Chapter 003: Wen Chun Wen Xuan
One of the two children was named Wenchun and the other was named Wenxuan.
Wen Chun is the daughter of eldest sister Wen. She was born on the first day of the Lunar New Year and is now three years and eight months old. At this moment, she is wearing a white short coat and has messy hair. She is standing obediently beside the dining table.
Wen Xuan is from my second sister. She is three months younger than Wen Chun and looks very similar to Wen Chun. At first glance, they look like twins.
Especially the eyes, which seemed as if they were carved out of a template.
In other words, Wen Chun has a pointed face, while Wen Xuan has a round face, otherwise Wen Jiajia would have to waste a lot of effort to recognize them.
Wen Jiajia felt that Wen Xuan was more lively and bold than her sister. She moved closer to the stove, staring into the pot.
"Stop sucking your fingers, wash your hands and eat." Wen Jiajia pulled the fingers out of her mouth while holding the bowl. They were so black that they were really disgusting to look at.
The rice cake soup was poured into a large bowl, and Wen Jiajia scooped some into her rice bowl.
The two children had already washed their hands and sat down at the table timidly. They looked at her cautiously again, then silently picked up the spoons and raised their chins to eat.
Take a bite and take a peek.
“…”
Wen Jiajia suddenly felt that she was not wearing the clothes of their aunt, but their stepmother.
She wanted to say something, but she didn't like to lecture people during mealtime. Food is hard to come by, so don't ruin your appetite for nothing.
The rice cake slices are very fragrant, with the aroma of pork fat and rice blended together, and paired with tender vegetables and fried eggs. There is no need for seasonings such as chicken essence and MSG to enhance the flavor, the taste of the ingredients themselves is fresh enough!
The rice cake slices are rotten but still chewy, and are neither loose nor sticky to the teeth. After a few more bites, the unique rice cake aroma will bloom in your mouth.
This rice cake tastes just like the freshly beaten glutinous rice cake.
As they chewed, Wen Jiajia felt relieved. The two children also gradually started eating, and the sound of spoons and bowls colliding could be heard.
See, a simple bowl of food can bring peace of mind.
—
It may seem simple to Wen Jiajia, but it is a rare delicacy to Wen Chun and Wen Xuan.
This was the first time they had eaten so well since Chinese New Year that they forgot for a moment that there was a strange aunt sitting beside them.
The two children were small and thin, and they sat on high stools, but it seemed that their family members liked them very much.
The original owner's body lacked oil and fine grains, so even though Wen Jiajia felt that she had eaten enough, her instinct made her fill one bowl after another until her stomach was full and she had to stop.
"Oh my god."
Wen Jiajia touched her stomach and thought in disbelief that she had actually eaten three large bowls of rice noodle soup.
You know, the earthen bowl in the countryside is not small, and two hands can't even hold it! It seems that we should consider food issues in advance, because the food crisis is imminent.
The two children only ate half a bowl each, but their bellies were still full.
The kerosene lamp gradually dimmed, and the kitchen was dark. As a gust of wind blew outside, the kerosene lamp dimmed even more.
Wen Chun picked the fruits skillfully with a bamboo stick and sat obediently on the stool watching Wen Jiajia busy herself.
What is Wen Jiajia busy with?
Busy putting the chickens into the cages.
There is a door next to the kitchen, which opens to the backyard of the house.
The backyard is more than 30 square meters in size and looks very flat, as if it was reclaimed in recent years.
Such a large area is surrounded by fences, and chicken coops are built near the house.
The chicken coop was made of wood, with tiles on the top and a raised floor underneath, so it wouldn't leak in the rain. As far as I can remember, the winters there weren't that cold, so there was probably no fear of freezing.
A pig shed and a toilet were built farthest from the house, but no pigs were seen in the pig shed so far.
Wen Jiajia thought for a moment, then turned around and asked, "Chun'er, have we ever raised pigs?"
Wen Chun quickly got down from the stool, ran to the backyard door and said shyly, "I raised one."
The little girl's voice was small but clear. After she finished speaking, she hurriedly looked away, not daring to look at her.
Wen Jiajia thought that he probably raised it last year, and she might not remember it if it was earlier.
But can a family raise a pig these days? She didn't quite understand, so she decided to find an opportunity to ask the villagers. If a family can raise a pig, then there will be no worries about meat at the end of the year.
Apart from the chicken coop and pig shed, the rest of the backyard was filled with bricks and firewood.
The small vegetable garden is also next to the backyard, and the entrance is also surrounded by a bamboo fence to prevent chickens from entering the vegetable garden.
"Crack!"
The chickens were running around, and Wen Jiajia was chasing them with a broom.
Most of the chickens had already gotten into the habit of going into the cage, so all she had to do was to get the two thorny ones into the cage.
At this moment, night has fallen completely.
It was pitch black outside, the path at the entrance of the village was lost in the darkness, and only a few lights could be seen in the center of the village.
According to the ladies who came to help yesterday, the brigade had electricity and lights installed at the beginning of this year, and from now on their Fuyang Brigade can be considered a brigade with electricity.
The aunties also said that perhaps by the end of next year, the members of their brigade would also be able to have electricity and lights in their homes.
Wen Jiajia just hoped that this was true. She was not used to living without lights at all! However, it would cost a lot of money to lay the wires, and she had to find a way to raise the money before then.
Thinking of money... I was speechless for a moment, then turned around and went back to the house.
After washing the dishes, there was still hot water left in the pot, so she prepared to wash for herself and her two children.
It's summer now, if you don't wash it, it will become smelly!
