Chapter 82: The Unusual Leng Xiao
Leng Xiao had seemed quite unusual lately.
Wen Nuan Nuan occasionally noticed, when looking back, that Leng Xiao was always watching her with a probing gaze. Yet it was merely a stare; once discovered, he would silently shift his gaze away without a word.
Wen Nuan Nuan was afraid.
Moreover, she noticed that Leng Xiao’s brows and eyes were gradually taking on a gentler appearance. Though he still looked cold, it wasn’t the icy, sharp demeanor of before. What did it resemble?
Wen Nuan Nuan couldn’t quite put her finger on it, which made her even more fearful.
This was clearly abnormal.
And after secretly observing him, she found that Leng Xiao remained the same toward Leng Yun—cold and emotionless as ever.
Could it be that this was directed solely at her?
Wen Nuan Nuan racked her brains, trying to recall if she had done anything inappropriate.
After much thought, the only thing that stood out was the last time Leng Xiao had unusually repeated her words.
Well, she had identified the problem.
Believing in correcting mistakes once recognized, Wen Nuan Nuan immediately restrained her heart, which loved to share and couldn’t keep things hidden, firmly refusing to broach that topic again.
She couldn’t reveal any more; the more she revealed, the more dangerous it would be for her.
Fortunately, in rural life, even during cat winter, there was plenty to do each day: preparing daily meals, storing food for the journey, and doing handicrafts. Time was arranged tightly and clearly.
Wen Nuan Nuan had already cleared a spot by the window, moving a small long wooden table there to do handicrafts by the daylight streaming in.
No wonder Auntie Zhu had only charged for making clothes before, saying that bedsheets and duvet covers were simple and wouldn’t incur extra labor fees.
Indeed, it wasn’t difficult either. At least, drawing on her childhood skill of sewing sandbags and her grown-up talent for cross-stitching, she managed, albeit clumsily, to sew the duvet covers and hem the bedsheets.
Auntie Zhu was truly an honest person.
After pricking her fingers five or six times, Wen Nuan Nuan was nearly finished sewing three duvet covers and one large bedsheet—the three little ones slept on one kang but each had their own quilt.
“Sister-in-law, I’ve brought the Laba porridge. It smells wonderful. Would you like to have some first?” Leng Yun’s little head peeked in, his clear black-and-white eyes filled with concern.
Wen Nuan Nuan, sewing the duvet cover at the long table by the window, didn’t look up. “I’m almost done. Just a little longer. I’ll finish sewing and then eat. If you’re hungry, go ahead and eat. No need to wait for me.”
Leng Yun replied brightly, “I’m not hungry either. Then I’ll pour it back into the pot and keep it simmering. We can eat together once Sister-in-law is done.”
Leng Yun, who had left and returned, stood quietly by Wen Nuan Nuan’s side, watching her sew stitch by stitch.
Wen Nuan Nuan felt quite embarrassed under his gaze. Her skills were too poor, crooked and uneven, hardly presentable.
After the family savings had multiplied several times over, she had asked Leng Xiao to bring back a bolt of plain cotton cloth—undyed, old cotton cloth, yellowish and grayish, the natural color of the fabric. It wasn’t particularly attractive but was exceptionally soft and comfortable against the skin.
The bedsheets and duvet covers she had originally made for Eldest Brother and Little Brother were water-red. At the time, she had thought that using ready-made fabric would save money on buying cloth, and there wasn’t enough fabric to make many sets.
After the family savings had multiplied several times, she thought of buying more cloth to make another set, so they could have a spare for washing.
The three little ones weren’t picky about colors, fabrics, or styles. They even thought that when one quilt was being washed, they could just squeeze together under one blanket.
But Wen Nuan Nuan believed that when there was no money, there was no other choice. Wasn’t earning money meant to improve the quality of life and enhance comfort?
Moreover, one-third of each day is spent in bed, so bed sheets and duvet covers, just like intimate clothing, must be the best quality within one’s financial means.
“Wash them in warm water later, be careful not to frostbite your hands, and dry them on the kang inside before changing them.” Tying a knot to finish, Wen Nuan Nuan bit off the thread and gathered the bed sheets and duvet covers for the Little Brother beside her.
