It was exactly the time when the villagers were having lunch, so there wasn't much activity around the well.
Adam skillfully tied the rope to the bucket handle and threw it down the well. After a few shakes, the bucket tipped over and filled with water. Soon, it was full to the brim.
The water bucket was very heavy, and the boy looked a little strained. There was no lever or pulley at the well — just a bare, open well.
Clara stepped forward and caught the rope. With just a little effort, she lifted the heavy bucket of water.
Adam stared at her in surprise. In his usually numb expression, a faint light flickered.
She also brought the two ceramic jars she had emptied that morning. Clara poured water from the bucket into the jars until both were full.
Using the remaining water, she rinsed the bucket clean and threw it back down the well. She mimicked Da Lang's earlier movements, shaking the rope, and drew up another full bucket.
One hand held the bucket; the other hugged a ceramic jar. Da Lang carried the remaining jar in his arms.
Perhaps it was the first time he could carry this much water home, the usually mature boy's face broke into a childish, innocent smile.
Maybe it was the food that gave him strength — his steps became lighter as they walked home.
"Mom!"
Before Clara and Adam reached the front door, they saw a small figure standing on the hillside, excitedly calling out.
Seeing her, the child immediately broke into a run, stumbling and rushing toward her.
"Slow down!" Clara hurriedly called out.
But children raised in the countryside were tough. The small, skinny Deb fell along the way but got up by herself. She wiped her dirty hands on her face, which was even dirtier now, and giggled foolishly, seemingly oblivious to the pain.
Deb leaned close to Clara, hugging her and earnestly wanting to help carry the bucket.
Clara was relieved to see that she wasn't hurt. She didn't let her carry the bucket, instead telling her to follow and not run ahead to avoid falling again.
Deb obediently nodded and after a few steps asked with concern, "Mom, is it heavy?"
"Mom, are you tired?"
"Mom, Mom."
Qin Yao was a bit helpless — so this little one was quite talkative.
She patiently answered every question, "Not heavy, not tired."
Ben and Chad had already wiped the dirt out of the empty water barrel. The three brothers were still too weak to carry buckets for fetching water, so the barrel hadn't been used for a long time.
Clara signaled Deb to step back, then poured the bucket water into the barrel.
One bucket plus two jars barely filled a third of it. They still had to make two more trips to fill it.
Looking back at the four Liew siblings standing before her, Clara started assigning chores.
"The house is too dirty. Ben and Chad, you two take the brooms and clean the two rooms thoroughly. Adam and I will go fetch more water. Also, boil a pot of hot water — later, everyone will wash up."
Adam worriedly asked, "What about the fields?"
Other families had nearly finished sowing wheat, but theirs hadn't even started.
To Adam, nothing was more important than planting crops. The weather was perfect these days. If they missed the season, the wheat wouldn't grow well.
Clara knew planting was important, but under the current circumstances, the family didn't even have seeds. What could they use to plant?
"Planting can wait. Let's clean the rooms we'll sleep in tonight first."
After speaking, she filled the iron pot on the stove with water, picked up the empty bucket and ceramic jars, motioned for Adam to follow, and walked into the village.
Deb glanced at Ben and Chad, who still looked stunned, then fetched a broom herself and started sweeping.
"Listening to Mother can't be wrong!"
Ben Liew didn't understand the stepmother's reasoning. The house had been the same for years; why bother cleaning it now?
Chad tugged on his brother's arm and whispered, "brother, if we don't listen, will Mother hit us?"
The two brothers looked at each other and couldn't help but remember Clara's fierce look when she caught the knife with one hand. They shivered and immediately started boiling water, sweeping, and wiping the tables.
By the time Clara had filled the barrel with water, the floor inside was already cleaned by the three siblings who stayed home. They threw the swept-up trash under the big tree behind the house.
The short, three-legged wooden table in the main room was wiped clean. The ground outside the door was also swept. Only the cobwebs high up remained untouched due to their height.
Clara checked everything and was satisfied. Just then, the water in the pot boiled. She pulled out a heavy old wooden basin from under the bed, filled it with hot water, and called Chad and Deb inside to bathe.
The sun was just right — if they bathed quickly, they wouldn't catch a cold.
The twins' hair hadn't been washed in who knows how long; it was all tangled together. If she had scissors, Clara would have cut it all off.
Unfortunately, there weren't any.
Clara helped Deb undress, while Chad took off his own clothes. Though only four years old, without parents to care for them, the children had already learned to dress and undress themselves and even help with farm work.
Deb happily jumped into the basin, while Chad shyly covered himself and hesitated.
Clara was in a hurry — the sun wouldn't stay in the sky forever — so her tone grew stern. "Chad, hurry up."
She kept busy washing, pushing the child into the water with a quick but gentle scrub. Deb didn't feel any pain.
But from Chad's perspective, it was a terrifying scene.
The children's bodies were covered with thick mud. After the first wash, the water was already murky. Clara immediately called outside, "Adam, add more water to the pot!"
She urged the little boy again, "Come in."
Chad's face reddened. He covered his private parts with both hands and stepped into the basin, looking like he was about to cry.
Clara sighed, "Why cry? I don't eat people."
Chad thought: This stepmother is so scary!
Clara grabbed his arm and rubbed the mud off. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she hurried to get the kids clean. She didn't have time to deal with his little tantrum. In no time, both kids finished their first wash.
Their family was so poor they didn't even have a towel. Clara had no choice but to let them wear their dirty clothes again. She carried the dirty water out and quickly refilled the basin with fresh hot water to wash them a second time before feeling somewhat satisfied.
Though their clothes were still dirty, at least the awful smell was gone.
Next were the two older boys. Clara set up the wooden basin and hot water and told them to wash themselves.
She reminded them especially, "Scrub your armpits and bottoms well."
There was no toilet paper in the village — nobody could afford it.
Most villagers used leaves and sticks, picking them as needed. Some careful ones split bamboo into strips about two fingers wide, smoothing the edges to avoid splinters. They'd break off a piece each time and use one strip for five or six days.
But the Liu family didn't have the conditions to do that. Just watching her wash the two younger ones was enough to make the older boys blush.
Adam and Ben blushed deeply and whispered softly that they understood, then went inside to bathe.
Seeing there was still some water left in the barrel, Clara used the bucket to scoop some hot water for herself. She went inside and wiped her body down.
Although she couldn't take a proper bath, given the circumstances, wiping down was enough to satisfy her.
After drying herself, Clara took advantage of the sunshine and went to the hill behind the house to cut some tree branches. She made a simple drying rack, then took out the musty bedding to beat and air it out, removing the mildew smell and dampness.
(End of chapter)