Wen Nuan eventually gave up on persuading her. She bought herself a tea egg and a cob of boiled corn, eating as they walked.
Bai Lu didn’t have much to buy, as the Myriad Realms Mall had everything she could possibly need. Having heard from Yang Bing that many restaurants in town were losing money and closing down, she simply wanted to observe the general situation of the town to plan for her future.
After finishing her food, Wen Nuan hooked her arm through Bai Lu’s and asked curiously, “Bai Lu, where did you find that fruit seller before? Why aren’t there even any pear vendors today?”
“I ran into them at the town entrance. We can check if anyone has set up a stall on our way back. If not, don’t worry about it,” Bai Lu replied. “I’m always coming out to prepare things for the wedding anyway, right? If I see any fruit, I’ll grab some for you. How does that sound?”
Bai Lu couldn’t very well ditch Wen Nuan now to change into a disguise and sell fruit. Since she planned to come out every night regardless, she could occasionally bring fruit back for her friend.
Wen Nuan leaned happily against Bai Lu’s arm. “Bai Lu, thank you! You’re so good to me.”
“I’m just picking up a few things for you. How does that make me ‘so good’ to you?” Bai Lu couldn’t help but smile. Wen Nuan was still so young; a tiny bit of kindness was enough to make her think someone was a saint. She had seen far too little of the world’s hidden dangers.
As they walked, they arrived at the entrance of the clothing store. Wen Nuan immediately spotted the beautiful dresses inside and dragged Bai Lu into the crowd. Bai Lu knew the dresses she had supplied would be popular, but she hadn’t expected this level of frenzy—people were practically fighting to get inside.
By the time Wen Nuan squeezed her way in, all the dresses were sold out except for the one kept as a sample. Everyone was crowded around the owner to register for backorders. While Wen Nuan signed her name, she asked, “Bai Lu, don’t you want to register for one too?”
Bai Lu shook her head. “Didn’t I just buy a dress last time? I haven’t even had a chance to wear it yet. I’ll pass today.”
She could have as many dresses as she wanted; there was no need to spend money to buy them back from a store she supplied.
Once Wen Nuan finished, they left the store. “Where to next?” Wen Nuan asked.
“Let’s just wander around,” Bai Lu suggested. She was still interested in buying a house in the town or the county seat. Since she finally had time, she wanted to look around. If she found a good property, she could come back at night to finalize things, as she had to deliver goods to Yang Bing and the clothing store anyway.
At this time, commercial housing didn’t exist yet; one could only buy self-built houses from individuals. Most of the town consisted of single-story houses with courtyards. Bai Lu preferred these; no noisy neighbors upstairs or downstairs, and no one constantly watching and gossiping about her family. It was perfect.
After wandering for over two hours and covering almost every street and alley in the town center, Bai Lu had a much clearer understanding of the area. Finally, she and Wen Nuan headed back.
Just as they arrived at the hospital, a nurse ran over to Bai Lu. “Bai Lu, your fiancé is back! He was waiting for you at the hospital entrance for ages and only just left.”
Bai Lu was stunned. Jin Jialing was back? Why was he back earlier than in her previous life? Could it be that he also… Please, no.
“I see. Thank you!” Bai Lu thanked the nurse and headed back to the dormitory with Wen Nuan.
She sneered inwardly as she walked. Jin Jialing was certainly a good actor—standing at the hospital entrance all that time just to make sure everyone knew how “devoted” he was to her. If she hadn’t experienced her previous life, she wouldn’t have known that this was nothing more than a hypocritical facade.
Back at the dorm, she dropped off her things, borrowed a bicycle, and headed straight to Zhao Yonghong’s house. She didn’t go looking for Jin Jialing; she didn’t even want to see his face, so why would she seek him out?
When she reached Zhao Yonghong’s place, the courtyard gate was wide open. Bai Lu pushed her bike in and called out, “Auntie? Auntie Yonghong, are you home?”
Zhao Yonghong walked out of the house. Seeing Bai Lu, a brilliant smile broke across her face. “Nurse Bai! You’re here!”
Bai Lu nodded, and Zhao Yonghong invited her in. “You must be tired. Come inside and rest for a bit.”
“Thank you, Auntie.” Bai Lu parked her bike and followed her inside. In this region, where winter temperatures dropped dozens of degrees below zero, every household used a kang (heated brick bed) for warmth. Since winter hadn’t arrived yet, the kang served as a sofa for receiving guests.
Bai Lu took off her shoes and sat on the kang. Zhao Yonghong brought over a plate of home-roasted pumpkin seeds. “Nurse Bai, these are my own. Try some.”
“You’re too kind, Auntie.” Bai Lu grabbed a few. The shells were slightly salty, and the kernels had a savory, roasted aroma. They were quite good.
“Auntie, the reason I came today is to ask for your help. From now on, could you help me collect dried mushrooms from the area? My relatives back home want them.”
Even if Xu Lebao wasn’t willing to sell them with her, she could simply trade them through the Myriad Realms Mall. Bai Lu pulled out a hundred yuan and handed it to Zhao Yonghong. “Auntie, use this to start. If it’s not enough, just keep a record in a notebook, and we can settle the balance every few days.”
Zhao Yonghong took the money and counted it. She didn’t ask questions. Bai Lu wanting dried mushrooms was a win for everyone: it gave Zhao and the mushroom foragers a way to earn money, and it helped Bai Lu’s relatives. Why would she refuse? It was just a bit of legwork.
“Nurse Bai, don’t you worry! I’ll make sure the quality is top-notch. I won’t let your relatives down.” This hundred yuan could buy five hundred catties of dried mushrooms. At five yuan profit per hundred catties, she stood to make twenty-five yuan from this alone. With a little more effort, her monthly income might even surpass her husband’s. The thought made her feel wonderful.
Bai Lu sat for a while before preparing to leave. Zhao Yonghong helped her strap two large bags of dried mushrooms—totaling a hundred catties—onto the front and back of the bicycle.
Just as she was about to pedal away, she caught sight of Jin Jialing standing in front of the neighboring house. His face was livid. He had clearly discovered that all the furniture in their “marital home” was gone.
Bai Lu had purchased those items herself; she had every right to dispose of them.
Jin Jialing strode over to Bai Lu. Repressing his anger, he asked in a low voice, “I asked a colleague at the hospital to give you a message. Since you’re back, why didn’t you come find me first instead of looking for someone else?”
“I’ve been too busy,” Bai Lu replied with a nonchalant shrug. “I didn’t have the time to come find you.”