The moment Su Wei stepped through the door, Shen Yan woke up, his large eyes fixed intently on her.
Su Wei shifted slightly, and Shen Yan's gaze followed her. Su Wei helplessly shifted back, and Shen Yan's stare returned to her.
Su Wei: "…"
She really wanted to ask him—didn't his eyes get tired staring at someone like that?
As usual, she took a sip of the porridge, swallowed it, and only then handed it to Shen Yan.
Though Shen Yan had no idea what scheme the poisonous woman was brewing, he certainly didn't believe Su Wei was being kind.
A leopard can't change its spots—that poisonous woman must be plotting some new trick against him.
"I'm going out for a bit to buy some things. I've left water here for you. If you get hungry, just bear with it until I come back to cook." Su Wei told him.
Although Shen Yan's situation was pitiful, saying such things to someone she wasn't familiar with was still a bit awkward.
But Shen Yan let out a scoffing laugh. This poisonous woman was truly amusing—going out to meet her lover, yet still needing to find an excuse. Did she really think he cared?
Su Wei also realized what he was implying, and his laughter made her feel uneasy. She walked out the door stiffly, arms and legs moving in awkward coordination.
Granny Wang's house was right next to the Shen family's. The door was tightly shut now. Granny Wang lived alone, so no one should have discovered her body yet…
Su Wei glanced at it once and quickly averted her gaze.
Nanqiao Village was a fairly large village, not far from town—only about five li round trip. Su Wei was bundled up tightly. In winter, the villagers all stayed cooped up at home, unwilling to go out, so she didn't encounter many people along the way.
She reached town quickly. There were only a few shops there, all with some years behind them and looking rather dilapidated. The wooden sign outside the grain store, weathered from years of neglect, was being blown by the wind and banging against the wall with a thudding sound.
Su Wei first went to the general store and picked out a large basket she could carry on her back. Then she went to the neighboring grain shop next door, buying a few jin each of rice, white flour, and millet. She also bought some potatoes, cabbage, and radishes from a farmer at a stall, and purchased a piece of pork belly from the butcher's stand.
Adding up all the odds and ends, the basket was already quite heavy. Su Wei felt like her thin, frail little shoulders were about to be pulled right off…
A nearby vendor noticed her struggle and couldn't help saying, "That basket of yours won't be easy to carry back."
Su Wei nodded. It was already hard to bear even now, and the original body was so delicate—walking five li like this would destroy her shoulders.
The vendor sniffed his nose, red from the cold, and said enthusiastically, "There might be an ox cart at the edge of town, you know. And next time, things like potatoes and cabbage—you villagers have those too. Just buy them nearby…"
Su Wei thanked the vendor, then carried the basket on her back and made her way to the edge of town.
Those few steps alone had already left her breathless.
There really was an ox cart at the edge of town. The driver was a young man, leaning against the cart with a straw sticking out of his mouth. His ox was also eating grass, and man and beast were somehow chewing in perfect sync…
Su Wei walked over and set her basket on the cart. The young man frowned slightly, thinking to himself, who's so clueless about the rules? A basket taking up that much space—how are other people supposed to sit?
"Move it down…"
He'd barely started speaking when he met a pair of watery, soulful eyes.
"What's wrong?" Su Wei noticed his expression seemed off and thought she'd done something wrong.
But the young man just smiled instead, his face seeming to flush a little. He scratched his head and said, "Nothing. You sit inside—it's less bumpy in there."
He stole another glance at her. Though she was bundled up tightly, her eyes were so beautiful, the skin that showed was fair and smooth, and her figure looked nice too…
She must be pretty too, right…
Definitely a young and beautiful girl…
The young man driving the carriage thought to himself—he wasn't married yet either. How wonderful it would be to find a pretty girl and have a daughter who looks like her mother someday…