At dinner, Tangyuan loved the wild vegetable and egg dish, praising Tianyu's cooking as it got better and better, and how she used to cook so badly. Tianyu smiled faintly and remained silent, only promising him that she would cook many delicious meals for him in the future. After dinner, she cleaned up the dishes, and the water in the pot boiled. It was completely dark by then. She lit the kerosene lamp, locked the door, and found the bathtub. She carried it into the inner room and used a wooden bucket to fill the tub with water. She prepared the water and washed Tangyuan first. Even after taking off Tangyuan's clothes, Tianyu couldn't accept it. Tangyuan was extremely thin, with his bones clearly visible, and many bruises on his back. Tianyu didn't dare ask. From their interactions throughout the day, she had a vague feeling that Tangyuan both loved and feared her, but she didn't want to know if it was true, so she didn't ask. When she asked if he was still in pain, he just shook his head. When she touched his body, Tianyu felt Tangyuan trembling; he was afraid. Tian Yu almost cried as she looked at Tangyuan, who had his back to her. She wondered how he had managed to live such a young life, learning to take care of himself and others at such a young age. Tian Yu carefully washed the dust off Tangyuan's body, making him feel much cleaner and more refreshed, and more energetic. After changing the water, Tangyuan stayed in the living room to watch the door while Tian Yu took a nice hot bath. While bathing, worried that Tangyuan might fall asleep in the living room, Tian Yu made an excuse that she had forgotten something and chatted with Tangyuan while showering.
"We're out of rice for Tangyuan, and we're almost out of oil and salt too. Let's go out and buy some tomorrow."
"But the peddler won't arrive until the middle of the month, and it's only the beginning of the month now, so it'll be a long time before he comes."
"Oh, Mother, I don't remember. What do we usually do then?"
"Has Mother forgotten again? You usually go to dig for wild vegetables like everyone else in the village, but you never cook them well."
"So we'll just eat wild vegetables?"
Sometimes we would use eggs to exchange for coarse grains or copper coins at other people's homes in the village.
"Whole grains? How can you eat whole grains? Isn't it rice?"
"Cook coarse grains with wild vegetables or sweet potatoes, Mother doesn't even remember that."
"Maybe it was too awful, and Mother doesn't want to remember it," Tian Yu explained with a wry smile.
"It really doesn't taste good, but Mom made it very well today."
How do the villagers usually communicate with the outside world?
"There's a mountain path leading out of the village, but I heard from the adults that it's very far. Usually, people take the village's oxcart to the county town, but some walk, which takes a long time."
"Oh, you haven't been there?"
"No, Mother has never gone out," Tangyuan's voice was somewhat dejected.
"How about we go to the county town tomorrow?" Tian Yu suggested, noticing Tang Yuan's disappointment.
"Really? Mommy's taking me to the county town tomorrow?" Tangyuan asked excitedly, pressing her face against the door to confirm.
"Really, we're out of a lot of things at home. We need to go buy some necessities," Tian Yu said earnestly to Tang Yuan as she opened the door after washing up.
"That's great! Tiger and Xiaoshan have both been, but I've never been. They always brag to me about it and always tease me that I can't go because I don't have a dad who loves me."
"Do they always make fun of you like that?" Tian Yu asked, sounding slightly angry.
"No, it's not that. Is Mother angry? Should I not have mentioned Father?"
Tian Yu sensed that Tangyuan was a little scared. Although she didn't know how Xiao Tian had interacted with Tangyuan or explained his father's situation to him, in Tian Yu's view, these were adult matters and had nothing to do with the sensible child in front of her. So she squatted down, patted Tangyuan's head, and gently comforted him, "Mother isn't angry with Tangyuan. Mother is angry with herself for not being able to give Tangyuan a complete family and for making Tangyuan suffer. But Mother believes that your father loves you too; he just might not know that he has a son named Tangyuan."
"Then why doesn't Father know about glutinous rice balls?"
"Mother isn't entirely sure about that either, but Mother can assure you that Father loves Tangyuan."
"Really? When will Father come back to see Tangyuan?"
"Mother doesn't know either, but Father will come back to see Tangyuan." Tian Yu didn't know, but she didn't want to disappoint Tangyuan, so she wanted him to leave a good impression on his father.
"Okay, let's wait for Daddy to come back together," Tangyuan said happily, her hope restored.
"Okay, but now we need to get ready and go to bed. We're going to the county town tomorrow, so we should probably get up early."
"Yes, I heard from Tiger and the others that we have to go to the village entrance to wait before dawn, but sometimes there aren't any."
"Let's go try our luck early tomorrow."
"Okay, great! Mommy, I'll help you get ready."
After tidying up the bathtub with Tangyuan, I put the remaining two eggs into the hot water in the pot for breakfast tomorrow. Then I blew out the light early and went to bed with Tangyuan. We were short of everything at home, even the kerosene for the lamp was almost gone. Tangyuan probably felt more comfortable with the newly dried quilt because she fell asleep quickly. After a busy day, Tianyu also fell asleep soon.
It was that dream again, or perhaps Xiaotian's memory. The same environment, the same indistinct people, only familiar yet strange backs. Xiaotian and Zhao Moyan continued their lives, undisturbed by each other, living under the same roof. Until one day, Old Mrs. Zhao fell ill and was bedridden. She called Zhao Moyan to her bedside, knelt down, and gave him a lecture, telling him not to only think about revenge, not to cut off the Zhao family line, to think about how she had raised him with such hardship, and to not betray her love and care. She urged him to consummate the marriage with Xiaotian as soon as possible, otherwise she would die with regrets, failing her ancestors. It turned out that the old lady knew everything, but hadn't exposed it, wanting to give them some time. But her grandson hadn't changed at all. Seeing that she was ill, she feared that her grandson would seek revenge on his enemies, and if something happened, the family would be without descendants.
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