Transmigrated as My Aunt in the 70s
Chapter 35 - 035 Pick and choose

Chapter 35: 035 Pick and choose

Tian Sisi woke up to see a large crowd gathered around her, their expressions somber as if attending a funeral. She couldn’t help but find it amusing and said to the weeping Granny Zhao, "Granny, is there any water to drink? I’m about to die of thirst." Granny Zhao quickly wiped her tears and went to get her granddaughter some water to drink, while Jin Wanming brought over a shining needle, prepared to lance the blisters. Tian Sisi retracted her foot in fear, "Second Aunt, my foot doesn’t hurt anymore, please put the needle away."

Jin Wanming laughed and said, "Silly Ah Nan, if you don’t lance these blisters they will hurt more. Don’t worry, Second Aunt will be very gentle, it won’t hurt at all."

As soon as Jin Wanming finished, she held Tian Sisi’s foot and started lancing the blisters, one by one. In reality, lancing the blisters indeed didn’t hurt, but Tian Sisi was psychologically affected; as soon as she saw the needle approaching, she couldn’t help but hiss in anticipation, causing those nearby to laugh, lightening the previously heavy atmosphere quite a bit.

Jianguo didn’t suffer as much as Tian Sisi, only having a few small blisters. Lancing them with a needle and squeezing out the water was sufficient, and he was fine. Although Granny Zhao felt sorry for her granddaughter’s suffering, her heart was also filled with joy. The years-old knot in her heart had finally been untied, and from then on, she wouldn’t need to be secretive when wanting to help Man Lan. All these were thanks to Ah Nan’s efforts.

"All’s well that ends well with the children, and dinner is going to be delicious—I’m so hungry my stomach is growling," said Tian Manmu with a chuckle.

Granny Zhao slapped her forehead and hurried with Li Yuedi into the kitchen to serve the hot dishes. With three extra little ones around, she planned to cook a few more dishes to ensure her grandsons didn’t go hungry. Outside the house, Tian Xinhua, seeing that Tian Sisi was fine apart from the injuries on her feet, also breathed a sigh of relief, yet he couldn’t help but feel distressed for her and unusually refrained from teasing her when she hissed.

"Ah Nan, Xin Hua, you two really don’t think things through. Wouldn’t it have been better to bring Bao Guo back first and then go to get Jianguo and Weiguo tomorrow? That way, Ah Nan wouldn’t have had to suffer like this," Tian Shouhua joked with his younger siblings. They were children at heart, overcomplicating such a simple matter and causing themselves so much trouble.

"No way, Jianguo and Weiguo’s cotton-padded jackets are too thin. If they freeze all night, they might get sick," Tian Sisi said resolutely. Of course, she knew Brother Shouhua’s plan would have been best, but she just couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the two kids to freeze and go hungry. Whenever she imagined Jianguo and Weiguo shivering under thin quilts in the cold night, her heart ached. Besides, with the three children here, covering up with two quilts each wasn’t so cold.

Shouhua originally wanted to say, "Jianguo and they are used to the cold, one night won’t matter," but when he saw his cousin’s serious determination, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Jianguo and Weiguo, touched, looked at Tian Sisi, feeling that their cousin was the best Sister in the world.

The Old Man was also deeply moved in his heart. Ah Nan was truly endearing; no wonder he doted on her so much. Some say Ah Nan was too pampered—how was his granddaughter pampered? Which young girl could walk until her feet bled without complaining? (That’s because your granddaughter already cried in front of her father.)

Jin Wanming finished lancing Tian Sisi’s blisters and squeezed out the blood, then soaked her feet in hot water. "Hiss," as soon as the water reached her feet, Tian Sisi winced and jerked her feet, but Jin Wanming and Ai Qing held them in place and didn’t let her withdraw. Luckily, it was just a momentary pain. After soaking for a while, Tian Sisi’s numb legs started to feel better, much more comfortable.

Ai Qing took some iodine tincture and painted Tian Sisi’s soles purple, "just like eggplants." Tian Xinhua struggled to hold back his laughter, earning a glare from Tian Sisi in response.

"That’s enough, no need to wear socks now. Stay home and rest for the next few days," Ai Qing wrapped her daughter’s feet with cloth, layering it thickly until she could hardly walk.

"No, I don’t want to stay at home; Brother Xin Hua can carry me out to play," exclaimed Tian Sisi upon hearing she was not allowed to go out, immediately protesting.

Ai Qing’s eyebrows inverted, giving Tian Sisi’s leg a slap which caused her to cry out in pain. Tian Manjin by her side hastily said, "Gentle, gentle," while Tian Xinhua also added, "Fourth Aunt, I’ll carry Ah Nan out, I promise to keep a good eye on her."

"All right, you can’t keep a child cooped up at home every day. Let Xin Hua carry her out; but, Ah Nan, you can’t stay outside for long. Play for a little while and then come back, okay?" The Old Man spoke in support, and Tian Sisi nodded her head with joy. Once the Old Man spoke, Ai Qing could only agree.

