16 016
◎The Sixteenth Day of the King of Scrolls◎
Jiang Wanzhou was bowing her head slightly, focused on packing up her stall.
Upon hearing Shen Xinglian's words, she looked up and gazed at the stall that had been there before.
The place was now completely empty.
A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes: "I didn't notice, what's wrong?"
"You know me, I'm oblivious to work, and when I do things, I can only see one thing."
Shen Xinglian nudged her lightly with her elbow, her voice low and unquestionable: "It's Su Xiaomei."
"Her?" Jiang Wanzhou's brows furrowed instantly, her face full of surprise. "Impossible, right? She had a conflict with the educated youth before, saying that if they came here, she would report them?"
"That looks like Xia Meilin."
"Oh dear, Xia Meilin has taken the blame for her so many times. I saw it when I went to gather pig feed that time."
"That makes sense. Her face was covered in a thick layer of stove ash, her eyebrows were deliberately drawn thicker with black soot from the bottom of a pot, her once neatly tied and smooth braids were now deliberately loosened and draped messily over her shoulders, and she even had a large black mole on her face, and a scarf was wrapped around her mouth and nose."
Shen Xinglian ran her fingertips along the edge of the empty basket, her tone flat: "I have a photographic memory. She disguised her face, but her figure and temperament remained unchanged."
"She's dressed like this to sell eggs on the black market? Where did she get the eggs?" Jiang Wanzhou found it increasingly strange, her brows furrowing even more. "The female lead's family isn't exactly wealthy, and they wouldn't be helping her out. Otherwise, she wouldn't have become a stepmother for her older brother's allowance."
“Not only eggs, but also fresh tomatoes. The makeup can also be described as modern…” Shen Xinglian paused, her gaze sweeping sharply over Su Xiaomei’s position just now.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we've dressed up so well that even our own mothers couldn't throw us out." Jiang Wanzhou didn't misunderstand Shen Xinglian's meaning.
Just then, a series of light and hurried footsteps came from not far away.
A "rural woman" wearing a patched blue cloth shirt walked by with her head down and her steps hurried. Her headscarf almost covered half of her face, revealing only a pair of flickering eyes.
Shen Xinglian glanced in that direction and gave Jiang Wanzhou a meaningful look: "Go take a look?"
The two tacitly packed their things and let Lin Yu take them home to look at for a while.
He followed behind the "woman" at a leisurely pace.
As they approached a dilapidated old corner, the "woman" seemed to sense something, suddenly quickened her pace, and turned into an alley.
Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Xinglian saw that it was a blind spot, so they found a secluded place.
After a while, when she came out again, she had taken off her headscarf and wiped most of the soot off her face, revealing Su Xiaomei's face.
Clutching a paper package tightly in her hand, she hurried straight toward the tenement building.
"Looks like there's something to deliver." Jiang Wanzhou lowered her voice, a hint of wariness in her eyes. "Does Su Xiaomei have any relatives in town?"
Shen Xinglian watched Su Xiaomei's retreating figure, her eyes turning slightly cold: "No matter what she's planning, we have to keep an eye on her. It's never a bad thing. Maybe she's recognized us."
The evening breeze, like an invisible hand, gently blew over, carrying the scent of firewood and a hint of coolness.
Jiang Wanzhou subconsciously squeezed the money pouch in her hand.
Shen Xinglian nudged Jiang Wanzhou: "She's the female lead in a stepmother novel. If we ruin the plot now, will you say there will be any punishment or changes?"
Jiang Wanzhou was busy counting money and asked without looking up, "After becoming younger with you and coming here, no one can make me go back."
Shen Xinglian leaned closer and lowered her voice, saying, "Me too. Actually, after being busy for half my life, after hearing what you said, I was even thinking of trying to relax and take it easy. Last time I went to the police station..."
"It's too slow and too hard for you to do it alone."
Jiang Wanzhou stopped what she was doing and said in surprise, "In your previous life, you were just a person, and this was the best era of opportunity."
A sly glint flashed in Shen Xinglian's eyes: "I'll go keep watch up ahead. I'm afraid your brother's man will investigate us."
Jiang Wanzhou frowned: "Then what do we do? We finally managed to build up our business, and now we have Jiang Renzhou and Su Xiaomei. Should we just give up?"
Shen Xinglian pondered for a moment and said, "Don't panic. Let's hold back for now. I'll secretly follow her and see what she's up to. You wait here for my news. If anything happens, we'll discuss a plan."
Jiang Wanzhou nodded: "Okay, then be careful not to let her find out."
Shen Xinglian quietly followed behind Su Xiaomei.
Su Xiaomei made several turns and eventually entered a secluded alley.
Shen Xinglian carefully kept her distance, afraid of being noticed.
Su Xiaomei stopped in front of a dilapidated house, looked around to make sure no one was there, and then gently knocked on the door.
The door slowly opened, and a burly man appeared in the doorway. Su Xiaomei quickly slipped inside, and the door slammed shut behind her.
Shen Xinglian hid in the shadows, pondering to herself.
To find out the truth, Shen Xinglian quietly approached the house, pressed herself against the window, and peered inside through a small crack.
The room was dimly lit, and Su Xiaomei and the man were talking in hushed tones.
