Chapter 17 Was it itchy that night?
Finally, Grandpa Sheng made the final decision, telling Grandma Sheng to pack her things and go to the city.
Instead of taking Grandma Sheng away immediately, Sheng An went to a couple in the village who had no land and made a living by doing odd jobs. He asked them to work at his home for forty coins a day.
She worried that Grandpa Sheng would be reluctant to pay wages and would not hire anyone to cultivate the family's four acres of land.
Grandpa Sheng did intend to work hard on his own, but since his granddaughter had already made arrangements, he couldn't very well ask for the wages back. So he pretended to be annoyed and waved his hand, urging his granddaughter to leave quickly.
Grandma Sheng felt a little awkward upon arriving at the Xu family's home.
Xu Chenglin looked particularly guilty: "Auntie, it's all my fault for being so weak. Not only have I been a burden to An'an, but I've also troubled you to come and help."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Sheng waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "It's not hard work at all; it's all for the children."
Xu Chenglin nodded with a smile: "Yes, yes, it's all for the children!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Grandma Sheng relaxed and started looking for things to do.
Sheng An was busy tidying up the guest room, taking out the bedding to air it out, and even buying a new straw mat to put on the bed, making sure that Grandma Sheng would sleep comfortably.
When Xu Jinnian returned home, he saw Grandma Xu squatting in the corner washing vegetables. He quickly went over and helped her up, saying, "Grandma, you can sit down and rest. I'll do these."
Grandma Sheng didn't refuse, and looked at her grandson-in-law with a smile: "Studying is mentally taxing, you should rest more too."
Xu Jinnian said gently, "Grandpa and Grandma have worked even harder."
Grandma Sheng smiled and said, "Your grandpa and I have been working in the fields for decades, so we're used to it. We came to the city this time to lend An'an a hand."
Xu Jinnian understood and said solemnly, "Thank you, Grandma, for troubling you."
Grandma Sheng quickly replied, "We're all family, no need to thank me."
Xu Jinnian knew that the more polite he was, the more uncomfortable the old man would feel, so he stopped dwelling on the topic and changed the subject.
If he is intentionally trying to please someone, no one will dislike him.
Sure enough, with just a few words, he made Grandma Sheng laugh heartily, and the laughter even carried outside the courtyard.
Sheng An returned carrying a full basket of pork bones. Hearing her grandmother's cheerful laughter, she chimed in with a smile, "What are you chatting about so happily? Grandma can't even see me."
Grandma Sheng laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, I don't have eyes in the back of my head. If you don't make a sound, how will I know you're back?"
Sheng An hugged Grandma Sheng's neck from behind, acting like a spoiled child: "Okay, okay, it's my fault. I'll definitely speak up first next time!"
Seeing her intimate gesture, Xu Jinnian's eyes darkened.
Since they got married, apart from their wedding night, she had never been so affectionate towards him, as if that night was just a beautiful dream.
Her attitude towards herself was unlike that of a wife towards her husband.
The hurtful words she had said in the kitchen yesterday at noon echoed in Xu Jinnian's mind. Looking at Sheng An's bright smile, Xu Jinnian began to doubt himself for the first time.
Does she regret marrying him?
"Grandma, we don't have any meat at home, so we can only have something simple for lunch. My aunt's family will bring some meat over tomorrow, and we'll make braised pork for you then."
Sheng An was oblivious to Xu Jinnian's silence and enthusiastically discussed tomorrow's meals with Grandma Sheng.
"As long as we're full, that's fine. Nobody eats meat every day. You can't waste money like that, no matter how much you have."
Grandma Sheng wasn't particular about food. When she heard that her granddaughter wanted to make braised pork for her, she instinctively felt it was a waste of money and didn't want her to spend it recklessly.
"Money is meant to be spent; it's not a waste if it goes into your stomach."
Sheng An had been here for several days and hadn't had a proper meat meal yet. Suddenly, his stomach was rumbling with cravings, and his mind was filled with thoughts of braised pork that was fatty yet not greasy, tender and delicious.
Not only braised pork belly, but also braised pork hock, braised spare ribs...
She was starving and wanted to eat so much!
Grandma Sheng noticed that her granddaughter was craving something, and looking at her thin little body, she couldn't help but feel a pang of tenderness.
Looking at her grandson-in-law's expression, the old lady smiled and nodded at her granddaughter: "Alright, alright, if you want to eat it, we'll make it. Tomorrow we'll sell more wontons, and we'll earn enough to buy meat."
Her granddaughter's husband didn't mind if his granddaughter spent a lot of money, so naturally, the grandmother hoped that her granddaughter could eat meat every meal.
The Xu family father and son are both kind-hearted people; they made the right choice in marrying their granddaughter into their family!
Lunch was cooked by Sheng An. A few ordinary vegetarian dishes were transformed into fresh, tender, and delicious dishes thanks to her superb cooking skills and amazing culinary abilities.
Grandma Sheng couldn't help but praise, "An'an's cooking skills are getting better and better. Once she's earned enough money to open a small restaurant, the business will definitely be very good."
Sheng An nodded and put a piece of egg on his grandmother's plate: "No matter how good the wonton stall business is, the money earned is limited. Saving up capital to open a small restaurant is a must."
The initial investment for running a small restaurant is about fifty taels of silver, with the bulk of the cost being the rent for the shop and the cost of tables, chairs, and furnishings.
After operating a wonton stall for a year or two, you can usually save up enough capital.
It took a long time, but she was short of money, so she could only save up slowly like this.
If one day I happen to meet a sucker—no, I mean a super tycoon—who enjoys her wontons so much that he might casually tip her a few coins, that would be great.
But that's just wishful thinking; which rich person would eat at a roadside stall?
After the meal, Grandma Sheng took over the task of washing the dishes and urged Sheng An to go back to his room to rest.
Sheng An didn't go; instead, she dragged Xu Jinnian to the study to study, focusing on the characters needed for bookkeeping.
Xu Jinnian simply took out a blank notebook and wrote down all the new words that Sheng An would need to keep accounts, so that she could continue writing them down on her own once she learned them.
"Then you have to teach me to write, I don't even know how to hold a pen yet."
Sheng An's gaze swept over the brush holder, and she regretted not learning calligraphy in her previous life. Now she was starting from scratch, and she felt that even a dog would shake its head at her calligraphy.
Looking at his wife's small hands, Xu Jinnian took a mixed-hair brush from the brush holder: "Use this brush to practice."
As he spoke, he began to explain the proper way to hold a pen. Once Sheng An had learned it, he stood up and walked to her side, placing his large hand over her small one: "I will guide you in how to use the pen."
The man's hands were long and fair, with neatly trimmed nails. His knuckles gleamed white in the indoor light, and his palms were dry and warm, perfectly enveloping the small hand.
Unlike the previous hand-holding, Sheng An clearly felt a bit stiff, as if she could feel the man's regular heartbeat through his palm.
She unconsciously clenched her palms, but her fingertips touched a thick layer of calluses.
That's something that comes from years of hard work in the fields.
Each callus is hard and stiff; if you scratch it with your fingernail, you can clearly hear a rough sound, like a spoon scraping an eggshell.
Sheng An felt that her hands were good enough to be used as a bath towel.
The two hands, one fair and delicate, the other dark, thin and rough, overlapped to create a strong visual impact.
Sheng An's thoughts instantly took a 180-degree turn. Looking up at Xu Jinnian's handsome, jade-like face, she blurted out another thoughtless remark:
Was it itchy that night?
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