In the end, Grandpa Sheng made the final decision, telling Grandma Sheng to pack her things and go to the city.
Sheng An didn’t immediately take Grandma Sheng away. Instead, she went to a couple in the village who had no farmland and made a living by doing odd jobs. She hired them to work at home for forty wen per day.
She was worried that Grandpa Sheng would be reluctant to spend money on hiring help and would refuse to employ someone to farm their four mu of land.
Grandpa Sheng had indeed planned to work harder himself and slowly manage the land alone. But since his granddaughter had already made the arrangements, he couldn’t possibly ask for the money back. So, he pretended to be annoyed, waving his hand and urging his granddaughter to leave quickly.
Upon arriving at the Xu Family, Grandma Sheng couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
Xu Chenglin looked particularly guilty. “Auntie, it’s all my fault for being so weak. Not only have I burdened An An, but now I’ve troubled you to come and help.”
Hearing this, Grandma Sheng quickly waved her hands. “What trouble? It’s all for the children’s sake.”
Xu Chenglin nodded with a smile. “Yes, yes, it’s all for the children!”
After some small talk, Grandma Sheng relaxed and began looking for chores to do.
Meanwhile, Sheng An was busy tidying up the guest room. She took out the bedding to air in the sun and bought a new straw mat to lay on the bed, ensuring Grandma Sheng would sleep comfortably.
When Xu Jinnian returned home and saw Grandma Sheng squatting in a corner washing vegetables, he hurried over to help her up. “Grandma, please sit and rest. I’ll take care of this.”
Grandma Sheng didn’t refuse, smiling warmly at her grandson-in-law. “Studying is mentally exhausting. You should rest more too.”
Xu Jinnian replied gently, “Grandpa and Grandma have worked much harder.”
Grandma Sheng laughed. “We’ve been working the land for decades—your grandpa and I are used to it. Coming to the city this time is just to lend An An a hand.”
Xu Jinnian understood and said earnestly, “Thank you, Grandma. I’m sorry to have troubled you.”
Grandma Sheng quickly replied, “We’re all family. There’s no need for thanks.”
Xu Jinnian knew that the more polite he was, the more uncomfortable the elderly would feel, so he dropped the subject and shifted to other topics.
If he set his mind to pleasing someone, no one could resist liking him.
Sure enough, with just a few words, he had Grandma Sheng laughing heartily, her laughter echoing beyond the courtyard.
Sheng An returned with a basket full of pork bones and, hearing her grandmother’s joyful laughter, chimed in with a smile, “What are you talking about that’s so amusing? Grandma, you didn’t even notice I was back.”
Grandma Sheng chuckled and scolded, “You little rascal! Grandma doesn’t have eyes on the back of her head. If you don’t make a sound, how would I know you’re back?”
Sheng An wrapped her arms around Grandma Sheng’s neck from behind, acting like a child who hadn’t grown up. “Alright, alright, it’s my fault. Next time, I’ll make sure to announce myself!”
Seeing her affectionate demeanor, Xu Jinnian’s eyes dimmed slightly.
Since their marriage, apart from their wedding night, she had never been this intimate with him, as if that night had been nothing but an illusory dream.
Her attitude toward him didn’t feel like that of a wife toward her husband.
Recalling the hurtful words she had spoken in the kitchen at noon the day before, Xu Jinnian looked at Sheng An’s radiant smile and, for the first time, began to doubt himself.
Did she regret marrying him?
“Grandma, we don’t have any meat at home, so we’ll have to make do with something simple for lunch. Tomorrow, my aunt’s family will bring some meat, and I’ll make braised pork for you then.”
Unaware of Xu Jinnian’s silence, Sheng An enthusiastically discussed the next day’s meals with Grandma Sheng.
“As long as I can eat my fill, that’s enough. No one eats meat every day – no matter how much money you have, you can’t spend it so recklessly.”
Grandma Sheng wasn’t particular about food. Hearing her granddaughter wanted to specially make braised pork for her, her first reaction was that it was too extravagant, and she didn’t want her to waste money.
“Money is meant to be spent. How can putting food in your stomach be considered wasteful?”
Sheng An had been here for several days but hadn’t properly eaten meat yet. Suddenly, her cravings emerged, and her mind was filled with thoughts of braised pork – fatty but not greasy, tender and delicious.
Not just braised pork, but also braised pork hock, braised ribs…
With her stomach lacking oil, she wanted to eat so many things!
Grandma Sheng noticed her granddaughter’s craving. Looking at her thin little frame, she couldn’t help but soften.
Glancing at her grandson-in-law’s expression, the old woman smiled and tapped her granddaughter’s head: “Alright, alright, if you want to eat it, we’ll make it. Tomorrow we’ll sell more wontons, and we’ll earn enough to buy the meat.”
Since her grandson-in-law didn’t mind his wife spending more money, as her grandmother, she naturally hoped her granddaughter could eat meat with every meal.
The Xu father and son were both honest people – marrying her granddaughter into this family was truly the right decision!
For lunch, Sheng An took charge of cooking. With her superb culinary skills and special buffs, even ordinary vegetarian dishes turned out fresh, tender, crisp, and fragrant.
Grandma Sheng couldn’t help but praise: “An An’s cooking keeps getting better. When we save enough capital to open a small restaurant, business will definitely be good.”
Sheng An nodded, picking up some egg for her grandmother: “No matter how good the wonton stall business is, the earnings are limited. Saving up to open a small restaurant is definitely the plan.”
The capital needed to run a small restaurant would be about fifty taels of silver, with the main expenses being shop rent and furniture.
Running the wonton stall for about a year should be enough to save up the capital.
It would take quite some time, but since she was short on money, she could only save slowly like this.
If only she could encounter some gullible big spender – no, a wealthy patron – who enjoyed her wontons so much they’d casually tip some spare change.
But that was just wishful thinking – what wealthy person would eat at a roadside stall?
After the meal, Grandma Sheng took over the dishwashing, urging Sheng An to go back to her room and rest.
Sheng An didn’t go. Instead, she pulled Xu Jinnian to the study to learn, focusing on the characters needed for bookkeeping
Each callus was hard and stiff. When scraped with a fingernail, one could clearly hear the coarse, grating sound, like a spoon scraping against an eggshell.
Sheng An felt that these hands of hers could directly serve as a bath scrubber.
One hand was fair and delicate, the other dark, thin, and rough. Pressed together, they created a striking visual contrast.
Sheng An’s thoughts took a sudden 180-degree turn. She looked up, staring at Xu Jinnian’s handsome, jade-like face, and once again blurted out a thoughtless remark:
“Did it itch that night?”