The Sickly Little Wife of the 1980s
The Sickly Little Wife of the 1980s Chapter 23.1

Chapter 23.1

Qin Zhengye reassured her, “Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid,” Xu Jiaojiao retorted instinctively, her pride refusing to yield.

What else could she do? Crying from such a simple scare would be utterly embarrassing.

“Then I’ll let go!” Qin Zhengye chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he released his grip.

Xu Jiaojiao, perched on the bamboo branch, was immediately lifted into the air by its resilient spring.

“Ah…” Xu Jiaojiao squeezed her eyes shut and gasped, convinced she was about to plummet to her death. I really fell for it this time.

But the terrifying fall never came. Slowly opening her eyes, she realized the bamboo had merely carried her about a meter into the air.

The branch swayed gently back and forth, creating a natural swing that required no effort from her.

“Aunt, is it fun?” Qin Jiashu called up from below, his eyes wide with envy.

“It’s wonderful,” Xu Jiaojiao replied with a genuine smile.

Seeing her enjoyment, Qin Zhengye reached out and steadied the bamboo, enhancing the swinging sensation.

“Whew…” Xu Jiaojiao kicked her legs back and forth, thoroughly enjoying the ride.

Qin Jiashu craned his neck upward, watching her play with longing.

Only after Xu Jiaojiao had her fill did she climb down and lift the teary-eyed Qin Jiashu onto the bamboo swing.

“Will he be flung off by the bamboo?” Xu Jiaojiao asked Qin Zhengye, worried that Qin Jiashu might be too light.

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold onto the branch for him.”

Qin Jiashu settled onto the bamboo swing, his small hands gripping the branch tightly, eagerly waiting for it to lift him into the air.

Qin Zhengye stepped back a few paces, loosening his grip on the branch.

“Wow!” Qin Jiashu shouted excitedly from his perch.

Qin Zhengye pulled downward, lowering the bamboo swing to just the right height.

Qin Jiashu burst into laughter, his carefree expression one Xu Jiaojiao had never seen before.

After their turn on the bamboo swing, Qin Zhengye returned to his chores. He chopped down five thin bamboo stalks with his machete and bound them together with bamboo strips.

“Let’s go home,” Qin Zhengye said, easily hoisting the bundle of bamboo onto his shoulder.

Xu Jiaojiao and Qin Jiashu strolled ahead hand-in-hand, Qin Jiashu still clutching a bamboo stick to play with.

“Do you remember the ancient poem Aunt taught you yesterday?” Xu Jiaojiao asked, gently swinging the boy’s hand.

“Yes! ‘Hoeing rice at noon, sweat drips onto the soil beneath the stalks…'” Qin Jiashu recited the poem.

Qin Zhengye carried the bamboo poles behind them, watching the harmonious interaction between the young boy and the woman ahead. He listened to Qin Jiashu hum the newspaper boy’s song, then recite ancient poems, before his gaze finally settled on Xu Jiaojiao’s retreating figure.

Returning to the Educated Youth Point with the bamboo, Qin Zhengye quickly built a new clothesline for Xu Jiaojiao in just over ten minutes. He then dismantled the old bamboo poles and took them to the kitchen to use as firewood.

Xu Jiaojiao wiped the bamboo poles clean with a towel before bringing out the quilt from her room to air it.

Qin Zhengye seemed unable to stay still. After finishing the clothesline, he continued to tidy the courtyard.

Xu Jiaojiao sat in the main hall, knitting. Occasionally glancing at Qin Zhengye working tirelessly in the yard, she couldn’t help but think that having a man around to do chores was quite nice.

By noon, Xu Jiaojiao finally set down her knitting and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Qin Zhengye hadn’t stopped working since returning home that morning. Knowing he wouldn’t be staying long, Xu Jiaojiao wanted to cook a hearty meal, but her ingredients were limited.

After considering her options, she stir-fried vegetables with lard cracklings, braised a large taro with pickled cabbage, and made a radish and egg soup.

At least there was soup, meat, and vegetables, Xu Jiaojiao thought with satisfaction as she called them to eat.

Qin Jiashu always praised her cooking, and judging by Qin Zhengye’s expression, Xu Jiaojiao figured he was quite pleased as well.

Qin Zhengye usually ate quickly, but noticing Xu Jiaojiao’s small appetite, he glanced at the table and realized he’d likely have to finish the leftovers. He deliberately slowed his pace.

As it turned out, he was right. He ended up finishing the meal and even washing the dishes.

Half an hour later, Qin Zhengye was back in the yard, hoeing the garden.

Xu Jiaojiao admired his seemingly endless energy. He had arrived that day and immediately busied himself tidying the yard. Does he think I’m lazy? she wondered.

