Chapter 7 Gathering Things
Nowadays, people in rural areas use corn stalks as firewood, which are usually placed under the eaves of their houses to prevent them from getting wet in the rain.
But if they can't fit it in their own house, they'll just stuff it everywhere. I guess some neighbor saw that no one was home and put it there. It's just so unreasonable that it completely blocked the front door.
Song Xinran said, "I'll go move it."
Without any hesitation, she picked up a bundle of corn stalks, threw it into the dam area beside her, then picked up a second bundle and repeated the action.
After a quick and simple cleanup, the front door was finally visible.
Seeing his mother's actions, Song Yu immediately realized that if they moved the corn stalks aside, they wouldn't have to climb out of the window, and he wouldn't break his leg.
The child touched his leg, trotted along beside Song Xinran, and diligently picked up some scraps of firewood, imitating his mother's actions to throw the trash aside.
The area in front of the door quickly became much cleaner.
"Xiao Yu, you don't need to pick it up anymore. Let's go inside." Song Xinran took the child's hand, took out the key, and unlocked the door.
As soon as she opened the door, she smelled a musty odor. The dirt floor was covered in white dust and cobwebs. The windows were warped from the rain and the locks were rusty.
She looked around. There was hardly any furniture in the main room except for a wooden table with four long benches, a yellow couch, and a washstand.
It's clear that the original owner cleaned up the main room very thoroughly, leaving behind mostly useless and bulky items that Song Xinran couldn't possibly have taken with her.
Song Xinran turned on the main power switch and turned on the light bulb, and the dim yellow light immediately filled the room.
She went to the bathroom and room to check, and wherever she went, Song Yu followed her like a little tail, as if he really wanted to help her with something.
She turned to the side, bent down slightly, looked at the short but energetic child, and said softly, "Xiao Yu, Mom wants to take you to live in town."
Song Yu's eyes widened in disbelief. He didn't know what to say and just stared at her blankly.
Song Xinran added, "Today, Mom brought Xiaoyu home to see if there's anything we can take to town. Xiaoyu, can you help Mom find something that we can take with us and that we can use in our daily lives?"
Song Yu's eyes immediately lit up, and he nodded excitedly, "Mhm!"
Then he ran headlong into the kitchen.
Song Xinran smiled. She hadn't expected Song Yu to be looking for anything, but seeing the child following her around looking a little lost, she wanted to give the child something to do.
She went into the room, looked around, and finally her gaze fell on the large wardrobe on the side.
The surrounding area was covered in dust, except for that one spot which was relatively clean, as if the original owner had once returned to visit.
Song Xinran opened the wardrobe and saw a white cotton quilt. She was delighted and reached out to touch it; the quilt was still relatively dry.
"Mom!" Song Yu's voice rang out from outside, followed by the sound of thumping footsteps. The child quickly ran in, holding a pair of chopsticks, and happily handed them to her. "I found chopsticks, can I use them?"
Upon inspection, Song Xinran noticed that the bamboo chopsticks were relatively new and had probably never been used. She nodded and said, "Great job, Xiao Yu is really amazing!"
Song Yu pursed her lips and smiled slightly, put the chopsticks in the room, and then ran to the kitchen to look for something.
Song Xinran was speechless.
A moment later, Song Yu ran over again, holding two enamel mugs in her hands, her eyes sparkling with excitement: "Mommy, can I take the mugs with me?"
Song Xinran patted his head: "Of course you can, Xiao Yu is great!"
Song Yu's smile widened, revealing her white teeth. She put down her things and ran out again.
A moment later, she ran back in, carrying two stainless steel basins: "Mom, here are basins!"
Song Xinran feigned surprise: "Is Xiao Yu a treasure hunting expert? How can she be so good at finding treasures? She's really amazing!"
The child's face flushed with excitement, and he giggled before running off again.
Song Xinran found a quilt, pillow, and some sheets in the room, while Song Yu found some bowls and pots in the kitchen. Both of them were very thoughtful in their search.
*
Just then, a woman in her forties or fifties walked over from not far away.
He wore a dark blue long-sleeved shirt and dragged a pair of open-toed rubber shoes, leaving muddy footprints with each step. He had dark skin, prominent lines on his face, was not tall, and was thin.
When Fang Cuimei saw the light on in the house where the man had died, her heart skipped a beat. Was it the young wife who worked in town who had returned?
Remembering what was on her mind, Fang Cuimei tiptoed closer, but as soon as she got near the dam, she saw the scattered corn stalks, her face immediately fell, and she cursed under her breath.
She carefully walked around the corn stalks and approached the window. She could hear voices coming from inside through the window cracks, but she couldn't hear them clearly. With a quick glance, Fang Cuimei moved even closer.
But she wasn't tall, and the windows here were built high, so she couldn't put her ear to the window and couldn't hear clearly. Fang Cuimei was a little anxious, so she quickly stood on tiptoe to listen, but she had been doing farm work all day, and her feet started to ache after only a short while.
