The cocks crowed in the distance, their shrill cries stirring the village
Sun hwa's lashes trembled slightly, before her lashes fluttered open slowly
Adjusting to the dim lightening in the room, she stirred under the thin quilt before slowly getting off bed
A wave of nausea hit her once her bare feet touched the cold floor and she grabbed the large bowl retching into it
Luckily her meal from last night had digested
She threw the bile in the outhouse, washed the bowl throughly before rinsing and brushing her teeth
Now feeling the refreshing minty air in her mouth calmed her down significantly
She headed back into the room, there she folded the quilts, neatly arranged the kang after which she headed to the kitchen
"I already miss Xia xiao so much" sun hwa whispered as she cleaned the feathered chicken
It was a large chicken hence after cleaning it throughly she placed it in the pot adding as much spices as she could
Then she set the fire and placed the pot on the cooking top to cook
Feeling a sense of nostalgia as she watched the pot boil
In another pot she washed some rice and put it in the pot to boil
Then she covered both pots and headed out she grabbed a small basket and strode out of the house
"Fifth wife what delicious things are you making?" Aunt Lin asked staring suspiciously at the locked door
"I'm making a meal for myself Aunt" sun hwa clicked her tongue in disdain
Her patience running thin
"How about inviting the family for breakfast to bless the household" Aunt Lin suggested
Already eyeing the things sun hwa had brought back from the market
Such delicious food should be eaten by her family
"It's good fortune to invite us neighbors for a meal to bless the new house and evade bad luck" second aunt smiled widely
"If you need anything, you can also call our family's son's they can chop wood, do housework and help with heavier tasks
You're carrying the fifth seed, where's your laundry
This old lady would help you wash it all" Aunt Lin spoke loudly already rolling up her sleeves to go in
" I don't need any help aunt, I do appreciate your concern but I'm fine on my own" sun hwa gave a small smile and walked off
It took over twenty minutes to arrive the Wang family house
She didn't hesitate to greet the neighbors along the way
With her moving into a new house and a future uncertain it was only natural to build good rapport and form good relationships
"Sister Hwa'er" Guo Jinyi hastily welcomed her in, a warm smile etched on her face as she led sun hwa into the house
"You came right in time, wash your hands quickly, the meal would be ready soon" Madam Zhou called out from the small partitioned kitchen
"Mother I'm already making breakfast" sun hwa smiled as she took out the half wrapped chicken
"Don't tell me you brought this for us" Guo Jinyi frowned
"Don't decline sister Jinyi, between sisters there's nothing like strangers
If I give, you take and don't complain
I'm not lacking sister" sun hwa patted Guo Jinyi's shoulder and took back her basket
"Fifth wife" Guo Jinyi's eyes watered
She wanted to speak but felt choked up with emotions
"Cook a good dish for the kids, you can also bring them over
I'll make dumplings" sun hwa grinned then she hurriedly picked her basket and rushed out
With her rice still steaming
She feared it would overcook
Hence she ran back home as fast as her leg's carry her
"Be careful fifth wife" the kind village folks couldn't help saying a few cautionary words seeing her breeze past
Luckily she arrived just in time, the rice was fully cooked hence she carefully took it off the cooking top
Removed the burning woods and checked on the chicken soup broth skimmed out all the foam then she allowed it simmer
She didn't idle and begun kneading dough for pancakes
The chicken broth would at least take two hours or more to fully simmer and she needed to fill up her stomach first
As a pregnant young lady especially one as malnourished as the original owner
Food was important
The scallion pancakes dough was ready in a few minutes, she rolled it all out cleanly and fried it in little oil over the wok
She made a dozen pancakes in one go, after which she she poured some boiling water into a cup mixed in 3 large scoops of malted milk and white sugar
She ate this by the fire humming contentedly at the taste
She finished 5 pancakes and wrapped the other 7 neatly then sealed the rice pot and kept it in the storage cabinet to keep it warm
The delicious aroma of chicken filled the air earning groans from the neighboring courtyard but she wasn't bothered
She headed into the main room and begun to clean up
"Fifth wife" the shouts and knocks halted her work, she put down the broom in her hand and headed out
Wiping his hands in a small cloth rag
"Brother Dazhuang" she smiled seeing the large man in front of her
"I brought the seeds as soon as I could, figured you might want a lot of them" Dazhuang replied as he took the seeds out of his cloth bag
"This is my wife Xiao Xin" he then pulled out a timid young girl from behind him
Compared to how skinny the village girls were Xiao Xin was chubbier though with a hint of timidity
"Hello sister" Xiao Xin whispered softly in her hands was her young son who was sleeping peacefully
"Come in quickly, I can barely manage on my own
What do I know about planting" she laughed lightly as she led the couple in
Dazhuang held his older son who was barely over one two years old
And sniffing the delicious aroma in the air, he couldn't help blushing crimson
"I'll go handle the seeds, you both can talk" he hastily left the little one to his mother and hurried to the backyard to plant seeds
"I haven't had visitors at the house except sister Jinyi and brother Wang
Here I made the pancakes not long ago, they are delicious and warm" sun hwa brought over a bowl of scallion pancakes and sugar water
Which was just warm water mixed with brown sugar
Xiao Xia blushed "you should save the good things to be eaten later sister hwa , with the baby growing you'd need a lot of nourishment" Xiao Xia whispered softly earning a crisp laughter from sun hwa who noticed the little one reaching for the pancake and sugar water
"We aren't strangers now right, you should eat up quickly and save some for brother Dazhuang" hearing her words Xiao Xia blushed even more
"Can I come over to play later, I'll bring food too" Xiao Xia asking breaking off a piece of pancake and feeding her baby while the older boy ate on his own
Compared to the other village kids, even the Wang family children covered in snot and mud Xiao Xia's son was clean and neat
With the faint fragrance of flowers around him
"You can come anytime, the house is open
I'm but a lone woman with no roots" sun hwa chuckled lightly
Her words made Xiao Xia pause slightly
"You aren't without roots Sister Hwa, did the fall in the well make you forget so much?" Xiao Xia couldn't help asking
She knew people tended to suffer from amnesia after big incidents but with their family's not getting along
She had no idea sister hwa's case was so serious
"I've forgotten a bit of everything, I'll appreciate if you can enlighten me"
Xiao Xia paused finding the right words to convey her thoughts, her fists clenched and unclenched
"Father-in-law said you were a merchant's daughter who was exiled to the north for crimes they have commited
But somehow they encountered the matriarch and you were exchanged for 10 yuan" Xiao Xia honestly recounted the story she had heard about sun hwa while watching sun hwa's expression
"I'm not sure about the specifics sister hwa, I only heard you came from a rich merchant family
But you didn't seem like a merchant's daughter, I only heard a few things
They might not be true" Xiao Xia tried to smoothen things over but sun hwa took her chubby hand with a smile
"You've done well sister Xiao and I'm grateful, if you hadn't said so much I'd be clueless about my own origins
I won't live recklessly I'll focus on myself and the one growing inside me" sun hwa laughed happily
Having no family was good enough for her
All she wanted to do in the 80's was live like a salted fish