Chapter 21.2

“Your child nearly stopped breathing! Xiao Xu from Qin Zhenye’s family worked tirelessly to breathe life back into her. Can’t you, as her mother, hold your tongue for once? Can’t you see she’s too frozen to speak?” Qin Datou, the eldest among them, spoke up angrily, his voice thick with disapproval.

“Better if she’d stopped breathing,” Li Xiaomai retorted indifferently. “Saves us some food.”

“…” Xu Jiaojiao had seen many things and encountered all sorts of peculiar parents. But this was the first time she’d met someone so utterly heartless, so dismissive of their own child. How could she treat her own flesh and blood this way, the child she had carried for ten months and personally given birth to?

Qin Datou’s anger deepened, his breathing growing heavy. He glanced at Qin Zhuzi, who stood awkwardly nearby. “Qin Zhuzi, what are you waiting for? Take the child home immediately and boil some water to warm her up!”

“Ah, right…” Qin Zhuzi felt a flicker of guilt.

“Why bother with her? Hurry up and gather the clothes—that’s what matters,” Li Xiaomai snapped, tugging at Qin Zhuzi’s arm to stop him.

Qin Zhuzi had been about to reach for the child, but Li Xiaomai’s pull and reminder made him immediately retract his hand.

Qin Dazhuang froze mid-motion, his eyes fixed on Qin Zhuzi in disbelief.

“Come on, come on, let’s go get the clothes. Lend us your flashlight…” Li Xiaomai urged the men, snatching the flashlight from Qin Datou’s hand.

Xu Jiaojiao gritted her teeth.

“You’re just going to abandon the child?” Qin Datou demanded.

“If you want to meddle, go ahead. If you have extra food, you can even take her as a child bride,” Li Xiaomai retorted with disdain and mockery.

Qin Datou seethed with anger.

“Is this child even yours by blood? Not even the cruelest stepmother would act this way!” Qin Dazhuang stammered.

But Qin Zhuzi and Li Xiaomai didn’t hear him. They hurried toward the reed thicket by the riverbank.

“Let’s take the child to my house first,” Xu Jiaojiao said, unable to bear the sight any longer.

A child unloved by her parents… Xu Jiaojiao had always thought it was just a saying. Now, witnessing such parents firsthand, she felt a profound sadness for the state of humanity.

This little girl had been so obedient, helping with the laundry in the freezing weather. How desperate must she have felt when she collapsed in the reeds?

Xu Jiaojiao didn’t dare dwell on it. She took Qin Jiashu’s hand and led him home.

“Fine,” Qin Datou and his son could only agree.

With the flashlight snatched away, the remaining journey, though familiar, became much slower. They could barely make their way home by the moonlight.

Xu Jiaojiao hurried home and immediately lit a candle in the main room.

“Xiao Xu, find some dry clothes and help her change. We’ll head back now. I’ll have your aunt come over later to help you heat water,” Qin Datou said. As men, they couldn’t offer much assistance and didn’t linger.

“Okay,” Xu Jiaojiao agreed. Qin Jiedi was shivering uncontrollably, and Xu Jiaojiao needed to get her out of her wet clothes immediately.

“Xiaoshu, go to the room and get Auntie’s cotton-padded coat,” Xu Jiaojiao instructed Qin Jiashu.

“Okay!” Qin Jiashu scampered off.

The little boy knew the house well. Without needing a candle, he found the cabinet in the dark and returned with the coat.

Though young, Qin Jiedi was still a girl. As Xu Jiaojiao prepared to undress her, she told Qin Jiashu to turn around.

“Xiaoshu, you can only turn back when Aunt says it’s okay,” Xu Jiaojiao whispered, working quickly to remove Qin Jiedi’s muddy clothes.

“Okay,” Qin Jiashu replied obediently, his back to them.

Qin Jiedi’s clothes were soaked and plastered to her skin, making them difficult to remove. The little girl seemed numb with cold, letting Xu Jiaojiao hold her and undress her without resistance.

By the candlelight, Xu Jiaojiao struggled to undress Qin Jiedi, then wrapped her in a thick cotton coat.

“Alright, Xiaoshu, you can turn around now,” Xu Jiaojiao said, wiping mud from the little girl’s face.

While Xu Jiaojiao was changing Qin Jiedi’s clothes, Aunt Ju Hua arrived, panting as if she had run all the way.

