Volume 1 Chapter 14: A Woman's Worth Is Not Defined by Marriage or Men
Remembering how Boss Cheng had helped her lift the heavy sack onto the overhead luggage rack on the high-speed train earlier, thinking she was poor and kindly giving her a piece of chocolate.
Grandma Su reached into the nylon sack, pulled out a fresh wild gastrodia tuber, and handed it to Boss Cheng. "Young man, take this, use it for soup when you get home."
"This is excellent for calming liver wind. I see you're tired both physically and mentally—drinking this won't hurt."
Wild gastrodia tuber was also a valuable item.
Boss Cheng was interested in this gastrodia tuber but felt embarrassed accepting it from the elderly woman without reason. He casually handed her a business card.
"My name is Cheng Taoguang, my family runs a small business. Auntie, if you ever need anything, feel free to call!"
"Still not selling the matsutake mushrooms?" Boss Cheng refused to give up. "What if I add another ten thousand?"
Grandma Su firmly shook her head. "No, not selling."
Boss Cheng regretfully bid farewell.
Shen He and Qin Yi walked over.
Shen He asked Su Jin, "Who was that, Grandma?"
"A decent young man who wanted to buy my matsutake mushrooms. Thought I was a poor old lady from the countryside and gave me a piece of chocolate."
Putting down the eggs, Grandma Su pulled a piece of chocolate from her sack and handed it to them. "Share this between you."
Qin Yi took the chocolate, looked down, and said, "DOMORI chocolate, imported, not cheap."
Shen He then took the business card from Grandma Su's hand and read, "Cheng Taoguang, General Manager of Xiangrong Medical Manufacturing Co., Ltd."
"Keep it, might be useful later."
Returning the card to Grandma Su, Shen He picked up the sack of cured meats on the ground and reached to take Grandma Su's basket.
"Grandma, let me carry the basket."
Su Jin shook her head. "This isn't heavy."
She looked at Shen He's silk dress and chuckled. "That dress is silk fabric, expensive. Don't let it get scratched."
Shen He had to give up.
Qin Yi picked up the bucket of eggs. "Grandma, the car is parked in the garage, let's walk over!" Qin Yi was sweet-talking, holding Su Jin's hand and chatting as they walked, making the old lady laugh happily.
Shen He trailed a few steps behind.
Seeing the old lady walking briskly, she felt a pang of sadness.
How could such a robust grandma accidentally fall into a fish pond and drown?
Qin Yi drove, Shen He sat with Grandma in the back.
Grandma pulled a plastic bag from her sack containing some broken pieces of sesame candy.
She picked one piece for Qin Yi and handed the rest to Shen He.
Grandma Su said, "You loved this most when you were little. Today when I came into town, passing through the village, I saw Old Lady Wang still selling sesame candy, so I brought you a piece."
"Try it, see if it's still the same taste from childhood."
Shen He and Grandma Su lived frugally when she was young, but every time they went to the village market, Grandma Su would buy a pound of sesame candy from Old Lady Wang.
One bite of candy could sweeten Shen He's heart.
Shen He rarely acted spoiled. "Grandma, feed me."
Grandma Su laughed and scolded her for being shameless but still picked a piece and fed it to Shen He.
The familiar sweetness spread in her mouth, and Shen He's eyes uncontrollably reddened. Afraid Grandma would notice, she turned her head to look out the car window.
Holding back her tears, Shen He finally said, "It's delicious, just like the taste from childhood."
"I always said Old Lady Wang is a genuine person."
Grandma Su's expression turned troubled again. She said, "Old Lady Wang fell before the New Year and nearly froze to death in the outhouse. Luckily, a neighbor found her and saved her life."
"But that fall brought out all her underlying health issues. I don't know if we'll still see her at the next market."
Hearing this, Shen He couldn't help but recall the image from her previous life of Grandma Su's body floating on the water after she died.
Her heart clenched, and she quickly grasped Grandma Su's hand. "Grandma, now that you're here this time, why don't you just stay and not go back?"
Every time Grandma Su visited, Shen He would invite her to settle down permanently.
This time, Grandma Su still didn't take it seriously.
