Zhou Fuguang’s eyes flickered as he looked at Qin Baozhu, who was asking him for money as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Calmly, he asked, “What do you need the money for?”
Of course…
She wanted to save up to run away!
Who would want to stay in this remote, dark little village with no streetlights forever?
Of course, Qin Baozhu wouldn’t admit that out loud.
“Snacks,” she said casually. “I’m bored at home by myself.”
“Hm,” Zhou Fuguang replied evenly. “How much do you need?”
Qin Baozhu hadn’t expected him to be so easygoing and blinked in surprise. Her eyes lit up immediately.
“One hundred!”
“I don’t have that much,” he said.
“Then fifty,” she reluctantly offered.
He shook his head.
Not even fifty? How stingy!
But Qin Baozhu pursed her lips. “…Then twenty. That should be enough, right?”
Zhou Fuguang said, “There are apples and pears in the fridge. If you want, have Aunt Feng cut them for you. As for other snacks, they’re not great for your health. It’s better not to eat too much.”
Qin Baozhu had heard all these lectures at home countless times. Left ear in, right ear out. She hadn’t expected to be scolded here too—by this big, serious man.
But for money, she endured.
She pouted. “I can’t just not buy anything, can I? I have things I want to eat too.”
Zhou Fuguang thought for a moment, then finally relented.
“Fine,” he said.
He reached into his pocket and placed the money in her hand.
Seeing the amount, Qin Baozhu could hardly believe it. Her smile froze in place.
Zhou Fuguang calmly withdrew his hand and said, “There’s a morning market today. After breakfast, you can go with Aunt Feng and see if there’s anything you like.”
Qin Baozhu clenched her fist, looking at his serious expression, and burst out angrily, “Only fifty cents? What am I supposed to buy with that? I can’t even get a candied hawthorn stick!”
Zhou Fuguang gave her a sidelong glance and walked away leisurely.
Her little schemes were laughably ineffective in his eyes.
Because Zhou Fuguang hadn’t given her more money, Qin Baozhu was sulking.
She lay in bed, snuggling the blanket, refusing to get up.
Aunt Feng had sent Zhou Jingrui off to school. Seeing Qin Baozhu hadn’t come down for breakfast, she knocked on the door.
“Baozhu, are you hungry? Still sleeping?”
Qin Baozhu hugged the blanket as if she hadn’t heard.
Aunt Feng, seeing no movement inside, assumed she was still asleep and muttered to herself, “Well… it’s already eight. The morning market will be closing soon. Looks like a lot of merchants came from out of town today. There must be some interesting stuff. Little Zhou got more money than usual; I was going to take Baozhu along to see if she liked anything and maybe buy some… what a pity…”
She was about to turn and leave.
“Clack.”
The deep red bedroom door swung open.
In the air-conditioned room, Qin Baozhu, dressed lightly, peeked out with a fuzzy little head.
“Aunt Feng,” she said, “I’m awake. You said you were going to the morning market? I don’t have anything to do right now. Let me change and wash up, and then we can go together.”
Aunt Feng, watching her act like she had just woken up, stifled a laugh and nodded. “Okay. I’ll go downstairs to heat some water. Do you want to have breakfast here or at the market?”
“Is there anything good to eat at the market?”
“There’s lots today. Baked buns, small wontons, brown sugar sesame treats… and the sticky bean buns you usually like are also available.”
Qin Baozhu had grown up in the city. When she shopped, she went to malls. Her parents never let her eat at street food stalls—they said it was unhygienic. Hearing Aunt Feng list a bunch of snacks she had never heard of made her mouth water.
“Then I’ll wash up and go with you. And those sticky bean buns—do they still have them?”
Aunt Feng smiled. “Yes, they usually sell until the afternoon.”
Aunt Feng heated water and brought it up in a thermos.
Qin Baozhu brushed her teeth and washed her face, tidying herself up in the washroom.
The snow had been melting recently, making the weather colder than usual. Aunt Feng had found a thin, warm cashmere sweater for her to layer and also had her put on the fox-fur padded coat Liang Xiyue had given her a few days ago. Carrying a shopping basket, she left with Qin Baozhu.
The morning market was over half an hour’s walk from where they lived.
Qin Baozhu had her hands in her pockets and a red wool scarf wrapped around her face, walking beside Aunt Feng, looking around curiously.
The small town was sparsely populated, perhaps because of the cold. Only a single cobblestone road ran through it, with scattered houses along the way. The fields, not yet tilled for spring, were covered in a thick layer of snow. The world was white, and visibility was blurred.
The further Qin Baozhu walked, the more she lamented.
What kind of poor backwater had she been kidnapped to?!
It was miserable—she had to walk everywhere, not even a bus in sight…
Many of the people on the road were villagers returning from the market.
They greeted Aunt Feng warmly.
“Sister Feng, you’re just heading to the market?”
“Yes. I only had time after sending the kids to school.”
Some even greeted Qin Baozhu.
“Baozhu, you’re going to the market with Aunt Feng today too?”
Qin Baozhu’s eyes flicked to an older woman in a floral headscarf—she didn’t recognize her—and then looked away.
Since news of her recovery hadn’t spread, the woman was used to her cold, unapproachable demeanor.
The woman reached into her basket and pulled out a skewer of candied hawthorn, walking over and handing it to Qin Baozhu.
“I heard a few days ago, you went with Jingrui to buy candy and almost fell into the river? Don’t do something like that again. You were lucky my husband happened to see it; otherwise, no one would have noticed if you froze! Here, this was for my grandson—I bought two skewers, you can eat one on the way. Don’t tell Little Zhou, or he’ll scold my son at the factory for letting you have candy.”
Qin Baozhu looked at the candy, then at the woman, and felt that this stranger was kind and gentle.
Her husband had saved her.
She took the candied hawthorn, blinking her big dark eyes, and said, “Thank you.”
The woman, used to Qin Baozhu’s usually absent-minded, indifferent behavior, was startled to hear the girl’s clear, crisp voice. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“You… you…!?”
Qin Baozhu said, “Auntie, you’re so kind. Thank you for the candy, and thank you to your husband for saving me.”