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Song Jinxiu found a stone and sat cross-legged on it, facing the morning sunlight as she began her breathing exercises.
“Thud, thud, thud.”
As the yellow dust crusting the two-story small building in the space fell away, Song Jinxiu completed two full cycles of her breathing.
The mist still lingered in the space, but Song Jinxiu could no longer wait and pushed open the door.
Fortunately, everything in the room remained unchanged.
After rummaging through the kitchen, she suddenly realized that none of the items here could be taken out and used.
Rice cooker, bread machine, microwave, induction stove…
The stainless steel pot should be okay, right? Song Jinxiu picked it up, then put it down again. Such a shiny pot—if her big brother asked about it, she wouldn’t be able to explain.
In the end, she took out the purple clay inner pot from the electric soup cooker.
She decided to use this purple clay inner pot to cook rice—after all, something like this should exist in this era.
She also took six coconut bowls.
Coconut bowls are made by halving and polishing coconuts. They’re essentially wooden bowls, unobtrusive if taken out.
Unable to bear the bare look inside the space, Song Jinxiu casually moved some nearby weeds into it.
No matter what kind of grass it was, as long as there was green inside the space, there was life—and just seeing it made her feel better.
When she arrived home carrying two full buckets of water, her big brother and Xiaodi were already up, weeding in the courtyard together.
The three siblings exchanged looks as they saw her carrying the heavy load.
Song Jinfang was astonished. “Sister, are you really that strong?”
Song Chunsheng frowned and said, “Don’t overdo it. You’re still growing. Carrying just half a bucket each time is enough—don’t strain your body.”
Song Jinxiu smiled. “Brother, I think I’m a strongwoman. These two buckets don’t feel heavy at all.”
After her body had undergone the washing of the meridians and marrow, how could she not handle two buckets of water?
“Suit yourself then.”
Song Chunsheng’s eyes darkened. If it weren’t for his own leg, there was no way he would let his sister carry water.
“Sister, did you find a clay pot? Why is this clay pot red?”
He glanced at the purple clay inner pot in her hand.
A clay pot? Well, that saved her the trouble of explaining. It seemed choosing to take this item out was the right call.
Song Jinxiu quickly said, “Oh, I found it by the stream, along with these wooden bowls. They must have been discarded by hunters. I’ve already cleaned them, so let’s use this to cook rice today.”
“Where exactly did you pick this up? It looks almost new. Sanya, you should return it—don’t let anyone find out.”
“Oh, it’s not new. When I picked it up, it was full of mud and weeds. I polished it with a stone—that’s why it looks new.”
Song Chunsheng glanced again at the purple clay pot and the coconut bowls, reluctantly believing Song Jinxiu’s explanation. But he couldn’t help giving a warning.
“We can’t take things that belong to others. If people find out, you’ll be talked about your whole life. Understand?”
“Understand, understand. We may be poor, but we’re not without pride. Don’t worry, Brother—I know.”
Song Jinxiu let out a silent breath of relief. Good thing she hadn’t brought out the stainless steel pot; those wooden bowls alone would have taken forever to explain.
That morning, they still had millet porridge,
While eating, Song Chunsheng suddenly stared at Song Jinxiu, causing her to pause in surprise.
“What’s wrong?”
“Sanya, did you wash your hair?”
“Yes, I did.”
“But you still have a wound on your head. How could you wash your hair? Don’t you know the wound shouldn’t get wet?”
Song Chunsheng frowned deeply, stood up, and parted his sister’s hair to check. Suddenly, he froze.
The wound?
Song Jinxiu: …
She had forgotten—after the washing of the meridians and marrow, even those small wounds healed quickly.
“Um, brother, I wasn’t really hurt. The blood on my head is chicken blood I smeared on, just to scare them,” Song Jinxiu lied without hesitation.
Song Chunsheng looked puzzled. “Chicken blood? Sanya, where did you get chicken blood?”
“Oh, I stole it. Auntie secretly eats chicken, so I took some of their chicken blood,” she hurriedly explained. “Anyway, don’t worry. I’m really not injured. But Brother, you must have bruises all over yourself.”
