At night, Jiang Li fell asleep early with the two children. After Shen Changan finished tutoring Jiang Yi, he simply washed up and went to Jiang Yi's room.
The room is very small and the bed is also very small. It is spacious enough for Jiang Yi to sleep alone, but it is very crowded with a big man like him.
"Teacher Shen, I'm very thin and small. I don't take up much space."
Jiang Yi huddled in the inner part of the bed, leaving a large space for Shen Changan.
The windows in the room had not been repaired yet, and cold wind mixed with drizzle blew in in gusts.
Not only is the bed in Jiang Yi's room small, but the quilt is also very thin.
The bed was covered with only straw and was as hard as a rock.
Shen Changan glanced at the dark sky outside and listened to the crackling rain. He was already tempted to leave in the rain.
"Teacher Shen, go to sleep. I specially got you a clean pillow."
Jiang Yi patted the pillow beside him and invited enthusiastically.
Shen Changan fell on the bed and forced himself to close his eyes. Even when he was in the military camp, he had never slept on such a hard bed or covered himself with such a thin quilt in winter. Unless he was marching in the wild, the conditions were still acceptable.
The quilt was cold and the bed was small, but he could feel the warmth coming from Jiang Yi from a distance.
I don't know what's stuffed inside the pillow, but when I lie down on it, it feels soft and hard in some places.
As expected of someone who had served in the army for two years, Shen Changan had excellent physical fitness. After lying down for a while, his body began to heat up spontaneously.
He closed his eyes and fell into a drowsy sleep when he felt a cold little body pressing towards him.
Shen Changan didn't like other people getting close to him, so he quickly moved to the side and kept some distance.
Unexpectedly, after a while, Jiang Yi came closer again. Shen Changan originally wanted to move away, but he was already sticking to the edge of the bed, and if he moved any further he would fall under the bed.
Jiang Yi was so cold that Shen Changan couldn't bear to wake him up, so Jiang Yi slept next to Shen Changan all night.
It was a little after five in the morning and Jiang Li was sleeping soundly when there was a sudden knock on the door.
Jiang Li raised her eyelids and didn't want to get up. She was too tired from taking care of the children last night and she still didn't get enough sleep.
Jiang Li was just about to fall asleep when the knocking on the door outside became more and more urgent.
Jiang Li was afraid that the knocking on the door would wake up the two children, so he struggled to get up from the bed.
She quickly put on a coat, rubbed her eyes and walked out in the dark.
As soon as Jiang Li opened the door, several flashlights shone over.
Jiang Li's sleepy eyes couldn't bear such strong light and immediately closed again.
"Jiang Li! Jiang Li! My son is dying. Please draw a picture of him!"
The person who came was Aunt Li from the village. She usually spoke harshly and had often said bad things about Jiang Li behind his back.
To be honest, Jiang Li really dislikes Aunt Li.
Aunt Li has a stupid son in his 30s who is still a bachelor. Despite this, Aunt Li is still looking for a wife for him.
Because everyone thought her son was stupid, and their family was really poor, Aunt Li tried her best but no one was willing to help.
Because of these things, Aunt Li became more and more harsh in her words and actions.
Jiang Li already had a bad reputation in Jiangjia Village, and what she said made him lose face.
Even though their relationship was so bad, Aunt Li still came to her house to paint her portrait.
Although Jiang Li was short of money, he didn't want to earn her money.
"Aunt Li, the kids at home were making a fuss last night, and I didn't sleep well all night. It's really inconvenient that I don't have a portrait today."
It rained all night last night, and although it stopped this morning, the ground was muddy.
Jiang Li was about to go back to his room to continue sleeping, but he didn't expect Aunt Li, who was always arrogant, to suddenly kneel on the ground.
"Jiang Li, please help me, please help me! I know I was not a good person before. I had a bad relationship with you and I also said bad things about you behind your back. It was my fault, but it has nothing to do with my son!"
"My son passed away at such a young age. He can't be without a portrait. Please do me a favor, okay? If you are still angry with me, I will, I will..."
Aunt Li talked for a long time, and Jiang Li yawned because he was sleepy.
Just when Jiang Li was about to fall asleep, Aunt Li suddenly slapped herself twice.
"As long as you agree to paint my son's portrait, I will change my bad mouthing and never speak ill of anyone again!"
"My life has been ruined by my mouth. I know it's a bad habit, but I just can't change it. This time, in front of everyone, I, Li Cuiying, will make this clear. If you help me draw a portrait of my son today, I will change it. I will definitely change it!"
Aunt Li knelt down and slapped herself. Jiang Li was frightened by her actions.
However, if painting a portrait can help a gossipy woman turn over a new leaf, Jiang Li thinks it is worth it.
"It's your business whether you want to change it or not, but the money for the portrait must be the same."
"That's for sure, that's for sure."
Aunt Li excitedly got up from the ground and quickly took out a dollar that she had prepared long ago from her pocket and handed it over.
Jiang Li walked forward to take the money and she took the initiative to open the yard door.
Jiang Li was just about to go out when he saw several strong men coming in carrying a stretcher.
The stretcher was covered with a white cloth that was soaked with water. Jiang Li looked carefully and found that water was still flowing from under the stretcher.
"What's going on?"
"Wasn't it raining heavily last night? My son ran out in the middle of the night and ended up drowning in the river. I found him when I got up late at night to check on him in his room. When I took people to look for him, I found that he had already..."
Aunt Li was already sobbing when she said this. Someone helped to lift the white cloth, and Jiang Li saw that the body lying on the stretcher was swollen and pale, and the whole person looked completely inhuman.
Jiang Li frowned slightly. How could he draw a portrait like this?
"Aunt Li, how can I draw a portrait of your son when he looks like this?"
It's obvious that Aunt Li is not an easy person to get along with. If the painting is not good, there will definitely be some arguments.
Jiang Li is a quiet person and doesn't like to get involved in these troubles.
Since she knew there would be trouble from the beginning, she simply refused.
"You can draw him however you want, as long as you don't make him look silly."
Jiang Li was a little bit unconvinced that Aunt Li was so easy to talk to this time.
The villagers also spoke in good faith, and Jiang Li reluctantly nodded in agreement.
Shen Changan had been a soldier and was a light sleeper. He heard the first knock on the door. Later, when Jiang Li opened the door and went out, he also quietly followed and walked out of the room.
"Let me make it clear first. Regardless of whether you are satisfied or not, I will only paint you once. Once you are done, you can take it and leave. Don't say anything extra."
"If you can't agree to my conditions, then leave now and don't even bother looking for me."
Jiang Li's words were very direct. Aunt Li nodded with tears in her eyes, "Don't worry, I'll accept whatever your painting turns out to be."
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