Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Bath Time, New Clothes, Mom

Lin Shengnan probably felt her request was a bit forward, so she added, “The firewood on your shoulder—later, I’ll help you carry it home, okay?”

It was like someone offering a pillow when you’re sleepy—Gu Qinghuan was just thinking that the bundle of firewood was too heavy, but she was afraid of running into people on the road, so she could only grit her teeth and carry it.

“Alright then.” Gu Qinghuan didn’t stand on ceremony. She tossed the firewood off her shoulder and handed over the axe.

“I’ll leave my firewood to you, then. If there’s even one stick missing, I’ll come looking for you.” Since both sides got what they wanted, Gu Qinghuan had no reason to refuse.

She swept her gaze over the other educated youths.

Chen Jianghe and Jiang Xue were sitting on the ground, chatting and laughing as if they were on a picnic. Qiu Shuxia was pretending to look busy, poking around at random, and a male educated youth named Wang Chen was actually picking up branches.

With a group like this, Lin Shengnan really had her work cut out for her—who could manage such useless teammates?

Luckily, she’d decisively chosen to go it alone. Even though she had a family to look after, at least she had some freedom.

Lin Shengnan took the axe and gratefully said, “Thank you. I’ll make sure to bring it back to you exactly as it is.”

Gu Qinghuan dusted off her hands, feeling much lighter as she headed down the mountain.

With the axe, Lin Shengnan worked like she was possessed, climbing trees to chop down some high branches, and finally managed to bring back a few bundles of firewood.

Gu Qinghuan waited until she reached her doorstep before taking the dead rabbit out of her space and hiding it in her arms, along with the bundles of firewood she’d gathered that afternoon.

The two kids heard her and came out to help. When they saw the rabbit in her hand, they were both surprised and delighted—the last time they’d eaten rabbit was before their father got sick.

“Today’s our lucky day. Got a rabbit for free. Dabao, take it inside and hide it, then go boil some water. We’re having rabbit meat for dinner tonight.” Gu Qinghuan was in a good mood, chatting with the kids as she carried in the firewood.

Dabao knew that things from the mountain belonged to the collective, and getting caught could get them in trouble. He looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then grabbed the rabbit and dashed into the house.

Gu Qinghuan hauled all the firewood into the backyard and added it to the pile. Looking at the ten or so bundles, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

By now, the water in Dabao’s pot was almost boiling.

Gu Qinghuan called the two kids over and pulled a pair of scissors from her pocket, startling them both.

“Mom, you…”

Dabao quickly shielded Beibei behind him.

Was this the moment when the truth came out and the knife was drawn?

Seeing this, Gu Qinghuan mischievously snipped the scissors in the air a few times. “Dabao, come here and sit down. I’m just giving you a haircut, what are you so nervous about?”

Beibei patted her chest in exaggerated relief. That scared her—she thought Mom was about to turn into a bad mom.

Dabao also let out a sigh of relief and obediently sat on the doorstep, letting Gu Qinghuan get to work.

Gu Qinghuan wasn’t actually very good at cutting hair, but with no “Tony” the hairdresser around, she had to do it herself. For kids, as long as it was easy to manage, it was fine.

Dabao’s hair was already quite long, and some parts had even been singed—probably from not paying attention while tending the fire.

She snipped off the long parts first, then tidied up the details. Soon, a simple little boy’s haircut appeared.

Gu Qinghuan looked him over carefully and felt quite satisfied.

Beibei immediately started showering her with praise. “Mom, you’re amazing! You cut brother’s hair so well. I want one too!”

“Alright, alright, wait your turn.”

Gu Qinghuan fetched an old wooden basin from the yard, filled it with warm water, and carried it to the outhouse. She also took out a bar of soap from the villa.

“Go wash yourself, head to toe. This is soap. When you’re done, I’ll help Beibei. Be careful not to fall into the latrine.”

Dabao stared at her in surprise. He’d thought the hot water was for scalding the rabbit, not for them to take a bath!

But he quite liked his new haircut.

“Okay, I’ll be careful. I won’t fall in,” Dabao said, cradling the soap as if it were treasure.

“Silly, I meant don’t fall in yourself!” Gu Qinghuan poked his forehead in exasperation.

What was this kid thinking?

While Dabao went to bathe, Gu Qinghuan pulled Beibei over for her haircut.

Beibei’s hair was even longer than her brother’s, probably never really cut before, and some parts were tangled beyond hope. After a few minutes of brushing, Gu Qinghuan asked for her opinion, then snipped off the worst knots.

She gave her a mushroom cut, which was all the rage in later years—perfect for a little girl.

Beibei admired herself in the water, turning this way and that.

“Mom, you’re amazing! I love it!”

Gu Qinghuan ruffled her little mushroom head. As she put away the scissors, she suddenly noticed the new clothes laid out by the bed and realized she’d forgotten to give Dabao a change of clothes. No point in bathing if he just put on the old ones again.

She hurried to the outhouse door with the new clothes. “Dabao, are you done?”

“Almost!”

“Open the door a crack, I’ll hand you your clothes.”