“What a wretched thing to happen,” Aunt Ju Hua sighed, glancing at the disheveled Qin Jiedi. “I’ll heat some water. Oh, I brought some ginger—boiling it for her will help ward off the chill.”

“Thank you, Aunt Ju Hua,” Xu Jiaojiao nodded and followed her into the kitchen.

Xu Jiaojiao poured two cups of hot water from the thermos, keeping one for Aunt Ju Hua and taking the other to Qin Jiedi.

“Don’t bother with me,” Aunt Ju Hua replied without ceremony.

The water in the thermos had been boiled that morning, and after a full day, it was no longer scalding hot.

“Jie Di, come on, drink some hot water to warm up,” Xu Jiaojiao said gently.

Qin Jiedi stared blankly at Xu Jiaojiao, her expression vacant.

Xu Jiaojiao blew on the water and held the cup to her lips. “Come on, it’s okay now. Drink up!”

Xu Jiaojiao’s soothing words finally had an effect. The little girl slowly opened her mouth, lowered her head to the cup, and began to gulp down the water.

After drinking a small cup of warm water, the little girl’s pale face regained some color.

Qin Jiashu stood beside her, anxiously watching Qin Jiedi. When she finished drinking, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Jie Di, have a candy.” Qin Jiashu pulled a large White Rabbit milk candy from his pocket, peeled off the wrapper, and offered it to her.

Qin Jiedi stared blankly at the candy, her small mouth twitching as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

“Eat up!” Xu Jiaojiao reached out, took the candy, and placed it near the little girl’s mouth.

Qin Jiedi glanced at Xu Jiaojiao, then instinctively opened her mouth and took the candy. The sweet, milky flavor brought tears to her eyes.

“Xiaoshu, there’s bubu gao cake at home. Get it and share it with Jie Di. Aunt will go to the kitchen to make meat buns for you both.” Seeing that Qin Jiedi seemed better, Xu Jiaojiao stood up.

“Meat buns?” Qin Jiashu’s eyes lit up, and he instinctively salivated.

“Yes. Will you stay with Jie Di?”

“Don’t worry, Aunt!” Qin Jiashu confidently patted his chest, turned, and hurried into the room to retrieve the bubu gao from its usual spot.

“Jie Di, here’s some bubu gao.” Qin Jiashu placed a piece of the steamed cake in Qin Jie Di’s hand.

Qin Jiedi stared blankly at the bubu gao cake, then looked at Xu Jiaojiao’s smiling face. Tentatively, she brought the snow-white cake to her mouth.

The two children were getting along well, so Xu Jiaojiao felt comfortable stepping into the kitchen.

Aunt Ju Hua was efficient and helpful. She had already started the fire, filled a large pot with water, and chopped ginger for later use.

“This Zhiqing Compound is quite convenient,”  Aunt Ju Hua remarked with a smile as Xu Jiaojiao entered the kitchen. “No need to haul water every day.”

Her own home wasn’t far away, but they still had to fetch water from the village’s old well daily—a tedious chore.

“That’s about the only good thing about it,” Xu Jiaojiao replied calmly.

With only a candle lighting the kitchen, Xu Jiaojiao washed her hands, took the bowl of filling from the table, stirred it briefly, and began wrapping meat buns.

The process was simple. The dough had already risen, requiring only a quick knead.

“Haven’t you eaten dinner yet?” Aunt Ju Hua asked, pushing another piece of firewood into the stove. She stood up and walked over to watch Xu Jiaojiao effortlessly shape a small meat bun.

“Not yet. We were too busy looking for the children,” Xu Jiaojiao answered without pausing her work.

Normally, Xu Jiaojiao would have prepared dinner much earlier. Today, she had waited for Qin Jiashu to return so they could wrap the buns together.

Her hands moved in practiced coordination, and in the blink of an eye, she had wrapped a small bun and placed it aside.

“Your buns are so beautifully shaped,” Aunt Ju Hua praised sincerely.

Xu Jiaojiao was patient. The buns were neither too big nor too small, and generously filled. In just ten minutes, she had wrapped them all and placed them on a small bamboo tray.

Having quickly finished wrapping the buns, Xu Jiaojiao noticed the water in the large pot was nearly boiling.