Zhao Yueban and Li Yuedi brought out all the hot dishes from the kitchen, filling up two full tables. The family gathered around for this belated dinner. Tian Sisi sat on a stool, requesting whatever she wanted to eat, and Tian Xinhua would fetch it for her, exhibiting the air of a young lady. The others saw this and laughed, joking around and letting them play.

Jianguo and his two brothers had never had such a lavish meal since they were born. They bowed their heads and just kept gobbling down the white rice, not daring to take any dishes. Granny Zhao saw this and felt a pang in her heart, serving each of them a piece of greasy chicken and urging them to eat quickly. Jianguo and Weiguo looked at their grandmother; her eyes were full of compassion and love, so different from the disgust of Old Lady Shou. Suddenly, they felt at ease; things were different here - everyone was nice to them, so very nice!

Being the youngest, Bao Guo had already been happily indulging. Jianguo and Weiguo also started to eat with big mouthfuls. Granny Zhao kept serving them dishes and even ladled a bowl of chicken soup for each, telling them to drink it while it was hot.

After dinner, Tian Bajin arranged for tomorrow’s trip to Huangkeng Village. Early in the morning, Zhong Fugao (Zhong Boqiang’s second son, and the village’s tractor driver) would drive the tractor to Huangkeng Village. Alas, the lack of telephones in the village was so inconvenient; otherwise, a single call to Man Tong would be enough without having to bother Fugao. Most importantly, Man Tong’s liberation truck did look quite imposing. Tomorrow, it would be all about giving Man Lan a good impression, so naturally, they were going all out.

No, they really must press the town leaders into installing telephones and electricity; it had to be done. There were rumors that a few villages in Sri Town had already been electrified, and Wangjiazhen couldn’t be left behind. Electric lights were a wonderful invention, they’d light up with a pull and were brighter than oil lamps, not to mention immune to the wind. Most importantly, they didn’t consume lamp oil! Yes, this must become the village’s top priority for the year. He’d need to work more closely with the other village officials to lobby the town government.

Tian Xinhua chimed in from the side: "Grandpa, out of all the Shou family members, Shou Chengzu is the worst. All the bad deeds are instigated by him. The third, Shou Sizu, is just like a firecracker, quick to ignite. And that Mr. Shou, he’s subtly malicious, while Old Lady Shou is an irrational shrew."

"Yes, that Shou Chengzu is the worst. His son is no better. Tomorrow, dad, you must give them a good lesson. But, today, Brother Xinhua and I already gave them a piece of our mind." Remembering the afternoon’s events, Tian Sisi couldn’t contain her glee and chattered away about the glorious deeds she and Tian Xinhua had done, which made everyone laugh until they almost fell backward.

"Ah Nan is so clever, knowing so many of Chairman Mao’s quotes." Li Yuedi praised with a beaming smile. Tian Sisi took great pleasure in the compliment; her mother used to call her stupid in her previous life, and now she finally had someone calling her smart.

Tian Manjin also recounted the story of when he went to the town government to change his name, which made Granny Zhao hold Tian Sisi in her arms and kiss her several times, adoring her to no end. Tian Sisi giggled happily, feeling extremely good.

Tian Xinhua joined in the fun, retelling Tian Sisi’s afternoon lesson to Jianguo. The Old Man now saw his granddaughter in a new light - he always perceived Ah Nan to be delicate, but had she really said those words?

"Ah Nan, where did you hear those words?" The Old Man was certain Ah Nan hadn’t come up with them herself; he suspected they were taught by some mysterious person behind her.

"I heard it from Grandpa. Doesn’t Grandpa always say that you can’t be afraid to die when fighting the Japanese? The more afraid you are, the faster you die! The Shou family are just as detestable as the Japanese." Tian Sisi had her excuse ready and innocently delivered it.

Everyone suddenly understood, reflecting that the Old Man did indeed often say these things, no wonder Ah Nan could teach Jianguo in such a manner! Only the Old Man and Tian Xinhua looked at Tian Sisi with meaningful glances but didn’t pursue the matter further.

"In the future, you two cannot be so bold. Today you were lucky to encounter a village chief who’s shrewd. If it had been someone blunt, they wouldn’t care who your grandpa and great uncle are. They’d beat you first, then ask questions, and you’d be in big trouble," Tian Bajin scolded them sternly. These two children were too audacious, daring to challenge the entire Huangkeng Village all by themselves; it was sheer luck nothing bad happened.

"We know, Grandpa (Great Uncle)." Tian Xinhua and Tian Sisi obediently agreed. At that moment, they had acted on impulse, not thinking about the consequences, but now looking back, they realized they had indeed been too rash.

PS: Thank you to maplecsu, I Love Myself XX, Fat Girl 0915, pen pal 150821174045496, Humble Me, and other readers for your support. Thank you, everyone!