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墨書 Inktalez
The next day, when Xiao Lihua woke up, she was still a bit dazed. After blinking her eyes several times to recall her thoughts, she quickly turned her head and noticed two small heads beside her. As she moved, the injury on the back of her head began to throb, confirming that she had indeed transformed into a woman named Xiao Lihua, with two particularly obedient and adorable sons.
The paper on the window was just starting to lighten, indicating that it was still not fully bright outside. Xiao Lihua was in no hurry to get up; after all, she was injured.
The blanket on her body had a strange smell, as if it hadn't been washed or aired out for quite some time. It felt somewhat stiff and uncomfortable, making the cleanliness-loving Xiao Lihua feel uneasy. She thought that once it got light outside, she would take the blanket out to air it. Then she would give the two children a bath, wash their clothes, and tidy up the house. She needed to take good care of her children. As for the house, although she had mentally prepared for separation, as long as she lived there for a day, she would keep it clean for that day.
Xiao Lihua planned to separate from the family. She had seen in novels how female protagonists would separate as soon as they crossed over; she didn't expect herself to do the same so quickly. However, every time she thought about the grievances her two children faced, she couldn't help but think this way. The previous Xiao Lihua had been unkind, but that was no reason for the Xie Family to deprive the two children of food. She felt that even if the people in this family could not be called cruel, they could certainly be described as cold-hearted.
Xiao Lihua did not want to live with such a family.
With these thoughts in mind, Xiao Lihua fell asleep again.
When she woke up again, it was already bright outside. She could hear people talking and children playing outside. Seeing that both of her children were awake and looking at her with their eyes wide open, Xiao Lihua reached out to pat their heads and asked if they had slept well. Both of them nodded; their mother had been very gentle yesterday, and they had slept much better than usual, even though they had woken up hungry twice during the night and had to suck on their fingers before falling back asleep.
Xiao Lihua slowly sat up and felt stronger than yesterday; her head only hurt if she bumped it. Looking at her two dirty children and then at the messy room around her, she realized there was a lot of work ahead of her. She mentally organized her tasks and decided to tidy up the kang (a traditional heated bed), air out the blanket first, and then give the children a bath when it warmed up in the afternoon.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door; it was from the Zi Clan.
Xiao Lihua got off the kang to open the door. The Zi Clan member walked in and pulled out two pieces of snacks from their sleeve, handing them to Xiao Lihua while saying, "It wasn't appropriate for me to come over yesterday. Let your two children have something to fill their stomachs; I don't want them to go hungry. You should have one too; although it's not much, it will help a bit."
Xiao Lihua looked at the snacks; they were hard and crispy treats that would likely be filling. She didn't dislike the Zi Clan member; even though her family was depriving her children of food, she understood that as a daughter-in-law, they couldn't control their in-laws' decisions. It was nice enough for them to bring some snacks over. Thinking about how hungry her sons were, she didn't hesitate and thanked them before taking them and giving one to each child.
When Shitou tried to give one to Xiao Lihua, she said she wasn't hungry and urged them to eat quickly.
The Zi Clan member observed that Xiao Lihua had truly changed for the better. This was good; they felt sorry for Stone and Wood but knew they weren't their biological mother and couldn't interfere too much—having their real mother care for them was better.
"Today I'm cooking at home. I've saved some porridge for you along with pickled vegetables; I'll bring it over shortly."
As they spoke, the Zi Clan member turned around and soon returned with three bowls of porridge on a tray along with a small bowl of pickled vegetables, placing them on the table.
"You all eat, I'll go out first."
Xiao Lihua thanked Zi Clan again, then sat down to eat with the children. While eating, she asked the two kids if Zi Clan usually fed them. The children nodded and said that as long as they were hungry, Zi Clan would give them food whenever there was any, though it wasn't very often. Xiao Lihua understood that given the situation at home, they couldn't possibly keep food hidden, and snacks were not something they could always have.
Xiao Lihua thought that this Second Sister was still quite good. She also recalled that Xie Youtai hadn't spoken much last night, probably because this couple shared the same mindset. That was good; at least this household wasn't entirely filled with worries. As the saying goes, "A good man has three helpers." In this era and in this village, having someone to support you was always better.
After finishing the meal, Xiao Lihua let the two children play while she took the bowls to the kitchen. She returned to the room and saw that the children were obediently staying inside without going out, so she didn't rush them. She began tidying up the house, first taking all the bedding outside to air it out. Looking at the roof, she thought that cleaning it would probably cause a layer of dust to fall, so she just lightly swept away some cobwebs and dust from the edges until it looked better. Then she swept both the kang and the floor, went to fetch two basins of water, and wiped down all the surfaces she could.
Stone and Wood watched Xiao Lihua work quickly, their eyes wide in surprise at how diligent their mother had become. When Xiao Lihua smiled at them, they smiled back and wanted to help her. However, Xiao Lihua didn't need their help; there wasn't much work to do anyway—she just needed to tidy up a bit so it wouldn't look too dirty.
Seeing Xiao Lihua busying herself like this, Zi Clan came over to take a look and was also taken aback.
"Sister Four, you really cleaned up well."
Zi Clan thought that Xiao Lihua had changed so much; it was almost like she had become a different person.
Xiao Lihua smiled and said, "I just swept the floor and wiped off some dust to organize things. There's not much to clean up really. Of course, it looks cleaner now. Second Sister, I'm going to give Stone and Wood a bath this afternoon. I wonder if there's enough water; if not, I'll go fetch some myself."
Zi Clan laughed and said, "There's enough; you can use it. After you're done, let your Second Brother go fetch more."
