"Give her at market price, these grandmothers have all bought them."
On the market, ducklings cost two mao each, so two would be four mao.
San Leng said, "No need, Sister Cheng You said she'd give me a duckling and also three duck eggs!"
This meant that Cheng You was selling a duck and five eggs for only a few mao.
Since he said that, Sixth Aunt understood that Cheng You didn't want to take advantage of anyone and stuffed five mao into his hand.
"Take it, and help your sister with more work later."
San Leng grinned, "Of course, but my sister doesn't want me to. Her hands have blisters from doing chores. She insists on gathering pig feed herself."
Sixth Aunt couldn't help but sigh. She hadn't expected the child to be so stubborn, so much like Jiang Qing from her memory.
Not long after, Uncle Li walked in from outside, looking anxious.
"Auntie, do you still have the hawthorns you gave me today?"
San Leng instinctively covered his pocket; these were all he had left.
Sixth Aunt shook her head, "No more, that was all there was, and it's all for you. Why the rush?"
Uncle Li gave a wry smile, "My old mother hasn't been able to eat for days. I thought she was going to pass, but unexpectedly, after eating a few hawthorns, her appetite improved."
He had even gone up the mountain himself to pick some hawthorns.
But no matter how he prepared them, his mother said they didn't taste good and only wanted the candied hawthorns from Sixth Aunt.
That's why he shamelessly came over.
Hearing that it was a matter of life and death, San Leng took out the oil paper from his pocket.
"Uncle, here, take this."
Uncle Li's eyes lit up, and he accepted it as if it were a treasure.
"Good boy, Uncle owes you one."
Sixth Aunt's eyebrows moved, and she said with a smile, "It wasn't made by him, so why do you owe him? Why don't you let San Leng take you to see that girl Cheng You? If your old mother wants to eat them in the future, you can have someone make them anytime."
Uncle Li was astonished, "Cheng You?"
Wasn't that the girl who fell into the water last time?
He had thought she was beyond saving and had repeatedly suggested sending her to the commune clinic, but Cheng Tianhua refused, and she had somehow pulled through.
"She can. San Leng, take me there."
"Alright!" San Leng knew that Grandmother intended to support Cheng You.
Being able to establish a good relationship with Uncle Li was something people in the surrounding villages would envy.
At that moment, Cheng You had just returned home, overjoyed at the prospect of an income.
She had just hidden two duck eggs when she heard Song Yulian shout, "Cheng You, did you steal the sugar!"
Cheng You quickly walked out and admitted frankly, "I'm in my own home, do I need permission to eat candy?"
"You call this eating candy? Half a bag is gone! Tell me honestly, did you give the sugar to someone else?"
Song Yulian's face was filled with anger, but her eyes hid a trace of smugness.
She had finally caught her in a minor transgression and couldn't let it go easily.
Cheng You sneered, "You know sugar is a good thing, so why would I give it away?"
Song Yulian snorted, "You gave five eggs to the educated youth Qi earlier. Who knows if you gave the sugar to him as well!"
Song Yulian's shouting could be heard by the neighbors.
Sensing gossip, they all perked up their ears.
Cheng You coldly sneered, so this was what they were waiting for.
Everyone knew Song Yulian's intentions. She was determined to marry Cheng Tao to Zhao Yunlin.
She couldn't control what these two scoundrels wanted, and the engagement would be broken sooner or later, but they couldn't blame her for it!
Just as Cheng You was about to speak, Zhao Yunlin's voice came from the doorway, "Cheng You, you even gave him eggs? The whole village of Wujing knows he hugged you. You're simply shameless!"
Cheng You was almost amused to death, "He saved me, I'm grateful, why should I feel ashamed? Or are you hoping no one would save me, so I would die sooner?"
Zhao Yunlin's face turned red with anger, "How could I think that? But when you let someone save you, did you think of me, or think about whether our Zhao family would lose face?"
"If you felt ashamed, why didn't you jump in and save me? What were you doing then? Were you flirting with some other girl and didn't have time to save me?"
Cheng You's gaze flickered between him and Cheng Tao.
Zhao Yunlin felt guilty and became enraged, "How can you think of me like that? Cheng You, haven't I been good enough to you? I even asked you to a movie today, why didn't you go?"
Cheng You let out a laugh, "I didn't go, so you didn't watch the movie? Coming home at this hour, could it be that you went alone? But why are you returning with Cheng Tao? It's not like you met halfway, is it?"
Her pointed words made everyone ponder.
In the countryside, days were filled with nothing but work, all for survival.
The only form of entertainment was likely gossip from house to house.
Cheng Tao's face turned slightly pale, and the shyness on her face completely disappeared.
"Cheng You, you've misunderstood. Brother Yunlin and I just met halfway."
Cheng You scoffed, "Met halfway? Then what were you doing in the county town?"
"I went to the department store to buy something."
"Buy what?"
"Snow cream."
Cheng You chuckled again, with obvious sarcasm in her eyes.
"Sister is indeed lucky. Aunt Lian scolds me when I eat a little white sugar, but Sister has money to buy snow cream."
Cheng Tao gritted her teeth. Cheng You was truly different from before!
Family shame should not be aired publicly. If it were in the past, Cheng You would never have said such things in front of everyone.
The woman standing beside them craned her neck to look, "It really is snow cream. Why would anyone wear snow cream in this hot weather? Acting like a capitalist's daughter."
Song Yulian glared with raised eyebrows, "Zhang Yunmei, you don't need to interfere in my family's affairs!"
Zhang Yunmei was stunned. In the past, Song Yulian and she used to scold Cheng You together, and Song Yulian never had this expression.
"I thought you were such a good stepmother, but it turns out you're just like this! In the past, you always spoke about how good you were to Cheng You, but you wouldn't even let her have a piece of candy! Your daughter can buy snow cream in this hot weather, but Cheng You gets scolded for eating a piece of candy? Song Yulian, are you being true to yourself? Hey Cheng Tao, your clothes look familiar. This shirt and skirt, don't they look like Cheng You's!"
Cheng Tao nervously clutched her clothes, "No, these are my clothes!"
Zhang Yunmei snorted, "When your mother married into the old Cheng family, she only brought two sets of clothes and no dowry. How could she afford to buy you such clothes? Wearing them so nicely, could it be that you really went to watch a movie with Zhao Yunlin? Cheng You, are these your clothes?"
Cheng You inwardly laughed heartily. Zhang Yunmei was notoriously gossipy in Wujing Village.
No matter if you were friends with such a person or not, everyone could hear your gossip from her mouth.
A large part of Cheng You's reputation was thanks to her.
Now, Song Yulian and Cheng Tao were reaping what they sowed.