Jiang Hanyuan didn't look at the clothes in her hands. She picked out a few eye-catching ones and asked, "How much?"
Xu Dongmei threw down the clothes in her hands, looking disgruntled, and intentionally inflated the price. "Zhaodi, you have such a good eye. These are all pure cotton, great material, and the price is high too. Tell you what, I'll give them to you at cost. It adds up to 108 yuan, I'll wipe off the change and you just give me 100. I’m not making a single cent, I’m even losing money on the transport fare."
She muttered through a calculation, having raised the price of every item by ten yuan.
"I'll take them all."
Jiang Hanyuan didn't change her expression. She gathered up the clothes and then picked out two pairs of shoes. After having Doudou try them on, they were a perfect fit.
"That’s 150 in total. Zhaodi, did your husband strike it rich? I have to say, you really are blessed. Now that you’re living well, don't forget to help out Tianbao. You two are biological siblings, after all." Xu Dongmei and her sister Xu Donghua were cut from the same cloth.
Jiang Hanyuan packed up the clothes and shoes, saying coldly, "Ask my father for the money!"
With that, she turned and left. Lu Chen picked up Doudou and followed closely behind. Xu Dongmei reacted quickly enough to chase after them, intending to curse, but when she met Lu Chen’s icy gaze, she was too terrified to utter a single word. She watched resentfully as the family of three swaggered away.
"Shameless wretch, ptooey!"
Xu Dongmei spat, then went back to update her ledger; the 150 had become 180. She would go ask Father Jiang for it later.
Jiang Hanyuan also "shoplifted" some dried fish. The shopkeeper was her uncle, Jiang Tianbao’s biological father.
"Ask my father for the money."
After saying this, Jiang Hanyuan hid behind Lu Chen and even gave him a push forward. Lu Chen and the uncle locked eyes. The uncle was a head shorter than Lu Chen and had to crane his neck to speak. The uncle, who had been furious, felt his neck go cold the moment he saw Lu Chen’s icy face.
"I... I'll ask my brother for the money."
The uncle lost his nerve. There were rumors that Lu Chen had beaten someone to death; he didn't know if it was true, but he believed it—otherwise, why would he have been sent to prison twice?
"Uncle, these dried bamboo shoots look good. I’ll buy some."
Jiang Hanyuan had spotted something good; braised pork with dried bamboo shoots was delicious. She didn't stand on ceremony and took several pounds. With the dried fish, it came to several dozen yuan. The uncle’s heart ached, but he didn't dare say a word, his smile looking worse than a cry.
The family of three headed home carrying big bags and small. Lu Chen was very satisfied with this trip to the market. Aside from the 3.8 yuan spent on vegetables, he hadn't spent a penny on anything else. This woman, Jiang Hanyuan, was becoming more and more in sync with him.
"I can't carry all this stuff. Take me and Doudou home first."
Jiang Hanyuan made the request as if it were only natural, even holding out her hand to show Lu Chen the red marks left by the plastic bags.
"Mm."
Lu Chen secured the items and only started the bike after they were seated. On the way back, Jiang Hanyuan’s claws were as active as ever, yet Lu Chen discovered that the fluttering in his heart had mysteriously vanished.
It was as if those claws were meant to be tucked inside his clothes, rather than anywhere else.
He shook his head, trying not to think about such messy things. Because Jiang Hanyuan had behaved well, his 5,000 yuan remained untouched. Upon arriving home, Lu Chen mercifully helped Jiang Hanyuan off the bike, using both hands.
Lu Chen carried the items into the house before riding off.
"Are you coming home for lunch?" Jiang Hanyuan’s voice drifted out.
"Yes!"
Lu Chen turned back to answer. The cold wind blew against his face, but his heart felt a little warmer.
Since his grandfather died, no one had asked him if he was coming home for dinner.
Lu Chen smiled and picked up speed. He needed to pay back the money quickly so he could get home to eat; there was so much meat today.
