Chapter 4: Drawing Water and Pouring Night Incense
After having breakfast, Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu began washing and mending the clothes of the workers from the sandboat factory.
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They had recently arrived in Shanghai and didn’t know many people. Zhu Wanwan couldn’t have found such work on her own. Thanks to living in the same courtyard with Zhao Auntie, they were able to get this job.
The clothes they were washing were obtained by Zhu Wanwan from the sandboat factory through Zhao Auntie’s connections. Otherwise, the men at the sandboat factory wouldn’t easily give clothes to a completely unfamiliar woman like her.
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However, what Zhu Wanwan ended up with were the dirtiest and most worn-out clothes. Not only were they troublesome to mend, but they were also difficult to clean.
Even because they didn’t have wooden tubs and basins for washing clothes, they had to borrow them from Zhao Auntie’s house. They even had to use Zhao Auntie’s soapberry. In the end, they ended up washing not only the clothes they were supposed to wash but also the ones Zhao Auntie originally intended to wash.
Mu Qiong, unaware of all this, couldn’t sit idly by when he saw Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu’s hands turning white from soaking in the water. He couldn’t rest easy:
“Mom, I’ll wash with you.”
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“You’re a man, how can you wash clothes?” Zhu Wanwan rejected him without much thought. “Qiong, go rest. Your body isn’t well yet.”
Indeed, Mu Qiong’s body was still weak. He felt lethargic all over, occasionally coughing. If not for this condition, he wouldn’t have had to wait until tomorrow to look for work.
Even so, he couldn’t just stand by and watch Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu work:
“I’m fine. Moving around a bit can actually help me recover faster… That’s what the teachers at school always say.”
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“Is that so?” Zhu Wanwan believed him, but she added, “Then why don’t you take a walk in the courtyard, Qiong? You’re meant for greater things; how can you be washing clothes?”
Mu Changyu also nodded in agreement, “Yeah, brother, washing clothes is a woman’s job.”
The original owner, Mu Changqiong, although a bit emotionally vulnerable, was not inherently weak.
When he was around four or five years old, his grandfather hired a scholar to teach him how to read. He lived up to expectations and excelled in his studies. At a young age, he was well-versed in literature and history, displaying remarkable writing skills. This surpassed his father’s achievements during his own childhood. His grandfather valued him greatly and personally guided and taught him.
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After studying for several years, prominent families in Suzhou began sending their children to modern schools, and his grandfather enrolled him in one as well.
At that time, although Suzhou’s modern schools required students to study several subjects, as long as one performed well in Chinese and mathematics, they could skip grades. The original owner, with a solid foundation in Chinese and a quick grasp of mathematics due to his agile mind, continuously skipped grades, ultimately becoming the youngest student in his class.
When he went to Beijing, he had already completed high school in Suzhou and was a distinguished figure in the school.
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Unfortunately, although he was considered a genius in Suzhou, he became a country bumpkin in Beijing. Moreover, due to his complete lack of proficiency in English, he couldn’t even pass the entrance exam for high school. He had no choice but to attend primary school with his younger brother, who was several years his junior.
Nevertheless, despite these challenges, Zhu Wanwan always remembered the words of her deceased father-in-law. She believed that her son would have a bright future.
No matter what Mu Qiong said, neither Zhu Wanwan nor Mu Changyu allowed him to wash clothes. Mu Qiong could only compromise and help them fetch water.
As for this task, Zhu Wanwan didn’t object.
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In Shanghai, water has never been in short supply. Well-off families usually have their own wells, and the Yao family, where they rented, was considered affluent and had its own well.
Adjacent to the main entrance of the Yao family’s residence, two sheds were erected. One was designated as the kitchen for the tenants, and the other served as a storage space for miscellaneous items. In the middle of these sheds, there was a well.
The well was constructed with green bricks, and its hexagonal opening was made of stone. The quality of the stones used for the well’s opening was average, and by now, the well’s opening had been worn into a shallow groove by the ropes used to draw water.
