Chapter 47: Cleaning up the new home
Looking at the messy backyard again during the day, Song Liyun felt distressed.
The fire burned thoroughly.
Not only were the roof, doors and windows burned out, but even the walls collapsed. Thick ashes piled on the ground, and only the low walls could identify the locations of the rooms.
Song Zhenping picked up some unburned wood from the ashes and placed it aside, muttering, "These can still be used to burn for warmth. Those stool legs can still be used after some repair."
He sorted the useful and useless things into separate piles.
Xiao An struggled to make his way through the weeds, his little face covered in dust, but his smile never faded.
Song Liyun was a little puzzled: Is this child stupid or does he like such a quiet place?
Song Zhenping gave her the answer: Xiao An is not stupid, he is just afraid of seeing people. He is happiest in the wilderness.
After getting to know Xiao An again, Song Liyun felt more and more sorry for the child. She also wanted to move into this big yard as soon as possible, close the door and let Xiao An play to his heart's content.
All the houses in the backyard were gone, leaving only a side yard next to it basically intact. Song Zhenping took Xiao An into the side yard.
This may be the guest room of the original owner. Although it is a side courtyard, it is also a regular wing of the main house.
Hei Jin was in a separate attic behind the yard, which should have been its nest.
The entry of the three siblings broke the tranquility of the courtyard. Song Zhenping and Xiao An checked the rooms one by one.
Just as they reached a wooden staircase at the back of the yard, Song Liyun stepped forward and stopped them without leaving a trace: "Brother, we will live in the side yard from now on. What do you think is the most suitable way to divide it?"
The side yard had not been burned, and most of the furnishings in the house were still there, except that Heijin had taken away the bedding and clothes to use as cushions, leaving only the bare kang surface.
Song Zhenping was already so happy that he almost fainted. After Song Liyun mentioned it, he didn't even bother to go to the back of the courtyard.
He turned around and went to the main house to see how to arrange the daily life of the three brothers and sisters.
Song Liyun's lips curved slightly. Hei Jin's viciousness was uncertain, so it would be better not to let the two brothers know for the time being.
When she saw the two brothers return to the main room, she also stood up and followed them.
In the attic behind her, Hei Jin was lying on the floor, looking out through the gap.
In the yard, a small figure caught its attention. The child had just been tripped by a broken piece of wood, and Heijin almost jumped out of the window.
But looking at the cruel woman next to the child, Heijin could only gently pull the silver chain around his neck with his fingers, and obediently returned to his nest, lowering his head and sighing. Tears welled up in his originally red eyes without him knowing when.
After deciding to live here, Song Zhenping did not rush back to the migrant workers' dormitory and immediately started to get busy.
He first found a well in the front yard with a lot of debris and leaves thrown into it, so he used simple tools to clean it out.
Song Liyun also found the kitchen. The pots, pans, and dishes inside were either smashed or picked up by someone. Almost nothing was intact.
She didn't bother to clean the stove covered in dust, but built a stove with stones in the yard. She took out pots and bowls and water from the space, and took this opportunity to cook a meal for everyone.
There was boiled chicken, eggs, white rice and various seasonings in the space.
Conditions don't allow it now, and Song Liyun has little time to learn how to cook, so she can't really make any fancy dishes. She simply cooks a pot of chicken porridge with salt and flavor.
The meat smelled so delicious that Xiao An, who was running around working, would come over to take a look from time to time.
At noon, sitting at the freshly cleaned table under the eaves, the three brothers and sisters each had a big bowl of hot meat porridge.
Xiao An pursed his lips and took a deep breath. He reached out to grab the chicken in the bowl, but Song Liyun held him back: "Xiao An, you have to use chopsticks to eat!"
These days in the migrant workers' shed, Xiao An didn't use chopsticks to eat steamed buns or drink porridge, and even licked the bowl with his tongue. Xu Yan'er laughed at him many times, saying that he was destined to be a beggar.
In front of everyone, Song Liyun did not blame Xiao An. The child had no home of his own when he was only six months old, and he had never had a normal meal since he was a child. He was lucky to be able to fill his stomach, so how could he care about etiquette and rules?
Now that I am alone with my brothers and sisters, it is time to teach them.
Xiao An glanced at his older brothers and sisters who were sitting properly, then sat down properly and started to use the chopsticks clumsily.
Song Zhenping didn't ask much about why there was suddenly meat, eggs and rice.
After accepting the treasure "Qiankun Bag", it was normal for Song Liyun to take out anything.
But after Song Zhenping was overjoyed, he said with some worry: "Yun'er, the Bodhisattva wants to save all living beings, not just for our family. The treasure must be for us to use in an emergency. Taking too much of the things inside will also consume your blessings.
We will still have to rely on ourselves in the future, and when we are able, we will return more to the Buddha’s bag.”
Song Dekui once said in a dilapidated temple, "Buddha Budai's bag is a world of its own, it can hold anything.
There is income before there is output, and only when people offer offerings regularly can we help all living beings."
Song Zhenping listened to these words and kept them in mind.
After listening to Song Zhenping's words, Song Liyun could only say that this young man was so considerate and sensible that she didn't even have to worry about how to cover up for him.
To live here, you really can't rely too much on the things in your own space.
Your own space is a storage space, not a farmland for planting and breeding.
The more you use something, the less it becomes. There will always be a time when it runs out, and you have to keep replenishing it without telling others, which is always a hassle.
After the three of them had their meal and cleaned up their things and put them back into the "Qiankun Bag", Song Zhenping was eager to go to the military camp to settle the housing issue so that he could truly have a home.
Song Liyun was naturally even more anxious. Xiao An didn't want to leave, so he went back to the laborers' dormitory obediently.
Unexpectedly, they were stopped halfway through their journey.
When Xu Yan'er was found in the morning, everyone started talking about it. They all said that Xu Yan'er ran into the wilderness for no reason and was heading towards the river. She must have been bewitched by something dirty.
His stories became even more outrageous, and he described in vivid detail the strange noises he had heard and the strange shadows he had seen, as if Suijin Town was full of ghosts.
Mrs. Cui was even more frightened. Her daughter had spent the night in the haystack. Although nothing happened, she felt like she couldn't even lift her head. If she was haunted by some ghost again...
Mrs. Cui felt as if the sky above her head had collapsed.
She was forced to take her daughter out because the man at home was sick and spent money like water and could not do labor service.
The son had to take care of the crops at home and could not leave, and the money was controlled by his powerful daughter-in-law, so he asked her and her daughter to come out to do the work.
She was frightened and exhausted.
On the other side, under the guidance of the doctor in the military camp, Xu Yan'er woke up slowly after being given hot water and ginger soup.
After enduring a night of cold and fear, Xu Yan'er burst into tears when she saw her mother, saying that she had gone out with Song Liyun and got lost in the dark.
After hearing what her daughter said, Mrs. Cui was shocked and annoyed, and she went straight to Song Liyun to question her.
But Song Liyun had left long ago, and no one knew where she was, leaving her with a lot of anger but nowhere to vent.
Now that Song Liyun had finally returned, Mrs. Cui was so furious that she blocked the way and started scolding, not caring that this was an intersection: "Song girl, you didn't sleep at night and ran around by yourself. Why did you take Yan'er out with you? Were you afraid that she would see your ugly behavior, so you left her outside?"
(End of this chapter)
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