At dawn, just as the eastern sky began to lighten, the Bai family courtyard was still quiet, shrouded in a hazy, dim light, without a sound. Bai Nuo got up in this silence, when there was no need to turn on the lamp to walk.
With a creak, Bai Nuo quietly opened the door to her room. She glanced at the yard and thought, "Great, no one's up yet." This made it easier for her to move around. When her grandmother told her that she could move freely from now on, Bai Nuo decided to go out to work early this morning.
Her jet-black hair cascaded gently down her back, and Bai Nuo deftly braided it into a scorpion braid, securing it with a hairband. The clothes were new ones her grandmother had made for her. Her grandmother said that since she was going to work, she couldn't keep wearing patched clothes, or people would look down on her. So, her grandmother had worked through the night to make her a new outfit—a bright pink dress. Her face was clean and radiant, and she looked full of energy yet capable.
Bai Nuo washed her face with water and looked at her reflection in the basin with great satisfaction. A woman should be beautiful, clean, and neat.
After washing her face, Bai Nuo went back to her room and took out all the things she had prepared. She was carrying a basket with glutinous rice and red beans in her hand. The basket was big and there were many things in it, but Bai Nuo carried it all away with one hand without any effort.
Stepping out of the Bai family's gate, she found herself still alone. With light steps, she quickly arrived inside the dilapidated house. She deftly sorted and put things away, working on each task one by one. She knew how to do things in the most time-efficient way. By daybreak, she had already prepared sesame balls and red bean soup.
"I'll go to work with you!" Just as Bai Nuo was about to leave with her things, A Yu appeared silently.
"Oh my, when did you get up? You scared me to death." Bai Nuo was startled by A Yu's sudden appearance, let out a long breath, and looked at A Yu with lingering fear. "Are your injuries not hurting anymore?"
"It still hurts!" Ah Yu answered honestly.
"Why did you come here if you still care? Aren't you just making things worse?" Bai Nuo stuffed a sesame ball she had made into A Yu's hand. "Here, have some. Tell Grandma there's more here." Then she picked up the basket, walked past A Yu, and went out.
Ah Yu followed closely behind her, muttering to himself, "Although my butt still hurts, I can walk now. You're a woman, you don't know the way, and you've never been out before. I can't let you go out alone! I have to stay with you."
Bai Nuo still ignored Bai Yu, but the scene from the past surfaced in her mind—no matter where Bai Yu went, he would hold onto the original body tightly and never let go.
“I’m serious, Bai Nuo!” When A Yu saw that Bai Nuo was ignoring him, he walked to Bai Nuo’s side. “Even though you can speak normally now, I feel like I still have to stay with you.”
"Do you know the way?" Bai Nuo glanced at Bai Yu casually.
Bai Yu definitely didn't recognize her. He had never been to the town and didn't know where Bai Nuo was going to work, let alone why Bai Nuo was carrying a basket. Bai Yu was also very scared, but he nodded with unusual firmness, "I don't know her, but I can accompany you."
"Let's go! Hurry up, it's a long way," Bai Nuo said.
"Let me help you carry it." Bai Yu offered to help Bai Nuo carry half the weight of the basket.
Upon arriving in town, Bai Nuo led Bai Yu to Jiang San Niang's cloth shop. At this moment, Jiang Qiao'er also got up and opened the door. Seeing them arrive, Jiang Qiao'er even found a table for Bai Nuo.
"Qiao'er, I made these myself. Please have a taste, and Third Sister." Bai Nuo set the table, placed the food on it, and then took out two sesame balls and two bowls of sweet soup for Jiang Qiao'er.
"My sister hasn't come back yet, so we don't need so many." Jiang Qiao'er took one and stood at the door talking to Bai Nuo.
"Hasn't Third Sister returned yet?" Bai Nuo frowned. Jiang San Niang went to Yu Ziqing's house yesterday and hasn't come back yet. Could she have spent the night at their house?
Jiang Qiao'er shook her head, looking worried.
"Have you looked for him?" Bai Nuo asked. If a grown man doesn't come back all night, you should at least look for him, right?
"I dare not go!" Jiang Qiao'er pouted, on the verge of tears. It wasn't that she hadn't gone out to look for him, but it was too dark at the time, and she was scared. She went and came back, never even entering Yu Ziqing's house, so she didn't find him.
"Don't worry!" Bai Nuo comforted her. "If your sister hasn't come back yet, I'll help you look for her."
Jiang Qiao'er nodded, her little face showing a pain.
Bai Nuo offered her a few more words of comfort.
Bai Yu had already started hawking his wares. Bai Nuo had told Bai Yu on the way that the sesame balls and brown sugar water were sold together for eight coins each, and each item was sold for five coins each. Selling them together would save two coins.
The streets were crowded with people—buying vegetables, selling vegetables, eating breakfast, and selling breakfast. People from all walks of life came out at this time, creating a bustling and lively atmosphere.
"Little brother, is this delicious?" Because Bai Yu was loudly hawking his wares, and their location was in front of the fabric shop, more and more people from the shop started to notice their stall.
"Crispy and crunchy, sweet and chewy, it can be eaten for breakfast or as a snack." A smile actually appeared on Bai Yu's stern face.
"How much is it?" an older woman asked Bai Yu after looking at the items for a while.
"Sesame balls are five coins each, as are sweet soups, but if you want both, I'll only charge you eight coins," Bai Nuo said, turning around and nudging Bai Yu, gesturing for him to eat a sesame ball. When Bai Yu saw Bai Nuo, he stepped aside, picked up a sesame ball, and took a bite.
A very subtle crunching sound rang out as Bai Yu bit into the sesame ball, and the dark red bean paste spilled out. The outer skin of the sesame ball was golden and crispy, while the inside was snow-white and tender. The old lady watched Bai Yu eat and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Bai Nuo smiled and said, "Auntie, would you like one?"
The old lady had eaten steamed buns and mantou before, but she had never tried this before, so she hesitated for a moment. "Who drinks sweet soup so early in the morning?" It's not hot, so buying it would be a waste.
"In this weather, it gets very hot by noon. If you buy it and put it in well water to cool for a while, it will be just right to drink in the afternoon."
The older woman hesitated, looking at the food without buying anything. Bai Yu had already finished one and came up to her. "Auntie, it's only five coins each. You won't lose out or be cheated. Buy one to try first, and then decide whether you want to buy two together. If you think they're both delicious, then I'll just charge you ten coins."
It's like giving her a sesame ball to eat.
"Oh dear, isn't this our little fool from the sugarcane field? What are you doing here?" Before the older woman could even speak, she was shoved aside by someone next to her. Then, the person reached for something on Bai Nuo's table. "What's this? Can I have a taste?"
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