Chapter 10

After dinner, He Guijuan gave Jiang Jiang a bath.

A large wooden tub was filled to the brim with water, and He Guijuan had added ginger slices to help warm her daughter up.

Jiang Jiang’s body was thin and frail; her arms and legs were so slender that they were heartbreaking to see, especially the area around her ribs, which were sharply defined.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” He Guijuan said quietly, wiping away her tears as she took the soap and a clean white towel to wash her daughter’s hair and body.

Jiang Jiang watched as He Guijuan used the white soap to wash her, and as it lathered up into a lot of bubbles, a lovely scent filled the air. It was the most comfortable bath she had ever taken.

After the bath, He Guijuan dried Jiang Jiang’s body with a wrung-out towel and then brought out some old clothes given to her by Zhang Yueju to change her into.

Although the clothes from Zhang Yueju were old, they were still for girls and didn’t look too worn out. They were certainly much better than the rags Jiang Jiang had originally worn, which had become so tattered that their color was unrecognizable.

Jiang Jiang was naturally pretty, with well-defined brow bones, big sparkling eyes, and long, curled eyelashes. Wearing the new clothes made her look even more vibrant.

She wore a thick, floral-patterned cotton coat on top and deep purple corduroy pants, with her freshly washed hair softly cascading over her shoulders. She appeared to be a well-behaved and charming little girl.

When He Guijuan carried Jiang Jiang back into the house, the kang (a traditional heated bed) was already warm and cozy.

Lin Youqing was reading a book, and when he saw his wife and daughter come in, he was a bit surprised.

Perhaps due to the increased nutrition from their meals over the past few days, the girl’s complexion no longer looked as sallow as when he first saw her. Her long, fluttering eyelashes blinked softly, making her look sweet and endearing.

He Guijuan took a dry towel and helped her daughter dry her hair.

“Tomorrow, Wang Shuwen’s youngest son will be one month old. I plan to take Jiang Jiang with me. Do you want to go too?”

“I still have to go to the commune tomorrow. You can take Jiang Jiang with you. Wang Shuwen’s oldest daughter is about the same age as Jiang Jiang; they should be able to play together.”

“Okay.”

Once He Guijuan dried her daughter’s hair, she used hot water from the thermos to prepare a bowl of malted milk drink for her husband and daughter.

The bowl not only smelled rich with milk but also had a hint of malt. As Jiang Jiang picked up the bowl to drink, she noticed that He Guijuan hadn’t made herself any malted milk drink. She brought the bowl to her mother, saying, “Mom, you drink first.”

He Guijuan smiled, “I don’t need to drink. Jiang Jiang can have it.”

There were no extra rooms in the house, so she laid out another blanket on the kang, allowing Jiang Jiang to sleep with them. After all, the child was still young, and there was nothing she needed to avoid for the time being.

“Mom, just drink it.”

Unable to refuse her, He Guijuan took a couple of sips from the edge of the porcelain bowl. It tasted good and was worth the price.

Seeing that He Guijuan had drunk some, Jiang Jiang picked up the bowl to try a sip herself. It was her first time tasting the malted milk drink. It was fragrant, rich, and slightly sweet—delicious.

Lin Youqing admonished his wife: “Being too kind is not good. Being excessively good to me and the child while neglecting yourself will put a psychological burden on the child.”

“Alright, I understand,” He Guijuan replied, looking at the bowl Jiang Jiang brought over again. Unable to get the better of them, the family of three took turns sipping from the two bowls until they finished the malted milk drink.

—o—o—o—

After they finished drinking, He Guijuan poured some warm water from the thermos for herself, her husband, and daughter to rinse their mouths before climbing onto the kang and burrowing under the covers.

He Guijuan gazed at the ceiling shrouded in night, contemplating the future. “When the time comes to return to the county town, we’ll tidy up that study and make it a room for Jiang Jiang. That room faces the sun; it will be bright and cheerful.”

Their house had been allocated by their work unit since both she and her husband were cadres. When Lin Youqing and his wife first moved in, they had designated the purpose of each cave house: one was a living room, another was their bedroom, one was for guests, and the last one was the study.

“Sure, when the time comes, I’ll move my books to our cave and get a new desk. By next year, Jiang Jiang can go to school.”\

“When we return to the county, we also need to take Jiang Jiang to the department store. There are so many things that need to be bought.”

The few tattered clothes their daughter had worn before were certainly no longer suitable. After the new year, wearing a cotton-padded jacket in spring would be inappropriate. They needed to make a couple of looser spring outfits, and they would have to buy new sheets and quilts, along with food and toys for a young child…

The more she thought about it, the more she couldn’t help but smile. “Alright, let’s go to sleep for now.”

With that, she helped her daughter tuck in under the blanket and blew out the kerosene lamp.

—o—o—o—

Outside the door, Fengyin listened to the family of three inside and felt an uncontrollable surge of jealousy.

Why did Jiang Jiang get to have everything so wonderful?

New clothes, malted milk drinks, a life in the city… all of this should have been hers!

When she returned to the room, Li Hongmei was just finishing mending some clothes. She held up the cotton batting and, upon seeing Fengyin come in, couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you take so long to pee?”

Fengyin ignored her mother, directly taking off her shoes and climbing onto the kang.

Caogen was already asleep, his mouth slightly open and drooling, taking up a significant portion of her sleeping space.

“I’m talking to you. Are you deaf or what?” Li Hongmei pressed.

“I just took a big dump too.” Fengyin replied.

“Just in time. Get up and try on this piece of clothing.” Li Hongmei tossed over a freshly mended garment. It was obviously too small for Fengzhen; the knees were worn through, and Li Hongmei had patched it up with a dark piece of fabric that looked terribly ugly.

Why did Jiang Jiang get to wear new clothes while she had to settle for something rejected by Fengzhen?

“Mom, I don’t want this. Make me a new dress instead.”

“A new dress? Are you dreaming? Let’s not even mention that we don’t have fabric coupons. Even if we did, your father would get priority, then your two older brothers.”

“Look at how Jiang Jiang has new clothes! I’ve never worn new clothes from the time I was little!” Fengyin exclaimed.

Mentioning Jiang Jiang made Li Hongmei recall the rejections she had faced at Lin Youqing’s place these past few days.

Angry, she slapped Fengyin on the head.

“Have you seen your third aunt making new clothes for that wild girl? Take a good look at yourself and your situation. We don’t have that kind of luck, so stop wishing for things that aren’t meant for us. Unless you beg your third uncle and aunt to take you to the county town!”

“Your third uncle and aunt have been childless for so many years. They probably can’t have children at all. If it weren’t for Jiang Jiang, they might have been willing to adopt you…”

Li Hongmei’s words hit Fengyin like a wake-up call. Yes, if it weren’t for Jiang Jiang, she could have been the daughter of her third uncle and aunt.

Although Li Hongmei had just said it casually, her words sparked a calculation in Fengyin’s mind.

—o—o—o—

T/N: She’s only  6 years old and  she’s already this vicious.