The 5,000 yuan was owed by the village where Jiang Hanyuan’s maiden family lived. Lu Chen went from door to door, crossing off names in his notebook as he paid them back. The yellowed paper was filled with names and amounts; the names on the first few pages had been crossed out in red ink, but there were still several pages left.
Some creditors had already passed away, but their children were still around, and the debts had to be paid—this was his grandfather’s instruction.
"You child, we told you there was no need to pay it back. Come, sit inside."
The last household was an elderly couple whose children worked in big cities. The old woman enthusiastically cooked sweet fermented rice balls for Lu Chen. After Grandpa Lu passed away, she and her husband had told Lu Chen that the debt was wiped clean. Still, they were happy that Lu Chen had come to pay it back; they felt he was a good boy.
"Eat the rice balls. I heard you married the Jiang girl, Jiang Hanyuan? And you have a child?" the old woman asked with concern.
"It’s a misunderstanding. There’s no child."
Lu Chen told the truth. This elderly couple were his grandfather’s friends and had helped him a lot over the years; he couldn't lie to them.
"Then is Jiang Hanyuan still living at your place?"
"Yes, she has nowhere else to go, so she’s staying there for now."
Lu Chen nodded and took a sip of the sweet wine. The old woman had added plenty of sugar, and it was very sweet; the rice balls were soft. He didn't actually like sweet, soft, sticky things, but it was the old woman’s kindness, so he ate it all.
"Then you mustn't bully that girl. Stay for lunch; old man, go kill a chicken." The old woman said with a smile.
"I won't stay. I told them I’d be home for lunch before I left."
Lu Chen refused, but the old woman just smiled, gratified. "It’s good to go home for dinner. Take this chicken home to eat."
The old man returned with a proud, strutting rooster. The rooster seemed to know its end was near; it struggled desperately and tried to peck the old man’s hand, but it had been seized by the wings of fate, and its efforts were in vain.
"This chicken is fierce. It bullied the hens so much they were afraid to lay eggs. Ah Chen, take it home and slaughter it," the old man said with a chuckle.
"Thank you, Grandpa Zhou, Grandma Zhou."
Lu Chen accepted the couple’s kindness. The rooster seemed to have resigned itself to its fate, drooping its head listlessly and stopping its struggle.
"Wait a moment, I’ll get you some greens. After the New Year, the greens are always sprouting cores; if you don't eat them now, they’ll get tough. Everything costs money in the city, and now that you have a wife and child, you need to save."
Grandma Zhou chattered as she carried a basket to the vegetable garden right by the door. Lu Chen wanted to explain that Jiang Hanyuan wasn't his wife, but the old woman was already too far away to hear him.
The elderly couple picked a basket full of greens and insisted Lu Chen take them all.
"Come back for more when you’re finished. We have plenty of greens at home; don't spend money buying them." Grandma Zhou looked at Lu Chen kindly. Others called this boy a bully, but that was all nonsense. He was clearly a good boy; those spreading rumors shouldn't fear being struck by lightning.
Lu Chen said goodbye to the two elders and rode off. There were many people in the village, so he didn't ride fast. Before long, he was blocked by someone—it was Jiang Tianbao.
Having lost his beloved dog, Jiang Tianbao had lost his appetite and had lost three pounds in just a few days. Father Jiang was heartbroken and doubled his pocket money. With money in his pocket, Jiang Tianbao’s mood immediately improved. He bought a lot of loud firecrackers and set them off by the side of the road. Whenever he saw women or children passing by, he would throw the lit firecrackers at them, making the women scream and the children wail, while Jiang Tianbao rolled on the ground laughing.
Seeing someone riding a motorcycle from afar, Jiang Tianbao hatched a malicious plan. He twisted the fuses of three firecrackers together, lit them, and threw them at Lu Chen, hoping to see the motorcycle flip into the nearby farmland.
(End of chapter)