The woman was washing clothes seriously with her head bowed. The weather had become hotter and hotter after the Divine Capital entered summer. At this moment, it was only early morning, yet sweat beads had already formed on her nose and forehead. However, she did not even lift her hand to wipe the sweat. She just repeated the same washing motion without any change.
Beads of sweat fell one by one into the large wooden tub, like pearls falling off a pearl necklace due to a broken string.
But the sweat beads were soon covered by the foam from the soap, as if they had never fallen in.
"Knock, knock, knock ---"
Suddenly, there was a knocking sound at the front door of the courtyard.
A young man dressed in black stood in front of the not-so-tall courtyard door, smiling as he looked inside and asked, "Excuse me, Elder Sister, I'm here to find Big Brother Song next door. He's not home, can I come in for a glass of water and wait here?"
The woman quickly wiped the sweat off her forehead. Hearing the young man call her "elder sister," she felt a little happy. At this moment, she smiled and said, "Sure, there's no problem. Come in and have a seat!"
She opened the courtyard door and was about to run into the house to boil water for tea. Feeling a little embarrassed, she said, "There's nothing good at home, there are only some tea leaves. Please don't mind, sir."
Chen Chao was just about to wave his hand to decline the offer, but perhaps it was because she had not had guests in a long time, the woman did not give him the chance to refuse and went into the house to prepare tea.
Chen Chao thought for a moment and sat down in front of the wooden tub where the woman had been sitting, and began to wash the clothes with familiarity.
Although he was helping Song Lian to ask what this woman thought, if it took too long, she would not be able to finish her work for the day, which would be very troublesome.
Soon, the woman came out holding a large white porcelain bowl and an iron kettle. Seeing Chen Chao washing clothes, she immediately frowned. It was not that she did not appreciate the young man's help, but she was subconsciously worried about how much soap and water he would waste. Washing clothes was already a low-paying job, if this youth wasted any, she would probably earn even less. However, after a few glances, she discovered to her surprise that the young man was actually not washing clothes much slower than her. Furthermore, not only did he use very little soap, but he also washed them very cleanly. In just this short while, the woman's impression of the young man improved by several points.
What the woman did not know was that during those years in Wei Prefecture, Chen Chao lived alone. He was naturally very familiar with cooking and washing clothes. He knew how to use the least amount of soap and water to wash clothes clean. Everything needed money and almost all his money had to be used to buy spirit medicines to temper his body. He could only be thrifty and had to save wherever possible.
"Put it down quickly, how can I let Sir do this kind of thing? Come and have some tea, Sir!" The woman hurriedly spoke, with no hint of reproach in her eyes. Instead, she was extremely happy.
Chen Chao stood up. Taking the clothes which looked like they needed another round of washing, there were still some old stains that could not be removed. He paid no attention to it and poured the tea and drank it in one gulp. Then he exclaimed in surprise, "This is the rock tea from Yushan County. It's actually most thirst-quenching when cooled down!"
The woman brought over a stool. Based on Chen Chao's previous actions, she felt a lot closer to Chen Chao. She felt that this young man was different from those people she had met before, very kind. He should also be from a poor family.
Chen Chao put down the teacup, poured another cup and let it cool. Then, he smiled and said, "Elder Sister, just focus on washing clothes. I'll sit in the courtyard for a while and won't hold up your work. If you have time, we can chat for a while."
The woman smiled and said, "Don't stand on ceremony then, we can just chat like old friends."
Chen Chao glanced at the distant loft and then looked back at the woman. He opened his mouth to ask, "What has Big Brother Song next door been busy with lately? I've come here several times, but I haven't seen him at home."
The woman did not know much about the big and tall man who always remained silent whenever she saw him. She thought for a moment and said, "I'm not sure either. It seems like he hasn't been living here for long. I don't know the specifics of his job, it's just that I'll only run into him from time to time. He always has a stern expression, so even if I want to greet him sometimes, I don't really dare."
Hearing this, Chen Chao could not help but snicker inwardly, thinking that it turned out that was how Commander Song treated the woman in front of him. No wonder there had been no progress for so many days.
