"Sister-in-law, you should keep this nice towel for yourself. We don't need it!"
Holding the towel Lin Xue had given her, Zhou Xiaomei hesitated to use it to dry her hair.
Such a nice towel, and such a beautiful color, she was a little reluctant to use it.
"Hurry up and dry your hair. If you get sick, you'll have to spend money on medicine, and we don't have much money left!"
Seeing the little girl's distressed and reluctant expression, Lin Xue had no choice but to resort to threats.
Upon hearing that she would have to spend money to buy medicine, the little girl was immediately frightened and quickly started drying her hair. When her hair was half dry, she took a towel to dry her older sister, Zhou Xiaoting.
Just as Zhou Xiaoting finished washing the clothes for the two sisters, the boys returned after taking a shower.
The boys, fresh from their showers, looked refreshed and full of energy, walking with boundless enthusiasm.
"Sister-in-law, we're all a bit dirty, and you only have this little bit of soap left!"
Approaching Lin Xue, Zhou Xiaocang somewhat embarrassedly took out the remaining half of the soap.
"Keep these for yourselves. Once we're done with the work in the fields, we'll go and collect some more soap pods. Then I'll teach you how to make soap!"
Lin Xue sized up the boys; their hair was almost completely dry from walking back.
That saves you the step of drying it.
"Second brother, where are your clothes? Let me wash them for you!"
Zhou Xiaoting had already hung the two sisters' clothes out to dry in the yard, where there was still a little space reserved for the brothers.
"No need, Fifth Sister, we've already washed the clothes, they just need to be hung out to dry!"
Zhou Xiaocang took the clean clothes out of a wooden basin that Zhou Xiaowu was carrying, and then hung the brothers' clothes out to dry in the yard.
"Sister-in-law, I've taken my younger siblings to work in the fields. You don't need to work too hard at home. It's still early for the harvest. You can take your time weaving this basket!"
Zhou Xiaocang was touched that Lin Xue would weave baskets for her family.
Unexpectedly, after my elder brother passed away, my sister-in-law not only didn't leave, but also took the initiative to help with housework.
Zhou Xiaocang greeted Lin Xue and then took his younger siblings to the fields again.
After everyone left, Lin Xue stopped weaving baskets and instead cleaned the house inside and out.
After cleaning, I sprayed it with insecticide to prevent other small insects from getting into the corners of the house.
After finishing all that, she sat back down in her seat and continued weaving the basket.
After making a few, Lin Xue felt that she had enough for her home, so she stopped.
Looking at the sky, I carried the blankets from the children's rooms back to their respective rooms and helped them make their beds.
Then, after drying their bedding in the backyard, they carried their own set of bedding back into their house.
Fortunately, the weather was very hot, and the people didn't have many blankets.
Lin Xue laid the two thin blankets underneath, and then took out an inconspicuous set of sheets from her spatial storage and laid them on top.
Finally, he took out a piece of coarse cloth blanket, so he wouldn't have to use that set of stiff and smelly bedding anymore.
After carrying everything inside, we started preparing dinner.
I quickly washed a few potatoes and sweet potatoes, then found a small bag of cornmeal in the grain pile.
I cooked a porridge with cornmeal and sweet potatoes, then washed the potatoes, shredded them, and planned to stir-fry them for dinner.
Seeing that the dish looked rather thin, she went to the backyard and picked a handful of scallions.
I checked the henhouse and found three eggs.
Back in the kitchen, I chopped the bok choy into small pieces, then added some chopped green onions, and finally stir-fried it with an egg.
Golden with a hint of green, the aroma of eggs is infused with the fresh fragrance of vegetables.
Eggs cooked this way are actually quite delicious.
When the children returned, they found that their sister-in-law had prepared dinner for them again.
The group ran to the well with practiced ease, washed their hands and faces, and then respectfully went to the kitchen, sat at the table, and waited for the meal to be served.
"Xiaoting, can you serve me the sweet potato and corn porridge? I'll serve the vegetables!"
Lin Xue called Zhou Xiaoting to help her, and soon all the food was on the table.
"Sister-in-law, we just had stir-fried cured pork and vegetables for lunch, why are we having scrambled eggs for dinner?"
Although the scrambled eggs smelled really good, Zhou Xiaocang still felt a little heartbroken.
You can't just eat good food for one day!
You should know that eggs are something that can be saved to sell for money, so most families are reluctant to eat them!
"Eat up! You're all still growing. Eating more will give you strength to work and prevent you from getting sick!"
"Do you think it's better to eat more to nourish your body, or to spend money on medicine when you get sick in the future?"
Lin Xue didn't lecture them; she simply told them the result.
"Sister-in-law, if that's the case, then let's eat more!"
"The herbal medicine is so expensive, we simply can't afford it!"
After listening to Lin Xue's words, Zhou Xiaohai felt that his sister-in-law made a lot of sense.
These eggs were laid by our own old hen; if we eat them today, we can have more tomorrow.
But if they get sick, their family simply doesn't have the money to hire a doctor.
Besides, medicine is so expensive these days; ordinary people simply can't afford to get sick.
"So, you just need to eat whatever I make obediently!"
"I want to raise you all to be strong and healthy, so that each of you can work and our family can continue to survive!"
"Otherwise, if even one person gets sick, it will drag down our whole family, and our lives will only become more difficult!"
Lin Xue put a piece of egg in each child's bowl with her chopsticks. She herself never lacked food, so she wasn't particularly craving it.
These children are different; they don't usually get to eat well, and now the psychological and survival pressures are all on their shoulders.
Under this double pressure, their lives are extremely difficult.
"Yes, sister-in-law, you're so kind!"
Zhou Xiaowu didn't care about any of that; as long as the food was put in his bowl, he would mix it with rice and eat it voraciously.
Despite his large appetite, Zhou Xiaowu is also very capable at work.
He's just a little mentally challenged and has some intellectual disability.
But when it comes to things he's familiar with, he's more efficient than anyone else. That's why the original owner was willing to keep him around—because he was simple-minded and didn't know anything, yet he could still work.
"Then you all need to eat more, grow taller and stronger! That way you can protect your sister-in-law and your two younger sisters!"
Seeing that Zhou Xiaowu was eating with relish, Lin Xue picked up another piece of food for him.
Although they felt a little sorry for the children, they were all quite happy. After the matter was discussed, they all lowered their heads and ate their meals.
Such a sumptuous dinner is rare, and each child cherished the food in their bowl.
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