RBI1960 Chapter 26

Old Lady Miao and Gu Dongmei were waiting in the main room, while Jiang Dani was by the stove, keeping an eye on a pot of porridge that had been simmering for a long time. She made sure the fire didn’t go out—it was cold outside, and if the porridge cooled down, it wouldn’t taste good anymore.

The Jiang family had already eaten, and Dani’s younger sisters had gone back to their room. The porridge was meant for Jiang Dahai and Jiang Yiliu, who were still out. Before heading to the commune office, Old Man Jiang had specifically told his wife to make extra, in case his brothers hadn’t eaten yet.

When Old Lady Miao was scooping rice into the pot, she felt a real sting. Three grown men, all needing food—how could the family’s rice supply keep up? But she didn’t dare go against her husband. If she made him upset, she’d be the one suffering for it.

Originally, she’d intended the porridge for her grandson. Poor thing had been out in the cold wind all day, and she wanted him to have something nice to eat. She even took out a bag of fine white rice she’d hidden away in her room. There wasn’t much—just enough for her son and grandson. But now, with the guests here too, that bit of rice wouldn’t be enough to go around. So, she threw in a few handfuls of cornmeal and some dried sweet potato strips and made a thick mixed porridge. The smell of sweet potatoes and rice blended into a comforting aroma. In a house full of hungry people, it was incredibly tempting.

While Old Man Jiang and the unfamiliar older gentleman were catching up emotionally, Gu Dongmei ushered everyone into the main room to sit. Old Lady Miao and Jiang Dani brought over the porridge that had been simmering most of the day.

“We don’t have much to offer here. I’m afraid you’ll have to make do,” someone said.

Jiang Cheng looked at the pot of porridge—white rice mixed with cornmeal—and silently acknowledged how different this was from the Ruan family’s standard. For years, they had lived well. He couldn’t help but feel a little bad for his brother.

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Even during the hardest three years, the Ruan family could still afford white rice at every meal, with two meat dishes, two vegetable sides, and soup. Cornmeal—this kind of coarse food—was something Ruan Yuanjiang had only eaten when he served on the frontlines as a military advisor. Back then, even eating wild grass was common. He wasn’t worried about himself—he was worried if his granddaughter, Ruan Ruan, could get used to food like this.

Bai Fangqiu accepted the bowl of porridge from Jiang Dani with both hands and thanked her. Dani blushed. It was her first time meeting such a kind and courteous elder. These two new grandpas were nothing like her own.

After serving Bai Fangqiu and Ruan Yuanjiang, Jiang Dani scooped out a full bowl for Huo Wu. Seeing how tall and strong he was, she purposely picked the biggest bowl and filled it to the brim.

Old Lady Miao’s heart ached watching that. She silently scolded her granddaughter for being so thoughtless, but with so many people around, she didn’t dare say anything. Still, she made a mental note of it.

“Nai, I want some of your pickled veggies,” Jiang Yiliu said sweetly, holding his bowl of porridge and noticing the look on his grandma’s face.

“Of course! Just porridge without side dishes won’t do—I’ll go get some for you.” In her world, her grandson came first. Without another word, Old Lady Miao bustled back to the kitchen to fetch some pickles from the clay jar.

Everyone there could easily read her earlier expression, but none of them took offense. Miao Sanfeng was just an ordinary woman who cared about her family. That was understandable. The fact that she allowed them to come inside at all was already a big step. Ruan Yuanjiang and the others didn’t hold it against her.

“Grandpa…”

Ruan Ruan, who had been napping sweetly in Huo Wu’s arms, groggily woke up. Her little nose twitched—clearly, the smell of porridge had roused her.

“Yiliu-gege…” She rubbed her eyes and slowly woke up. When she saw Jiang Yiliu smiling at her from across the room, she softly called out, then quickly buried her head back in Huo Wu’s chest. A moment later, she peeked out again, cheeks flushed, sneaking glances at Yiliu from the corner of her eye.

Jiang Yiliu gave a wry smile. Was he really that scary? Just a moment ago, she’d been chatting with him happily.

Jiang Dani had noticed the little girl wrapped in a blanket earlier. It didn’t match the details in the telegram—there was supposed to be one child, not two. Still, she didn’t ask. Now that the girl was awake, she scooped a small bowl of porridge for herself.

Huo Wu set Ruan Ruan down beside him and handed her the bowl and spoon, letting her eat slowly on her own.

Ruan Ruan glanced at the gentle big sister who had given her the porridge. Was this Yiliu-gege’s sister?

