Scrambling home with a frantic heart, she melted more lard, bundled more dry grass onto branches, and, grabbing a box of matches, went to the village entrance in the dark to light it.
Just as the torch was about to extinguish, and she was about to cry in desperation, she saw faint lights in the distance.
Discarding the dying torch, she stared at the distant lights, which grew closer and closer, heading towards their Kushan. It must be her elder brother and sister-in-law.
"Brother, Sister-in-law," Li Min shouted aloud.
"Eh," Tian Jing responded with a raised voice.
It was Tian Jing's voice; her elder brother and sister-in-law were back. Li Min, excited, ran to the bank of the Ku River, but it was too dark to see across. She could only wait by the river.
Since Li Min was there, Tian Jing naturally wouldn't allow Li Zhengguo to carry her across the river again. "You should trust that I can cross."
Li Zhengguo pursed his lips and nodded. It was all his sister's fault; he couldn't use this opportunity to carry Tian Tian.
Tian Jing 'carefully' crossed to the other side. Li Min excitedly grabbed her arm, "Sister-in-law, what did you buy?"
"Calm down, I still need to go pick up your brother," Tian Jing pulled her arm away and handed her the bamboo basket.
"Carry this; there are two thermoses inside. Don't drop them."
Two thermoses? Li Min was a little stunned.
Tian Jing pushed her, "If you're going to be like this, go home first and don't cause trouble here. There's still a lot of stuff on the cart; will your surprises ever end?"
Li Min came to her senses and carefully hoisted the bamboo basket onto her shoulder. "I can do it, I can do it."
Tian Jing then handed her the plastic bucket and a string of enamel cups. "There's kerosene in the plastic bucket; be careful."
"Yes, yes." Li Min stopped daydreaming. This was so little stuff! Her sister-in-law said there was a lot more; that meant many surprises. She needed to stay calm.
Tian Jing carried the kerosene lamp across the river. "Li Zhengguo, move the things over. I'll watch this side."
"Mm." In the time since, Li Zhengguo had already untied the bundled baskets and was now moving things over in batches.
Trip after trip, Li Min was stunned into silence. Only then did Li Zhengguo push the wheelbarrow across the river.
Tian Jing followed behind, carrying the kerosene lamp and a cloth bundle.
Li Zhengguo loaded the items into baskets and onto the cart again, covered them with blankets, and secured the cart.
Li Mu, also made anxious and restless by her daughter, finally heard voices. She felt her way in the dark and leaned by the door, asking, "Is it Zhengguo and Tiantian?"
"Yes, Mother, we're back."
"Yes, Mother-in-law, we're back. Mother-in-law, why aren't you lighting a lamp?" Tian Jing asked casually upon seeing the dark house.
"There are no candles and no kerosene lamps," replied Li Min, who was behind her.
Huh? The west room had candles lit every day?
Then, Tian Jing thought of Li Zhengguo's selfishness. This man was impossible to describe. If you said he was heartless, he gave all his affection to the original owner. If you said he was affectionate, he treated his own mother just so-so.
Tian Jing held the kerosene lamp high and walked up to Li Mu. "Mother-in-law, can you see? We've bought a lot of things."
"I can see, I can see." Li Mu smiled broadly. When her daughter-in-law held up the kerosene lamp, she saw her son pushing the high-piled wheelbarrow. They had indeed bought a lot of things. "Mother will go and heat up some sweet potatoes for you."
"No hurry," Tian Jing pulled Li Mu. "Wait until we've unloaded the things, then ask Li Zhengguo to light the kerosene lamps, and you can heat them. It's dark, and you can't see clearly."
"Okay." Li Mu was held back and didn't struggle, content to follow her daughter-in-law's lead.
Under the light from her sister-in-law's lamp, Li Min steadily placed the bamboo basket in a corner of the kitchen, then put down the string of enamel cups.
She then picked up the kerosene bucket and walked out. "Brother, bring out the lamps first."
"Li Min, this bundle in my hand is it. Take it and open it carefully; there's a glass lampshade inside."
"Why buy a lampshade?" Li Min put down the plastic bucket, took the cloth bundle from her sister-in-law, placed it gently on the ground, and slowly opened it, muttering as she did.
"The lampshade gets blackened with soot and needs cleaning, and it can break easily."
"Less smoke, less glare, and windproof." Tian Jing rolled her eyes. How much force did this person use to clean a lampshade?
Li Zhengguo had just taken down the cotton and wool bundles when he heard his sister's surprised voice, "Why did you buy so many lamps?"
"Shut up!" Li Zhengguo growled. His sister was too impulsive, far from Tiantian. At this moment, he completely forgot Tiantian's psychological age.
"Oh." Li Min knew she had been overly excited again. Her sister-in-law had already disliked her by the river.
Tian Jing placed the kerosene lamp on the ground and squatted beside Li Min to help. "Hurry up and open all the lamps and tell your brother to pour the oil."
There were only three kerosene lamps in total. Two hung at the entrance of the main room, and one at the entrance of the kitchen. That should be bright enough, right?
All the kerosene lamps? Three of them, right? How much kerosene would be used? Li Min grumbled inwardly, but her hands quickly unscrewed the oil tank opening on the side of the lamp.
Tian Jing unscrewed the lamp heads of four kerosene lamps separately. "Li Zhengguo, fill the oil tanks of these lamps, and later you'll find glass bottles and pour the kerosene out."
"I'll go find them."
Li Min stood up, but Tian Jing stopped her. "Can you see?"
Uh, she couldn't.
With seven lamps lit, one in each room, and three kerosene lamps hung as Tian Jing intended, the Li family's house and yard were immediately brightly illuminated.
"Comfortable," Tian Jing clapped her hands. "It's so unpleasant to be in the dark when night falls. From now on, if there's anything to do, light them like this. When there's nothing to do, just hang one at the kitchen door. For the indoor lamps, only light them when you need them."
Li Mu and Li Min breathed a sigh of relief, glad they hadn't said to light them all every day. With the house lit up, Li Mu went to the kitchen to start a fire and heat the sweet potatoes.
Tian Jing urged Li Zhengguo to unload everything onto the table in the main hall for her to organize. The grain should be moved to the table in their west room first; it wasn't suitable for the kitchen and wasn't safe.
The fabrics should also be moved over and sorted tomorrow when it was light.
Li Min followed her brother into the west room, carrying things. Looking at the bolts of fabric and the more than ten pieces of cloth, she felt both joy and heartache.
After putting down the items, Li Zhengguo quietly warned his sister, "From now on, don't enter the west room casually. Your sister-in-law doesn't like it. If you need to come in, ask your sister-in-law first, or knock before entering, understand?"
Li Min quickly nodded. She had to understand.
After coming out, she saw the yarn again, and her anticipation for the fabric lessened. "Sister-in-law, do I, do I have any for me?"
"Yes," Tian Jing waved her hand. "Don't worry, everything I bought, we all have. If there's anything missing, it can only be for your brother, but it can't be for you."
"Thank you, Sister-in-law," Li Min smiled foolishly, holding the yarn. Tian Jing pushed her. "Hurry and take it to the west room. There are many small miscellaneous items here."
Then, Li Min watched as her sister-in-law threw towels, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, Pelegrine Cream, undershirts, socks, handkerchiefs, yellow sneakers, layered shoe soles, autumn shirts, and autumn pants, one by one, into a porcelain basin.
The last item, which couldn't be thrown in, was a mirror.