Yun Qinghuan valued cleanliness, even though she had traversed into this difficult era where bathing and grooming were inconvenient. She insisted on taking a shower every day, or at least every two days, as she felt uncomfortable with the sticky sensation on her body otherwise.
As for Bai Jin’an, being a boy who played outside every day, his clothes would inevitably become dirty by the time he went to bed in the evening. Therefore, Yun Qinghuan ordered him to take a bath and change his clothes. Otherwise, he wasn’t allowed to sleep on the bed. At first, the little guy felt a bit wronged, thinking she disliked him being dirty. Yun Qinghuan later frightened him, saying that being too dirty would attract little bugs, and his hair might even harbor lice. She didn’t know what he thought about, but his face turned pale. Afterward, he obediently bathed and groomed.
Moreover, he consciously tried to stay clean, avoiding getting his clothes dirty, because Yun Qinghuan would make him wash his own clothes. Last time, he spent the entire morning but couldn’t clean his soiled clothes properly, realizing that doing laundry was quite challenging.
Lying in bed, the room plunged into darkness, and the surroundings were quiet, making certain sounds stand out. The sound of trickling water caught Yun Qinghuan’s attention. She pursed her lips, knowing it must be Bai Naihan grooming himself.
People in the Bai family valued cleanliness, especially Bai Naihan. Despite sitting in a wheelchair, he worked hard throughout the day. Yun Qinghuan had seen him attempting rehabilitation exercises several times, often sweating profusely. In the evenings, after everyone else had gone to sleep, he would take a cold shower in the courtyard without minding the cold.
Accompanied by the sound of water, she drifted into a deep sleep.
The next day, after breakfast, Yun Qinghuan took a basket and prepared to go cut grass.
To avoid getting too tanned, she deliberately wore long pants and a long dress, along with a straw hat. She also wrapped a towel around her neck. Liu Yuzhi gave her a pair of gloves, saying, “Wear gloves when cutting grass, be careful not to cut your hands. Some grass can be prickly, so be cautious.
“Also, don’t exert yourself too much while cutting grass. There’s no rush, take a break if you get tired. Don’t recklessly overdo it without thinking through.”
Fearing that Yun Qinghuan might not understand, she chattered on with various instructions.
When it was no longer early, Liu Yuzhi allowed Yun Qinghuan to leave, instructing Bai Naihan to follow her. “Naihan, take your sister-in-law to report first.”
Earning work points wasn’t as simple as deciding to work. They needed to report to the scorekeeper, and after finishing the task, someone would inspect it. Only then would they be credited with work points.
“Alright.”
The man responded lightly.
They also needed to go and collect the sickles for cutting grass and return them after finishing the task.
In this era, many agricultural tools were communal property and not privately owned.
Watching them leave, Bai Jin’an felt anxious, scratching his head, then ran up to Yun Qinghuan. “Mom, I want to go cut grass with you. I’m really strong. Last time, I cut grass on my own to feed the chickens and ducks at home.”
Speaking, he even lifted his slender arms as if to prove that he could indeed work.
Yun Qinghuan smiled and lightly tapped the little one’s nose. “You can go cut grass with us, but you have to behave. No running around.”
“Okay!”
The little one happily agreed and asked, “Mom, if I do well, will you reward me with little stars?”
“Sure, but the condition is that you have to do well.” Yun Qinghuan agreed with a smiling face.
Perhaps setting goals for the child by rewarding him with stars for helping with household chores and good deeds had ignited his enthusiasm. Now the little one eagerly volunteered for chores at home.
Yun Qinghuan was pleased with this situation. After all, the little one had boundless energy. Doing chores not only diverted his attention but also improved his life skills, which was great.
When they arrived at the location and saw the scorekeeper, Yun Qinghuan realized it was someone familiar. She was fine, but Bai Naihan became alert instantly, keeping his eyes on the man.
Upon seeing Yun Qinghuan, Lu Sunhua was momentarily stunned. Then fear flashed in his eyes, and he took several steps back, maintaining distance, as if muscle memory was causing him to feel a dull ache all over his body.
After all, the last time Yun Qinghuan hit him, she showed no mercy.
Now, looking at Yun Qinghuan’s exquisite face, he didn’t find it attractive at all; he felt horrified!
“Yun Zhiqing, wh-why are you here? I’ve, I’ve kept my distance from you. I won’t bother you again.”
Seeing him so timid, Yun Qinghuan found it a bit amusing.
Lu Sunhua was the typical bully who feared the strong and preyed on the weak. The original host had a soft personality, and he took advantage of that. But now, after she dealt with him, he was terrified, even hesitating to face her.
“What are you afraid of? I won’t eat you.” She spoke in a calm tone, pointing to the bamboo basket in her hand. “I came today to cut pig grass. Give me two sickles.”
She pointed to the room behind him where the farm tools were stored.
Lu Sunhua breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll get them for you.”
He moved quickly and soon brought out two particularly sharp and good-looking sickles. Then, with a smile, he handed them to Yun Qinghuan. “Here, Yun Zhiqing, for you. Usually, I only give one sickle to others for cutting pig grass. Giving you two is against the rules.”
“Hmm?” Yun Qinghuan squinted.
He hastily waved his hand. “Of course, there’s no problem giving you two. Just don’t make a fuss about it.”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead in panic, wondering how he had ever been attracted to this tigress. She seemed delicate, but she was clearly a tigress that showed no mercy.
Yun Qinghuan, holding the two sickles, didn’t bother with him and turned around to leave.
Lu Sunhua hurriedly called her again, “Uh, the basket you have is a bit small; three baskets might not be enough.”
Saying that, he took out a larger basket from the tool shed. “You need these three big baskets.”
The village collectively owned the pigs, and everyone depended on these pigs for meat. Even someone like Lu Sunhua, who was known for being stingy, didn’t dare to skimp on feeding them.
Yun Qinghuan glanced at the huge baskets, feeling a bit overwhelmed. How long would it take to cut three of those? Perhaps her mother-in-law guessed she couldn’t carry larger ones. After all, those big baskets, filled to the brim, would take a long time to cut, and they were quite heavy.
Beside her, Bai Naihan watched her expression of despair and chuckled, whispering, “Don’t worry, sister-in-law, I’ll help you cut.”
When he was younger, he and his brother had cut plenty of grass to earn work points.
Bai Jin’an, hearing his uncle, also raised his small hand. “Mom, I’ll help you cut too!”
Yun Qinghuan felt like crying but managed to force a smile. “Thank you both.”
Seeing her reaction, Lu Sunhua’s expression, initially worried, turned somewhat gloating. So, she was afraid of doing labor?
Smiling, Yun Qinghuan suddenly glanced over with sharp eyes, as if she had seen through his inner thoughts. Lu Sunhua’s smile froze instantly.
∞
Translator Note
Happy new Year!
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- “When our plans are interrupted, his are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled. They include our minutes or hours or years which seem most useless or wasted or unendurable.”—Elisabeth Elliot
