Lu Zhaozhao didn’t care what Gu Yan was overthinking; at this moment, all her thoughts were focused on the spiritual field within the unlocked space.
Looking at the bunch of emerald-green spinach on the table, Lu Zhaozhao was overwhelmed with joy.
It was because she had discovered wild bitter greens before that she had been able to unlock that spiritual field. Now, perhaps by trying this spinach, she could immediately cultivate a spinach spiritual field. In that case, she would never have to worry about having enough spinach again.
Thinking of the nutty spinach from her previous life, Lu Zhaozhao swallowed unconsciously.
That had been a signature cold dish—refreshingly delicious.
With that memory, Lu Zhaozhao excitedly picked up the fresh spinach, touching it here and there. After waiting for quite some time, she didn’t hear that familiar voice in her mind.
What was going on?
Couldn’t it be detected?
Lu Zhaozhao was puzzled. Staring at the spinach in her hands, she thought for a long while before realizing what was different today compared to that day.
Both were leafy greens; the only difference was that she had dug up the wild greens herself, but this spinach had been sent by Sister-in-law Zheng, meaning it was already harvested.
Could it be that she could only detect vegetables she dug up herself?
The thought made Lu Zhaozhao restless. She was eager to try.
Without hesitation, she grabbed two jin of brown rice and decided to visit Sister-in-law Zheng’s house.
Given all that had happened in her household, it was reasonable for her to check in. Harvesting vegetables would just be a side task.
After informing Gu Yan, Lu Zhaozhao left the Gu family.
Gu Yan hadn’t expected her to be so kind-hearted. They had only met Sister-in-law Zheng once, yet upon hearing that her husband had died, she even brought brown rice to pay a visit. How thoughtful of her.
Carrying the brown rice, Lu Zhaozhao walked for a short while and arrived at Sister-in-law Zheng’s home.
As soon as she reached the courtyard entrance, she saw a young girl sweeping the yard, with no one else in sight.
Lu Zhaozhao politely asked,
“Hello, may I ask if Sister-in-law Zheng is home?”
Hearing the voice, the girl looked up and saw Lu Zhaozhao standing at the door. She didn’t recognize her and asked curiously,
“My mother is home. Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m Lu Zhaozhao, Gu Yan’s wife from next door. I came to see Sister-in-law Zheng,” Lu Zhaozhao introduced herself.
At that moment, she roughly guessed the girl’s identity—this must be Sister-in-law Zheng’s eldest daughter, Jinhua.
“So it’s the sister-in-law from next door. Please wait, I’ll call my mother.”
Upon hearing Lu Zhaozhao’s introduction, Zheng Jinhua’s demeanor softened. She dropped her broom and ran into the house. Soon, a tall and a small figure emerged.
Lu Zhaozhao immediately noticed the injuries on Sister-in-law Zheng’s face. They seemed inflicted by her husband, with some redness and swelling that looked painful.
Sister-in-law Zheng hadn’t expected Lu Zhaozhao to visit either, and she was pleasantly surprised.
Her husband was dead. From now on, she would be in charge of the household. She no longer had to live in fear and could finally raise her daughter in peace.
While most people dreaded becoming widows, she had secretly longed for it. Now, her wish had come true.
“Oh, little sister, why are you here? Is something wrong?”
Seeing Sister-in-law Zheng’s radiant face, Lu Zhaozhao realized that she was relieved. This was hardly a mourning—it was clearly a joyous occasion for her.
So Lu Zhaozhao didn’t bother with comforting words and got straight to the point.
“Sister-in-law Zheng, it’s like this. The little spinach you sent over was tender and delicious. My whole family liked it. Gu Yan told me you have a small vegetable garden, so I thought I’d boldly ask for some. I also brought two jin of brown rice as a small token of our appreciation. Otherwise, it feels a bit awkward to just take your vegetables.”
“Ah, we’re all neighbors. Why are you being so polite? Those vegetables are homegrown, not worth much. If you like them, just come and pick them anytime. Besides, Brother Gu saved me once, I’d be worried if you disliked me! You just enjoy the vegetables—there’s no need to bring anything! Come on, sister-in-law will go with you to pick some. You take the brown rice back; it’s a valuable resource,” Madam Zheng said.
Madam Zheng hadn’t expected a visit for harvesting, but her vegetable garden had plenty. Taking some away would prevent waste.
In previous years, any excess vegetables were given to villagers who didn’t grow much themselves.
The Gu family had only moved in after the New Year. Though they had been there for just a few months, they were kind-hearted. She could tell from the last time Brother Gu had helped her.
Ever since then, although Brother Gu often wore a stern expression, she hadn’t felt scared. She thought perhaps he simply didn’t smile much, not that he meant harm.
Compared to Brother Gu’s cold-but-kind demeanor, her own husband, who smiled while scolding and hitting her, had been far more terrifying.
Hearing this, Lu Zhaozhao quickly shook her head and said seriously,
“That won’t do, Sister-in-law Zheng. You know we just moved here and don’t have a garden. We’ve been eating wild vegetables for the past few days. You must accept the two jin of brown rice—it’s not worth much, but it’s our sincere token of thanks. Otherwise, I’d feel uneasy taking your vegetables for nothing.”
Seeing Lu Zhaozhao’s genuine words, Sister-in-law Zheng couldn’t insist further. She smiled, accepted it, and had Jinhua take the rice to the kitchen.
She then led Lu Zhaozhao to the nearby vegetable garden.
The Wang Daniu house had a big plot of land. Besides a few mud houses, there was a large open space.
Sister-in-law Zheng had planted vegetables and raised chickens. If Wang Daniu hadn’t been a drunkard who beat his wife daily, life could have been quite decent.
Looking at the home, it was clear that Sister-in-law Zheng was someone who lived steadily.
Though simple, the house was clean, and the vegetable garden was lush and vibrant, full of life.
As they walked, Sister-in-law Zheng introduced the garden to Lu Zhaozhao. She had poured her efforts into this garden, planting vegetables year-round, saving a lot of money.
“Little sister, this is spinach, this patch is baby bok choy, and over there is Chinese cabbage. Oh, there are also some green beans, quite tasty too. I’ll pick some for you to try. Come summer, there’ll be even more vegetables, and I’ll send some over to you then!”
Madam Zheng was happy—this was the first time anyone from the Gu family had come to her home.
Previously, Brother Gu had only helped call Jinhua and the others from outside; he had never come inside.
As for his mother, she never went out, so Sister-in-law Zheng had never seen her. But she had seen the two children playing in the yard several times.
She had assumed they looked down on her and didn’t want to associate with them because Brother Gu’s demeanor seemed different from theirs. He didn’t look like a village man and spoke more eloquently. She had spent so long saving up eggs just to muster the courage to visit and thank them. In the end, she had misjudged.