Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 106

“It’s too late tonight. No stories. Tomorrow Mommy will tell you another one, now go to sleep!”

The little bun nodded. His small face showed a hint of disappointment, but he still obediently said, “Alright then.”

Ying Su closed her eyes and was silent for a while. Suddenly, she asked, “Huzi, do you want to live with your grandparents?”

The little bun’s eyes lit up instantly. He perked up, rolled over, and lay on his stomach, staring at her. “Mommy, what did you say? I… I have grandparents too?” His eyes shone with hope, dark pupils sparkling like stars.

Ying Su opened her eyes, a faint trace of melancholy showing on her pale face. She reached out and touched his slightly yellowing hair. “Do you want to have them?”

The little bun didn’t even think about it. He nodded quickly. “Yes!” His little face was brimming with joy. “Mommy, where are they? When can we see them?”

“Why do you want grandparents?” Ying Su couldn’t help but ask.

“Because then it won’t be just you and me all alone!” The little bun lifted his face, filled with expectation.

Something inside Ying Su trembled. Her dark eyes gleamed faintly as she stared at the pitch-black ceiling, thoughts drifting. She always felt that she was Ying Su, not Shen Cuihua. Even though she had ended up in Shen Cuihua’s body, she wasn’t her and had no reason to live her life in her place.

If she truly lived as Shen Cuihua, then who was she in the end, Ying Su, or Shen Cuihua?

Xiling Village, that was Shen Cuihua’s parents and kin, not hers.

She knew her own nature. Deep down, she was detached from matters of affection. No one suspected she wasn’t Shen Cuihua now only because the Lis weren’t familiar with her. 

If she went back to the Shen family, though, those who had watched Shen Cuihua grow up, sooner or later, someone would notice something is amiss.

The night wind stirred gently. A full, bright moon hung high above, flooding the ground with light. Everything seemed bright and beautiful.

Ying Su stroked the little bun’s soft, tender cheek and whispered, “Go to sleep.”

“Then Mommy, when will you take me to see Grandfather and Grandmother?” The little bun persisted.

Ying Su’s lips curved faintly. She hugged him close and murmured, her voice nearly inaudible, “In a few days.”

The little bun, still uncertain, said, “Mommy, you have to keep your word.”

Ying Su replied softly, “I will.”

Outside the village, three li away, on a secluded path, Ying Su crouched in the shade of a tree, cracking melon seeds as she kept an eye on the sun, silently calculating the time.

Before long, a figure appeared on the narrow path. The man staggered with every three steps, his gait uneven. From afar, one could tell his legs weren’t steady. He was humming a bawdy tune as he walked. Before he even came close, the vulgar lyrics were already drifting down the road, “The delicate warbling oriole pants faintly, rain-soul and cloud-spirit quiver in delight…”

Ying Su tucked the remaining melon seeds into her pocket, stepped out from the shade, and blocked the path. The reeking drunkard was none other than Li Ergou.

When he saw who it was, Li Ergou shivered violently. He cursed aloud, “Damn it, what the hell, seeing a ghost in broad daylight!”

Ying Su raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a familiar arc. She didn’t say a word, just moved straight to action. She hurled a handful of melon seed shells at his face like a sudden rainstorm.

Before Li Ergou could react, her fist was already upon him. He tried to dodge, but no matter how he moved, he was always just a beat too slow, her blows landed squarely every time.

With a swift kick to the crook of his knees, Li Ergou collapsed, kneeling on the ground. Ying Su rained two punches across his face. People say you shouldn’t strike another’s face, but she made sure to pound Li Ergou’s mercilessly, so he wouldn’t dare show his face outside to harm anyone else.

Bloodied and bruised, Li Ergou clutched his head, wailing for mercy.

Ying Su stood over him, arms folded across her chest, chin lifted, her cold smile never wavering.

“Li Ergou, remember this: tuck your tail between your legs and learn how to behave! Next time you fall into my hands, it won’t just be a beating like today.”

Li Ergou shook like a leaf, holding his head, babbling desperately, “I won’t dare again, never again! Please, Grand Auntie, spare me…”

Ying Su bent slightly, her gaze sharp as ice. “If you ever meddle with my shop again, don’t even think about keeping that right hand of yours.”

She drew a finger across the air, slicing toward his wrist.

Li Ergou’s face turned ghostly pale. He shuddered, dropped to the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly, snot and tears streaming as he begged for his life.

Ying Su no longer looked at him. She turned, pulled out her melon seeds again, cracking them leisurely as she walked home.

She had waited for him on purpose. He burned her shop and thought he could just walk away, live as if nothing happened? Impossible. Ying Su always protected her own and never tolerated bullying.

From that day on, whenever Li Ergou’s family saw her, they quickly took a detour. Behind her back, they gnashed their teeth in hatred, but none dared make a move. Word had spread among the town’s ruffians: you could stir trouble anywhere, but not with Weixuan Shop. That place was under Wang Ba’s protection.

Since reopening, Weixuan Shop’s business has thrived. Across the street, another shop tried to copy their furniture designs, but without glass, their products were useless.

Mercury mirrors for dressing tables sold out as soon as they arrived. Even though Li Yunyao had suffered humiliation in the shop last time, it didn’t stop her from bringing other girls over to flaunt herself again.

Wu Shumei often visited too, sometimes buying little things, but mostly looking for Ying Su. Yet since Ying Su rarely came to the shop, Wu Shumei was always left disappointed.

Liu Chuncao mentioned it a couple of times, advising Ying Su to make time to see her. After all, she was the daughter of Lark Pavilion’s shopkeeper, befriending her was worthwhile. Ying Su always agreed verbally, but never actually went.

Lately, she had been secretly buying potatoes stored in villagers’ cellars. She thought the little bun would object to her spending money this way and had even prepared excuses in advance. 

But to her surprise, the little bun only said lightly, “Mommy, it’s your money. Do as you see fit.”

Startled, Ying Su touched his head, incredulous. Was this really her stingy, penny-pinching child? She’d always fretted over his obsession with money, yet suddenly, it seemed cured.

With Madam Li’s help, Ying Su collected nearly two hundred jin of potatoes from the village. Madam Li agreed readily, knowing Ying Su must be planning to turn them into some new delicious and profitable thing. 

In just a couple of days, she’d gathered enough, even adding her own family’s potatoes to the pile.

“Can this earth egg really be turned into that tasty powder you mentioned?” Madam Li asked as she washed potatoes, curious. She had nothing else to do at home and had come over to help.

Ying Su crushed the cleaned potatoes into pulp and left them to ferment in a large porcelain basin. She answered calmly, “Yes. Once it’s ready, I’ll make some for you to try.”