She said, "Miaomiao, I'm very happy you have this intention. But my health is still strong now, and I'm used to life in the countryside."
"When Grandma can't work anymore, I'll come live with you, okay?"
Shen He had just started a studio and was in the midst of building her career. An old woman like her staying in the city would only become a burden to Shen He.
Hearing this, Shen He felt a wave of helplessness.
Qin Yi, who had been silent all along, suddenly delivered a harsh line: "Grandma, did you know Miaomiao fainted during her morning run yesterday?"
Grandma Su's expression changed drastically. She pulled Shen He closer and pressed, "You fainted? What happened?"
Qin Yi answered for Shen He: "The doctor said Miaomiao is anemic, and also that she has irregular menstruation and uterine coldness, which could lead to infertility."
Qin Yi continued to frighten Grandma Su: "Mu Tingyun's family is huge, like they have a throne to inherit. If Shen He can't have children, Mu Tingyun will definitely break up with her."
"Grandma, you're a doctor too. Why don't you stay and supervise Shen He while she takes medicine to regulate her body?"
Shen He: "…"
Just as Shen He was about to warn Qin Yi not to talk nonsense, she heard Grandma Su say, "I'll stay and take care of Miaomiao!"
Shen He quickly shut her mouth, surprised that it had worked out so smoothly.
Grandma Su held Shen He's hand, her heart aching as she said, "Even though you were a premature baby, you drank cow's milk since you were little and have always been strong and healthy."
"If Yi hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known you had anemia and uterine coldness. Tell me honestly, these past few years, have you not been eating properly?"
Not wanting to worry the elderly, Shen He said, "It's just mild anemia."
But the old woman fell silent.
Shen He lived in Qingshi, nominally as the eldest daughter of the Shen family.
In reality, her father didn't care for her, her mother didn't love her, and her relationship with the Shen family was distant.
With no one to care for her, no one to love her, coupled with a busy, high-pressure job and long-term irregular eating habits, it would be strange if she weren't anemic.
Grandma Su's heart ached terribly. She made up her mind to stay and take care of Shen He.
Grandma Su said, "I'll go back to the countryside tomorrow, hand over the farmland and the chickens and ducks to Uncle Zhang to manage, and then return to Qingshi to stay with you."
Shen He couldn't help but lean against her grandmother's shoulder and act spoiled. "Grandma is the best!"
Grandma Su told Shen He: "Miaomiao, uterine coldness and anemia aren't serious illnesses. Grandma will prepare a few doses of medicine for you and supervise you to drink them every day. You'll get better."
Originally from City A, Su Jin had voluntarily followed her father to the countryside as an educated youth during her teenage years.
Su Jin's father was a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner and continued working as a village doctor after arriving in the village. Growing up surrounded by it, Su Jin also picked up some basic knowledge.
After her father passed away, Su Jin inherited his profession and became the doctor at the village clinic.
Later, when the state required doctors to be certified, Su Jin, lacking a medical license, closed her small clinic and became a farmer.
Being a farmer didn’t bring in much money; after a year of hard work, it was just enough to support her and her granddaughter.
In her spare time, Su Jin would venture deep into the mountains to gather herbs to sell.
The money for Shen He’s education was saved up bit by bit by Su Jin.
Though Su Jin didn’t have a traditional Chinese medicine license, it didn’t mean she lacked real skill. Even now, the elderly in the village would secretly seek her out for treatment when they had any ailments.
For minor issues like anemia and uterine coldness, Grandma Su was quite experienced.
"Miaomiao, don’t worry. This little problem won’t affect your fertility." After a pause, Grandma Su added, "If that Mu boy really wants to break up with you just because you can’t have children, then break up!"
"A woman’s worth doesn’t need to be defined by a man or marriage!" Having suffered the pain of betrayal in her own marriage, Grandma Su was most qualified to say these words.
Qin Yi gave Grandma Su a thumbs-up. "Grandma is right!"
Shen He also smiled and said, "I never said I had to marry Mu Tingyun, but I do want a child of my own."
Although many young people nowadays are indifferent to having children, Shen He genuinely liked kids.
A man might not be necessary, but a child was a must.