Chapter 32: Bought for Me? Really?

“Thank you. I really like it.”

She said softly.

Xie Zhao didn’t notice that her mood was off.

For Xie Zhao, even though he had lived two lifetimes, he was still a straight man^[1] through and through.

He had never been in a relationship, nor had he ever even held a girl’s hand.

In fact, to be precise, treating Lin Muyu well in this life after rebirth was merely him acting on instinct to make amends.

Was it affection?

Or was it love?

Or was it simply a desire to ease the guilt in his heart?

He couldn’t even tell anymore.

“Then get some rest.”

Xie Zhao smiled at her and said, “I’ll go check if Mom has finished cooking the noodles.”

With that, he quietly stepped out of the room.

*

Meanwhile, in the courtyard.

It had to be said that Tian Xiufen was highly skilled at managing a household.

In those days, rural stoves were built with double burners. One side was used for cooking meals, while the other was for boiling pig feed.

Since Xie Youzhen and Tian Xiufen hadn’t bought any piglets yet, that second pot had remained empty.

But Tian Xiufen was quick and efficient, and right now, she was using both iron pots at the same time.

In one large iron pot, wheat noodles had been dropped into boiling water. As the water rolled, the noodles tumbled up and down amidst clouds of steam.

In the other pot, fatty pork had been diced. Licked by the flames below, the fat rendered out, sizzling and crackling.

“Smells so good!”

Xie Tian leaned half her body over, standing on her tiptoes to peer into the pot.

Yesterday’s meal of minced meat noodles had thoroughly whetted her appetite. She had thought there wouldn’t be any today, but she never expected to get another bowl!

Mmm!

It smelled absolutely delicious!

“You little glutton.”

Tian Xiufen couldn’t help but scold her with a smile. “Go outside and pick some green onions. And grab some of the dried shiitake mushrooms your brother picked earlier this year. It’ll only taste good if we put all of that in!”

Xie Tian cast one last longing look at the pot.

“Mom, don’t scoop all the lard out for stir-frying! The rich fat is what makes it taste best!”

Tian Xiufen was amused by her daughter’s antics.

“I know!”

She replied.

Only then did Xie Tian reluctantly run toward the backyard.

The backyard contained a cleared vegetable garden. This was a plot of land that Xie Youzhen and Tian Xiufen had spent a whole year cultivating to make fertile. Wang Jinhua couldn’t hide it or snatch it away, though there was another vegetable plot right next to theirs that belonged to the other side of the family.

That plot had been cleared by Old Man Xie and his wife when they were young.

By right, it should have been divided into three portions during the household division.

Unfortunately, the old couple was biased. When the household division took place, they had quietly given the whole thing to the eldest son.

Xie Youzhen hadn’t wanted to argue about it.

As soon as Xie Tian came out, she ran right into Xie Cheng, who had just returned home.

Startled, she asked, “Big Brother? Where did you go? Mom is looking for you to tend the fire!”

Xie Cheng raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Just wandering around. I’ll go right now!”

With that, he ran into the courtyard.

Xie Tian didn’t think much of it. She squatted down and began carefully picking green onions.

The onion leaves were left in the soil to fertilize it. Shishui Village was rocky and the soil was barren, so even the dirt on the roots had to be shaken back into the ground.

Xie Tian squatted, picked a handful of green onions, and was just about to stand up when a shadow suddenly loomed over her.

Startled, she let out a cry and fell backward right onto her bottom!

“Who is that? You scared the life out of me!”

She grumbled crossly.

But in the next instant, she froze.

Where did those beautiful shoes come from?

Before her lay a pair of small cloth shoes she had never seen before. They were made of velvet with embroidered dragonflies resting on lotus leaves. They were gorgeous!

And looking at the style, it was the absolute latest fashion!

She had seen them at the village chief’s house!

Auntie Zhao, the village chief’s daughter who had married out of the village, had brought a pair back for her niece.

She had said they cost ten yuan a pair. They were incredibly expensive!

