SLH | Chapter 8
by _squisheeWashing Up
The little girl sure knows how to make people happy.
Song Tingzhu cracked a smile. With Xiaomei and Xia Ge’er around, he felt a bit less troubled.
Lunch was cooked by Liu Xiaomei, with Xia Ge’er helping to tend the fire. Song Tingzhu leaned against the sunlight, sunbathing while casting worried glances toward the kitchen.
“Sao fu lang, don’t worry. I started helping my mom cook when I was four. I’m quite good at it.”
The little girl skillfully stir-fried the cabbage, and once it was done, she bent over to pick an egg from the basket beside her, cracking and beating it with nimble hands.
While doing so, she turned her head to ask, “Sao fu lang, do you eat scallions?”
“I can eat anything.”
“Alright, Xia Ge’er, help Xiao Gu wash a scallion.”
“Okay.”
Xia Ge’er responded, tossed a piece of firewood into the stove, and then went to the vegetable garden behind the house to pick a scallion.
“Xiao Gu, is this enough?”
The little guy ran back with short legs, his already wobbly bun on his head looked like it was about to fall apart.
Song Tingzhu couldn’t help but focus on Xia Ge’er. Miraculously, that loose bun stayed intact until lunch was served.
“Xiao Shumei, is there dirt on Xia Ge’er’s face?” Xia Ge’er asked, touching his face with his little hands, seeing his Xiao Shumei looking at him so often.
Song Tingzhu replied warmly, “No, it’s clean.”
He then pushed the bowl containing the eggs towards the middle of the table, but Liu Xiaomei noticed and pushed it back towards him.
The little girl pursed her lips, her stubbornness mirroring her brother Liu Hu’s.
Song Tingzhu smiled faintly, not insisting further. Instead, he picked up a chopstick of eggs and placed it in their bowls.
One egg wasn’t much to begin with, and after he divided it, only a bit was left at the bottom of the bowl.
Xia Ge’er, being young and naive, was thrilled to see the eggs in his bowl and swung his little legs in joy. Liu Xiaomei frowned, wanting to return the eggs to the bowl.
Song Tingzhu patted Xia Ge’er’s loose bun and said with a smile, “Xia Ge’er eats so heartily, it makes others hungry too.”
Liu Xiaomei put down her chopsticks and smiled, “Then sao fu lang, eat more. When Er Ge comes back, I won’t tattle on you.”
Song Tingzhu nodded with a smile, “Alright.”
This warm feeling hadn’t been felt for a long time. After his mother passed away, the Song family was no longer a home. Although Granny Liu and the others were close to him, they always saw him as the young master due to their servant background, never this close.
He wondered if Qing He and Hongmei had left the Song family, and what about Granny Liu? After he was quietly sent away, Granny Liu would definitely confront Song Madam. Hopefully, nothing troublesome would arise.
Lost in his worries, Song Tingzhu just stirred his porridge without taking a bite.
Liu Xiaomei noticed and puffed up her cheeks, threatening, “If sao fu lang doesn’t eat properly, I’ll tell Er Ge when he comes back.”
Song Tingzhu snapped out of it, took a bite of the egg, and praised, “It tastes good. Xiaomei’s cooking is indeed excellent.”
Liu Xiaomei was coaxed with a single compliment, scratching her chin shyly, “It’s not that great, still far from mom’s cooking.”
“You’re young, with a few more years of practice, you’ll surely surpass her.”
The little girl perked up, “I think so too.”
Xia Ge’er raised his spoon, “Xia Ge’er thinks so too~”
The childish voice made one’s heart melt. Song Tingzhu pinched the little guy’s chubby cheek and asked with a smile, “What do you think?”
Xia Ge’er squinted his eyes and said, “Xiao Gu’s cooking is delicious~”
Song Tingzhu laughed heartily from the bottom of his heart.
Liu Xiaomei, seeing sao fu lang’s smile, was momentarily dazed. Regaining her senses, she quickly picked up her bowl of porridge and drank it all in one go.
Song Tingzhu cautioned, “Slow down, be careful not to choke.”
“I won’t… cough cough cough”””
Just as she said it, she choked, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment, and her head drooped down.
Song Tingzhu’s eyes were filled with amusement. With the company of the two little ones, he unknowingly drank half a bowl more porridge than usual.
After the meal, the three of them felt sleepy. Once Song Tingzhu finished his medicine, Liu Xiaomei locked the courtyard gate, and the three of them took a nap inside the house.
Ruan Xiulian and her eldest daughter-in-law returned home after selling vegetables, finding the three still asleep.
Xia Ge’er was sleeping next to Song Tingzhu. The little guy’s face was flushed from sleep, and he woke up from the urge to pee, too embarrassed to wake Xiao Shumei. He quietly slipped out of bed, and seeing his mom and grandma back, his eyes lit up.
“Mom, Grandma!”
“Why are you coming out from the west room?” Tang Chunxing hugged the child, a bit unhappy, “He’s so sick, aren’t you afraid he’ll pass it to the child?”
Ruan Xiulian couldn’t stand those words, her face turning cold, “It’s not contagious.”
“I’m just worried. Meng and I only have Xia Ge’er. If something happens, how will we live?”
