Chapter 2: A Big Bowl of Wontons

It was obvious the child hadn’t bathed in a long time.
Pu Jiaojiao only had to rub gently with her hand, and layers of dirt came off.

But it was understandable. With just a father and a brother around, taking care of a little girl wasn’t exactly ideal.

Right now, Xiaohua was only three years old. If she were any older, it would be really inappropriate for a man to help her bathe.

Pu Jiaojiao rummaged around for a while before finally digging out a piece of soapnut.
The men rarely used it — this one had been brought over by Pu Jiaojiao herself and used only on herself. As for the kids, the original host had completely ignored them.

It took five washes to get Xiaohua’s hair to finally foam.
Pu Jiaojiao let out a sigh of relief.

Still, the soapnut available in this era wasn’t that great. She made a mental note to make some real soap when she had time — she could use it herself, sell it at her family’s shop, and even build up a small personal stash of silver.

After washing Jing Xiaohua clean and wrapping her up, Pu Jiaojiao placed her in her own room.

She and her “bargain husband” shared a room, while the two children shared another.

Pu Jiaojiao went to check the children’s clothing and was immediately dismayed — there were barely any clothes, and those they had didn’t fit properly.

She couldn’t help but shake her head.
Fine, maybe it made sense for a stepmother to be neglectful, but what about the biological father? Why was he so unreliable too?

She barely managed to find a wearable set and dressed Xiaohua in it.

Thinking about the dowry she’d brought over, she decided to go through it later to see if she could make a few outfits for the two children.

Not because she was some kind of saint — but because she really couldn’t stand the sight of it anymore.

Though she had never raised children before, she had grown up in an orphanage.
She had helped take care of younger children there plenty of times, so she was no stranger to looking after kids.

And children without mothers… they really were pitiful.
Having grown up with no parents herself, Pu Jiaojiao understood this deeply.

Even though she’d been quite successful in her past life, deep down, what she had longed for most was a family.

That was the most beautiful dream for every child in an orphanage.

Now, Jing Xiaohua’s little face was freshly washed, clean and glowing.

Though the girl was clearly malnourished, she had delicate features and was clearly a natural beauty in the making.

No wonder she would later become the villain’s reverse scale — the one thing that must not be touched.

Because of this little sister, the villain would go on to kill a great many people.

Pu Jiaojiao had Xiaohua sit quietly on the bed while she herself quickly darted into the kitchen to take a bath.

She had always loved cleanliness, and the sweat from earlier had already made her uncomfortable.

Her hair was long but well-maintained — black and shiny.

After washing her hair as well, she returned to the courtyard with Xiaohua in her arms to dry their hair under the sun.

That’s the thing with ancient times — everything was just a hassle.

Xiaohua, thankfully, was a little girl, and her hair wasn’t very long. Combined with her poor nutrition, her hair dried quickly with just a little sun and toweling.

Pu Jiaojiao, however, would need at least half a day for hers to fully dry.

Still, she didn’t stay idle.
She picked up a comb and began brushing Xiaohua’s hair while chatting with her casually.

Maybe it was because Pu Jiaojiao had given her a warm bath and was speaking gently — Xiaohua no longer seemed afraid of her.

She even took the initiative to tell Pu Jiaojiao that she was hungry.

And who wouldn’t be?
Since the villain’s father had left, the two children hadn’t had a proper meal in days.

The original host had always bought food just for herself and didn’t care whether the kids lived or died.

Pu Jiaojiao felt a pang of guilt.
Seeing that their hair was nearly dry, she casually pinned up her own and tied up Xiaohua’s little pigtails. Then, holding the child in her arms, she headed out.

Just around the corner from their alley was a lively street, full of shops and street vendors.

Pu Jiaojiao set Jing Xiaohua down and took her by the hand, leading her to a wonton stall.

It was already nearing noon, so the little stall wasn’t busy anymore.

Pu Jiaojiao asked for one large bowl of wontons, planning to share it with Xiaohua.

The wontons were thin-skinned and full of filling, each one gleaming in the broth.

Though her own stomach was growling, Pu Jiaojiao first scooped a few into a bowl, blew on them to cool them down, and began feeding Xiaohua.

“I can eat by myself. I always eat on my own,” Jing Xiaohua blinked her big eyes, drooling despite herself.

It smelled so good — even better than the bun her brother had given her that morning.

Seeing that Xiaohua seemed confident, Pu Jiaojiao didn’t insist. After confirming the girl could eat on her own, she handed over the spoon.

Once she saw that Xiaohua could blow on each wonton to cool it before eating, Pu Jiaojiao finally relaxed.

She took a bite herself — the delicious taste instantly whetted her appetite.

The two, one big and one small, finished off the entire bowl of wontons without leaving a drop.

After eating, Pu Jiaojiao took Xiaohua grocery shopping.

Admittedly, it wasn’t the best time to shop — most of the farmers had already sold their goods and were heading home with their empty baskets.

But Pu Jiaojiao wasn’t really after vegetables — she was after meat.

The butcher’s stall was still open. The butcher, recognizing her, greeted her warmly.
“Miss Pu! Come to buy some meat?”

“Uncle Rong, I want to buy some meat and bones,” Pu Jiaojiao replied with a smile.
There wasn’t much meat left on the stall — most of it had already been snatched up by early shoppers.

However, there were still big bones and pig offal, things most people didn’t want.

When Pu Jiaojiao asked for the offal to be wrapped up too, Uncle Rong was a little surprised — those bits were usually bought only to feed dogs.

But he didn’t question it. Offal didn’t cost much anyway, so he packed it up along with the rest.

Once they left, his wife came out from the back and couldn’t help clicking her tongue.
“Didn’t expect her to stoop so low after getting married — even taking the offal.”

In the past, Pu Jiaojiao wouldn’t have even looked at such things.

That scandal back then had made quite a stir. Everyone in the neighborhood had watched her grow up — when she was caught up in that unfortunate incident, people couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

Luckily, Constable Jing had been willing to take responsibility and proposed to her.

The only downside? She immediately became a stepmother to two kids.

And everyone said being a stepmother was hard. They’d even heard rumors that the kids in Jing’s house had been crying from hunger recently.

At first, people had felt a bit uneasy — after all, if you were going to get married, then do it properly. The kids were innocent.

If she hadn’t really wanted the marriage, why agree to it?

But now, seeing Pu Jiaojiao walking around buying things with the little girl from the Jing family, it seemed like she’d finally come around and was willing to take care of the children.

They were all neighbors, and seeing this made them genuinely happy for the kids.

Having a woman run the house really did make a difference.

Pu Jiaojiao then took Xiaohua to the grain store, had some rice and flour delivered to their home, and also bought some soybeans, mung beans, and brown sugar before heading back.

The wontons had served as lunch, and both of them were full.
Instead of sending Xiaohua back to the children’s room, Pu Jiaojiao cuddled her into their master bedroom and took a nap with her.

Meanwhile—

Jing Hongyi sprinted home, gasping for breath.
He was worried his sister might be scared alone, but even more afraid that that woman might have taken her anger out on Xiaohua while he was away.

Clang! The door slammed open.

Jing Hongyi froze in shock.