Wen Jiajia moved the big bucket from the original owner's parents' room and poured water into it.
The water for the house was fetched by the villagers this morning. Not only did they fill the water tank in the kitchen, but they also filled the two large water tanks beside the courtyard in the main hall. So the house does not lack water for the time being.
Wen Jiajia felt the boiling hot water and mixed it with cold water. When she felt that the temperature was about right, she called the two children over and said, "Come, take off your clothes and take a bath."
The two children stood there stupidly, not daring to move.
Wen Jiajia said "tsk", and pulled Wen Chun and Wen Xuan over, "How can you sleep at night if you don't wash off the sweat all over your body?"
As he said this, he took off the clothes, pants and shoes of both of them, then held the elder sister's armpit and put her into the water, and then put the younger sister in.
The lights flickered on the water, sparkling like diamond jewels in the light.
The two children entered, and the water surface rose slightly. Wen Jiajia leaned on the bucket and said seriously, "We are a family now. If I call you, you will know. I am not the wolf grandmother in the valley. What should I be afraid of?"
The three words "Grandma Wolf" scared the two children so much that they shrank their heads. Wen Jiajia didn't care anymore and went to the room to get a cloth to help them clean.
Wen Jiajia still wanted to find some soap, but she seemed not to have seen it at home for two days.
"Do we have any soap at home?" she asked.
"What is soap?" Wen Xuan asked curiously.
Wen Jiajia: "It will be slippery after washing... Never mind, do you have any soap? The soap for washing clothes."
Wenchun was a smart kid, and he understood quickly. He whispered, "No, we don't have it at home. Only Meihua's family has it."
"Who is Meihua?" Wen Jiajia didn't hear anything, so she stopped bothering and just helped them wash with clean water.
Wen Chun asked doubtfully, "Meihua is Meihua."
Okay!
Wen Jiajia used this soon-to-be-discarded towel to scrub the dirt off their bodies, rubbing out tiny black bugs.
These two kids are really dirty. She twitched her lips and asked, "When was the last time you two took a bath?"
The two children were unable to answer. In their little heads, there were no other days except today, yesterday, and the day before yesterday.
Taking a bath was probably the day before yesterday.
The children finished washing quickly. Wen Jiajia put clean clothes on them and carried them to Sister Wen's room.
Wen Jiajia slept in Sister Wen's room last night. She had changed all the bedding and other things. Before going out this morning, she put the quilt in the front yard to dry in the sun for a whole day. It was soaked in the sun and was now emitting the unique scent of the sun.
Sister Wen's room is divided into an upper and lower room. The upper room is entered from the kitchen. The upper room is smaller and the temperature is relatively low because there is no sunlight all year round.
This place is prepared for Wen Chun to sleep in. The bed frame has been built, and there are a few new straw mattresses made last year, as well as some loose straw on the bed.
Wen Jiajia didn't know what the straw was for at that time, and thought it was a fire starter. But life would soon teach her a lesson and make her fall.
Bamboo baskets and other items were piled under the bed, and there was even a bamboo wardrobe in the corner of the room. There were also many bamboo hats hanging on the wall. She guessed that they were made by Brother-in-law Wen, who was probably a skilled craftsman.
First embrace and smell the spring, then embrace and smell the xuan.
Their bodies were clean, but their hair was still dirty.
Wen Jiajia thought about it, then went to find two towels and tied their hair together.
She placed the kerosene lamp in the room on the table next to the bed and said seriously, "Auntie is going to take a shower now. You guys stay on the bed and play. Don't touch the light. Do you understand?"
The two sisters nodded.
Wen Jiajia: “Speak.”
The two sisters said, “I understand.”
Wen Jiajia was satisfied and turned to go to the kitchen to take a shower.
That was enough. There wasn’t even a bathroom at home. She was curious about how her family used to take a bath.
Because there were two children and a kerosene lamp in the same room, Wen Jiajia didn't dare to dawdle and took the bath as quickly as possible.
The moment she finished washing, she swore that she would get a bar of soap within a week!
Wen Jiajia put on her clothes, put the wooden barrel upside down to dry, then blew out the kerosene lamp in the kitchen and hurried back to the house.
The front door and the backyard door of the house were already closed. After returning to the house, she also bolted the door of the room, thinking that even if someone could come in through the front door, they would not be able to enter the room.
Wen Chun and Wen Xuan sat quietly on the bed. Wen Jiajia tied her hair and went to bed and said to them, "Come on, let's talk."
She said seriously, "I am your aunt. Do you know what aunt means? I am your mother's biological sister. Your grandparents are my parents."
The two children's eyes gradually widened, and Wen Chun even opened his mouth slightly, with an expression of disbelief.
Wen Jiajia's hands were itchy, so she pinched the two people's cheeks and said, "Now you know who I am, I'm not a bad person."
Wen Chun tilted her head and whispered, "Are you the same as my second aunt?"
Wen Jiajia gave a thumbs up: "Yes!"
Wen Xuan said, "I haven't seen you at home."
Wen Jiajia added: "That's because I was at someone else's house. Now that I've grown up, I came back."
Wen Xuan: "Where is my mother? Is she really dead? Meihua said my mother is dead."
The room immediately became very quiet.
After a long while, Wen Jiajia didn't know how to answer. She thought about it carefully and said, "Your parents and grandparents have gone to another place. I don't know where, but I know they are reluctant to leave you and asked me to take care of you. Maybe one day... you will be able to see them again."
The children didn’t know what “maybe” meant. They only noticed the words “see them again”, and a faint smile immediately appeared on their faces. They didn’t seem to be so afraid of Wen Jiajia anymore.
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