Chapter 26: Arrangements (3)

Grandma Miao and Gu Dongmei were waiting in the main hall, while Jiang Dani was tending to the stove, keeping an eye on the pot of porridge that had been simmering for a long time. She had to make sure the fire didn’t die out, on a cold day like this, cold porridge wouldn’t taste good at all.

The Jiang family had already eaten. Erni had taken her two younger sisters back to their room. This pot of porridge was specially made for Jiang Dahai and Jiang Yiliu, who were still outside. Before heading to the brigade office, Grandpa Jiang had asked his wife to make extra, worried that their new guests hadn’t had anything to eat.

Grandma Miao had felt distressed putting that much rice into the pot. Three grown men, it wasn’t like their household had that much grain to spare. But in this matter, she didn’t dare go against her old man. If he got upset, she’d be the one to suffer.

Originally, the porridge was meant just for her precious grandson, who’d been out in the cold wind all day. She wanted him to have something warm and comforting, so she’d brought out the fine, polished rice she’d been hiding in her room. She hadn’t made much, just enough for her son and grandson. But now that guests were involved too, that rice clearly wouldn’t stretch far. So Grandma Miao simply added a few handfuls of cornmeal and some sun-dried sweet potato strips, turning it into a hearty mixed porridge. The sweet scent of yam blended with the aroma of rice, making it incredibly enticing to anyone with an empty stomach.

While Grandpa Jiang and the unfamiliar elder were having their heartfelt reunion, Gu Dongmei invited everyone to sit down in the hall. Meanwhile, Grandma Miao and Jiang Dani brought in the porridge that had been simmering all afternoon.

“We don’t have much to offer. From now on, we’re afraid things might be a bit rough for you,” Jiang Cheng said apologetically.

He looked at the porridge, which was mostly corn with just a bit of rice. Knowing the Ruan family’s background, he felt bad for his comrades. Over the years, they’d surely never eaten food like this.

He wasn’t wrong. Even during the most difficult three years, the Ruan family could still afford white rice every meal, with two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and soup. Corn was a coarse grain Ruan Yuanjiang had only eaten during wartime, when he served as a military advisor, back then, even eating tree bark wasn’t uncommon. Ruan wasn’t worried about himself, but he was concerned whether his granddaughter, Ruan Ruan, would be able to handle it.

Bai Chuoqing thanked Jiang Dani for serving him and carefully accepted the bowl of porridge with both hands. Jiang Dani blushed. It was her first time meeting such a kind and gentle elder. These two new grandpas felt completely different from her own.

After serving Bai Chuoqing and Ruan Yuanjiang, Jiang Dani filled a bowl for Huo Wu as well. Considering his strong and tall build, she picked a large bowl and filled it to the brim.

Grandma Miao ached inside. She secretly scolded her granddaughter for being thoughtless, but with so many people watching, she didn’t dare say anything aloud, just added another mark to her mental ledger.

(TL: …)

“Grandma, I want to eat your pickled vegetables,” Jiang Yiliu said sweetly, carrying his bowl of porridge and looking at Grandma Miao’s expression.

“That’s right. Porridge without pickles isn’t complete. I’ll get some for you now.” To her, the world revolved around her grandson. Forget watching over the porridge, she rushed off to the kitchen to fetch the pickles from the storage jar.

Her earlier expression hadn’t escaped the notice of the keen adults in the room. But none of them took offense. Grandma Miao was just an ordinary woman, focused on her own family, understandable, given the circumstances. The fact that she even allowed them into her home was already generous. Ruan Yuanjiang and the others had no complaints.

“Grandpa...”

Still snuggled in Huo Wu’s arms, Ruan Ruan stirred from her sleep, her little nose twitching, clearly awakened by the aroma of porridge.

“Yiliu gege...” Ruan Ruan rubbed her eyes and finally became more alert. When she saw Jiang Yiliu smiling at her from across the table, she whispered a greeting and then burrowed back into Huo Wu’s arms. A moment later, her blushing face peeked back out, her eyes darting toward Yiliu.

Jiang Yiliu scratched his head, puzzled. Was his face that scary? She’d been chatting happily with him just earlier.

Jiang Dani had noticed the little girl wrapped in a blanket. Though curious, she didn’t ask. Now that she was awake, Dani gently filled a small bowl of porridge for her.

Huo Wu set Ruan Ruan beside him and handed her the bowl and spoon so she could eat slowly on her own.

Ruan Ruan looked at the gentle big sister who’d served her porridge. Was this Yiliu gege’s older sister?

Despite the cornmeal, the porridge had been cooked long enough to be soft and smooth, with no coarse texture. Ruan Ruan sat obediently, carefully scooping up the porridge without spilling a drop. Every now and then, she peeked at Jiang Yiliu from across the table. But whenever he glanced back, she quickly looked away, as if she wished she could hide her face in her bowl.

Jiang Yiliu reflexively touched his own face. Was there something dirty on it?