Xie Tian had secretly stared at them many times, but her playmate wouldn’t even let her touch them!

She said her hands were dirty, and if she touched them, they would be ruined, and she’d have to pay for them!

How could she dare touch them?

Where did this pair come from?

Her eyes were glued to the shoes, not blinking once. It wasn’t until Xie Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle and clear his throat that the young girl finally looked up in surprise.

“Second Brother?!”

She stared wide-eyed. “What are you doing here?”

Xie Zhao said, “If I weren’t here, who would have brought these shoes to you?”

Xie Tian’s eyes widened further.

Shoes?

Brought to her?

“Did… did you buy these?!”

She scrambled to her feet, only now noticing that Xie Zhao was still holding the oiled paper wrapping from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative!

“These shoes are so expensive!”

She blinked, staring at the shoes again and again. After a moment, she suddenly put on a serious little face and looked at Xie Zhao. “Second Brother, you bought them too small. Second Sister-in-law definitely won’t fit into them! Don’t you even know what shoe size your own wife wears?”

Xie Zhao burst out laughing.

He reached out and gave Xie Tian’s head a firm rub.

“Who said I bought them for your second sister-in-law?”

He smiled and said, “They’re for you. Try them on and see if they fit.”

Xie Tian took a sudden step back, looking at Xie Zhao in utter shock. “Bought for me? Really?”

Xie Zhao nodded.

“Look at the style. Aren’t these for kids? How could your second sister-in-law wear them? Besides, if I really bought them for her, why would I show them to you?”

Xie Tian was stunned.

She quickly set the green onions on the ground. She was about to reach out to take the shoes when she remembered her hands were dirty.

“Second Brother, quick, let’s go inside! I’ll wash my hands before I touch them!”

With that, she grabbed the green onions and ran back to the house as fast as her legs could carry her.

The moment she stepped into the courtyard, she hollered at the top of her lungs in excitement, “Dad! Mom! Big Brother! Second Brother bought me shoes! The most beautiful shoes ever! Come and look!”

Xie Zhao, who followed her in: “…”

Tian Xiufen had just scooped the noodles out of the pot. Hearing this, she wiped her hands on her apron and hurried over, her brow furrowed.

“What shoes? Are they expensive? Let me see!”

At a glance, she spotted the shoes in Xie Zhao’s hand.

Although she didn’t know the exact price, she could tell they weren’t cheap.

Tian Xiufen’s heart ached.

“How is this color supposed to stay clean? Once the snow melts, there will be mud everywhere. They’ll get filthy in just a few days!”

She quickly added, “Girl, return these shoes. Mom will make you some cloth shoes to wear. They’re much more comfortable!”

Xie Tian had just finished washing her hands, and her eyes welled with tears the moment she heard this.

She kept her head down, not daring to say a word, but she was clearly reluctant.

Xie Zhao sighed, walked over, and stuffed the shoes into Xie Tian’s arms.

“Mom, look how old Little Sister is now. She doesn’t even have a decent pair of shoes. Does that make any sense?”

Xie Zhao continued, “In the past, our family was poor and we couldn’t afford it, so that was one thing. But now that we’re making money, isn’t it so we can live a better life? If we still live like we used to even after making money, what’s the point of earning it?”

Tian Xiufen fell silent.

But her heart still ached.

If this money were spent on meat, it could have bought enough to last for days!

Xie Tian hugged the shoes tightly, tears pooling in her eyes as she looked at Xie Youzhen with a pitiful expression.

Xie Youzhen’s heart softened instantly.

“Honey, they’re already bought, so let it go. Third Sister is a sensible girl, and it’s just a pair of shoes. Worst case, the boys and I will catch more fish to sell. It’s the New Year^[2], it’s not worth making the kid cry.”

Tian Xiufen finally nodded in agreement.

She sighed and went back to stir-frying the minced meat. Looking back at Xie Tian’s joyful face, she couldn’t help but give her a few words of caution.