Sister-in-law Shu is a kind and gentle person. She supports her children's ideas and doesn't want to discourage her niece's enthusiasm for making money.
But she wasn't optimistic about this business. There was plenty of luminous sand on the mountain, but she had never seen anyone sell it. Would anyone really buy bat guano for medicine? If bat guano could make money, it would have been completely wiped out long ago. How could her niece, an outsider, have the chance to pick up a bargain?
However, Sister-in-law Shu did not say it outright, thinking that her niece would naturally know after being rejected once.
She smiled and said, "Chu Yu has grown up and knows how to make money. What should we do with this Night-Shining Sand? Tell your aunt, and your aunt will help you."
In his previous life, Chu Yu knew about the medicinal herb Night-Shining Sand, and knew that it was made by shoveling bat droppings out of caves, drying them in the sun, and then turning them into Night-Shining Sand.
After sifting the night-shining sand into the soil, Chu Yu spread it out in the courtyard to dry. The summer sun was scorching, the heat was intense, and the ground temperature was high enough to fry an egg. In less than half a day, the night-shining sand was dried out. While waiting for the night-shining sand to dry, she went back to the cave, wanting to shovel out more night-shining sand.
"Sister, let me help you," Chu Xiang said.
"I'm going too," Yunyun said, following suit.
Xiao Jiang also joined in the fun, and the four siblings were all present. Although Sister-in-law Shu was not optimistic about this business, she felt relieved to see that the cousins had a harmonious relationship and no grudges.
With many hands making light, the four siblings quickly dragged back four sacks of luminous sand and spread them out in the yard to dry.
Chu Yu was covered in sweat from exhaustion, and Chu Xiang handed her a towel to wipe her face. "Sister, here you go."
Ever since Chu Yu stood up for her mother yesterday and left her father speechless, her older sister has become her hero. Chu Xiang admires her sister very much and is willing to be good to her.
Chu Yu smiled and took it. "Auntie, has it been raining these past few days?"
"No, it just rained a few days ago, and I reckon it won't rain for the next two weeks. Luckily, the rice was planted early, otherwise, with such heavy rain a couple of days ago, the rice roots wouldn't have taken hold, and they would have just floated on the water, requiring replanting, which would have taken so much effort," said Sister-in-law Shu, thankfully.
With her words, Chu Yu felt relieved. Without rain, it was convenient to dry the night-shining sand, and also convenient to drag it to the county town to sell.
As dusk approached, dragonflies hovered overhead. Xiao Jiang took a bamboo broom and went out to catch them. Once he caught one, he tied its tail with a cotton thread and let it fly like a kite.
In those days, no family was well-off, and insects were the best toys for children in the countryside. Chu Yu went to the door to play with him. He had only been standing there for a short while when he saw a man pushing a bicycle toward them.
The man was wearing a blue cloth shirt and was fairly tall. There was a burlap sack hanging on each side of the back seat of his bicycle. The sacks were filled with many spherical objects with faint green patterns.
"Uncle!" Xiao Jiang exclaimed carelessly, "Uncle, why did you buy so many watermelons?"
There are quite a lot of them. A rough count reveals at least a dozen, each one round and plump.
Shu Jiandang frowned, his eyelids almost disappearing, and walked into the house without looking at Chu Yu and Xiao Jiang, as if they were invisible.
Aunt Shu, Liao Hongmei, poked her head out from inside, hummed smugly twice, and slammed the courtyard gate shut.
Xiao Jiang touched his nose. "Sis, why is Uncle ignoring me?"
Two years ago, when Zhou Jian'an was admitted to university, Shu Jiandang treated his nieces Chu Yu and others quite well. But ever since they learned that Zhou Jian'an was getting a divorce and Shu Hui was homeless with her three daughters, Shu Jiandang and Liao Hongmei stopped paying attention to them.
The coldness and reality between relatives are always more hurtful. It's only because Shu Hui couldn't see things clearly and still had a glimmer of hope for Shu Jiandang that she knocked on his door yesterday. But why should one be so eager to please?
If it were Chu Yu, she wouldn't even bother with someone like that.
Things change every ten years, so how could Shu Jiandang know that they couldn't make a good living?
They are clearly close relatives, yet he was the first to sever ties with them. How pragmatic of him.
Less than ten minutes later, the west gate opened again, and Liao Hongmei came out carrying half a watermelon.
Liao Hongmei was of medium height, with her hair pulled back in a tuft, shrewd eyes, and thin lips. Although she was a head shorter than Chu Yu, she had a condescending and scrutinizing air about her.
Xiao Jiang's eyes lit up, and he asked excitedly:
"Auntie, is this watermelon for me?"
Liao Hongmei glanced at Xiao Jiang with a mocking look in her eyes, then threw the watermelon, which still had half of its red flesh, on the ground.
With a loud crack, the watermelon smashed to pieces. Shu Jiandang's goose came running at the sound, stretched its neck to the watermelon, and pecked the half of the watermelon clean.
After half of the watermelon had been pecked away, leaving only the white rind, Liao Hongmei pursed her lips triumphantly, "Want some watermelon? Tell your mom to buy some!"
Even though Xiao Jiang was a bit slow on the uptake, he sensed his aunt's malice. He sniffed and nestled pitifully in Chu Yu's arms.
"Sis, I want to eat watermelon too."
Chu Yu's gaze turned cold as she swept her eyes over Liao Hongmei's malicious face. Her appearance was overwhelmingly superior to Liao Hongmei's, and her clear eyes made it clear that she understood Liao Hongmei's ulterior motives.
This unwavering gaze made Liao Hongmei look away, inexplicably feeling guilty.
Liao Hongmei had never liked this niece. Every time her niece came to visit, she would attract everyone's attention. Everyone would praise the niece for being beautiful and never mention her own daughter.
Compared to Chu Yu, her three daughters looked like clowns.
She didn't want to go to such extremes, but the villagers she was on good terms with all said when they came back from Zhoujia Village that Zhou Jian'an didn't want Shu Hui anymore. The mother and her four daughters had nowhere to live, and the whole family was a burden. What would happen if she clung to them?
She wasn't stupid; she didn't even open the door. She never expected that the second son and his wife would act like big shots and take in the mother and her three daughters.
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