Chapter 32

“Personal matter?” Lan Yun’er became a little interested. “What personal matter?” The person standing in front of her was none other than the widow Hou Yushan.

Hou Yushan said, “Do you know someone with the surname Hu? He’s quite handsome and seems to be a student.”

Lan Yun’er furrowed her brow. “Are you talking about Hu Xinkai? What’s the matter? Do you know him too, Hou Jie?”

Since Hou Yushan was older and had helped her before, she naturally called her “Jie” (sister), which made Hou Yushan feel a little moved. Most people in the village called her the widow Hou or just Hou Yushan, but Lan Yun’er calling her “Jie” felt different. Hou Yushan’s gaze softened, and she shook her head. “I don’t know him, but I once saw Zhou Mingyue call him. I was buying medicine for my mother-in-law at the state-run pharmacy, and Zhou Mingyue and that man passed by. They talked a lot, and from the way Zhou Mingyue acted, it seemed like she was trying to match you with him. Zhou Mingyue even asked for his address.”

Lan Yun’er’s expression darkened immediately.

She could roughly guess what Zhou Mingyue was up to.

Zhou Mingyue, that woman, was truly cunning.

A slight smile appeared on Lan Yun’er’s face as she looked at Hou Yushan. “Thank you, Hou Jie, for telling me this. You’ve helped me twice now, and I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Repay me? That Zhou Mingyue is clearly up to no good. I don’t want to see her plot succeed,” Hou Yushan said, her voice tinged with anger. She was someone who despised deceitful schemes.

Lan Yun’er nodded. “I will remember your help, Hou Jie. I’ll make sure to repay you when I get the chance.”

Lan Yun’er thought about the ending of Hou Yushan in the novel and furrowed her brows slightly. Hou Yushan was a good person, and she must change her fate.

The two talked for a while on the street before parting ways. Hou Yushan had things to do, and Lan Yun’er had her own matters to attend to.

After they parted, Lan Yun’er continued walking towards the clothing store. When she reached the store, she glanced inside. The owner was not sitting outside but was instead inside, sitting on a wicker chair, eating an apple.

Lan Yun’er paused for a moment, then entered the store. The owner, Bai Feng’e, saw Lan Yun’er come in and quickly stopped eating, placed the apple down, and stood up to greet her. “Miss, are you here to buy clothes? What style are you looking for? I have all sorts of styles here, and I’m sure you’ll like something.”

Bai Feng’e was very enthusiastic because she noticed that Lan Yun’er was exceptionally beautiful and well-dressed.

Lan Yun’er looked around at the clothes in the store. These clothes were fashionable for that time, but she honestly didn’t care much for them. She preferred 21st-century clothes, which were more beautiful and convenient compared to what was available in this era.

After a quick glance, Lan Yun’er turned back to Bai Feng’e. “I’m not here to buy clothes.”

“Not buying clothes?” Bai Feng’e frowned, sizing Lan Yun’er up. “Then why did you come in?”

“I’m here to give you something,” Lan Yun’er said as she took a beauty pill from her pocket. The pill was beautifully colored and emitted a faint fragrance.

Bai Feng’e was taken aback. “You’re giving me this?”

“This is a beauty pill. After taking it, it can help with skincare,” Lan Yun’er explained. “Do you see how good my skin is? It’s because I’ve been taking this.”

Lan Yun’er leaned closer, wanting Bai Feng’e to take a good look at her flawless skin. Bai Feng’e frowned. She had noticed Lan Yun’er’s skin when she first entered and had been wondering how it could be so perfect. She even thought of pinching her skin to see if it would be as soft as it looked.

“Are you sure your skin is so good because of this pill? You’re not lying to me, are you?” Bai Feng’e was cautious. After all, a stranger suddenly offering something like this made her suspicious. She was afraid of being tricked or harmed.

Lan Yun’er smiled. “If you’re worried that the pill is unsafe, I’ll take half in front of you. You can see if I’m okay afterward.”

She broke the pill in half, and the pleasant fragrance became even stronger. It smelled like herbal medicine, refreshing and calming.

Without waiting for Bai Feng’e’s response, Lan Yun’er ate half of the pill. She chewed a few times and swallowed it.

Bai Feng’e watched Lan Yun’er closely, hoping to see any adverse reactions. After a few minutes, when nothing happened, Lan Yun’er asked, “Can you believe now that the pill is safe?”

