Chapter 2: The Precious Younger Sister-in-Law (2)

"Mom, Mom!"

"Oh, my dear child, you're finally awake! Thank heavens! Old man! Old man! Yinyin is awake! What are you doing? Are you having diarrhea? It's been so long, are you still not done? Are you smoking in there again? Don't let me catch you, or you're dead, I tell you!"

Xu Laojie, who was hiding in the outhouse smoking a pipe, quickly hid the pipe and straightened his pants before coming out.

Seeing his beautiful daughter, the wrinkles on his face deepened.

Xu Yin called out crisply, "Dad!"

Xu Laojie's eyes crinkled into chrysanthemum folds. "Ah! It's good that you're awake! It's good that you're awake!"

Xu Yin led the two elders to the main room.

Seeing her nephew sitting on a small stool, holding a wild vegetable bun, she smiled and waved at him.

"Doudou, come over, Auntie will take you to wash your hands and eat."

The three-and-a-half-year-old Doudou looked at her timidly.

Hearing her, he sniffed hard, his little bottom moving the stool to the corner, not daring to come forward.

He was extremely afraid of this aunt.

She often smiled one moment and the next, would pinch his arm and scold him as a dirty little beggar.

Xu's mother was still basking in the joy of her daughter's awakening, her mood exceptionally good.

Especially for her only grandson, as long as her daughter-in-law wasn't around to spoil the view, she still doted on him.

"Listen to your aunt, wash your hands and come to eat."

Only then did Doudou run into the house, obediently washing his hands.

Xu Yin watched his thin arms and short legs, his height not even reaching the washstand. He stretched on tiptoe, dipped his hands in the basin, and splashed a few times, considering it done.

Worried he hadn't washed properly, she wanted to help, but seeing his frightened and wary look, she decided against it.

Rome wasn't built in a day; she would take it slowly.

Above all, she couldn't let her nephew lose his mother at such a young age and end up being mistreated by a stepmother.

On the other side, Xu's mother quickly served four bowls of porridge and placed them on the table.

Xu Yin was speechless, looking out the kitchen window at the backyard. "Mom, where's Big Sister-in-Law?"

"What do I care? She'll eat when she's done."

"..."

This was indeed how Xu's mother thought.

Not only that, but she almost emptied the pot of porridge.

Three large bowls were filled to the brim, leaving only a thin layer of watery porridge at the bottom.

Xu Yin: "..."

This was like wanting the ox to work but not feeding it grass!

She quickly intervened, "Mom, I can't finish such a full bowl. Call Big Sister-in-Law to eat with us. I have some work for her to do after."

"What work? If you have work for your sister-in-law, isn't that proper? Just leave it there. When she finishes chopping wood, I'll tell her. If she dares not to do it, I'll beat her to death!"

"But I'm in a hurry! I'm returning to school tomorrow, and my school pants still have a hole..."

Hearing this, Xu's mother was unhappy. "You just got better, shouldn't you rest a few more days before going back to school?"

"It's already been two days."

Last week during the farming holiday, the original body returned with a few classmates from the village.

But don't expect her to do farm work; at most, she would help with boiling water or delivering meals.

At home, taking care of her nephew depended on her mood. When she was in a bad mood, she would pinch and scold him.

Even so, the little bit of work assigned to her was done poorly.

Delivering a meal almost made her sprain her ankle, and though her foot was fine, her head hit a tree.

She was dizzy for a day, but fortunately, there were no serious consequences.

But seeing a doctor cost money, and Xu's mother, feeling sorry for her daughter, didn't scold her, instead venting her anger on her daughter-in-law.

In the 1970s and 1980s, in rural areas where boys were favored over girls, it was rare to find parents as indulgent as Xu's parents.

Xu Yin, using her skills as a designer to flatter customers, coaxed her mother:

"Mom, there's only one year left of high school. I need to hurry. If I get into a good university, it will bring you and Dad face. Besides, the best universities are in big cities, and the best of all are in the capital. I want to take you and Dad to the capital, to climb the Great Wall and see Tiananmen Square!"

Xu's mother was immediately charmed, her face beaming with joy.

She didn't even comment on Xu Yin pouring out half the porridge from her large bowl, instead giving her some from her own bowl:

"Eat more! You have a small stomach and eat too little, that's why you get dizzy and bump into trees."

"..."

In rural households, there was no rule that everyone had to sit at the table to eat.

Xu Laojie, for example, would take a few bites of pickled vegetables with his porridge, hold the large bowl, and squat at the gate, sipping porridge while looking at the distant fields.

Xu's mother would eat while pacing to the chicken coop.

She would check how many eggs were collected and if the chickens were well.

Occasionally, she would sprinkle some porridge to feed the chickens.

Doudou also wanted to slip away from the table, still a bit afraid of Xu Yin.

But his small hands couldn't hold the bowl, so he leaned against the table, stealing glances at Xu Yin and quickly taking a few bites of porridge.

Xu Yin found it amusing, got up, and added half a salted duck egg yolk to his bowl. "Eat it, save the other half for your mom."

Without waiting for his reaction, she went to the backyard to call Big Sister-in-Law to eat.

"Big Sister-in-Law, Mom said there's enough wood. Come and eat first. After you finish, help me sew a pair of pants. I need to wear them to school tomorrow."

If it were only the first part, Xu's sister-in-law might not have stopped.

But hearing that her younger sister-in-law needed clothes sewn and would wear them to school the next day, she responded with an "Ah."

She quickly put down the axe, stacked the chopped wood into the usual basket, washed her hands, and went to the kitchen.

She thought it would be the usual thin layer of porridge left at the bottom of the pot.

Diluting it would make it too watery, and not diluting it would make it too thin, leaving her hungry by noon.

To her surprise, this time, a full, thick bowl of porridge was left for her, almost overflowing, and there was half a salted duck egg on the table.

"Mom, eat! Auntie gave it to me."

Seeing her aunt wasn't there, Doudou's courage grew.

Xu's sister-in-law's eyes welled up.

After four years of marriage to the Xu family, this seemed to be the most friendly gesture from her younger sister-in-law, and the most satisfying breakfast she had ever had.

After finishing, she didn't need to be urged to wash the bowls, clean the stove, put the chairs and table against the wall, sweep the floor, and even change into clean clothes before coming to her younger sister-in-law's room.

"Yinyin, where are the pants you need me to mend? Should I take them to my room to sew?"

Xu's sister-in-law looked at the bright and tidy room, the neatly folded bedding, the smooth bedsheet, and the spotless floor, feeling awkward as she rubbed her rough hands.

"No need, Sister-in-Law, you can sew them here. It's brighter here. Doudou, come in too."

Xu Yin waved to the mother and son.

Her room was in the main western house, and after her brother's marriage, the back half of the room was also connected for her use.

The layout was the same as the elders' main room, with windows on three sides, making it very bright.

On the contrary, her brother and sister-in-law's wedding room was an annex built before the wedding.

Though larger, it was not as high as the main house.

It only had windows on the east and west sides, making it relatively darker.

Moreover, the original body loved decorating.

The curtains were made of simple batik fabric, the red paint on the diamond-shaped window frames was freshly brushed by Xu Laojie, and the dressing mirror, writing desk, and five-drawer cabinet were added over the years.

Though the wood was old, the new paint made them look almost new.

This made the room even brighter.

(End of Chapter)