Chapter 20

Zhang Tieshan went to town early that morning to sell the game he had hunted the day before to the local tavern. As he left the tavern, preparing to head home, he inexplicably found himself thinking of Li Hehua. His steps faltered, then he turned toward the market.

When he arrived, he saw Li Hehua selling pastries at her usual spot. She seemed particularly busy today, surrounded by customers chatting as she wrapped pastries, took money, and occasionally squatted down or stood up.

Her movements were clumsy and labored due to her weight, and beads of sweat quickly dotted her forehead, forcing her to wipe them away frequently. Yet the woman remained unfazed, smiling politely as she spoke to her customers with unwavering courtesy.

Zhang Tieshan stood there watching for a long time, his confusion deepening with each passing moment. The woman felt utterly unfamiliar, nothing like the Li Hehua he had married, even though her appearance and figure were undeniably those of the woman he knew.

Zhang Tieshan’s brow furrowed.

He continued to watch until Li Hehua had sold all her pastries. He then saw her buy a large quantity of eggs and red beans before slinging her basket over her arm, seemingly preparing to return home.

After being sent back to her family home, the Li Family refused to take her in. Zhang Tieshan couldn’t imagine where a woman like her could possibly go.

He wasn’t sure why, but Zhang Tieshan found himself following Li Hehua, curious to see where she would end up. To his surprise, she headed straight for their village. Could she actually live here? he wondered.

Maintaining a discreet distance, Zhang Tieshan continued to trail her. He watched as she stopped beneath the large locust tree near his house, darted behind it, and peered intently toward his home, as if spying on something.

Zhang Tieshan frowned, puzzled by her behavior and unsure of her intentions. Sensing no malice, he remained hidden, observing her from behind the tree, determined to uncover her purpose.

Soon, his mother emerged from the house with a basin of laundry. Li Hehua seemed to exhale in relief before slipping quickly inside.

Zhang Tieshan followed silently, entering the house unnoticed. Li Hehua remained unaware of his presence, still believing she was alone.

Inside, she hurried straight to the kitchen. Only then did Zhang Tieshan realize she was looking for Shulin, who often lingered there—a reliable place to find him.

As expected, Li Hehua went straight to Shulin in the kitchen, offering him the food she had brought in her basket. She then began to chatter endlessly, her tone surprisingly gentle and affectionate, as if she truly cherished him as her dearest treasure, just as her pet name for him implied.

Zhang Tieshan listened intently from outside the kitchen. The more he heard, the deeper his frown grew, his confusion deepening.

He was certain Li Hehua didn’t know he was outside, or that anyone else was home. There was no pretense in her kindness towards Shulin; her words seemed genuinely heartfelt. But how could she suddenly dote on him like this? She had once loathed Shulin, constantly beating and scolding him, even denying him a full meal. Several times, her mistreatment had nearly killed him, which was why Zhang Tieshan had resolved to divorce her upon his return.

How could a person’s nature change so drastically?

While Zhang Tieshan pondered this, Li Hehua emerged from the kitchen. He quickly hid himself, successfully leading her to believe the house was empty. She then slipped out of the Zhang Family residence.

After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Tieshan followed her. He saw her head to Lotus Village and enter a house. He recognized the woman who answered the door as the one who had previously hired Li Hehua to cater a feast.

So, she had moved here.

…….

Li Hehua was completely unaware that someone had been following her the entire way. After returning to Cao Simei’s house, she began preparing the pastries for tomorrow’s market while mentally mapping out her next steps.

The ideal solution would be to rent a room in town, which would make selling pastries and eventually opening a small food stall much easier. The problem was, she didn’t have enough money.

Cao Simei was the only person she could turn to for help, but the Cao Family was just an ordinary farming household, not wealthy. Such a sum would be a significant burden for them, and Li Hehua couldn’t bring herself to ask. They had already done so much for her.

Borrowing money was out of the question. The only remaining option was to earn enough quickly to cover the rent. Once she had saved enough, she could rent a temporary place and focus on earning money in peace.

Currently, she earned about fifty wen a day from selling pastries, roughly fifteen hundred wen a month. In two months, she could save enough for half a year’s rent in town. While this was a decent pace for a farmer, it wasn’t nearly fast enough for her. She couldn’t possibly impose on Cao Simei’s hospitality for another two months—she didn’t have the nerve.

She needed to find a way to earn money faster.

Initially, due to limited funds and resources, Li Hehua only made two simple yet delicious pastries: red bean cake and sponge cake. While these were popular with customers, selling only these two types would inevitably lead to boredom and a loss of novelty.

Moreover, many people simply didn’t care for them. To increase sales, she needed to expand her pastry selection, offering customers more variety. This would naturally boost her total sales volume and profits.

After careful consideration, Li Hehua decided to temporarily add two new pastries to her repertoire: hawthorn cake and lotus seed paste puff. These were easy to make, delicious, and used readily available ingredients, making them perfect for her current situation.

In addition to diversifying her pastries, Li Hehua devised another strategy: hiring someone to help her sell. Working alone, she could only sell in one location each day.

