Chapter 8

Jiang Jiang followed her new parents to their new home.

The Lin family’s house was the best-looking in Dongxi Village, featuring a separate courtyard with a total of six cave houses. It was bright and spacious, with walls made of blue bricks—something unique in Dongxi Village. At the entrance was a jujube tree, its leaves bare in winter, with a few unpicked fruits still hanging high up.

Lin Youqing carried the child down from the bicycle and took the items from his wife’s hands as the three of them entered the house.

Today, it was Li Hongmei’s turn to cook. When she saw her brother’s family return with a girl, she was quickly shocked by their attitude toward the child. At the same time, she felt a sense of resentment. Why should this wild child receive such treatment when her daughter, Fengyin, was Lin Youqing’s niece?

She splashed some water to the side and said sarcastically, “Oh, so this is Jiang Fusheng’s daughter? You’ve brought her home already? Aren’t you afraid your mother will be angry?”

“Mom has been angry quite a bit lately; what’s one more time?” Lin Youqing replied, knowing that the water used to wash the pots nearly splashed onto Jiang Jiang.

He Guijuan was irritated by Li Hongmei’s comments. She could understand that Lin Laotai was unhappy about them adopting Jiang Jiang, but why should Li Hongmei be upset?

“Old San, you two must have bought a lot of tasty things at the market,” Li Hongmei remarked greedily, eyeing the items in their hands. Since her brother and sister-in-law both had jobs, they were generally generous with their purchases.

“Not much; I’ll take the child inside first,” Lin Youqing said.

He Guijuan had no intention of bringing out the milk candies and egg cakes they bought at the cooperative right away.

With the elder sister-in-law absent, if she took them out now, it was likely that all the egg cakes would end up in the mouths of the younger sister-in-law’s dogs, while the elder sister-in-law’s children, Shuanzhu and Tiezhu, wouldn’t get anything to eat.

Lin Youqing and his wife brought Jiang Jiang back to their cave house.

This cave clearly belonged to educated individuals.

The interior was kept very clean, the walls painted a bright white with slaked lime, and green curtains hung at the windows. Inside was a sofa and a desk, the desk adorned with a fountain pen, some drafts, and a few books. In the corner stood an old elm wardrobe, and clothes were neatly folded by the heated bed.

He Guijuan placed the bought fabric in the wardrobe, setting aside some of the big white rabbit milk candies and egg cakes. She stuffed these into the lower drawer of the five-drawer chest, planning to save that portion for Jiang Jiang while dividing the rest into three portions—one for Lin Laotai, one for Zhang Yueju, and one for Li Hongmei.

He Guijuan took out a measuring tape from the wardrobe. “Jiang Jiang, come here. Mom is going to measure you.”

Jiang Jiang obediently raised her hand for her to measure.

He Guijuan’s heart ached; her daughter was so thin she seemed to be nothing but bones.

“All done.” He Guijuan noted Jiang Jiang’s measurements and pointed to the sofa. “You and Dad can sit and rest for a bit while I go make dinner.”

“Mom, I’ll help you,” Jiang Jiang quickly offered, finding it increasingly natural to call him “Dad” and her “Mom.”

“No need. Just rest with your dad in the room; I’ll call you both when it’s ready.”

Jiang Jiang nodded and sat down next to Lin Youqing.

Lin Youqing gently patted his daughter’s head.

“Di mei,” Zhang Yueju knocked on the door.

“Eldest Sister-in-law?”

He Guijuan exchanged glances with her husband before opening the door, revealing Zhang Yueju standing at the entrance, holding a pile of clothes.

“This is Jiang Jiang, right?” Zhang Yueju’s gaze landed on Jiang Jiang.

“Jiang Jiang, this is your aunt,” He Guijuan introduced.

Jiang Jiang quickly stood up and leaned closer, calling out, “Auntie!”

“Oh, she looks like a smart and well-behaved child,” Zhang Yueju remarked with a smile.

“What brings you here, Eldest Sister-in-law?” He Guijuan asked.

“These are some old clothes from my niece. Today, I went to my family to visit relatives with your brother. My sister-in-law from my family gave these to me. When I passed by the kitchen, I heard that the second wife said you brought Jiang Jiang back, so I thought I’d bring them over to see if you want to dress Jiang Jiang in them. They’re still quite new, and I’ve thoroughly washed them.”

The clothes were originally meant to be taken back for Fengyin, but since Li Hongmei and her daughter never appreciated her, it was better to pass them on to He Guijuan as a favor.

“Then thank you, Eldest Sister-in-law,” He Guijuan said with a smile as she accepted the clothes, relieved since she had been worried about not having anything for Jiang Jiang to change into these past few days.

As a token of appreciation, she slipped two yuan into the portion of egg cake and milk candies meant for Zhang Yueju.

After He Guijuan stepped outside, Jiang Jiang returned to the sofa and looked at her adoptive father.

“Dad, about my home…” Even though her family had nothing of value, she couldn’t help but think of the old hen. With her gone, there would be no one to feed it.

“After we finish eating, Dad will go over to help you feed the chicken. Once the New Year is over, we can bring it to the city, and I’ll build a nest for it in the yard,” Lin Youqing reassured her.

Having spent the past two years with that old hen, Jiang Jiang had formed a deep bond with it, and leaving it alone in the village would be hard for her.

“Thank you, Dad.”

“Dad, I’ll clean its nest every day,” Jiang Jiang said softly, aware that raising chickens was different from keeping cats or dogs; it could get messy.

Lin Youqing affectionately patted his daughter’s head.

Thinking about the county town made Jiang Jiang’s face light up with longing. She had only been to the commune a handful of times, let alone the county town, a place she had never visited and could only imagine.