"What's wrong? Why do you look so upset? Did you have a fight with your man?"
Ma Xiujuan was sunbathing in the yard, eating wild fruits that Qiu Liang had picked from the mountain a couple of days ago. She would glance at Qiu Liang's busy figure from time to time, her face full of satisfaction.
Turning her head again, she saw Xu Ruantang's worried face and couldn't help but ask a question.
Xu Ruantang looked dejected. "It would have been better if we had argued."
Couples who can argue are already lovers or spouses; these two are nothing at all.
Chen Ji ran away to who knows how far away he was, trying to avoid her. And she calls her a deserter? Chen Ji is the one who's a deserter!
You got so scared after just one kiss?
How dare he kiss her back then? What was he thinking? Was he just blinded by lust?
"Couples should talk about any problems face-to-face. They should talk more and have more conversations. No matter what the problem is, it will be fine once it's been discussed."
Ma Xiujuan patted her healthy hand, her face full of gentle comfort.
Xu Ruantang looked at Ma Xiujuan, then at Qiu Liang who was busy in the front room, and asked, "Sister Juan, how did you and Brother Qiu Liang meet? Did you fall for him first, or did he fall for you first?"
They look so loving; they must have fallen in love freely to be able to go through thick and thin together.
As if she could guess what Xu Ruantang was thinking, Ma Xiujuan handed her some wild fruit, gesturing for her to try it.
Xu Ruantang picked one up and put it in her mouth; it was very sour and a little astringent.
"I had never met Qiu Liang before we got married. My family married me off to him so that they could raise money for my younger brother's dowry. His family gave a lot of dowry."
Ma Xiujuan's words successfully piqued Xu Ruantang's curiosity.
It's ridiculous. How come the whole world is full of families who sell their older sisters for their younger brothers? They'd force their daughters into arranged marriages just for a little money.
“When I first married into the Qiu family, there was only Qiu Liang and my father-in-law at home. Everyone said that my father-in-law was a speculator who sold pastries, and that I would suffer a lot if I married into his family.”
As Ma Xiujuan recounted her story, she radiated a gentle aura.
"Qiu Liang was educated, and the school was full of progressive young people. They all laughed at Qiu Liang, saying that he actually accepted an arranged marriage."
Ma Xiujuan chuckled lightly, "Don't laugh at me, but we've been married for three months and I haven't seen Qiu Liang once. He doesn't even go home."
“It’s just me and my father-in-law at home. I do the laundry and cook, and my father-in-law makes pastries to earn money.” Ma Xiujuan smiled, but tears welled up in her eyes. “My parents have never been this good to me. My father-in-law really treats me like his daughter.”
The good times didn't last long. In those days, if a father-in-law and daughter-in-law lived under the same roof and there were only the two of them in the house, people would gossip about it.
Rumors quickly spread, saying that the Qiu family hadn't actually married a daughter-in-law; the old man had made money through speculation and brought home a young wife for himself.
At first, the old man ignored these rumors, until one day, someone came to buy pastries. The old man went to buy flour, and when he came back, he saw that his daughter-in-law's eyes were red.
Upon further questioning, it was discovered that someone had taken advantage of her father-in-law's absence to point fingers at her and hurl insults, calling her shameless and accusing her of seducing her father-in-law.
Enraged, Qiu Liang's father stormed into the school, grabbed Qiu Liang, and took him home.
Qiu Liang was young and impetuous at the time, and he absolutely refused to agree to an arranged marriage, shouting that he wanted freedom.
As a result, he was freed, and the old man was so angry that he collapsed.
He had to drop out of school and go home to take care of his bedridden father.
As they spent more time together, Qiu Liang gradually discovered many of Ma Xiujuan's good qualities and began to sympathize with her, realizing that she was also a victim of arranged marriage.
With the two of them supporting the Qiu family together, the rest fell into place naturally.
"It's just a pity about my father-in-law; once he fell, he could never get up again."
Ma Xiujuan still feels some regret. If she had just endured it that day, she would have been scolded, and being scolded wouldn't have killed her.
Maybe then my father-in-law wouldn't have gone to the school, wouldn't have been so angry, and wouldn't have collapsed and been unable to get up.
"Ruan Tang, there's no turning back in this life." Ma Xiujuan wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "I'm not telling you this to complain, but to tell you to do what you want to do, and not to regret it when you lose it."
Because Xu Ruantang is not here, and Qiu Liang doesn't know how to make small cakes, the shop has recently only been selling honey bread rolls, mung bean cakes, and red bean cakes.
However, sales were still quite good, and Qiu Liang showed Xu Ruantang the latest account books.
Xu Ruantang glanced at it only once before starting to teach Qiu Liang how to make small cakes.
By the time Qiu Liang learned it, it was already lunchtime.
Ma Xiujuan wouldn't let Xu Ruantang leave, insisting that she stay for lunch, and said that thanks to her, they didn't have to close the shop.
While Qiu Liang was cooking, Xu Ruantang pointed to the wooden parasol outside the shop and asked, "Sister Juan, why is there an umbrella outside the shop?"
Qiu Liang said that this way there would be less dust, and it wouldn't be good to leave the umbrella unused all the time.
Xu Ruantang stared at the umbrella outside the door, lost in thought.
Isn't this just a typical outdoor dessert shop...?
In the summer, buy some small cakes and desserts, and a refrigerator, and make some chilled plum juice and mung bean smoothies.
The market is so big, anyone who loves shopping won't hesitate to spend a little money on a cake. When you're tired from shopping, you can stop by, take a break, have a cup of plum juice and a small cake, and the money will come in!
Without hesitation, Xu Ruantang started going to the Xifosi Market every day again.
Within a few days, the stall was set up.
At first, everyone thought it was silly to sit there. It was like watching monkeys at the bustling market entrance, and nobody wanted to come.
Xu Ruantang and Sister Juan sat at the door, eating desserts and drinking plum juice by themselves, which soon attracted customers.
They were either girls who had come to shop together, or people who had brought their children and wanted to take a break.
There are umbrellas to shield you from the sun, and tables and chairs to rest your feet on.
After eating cake and drinking plum juice, and then getting the child some mung bean milk, the child can stay quiet for quite a while.
Gradually, because such a shop was rare, word spread and business improved.
Sometimes there aren't enough seats at the entrance, so we have to move people to the courtyard inside, which has led to better and better sales of our mini breads.
When Xu Ruantang got home at night, she would sometimes think to herself, "It's so much easier to build a career than to date men!"
And money doesn't fluctuate; once you have it, it's yours!
Why bother with men? As long as you don't touch men, your life will definitely get better and better.
Xu Ruantang returned to the Chen family home a little early that day. Before she even entered the door, she heard the barking of dogs.
She thought she was hallucinating, hesitated for a moment, and then stood outside the door to listen carefully.
There was no sound for a long time.
Thinking about how she's been leaving early and coming home late lately, basically doing nothing but making money, taking care of the kids, and sleeping.
Even though they lived under the same roof, she almost never met Jia Shuling and Chen Lin, so she walked in with peace of mind.
As soon as she stepped into the main room, she saw a large wolfhound rushing towards her.
It barked a few times, the sound so loud it was deafening.
Xu Ruantang's pupils suddenly contracted, and she instinctively ran towards the door.
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