Su Yun walked in from outside carrying a load of firewood on her shoulder.
Some grass and leaves were still stuck on top of the wood.
Wu Jiangtao quickly stood up.
“This… this must be… sister-in-law, right?”
He limped over, trying to help her unload the firewood.
Su Yun didn’t need his help.
She carried the firewood directly to the kitchen entrance and set it down against the wall.
“What is this?” she asked, looking at Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan explained, “Old Wu, from the first team.”
“Oh.”
Su Yun nodded slightly, rubbed her shoulder, and turned to go into the kitchen.
With sharp eyes, she noticed a half-bag of coarse rice on the cupboard and immediately understood that Wu Jiangtao had brought grain for Xiao Yuan.
She washed her hands, then got to work—starting the fire, washing the pot, and adding a small bowl of coarse rice before covering it.
She also picked three sweet potatoes, washed them, and cut them into pieces.
They would eat sweet potato porridge for breakfast, and the same for dinner.
After finishing, she left the kitchen. By then, Wu Jiangtao had already left the courtyard.
She didn’t ask Xiao Yuan about it.
She took down the herbs that had been placed on top of the firewood and washed them thoroughly at the well nearby.
Even though Xiao Yuan had been forced to live in this broken courtyard, the house at least had an old well. That was the only decent thing about it.
Su Yun fetched water and washed the herbs.
The well water was freezing cold, but she didn’t care and washed them directly with it.
Xiao Yuan watched from the side. Seeing her hands turn red from the cold, he couldn’t help but speak up.
“Use… use hot water… to wash…”
“No need.”
Su Yun carefully cleaned all the herbs and placed them aside to dry.
“Is there a clay pot for boiling medicine?” she asked.
Xiao Yuan leaned on his crutches and moved to a corner to get it for her.
“I’ll take it.”
Su Yun bent down and picked up the clay pot herself.
She washed it outside, scrubbed it clean, then put part of the herbs inside and added water to boil.
“Who prescribed the herbs you gave me this morning?” she asked while working.
“It was… Old Wu… he asked a barefoot doctor before,” Xiao Yuan replied.
“Mm.”
Su Yun nodded.
The rice porridge in the pot had started to boil, and she stirred it to prevent it from sticking.
After the rice and sweet potato porridge was cooked, she placed the clay pot on the stove and continued boiling the medicine.
Soon, the small kitchen was filled with the smell of Chinese herbs.
Outside, the sky had already turned completely dark.
There was no electricity or oil lamp in the house. They sat at the table, eating coarse rice and sweet potato porridge under the glow of the stove fire.
“Tomorrow I want to go to the commune. Do you need anything?” she asked Xiao Yuan.
He shook his head.
Su Yun didn’t ask further.
She knew he was a quiet man, and unless necessary, she wouldn’t initiate conversation either.
After finishing the porridge, the medicine was also ready.
She washed the bowls, poured the medicine into two bowls—one for herself, one for Xiao Yuan.
The firelight reflected on Xiao Yuan’s thin, gaunt face, and a hint of confusion flashed in his deep eyes.
“I… also… need to drink?”
“Drink it. It won’t heal your leg, but it can strengthen your body and prevent colds.”
Su Yun had already blown the medicine slightly to cool it.
She took a small sip.
Bitter.
Extremely bitter.
She frowned slightly, took a deep breath, then raised the bowl and drank it all in one go.
Xiao Yuan, sitting in the darkness, showed another flash of shock.
“It’s not bitter?”
He had just tasted it—it was extremely bitter.
He thought she would take a long time to finish it, which was why he was so shocked when she drank it all at once.
Su Yun curled her lips slightly.
“It is bitter. But it can save your life.”
Living and suffering—any fool knows what to choose.
After finishing the medicine, Su Yun wanted to boil hot water to wash up.
She had been running around in the mountains all day and felt sticky and uncomfortable.
Only then did she remember that the original owner’s only two sets of spare clothes were still in the Qin household next door.
She stood up and headed out.
Xiao Yuan called out to her.
“It’s… so… late… where… are you going?”
Su Yun turned back with a faint smile.
“Worried about me?”
He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
“I’m going next door to get my clothes,” she said, and left.
Not long after, she reached the Qin household.
The Qin family’s brick house even had a brick wall and a painted gate—it looked quite wealthy.
Su Yun smiled and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
A voice came from inside—Xu Dongmei.
“It’s me,” Su Yun replied with a smile.
The moment she spoke, a guarded voice followed.
“Su Yun? What are you doing here?”
Clearly, they didn’t welcome her.
She didn’t bother wasting time.
“Your son brought me to Xiao brother’s courtyard last night and forgot to bring my clothes.”
After a brief exchange inside, the tightly shut door opened a crack.
Xu Dongmei handed her a worn cloth bundle through the door.
Su Yun confirmed it was hers and turned to leave.
“Wait a moment,” Xu Dongmei called out.
Su Yun stopped and looked back.
Xu Dongmei nervously glanced inside the house, then quickly pulled out two copper coins from her pocket and handed them over.
“Mother doesn’t have much to give you. This is my secretly saved money. You and Ah Yuan must live well together.”
Su Yun looked at the wrinkled two coins.
Then at Xu Dongmei’s seemingly sincere but awkward expression.
She almost laughed.
If she hadn’t read the original novel, knowing that Qin Aiguo spoiled her and often gave her money, she might really have been moved.
Two coins…
Secretly saved, huh?
She let out a soft sneer.
“Thank you, but Brother Yuan said his mother passed away when his father died.”
“So thank you, auntie. I won’t accept your kindness.”
She emphasized the word “kindness” deliberately.
Then she turned and left.
As for what Xu Dongmei would feel left behind—she didn’t care at all.
Qin Aiguo was cruel, Qin Xiao was a scumbag abuser—but Xu Dongmei was not a good person either.
If she truly were, she wouldn’t have allowed her ex-husband and her own son to be bullied like this.
Su Yun returned home holding her bundle.
There was already a pot of hot water in the kitchen.
Beside it was an empty wooden bucket.
Xiao Yuan was not there.
But the bucket and hot water had clearly been prepared by him.
Though not good with words, he was still quite kind.
Su Yun closed the kitchen door and started washing up.
There was no bathroom in a place like this, so washing in the kitchen was normal.
She bathed first, then washed her hair.
Looking at her waist-length hair, she initially thought of cutting it off with a knife—but then remembered her grandmother once saying that hair could be sold in the commune.
Maybe this long hair could be worth a few yuan.
Thinking of that, she gave up cutting it.
After carefully washing it, she dried it near the stove fire until it was almost dry, then returned to the room.
There was only one livable room in the courtyard and one kitchen.
Without a doubt, for a long time to come, she would be living in the same room as Xiao Yuan.