CMWKSD -Chapter 16 Changing Rooms

As dusk fell, no matter how many questions people had, they could only keep them to themselves.

After everyone hurriedly finished eating and washing up, they each went back to their own places and found their own beds.

Jiu Yue watched as Ji Youqin followed behind Su Ruo back into their room, and she frowned slightly.

She said to Ji Yiqing, who was pouring out Ji Chaomian’s foot-washing water, “Your little sister is already this old, and she’s still sharing a room with her parents?”

Of course Ji Yiqing knew that wasn’t appropriate, but before this, where had there been any rooms for them?

Ji Dahai and Su Ruo lived in a storage room, with a curtain hung in the middle to separate off a space for Ji Youqin.

Ji Yiqing and Ji Chaomian lived in the woodshed. A wall had been built down the middle, making it so small you could barely turn around.

When the two brothers were studying at the academy, they rarely came home, and Ji Youqin would stay in his room. When they came back, the brothers would share one room, and Ji Youqin would have her own.

Wasn’t it just that yesterday she had still been staying in her elder brother’s room, and only moved out on her own after he got married?

The east and west wing rooms were side by side, each with four rooms, and the main hall even had three rooms.

The sons of Ji Dahu and Ji Dajiang were away at the academy all year round and rarely came back, and their daughters each occupied a room as well.

Even when rooms were sitting empty, no one ever thought of letting Ji Youqin or Ji Yiqing and his siblings live in them.

So no one was shortchanged—except Ji Dahai’s family. And Ji Dahai, being honest and simple, never spoke up to resist.

But Jiu Yue was not the type to just swallow things quietly.

Forget the rooms—even the bed boards were unbearable. She couldn’t even lie flat on them; they were so hard it felt like lying directly on concrete. Sleeping was the same as not sleeping at all.

She glared angrily at the bed board in Ji Yiqing’s room. Ji Yiqing also knew it was hard. “How about I go ask Mother for another quilt to put underneath, so you can sleep a bit better?”

Jiu Yue turned and walked straight outside. Ji Yiqing hurried to follow.

They saw Jiu Yue bang bang bang kick open the doors of the east and west wing rooms, and the noises from the main hall finally stopped.

Ji Dahu, Shen Mei, and Li Xiaocao had just been about to undress and go to bed. Hearing the commotion, they scrambled up in panic. “What’s going on? What’s going on?”

Ji Dahai and Su Ruo also ran over.

Jiu Yue jerked her chin toward the main hall. “Grandpa and Grandma are better. You two go take a look.”

Ji Dahu and Shen Mei didn’t dare disobey and rushed over anxiously.

Ji Dahu went in first to tidy up his father, then let Shen Mei go in to tend to his mother.

The room was a complete mess, and there was a smell. Shen Mei almost vomited the moment she went in.

Taking advantage of this time, Jiu Yue wandered through the rooms one by one.

You really couldn’t compare wing rooms to woodsheds or storage rooms.

Winters in Ji Family Village seemed to get heavy snow, so the wing rooms all had brick kang beds built in—every single room had one.

It was clear the Ji family’s financial base wasn’t that bad. After all, there were so many men in the household; they had plenty of labor.

Ji Dahu and Ji Dajiang were both the scheming type. They might not have had a lot of silver, but they definitely had some.

Those wide, spacious kang beds looked hard too, but once you laid cotton quilts on them, they were infinitely better than those creaky, uneven bed boards.

Ji Chaomian didn’t know what was happening outside. He only heard the banging and thudding. He wanted to call out, but was afraid of becoming a burden.

He slapped his numb, unfeeling legs hard. No matter how much he pretended not to care, he was still miserable inside.

Once the astonishingly talented eldest son of the Ji family, now crippled in a single blow, unable to do anything.

Just as he was feeling confused, Ji Youqin came bang bang bang running into his room, hurriedly packing his things.

Ji Chaomian froze. “Youqin, what are you doing?”

Ji Youqin’s small face was fair and clean, her big round eyes bright and sparkling. “Second Sister-in-law said I should help you pack. From now on, you’ll live in Third Uncle and Third Aunt’s room!”

Ji Chaomian let out an “Ah?” “What? Will Third Uncle agree?”

Ji Youqin grinned, about to laugh, then felt it wasn’t right to mock elders and forced a serious look. “I don’t know what happened, but Third Uncle is paralyzed. Third Aunt said Third Uncle will live in the woodshed—there’s a stove burning there every day so it’s warm. Third Aunt and Little Ya moved into one room together.”

Ji Chaomian was stunned—but there was no time for him to stay stunned.

Everyone quickly and efficiently switched rooms.

Ji Youqin and Ji Xiaoyu moved in together.

Ji Dahai and Su Ruo moved to a room on the other side of the main hall.

Ji Yiqing and Jiu Yue moved into the far end of the west wing, with two empty rooms between them.

That still left enough space for the three brothers who studied away from home.

Wing rooms were truly different from woodsheds. Wardrobes, desks, small square tables, stools—even dressing tables were there.

Ji Yiqing moved in without the slightest sense of guilt.

How much of the silver spent on these things had been earned by him and his brother, and by Ji Dahai and his wife?

Others might not know, but how could they not?

Although it was still a yellow-mud house, Jiu Yue saw several thick cotton quilts in the big cupboard and ordered Ji Yiqing to spread all of them out. She refused to believe that with this many layers she’d still feel uncomfortable!

She wasn’t some Princess and the Pea.

By the time they finished, it was nearly midnight. The grand room-changing operation finally came to an end.

When Jiu Yue woke up, the sun was already right in her face. She guessed it was probably close to ten o’clock.

She didn’t really know how to tell time by the sky.

Everyone else was already up—some had even gone out to work and come back once.

Ji Youqin and Ji Xiaoyu were carrying clothes to the river to wash them.

Ji Youqin found it novel. Before, she alone washed everyone’s clothes, sometimes with Su Ruo helping.

Housework had always been taken care of by her and her mother.

The others mainly gathered pig feed and chicken feed, or went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables to prepare food for winter.

After all, no one wanted to starve to death. No matter how harshly they treated Su Ruo and Ji Dahai, those two alone couldn’t possibly support such a big family.

Ji Xiaoyu and Ji Xiaoya followed their mother to dig wild vegetables.

Even when there was no need to gather wild vegetables, they never came to help her wash clothes.

So seeing Ji Xiaoyu washing clothes with her today felt strange to Ji Youqin.

Ji Xiaoya had driven the ducks to the river to graze.

It felt like everyone in the household had suddenly become diligent.

Oh—except one person. Her Second Sister-in-law was still sleeping. When they left, she hadn’t gotten up yet.

After they finished washing and came back, her Second Sister-in-law was still asleep.

Ji Youqin tiptoed to the window and listened quietly. She wondered if her Second Sister-in-law might be hungry, sleeping for so long.

The family had suddenly gotten better. Ji Xiaoyu said it was because of her Second Sister-in-law.

Ji Youqin didn’t quite understand, but she felt happy as long as the family was harmonious.

If her Second Sister-in-law wanted to sleep more, then let her sleep more. Father, Mother, and Second Brother hadn’t said anything.

It was just that all morning, she hadn’t heard Grandma scolding anyone, which felt strangely unfamiliar.

Just as she finished hanging up the clothes, the people who had gone out to work came back. It wasn’t the peak of the farming season yet, so they only ate two meals a day.

Li Xiaocao had already returned and started cooking. Hearing everyone come back, she hurriedly began dishing out the food.