For a medical school intern with severe cleanliness issues, exceptional self-discipline, and extremely high standards for quality of life, this challenge was simply too much.
Just then, a small figure crouched beneath the stove heard the commotion and sprang to her feet.
“S… Sister-in-law…”
Shen Xiaohua had been squatting there tending the fire. When she saw Jiang Qingli suddenly return, she panicked and scrambled to her feet, smearing stove ash all over her face in the process.
Jiang Qingli’s nose stung.
A nine year old girl should have been in the middle of a growth spurt, yet Shen Xiaohua was as thin and frail as a bean sprout.
Her worn trousers were covered in patches, and the wrists exposed beneath her sleeves were so thin they looked as though they might snap with the slightest pressure.
On the stove sat a pot of corn porridge so watery that a person’s reflection could almost be seen in it. This was the “dinner” the little girl had prepared.
Grrr…
Jiang Qingli’s stomach let out an untimely growl, the sound unusually clear in the silent room.
She had lived for thirty-three years without ever truly experiencing hunger, but since transmigrating into this body, she had eaten only two brown sugar eggs.
Besides, judging from the original owner’s size, she certainly hadn’t been someone who ate sparingly. After barely consuming anything substantial all day, her hunger had become unbearable. Her stomach felt painfully empty, her throat so dry it seemed packed with sand, and even swallowing sent a sharp sting through her throat.
Hearing the noise, Shen Xiaohua timidly spoke.
“S… Sister-in-law, dinner’s ready… D… do you want me to serve you a bowl?”
Her voice was so soft it was as though she were afraid of disturbing something.
Whenever her sister-in-law was in a bad mood, she loved cursing people, and her insults were always vicious and cruel. Shen Xiaohua had already endured it countless times. Rather than stand there waiting to be scolded, she preferred to find something useful to do.
How could Jiang Qingli possibly let a little girl serve her?
She quickly waved her hands.
“No, no, I’ll do it myself…”
Unexpectedly, the moment she finished speaking, Shen Xiaohua took a frightened step backward, her face turning pale.
“Sister-in-law, I didn’t touch any of your things! I came at noon and stayed outside the whole time. I only came in when it was time to cook…”
Jiang Qingli froze for a moment before remembering that the original owner had looked down on Shen Xiaohua as a country girl and never allowed her into the room except during mealtimes to cook.
After eating, she would even force the little girl to wash the dishes.
Seeing how terrified Shen Xiaohua looked, Jiang Qingli’s heart ached. She quickly softened her voice.
“Don’t be afraid. I just wanted to serve myself.”
But how could Shen Xiaohua possibly believe that?
She hurriedly ladled out a large bowl of porridge, held it out with both hands, and said in a trembling voice,
“Sister-in-law, be careful, it’s hot…”
The bowl contained a yellowish brown coarse grain porridge mixed with a few dark green wild vegetable leaves. It looked thick, bland, and completely unappetizing.
Yet Jiang Qingli was simply too hungry. Otherwise, she would never have touched something like this.
She reluctantly took a sip.
The rough cornmeal scraped painfully against her throat, while the wild vegetables were bitter and completely unsalted. Even swallowing felt like torture.
But when she looked up, she noticed Shen Xiaohua staring at the bowl in her hands while unconsciously swallowing her saliva.
The food Jiang Qingli found nearly impossible to eat was the very thing keeping the poorest people of this era alive.
She fell silent for a moment before slowly setting the bowl back onto the table.
Clack!
The soft sound of the bowl touching the tabletop made Shen Xiaohua tremble violently.
Her knees nearly gave out beneath her.
Jiang Qingli forced a smile, bitterness filling her heart.
She hadn’t even done anything, yet the little girl was already terrified.
Just how cruel had the original owner been to frighten someone to this extent?
Rising to her feet, she said calmly, “I’m not hungry. You can eat it yourself.”
With that, she turned and walked toward the door.