Song Jinfang covered her mouth. “Sister, your acting is pretty convincing. The wound on your head looks just like the real thing.”
Song Qiusheng stared wide-eyed. Big sister is lying.
Song Jinxiu: …
“Good that you’re not hurt,” Song Chunsheng said with relief. “Let’s eat. After we finish, there’s still work to do.”
He secretly rubbed his own back. His sister was unharmed, but his injuries were serious. Father’s kicks had been heavy—so painful that he didn’t dare turn over at night.
And his leg…
His eyes darkened as he hid the emotions stirring inside.
Suddenly, Song Jinxiu, belatedly realizing, said, “Brother, now that both Sister and I have names, please stop calling us Sanya and Wuya. Sister’s name is Jinxiu, and mine is Jinfang. Remember that?”
Song Chunsheng smiled, tapping her lightly with his chopsticks. “Got it, Song Jinxiu.”
Jinxiu quickly laughed, embarrassed. “Hee hee hee, eat, eat.”
After eating, the siblings began tidying the courtyard. Song Jinxiu watched her big brother dragging one leg as he worked, his pale complexion clearly abnormal.
Suddenly, Song Jinfang, belatedly realizing, said, “Brother, now that both Sister and I have names, please stop calling us Sanya and Wuya. Sister’s name is Jinxiu, and mine is Jinfang. Remember that?”
Song Chunsheng smiled, tapping her lightly with his chopsticks. “Got it, Song Jinfang.”
Jinfang quickly laughed, embarrassed. “Hee hee hee, eat, eat.”
After eating, the siblings began tidying the courtyard. Song Jinxiu watched her big brother dragging one leg as he worked, his pale complexion clearly abnormal.
“Brother, let me see your leg.”
“No…”
Song Chunsheng tried to stop her, but his sister was too quick.
Song Jinxiu rolled up his trouser leg and was shocked by the swollen, dark purple, and shiny calf.
His leg was in such bad shape—how could he endure this and keep working?
“Brother, sob sob, Brother, what should we do?”
Song Jinfang was so frightened she was at a loss and burst into tears.
Song Jinxiu’s face darkened. “Did that man kick your leg? It’s like this—don’t you feel any pain?”
Song Jinxiu was furious. That worthless scoundrel father had deliberately kicked her big brother’s injured leg, fully aware it was damaged. He was utterly heartless.
She was also angry at her big brother for not taking care of himself, hobbling around and working despite his leg being in such bad shape.
At the same time, she worried—what if his leg was going necrotic? That could mean amputation.
With the poor medical conditions here, amputation could be fatal.
Song Chunsheng was startled by his sister’s expression. “If I rest, it’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
He knew his leg might be in bad shape, but what else could he do?
With the family in its current state, he couldn’t afford to get sick. Besides, as the eldest brother, he had the responsibility to provide a stable home for his younger siblings.
Song Jinxiu glared at him, her face stern as she ordered her sister, “Go borrow a handcart.”
Song Chunsheng had a bad feeling and quickly asked, “Why borrow a cart?”
Song Jinxiu ignored him and snapped at her tearful sister, “Hurry up and go.”
“Okay.”
Their big sister was angry—her expression was scary. Song Jinfang guessed that Jinxiu wanted to borrow the cart to take Brother to get his leg checked and hurried out.
“Jinxiu, we don’t have money,” Song Chunsheng said helplessly.
When Mother left, she secretly gave him a hundred copper coins. But in the meantime, Xiaodi fell ill with diarrhea. The family refused to have him treated, saying a child would get better after a couple of days.
He was the one who bought medicine for Xiaodi, spending half of that money at once.
Later, unwilling to accept that his leg was truly crippled, he secretly sought treatment himself and took two doses of medicine. Now, he only had ten copper coins left.
Putting aside whether that was enough to treat his leg, this family had to keep some coins on hand for emergencies, right?
Song Jinxiu said nothing, turned, and went inside, shutting the door behind her before entering the space.
She couldn’t stand people who didn’t take care of their health.
When trouble arises, if you can handle it, then handle it. If you can’t, find a way around it. But risking your own body to fight through—what kind of thing is that?
Is it really to make those who care for you suffer, while delighting your enemies?