Seeing his granddaughter eating so happily and without fuss, Ruan Yuanjiang finally relaxed.

It didn’t take long to finish a bowl of porridge. As the adults began to discuss what to do next, they ushered the children away, these weren’t matters kids should hear. No matter how much Yiliu tried to pout or wheedle, it was no use. Children couldn’t keep secrets. If they overheard something and let it slip, it could cause serious trouble.

In the end, both kids were taken back to the room by Dani. For the time being, Ruan Ruan would stay with the four Jiang sisters. After all, Ruan Yuanjiang and the others were men, it was more appropriate for girls to care for a girl.

Jiang Yiliu usually slept with his sisters during winter. With him there, they’d get more firewood burned in the heated brick bed. If it were just the girls, Grandma Miao would be reluctant to keep the fire going all night. So, come winter, Yiliu always insisted on sleeping with them, for their sake, of course.

Ruan Ruan had never seen a heated kang bed before. Jiang Dani helped her take off her outer layers and carefully folded them at the head of the bed, leaving only her innermost clothes. Then she gently tucked her into the kang and covered her with a thick quilt.

The mattress beneath her was soft and warm. Feeling the steady heat rising from the bed, Ruan Ruan gasped in surprise. Then, noticing the sleeping forms of Erni, Sanni, and Sini nearby, she hurriedly covered her mouth and looked wide-eyed at Jiang Yiliu like a startled kitten. Her adorable reaction made both Yiliu and Dani laugh out loud.

Embarrassed, Ruan Ruan dove under the covers. Yiliu quickly lifted the quilt a little so she wouldn’t suffocate.

Blushing, Ruan Ruan smiled shyly. She’d grown up in the south and always slept on wooden beds. Later, her second granduncle in Hong Kong had sent her a spring mattress, soft and extremely comfortable.

But her expression dimmed. That mattress, which she loved most, had been burned just a few days before they fled here, set ablaze by a group of strangers who stormed their house. She didn’t know why they burned her things. Uncle Da Wu had held her tightly, not allowing her to stop them.

Jiang Dani hadn’t expected an extra little girl to show up. That meant they didn’t have enough quilts. The spare bedding had already been taken to the room next door for the guests.

After thinking it over, Jiang Dani decided to have her brother and Sini squeeze into one quilt. Ruan Ruan was a guest and a little girl, after all. She couldn’t very well share a bed with a boy.

Jiang Yiliu didn’t object either. After all, he and Fourth Sister were still just little kids.

Ruan Ruan curled up under the quilt, only her small head peeking out. She looked at Jiang Yiliu and Jiang Dani, her lips moving slightly, but in the end, she didn’t say anything.

The kang bed was burning hot and cozy. Accompanied by the whistling winter wind outside and the low murmur of voices from the next room, everyone soon fell into a deep sleep.

At first light, Jiang Yiliu was woken by the sounds outside. Still groggy, he reached out to the spot next to him, only to find it empty. He instantly sobered up, where had Fourth Sister gone so early?

It turned out Fourth Sister had already woken up when Dani and the others got up. Light-sleeping Ruan Ruan had woken along with her. Dani had been busy taking Second Sister and Third Sister to cut pig grass, so she’d asked the youngest, Fourth Sister, to watch over Ruan Ruan.

“Yiliu is the laziest. He always stays in bed. Second Sister says Yiliu is a little lazy pig,” Fourth Sister announced cheerfully to Ruan Ruan, pointing at Jiang Yiliu, who had just woken up.

In just a short while, without Jiang Yiliu even realizing, Fourth Sister and Ruan Ruan had already become inseparable, like a pair of twins. This new little sister was so soft and delicate that Fourth Sister finally felt what it was like to be the older one. She didn’t hesitate to expose her little brother’s flaws, completely forgetting how she used to be the one clinging to him, sleeping in late together.

Ruan Ruan glanced at Jiang Yiliu and softly said, “Yiliu gege is very strong,” trying to defend him.

Jiang Yiliu didn’t bother arguing with Fourth Sister. He climbed out from under the quilt and started putting on the clothes folded at the head of the bed.

“Grandma is still making breakfast. Why are you up so early?” Fourth Sister asked curiously while she played cat’s cradle with Ruan Ruan.

“It’s nothing. I just want to look around.” Jiang Yiliu didn’t explain further. He’d heard what sounded like martial arts practice outside. Remembering the newly arrived Huo Wu, he’d gotten the idea to see how skilled he really was.

Out in the courtyard, the cold wind was biting. A man stood there bare-chested, his solid muscles taut as he practiced military boxing. Every movement was powerful and precise. Each punch sliced through the air as though carried by a gust of wind.

Standing by the doorway, Jiang Yiliu’s eyes grew brighter and brighter as he watched. His gaze fixed on Huo Wu as if he’d spotted an enormous piece of fat meat.

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Chapter 26: Arrangements (3)