“The Han family? Who exactly are you?” It had been a very long time since Aunt Hao had heard the surname Han. Shock appeared on her face, and her body trembled slightly. Clearly, she was emotionally stirred.
“I’m not related to the Han family. I just happen to know a little about them. And I’d also like to discuss a bit of cooperation with you.”
In truth, Qin Suian didn’t know Aunt Hao, neither in this life nor her previous one.
But in her previous life, she had once seen a news story about Aunt Hao.
She learned that Aunt Hao still had a son alive.
The news report said that Aunt Hao had become separated from her family while fleeing famine years ago.
All these years, that son had been searching for his mother.
But by the time he finally found traces of her after immense hardship, she had already passed away. The story had moved many people at the time.
Qin Suian remembered it clearly because the story had involved Honggang County.
She never expected she could now use that information to get a meeting with Aunt Hao.
Of course, she could have simply paid Aunt Hao for help. But if she could help reunite mother and son sooner, that would also be a good deed.
“Wait here for a moment,” Aunt Hao said. No matter how desperately she wanted news about the Han family, she couldn’t exactly discuss it while holding in her need to use the toilet.
After returning from the latrine, Aunt Hao told the next client that she would be resting for half an hour and asked everyone to wait.
Only then did she open the back door and let Qin Suian inside.
Following Aunt Hao into a room used for receiving guests, Qin Suian looked around. The room was small, with thick curtains hanging over the windows. To the left stood an altar table covered with offerings, and behind it sat a porcelain statue of Guanyin.
The room was poorly ventilated, filled with a heavy sandalwood incense scent strong enough to make one dizzy.
Aunt Hao sat down on a low couch and gestured for Qin Suian to sit as well.
“How do you know about the Han family? Don’t try to fool me. I’m protected by powerful immortals. I can see through a person’s origins with one glance!” Aunt Hao stared intensely at Qin Suian, as though she truly could see through her.
Qin Suian found it faintly amusing. She had already experienced something as unbelievable as reincarnation. Why would she fear spirits or ghosts?
She wanted to see how this so-called psychic—who couldn’t even locate her own biological son—was supposed to see through her.
“Auntie, let’s be direct. I need your cooperation in something. In return, I’m willing to tell you where your biological son is,” Qin Suian said straightforwardly, unwilling to waste time dancing around the subject.
“Who exactly are you?” Aunt Hao’s expression changed completely this time. The mysterious, mystical facade vanished, leaving only urgency.
This woman actually knew her background!
“Who I am isn’t important. I found out by chance, and I have no grudge against you. As long as you agree to help me, I can tell you his whereabouts immediately.”
Aunt Hao calmed herself for a moment before looking at Qin Suian again.
“What do you want? Money? Or something else?”
“It’s simple. My daughter married the wrong man—a bastard who only knows how to beat her. I want her to divorce him. I need you to step in and help.”
After hearing the request, Aunt Hao didn’t think it sounded too difficult.
“I can cooperate with you, but I can’t guarantee your daughter will definitely get divorced.”
“Don’t worry. As long as you cooperate well, I’ll tell you where he is afterward. To show sincerity, I can tell you now that he currently lives in Dadong Province.”
“Fine. If your information is accurate, I’m willing to help. But if you dare fool me, I, Aunt Hao, am not someone easy to deal with either.”
Qin Suian didn’t linger long. Once she had explained everything clearly, she left.
When she returned home, Xiaomei was feeding the puppy.
“What should we call her?” Qin Suian asked, looking at the little black dog happily gobbling down food.
The mother dog was named Big Black. Surely this one couldn’t just be called Little Black?
“Master Xie said she’s a girl too. How about Blackie Girl?” Xiaomei suggested after thinking for a moment.
“Sounds good. Blackie Girl, little Blackie Girl!” Qin Suian called out a few times.
The puppy seemed to understand that this was her new name. She barked twice in response, accepting it.
“Oh my, Blackie Girl is so smart!” Qin Suian laughed, unable to resist rubbing the puppy’s head.
Feeling Qin Suian’s kindness, Blackie Girl obediently allowed herself to be petted.
While they were playing with the dog, Xiaojun returned from selling pickles.
“Mom! You’re back! You have no idea—today so many people bought the spicy pickles that I almost ran out!” Xiaojun had been counting money, but immediately rushed over to share the good news.
“Then it looks like we can make another jar of spicy pickles,” Qin Suian said happily. Xiaojun no longer looked nervous, only excited about making money.
Seeing everyone so cheerful, Blackie Girl barked along happily too.
“Aww, even the puppy is happy for us!” Xiaojun hadn’t had much time to play with the puppy that morning, so now that Blackie Girl was running around them, she quickly came over to pet her head.
“What do you think of calling her Blackie Girl?” Qin Suian asked Xiaojun.
“Blackie Girl is great! I like it. Do you like it too, Blackie Girl?” Xiaojun loved animals. Back when they used to raise piglets at home, she would even chat with them.
Blackie Girl rubbed against Xiaojun’s hand to show her affection.
“Xiaomei, Li Zude didn’t come by today, did he?” Qin Suian asked.
Blackie Girl had arrived at just the right time, though she was still so small that Qin Suian wasn’t sure how useful she’d be as a guard dog.
“No. Mom, will your plan really work? What if the Li family starts acting shameless and holds a grudge against us?” Xiaomei still looked worried.
“How will we know if we don’t try?” Qin Suian admitted inwardly that she wasn’t completely confident either. But when dealing with scoundrels like the Lis, people with nothing to lose were often the most troublesome.
That afternoon, Xiaojun went alone to run the stall again while Qin Suian stayed home making more pickles.
Every day they increased the amount of vegetables slightly, and the preparation work was becoming heavier and heavier. Now that Xiaojun could manage the stall alone, Qin Suian figured she might as well stay home and get more work done.
The next day, Xiaojun again went alone to set up the stall.
But when it was nearly two in the afternoon and Xiaojun still hadn’t returned, both Qin Suian and Xiaomei started getting worried.
Just as Qin Suian was preparing to go look for her, Xiaojun finally came back carrying the shoulder pole.
Her expression looked terrible, and the moment she saw Qin Suian, her face filled with distress.
“What happened?” Qin Suian immediately knew something was wrong. She first ushered Xiaojun inside and poured her a bowl of water, telling her to drink before speaking.
Xiaojun grabbed the bowl and gulped it down in large mouthfuls. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she began angrily recounting what had happened that day.
“Mom, when I got to our usual spot this morning, someone had already taken it! They were selling pickles too—pickled lettuce stems and cucumbers just like ours. They even copied our free tasting idea.”
“Isn’t that obviously stealing our business? And they were only charging eight cents a bowl. By the time I got there, lots of people were already buying from them. It made me so mad!” Xiaojun said, so furious she practically wanted to slam the table.