After the meal, Grandma pulled up a small stool and sat by the door to chat with Auntie Li. Since their yard was small, cars had to be parked in the open space out front. The car Qin Nian drove over today had attracted a crowd of curious villagers. Seeing the local license plate, many assumed Li Sangyue had bought a new car.
Word had long since spread that livestreaming and e-commerce were incredibly lucrative. People whispered that with so many followers, Sangyue must earn hundreds of thousands in a single session. Even if she only broadcasted two or three times a week, that would total millions a month. The villagers chatting with Grandma were filled with envy, and some even thought about having their own children return home to join Sangyue’s livestreams.
Grandma listened to them toss around figures like “hundreds of thousands” and “millions” as if they were facts. “Where did you hear such things? If we had that much, our whole family would have moved to Beijing or Shanghai to buy a mansion long ago. This car belongs to a friend of Xiaoyue’s; she just came over to visit and will be leaving shortly.”
An auntie who had been about to reach out and touch the car’s body awkwardly pulled her hand back and gave a sheepish smile.
Grandma did not bother calling her out. Having been neighbors for so many years, people’s hidden thoughts were hard to conceal. These people saw Xiaoyue making money from videos and wanted her to help their own families, but they were too proud to say it directly. Instead, they came by every few days to gossip and chat. Since they were elders, Xiaoyue found it hard to refuse them directly and would help out a bit for the sake of past kindness.
At least these neighbors were grateful. They remembered Xiaoyue’s kindness, occasionally brought over gifts, and lent a hand when needed. Those who were ungrateful would try to drain Xiaoyue dry and never be satisfied regardless of how much help they received; such people were chased away the moment they reached the door.
“Xiaoyue’s friend is quite wealthy, huh?” one remarked, eyeing the high-end car.
Grandma glanced up. “Your peaches are all sold out, right? Your orchard is the largest in the village.”
“Sold out, sold out! It is all thanks to your Xiaoyue’s help; otherwise, this year’s peaches would have rotted on the trees.” This was a sincere sentiment; she was not an ungrateful person.
“Xiaoyue calls you ‘Auntie’ after all. The child knows what is right and will help when she can. Now that she is helping you, she knows she can count on you if she ever needs something in the future.”
“That is for certain! We watched Xiaoyue grow up; she is closer to us than anyone else.”
“That is exactly it. Xiaoyue is a junior; she needs the support of her elders to go further.”
Gradually, Grandma steered the conversation away. No one asked about Xiaoyue’s monthly income anymore, and the car was forgotten.
Li Ningjun, who had been listening behind the door for a while, finally walked away. If those people outside had said anything unpleasant, she certainly would have taken a large broom out to give them a good thrashing.
Qin Nian left around six o’clock, and Grandma once again stuffed her car with bags and packages of food.
Taiyang had accidentally stained her clothes with fruit juice, so Li Sangyue took her back to the room to change. Li Ningjun took the initiative to carry the things Grandma had prepared to the car. Seizing this opportunity, she issued her second warning to Qin Nian.
“This is the last time. If you seek out my daughter again, your Qin family will lose much more than just tens of billions.” Li Ningjun slammed the trunk shut, glared at her, and walked back into the house.
Qin Nian knitted her brows slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes.
It was now Tuesday, the day of the scheduled meeting with the talent agency. The representatives had come directly to the county seat, saving Li Sangyue a trip to the city.
In the morning, Grandma boiled corn porridge and made scallion egg pancakes. These pancakes did not require kneading dough and were very simple to make. One only needed to mix flour with an appropriate amount of water, crack in three or four local eggs, add a handful of chopped scallions and some salt, and stir it well before spreading it in a flat pan. The pancakes were thin; rolled up with pan-fried ham strips and crunchy cucumber, they were delicious even without any added sauces.
