Tian Sangsang and ng Shuyan stepped down from Li Zhengxiong’s car, attracting the attention of many. However, Tian Sangsang remained unbothered, calmly holding ng Shuyan’s hand as they walked through the crowd, nodding lightly as a form of greeting.
"Isn’t that Tian Sangsang? How co she’s with the Li Family’s big brother?"
"Back from the town again, heard she went there to sell stuff."
"Must’ve made quite so money; look, her kid’s wearing new clothes already."
"Yeah, really nice."
"What’s there to admire? Back in the day, this kind of thing would’ve been called speculation and profiteering. If it were , I wouldn’t bother going."
"Alright, scatter! Whether she went to town or not, what’s it got to do with you lot? Always gossiping behind people’s backs." Aunt ng waved her hand dismissively, though her eyes remained fixed in their direction, seemingly lost in thought.
"Oh my, it used to be Aunt ng hanging around with the Li Family’s brothers all the ti, now it’s Tian Sangsang. Those Li brothers really have so charm with won."
"..."
Amid the never-ending chatter, Chen Ying stood still with furrowed brows. As soone approached, she suddenly stepped forward and raised her hand to block the person: "Brother, where are you going?"
Chen Ming chuckled sheepishly, hiding his hands behind his back, his face slightly flushed: "Yingzi, you wouldn’t betray , right?"
"You better tell where you’re going first!"
"The other day I went to the county town and bought a Pearl Cream. I... I was gonna deliver it to Tian Tian."
"Tiantian, Tiantian, it’s always Tiantian!"
"What’re you mad about, Yingzi? When have I ever gone to the town without bringing you sothing? Rember how much you liked the scarf I got for you last ti." Chen Ming laughed, patting her head affectionately, "This Pearl Cream is for Tian Tian. If you like it, I’ll bring you one next ti."
"I don’t want the Pearl Cream!" Chen Ying stomped her foot in frustration, snapping: "Why are you always running around giving her stuff? She’s not even dating you! Be careful, you might just be spending money to raise soone else’s wife."
"How can you say such a thing?" Chen Ming frowned, speaking firmly: "She’s going to be your future sister-in-law. I just need to keep visiting her for a bit longer. She’ll agree to date sooner or later. Gifts aren’t a big deal—whether I send them early or late, I still need to send them anyway. In this village, aside from you, Yingzi, only Tiantian deserves Pearl Cream." His aning was clear: only a beauty like Tiantian suits sothing as refined as Pearl Cream. Chen Ming was practically ready to worship her, treating her with the utmost care and reverence, longing to make her his wife.
"Brother." Chen Ying sighed heavily, watching her brother dumbed down by his infatuation for Tiantian. It made her anxious. "Tiantian has high standards; she likes educated n. You’ve got no chance!" That girl was so full of herself—acting like a noble lady even though she wasn’t one. Wanting to live the city life? Well, then ace the college entrance exam! Yet, she hadn’t passed and sohow still expected to marry a city boy. Seriously...
Chen Ying wasn’t intentionally trying to make things difficult for her potential future sister-in-law; she simply believed that when it ca to picking a wife, practicality mattered more than beauty. Marrying soone like Tiantian? What good would it bring? She might look pretty but was completely useless—might as well buy a vase to decorate the house!
"What’s the point of liking city people? In this village, except for Teacher Zhou, who can compare to ? Don’t worry, your brother knows his worth." Chen Ming stubbornly gave a thumbs-up, "Teacher Zhou saw the value in you, didn’t he? It’s just a matter of ti before I succeed with Tian Tian too."
Chen Ying froze, her face suddenly pale. Just what had Teacher Zhou seen in her? Why was he romantically involved with her? She wasn’t as pretty as Tian Tian, nor was she as gentle. If he had any sense, he’d prefer Tian Tian—he’d even go to the back mountain for secret rendezvous with her...
No! Impossible!
Seeing Chen Ying’s face turn white all of a sudden, Chen Ming spoke softly: "I heard Tiantian’s dad lost money gambling, and her family’s struggling to scrape together the funds. She’s probably upset. If I give her sothing, it might cheer her up. Yingzi, can’t you be a bit more understanding of your brother?"
"If she were truly intent on solving her family’s debt, why doesn’t she just figure sothing out herself? Her job isn’t busy—when she has free ti, she could go sell things in town like Tian Sangsang does. If her dad can’t pay back the money, are you planning to lend them money as bride price so you can marry her?"
"How could borrowed money serve as bride price? Of course, I’d give both the bride price and gifts." Chen Ming chuckled and then rolled his eyes, "How can you even compare Tian Sangsang to Tian Tian!"
"Oh, co on!" Chen Ying nearly gagged in frustration! For so reason, she recalled that phrase Tian Sangsang had muttered that day and blurted it out herself. It perfectly captured her mood right now.
"What kind of grass?" Chen Ming asked, puzzled.
What grass was she talking about???
Chen Ying: "..."
Nearing the house, Tian Sangsang keenly noticed the door to the yard was ajar, with a shadow moving faintly inside—it looked like a sneaky rat.
A sense of vigilance imdiately rose within her.
When it ca to ho security, this was her biggest concern. The wooden beams around the yard were practically useless for fending off thieves. The outer hall door was a wooden door, not particularly sturdy, but the lock behind it was strong—it was made of iron. Before she left earlier, she had simply tied the two loops at the door with a piece of hemp rope, figuring that her barren ho wouldn’t attract visitors. And with a neighbor like Aunt Zhong nearby, usually no one dared intrude.
Of course, unless this intruder wasn’t just an average person.
Lowering her head, she gestured "shush" to ng Shuyan, and the two tiptoed over to the yard. Inside was a skinny woman in coarse clothing, crouched down and feasting with gusto, hugging a jar to her chest. From the original owner’s mory, Tian Sangsang recognized her as the original owner’s second aunt, apparently from Chen’s village, just like Chen Guilan.
The jar in her arms wasn’t anything else—it was the sangren wine Tian Sangsang had carefully brewed. The mulberry trees she had grown in her space had borne large, luscious fruit, tantalizingly delicious. She had exchanged so yellow wine to brew a batch but left the jar at ho rather than storing it in her space.
Sangren wine needed at least a month to fernt properly, and now it had only been three days. What’s worse, second aunt was surrounded by bone scraps, evidently having raided another jar—her braised food—eating nearly all of it.
"Second Aunt." Tian Sangsang held ng Shuyan’s hand and walked in, suppressing her simring anger as she spoke with a forced smile.
Second Aunt jumped in fright at the sound but relaxed upon seeing Tian Sangsang. Still, she didn’t let go of the jar.
"Sangsang, you’re back. Where’ve you been wandering off to? I’ve been waiting at your house all afternoon and you didn’t co back. I’m so hungry and tired I was about to drop!"
"Oh." Tian Sangsang held in her fury and walked over to check the braised food jar—only half remained. What kind of stomach managed this? Not only was trash scattered everywhere, but she’d also opened her precious sangren wine! Damn it!
"I wasn’t at ho, so you decided to eat my things without a word? Taking without asking is stealing, Second Aunt—you do understand that, right?"
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