However, after only two steps, Shen Xiaohua’s panicked voice rang out behind her.
“S… Sister-in-law! Did I do something wrong? Please don’t be angry…”
Jiang Qingli paused and looked back.
The little girl was clutching the corner of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Her eyes were red, as though she might burst into tears at any moment, yet she bit down on her lip and stubbornly held them back.
All Jiang Qingli wanted was to fetch a basin of water and clean this filthy, foul-smelling room. Otherwise, she truly could not bear staying here for even another second.
But somehow, the little girl had misunderstood.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Qingli forced a gentle smile onto her face.
“Xiaohua, your sister-in-law already ate at my parents’ house. I’m not hungry. You should eat.”
Shen Xiaohua’s head snapped up.
Her eyes widened into perfect circles, as though she had just seen a ghost.
Sister-in-law…
Actually smiled?
The next second, all the color drained from her face.
Oh no!
Yesterday she had secretly drunk an extra bowl of porridge. Sister-in-law must have found out!
Once the Sister-in-law returned to the village, she would definitely tell Father and Mother!
No, she had to hurry home and explain everything to them first.
The thought made Shen Xiaohua shudder.
She quickly finished the porridge in her bowl and stood up.
“Sister-in-law, then… I’ll be going home.”
Jiang Qingli watched the girl’s thin figure and suddenly remembered that, according to the original owner’s memories, Shen Xiaohua had to walk two or three more hours back to the village every day after cooking here, only to return again the next morning.
A nine year old girl walked more than ten kilometers every single day just to come and cook for her.
Even Jiang Qingli felt guilty thinking about it.
She had wanted to tell Shen Xiaohua not to come anymore, but if she suddenly changed her behavior now, not only would the little girl find it strange, even her bargain mother-in-law and father-in-law would probably become suspicious.
Thinking of this, she smiled.
“Stay here tonight. Your big brother isn’t coming back anyway.”
Ever since the original owner had stolen that old hen, Shen Li had not returned.
Then again, who would want to come back after being embarrassed by someone like her?
Hearing those words, Shen Xiaohua froze.
Sister-in-law was actually inviting her to stay overnight?
The thought of not having to walk three hours along dark mountain roads immediately tempted her.
But how could Shen Xiaohua dare?
The last time she had a stomachache and wanted to sleep on a makeshift bed here, Sister-in-law had become furious and even argued with Big Brother. She did not want Big Brother and Sister-in-law to fight again because of her.
With that thought, Shen Xiaohua wisely shook her head.
“No, I still have to go home and feed the chickens…”
As soon as she finished speaking, she no longer dared look at Jiang Qingli. She slipped out the door in a flash.
Watching the tiny figure disappear into the darkness, Jiang Qingli raised a hand and rubbed her throbbing temples.
The revolution had not yet succeeded.
Comrades still needed to work hard.
Before she could dwell on it further, she pushed open the back door.
A cool evening breeze brushed against her face.
The well in the courtyard stood quietly beneath the fading light. A few droplets of water still clung to the stone rim, indicating that someone had used it not long ago.
Picking up a bucket, she drew a pail of clean water and carried it back to the kitchen.
Using the remaining firewood Shen Xiaohua had left behind after cooking, she heated an entire pot of water. Steam gradually filled the room, bringing warmth back into the kitchen.
Next, Jiang Qingli rummaged through every cabinet and corner before finally uncovering a large wooden washbasin hidden behind a cupboard, thick with dust.
There was no shortage of things that needed washing: the mosquito net, bedding, pillowcases, and a mountain of miscellaneous clothes.
She tossed everything into the basin, planning to scrub them thoroughly the next day.
Then she wrung out a damp cloth and began cleaning.
From the stove to the table and chairs, from the cabinets to the thermos, she wiped every surface until it gleamed.
The pots, bowls, and kitchen utensils were rinsed repeatedly with clean water, finally shedding their greasy grime and revealing their original porcelain-white color.