Chapter 11 Words Like Knives: The area in front of the shop is small; we need to open it as soon as possible.
Just as Wu approached to chat with the old guard in the duty room, a fragrant breeze wafted over from the alley. The oily scent seemed to be a thread pulling at her and Yunniang's necks, causing them to instinctively turn their heads and peer into the depths of the alley.
It was school time, and the students pouring out of Nanzhai School quickly filled the entire alley. Looking up, Wu saw white steam rising in front of Yao's residence, forming a human wall. Needless to say, the enticing aroma of soup dumplings was coming from there. Many young students, their books not even properly packed, ran towards the steaming steam.
"Mother, this smells so good." Yao Yunniang couldn't help but tug at Wu's sleeve.
Because Ms. Wu was coming over early in the morning, she only had time to drink a bowl of red date porridge. Now, being enveloped by the rich aroma, she felt hungry again.
She was sixteen or seventeen, the age when she was growing taller and had a big appetite. She resembled Madam Wu, with a long face, narrow eyes, and a slender figure. She was clearly a beloved daughter of the family, with fair and rosy skin. Her hair was styled in two buns, each adorned with a silver hairpin with a small pearl, and she wore a heavy old silver longevity lock necklace. At this moment, she was drawn by the aroma and stood on tiptoe, craning her neck to look over the crowd towards the rising steam: "Mother, it really seems to be my cousin there."
Ignoring her greedy daughter for the moment, Madam Wu knocked on the window and greeted the old soldier.
"Why are you here again?"
Inside the duty room, the old soldier, who had slept all night curled up on two long benches, was now disheveled and filthy. Holding a large, rough earthenware bowl, he had already started eating the soup noodles. He mumbled a complaint, then, without even raising his head, waved his oily hand and let people in.
Only then did Madam Wu take Yao Yunniang's hand, suppressing her surprise, and quickly walk towards the Yao family.
You can see it from afar.
Indeed, a stove was set up in front of the Yao family's house, and three low tables were placed under the eaves, with seven or eight small stools where people sat crookedly.
Just then, the morning bell of the Imperial College rang. The students who were eating hurriedly wiped their mouths and ran away, while the students who had just come out and had gotten up late also took off running.
In the blink of an eye, the three low tables and the crowd in front of the stall were empty. Even the two students who had met last night and looked familiar quickly tilted their heads back to pour out the noodle soup, grabbed their books before they could even swallow, and hurriedly turned into the gate.
Later, students who came to buy eggs would shout from afar that they wanted to buy eggs, and they would run up to Yao Ruyi without stopping, grab the eggs, stuff money into her mouth, and then run away.
After dealing with the last few students who were in dire need of help, she was stuffing her cloth bag into her pocket when two slender shadows were cast in front of her.
Upon raising his eyes, he saw the two sharp, angular faces of Wu Shi and Yao Yunniang.
As Wu was staring at her with some scrutiny and surprise, Yao Yunniang spoke first, saying, "Good morning, Sister Ruyi."
Yao Ruyi was a little stunned when they first met, but she quickly lowered her head, considered the original owner's personality, and called out in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "Good morning, Aunt and Sister."
Wu glanced at her sideways, and seeing her revert to her old ways, she was so angry she almost twisted her nose: "So, you're capable after all? You were just pretending to be a quail in front of me all this time?"
Yao Ruyi glanced at her timidly from below, her hand hidden in her sleeve. She secretly pinched her inner thigh, wincing in pain, and tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill.
She explained pitifully, "My aunt always scolds me, I... I'm afraid of you."
As she said this, for some reason, she suddenly thought of her own childhood.
At that time, she was still living at her aunt's house. Her aunt made her live in a stinky storage room next to the outhouse and chicken coop. There was no fan, and the bed was made of three large boxes put together. When she tried to pick up meat or vegetables while eating, her aunt would hit her with chopsticks. Her finger was broken when her cousin caught it in the door, and no one cared. She would cry and call her father, but eight out of ten times he would not answer. When she finally got through, her father would only say one thing: "Don't cause trouble."
Old wounds that were thought to have long since healed and been forgotten collided with the extremely repressed and self-conscious memories in the original owner's mind.
She had only pretended to cry to fool Mrs. Wu, but now her tears flowed uncontrollably one after another.
Everyone dislikes the original owner for being bad and useless, but there are millions of people in this world. Some are naturally cheerful, while others are naturally introverted. Regardless of personality, there should be no distinction of superiority or inferiority. It is unfair to use harsh words and prejudice to deny everything about her.
Moreover… Yao Ruyi could understand the original owner of this body quite well, because she had also lost her mother and lived as a dependent for many years. The difference was that, although she suffered, she had her grandmother. To this day, she still remembered how her grandmother, like a goddess descending to earth, hugged her as she sold braised food in the freezing wind and pulled her out of the mud.
Although Grandpa Yao treated "Ruyi" very well in the world of the book, he was, after all, a man who grew up under feudal ethics and had to spend most of his day lecturing at the Imperial Academy and taking care of his students. Ruyi's sensitive and fragile mind obviously did not receive timely and effective guidance.
What she saw, even the remaining memories of the original owner, were permeated with grievances and long periods of loneliness.
