Chapter 253: Untrustworthy People
Xu Sanniu was highly resistant to taking a bath.
The moment she heard she had to bathe, she immediately wrenched her hand from Lin Sanniang’s grip, fully intending to bolt.
However, Lin Sanniang was a woman who had raised three children of her own; she had long since grown accustomed to the mischief and strength of youngsters.
Paying no mind to the mud, cow dung, and dry grass littering Xu Sanniu’s entire body, she snagged her with a firm grip and pulled the girl against her chest.
“Good child, don’t be afraid. We won’t take a bath. Let’s just wash your hands first so you can eat your steamed buns, alright?”
Lin Sanniang used plenty of strength to keep her hold, but her voice was as gentle as could be.
Pressed against Lin Sanniang’s chest, Xu Sanniu froze entirely—this was exactly how her simpleton mother used to hold her.
It was a powerful embrace, pinning her so tightly she couldn’t move an inch, making it hard to even catch her breath.
She stared up blankly at Lin Sanniang.
Lin Sanniang offered a tender smile, prompting Xu Sanniu to look back down at the steamed buns in her hands.
The large buns were snow-white, soft, and fluffy, but they were now marred by the pitch-black smudge prints of her filthy hands.
Xu Sanniu stopped struggling, allowing Lin Sanniang to lead her toward the academy’s restroom at the far end of the covered walkway.
The academy area was also equipped with restrooms and sinks. They weren’t numerous—three each for men and women—and they included shower stalls.
Lin Sanniang didn’t take Xu Sanniu into the stalls meant for toileting and showering, stopping instead beside the vanity sinks outside.
She turned on the faucet, letting out a slender stream of water, then cupped some in her own hand first to demonstrate to Xu Sanniu that the water was pristine and perfectly safe.
Xu Sanniu blinked. Tucking the two steamed buns securely between her arm and her chest, she extended one hand.
The water pressure was gentle, and the stream was unbelievably clean.
Xu Sanniu couldn’t resist leaning over, placing her mouth directly under the faucet to catch the flowing water.
Water this clean was something she could rarely get a drink of in Xujia Village.
The people of Xujia Village wouldn’t allow her near the riverbank. Whenever she went, someone would sneak up behind her and shove her into the water.
Consequently, she could only look for water in muddy potholes, or sneak into people’s courtyards to steal a drink from their wells, water jars, or even their laundry basins.
She would get beaten for that too, but it was still better than being shoved into the river.
She didn’t know how to swim, and those people would strike her with sticks to keep her from climbing back ashore. Xu Sanniu had nearly died several times.
Thus, what she drank most often was the murky, sediment-laden water from roadside puddles.
Xu Sanniu’s sudden lurch forward startled Lin Sanniang, who nearly lost her grip on the girl.
“Don’t drink that, child! That’s unboiled water!”
Lin Sanniang pulled Xu Sanniu back up, while Xu Sanniu scrambled to snatch up the steamed bun that had slipped from her grasp.
Lin Sanniang simply followed Jian Xingxia’s earlier tactic, stuffing a bun directly into Xu Sanniu’s mouth so she would focus on eating.
Young children, after all, could usually only manage one task at a time.
With her mouth packed full, she was momentarily flummoxed, working on swallowing while steadying the bun with her hand, terrified that the filling might drop out.
Taking advantage of the lull, Lin Sanniang lifted Xu Sanniu’s other hand and began slowly scrubbing it beneath the running water.
As she scrubbed, she reasoned with her gently, “From now on at the manor, you won’t ever have to drink unboiled water again. The academy will be stocked with water pitchers; whenever you’re thirsty, you can pour a cup yourself.”
Xu Sanniu was in a daze. She understood what this lady—who felt just as warm as her simpleton mother—meant when she said you won’t ever have to drink unboiled water again.
The lady knew that in the past, she could only drink dirty, unboiled water.
With her mouth plugged by the bun, Xu Sanniu held it steady with one hand, her cheeks bulging as she chewed in massive bites.
But this bun was truly immense, practically the size of her face. Even though she ate with frantic speed, it took several huge bites just to put a minor dent in it.
Lin Sanniang continued speaking, “Your name is Sanniu, right? I’m also the third child in my family. My surname is Lin, and everyone calls me Lin Sanniang.”