However, the town was vast, and not everyone would come to her stall, meaning many potential customers never saw her pastries. By hiring an assistant, she could split into two sales locations, significantly increasing her market reach and, consequently, her earnings.

As for finding someone to help her, Li Hehua only knew Cao Simei’s family. Her first thought was to ask Cao Simei to sell the pastries for her, as a way to repay her kindness in taking her in.

Farm women typically worked in the fields during planting and harvesting seasons, but spent the rest of their time doing household chores. Opportunities to earn money were scarce. Some skilled women could supplement their families’ income by selling embroidered goods in town, but such skills were rare. While most farm women could sew and mend clothes, embroidery required a much higher level of skill, making this income source inaccessible to most.

Like most farm women, Cao Simei’s life revolved around fieldwork and household chores. Her only income came from occasionally selling eggs in town. Li Hehua wanted to offer her this opportunity to earn some extra money. This would not only increase Cao Simei’s income but also benefit Li Hehua herself. When she needed to focus on catering, she wouldn’t have to stop selling pastries.

Having made up her mind, Li Hehua baked two extra baskets of pastries. That evening, during dinner, she mentioned her plan to Cao Simei.

Cao Simei was completely stunned by this unexpected surprise. It took her a while to believe her good fortune, and she was overjoyed, unsure how to properly thank Li Hehua. She knew how delicious Li Hehua’s pastries were and had seen how well her business thrived—a guaranteed success. She had even secretly envied Li Hehua, wishing she could make and sell pastries herself to ease her family’s financial struggles.

Now her wish had come true. Li Hehua was letting her sell pastries! Though Cao Simei wouldn’t earn as much as Li Hehua herself, she was more than content. Daily income was something farm women like her could only dream of.

Cao Simei couldn’t help but feel grateful for helping Li Hehua. Her kindness had been rewarded.

Seeing the family’s excitement, Li Hehua felt pleased. She turned to Cao Simei and said, “Cao jie, for every four pastries you sell, I’ll give you one wen. If you sell two baskets a day, you’ll earn about ten coins. The more you sell, the more you’ll earn. Does that sound good?”

Having seen Li Hehua sell pastries before, Cao Simei knew that two baskets would sell easily. This meant she could earn at least ten copper coins a day. How could she possibly be dissatisfied? After all, a farmhand working odd jobs in town during the off-season could only earn about ten wen a day. She could earn the same amount effortlessly by selling pastries—she was more than satisfied.

Cao Simei didn’t know how to express her gratitude. She clasped Li Hehua’s hand and said, “Hehua, I don’t know how to thank you enough. I’ll never forget your kindness.”

Li Hehua waved her hand. “Please don’t say that. If anyone should be grateful, it’s me. You took me in and fed me. This little favor is nothing compared to that.”

When Cao Simei’s family had taken Li Hehua in, they hadn’t expected any repayment. But now that she was showing such kindness, they were deeply touched. Cao Simei especially vowed to help her sell the pastries diligently.

Li Hehua continued outlining her plan: “Cao jie, I’ll sell on the east side of town, and you can sell on the west side. That way, we won’t compete for customers. If you sell quickly and aren’t in a hurry to return home, you could even wander through the alleys like a peddler. Some people might come out to buy when they hear you, and you’ll sell even more.”

Li Hehua had actually thought of this idea earlier, but she needed to return home in the afternoon to bake pastries and didn’t have time to go door-to-door. Cao Simei, however, had the time, which is why Li Hehua suggested the plan.

Cao Simei loved the idea. She slapped her thigh enthusiastically. “Exactly! This is perfect! Many people stay home all day. If I sell right at their doorsteps, they’ll be more likely to buy.” This would allow her to sell more, and the more she sold, the more she would earn.

Li Hehua smiled and finalized the plan. “Then it’s settled. I baked two extra baskets today. Can you try it out tomorrow?”

Cao Simei nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling. “Yes, yes, yes! I’ll go to town with you tomorrow to sell them.”

……

That night, Cao Simei was too excited to sleep. She tossed and turned in bed, disturbing He Da. “What are you doing? Are you going to sleep or not?”

Cao Simei turned to face He Da, her voice brimming with excitement. “Husband, I’m going to earn money tomorrow! I’m so happy!”

He Da was secretly pleased. “Li Hehua is a good person,” he said. “Even after finding a way to make money, she still wants to help us out. You should work hard and help her sell her goods.”

Cao Simei playfully nudged He Da. “Do you even need to tell me that? Of course I’ll do my best to sell them.”

He Da knew Li Hehua had been divorced and couldn’t help but wonder, “Aside from being a bit plump, Li Hehua seems wonderful. She’s skilled, good at making money, and has a kind heart. How could she have been divorced?”

Cao Simei didn’t know either. “Probably because she’s too fat,” she guessed. “Men don’t want ugly wives. They all want someone pretty.”

He Da didn’t know what to say and sighed.

After a long silence, just as He Da thought Cao Simei had fallen asleep, she suddenly spoke again. “No, it’s such a waste for such a good woman to be divorced. I’m going to keep an eye out for good marriage prospects for Li Hehua. We can’t let her waste her life. You should keep an eye out too. Tell me if you find anyone suitable.”

He Da nodded and hummed in agreement.