The excitement of the day had finally wound down. Great-Grandma and Grandma were exhausted; they finished washing up and headed to bed before nine o’clock. Li Sangyue sat in the courtyard with her phone while the plump orange tabby, Bajiao, rubbed against her calves. Having feasted on the day’s leftovers, the cat was using these gestures to express his royal satisfaction to his human servant.
Li Sangyue, however, was so stressed she wanted to pull her hair out. She had no mood to entertain the clingy cat. Earlier, she had sent a message to Qin Nian on WeChat expressing her gratitude but firmly stating that she could not accept such an expensive gift.
Qin Nian had only replied with one sentence: “Once I am finished with this busy period, I will come to Taining to see you and Taiyang.”
Even if Li Sangyue were completely oblivious, she could sense something was off. Was Qin Nian interested in her? That did not seem right. During her last visit, Qin Nian had mentioned she already had someone she liked.
Hopefully, I am just overthinking it, she thought. Otherwise, the situation would be far too dramatic, and she had no desire to get entangled in someone else’s relationship. She sighed and reached down to scratch Bajiao, whose neck had disappeared under layers of fat.
“Xiaoyue, go take your shower. Why are you sitting here sighing?” Li Ningjun asked, emerging from the kitchen after finishing the cleanup.
Li Sangyue stood up and patted the cat hair off her trousers. “I set the meeting time with the MCN company. They are coming to Taining next Tuesday. It is my first time negotiating this kind of collaboration, so I am a bit nervous.”
She decided not to mention her suspicions about Qin Nian to her mother to avoid causing unnecessary worry.
The sky had turned dark. Li Ningjun walked over to lock the front gate and stacked the small stools in the corner so they would not block the path. The two elderly ladies woke up early to tend to the potted golden osmanthus plants, and she did not want them to trip.
“I thought it was something serious,” her mother said. “Collaborations are about mutual intent. If the terms work, you sign; if not, you forget it. Do not carry a psychological burden. Besides, the power is in your hands right now. When the time comes, state your conditions clearly. Aim high to test their limits so you have room to negotiate. You should discuss with Tuanjie and Lin Yin about revenue distribution and account autonomy. Your account already has hundreds of thousands of followers and active sales. You are not like those small accounts that need a company to build them from scratch. You must remember that so they do not lead you in circles.”
Li Ningjun spoke in detail because she did not want Sangyue to be anxious. Sangyue was currently in her heat cycle, and added stress would only make her physical symptoms worse.
Li Sangyue nodded. Since she started the account, her mother had provided invaluable advice. Her mother’s wisdom was the reason the business had grown to its current scale. “Mom, please come with me next Tuesday,” she pleaded, clinging to her mother’s arm. With her mother there, she would not feel nervous.
“Alright, I will go with you.” Li Ningjun had already planned to do so. Sangyue was young and inexperienced, and Tuanjie and Lin Yin had never dealt with corporate contracts either. She had to protect them from being taken advantage of.
Li Sangyue was delighted, sticking to her mother like glue. “Thank you, Mom! You are the best mom in the whole world.”
Li Ningjun let her daughter cling to her. She had intended to talk to her about the Qin person, but seeing Sangyue so happy, she could not bring herself to bring up the past. She did not want her daughter to be hurt by old memories, so she chose to remain silent for now.
“Go shower now. It has been a long day, so get some rest.”
“I am going, Mom!” Li Sangyue hummed a tune as she went to her room for clean clothes.
The house used a solar water heater. In the summer, the water was scalding hot, but in the winter, it was barely lukewarm. Sangyue had wanted to replace it for a long time. They did not use bottled natural gas because it cost nearly 140 yuan a tank, which the elderly ladies found too expensive. When she suggested an electric heater, Great-Grandma had heard a rumor from a neighbor that they were unsafe and could cause electrocution, so that idea was dropped as well.
After adjusting the faucet several times to find the right temperature, Sangyue stood under the spray. While lathering up, her hand brushed against the back of her neck. Her gland was still burning hot, and it pained her at the slightest touch. Even with two suppressant patches today, she could not entirely mask the scent of her pheromones. Her relatives had noticed, though no one said anything.
