Madam Chen looked at Aaron, who was carrying a bucket of water. "Big Pillar, pour the water into the jar. I have something to talk to you."
She hadn't closed her eyes for several nights.
At first, when she saw him bring home a young woman, she was very happy. Her eldest son finally seemed to understand. He even helped the girl change clothes and take a bath. That clearly meant they had a relationship. Otherwise, how could a grown man do such things without shame?
She didn't know when that kid and the girl became close. They probably had done more than just that. Otherwise, her son wouldn't do such things.
If he hadn't brought her home, she might still be worrying about him finding a wife.
He found one, but didn't even tell his mother.
But she never expected the girl to fall unconscious and not wake up for so many days.
Lying there, not moving at all, just like dead.
She had a doctor come to check, and the doctor said it was nothing serious.
But after so many days, if there was nothing wrong, that would be strange.
She was thinking maybe by tonight she would have to prepare for the girl's funeral. The girl didn't eat or drink. If she didn't die by now, was she still human?
Madam Chen both worried and felt relieved about her eldest son. When he was little, she never had to worry about him.
But now, in her old age, she had to worry because of him.
How could she handle this girl he brought home?
Aaron poured the water into the jar, leaned the carrying pole against the kitchen door, and squatted down beside his mother who was picking sand from the rough rice. "Mom, you say it."
"You tell me what you want to say."
"How would I know what you want to say?"
"Mom can't control your business, but Big Pillar, there are some things I must say and must ask. Is this girl sick?" Madam Chen sighed in her heart. She wasn't being picky, but if the girl really had problems, her son would suffer in the future. Even if she helped take care of her, she couldn't give up her whole life.
"No, Mom, she might wake up in the next two days."
"Really? Do you think Mom is so easy to fool? No matter how healthy someone is, after so many days…"
"Mom."
Madam Chen shut her mouth and sighed.
Aaron glanced at the closed door and frowned. So many days had passed and the girl still hadn't woken up?
Seeing Aaron silent again, Madam Chen sighed in her heart.
She knew her son was once a soldier, and soldiers value loyalty. Since the dying man asked him to take care of the girl, he would definitely do so.
Besides, if the girl was really sick, would that man still want her?
That last wish was like entrusting a lifetime.
A row of grass huts, seven rooms total. Four sons each had a room, the old couple had one, plus a hall.
Another room was for the daughter, now used for grandchildren.
The low grass house had small windows, less than half a square meter. The windows had small grids covered by newspapers.
After winter and now wind, rain, and sun, the newspapers were torn and ragged.
Sunlight came through holes in the window and fell inside.
Even so, the grass house was dim inside.
The room was simply furnished: a table, stools, a wardrobe, a bed, and a square cabinet by the bed.
The furniture was clearly new, made from raw wood with tung oil finish.
Stella, who had been unconscious for days, opened her eyes.
She looked at the thin quilt covering her, sat up, and looked down at the clothes on her body.
She gently tapped her head and glanced around the room. She lifted the quilt and saw a pair of cloth shoes under the bed.
Frowning slightly, she stood up and breathed out slowly. Every day she was awake for a little while. Using her mind, she could hear the Zhou family talking.
She hadn't expected to have traveled through time, ending up in the 1960s.
Honestly, Stella didn't know how she felt now.
Happy? Maybe, at least she no longer needed to worry about city alarms waking her at night, or endless fighting.
As for other things, maybe she couldn't die even if she wanted to.
At least in the apocalypse, there were threats to her life. But now? Was there any?
Looking at the clothes she wore, Stella took out a fresh set from her space and put it on the table.
The clothes came from her personal space, which she had gotten accidentally when the apocalypse first started.
The space was very large, about the size of three football fields.
It was full of items collected before the apocalypse.
Over the years, even if she wasted things, the full space supply was like a drop in the bucket.
She took off her clothes. Just then, she heard footsteps outside. As she was about to speak, the door opened.
Aaron's face immediately turned red. "I didn't know you were awake."
He stood there awkwardly at the doorway. Luckily, he was tall and strong. The low grass house door was almost blocked by his whole body. His heart pounded hard.
He had faced many crises but never this kind of situation.
Should he leave or stay? His mind froze.
He didn't know if he should turn and leave or stay...
But after thinking, he decided to stay. After all, he had already seen everything.
When she fainted, she was covered in blood. He couldn't just bring her back like that.
So he took off her clothes and cleaned her.
He wasn't trying to "take advantage."
Her condition back then would have made anyone see her as a monster.
Stella glanced at Aaron, then looked down at her chest where the wound was healing.
She picked up the clothes from the cabinet and put them on piece by piece.
Not a single inch of her body was missing.
Although the apocalypse broke many people's morals, Stella always kept her basic humanity.
She wasn't trying to peek at her body.
Seeing Stella turn around, Aaron cleared his throat to ease the awkwardness. He honestly said, "When you were unconscious, I changed your clothes. Because of your wound, it wasn't easy to have others see it."
Hearing her eldest son speak, Madam Chen, who was sitting by the door picking gravel, quickly stood up and rushed to the room's entrance.
