“Oh, oh, oh, I’m going now, I’m going now!” Jian Xiu hurriedly said.

Huang Chunzhi and Lin Xia didn’t waste any time either and headed straight for the backyard.

It was still daytime, and that area was less trafficked. By evening, fewer people would be around, and then they’d head to another, busier area where they wouldn’t be as easily noticed.

That way, they wouldn’t attract attention.

The distance from the village end to the village center was quite far.

As Jian Xiu passed through, people were whispering among themselves.

They thought she couldn’t hear, but as an agent, her hearing was exceptional, and she clearly heard their conversation.

It was mostly about how the family would starve after splitting from the Zhang family.

But Jian Xiu didn’t really care about the gossip in the village.

After all, it was her life to live.

That’s exactly why she wanted to reach the village end.

At the village center, Zhang Zhiyong’s ox cart was already carrying three or four people.

Jian Xiu didn’t care about others’ stares and got on the cart.

“Sit tight, we’re leaving now.”

“Mm.”

Once on the cart, Jian Xiu closed her eyes to rest, looking like she didn’t want to interact with anyone.

However, just because she didn’t want to speak didn’t mean the village women would take the hint.

“Jian Xiu, I heard that your family split from the old Zhang family? Is that true?”

“Mm.”

“Ah, how could you act so impulsively? You know how your husband Zixuan is, huh… He’s a poor soul, but how will you manage after the split?”

“Why don’t you take care of your own business?” another woman interjected.

“I’m just concerned about Jian Xiu. She’s a woman with three young kids, and her husband can’t help… This is…”

“Who says my Zixuan can’t help?” Jian Xiu coldly interrupted.

She hated people who pretended to be kind while gossiping.

“With your Zixuan’s condition, what can he do? He’s lucky if he doesn’t make things worse,” another woman snorted.

Looking over at the voice, Jian Xiu quickly recognized Li Shi.

Li Shi was usually close with Chen Sixi from the second household, and they often gathered to gossip about others.

Jian Xiu hadn’t expected Li Shi to be gossiping about her in front of her face.

She could ignore it when they spoke behind her back, but if they were going to say it to her face, she couldn’t let them get away with it.

Jian Xiu wasn’t the kind of woman who would back down in the face of such things.

So, she turned to Li Shi and said, “Li Shi, have you forgotten about your husband’s affair a while back? My Zixuan may be paralyzed from the waist down, but he’s devoted to me. Besides, he can still help with the manual work. I’m not worried about him finding another woman.”

“What do we women want in this life? Isn’t it for our children’s success and a husband who cares for us? You know how poor my family is, and your husband went off to cheat? Doesn’t that bring misfortune? If it were me, I’d have left him long ago. Why wait till now?”

After saying this, Jian Xiu turned to the other woman, who was stunned, and asked, “Sister, don’t you think I’m right?”

The woman was speechless.

At this moment, she didn’t dare to speak.

Li Shi was so angry her teeth ground together, but she couldn’t even retort.

This affair had caused quite a stir in the village, and everyone knew about it. Jian Xiu hadn’t expected her to be the one to bring it up in front of everyone.

“Jian Xiu, you…” Li Shi started.

“What? Li Shi, what did I say that’s wrong?” Jian Xiu interrupted again.

“Who said anything about men cheating? Be careful, I…”

“Did I lie? I heard it from the village center, and the whole village knows about it. Who needs me to say anything more?”

Jian Xiu feigned innocence as she spoke.

Li Shi was speechless.

She could really feel the frustration of wanting to retort but being completely powerless.

It was like punching a cotton ball—there was nothing she could do.

Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Jian Xiu closed her eyes to rest again.

She was thinking about how to negotiate with Wu, the shopkeeper from Yuexiang Lou, about the formula.

If Wu really wanted the formula, he’d also be interested in the bamboo shoots and pork, so she would have him try the pork offal she made herself.

That would be a deal that only made profit, no loss.

But even if Wu didn’t buy the recipe, Jian Xiu had other ways to make money. It just wouldn’t be as much.

She had prepared for both possibilities.

The bumpy ride made it hard for her to rest, and it felt like her organs were being jostled around.

Fortunately, they had reached the county town after half an hour.

Knowing that Jian Xiu was heading to Yuexiang Lou, Zhang Zhiyong stopped the cart right in front of its gates.

“Sister-in-law, just find me at the market entrance later, I’ll be waiting for you there.”

Once Jian Xiu had jumped off the cart, Zhang Zhiyong quickly called out to her.

“You don’t have to wait for me. I’ll head back by myself later.” Jian Xiu responded.

The bumpy ride had really exhausted her, and the ox cart wasn’t much faster than walking. If she hurried a bit, she could almost match the speed of the cart.

Besides, she had a lot to buy anyway.

“That won’t do. If you walk back, it will be tiring and slow!”

Seeing that Jian Xiu wouldn’t budge, Zhang Zhiyong gave in and nodded. Jian Xiu then headed into Yuexiang Lou.

“Welcome, miss. May I help you with something?” The young waiter greeted her as she entered.

Looking around the restaurant, Jian Xiu felt quite positive about the place.

She often trusted her instincts when it came to making decisions. If she felt good about something, she’d proceed with it. If not, she’d back off.

“Is it possible to see your shopkeeper?” Jian Xiu asked the waiter.

Hearing this, the waiter was momentarily stunned, but upon seeing the bundle Jian Xiu was carrying, he seemed to understand.

“Are you looking to sell pork? If so, you don’t necessarily need to meet the shopkeeper.”