Lost in thought, Xu Jiaojiao sat in the main hall, shielding her eyes from the sun. The warm weather was perfect for a bath and hair wash. In the countryside, even winter baths required sunny days.

With that in mind, Xu Jiaojiao rose and went to the kitchen to heat water.

“Xiao Shu, stop playing in the mud and come take a bath,” she called out after the water was ready.

After lunch, the boy had been following Qin Zhengye around with a small wooden stick, fearlessly playing with earthworms.

“Coming!” Qin Jiashu carefully placed his stick on a stool in the main hall with solemn reverence. Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Anyone watching would think it was the Monkey King’s magical staff.

Ding-ding-ding! Just as Xu Jiaojiao was about to pour the hot water, she heard the tinkling of a small bell outside.

“Haircut time! Haircut time! Haircut time!”

Creak…

Xu Jiaojiao emerged from the kitchen, her ears perked up as she listened intently until she heard the call again.

“Is that the barber?” she asked Qin Zhengye, uncertain.

Qin Zhengye paused his hammering, and Qin Jiashu, the little boy, pressed close to Xu Jiaojiao’s leg, his face serious.

“It’s the barber,” Qin Zhengye confirmed after a moment.

“Then Aunt will take you for a haircut first. We’ll come back for your bath afterward,” Xu Jiaojiao said to Qin Jiashu, bending down to speak to him.

Qin Jiashu’s hair had grown quite long. If Xu Jiaojiao had scissors at home, she would have trimmed it herself long ago.

“Okay!” Qin Jiashu happily followed Xu Jiaojiao out the door.

“Aunt, he’s over there,” Qin Jiashu pointed toward Aunt Ju Hua’s house.

Xu Jiaojiao led the boy in that direction. Soon, they spotted the barber with his black bag, scissors, and comb, bent over to cut Qin Daqiang’s hair in Aunt Ju Hua’s yard. Four or five other boys were already waiting their turn beside him.

“So many people!” Xu Jiaojiao exclaimed.

“This barber is skilled and quick,” Aunt Ju Hua called from her doorway.

In the countryside, no one cared about the barber’s skill. What mattered most was the price. Other barbers charged four mao for a haircut, but this one only charged three.

“Then we’ll wait,” Xu Jiaojiao said, taking Qin Jiashu’s hand and joining the queue.

The barber, slightly hunched over, trimmed Qin Daqiang’s hair with astonishing speed. The snip-snip of scissors accompanied the falling strands.

After finishing Qin Daqiang’s haircut, the barber clipped his scissors into the tool pouch on his pants pocket, then pulled out a sharp blade and wiped it on a towel.

“Tilt your head down a bit,” the barber instructed Qin Daqiang, then pressed the blade against a comb and scraped the stray hairs from the back of his neck.

“All done.”

The barber was truly fast, finishing the haircut in under three minutes. He straightened up, removed the white cloth from Qin Daqiang’s neck, and casually wiped his neck and ears with a sponge.

“How do you want it cut?” the barber asked the boy who sat down, while taking payment from Aunt Ju Hua.

“Give him a buzz cut,” the boy’s mother demanded, turning to complain to the woman beside her. “His hair grows back in two days. If we don’t shave it all off, we’ll have to pay for haircuts every day. Who has that kind of money?”

“Exactly! My Xiao Laizi is the same. He hates washing his hair, and his head is full of lice,” a woman of similar age nodded in agreement.

“Just shave it short!” The boy’s mother turned back to instruct the barber after receiving confirmation.

“Alright.” The barber took out his blade and, following the family’s request, shaved the boy’s head completely bald.

Everyone clearly understood the situation. After all, earning money wasn’t easy for any family.

After the first little monk, the other boys were gradually shaved bald as well. Within fifteen minutes, several more little monks had joined the group.

“Wahahaha…” The boys played around, touching each other’s heads and giggling foolishly.

“How should I cut it?” When it was Qin Jiashu’s turn, the barber asked casually, his right hand already wiping the blade.

“Just a short trim, not completely bald,” Xu Jiaojiao replied. With a group of little monks already present, she didn’t want Qin Jiashu to become bald as well.

“Alright.” The barber, somewhat surprised, put away the blade and picked up scissors to trim his hair.

“Master, please be gentle when shaving the stray hairs here. He’s young and very sensitive to pain,” Xu Jiaojiao politely reminded the barber as he reached for the blade again.

The barber’s skills were average. To work quickly, he couldn’t always be careful with his blade, occasionally leaving small scratches.

Xu Jiaojiao had noticed tiny scratches on the heads of the boys who had gone before Qin Jiashu. They weren’t serious, but they made her wince.