"Why are you crying again? Are you really that precious that you can't stand even a harsh word?"
Yao Ruyi raised her hand and wiped her tears a couple of times, but they wouldn't come off. So she simply let the tears flow freely down her face. She lifted her tear-streaked face and looked at Wu Shi, whose expression had suddenly become even angrier.
It was always like this at her house before; she'd only said a few words before Yao Ruyi started crying! And it's still the same now! It's as if she'd done something utterly heinous. And judging from what I saw today, she's not naturally a quiet person; she's usually very polite to everyone else, but she's acting like this towards me, as if I'm some kind of tormentor!
Wasn't teaching her for her own good? Her good intentions were met with ingratitude, and Wu felt a surge of resentment, letting out a heavy snort.
Yao Yunniang stood by helplessly, taking out a handkerchief and handing it to Yao Ruyi, saying, "Sister, wipe yourself first," while desperately tugging at her mother's sleeve, "Mother, please stop talking."
Yao Ruyi sniffed, thought for a moment, and finally spoke up to explain things to the original owner: "Auntie, I'm not good with words, but I know you all dislike and hate me. But... I'm only a year older than Yunniang. And about the annulment of the engagement, Yunniang suffered because of me, and I naturally feel guilty. Before, when you scolded me for it, I didn't dare say a word, but people are all made of flesh and blood, and words are like knives; they always hurt me..."
“Now that Grandpa is sick, I’m fine, but Grandpa can’t be left unattended.” Yao Ruyi lowered her head further and further. “I’m sure I’m bringing shame to you all by doing this lowly job, but I have no choice. We have no capital and are in debt, so this is all I can do…”
Wu was taken aback. She hadn't thought of it that way. After all, the Song Dynasty was a prosperous commercial center, and the merchant registration system had long been abolished. Now, regardless of whether one was a merchant or not, one was a legitimate citizen and could still take the imperial examinations. She was also the daughter of a merchant; why should she lose face? Besides, Yao Ji was just a minor official. This Yao Ruyi was really… Could it really be that she herself had such a bad temper? That's why she had tormented such a perfectly good person like this? Did she really have that much power?
No, what does it have to do with her? It's all because of this annulment of the engagement! In an instant, Madam Wu shook the thought of self-blame out of her mind.
While Wu was lost in thought, Yao Ruyi thought of herself and her grandmother, and overwhelmed with grief, she began to sob louder and louder.
Wu immediately went from being dazed to panicked. If she let her cry like this, what would become of her reputation? She quickly pulled Yao Ruyi into the courtyard and told her daughter, "Yunniang, close the door quickly! Stop wailing, is it really that bad?"
Yao Ruyi was also trying her best to endure, shaking her head and choking back tears without making a sound.
Wu was completely at a loss, and the doubts and unease in her heart dissipated—this pathetic state was still the same as before!
"Your grandfather hasn't gotten up yet?" Madam Wu glanced into the room.
Yao Ruyi wiped away her tears with the back of her hand and nodded.
Wu breathed a sigh of relief, put down the bamboo basket in her hand, and said sternly, "Alright, these chickens are for Uncle to nourish his body, and there's also a letter from the Lin family here." She paused, then couldn't help but glare at her again, "Do you think I'm bored? Why would I come all this way to scold you? I just happened to be passing by to deliver a letter!" With that, she shoved the letter into her arms, grabbed Yao Yunniang, and left.
Yunniang turned to look at her, hesitated, and ultimately said nothing before following Wu Shi away.
As Yao Ruyi listened to their footsteps fading into the distance, she breathed a sigh of relief, lowered her head, and leaned against the door, quietly calming herself for a while. She had been quite sad until her hand accidentally touched the cloth bag she was carrying, causing the money inside to clatter loudly.
She instantly perked up again!
She first brought the stalls outside the door inside, closed the door, then squatted down to count the money. After counting, she didn't cry at all; instead, she was radiant and beaming with joy.
She hadn't sold out of tea eggs and instant noodles yet, but in just a short while, she had sold thirty-five servings of instant noodles and about a hundred eggs, earning a total of over eight hundred coins. Compared to the previous day, this was a huge windfall!
However, her three tables and chairs were not enough to accommodate everyone, so many people stood or squatted to eat with their bowls in hand. Of course, some people left when they saw that there were too many people.
The area in front of the shop is cramped, so we need to open the shop as soon as possible.
Clutching her money pouch, she made up her mind—she would tidy up those two storage rooms when she had some free time today, and then go to find Madam Cheng in the evening to inquire about the carpenter, so as to make plans as soon as possible.
When she went shopping with Cheng Niangzi at the small goods market before, she noticed that Cheng's sister-in-law knew exactly which shops in the area had genuine goods and fair prices. She figured that a woman who was running a household and raising children on her own must be so careful with her money to make ends meet.
Just then, she heard a rustling sound from Grandpa Yao's room. She quickly wrung out her handkerchief and wiped away all the tears on her face. With a smile on her face, clutching her money bag, she skipped over to knock on Grandpa Yao's door.
"Grandpa's up? May I come in? Guess how much money I made today? It'll shock you! Oh, and there's your letter too—"
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Ruyi: Inheritor of Face-Changing Intangible Cultural Heritage
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