Lin Sanniang added, “The Manor Owner said we must drink hot water, or water that has been boiled and cooled down. In a bit, I’ll take you to see the academy’s large water pitchers.”
Xu Sanniu instinctively glanced toward the pavilion, where she could see only a blurry silhouette.
But as if sensing her gaze, the figure scrambled onto a bench in the pavilion and waved a hand toward her.
Xu Sanniu: !
She rapidly whipped her head back around.
Having finished washing one hand, Lin Sanniang pressed Xu Sanniu’s clean, dark, and skinny little hand back onto the steamed bun, then pulled her remaining dirty hand down.
“Look at that. Doesn’t it feel much better now that it’s washed clean? The bun doesn’t taste like salty dirt and sand anymore, does it?”
Xu Sanniu’s eyes widened—how did she know?
When she begged for food on her own, she never bought salt, because whatever she grabbed tasted salty from the filth on her fingers.
Lin Sanniang’s heart arched with profound pity. This child was a whole year younger than Tao Ya, yet she had endured an unimaginable amount of suffering.
After washing both hands, Lin Sanniang used a clean cloth to wipe Xu Sanniu’s face.
She was careful to steer clear of the eye area so she wouldn’t block Xu Sanniu’s field of vision, letting her look around in peace while wiping her face clean.
Once she finished the first steamed bun, Xu Sanniu hesitated for a brief moment before stuffing the second bun into the folds of her clothing.
Lin Sanniang asked her, “Do you still have family at home?”
Xu Sanniu remained silent.
After a long while, she finally spoke up, “No one. There was only me and my simpleton mother in my house, and Mother died last year…”
Lin Sanniang froze, only to hear Xu Sanniu continue, “But I have a little dog, and I look after it! It’s just… it’s just that I don’t know where it went.”
Because the puppy hadn’t come along, Xu Sanniu felt incredibly unsettled.
Lin Sanniang stroked her head. “You want to save the bun to feed your puppy?”
Xu Sanniu nodded obediently.
Being patted on the head felt wonderful. Her simpleton mother hadn’t really known how to pat her head properly, usually just groping and rubbing wildly across her head, face, and body.
But when they slept at night, she would curl up in her mother’s arms, and her mother would gently nuzzle her head with her chin.
She used that exact same gesture to nuzzle her puppy.
Lin Sanniang looked at the steamed bun, which had long since been smudged beyond recognition, but she said nothing, leading Xu Sanniu into one of the stalls. “Let me rinse your feet for you, alright?”
Lin Sanniang could tell that this child had suffered immensely, and her guard wasn’t something that could be lowered in a single instant.
Sure enough, though Xu Sanniu followed Lin Sanniang and let her wash her feet, she absolutely refused to take a bath.
Lin Sanniang kept speaking throughout the process, and Xu Sanniu listened silently, only offering a response once every ten sentences or so.
She said, “Mother said I cannot take a bath.”
“Why?”
“As long as I’m filthy, reeking, and ugly, no one will come into our house at night to grope at people.”
If people saw her during the day, they would merely beat, curse, and drive her away; they wouldn’t dare get close.
Lin Sanniang let out a silent, heavy sigh. This child… her life was bitter beyond measure.
In the end, Xu Sanniu only washed her hands, feet, and face. Lin Sanniang fetched a set of clean clothes for her.
“You can wear these clothes while you’re at the manor; no one here will bully you. Just change back out of them before you return home.”
Xu Sanniu snapped her head up. “You don’t want me anymore?”
Her tone carried a desperate urgency, demanding an explanation with raw insecurity: “That person from earlier! She said she was taking me in as an apprentice!”
Being an apprentice meant living in the master’s house, working hard, and perhaps enduring beatings, scoldings, and starvation—but it meant staying under the master’s roof!
Lin Sanniang hadn’t anticipated that Xu Sanniu would suddenly grow hysterical again. Caught off guard, she lost her grip on the girl.
She hurriedly called out toward Jian Xingxia, “Manor Owner!”
Jian Xingxia ran over as fast as she could, but her approach caused Xu Sanniu to scramble up the side of the pavilion instead. In just a couple of nimble motions, she climbed directly onto the pavilion roof.
Squatting atop the roof tiles, she glared down furiously at Jian Xingxia and Lin Sanniang. “You said you were taking me as an apprentice!”
Untrustworthy people!
