Chapter 19: Chapter 19
Chapter 19
"Just give me a moment, Qian’er,” Mu Heng looked at his wife with a softened gaze.
He knew that this woman was concerned about him and of course, that made him very happy. However, his family came first. When his parents were still alive, everyone was good to him, even though things changed when there was no longer a driving force of his parents behind the family work, and everyone thought he and his siblings were just freeloaders.
Yet, owing to the kindness they had once shown, he asked for another chance for these people.
"Before the Mao period tomorrow, I hope the money taken from my siblings will be fully returned. Besides... after this incident, if it goes to the authorities and results in me being an ungrateful nephew sending his older relatives to jail, I’m prepared to do it," Mu Heng said, before leaving.
He carried Xiao Long in his arms instead of Yueqian, who was about to pick up his younger brother. Aunt Liao had already picked up Huan’er, leaving Yueqian to support Mu Heng.
Amid the stares of hundreds in the village, Yueqian’s cool demeanor startled everyone. She seemed powerful and authoritative, and together with the serious Mu Heng, it seemed like they were in a completely different world, a level beyond them.
"Thank you very much, Aunt Liao," Yueqian took Huan’er back, even though the young girl felt slightly shy about being in her sister-in-law’s arms. However, today her sister-in-law had stood up to protect them, and Huan’er ’wouldn’t forget that.
Even though she and her older brother couldn’t work as their sister-in-law had told them, in the end, she didn’t blame them. The money was more than 500 brass coins, and other parents might have beaten their children nearly to death for losing that amount.
Not only did her sister-in-law did not say a word, but she also applied medicine to them. That medicine must have been very effective; otherwise, why would all their pain disappear immediately after application? Even the doctor who had treated her before never had medicine that good.
“It’s alright, you all get in your house. If there’s anything, just come and call.” Aunt Liao casually waved then walked away, not wanting to disturb their family time any further.
"Let’s go inside," Yueqian told her husband, who still looked guilty.
He had promised her that he would retrieve the money. Who would have thought it would end up with a fight between uncles and a nephew, accusing him of being selfish and indifferent to his nephews? But isn’t he also a nephew who had to fend for himself?
Mu Heng was determined not to give up; he was ready to fight to the death to get his wife’s money back. Eventually, the fighting became so severe that many people came to intervene, and it soon reached the village leader. Although the leader was very neutral, he preferred to mediate, seemingly not wanting any major troubles.
As a child, he had to agree with whatever the village leader said. Fortunately, Yueqian stepped in. She declared sternly and would not let anyone off. Mu Heng was firm in his resolve to be like her.
"Wife, I..." he called to Yueqian as she was about to enter the house, his voice filled with remorse.
He had brought her here, and not only did he not have money for her comfort, but family issues also made her lose money. No one else could be blamed for this. It was because he, as the head of the family, was not strong enough.
"Let’s go inside. The children must be hungry. I’ll go and warm up some food in a moment," Yueqian shook her head, not wanting to talk about that anymore. Since Mu Heng had given a deadline. If they did not return the money by tomorrow, she would report it to the authorities. She was going to do it for sure.
"Ah, um," Mu Heng nodded, carrying Xiao Long into the house before following to help his wife prepare food.
"Today we’ll have steamed buns, shumais, boiled eggs, and meatballs. It’s too late to cook anything else now. If you’re still hungry, you can have some mung beans mooncakes at night," Yueqian instructed Mu Heng as he helped her light two stoves.
One stove was used for steaming the steamed bun and shumais, with boiled eggs in the bottom tier. The other stove used the used oil from frying the meat balls previously, heated, then fried fish balls.
The delicious aroma of the food slowly filled the house. Mu Heng assisted in the preparation. Though his help was limited, he could manage tasks like adding water and stoking the fire.
Soon, six steamed buns, a large tray of shumais, four boiled eggs, and a quantity of meatballs were ready. Everything was beautifully arranged on ceramic plates and bowls. Yueqian brought out four pairs of ornately designed chopsticks, giving the meal an appearance like it was ordered from a famous restaurant.
The children, already hungry, had resisted eating the steamed buns during the day, hoping to sell as many as possible. Seeing their sister-in-law’s cooking, they couldn’t help but salivate.
"Let’s eat," Yueqian told them after handing out the bowls.
"But, but we..."
"Eat first, we can talk later. Today your brother and I bought a lot of food. You’ll need to help us a lot during the winter," Yueqian said carelessly. She took out boiled eggs that were already peeled and put it in her bowl. There was a dip sauce from the combination of fish sauce, lime, shallots, and a bit of chili, keeping it not too spicy for the children.
After dipping the egg in the sauce and enjoying it along with biting into the flavorful shallots, Yueqian’s face clearly showed her contentment.
