Heavenly Blessed Baby: Fleeing Famine, Busy to Prosper!-Chapter 75: It’s Almost Too Much for This Little Old Lady
Qi Quanjin, with his wet hair, came to find his wife, only to see her lazily skimming the surface of the water with a towel.
"Wife, do you want to take a bath?"
Qi Quanjin whispered, "If you do, I’ll send them away so you can wash."
"The water’s too cold."
Yi Meng sighed helplessly.
She really wanted to take a bath, or at the very least, wash her hair.
But the temperature of the water... it was okay for washing hands and face, but hair was a different matter, she didn’t want to catch a cold.
Qi Quanjin nodded, "Indeed, this water is too cold for you women."
Scratching his wet hair, Qi Quanjin looked around, "How about we heat up some water?"
"Alright!"
Yi Meng agreed.
Though they hadn’t brought a pot, they had an earthen pot!
That thing could certainly heat water.
Qi Quanjin wasted no time and was about to gather firewood, but Yi Meng stopped him, "If we’re going to wash, let’s all wash. I don’t want to be the only one; otherwise, everyone will surely think I’m delicate."
Though everyone already considered Yi Meng a delicate woman, as long as it wasn’t said aloud, she could pretend not to know.
Qi Quanjin was stumped again, "We’re still quite far from the mountain’s base; they might not want to come up."
"Let’s go back and ask! I’ll come with you to talk to them."
Yi Meng felt it necessary to have a good talk with the family.
If others didn’t want to wash, she couldn’t control that, but the Qi Family was different.
Besides, she couldn’t accept the existence of lice and fleas.
Even on the run, as long as life could be made a bit better, they should strive for that.
This time, Qi Quanjin didn’t refuse.
To relay the message, it would just be the men from the village coming to fetch water; the women and children definitely wouldn’t.
Moreover, his wife wanted to bathe, so he had to find a way to persuade the villagers to delay their departure.
He wouldn’t feel at ease leaving her alone in these deep woods to guard the water source, so it was best to go back together.
They finally decided to let Qi Quanyin and Qi Quanli stay.
These two reacted quickly and moved fast; if nothing else, they were experts at running away.
So they stayed to watch the water source, scaring off small animals and fleeing from large ones.
Qi Dafu and Qi Sangui were strong, each carrying a large basket with a big jar of fresh water inside, and two wooden buckets also full of clean water.
Yi Meng watched them, wanting to say they didn’t need to carry so much, otherwise, when the whole family returned, it would be troublesome back and forth.
But...
Yi Meng couldn’t guarantee that she and Qi Quanjin could persuade the family to come to the water’s edge, so it was better to take it back!
In case not everyone came, having a little warm water at the mountain’s base to wipe themselves would also be nice.
Qi Quanjin also carried a large jar and two wooden buckets.
Yi Meng, being light and nimble, only carried the basket filled with wild vegetables.
They say it’s easy to climb a mountain but hard to descend. With such heavy water jars and buckets, the downhill path was even more difficult.
Halfway down, they finally met with the villagers heading up to fetch water.
"Qi Si, you guys are amazing; you really found water!"
The leading boy excitedly looked at the water buckets Qi Quanjin was holding.
Qi Quanjin took the opportunity to put the buckets down on a relatively flat area, wiped his sweat, and smiled, "Just lucky, that’s all. Don’t rush back. I’ll head down to talk to the villagers and see if they want to come to the water’s edge to freshen up."
"What? All go up the mountain?"
Someone in the crowd asked, "All of us?"
"Yes! The little creek’s water is pretty clear, and we haven’t washed in days; it’s a good chance to tidy up and feel better while on the road."
Qi Quanjin sighed and added, "Look at us now; though we’re better off than real refugees, not by much. No wonder the villagers below won’t even let us near."
This remark hit home for everyone present.
Though not a refugee group, the water shortage for washing and the exhaustion from travel made everyone look and feel utterly shabby and worn out.
Even they, in their own village, wouldn’t want such outsiders entering.
The leading boy thought for a moment, as if making a decision, "Alright! Qi Si, I’ll go down the mountain with you! My mother has trouble walking, and it’s not easy for her to come up."
Other young lads also expressed willingness to go back and bring up their families. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Yongping Village indeed had few lazy folks; both men and women, given the chance, were relatively fond of cleanliness.
This way, those initially reluctant to go down and come up again had no room to object.
So, back down the mountain the crowd went.
Meanwhile, at the village’s rest spot, everyone beamed at the sight of the fresh water Ji Hu brought down.
With water, they could live!
Some women took the time to dig up wild vegetables around, adding to the family’s food and lightening the mood.
For a moment, the village atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious.
When Manman woke up, she didn’t see her mother and, pouting, felt a bit like crying.
Noticing her precious granddaughter’s distress, Mrs. Qi quickly hugged her close, gently saying, "Sweet Manbao, your dad will bring back water soon, and then grandma will cook mush for you, okay?"
"Water?"
Upon hearing about water, Manman’s desire to cry faded away, and she blinked her big eyes, asking, "Grandma, is there really water? Then can Manbao wash her hair? It’s so itchy!"
Saying this, she scratched her hair with her chubby little hand.
Mrs. Qi hadn’t felt itchy until her granddaughter mentioned it, and now she suddenly felt discomfort.
In her over forty years, she hadn’t bathed much and didn’t find it itchy.
But ever since her fourth daughter-in-law joined the family, with her reminders to bathe frequently, she’d gotten used to washing every few days.
These days, without washing, not even combing her hair properly, Mrs. Qi felt uneasy.
Her hair itched, her body itched, and her feet, unwashed for days, wiggled uncomfortably in her shoes.
Sigh, even her feet felt unwell.
This old lady wanted a bath, too.
What to do?
Bringing water down the mountain was tough; using water wasn’t a concern with her family, but back and forth, it would take considerable effort.
Would they delay the village’s departure or reduce their family’s water use again?
Neither was a sight Mrs. Qi wanted.
Wash or endure, it was truly a difficult choice for this old lady.