Even though the porridge had a lot of cornmeal, it had been cooked long enough to become smooth and soft—it didn’t catch in the throat. Ruan Ruan quietly sat and ate, not spilling a drop, and kept sneaking glances at Jiang Yiliu. But every time he looked back at her, she immediately looked away, practically trying to bury her face in the bowl.

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

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

It didn’t take long to finish the porridge. The adults began discussing the next steps—things not suitable for children’s ears. No matter how much Yiliu pouted and begged, it wouldn’t help. Children couldn’t be trusted to keep secrets, and it’d be trouble if they heard something they shouldn’t.

In the end, Jiang Dani took the two kids back to the room. For the next few days, Ruan Ruan would be staying with her and her sisters. After all, Ruan Yuanjiang and the others were all grown men, and Huo Wu was especially rough around the edges—not the right people to care for a little girl.

Jiang Yiliu usually slept with his sisters in the winter. With him there, they could justify burning more firewood for the heated brick bed. If it were just the girls, Old Lady Miao wouldn’t have wasted wood for a full night’s fire. So, to help his sisters, Yiliu always insisted on staying with them once it got cold.

Ruan Ruan had never seen a kang bed before. Jiang Dani helped her take off the outer layers of her clothes, neatly folded them, and set them by the bed, leaving her in just her inner garments. Then she tucked her into the warm blankets.

The heated bed was soft and radiated warmth. Ruan Ruan gasped in surprise and, upon seeing the other girls asleep beside her, quickly covered her mouth. Her round eyes darted toward Jiang Yiliu, looking like a startled kitten—so adorable that both Yiliu and Dani burst into laughter.

Embarrassed, Ruan Ruan dove under the covers, only poking her head out when Yiliu lifted a corner of the blanket for her.

She gave a shy smile. Growing up in the south, she had always slept on a wooden bed. Later, in Hong Kong, her second grand-uncle had sent her a fancy foreign mattress—it was soft and springy and incredibly comfortable.

But that beloved mattress had been burned just days before they came here, by a group of strangers who stormed their home. She didn’t know why they destroyed her things. She only remembered Uncle Da Wu holding her tight, not letting her go near them.

Jiang Dani hadn’t expected another girl to be part of the household. That meant they were short on blankets. The extras had already been sent to the neighboring room.

Thinking it over, Dani decided to have her brother and fourth sister share a blanket. Ruan Ruan was a guest and a young girl—it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to share a bed with a boy.

Jiang Yiliu didn’t object. He and his fourth sister were still just kids, after all. Ruan Ruan curled up under the quilt, just her head showing, watching Dani and Yiliu. Her lips parted slightly, but she didn’t say anything.

The fire in the kang burned strongly and warmly. Outside, the wind howled, and soft voices murmured from the next room. Before long, the children had all drifted off to sleep.

At dawn, Jiang Yiliu was woken by the sounds outside. Still half-asleep, he reached to his side—no one was there. He jolted awake. Where had Fourth Sister gone so early?

Turns out, she’d woken up with Dani and the others. Ruan Ruan, a light sleeper, had stirred as well. Since Dani had to take the younger sisters to cut pigweed, she asked Fourth Sister to watch over Ruan Ruan.

“Yiliu’s the laziest. He’s always sleeping in. Second Sister says he’s a little piggy,” Fourth Sister told Ruan Ruan, already acting like they were attached at the hip.

She’d instantly taken a liking to the sweet and gentle new girl. For once, she felt what it was like to be a big sister and had no hesitation in airing her brother’s faults, completely forgetting that she used to do the same thing.

Ruan Ruan looked over at Yiliu and softly said, “Yiliu-gege is amazing,” trying to stand up for him.

Yiliu didn’t argue. He climbed out from under the covers and grabbed his clothes from the bed’s edge.

“Nai’s still making breakfast. Why are you up so early?” Fourth Sister asked while playing string games with Ruan Ruan.

“No reason. Just wanted to check something,” Yiliu replied vaguely. He’d heard what sounded like martial arts training outside and suspected it was Huo Wu. Curiosity got the better of him—he wanted to see what Huo Wu was capable of.

Out in the courtyard, the wind was bitterly cold. A shirtless man with a body full of muscle was practicing military-style punches. Each move was fierce and powerful. Every strike cut through the air like a gust of wind. Standing at the door, Jiang Yiliu’s eyes lit up more and more. He looked at Huo Wu like he’d just found a prized treasure.