Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 891 - 455 New Year

Second watch of the night, asking for pink votes.

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Lian Manman squinted her eyes as she soaked in the water, slowly scrubbing her body with a pig bristle brush.

"Manman, time to wash your hair."

Hearing Lady Zhang’s voice, Lian Manman finally opened her eyes.

Lady Zhang brought over a stool and placed it beside Lian Manman’s wooden bath bucket. She then carried a basin of steaming, fragrant hot water and set it on the stool. Lian Manman shifted slightly in the bath bucket, leaning her head back so her hair could fall into the basin below.

"...Your hair is getting darker and shinier. It’s all thanks to the prescription from Young Doctor Wang," Lady Zhang praised while washing Lian Manman’s hair.

"Naturally," Lian Manman said with a laugh.

Lian Manman had gone specifically to Jisheng Hall to have the old doctor there write her a prescription for washing hair. The formula included soap pods, medicinal herbs like polygonum multiflorum, and aromatic ingredients. Each time she washed her hair, she would boil a bundle of the prescribed herbs with water, let the water cool slightly, and then use it to wash her hair. Using this herbal concoction left her hair clean, smooth, and subtly fragrant.

Of course, having healthy, jet-black hair isn’t achieved solely through washing alone.

In the books, it is written: "Hair is the surplus of blood" and "The essence of the kidneys manifests in the hair," meaning a person needs sufficient blood and a healthy body to have beautiful, healthy hair. Lian Manman had once overheard Lady Zhang chatting with several older daughters-in-law, saying that when choosing brides, they should pick those with wide hips for easier childbirth, and those with thick, black hair, as it’s considered auspicious for fertility.

Although these sayings seemed unscientific, Lian Manman believed they weren’t absolute truths either. Still, the wisdom handed down from generation to generation likely carried some basis in reality.

After Lady Zhang finished washing Lian Manman’s hair, she dried it with a large cloth towel, combed it thoroughly, and then used a fine-toothed comb to meticulously comb her hair several times. Finally, she wrapped Lian Manman’s hair with a dry, large cotton cloth and secured it on top of her head before moving on to wash Lian Zhizhi’s hair.

"Mom, scrub my back for me!" Lian Manman called out with a laugh, seeing Lady Zhang finish washing Lian Zhizhi’s hair.

"Alright, coming!" Lady Zhang responded cheerfully. She emptied a basin of water into the drain, then took a kettle from the stove to add hot water to her two daughters’ bath buckets. Finally, she came over to scrub Lian Manman’s back.

Lian Manman rested her arms on the edge of the bath bucket, propping her chin on her hands and exposing her back. Lady Zhang warmed her hands in the water to make sure they wouldn’t be cold for her daughter, then picked up a piece of loofah and began scrubbing Lian Manman’s back.

Lady Zhang exerted strong pressure, making the scrubbing feeling slightly painful on the back. But Lian Manman didn’t cry out—she knew that after being scrubbed like this, her body would feel especially refreshed. This back-scrubbing ritual was not only for cleansing but also served to relax the muscles, improve blood circulation, and even mimic the effects of cupping therapy. Lian Manman thoroughly enjoyed the process.

After bathing, Lian Manman removed the wooden plug near the bottom edge of the bath bucket, letting the water flow naturally into the adjacent drain. Then, she took a towel, dried herself off, and stepped out of the bucket, putting on her new clothes piece by piece.

After Lian Zhizhi and Lian Manman finished bathing, neither immediately left. Instead, they walked to the stove, unwrapped the cloth around their hair, allowing it to hang loose, and dried it while washing their clothes that were worn earlier.

Lady Zhang then brought over two large kettles of water from the Upper Room for her turn to bathe. As for Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, and Xiao Qi, the three of them were bathing in the bathroom of the front courtyard tonight.

While Lady Zhang bathed, Lian Manman and Lian Zhizhi scrambled to wash her hair, comb it, and scrub her back. The trio shared laughter and chatter, and by the time they finished tidying up and emerged from the bathroom, it was close to Zi Hour.

On New Year’s Eve, the night was crisp and cold. Fortunately, there was no wind tonight. The glowing red lanterns hanging on the veranda, combined with the light spilling out from the Upper Room, illuminated the entire courtyard brightly. The three ladies were dressed warmly in their new outfits, softly chatting and laughing as they strolled down the covered walkway.

This cold night didn’t seem all that cold, Lian Manman thought with a smile.

The three of them tidied up briefly inside the house and then headed to the front courtyard. Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, Xiao Qi, and Mr. Loo were all standing in the courtyard, looking refreshed and presentable.

At the front gate, four long strings of firecrackers were tied to bamboo poles, and in the courtyard, fireworks were set up. Just then, the distant tolling of the temple bell was heard, and Wu Lang and Xiao Qi cheered excitedly as they ran over to light the firecrackers at the gate.