Chapter 53: A Braised Egg
Seeing Ping’er fall asleep, Jiang Huaizhen said softly, “Doctor Xue just said that she has to stay at the clinic for a night. If she’s alright tomorrow, she can leave. I’ll stay with her tonight. You go home.”
Lin Shuang hesitated for a moment. She had been at the Jiang residence for so long and had never been separated from Jiang Huaizhen. Even when they had gone to the prefectural city, they had only slept in separate beds the first time. Now that they were suddenly going to be separated, she was a little reluctant.
But the old woman was at home alone. Although she could take care of herself now, after what had happened with Old Woman Hao, she was still worried.
She could only say sullenly, “You’ve been taking care of her all day. Go back and sleep tonight. I’ll stay here.”
Jiang Huaizhen looked at her unhappy expression and stood beside her, not knowing how to comfort her. After a long time, she said, “She’s been sleeping all the time. I haven’t taken care of her much. You go back. Grandma likes to eat your cooking.”
She was not at ease with Lin Shuang, a weak woman, staying out overnight. Compared to the other, if something happened, her ability to protect herself was much stronger.
“Then I’ll go back later,” Lin Shuang knew that it was impossible for the two of them to stay together. She sighed softly and stopped struggling.
Suddenly remembering that the other hadn’t eaten yet, she stood up. “I’ll go and get you something to eat.”
Jiang Huaizhen replied with an “alright.”
Lin Shuang quickly found a small restaurant nearby and found that they were actually selling beef, so she ordered a stir-fried beef for her.
Fifty copper coins for one portion. The rice and vegetables were carefully wrapped in lotus leaves. When she paid, her heart ached a little, but when she thought that it was for Jiang Huaizhen, it didn’t hurt anymore.
She had just asked the doctor. Ping’er couldn’t eat anything yet. The clinic had special white porridge. When she woke up later, she could go and get some to feed her.
When she returned to the clinic, Jiang Huaizhen opened the lunch box and, seeing the beef slices inside, her hand paused. “This isn’t cheap, is it?”
“It’s alright. I’ve been saying I wanted to make beef for you, but I could never buy it. It just so happens that that shop had some, so I couldn’t miss it.”
“Have you eaten?”
“I ate at home before I came.”
After Lin Shuang finished speaking, she saw Jiang Huaizhen pick up a slice of beef and bring it to her lips. She was stunned at first, then opened her mouth and bit into the piece of beef.
Her originally depressed mood improved.
She smiled. “You’re giving me the first piece.”
Jiang Huaizhen’s eyes swept over her curved eyebrows, and a small smile also appeared on her lips. She hummed in agreement. “Last time at Doctor Xue’s house, it was also your first time eating. Let’s eat together.”
With that, she fed her two more pieces before she lowered her head and began to eat.
Lin Shuang looked at the chopsticks that she had just had in her mouth, picking up food and being sent into her mouth, and her cheeks grew slightly hot.
Jiang Huaizhen looked up and, seeing her staring at her, gave her another piece.
Lin Shuang shook her head. “I’m not eating. You eat. I’m full.”
“Have another piece.”
Lin Shuang could not resist her insistence and rare intimacy and ate another piece. Then she stood up. “You eat slowly. I’ll go for a walk.”
If she stayed any longer, half of the food would end up in her stomach.
…
Old Madam Jiang hadn’t expected her granddaughter to go out for a night and come back with a little one the next day, especially the granddaughter of the old woman she disliked the most. Her face was clearly a little unhappy.
After Jiang Huaizhen had settled Ping’er in, she had Lin Shuang stay with her while she went to the room next door.
She didn’t say anything, just stood by the old woman.
It was now March, and the kang was no longer being heated. Old Madam Jiang could get out of bed now and could go wherever she wanted. At this moment, she found her very unpleasant to look at and, taking her cane, she walked out.
Jiang Huaizhen was persistent and just followed behind her.
From the room to the kitchen, then outside, to the stable, and then to the vegetable garden, Old Madam Jiang finally couldn’t take it anymore and raised her cane to hit her.
She didn’t dodge.
The old woman hadn’t intended to really hit her. She was just so angry she wanted to scare her. But she didn’t expect this stubborn donkey to not dodge. Seeing the cane hit her leg with a thud, she quickly withdrew her hand and cursed, “Why didn’t you dodge? Are you itching for a beating?”
Jiang Huaizhen replied, “If Grandma wants to hit me, then hit me. If I dodge and you can’t hit me, you’ll be angry again.”
Old Madam Jiang’s teeth itched with anger. She took the opportunity to raise her cane and hit her on the buttocks. The clothes there were thick, and there was a lot of flesh, so it wouldn’t hit the bone.
Jiang Huaizhen was not in pain and let her hit and scold her.
