Chapter 26

After quickly returning to Lianhua Village and finishing the preparations for the pastries she planned to sell the next day, Li Hehua found that the sky had already turned completely dark.

That night, lying in bed, she couldn’t help but recall every moment of her encounter with the little one that day. Her heart was warm and full.

It was so wonderful—he no longer rejected her.

But thinking about how reluctant the child had been to let her go, and how she had forced herself to pry his little hand away, her heart ached again. At that moment, she had really wanted to take him with her and never let him go, to keep him by her side so she could love him all the time. Then, she wouldn’t have to leave him behind again and again.

Unfortunately, even if she could take the child away, she simply didn’t have the means to care for him. She didn’t even have a place of her own to live in. How could she raise a child?

So first and foremost, she needed a place of her own. She had already stayed at Cao Simei’s house for quite a while. If she kept living there, it would be too inconsiderate. One couldn’t be a guest forever.

With that thought, Li Hehua quietly sat up. Not wanting to disturb Da Ya, who was still asleep, she didn’t light a lamp. She carefully got out of bed, retrieved her cloth bundle, and went to the window to use the moonlight to count her money.

She hadn’t had time to exchange her coins for silver, so the bundle was heavy with copper coins. Thankfully, she had tied them into strings of one hundred with spare time earlier, which made them easier to count.

All her savings were here. After counting, she had three taels and six hundred wen. That was more than enough to rent a small courtyard in town.

She hadn’t realized she’d saved so much already. Looking at the pile of money, Li Hehua felt a surge of joy and immediately made up her mind: after selling pastries tomorrow, she would go to town to look for a house to rent. That way, she wouldn’t have to trouble the Cao family any longer.

……

With the thought of house-hunting weighing on her mind, Li Hehua didn’t sleep well. She woke up early the next morning. Since Cao Simei wasn’t up yet, she went to the kitchen to make breakfast. After they ate, the two women headed to town.

On the way, Li Hehua shared her plan. “Cao jie, after I sell the pastries today, I won’t head home with you right away. I want to look for a house to rent in town.”

“What? You’re renting a place in town?” Cao Simei exclaimed in surprise. “But you’re doing just fine staying with us—why go rent a place?”

Back when she took Li Hehua in, Cao Simei had only planned for it to be temporary, to help her through a tough time. But after getting along these past few weeks, her whole family had grown fond of her. She was kind, generous, and always shared food with the children. Every time she came back from cooking a banquet, she brought them treats. She even included the Cao family in her pastry business, which brought them daily income. To them, she was a true benefactor.

Now, Cao Simei saw Li Hehua as a real younger sister. No one in the family had ever hinted at her leaving. So hearing this now, she felt uneasy.

Li Hehua understood their kindness and explained, “Cao jie, I’m very grateful that you all have taken me in for so long. But I can’t stay in your home forever. I’ve saved enough now to rent a place in town, so I plan to take a look today.”

“But we really like having you around. You’re just like family now,” Cao Simei said anxiously. “No one’s going to ask you to leave, and renting in town is expensive!”

Li Hehua was touched but gently insisted, “I know you treat me like one of your own, and I’m truly thankful. But I’m still a divorced woman. If I keep staying with you, people will talk. Even if you don’t mind, the gossip won’t stop. You understand that, right?”

Cao Simei fell silent.

Of course she understood. Because Li Hehua had been staying with them, nosy villagers had already started gossiping. Some had even come over to ask questions.

Though they claimed she was a distant relative, Lianhua Village wasn’t that far from Shangshui Village, and people had pieced things together. There had been plenty of whispering. Whenever Li Hehua went out, she was met with stares and muttered comments.

From Li Hehua’s perspective, moving to town really was the best option. And honestly, if their roles were reversed, Cao Simei wouldn’t feel comfortable living long-term in someone else’s house either.

Sighing, she relented, “I really don’t want to see you go. Da Ya and the kids will miss you too—they like you more than they like me! You’re always making them treats.”

Li Hehua laughed and comforted her, “I’m just changing where I live, not disappearing. We’ll still see each other often! I’ll still rely on you to sell pastries for me. It’ll just be a bit more trouble—you’ll need to pick up the pastries from me first before going to the market.”