Aunt Ju Hua, strong as an ox, went next door to fetch a large wooden bucket. She emptied the pot in one go, carrying the heavy bucket back to the bathing room.

Xu Jiaojiao ladled fresh water into the pot and placed the bamboo steamer with the buns inside to steam.

“Xiaoshu, me and Aunt Ju are helping Jie Di with her bath. The buns are steaming, so don’t let the fire go out,” Xu Jiaojiao instructed Qin Jiashu.

“Okay,” Qin Jiashu replied obediently, settling down to watch the fire.

In the bathing room next door, Xu Jiaojiao removed Qin Jiedi’s outer coat and gently placed the little girl into the large wooden bucket.

“You even have a special tub for bathing?” Aunt Ju Hua remarked, having noticed the  big bucket when she fetched the water bucket.

“Yes,” Xu Jiaojiao replied with a smile, taking the soap to wash Qin Jie Di’s hair.

The girl was as thin as Qin Jiashu, her skin stretched taut over her bones. Xu Jiaojiao washed her gently, afraid to scrub too hard.

“You don’t need to be so careful,” Aunt Ju Hua said with a chuckle, shaking her head. She calmly snatched the soap from Xu Jiaojiao and scrubbed Qin Jiedi from head to toe with rough, swift motions. The results were immediate and striking.

Qin Jiedi sat silently in the bucket. The little girl rarely bathed, and sesame-sized clumps of dirt rolled off her skin.

Aunt Ju Hua scrubbed Qin Jiedi vigorously, turning the little girl’s dark skin bright red.

“I’ll get some clothes,” Xu Jiaojiao said, seeing that the bath was nearly finished. She rose and went to the room, taking Qin Jiashu’s clothes from the cabinet.

Qin Jiedi was also thin, and though older than Qin Jiashu, their height and build were similar.

“Xiaoshu, Jie Di doesn’t have any clothes. Would it be alright if Aunt lent her yours?” Xu Jiaojiao gently approached Qin Jiashu in the kitchen to ask.

Since the clothes were Qin Jiashu’s personal belongings, she naturally needed his permission.

While Xu Jiaojiao felt deeply for Qin Jiedi, she subconsciously treated Qin Jiashu like her own child, prioritizing his feelings.

If Qin Jiashu was reluctant to part with his clothes, she would offer Qin Jie Di her own padded jacket instead.

“Okay,” Qin Jiashu nodded generously.

Perhaps it was due to Xu Jiaojiao’s recent attentive care, but the boy was willing to share and remarkably generous.

Only after obtaining Qin Jiashu’s approval did Xu Jiaojiao take the clothes to the adjacent room.

When Qin Jiedi was dried and dressed in clean, warm clothes, she remained dazed, the whole experience feeling surreal and dreamlike.

After helping Qin Jiedi with her bath, Aunt Ju Hua stepped out of the bathroom and caught the aroma of steamed buns wafting from the kitchen. She waved her hand and headed for the door.

“Aunt, wait until the buns are done steaming! Have one before you leave!” Xu Jiaojiao called out, urging her to stay.

“No need,” Aunt Ju Hua said, refusing. “Just boil some ginger water for her to drink and help her sweat out the fever.” With that, she hurried away from the Educated Youth Point.

Qin Jiedi’s condition was much better than Xu Jiaojiao had imagined. After a bath and a change into clean clothes, she had finally regained her senses.

“Come on, let’s go eat some steamed buns,” Xu Jiaojiao said, taking Qin Jiedi’s hand and leading her to the kitchen.

“Aunt, the buns smell so good!” Qin Jiashu exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the fire in the stove. As Xu Jiaojiao entered the kitchen, the little boy excitedly rushed over and hugged her leg, pointing at the steaming stove with his small finger.

Dumplings for lunch and steamed buns for dinner? This is like a dream!

He loved his aunt-in-law more than anything!

Xu Jiaojiao gently patted the boy’s head and glanced at her watch with a smile. Twenty minutes had passed perfectly.

“Just three more minutes and they’ll be ready,” she said, settling onto a low stool and extinguishing the fire in the stove.

Gulp. Qin Jiashu pressed close to Xu Jiaojiao, his mouth watering uncontrollably.

“Little glutton,” she teased, pinching his nose.

Qin Jiedi stood nearby, watching Xu Jiaojiao’s affectionate interactions with Qin Jiashu with envy.