Not bothering to use any bowls, Xiaoguo and Zhuang Zhuang stood around the stove and started eating the porridge.
Having taken the first sip, Xiaoguo felt warmth creeping back into her body. With some congee in her stomach, she could feel strength and energy creeping back into her limbs. It was the same for Zhuang Zhuang. After taking mouthfuls of the vegetable porridge, he was filled with so much happiness that he didn't know what to say. He could only look at Xiaoguo with his big round eyes to express his joy.
Xiaoguo put down her spoon and burped loudly, rubbing her stomach in contentment. "That felt so good."
After eating the porridge, her weak and frail body felt much more energetic in an instant.
Zhuang Zhuang watched as his mother put down her spoon. He shakily filled Xiaoguo's spoon with porridge, and put down his own spoon. "Mother, eat."
Xiaoguo was very touched. The child was only three years old but yet so sensible. Even though he wasn't completely full, he knew to offer the remaining porridge for his mother. Xiaoguo looked at Zhuang Zhuang lovingly. "You're a good boy, Zhuang Zhuang. I'm full. I can't eat anymore."
Zhuang Zhuang thought for a moment and said, "Mother, I can't eat anymore either."
Xiaoguo nodded at him, pretending to be angry. "Why? Is my cooking terrible?"
"No, no, no. Your cooking is the best. It's even better than Grandma's," Zhuang Zhuang said anxiously to his mother, afraid that she wouldn't believe him.
Xiaoguo laughed and rubbed his head. "Then go ahead and eat your porridge,"
Zhuang Zhuang nodded and deliberately made loud slurping sounds to show that he was enjoying the food. Previously, it had always been his grandmother who cooked for him. He had never tasted his mum's cooking. During the drought, what they could eat was mostly vegetable soup, which was mostly tasteless. Little did he know that his mum could cook so well.
Zhuang Zhuang licked the spoon clean and burped. He smiled shyly at his mother and called out to her. "Mom… ."
Xiaoguo felt like her heart was going to melt. "He's so cute!" She thought to herself as he called her with his chubby cheeks and baby-ish voice. "Are you full?"
"Yes, yes!"
Xiaoguo saw that there was still a lot of water in the water tank. Seeing that there was also ample firewood, she began to boil water for the both of them to take a bath. As Xiaoguo had been too busy foraging for food outside, she had completely neglected the house. Everything was in disarray. Walls were covered in cobwebs, and there were piles of blankets and clothes waiting to be washed. A thick layer of dust had also settled on the floor and furniture. Xiaoguo was looking like a mess herself as well. Her hair was tangled and she had not washed up for days.
Xiaoguo kept on going—her hands didn't stop for a minute. The water began to boil. She added some hot water into a basin of water and summoned Zhuang Zhuang to undress and bathe. The boy sat down in the basin and Xiaoguo began to rub the dirt off his body with a towel. As she rubbed, the grime was quickly washed off. Worried about Zhuang Zhuang catching a cold, Xiaoguo hastily got him out of the bath, dried his body and dressed him in clean clothes.
After carrying him to the bed, Xiaoguo saw that Zhuang Zhuang had almost fallen asleep. Without a watch, she couldn't tell what the time was. Seeing that the sky had turned dark, she gently covered Zhuang Zhuang with a blanket.
Zhuang Zhuang, who had just laid down, stirred in his sleep. He called out to his mother uneasily, "Mother…"
Xiaoguo was still by his side. She patted Zhuang Zhuang and comforted him in a low voice.
When Zhuang Zhuang finally fell into deep sleep, Xiaoguo closed the door and went back into the kitchen. The water was still hot in the pot, so she emptied the basin and refilled it with hot water. As she was getting undressed, something fell out from the inner pocket of her jacket. It landed with a clink on the kitchen floor. Xiaoguo crouched down by the light of the candle and picked it up. It was a ring.
Xiaoguo started to recall where this ring came from. Jiang Danhe had put it on her after their wedding night. At that time, he mentioned that it was an ancestral ring that had been passed down for generations. He told her to take good care of the ring.
Afraid of losing it, Xiaoguo had sewn a hidden pocket close to her body and kept the ring there. When Xiaoguo picked up the ring and tried it on, she felt dizzy instantly and passed out.
When she regained consciousness, she was shocked by the scene in front of her. Had she transmigrated back?