Old Madam Jiang’s teeth itched with anger. She cursed, “You’re so young and you’re already picking up people and bringing them home. The one before was older and could earn money for the family, so I didn’t say anything. But this one is so small, she could almost be your daughter. If you get married in the future, what will happen to her?”
“I’m not getting married. I’ll stay with you for the rest of my life. She can live with us,” Jiang Huaizhen said.
“Which woman in the world doesn’t get married? When you quit that unlucky job at the yamen, there will be plenty of people coming to your door to propose.”
“If I get married, what will happen to you?”
Old Madam Jiang snorted. “I’m already halfway in the grave. Why do you care what happens to me? If it doesn’t work out, you can still find someone to marry into the family.”
“I don’t want to.”
Looking at her stubborn granddaughter, Old Madam Jiang raised her cane again.
Jiang Huaizhen didn’t dodge.
In the end, the cane did not fall. Old Madam Jiang cursed, “You’re grown up now. I can’t do anything about you, can I? You don’t listen to me anymore, do you?”
Jiang Huaizhen replied, “Other than the matter of getting married, I’ll listen to you in everything else.”
Old Madam Jiang said unhappily, “Other than the matter of getting married, what else is there for me to worry about? If you don’t get married, who will take care of you in your old age and send you off?”
Jiang Huaizhen rarely smiled. “Didn’t one just come back?”
“Pah, that old hag’s granddaughter, how can she be any good?” Thinking of Old Woman Hao’s aggressive and calculating appearance yesterday, she was disgusted.
“And, as soon as her father broke his leg, her mother ran off with someone else. Do you think a child born from such a person can be any good?”
Jiang Huaizhen replied, “My mother was also a murderer. Didn’t Grandma not mind me?”
Hearing this, Old Madam Jiang’s throat was choked. She opened her mouth, couldn’t find the words, and finally just cursed, “You can pick this one up, but you’re not allowed to pick up any more. When you have time, go to the yamen and quit your job.”
Her granddaughter’s beautiful appearance, no one in a hundred li could compare. As long as she was no longer an executioner, where would she have to worry about no one wanting her?
Seeing her relent, Jiang Huaizhen’s expression also softened.
When she returned to the east room, Ping’er was sitting on a chair, her dark eyes looking over, with a hint of curiosity and a little caution.
Lin Shuang was cutting cloth to make clothes for Ping’er. Seeing her enter, she asked, “How is it?”
“Same as always. A sharp tongue but a soft heart,” Jiang Huaizhen said softly.
Lin Shuang smiled. “I knew it.”
If Old Madam Jiang were bad to the bone, how could Huaizhen have grown up so well?
“You can cut her hair in a while. I’ve boiled some water. After you’re done cutting her hair, you can give her a wipe down.”
Jiang Huaizhen agreed and went to find the scissors.
Lin Shuang turned to Ping’er and said warmly, “Ping’er, we’re at a new home now. Let’s start everything over. We have to cut your hair first.”
The little girl was young, and her mother had run off with someone else long ago. It was already good that Old Woman Hao had given her food to eat, let alone washing her hair, bathing her, and getting her new clothes. Her hair had not been taken care of for a long time and was messy. She was bound to have lice, so it had to be shaved off and grown back.
Ping’er nodded. “Alright.”
“So good,” with that, Lin Shuang asked again, “Are you a little afraid of Aunt Huaizhen?”
Although Jiang Huaizhen was beautiful, she had a cold personality. When she wasn’t smiling, her face was stern, and she looked really unapproachable.
Ping’er bit her lip and said nothing.
Lin Shuang smiled, looked at the door, and said softly, “Aunt Huaizhen is Aunt Shuang’s favorite person. She just doesn’t like to smile, but she is the best person in the world. So you don’t have to be afraid of her, you know?”
Ping’er naturally believed her and nodded. “Aunt Huaizhen is very good, but Aunt Shuang is the best in the world.”
Lin Shuang chuckled and patted her head. “From now on, Aunt Shuang will be your real aunt. Auntie loves Ping’er.”
Hearing this, Ping’er smiled.
Just as they were talking, Jiang Huaizhen came in with scissors and a comb and said to the little girl, “Let’s go. Let’s go outside and cut your hair.”
Ping’er looked at Lin Shuang and, seeing her smiling at her, obediently got off the chair and followed behind Jiang Huaizhen, walking toward the back door.
Lin Shuang looked at the large and small figures and did not follow.
She felt sorry for Ping’er and wished she could handle everything and all her relationships for her. But children had their own survival rules, and being too careful was not a good thing. Including Jiang Huaizhen, including herself, it had not been easy since she was little. They had all experienced the death or abandonment of their loved ones and had experienced the cold eyes of the world, but they were still like a stubborn little blade of grass, breaking through the rocks and stretching out their branches.
