Chapter 29: The First Large Sum Enters her Pocket

Yu Fengying led Fang Mingxi along a winding path, bypassing two alleys before finally exiting the black market. Only then did they reach a small alley branching off the main road.

Fang Mingxi glanced around. The small courtyard houses nearby suggested that the family living here was likely well-off.

She remained silent, quietly following Yu Fengying.

Yu Fengying stopped in front of a locked courtyard gate. Lifting the latch, she pulled Fang Mingxi inside.

“Little Girl, let’s be upfront, how much for this ginseng of yours?” As soon as the door closed, Yu Fengying asked eagerly.

“Ginseng? Mom, what ginseng?” Ge Lili, carrying her bag and about to head out, heard the voice and turned to see the two women standing at the back door.

Yu Fengying ignored her, giving her a glance to signal not to ask questions, then pulled Fang Mingxi toward a corner to discuss the price.

Ignored, Ge Lili bit her lip, awkwardly standing there, unsure whether to stay or leave.

Fang Mingxi paid no attention to Ge Lili’s presence. She set down her basket and pulled out a ginseng as thick as her forearm.

Up close, Yu Fengying noticed the ginseng still had soil attached, its roots intact and its body sturdy, a clear sign it was of considerable age.

She thought to herself, this is good stuff, but her heart tightened.

Such prime ginseng would surely cost no less than a hundred yuan, maybe even two hundred. But her family had only a little over two hundred. What if it wasn’t enough?

She wasn’t sure whether the girl would be willing to negotiate. She seemed quite likable, probably not someone who would demand an outrageous price.

Fang Mingxi stayed silent, letting Yu Fengying’s anticipation build. After a few moments of anxious fidgeting, she finally said,

“Auntie, I’m not very sure about the price myself. Why don’t you name a number? If it seems fair, I’ll sell it.”

Yu Fengying composed herself and studied Fang Mingxi’s face. Though she smiled, it was clear she wasn’t truly clueless.

Yu Fengying realized Fang Mingxi wasn’t ignorant of the price, she was deliberately letting Yu Fengying name it.

Silently, Yu Fengying scolded herself. She had thought Fang Mingxi was simple and kind, but the girl was actually shrewd.

“Last month, my neighbor happened to buy a ginseng root for just over a hundred. I’ve seen that root, it wasn’t as big as yours. How about a flat two hundred? I’ll throw in five jin of food coupons as well.”

Yu Fengying was being honest. She knew ginseng was rare; even the supply station seldom had it. Meeting it today was pure luck.

But the household only had so much money; she could spare at most two hundred, keeping the rest for emergencies. The five jin of food coupons was just a bonus, considering money without coupons was hard to spend.

Two hundred was close to what Fang Mingxi had in mind, and the addition of food coupons made the offer more than sufficient.

Fang Mingxi had misjudged her a little, expecting Yu Fengying to haggle. She had even considered walking away if the offer was too low. But Yu Fengying didn’t waste time at all.

Fang Mingxi smiled and placed the ginseng in Yu Fengying’s hands. “Deal. By the way, do you have any seeds? Could you give me some?”

“Yes, yes, yes. We happen to have some at home.” Yu Fengying hurriedly hugged the ginseng to her chest. Under Ge Lili’s incredulous gaze, she went inside and locked the ginseng in a cabinet.

She returned to her room, retrieved a metal box from under the bed, counted out 200 yuan and five jin of food coupons, then added a packet of seeds and returned to the courtyard.

Yu Fengying handed the bills and seeds to Fang Mingxi, ensuring no one was nearby before opening the gate.

She even feigned warmth, linking arms with Fang Mingxi. “Cousin, next time don’t carry so much stuff when you come to see me. I’ll visit your father during the New Year, and we’ll have a proper reunion then.”

Fang Mingxi, now elevated in generational terms relative to Yu Fengying, twitched at the corner of her eyes but clasped Yu Fengying’s arm. “Cousin, don’t worry. Everything’s fine at home. I’ll see you next time.”

Yu Fengying’s smile deepened. “Good. I’ll be waiting. Next time you come, I’ll stew a little chicken with mushrooms for you.”

The girl was perceptive, clearly understanding her implication.

After selling the ginseng, Fang Mingxi’s basket was empty except for a small container of red thorn berries she had kept as snacks.

Before leaving, she noticed a few clothes hanging on a bamboo pole in the courtyard and decided to give the basket of red thorn berries to Yu Fengying.

“For the Little ones.”

“Eh!” Yu Fengying quickly accepted it. Even after Fang Mingxi left, she wondered who this girl could be, certainly not from their town.

The girl was so delicate and charming that she had instantly won Yu Fengying over. She had thought Fang Mingxi was cunning, but now, after receiving a basket of red thorn berries, Yu Fengying’s impression completely changed.

Having completed such a significant transaction, Yu Fengying finally relaxed. She smiled and closed the door behind her. Inside, she saw Ge Lili still standing there.

“Not going to work today? What are you doing just standing here?”

Ge Lili shrank her neck and stammered, “Mom, was that really your cousin from your family?”

She had never heard her mother mention such a beautiful girl.

Why did this girl suddenly appear? Was her mother really trying to make Brother Feng divorce her?

Yu Fengying could hardly look at her foolish eldest daughter-in-law. She felt like she might get sick from anger. She took a breath and handed the red hawthorn berries to Ge Lili.

“Fengwa’s busy with something important. I just had someone buy something for us. Go ahead and give these berries to Niu Niu and Zhuzhu.”

Ge Lili’s gloomy mood instantly lifted. Holding the berries, her voice trembled. “Mom, so you weren’t trying to make Brother Feng divorce me.”

Yu Fengying was puzzled. “Who said I wanted Fengwa to divorce you? Stop imagining things and go to work.”

Her daughter-in-law really did overthink things. Yu Fengying wondered how she had agreed to Fengwa marrying her in the first place.

Ge Lili lowered her head in embarrassment. “A while ago, I heard from neighbors that you wanted to introduce another girl to Brother Feng. I thought you were just dissatisfied with me being too foolish.”

Since marrying in, many neighbors had commented that she had overreached by marrying into town. A mountain girl marrying into town was considered a stroke of luck, not to mention Brother Feng had even found her a temporary job.

Ge Lili had thought even her mother-in-law disapproved of her. Hearing the truth today, she realized she had misunderstood Yu Fengying.

Yu Fengying snapped, “Nonsense! You don’t take care of Niu Niu and Zhuzhu properly, and you keep listening to other people’s nonsense. Besides, if I wanted Fengwa to divorce you, why would I have agreed to your marriage in the first place?”

“All right, I’ll listen to you from now on and ignore others,” Ge Lili said, smiling through tears. She put the berries inside, straightened her clothes, and finally picked up her bag to go to work.

Yu Fengying shook her head. Her daughter-in-law was indeed foolish. Silly at times, yes, but at least she genuinely cared for Fengwa.