Chapter 75 – It Turns Out It Was for Her
After Long Hao went inside, Ms. Zhong couldn’t help but ask, “Yan Xiaosi, did Dazhuang do anything to you? You look soaking wet. Did you take a bath with your clothes on?”
Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun all stared at her with anxious eyes, waiting for her answer.
Yan Xiaosi knew what Ms. Zhong was worried about and replied with a smile, “Mom, I did take a bath with these clothes on. I only went into the water after Dazhuang and the three Chen brothers left the water. Don’t worry.”
Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun finally breathed sighs of relief.
“Look at you all wet. The wind is blowing now, are you cold?”
As the wind blew, Yan Xiaosi’s slender body shivered. Ms. Zhong’s heart ached. She hurriedly pulled Yan Xiaosi into the house.
“Quickly, go inside and change your clothes.”
Ms. Zhong scolded her gently as she pulled her into the house.
There was still some hot water in the pot, and Yan Shuqin fetched a wooden basin to get water for her.
Yan Shuyun limped to get a face towel.
Yan Shuxue went to find clothes for Yan Xiaosi to change into. The whole family was bustling around Yan Xiaosi. In a moment, Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuxue, Yan Shuqin, and Yan Shuyun all stood by Yan Xiaosi’s side. Yan Xiaosi wiped her face with a towel soaked in hot water. Seeing the four of them having no intention of leaving her side, she said, “Mom, big sister, second sister, third sister, if you don’t leave, how can a grown man like me change clothes?”
“Yan Xiaosi, I’m sorry,” said the three sisters, Yan Shuxue, Yan Shuqin, and Yan Shuyun.
Ms. Zhong didn’t speak but wiped her tears, while Yan Shuxue, Yan Shuqin, and Yan Shuyun all apologized one after another.
“Yan Xiaosi, you’ve had a tough time over the years. I haven’t done well as your big sister, and I should have cared for you more.”
As Yan Shuqin spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Yan Xiaosi was also a girl, but she had never worn girl’s clothes for a day. Today, she bought flowers and embroidered handkerchiefs at the market, but only for the three sisters, not for herself.
Yan Xiaosi belatedly realized that something was off about the atmosphere at home today. She glanced at Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuxue, Yan Shuqin, and Yan Shuyun, then asked, “Mom, do big sister, second sister, and third sister know?”
Ms. Zhong knew what she was asking and nodded, “Yan Xiaosi, I’ve already told your big sister, second sister, and third sister about that matter.”
“Yan Xiaosi, I’m sorry.”
Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun all blamed themselves in their hearts. If they had known earlier that their little brother was actually their little sister, they would have put more effort into loving and caring for her.
The three sisters rushed forward, hugging Yan Xiaosi and crying.
Yan Xiaosi was being hugged by her three sisters and felt somewhat out of breath, but she felt warm and comfortable.
She patted her eldest sister, then her second and third sisters, and said with a smile, “Big sister, second sister, third sister, you all love me very much, and you haven’t done anything wrong. With sisters like you, I am very happy and fortunate. Thank you.” Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun were extremely caring and considerate towards both the real Yan Xiaosi and her, a field army doctor named Yan Xiaoshi. Thus, in the hearts of both the real Yan Xiaosi and her, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun were all good sisters.
“Mom, don’t cry. You cried for a long time when Dad died. If you keep crying, you might damage your eyes. Aren’t we living a good life now as a family? There’s nothing to be sad about.”
“Yan Xiaosi, you’re right. Our family is living a good life now, and there’s nothing to be sad about.”
Ms. Zhong finally stopped sobbing, smiled through her tears, and wiped them away with her hand.
Yan Xiaosi pointed to the room next door, intentionally raising her voice a bit, and said, “Mom, big sister, second sister, third sister, if there’s nothing else, you should all leave first. With you here, I, a grown man, am really embarrassed to change my clothes.” Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun understood her concern, which was to not let Long Hao know Yan Xiaosi’s true gender. After all, Yan Xiaosi and Long Hao had some intimate contact, and if Long Hao knew Yan Xiaosi’s true gender, it might cause unnecessary trouble.
The four of them glanced at the room where Long Hao was staying, nodded knowingly to Yan Xiaosi, and then left the room.
Long Hao was lying on the broken wooden bed in the next room, not asleep, and heard Yan Xiaosi’s conversation with Ms. Zhong and her sisters loud and clear. The words Yan Xiaosi had just spoken made the corners of his mouth involuntarily curl upwards.
“Heh, grown man, a grown man whose hair hasn’t even fully grown yet.”
He muttered softly in the dark before closing his eyes to rest.
Inside the room where Ms. Zhong and the others were staying, Yan Xiaosi quickly changed her clothes in the dark and hurriedly opened the door to let Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, and the others in.
Outside, there were flashes of lightning and thunder, and she was afraid it would scare her mother and her three sisters, who were as delicate as flowers.
“I’ve already changed my clothes. Mom, big sister, second sister, third sister, you can all come in.”
Ms. Zhong, Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun had all just finished bathing. When Yan Xiaosi called out, Ms. Zhong came in holding an oil lamp, followed by Yan Shuqin, Yan Shuxue, and Yan Shuyun.
“Mom, we’re all going to bed now. Why are you lighting the lamp?”
Yan Xiaosi crawled into her sleeping area while looking at the oil lamp in Ms. Zhong’s hand.
Her adoptive mother was very thrifty and never willing to light an oil lamp. This was the first time she had seen Ms. Zhong light the rusty oil lamp in the corner since she had become Yan Xiaosi.
Ms. Zhong held the oil lamp with one hand while carefully protecting the wick with the other to prevent the wind from blowing out the flame.
“The wind is really strong tonight. I hope the rain doesn’t get too heavy.”
Yan Shuqin complained as she went to close the broken wooden window.
After Yan Shuqin had closed the window, Ms. Zhong placed the oil lamp on top of the broken wooden wardrobe where they kept their clothes.
After carefully placing the oil lamp, she turned around and said to Yan Xiaosi, “Xiaosi, you’re most afraid of thunder at night. We don’t know when this thunderstorm will stop tonight. If we sleep with the oil lamp lit, you won’t be as scared.”
The dim light shone on Ms. Zhong’s face, illuminating her loving expression.
So, her mother had lit the oil lamp for her.
Yan Xiaosi rubbed her nose, as she felt touched by Ms. Zhong’s gesture, and her nose felt a little sour.
“Mom, thank you. Thank you for considering me.”
It was the original Yan Xiaosi who was afraid of thunder at night, not her. But to avoid arousing Ms. Zhong’s suspicion, she had to let the oil lamp stay lit.
The wind howled outside, and the unstable wooden door and window rattled under the gusts. The wind penetrated through the cracks in the walls, causing the small flame on the oil lamp to flicker, almost going out several times. The quilt Yan Xiaosi was covered with was thin and stiff. With the wind relentlessly blowing into the room, she felt cold and involuntarily curled up, pulling the quilt tightly around her.
