Chapter 43 ☆ Picking grass for pigs (Part 1)

Cheng Yaoyao had a strange and erotic dream all night. When she woke up, her skirt had fallen to her thighs, and her body was covered in sticky sweat.

She lay on the bed, dazed for a long time before covering her face. It must be because the bed smelled like Xie San…

The little lotus leaf was shaking. It had grown a lot overnight. The round leaf that was only the size of a copper coin before had now grown to the size of a cup. Cheng Yaoyao rubbed her forehead, got up, put on a light blue skirt, and pushed the door open to go outside.

The sun was shining brightly, but the hall of the Xie family was cool. The breeze on her face made Cheng Yaoyao take a deep breath of the fresh air.

Grandma Xie and Xie Fei were both sitting in the hall, stringing grass beads around a basket.

Xie Fei raised her head and called out, “Sister, are you awake?”

“Good morning, Grandma. Good morning, Xiao Fei.” Cheng Yaoyao blushed and took out her watch to check. It was already past nine in the morning.

Grandma Xie nodded, her face expressionless.

Xie Fei ran over and pulled Cheng Yaoyao to the kitchen. “Sister, let’s have porridge this morning. I left a bowl for you.”

“Wait, I need to brush my teeth first,” Cheng Yaoyao said, feeling embarrassed.

“I’ll get you some water.” Xie Fei diligently picked up Cheng Yaoyao’s basin to get water.

Cheng Yaoyao squatted by the well to wash, while Xie Fei squatted beside her, watching obsessively.

Every step of Cheng Yaoyao’s washing process looked very meticulous. She brushed her teeth for three minutes. Instead of using a towel to wash her face, she poured water on her face and then gently wiped it off with a towel. She combed her hair slowly with a horn comb, and it fell on her shoulders like silk.

Cheng Yaoyao’s slender fingers wove her long hair into a centipede braid. She finally made herself look refreshed, with fair skin, red lips, and picturesque eyebrows and eyes.

“Sister, your braids are so beautiful.” Xie Fei looked at Cheng Yaoyao’s hair enviously.

Xie Fei was very beautiful, but unfortunately, she was a bit malnourished. Her sparse yellow hair was tied into two small braids, making her a real yellow-haired girl.

Cheng Yaoyao smiled and fiddled with the ends of her hair, saying, “When your hair grows longer, I’ll braid it for you.”

“Okay!” Xie Fei nodded happily.

Cheng Yaoyao looked up and saw that her clothes had been washed and hung in the yard. She asked Xie Fei a bit embarrassedly, “Can you help me wash the clothes?”

“Hush.” Xie Fei raised her index finger to signal Cheng Yaoyao to be quiet, then pulled her into the kitchen and whispered, “Brother will help you wash them.”

“What a joke!?” Cheng Yaoyao almost jumped up.

Those were her underwear. Did Xie San really… wash them all for her?

Seeing Cheng Yaoyao’s flushed face, Xie Fei hurriedly explained, “No, no, He didn’t touch your underwear. It’s the pink one. I washed it for you. It was already on the pole when I got up this morning.”

“……” Cheng Yaoyao’s heart gradually settled, and she said in a strange voice, “He’s so clumsy. Why is he washing clothes for me?”

“Brother treats you well,” Xie Fei said with a smile. “I wanted to wake you up this morning, but Brother wouldn’t let me, saying it was your first day at home, so he let you sleep a little longer.”

Cheng Yaoyao pursed her lips and said worriedly, “Who wants to sleep in? I slept so late on my first day home. Grandma must think I’m too lazy.”

Xie Fei took out the bowl of porridge, steamed buns, and side dishes left for Cheng Yaoyao from the cupboard and said with a smile, “No. Grandma said that young ladies like you always sleep until noon.”

Cheng Yaoyao: “…” It seems Xie Fei really doesn’t understand what irony is.

On the table was a bowl of thin millet porridge, a steamed bun made of mixed flour, and a plate of mixed platycodon.

Cheng Yaoyao picked up the porridge and took a sip. The millet had a pure and rich aroma, and it paired very well with the spicy and cold-boiled platycodon.

Cheng Yaoyao picked up the steamed bun, broke off a small piece, and handed it to Xie Fei.

Xie Fei waved her hands quickly and said, “Sister, I’ve eaten.”

Cheng Yaoyao said, “Take it. I have a small appetite in the morning and can’t eat much.”

Seeing Cheng Yaoyao’s insistence, Xie Fei took it and ate it quickly, in small bites.

Cheng Yaoyao looked around the cabinet and asked, “What did you eat this morning?”

Xie Fei understood what Cheng Yaoyao meant and said hurriedly, “We had the same meal as you this morning. My brother said that Sister will live in our house from now on, so we don’t need to cook separately anymore.”