The wooden bucket for fetching water was placed nearby. When Mu Qiong tossed the bucket into the water to draw some, the bucket just floated on the surface without sinking.
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Fortunately, after several attempts and continuous swinging of the rope, he managed to fill the bucket with water.
However, the unfortunate part was that although the bucket was full, he couldn’t lift it. With a little effort, he couldn’t suppress a fit of coughing.
“Pfft!” Laughter came from behind Mu Qiong.
Turning around, Mu Qiong saw a woman in her twenties, with a somewhat ordinary face but well-developed and full-bodied. She was standing behind him, amused.
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The woman was dressed in a brand new high-collared blouse and a skirt that reached her calf, a style quite different from the women in the courtyard. Her attire resembled the clothing worn by female students in some period dramas Mu Qiong had seen before.
Due to her outfit, Mu Qiong initially thought she might be the daughter of the landlady, Mrs. Yao. However, he suddenly realized that her age didn’t match. Mrs. Yao’s two daughters were reportedly still young.
While Mu Qiong was puzzling over this, the woman who had given him pickled vegetables, Zhao Auntie, entered the scene.
“Chunjuan, have you finished washing the apples?” Zhao Auntie asked.
As soon as Zhao Auntie spoke, Mu Qiong noticed that the woman was holding two apples in her hands.
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And… is this woman from the Zhao family?
The two apples looked a bit shriveled, not presenting well, but even so, apples were a rare commodity. It didn’t seem like the kind of thing a family like the Zhao’s would buy.
“Mom, someone is fetching water,” the young woman said, glancing at Zhao Auntie.
“It’s young Mu!” Zhao Auntie noticed Mu Qiong at this moment. “What’s going on… can’t lift it?”
Mu Qiong felt a bit embarrassed; indeed, he couldn’t lift it.
If he had only filled half the bucket, he could have lifted it. But now that the bucket was full, he couldn’t pour the water out. Controlling the bucket with the rope wasn’t a simple task.
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“I’ll do it,” Zhao Auntie said. She stepped forward, gave a strong lift, and easily hoisted Mu Qiong’s filled wooden bucket. Then, she casually took the two apples from her daughter and washed them in the bucket.
“Mom! That’s someone else’s water!” Zhao Chunjuan disagreed with her mother’s actions.
“Apples aren’t dirty. Washing them in this water is fine. You just like to make trouble. Even for eating an apple, you insist on washing it,” Zhao Auntie was not particular. “Right, Young Mu?”
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“Yeah,” Mu Qiong chuckled. He didn’t entirely agree with Zhao Auntie’s actions, but since the water was for laundry, washing a couple of apples in it didn’t seem like a big deal.
“See that?” Zhao Auntie looked somewhat triumphant as she glanced at her daughter. She effortlessly lifted the wooden bucket in front of Mu Qiong. “Young Mu, your health isn’t fully recovered. Since you can’t lift it, let me help you.”
She lifted the bucket and approached Zhu Wanwan, who was washing clothes in front of her own house. “You’re doing the laundry, huh! My daughter came back, and she brought two apples! Have you ever tried apples?”
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“That’s wonderful, Zhao sister. You’re enjoying the blessings of having children,” Zhu Wanwan smiled.
The Mu family was relatively well-off, and they had bought apples before. However, Zhu Wanwan didn’t have a share of them. Of course, she had tasted them because her son and daughter had had apples and let her have a taste.
At this moment, Zhu Wanwan didn’t say much. When she rented the house, she was shy about mentioning her past. She only mentioned that she came from the countryside, and her husband had been forcibly taken away to serve in the military. With her background, she certainly hadn’t had the opportunity to taste apples.
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Moreover, she genuinely felt a bit envious of Zhao Auntie.
Although Zhao Auntie’s family didn’t live an extravagant life, it was much better than hers.
Zhao Auntie enjoyed the admiring gaze from Zhu Wanwan, exchanged a few more words, and then left.
After she left, Mu Qiong asked Zhu Wanwan a few questions and learned that Zhao Chunjuan was Zhao Auntie’s eldest daughter, currently working as a maid in a wealthy family.
