kvmb Chapter 354 Bao'er
Chapter 354 Bao'er
The woman looked out of the courtyard at the sound.
Lin Chang'er met her gaze and smiled at her, "Sister-in-law, we brought our little brother out for a trip and forgot to fill the water pouch. If you'd like, we won't drink your water for free; we'll exchange it for some dry food, okay?"
The woman paused, wiped her hands on her clothes, and stood up, saying, "It's just a bowl of water, no need to change it."
Then he instructed the little girl squatting beside the wooden basin, "Bao'er, go and pour a bowl of water for your little brother."
"Okay, Mommy!" The little girl ran into the house, glancing at the goldfish as she turned around.
The woman opened the fence gate and welcomed Lin Chang'er and the others inside.
He didn't go inside, but sat down at the dilapidated wooden table in the yard.
A cough came from inside the house, followed by an old woman's voice, "Bao'er's mother, is Bao'er's father back?"
Bao'er's mother, the woman, answered into the house, "Mother, it's not Bao'er's father, but a few travelers passing by who want a bowl of water."
The old woman coughed a few more times. "Oh, don't forget to fill their water pouches later."
The woman replied, "Yes, Mother!"
Lin Chang'er glanced at Wu Qingfeng, her expression slightly complicated.
Based on this brief interaction, the family seems kind and friendly, with a harmonious relationship between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and well-behaved children.
Wu Qingfeng simply raised his chin at her, signaling her to continue watching.
Just then, Bao'er brought out the water. Lin Chang'er turned her gaze to the little girl, who was holding the bowl with both hands, taking each step very carefully, as if afraid of spilling a drop.
When you get to the little goldfish, hand him the bowl, and say, "Little brother, have some water!"
The little goldfish thanked her, then took the water, but didn't drink it. Instead, it handed the water to Lin Chang'er, saying, "Sister, drink first!"
Lin Chang'er was taken aback. Actually, she hadn't specifically instructed them to change their address when going out, but Little Goldfish was more thoughtful than she had thought.
Before she could react, the girl said softly, "There's still some inside. I'll go get more when you're done."
Lin Chang'er smiled at her and said to the little goldfish, "Drink up, I'm not thirsty."
The little goldfish looked at Wu Qingfeng again, "Big...Sister Wu..."
Wu Qingfeng frowned. What nonsense was this child spouting! Just as he was about to correct him, he heard the child call out, "Husband, do you want some?"
Wu Qingfeng paused, then his lips curled into a wide smile. This kid is quite perceptive. He gently patted the boy's head and said, "Brother-in-law isn't thirsty, you drink."
Lin Chang'er: "..." One dared to call out, and the other actually dared to respond.
He frowned at him, then smiled broadly, his eyes crinkling. He looked around the small courtyard and said, "Sister-in-law, it's like this. My wife, my younger brother, and I are going to the prefectural city to visit relatives. We don't know where we'll rest next, so we asked you for some water. We were wondering if it would be convenient for us to borrow your cooking pot and stove. Don't worry, we brought our own food."
Lin Chang'er nodded, then shook her head. "We didn't bring any firewood. If it's convenient for you, you can sell us some more firewood, or we can exchange it with you for grain."
The woman paused, seemingly with some concerns.
Lin Chang'er asked her, "Is there any inconvenience?"
The woman said, "My husband is working in the fields, so I can't make the decision. Let me ask my mother-in-law first."
Lin Chang'er and Wu Qingfeng exchanged a glance and said, "So that's how it is. No wonder only my sister-in-law, aunt and the children are at home. How about this, if you and aunt are willing to lend us your cooking pots and stoves, please cook a meal for us. We won't go inside, we'll just eat in the courtyard."
"As for the wages for cooking, how about we calculate it at 20 coins?"
The woman was somewhat tempted, since at present, women could only earn 15-20 coins a day by working.
However, with the floods and food shortages, even though some philanthropists in Ninghai County donated grain to stabilize prices, who knows if prices will rise tomorrow?
Therefore, she wanted food more than money.
The woman said, "If my mother-in-law agrees, I won't ask for wages. Would it be alright if you could leave us some food?"
Lin Chang'er nodded, the woman smiled, and jogged into the house.
The little goldfish and Bao'er were chatting away. After drinking some water, Bao'er took out some candy from her little pouch and gave it to the little girl.
The little girl accepted it, but didn't eat it, saying she would save it for her grandmother to take her medicine.
The little goldfish then gave her another one, but the little girl didn't eat it; it was wrapped up together with the goldfish.
The little goldfish offered her more, but she refused. "Two pieces are already a lot. You only drank one bowl of water from our house. I shouldn't have taken any of your candy, but Grandma's medicine is too bitter. I only accepted your candy because of that. If I take any more, my parents will say I'm being unreasonable."
While the two children were talking, the woman came out of the house, accompanied by an old woman. The old woman looked unwell, as if she had been ill for some time.
With a smile on her lips, the old woman said, "We should naturally entertain guests who are passing through, but at this time of year, we really don't have anything to offer them."
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "We've already troubled you by chance, and we are extremely grateful that you don't mind our trouble. Little Goldfish, go and ask Uncle Liu to bring some food."
Then she winked at him, and the little goldfish understood. She said to Bao'er, "Sister Bao'er, I'm not very familiar with the roads in this village. Can you come with me? Our carriage is parked under the big tree at the entrance of the village."
Bao'er looked at her mother, who nodded to her, and then she replied, "I'll go with you."
After the two children left, the old woman instructed her daughter-in-law, "Bao'er's mother, go and start the fire first, and wash the pots and pans again."
Bao'er's mother said, "Okay, I'll go right away."
Bao'er's mother turned and went to the kitchen.
The old woman glanced in that direction, then turned back, smiled at Lin Chang'er, and said, "Young lady, can you reassure this old woman now?"
Lin Chang'er raised her eyelashes and thought to herself, "This old lady is quite sharp of hearing and sight."
The old woman continued, “My family is neither by the main road nor a good family in the village. If it weren’t for a special reason, why would they have chosen our family? Young lady, for now, I, this old woman, am in charge of the family. If you have anything to say, just tell me.”
Lin Chang'er and Wu Qingfeng exchanged a glance and said, "Then I won't hide it anymore. I'm from the Gu family in Linshui Village, and Yu Damai is my sister-in-law."
Upon hearing this, the old woman's eyes widened instantly, and her eyes reddened. "Da, Da, is she alright?"
Lin Chang'er pursed her lips. "It was all good before, but something happened yesterday, and she must be feeling bad."
Then, she told Old Lady Yu about how the Xu family mother and her two sons had gone to find Sister-in-law Gu.
Old Mrs. Yu's eyes reddened even more, her chest heaving. "Beasts, this family of beasts! How dare they... my barley..."
"It's all my fault, it's all my fault for being useless. If I had known it would turn out like this, we should have gone together as a family. I shouldn't have given you to the Xu family as a child bride... It's all my fault!"
"It's my fault that barley was ruined, it's my fault that barley was ruined..."
Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, the old lady began to sob.
Lin Chang'er frowned, unsure of what to do.
Just then, the fence gate was pushed open, and a man's angry voice came from inside, "Who are you people? What did you do to my mother?"