“Auntie.”

The crisp voice was confident and natural, without a hint of shyness.

Shen Qing’s first impression of the girl was very good.

She found the girl familiar but couldn’t quite recall who she was.

But regardless of whether they knew each other, she greeted her with a warm smile.

Speaking of which, whose daughter was this?

“Mother, you’re back! Xiao Li returned our bowl and even brought over ten molds. No matter how much I tried to persuade her, she refused to take any silver. You have to talk to her.”

Inside the house, Huo Bing had just put the molds away when she heard voices outside.

She quickly ran out.

Shen Qing’s mind suddenly became clear!

Was this Guan Li?

Her second son’s beloved?

Goodness, such a beautiful and generous young lady—no wonder her second son had been so heartbroken and wanted to die after the incident.

Before Shen Qing could say anything, Guan Li spoke first:

“How could I return an empty bowl? My father said we don’t have much at home, but we do have plenty of wood, and Auntie could use it. So, he just made a few molds for me to bring over.

If I took silver for them, what kind of person would that make me? My father would scold me to death if I went home with money.”

After speaking, she instinctively pressed her lips together.

Aunt Jiang had always disliked her sharp tongue, saying she seemed too difficult to deal with.

But ever since her mother passed away, she had become even more outspoken—it had become second nature, and she neither could nor wanted to change.

After hearing this, Shen Qing added another point to her appreciation of Guan Li: she was well-mannered.

Not only was she polite, but she also didn’t take credit for herself, making it clear that the molds were her father’s doing and that she was merely the messenger.

Shen Qing sincerely praised her: “Good child, you speak so well.”

Guan Li’s expression changed slightly.

She glanced at Huo Bing and saw that the latter still had the same gentle, admiring look of ‘My mother is so kind and amazing.’

She was puzzled—was Aunt Jiang not mocking her?

She looked at Shen Qing more closely and saw that her sincerity was genuine.

There was no pretense. Her worries faded.

She smiled warmly and replied, “As long as Auntie doesn’t mind me.”

“Why would I mind? Being articulate is a great strength. Second Son is lucky.” Shen Qing felt the two were a perfect match the more she looked at them!

Jiang Xiangxi was as quiet as a mute gourd—silent and hardworking, an excellent laborer, but never fought for his own rights.

Meanwhile, Guan Li was straightforward and articulate, able to hold her own in conversations and defend others.

Speaking of defending others, Shen Qing couldn’t help but feel sorry for Guan Li.

Her mother had been sickly and bedridden for years, her father was always busy, and her younger brother was disabled.

A family like that had forced her to grow up quickly.

The village was not entirely kind either—there were bullies.

How could she have protected her ailing mother and weak younger brother if she wasn’t tough?

Only children who are protected can afford to be carefree and innocent.

Even though her younger brother had repeatedly told her last night that Aunt Jiang had changed and that her engagement to Brother Xiangxi was no longer a problem, she didn’t dare hope too much.

But now, seeing it with her own eyes and hearing it with her own ears, she finally felt a sliver of reassurance.

Her face flushed red.

She noticed the two buckets of water Shen Qing was carrying and changed the subject: “Auntie, what good things did you buy? Can I take a look?”

Shen Qing followed her lead and said,

“I made steamed buns last night for Second Son and planned to send them today. I sold some eels in town early this morning and thought I’d buy some salt and candy to send along. Without salt, he’d have no energy, and sweets not only lift the spirit but also replenish strength. We don’t have much grain at home, so I bought some to stock up.”

The balance in the store had increased, but for now, the only things she could buy were grain and medicine.

She had wanted to buy more meat and fabric, but she hadn’t yet started earning money from soap or brushes.

After buying salt and candy, they only had four taels of silver left.

She didn’t dare spend too much.

After all, neither the brushes nor the soap had been produced yet.

If they needed to buy additional tools or materials or faced unexpected expenses, what would they do without silver?

Fortunately, in five or six days, the first batch of brushes would be ready.

By then, she would know whether they were good or bad and how much they could earn.

Then, she could send Jiang Xiangxi better food.

For now, she would send steamed buns, pork cracklings, salt, and candy.

Guan Li hadn’t expected Shen Qing to send food to Jiang Xiangxi, let alone be so generous!

Steamed buns, salt, and even candy.

She quickly mentioned what her father had planned last night:

“My father had me make a lot of flatbreads. We also have a small piece of cured meat, which we fried with wild garlic. He planned to bring it over tonight. Auntie, do you want him to take your things along?”

Huo Bing quickly shook her head. “No, no, Uncle Guan was seriously ill a while ago. He’s only just recovered and already started woodworking again. It takes at least two hours to walk from Qili Village to the embankment and back. If he works all day and then walks that far at night, how could his body handle it?”

Shen Qing quickly calculated—two hours each way meant over four hours of walking.

Carrying a large bundle of food along a dirt road for four hours would be exhausting, even without carrying anything!

She agreed, “That’s right. Don’t let your father go. Let—”

She paused, thinking about who was the best choice.

Huo Bing picked up the conversation: “Mother, let Father go. I already finished what you taught me last night—you can check it later. I don’t have anything to do this afternoon, so I can watch the children. Let husband make the trip. He’s quick on his feet—he might even be back before dinner.”

Shen Qing thought this was a good idea.

Jiang Shui and Guan Li were both young women—it wouldn’t be safe for them to walk such a long way alone.

Their third and fourth sons were catching fish and eels, earning over two thousand wen a day.

Unless absolutely necessary, they shouldn’t be disturbed.

She and Huo Bing obviously couldn’t go either.

There was no need to think further—her eldest son was the best choice.

She happily decided, “Alright! Let Eldest Son, pack up and go. He’s young and strong—he won’t even miss dinner.”

Inside the house, Jiang Xiangdong, who was massaging his sore legs: …Since when was I ‘young and strong’?!

The basket Shen Qing had used to carry wool yesterday was put to use again today.

Inside were steamed buns, flatbreads, salt, sugar, cured meat stir-fried with wild garlic, a large paper-wrapped bundle of pork cracklings, and a smaller bundle.

Looking at the two packages of pork cracklings, Shen Qing thought the Guan family was truly kind.

They wouldn’t even eat the good stuff themselves, saving it to send to her son.

That kind of gratitude made her second son’s hardship worthwhile.

Guan Li looked at the large, bulging package of cracklings and guessed it must contain all of them.

She looked at Shen Qing.

But she saw none of the sharp, harsh attitude from before.

Now, she was calm, warm, and full of strength—someone people would want to be close to.

Guan Li stayed at the Jiang household for a long time before reluctantly leaving.

Meanwhile, Shen Qing and Huo Bing stayed busy, carefully checking each soap mold’s reaction to the alkali.

“Mother, we have ten more molds now. Should we make all of them?”

They still had some lard and sesame oil left, but finished soap needed a month to cure.

They had to keep investing in oil—would Mother have enough silver?