The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

Chapter 25 Help

The night was deep.

Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue had just finished showering and were getting into bed when there was another cautious knock on the door.

This startled both of them.

"Go and see who's here," Li Ruoxue said, blushing.

A woman's low, anxious voice called out, "Brother Dachun? Is Brother Dachun asleep? It's me, Lin Jie."

Lin Dachun and Li Ruoxue exchanged a glance.

Lin Dachun put his clothes back on and slipped on his shoes to open the door.

Standing outside the door was Lin Jie, around thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a decent appearance, but due to years of hard work, fine lines had appeared at the corners of her eyes, and her face was filled with difficulty and pleading.

She is the wife of Lin Hao, Lin Dachun's good brother.

Last autumn, Lin Hao was building a house for someone in a neighboring village when he fell off the roof beam. He survived, but both of his legs were broken, leaving him paralyzed on the kang (a heated brick bed). Suddenly, all the burdens of the household and the outside world fell on Lin Jie's shoulders.

"Lin Jie, what's up so late?" Lin Dachun asked.

"Brother Dachun, I'm so sorry to bother you so late..." Lin Jie rubbed her hands together, her voice urgent. "My water tank cracked this afternoon, and it's leaking badly. I can't move the empty tank by myself... I'd like to ask you to help me carry it out."

"Let's see if we can find a way to fix it tomorrow, or get a smaller one to make do with for now. Haozi... sigh, listening to the leaking sound of the vat, I'm anxious, but I can't get out of bed..."

After listening, Lin Dachun said without hesitation, "Okay, I'll go right now."

He turned back to Li Ruoxue, who had followed him out, and said, "I'll be right back. You go to sleep first. Don't open the door for strangers, okay? Lock the door."

"I understand." Li Ruoxue walked over and closed the door.

It became pitch black outside.

Lin Jie looked at Lin Dachun, her face full of confusion.

"What's wrong, little sister?" Lin Dachun asked from outside the cave dwelling.

"Ruoxue was dressed like that in the cave dwelling?" Lin Jie had seen it.

Li Ruoxue was wearing a black lace dress.

"Well, my kang (heated brick bed) has plenty of firewood, so it's very warm inside. I don't feel cold even if I'm not wearing many clothes," Lin Dachun explained.

"Am I talking about the issue of being cold or warm? I mean wearing too little clothing," Lin Jie joked.

"What are you saying? Let's go." Lin Dachun was very embarrassed.

On the road.

Lin Jie clearly wasn't going to let the topic rest, and continued, "You all slept on the same kang (heated brick bed)?"

"Our whole family has always slept on one kang (heated brick bed), and everyone in the village sleeps on one kang. Who has the means to have multiple kangs?"

"Hey girl, let's not talk about this anymore, shall we? Hehe."

"What's so embarrassing about you being a man? Anyway, I think that if you're sleeping on the same kang (heated brick bed) and there's no one else around, it's bound to be awkward!" Lin Jie asked cautiously.

Lin Dachun was speechless; this was utterly outrageous.

"If you don't answer, I'll take that as a yes," Lin Jie said with a smile. "Anyway, I don't know what you men think, but I know what we women think."

"What were you thinking?" Lin Dachun asked curiously.

Lin Jie said mysteriously, then she whispered in Lin Dachun's ear.

"Stop spreading nonsense. You guys just love gossip and spreading all sorts of rumors. Don't do that again."

Lin Dachun followed Lin Jieshen, walking unsteadily towards the other end of the village.

Lin Hao's house was better than Lin Dachun's cave dwelling; it was a proper mud-brick house, but at this moment, the house was filled with a faint smell of medicine and a depressing atmosphere.

Lin Hao was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed). When he saw Lin Dachun come in, he struggled to sit up, his face showing both gratitude and shame: "Brother Dachun... I'm so sorry to have troubled you again... I'm such a useless person..."

"Lie still and don't move. Why are you saying all this?" Lin Dachun waved his hand to stop him.

He and Lin Hao had been friends since they were little, playing together all the time. He had been worried about Lin Hao ever since the accident.

The large, cracked water vat in the kitchen was indeed half empty.

It took Lin Dachun and Lin Jie working together to barely move the heavy earthenware jar into the yard.

Upon inspection, the crack is quite large and difficult to repair.

"Let's use a basin to catch it first. Tomorrow I'll try to go to town and see if there are any cheaper earthenware jars, or we can make do with two small buckets for now," Lin Dachun suggested.

Lin Jie thanked him repeatedly and fetched water for Lin Dachun to wash his hands.

Under the dim light, she looked at Lin Dachun with his sleeves rolled up, revealing his strong forearms, and then thought of the man on her own kang (heated brick bed) who could no longer stand up. A pang of sorrow welled up in her heart, along with an indescribable sense of dependence and warmth.

During this period, whenever there was any heavy physical work to be done at home, such as carrying water, chopping wood, or making repairs, Lin Dachun would come over to help without saying a word.

He was a man of few words, but he worked efficiently and never gave her a second glance or uttered a single idle word.

But the more honest and measured he was, the more his heart, already suffering in hardship and coldness, couldn't help but stir up unwanted thoughts and ripples.

"Brother Dachun... I feel so bad for troubling you every time..." Lin Jie handed over the towel, her voice slightly choked. "Your family is busy too, and you've also taken on a mountain tour..."

"It's all my duty. Lin Hao is my brother." Lin Dachun took the towel, wiped his hands, and said calmly, "You've been supporting this family all by yourself; it's not easy. If there's any heavy work, just let me know."

These words were meant to comfort, but to Lin Jie, they sounded more like understanding and care, causing the little flame that shouldn't have been burning in her heart to quietly rise a bit more.

As she watched Lin Dachun turn to leave, she almost blurted out, "Brother Dachun! You...you wait!"

Lin Dachun stopped and looked back at her.

Lin Jie's face flushed slightly under the light, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, her eyes darting around yet carrying a hint of reckless courage: "I...I cooked some millet porridge, it's still warm, you...you should have a bowl before you go? You've been busy all day..."

This invitation went beyond simple gratitude; it carried a clear sense of intimacy.

Inside the room, Lin Hao, lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), seemed to sense something and let out a heavy sigh.

Lin Dachun, being the kind of person he was, immediately understood the unspoken meaning in Lin Jie's words and the emotions in her eyes.

He frowned almost imperceptibly, his heart calm, only filled with a heavy clarity of morality and propriety.

"No need, Lin Jie." His voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable distance. "Ruoxue is still waiting at home. Don't worry about the jar; I'll come see it again tomorrow. Take good care of Lin Hao, and take care of yourself too."

After saying that, he didn't linger. He nodded to Lin Hao on the kang (a heated brick bed), turned around, and strode away from Lin Hao's house.

He kept that gaze, a mixture of gratitude, dependence, and hazy affection, as well as the oppressive smell of medicine, behind him.

But Sister-in-law Lin Jie chased after them, clearly with a purpose.