That made Cao Simei breathe easier. She had secretly worried the business might end if Li Hehua moved out, but hadn’t dared ask. Now that the concern was settled, she smiled and said, “That’s nothing! I’ll be there on time every day.”

And so, the matter of moving to town was settled.

…….

When they arrived in town, the routine was the same as always. Cao Simei went to West Street, and Li Hehua set up shop at her usual spot on East Street.

Business was good as usual. Midway through, the man who had come yesterday to buy pastries for a child returned.

Li Hehua greeted him warmly, “Here for more pastries? You’re early today—we’ve got plenty left!”

The man nodded. “Thanks for the two pieces you gave me yesterday. The child at home really liked them. They were asking for more first thing this morning.”

Li Hehua beamed with pride. It made her happy to know children liked her pastries. “How many would you like today? I have a full selection.” She lifted the cloth to reveal the pastries inside.

The man—Gu Zhijin—looked over the baskets and felt more impressed the longer he looked. He hadn’t expected such quality pastries in a small town like this. From appearance to taste, they were comparable to the best shops in the capital—maybe even better than the famed Baiwei Pavilion.

Yesterday, curiosity had made him try a dorayaki after the child raved about it—and he’d ended up loving it too. He still remembered that delicious, soft taste.

“Four of each, and two candied hawthorns,” Gu Zhijin said.

Li Hehua was briefly surprised by the large order but quickly got to work, packing the pastries into five paper parcels.

“Here you go,” she said, handing them over.

He paid thirty-six wen and didn’t leave immediately. Li Hehua noticed and asked, “Would you like anything else?”

Gu Zhijin cleared his throat and looked again at the baskets. “Boss, the pastry you gave me yesterday… you don’t sell that one?”

Li Hehua realized what he meant. “Oh, that one—dorayaki. I made that specially for the child at home. He’s picky, so I try to make different things for him.”

Gu Zhijin nodded in understanding. “My child’s the same. That pastry was delicious. If you ever do make it again, I’d definitely buy some.”

His fondness for the dorayaki was obvious, and Li Hehua felt pleased. She explained, “It’s hard to make many types of pastries when I’m just selling from a stall. That’s why I stick to these five.”

Gu Zhijin understood. But thinking of the child at home, he hesitated, then made a small request. “Boss, my kid really loves your pastries. Would it be possible… could you sell me a portion of whatever you make for your child in the future? I’ll pay, of course—any price you name.”

Li Hehua was taken aback. At first, she wanted to refuse—those treats were for Shulin. But looking at his hopeful expression, she hesitated.

Maybe his child was like Shulin, too. If they both liked her food, maybe she really could help more than one child.

So she nodded. “Alright. Next time I make something special, I’ll prepare a bit extra for you.” She added, “Tomorrow I’m making candied apples. Would you like some?”

“Yes, please! Thank you so much!” he replied happily, not even knowing what candied apples were.

She waved it off—she was getting paid, after all.

……

After Gu Zhijin left, business wrapped up quickly. She sold out the rest of the pastries, then went shopping for ingredients. She also bought some red apples for the candied apples she planned to make the next day.

Instead of going to find Cao Simei afterward, she headed straight to the residential district near the market to look at rental houses.

She had scoped out a courtyard there before, but hadn’t had the money to rent it at the time. Now, she was hoping it was still available.

When she arrived, she saw the gate was still locked. Peeking through the crack, the courtyard looked untouched—no signs of anyone living there. Her heart settled.

It was still available!

Li Hehua knocked on the courtyard gate. Sister-in-law Fang, the mistress of the house, answered.

Fang Saozi recognized her from her previous vist. “Oh, it’s you! Looking to rent the courtyard?”

Li Hehua nodded. “Yes, I’d like to rent it now.”

Fang Saozi welcomed her inside, poured her tea, and confirmed, “Rent is 240 wen a month, minimum six months. Is that alright?”

It was a little pricey—most courtyards rented for around 200—but this one was move-in ready with furniture, which suited Li Hehua perfectly.

“Yes, I’ll take it. Can we sign the contract soon?” she asked.

Fang Saozi smiled. “Just wait a bit. I’ll send my son to call his father so we can draw up the contract and give you the keys.”

Li Hehua nodded in agreement.