The next morning, the news of Wang Chunmei attempting to hang herself spread like wildfire in Panshi Village.

“Wang Chunmei… hanged herself?”

Shen Zhihuan spat out a mouthful of wild vegetable soup in shock.

Were women in this era so impulsive?

One disagreement, and they resorted to hanging?

“Don’t worry, Sister Huan. My grandpa said that old woman Wang Chunmei didn’t die-she just broke her leg,” Little Fatty said, rushing to her side and patting her back like an adult trying to calm her.

“Broke her leg?” Shen Zhihuan eyed Little Fatty skeptically, doubting his story.

Li Qiuhua also looked incredulous.

How could someone break their leg while hanging themselves?

“Yep!” Little Fatty nodded vigorously.

“I overheard my aunt and my mom talking. That old woman Wang Chunmei tied a belt to the crooked tree in her yard. As soon as she got up, the belt snapped, and she fell.”

Shen Zhihuan: “…”

A belt… for hanging?

Wang Chunmei really outdid herself.

“My grandpa said she fell pretty hard.

She won’t be able to get out of bed for two or three months,” Little Fatty said animatedly, gesturing to show just how bad the fall was.

Breakfast ended with Little Fatty’s lively storytelling.

Once Little Fatty and Xiao Weidong had been sent off, Shen Zhihuan turned to Li Qiuhua, who was washing dishes.

“Mom, I want to go to town.”

“Go to town? What for? The sun’s scorching today,” Li Qiuhua frowned.

“I want to borrow a book from a classmate,” Shen Zhihuan said with a smile, offering a pre-prepared excuse after racking her brain all morning.

Li Qiuhua thought for a moment. “Your health’s just starting to improve. Maybe wait a few days. When we’re free, I’ll go with you and Weidong.”

Panshi Village was remote, and walking to town without stopping took over half an hour. The heat was relentless, and her daughter’s frail body couldn’t handle it.

“Mom, I’m already feeling much better. Let me go this time! I promise I’ll be quick,” Shen Zhihuan said, clinging to Li Qiuhua’s arm and swaying it softly, her tone sweet and pleading.

“…”

“Mom…”

“…”

“Mom…”

Li Qiuhua sighed in defeat at Shen Zhihuan’s persistence. “Your Uncle Wang mentioned he’s going to town today to haul some goods. I’ll go ask when he’s leaving.”

“Thanks, Mom!” Shen Zhihuan cheered, planting a quick kiss on Li Qiuhua’s cheek.

“You silly girl, the older you get, the more playful you become…” Li Qiuhua scolded lightly with a smile.

Her initial concern that her daughter might sink into despair after the broken engagement now seemed unnecessary.

Not wanting to miss the ride with Wang Baotian, Li Qiuhua put down the dishes, removed her apron, and hurried off to the Wang family’s house nearby.

Watching her mother leave, Shen Zhihuan tied on the apron and quickly finished tidying up.

By the time Li Qiuhua returned, Shen Zhihuan was already ready, her basket strapped to her back.

Li Qiuhua called out to her, then left and returned shortly after, pressing two fifty-cent bills and a grain coupon into Shen Zhihuan’s hand.

“If you get hungry, buy something to eat. Don’t skimp on food and hurt your body,” she said earnestly.

“I know, Mom,” Shen Zhihuan nodded, pocketing the bills and coupon.

Earlier that morning, she had put the original owner’s meager savings of one yuan and sixty-eight cents into her resort space. Traveling for the first time, it was better to have extra money on hand.

“I haven’t seen my classmate in ages, so I might stay a bit longer,” Shen Zhihuan added, preemptively warning her mother so she wouldn’t worry if she returned late.