The sky hadn’t even brightened yet when Chen Xiaoman quietly got out of bed.
She carried a stool over to the stove, stepped up onto it, added water to the pot and jar, covered them, then went to the stove mouth to light the fire.
Once the fire caught, she picked up a piece of dry firewood and traced out the characters she’d learned the night before on the dirt floor.
She could already write those two characters.
But she had to write them many more times so she wouldn’t forget.
After writing them, she silently repeated them in her mind, wiped them away with her foot, and wrote them again.
Once the water boiled, she grabbed two handfuls of corn flour and stirred it into the pot with the spatula as she poured it in.
Once done, she covered the pot and sat back down by the stove.
“Xiaoman, why didn’t you sleep in longer?”
Zhou Daya asked, surprised.
Chen Xiaoman grinned and said crisply, “I’m used to it, Mother. The corn mush will be ready soon.”
Without waiting for an answer, Zhou Daya scooped her up.
“Children need more sleep to grow taller. Go back to bed.”
Chen Xiaoman turned and pointed at the stove. “The fire will go out.”
“Mother’s here, don’t worry about it!”
Zhou Daya set Chen Xiaoman back on the bed, covered her eyelids with her hand, and said firmly, “Close your eyes and sleep!”
She even pulled the thin blanket over Chen Xiaoman for good measure.
Chen Xiaoman’s heart swelled.
She nodded obediently, closed her eyes, and lay stiffly still.
Turning around, Zhou Daya smacked Old Li. “Xiaoman’s already made breakfast, and you’re still not up!”
Old Li yawned and glanced outside, pitch black.
He couldn’t believe it. “It’s not even light out!”
“It’ll be light soon. You let a three-year-old get up before dawn, and you still have the nerve to keep sleeping!”
Zhou Daya glared at Old Li.
Old Li was baffled. “When did I tell her to get up this early?”
“If it weren’t for you working her like an ox and a horse, would she get up to work without even sleeping?”
Zhou Daya pinched the soft flesh at Old Li’s waist. “Hurry up and get to work!”
Old Li hissed and could only sit up.
Even if she was to work like an ox and a horse, she should still get to sleep.
Old Li felt very wronged.
He’d never told the girl to get up this early.
“Fine, fine, I’m up, stop pinching me, my flesh is going to turn purple.”
Old Li grumbled, none too willing.
Chen Xiaoman rolled onto her stomach, poked her little head out from the thin blanket, and watched the couple’s exchange, covering her mouth to hide her giggling.
Hearing the noise, Old Li glared at her. “What are you laughing at, you won’t sleep and now you’re getting me in trouble too!”
Chen Xiaoman’s little head shrank back under the blanket.
Zhou Daya put her hands on her hips and said, “Hey!” “Now you’re taking it out on Xiaoman.”
Old Li slid off the bed in a hurry and said quickly, “No I’m not, children should sleep more. We’re old bones now, we don’t need much sleep, so we should get up early and get to work.”
With that, he hurried off outside.
Zhou Daya followed right behind him.
There was a lot to do today, so getting up early made sense.
Chen Xiaoman poked her head out again, watching the two of them leave with delight.
Father and Mother were so good.
They even let her sleep in.
Content, she lay back down flat, hugged the thin blanket, and rolled around on the bed twice.
So happy!
Beside her, Li Chuyuan rolled over impatiently.
Chen Xiaoman shrank her neck down and lay back quietly, gently.
After watching him for a while and seeing he hadn’t woken, she let out a long breath of relief.
Drowsily, she actually fell asleep.
At the first gray light of dawn, Li Chuyuan crawled out of bed.
Seeing Chen Xiaoman sleeping with her eyes closed, he gave a cold snort inwardly and got up.
After washing and coming back, seeing Chen Xiaoman still hadn’t gotten up, he came up with an idea…
When Chen Xiaoman opened her eyes again, it was already broad daylight.
She sat up in a panic, hurriedly put on her shoes, and rushed outside.
Oh no, she’d overslept.
She hadn’t done any work, would Father and Mother hate her for it?
Thinking of the beatings she used to get at home, she panicked so badly she rushed out of the room without even putting her shoes on properly, and dashed into the courtyard.