The children looked at their brother, seeking permission. Mu Heng, seeing his wife’s happiness and not wanting to disturb her, nodded for the kids to start eating.
The four family members ate happily together. The delicious, minced pork steamed buns were quickly devoured; Mu Heng ate two, and each child had one and a half. Yueqian, sick of steamed buns, only ate one and found herself nearly full after eating it with an egg. As for the fish balls, they were just a side dish.
After eating to their heart’s content, Yueqian went back to the kitchen and returned within a while after, bringing pingguo or the red apples that already peeled and cut into beautiful pieces, she even prepared oranges and grapes.
“An after-meal’s dessert.” Yueqian placed it before her. She brought along 4 tiny wooden sticks. She picked one up, then poked it into a fruit and placed the fruit on its tip in her mouth. The children saw that, they joyfully copied her.
They were children who were growing, they had the largest appetite, same as Mu Heng who was a man. He was the one who almost shoved down all fish balls, and also the one who finished the fruits.
No matter how full they were, the children still got up to wash the dishes. Yueqian wanted them to rest a bit since they were quite injured. Nevertheless, the kids who hadn’t done much wouldn’t agree to just sit by. They went to wash the dishes themselves, dragging small chairs to sit together. Next to them, Mu Heng helped scoop water while Yueqian walked around, ceaselessly adding things to the kitchen.
Eventually, she brought out three large stainless-steel basins, though Mu Heng and the siblings thought they were the kind of metal only available to city dwellers. Not just that, but there were also two dishwashing sponges and dishwashing liquid. Yueqian knew the kids did not know how to use it, but for cleanliness and hygiene, she showed them how to do it.
The first basin contained only two bowls of water, with a green pea-sized amount of dishwashing liquid. Yueqian whipped it into foam, which surprised the children, of course, they soon had fun playing with it.
The second and third basins were filled with water. Yueqian demonstrated first, and then the kids, fascinated by this method of washing dishes, volunteered to continue on their own. They were excited about how easily the dishes became clean without needing to scrub hard, even pots, pans, and spatulas became spotlessly clean without any black residue left.
After they finished washing, they stood looking proudly at their work.
However, washing dishes in winter was truly torturous. Luckily, this time they boiled eggs, so they used that water in the first basin, which needed the most time. The second and third basins were less bothersome as they didn’t have to soak their hands too long. But after they were done, she had to tell the kids to quickly dry their hands to prevent them from getting too cold.
Mu Heng watched Yueqian paying attention to every detail like that and smiled happily. The young man’s gaze towards the woman known as his wife grew more profound with every passing moment.
"Sister-in-law, what kind of work did you say you needed our help with?" Huan’er asked after they were back inside the house, and Xiao Long was equally curious.
"It’s nothing too hard. Tomorrow when your brother goes to various villages, I’ll need your help," Yueqian told them, letting tomorrow take care of itself since everyone was probably very tired today. They should rest.
“Is that so.” The girl looked up at her sister-in-law, who now seemed more important than her own brother, with obedient eyes.
Yueqian gently stroked the hair of the two children affectionately with her small hand.
"Oh, I also bought extra bed sheets and blankets for you. Just wait a moment," Yueqian told them. She wasn’t gone long before returning with two thick blankets from the city and also two thick bed sheets.
Normally, the children slept together during winter because they had limited blankets. If not for their body warmth helping each other, they might not have survived the cold nights.
So, when they saw that they each had their own set of bedding, the children were so excited they nearly cried.
“Arrange your bedding and rest up today. Oh, and don’t worry about making breakfast tomorrow; I’ll prepare something with what we have. Sleep until I call you," Yueqian instructed them.
The children, now very obedient to Yueqian, were also thrilled with their new thick blankets and soft beds. They quickly ran to their rooms to prepare their beds, giving Yueqian a chance to finally speak with her husband.
"It’s gotten colder today. Come up and sleep on the mattress with me. I brought two blankets as well. Here you go," Yueqian said, handing him a dark blue blanket similar to her own. Her mattress was elevated, it was lightweight and unlike the fully stuffed materials of today’s mattresses, making it easy to lean against the wall when not in use.
Indeed, their bed was right in the center of the house.
"Um," Mu Heng nodded, his face turning slightly red after getting permission from his wife to sleep together that night.
Soon, their bed was ready. It was Mu Heng’s first time on such a soft and springy mattress, and he was initially nervous. However, the warmth it provided also made him feel comfortable.
"Good night," Yueqian said from another corner, giving him a sweet smile before closing her eyes. Her beautiful face so close, and her pleasant scent, made Mu Heng’s heart flutter.
It was almost midnight by the time he managed to fall asleep, so it was no surprise that he woke up with dark circles almost as deep as the bruises on his cheek.