The old woman might be an unreasonable person, and her words were also harsh, but she was definitely not a bad person with malicious intentions. They needed to slowly get used to each other. Excessive pampering would only increase the child’s vigilance and also hurt the old lady’s heart.
Outside, Ping’er sat obediently on a chair, letting Jiang Huaizhen cut her hair.
Old Madam Jiang stood at the door with her cane, watching and nagging, “Look at these clothes. They haven’t been washed in a year. The dirt on them is as thick as your grandmother’s face.”
Jiang Huaizhen glanced at her helplessly, then lowered her head to look at Ping’er.
Ping’er’s ears turned slightly red, and she said, “I only have one set of clothes to change into at home. I wash them myself, but I can’t get them clean…”
Old Madam Jiang clicked her tongue. “How old are you? Your little hands are not even as big as my toe. What clothes can you wash? Look at that old shameless woman. That’s how she treats her own granddaughter at home. She’s such a lazy and bad old woman.”
Ping’er did not refute this, because what she said was true.
Old Madam Jiang just watched. Seeing that Ping’er’s hair was cut and she had become a little bald, she turned and hobbled into the house with her cane. After a while, she called out, “Zhen’niang—stubborn girl—”
Jiang Huaizhen brushed the cut hair from Ping’er’s neck and said, “You wait here. I’ll go and see.”
Ping’er quickly nodded.
Jiang Huaizhen put down the scissors and went into the room. She came out after a little while, holding a large pile of clothes.
Lin Shuang had just walked over and, seeing the clothes in her hand, was surprised. “Whose clothes are these?”
“Mine.”
“Grandma actually kept your childhood clothes,” Lin Shuang smiled. “I was just thinking that her new clothes wouldn’t be ready so soon, and we could make do with ours. I didn’t expect there to be your old clothes. That’s really great.”
A faint smile also appeared on Jiang Huaizhen’s face. “It’s alright. If we don’t have time to make clothes, we can just go to the city and buy some ready-made ones.”
Lin Shuang hummed in agreement, picked out the smallest set, and walked outside, unfolding the clothes in front of Ping’er. “Ping’er, we’ll wear Aunt Huaizhen’s old clothes in a while.”
When had Ping’er ever worn such beautiful clothes? Looking at the clearly still-new yellow little dress before her, her eyes instantly lit up.
Then she looked at Jiang Huaizhen, who was just coming out of the room, bit her lip, and smiled sweetly.
Jiang Huaizhen’s eyes softened. She walked around Lin Shuang and went behind her, continuing to brush the cut hair from her neck.
Lin Shuang went to get some hot water, mixed it with warm water, and then brought a small stool to give the little girl a wipe down.
She was just recovering from a serious illness and could not be directly soaked in water, so she just wiped her down a little and also cut her nails. But when they saw the new and old scars on her small body, their hearts all clenched.
“That one surnamed Hao is really not human. She’s even willing to lay a hand on her own granddaughter. They say that even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs. She’s worse than an animal,” Old Madam Jiang cursed.
When they changed the little girl into her new clothes, they saw that other than the two red patches of sunburn on her face, she was a fair and clean little girl.
“She’s so thin she’s just a bag of bones. This head, it’s like a peeled braised egg.”
The old woman’s words, in and out, were just short of the word “ugly.”
Ping’er was now immersed in the joy of wearing new clothes and didn’t pay much attention to her words. She held up her hands and looked left and right.
“She’s a vain little girl.”
Lin Shuang burned the clothes she had worn before and the cut hair, washed her hands, and smiled as she went into the kitchen to prepare lunch.
But before the food was ready, she heard the village chief outside calling Jiang Huaizhen’s name. It turned out that Old Woman Hao wanted to get the two taels of silver as soon as possible and was urging them to go to the yamen to register the household.
When Jiang Huaizhen went into the room to get the household register, Lin Shuang couldn’t help but follow.
“Are you going with them?”
Jiang Huaizhen took out the register and replied, “It was a mistake last time. It has to be corrected.”
Lin Shuang bit her lip and said hesitantly, “Anyway, neither of us plans to get married. A mistake is a mistake. It’s not a big deal.”
Jiang Huaizhen straightened up and looked over, her eyes meeting Lin Shuang’s. Her eyes flickered slightly. “Isn’t it good to correct it?”
Hearing this, an indescribable sense of disappointment washed over Lin Shuang. She hadn’t even asked for anything, and now even this nominal status was gone. She turned around. “As you wish.”
With that, she wiped her hands on her apron and walked toward the kitchen.
Jiang Huaizhen looked at her retreating figure, her expression unreadable. It wasn’t until she heard the village chief’s urging from outside that she slowly walked out the door.
Don’t divorce!! lol