CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: TRAVERSING 1,000 LI, ALL FOR YOUR SMILE

After Grandma Bai left with Li Guihua carrying the things, the two sisters washed all the borrowed dishes, and Bai Ruchuan and Bai Rushan returned them.

Zhang Yuan helped Bai Xue tidy up the house until it was spotless, then they both went to Grandma Zhao’s home to bring back Wang Cuihua and the two children.

Bai Daliang was sleeping at the end of the kang, too drunk to be allowed to sleep at the head of the kang—it was too hot there.

"Xiao Xue, your grandma, she..." Wang Cuihua’s first words upon returning were to inquire about Grandma Bai.

"Mom, it’s fine, she didn’t succeed!" Bai Xue assured Wang Cuihua, "You rest first, I’ll go make you some food!"

With that, she opened the kang cabinet, took the rice and eggs, and walked out.

"I’ll help you with the fire!" Zhang Yuan followed.

It was just midday, so he wasn’t in a hurry to return to the educated youth point. Most importantly, he didn’t want to leave Bai Xue’s side for a moment, seizing the chance to hover around her.

"Zhang Yuan, did you buy these things this morning?" Bai Xue poured water into the pot while Zhang Yuan tended to the fire.

She washed the rice and asked Zhang Yuan.

Though Bai Xue wasn’t keen on probing into Zhang Yuan’s entire family background, she also disliked being kept in the dark. Even if Zhang Yuan had meant it as a surprise for her, she still didn’t like it.

She had already shared her biggest secret, she needed to know if it was worth it.

"Xiao Xue, I went to the county last night..." Zhang Yuan said softly, like a child being scolded for unfinished homework.

"Last night? You rode your bike to the county after dark?" Bai Xue’s eyes widened, her face showing a bit of anger.

"Yes...but I dressed warmly, pedaling all the way kept me from feeling cold!" Zhang Yuan admitted but quickly tried to soothe Bai Xue, fearing her anger.

"I’ve said before, this isn’t necessary! How could you take the risk of biking alone to the county in the middle of the night? Chenxi County is far from here!"

Bai Xue was a bit moved by Zhang Yuan, realizing his intentions, and it would be a lie to say she wasn’t touched.

He probably biked all night to reach Chenxi County, then hurried to buy these things, and rushed back, no wonder it was already noon when he returned.

Actually, Zhang Yuan reached Chenxi County by 5 AM, so exhausted that his legs felt unfamiliar, but he didn’t stop, immediately looking for connections to buy a bicycle, sewing machine, fabric, and a watch, and even arranged for a tractor to haul the items back.

Now he was so tired, even his walking looked strange, but he was reluctant to leave.

"I don’t want you to suffer! You are priceless in my heart, no bride price would be too much, but my grandma is like that, anything I give would be taken away, so I thought of this way!" Zhang Yuan carefully watched Bai Xue’s expression as he spoke.

"Are you tired?" Bai Xue’s eyes were red, for the first time in two lifetimes, someone had done so much for her silently!

"Tired..." Zhang Yuan said pitifully.

"Alright, don’t tend the fire now, quickly go back and sleep! You stayed up all night and biked such a long way, you’ll exhaust yourself!" Bai Xue pulled Zhang Yuan up from squatting by the stove and pushed him outside.

Zhang Yuan stumbled a few times before he steadied himself.

"I’m fine, Xiao Xue, I’ll tend the fire for you before going back to sleep!"

"Quickly go back and sleep! I can manage the fire myself! Look at you, your face is pale, and you have dark circles! You’re making me worry!" Bai Xue inadvertently spoke her heart.

Hearing Bai Xue say she was worried about him, Zhang Yuan was overjoyed, felt reinvigorated, and thought he could even make another trip to the county.

Thinking this, his legs trembled, seeming rubbed raw between them, his backside aching terribly.

"I’ll head back now! Ask Xiao Yun and them to help you! Don’t exhaust yourself!" Zhang Yuan finally relented, waved his hand as he walked out.

Seeing his bicycle in the yard, he skirted around it; he couldn’t ride now, better to walk back.

Bai Xue looked at Zhang Yuan’s amusing walking posture; he must’ve rubbed his backside raw from biking, she thought, riding all night to buy gifts for her, braving the cold morning on a tractor back.

If one does not treasure such a boy, they ought to perish.

She turned and went back inside, retrieved a piece of pork belly from the space, chopped it, cracked two eggs into a bowl, added the minced meat, mixed seasoning, stirred it well, and by then, the water in the pot was boiling. She put in the rice and placed a steamer on top, steaming the egg custard.

"Big sister, take a break! I’ll tend the fire!" Bai Ruyun came out, obediently wanting to help with the fire.

"Perfect, you tend the fire and cook the rice and egg custard, Big sister will go inside and sort the cloth!" Bai Xue believed Grandma Bai wouldn’t rest easy having seen those cloths.

"Okay! Big sister, ask Xiao Xia to help you! You’ve had quite a day!" Bai Ruyun always thought things through.

"Alright! Once it’s cooked, bring it to Mom! Don’t let Mom go hungry, she needs to feed the baby too!" Bai Xue said as she went inside.

"Big sister, I’ll help you carry the cloth onto the kang!" Bai Ruxia had already heard the conversation from inside and was quick to get up, waiting to assist.

"Together!" The two of them lifted the burlap of cloth onto the kang, tipped it out to reveal two kinds of cloth: one bright-colored plaid for girls, one dark-colored plaid for boys, all the most popular and pricey fabrics nowadays.

"So much!" Wang Cuihua was amazed looking at the cloth on the kang, "How many tickets would this cost?"

"Mom, can this cloth make us cotton coats and pants for everyone?" Bai Xue asked, not quite understanding, as she couldn’t make clothes.

"Enough for a set of cotton coats and pants, plus a set of outerwear for each person!" Wang Cuihua was fond of the cloth, "The leftover scraps could make a few pairs of shoe uppers!"

Though each family member had a pair of snow boots, except for Bai Xue, the others weren’t wearing them yet.

Bai Daliang said that it’d be too conspicuous if the whole family wore new shoes.

Now it’s perfect, even if the whole family got decked out from head to toe anew, no one could say anything, they’d just say Zhang Yuan gave them, who’d doubt that?

"Mom, do you know how to use that sewing machine?" Bai Xue asked again.

"I don’t..." Wang Cuihua was a bit embarrassed, "Mom’s never used a sewing machine."

"Big sister, it’s my first time seeing a sewing machine!" Bai Xue looked at Bai Ruxia, who raised her hands.

"I want to quickly make this cloth into clothes for us all so that grandma stops obsessing over our things! Who knows when she’ll cause trouble at our door!" Bai Xue was worried.

Even with a sewing machine now, it was frustrating with no one knowing how to use it at home.

"Xiao Xue, maybe your Third Granny knows, perhaps we should ask her to teach us?" Wang Cuihua grew anxious upon hearing her mother-in-law’s preoccupation, and suggested promptly.

"Third Granny?" Bai Xue asked in confusion; she hadn’t heard of anyone in town having a sewing machine, not even Third Granny’s family.

"Yes, a few years ago, your Third Granny worked for a few days at Pingyang Town textile factory temporarily for your great-aunt!" Wang Cuihua recalled.

The event was memorable because Grandma Bai also wanted to go, the two stirred up the matter for a long while, and due to the great-aunt’s dislike for her eldest sister-in-law, the chance went to her third sister-in-law. Because of this, Grandma Bai and the great-aunt stopped interacting.