"Those two people selling steamed buns and twisted rolls at the market today are doing really well. We need to find a way to ruin their business," Su Xiaomei said viciously.
The man sneered, "Hmph, them? Don't worry, I have my ways. Tomorrow I'll send a few people to their stall to cause trouble and make it impossible for them to do business."
Shen Xinglian's heart tightened.
As she was thinking, she accidentally stepped on some dry firewood on the ground, making a slight sound.
"Who's there?" the man called out alertly.
Shen Xinglian had a bad feeling and turned around to run desperately out of the alley.
Shen Xinglian ran breathlessly until she finally reached the market.
Seeing that Jiang Wanzhou was still waiting for her there, she hurriedly called out, "Let's go quickly."
When they arrived at Lin Yu's house, Lin's mother brought out cooled boiled water.
Shen Xinglian took a few sips.
"Su Xiaomei and her group are going to send someone to cause trouble at our stall tomorrow."
Jiang Wanzhou pondered for a moment and nodded: "Then let's not do it."
—
During the autumn harvest season, the vast fields resemble a golden ocean.
The heavy ears of rice swayed gently in the autumn wind, making a rustling sound.
Su Xiaomei stood on the edge of the field, her eyes fixed on Jiang Renzhou, who was working diligently not far away.
Jiang Renzhou was tall and slender, and his movements were swift and efficient. With each swing of his sickle, he could harvest a large field of rice.
Su Xiaomei's lips curled up slightly, revealing a subtle, sly smile.
She deliberately raised her voice and said to the people around her, "How can we let Brother Jiang be the only one who gets tired?"
After saying that, he strode over to Jiang Renzhou and snatched the heavy work from his hands without saying a word. He then pretended to be very enthusiastic and said, "Brother Jiang, take a break. I'll do this work for a while."
Jiang Renzhou was somewhat taken aback by her sudden action.
The first thing to do is not to let anyone get close.
"You can ask the captain for a sickle."
Su Xiaomei failed to grab the sickle and saw that Jiang Renzhou was even further away, so she was a little displeased: "Brother Jiang, don't underestimate me, I'm very strong."
Aunt Li "kindly" lent her sickle to Su Xiaomei.
Su Xiaomei's face stiffened.
But after a short while, she pretended to be exhausted, her body swaying, and she exclaimed "Ouch!"
Immediately afterwards, the tool in her hand tilted, and a large puddle of muddy water splashed onto Jiang Renzhou's clothes like spilled ink.
That garment was an old one that Shen Xinglian had altered for Jiang Renzhou.
At this moment, the mud and water spread wildly on his clothes, like an ugly scar, stinging Jiang Renzhou's eyes.
Just then, Shen Xinglian, carrying a food basket, saw this scene from afar.
She walked over quickly.
When Su Xiaomei saw Shen Xinglian arrive, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, but she quickly regained her pitiful appearance.
With red eyes and a sob in her voice, she said, "Sister-in-law, please don't be angry. I really didn't mean to. I was just too tired and didn't hold the tools properly, which is why I splashed mud on Brother Jiang."
Shen Xinglian suppressed her displeasure, stepped forward, reached out to support Su Xiaomei, and said softly, "I know you're anxious, but don't worry. I'm not angry. How is Su Zhiqing? Did she hurt herself?"
Seeing that Shen Xinglian didn't get angry, Su Xiaomei was secretly pleased. She took the opportunity to bring her blistered hands to her eyes and deliberately held them out to Shen Xinglian, saying with a hint of grievance, "Sister-in-law, look, my hands are all blistered. I just wanted to help Brother Jiang with some work, but I didn't expect it to turn out like this."
Jiang Renzhou, watching from the side, said somewhat awkwardly, "I didn't ask her for help."
Aunt Li chimed in, "Sister Chen, this sickle is mine. Su, the educated youth, insisted on helping us, and my back is hurting today anyway."
Shen Xinglian glanced at Jiang Renzhou, then at Su Xiaomei, understanding the little trick behind it, but she didn't expose it on the spot.
She said casually, "Alright, honey, go eat. I made you some mung bean porridge to cool you down."
"Anyway, I still have work to do this afternoon, so I'll just wear these clothes a little longer."
Su Xiaomei felt a little regretful when she saw that Shen Xinglian did not pursue the matter.
She said insincerely, "Sister-in-law, I'm so sorry to have troubled you."
Shen Xinglian smiled slightly and said, "It's alright, it was an accident. Don't talk about trouble. Go and rest."
Shen Xinglian slammed her hand on the table.
Jiang Wanzhou, who was drinking tea, was startled by the sudden noise. Her teacup wobbled, and a few drops of tea spilled onto the table.
Ignoring all that, Shen Xinglian spoke urgently and rapidly to Jiang Wanzhou, "Wanzhou! I've been holding this in for so long, and I have to tell you today. Su Xiaomei's behavior is so strange; it's like she knew so many things in advance!"
Her brows furrowed, and her eyes revealed deep worry. She continued, "I think either she secretly knows the plot of the original book and is playing tricks on people according to the script."
"Wait, could it be the system?"
"Otherwise, where would she have gotten all those things from?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com