Ruan Tinghe wasn’t idle either. She found a rag, filled half a bucket of water, and carried it upstairs.
The children had been on the train for several days and were already exhausted—they had fallen asleep on the wooden bed boards.
Without waking them, she carried each child downstairs one by one and placed them on the living room sofa.
Then she returned upstairs and began cleaning.
Most of her belongings were stored in her space. On the surface, she only carried a backpack. If she suddenly took out large amounts of luggage now, it would definitely raise suspicion—especially that Yin Quan. The way he looked at her was like a police officer examining a suspect.
Better to be cautious. She decided not to take anything out for now. Anything urgently needed could be bought at the supply store first, and she would slowly bring things out later when there was a chance.
She had just finished sweeping away cobwebs when Dabao appeared at the door rubbing his eyes.
His voice was still hoarse from sleep. “Mom, I’ll help you clean.”
Ruan Tinghe picked him up and kissed him hard on the cheek. “Dabao is so good. But Mommy can handle it alone. Go downstairs and sleep with your siblings a bit longer.”
Dabao shook his head. “They sleep, I help Mommy.”
Seeing his insistence, her heart softened even more—but she couldn’t bear to let a child work.
She put him down. “If Dabao really wants to help, then Mommy has a small mission for you. Okay?”
“Mommy, tell me! I can do anything!” Dabao said proudly, patting his chest.
Ruan Tinghe glanced downstairs to confirm Grandma Qin and Yin Quan hadn’t returned yet, then lowered her voice.
“Go downstairs and keep watch. If Grandma Qin comes back, come warn Mommy. Can you do that?”
Dabao nodded, then reached out his hand.
“Mommy, give me a book. I’ll read downstairs.”
He thought to himself: Mommy is too naive. If he just sits there doing nothing and only keeps watch, that Uncle Yin Quan would definitely suspect she was doing something bad!
After taking the book, Dabao carried a small stool downstairs and sat in the courtyard, turning back to give Ruan Tinghe an “OK” hand sign—something she had taught him, meaning “all clear.”
With Dabao keeping watch, Ruan Tinghe became much bolder.
She closed the door, drew the curtains, and took a sweeping robot out of her space. After testing it on the relatively flat cement floor and confirming it worked, she let it clean on its own.
As for cabinets and furniture, she had to wipe them manually.
Inside the wardrobe were quilts, but they hadn’t been used for a long time. They were not only dusty and moldy but also covered with tiny black specks—no one knew what they were.
Definitely not something you could just cover and sleep on.
Without hesitation, she stripped the bedding, threw the sheets and covers into the washing machine for a quick wash, and set them to dry.
Eighteen minutes for washing, and half an hour for drying.
Before the drying cycle finished, Grandma Qin and the others returned.
Startled, Ruan Tinghe quickly stuffed the bare quilt core into the wardrobe and hid the robot back into her space, then pretended she had just finished cleaning and went downstairs.
“Xiaohe, why are you sweating so much?” Grandma Qin asked, immediately pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her.
“I just finished cleaning the room,” she said with a guilty smile. “It was a bit tiring.”
“Then go rest. You must be hungry, right? I’ll cook for you! What do you like to eat?”
How could she just sit and wait?
“I’m much better now. I’ll help you cook,” she said.
In the kitchen, she took out twenty yuan. “Grandma Qin, I don’t have food coupons yet, so I’ll just pay for meals for now. Is that okay?”
Living under the same roof, they would inevitably eat together. She wanted to contribute first and repay with coupons later when she had them.
But Grandma Qin immediately frowned.
“Xiaohe! Do you look down on me, Qin Laotai?”
The tone was too heavy. Ruan Tinghe paled and quickly waved her hands. “No, no, that’s not what I meant!”
“Then don’t talk about meal money again. You saved A-Ze’s life—that’s a life-saving favor! We already accepted your rent. If we still charge you food money, what kind of people would we be?”
“But we have four mouths…”
“So what?” Grandma Qin cut her off. “Even if you had ten mouths, our family could still afford it! Xiaohe, at least give us a chance to repay you!”
“Then… I won’t be polite anymore.”
Grandma Qin’s sincerity left her no room to refuse. At most, she would buy more ingredients and cook more when she got food coupons later.
The two of them cooked together surprisingly well, and soon five dishes and one soup were ready.
Braised pork, meatball vegetable soup, shredded chicken, stir-fried vegetables, braised fish, and beans with potatoes.
All were dishes Ruan Tinghe liked.
Grandma Qin was also surprised—it turned out these just happened to be her family’s favorites too.
The meal wasn’t fancy, but the portions were generous. In this era, it was already extremely luxurious.
At the table, Grandma Qin took out a jar.
“Xiaohe, would you like some plum wine? My old neighbors in the compound gave it to me after I moved back. They said it was homemade, very low in alcohol, and good for girls.”
Ruan Tinghe smelled the aroma of alcohol. She had loved fruit wine in her past life…
But—
“Sorry, Grandma Qin. The children and I are allergic to plums. Otherwise, I would definitely have a taste.”
She looked regretfully at the jar.
Grandma Qin was surprised. “You’re allergic to plums too? So is A-Quan. He takes after his grandfather.”
Ruan Tinghe glanced at Yin Quan, who was eating calmly without even looking up.
She thought to herself: what a coincidence.
For a moment, an absurd thought flashed through her mind—
Could this emotionless Director Yin actually be the children’s father?
But she immediately dismissed it.
Not only was it impossible for him to have appeared in Stone Village four years ago, but his physique also didn’t match.
He had a tall, refined scholarly build. Wearing glasses, he looked like a gentle intellectual.
Completely different from the rough, wild man from four years ago.
If she had to suspect someone, Shen Yan was far more likely.
It must just be a coincidence.
After dinner, Yin Quan returned to the hospital for duty. Grandma Qin stayed to take care of Yin Ze, and Ruan Tinghe took over washing the dishes.
The three children also wanted to help, but she insisted they rest instead and told them to go upstairs and prepare clothes for bathing.
By the time everything was done, it was already nine at night.
She checked the space—bedsheets and quilts were fully dried. She took them out, stuffed a clean cotton quilt core inside, and made the bed.
Shanghai nights were cold with big temperature differences. Without a thick quilt, it would be unbearable.
The bed sheets were still too thin, so tomorrow she needed to find a chance to take out a wool mattress from her space.
She also needed to exchange for ration coupons and buy thicker clothes for the children.
Thinking about tomorrow’s plans, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
In the middle of the night, a tall shadow quietly climbed upstairs, heading straight for her room.
The lock turned with a click.
The door opened.
The shadow lunged toward the bed.