The wicked sister-in-law is in charge; meals include fish and shrimp.

Chapter 38 Su Xian's Gift

“That’s right, Master. People say that serving a teacher is like serving a father. This meal is my fifth brother’s way of showing respect to you as his teacher,” Wen Zixun chimed in from the side. Although he didn’t like reading, he respected scholars, except for Lin Huaizhi, of course.

Wen Zijin was slightly surprised that her sixth brother could say such a thing.

Even so, Master Su shook his head. He knew about Zijing's family situation; those things were probably saved up by the whole family. He had to pay for the food.

Just as he was about to reach for his purse, Wen Zi'an reminded him, "Master Su, my sister is a woman of her word. If you're too polite, she'll get angry."

"Most people can't get a chance to eat the dishes my sister makes."

Upon hearing this, Master Su looked up at Wen Luozhi and saw her hesitate slightly before taking her hand off the money pouch, taking out a butterfly charm from the side, and handing it over.

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. You little girl, you'd better accept this butterfly talisman, or I'll be too embarrassed to even ask for it," Su Xian said with a smile.

This butterfly charm was his wife's favorite. When he came home, he mentioned it and thought it would be a suitable gift for a young girl, so he told her to remember to bring it over.

Wen Luozhi took the butterfly charm with both hands, looked at it over and over several times, and then happily hung it on her waist. After taking a few steps, the small bell on the butterfly charm made a crisp and melodious sound.

"Thank you, Master Su, I really like this," she said happily to Su Xian.

Su Xian was relieved to see that the gift was the right one; as long as the recipient liked it, that was good!

Wen Zijin was somewhat surprised. The butterfly talisman looked very valuable, far more than a few meals could buy. He would have to talk to Luo Luo about keeping it safe when he had the chance.

After saying goodbye to the two, Wen Luozhi took her two older brothers to look around the shops near the academy. In the end, she only rented a small shop that was the closest to the academy.

Wen Zizhou couldn't buy anything yesterday, so she dragged the two of them on another shopping spree, preparing everything they would need for the shop's opening in a few days.

The shop is full of pots, pans, and utensils, all of which will be needed for future business.

Before she even reached the butcher shop, she could see the butcher and his wife craning their necks to look at her from a distance.

Seeing that she had finally arrived, Su Erniang excitedly raised her hand and called out to her, "Little girl, come quickly!"

She waited outside all day yesterday because she was really craving the food, but no one showed up.

She had come out early in the morning, and as noon approached, the person she had been waiting for finally arrived.

Wen Luozhi ran over a few steps, and Su Erniang quickly pulled her into the courtyard, saying, "The sun is strong outside, don't let it ruin your pretty little face."

"Hey? Who are these two?" She noticed the two tall men behind Wen Luozhi and asked.

Wen Luozhi fanned herself with her hand and replied, "Beautiful aunt, this is my fourth brother, and this is my sixth brother." She pulled Wen Zian and Wen Zixun over to introduce them, and the two brothers nodded slightly to Su Erniang.

"Oh my, what handsome young men! They're all quite good-looking!" Su Erniang praised, leading the three into the courtyard.

As soon as they sat down, Li Da, who was following behind, poured tea for them.

After the three politely thanked her, Wen Luozhi asked, "How have you been feeling these past two days, beautiful auntie?"

Upon hearing this, Su Erniang smiled and said, "I wasn't feeling too well at first, but after eating those snacks you gave me, I feel much better."

"I asked your Uncle Li to go outside and buy it for me, but he couldn't find a single thing!" After saying that, she glanced at Li Da next to her and pouted in dissatisfaction.

Li Da quickly coaxed her, "It's not that I don't want to buy it, my wife, it's just that these snacks given by the young lady can't be bought anywhere else!"

He really went to every food stall, even restaurants, but he didn't sell to any of them, and they had never even heard of them.

Wen Luozhi covered her mouth and laughed with her eyes crinkling. It would be strange if something that could be redeemed in the system were here.

However, seeing how affectionate the couple was, she smiled and said, "Something came up at home yesterday, so I couldn't bring those little things to you, Auntie. They were just things my family and I made ourselves in our spare time, so they're not available for sale outside."

"But once my family's rented shop near the academy opens in a few days, it will be convenient for Auntie to have those snacks."

When it comes to food, freshness is key. If you're going to do business, you have to keep introducing new and exciting products to retain customers.

So once the shop opens, she'll start selling things that aren't available here yet, instead of the same things all the time. First, novelty will attract customers, and second, she hasn't yet investigated the food available here, so she needs to secure those items first.

Su Erniang and Li Dayi both laughed when they heard this, thinking that they must go and support them in a few days.

Wen Luozhi took out several bottles and jars from the basket, including dried blueberries that she had given to Wen Zijin.

Su Erniang insisted on giving her money this time, so she reluctantly accepted some as a token gesture.

However, when selling meat, Li Da gave them discounts and even gave them freebies, leaving the three siblings somewhat at a loss.

On the way back, Wen Luozhi directly hired Zhao Laohan's oxcart, because if there were other people, her two older brothers would be extremely nervous!

After all, they now have several banknotes on their person.

When she arrived in the village and got off the bus, she saw villagers growing potatoes all along the way. The bolder ones would call out to her and say hello, while the less timid ones would just nod in greeting.

Since yesterday, their opinion of Wen Luozhi has improved a lot, because when they went to get the seeds, the girl was quite polite and didn't act as fiercely as before.

Perhaps the incident with Lin Huaizhi fixed his head? That's what the villagers thought.

As she walked, she suddenly saw a small pile of firewood approaching the three of them in the distance.

As you get closer, you'll see that she's a thin little girl carrying a bundle of firewood on her back. It's so heavy that she's almost touching the ground.

"Pandi, why are you carrying so much firewood? Where are your parents?" Wen Zian took the firewood from her back and held it in his hands without saying a word.

Wen Pandi looked up and saw Wen Luozhi. Startled, she quickly lowered her head again and timidly replied, "Dad went to town, and Mom went to Grandma's house. Grandma said she was hungry and asked me to chop firewood and start a fire to cook."

After she finished speaking, she wished she could bury her head in the ground, because her mother and aunt had been beaten so badly that day. Her grandmother told her that it was this cousin who had beaten them, and that if she saw her, she would bite her and throw stones at her.

But she was so scared, what if her cousin hit her too?

Wen Luozhi looked at the thin little girl in front of her, then at the firewood in Wen Zi'an's hand, and frowned.

The people living in this old house are really something...

She touched her messy head and asked softly, "Where's your older cousin? Why did he call a little kid like you out?"

This child doesn't look as strong as Da Ya; he's as thin as a little chick.

Could it be that all the adults in the old house are dying out, so they let such a little girl out to bask in the sun?