Huawanxi walked around the bathroom and felt that all these things were too eye-catching to be given as gifts—they wouldn’t withstand scrutiny.
She noticed the washing machine light was on, indicating that the clothes had finished washing and drying. She took them all out and put on the checked cotton pajamas underneath, then layered her previous cotton coat over them.
She had considered directly giving Wang Shi a large bar of “Shanghai-style soap,” but first, Wang Shi would probably be reluctant to use something so good. Second, she was currently short on money; giving such a valuable gift didn’t fit her “poor woman” persona.
After thinking it over, Huawanxi opened the storage box filled with soap scraps. Using a mold she had custom-made online, she placed some scraps inside, added a bit of water, and mixed it into a paste. Then she pressed it hard with the two halves of the mold, forming a small bar of soap.
The mold was square-shaped, palm-sized, with carved floral patterns inside. Once unmolded, it looked like a delicate little mooncake.
This kind of handmade pressed soap, once dried, had the same cleaning effect as other soaps. In fact, many of the scraps were from scented soap and goat milk soap, so it smelled even better than ordinary soap—though its original appearance could no longer be seen.
Because it was made from mixed soap scraps, the finished bar had speckled colors of different shades, small and quite pretty.
Seeing that there was still time, Huawanxi simply sat down and took out a plastic basin. She filled it again with soap scraps, put on gloves, and repeated the same process, planning to make more.
Who knew if they might come in handy later?
After more than an hour of busy work—pressing and unmolding repeatedly—her wrists felt sore. She suddenly remembered she had just given birth and shouldn’t overwork herself, so after using up the scraps in the basin, she didn’t add any more.
Looking at the neatly arranged 23 square handmade soaps on the floor, she smiled with satisfaction. It was strangely therapeutic.
Fearing poor ventilation in the bathroom would make it hard for the soap to dry, she took out a few black garbage bags, lined them inside a cabinet beside the bed, and placed the soaps inside to dry. As long as she closed the cabinet door before Wang Shi came tomorrow, she wouldn’t notice.
She then carried the two babies into the bathroom, cleaned their little bottoms, carefully wiped them dry with tissue, put on fresh diapers, and brought them back under the stiff bed quilt.
Before sleeping, she breastfed them again. Her milk supply was limited, but fortunately the babies were still small and didn’t eat much, so they could still get about eighty percent full.
Her body was weak, and after all the activity she felt sore and exhausted. Sleepiness quickly overwhelmed her after she settled the babies and lay down herself.
In the middle of the night, the babies woke up hungry again. Dazed, she got up to feed them, then immediately fell back asleep.
Early the next morning, Wang Shi arrived. Huawanxi heard footsteps and quickly got up to close the cabinet door.
“Sister-in-law, you’re here!”
“Don’t get up! Lie down quickly!” Wang Shi waved her hand when she saw Huawanxi standing by the bed, thinking she was coming to greet her.
While Wang Shi went into the kitchen, Huawanxi took out a nearly dried small bar of soap from the cabinet and placed it on the edge.
The food Wang Shi brought today was the same as yesterday. She placed the bowls and dishes on the cabinet and told Huawanxi to eat while it was hot.
Huawanxi was already hungry. After thanking her, she picked up the bowl and started eating.
Watching her eat, Wang Shi said warmly, “Second sister-in-law, your eldest uncle has already taken those four pieces of soap to the town. I’ve also told him about the things you want—he’ll take care of it. When he comes back this afternoon, I’ll bring them over to you.”
“Alright, thank you, sister-in-law.” Huawanxi swallowed a bite of steamed bun and finished the last sip of porridge, then took the small soap from the cabinet and handed it to Wang Shi.
“Sister-in-law, thank you for your help. I made this small bar of soap—it can be used for washing hands, clothes, or bathing. Please try it.”
She offered it with both hands, very sincerely.
“Oh no, I can’t accept this!” Wang Shi jumped up, waving her hands. “We’re family, no need to thank me like this. Take it back quickly!”
“Sister-in-law, since you said we’re family, isn’t it natural to share something good? Please don’t refuse, or I’ll feel uneasy.”
“You educated people really have a way with words!” Wang Shi wasn’t the type to be overly polite either. She actually liked the soap, and since Huawanxi insisted, she accepted it.
“Thank you, second sister-in-law. This soap is so pretty! Look at the carving, it’s so delicate! And it smells so good!” Wang Shi admired it repeatedly.
“As long as you like it, sister-in-law,” Huawanxi said with a faint smile, her confident eyes shining brilliantly.
So beautiful…
Wang Shi paused for a moment. This second sister-in-law was so strikingly beautiful—she might attract trouble in the future. She would need to help keep an eye out for her.
After tidying up the dishes, Wang Shi hurried back home. Her mother-in-law knew she came here every day. Although she didn’t say much, if Wang Shi stayed out too long, she would come back with a face as dark as a rag. She couldn’t linger.
Sure enough, when Wang Shi entered the courtyard, she saw her mother-in-law standing there. Her young son Jiang Wenqiang was squatting nearby playing with stones, and her daughter Jiang Wenwan was still resting inside the room.
“Mother!”
When Jiang Wenqiang saw her return, he immediately dropped his stones and ran to hug her leg.
Mother Jiang began scolding her loudly: “Oh, the busy one finally came back! So you don’t need to do any work at home anymore? Running out all day, not feeding the pigs, not washing clothes—do you want this old woman to do everything?”
Although she complained, her hands were still busily sweeping chicken droppings in the yard. There were only four chickens in the household—one rooster and three hens—and they were the family’s treasure since they laid three eggs a day.
Wang Shi knew her mother-in-law had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. If she truly forbade her from visiting her sister-in-law, she wouldn’t even let her leave the house. She was just venting because her son had died and she needed to let off steam.
“Mother, let me do it,” Wang Shi said, not arguing. She let her son continue playing and took the broom from her mother-in-law.
But Mother Jiang snatched it back. “Go feed the pigs! Can’t you hear them making noise? I’ll be done in a few strokes. I don’t need your help!” She glared at Wang Shi. She was a good daughter-in-law, just too soft-hearted.
Because labor was limited, the men of the household—Jiang father and Wang Shi’s husband Jiang He—were resting after lunch. After farming all morning, they would nap briefly before going back to the fields. So most housework fell to Mother Jiang, Wang Shi, and Jiang Wenwan.
Jiang Wenwan was already twelve. Before her illness, she was treated as half an adult worker. These past few days she had been sick, making life much harder for the others.
As for Jiang Wenqiang, he was only three—he was lucky if he didn’t cause trouble.
Wang Shi went to her daughter’s room. Seeing she was still in a dazed, absent state, she didn’t say anything and went straight to the kitchen to prepare pig feed.