Honestly, she felt quite sorry for Fangfang.
From childhood to adulthood, she had been spoiled by her parents. It was the first time she had ever seen a child as miserable as Fangfang.
She didn't have enough to eat or warm clothes to wear, and only had endless chores to do every day.
Despite her young age, her body was covered in scars, yet she remained cheerful every day, as if life was full of hope.
Zhan Jingchun knew Fangfang was innocent. She wouldn't resent anyone, so she insisted on giving her the noodles.
"They'll spoil if left until tomorrow. I don't want to eat leftovers. If you don't eat them, I'll throw them away. Peng Fei, take them and dump them."
Fangfang and Peng Fei's faces immediately showed concern when they heard her say this.
Peng Fei knew her temperament; she never went back on her word. Adhering to the principle of not wasting food, he handed the noodles to Fangfang.
"Your sister-in-law cares about you, so eat them when she tells you to. Quickly thank her."
Fangfang, being young, couldn't hide her emotions. Smelling the chicken soup, her eyes lit up with adoration. She quickly thanked Zhan Jingchun, took the bowl, and savored the noodles.
Zhan Jingchun didn't have a good dinner, and Peng Fei felt very guilty.
He was exceptionally diligent when helping her wash up after dinner.
Zhan Jingchun was surprised to find that he had even brought her a separate basin for washing her feet.
Sitting by the fire, after washing her feet, Fangfang and he took turns soaking theirs.
Zhan Jingchun stood aside, looking at the bed covered with weeds and a thin sheet. She hesitated to lie down.
Peng Fei said, "It's okay. Wait for me to finish soaking my feet, then go up. Lie on the bed and flatten it before you get on."
Fangfang felt a bit shy.
After all, this was the first time she was living with her elder brother and sister-in-law.
With an adult man and woman, plus her, it felt awkward.
While waiting for Peng Fei to soak his feet, Zhan Jingchun, with nothing else to do, chatted with Fangfang, asking about her studies.
Fangfang said her grades weren't great. In fact, she didn't want to continue studying. But the tuition for this semester had already been paid, and she didn't want to waste it. She planned to quit after the New Year.
Peng Fei was surprised to hear his sister express such thoughts for the first time. He immediately turned to look at her.
"Haven't your grades always been good? Why do you suddenly not want to study anymore? Does Mom know you're thinking this? Why would you want to stop going to school at such a young age? Who allowed you to think like this?"
The reason Fangfang had been able to study for so long was entirely due to her brother's support.
In their village, for poor families, girls were not required to attend school. They were expected to help with chores at home, and by the time they were teenagers, they would get married, which was considered a woman's lifelong mission.
But Peng Fei didn't think that way.
He felt his own life was already ruined, and his sister's shouldn't be. As long as he was alive, he would support her.
Fangfang was too sensible. Seeing the family's hardship, with little to eat or drink and burdened by debt, and with her sister-in-law expecting another child next year, she didn't want to be a burden to them.
Peng Fei reprimanded her sternly.
"What good will saving that little bit of money do? Is this something you should be worrying about? Go back and study properly! Continue with your studies, and don't think like this again!"
Fangfang felt wronged and helpless after her brother's scolding.
Seeing her sitting there, at a loss, Zhan Jingchun felt even more sympathetic towards her.
"Your brother is right, and he's not blaming you. What else would you do at your age if you didn't go to school?"
"It's not your fault that you were born here, but if you have the opportunity to leave and you don't take it, that's your problem. The outside world is vast and wonderful, more wonderful than you can imagine. Don't you want to see it? Are you content to be stuck here your whole life?"
"Your brother isn't content to be stuck here his whole life, and neither are my children. So, what we need to do is work hard to improve our lives, not make meaningless sacrifices, understand?"
Fangfang didn't quite understand.
Zhan Jingchun then told her that they could go out and find work.
Even if they worked as cleaners or waitresses outside, they could earn 3,000 yuan a month.
In big cities, a housekeeper with skills like Peng Fei's mother could earn four or five thousand, or even seven or eight thousand a month.
They could completely escape poverty; there was no need to endure hardship farming this small plot of land.
Fangfang's eyes widened as if a new world had opened up, and she became full of longing for the outside.
Was the outside world really that good? Was it that easy to earn money?
Zhan Jingchun said, "If you don't believe me, let's go out and see together."
She wanted to use this opportunity to persuade Peng Fei. Even finding a job in the county town would be better than staying at home. Money was really easy to earn outside; as long as he was willing to work hard, it would be better than farming.
But Peng Fei showed no reaction to her words.
He had been out of school for too long and no longer yearned for the bustling world outside the county town.
There, he knew no one, and no one welcomed him. He didn't know what he would do.
Although life on the farm was hard, he had his mother, his sister, and many relatives and friends.
Now, he also had his beloved wife, and children in the future. He didn't want to be separated from them.
He wanted to be like all the men in this village, enjoying family harmony every day; that was enough for him.
As soon as work outside was mentioned, Peng Fei would fall silent. Zhan Jingchun truly hated this attitude of his.
Her mood, which had just improved, plummeted to freezing point because of his demeanor.
Peng Fei silently finished bathing and lay down on the bed, tossing and turning, flattening the bed for her.
Looking at his uninspired state, Zhan Jingchun just wanted to make things difficult for him.
"Take off your clothes and give them to me to wear. I'm cold."
The fire was indeed quite far from the bed. Moreover, for safety reasons, Peng Fei had almost extinguished the fire, leaving only a few embers.
He thought Zhan Jingchun was genuinely cold and obediently took off his shirt and gave it to her.
Zhan Jingchun wrapped herself in the shirt and then asked for his pants.
"My legs are cold too."
Fortunately, his undergarments were all handmade by his mother, wide and loose shorts.
Men often wore them like this in the summer heat, and Fangfang was used to it.
Peng Fei also gave her his pants.
Zhan Jingchun, dressed comfortably, lay down on the bed. Peng Fei covered her with the sheet, and she kicked him to the side.
"Go away, you stink. Stay away from me. Fangfang, come sleep here."
Fangfang lay down between them. Zhan Jingchun covered both of them with the only sheet, leaving Peng Fei with nothing.
But he didn't complain, nor did he feel cold. He just lay there blankly, and perhaps due to exhaustion, he soon fell asleep.
Zhan Jingchun couldn't sleep. Listening to his steady breathing, she felt a wave of restlessness.
"Peng Fei, Peng Fei!"
Peng Fei woke up with a start and sat up, "What's wrong?"
"I'm thirsty. Get me some water."
The fire was about to go out, and there wasn't much firewood left.
But Peng Fei immediately rolled out of bed and started a fire to boil tea for her.
The water was fetched from a mountain spring, and it could have been drunk directly. However, Peng Fei couldn't bear to let her drink cold water.
His clean and refined profile was illuminated by the flames as he busied himself, focused and diligent.
Seeing her brother working so hard, Fangfang felt heartbroken.
"You have to get up and work tomorrow. I can't sleep anyway. Why don't you sleep, and I'll do the boiling?"
Peng Fei stared at the flames, his rough hands rubbing his eyelids forcefully.
"No need. You go to sleep."