[Available Points for Exchange: 85. Welcome to select products.]
So many points! I've struck it rich, truly struck it rich! Who would have thought little Li Jianguo would be such a tsundere – appearing cool and aloof on the surface, yet warm-hearted inside!
A single small fruit candy got him so excited.
Oh dear, these poor little things~
For breakfast, I bought a bag of frozen Dou Sha Bao from the Points Mall – 6 Points per bag, with twelve buns per bag.
Each about half the size of a palm, not very large, but filled with sweet red bean paste.
Children probably have little resistance to sweets.
Three per person – perfect!
I scooped a large ladle of water into the pot, placed the steamer inside, arranged the Dou Sha Bao, covered the pot, then turned and sat in front of the stove.
The lighter I exchanged yesterday was so much more convenient than matches.
Thank goodness I have the Points Mall, otherwise I really don't know how inconvenient life would be in this era!
"Niang Niang, let me tend the fire."
The noises I made in the kitchen, separated only by a wall, had woken up the little grown-up Li Jianguo.
"Jianguo, why are you up so early?" I glanced outside where the sky was still dark – probably just past five o'clock. "Children shouldn't wake up this early. Lack of sleep will stunt your growth, and you'll end up short."
Li Jianguo's small body stiffened, his eyes flickered, and an awkward expression flashed across his face.
Boys really care about their height, even when they're young.
Shen Ning burst out laughing. "Alright, I was just teasing you. Don't get up so early from now on – children should sleep more."
The original owner of this body had been terrible, making the three children do many chores. If she woke up and the children were still asleep, she would curse at them.
Yet she herself was a lazy woman – where did she get the nerve?
The three children were still very young. Tasks like fetching water took them a long time to barely fill half the water vat. To avoid giving that woman reasons to pick on them, they would always wake up very early.
[Ding! Li Jianguo's favorability +10]
Well now! The Points I just spent have already been earned back.
Working in the morning and earning 4 Points – what a bargain!
But to express her gratitude to the children, she decided to buy another bag of Dou Sha Bao. If we're going to eat, we might as well eat well!
"Go back to sleep for a while. Breakfast is in the pot. When you get up, remember to have your younger siblings wash their faces and hands before eating."
He looked puzzled. "Niang Niang, what about you?"
"Oh, I need to go to town to do some small business. We have to make a living, so don't listen to those gossipers."
Li Jianguo hummed in acknowledgment, emotions churning inside him. Yesterday… they shouldn't have treated Niang Niang like that.
He paused mid-step, turning to look at the person behind the stove, only half of her face visible, warmed to a soft orange hue by the firelight.
"Niang Niang, about yesterday… I'm sorry."
After speaking, he quickly turned and hurried back to his room, his exposed ears turning bright red.
Shen Ning was momentarily surprised. When she looked up, the door was already closed. She smiled helplessly – what an adorable yet awkward little kid.
She stood up, opened another bag of Dou Sha Bao, and placed them in the pot.
[Purchased 4 Xiangzao, spent 12 Points. Remaining Points: 71.]
She placed the Xiangzao in her backpack, holding five steamed Dou Sha Bao wrapped in paper. She ate as she walked.
The bun's skin was soft, and the filling was both crumbly and sweet—even better than the ones bought from the supermarket before!
The items in the Points Mall are really good!
"Mom, it smells so good! I want to eat a bun too!"
The sky was pale blue. Though the sun hadn't fully risen, the road and the pedestrians on it were clearly visible.
Shen Ning, who was eating, could also be seen clearly.
Especially the snow-white buns, which were particularly noticeable.
It really made the child walking nearby cry with envy.
Helpless from her child's fussing, the woman approached Shen Ning with a smile.
"Big sister, where did you buy these buns? They smell absolutely delicious."
This road was the only main route from the village to the town. After walking such a long stretch, everyone knew there was nothing to buy along the way—so where could these buns have come from?
Most of the food eaten on the road was homemade.
This kind of talk was just a common way to start a conversation. Most people, hearing a child cry like this, would give a little something.
Now, she was waiting for Shen Ning to respond so the conversation could continue.
But Shen Ning didn't answer. Instead, she turned her head to look at the woman.
Truly, enemies are bound to meet!
Living in the same village had its inconveniences—like running into acquaintances all the time, especially those from the Li family.
"So it's my third sister-in-law!"
The woman pulling the little boy along was Wei Shulan, the wife of Li Shan's second elder brother, Li Song. The child she was holding was their precious son, Li Zhenxing.
Wei Shulan hadn't expected it to be the third brother's wife. It felt like stepping in cow dung on her way out.
Her gaze swept over the white buns in Shen Ning's hand, and she gritted her teeth secretly.
Weren't they supposed to be so poor they couldn't even afford food?
Yet here she was, eating white buns, and up close, she could even smell the sweet fragrance inside.
It was clearly something good, completely incomparable to what was sold on the street.
It seemed this third sister-in-law wasn't as foolish as she appeared—she must have been hiding money secretly!
That third brother really must have made good money in the army!
Jealousy and resentment surged in her heart, but then she thought, what use was having money now when her man was gone!
And with her spending like this, along with three burdens at home and no land, how long could she last?
Just wait and see—her hard days were still ahead!
"Mom! I want to eat a bun! I want to eat a bun!"
As soon as he saw that the person eating the buns was Shen Ning, the little tyrant Li Zhenxing started throwing a tantrum, clamoring for a bun.
At home, all the good things were given to him first, and naturally, anything from his third uncle and aunt's place was his for the taking too!
Wei Shulan pressed her lips into a faint smile. If it were someone else, it might be hard to say, but since it was her third sister-in-law, they were family. What was the harm in giving her nephew a bun?!
"Sister-in-law, this boy of mine is growing so fast he's always hungry. Look, he just ate something at home before we left, and now he's hungry again. Truly, a growing boy eats his father poor!"
Could Shen Ning not understand what this little act was about?
Her eyes swept over nine-year-old Li Zhenxing—his sturdy, short, and chubby frame clearly showed he was the little emperor at home, pampered with the best food and drink.
In comparison, seven-year-old Jianguo was only two years younger but worlds apart from him.
They were both grandsons—how could the treatment be so different?!
Not to mention that Li Shan sent home so much allowance every month.
The thought of that family's favoritism made her angry. Now they still wanted to eat her steamed buns? Did she look like a steamed bun?
"Hungry?"
"If you're hungry, then walk faster! There's plenty of food in town!"