As the mule cart gradually drove away from the village, Shen Yun noticed that Meng Zhao was in a low mood, so she asked with concern, "Sister Meng Zhao, is it uncomfortable to sit in this mule cart? Why don't we stop the cart and make room for you to lie down for a while?"
Meng Zhao shook his head gently and murmured, "I'm fine, but seeing the disappointed looks on the villagers' faces just now made me feel a little bad. I wish I could have harvested more potatoes."
As they were leaving by carriage, Meng Zhao inadvertently saw an elderly man carrying a basket on his back, limping towards them.
Meng Zhao had some impression of him. She had seen his left leg when they were harvesting potatoes earlier. Even though he was wearing pants, it was clear that his leg was bent and deformed, and the angle of his ankle was also strange. Yet, he was enduring so much pain to carry potatoes and chase after them in order to sell one more basket of potatoes.
But even though she saw it, she didn't stop because her car was really full. Of course, she could have given him money directly instead of potatoes out of pity.
But when she thought back to the people who were there, there was the frail woman holding a crying child, whose sharp bones seemed to be visible through her clothes, and the old man who looked shaky even when he was just standing, whose outstretched hands were like withered tree roots. They were all pitiful, but she couldn't help so many people, and she felt sad about her powerlessness.
After listening to Meng Zhao's words, Shen Yun roughly understood Meng Zhao's inner conflict, and then said:
"Sister Meng Zhao, do you remember the first time we met?"
Not long had passed, and Meng Zhao certainly remembered, "I remember, I was carrying things back to the village when you stopped me on the way, wanting to sell me some green fruit."
Hearing that Meng Zhao still remembered, Shen Yun smiled and nodded, "Yes, it was that day. The reason I went out was because my family was about to run out of food, and I wanted to pick some wild vegetables, but I wandered around in the mountains and found nothing, only a bunch of unwanted green fruits."
Shen Yun paused slightly, a bitter look in her eyes. "I'm carrying a basket of green plums, and I don't know what to do. If I just go home like this, my grandma and I won't have anything to eat tonight."
"Then I met you, Sister Meng Zhao. I don't know if it was because I was too hungry at the time, but I boldly followed you. I followed you home and you asked me to help you pick green fruit and gave me four coins."
Shen Yun's eyes sparkled. "Sister Meng Zhao, you have no idea how happy I was. On the way back, I held the copper coins in my hand and pressed them to my chest, afraid that they would suddenly disappear, afraid that I was dreaming."
"That night, I took a copper coin and went to Aunt Li's house next door to exchange it for a few cornbread buns. Aunt Li was kind and gave me a handful of wild vegetables. I boiled water in a pot, threw in the wild vegetables, and then steamed the cornbread buns. That night was the first meal my grandma and I had eaten in several days."
A happy smile spread across Shen Yun's face as she reminisced, "That night, I even fell asleep with a smile on my face. Sister Meng Zhao, do you know that many people will fall asleep with a smile on their face today too?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao said softly, "You mean those villagers who sold potatoes?"
Shen Yun nodded. "Yes, those who sold potatoes felt the same way I did the day I met you. They must have been so happy. Sister, you're amazing, even more amazing than a god!"
Meng Zhao was amused by her, "How could I be more powerful than a god?"
Shen Yun stared intently at Meng Zhao: "Yes, there are some. Before I went into the mountains, I prayed to the mountain god to leave me some wild vegetables, but I didn't see a single one. When I passed by the local earth god temple before, I would kowtow to him and beg him to help my grandmother's eyes get better, but my grandmother still didn't get better."
Shen Yun paused briefly, then became emotional, “But Sister Meng Zhao, I met you. You asked me to help you pick green fruit, asked my grandmother to make starch bags, and gave us money so that my grandmother and I could have enough to eat.”
“You heard that my grandma has poor eyesight, so you asked me to bring goji leaves and pig liver home to make soup for her. Now my grandma can get up at night by herself. Even the gods couldn’t do it, but Sister Meng Zhao has done it. Aren’t you even more amazing than the gods?”
In fact, Meng Zhao gave her silver and things because she had worked hard; it was the result she deserved, not something Meng Zhao gave her for free.
But undeniably, after hearing Shen Yun's heartfelt words, she felt much more at ease. It turns out that people really can draw energy from the praise of others, and the discomfort that had been lingering in her heart just now gradually dissipated.
Meng Zhao silently told herself that she was not an omnipotent deity who did not need to take on too much responsibility for others. There was too much suffering in this world, and she could not help everyone.
All she could do was act according to her conscience and give back to others the fruits of their labor.
After Shen Yun's encouragement, Meng Zhao gradually relaxed again, and everyone chatted and laughed from time to time, restoring the atmosphere of the past.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of horses' hooves behind them. Meng Zhao and Chen Yun exchanged a glance, then skillfully picked up a cloth bag and covered their heads with it. They originally intended to wait until the person had left before taking it off, but unexpectedly, the sound of the horses' hooves stopped right next to them.
Immediately afterwards, a familiar voice drifted over: "Boss Meng, we meet again."
Meng Zhao took off the cloth bag and saw that it was indeed Xiao Youzhi and his group. She had heard him say that he was leaving today, and she was hoping not to run into him on the way. Who knew that they would meet again by such a coincidence?
It was still the same awkward scene: Xiao Youzhi sat high on his majestic steed, looking down at her with an air of superiority, while she herself sat awkwardly on the mule cart loaded with goods.
Although Meng Zhao felt it was very unlucky to run into him, he still smiled and said warmly, "I was wondering why I heard magpies chirping as soon as I woke up today. It turns out I've met another important person. However, it's a bit of a pity that the batch of starch you mentioned wanting last time was snapped up by another customer. If you still want it, Young Master Xiao, we can talk about it again when we get back to Qingshi County."
Xiao Youzhi gently pulled on the reins, slowing the horse down to run alongside Meng Zhao's mule cart. He turned slightly to the side and said with a smile, "Heh, in business, some people rely on tricks to dominate the market, some rely on connections to get along with everyone, some rely on goods to attract customers, and some rely on power to make waves. But it's really rare to see someone like Boss Meng who relies on luck."
He was about to leave Huian County after meeting Lu Yuanshi, but he stayed for two more days because he wanted Meng Zhao to ask him for help. However, he waited and waited but no one came. When he sent someone to ask, he found that she had already sold all the starch and returned to Qingshi County.
This is outrageous! They left without even saying goodbye. I didn't have time to think about anything else and immediately spurred my horse to catch up.
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