Gu’er didn’t know what Grandma Sun was thinking. She hadn’t expected that Grandma Sun didn’t approve of Zhou i. ’But why did Sun Jiaming marry Zhou i in their last life? It was probably his parents’ decision. Grandma Sun was old and couldn’t make decisions about her grandson’s marriage anymore.’
But with Grandma Sun saying this, Gu’er didn’t know how to respond. She couldn’t very well say she didn’t like Zhou i either, and she certainly couldn’t comnt on Sun Jiaming’s mother. This was, after all, the Sun Family’s business. Grandma Sun could say such things, but she couldn’t.
"When is Aunt coming over?"
Gu’er asked. She had nothing to do at the mont and wanted to go tidy up the old house, but Aunt Zhao hadn’t arrived yet. She couldn’t leave; she couldn’t let Grandma Sun stay at ho all by herself.
"She’ll be here in a bit. Sit down and chat with Grandma for a while."
Grandma Sun looked at Gu’er, her gaze kind and gentle.
But Gu’er couldn’t sit still. She hadn’t co to their house to be a guest who just ate and did nothing.
"Grandma, does this need to be washed? I’ll go fetch so water and wash while we talk."
Gu’er saw a pile of Grandma Sun’s dirty clothes and bedsheets by the head of the bed.
"No, no, that’s filthy. Let’s wait until Jiaming cos back. Your aunt sotis helps too. You don’t need to do it."
Grandma Sun shook her head hastily. How could she let a young girl like Gu’er wash her dirty clothes?
"It’s no problem, Grandma. Look, I’m eating and staying here without being shy about it, so what’s washing a few clothes? I often did laundry at ho."
Gu’er said with a smile, then went outside to find a basin.
Grandma Sun’s eyes grew a little moist. Because she couldn’t get off the brick bed, she sotis couldn’t manage to use the toilet by herself, and her clothes would get very soiled. Sun Jiaming was her own grandson; for him to wash them for her was an act of filial piety.
Aunt Zhu also helped wash them sotis, out of gratitude for the Sun Family helping her and her daughter.
But Gu’er was a young, unmarried girl. Very few young won wouldn’t mind the filth. ’It seems my grandson has good judgnt after all.’
Gu’er found a basin and went to ladle water from the water vat.
But when she looked, there was only a little water left in the vat. ’Sun Jiaming must have forgotten to fetch water.’
Gu’er went to look for buckets and a shoulder pole.
They weren’t in the courtyard, nor in the kitchen. Not being familiar with the Sun Family’s ho, she really didn’t know where to find them.
After searching around, Gu’er found a single bucket. She picked it up and started to head outside.
"Gu’er, what are you doing?"
Just then, a middle-aged man walked into the courtyard, carrying buckets of water on a shoulder pole.
"Uncle Chunlai, I was going to fetch a bucket of water. Are you...?"
Gu’er was confused. ’Does Uncle Chunlai fetch water for the Sun Family?’
"Fetching water is a man’s job, we don’t need you doing it. Go on, put that down. Uncle’s here, you won’t be short on water."
As Uncle Chunlai spoke, he poured the water from his buckets into the vat.
Gu’er fell silent. Fetching water was a man’s job, but she and her adoptive mother had always done it. Now that she was no longer with the Zhou family, the task of fetching water would fall to her adoptive mother alone.
"Oh, Gu’er, you’re up."
Just then, another auntie ca in carrying a basin. After greeting Gu’er, she said to Chunlai, "Brother Chunlai, the vats over there have been scrubbed clean. Can you fetch two more buckets of water for that house in a bit?"
"Alright, I’ll go right now."
Uncle Chunlai nodded and left again with his buckets and pole.
The auntie chatted with Gu’er as she ladled water into a wooden basin.
Gu’er was dumbfounded.
From what the auntie said, it sounded like they were helping her clean up the old house. ’How did I not know about this?’
Gu’er saw the auntie had already left the courtyard. Snapping back to her senses, she followed her.
