Shen Ning boiled a large pot of hot water, barely managing to mix two buckets of warm water, using up the last of the water stored at home.
She silently wept in her heart.
How she missed the convenience of tap water and natural gas!
Never mind that for now—she had to get these three grimy children cleaned up first.
"Jianguo, Jianjun, come over here. You two will bathe first."
Little Li Jianguo's eyes showed a hint of shyness. Fortunately, it was getting dark, and the kerosene lamp in the room wasn't very bright, the dim light masking most of his discomfort.
Being a year younger, little Jianjun simply said "Oh" upon hearing Shen Ning's words and walked toward the large basin placed under the eaves, taking off his clothes as he went.
His body was almost coated with a layer of dust. Once his short sleeves were off, his dirty little frame was revealed, so thin that his bones were clearly visible.
These children had been living a hard life.
"Jianguo, what are you waiting for? Both of you, get in the basin. The water will get cold soon."
At this moment, Shen Ning had no time to worry about the children's slight self-consciousness or discomfort.
There really wasn't much water, and if they caught a chill, it would be troublesome.
In this era of scarcity in food and clothing, with underdeveloped medical facilities, even a minor cold could easily be fatal!
"I'll wash myself."
Little Li Jianguo seemed to squeeze these words out through his teeth. He took off his clothes and pants, squatted on the other side of the basin, and poured water over himself.
Shen Ning thought that since he was older, he could manage this aspect of life on his own, so she left him to it. Rolling up her sleeves, she began applying Xiangzao to Li Jianjun in the basin.
This Xiangzao had cost her 3 points, but fortunately, it was a very large bar, bigger than her palm.
It was truly great value for money.
Li Jianjun's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Wow, it's Xiangzao!" He turned to his brother on the other side and exclaimed, "Brother, it smells so good!"
Shen Ning cut the bar in half and handed the other half to Li Jianguo.
"Apply it yourself. Make sure to cover your whole body, scrub a bit, and then rinse off."
Li Jianguo took the half bar of Xiangzao, which was as big as his palm. His hand trembled, his expression a mix of shock and suspicion.
He could hardly believe that this woman would actually let them use such a large bar of Xiangzao.
At the Gongxiaoshe, a bar of soap without fragrance and smaller than this cost two yuan. This one looked expensive.
Had she… really been possessed by a ghost?
Or had their father visited her at night?
"Hurry up and wash. We still need to bathe Xiao Hua'er later."
[Ding! Li Jianguo's favorability +1]
[Total favorability: 15 points]
Shen Ning was momentarily stunned. She glanced at the child silently scrubbing with the Xiangzao and curved her lips into a slight smile.
After bathing the three children, she quickly washed up herself. Outside, only the summer chirping of insects and croaking of frogs remained.
The large room was pitch black. Lighting the kerosene lamp made almost no difference. In the dim environment, it felt as if a giant beast might emerge from somewhere, opening its fang-filled mouth.
Shen Ning suddenly couldn't take it anymore.
With a creak, the room door opened. The three children lying on the bed were startled.
They watched as the woman, holding a kerosene lamp in one hand, walked in.
"Xiaohua, come here. Starting tonight, you'll sleep with me."
Under the gaze of the two little rascals, she spoke with feigned calm, "You've both grown up now. Since your sister is a girl, it's not appropriate for her to sleep with you anymore."
She approached and reached out toward Xiaohua, "Come, Xiaohua, I'll hold you while you sleep."
Perhaps because her embrace had been particularly gentle today, Xiaohua extended her small hand without hesitation.
"You two go to bed early. I'll make you something delicious tomorrow morning!"
When the small figure occupied the large bed, Shen Ning suddenly felt a sense of security.
Closing her eyes, she browsed through the Points Mall.
She bought two bundles of Guamian, deducting 4 points, four eggs costing another 4 points, and then purchased 4 points worth of pork.
Only 3 goodwill points remained.
"Sigh—"
Shen Ning sighed. Life wasn't easy.
What should she buy with the last three points?
Points were truly spent quickly but earned slowly!
She needed to think long-term. If she relied solely on waiting for goodwill points to survive, she'd surely starve to death!
She had to earn more money to ensure stability.
The real headache was figuring out how to make money.
Her consciousness unconsciously scrolled through the screen, and her gaze fell on the purchased items column.
Xiangzao! Why hadn't she thought of that!
The nation's productivity was still gradually recovering. Daily chemical products like Xiangzao were expensive and in high demand.
This large bar of Xiangzao from the mall should definitely sell better than ordinary soap!
She'd buy it first and try to sell it in town tomorrow.
Clicking to purchase, the final 3 points were completely spent, leaving her penniless again.
Sleep, sleep. When she woke up, everything would be possible…
She slept dreamlessly until the roosters crowed from all directions the next morning, when Shen Ning slowly awoke.
The sky outside wasn't fully bright yet, showing a blue-green hue, with dew from the previous night still condensing in the air.
As she got up, Xiaohua beside her seemed to sense something and opened her confused eyes.
"Be good, Xiaohua, sleep a bit longer. I'll make breakfast before you get up."
Hearing this, the little girl lay back down and returned to dreamland.
Shen Ning carefully opened the main hall door and walked from under the eaves to the kitchen, trying not to wake the children.
Fortunately, the sky outside had brightened considerably, turning a clear blue-green, with enough faint light to see the path beneath her feet.
Occasionally, she could see several people walking together along the road.
From the original host's memories, she knew today was market day. Most people carrying baskets on their backs were heading to town to buy and sell goods.
When private business wasn't allowed before, everyone had done it secretly, developing this habit of wanting to do everything earlier.
Walking quickly, she hurried to the well to draw two half-buckets of water, then slowly carried them home. Luckily, since it wasn't fully light yet, she didn't encounter anyone, avoiding the need for small talk.
She wasn't very skilled at lighting fires, but the original host had been. Merging with her memories, she could probably manage to get the stove burning.
For breakfast, she'd cook a bowl of noodles for each person. With no oil at home, she'd make poached eggs directly in boiling water—one for each.
Though the small vegetable plot beside the yard had hardly any vegetables left, there were still green onions. Chopped into scallions and sprinkled on top, they made the dish fragrant and delightful.
Just as the noodles were about ready, Shen Ning was preparing to wake the children when she noticed the door leading to the kitchen swing open.
Two little heads peeked out.
"Oh, you two are awake already! Saves me the trouble of calling you. Go wash your hands and faces, it's time to eat. I'll go get Xiaohua."
The children had actually been awake for a while – ever since she returned from fetching water and started bustling about in the kitchen.
With only a wall separating them, they could hear every little movement.
The delicious memory of last night's Pao Mian seemed to still linger on their tongues. Watching the steam rising from the large bowls, they found themselves unconsciously salivating…