Jiang Mengning didn’t bother explaining anything to such a tiny kid.
Even if he was the male lead of the story, so what?
She didn’t rely on him for money or life, so there was no need to curry favor.
As long as he didn’t harm these two little ones, she could live a long life in peace.
By the time they returned home, it was already five in the afternoon.
Jiang Mengning said to Huo Haowen, “Comrade Xiao Huo, please boil some water first.” She needed to wash Niannian’s hair and give her a bath.
Huo Haowen was not at all surprised that his stepmother would assign him chores—he was used to it.
Silently, he put down the things he had been carrying and went to the kitchen.
Seeing dirty dishes on the kitchen table, he first gathered them, put them in the sink, and washed them.
Then he drew water from the tub into a pot, lit a match, and started a fire with the straw.
Every movement was quick and skillful—clearly, he had done this many times before. Jiang Mengning admired the child’s temperament; he was calm and composed, showing no complaints at all.
No wonder he was the male lead.
When the water boiled, he informed his stepmother and then took a lunch box to the mess hall to get food. Residents of the compound could also get meals from the hall, but portions were fixed.
Jiang Mengning carried water in a bucket to the makeshift outdoor bathing area.
“Niannian, can you take off your clothes by yourself?”
“Yes!” Niannian shouted loudly, then quickly undressed on her own.
Her skin was fairly fair, though her face was darker and yellower. Jiang Mengning put on gloves, placed Niannian in the tub, and began washing her hair and scrubbing her body. This treatment was for Niannian alone. Jiang Mengning had never even helped her own mother bathe before—now she was washing a little girl she barely knew. Well… this little girl was lucky.
Niannian was quite dirty. After a while, the water had turned dark from all the grime and dirt scrubbed off. She needed a lot of shampoo to get her hair clean and smelling nice.
After the bath, Jiang Mengning wrapped Niannian’s wet hair in a towel to absorb some of the moisture, then helped her put on the new clothes they had bought that day.
“From now on, you’ll always wear little panties—no more bare bottoms,” Jiang Mengning said while helping her dress. Without a mother to guide her, Niannian often didn’t know to wear underwear. Poor hygiene could easily lead to illness, even in children.
“All right, I know, Mom,” Niannian replied, utterly fond of her stepmother now. Mom washed her, bought her nice things, and treated her so well.
“Good girl. Today we’re wearing a new dress—you have to look beautiful, little one.” Jiang Mengning loved dressing up herself and enjoyed helping Niannian look pretty.
After changing clothes, Niannian looked completely transformed. Indeed, clothes made the person.
What a cute little girl. Jiang Mengning found a stool for Niannian to sit on, picked up the lice comb, and began combing her hair carefully. Lice were her priority—they had to be completely removed.
With Niannian’s hair cut short, it was smooth and easy to comb, making lice removal simpler. Slowly, combing from the crown down, the comb was soon full of lice and a few eggs. The lice, dampened by water, weren’t very active. Even Jiang Mengning, with her mild trypophobia and slight germophobia, couldn’t help gagging.
“Ugh…” she dry-heaved, feeling grossed out.
“Niannian, sorry! My stomach feels a little queasy,” she said.
Niannian, aware her mom liked cleanliness, quickly took over the comb:
“Mom, don’t worry. I can do it. I’ll handle it.”
Skilled, she pinched every louse on the comb to death and combed methodically from top to bottom. With each stroke, more lice were eliminated.
Seeing the little girl handle this herself made Jiang Mengning feel a pang of sadness.
Such a tiny child, already capable and self-reliant—she must have suffered a lot.
Having lost her mother early, she likely never knew maternal love.
Compelled, Jiang Mengning picked up the comb again, wearing gloves, and helped finish combing. Repeating the motions many times, she eventually got used to it. Most of the lice were gone; only the eggs remained, which would need to be removed by hand.
“Niannian, we’ll stop here for today. Next time, I’ll help you again. Remember, you must comb your hair every day. That way, the lice will gradually disappear.”
“All right, Mom.” Niannian felt her scalp lighten.
“Mom, my hair isn’t itchy at all now!”
“Yes, with fewer lice it won’t itch. Remember to wash your hair regularly, okay? Hot days mean bathing every day. In winter, even every three days is fine.”
“I understand, Mom.”
“Good girl. I’ll dry your hair for you.” Jiang Mengning clipped a butterfly hairpin onto her head. Niannian immediately looked stylish and twirled happily in the yard.
“Wow, a butterfly! So pretty!”
At that moment, Huo Haowen returned with the food. Niannian ran to her brother joyfully.
“Brother, look! Mom bought this for me. Isn’t it pretty?”
Huo Haowen almost didn’t recognize his sister. Was this really his sister? She looked like a little fairy! Staring at her for a long time, he finally came back to his senses—this was indeed his sister. Dressed up by their stepmother? His gaze toward her stepmother darkened. What exactly was she planning? She hadn’t been this kind before. He wouldn’t be fooled by these little acts of kindness.
He led his sister back into the house without a glance at their stepmother. Jiang Mengning chuckled to herself. What a rude little guy!
..
In the kitchen, Huo Haowen set the food on the table.
Only two dishes were prepared: stir-fried greens and stir-fried bean sprouts, along with three bowls of rice. Meals for family members at the military mess hall were simple—this era had just enough food for sustenance.
Some meat once a week was considered a small perk.
Huo Haowen handed a bowl of rice to his sister and took one for himself, then they sat on little stools in a corner, eating quietly.
Jiang Mengning thought… In the original story, the stepmother disliked eating at the same table with the children and made them sit in the corner. They weren’t even allowed to eat the vegetables. How exhausting.
She waved to them from the table.
“Come sit at the table to eat! No more squatting in the corner. Everyone eats at the table from now on.”
Niannian immediately obeyed. Holding her bowl, she stood and walked over.
Huo Haowen, however, wasn’t as easily tricked. He didn’t trust their stepmother to be this generous—surely she had an agenda. So he stubbornly stayed put, even though the food smelled delicious…