Seeing the steamed eggs and fried eggs, and the white bread sent in by her little aunt, Xiao Xing couldn't believe it. She thought she was seeing things, so she rubbed her eyes hard and looked again. It was indeed a bowl of tender, tofu-like steamed eggs, a bowl of oily fried eggs, and white pancakes with little burnt spots...
Such good things, not only couldn't Xiao Xing eat them on a regular day, but even her little aunt and older cousin, who were most favored by their grandmother, would hardly have a chance. At most, they would fry an egg during the New Year or some festivity. Normally, the old lady kept a close watch on the chickens. Every morning when she opened the chicken coop, she'd feel the hens' bottoms to know how many eggs would be laid that day. If one were missing, she'd track it down half a brigade...
Ling Chengyan handed Xiao Xing a bowl of cornmeal porridge and saw that the little girl was sitting there blankly, not touching her chopsticks. She prompted, "Eat up."
"Mama," the little girl swallowed hard, looked up at her mother with some worry, and asked, "Why are there so many good things?"
Ling Chengyan glanced at the plate of fried eggs, sighed inwardly, and said, "Eat without worry. These are the ones I obtained."
"Mama, can we really eat them?"
"Yes, eat them."
Ling Chengyan picked up a piece of egg, placed it in Xiao Xing's bowl, handed her a piece of white bread, and said no more as she began eating herself.
She did not eat quickly, but her eating manner was graceful. After having two pancakes, she felt about seventy percent full and stopped eating.
This body was severely malnourished, with a weak stomach and intestines. It's better not to eat too much at once.
Just as she put down her bowl and chopsticks, little Shi Tou woke up and began to cry like a kitten.
Ling Chengyan tested the steamed egg, found it wasn't hot, and fed a little to Shi Tou. The little baby was hungry all day, starving, and devoured the food eagerly.
Ling Chengyan fed him a few bites of the egg and then used a spoon to give him some sugar water — a whole jar of white sugar and half a jar of brown sugar, all taken from the old lady's room.
Wang Lianxiang, scared after being beaten, hurried to please her and suggested that there was powdered milk and bottles for feeding children in town.
Looking at the frail and tiny Shi Tou, Ling Chengyan pondered. The child was too small, and feeding him eggs was a bit forced. She needed to go to town soon to buy some powdered milk and a bottle.
However, from what she observed, the Wang family was genuinely poor. The three members on the east side were skinny and wore tattered clothes. The elderly couple and the cherished Wang Lianxiang weren't any fatter, each with a yellowish complexion. They barely managed to get by, without any prospect of eating their fill, let alone maintaining health and wellness.
After breakfast, Ling Chengyan stepped out the door, handed her bowls and chopsticks to Wang Lianxiang, and instructed blandly, "Boil some hot water. I want to wash my hair."
Wang Lianxiang, with her head lowered, surprisingly didn't resist and obediently took the dishes to the kitchen.
This scene left the oldest and third daughter-in-laws staring in bewilderment. The third daughter-in-law, Li Xiaoxia, just watched without saying anything, but the older daughter-in-law, Shao Darong, couldn't hold it in, stormed into the main house to complain to the old lady, and got a harsh scolding, even getting hit several times with the broom handle, eventually escaping, clutching her head.
Ling Chengyan searched around, found a big bundle, and pulled out an adult's old jacket... Wang Lianxiang came over carrying a thermos of warm water.
"Second sister-in-law, here's the hot water."
Ling Chengyan put down her things, went over to take the thermos, and Wang Lianxiang handed her a droopy, pink item: "...for washing hair."
Upon receiving it, Ling Chengyan found it was a kind of soft, unfamiliar fabric bag with a paste inside that smelled fragrant.
"Alright." Ling Chengyan accepted and saw Wang Lianxiang dawdling without leaving. She suddenly asked, "Is powder milk expensive?"
"Yes, it's a good thing. It costs money and requires supplementary food coupons." Wang Lianxiang answered at length, and after speaking, still didn't leave.
As she combed her shoulder-length hair, Ling Chengyan glanced at her. Under her cold gaze, Wang Lianxiang couldn't hold out and hesitantly suggested, "Second sister-in-law, can you...not want to give away little Shi Tou, it'd be hard to explain to eldest sister. Can you personally go and tell her..."
With a slight raise and fall of her brow, Ling Chengyan agreed faintly, "Alright."
Afterwards, she drove Wang Lianxiang out and began to wash her hair.
The day before, 'she' had hit her head, scratched some blood, and it felt uncomfortable stuck in her hair. The conditions didn't allow for a bath, so she just made do with washing her hair.
Xiao Xing came over and asked, "Mama, can I help you wash it? You still have a wound on your head."
Raising her head, Ling Chengyan met Xiao Xing's tender and warm deer-like eyes, and couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart, nodding gently.
Xiao Xing was very happy, placed a stool under the kang, and set the basin on the stool. She climbed up onto the kang, kneeled, and helped Ling Chengyan wash her hair, cautiously avoiding the little wound.
After touching it herself, Ling Chengyan found the scalp wound was less than half an inch. After surviving battlefields, such a small wound was nothing remarkable to her.
But not caring herself was one thing; being treated with such careful care by someone was different. Moreover, it wasn't a servant attending to her but the 'daughter' closely related to this body. That feeling was very peculiar, very subtle, making her involuntarily let down her guard and soften her heart.
Xiao Xing's hair-washing technique could hardly be called proficient; it was rather clumsy, hurting her several times. Xiao Xing herself noticed it and quickly used her little hands to rub and blew on the spots, while Ling Chengyan surprisingly patiently endured, even the corners of her mouth involuntarily curled up.
Wang Lianxiang had been driven out, yet if she were present, she'd surely drop her jaw — the woman who was fiery and fierce like a tiger in the morning had collected her claws, turned into a gentle cat, nearly purring.
Could you believe it? Wang Lianxiang couldn't anyway.
After washing her hair, when she touched the blood scab on her scalp, it was still there. It showed how careful the little girl had been.
Using a towel, she wiped the water from her hair, poured out the dirty water, replaced it with clean, warm water, and called out to Xiao Xing, "Come, let me wash your hair."
Xiao Xing's hair was rough and yellowish, partially from a lack of nutrients and partially from lack of care.
Xiao Xing beamed a big smile, called out "Mama," and obediently knelt beside the kang, letting Ling Chengyan help wash her hair.
When using it herself, she hadn't thought much of it, but when drying Xiao Xing's hair, she noticed the towel was so old — big holes connected to small holes, you could hardly tell its original shape.
She made a mental note: This also needed to be bought.
When the hair was almost dry, Ling Chengyan found a piece of floral fabric to tie her hair back, conveniently covering the wound on the side of her head.
She used the bundle she'd found earlier to wrap little Shi Tou in her arms and put the old cotton-padded coat on Xiao Xing.
The coat was 'hers', and when Xiao Xing wore it, it was loose and oversized. Ling Chengyan rolled up the sleeves, barely allowing little hands to poke out, and she reached out to hold it as they went out.
Although young, Xiao Xing was quite perceptive and clearly felt that Mama was somehow different. She was no longer gentle and amiable as before but carried an authority that one dared not offend or approach lightly. Yet, she found she preferred her mother this way.
With this kind of Mama holding her hand, it seemed there was nothing to fear anymore.