Chapter 68: Going Down the Wrong Path

Xia Li turned her head and saw that Aunt Dong’s stall indeed had two lazy young men sitting there—those were the same troublemakers, Dog Wa and Liu Sheng’er, who had caused a scene at Wei Xiaojun’s stall last time.

Liu Sheng’er still had his leg in a cast, putting on a show.

But as soon as Aunt Dong lifted the lid on her pot, he rushed to grab the dishes faster than anyone else.

Aunt Dong, a short and stout woman, cursed loudly, her spit flying into the bowls of those two freeloaders, and she raised her hand to hit their heads.

At that moment, Liu Sheng’er fell over dramatically, crying out about his leg and his butt, causing passersby to avoid them from afar.

Aunt Dong had no choice; her wrinkled, plump face turned red with anger, her expression sour as if she had just come out of a latrine. She waved her hand and let them eat.

“Hurry up and eat! Once you’re done, get out of here!”

Her resentful, gritted voice could be heard from this side, filled with anger, “You two bastards, what kind of trouble have you caused!?”

It seemed they had been tormenting her quite a bit recently.

After one meal after another, they would come when they were hungry.

Who told Aunt Dong to get them to do those wicked things back then? They wouldn’t go back until they were healed (and well-fed).

Today, Wei Xiaojun made a dish of minced meat eggplant and a mixed mushroom soup, serving it hot.

After observing for a while, Xia Li figured out that although stalls like Wei Xiaojun’s were called stir-fry stalls, the main dishes usually didn’t exceed a few items. They were prepared in advance and kept warm by wrapping them in cotton quilts, which made it easier during busy lunchtime.

Unlike Aunt Dong’s stall across the way, which had better business, partly because her space was larger, but also because she had several signature dishes that attracted returning customers from the village.

Wei Xiaojun’s cooking was decent, but she lacked Aunt Dong’s experience and loyal customers.

Her stall’s few signature dishes included minced meat eggplant, shredded pork with green peppers, mixed mushroom soup, and braised tofu with cabbage.

Recently, due to Aunt Dong’s stall, Wei Xiaojun’s business had noticeably improved, but she still felt a bit uneasy about it.

“It’s getting colder; I heard from the old folks that this year will be a cold winter. As the weather changes, I want to earn a bit more money while I can. If it snows, we might have to close the stall.”

Wei Xiaojun smiled, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness, but her face showed a calm longing:

“Next year, Sui’er will start elementary school. She’s looking forward to it. Although she’s still a year away, I still want to send her to school early. She’s just like her dad; she loves to read and learn.”

Speaking of her late husband, Wei Xiaojun’s face didn’t show much self-pity, but a faint affection in her eyes inadvertently revealed some emotion.

She was a woman who appeared soft on the outside but was very resilient inside.

From the original owner’s memories, Xia Li knew that later on, Wei Xiaojun no longer ran a stir-fry stall; instead, she started other small businesses and worked hard to support her daughter through college.

After the original owner was imprisoned, Wei Xiaojun even specifically went to visit her in prison, sending clothes and supplies many times to make the original owner’s life there a little less difficult and helpless.

In contrast to the original owner’s deliberate distancing due to her reputation as a widow, Wei Xiaojun was truly a good-hearted, grateful, and upright woman.

The only regret was Wei Xiaojun’s daughter.

Although she studied hard and eventually got into a prestigious university, escaping their small mountain village like a phoenix, she was deeply affected by the malicious insults and slander directed at her mother and herself, leading to profound feelings of inferiority.

She resented her mother for losing her father at a young age and for being called a “selling meat widow’s bastard daughter.” She craved paternal love and material wealth intensely.

In the end, she went down the wrong path in college, becoming a kept woman and giving up on herself, effectively following the “old path” her mother had taken.

In truth, Xia Li knew that Wei Xiaojun had deeply loved her late husband throughout her life, maintaining her integrity. Her reputation had been secretly undermined and destroyed. Moreover, in this era, women who earned a little money through small businesses were indeed more susceptible to criticism