Dabao opened the door a little, puzzled. He remembered he didn’t have any clean clothes since leaving the Xu family.

Dad had bought them new clothes before, but Grandma took them away, so all they had were the rags on their backs.

Gu Qinghuan handed him the new clothes and shoes.

“I bought these for you in town yesterday. Try them on—they should fit.”

Dabao didn’t even know how he took the clothes. By the time he realized it, his eyes were already blurred with tears.

He hadn’t cried in a long time. Ever since Dad got sick and he and his sister suffered so much, he’d forced himself to be strong. Tears didn’t solve anything—if anything, they made people look down on you.

But at this moment, seeing the new clothes, he just couldn’t hold it in anymore. It was like a taut string suddenly snapping.

He let himself have a good cry.

Beibei heard her brother crying inside and wanted to rush in, but Gu Qinghuan stopped her.

“Shh, be good. Your brother needs some time. Let him get it out. Let’s wait for him, okay?”

Beibei curled up in Gu Qinghuan’s arms, silently shedding tears as well.

After a while, the crying stopped. There was a rustling sound, and then the door opened.

Out came a clean, bright little boy.

He was so thin that the clothes were a bit loose, but they still fit. His eyes were puffy from crying, but there was a spirited look in his brows, and a faint, hard-to-ignore aura about him.

This child looked nothing like Xu Huaian. In fact, he looked like he came from good stock—who knew who he took after?

Dabao saw Gu Qinghuan and Beibei looking him over and shyly tugged at his sleeve.

He bit his lip and said bashfully, “Thank you for the new clothes, Mom. I really like them.”

“It’s nothing. As long as you like them.”

Hearing Dabao call her “Mom,” Gu Qinghuan felt happy. It meant the child had accepted her in his heart.

But that didn’t really mean much—she didn’t take it too seriously. Titles weren’t important to her.

Whether Dabao called her Mom or Auntie, she would take care of him all the same, out of respect for life and following her heart.

She didn’t have any expectations for them—she just wanted them to grow up healthy.

There wasn’t much deep affection between them. The two kids were alone in the world, and because she took care of them, they’d developed some dependence and trust—nothing more.

In a couple of years, when society stabilized and Xu Huaian recovered, they would go their separate ways. For now, she’d help as much as she could and try to teach them as many life skills as possible."

"Chapter 23: Braised Rabbit and New Furniture

After giving Beibei a bath and changing her into new clothes, the little girl looked like a completely different person, admiring herself endlessly.

Aside from being a bit skinny, the two kids were actually quite good-looking, with delicate features.

It was probably their first time wearing new clothes, and their happiness was so obvious that Gu Qinghuan felt a pang of sadness.

She fetched some water and brought it into the east room, asking Dabao to help wipe down Xu Huai’an.

Then Gu Qinghuan started working on the rabbit meat.

The two pheasants were still alive and could be kept for a while longer, but the rabbit had to be cooked that night.

Originally, she planned to scald the rabbit in boiling water to remove the fur, but then she remembered that rabbit pelts made great warmers, and it would be a shame to ruin it.

But skinning the rabbit was really a challenge for her. In the end, she muttered “Amitabha” under her breath as she clumsily managed to peel off the skin.

The rest was easy. She put a pot of rice on the stove, chopped the rabbit into pieces, marinated it, and prepped the side ingredients, ready to start cooking.

The kids couldn’t handle anything too spicy, so after some thought, she decided to make braised rabbit with potatoes and wild hazel mushrooms—fragrant, filling, and sure to satisfy.

First, she stir-fried the rabbit pieces until they were lightly browned and set them aside.

She left some oil in the pan, added Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, scallion segments, and ginger slices, then tossed in the rabbit pieces, along with soybean paste, cooking wine, sugar, salt, and soy sauce, stir-frying everything together.

Next, she poured in a big bowl of spring water, brought it to a boil, adjusted the seasoning, added the mushrooms, and let it simmer on low heat for a while before adding the potatoes.

She cooked it until the meat was tender and the potatoes soft, then turned up the heat to reduce the sauce until only a little was left. Then it was ready to serve.

“Brother, do you smell that?”

“I do. Mom’s making rabbit.”

“Brother, you called her Mom! You said I was a traitor, but now you’ve switched sides too.”

“I want to call her that now, is that not allowed?” Dabao turned away, a little proud.

“Brother, I feel like I’m dreaming—wearing new clothes and shoes, and Mom’s cooking delicious food. I wish I could stay in this dream forever.”

“Me too.” Forever.

…

The two kids leaned against the east room window, whispering to each other, their mouths watering as the delicious smell from the kitchen grew stronger.

Just as Gu Qinghuan was about to serve the food, she heard a knock at the door.

It was Lin Shengnan, bringing over some firewood.

“Thank you, Comrade Gu,” Lin Shengnan said, handing over the axe.

A mouthwatering aroma wafted over, and Lin Shengnan swallowed hard. Whatever Gu Qinghuan was cooking smelled so good that just the scent alone made her want to eat two black corn buns.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t say much, just took the axe and started moving the firewood inside.

