Chapter 12 - The Leaky House
Fearing more leaks, Lin Yue didn't dare to sleep anymore. She sat up on the kang wide awake, casually holding the kerosene lamp and glancing around her surroundings.
Perhaps it was because of her sheer exhaustion - Lin Yue persisted for a few hours but she, too, eventually succumbed to drowsiness and fell asleep.
Suddenly, Lin Yue could hear the voices of two children quietly discussing.
"Brother, actually, this stepmother is not that bad. She gives us food to eat and even collects rainwater for us.. and we didn't get wet." Xiu Er softly said.
"Hmph, don't be deceived by her facade. Didn't she also try selling you just the other day?" Dong Tian replied with a cold snort, deliberately lowering his voice as if afraid of waking Lin Yue.
"What should we do then? She might catch a cold sleeping like this." Xiu Er worriedly remarked.
Dong Tian remained silent for a moment before reluctantly muttering, "Go and cover her with a blanket."
While the words sounded awkward, Lin Yue could still sense the sincerity behind them.
After all, they were just children, and children were inherently good-natured.
Soon, she felt the blanket lightly landing onto her body. Her lips curled upwards slightly, and with closed eyes, she fell into a deep sleep.
The next day was Monday, so the children had to go to school.
Lin Yue woke up bright and early in the morning to prepare breakfast. She found some grains from the rat hole, mostly wheat and corn.
The wheat needed to be ground, but the corn didn't. Lin Yue decided to make a pot of porridge with the corn, which turned out sweet and delicious after simmering for a long time.
"Dong Tian, Xiu Er, what time is it? Aren't you coming out to eat? Don't you want to go to school?" Lin Yue shouted from the stove side.
However, there was silence in the house. Lin Yue sensed that something was wrong and hurried into the house to check.
"What's wrong?" Just as she entered the door, she saw Xiu Er lying on the ground, weakly leaning against Dong Tian's embrace.
"You look at Xiu Er, she just got up and fell down. Seems like her legs are weak," Xia Dongtian seemed visibly flustered.
"Mom, I'm fine," Xiu Er said pitifully.
Lin Yue came over to check. The child was too thin, too weak.
Having this illness itself requires nutrition. With her drinking corn gruel almost everyday; it was as if you could only see the shadow of a person. Where could the nutrition come from?
Lin Yue felt sour and uncomfortable in her heart when she saw this.
"How's my sister?" Xia Dong Tian didn't shout this time, his face full of concern.
Lin Yue pursed her lips and smiled, "She's fine, maybe just hungry, low blood sugar. Go eat, she'll be fine after eating."
As she said this, Lin Yue maintained a smile on her face, but her heart felt as if it was being cut by a knife.
After a while, Xiu Er recovered a bit, her expression much better, and she pulled her brother to go eat.
After the two children finished breakfast, Lin Yue grabbed some cooked corn kernels and stuffed them into their pockets.
"Save it for lunch, don't go hungry. Especially Xiu Er, she can't go hungry anymore."
Xia Dongtian agreed, which was rare of him to be so obedient and agreeable to Lin Yue's words, and walked away holding his sister's hand.
The two children had to go to town for school, and there was no car to take them. They had to walk themselves, which took about an hour one way.
If they had to go back and forth, there wouldn't be enough time for lunch.
The school had a cafeteria, but meal tickets needed to be exchanged for grain coupons, so the two children used to go hungry during lunchtime.
After the children left, Lin Yue tidied up the house and carried a bucket to the small river at the edge of the village.
Yesterday she was thinking about how to earn money and how to provide nutrition for the children.
Firstly, they were still growing, and insufficient nutrition could stunt their growth.
Secondly, Xiu Er's illness required nutrition.
T/L: Lin Yue's planning for her future children~
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