Chapter 413: Aunt's Little Shoes
"Let's go, Xiao Mengyan, let's go to bed and stop being annoying here."
As my great aunt spoke, she put on her little shoes and walked tremblingly across the threshold.
Zhan Mengyan hurried forward to help her aunt up, staring at her pair of small shoes with curiosity.
"What are you looking at? Are you looking at my shoes, little girl? My shoes are weird, aren't they? When we were young, it was fashionable for girls to bind their feet. The smaller the feet, the better. Three-inch golden lotus was the best length. We started binding our feet at the age of four or five. The bones of our feet were broken by force. The pain was unbearable. My father loved me the most. When he saw me binding my feet, I screamed in pain and cried heartbreakingly. So he stopped me from binding my feet and threw away my foot bindings. When my father was not at home, my mother found some foot bindings to bind my feet. My mother said that foot binding was for the purpose of marrying into a good family when I grew up. In this way, my feet were bound and then unbound, over and over again. Finally, after my denunciation, my father found out that my mother had secretly bound my feet and fell out with her. He said that his daughter's big or small feet would not affect her marriage and he would prepare a plum blossom ceremony for her. My father really kept his promise and prepared a generous dowry for me. Moreover, when I got married, it was no longer fashionable for girls to bind their feet. I wasted all the cloth that my mother secretly prepared for me, and my mother suffered in vain. I also suffered so much pain in vain. But I am still much luckier than those women who really bound their feet. I saw those women who successfully bound their feet and found it difficult to walk. Thinking about their feet, I feel pain too. You are better off now, with big feet, standing steady and running fast! Otherwise, if you were a girl with bound feet, with Yundawen pushing you just now, you would have fallen like a dog and two of your front teeth would have fallen out..."
While my aunt was talking, she took off her shoes and sat cross-legged on Zhan Mengyan's small kang.
"Aunt, my dad asked me to get you a thick blanket.
As Yundawen spoke, he put the quilt on the small kang.
"Xiao Mengyan, do you usually live in this little house? Is this a house for people? The walls are drafty, won't you wake up from the cold at night? Yundawen took the quilt back to the main house and told your dad, "I have to sleep in the main house. Xiao Mengyan, you can't sleep in this little house either. Come with me to the main house and sleep together."
As my aunt spoke, she put on her little shoes again and prepared to go back to the main house.
"Aunt, my dad told you to sleep with your sister Mengyan in the hut today, so I specially burned more firewood for the kang. The kang is much warmer than usual. Feel it with your hand, it's very warm!"
Yun Dawen said this as he reached his hand under Zhan Mengyan's quilt on the small kang.
"What are you touching? What's the point of just warming up the kang? Don't you understand me? I mean the walls of this hut are drafty. Lying on the kang, it's warm underneath but the tip of your nose is cold. The alternating heat and cold makes it easier to catch a cold. Stop talking and help move the luggage and bedding."
While the aunt was speaking, she picked up her pipe and was about to hit Yundawen with the pipe bowl. Yundawen was so scared that he hurriedly ran to the main house with his bedding.
"You little bunny, you're just wasting time with me. I think you deserve a beating!"
As my aunt spoke, she stood up and walked towards the main house.
"Xiao Mengyan, where are you? What are you staring at? You're still looking at my shoes. Don't you understand?"
When my aunt was speaking, she found that Zhan Mengyan had not followed her. She turned around and saw that Zhan Mengyan was still standing there in a daze.
"Aunt, you are old and afraid of the cold. You can go back to the main house. I am used to living in the small house. I am young and energetic, so I am not afraid of the cold. Besides, I am used to living in my small house."
While Zhan Mengyan was speaking, she began to tidy up her bedding.
"No, Xiao Mengyan, you have to move back to the main house. The younger you are, the more you have to take care of your health. Otherwise, you will get cold legs and become paralyzed when you are as old as me. Yundawen, come back soon and help your cousin Mengyan move the bedding! Xiao Mengyan, help me cross the threshold, it is too high."
While the aunt was speaking, she held her pipe in one hand and waved to Zhan Mengyan with the other.
Zhan Mengyan hurried over to support her aunt.
"Why did you bring your luggage back? Doesn't your aunt like this bedding?"
As Yunhan spoke, she spread her bedding on the head of the kang.
"My great aunt..."
As Yundawen started to speak, her aunt walked into the main room.