The hot water made the sensation even more pronounced. She considered using cold water but feared catching a fever again like last time. Since she had been completely marked in the past, her heat cycles were exceptionally difficult to endure without an Alpha, growing more severe each time. Right now, she only felt feverish and swollen, but in a few days, she would enter the most dangerous phase: the period of intense desire.
The night seven years ago had not been a good memory. Over the years, she had recurring dreams of fragmented, chaotic images. She would wake up terrified, unable to shake the feeling of being suppressed and claimed by a stranger. She would never seek out an Alpha. No matter how difficult her cycles became, she would simply endure them.
When she finished her shower and returned to her room, Taiyang was already asleep, clutching a cartoon pumpkin plushie. Sangyue climbed into bed quietly, and Taiyang instinctively snuggled closer in her sleep.
In the morning, Li Ningjun sliced the large longevity peach from the party, coated the pieces in egg wash, and fried them like French toast. She also prepared a pot of millet porridge.
Li Sangyue woke up late. The family had already eaten, and Taiyang was in the yard playing with Bajiao. Grandma and her mother were out returning the borrowed tables and chairs from the banquet.
Sangyue grabbed a piece of the fried peach bread. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. In Taining, handmade buns were large and long; one bun could make many slices. The longevity peach had been even larger than a standard bun, and Sangyue saw that her mother had fried a massive bowl of it, likely to share with the neighbors.
“Taiyang, you need to start your summer homework today,” Sangyue called out.
“I finished it already, Mommy.”
“Finished? How did I not know that?”
“Grandma supervised me. I finished it two days ago.” She had done it in her grandma’s room, so Sangyue had not noticed.
Li Sangyue felt a pang of guilt for not paying enough attention to her daughter. “Alright, you can play, but do not go to the river by yourself.”
“I know, Mommy. I always make Great-Grandma take me.”
Feeling relieved that everything was being looked after, Sangyue finished her breakfast and prepared to head to the small warehouse to help with packaging and shipping. It was peak season for yellow and flat peaches, and her friends were swamped.
“Xiaoyue, I packed two bags of fried meat and peach bread. Can you drop them off at your Little Great-Aunt’s place on your way?” Great-Grandma asked, bringing out the tied bags. The meat was left over from the banquet, and there was too much for the family to finish.
Great-Grandma was being cautious; she likely did not want Li Ningjun or Grandma to know. At the party, the Little Great-Aunt had caused a scene in front of the guests, complaining that the gifts were cheap and nearly embarrassing everyone. Grandma had been furious but refrained from kicking her out for the sake of appearances. Li Ningjun disliked her even more.
Great-Grandma simply could not let go of the bond with her sister, no matter how difficult the woman was. Li Sangyue understood this and never complained. Whenever Great-Grandma wanted to send things to her sister, she would ask Sangyue to do it secretly. Though Grandma and her mother always knew, they never called her out on it, choosing to respect Great-Grandma’s feelings.
“Sure, Grandma. I will drop them off.”
The Little Great-Aunt lived in a dilapidated old house that used to be a collective pig farm. She lived alone, having separated from her partner years ago. Sangyue dropped off the food quickly, hoping to avoid a long conversation.
“Xiaoyue, wait! I need to talk to you,” Li Yuan called out, rushing after her. The elderly woman was frail but surprisingly strong, grabbing Sangyue’s arm.
Li Sangyue felt a flash of impatience but did not want to shake her off for fear of her falling. “What is it? I need to get to the warehouse.”
“I heard you are buying produce from everyone in the village, so why will you not take mine? Do not try to fool me; I know you told them not to accept my fruit. You are the boss!” Li Yuan glared at her.
“Little Great-Aunt, we have to sell what we buy. If the quality is not up to standard, we cannot take it,” Sangyue said, pulling her arm away. “Please do not make this difficult for me. It is not just my decision.”
“Do not lie to me,” the old woman persisted, rambling about how she had eaten tree bark during famines. “Now that life is good, you have become picky. What is wrong with my produce? Is it poisonous? I can sell it at the market just fine.”
“Then you should sell it at the market. I really have to go,” Sangyue said, making a quick escape.
If her mother had been the one delivering the food, the Little Great-Aunt probably would not have even dared to open the door.
The old house she lived in was isolated and surrounded by weeds, but the woman managed to support herself by growing vegetables in the nearby soil. Li Sangyue hurried away, heading toward the warehouse.