The barber glanced at Xu Jiaojiao and nodded coldly, seemingly displeased. Yet when trimming Qin Jiashu’s fine hair, he slowed down slightly.

“Thank you, Master,” Xu Jiaojiao said with a smile, paying three mao.

After the haircut, Xu Jiaojiao and Qin Jiashu walked back to the Educated Youth Point.

“Aunt, my neck itches,” Qin Jiashu whined, his little face scrunched up as he scratched his neck.

“Don’t scratch. Let me check,” Xu Jiaojiao said, bending down to grasp his hand. She lifted his collar but found no stray hairs. Puffing out her cheeks, she blew several times down his neck.

After a haircut, loose hairs often fell into clothes, causing intense itching.

“Does it still itch?”

“Yes,” Qin Jiashu replied, his voice full of misery.

“Try to bear it for now. It’ll stop itching after a bath and shampoo at home,” Xu Jiaojiao soothed, patting his head and quickening their pace.

Back at home, Xu Jiaojiao undressed Qin Jiashu for his bath.

With his newly short hair, a quick soaping and scrubbing would do.

“Raise your arms.”

“Close your eyes. Aunt’s going to pour water over your head now.”

“Hahaha…” Qin Jiashu laughed happily.

Xu Jiaojiao’s voice drifted slowly from the room, the poor soundproofing of the old Educated Youth Point buildings offering little privacy.

Qin Zhengye, hoeing in the courtyard, heard everything clearly, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

After Xu Jiaojiao finished bathing Qin Jiashu and dressing him in clean clothes, she carried the rosy-cheeked child out.

“You just had a bath, so no playing in the mud or with earthworms, understand?” Xu Jiaojiao tapped his nose. She didn’t want the little one she’d just scrubbed clean to turn into a little dirty monkey again while she took her own bath.

“Okay,” Qin Jiashu nodded.

Though he longed to play outside, his aunt had forbidden it, so he’d settle for reading his picture book instead.

“Good boy,” Xu Jiaojiao kissed him and stood up to empty the large bathing tub.

She first filled a small bucket and poured the water into a narrow ditch on the left side of the courtyard, which drained outside.

Qin Zhengye glanced at the small bucket in Xu Jiaojiao’s hand, remembering her multiple trips to the kitchen earlier. He set down his hoe.

“I’ll take care of it,” Qin Zhengye said, stepping inside and effortlessly lifting the large bath bucket.

“…Thank you,” Xu Jiaojiao murmured awkwardly, grabbing the small bucket and hurrying to the kitchen as if escaping.

Qin Zhengye watched her flustered back for a moment. After emptying the water and setting the bucket down, he turned and followed her inside.

In the kitchen, Xu Jiaojiao was filling the small bucket with hot water. When she saw Qin Zhengye enter, her face flushed.

“You can ask me if it’s too heavy,” Qin Zhengye said, his gaze earnest.

Xu Jiaojiao licked her lips. She felt perfectly comfortable ordering him around, but asking him to help with the bathwater… she couldn’t bring herself to do it. It felt too intimate.

“I can manage myself.”

Seeing her reluctance, Qin Zhengye reached out and forcefully lifted the small bucket, which was quite heavy for her.

He carried several trips back and forth with ease, even bringing her a bucket of cold water to mix in herself.

“That’s enough. You can leave now.”

Qin Zhengye’s help left Xu Jiaojiao feeling flustered. She even hastily told him to leave, and as soon as he stepped outside, she slammed the wooden door shut.

Qin Zhengye stood at the door, touched his nose, and chuckled softly as he walked away.

Xu Jiaojiao, who had been relatively calm, suddenly felt an absurdly awkward tension when she heard his soft laughter. She bit her lip in frustration.

“Hmph, men!” she muttered under her breath, stripping off her clothes to bathe.

It was winter, and though the sun was bright, the shaded areas remained bitterly cold. Still, daytime was much warmer than nighttime, but taking a bath still required courage.

Qin Zhengye tidied the courtyard with a hoe. Even though he was quite far from the bathing room, he could occasionally hear the sound of water.

The sound made his ears itch, and unconsciously, his breathing grew heavier.

Xu Jiaojiao enjoyed her bath thoroughly, the fatigue in her body melting away.

After drying herself, she realized she had forgotten to bring in fresh clothes. With a sigh, she reluctantly put her original clothes back on.

“Finished?” Qin Zhengye stopped working, leaning on the hoe handle with both hands as he asked.

Ayuuu[Translator]

Hi, I’m Ayuuu. Thank you so much for reading—whether you're a reader supporting the story through coins or a free reader following along with each update, your presence means the world to me. Every view, comment, and kind word helps keep the story going.

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