It was cold outside, and clothes dried slowly in the low temperatures. Inside, however, the kang was kept warm all day long, making the air too dry. Wet clothes placed indoors not only added moisture but also dried quickly—a perfect example of practical life experience.
Leng Yun nodded obediently. “Sister-in-law, the life we have now is something I never dared to imagine before!”
“Just an extra set of duvet covers, and you’re already so easily satisfied, Little Brother.” You should know that in the future, your life will be filled with mountains of gold, silver, and jewels. This is just the beginning.
Wen Nuan Nuan teased him playfully.
Leng Yun explained earnestly, “No, it’s not that. I feel that you, Sister-in-law, are very different from us. When Eldest Brother earns money, he thinks about building a brick-tile house. When he earns more, he considers enclosing a courtyard, and later adding a firewood shed or digging a well. He doesn’t think about buying clothes, and bed covers aren’t a necessity—as long as we have them, it’s fine. He wouldn’t care whether they’re enough or good enough.”
But Sister-in-law is different. She takes the trouble to pair ingredients, reminds us to wash up and pay attention to hygiene, teaches us arithmetic, and even plans for what to do if we get separated or lost on the road.
Sister-in-law always plans ahead for the future, over and over again. Being with her makes me feel secure. The future is no longer something unknown and frightening but filled with plans and expectations.
He felt that Sister-in-law really knew how to live. After installing this lightweight window gauze, the room was no longer dim and gloomy. It was even brighter than when the oil lamp was lit, and there was no unpleasant smell of lamp oil.
In the future, he would follow Sister-in-law’s example, not live like Eldest Brother!
Wen Nuan Nuan wanted to say that it was because Leng Xiao had already completed all the foundational work, leaving her only to manage food and daily life matters after she arrived.
But Leng Yun, this little kid, definitely wouldn’t understand what foundational work meant. And most importantly, Leng Yun was going to be a merchant in the future.
Eldest Brother would become a general, holding a high-ranking and powerful position—a high-paying, secure job. Second Brother would become a doctor, a profession that relied on specialized skills and grew more respected with age.
Only Little Brother’s path was unstable. In business, there were profits and losses. What would happen when he earned a lot and indulged in pleasure, only to suffer losses later?
She believed that in life, there were always a few years when one could make money, but not forever. So, when earning money, one should save or invest in some assets, staying vigilant even in times of peace.
It seemed she needed to teach Little Brother about crisis awareness along the way.
Wen Nuan Nuan patted the long bench, motioning for Leng Yun to sit down. After organizing her thoughts a bit, she asked in the simplest terms possible, “Think about it. If we arrive in Jingcheng and have money, what would we buy first besides food and drink?”
“A house?” Leng Yun, feeling less reserved with Wen Nuan Nuan than with Leng Xiao, said whatever came to mind naturally.
Wen Nuan Nuan nodded. “Exactly. Without a house, we’d have to rent. Paying rent is one thing, but it’s also unstable. It’s not our own, so we wouldn’t dare to decorate or arrange it freely.”
“Don’t understand? It’s simple. If there’s no well, could you pay to dig one? Without one, you’d have to go to a distant communal well, wait in line, and carry water back. Wouldn’t that be inconvenient for washing, bathing, laundry, and cooking? But what if you dug a well, and then the landlord suddenly decided to take back the house and refused to rent it to us?”
Sister-in-law can now confidently provide you with clothes and necessities, all because your Eldest Brother laid a solid foundation beforehand.
Think about it—if we didn’t even have a place to live or were stuck in a shabby thatched hut, drafty and leaky, where a light rain outside felt like a downpour inside.
Even if Sister-in-law wanted to get you clean clothes, she wouldn’t be able to. Even if we had the money to buy them, there’d be nowhere to put them.
So what your Eldest Brother did was right. When funds were tight, we tightened our belts to build up our household assets, focusing our efforts and using our silver where it mattered most. If other expenses had been high too, when do you think we’d ever have managed to live in this Brick-and-Tile House?