"To be honest, young lady, my grandson is lying in here." The old woman wiped away her tears with her sleeve and began to tell her heartbreaking story.
Her son died young, and her daughter-in-law abandoned the child and remarried, leaving the old woman to raise her grandson alone. Life was tough, but she managed. At least she had this shop, which allowed her to make a living.
But his grandson contracted a strange illness, his neck swelled up, and many doctors were at a loss.
As her grandson's neck grew larger, the old woman's health also deteriorated. With expenses exceeding earnings, she simply couldn't keep going, which led her to consider renting out the shop.
However, if they rented out the shop, the grandfather and grandson would have nowhere to go, so they wanted to keep the rent cheaper and continued to live in the backyard of the shop.
"Auntie, could I see your grandson?" Listening to the old woman's description, Li Youran felt that this disease was very similar to goiter.
"Young lady, you don't know, my grandson... he's truly frightening." The old woman shook her head and said, "Let's just forget about it!"
"It's alright, ma'am."
Seeing that Li Youran insisted, the old lady did not refuse again.
A frail boy lay on the bed, his face pale, but his neck was swollen so badly that it was quite frightening to look at.
"Don't move, let me see." Li Youran reached out, and the boy instinctively dodged.
“Auntie, this disease can be cured.” Li Youran breathed a sigh of relief. The symptoms were exactly the same as those of goiter.
"Young lady, is it really true?" Upon hearing Li Youran's words, the old woman was very excited and somewhat incredulous.
"Wait for me a moment, I'll be right back." There was no point in saying more; the most urgent thing was to buy the seaweed as soon as possible. After saying this, Li Youran hurriedly left.
The frail young man lying in bed wondered if he had just been dreaming. How could a celestial-like older sister suddenly appear and then vanish? Oh well. Perhaps it was just a hallucination because he was nearing the end of his life.
The boy shook his head and smiled bitterly, then closed his eyes and fell asleep again, where he met the fairy sister in his dream.
Besides seaweed, Li Youran also bought a lot of dried seafood. The grandmother and grandson usually lived frugally and couldn't bear to eat these things, which is why the child showed signs of malnutrition.
"Three meals a day, and you should get better in a week." The things were bought, but the money in her hand was almost gone, and Li Youran felt a little heartache.
But looking at the boy lying on the bed, Li Youran felt that it was all worth it. After all, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, and she had done a good deed. Besides, the boy was so handsome... cough cough, I'm getting off-topic. Who told her to be a looks-obsessed person?
"Young lady, I don't have any money to give you. How about you consider these things as your rent?"
Although the old woman knew that what she was saying was a bit far-fetched, she really didn't have a single penny on her hands, and she could barely afford to buy rice every day.
"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony." Luckily, the old lady was grateful, otherwise Li Youran really wouldn't have had the money to rent a house.
Li Youran plans to buy chicken soup wontons, which have low costs, high profits, and a wide customer base.
The old lady's shop was originally a small restaurant, so many things were readily available and there was no need for her to do anything.
To lighten his own burden and to help the old woman and her grandson, Li Youran offered to hire the old woman to help him, and the old woman readily accepted.
Through chatting with the old lady, Li Youran learned that the old lady's surname was Tian, and that her grandson was fourteen years old this year. He was a good student and had been chosen by his teacher, who exempted him from tuition fees.
Similarly, Aunt Tian also learned some things about Li Youran and felt sorry for her.
“A few days ago, Alang’s husband came to visit Alang and told me that the policy has changed and women can now register their own households.”
“Since your sister-in-law can’t tolerate you, why don’t you start your own household?” Aunt Tian paused, then continued, “Don’t blame me for being blunt, but your family just won’t accept you.”
“What the old lady says is true.” Li Youran nodded in agreement. “I wonder what the conditions are for establishing a female household?”
“I don’t know the specifics either, ma’am. Why don’t you go to the yamen and ask?” The old woman shook her head and said truthfully, “The yamen is not a place for ordinary people like us. Don’t forget to give them some money, otherwise things will be difficult to handle.”
Because she was preoccupied with this matter, Li Youran asked the old woman to watch the chicken soup on the stove for her, and then hurriedly went to the yamen after taking off her apron.
Just as the old woman said, it would be difficult to get things done without giving some benefits, so Li Youran secretly gave the last tael of silver to the person who was handling the matter.
"It's actually quite simple. All you need is some assets under your name and a house to register your household in." Having received the benefits, the man smiled and not only explained the requirements in detail, but also pointed out which houses were cheaper for Li Youran and recommended a reliable young man.
On the way back, Li Youran's steps were light and airy, with only one thought in her mind: to make money as much as possible.
"Ouch~"
"Can't you see? Be careful! You've hurt my young lady!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." It was all her fault for walking too fast, Li Youran hurriedly apologized.
Looking up, I saw a young lady dressed in gorgeous clothes, covering her arm with her hand, looking delicate and frail.
"Miss, are you alright?" Li Youran prayed silently in her heart, hoping that she wouldn't damage anyone's belongings, as she couldn't afford to pay for them.
"It's alright, it's my own fault for not seeing clearly." Zhao Lanshan curtsied and asked, "Did you hurt yourself anywhere, young lady?"
"No, I'm glad you're alright." Fortunately, he was understanding, Li Youran thought to herself with relief.
"etc……"
Just as Li Youran was about to leave, Zhao Lanshan called her back.
"Is there anything else, young lady?" Could it be that she's having second thoughts and wants to extort money from me? Thinking of this, Li Youran frowned slightly.
"I smell a wonderful aroma of chicken soup on you, young lady. Did you just make some chicken soup?"
Hearing Zhao Lanshan's words, Li Youran breathed a sigh of relief; at least it wasn't a scam...
"Young lady, you have such a keen sense of smell! I did just make a pot of chicken soup." As she spoke, she didn't forget to recommend her shop, "The little shop around the corner is my chicken soup wonton shop. If you have time, please go and try it. It's on me."
Zhao Lanshan smiled and agreed.
"If Miss wants chicken soup, our cook is excellent. Why ask her specifically?" the maid asked, puzzled, after Li Youran left.
"You don't know this, but the chicken soup on her smells completely different from the chicken soup made by the cook in the manor," Zhao Lanshan said with a slight smile. "It has a fresh and delicate fragrance, and there is no greasy smell at all."
The maid didn't quite understand Zhao Lanshan's meaning. Aren't all chicken soups the same? You can even smell the greasiness... However, the maid didn't dare to say these words.
“Miss, I know why you asked about chicken soup!” the maid said with a knowing look.
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