Yuan Doudou picked up the dark, burnt porridge, smelled a pungent, burnt odor, and couldn't help but frown. From childhood, she had always been waited on hand and foot. She was well aware of her own cooking skills.
"Mommy, why aren't you eating?" Anji asked, his lips smeared with buckwheat porridge, but he looked like he was eating with great relish.
Looking at Wang, she was holding a bowl, eating a mouthful of porridge and a mouthful of fermented soybeans, and she seemed to be enjoying it very much.
They really aren't picky eaters, and they're so confident in their own cooking skills.
Yuan Doudou sniffed, frowned, and took a small sip. Hmm, the taste seems to have improved since last time.
Very good, it seems she does have some talent when it comes to cooking.
"Dou Dou, you eat this sweet potato. I have acid reflux and can't eat it," Wang Shi said softly, picking up a sweet potato from her bowl and placing it in Yuan Dou Dou's bowl.
Yuan Doudou looked at the sweet potato, then glanced at her mother-in-law. Suddenly, a surge of warmth welled up in her heart. Her mother-in-law was still sick, and the family had little food. She never expected that her mother-in-law would be willing to save a sweet potato for her.
"Mom, I'm not hungry. You're not feeling well, so eat more." Yuan Doudou was about to put the sweet potato back, but Wang Shi hid the bowl behind her waist and shook her head repeatedly.
“Eating too many sweet potatoes will give you heartburn. Listen to me, eat them.” Wang’s eyes were earnest. Lately, her daughter-in-law had been eating too little. If this continued, her body would not be able to take it. Her grandson was still young and could not lose his mother. She was a sick old woman, and it would be fine if she starved to death.
Yuan Doudou quieted down, lowered her head, and took a bite of sweet potato. It was unexpectedly sweet.
She finished off a small sweet potato quickly, bite by bite, and then drank the rest of the porridge. Her stomach was immediately full. This was the most she had ever eaten here.
After eating and drinking her fill, Yuan Doudou decided to do something.
"Mother, it's hot today, why don't I give you a bath and help you change?" Thinking of the smell in Wang's room, the last time she took a bath was before winter.
Wang was taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and waved her hand, "No need, it's too much trouble to fetch water and start a fire." There wasn't enough firewood for cooking, let alone for heating bathwater.
Yuan Doudou was also very worried. There was no running water here, and they had to fetch water from the well at the east end of the village, which was a kilometer round trip.
But she couldn't go back on her word after she had already said it.
"It's alright, Mother. I'm strong, and we have enough firewood. I'll go up the mountain to collect more tomorrow." The first step to making a good life is to keep the family clean and tidy.
She wanted to take a shower herself. She used to shower every day, but now she hadn't showered for three days. She couldn't stand it.
She worked in the fields all day and was covered in sweat; she could smell the stench on her body.
Anji clapped his hands happily and exclaimed, "Mommy, I want to take a bath too!"
Yuan Doudou smiled, patted Anji's head, and nodded, saying, "Okay, let's give Anji a good wash too."
After clearing away the dishes, Yuan Doudou carried the bucket outside. The sun had just set, and the village was bathed in a golden glow.
Walking in the sunset, Yuan Doudou felt a surge of homesickness. Why did fate have to play such a cruel joke on her?
"Oh, Angie's mother, you've survived a great calamity, so why are you crying?" The woman who spoke had a round face and slanted eyes.
Yuan Doudou quickly wiped away her tears. Seeing the same sunset but thinking about different lives, she was overcome with sorrow and didn't even realize she was crying.
"It's nothing, the wind got in my eyes." Yuan Doudou lowered her head, avoiding Aunt Wang's probing gaze. She was the village's gossipmonger, and even the slightest rumor would be exaggerated by her.
Seeing Yuan Doudou evasive, Wang Cuihua's curiosity was further piqued.
She followed Yuan Doudou's every step, holding a piece of black cornbread in her hand, munching on it as she walked.
“Angie, I’ve heard that Matchmaker Wang has a good lead. There’s a man whose wife just died and who doesn’t have any children yet. He’s not much older than you. If you’re interested, I can go to Matchmaker Wang and put in a good word for you. If it works out, I don’t ask for any rice or flour, just two pounds of buckwheat flour will do.”
Wang Cuihua's eyes were full of calculation, completely ignoring Yuan Doudou's cold face and her unwillingness to pay any attention to her.
"Oh my, Wang Cuihua, you've really got a good plan. But it's a pity that Anji's mother isn't stupid. If you had a good idea, why wouldn't you keep it for your own daughter? What chance would Anji's mother have?"
Aunt Zhang from the same village followed behind, carrying a bucket of water, and greeted Yuan Doudou with a smile.
Yuan Doudou recalled that in the past, her family was so poor that they couldn't even afford to eat. It was Aunt Zhang who lent them two catties of coarse rice, which helped them get through those days when they were almost starving.
"Zhang Aiju, what business is it of yours if I'm talking to Anji's mother? Why are you here to block the dam?" Seeing that her plan was about to fail, Zhang Cuihua vented her anger on Zhang Aiju.
Every time she tries to accomplish something, Zhang Aiju always comes along to sabotage it; they are natural enemies.
“Angie, if you want to remarry, I certainly won’t stop you. But the old man Wang Cuihua mentioned is a scoundrel. His last wife was beaten to death by him. How dare you marry someone like that?”
Zhang Aiju's eyes were filled with hatred. Her husband would beat and curse her when he was drunk. It was a life no human being could live like that. She didn't want Anji's mother to suffer like that.
Yuan Doudou felt a chill run down her spine. She had only known that Wang Cuihua loved to take advantage of others, but she never imagined that she was so vicious, pushing her into a fire pit for just two pounds of flour.
“Aunt Wang, I respectfully call you aunt because you are older than me, but you can’t treat your juniors like this. For your own selfish interests, you would do such a thing to harm me. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. We live in the same village. How could you do such a thing?”
Yuan Doudou stood still, carrying a bucket of water, her eyes fixed on Wang Cuihua. Wang Cuihua felt guilty and turned her head away before she stopped staring.
Knowing she'd been rebuffed and her plan had failed, Wang Cuihua feigned a pitiful expression, turned around, and headed home, the pancake in her mouth no longer tasting good.
"Thank you, Auntie," Yuan Doudou said softly.
Zhang Aiju didn't say much, picked up the bucket and walked straight ahead.
The man at home is waiting for her to come back and heat water for him to take a bath. If she delays any longer, she will be scolded when she gets back.
Yuan Doudou followed behind, and when they reached the well, there was no one else there.
In her own memory, she had seen a similar well at her grandmother's house in the countryside, but she had never used it. Fortunately, she had the original owner's memories, so drawing water was no problem for her.
Zhang Aiju tied the rope to the handle of the wooden bucket, grabbed the rope with her left hand, and threw the bucket with her right hand. With a thud, the bucket fell into the water. She then grabbed the rope with both hands, swung it around, and the bucket tipped over into the water, which gushed in. With another swift movement, the bucket, now full of water, stood upright in the water.
"Amazing!" Yuan Doudou clapped her hands and cheered.
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