Chapter 34: Lock the Cabinet

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

On the way home, Bai Xue was in a daze. Her mind was in chaos and she forgot about the cold. Instead, she craned her neck to look at the scenery on both sides of the road, which was pure white snow.

There were a few times when Zhang Yuan spoke to her, but she could not react in time. When she reached home, she took the sack and rushed into the house as if there was a ferocious beast behind her.

Zhang Yuan looked at her reaction from behind and smiled. This little girl must be shy. She probably understood what he meant.

In a good mood, he took the cotton and followed her into the house.

“Xue, you forgot about the cotton!” Zhang Yuan kindly placed the cotton in front of Bai Xue, who had just entered the house and put down her things.

Bai Xue looked at the half bag of cotton and suddenly recalled the scene when Zhang Yuan asked her to knit a scarf for him in Pingyang Town. Her face turned red again.

“Xue, why is your face so red? Are you cold? Hurry up and get on the bed to warm up!” Wang Cuihua was about to ask when she looked up and saw that her eldest daughter’s face was red. She thought that she was cold.

“It’s okay. Mom, I’m not cold!” As she spoke, she placed the cotton on the north side of the bed and took the things she had bought as well.

“Uncle, Auntie, Xue, I’ll take my leave first!” Zhang Yuan said his goodbyes to the three of them and walked out.

The four little ones were not at home. It was already afternoon and they were not back yet.

Bai Xue had no intention of sending Zhang Yuan off. She lowered her head and opened the things that she had bought.

“Dad, Mom, the supplies cooperative has cheap clothes today. I bought a set for each of us. We can wear them over cotton clothes and pants! I also bought cloth to make clothes for Feng and Cai!” She showed the clothes and cloth to her parents as if nothing had happened.

“We already have clothes. Why did you buy them for us?” Wang Cuihua looked at the clothes and fabric.

“That’s right. I do menial work, so I don’t need these new clothes!” Bai Daliang agreed.

“Dad, Mom, it just so happens that there are cheap clothes that don’t need cloth stamps. Besides, it’s almost the new year. Isn’t it just right for our family to each have a new set of clothes? You can’t wear them when you’re working, but you can wear them when you’re resting! Look at how many patches there are on your clothes?” Bai Xue’s heart ached.

In her era, people did not wear worn-out clothes. If people did not like the clothes, they would be relegated to the back of the closet. However, in this era, people kept wearing the same set of clothes over and over again. No one was willing to throw them away.

“Xue, we should save whatever we can, so we don’t mind wearing old clothes. Your younger siblings are going to school again and our house needs repairs. When the rainy season comes, it will leak. Whenever it rains hard outside, it drizzles inside!” Bai Daliang said softly.

“Dad, don’t worry! Don’t bother repairing the house. When the time comes, we’ll build a big tiled house! A big one. We won’t have to squeeze on a small brick bed anymore.”

“That’s easier said than done, my daughter! With the money we have, we can repair this roof. It’s not even enough to build a mud house. How can we build a tile house? The captain is the richest man in the village, but even he can’t afford it, let alone us. Building a big tile house costs $1000! Even a mud house costs $200 to $300!” Bai Dalian explained to his daughter.

“Don’t worry! We’ll definitely be able to build it! When the rainy season comes, we’ll also live in a big tiled house! It’ll be bright and open, with no wind or rain!”

“Alright, alright, daughter. I won’t stop you from dreaming, but you have to take out all the things you bought. It’s almost time for dinner. Your younger siblings aren’t back yet. You have to go take a look!” Wang Cuihua interrupted the father and daughter’s conversation.

In her heart, she did not know how long it would take for them to build a house. It was useless to argue now.

“I’ll go take a look at them! Xue, you can warm up at home!” Bai Daliang was also worried about the children and quickly prepared to get off the bed.

“Dad, go back and lie down! What did I say before? I told you to pretend you can’t work. How could you go out and find the kids? If Grandma finds out, Mom won’t be able to go through confinement in peace! We won’t be able to eat our fill either!” Staring at her disappointing father, Bai Xue said angrily, “I’ll go look for them in a minute! Get Mom to lock up all the things I bought!”

“Alright, alright, alright! I was wrong! I simply felt sorry for you. You have to travel to town and can’t rest even after returning home!”

“I’m fine. As long as Grandma doesn’t come to the house and make trouble, I’ll be fine!” Bai Xue was touched.

“Mom, I told you two days ago I was going to buy a pair of cotton shoes for each of you. I bought them! Hurry up and take a look!” In the end, Bai Xue poured the sack in front of Wang Cuihua and poured out all the shoes.

“Oh wow. Look at all these shoes…” Wang Cuihua exclaimed.

“Mom, quickly put all the shoes into the cabinet and lock them!” Bai Xue took out the lock and key and handed them to Wang Cuihua. She told Wang Cuihua not to take them out no matter what when her grandmother came over.

“Okay, okay, okay! I’ll lock them in now!” Wang Cuihua did not dare to delay and quickly put her shoes into the brick platform bed cabinet. She could not help but touch her shoes to admire them.

“The fur inside these shoes is really warm and soft. I’ve never seen such shoes before…”

“The shoes came from a big city, so it’s only natural you haven’t seen them before! Mom, don’t tell anyone about them! I can’t get more of them!”

Bai Daliang also sat at the side and looked at the shoes. They could not bear to part with them.

“Alright, remember to lock them up quickly. I’ll go and see why the four of them are not back yet!” Bai Xue said and walked out.

On her neck was the scarf that Zhang Yuan had given her. It was warm and there was a pleasant smell on it.

From afar, she saw a few children walking over with a bundle of firewood each. However, they looked a little off. The children were dirty and Bai Ruxia was limping slightly.

“Yun, Xia… Shan, Chuan!” Bai Xue walked over and shouted.

“Big Sis…”

“Big Sister is back.”

When the four little ones saw their eldest sister, they were extremely happy and quickly walked with firewood on their backs. Only Bai Ruxia limped behind them.

“Xia, why are you limping? Why are you all so dirty?” Bai Ruxue approached and asked.

“Big Sis…” Bai Ruyun lowered her head. Since she had done something wrong, she looked very sorry. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have insisted on catching pheasants and caused Xia to fall!”

As she spoke, tears flashed in her eyes and she was about to cry.

“Big Sis, Second Sister just wanted to get some food for Mom and Dad. Since you managed to catch a pheasant last time, she brought us to find more…” Bai Rushan tried to defend Bai Ruyun.

“You went to look for pheasants? Did you go deep into the mountains? Didn’t I say that you were not allowed to do it?” Bai Xue was a little angry. These four little ones had become bold. Also, the one who took the lead happened to be the timidest one.

“Big Sis, we were wrong! We won’t dare to do it again!” Bai Ruxia saw that her big sister was angry and quickly put down the firewood. She limped over and hugged her arm as she said coquettishly.

“How are your arms and legs? Are they very serious?” The little ones apologized with good attitudes. Bai Xue could not get angry.

“It’s fine, Big Sis. It’s just a small injury. I’m sure I’ll be fine by the time I walk home! If you don’t believe me, look!” Bai Ruxia was afraid that her big sister would be angry, so she jumped in front of her.

“Alright! You’re not allowed to go deep into the mountains anymore! This is an order! If anyone does it, don’t expect me to do anything for you from now on. Do you understand? Hurry up and go home! Dad and Mom are worried!” As Bai Xue spoke, she picked up Bai Ruxia’s firewood and carried it on her back. The little ones obediently followed behind.