In the steaming kitchen, Huang's mother busily steamed buns, sugar triangles, and jujube buns while saying with a smile, "Your popcorn business is temporarily suspended, but our stove and coal furnace are always busy. Wenrong, you three can't be lazy, come and help make dumplings."
The three sisters agreed with a smile and started making dumplings with great swiftness. At noon, after the family had finished their meal, Huang's mother suggested:
"The New Year is coming soon, so we won't be doing business for the next few days. I'll take you three to the mine to take a bath and get ready for the New Year. We still have to hurry up and buy New Year's goods tomorrow."
Xu Mengyao couldn't help but feel excited when she heard they were going to take a bath. She imagined a relaxing soak in the hot pool, how wonderful it would be and how it would help her relax. But she hadn't expected Huang's mother to let her experience two complete childhoods in one day.
Huang's mother told the three sisters to pack their own clothes and each bring a stool. She found a basket and filled it with bathing supplies, including oranges and apples. She also took a large basin and led them to the mine.
As he walked into the Daishan Mine gate, he saw white smoke billowing from the cracks in the roadside sewer slabs. Curious, Wenxia ran over, touched it, and exclaimed in surprise, "What is this?"
Xu Mengyao smiled and explained to her, "This is the water from the bathhouse. When hot water hits the cold air, white smoke will come out."
The mother and daughter entered the bathhouse, paid, and pulled aside the curtains, covered by a thick quilt. A wave of hot air hit them. What caught their eye was a sea of white bodies, standing or sitting, bustling around rows of long chairs. Some had just finished their baths and were wiping themselves, while others, like them, had just entered and were undressing.
Huang's mother took out slippers from the basket and urged them: "Hurry up, hurry up, put all your clothes together, I'll go and grab a seat first."
With that, she quickly undressed and entered with the large basin. The three sisters smiled at each other and quickened their pace. Huang Wenrong gathered their clothes neatly and covered them with Huang's mother's old coat to prevent them from getting dirty. Then, the three sisters entered the bathhouse together.
The steam rushing towards her made Xu Mengyao feel a little suffocated. There were three or four people crowded under each faucet, all vying to enjoy this rare bathing time.
Huang Wenrong called out to Huang's mother, and after hearing her response, they walked inside. Although the bathhouse was large, it lacked a large pool. They walked four or five rows before finding Huang's mother. They saw a large basin filled with water from the faucet, with oranges and apples swirling in it.
When Huang's mother saw them coming, she quickly pulled out the basin and asked Wenxia to sit in it. As soon as Wenxia sat down, he stood up with a cry of "Ah!" and complained loudly: "Mom, the water is scalding!"
Her cheeks flushed from the heat, and her eyes flickered with dissatisfaction. Huang's mother smiled and soothed her, "It's not hot at all, it will be gone in a while. Just follow your older sister's example and wet yourself before going in."
As she spoke, she pointed to her older sister who was flushing under the water pipe. Huang Wenrong swiftly moved from left to right in the water flow, then flexibly twisted her body and flushed from right to left, as if she were dancing.
When the eldest sister started washing her hair, Huang's mother pulled Xu Mengyao under the water pipe again. When the hot water touched her skin, she felt as painful as if she was poured with boiling water, and struggled to break free from Huang's mother's grip.
Although the bathhouse is large, there are more people. Three or four people take turns to wash at each faucet. There are also people who have just entered and are watching the opportunity eagerly.
Xu Mengyao was reluctant to come closer, so Huang's mother forcibly pulled her over. After patting her on the back several times, she gritted her teeth and rushed to the hot water. Later, she squatted by Wenxia's basin and splashed the water on herself to feel better.
Soon, she received a second beating. After washing their hair, Huang's mother began rubbing the dust off each of them. Those who didn't get their turn sat on mats, eating oranges and enjoying this rare leisure time.
When it was Xu Mengyao's turn, she felt as if she were being hit by sandpaper. Every time she was rubbed, she ran away, trying to avoid the pain. Huang's mother was so angry that she slapped her butt several times and scolded her, "You child, why are you so afraid of pain now? Can you rub it clean without using force?"
After scrubbing her back, Huang's mother pressed Xu Mengyao under the hot water pipe again. This time, the burning sensation was even more intense. Xu Mengyao felt completely hopeless, as if she were being tortured. She gritted her teeth and let the water wash over her body. Finally, with Huang's mother's help, she completed this "difficult" bath.
Then it was Xu Mengyao's turn to scrub Huang's mother's back with her older sister. Already feeling suffocated, she felt even more exhausted, her vision blurring and she felt like vomiting. Seeing this, Huang's mother asked her older sister to help her get dressed while she took up the four people's dirty clothes and began to wash them.
Xu Mengyao breathed in deep breaths in the dressing room outside, her legs growing weaker and weaker, barely able to stand. Huang Wenrong quickly dried her, wrapped her hair, put on her long underwear, and let her lie on a stool to rest. Seeing her older sister bustling around for her, shivering from the cold, Xu Mengyao hurried her back to shower.
By the time the mother and daughters finally emerged from the bathhouse, the sun had already set. Even before they reached home, icicles had formed on the ends of their hair. Huang's mother hurriedly made them wear hats and cover their heads to prevent a cold.
When they got home, Huang's father smiled and joked, "You guys took quite a while to bathe. This bath ticket is really worth the money."
Huang's mother took out the washed clothes to dry and responded, "Dad, please heat up the buns. You're tired and hungry. I won't cook tonight."
The three sisters sat around the coal stove, warming their hair. At this time, Qiu Xin came to the door with a bunch of toys. The two little ones happily gathered together, and Qiu Xin pointed at the toys and said:
"Xiaoxia, these were bought by my parents when they took me to Pengcheng by train. I brought them back specially for you to play with."
Wenxia couldn't let go of the new toy, and said with a hint of regret, "My second sister has been making super delicious popcorn for the past few days, but it's a pity you didn't come back. Now I'm out of ingredients and can't make it for you. But after the New Year, I will definitely let you try it. It's really delicious."
Huang's mother smiled and interrupted, "It's okay. We haven't prepared all the New Year's goods yet. Tomorrow I'll take your brother and sister to the city to do some shopping. You can stay home and play with Xinxin."
Wenxia cheered excitedly, "Oh, that's great! Then Xinxin can eat popcorn tomorrow!" After that, she couldn't wait to pull Qiu Xin out to play.
Xu Mengyao kept thinking about the "Pengcheng" that Qiu Xin mentioned. She knew Pengcheng had a large wholesale market, and her cousin, who ran a clothing store, used to go to Pengcheng to get her goods.
But at this time she didn’t know whether the wholesale market was complete, so she wanted to go to Pengcheng to take a look.
After all, Qiu Xin's parents were able to take their children to Pengcheng, which meant it was not far away. She secretly planned to go to the train station tomorrow to find out clearly.
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