Lin Jianxue turned her head and looked at Fu Qingqing, who was standing at the door, feeling a little uneasy, and smiled gently.
"Remember? It was you who helped me clean up this house on my first day here."
Fu Qingqing suddenly remembered the day when Lin Jianxue first went to the countryside and she and her brother sent her to the educated youth site.
At that time, Sister Xiaoxue also smiled so gently, without any airs at all.
At this moment, Fu Qingqing was carrying her smaller old cloth bag with several patches on it, and slowly walked into the house.
The small single dormitory was kept in perfect order by Lin Jianxue, and there was even a faint, pleasant scent of soapberries in the air.
A small wooden bed, covered with washed-out blue printed sheets and neatly folded bedding.
Next to the bed was a small, old desk with a few books, an enamel pot, and a brightly polished kerosene lamp on it.
The floor was swept clean and there was hardly a trace of dust.
This is a world of difference from her adobe house which is dark and damp all day long and has a bumpy dirt floor.
Fu Qingqing didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
She looked down at her muddy trouser legs and shoes, and smelled the sweat that seeped out of her body due to nervousness and the rush of travel.
She whispered a little embarrassedly: "Sister Xiaoxue, I... I am dirty all over. Will I make your room dirty?"
Lin Jianxue was slightly stunned at first when she saw her cautious look, afraid of breaking anything.
Then she burst out laughing.
Lin Jianxue walked over, naturally took Fu Qingqing's hand, and led her into the house, while his other hand casually closed the wooden door behind him.
"Silly girl, what are you thinking about?"
There was a hint of anger in her voice, but it was also full of intimacy.
Lin Jianxue reached out, took the small bundle from Fu Qingqing, and casually placed it at the end of the bed.
"I go to work every day, go to the fields and work. How can I be clean?"
"You're still covered in sweat and mud."
Fu Qingqing immediately retorted hastily: "Sister Xiaoxue doesn't stink!"
"Sister Xiaoxue is always clean and refreshed after work, and she even smells nice, unlike me..."
As she spoke, her voice lowered, and she sounded a little inferior.
Lin Jianxue felt soft-hearted when she saw her like this. She stretched out her fingers and gently pinched the tip of her small nose which was a little red from the cold.
"Okay, you're the only one who's sweet-talking."
She said softly, "I live alone and it's quite lonely. You coming here is just right for me to keep me company and talk, and it will make the place more lively."
"Just treat this place as your own home. Don't be shy, okay?"
Fu Qingqing nodded vigorously, her eyes slightly red.
Lin Jianxue turned around and picked up the thermos on the table, shook it, and there was still half a bottle of hot water in it.
She poured some hot water into the enamel basin, added some cold water, and tested the water temperature.
He then took a neatly folded soft towel with a faint scent of soap from his washbasin rack and handed it to Fu Qingqing.
"Come, wash your face with hot water and then wash your hands to warm them up."
"Let's eat something to fill our stomachs later."
Fu Qingqing looked at the obviously leather, snow-soft towel, her eyes suddenly widened, and she waved her hands hurriedly.
"Sister Xiaoxue, no need! I brought a towel!"
She hurriedly squatted down and began to search frantically in her small old cloth bag.
Soon, she dug out a... towel from a pile of patched old clothes?
Lin Jianxue's gaze fell on him.
It wasn't so much a towel as it was a piece of cloth cut from some old undershirt.
The edges were frayed, the color had turned yellow and gray from washing, and it was a thin, wrinkled piece.
Compared with the brand new, soft and fragrant towel in Lin Jianxue's hand, it looked like a picked-up rag.
Fu Qingqing pinched her "towel" in embarrassment, her little face flushed red.
She whispered to Lin Jianxue, "Such a good towel, Sister Xiaoxue, you should keep it for yourself and don't waste it on me. I can use this one, it can dry me well."
Lin Jianxue looked at the small piece of cloth tightly held in her hand, and the smile on her face froze slightly.
She was a little dazed.
A year ago, no, it should be said that more than a year ago, Fu Qingqing, like her, was still a child living in a compound in Beijing.
At that time, Fu Qingqing wore Dacron clothes, had neat braids, and went to school every day with a military green schoolbag.
Food, clothing, and daily necessities are absolutely bright and clean.
But what about now?
Fu Qingqing in front of us not only lost the opportunity to continue studying, but also had to make a living with her father and brothers on this barren black land.
Even the most basic and ordinary face towel has become a piece of rag cut from somewhere unknown.
This kind of work goes on day after day, year after year.
Lin Jianxue looked at Fu Qingqing's eyes, which were still clear but with a hint of timidity and uneasiness.
She knew that such hardships had not completely wiped out the optimism and liveliness in Fu Qingqing's bones.
She is still that kind and lovely little girl.
However, that cautious and understanding attitude was like a thin needle, pricking Lin Jianxue's heart and causing it to ache.
An indescribable bitterness and guilt suddenly surged into her heart, making her throat tight and making it almost impossible to speak.
How blind was I in my previous life to turn a blind eye to the suffering of the Fu family, and instead let Jiang Yuqizi play with me in his hands!
Lin Jianxue took a deep breath and forced herself to suppress the bitterness and guilt that was surging in her heart.
She gently put the snow-soft towel in her hand into Fu Qingqing's cold little hand.
Her voice was deliberately slow and gentle: "This towel will be used for washing your face from now on."
Lin Jianxue paused, glanced at the piece of cloth that Fu Qingqing was still holding in her other hand, the original color of which could not be seen, and added: "The piece you brought, um... can be used to wipe your feet, or as a rag."
"Don't be nervous, and don't feel embarrassed."
"Sister Xiaoxue has a lot of things here. It's just a towel. It's not worth much."
Fu Qingqing looked down at the soft touch in her palm, and the faint, pleasant fragrance of soap lingered around her nose.
It was a long-lost smell of cleanliness and decency.
She suddenly choked up.
Then, bean-sized tears began to roll down uncontrollably, hitting the snow-white towel and leaving a small wet mark.
She suddenly raised her other hand, rubbed her eyes wildly, and began to sob, her thin shoulders twitching.
Lin Jianxue was stunned.
She didn't expect that her good intentions would make the little girl cry so sadly.
She hurriedly reached out and gently held Fu Qingqing's still trembling hand, and asked softly: "Qingqing, what's wrong? Why are you crying suddenly? Did I say something wrong?"
Fu Qingqing burst into tears, her voice thick with nasal sounds: "Sister Xiaoxue..."
"You...you shouldn't be so nice to me...wuwuwu..."
"I'm afraid... I'm afraid I'll become dependent on your kindness."
Her voice was filled with helplessness and panic: "In the future...in the future, if you die and go back to the city, what should I do?"
"People like us can't go back..."
Fu Qingqing's words were like a blunt knife, repeatedly grinding at the tip of Lin Jianxue's heart, making her feel sore and painful.
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