When Chen Tang returned home, he had already steadied his emotions.
He opened the front door and saw that Black Pot was cooking, the meal essentially ready. Several servant girls were chatting and laughing with Gouzi to the side, but as soon as they saw him arrive, they hurriedly stopped their laughter.
Chen Tang put down the baozi; they were still piping hot, but the breakfast Black Pot had made was evidently much more sumptuous. It included four stir-fried dishes, both vegetarian and meat, along with porridge and two freshly sliced cold dishes.
"Who went to buy the groceries?" Chen Tang asked, bewildered.
If the servants of the Chen Mansion had gone to buy groceries, they surely wouldn't have bought this much.
A servant girl pointed at Black Pot.
Chen Tang set the baozi down and walked to the back courtyard, where he saw Chen Shi combing Mother's hair. One look made it obvious that he rarely did this sort of work, and the comb started from the roots, usually unable to be pulled all the way through to the ends.
"Let me."
Chen Tang stepped forward, took the comb, and began combing from near the tips. After smoothing out the ends, he combed a little more hair at a time, and in this way the tangled strands could be untangled.
Chen Shi used a warm towel to wipe Mother's face, doing so with great care and attention.
Once Chen Tang finished combing her hair, he coiled it up for Chen Shi's mother and pinned on hair ornaments with practiced movements, clearly something he did often.
Chen Tang then trimmed her fingernails while Chen Shi watched from the side, studying intently.
"She can't move, so you still have to help her exercise her joints and keep her blood flowing smoothly."