Lin Lan was having a hard time drinking the medicine, but Han Qingsong was standing beside her and Xiaowang was still holding onto the rock sugar, prepared to give them to her at any second. Sanwang was also there, undoubtedly ready to make fun of his mother…
Lin Lan could only hold her breath and forcefully drink it.
There was nothing to do with the weather being this cold besides doing some needlework. And since it got dark early, everyone would usually have an early dinner (some would eat two meals during the slack season) and go to bed early.
Lin Lan’s family was no exception. After dinner, she boiled a large pot of water for the children to take a bath.
Maisui was a girl who loved to keep herself clean and tidy. Lin Lan asked her to wash up first and scrub herself clean before changing into new garments and putting on a cotton padded jacket. It was cold in winter, but in order to save firewood, Maisui now shared the same kang with the boys. Though, they were separated by a cabinet in the middle.
Lin Lan then called the boys over. Erwang and Dawang could wash up by themselves, but Sanwang and Xiaowang asked her to help.
Han Qingsong wanted to replace her to do so, but Sanwang yelled out, “Father, please don’t do it!”
He had no idea how painful it was for his almighty hands to scrub against their backs!
Lin Lan slapped him jokingly, “Mother will work harder, hurry up and soak inside.”
After sitting in the tub for a bit, the dirt that clung onto their bodies fell off.
Sitting in the tub, Xiaowang was behaving well. His pale skin was reddened due to the hot water and since he was unable to wear his glasses, he just sat tight and hummed nursery rhymes. From time to time, Sanwang splashed his face with water, but he merely remained still for a moment before continuing to hum.
Lin Lan touched Xiaowang and said happily, “Finally you gained some weight.”
Sanwang made a frightening look, “We can eat you~~~ ahh,” He then bit Xiaowang on the shoulder.
Although he was just pretending, there ended up being faint teeth marks on the child’s skin.
Sanwang, “Hehe, when lying to me, my name is Little Third Brother; but when I’m being yelled at, it’s Sanwang. Sigh…women!”
Lin Lan, “…” How many women do you know? “Stop learning from Liu Chuncai!”
She hurriedly washed Xiaowang before Han Qingsong dried him with a towel. Then, he stuffed the child into the warm blanket.
Lin Lan took a piece of loofah and scrubbed Sanwang vigorously to rid him from the dirt!
Sanwang was very active and sweated all over even in the cold weather. Although he washed and scrubbed himself at ordinary times, it didn’t do much at all.
Seeing the clumps of dirt accumulating, Lin Lan had nothing to say, “…”
Why was there an odd yet unique sense of accomplishment to it?
Sanwang was in pain but somewhat comfortable as he continued to shriek, “Mother scrubbed Xiaowang lightly but you’re trying to make me bald— I was picked up from the trash, wasn’t I?!”
Erwang also came in to wash up, but when he looked at Sanwang, he exclaimed, “Mom, I want to change the water!”
Sanwang rolled his eyes at him, “Second Brother, you are no cleaner when you’re running about every day, so don’t try to be disgusted at me.”
Lin Lan said, “Wash yourself once, then we’ll change the water to rinse it off.”
Water should not be wasted and firewood was also precious at home. Their family already spent a lot of money, but now they were definitely using a lot more. In the future, if there wasn’t enough firewood to keep them warm, they’d still need to find a way.