Fang Cuimei cursed again, her gaze sweeping around like a scanner, before finally moving a stone to place on top.
As soon as her foot touched the stone, it lost its balance, and she swayed, which startled Fang Cuimei so much that her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She hurriedly stepped down and accidentally bumped into the corn stalks next to her.
With a "bang," the corn stalks fell to the ground with a clattering sound.
A voice suddenly came from inside the house: "Who's outside?!"
*
Song Xinran strode to the door, but placed her hand on the lock and did not open it.
A middle-aged woman's voice rang out from outside: "It's me, daughter. I saw your lights were on, so I came to check."
The voice was familiar, and Song Xinran immediately matched it with the image that had just appeared in her mind. The person should be the original owner's father-in-law's sister-in-law, who was the second among the brothers. She should be called Second Mother.
Song Xinran opened the door and saw a smiling face with deep wrinkles: "Daughter, when did you get back?"
Song Xinran glanced at Fang Cuimei and called out, "Second Aunt, I just got back."
At this moment, Song Yu also ran out. He was a little timid when he saw strangers and stood at the kitchen door, not daring to come over. Song Xinran waved to him: "Little Yu, come here. This is Second Madam."
Song Yu obediently walked over, stood next to Song Xinran, looked up, and called out in a soft voice, "Second Grandmother."
Fang Cuimei smiled even more brightly: "Oh, this must be Xiao Yu. You've grown so much. You're such a good boy. Do you remember your second grandmother? Your second grandmother used to hold you when you were little."
A little scared, Song Yu grabbed Song Xinran's clothes and called out timidly again, "Second Madam."
He found his grandmother's smile a little frightening, but his aunt said that he should respond to his elders and not be impolite.
Song Yu is trying her best to be a polite child.
Song Xinran squeezed Song Yu's hand: "Is there something you need, Second Aunt?"
Fang Cuimei said, "It's alright, I just came to take a look. After all, our two families live close by, and no one is home at your house, so I'll help you look at it."
Song Xinran thanked her.
Fang Cuimei's eyes darted around, and she changed the subject: "Daughter, you're finally back. It's so late. Have you eaten yet? We've prepared some food. Come and eat with us. Don't stay here. The house is all dusty, there's not even a place to sit."
Song Xinran politely declined.
Fang Cuimei was very enthusiastic and even pulled her hand to pull her out. Song Yu couldn't understand what they were saying and thought that his second grandmother was going to take his mother away. His eyes widened and he was very nervous. He tried to grab his mother's hand and pull her back inside.
Song Xinran couldn't refuse and reluctantly agreed to go for a visit.
As Fang Cuimei walked through the dam, she looked at the scattered corn stalks, a little guilty, and looked away. She deliberately smiled and said, "These are my family's corn stalks. I thought since no one in your family is afraid of thieves, I put them in front of your door to block it, so no thieves will come."
Song Xinran smiled slightly, but didn't say anything.
Fang Cuimei glanced at her several times out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that she had no expression, she was too embarrassed to say anything else. She just felt that something seemed to have changed since Song Xinran came back this time.
After walking a few steps, we arrived at Fang Cuimei's house, a two-story red brick house with an earthen embankment in front. There were many chickens, ducks and geese there. The chickens were rummaging around, the ducks were quacking, and the geese were flapping their wings and chasing each other. The earthen embankment was full of livestock manure, creating quite a lively scene.
Song Xinran glanced at the earthen dam, her brow twitched, and she carefully chose her steps to avoid stepping in feces, finally reaching the gate.
Fang Cuimei pushed open the door and said warmly, "Please, have a seat."
Song Xinran already regretted coming, but it would be too impolite to leave before even entering the house.
The room was dark, with no lights on and poor lighting. As soon as Song Xinran stepped onto the floor of the main room, she sensed something was wrong, and her expression froze.
Fang Cuimei turned on the light, and Song Xinran looked down to see a pile of flattened chicken droppings on the ground.
Song Xinran felt like her legs were about to fall off, and at Fang Cuimei's enthusiastic invitation, she reluctantly prepared to sit down, only to see chicken droppings on the cool chair...
Fang Cuimei followed her gaze and noticed it too. She took two steps over, bent down, and reached out, directly knocking the chicken droppings off the cool chair onto the ground.
Song Xinran felt like she was going blind.
Fang Cuimei also said, "Dried chicken poop isn't dirty, you can sit anywhere. You've only been in town for a short time, and you've already become a city person, unable to even stand chicken poop."
Song Xinran didn't want to exchange pleasantries any longer and immediately said, "Second Aunt, I haven't finished packing my things at home yet, I need to hurry back."
Fang Cuimei pulled her arm: "Don't rush this. I have something serious to ask you today. Girl, you've been in town for so long, have you found a suitable man? You're only in your early twenties and have a child. It would be good for you to find a man."
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