It was the hour when the villagers were having lunch, so there was no one by the well.
Da Lang skillfully tied the rope to the handle of the bucket, threw it into the well, shook it a few times, and the bucket flipped into the water, quickly filling it up.
But the bucket filled with water was very heavy, and the boy seemed to struggle a bit. There were no levers or anything like that at the well, just a bare well.
Qin Yao stepped forward, grabbed the rope, and with a small exertion of effort, lifted up the bucket.
Da Lang was surprised as he watched her lift the heavy bucket full of water, the numb expression on his face revealing a hint of light.
The two clay pots Qin Yao had emptied in the morning were also brought along. Qin Yao poured the water from the bucket into the pots, filling both of them up.
She then used the remaining water to rinse the wooden bucket clean, tossed it back into the well, imitating Da Lang's earlier actions, shook it, and brought up another full bucket of water.
Qin Yao carried the bucket in one hand and hugged one clay pot with the other, the remaining one was held by Da Lang in his arms.
Perhaps it was the first time he had brought so much water home, and a naïve smile appeared on the usually mature boy's face.
Possibly from having something to eat, his steps towards home became increasingly brisk.
"Mother!"
Qin Yao and Da Lang hadn't even reached the doorstep when they saw a small figure on the hillside shouting excitedly at them.
As soon as she saw them, she immediately took off running down, stumbling towards them.
"Slow down!" Qin Yao quickly reminded her.
But children brought up in the countryside are resilient, Si Niang, who seemed small and thin, fell once on the way, then got up on her own, wiped her dirty little hands on her face making it even dirtier, and giggled foolishly, not feeling any pain.
Si Niang leaned next to Qin Yao and sensibly offered to help carry the bucket.
Seeing she wasn't hurt, Qin Yao breathed a sigh of relief, didn't let her carry it, but asked her to walk along with them, and not to run or she might fall again.
Si Niang nodded obediently, and after walking two steps, she asked concernedly, "Mother, is it heavy?"
"Mother, are you tired?"
"Mother, Mother...."
Qin Yao felt a bit helpless, realizing she had a little chatterbox on her hands.
She tried to answer each of her questions patiently, "Not heavy, not tired."
Erlang and Sanlang had already cleaned out the dirt from the empty water tank, the three brothers usually had little strength and only fetched water with buckets, so the water tank hadn't been used in a long time.
Qin Yao gestured for Si Niang, who was following right behind her, to step back, and poured the water from the bucket into the tank.
One bucket of water plus two clay pots only about a third full, they would need two more trips to fill it up.
Looking back at the four siblings of the Liu Family standing in front of her in a row, Qin Yao began assigning tasks.
"The house is too filthy, Erlang and Sanlang, you two take brooms and clean both rooms thoroughly, while Da Lang and I continue fetching water, and also boil a pot of hot water for everyone to wash later."
Da Lang couldn't help but ask worriedly, "What about the fields?"
Other people's wheat was almost all planted, but their family hadn't even started yet.
In Da Lang's eyes, nothing was more important than farming; the weather was perfect these days, and if they missed the planting season, the wheat wouldn't grow well.
Of course, Qin Yao knew farming was important, but the current situation was that there were no wheat seeds at home; what could they plant?
"Farming isn't urgent, let's clean the room where we'll sleep tonight first."
After saying that, she filled the iron pot on the stove with water, signaled Da Lang with an empty bucket and clay pot to follow her, and headed towards the village.
Si Niang saw her Second Brother and Third Brother still dazed, so she took a broom herself and started cleaning the room.
Listening to Mother surely wouldn't be wrong!
Liu Erlang didn't understand this stepmother's thoughts. The house had been the same for so many years; why did she have to clean it up?
Sanlang tugged his brother's arm, "Second Brother, if we don't listen, will Stepmother beat us?"
The two brothers exchanged a glance and involuntarily recalled Qin Yao's fierce appearance holding a knife with one hand just now, shivering in unison, and immediately started boiling water, sweeping the floor, and wiping the tables.
When Qin Yao returned with the water tank filled, the floor of the house had already been swept clean by the three siblings who stayed home, and the trash was tossed directly under the big tree behind the house.
The main room's rickety low table also was wiped spotlessly clean, and the ground in front of the house entrance was swept, leaving only the spider webs up high, which were untouched due to height limitations.
Qin Yao inspected everything and was fairly satisfied. Just then, the water in the pot boiled, and she dug out an old heavy wooden basin from under the bed, mixed some hot water, and called Si Niang and Sanlang in to bathe.
The sun was just right at this time, so bathing quickly wouldn't cause a chill or cold.
The Dragon and Phoenix Twins' hair hadn't been washed in who knows how long, all tangled together. If scissors were available, Qin Yao would definitely have cut it all off.
But unfortunately, there were none.
Qin Yao helped Si Niang undress and let Sanlang undress by himself, although they were only four years old, they had no mother, and their father paid no attention to them, so they long learned to dress and wear shoes by themselves and even help their brothers work in the fields.
Si Niang happily jumped into the basin, while Sanlang covered himself shyly.
Qin Yao was pressed for time; the sun wouldn't always be hanging in the sky, her tone grew stern, "Sanlang, quickly now."
Encouragingly, she kept her hands busy rubbing dirt off the child in the water, which looked quite fierce but was gentle enough that Si Niang didn't feel any pain.
However, in Sanlang's eyes, it was another terrifying scene altogether.
The mud on the child's body was a thick layer; even after one wash, the water became murky, so Qin Yao immediately yelled outside, "Da Lang, add some more water to the pot!"
Then she urged the little kiddo in front of her again, "Come in."
Sanlang's face flushed red, and he covered his important parts, stepping into the basin with a look like he was about to cry.
Qin Yao, helpless, said, "What are you crying about? I don't eat people."
Sanlang: Wuwuwu, Stepmother is so scary!
Qin Yao started scrubbing his arm, working up a sweat, only thinking about getting these two kids clean quickly, and didn't have the time to worry about Sanlang's breakdown. She cleaned the two children in a flash.
Being too poor to even afford a towel, Qin Yao let them wear their dirty clothes again after the wash, carried out the dirty water to dump, quickly grabbing a basin of clean hot water for another wash which was barely satisfactory.
Although their clothes were still dirty, at least they no longer smelled strange.
When it was the older two's turn, Qin Yao got them their basin and hot water, letting them wash themselves.
With particular emphasis, "Armpits and buttocks, scrub them well."
Here, people don't use paper for the toilet, nor is there paper, and they can't afford paper.
The villagers mostly use leaves and sticks, picking fresh each time. Those more meticulous will split bamboo into two-finger-wide strips, slightly sand down the splinters, and break off a section after each use, lasting five or six days for a long strip.
In the Liu family's condition, bamboo strips were naturally unaffordable. When she bathed the two young ones just now, the scene was indescribably delightful.
Da Lang and Erlang's faces were beet red as they murmured their understanding with voices as faint as mosquitoes before heading in to bathe.
Seeing there was still some water left in the water tank, Qin Yao used a wooden bucket to scoop out hot water to wipe herself down indoors.
Although she couldn't take a full bath, given the conditions, Qin Yao was satisfied just to be able to wipe herself off a bit.
After wiping up, taking advantage of the sunlight, Qin Yao picked up a hatchet and went to the hill behind the house to chop some branches to make a simple clothesline, taking out the hardened bedding to beat and sun, getting rid of mildew and dampness.