Chapter 7

“Are you alright? Go back inside, I’ll handle this.”

The reason Lin Xi had insisted on cooking for herself before was because she worried Tian Yufen would be too frugal with the oil, and the food wouldn’t taste good.

Now that all she had to do was wait for the buns to heat up before eating, she didn’t put on a brave face anymore. Limping slightly, she left the kitchen.

Tian Yufen brought the two baskets into the main room and placed them next to Lin Xi. She set out a small stool for Lin Xi to rest her feet on after taking off her shoes.

Then she went back to the kitchen to bring over the soup and buns. The two little ones still clung tightly to their grandmother, but little Gu Xing kept sneaking glances at Lin Xi.

Lin Xi was utterly charmed by the child’s timid, bunny-like manner. Although the girl was still afraid of her, this was already progress.

When the buns were served, Lin Xi looked at the two little ones with a smile and said,

“Time for buns! Do you think Xingxing can finish a big meat bun?”

Little Gu Xing didn’t dare speak. She looked at her grandmother, and Tian Yufen said encouragingly,

“Tell your auntie, can you finish it?”

The little one nodded her tiny head. Lin Xi reached over and gave her a meat bun, then took another one for little Gu Yang, whose eyes had already been glued to the buns.

“Yangyang’s a little man, I’m sure you can finish yours too, right?”

The so-called little man nodded unconsciously and reached out to take the bun from her hand.

What surprised Lin Xi was that although both children clearly looked eager, once they got their buns, they handed them to their grandmother. Only after seeing Tian Yufen take a bun for herself did they start eating.

After the meal, Tian Yufen brought out a kerosene lamp and set it on the table, then took another lamp and led the two children to the kitchen to wash up.

When she returned after tucking them into bed, she saw Lin Xi had already taken everything out of the baskets and laid them neatly on the table.

“Mom, please put these things away. The seasonings can go in the kitchen for daily use. The things in this basket, I still need, so just leave them here.”

“Alright.”

Tian Yufen took the seasonings to the kitchen. Lin Xi was about to grit her teeth and get up to wash when she saw Tian Yufen return, carrying a basin of water.

“This is warm water with a little salt in it. Put your feet in and soak them. I’ll get a needle to lance the blisters for you — they’ll heal faster that way.”

Seeing her set the basin down in front of her and gently instruct her to soak her feet, Lin Xi felt her nose sting and tears threaten to fall.

How long had it been since anyone treated her this well? It seemed that ever since her grandfather passed away, she’d been on her own — living here for a few days, there for a few days, carrying only a small bag of belongings.

The school dormitory had been the most comfortable place for her, because there she didn’t feel like she was imposing on anyone.

All day today, Tian Yufen had quietly taken care of her, and that moved Lin Xi deeply. She silently made up her mind: even if she divorced her son one day, she would remember this kindness.

From now on, she would work hard to make money so the grandmother and her two grandchildren could live comfortably. Since her useless husband never came home anyway, the four of them could live just fine together.

The water stung a little when her feet first went in, but it was bearable. She gritted her teeth and soaked for a while until she got used to it.

Tian Yufen came back from her room with a needle, sterilized it over the kerosene lamp, and saw that Lin Xi had already dried her feet.

“Come on, put your foot on my lap, I’ll lance the blisters for you.”

“No need, you should go wash up. I can do it myself.”

“It’s hard to see clearly at night, and it’ll be awkward for you to bend over like that. I’ll be gentle, it won’t hurt.”

Without waiting for her to refuse again, Tian Yufen took her foot and set it on her lap, bringing the lamp closer to examine the blister on her sole.

“My goodness! How did you get such a big blister? And you didn’t say a word — this must hurt so much!”

Lin Xi had been wearing the small leather shoes the original owner used to wear. The shoes were stiff, so not only did she get blisters on her soles, but her heels were also rubbed raw.

Tian Yufen happened to notice the torn skin on her heel while holding her foot.

Lin Xi looked at Tian Yufen carefully and patiently lancing her blisters, murmuring words of concern and gentle scolding, and her chest ached with emotion.

So… was this what a mother’s care felt like?

She had heard people say that a mother’s love was all about nagging, but since she’d never had a mother, she could never picture it. Now she felt she understood.

“You silly child,” Tian Yufen kept saying, “why didn’t you say anything when your feet hurt? I could’ve gone to buy those things. Look at your feet now, all broken like this — it must’ve been so painful…”

When she finished one foot, she noticed Lin Xi had been quiet the whole time and realized she might have gone on too long. Feeling a bit guilty, she glanced up at Lin Xi.

“Mom, thank you,” Lin Xi said sincerely, smiling.

Her heartfelt tone immediately dispelled Tian Yufen’s unease.

“What are you thanking me for? You’re my daughter-in-law, which makes you half my own daughter. A mom cares for her daughter — no thanks needed!”

Her words carried a hint of probing, and she watched Lin Xi’s face closely. Seeing no sign of displeasure, Tian Yufen was fully relieved — and happy. Her daughter-in-law had really changed.

After finishing both feet, Tian Yufen poured the water away, wrung out a towel, and wiped Lin Xi’s face.

Lin Xi trudged back to her room to sleep. The day had been exhausting, but with the blisters lanced, her feet didn’t hurt as much. She fell asleep the moment she touched the bed.

In many rural areas in the 1980s, there was no electricity, let alone TV, cell phones, or the internet. People went to bed when it got dark, so everyone had a healthy early-to-bed, early-to-rise routine.

She slept soundly through the night.

Lin Xi woke up early, having not slept until she naturally woke in a long time. In the past, to earn money, she’d often only sleep four or five hours a day. Later, when she got sick, she was often kept awake by pain.

Stretching contentedly, she looked at her foot — the blister she had lanced yesterday was already dry, and pressing on it barely hurt.

She swung her feet out of bed into the soft slippers. Her heart felt warm — last night, Tian Yufen had padded her slippers with bits of cloth so her feet wouldn’t hurt.

When Lin Xi stepped out, she saw the two little ones sitting on the threshold watching Tian Yufen slice radish.

The moment they saw her, the children’s eyes went wide with fear, and they bolted to stand beside their grandmother.

Lin Xi: …

The original owner had a bad temper in the mornings, always scolding people first thing after waking up, and sometimes even hitting the kids.

“Xiaoxi, you’re up. Your feet still hurt, so walk less. Don’t come out — I’ll bring you water to wash up. The porridge and buns are already ready in the pot.”

“Mom, it’s fine. After you lanced the blisters last night, they barely hurt. I can wash up myself.”

She went over to the water jar to wash her face and brush her teeth — she hadn’t brushed last night and her mouth felt uncomfortable.

By the time she finished washing, Tian Yufen had already set the porridge and buns on the table in the main room. The porridge was made from rice and crushed corn, with a bit of sugar. It was thin, but still tasted quite good.