Sanni also started laughing, "Erni, I’ll pinch you too..."
The group erupted into laughter and play.
But once the commotion settled, Erni let out a sigh, "It’s a shame Mother can’t have any..."
The mood among them instantly turned somber.
"Don’t worry," Yang Ruxin said with a smile, "Mother will get better, just not right now..."
The younger ones didn’t quite understand.
"All you need to know is that Mother is sleeping right now. Once we’ve got everything sorted, she’ll wake up..." Yang Ruxin hadn’t planned to keep the younger ones in the dark forever, but she couldn’t be too explicit yet.
"Big sister, do you have a way to cure Mother?" Sanni, the quickest to catch on, asked immediately.
"Yes," Yang Ruxin nodded, "but I can’t just yet..."
"Why not?" Sanni was confused.
"We’re missing some medicinal ingredients," Yang Ruxin had to lie, "Once the house is in order, I’ll go into the mountains. As soon as I find those two herbs, Mother will be fine..."
The younger ones exchanged looks. Though they felt it seemed incredible, they deeply trusted their elder sister and their spirits promptly soared again.
They then heated water for everyone to take turns washing their faces and soaking their feet.
And the attentive Erni even boiled an egg and handed it to Yang Ruxin.
Yang Ruxin was taken aback.
"Auntie Feng says that rolling it on your face feels very comfortable and won’t leave bruises," Erni said as she peeled the hot egg and wrapped it in a cloth to press against Yang Ruxin’s face.
"Such a waste?" Yang Ruxin’s heart warmed as she took the egg from her hand. In truth, the effect of the previously applied medicine was already very good; she wasn’t in pain at all, but she had to accept her sister’s care.
"How is it a waste?" Sanni frowned, "You are our eldest sister. You need to be well, otherwise, what would we do?" She paused, "Also, you must not neglect yourself for the sake of some benefit in the future, understand?"
"Little housekeeper," Yang Ruxin said with a laugh as she looked at Sanni’s serious expression and reached out to pinch her cheek.
"Promise me," Sanni insisted, avoiding Yang Ruxin’s hand with a stern face.
The other young ones also watched her intently, especially Sini, who looked as if she might burst into tears if Yang Ruxin didn’t agree.
"Alright," Yang Ruxin nodded, "I was wrong today; I shouldn’t have taken the risk." She paused, "And you all should do the same in the future. No matter what happens, you must ensure your safety first, hear me? Anything else that’s lost can be recovered..."
The younger ones nodded vigorously.
The night grew darker, and since there were no candles at home, everything was pitch black.
Yang Ruxin lay side by side on the big kang bed with her siblings. Despite the occasional mosquitoes buzzing around and the heat, everyone was excited because this was their home now.
Sini and Xiaofeng, being younger, soon grew tired after their bout of excitement and quickly fell asleep.
However, Erni and Sanni didn’t fall asleep as easily.
Sanni tugged at Yang Ruxin’s hand, "Big sister, are you asleep yet?"
"Not yet."
"Why do Grandpa and Grandma play favorites so much? We all share the Yang surname... and Xiaofeng is a boy too..."
Yang Ruxin squeezed Sanni’s hand in return, "People’s hearts are inherently biased."
"But..." Sanni ultimately sighed, leaving her subsequent thoughts unspoken.