“Who says I’m the one going out? Aren’t your hands and feet fine? You can do this task,” Chen Lishu said nonchalantly.
Wang Yuhua opened her mouth, about to find an excuse to refute, when Chen Lishu suddenly looked up and met her gaze, coaxing, “The pigs at home are sick, we have nothing to eat and no money to sell. Do you really want to watch the family starve to death? You keep wishing for a great-grandchild, do you want him to endure such hardship? Let me ask you, how do you like the taste of these spring rolls? Are they filling enough? If I sell them for fifteen cents each, do you think people will be willing to buy? Instead of depleting our savings, why not give it a try? The results will surely satisfy you.”
Wang Yuhua swallowed the words she was about to say. She managed to utter, “I will consider this matter.”
Chen Lishu knew the other party was tempted. The reason she hadn’t agreed was that she needed a little more push. Concealing the surprise in her eyes, she responded indifferently, “Okay.”
----
The next day, Wang Yuhua came to Chen Lishu’s room. After a night of deep thought, her final decision was to wait until her grandson Xu Teng came out of the mountains before discussing it.
When she was about to tell Chen Lishu her idea, she found the bed empty and Chen Lishu nowhere to be seen. Wang Yuhua’s pupils contracted, as if she were about to collapse.
“Heavens… heavens forbid! The granddaughter-in-law we bought has run away! Quickly… quickly help me find her!” Wang Yuhua forced herself to stand, trembling as she ran out. She intended to seek help from neighbors but suddenly saw smoke rising from the kitchen direction.
Tiantian, who heard the commotion in the kitchen, ran out. Seeing Wang Yuhua trembling all over, she worriedly ran to her, supported her, and said, “Grandma, don’t worry. Stepmother is cooking in the kitchen. She hasn’t run away.”
Upon hearing Tiantian’s words, Wang Yuhua pushed her away and then ran shakily towards the kitchen, leaning on her cane. Seeing Chen Lishu cooking in a wheelchair, she breathed a sigh of relief.
With her hands on her hips, she came before Chen Lishu and reprimanded her fiercely, “You… what are you doing in the kitchen so early in the morning? I warn you not to have any improper thoughts. If you dare to run away, believe it or not, I’ll break both your legs!”
Chen Lishu turned her wheelchair, a harmless smile appearing on her face, and then slowly said, “What are you talking about? Aren’t I staying at home perfectly fine? Can you stop being so suspicious all the time?”
In fact, Chen Lishu had considered escaping. However, she was not familiar with the roads, and her legs had not fully recovered. Pushing this dilapidated wheelchair might not allow her to escape the village. To avoid angering Wang Yuhua and putting herself in a passive position, she decided to try other methods!
Thinking of this, Chen Lishu’s expression became even more docile. She pointed to the finished spring rolls and said, “I’ve prepared everything for you to sell today. It’s market day, so don’t waste time. Hurry up and claim a spot. After all, I’ll have to live here long-term, and I don’t want to suffer with your family. Earning more money might even improve my meals. Oh, if you don’t believe me, you can tie me up with a rope, or even have the neighbors keep an eye on me.”
Chen Lishu’s words were spoken with such sincerity that Wang Yuhua even felt that she genuinely wanted to stay and live there. Her tone softened slightly, “We can set up a stall anytime. How about we wait until my grandson returns? You two can manage the household matters more in the future, and I’ll go out and run errands for you. But now that Xu Teng isn’t home, I have to finish all the farm work. What do you think of this decision?”
Chen Lishu nodded. Just as Wang Yuhua thought she had conceded, Chen Lishu slowly said, “But I’ve already picked the carrots and cucumbers from your garden and soaked them in water. If these soaked items aren’t processed quickly, they’ll spoil. I was wondering if it would be a waste?”
Hearing that Chen Lishu had picked all the cucumbers and carrots from the garden, Wang Yuhua’s blood pressure soared, and she staggered back several steps.
“You… you wasteful woman!” Wang Yuhua stuttered for a while, then cursed her with a harmless epithet before walking dejectedly towards the well in the courtyard.
When she saw the basins full of cucumbers and carrots, she clutched her chest, her expression extremely contorted. However, no matter how angry she was, there was no turning back. Wang Yuhua was forced to take the spring rolls made by Chen Lishu and ride a tricycle to the market.
However, before leaving, she vigilantly locked the door securely. Chen Lishu had no intention of escaping. Since Wang Yuhua had prepared a day’s worth of food for them, she simply lay lazily on the bed, murmuring, “Gu Xingdong, oh Gu Xingdong, my fate rests in your hands. You must be more diligent!”
If Gu Xingdong was diligent and happened upon Wang Yuhua’s stall, he would surely notice something amiss and follow the clues to find her current location. But if heaven didn’t grant this opportunity, then she would have to make other plans. What would happen next was beyond her control.
----
In the small town, Wang Yuhua had been setting up her stall for more than half a day, but no one had patronized her. Thinking that if these things couldn’t be sold, the family would really starve to death, she bit her lower lip tightly and shamelessly shouted, “Delicious and filling hand-grabbed pancake upgrade! Come and buy, everyone, come and buy quickly!”
The upgraded hand-grabbed pancake, that’s what Chen Lishu called it, right? Wang Yuhua felt that shouting this name was a bit strange.
But before Wang Yuhua could ponder, many people had already approached her stall, all interested in the upgraded hand-grabbed pancake.
“What is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“It’s crystal clear on the outside, and red and green on the inside. It looks quite appetizing, but I don’t know how it tastes.”
“Boss, how much is this?”
“…”
Seeing so many people gathered around her stall, Wang Yuhua became nervous and stammered, “Fifteen cents each! It tastes great and is very filling. You can basically have three for a meal.”
Three can solve a meal? Some people working outside were quite interested.
A person emerged from the crowd and said, “Then give me three!”
Seeing the first order come in, Wang Yuhua’s eyes were filled with excitement. She quickly wrapped three spring rolls for him.