At noon, Li Xingyue cooked white rice, stir-fried twice-cooked pork, lean meat with carrots, hot-and-sour cabbage, and tomato-and-egg soup.
Gu Wan’er looked at the table full of dishes, her mouth watering uncontrollably, saliva practically dripping.
Tears filled her eyes.
Ever since her eldest sister-in-law left that day, her mother had been cursing at home.
She scolded her eldest sister-in-law as a wasteful woman, criticized her for being fond of good food and drink, for being unfilial, and even for not bearing a son…
She even claimed that the eldest sister-in-law had run off with someone without telling anyone, insisting that her eldest brother must divorce her upon returning.
Gu Wan’er could no longer bear it. She tried reasoning with her mother and ended up being scolded even more.
Her mother claimed that her eldest sister-in-law had corrupted her, saying she was unfilial and selfish.
Her father could only speak kindly to reason, but he could never restrain her mother.
That morning, Gu Wan’er had sneaked out again.
Fortunately, she had sold some medicinal herbs and kept some money for herself.
Seeing Gu Wan’er’s tearful eyes, Li Xingyue didn’t try to comfort her. She simply filled a bowl to the brim and placed it in front of her.
“Eat first. You need energy to work and even to cry.”
Little Yanran tugged at Gu Wan’er’s sleeve, her soft, sweet voice saying, “Auntie, eat quickly! Mother’s cooking is delicious.”
Li Xingyue put some lean meat into the bowls for both little Yanran and Gu Wan’er. “Young girls should eat a bit of lean meat—it’s healthier.”
Gu Wan’er wiped her tears and finally picked up her bowl, eating heartily.
Li Xingyue only smiled quietly to herself.
Time passed quickly, and half a month later, Li Xingyue’s vegetables were selling very well.
The weather was warming day by day, but there was still no sign of rain.
The fields had no harvest due to the drought, and both vegetable and grain prices began to rise.
Li Xingyue’s prices rose accordingly: cabbage and radish six wen per jin, potatoes eight wen, and tomatoes twenty wen.
She wasn’t greedy; most of her produce was sold to wealthy people.
Why not earn money from the rich when the opportunity was there?
She only sold one cart of vegetables per day, morning or evening—once it was sold, she didn’t sell any more.
Since arriving in town, Gu Wan’er followed Li Xingyue daily to sell vegetables, cook, and take care of little Yanran, never once mentioning going back home.
Li Xingyue never brought it up either.
Every morning, they sold and delivered vegetables.
In the afternoons, Li Xingyue sometimes made pastries she remembered from her past life, or drew patterns for Gu Wan’er to sew underwear and undergarments.
That day, after sending off Xiao Cui, who had come to buy tomatoes, Li Xingyue noticed two people approaching her stall.
Looking up, she saw Wu Rong and Gu Shaoning.
Behind them, Gu Wan’er, who was playing with little Teddy, noticed them and instinctively stepped close to Li Xingyue.
Li Xingyue glanced at them but didn’t acknowledge them.
Seeing the fresh cabbage and carrots in the bamboo basket, as well as the red fruits they didn’t recognize, Wu Rong and Gu Shaoning were filled with surprise.
Wu Rong sneered sarcastically, “Oh my, the eldest sister-in-law is selling vegetables now? Isn’t the money my eldest brother makes enough for you to spend?”
Her foolish aunt’s scolding of Li Xingyue had spread throughout the village.
She had been called a greedy, wasteful woman who liked fine food and drink.
Previously, Li Xingyue had secretly supported her own family, and with Gu Mingxiao protecting her, Madam Zhou dared not overstep.
Now that Gu Mingxiao was away, Li Xingyue had grown bolder. She even left home to do business alone in town?
And Gu Wan’er, the young girl, was entirely devoted to her eldest sister-in-law. What had Li Xingyue fed her to win her loyalty?
Even the young girl had come to town with Li Xingyue, infuriating the aunt, who spent days cursing both of them.
Wu Rong looked at Li Xingyue mockingly.
Li Xingyue lifted her gaze calmly to meet hers, clear-eyed and indifferent.