Ruan Xiulian, soft-hearted, couldn’t argue further. After her eldest daughter-in-law gave birth to Xia Ge’er, she hadn’t conceived again. It was poverty that caused it; her body lacked nutrition, so she couldn’t get pregnant.
“Look at this bun, slept all messy.” Tang Chunxing affectionately touched her little brother’s head, “Come, let mom give you a trendy hairstyle from town.”
“No, this is what Xiao Shumei did for Xia Ge’er.” Xia Ge’er shook his head, worriedly stomping his little feet, “Mom, I need to pee…”
“Go ahead, hold the wall so you don’t fall.”
“Got it!”
Tang Chunxing, watching her little brother’s completely disheveled bun, frowned and muttered, “How did they get so close in just a few days?”
Xia Ge’er’s hair wasn’t redone, and it stayed messy all afternoon. When Liu Meng came back from work and saw it, he laughed, causing Xia Ge’er to sulk for a long time. Only after Song Tingzhu redid his hair did he smile again.
“Wife, here’s the money I earned today.” At night, Liu Hu handed over the forty copper coins he earned from work to Song Tingzhu, along with a parcel of osmanthus cake.
“I spent another five coins on osmanthus cake for you. I can’t afford the ones from Sifang Zhai yet, but I’ll buy them when I earn more money in the future.” The man held the cake, looking a bit nervous.
The osmanthus cake was from the grocery store, costing two coins per piece. The shopkeeper, seeing it was late and almost everything was sold, gave him the last piece at half price.
The osmanthus cake was cheap, crumbly, and couldn’t compare to the delicacies from Sifang Zhai. Still, it was better than nothing. He worried that his wife might not like it.
Unaware of his thoughts, Song Tingzhu accepted the coins, tucked them into a money pouch, then unwrapped the paper, taking a small piece of the crumbly cake.
Liu Hu watched him intently, worried he might not like it.
After tasting it, Song Tingzhu smiled at the man, “It’s delicious.”
Though the flour was crumbly and overly sweet, it was more to his liking than any exquisite treat he had before.
Seeing him put the paper away, Liu Hu asked anxiously, “Why aren’t you eating more?”
Song Tingzhu explained with a smile, “I’m saving it for tomorrow to share with Xiaomei and Xia Ge’er.”
Liu Hu, holding the medicine bowl, grinned foolishly.
“I’ll go wash the bowls, then fetch some hot water for you to soak your feet and warm up.”
“Wait a moment.” Song Tingzhu wrapped himself in the quilt, asking somewhat awkwardly, “Is there a wooden tub at home?”
“Yes, it’s in the kitchen. What do you need it for?”
“Not the water bucket, that one’s too small.” Song Tingzhu’s face flushed, averting his gaze as he softly said, “I want to wash up a bit…”
On the day he was sent to the Liu family, he had sweated a lot. For the past two days, he was too weak to do anything but rest in bed. Today, feeling a bit better, he realized how dirty he felt, with a faint smell lingering.
He was someone who valued cleanliness. At the Song family, Granny Liu and He Ge’er would help him wash up. Here, in an unfamiliar place, his new husband seemed kind and easygoing, but he was too shy to ask. Today, he couldn’t bear it any longer and stopped him.
Liu Hu, being straightforward and honest, didn’t think much of it. He simply said, “It’s too cold in the room. I’ll light the brazier, and once it’s warm, I’ll get water for you to wash.”
“Alright.”
The Liu family had a brazier, but with few men in the house, the brothers were busy working all day. The task of gathering firewood fell on Liu Dasheng, who had injured his leg years ago and limped. The wood he gathered was just enough for cooking, with occasional use for warmth. Keeping a brazier burning daily was a bit too much.
When Song Tingzhu first arrived, Ruan Xiulian had the brazier lit once. After bringing out her own quilts for the west room, they stopped using it regularly.
Lost in thought, the man already brought the lit brazier into the room.
The warm brazier placed in front of the bed made the whole body feel cozy.
Song Tingzhu extended his hand from the quilt, warming it by the brazier. Once Liu Hu fetched hot water, he glanced at the tall man standing before him, his cheeks visibly flushed.
With the icy weather outside, he couldn’t ask him to wait outside. The kitchen was warm, but they were a married couple. If he said such a thing, Liu Hu, being sincere, might get hurt.
Song Tingzhu was genuinely conflicted. Little did he know, Liu Hu had no intention of leaving. He rolled up his sleeves and approached, his honest face devoid of any ulterior motives.
“Wife, don’t move. Let me help you wash up.”
Song Tingzhu’s mind went blank, his face turning red as he stammered, “N-no need, I can do it myself.”
Liu Hu frowned, “No, you’re too weak to stand for long.”
Liu Hu was adamant, his expression suggesting that if Song Tingzhu said another word, he might take the tub away. After much hesitation, Song Tingzhu couldn’t resist his cleanliness habit and nodded.
They were a married couple, after all. There was nothing to be shy about. Besides, on their wedding night, Liu Hu had already helped him change clothes. Once or twice didn’t make much difference…
But last time, he was unconscious. This time, he was fully aware. Clutching the quilt, Song Tingzhu closed his eyes tightly, his eyelashes fluttering with Liu Hu’s movements.
The man’s rough, calloused hands occasionally brushed against his back, sending shivers down his spine. The sudden tension and panic made his heart flutter.
Author’s Note:
———————-