"My Big Brother Song is actually a nice person, he's just a man of few words. He mentioned to me before that the neighbors around here are all pretty good, but it's a pity that such a good person has no one by his side to talk to at this age."
As he spoke, Chen Chao sighed and observed the woman's expression.
The woman became interested, perhaps due to the nature of women, and asked, "Why hasn't he married at his age?"
Chen Chao said, "When he was young, his family was busy with his older brother's marriage, so they neglected Big Brother Song. Later, when the family had some money, he had given up on the idea on marriage and has been alone until now. But a few days ago, he mentioned that he often can't sleep alone at night. I reckon that he should probably find someone..."
The woman continued washing clothes without looking up, smiling and saying, "He's well-built, so it shouldn't be hard to find a wife if he has some extra money."
Chen Chao nodded and said, "Yes, that's true. I just don't know if he can find someone. But I know my Elder Brother Song doesn't care much for looks, he just looks at the personality. Right, a diligent and capable homemaker like you, Elder Sister, Big Brother Song will definitely..."
By relying on his glib tongue, Chen Chao got very close to the woman after half a day. Seeing as it was approaching noon, the woman smiled and said, "Little Chen, stay for lunch. There's nothing good to eat at home, so just make do."
Seeing that the timing was pretty good, Chen Chao glanced towards the loft again and gave Song Lian a look.
Before long, Song Lian walked past outside of the courtyard, his body straight as a ramrod.
Chen Chao shouted loudly. Song Lian turned his head stiffly and was silent for a while before responding, "What?"
The corners of Chen Chao's mouth twitched, thinking to himself that this old bachelor was really a blockhead.
However, he quickly turned to the woman and said, "I would like to stay for lunch, but Big Brother Song is here now. I'm afraid it would be inappropriate to disturb you, Elder Sister."
The woman was somewhat displeased and said, "There's no trouble. Stay and eat together."
The woman went inside to cook, while Chen Chao washed and hung up the remaining clothes. He then looked at that old bachelor who was sitting bolt upright on the bench. Gritting his teeth a little, he asked, "Can't you go inside and help stoke the fire? Maybe chat a little with that elder sister while you're at it?"
Song Lian nodded his head seriously in hindsight, realizing his mistake.
Then, he exhaled a turbid breath before heading inside. This scene stunned Chen Chao.
What manner of celestial being was this guy?
Soon, food was served. The three people sat at a square table with the woman and Song Lian sitting facing each other, while Chen Chao sat at the side.
Seeing Song Lian's stiff expression, Chen Chao could not help but sigh with exasperation.
The woman felt a bit embarrassed looking at the simple fare on the table and said, "It's just humble fare, don't mind it."
When Chen Chao heard this, he quickly kicked Commander Song.
Only then, did Song Lian come to a realization and react, saying seriously, "It's delicious, I don't dislike it."
Seeing Song Lian's expression, the woman had a faint smile on her face.
Song Lian was a little absent-minded.
After finishing their meal and cleaning up, they chatted a while longer with that woman. However, it was mostly Chen Chao who did the talking. Song Lian found it difficult to get a word in. But the atmosphere was still considered pretty good.
Chen Chao suddenly said, "Big Brother Song, didn't you say that you don't come home often and have always wanted to hire a lady to tidy up the courtyard?"
Song Lian was taken aback and asked doubtfully, "Have I?"
Chen Chao was expressionless, "What do you think?"
Song Lian came to a sudden realization and said, "That's right."
Chen Chao smiled and said to the woman, "Elder Sister, when you have time, could you help clean up his place? You don't have to be too diligent either, just once every three to five days. As for the money, that can be negotiated."
Chen Chao gave a signal to Song Lian with his eyes. The latter quickly took out a money pouch. Inside was a bag of skygold currency.
Chen Chao wanted to kill him at this moment.
He squeezed out an ugly smile and asked, "Don't you have any Great Liang general currency...?!"
About the term 'Elder Sister', it's a little tricky to explain, but Chen Chao isn't exactly calling her elder sister. It's a polite way of addressing a clearly middle-aged woman without making her sound old.
Same as 'Sir', she isn't quite calling him sir. It's just a polite way of calling a young man. In another context, it would be 'young master'.