“My business is lawful and proper. Does it offend the second branch of your family?”
Wu Rong was momentarily speechless. She had expected Li Xingyue to become angry, but she only said this lightly, which left Wu Rong choked.
Gu Shaoning snorted coldly, dismissing her. “Selling vegetables, big deal. We couldn’t care less. My brother is a scholar, preparing for the imperial exams to become an official.”
Li Xingyue replied calmly, “When he becomes an official, you can come boast all you like.”
Gu Shaoning’s face flushed with anger, ready to retort, but Wu Rong gently pulled her.
Wu Rong forced a smile, dropping the sarcasm, and said gently, “Eldest sister-in-law, it’s not about boasting—we’re family. We just came to see because we heard you were selling vegetables in town.”
Li Xingyue only gave a faint smile.
Wu Rong opened her mouth to say more, but now the household had little food, mostly coarse black flour, and wild vegetables were increasingly hard to gather.
Looking at Li Xingyue’s fresh vegetables, each crisp and juicy, with the attractive red fruits, and remembering the young maid had already bought a lot, Wu Rong hesitated.
Just as she was about to speak, Li Xingyue calmly asked, “Decided what to buy?”
Seeing that Li Xingyue gave them no face, they had no choice but to accept some vegetables.
Did she not know she was supposed to show filial respect to her uncles and grandparents?
Annoyed, Wu Rong suddenly raised her voice. “Eldest sister-in-law, aren’t you being unfilial? With my brother away, you disrespect your parents and grandparents?”
Li Xingyue froze for a moment. Seeing countless eyes on her, she quickly realized Wu Rong was trying to ruin her reputation.
But Li Xingyue didn’t care about this so-called reputation.
At worst, when Gu Mingxiao returned, they could divorce.
She could live as an independent woman, run her own life, and be her own master—wasn’t that better?
Before she could think of a response, Gu Wan’er stepped in front of her, glaring at Wu Rong. “Second sister-in-law, what nonsense are you spouting?”
Wu Rong and Gu Shaoning glanced at the watching crowd and smirked.
Gu Wan’er pointed at Wu Rong angrily. “You disrespect the eldest sister-in-law and sow discord. Do you want the household to fall into chaos? Is this how a daughter-in-law should behave? My brother is a scholar, and scholars value their reputation above all.”
The crowd began murmuring in agreement.
Wu Rong’s face flushed crimson.
Gu Shaoning, seeing this, stomped in frustration. “Gu Wan’er, don’t slander here!”
Gu Wan’er snorted coldly. “Slander? You came all this way to cause trouble and now play the victim. What’s wrong with the eldest sister-in-law selling vegetables—earning with her own hands honestly? You, on the other hand, don’t think about honest work, only scheming.”
Wu Rong trembled with anger, about to speak again, when a commanding male voice called from outside the crowd: “What’s going on here?!”
Everyone turned to see a visiting officer.
Two other officers stood in front of him, but one man in particular stood out: dressed in black with narrow sleeves, the collar embroidered with subtle golden patterns, a jade hairpin on his head, tall and imposing, with a stern face.
His attire looked low-key, but the fabric was clearly high-quality.
Li Xingyue immediately sensed that he was not from Xinghua Town.
Everyone fell silent, heads down, focusing on their own business.
Wu Rong lowered her head, intimidated, while Gu Shaoning stared unblinkingly at the black-clad man.
Seeing no one speak, Li Xingyue smiled lightly. “Officer, it’s just a minor quarrel among the household sisters. Nothing serious.”
She handed him a small basket of tomatoes, custom-made by a bamboo craftsman, similar to fruit baskets in her past life—each holding about two jin, both pretty and convenient.
“These are the tomatoes I sell, officer. Please try some,” she said with a smile.
The officer glanced at the red fruits, then at the black-clad man leading the group, and took the basket.
He casually took a small piece of silver from his sleeve and handed it to Li Xingyue.
Li Xingyue hurriedly waved him off, but the officer steadied the silver and tossed it firmly into her bamboo basket.
She looked at the man leading the group. Handsome, but gave off an unbearably cold aura.