"Thank you, Second Sister."
When Stone and Wood heard they were going to get a bath, they both smiled widely. Their mother never gave them baths; it was always their father who did.
Once the house was tidied up, Xiao Lihua took a short break before looking for clean clothes for the two children. While rummaging through boxes yesterday, she had found a few pieces that seemed about right in size—each child had only two sets of clothes, and they looked quite worn out. She examined the stitching on these clothes and thought that she could make some herself. Coming from a rural background, although she couldn't do delicate embroidery work, she had helped her mother make cotton clothes and quilts before; she knew how to cut fabric and operate a sewing machine. Now without a sewing machine, using a needle wouldn't be difficult for her either. She thought about making clothes for her children herself in the future.
After finding clothes for both children and noticing they were torn on top, she decided not to sew them just yet. She planned to wait until after changing out their dirty clothes and washing them before mending everything together. If time allowed, she would also patch up their father's clothes; after all, if nothing unexpected happened in the future, he would be her man now—she needed to manage that relationship well.
At noon, everyone in the family returned home, and upon seeing Xiao Lihua's demeanor, they all froze, wondering what kind of madness she was up to this time.
Xiao Lihua ignored them and directly took her two sons to the dining table, not skimping on their food. Since they had to work in the fields in the afternoon, lunch was relatively plentiful. Xiao Lihua ate half of her own pancake and divided the rest between her two sons. This drew everyone's attention because usually, Xiao Lihua couldn't be bothered with her children, but today she was so affectionate, helping them onto the bench, serving them dishes, and even sharing her food with them—she seemed like a devoted mother!
"This is truly a case of the sun rising in the west; she's being so nice to Stone and Wood. She must have some plans," the Li Family said sarcastically, thinking that Xiao Lihua might have been stimulated into considering abandoning her two children, trying to fulfill a mother's duty at the last moment. If she really did run away, it would be quite amusing!
As soon as the Li Family spoke, everyone's expressions turned sour, their eyes filled with suspicion as they looked at Xiao Lihua.
Xiao Lihua glanced at the Li Family and coldly replied, "I've come to understand that every mother should treat her own children well. Someone like Sister-in-law can protect her cubs; naturally, I can too. I thought if I didn’t care, this family wouldn’t mistreat my sons. Who would have thought that neither biological parents nor adoptive ones are reliable? I can only take matters into my own hands!"
This was a criticism of how the family had been skimping on Stone and Wood's meals. The whole family fell silent; after all, punishing children for their mothers' mistakes was indeed unreasonable.
The Wang Clan said with a stern face, "Xiao Lihua, are you blaming me?"
"Yes, is that even a question?" Xiao Lihua thought to herself that thankfully she used to be someone who could hold her own; now she didn’t need to pretend to be filial and could freely express her dissatisfaction. "Mother, I treat my sons well; what’s wrong with that? Are you uncomfortable because you think there won’t be enough food in the future?"
"You little schemer!" Wang Clan scolded angrily.
"I’m just here eating my meal; others come looking for trouble. I merely responded a few times—how does that make me a schemer? Can’t we eat our meal in peace? If we don’t eat well, we won’t have strength and might get sick. If I get sick, it’s no big deal; but if you parents get sick, then it’s me being unfilial as your daughter-in-law. For your health's sake, I think we should eat separately from now on. I’ll serve the food myself; that’s how it will be. Father, Mother, don’t you see how filial I am? You can’t call me a schemer."
Xiao Lihua said with a smile, her eyes full of sarcasm; she didn’t even want to eat with these people.
"Stone and Wood, let’s go."
Without waiting for anyone else to say anything, Xiao Lihua picked up both children from the bench, one in each hand, and walked out, leaving behind a family of dumbfounded individuals.
In the warmest part of the afternoon, Xiao Lihua bathed the two children, dressed them, and then picked up a pile of dirty clothes to wash.
"Sister Four, I'll go with you! I have quite a few clothes to wash as well," Zi Clan said when she saw Xiao Lihua preparing to go out. She quickly returned to her room to grab a basket of clothes.
Xiao Lihua was glad to have someone accompany her. Although she had some memories, they were still somewhat vague.
Zi Clan walked to the window of the main room and called out to the person inside, "Ruyi, Sister Four and I are going to do laundry. Please keep an eye on the house."
"Got it, Second Sister. You go ahead and make sure to close the door," came a pleasant voice from inside. Xiao Lihua thought this must be the younger sister who hadn't married yet. She appeared quite fair-looking, and from her memories, it seemed the original owner didn't think highly of her—not because Ruyi was bad, but because Ruyi's fiancé was quite good, which made the original owner jealous.
Xiao Lihua thought to herself that the original owner was really vain. Even after marrying and becoming a mother of two, she still clung to her desires, unable to recognize reality. Jealous of this and that, she ruined her relationships and ultimately lost her life. Xiao Lihua didn't know what to say about that.
Together with Zi Clan, Xiao Lihua stepped outside, followed by two little tails.
As they walked along, everyone greeted Zi Clan; it was clear she was well-liked. In contrast, Xiao Lihua received disdainful glances from others. Feeling frustrated, she thought that the original owner had truly left her with a mess. It seemed that changing this image would take time; for now, she could only face everyone's scrutinizing gazes with a calm expression while occasionally checking on the little ones beside her.
When they reached the riverbank, they found several women already gathered under a large tree. Upon seeing them, Zi Clan immediately suggested to Xiao Lihua that they wash somewhere else; it would be better not to encounter those women under the tree to avoid any potential conflicts for Xiao Lihua.
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