Chapter 46: Waking in the Night

Mother Song woke up to a wave of rich aromas. After talking things through with her son last night, she had found it hard to fall back asleep once she returned to her own room, her mind racing with a tangle of anxious thoughts. By the time sleep finally claimed her, she had no idea what hour it was.

Opening her eyes to broad daylight outside, Mother Song scrambled out of bed, her outer robe not even properly draped over her shoulders.

Catching sight of the perilla leaves and corn neatly spread out to dry in the courtyard, and smelling the fragrant steam drifting from the kitchen, she swallowed hard and hurried over to the kitchen entrance.

"Huanya, you're up so early?"

"Oh, Auntie, you're awake." Huanya pulled a couple of burning logs from the small stove and transferred them into the main cooking range. Dusting off her hands, she said, "I've already boiled some extra hot water outside. You wash up first, and then wake up Brother Tiancheng. We can eat the noodles right away."

"Good."

Mother Song wanted to say more, but seeing Huanya’s busy figure, the words caught in her throat.

This girl was simply too earnest.

Instead of going inside, Mother Song walked up to the window and tapped on the glass. "Chengzi, time to get up."

The window was pushed open almost immediately, revealing Song Tiancheng’s clear, alert eyes. "Mother."

Mother Song leaned directly against the window frame and asked, "When did you get up? Did you know when Huanya woke up?"

Song Tiancheng nodded. "I knew. She got up early and has already been through both the front and back yards."

"Hah, this girl. I keep telling her not to spend the whole day just working."

Song Tiancheng smiled at this. "Didn't you bring her back precisely to have her work?"

"Well, that was before we knew her background! Now—"

"Mother." Song Tiancheng interrupted her. "Huanya acts this way precisely because she doesn't want you to treat her differently."

Mother Song sighed. "I know, but how can I not treat her differently?"

She turned her head to look at Huanya inside the kitchen. "Back then, Mr. Ma helped our family immensely. And now Huanya is not only so capable, but she's also helped me with countless chores. The more I look at her, the more fond of her I become, and the more my heart aches for her."

"How can such a good girl have such a bitter fate?"

"Didn't you spend two taels of silver to bring her back?" Song Tiancheng pointed out. "Wasn't the whole point of bringing her here to have her work for you?"

"Didn't I just say that was before, not now? You brat, why are you so thick-headed!"

Mother Song glared at him fiercely, but Song Tiancheng looked entirely innocent. "Yet Huanya doesn't see it that way. Her indenture contract is still tightly held in your hands."

These words made Mother Song understand in an instant.

Indeed. No matter how well she treated Huanya now, that indenture contract still existed.

Even though she had torn it up long ago and registered Huanya as a commoner with full citizen status, Huanya knew nothing of this.

"Mother, why don't you just return the indenture contract to Huanya?"

"What if—" Mother Song faltered. Deep down inside, she was terrified that Huanya would truly pack up and leave.

"Forget it, forget it, I won't argue with you anymore. I'll go fetch water for you to wash your face."

Seeing his mother looking so distressed, Song Tiancheng shook his head.

He felt his mother was overthinking things.

That girl was too perceptive not to understand his mother's intentions; she simply wanted to repay their kindness.

As for after the debt of gratitude was paid—if the girl truly wished to leave, how could his mother possibly keep her here?

Yet he certainly couldn't voice these thoughts to his mother, or she would only spiral into more anxiety.

Inside the kitchen, Huanya had heard nothing of the mother and son's conversation. She fished out the fish bones used for the broth and placed them on top of the stove to dry; once they dried out completely, she could grind them into powder.

She dropped noodles into a pot of boiling water. As soon as the noodles floated to the surface and slipped downward as she lifted them with chopsticks, she knew they were done.

Scoop the noodles out, rinse them briefly in cold water, and place them into bowls. Pour over the fish broth, garnish with chopped scallions and a dash of pepper, and a bowl of fragrant, appetizing fish soup noodles was ready!