They ate early today, and it was still quite bright outside when they finished. "An'an, hurry up, we need to go take a shower."
Song Qing urged them on, saying that they had only taken a shower at home yesterday and hadn't really taken a proper bath.
There's a public bathhouse in the family compound, located in the new district. It's open every three days, and you don't need a ticket to take a bath.
Song Qing's hair hadn't been washed for days, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She was going to go to the public bathhouse for a good scrub.
And An'an, she needs a good scrubbing of this little mud monkey too. She's been squatting by Aunt Tian's chicken coop all afternoon.
I bet they smelled like smoke.
Song Qing held An'an's hand, while Lu Yang carried a bathtub filled with clean clothes and soap. They locked the gate and headed towards the new district.
The bathhouse was packed with people. Although it was open all day, most people still chose to bring their families to bathe after dinner.
There was no hot water supply in the residential compound, and boiling water at home required coal. In addition, it was too cold to take a shower at home, so most people would save up and wait for the public bathhouse to open before taking a shower.
"Then you can go in. An'an, hold Mom's hand." Lu Yang handed the bathtub to Song Qing, and the family split into two groups to go in.
The bathhouse was filled with steam. Song Qing finally managed to get an empty stall and quickly led An'an over. After washing An'an first, Song Qing told her not to run around before starting her own bath.
Song Qing always treated herself well. When she was in Xin'an, the department store had a new shampoo that cost five yuan a bottle.
Good quality shampoo bars only cost eight or nine cents now, and ordinary soaps are even cheaper, costing only three or four cents, so very few people are willing to use shampoo cream.
She had only heard the salesperson promote it once by chance, and thought the scent was particularly pleasant, so she bought it. Although it was expensive at 5 yuan, it would last for several months, so it was still acceptable in the long run.
I don't know if the department stores here carry shampoo, this shampoo bar makes my hair too dry.
An'an stood to the side, constantly reaching out her little hands to poke at the bubbles, having a great time.
Just then, the sound of arguing came from the side. Song Qing immediately wiped the foam from her eyes and stuck her head out to see what was going on.
The people around her were just like her; watching the excitement was one of the few forms of gossip and entertainment available in this era, and no one wanted to miss it.
"We haven't finished washing our clothes yet, what are you grabbing? Are you rushing to be reborn?"
"Who knows if you've finished washing? We can go wash when no one's around. Is your name written on that spot?"
"My family members are still standing here. Are you blind and saying there's no one there just because you didn't see them?"
Song Qing didn't recognize the two people arguing, but the person trying to mediate looked very familiar—it was Zhou Lian.
It's hard to believe she's so heavily pregnant, with her two maids standing next to her, yet she still tries to break up the fight, without even worrying that someone might push or bump into her.
"You all don't need to argue. We're all new family members, so we should help each other out. After we finish washing, you can come and wash in my spot. Er Ya and Si Ya, hurry up and wash, and make room for the auntie."
"It's her family's fault. They took up space and dared to argue with me."
"Bullshit! Your family has been dawdling around here for ages, not caring about the people behind you at all. Why don't you take this spot home and lock it up?"
"Okay, okay, stop arguing. There are probably too many people and no one is paying attention to whether there are any people in the seats."
The onlookers also began to try to mediate. When the two arguing men saw Zhou Lian step forward, they both tried to pull her to their side, whispering among themselves and occasionally shouting insults at each other.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. There are so many people waiting to shower inside. Look at this lady, she's heavily pregnant and she still has to persuade you to stop."
"Alright, girl, just ignore them. Let them keep arguing if they want. Just go out after you're done washing up."
What if they start arguing and push you? This place is slippery.”
Everyone praised Zhou Lian for being a good person and condemned the two for making such a fuss over such a small matter, showing no willingness to help each other.
“It’s okay, my Er Ya and Siya will hold me up and I won’t fall. I just don’t want them to start arguing. We’re all new family members, and if things get out of hand with the leaders, it won’t be good for our reputation.”
Zhou Lian was short and heavily pregnant. She deliberately lowered her voice when she spoke, and she looked like a caring older sister who, despite her predicament, still had to consider the bigger picture.
The other military spouses also condemned the two who were arguing, saying, "What's going on? We just arrived and they're already fighting over such a small thing. What will the leaders think of us if they find out?"
Although they come from the local area, their personal qualities are quite good.
The two men, feeling quite ashamed after being criticized, finally shook hands and made peace with each other under Zhou Lian's mediation, praising Zhou Lian for her foresight and consideration for the bigger picture.
Zhou Lian looked both relieved and ashamed, saying that everyone would be good sisters from now on, and that she was only doing it for everyone's good, as arguing could easily damage the group's feelings.
"Yes, yes, we misunderstood. We didn't think as much as our eldest sister. We're all family here now, and we shouldn't argue over such a small thing."
"Luckily, my older sister reminded us, otherwise none of us would have thought of that. You can wash now, we've finished washing too."
Song Qing stared in disbelief, still wide-eyed with astonishment. The woman next to her also stared wide-eyed. They exchanged a glance, and Song Qing realized it was her neighbor to the left.
The two exchanged a glance, and the woman gave her a light smile before quickly turning her gaze away.
Song Qing didn't go over to say hello. There were many people coming and going in the bathhouse. After watching the show for a while, she finally finished washing and quickly gave up her seat.
It was too cold outside, so the mother and daughter dried their hair and got dressed inside before going out. Lu Yang had already finished washing up and was waiting for a while.
Let's go.
Lu Yang took the bathtub and was about to leave with An'an and the others when Song Qing glanced at Wang Minggui, who was standing to the side, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back, and sighed inwardly that the world was indeed too small.
She saw Zhou Lian and two maids inside, and Wang Minggui outside.
Wang Minggui was accompanied by three boys. It was already dark when they came out, but even in the light from the doorway, Song Qing could still see the hostility in the eyes of the two older boys.
This family is really interesting.
It was already dark, and An'an didn't want to leave. Lu Yang handed the bathtub to Song Qing, picked her up, and she leaned on Lu Yang's shoulder to talk to Song Qing.
Lu Yang was afraid she would be cold, so he unbuttoned her clothes and wrapped her up to his chest, revealing her dark head. Her hair was thick, black, and slightly curly. Song Qing hadn't braided her hair since she had just washed it, and it was a bit windy at night, so her hair almost covered her entire face.
The bathhouse was quite a distance from their home, and by the time they got back, the warmth from their bath had long since dissipated. Luckily, they had already heated the kang (a traditional heated brick bed) before they went there.
Although it hasn't snowed these past few days, it's still cold. Plus, the wind blows at night, and the cold wind feels like it's scraping a layer of skin off your face.
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