Xu Qinghe quickly reviewed everything in her mind, making sure there was nothing on her person or inside the house that absolutely couldn’t be seen.
After confirming everything was safe, she finally relaxed and responded.
Taking the initiative, she pushed open the courtyard gate.
“Auntie, what brings you here?”
Aunt Liu grabbed her hands with her own rough, ice-cold ones.
Her face was lined with wrinkles, her skin dark and weathered. Her eyes were small, and a deep vertical crease sat between her brows.
Worry and tension filled her expression.
Xu Qinghe smiled and patted her hand.
“Auntie, don’t worry. I’ve figured things out.”
Aunt Liu froze for a moment.
Then her tightly knitted brows relaxed, and she visibly let out a sigh of relief.
“Really? Good, good. Good child. Your parents would want you to keep living.”
Compassion and sadness flashed through the older woman’s eyes.
Taking Aunt Liu’s hand, Xu Qinghe led her inside.
The Liu family had always been close to the original owner’s family.
Especially after her father was conscripted, the Lius had helped the mother and daughter constantly.
Aunt Liu often came over to comfort the increasingly depressed mother.
Uncle Liu and his eldest son helped work their fields.
Before every winter, villagers usually dried medicinal herbs to prepare for illnesses.
When the original owner’s mother became seriously ill and ran out of medicine, the Liu family immediately gave them part of their own supply.
Even after the mother died, they continued caring for the girl.
They were genuinely good people.
And they had shown great kindness to the original owner.
Once inside, Aunt Liu sat down in the main room.
Xu Qinghe closed the door and secured it to keep the freezing wind outside.
Aunt Liu slowly looked around the room.
Only then did she truly relax.
During her previous visits, Xiaohe had lain listlessly in bed all day.
The entire house had felt lifeless.
Now the house was cleaner and more orderly.
Most importantly, there was spirit in the girl’s eyes again.
Aunt Liu silently thought:
Little Xu and his wife, you can finally rest easy now.
Xu Qinghe pulled over a stool and sat beside her.
“Auntie, I caused your family so much trouble these past days. I was being foolish.”
Aunt Liu immediately waved her hand.
“Nonsense. What trouble? Families like ours don’t need that kind of politeness.”
Xu Qinghe smiled.
After her mother’s death, the original owner had lost much of her will to live.
Throughout that time, Aunt Liu had taken care of her.
Although the original owner had been consumed by grief, she had still recognized the kindness of the Liu family.
She had always wanted to thank them properly.
She simply never had the chance.
Now that Xu Qinghe occupied her body, she naturally wanted to fulfill that wish.
“Auntie, you’re family to me. Just like my parents. Uncle Liu, Brother Liu, Sister-in-law, and Little Brother too.”
Aunt Liu paused.
Her eyes grew moist.
With a sigh, she said,
“And you’re like my own daughter too. If anyone ever mistreats you, don’t keep it bottled up. Come tell me. I’ll stand up for you.”
Having lived more than half a lifetime, she understood very well that a young woman living alone in the village would face many difficulties.
Xu Qinghe understood exactly what she meant.
She didn’t refuse the offer.
After wiping away her tears, Aunt Liu forced a smile.
“Enough of that. I came to see whether you’re lacking anything.”
She glanced around the room.
When she noticed the water jar was empty, she immediately stood up.
“I’ll go fetch you some water.”
She was so familiar with the house that she walked straight to the woodshed, grabbed a bucket, and headed outside.
Xu Qinghe couldn’t stop her.
Nor could she allow the elderly woman to carry water alone.
After locking the door, she hurried after her.
The village had a communal well where everyone collected drinking water.
However, instead of heading toward the well, Aunt Liu pulled Xu Qinghe toward the Liu family home.
“I’ll grab our buckets too. It’ll save us a few trips.”
The village wasn’t large.
They arrived after only a short walk.
The Liu family’s house was somewhat larger than hers.
There were two earthen houses and a woodshed.
One house faced the courtyard entrance directly.
A smaller one stood on the left.
The second house had been built after last autumn’s harvest, when the eldest son got married.
Uncle Liu had spent over a hundred jin of grain hiring people to build it.
The family had two sons.
The eldest was eighteen.
The younger had just turned ten.
Like their parents, both boys were hardworking.
The family farmed twenty mu of land.
After harvest season, Uncle Liu and his eldest son also worked temporary jobs in the county town.
As a result, the Liu family was considered one of the better-off households in the village.
Aunt Liu pushed open the courtyard gate and led Xu Qinghe inside.
She took a quick look around.
The layout was similar to her own home, though the extra room made everything feel more compact.
The courtyard was neat and well maintained.
The vegetable garden had already been turned over and prepared.
It looked far better than the hard, compacted soil in her own yard.
From the backyard came the occasional crow of chickens.
As they approached the house, she could hear people chatting and the rhythmic sound of weaving.
The Liu family’s water buckets were stored in the woodshed.
But after retrieving them, Aunt Liu didn’t leave immediately.
Instead, she dragged Xu Qinghe inside to greet the family.
Because winter was so cold and firewood was precious, the entire family slept together on one kang bed.
At the moment, everyone was gathered in the west room.
Little Brother Liu lay near the warmest spot on the kang, nibbling on dried persimmons from the autumn harvest.
For ordinary people, it was one of the few sources of sweetness available.
Uncle Liu squatted at the foot of the kang, puffing on his tobacco pipe while staring thoughtfully at the paper-covered window.
Sister-in-law Liu was weaving cloth.
Brother Liu sat beside her, helping while telling jokes to make her laugh.
“Yingzi!”
Aunt Liu lifted the curtain and called out.
“Yes, Mother?”
The young woman turned around.
Upon seeing Xu Qinghe and Aunt Liu, she paused in surprise before smiling warmly.
“Yingzi, Xiaohe and I are going to fetch water. Heat up the food later.”
“Alright, Mother.”
Xu Qinghe looked at everyone.
They looked back at her with concern.
One by one, she greeted them.
Brother Liu and his wife immediately wore the same affectionate expression they usually reserved for Little Brother Liu.
Uncle Liu, being quieter by nature, merely grunted in acknowledgment.
Little Brother Liu had the strongest reaction.
He practically launched himself at her.
“Big Sister Xiaohe! I’ve missed you so much! Are you feeling better? I’ve been saving the eggs Mother gives me for you!”
Xu Qinghe felt deeply touched.
She rubbed his head.
“Thank you. I’m much better now. But you should eat the eggs yourself. You’re still growing.”
The boy shook his head stubbornly.
“We can eat them together. We’ll grow together.”
Aunt Liu laughed and scolded him lightly.
“Alright then. Since your Sister Xiaohe is eating with us today, go bring out those eggs you’ve been hoarding.”
Xu Qinghe immediately panicked and waved her hands.
“Auntie, I don’t want to trouble your family. I still have leftovers from breakfast.”
Aunt Liu ignored her protest and pulled her outside.
“You child. Do you think I don’t know you? Your stove was empty. There’s no way you ate breakfast. Stop arguing. You’re eating with us today.”
Xu Qinghe refused several more times.
Eventually, realizing she couldn’t win, she reluctantly agreed.
Just as they approached the village well, crying suddenly erupted from a nearby household.
Xu Qinghe instinctively turned toward the sound…