Chapter 16

Luo Yisen kept it from Song Yitao, but in the end, he gave her the wooden tub that Luo Xiaojun usually used for bathing, and even heated water for her.

Only then did Song Yitao enjoy a nice, hot bath in her room.

Meanwhile, at the Wei household—

Deng Zhilan had cooked dinner, and Wei Jin’yue was stuffing her cheeks full of food.

“Sis-in-law, your braised pork is amazing! Better than Mom’s!”

Wei Yanzhen was too busy gobbling down meat to even speak. The speed at which he picked up food with his chopsticks showed just how satisfied he was with the meal.

Seeing them eat so happily, Deng Zhilan felt completely content.

At dusk—

Deng Zhilan gathered up all the dirty laundry and put it in a basin. Wei Yanzhen carried it, and the two of them went to the river to wash clothes together.

Just as they were about to leave, Wei Yanzhen turned back.

“Wait for me, honey. I forgot to grab something.”

Deng Zhilan looked at the soap in her hands, then at the washboard he was holding. What else is there to get?

Soon, the man came out again—this time with a chair, a shawl, and a thermos.

“What are you—?”

“There’s a lot of laundry today. It’s gonna take a while. I brought you a chair so you can relax by the river, enjoy the evening breeze. And if you’re thirsty, I made you some brown sugar water—it’s in the thermos.”

Deng Zhilan smiled and teased, “Comrade Wei, you sure are thoughtful.”

Wei Yanzhen held the thermos and chair in one hand, the laundry basin in the other, and followed behind her step by step like a devoted little wife.

His wife had married him—he would never let her suffer.

Now that they’d been sent to the countryside, he would do everything in his power to make her life more comfortable.

At the riverbank, Wei Yanzhen set up the chair, draped the shawl over Deng Zhilan, and placed the thermos beside her. He rolled up his sleeves and started scrubbing the laundry.

The setting sun cast a golden glow over the water, which shimmered with light.

Deng Zhilan sat on the chair, watching Wei Yanzhen work earnestly. Her heart felt warm and sweet. This trip to the countryside was so worth it.

She picked up the thermos, poured a cup of brown sugar water, and handed it to Wei Yanzhen. “Here, Comrade Wei. You’ve worked hard—have some water.”

He took the cup and drank it in one gulp.

The two of them washed clothes, chatted, and laughed, sometimes splashing each other and sending sparkling drops into the sunset-lit air.

Eventually, tired from playing, Deng Zhilan leaned back in the chair with her eyes closed. Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders, and the breeze gently lifted the ends. She looked like the most beautiful lotus blooming by the river.

Wei Yanzhen got up, gently covered her with the shawl that had slipped, brushed the stray hairs off her forehead, and then went back to washing clothes.

At that moment, several women who had finished dinner and come to the river to do laundry saw Deng Zhilan. Surrounded by the soft glow of sunset, dressed in a light purple dress, she was so beautiful it felt almost disrespectful to look directly at her.

“Mom, is she a fairy?”

“Only fairies get to skip chores. She’s so pretty!”

Some of the girls in the village had never seen anyone so stunning. Their eyes sparkled with admiration.

Aunt Liu sneered, secretly scoffing that Deng Zhilan was lazy to the core—letting her man wash clothes while she sat back with her white legs dipped in the water, living the high life.

“Liu Zhaodi, if you don’t want to do laundry, then you better hurry up and get married. Find a husband who won’t make you work!”

Little Liu Zhaodi, hearing her mother’s scolding, burst into tears and yelled, “I don’t want to get married! I don’t want to be sold just to save up dowry money for my little brother! I hate my little brother…”

Aunt Liu picked up a laundry paddle and started spanking the girl.

The crying startled Deng Zhilan awake. She opened her eyes and saw the scene unfold.

She frowned.

“She’s still a child—don’t hit her like that.”

Aunt Liu rolled her eyes. She’d seen Deng Zhilan earlier at the village gate carrying all kinds of shopping bags, and now even her husband was doing laundry for her. Lazy thing.

“My kid—I’ll hit her however I want. What’s it to you?”

Deng Zhilan didn’t get angry. She simply took out a piece of candy and handed it to Liu Zhaodi. “Don’t cry. Have a candy.”

Liu Zhaodi stopped sobbing and timidly took the candy.

Wei Yanzhen noticed the commotion and asked what was going on. When he found out, he frowned in disapproval and said:

“Nowadays, we talk about gender equality. Children shouldn’t be beaten like that. And they definitely shouldn’t have to sacrifice their future for their younger brothers.”

The nearby women began murmuring in agreement, and Aunt Liu, feeling a bit embarrassed, finally lowered the laundry paddle.

At that moment, Song Yitao arrived at the river.

She had taken a hot bath earlier and had come now to do some washing while the sun wasn’t so harsh.

She overheard some women gossiping that Deng Zhilan was lazy and spoiled—her man wouldn’t even let her wash clothes, treated her like a treasure.

A wave of bitterness surged in Song Yitao’s heart. Isn’t she just lucky?

No parents, yet the Wei family took her in. Gorgeous looks, everyone in the compound called her “the flower of the courtyard.” Even she, Song Yitao, was just a side character next to Deng Zhilan…

“Hey, girl, here to do laundry?”

“I’ve got some detergent. Want to use some? Hitting the clothes with a paddle doesn’t clean them properly!”

Song Yitao turned to see a woman offering to sell her washing powder.

“Oh, I’ll take some. How much?”

“Twenty cents a bag.”

Song Yitao reached for her pocket, only to remember—she didn’t have a single coin on her.

She smiled awkwardly. “I left in a rush and forgot to bring money. Next time.”

But the woman insisted, “That’s fine, take it now and pay me later.”

Song Yitao grew irritated. Why won’t she take a hint? Does she want me to say out loud that I’m broke?

“I said I don’t want it! Are you forcing a sale now?”

“Whoa! What kind of attitude is that? I saw you didn’t have any detergent, just trying to help…”

The argument quickly caught Deng Zhilan’s attention. She wasn’t surprised—this wasn’t the first time Song Yitao had gotten into a fight.

She folded her shawl and headed for the river. Deng Zhilan thought it was time to go home.

But Wei Yanzhen placed the laundry basin behind a rock instead.

Puzzled, Deng Zhilan asked, “Aren’t we going home? Why are you hiding the laundry here?”

The man just smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see in a bit.”