Chapter 24
Xiao Shan had gone to the backyard to take care of the fur skin to avoid damaging. He wondered how she got the hare but he knew she would give him the same excuses so he didn't bother asking. The Fur needed to be preserved to use it later to make winter coat for the children.
First, he cleaned the fur thoroughly to remove dirt, debris and flesh which might be stuck in it. Then using a cloth he started gently cleaning the fur to remove any stains. As he was still cleaning he saw Su Ying approaching and wondered what she wanted now. The woman approached him with a candle in her hand to illuminate the place he was. Then she asked
" You are almost done. The drying and other things will be left tomorrow so you should come have your dinner before it gets cold".
Hearing her words he was stunned. Was she concerned about him?
"Have you eaten yours?".
Su Ying naturally responded negative. Xiao Shan felt something warm flowing in his heart. It was fuzzy feeling that left him dazed for a while. Without thinking much he spread the fur to air dry and followed her back into the house. Watching the woman's back he was sure she wasn't the same woman. He didn't know what happened or how she ended up here neither did he know her intentions towards them.
One thing clear to him was that she was sincerely doing everything for them. Since she had come then....
A strange glint flashed through his eyes but was quickly suppressed.
Su Ying could feel the man's probing gaze staring at her back but said nothing. Her changes was too suspicious. The man had said nothing so she also remained quiet and calm waiting for when he would ask. She wasn't planning to hide anything about her changes but only to the kids so she had nothing to fear if questioned.
Entering the house, Xiao Shan washed his hands and she served dinner. The kids had already rested so they were the only one remaining. The silence as the ate was weirdly not awkward but rather harmonious. After eating for a while Su Ying broke the silence.
"Tomorrow is the market day at the province so I plan to go take a look to get some ideas".
Xiao Shan paused in eating before he resumed. The woman before him was no longer the brainless idiot but a calm woman with her own ideas. Strangely the thought of her sharing her plans with him made him feel needed so with a light nod he gestured her to continue. Su Ying seeing his nod felt relieved so she began to tell him her plans
"I'm planning to look around at the province tomorrow to see if there is any business idea I can start up. The children are growing and I can't depend only on you to get money with your leg. It's affecting you so I have decided to share the burden of our family with you".
Hearing talk so confidently about her plans, Xiao Shan felt his heart skip a bit. When he heard her talk about wanting to start a business he was surprised. She didn't have any obligations towards them and could just sign the divorce papers and leave but she choose to stay which he couldn't understand. He was just a disabled man with no money and two kids. At the thought of his legs his face darkened and his countenance became gloomy.
Su Ying had being observing his face as she spoke so seeing his countenance darken she became anxious. He was not planning to stop her from finding a business was he?
She refused to just idly sit and become a housewife to anyone but to her surprise he agreed.
"Okay".
Short and simple but they were like music to her ears. The man had melodic and pleasing voice. It was the type that could make a woman's ear pregnant just by listening to it.
"That's great"
With that they resumed eating each lost in their own thoughts. After eating they cleared the plates before retiring to sleep. As Xiao Shan lay on the bed he couldn't sleep as the woman's words rang in his ear. Did she find him disgusting because he was disabled. He clenched his knuckles so tight as he closed his eyes. After a while he calmed down and looked at the ceiling for a while before going to sleep.
The chirping of birds and knocking on the door woke Su Ying from sleep. Looking outside she saw it was only 5 in the morning making her wonder who could be knocking at such time. Adjusting Xiao Ming, she stood up to go check only to meet Xiao Shan about to check too. He nodded at her in greeting and she responded
"Good morning husband"
Xiao Shan said nothing as they headed towards the door. Surprisingly the woman knocking was someone they knew and also their neighbor Mrs Qui Fei. Seeing them come out she greeted them embarrassedly
"Good morning Xiao's parents".
Responding to her they looked questioningly at her. Qui Fei noticing there questioning eyes immediately began explaining. It turned out she was planning to go to the county market this morning so after cooking she had brought some for them as thank you for the food yesterday night as well as their plates. The county market was far so you had to come earlier to catch the ox cart to avoid being late to find a place to display your goods.
Hearing her explanation Su Ying realized her point. Smiling she responded
"I also want to join you to go the market so please wait for me at the village entrance let me take a quick bathe. As for the food you don't have to worry after all our children are friends. I also want to apologize for my selfish behavior the other time and hope you forgive me"
Hearing her apologizing Qui Fei was stunned before responding
"It's alright, we're both mothers. I'm happy you have realized your mistake. I will wait for you at the village entrance so we can go together".
With that she gave them the food and left. Xiao Shan watched the interaction between the two women with interest. This woman before him was indeed smart knowing to build good relationships with the villagers was a smart move. With that she could integrate the village without raising alarm or seen as suspicious. Su Ying didn't know that her little scheme had been exposed before her husband as she basked in her triumph.
Turning to look at him she met his meaningful stare and felt her heart skip a bit. She felt flustered for a while before calming down and saying
"I have to go take a bathe so I can join her before we leave late. Please let the kids have this when they wake up as breakfast as I know you're not going out today".
Handing over the food to him she went to take a bathe. Looking at her retreating back he let out a chuckle before following her back in. Su Ying took a quick bath outside the house to avoid suspicion, got dressed and headed towards the village entrance. Arriving there she saw other women each carrying their goods and waiting for the ox cart to arrive. Seeing her the women looked at her in disbelief but she ignored their stares and approached Qui Fei who was waving at her.
"You're here. Luckily you arrived early as the ox cart is about to come. Do you have money to pay for the fare?".
It was then that Su Ying remembered that she had to pare for the fare before she could get a ride. Seeing her express Qui Fei realized she had no money with her. Hesitantly biting her lips she volunteered to pay for her
"It's okay I will pay for you but you have to return it once we reach home since you forgot yours".
"Alright. I promise to return it once who gets back".
She was going to sell the ginseng and would pay her back once the got back from the market. She never owed people favours and would surely pay back. Soon the ox cart arrived and they paid before squeezing into the cart and riding off.