The courtyard of Sun Jiaming’s old house was bustling with activity. Several aunties and sisters-in-law were hard at work.
Gu’er walked in, and everyone greeted her with a smile. She stared blankly; the courtyard had been tidied up and was immaculate.
She then went inside the house.
There wasn’t much furniture inside, but every surface that needed wiping had been wiped clean. It looked spotless, not at all like a house that had been uninhabited for years. Even the nooks and crannies were clean. There was nothing left for her to do.
She walked back into the courtyard, where an uncle and a young man were stacking firewood for her. It was all pre-chopped, and from the looks of it, there was enough to last her a long ti.
Looking at the busy people and their smiling faces, Gu’er felt like crying.
She could be strong when people were unkind to her, but their kindness moved her to tears.
Today was a world apart from last night, like a dream.
This had never happened to her before, and she had never felt this way. It was a strange feeling, making Gu’er’s heart ache with a bittersweet warmth.
"Look at you, why are you crying again? Did we miss a spot while cleaning?"
An auntie ca forward to wipe Gu’er’s tears, but her hands were covered in dust from working. The wipe only ended up smudging Gu’er’s face.
Gu’er didn’t mind at all.
"No, no, I’m just... I’m just so moved. I never expected everyone to co and help clean. I was planning to co over myself later. Thank you all for your hard work."
Gu’er sniffled. ’So people *can* be this good to .’ She didn’t ask for everyone to treat her well; she would be happy if they were all just as kind and friendly as they were today.
"We don’t need your help. We’ll be finished here in a little bit. You should go back over there for now."
Aunt Zhao stood up, a cleaning rag in her hand, and smiled kindly at Gu’er.
Gu’er nodded at her. ’I understand now,’ she thought. ’Sun Jiaming must have asked everyone before he left. Aunt Zhao must have gone to the Sun Family’s house, seen I was still sleeping, and then led all these aunties and sisters-in-law over to help clean the house.’
’No wonder the water vat at the Sun Family’s was empty. They used all the water to help clean.’
The warmth of the crowd moved Gu’er. Even if they were only doing it for Sun Jiaming’s sake, she was still grateful. After all, she had no connection to these people. Their willingness to help was a kindness she would have to repay.
Gu’er returned to the Sun Family’s ho, filled the wooden basin with water, and took the soap beans into the inner room.
Without a word, Gu’er began soaking the bedsheets in the basin.
"You went over to the other house? Are they almost done cleaning?"
Grandma Sun asked with a smile. She already knew what was happening.
"Yes, they’re almost finished."
Gu’er nodded. She rinsed the stains on the bedsheets with water, then scrubbed them clean bit by bit with the soap beans.
"Once they’re done over there, don’t start your own fire. Just co here to eat. It’s too much trouble for you to cook for yourself—it’s hard to get the portions right. It’s just Jiaming and here, not many mouths to feed. We just need to add a little more rice. Besides, food tastes better with more people around."
Grandma Sun continued, worried Gu’er might feel embarrassed, "The al you made last ti was delicious. If you feel bad about it, you can just help with the cooking when you have ti. I’ve been eating Jiaming’s cooking for years, and I’m tired of it."
"Alright. From now on, I’ll co over and cook whenever I’m free."
Gu’er agreed readily. She already owed Sun Jiaming so much that she could never repay him; what was one more debt? From now on, she would just co over often to help Grandma Sun with washing and tidying up, and to cook.
Grandma Sun’s eyes crinkled into a smile. ’Gu’er is a generous girl. She’s straightforward, hardworking, and doesn’t have a conniving bone in her body. If she really could beco my granddaughter-in-law, I would be very satisfied.’
By the ti Aunt Zhao arrived, Gu’er had already finished washing the clothes and bedsheets and hung them in the courtyard to dry.
She had also tidied up around Grandma Sun.
Aunt Zhao nodded to herself in approval. ’This girl is a hard worker, and she isn’t squeamish about caring for the elderly. It seems Jiaming didn’t help the wrong person.’
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