Chapter 7: Being Harassed

Chen Afu's heart ached, she reached out and touched his little face. Chen Dabao woke up, he opened his eyes, giving her a big smile, saying, "Mother's awake." Then, he stretched out his little skinny paw to help Chen Afu wipe the drool from the corner of her mouth.

Afu was so engrossed earlier that she didn't even notice her own drool. Chen Afu belatedly wiped the corner of her mouth with her hand.

Chen Afu said, "Dabao, in the future, let mother take care of things like wiping drool."

Dabao initially agreed, saying "Okay," but then his mouth fell and due to moisture welling up in his eyes, he asked, "If mother gets better, will she not need Dabao anymore?"

Indeed, he is a child who takes things to heart.

This child was good in all aspects except that he was a little too cautious. In the future, his self-confidence needed to be cultivated.

Chen Afu quickly responded, "No, Dabao will always be mother's son. But when mother gets better, she should be able to do these things on her own. Otherwise, people will call mother a fool. Does Dabao want a fool for a mother?" The words came out more smoothly in her nervousness.

Dabao thought about it and started to smile again, saying, "Whether mother is a fool or not, Dabao will still want mother."

There was tenderness in Chen Afu's heart, and she leaned over and kissed his little handsome face.

Dabao was startled at first, as he had never been kissed by anyone before. Shy yet delighted, his face blushed, and he smiled, his eyes curved like crescents.

Chen Afu, seeing his reaction, kissed him again and said, "If it makes my son happy, I will kiss you every day… until you are seven." According to ancient customs, boys and girls should be kept apart when they reach seven.

Dabao mustered up the courage to lean in and kiss Chen Afu, saying with muffled words, "Son likes kissing mother." Then, he laid sideways on the pillow watching his mother, his face turning even redder. His small, red ears, lit by the gradually brightening dawn, resembled small pink ingots.

Chen Afu couldn't resist and leaned over to kiss him again. Unfortunately, she didn't control her strength well, and her head "slammed" into his face, causing him to grumble.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Chen Afu lifted her head, rubbing her tingling nose.

The mother and son then spent some more time lovingly together before they heard movements from the kitchen. It was Mrs. Wang getting up to cook.

Because their family didn't have to get up early for farm work, and Mrs. Wang started her chores late, they didn't have to rise as early as other farming families.

Chen Afu put on her dress without the help of the boy. After dressing up, she saw the boy standing at the table holding a comb.

Chen Afu was surprised, "No way, can my son also help me comb? I'm so surprised," As a result, her words had no pause, and she didn't drool.

Chen Dabao, shyly replied, "Son can only help mother comb her hair smooth; Mrs. Wang should tie up the bun. " Then, pointing to the stool he added, "Mother, sit down."

Alright then, considering she couldn't lift her arm too high and didn't wish to continue with messy hair. She reluctantly didn't want to trouble Mrs. Wang further.

She obediently sat on the stool, allowing the four-year-old boy to help her comb her hair.

Even though the boy was bright, he was still only four years old. He had no idea how to control the strength of his hands, causing Afu's head to jerk backwards from time to time, much to her discomfort.

Chen Afu suggested, "Dabao, could you recite The Hundred Family Surnames for mother? Mother wishes to exercise her mouth. When her mouth becomes more flexible, mother won't sound like a cracked gong and won't stutter when speaking."

Chen Dabao agreed and began to recite loudly. For each line he recited, Chen Afu followed, reciting loudly as well.

Just as she finished combing her hair, Mrs. Wang walked in smiling saying, "So early in the morning and we are studying. Does Afu want to become a female scholar too?"

She styled Chen Afu's hair into pigtails and then tied up the tuft of hair on top of Chen Dabao's head.

They then left the east room to wash their face using branches from a willow tree and tooth powder. Other than deliberately smearing Chen Afu's face with soot, the members of the household were quite clean, a quality Chen Afu was quite pleased with. Yesterday, when she was sitting in the oxcart, she saw some people who while had no dirt on their faces, they looked even dirtier. When they laughed, they exposed a mouth full of yellow teeth, and they exuded a certain smell. But in this household, their teeth were all white when they smiled, and their scent was crisp and refreshing. If one could overlook Chen Ming's frailty, Chen Alu's limping, and Mrs. Wang's frequent squinting, the attractiveness of the family members was quite high.

For breakfast, they had corn porridge and salted vegetable dumplings, which they ate in the kitchen, since Chen Ming was still resting.

Afterwards, Mrs. Wang and Chen Alu went outside to water the vegetable garden while Chen Dabao chopped chicken feed and fed the chickens. Then he chased the chickens out of the courtyard to find their own food, and also found two eggs in the process.

Before Mrs. Wang left, she instructed Chen Afu, "Be good, Afu, and play in the house."

Chen Afu did not like to stay inside the house which was small, dark, and reeked of urine.

With the support of the doorpost, she stepped over the threshold and came into the courtyard to stretch and to do mouth exercises. Of course, she couldn't open her mouth too wide, for fear of scaring people; this fence wall didn't offer much privacy.

Indeed, the air in the ancient rural area was great. Taking a deep breath, you could feel the freshness. The atmosphere was filled with the scent of grass, leaves, and flowers. This season, neither too cold nor too hot, while bathing in the bright morning sun, was indescribably pleasant.

Looking around, their house was the smallest and most dilapidated among the surrounding houses. One was made of green bricks and tiles, another was a tiled house but with mud brick walls, and the one next to theirs was a straw house, but larger than theirs with additional side rooms.

Their house was located at the northeast entrance of the village, without any households to the east or the north. Through the bamboo forest and some tall trees, you could see vegetable fields and large fertile lands in the distance. Their own vegetable garden was located to the east, and from there, they could vaguely see Mrs. Wang and Alu's figures.

As Chen Afu was looking outside, occasionally there were passing men who looked inside. After Chen Dabao put the eggs he found in the kitchen and dug something out from under the stove,

Chen Afu willingly bent down, allowing his small black hand to smear something across her face.

With her face covered with soot, Chen Afu continued her laps around the courtyard. After the exercise, she felt much more flexible than yesterday, at least she wasn't as stiff.

Upon Mrs. Wang and Alu's return, Mrs. Wang went inside to assist Chen Ming get up and have his meal. Chen Alu and Chen Dabao went out to gather firewood and dig for some wild vegetables along the way.

Before leaving, Chen Alu instructed Chen Afu, "Sis, just stay in the courtyard, don't go outside, don't go out even if someone tells you to."

Chen Dabao also advised, "If someone gives mother candies or fruits, don't accept them mother, those people have bad intentions."

Chen Afu's face turned red and she was lost for words, but she gave them a silly laugh to show agreement.

Watching the two little boys walk westward towards the hills covered with tall trees and shrubs where most villagers gathered firewood, Chen Afu, standing by the fence wall, was about to turn around when she saw a scruffy man in his forties approach.

His sticky gaze scanned Chen Afu from head to toe, and he said in a low voice, "Sis Afu is becoming more beautiful as you grow, and your figure is good too, large chest, big butt, big brother likes."

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