Shana had just come out of the room carrying a bowl. Seeing her mother-in-law's anxious expression, her eyes lit up. Could it be that the woman her cousin brought back had died?
Madam Chen handed Aaron out and looked at Stella standing inside the room. She breathed a big sigh of relief.
She was really afraid something bad had happened to this girl. Her son had finally liked a girl and got along well with her. He had visited the girl many times. If something bad happened to her, her eldest son might be single forever. What would she do then?
Madam Chen looked at Stella standing there gracefully and felt more and more pleased. The girl was very tall. In the future, her grandson would definitely be tall too.
Because conditions were tough now, most people these days weren't very tall. In the countryside, anyone taller than 1.7 meters was considered very tall.
When looking for a daughter-in-law, people hoped to find a tall woman to improve the family's genes.
Aaron was 1.8 meters tall, which was rare nowadays.
Stella was 1.7 meters tall, which was tall even in modern times. Nowadays, it was even rarer to see a woman this tall.
Madam Chen walked up to Stella in two steps and grabbed her hand. She smiled with relief, "Girl, you really scared me. Thank the Buddha! Thank the Buddha! You finally woke up. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"No, Auntie. Sorry for troubling you," Stella gave a faint smile. She felt a bit uneasy with Madam Chen holding her hand and slightly frowned.
"What trouble? You coming here is a joy, no matter what trouble it brings."
Shana stood at the door, looking at Stella. Seeing the dress she wore, it was obvious it was expensive. She had only seen such dresses in magazines, never in real life.
Especially with Stella's charming look, Shana felt very jealous.
Seeing her mother-in-law so happy made her even more jealous. She was her mother-in-law's niece, but her mother-in-law never smiled at her like that.
She immediately felt this unknown woman entering the family might seriously threaten her position in her mother-in-law's heart.
Shana looked up and down at Stella. Her dress, her style, and her face all showed she was from a wealthy family.
Could she be the daughter of a capitalist?
The more she thought, the more she believed it was likely. How could an ordinary family raise a woman like her?
Her Zhou family had been poor for eight generations, pure commoners.
A woman like this wanting to enter her home? Forget it.
Shana glanced at Aaron and sneered in her heart. If she hadn't interfered, she wouldn't be Shana.
A thirty-year-old man just finding a woman to live with was already good, yet he was picky?
What was wrong with her cousin? She just had two troublesome kids. They didn't bother him. Just feed them, and when they grow up, they could earn some money.
"This young lady, judging by your dress and your look, your family conditions must not be simple! You're not a capitalist's daughter, are you? Don't scare us! Our family is just ordinary people, with pure commoner roots for eight generations. Someone like you wanting to enter our home? I'm telling you, don't even think about it. My cousin lost his mind, my aunt lost her mind, but that doesn't mean the whole family is crazy. Whatever you're thinking, I know very clearly."
After saying this, Shana put down her hand on her chest and looked proudly at Stella.
Madam Chen's happy face immediately darkened. Others might not know Stella's background, but she did. She just didn't want to explain it to the family.
She was so angry she wished she could take off her shoe and slap Shana's face several times. The girl hadn't even officially entered the family yet, and this troublemaker was already causing trouble. How would people see the Zhou family?
This wasn't right. Even if it was true, it shouldn't be said like that. It was enough that their family knew.
Even if it was true, Madam Chen accepted it. For her son to get married, she didn't care about Stella's background.
He was thirty years old. People his age in the village had kids already marrying or getting married for years.
Her family? There was no news at all. As a mother, how could she not be anxious?
Since he came back for more than half a year, she didn't know how many gray hairs she had from worrying about his marriage.
"Girl, you just woke up. Rest well. I'll make you something to eat. Eldest son, accompany the girl and talk to her properly," Madam Chen glared at Aaron. "If you dare to bully the girl, see how I deal with you."
Madam Chen smiled at Stella and took out a red envelope she had prepared for days from her pocket. She handed it to Stella. "Girl, this is a little gift. Don't refuse."
After that, Madam Chen's face turned very dark. She grabbed Shana's wrist at the door and dragged her back to her room.
"Auntie, Auntie, what are you doing? What are you doing?"
Aaron came in, closed the door, and glanced at the red envelope in Stella's hand. "How's your injury?"
"Okay for now."
Aaron nodded. "Good, good. Stay home for now. Rest until you recover."
Madam Chen scolded Shana, then turned and poured a bowl of brown sugar water to give to Stella.
Her eldest daughter-in-law had been unconscious for several days and had just woken up. This was to help her recover some strength.
But unexpectedly, after a short while, the door was closed.
Standing at the door, Madam Chen looked conflicted. She wanted to hold a great-grandson soon, but the girl had just woken up. Her eldest son was so impatient. What if she got hurt again?
After thinking for a moment, Madam Chen lowered her voice awkwardly and said, "Eldest son, Dazhuzi, your wife just woke up. Don't act recklessly. If you hurt her, you'll regret it later. Let your wife drink some brown sugar water first. Egg soup will be ready soon."
The two inside the room both showed a little embarrassment on their faces.