Sensing it was time to go, Lin Shengnan left quickly—if she got home too late, she might not even get any black buns for dinner.

The meal was ready: white rice with braised rabbit, the potatoes and mushrooms soaked up the flavor of the meat, making it all irresistibly delicious.

After a couple of days of good meals, the two kids were no longer afraid of not having enough to eat. They simply ate whatever Gu Qinghuan gave them.

This time, Gu Qinghuan served the meal on the kang (heated bed platform) so they could all eat together—a real family meal for the first time. She fed Xu Huai’an as they ate, and the children chatted and laughed, letting him soak up the warm, relaxed atmosphere.

Good food lifts the spirits. After eating their fill, the three of them lay back on the kang, feeling completely content.

“Dabao, take your sister and wash the dishes. I need to go out for a bit. While I’m gone, don’t fetch water from the well—it’s too dangerous. Just use the water in the vat.”

“Okay, Mom.”

Letting the kids help with chores was good for them, too.

In the countryside, dinner was eaten early. It wasn’t fully dark yet when Gu Qinghuan, carrying some money, headed to Carpenter Liu’s house at the east end of the village.

They had just finished eating and were busy in the yard.

“Uncle, Auntie, I’m short on some furniture at home, so I came to take a look,” she said.

Carpenter Liu’s family made a living off his skills, working for others in exchange for goods or money, and they lived quite well.

“Oh, it’s Huai’an’s wife! What do you need? Come take a look,” Carpenter Liu’s wife said with a big smile, happy to have a customer.

Good news never spreads, but bad news travels fast—there were no secrets in the village. Gu Qinghuan marrying the “crazy” Xu had long been the talk of the town.

Aunt Liu led her into a big room.

Inside, finished pieces of furniture made by Carpenter Liu were neatly arranged: five-drawer chests, kang tables, kang cabinets, wardrobes, dish cabinets, and more.

She’d thought she’d have to wait a while for new furniture, but to her surprise, there were ready-made pieces available. That was perfect.

After some thought, Gu Qinghuan picked out two kang cabinets, two kang tables, a dish cabinet, a dining table, and a large grain storage cabinet.

The kang cabinets could hold clothes, bedding, and other small items—one for each room.

Kang tables were essential for life on the kang, so she got one for each room.

The dish cabinet would go in the kitchen for storing dishes and utensils.

If guests came or there were more people, the kang tables wouldn’t be enough, so a dining table was a must.

The large cabinet would be used for storing grain.

Carpenter Liu’s craftsmanship wasn’t fancy—the furniture was all the natural wood color, just sanded smooth, not even a coat of varnish.

You could say it was basic but functional. He mostly made furniture for local villagers, nothing fancy.

But the prices were very reasonable—just a bit for his labor. In the end, she paid twenty yuan for everything.

People who cared more about appearances would order custom furniture from the county market for weddings, but Gu Qinghuan wasn’t picky. As long as it worked, that was enough. At least unvarnished furniture was healthy and eco-friendly.

Aunt Liu, seeing how readily Gu Qinghuan paid, happily counted the money and called her daughter to pour a cup of brown sugar water for the guest.

Gu Qinghuan quickly waved her off. “Auntie, no need for water. It’s getting dark, and I need the furniture urgently. Could you help me get it delivered tonight?”

The less fuss, the better. Buying so much furniture would surely become the latest village gossip, so it was better to move it in at night and keep a low profile.

“Of course! I’ll have my husband and eldest son deliver it right away. You’ll be able to use it tonight for sure,” Aunt Liu said, stuffing the money into her pocket.

She called out into the yard, “Husband, son, stop what you’re doing and get the cart. We need to deliver some furniture to Huai’an’s family.”

Carpenter Liu and his eldest son were men of few words, just hard workers.

They loaded the furniture onto the cart and hauled it to the foot of the mountain.

It was dark by then, so not many people saw.

It took two trips to get everything over.

Since the solid wood furniture was heavy, they helped move everything into place as Gu Qinghuan directed. Once arranged, the house looked much more comfortable.

That twenty yuan was money well spent.

Honestly, the colorful, fancy furniture she’d seen in the county couldn’t compare to the simple beauty of these natural wood pieces—plain and elegant.

Gu Qinghuan and the two kids wiped down all the new furniture and started organizing their things.

She put the big grain cabinet in her own room so she could manage and “smuggle” grain more easily.

She filled it with the three hundred jin of grain given by the Xu family and what she’d brought from the educated youth camp—it was packed full.

Most of it was corn, about three hundred jin, with one hundred forty jin of wheat, one hundred jin of rice, and five jin of soybeans.

She also had over a hundred jin of potatoes, which she stored in the cellar to keep them fresh longer.

The dish cabinet went in the kitchen, with bowls, chopsticks, plates, and seasonings on top. In the lower cabinet, Gu Qinghuan stashed some grain she’d “smuggled” from her space, ready to use as needed.

The dining table was placed in the main room.

The kang cabinets and tables were set up in each of the two rooms.

For now, they were empty, since Gu Qinghuan hadn’t had time to buy winter clothes yet."

"Chapter 24: Shopping Spree