20demayo Chapter 155 Asking for information
Chapter 155 Asking for information
Zhang Youtie and Uncle Ma didn't return until dawn. Liu was worried and barely slept all night. She got up at daybreak to cook, planning to go to the village head's house after breakfast to find out which family had encountered trouble.
To everyone's surprise, as soon as the door opened, there was a person standing outside the yard. Hearing the door open, the person pulled down the scarf covering their face, revealing their eyebrows and eyes. It turned out to be Aunt Ma.
"Aunt Ma, why are you standing outside the yard so early? Come in, come in." When Liu saw that it was Aunt Ma, she was a little surprised that she had come so early, but seeing that there was a thick layer of snow on her shoulders, she figured she had been standing there for quite a while, so she quickly ushered her into the house.
"Madam, I got up a little early today, so I cooked some rice porridge and made some cornmeal pancakes. I thought I'd bring them over to you and Miss as soon as possible so you wouldn't have to cook them yourself." As Aunt Ma approached, Madam Liu noticed the earthenware pot she was carrying. Because the color of the pot was so similar to the color of her cotton-padded jacket, she hadn't seen it at first.
Liu took two steps forward, intending to take the jar from Aunt Ma's hand, but Aunt Ma dodged it.
"Madam, please don't touch it, you'll burn your hands. I'm wearing cotton gloves." Seeing her like this, Madam Liu didn't say anything else, knowing that Aunt Ma was telling the truth, so she helped Aunt Ma lift the curtain and let her into the room.
As soon as Aunt Ma put the jar on the table, Liu took a cloth and helped her brush the snow off her body.
"You too, since you're here, come in. If you're worried about disturbing Xiaxia and me sleeping, you should come into the kitchen and sit down instead of standing in the snow. I'll make you some brown sugar ginger water later, so be careful not to catch a cold."
"It's alright, Madam. The cotton-padded clothes I'm wearing are brand new and very warm. Please wash up first, I'll go get the cakes." With that, she ignored Madam Liu's attempts to stop her and went out again.
Looking at the figure obscured by the heavy snow, Madam Liu sighed helplessly, still not used to the identity of "master".
Aunt Ma returned quickly, carrying pancakes wrapped in a steaming cloth, which were still steaming when she opened them.
Liu ate two pancakes with some pickled vegetables from home, and then drank a bowl of steaming rice porridge before putting down her chopsticks. Before Xia Yu got up, Aunt Ma went to the kitchen to boil some water, and then used the unburnt charcoal from the stove to make a charcoal brazier, which she placed in the main room. She sat with Liu, talking quietly and doing needlework.
Last night, Xia Yu couldn't sleep for most of the night after her father left. She only managed to drift off to sleep just before dawn, and in her hazy state, she had a bizarre dream. One moment she was back in her modern school days, starving and desperately searching for food, her stomach burning. The next, she was in college, working part-time in the winter and being followed late at night. She kept running and running, but couldn't shake off the fear of the person behind her. She knew she was dreaming and tried to wake up, but couldn't. Just when she was being chased with nowhere to hide, she suddenly felt an uncontrollable downward plunge, like the feeling of falling during bungee jumping. She jerked her eyes open and sat up abruptly in bed. Xia Yu gasped for breath, trying to recall the events of her dream, only to find that she had forgotten most of it. Touching the sweat on her neck, she felt sticky and uncomfortable. She put on her cotton-padded coat, rummaged through the closet for a new set of undergarments, changed in bed, and then put on her coat and trousers before going out.
As soon as she stepped outside, she saw her mother and Aunt Ma doing needlework inside the house. "Mother, haven't Father and Uncle Ma come back yet?"
"She hasn't come back yet. I was just saying that we'd go to the village chief's house together to ask when you got up!" Liu said gently when she saw her daughter get up.
"Are you hungry? There's hot water in the kitchen, go wash up. Aunt Ma's rice porridge and corn pancakes are still warm in the pan."
"I'll go bring it to Miss." As she spoke, Aunt Ma put the needle and thread in her hand into the winnowing basket, stood up, and was about to leave.
"Aunt Ma, please sit down. I feel better after walking around for a bit, and I'll be able to eat more when I eat later." Xia Yu reached out and pressed Aunt Ma down onto the stool as she saw Aunt Ma going to get her food.
She's not disabled; she doesn't need someone to help her with washing up or serving her meals.
After the meal, Aunt Ma stayed home to watch the house, while Liu led Xia Yu to the village chief's house. However, upon arriving, they discovered that the village chief and his two sons were not home, leaving only a house full of women and children.
"Auntie, my uncle hasn't come back yet either," Liu said with a smile to the village chief's wife.
"Third son's wife is here! Were you worried about your third son?" the village chief's wife teased with a smile.
"Auntie is joking again. He left in a hurry yesterday and didn't explain himself clearly. Has anything happened to anyone in our village?"
"Sigh," the village chief's wife sighed with pity upon hearing Liu's words. "You know, it's true what they say about fate. Misfortune always seems to strike at the weakest point, and it seems to only find those with unfortunate lives. Look at the family of Zhang the Cripple and the Mute Woman at the north end of our village!"