As a maid, Zhao Chunjuan not only earned two silver dollars per month, but her employer also provided meals, accommodation, and even made clothes for her. It was considered a good job.
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Moreover, when she occasionally came home, she could bring back things her employer didn’t want, such as clothes to be discarded, empty cans after the family had consumed canned goods, leftover food, and in this case, the two apples were probably rejected by her employer.
“Mom, I want to work as a maid in the future,” Mu Changyu suddenly said.
Before Zhu Wanwan could say anything, Mu Qiong decisively refused, “No way! With your good looks, doing servant’s work…”
Mu Changyu was taken aback, and Mu Qiong continued, “Changyu, being a servant isn’t as easy as you think. You’ll always be ordered around…”
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“Well, it’s not a big deal… but if you don’t want to, then forget it,” Mu Changyu, afraid of upsetting Mu Qiong, smiled to please him.
Seeing her like this, Mu Qiong felt sorry for her.
Although the Mu family wasn’t short of money, due to the chaotic times, the original owner’s grandfather had been hoarding silver and food and was reluctant to spend it.
At that time, aside from the hired laborer who helped with farm work, there was only one middle-aged woman assisting with various tasks in their household.
This woman was efficient in her work, but there was a lot to be done. Occasionally, she also had to work in the fields. Therefore, Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu both had to take care of household chores like cooking and washing clothes.
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Later, when they moved to Beijing, they only had an old man to run errands for them. Not only did they have to handle household chores, but they also had to take care of the original owner’s grandmother, who was ill. They had more work than when they were in Suzhou.
Of course, even though they had chores to do, they didn’t have to worry about food and drink. They didn’t lack various daily necessities. Compared to their current situation, life was much better back then. Mu Changyu probably only thought about becoming a maid because she was tired of the hardships.
Zhu Wanwan and Mu Changyu spent the entire morning washing clothes, and by the end, they had everything cleaned. Mu Qiong also learned how to fetch water from the well and brought half-bucket after half-bucket for Zhu Wanwan.
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At noon, they still had porridge, but this time they used more flour than the previous meals. Mu Changyu also added the leftover pickled vegetables from the morning into the porridge.
The taste of pickled vegetable porridge was surprisingly good.
In the afternoon, Zhu Wanwan went out with Zhao Auntie and returned with some more clothes.
As for Mu Qiong, he took a short nap and then continued to fetch water for Zhu Wanwan. The clothes of the shipyard workers were indeed very dirty, and since they couldn’t afford soap, it was challenging to get them thoroughly clean with just a few washes.
His second day in the new world passed by in a busy blur.
In the evening, Mu Qiong went to bed early, preparing for the job search the next day.
Perhaps tired from carrying water during the day, Mu Qiong fell asleep as soon as he lay down, sleeping soundly through the night.
However, while it was still dark outside, he was suddenly awakened by noises from the street.
Faintly, he heard the sound of someone shouting, “Emptying the chamber pot.” Following that, there were sounds of doors opening and closing, footsteps, and water being poured.
Mu Qiong immediately became alert. Then he “heard” Zhu Wanwan, lying in the bed next to him, getting up, carrying the chamber pot from the corner of the room and his night pot from under the bed, and rushing out.
This wasn’t the countryside, and there were no outdoor pit latrines. They used chamber pots and night pots for going to the bathroom. Mu Qiong had found it very uncomfortable when he used it before, especially since their house didn’t even have toilet paper – they used mulberry leaves to wipe.
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However, he had used it and didn’t realize that the chamber pot needed to be emptied in the middle of the night.
Zhu Wanwan went out, and it took quite a while for her to return. She went back to bed and slept until it was almost dawn. Then, she and Mu Changyu got up together. After folding the clothes and rolling up the mattress they had used to sleep on, they dismantled the “bed.”
The door panel was placed against the wall, and the two stools were placed side by side next to Mu Qiong’s bed, serving as makeshift shelves for their belongings. A new day had begun.
