Chapter 11
Morning.
Not cool.
The room was stuffy.
Father got up early to go to work.
There was no wind outside the door either.
Jiang Mianmian was still sleepy, her eyes not even open yet, but she started eating.
After eating her fill, she peed passively, then fell back asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw Eldest sister Jiang Yu's round chin.
It was rare for Eldest sister to be home with her in the middle of the day.
Eldest sister's chin was round yet delicate.
Her face was also smaller, without cheek fat.
Actually Eldest sister was quite pleasant looking, with the fortune of good looks.
If she just looked like Mom, she would be a bit silly round, but with a touch of Father's features, she looked more delicate, with fortunate roundness.
She was the type elders liked.
It was just best if Eldest sister didn't speak.
When she talked, she was always a bit harsh, saying whatever didn't sound nice.
Jiang Mianmian turned her head left and right, didn't see a sign of Mom, sniffed her nose and didn't smell Mom's scent either.
She guessed Mom was probably not home, so she didn't fuss, knowing it was useless since she couldn't get milk anyway.
She lay nicely in her wooden basin and played.
Spreading her little legs.
Eldest sister sat next to her sewing dexterously, threading the needle back and forth.
Jiang Mianmian watched for a while, feeling her eyes were going to be poked blind, unable to keep staring at the needle.
She had to divert her attention.
She turned her head, and just saw a black ant.
Standing properly on the edge of her basin.
Really standing.
Like it was showing off its abs, thin waist, arms and legs.
Just it had a few too many arms and legs.
Jiang Mianmian remembered this was the little ant she had fed spiritual spring water.
It was actually still here, she thought it had run off.
Seeing the little black ant now, she felt it was a bit bigger, seemingly a whole size larger than yesterday.
She didn't dare make a peep, afraid that drop of spiritual spring water she fed it would be wasted if she did.
She felt her whole family was quite ferocious.
If Eldest sister saw this ant, she could pinch it dead with a fingertip.
She gently extended her hand, looking at the little ant, then closed her eyes, and pushed the ant off the edge of the basin with her hand.
If her hand could grab anything else, she would have used an object to push it.
But she couldn't grab anything.
Opening her eyes, the ant was indeed gone.
Jiang Mianmian immediately started crying out.
Waving her hands, wanting to wash her hands.
But her older sister Jiang Yu couldn't understand what her little sister was saying.
Seeing her wave her arms around crying out, she thought Jiang Mianmian had peed, so she came over to change her diaper. Seeing the diaper was dry, she thought she must be hungry instead, and went to the kitchen to make thin rice flour paste for her.
Jiang Mianmian resignedly ate the rice paste, taking the chance to wipe her hand on Eldest sister's body several times, before feeling settled inside.
She ate the rice paste quickly, the bottom of the bowl was basically clean, but Eldest sister still forcefully scraped the bowl with a spoon, making a piercing sound. It seemed she was swallowing saliva as she scraped.
Jiang Mianmian closed her mouth and stopped eating.
Well, no one was around, so Eldest sister could secretly take a bite.
The osmanthus cake you fed me last time wasn't as tasty as this rice paste.
But before she realized, Eldest sister pinched her chin, forcing her to open her mouth, and that last half spoonful of rice paste was shoved into her mouth too.
Jiang Mianmian ate with a warm heart.
Although the bowl was scraped extremely clean, not a speck left, Eldest sister still rinsed it with a bowl of water, carefully drinking it all.
After drinking the water, which had no taste at all, Eldest sister still carefully licked the bowl all over with her tongue.
In the sunlight, the bowl shined slick and clean.
Jiang Mianmian thought her sister's actions were a bit shameful.
Luckily no outsiders were present, only herself, an infant who couldn't speak, saw it.
Just as she thought there were no outsiders, there was a knock at the door.
The door opened.
It wasn't Mom.
It was an extremely beautiful young girl.
Calling her exquisite would not be an exaggeration.
The girl had a fair complexion with a hint of pink, clear bright eyes.
She was dressed lavishly, with a hair ornament of silver hairpins, not like Cui's Mother's old silver hairpins, but glittering thin delicate butterfly hairpins, crafted so finely even Chow Tai Fook would kneel in admiration, like a butterfly had landed on her head.
Her hair was jet black and lustrous, extremely thick.
Not messy and dull yellow like Eldest sister's round face.
The girl had an oval face, red lips, giving a good impression at first sight.
Her lined collarless garment was layered, although not new, but compared to Eldest sister's coarse hemp cloth, worlds apart.
Could this be Eldest sister's plastic best friend Cui? She was too beautiful.
Not what she imagined at all.
Then she heard Eldest sister speak: "Jiang Wan, what are you doing here, you're not welcome, if you trip and hurt yourself, we can't afford to pay."
The girl was also surnamed Jiang?
Not Cui.
Jiang Mianmian was even more curious.
The girl looked at Jiang Mianmian with slight pity in her eyes, and quickly glanced away, as if unable to bear looking at her for long.
That look, it made Jiang Mianmian feel, as if she might not live for long.
Her heart had a cold feeling.
"Eldest sister Yu, you misunderstood, last time I fell was because I was careless, not your fault. I came today to give you things."
Only then did Jiang Mianmian notice the girl was holding a large bundle.
The bundle wrapping was brand new cloth, not like anything from this family.
"Last time my mother wrongly blamed you, I was unconscious and didn't know. I just woke up and specially came to give you compensation and apologies. Don't look down on these, I wore them before but I extremely liked them."
Jiang Yu impatiently said: "I don't want them, my mother said taking even a scallion stalk from your family, we'd have to compensate an acre of land."
Although Jiang Yu spoke harshly, Jiang Wan didn't get angry and amiably laughed: "Eldest sister Yu, I snuck here, took great pains to come."
Although Jiang Yu spoke nastily, she still got up and found a clean bowl, pouring a cup of water for her.
"We don't have tea, just cold water, drink if you like."
Jiang Wan good-naturedly took the bowl, her slick jade bangle on her wrist collided with the chipped ceramic bowl, making a crisp clinking sound.
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