Li Sangyue did not even wait for the pancakes to be served before running into the kitchen to eat. They were still hot from the pan. She rolled up extra ham and cucumber, took a huge bite, and puffed out her cheeks to flatter Grandma. “Grandma’s pancakes are the best! They are so fragrant. If you opened a shop, you would have no rivals for miles. I could eat these for all three meals a day.”
Everyone loves a compliment, and Grandma beamed with joy. “They are good, aren’t they? I will make them for you again tomorrow morning.”
Li Sangyue immediately puckered her greasy lips to kiss Grandma’s cheek. “mua, Grandma’s favorite is indeed me.”
“Oh, you sweet child.” The grandmother and granddaughter shared a tender moment by the stove.
Just then, Li Ningjun came in to fetch the corn porridge. Seeing them, she just shook her head with a smile. Xiaoyue had been sweet-talking since she was a child and knew how to make the elders happy. It was natural they adored her; the bond between them had always been strong, and Taiyang was exactly like Xiaoyue in that regard.
The pot was hot, and Li Ningjun tried to pick it up without a cloth. She was burned and quickly pulled her hand back.
It was not a serious injury, but Grandma’s sharp eyes caught it. She immediately rushed over to check for burns, asking repeatedly, “Does it hurt? Look at that, it is all red. Go rinse it under water quickly! Xiaoyue, go to your Grandma’s room and find the burn ointment.”
Li Sangyue agreed and immediately ran to find the medicine.
Grandma Li, who was watering flowers in the yard, heard the commotion and dropped her watering can to rush to the kitchen. “What happened? Did Ningjun get burned? Is it serious? How did this happen? Let me see, let me see.”
The old lady had been hospitalized last year, and her health was not what it used to be. Running could cause a fall, making Li Sangyue’s heart skip a beat. She called out, “Grandma, slow down! Do not run! The ground is slippery; be careful not to fall.”
She hopped down the steps to support the anxious old lady.
Li Ningjun, hearing the noise, was also worried. “Mom, I am fine. I just accidentally touched something hot. Please do not run.”
If the old lady fell, she would hate herself for it.
“Are you sure you are okay?” Grandma Li was still uneasy. She took Ningjun’s hand and looked at it carefully. Seeing the small red patch, she still felt pained. “Xiaoyue, hurry and get the medicine; it is in the small drawer in my room.”
Li Sangyue brought the medicine out and applied it to her mother’s hand.
In truth, it was not serious, but the two grandmothers were overly protective. This was common in their household; her grandmother and Grandma Li loved her mother most. She and Taiyang came second. If her mother so much as bumped into something, they would be the first to feel distressed.
Because the elders gave her mother such boundless love and care, her mother loved her the same way. Although she did not have an Alpha mother, she received three heavy portions of love from her family. She was very satisfied and had no regrets.
“Mom, you are truly the one Grandma and Grandma Li love most.” She pretended to be jealous with a pouted lip.
Li Ningjun knew she was joking but still could not help but lightly swat her arm with a smile. She scolded her playfully and then said, “Wake Taiyang up for breakfast. Take her to the county seat today. She has been wanting to see the gorillas at the zoo. Once we finish the business discussion, I will take her there. You should accompany the agency representatives for a tour. They came all this way; even if the partnership does not work out, we should show proper hospitality.”
The agency had mentioned that two extra people had joined the trip but did not disclose their identities, only saying they were coming to observe. That made four people in total. The agency had arranged their own hotel, so Li Sangyue did not have to worry about that, but she could not show up empty-handed. She had already booked a place for dinner and prepared local specialties for all four of them. Taining’s green tea was very famous and made for a perfect gift.
Taiyang, who wanted to sleep in, was dug out of the covers by her mother. She closed her eyes and dove into her mother’s arms, whimpering and refusing to get up. Only when Li Sangyue mentioned going to the zoo to see gorillas did she snap her eyes open. Without needing help, she put on her clothes and scurried to the bathroom in her little shark slippers to wash up.
