The morning sun was shrouded in mist.
The birds were chirping.
The morning in the village was awoken.
A new day had begun.
At the river bank at the entrance of Taoxi village, a group of women had gathered to wash clothes. The sound of mallets rose and fell.
A group of ducks were swimming freely in the river, quacking.
On the opposite side of the river, there were a few buffaloes that were eating fresh grass and occasionally making a sound.
When Zhang Xifeng arrived with Qiqi, the large stone slabs built for washing clothes by the river bank were almost full.
Qiqi's eyes were sharp. She saw that there was an empty space between the two old women. granny, here!
When the laundry women heard the sound, they all turned their heads and looked over. When their eyes fell on Qiqi, they sized her up.
The little child was wearing a buttoned shirt, and her short yellow hair from malnutrition was tied up in a small bun. Although she was small and thin, her appearance was so exquisite that everyone had never seen her before.
"Aunt Zhang, this is the child you picked up two days ago? She's really good looking and smart." On the big stone slab, an old woman with the same white hair laughed as she moved away, leaving a bigger space in the middle for Zhang Xifeng. come and squeeze in. It'll be difficult to get a good spot when there are more and more people later.
Zhang Xifeng chuckled and did not hold back.
At this time every day in the village, the river was filled with people who came to wash clothes.
It was inevitable that it would be crowded when there were too many people. Everyone would modestly give way to each other and take care of each other. They would chat idly while washing clothes, talking about some family matters. It was also considered a little leisure time for women like them.
Qiqi was a little shy after being praised by the women. Her little face was red.
She did the work very efficiently.
She squatted next to Zhang Xifeng, took out the dirty clothes from the wooden bucket, and washed them in the water. Then, she brought them up, put on soap, and rubbed the sleeves, neckline, and other easily dirty parts. She grabbed the wooden club with her two small hands and beat the clothes, turning them over and beating them again.
Zhang Xifeng didn't even have the chance to make a move.
"....." The maids beside her were all dumbfounded.
Although the children in the farm had to help with some work at a young age, the work was simple and light, such as picking firewood, herding cattle, and herding ducks.
There was almost no one in the village who helped to wash clothes at such a young age like Qiqi.
Moreover, looking at the child's posture, she was as skilled and agile as the old woman. It was clear that she had often done this kind of work.
"Aunt Zhang, how old is this child?"
Zhang Xifeng pursed her lips. "Four and a half years old."
The smile on her face had faded, and her eyes were filled with suppressed anger and pity.
Only those families that were too harsh on their children would let such a young child do such heavy work.
At first, she thought that Qiqi had suffered a lot on the street, but it seemed that the truth was far more than that.
"Qiqi, leave the clothes for granny to wash. You're still young. Just play with them for a while. These are just a few clothes. Granny will wash them in a while." Zhang Xifeng reached out and took the club.
The wooden clubs used by the farmers to wash their clothes were made of solid wood, thicker than the child's two arms combined, and very heavy.
Even adults had to expend energy to do it, let alone children.
"Qiqi didn't fight for it." She squatted at the side and waited for the clothes to be washed. Then, she took them to soak.
The clothes were washed by the river water, and as the dirt dissipated, the clothes were clean and clear.
There were a total of four or five sets of clothes for the old and the young. They were all thin summer shirts, so they could be washed very quickly.
In addition, with Qiqi's help, Zhang Xifeng had finished washing the clothes. She had saved nearly half the effort and strength compared to usual.
At this time, the sun had already risen. The golden sunlight evaporated the morning fog and sprinkled on the People's bodies, warm but not scorching.
The child washed the soapbox and the club together and put them in the bucket. She wiped the sweat on her face with her small hands and looked up in the sun. Her eyes were curved with a smile.
"Granny, let's go home. I haven't fed the little pig yet."
"Alright, let's go home and feed the little Pigs." Zhang Xifeng carried the bucket in one hand and held the child's hand in the other. She said a few words to the surrounding elderly women and took the child home.
One old and one young, their backs were thin and thin under the sunlight.
The two of them walked a little slowly, but there was laughter from time to time. The atmosphere between the two was harmonious and warm.
The sound of the club by the river weakened for a moment before rhythmically reverberating again. The topic of the women naturally circled around to that.
"Aunt Zhang has been a widow for decades and has no children. Now that she has picked up such a sensible child, it might be a good thing."
"That's right. Qiqi's nimble work, my girl Xi can't even catch up with Qiqi's ability to finish work. In the future, with her help with the work at home, Aunt Zhang will have an easier time."
"I don't think it'll be easy. Raising children costs money. Where did old Madam Zhang get the money from? Relying on her to produce two pigs a year and a vegetable garden? With her family's two acres of melon fields? In the past, she was already struggling to live on her own, but now, she's struggling."
"I also said the same thing. That child was still young and couldn't see it now, but when she grew up, would she really be filial to the Zhang family's old Madam? If she grows up and turns around and leaves, where are you going to complain?"
The atmosphere became a little serious, and someone changed the topic. "Didn't you say that someone from Xicun village came today and was ready to report the price of the melon? Hurry up and wash the clothes. We'll go to the village head's house later to see what kind of price it is this year."
"Oh, I almost forgot about this. Hurry up and wash up!"
...
Zhang Xifeng and Qiqi returned home and hung the clothes. The temperature of the pot of pig's gizzards that they had cooked in the morning had dropped just right.
That night, the little piggies did not show any signs of diarrhea, which made her completely relieved.
While she was feeding the pigs, she turned her head and looked behind her. Little Qiqi really couldn't stay idle for a moment. She was already holding a bamboo broom that was taller than her and started to clean the yard.
Qiqi, take a rest first. We'll go to the old village chief's house after breakfast.
"Granny, what are you going to do?"
"The people from the neighboring village are coming to our village today to bid and buy the things we grow. Granny has planted two acres of sweet potatoes. In the past, they've been the ones collecting them." Zhang Xifeng didn't brush her off and explained seriously, "let's go and see what price sweet potatoes can sell for this year."
If the price could be better, Zhang Xifeng planned to take the child to the town's market and buy some things for her.
Regardless of whether the child was willing to stay or not, she wanted to treat her better and love her more.
Qiqi blinked her eyes. She didn't know what her Granny was thinking, but the way her Granny looked at her made her heart feel sour.
It was as if Qiqi was Granny's beloved little doll.
The old and young duo had a simple breakfast and went to the village head's house. When they arrived, there were already many people in the courtyard. The scene was very noisy and noisy.
Qiqi heard the angry questioning from the crowd.
"In the past, it was fine if they lowered our price by 30%. People had to grit their teeth and endure the hardship. This year, lowering the price by half. You are literally eating our meat and killing us! You people from Xicun village, you've gone too far!"