Jiang Mengning accepted it openly, without any hesitation. The cotton underwear felt pretty good—soft to the touch. She imagined how nice it would feel to actually wear it… cough, cough, she was slipping into her usual color-minded thoughts again.
The supply and marketing store also had plenty of snacks. Jiang Mengning had never tried snacks from this era before, so she bought a little bit of everything. She even picked out candies and malted milk powder for Niannian—the little girl was a bit malnourished and needed some nutrition.
Aside from that, she also bought toothbrushes, toothpaste, and towels—all new. Once she had her shopping done, Niannian still hadn’t picked out her clothes. Not because she was dawdling, but because the little girl genuinely didn’t know where to start. So many pretty dresses that it was dizzying just to look at them.
“Niannian, I’ll help you pick!” Jiang Mengning offered. The little girl didn’t yet have a sense of aesthetics; she’d learn what she liked as she got older.
The two of them spent an hour in the supply store. When they finally left, their hands were full of bags. Jiang Mengning felt the weight acutely—she had never had to carry heavy things before. Back home, she always had bodyguards, or at least her father and brother. Thinking of her family made her eyes dim. Her family must be frantic, worrying about her! If only she could go back… at the very least, she had to let them know she was safe.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Niannian noticed her mother’s mood.
“Nothing, some sand got in my eyes. Let’s go.” Jiang Mengning tried to sound casual.
“Mom, give me some, I’ll help you carry.” The little girl was thoughtful, wanting to share the burden.
“All right, this is the smallest and lightest one—it’s your clothes. Let’s make sure we carry them carefully.”
“Okay!” Niannian was happy to help.
It was already around four in the afternoon. Jiang Mengning wanted to see if they could find a vehicle to take them home. Carrying all this by foot would be exhausting.
Walking down the street, they passed a butcher’s shop. Inside, the man chopping meat froze, his eyes narrowing. He slammed his cleaver onto the cutting board and stormed out.
“Jiang Mengning, you stop right there!” he growled, approaching her. His apron was stained with grease from a day of cutting meat.
Jiang Mengning, thinking he might hit her, instinctively shielded Niannian behind her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Jiang Mengning, finally! I’ve been waiting—why haven’t you bought meat from me for so long? I heard you went over to Wang Ermazi’s place instead! What’s that supposed to mean? You don’t respect me? You don’t like me?”
He started with anger, but soon there was a touch of grievance in his voice. Wait… a huge, burly man showing a little pitiable expression? And jealousy too? He was jealous of Wang Ermazi—the neighboring butcher? Not just the business… Jiang Mengning shivered. Could it be that the original owner of this body had a thing for this butcher?
No… that would be too unselective. She reasoned that while the original owner liked flings, she wouldn’t stoop to flirting with a random butcher—she had dignity, after all, before her family lost everything. Jiang Mengning relaxed a little.
“I can buy meat wherever I like. This is my freedom. You’re overstepping!” she said firmly. Any man trying to press boundaries needed to back off.
The butcher looked wounded, almost about to cry.
“You, Jiang Mengning! You call me ‘Brother Sanwa’ when you want meat on credit, but the moment you don’t need me, you flip the script! Wang Ermazi’s meat that good? Worth abandoning me? I’ll tell you—his meat is all from dead pigs, sick pigs, diseased pigs. Don’t think you’re getting any advantage!”
“Uh…” Jiang Mengning rubbed her forehead. What kind of karma had the original owner racked up? Six months of unpaid meat purchases, and she had eaten one hundred yuan worth of meat! There was no way she was sharing—it was all for herself! When she was a star, she could barely afford a few pieces of meat per month to control her weight.
The butcher continued, “It’s all on paper—repay the money, and we’re square. You want that dead or sick pig meat, fine, I won’t stop you… but pay me back first!”
By now, the sun was setting. At the town’s central elementary school, children were being dismissed.
“Hey, Huo Haowen, look! Isn’t that your stepmother?” Two boys were watching from the street.
One of them, tall and about twelve or thirteen, had a delicate, clear face, though hints of depth already showed in his eyes—he would grow up to be a handsome young man.
His friend, Zhou Dadong, teased, “Your stepmother’s at it with some man again! Your face is going to be ruined!”
Huo Haowen glared at him, slightly annoyed. He ignored his stepmother entirely. Whatever embarrassment she brought upon herself outside, he wouldn’t acknowledge her. He had never recognized her as a stepmother.
Then he saw a little girl nearby—short, frail, with straight bangs and dirty clothes. Huo Sinian.
This was his little sister! But why had she had her hair cut? Huo Haowen’s fists clenched—his resentment toward his stepmother deepened. Not only did she embarrass herself outside, but she brought his sister out and cut her hair. Was she secretly planning to sell his sister?