Xie Fei rubbed her belly with satisfaction. She used to eat this kind of mixed flour bun only a few times a month, but since her sister came home, the meals every day have been delicious.

Cheng Yaoyao nodded with satisfaction and asked again, “Where is your brother?”

“My brother went to the city to learn how to use a tractor. Didn’t he tell you?”

“So fast!” Cheng Yaoyao tilted her head and thought about it. Xie San had said two days ago that he would go into the city today, but she had forgotten about it.

The food in her mouth suddenly lost its taste, and Cheng Yaoyao wilted, “How long will he be gone?”

“I don’t know.” Xie Fei shook her head.

After Cheng Yaoyao finished eating all the food and washing the dishes, she had nothing to do. She simply helped Grandma Xie string the grass beads with Xie Fei.

Grass beads ^[1]are also called Bodhi seeds. They are the size of soybeans, black in color, and have a natural hole in the middle, which allows them to be threaded into curtains or decorations. are used to make door curtains. Every household in the countryside has such grass bead curtains, which are cool and beautiful when hung on the door.

Grandma Xie still didn’t say much, and she slowly threaded the grass beads with a focused expression. Cheng Yaoyao learned from Xie Fei for a while and quickly mastered the technique. Being young and having good eyesight, she worked efficiently and well.

Time seemed to stand still in the old house, passing extremely slowly, with the dust in the sunlight rolling like golden sand. Cheng Yaoyao lowered her head and carefully strung the grass beads, her cheeks glowing like porcelain in the sunlight.

Grandma Xie’s wise and cloudy eyes fell on her face with a hint of surprise.

Cheng Yaoyao is so beautiful and so young, and it’s obvious that she is not a quiet person. It’s surprising that she has the patience to keep an old woman like me company.

Grandma thought this through and asked a few questions to test Cheng Yaoyao’s background.

Cheng Yaoyao strung a string of grass beads and set it aside, then picked up another thread and said with a smile, “I grew up with my grandparents when I was a child, so I am used to being with my elders.”

Grandma Xie was even more surprised and couldn’t help but ask a few more questions about Cheng Yaoyao’s family: “You grew up with your grandparents? Where are your parents?”

Cheng Yaoyao bit her lip and whispered, “My mother died when she gave birth to me. I have a stepmother and a younger sister at home.”

Xie Fei exclaimed softly, looking at Cheng Yaoyao with sympathy and concern.

Grandma Xie was a bit surprised and looked at Cheng Yaoyao. Seeing how delicate and pretty she was, with a look of innocence that comes from being spoiled, she never expected such a difficult background.

Grandma Xie’s heart softened immediately, and she sighed, “Poor thing. At such a young age…”

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Grandma Xie’s eyes flashed, and Xie Fei jumped in shock, almost knocking over the grass beads.

Cheng Yaoyao asked curiously, “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so scared?”

In a serious tone, Grandma Xie said, “Xiao Fei, I’ve told you many times to stay calm.”

Xie Fei’s eyes flickered with panic. She held Cheng Yaoyao’s hand and whispered, “Did they know that my brother is not at home and are going to search our house again?”

Cheng Yaoyao felt a pang in her heart. How many times has the Xie family been harassed to make Xie Fei so frightened?

Cheng Yaoyao patted the back of Xie Fei’s hand and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll go take a look!”

The knocks on the door became more and more urgent.

Cheng Yaoyao strode to the door and yelled through the crack, “Who is it? Why are you knocking on the door?!”

It suddenly became quiet outside. After a while, a child’s voice rang out, “I’m Goudan. The secretary asked me to come and ask you to go pick grass for the pigs!”

“Goudan? Who is Goudan?”

“It’s me, Goudan.”

“Who are you?”

“I’m Goudan.”

“Who is Goudan?”

The children outside started to scream, as if they had lost their minds: “Are you going to pick grass for the pigs or not? If you don’t go, I’ll leave by myself!”

Grandma Xie said, “Stop teasing the kid, that’s Gou next door.”

“Cheng Yaoyao held back her laughter, and Xie Fei was relieved and ran over to open the door. She unbolted the door and opened it. Outside stood a little boy, about 8 years old, wearing a short sweatshirt that had been washed and bleached, with a tanned, chubby face.”

Goudan was holding a broken basket in his hand. When he saw Cheng Yaoyao, his face turned red. He lowered his head and stared at his straw sandals, which were so worn out that his toes were exposed. He asked, “Do you want to go and pick grass for the pigs?”

After Xie Fei reminded her, Cheng Yaoyao realized that the new job assigned to her by the village party secretary was to collect grass for pigs.

Cheng Yaoyao was confused, “Why didn’t anyone notify me?”

Xie Fei said, “Brother fought back for you a few days ago. Today, Brother went to the city, so he asked Goudan to call you.”

Cheng Yaoyao glanced at the sun outside and said, “I’ll go. Wait for me. I need to change my clothes.”