The lure of the gorillas was powerful. Li Sangyue rubbed her nose and went to eat breakfast.
Little Wangcai, who had been on guard duty since early morning, bounced along behind its little master. Seeing how energetic it was, it clearly liked its new home.
Earlier, Li Sangyue had let it out of its crate, and it knew to go outside to use the bathroom. Grandma said she had taken it out once yesterday, and it remembered. Local dogs were very spiritual and intelligent; they never made a mess in the house.
Little Wangcai had its own dog bowl. Li Sangyue felt the dry dog food looked unappetizing, so she gave it half a bowl of corn porridge, mixed in a small handful of dog food, a few strips of ham, and a small piece of egg pancake. Little Wangcai gobbled it up happily.
The egg pancake had salt but was not overly salty, so it was safe for the dog. Local dogs were not that delicate; being raised in the village, they ate whatever the owners ate. If the food was good enough for humans, it was good enough for the dog. Those who said dogs could not eat human food were surely overcomplicating things.
Her cat, Bajiao, had also been fed regular food since it was young. Just look at its large frame now; its belly almost dragged on the ground.
“Mom, Wangcai finished. Should I give him more?” Taiyang squatted by the door, eating half an egg pancake, while Little Wangcai sat before her, watching expectantly.
Li Sangyue replied from inside, “Wangcai is still small; you cannot give him too much or he will get sick.”
“Taiyang, do not touch the puppy with your hands; it is not hygienic,” Li Ningjun reminded her, fearing the child would not be able to resist.
“I know, Grandma. I am not touching him; I am just looking.”
“Mom, do not worry. With Taiyang’s obsession with cleanliness, she would not touch him even if you asked her to.”
“I see Taiyang likes this puppy quite a bit. By the way, did you ask how much it cost? You must transfer the money to them. If you do not have enough on hand, I have some. We cannot take things from others for nothing.”
Anyone else would be fine, but she could not accept favors from someone named Qin. Owing even a penny would make her uncomfortable. Thinking about how Qin Nian was approaching Xiaoyue and Taiyang with ulterior motives made her even more frustrated. She could not let Xiaoyue know yet; Xiaoyue was still traumatized by the events from seven years ago and still had nightmares.
“I asked, but Qin Nian refused to say. I estimated an amount and transferred the money to her, but she sent it back.”
It was not that she wanted to take advantage; Qin Nian simply refused to accept it. She would not accept the transfer on WeChat, and if she sent it via Alipay, it was returned immediately. What else could she do?
Li Ningjun regretted not throwing cash in Qin Nian’s face yesterday and telling her never to appear again.
“It is fine, Mom. She is still in the county; I will give it to her the next time I see her.”
“She has not left yet?” Like a ghost that refused to vanish. Ningjun really wanted to tie her up and throw her into the river.
“No, she said she would stay here for a while.”
The county seat was not large, but the scenery was lovely. Starting from May and June, there was an endless supply of fruit: cherries, crisp peaches, apricots, yellow peaches, flat peaches, grapes, melons, blueberries. The list went on. Being near a tourist area, there were many visitors. It was a nice place to wander around.
Qin Nian looked like someone raised in a big city; perhaps she reached an age where her “nature-loving instincts” had awakened and she wanted to enjoy the countryside.
Grandma remembered something and said, “Xiao Qin mentioned before that her partner is from around here. Maybe she came to accompany them.”
If not for Grandma’s reminder, Li Sangyue would have almost forgotten. Right, the person Qin Nian loved was here.
“That is possible, but it is their private business; we should not pry.” Li Sangyue agreed, having no other thoughts on the matter. She currently viewed Qin Nian only as a friend. If there had been even a tiny spark of something else, she had already stamped it out.
Only Li Ningjun took a forceful bite of her egg pancake. “Heh, what partner? She is just here to cause trouble.”
After the family finished breakfast, they went about their business. Li Sangyue drove her mother and Taiyang toward the county seat.