Seeing the scene in the courtyard, she froze.
The whole courtyard was packed with people, all of them turning to look at her at once.
“Ooh, where’d this little spotted cat come from?”
“Auntie Daya, you didn’t have a late child on the sly, did you?”
Everyone burst out joking.
Zhou Daya strode over to Chen Xiaoman and scooped her right into her arms.
“She’s the child bride I brought back for Chuyuan, isn’t that right, isn’t she good-looking?”
A woman who knew her well said cheerfully, “I can’t tell if she’s good-looking, but I sure can tell Chuyuan likes playing with her.”
Chen Xiaoman looked at Zhou Daya, confused.
She covered her mouth with her small hand and asked Zhou Daya quietly, “Mother, what are they talking about?”
Zhou Daya couldn’t help letting out a “Pfft.” “Nothing, nothing.”
As she spoke, she stroked Chen Xiaoman’s hair.
Then she turned to the joking villagers and said, “This is Chuyuan’s little wife, of course Chuyuan’s happy to play with her. What would you old folks know about it.”
The villagers laughed until they doubled over.
Chen Xiaoman didn’t know where to put her two little hands, and in the end just clasped them in front of her belly.
Zhou Daya said to her, “Go wash your face, breakfast’s in the pot.”
Once set down, Chen Xiaoman opened the kitchen water vat.
The water in the vat instantly reflected her image.
Her eyelids and the skin around her eyes had been painted into two black smudges, her nose tip was black too, and there were cat whiskers drawn on her cheeks.
Chen Xiaoman cried out, “Ah!”
Half-Immortal Zhang’s laughter rang out inside her, a great “haha.”
“A little spotted cat!”
Chen Xiaoman shook her head, and imitating Old Li, put her two short little hands behind her back.
“That’s the kind of thing three-year-olds do.”
Half-Immortal Zhang couldn’t help saying, “Aren’t you a three-year-old?”
Chen Xiaoman held up four fingers. “I’m four.”
She meant by the traditional reckoning.
Chen Xiaoman sighed, imitating the manner of an adult. “Brother Chuyuan hasn’t grown up yet. I’ve decided not to hold it against him.”
Half-Immortal Zhang was stunned for a moment, then laughed even harder.
Once Chen Xiaoman finished washing up, she lifted the pot lid, inside was a full, heaping bowl of corn mush, with several drops of oil on top.
She held the bowl and ate with great satisfaction.
Half-Immortal Zhang clicked his tongue twice. “That’s what you’re eating?”
“This is grain, you know.” Chen Xiaoman’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “It’s so much better than wild vegetable soup.”
Half-Immortal Zhang paused, then let out a long sigh.
He’d seen all the hardship Xiaoman had endured.
His heart truly ached for this little girl.
In that household, no matter what he did, he couldn’t change the little girl’s situation.
It might even drag her, and himself, into deeper trouble, forcing him to keep enduring it, just watching.
From now on, he would surely do his best to help this little girl, and at least make sure she was never short of food or clothing.
A whole bowl of corn mush left Chen Xiaoman’s little belly round and full.
She patted her bulging little stomach with satisfaction, then washed the bowl and pot clean before heading back out.
The villagers, seeing her little face, all marveled again.
“What a pretty girl!”
“Daya, where did you find such a lovely girl?”
“Does she have any sisters?”
Zhou Daya proudly called Chen Xiaoman over to help pass and receive the scale.
“Her mother only had this one daughter, so don’t even think about it.”
With such a pretty daughter-in-law, it would be a shame not to show her off a little in front of the villagers!
An old woman patted Chen Xiaoman and said with a smile, “You can tell from her face she’s got good fortune.”
Old Li snorted. “My son Chuyuan is a man of great, overwhelming fortune. She’s Chuyuan’s wife, how could she not have good fortune?”
Zhou Daya shot him a look. “That crazy Daoist said one thing off the top of his head, and you’re actually taking it seriously.”
“Grandma Daya, that immortal’s predictions about every family in our village have all come true, he’s a divine being!”
“He said Chuyuan will have overwhelming fortune someday, that must be true!”