Bai Feng’e furrowed her brows but didn’t respond. Lan Yun’er continued, “Actually, I’m here to promote this beauty pill. The other day, I overheard you and your friend talking about skincare, and I know you both have concerns. I just happened to have this pill, which can improve your skin. That’s why I came today.”

Lan Yun’er smiled and added, “The first pill is free, but the second time, I will charge for it. After all, I spent a lot on high-quality ingredients to make this.”

Bai Feng’e gave her a glance, and it became clear that Lan Yun’er was promoting the pill.

However, Bai Feng’e still didn’t accept the pill. Lan Yun’er handed the other half of the pill to her. “If you still don’t trust me, you can take it to a doctor to check. This half is a gift from me. Whether you eat it or not is up to you.”

After saying that, Lan Yun’er left without waiting for Bai Feng’e to reply. She was confident that Bai Feng’e, who was eager to look beautiful, would take it.

After Lan Yun’er left, Bai Feng’e stood there holding the pill for a while. After a few minutes, she finally put it in her bag, closed the shop, and walked into a quiet alley.

She passed through several turns and entered an inconspicuous old house. Inside, she handed the pill to an old man and said, “Zeng Shu, can you check this pill for me? I want to know if it’s safe.”

Zeng Shu, the elderly doctor who had previously treated Zhou Mingyue, took the pill and examined it carefully. Its bright color and fragrant scent made it look like a high-quality imported medicine. Zeng Shu frowned, brought it to his nose, and sniffed it, then took a small piece and tasted it.

A few minutes later, he looked at Bai Feng’e and said, “I can’t detect any problems. But if you’re still worried, I’ll feed it to Little Bai. If nothing happens by tomorrow morning, it should be fine, and you can eat it safely.”

Little Bai was a pet rat that Zeng Shu kept.

Bai Feng’e nodded. “I’ll come back tomorrow morning.”

Zeng Shu stood up. “Wait until tomorrow morning to find out.”

Bai Feng’e nodded again, “Okay,” and left the house. She couldn’t wait to know the results.

After she left, You Hong walked over to Zeng Shu, took the half-pill from him, and sniffed it. “This pill smells refreshing. And the color is so beautiful. This must not be an ordinary product, right?”

Zeng Shu nodded. “It looks like something from Hong Kong. We can’t produce this kind of thing here. There’s no facility for it.”

“Tomorrow, when Xiao Feng comes, ask her how she got it. This seems to be something from an industrial pharmaceutical factory.”

Zeng Shu couldn’t imagine that it was made with a furnace.

After Lan Yun’er returned to the village, she was immediately greeted by Huo Miaomiao, who had red eyes, clearly from crying.

Lan Yun’er frowned. “Miaomiao, what happened? Who bullied you?”

Huo Miaomiao bit her lip and looked up at Lan Yun’er, speaking pitifully, “The meat at home is gone.”

“Gone?” Lan Yun’er’s expression darkened. “Wasn’t it in the wooden basin in the stove? How could it be gone?”

At this moment, Zhong Cuitao came out from the house, also with red eyes. She looked at Lan Yun’er with a sad expression and said, “Xiaoyun, after you and Mom left this morning, the people from your sister-in-law’s family came. They saw the meat in the stove and took it all. I tried to stop them, but there were too many of them. I couldn’t stop them.” She had been pushed down when trying to stop them, and her elbow was scraped.

Lan Yun’er’s brows furrowed tightly.

Her face darkened, and she sneered, “They really are just like my sister-in-law’s family—shameless!”

She then looked at Zhong Cuitao. “Where are Mom and Dad? Did they go to Grandma’s house?”

Zhong Cuitao shook her head. “No, Mom and Dad went to a relative’s house in the neighboring village for a drink. They won’t be back until the afternoon. Mom had planned to send the meat to Grandma’s after coming back, but now… the meat is gone, and she can’t do that.”

Zhong Cuitao felt heartbroken thinking about all the meat that was taken.

Lan Yun’er smiled coldly. “Don’t worry, we’ll get that meat back. When Mom comes back, we’ll go to my sister-in-law’s family and take it back.”

Zhou Yunxia must have thought that staying at her parent’s house was safe. Well, today, Lan Yun’er would show her what happens when you have no shame!

At around 2 p.m., Yao Guizhi and Huo Jianzhang returned from drinking. Yao Guizhi wore a smile, clearly happy from the drink. When she saw Lan Yun’er and Zhong Cuitao, both of them looked upset, so she frowned and asked, “What happened? Why do you both look so grim? Is something wrong at home?”