truly grown up through his own struggles. From the conversation between Xu Jiaojiao and her mother, he realized the original owner’s intentions.

He probably misunderstood her now, thinking she was being nice to him only because she wanted to sell him!

“Don’t sell me,” Qin Jiashu pleaded desperately, clutching Xu Jiaojiao’s clothes and looking up at her with earnest despair.

He didn’t want to end up like Xiaoshan, who had been taken away shortly after being dressed in new clothes.

“I won’t sell Xiao Shu. Auntie swears,” Xu Jiaojiao promised solemnly, carrying him back to the room and tucking him into bed.

After being tucked in, Qin Jiashu’s tears gradually subsided. His red-rimmed eyes continued to fixate on Xu Jiaojiao, his sobs slowly fading.

“I’ll eat less…” Qin Jiashu continued, trying to reassure Xu Jiaojiao.

The little boy had never experienced affection growing up. His vocabulary was limited, and he was sensitive yet struggled to express himself clearly.

Yet his fragmented words tore Xu Jiaojiao’s heart to shreds.

“Your aunt knows you’re a good boy, Jiashu. Don’t worry, I’ll cherish you and take good care of you from now on. All you need to do is eat well and grow up on time, okay?” Xu Jiaojiao cradled his tear-streaked face, comforting him while impulsively kissing his forehead.

The child’s weeping was unbearable.

In her past life, she had longed to be a mother but couldn’t conceive. The original owner of her body had been a sickly child, constantly medicated. Someone who could freeze to death in bed during winter from suppressed anger would likely struggle to carry a child to term.

That’s why, the moment Xu Jiaojiao saw Qin Jiashu, she resolved to raise him as her own.

This was heaven’s precious gift—her beloved eldest son!

Qin Jiashu had never been tenderly cared for, let alone had his face cradled and kissed. He froze when Xu Jiaojiao kissed his forehead, staring up at her in stunned silence like a little wooden doll.

Had his aunt just kissed him?

Qin Jiashu blinked, feeling a warm, damp sensation on his forehead.

Xu Jiaojiao’s gentle kiss instantly soothed his overwhelming anxiety.

“Xiao Shu, why don’t you get dressed and come help Auntie make lunch? I’ll fry you some potato pancakes,” Xu Jiaojiao said patiently, tentatively offering him a new set of clothes.

This child was insecure and needed her utmost patience.

Having never raised a child in either of her lifetimes, Xu Jiaojiao knew the road ahead would be long and challenging.

“Okay,” Qin Jiashu whispered, opening his mouth to agree.

Xu Jiaojiao had intended to pat his little feet and help him put on socks and shoes, but noticed some dust on the soles.

“Xiao Shu, sit on the bed for a moment. Auntie will fetch some warm water to wash your feet,” Xu Jiaojiao said before getting up.

After washing his feet, Xu Jiaojiao remembered the frostbite cream she had bought. She carefully applied it to his feet.

“Do you have frostbite on your hands too?” Xu Jiaojiao asked, gently taking his thin, fragile hands in hers to examine them.

Qin Jiashu’s fingers remained stiff as Xu Jiaojiao scooped out some frostbite cream and gently rubbed it onto his hands, her large palm softly spreading the ointment.

“Come on, help Auntie make lunch. She’s starving! Are you hungry, Xiao Shu?” Xu Jiaojiao finished applying the cream, dressed him warmly, and led him to the kitchen.

“Not hungry,” Qin Jiashu mumbled. Having already eaten the bubu gao and walnut pastries, he wasn’t particularly hungry.

More than hunger, he feared being sold off by his young aunt!

“Really not hungry?” Xu Jiaojiao gave him a skeptical look.

Qin Jiashu didn’t reply, letting Xu Jiaojiao guide him into the kitchen.

The fire in the stove had gone out. Xu Jiaojiao crouched down to relight it.

Qin Jiashu sat on the long bench, watching the flames. Though he seemed calmer after Xu Jiaojiao’s reassurances, he still ate very little at lunch, as if trying to prove he wasn’t hungry.

Xu Jiaojiao could only coax him, constantly placing food on his plate.

“Xiao Shu needs to eat more to grow big and strong. Besides, if you don’t eat, it’ll be a waste.”

Qin Jiashu had grown up hungry. From infancy, he had experienced irregular meals, which made him cherish food even more than Xu Jiaojiao.

He diligently finished every grain of rice and every piece of food Xu Jiaojiao placed on his plate.

After lunch, Xu Jiaojiao washed the dishes and glanced at the still-sunless sky. She decided to spend the afternoon in bed.

As it turned out, in the southern winter, only the bed offered warmth.

“Come on, Xiao Shu, help Auntie hold the yarn,” Xu Jiaojiao said, pulling out two bundles of different-colored yarn.

She tucked Qin Jiashu under the covers and guided his small arms upward, draping the yarn over his slender wrists.

“That’s right, just like that.”

“When the yarn reaches here, bend your wrists like this, okay?” Xu Jiaojiao demonstrated with her hands.

Qin Jiashu obediently bent his wrists as instructed.

“Perfect! Xiao Shu is so clever!” Xu Jiaojiao nodded approvingly.

Flushed with praise, Qin Jiashu sat shyly, helping Xu Jiaojiao as she wound the two jin of yarn into two large, round balls.

With the yarn organized, Xu Jiaojiao eagerly picked up her knitting needles.

“Xiao Shu, which color do you like?” Xu Jiaojiao asked, pointing to two different colors.