Chapter 35 - 035 Pick and choose
Tian Sisi woke up to see a large crowd gathered around her, their expressions somber as if attending a funeral. She couldn’t help but find it amusing and said to the weeping Granny Zhao, "Granny, is there any water to drink? I’m about to die of thirst." Granny Zhao quickly wiped her tears and went to get her granddaughter some water to drink, while Jin Wanming brought over a shining needle, prepared to lance the blisters. Tian Sisi retracted her foot in fear, "Second Aunt, my foot doesn’t hurt anymore, please put the needle away."
Jin Wanming laughed and said, "Silly Ah Nan, if you don’t lance these blisters they will hurt more. Don’t worry, Second Aunt will be very gentle, it won’t hurt at all."
As soon as Jin Wanming finished, she held Tian Sisi’s foot and started lancing the blisters, one by one. In reality, lancing the blisters indeed didn’t hurt, but Tian Sisi was psychologically affected; as soon as she saw the needle approaching, she couldn’t help but hiss in anticipation, causing those nearby to laugh, lightening the previously heavy atmosphere quite a bit.
Jianguo didn’t suffer as much as Tian Sisi, only having a few small blisters. Lancing them with a needle and squeezing out the water was sufficient, and he was fine. Although Granny Zhao felt sorry for her granddaughter’s suffering, her heart was also filled with joy. The years-old knot in her heart had finally been untied, and from then on, she wouldn’t need to be secretive when wanting to help Man Lan. All these were thanks to Ah Nan’s efforts.
"All’s well that ends well with the children, and dinner is going to be delicious—I’m so hungry my stomach is growling," said Tian Manmu with a chuckle.
Granny Zhao slapped her forehead and hurried with Li Yuedi into the kitchen to serve the hot dishes. With three extra little ones around, she planned to cook a few more dishes to ensure her grandsons didn’t go hungry. Outside the house, Tian Xinhua, seeing that Tian Sisi was fine apart from the injuries on her feet, also breathed a sigh of relief, yet he couldn’t help but feel distressed for her and unusually refrained from teasing her when she hissed.
"Ah Nan, Xin Hua, you two really don’t think things through. Wouldn’t it have been better to bring Bao Guo back first and then go to get Jianguo and Weiguo tomorrow? That way, Ah Nan wouldn’t have had to suffer like this," Tian Shouhua joked with his younger siblings. They were children at heart, overcomplicating such a simple matter and causing themselves so much trouble.
"No way, Jianguo and Weiguo’s cotton-padded jackets are too thin. If they freeze all night, they might get sick," Tian Sisi said resolutely. Of course, she knew Brother Shouhua’s plan would have been best, but she just couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the two kids to freeze and go hungry. Whenever she imagined Jianguo and Weiguo shivering under thin quilts in the cold night, her heart ached. Besides, with the three children here, covering up with two quilts each wasn’t so cold.