Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 24 Extra Warmth (1)

In March, when the green willows are in bloom, this small courtyard by the lake in the suburbs is particularly cozy.

A little girl of about three years old with two buns was squatting on the ground. She was wearing a half-worn aqua-colored blouse. Although the clothes were not new, they were washed clean. The cuffs and hem of the clothes were carefully stitched together with similar fabrics. It seemed that the clothes were too short last year, so they were stitched together and continued to be worn.

A little girl poked the ground with a stick. The yard was small, but the owner had kept it tidy. The newly planted vegetable seedlings in the open space behind the house were already sprouting. Two pigs were in the pigpen, their trough newly filled with food, and they were happily munching away. Two courageous chickens wandered over and, while the pigs weren't paying attention, snatched up a few bites.

The courtyard door creaked open, and a tall, handsome man came in carrying an oil-paper bag. He squatted at the door and called out to the little girl, "My little Xin'er, look what delicious food Daddy has brought you."

The little girl dropped the twig and ran towards the man. She hugged his thighs and called out sweetly, "Daddy!" The father picked her up and kissed her soft cheek. Then he poked the girl's neck with his stubble, making the girl laugh out loud, "Do you miss Daddy?"

"I did!" the little girl answered sweetly.

"My dear baby, look what delicious food daddy has brought you." The girl's father put the oil paper package on the table in front of the house and then opened it.

"Wow, it's dragon beard candy!" the little girl cheered. Just as she was about to pinch one with her hand, she was stopped by a voice.

"Wen Xin, wash your hands!" A beautiful woman who looked 80% like the girl came out of the house carrying a basin of water and scolded with a smile, "You both need to wash! You're both so dirty!"

The little girl shrank her neck, looked at her father and stuck out her tongue. Her father shrugged his shoulders, expressing helplessness. The two of them hurried to wash their hands.

"There's another dish, it'll be ready soon!" The woman smiled and went into the kitchen, then poked her head out again. "It's time to eat, don't eat so much sugar!"

"I know, mother!"

"Yes, my lady!" the two answered at the same time, taking turns feeding each other candies.

The girl's mother was helpless. She smiled and shook her head, then went to cook.

"Xiao Xin'er, what were you playing while squatting on the ground?" the girl's father asked while eating.

"I'm not playing, I'm sending the ants home! An ant is lost. If it doesn't go home, the ant child won't be able to find its father and will definitely be very sad!" Wen Xin said with a pout, her chubby face bulging because of the dragon beard candy in her mouth.

Daddy touched Wenxin's head and said, "Xiao Xin'er, don't worry. Ant Daddy will definitely find your home. You have such a lovely child at home, and you have your mother. How can you bear not to go home? Oh, by the way, your mother's birthday is coming soon. You must remember to prepare a birthday gift for her!"

"Daddy, are you ready?" Wen Xin asked with blinking eyes.

"Of course, I'll tell you, but you're not allowed to tell anyone!" Dad took out a small box from his arms and opened it carefully. Inside was an emerald green jade bracelet. Although the jade quality of the bracelet was not very good, it was carved quite delicately.

"Mom! Dad bought you a jade bracelet!" Wen Xin shouted proudly.

"Hey, you naughty girl, you sold your father out so soon!" Dad held his forehead with his hand, looking helpless.

"What jade bracelet?" The girl's mother brought out a dish from the house, put it down, wiped her hands on her apron, and said coquettishly, "Why buy a bracelet for no reason? How much does it cost? What a waste of money!"

The girl's father had no choice but to hand over the bracelet and said flatteringly, "Your birthday is coming soon! Besides, the last batch of goods sold well and we made some money."

The girl's mother put the bracelet on her hand and tried it on. It was the perfect size. She raised her hand and watched the light shining through the bracelet, reflecting a beautiful glow. Then, she carefully took the bracelet off, wiped it with the corner of a clean piece of clothing, and put it in the box. "Why don't you wear it?" the girl's father asked.

"It's so precious. What if it breaks? I feed pigs and chickens every day. I'll wear it on an important day!" The girl's mother smiled sweetly, took the box into the house, and carefully put the bracelet away. "Hurry and eat!"

"Great!" the girl cheered, and the whole family was having a great time.

------

When Wen Xin was five years old, her family's financial situation gradually improved, but there were more and more quarrels at home.

"Can you please not meet her? I don't like her!" Mother raised her voice. I don't know when she started to speak so gently no longer.

"What's the big deal? It's just a business show." Dad replied impatiently.

"Is it just a casual act? You know it in your heart!" Mother began to cry.

"Okay, okay, I won't contact you anymore, okay? Our whole family will be left starving in the future!" Dad was furious and slammed the door and left.

Wen Xin covered her head with the quilt in fear, and could hear her mother sobbing in her ears.

At first, the quarrels happened every few days, but later, whenever Dad came back, Mom and Dad would quarrel.

"You promised me that you would not meet that woman again, but now you are secretly contacting her. What makes me most angry is not that you met her, but that you deceived me and went against my will. I have already made my position clear, but you ignored my feelings!" Mother wiped her tears and shouted hysterically.

"Are you crazy? How could you become like this? It's totally unreasonable! Crazy woman!" Dad was furious and raised his hands high, as if he was about to hit me.

Warm but afraid.

Wen Xin was afraid that her father would beat her mother. Although she was trembling with fear, she still rushed out and hugged her father's legs: "Dad, don't beat Mom, Xin'er is scared!"

Dad raised his hand high, then put it down, shook it off, and went out.

My mother fell to the ground, as if she had lost her soul, her eyes were dull, and she neither cried nor made a fuss.

By then, the house seemed quiet. Servants prepared three meals a day, and Mom was either bedridden or sitting by the window, lost in thought. Sometimes, even when Dad came home, the family would eat together, even though he rarely came home. Wen Xin thought things would slowly get better, but the five-year-old girl didn't understand. Her Mom didn't make a fuss because her heart had grown cold and dead.

Occasionally, the mother would touch Wen Xin's face and smile at her softly, then she would start crying: "If mother is gone in the future, what will happen to our Xin'er?"

Wen Xin's eyes were filled with tears: "Mom, mom, please don't abandon Xin'er. Xin'er must be good and listen to mom. When you grow up, you must be good to mom."

The mother wiped away the warm tears with her fingers, turned her head and ignored her: "You go play, I'm tired."

Wen Xin's nose felt sore and tears began to fall again.

(End of this chapter)