Chapter 26

Gu Qinghuan found a secluded spot and brought both herself and her bicycle into the space.  

The porridge in the pot had already softened to perfection. After adding some salt and chopped scallions for flavor, it was ready to be served.  

Just porridge wouldn’t be enough. Gu Qinghuan steamed a tray of frozen buns, a total of nine.  

She had been eating frozen buns for the past few days, and her stock was running low.  

After rummaging through the fridge, she took out two cucumbers and made a simple smashed cucumber salad. With that, a decent lunch was ready.  

However, she didn’t prepare too much, as there was still a meal order to be delivered to the hospital.  

As usual, she packed everything into an insulated container and a lunchbox, carrying them in her hands.  

Gu Qinghuan rode her bicycle to the inpatient department of County Hospital.  

Coincidentally, just as she arrived at the hospital room, a staff member from the downstairs canteen delivered the hospital meal.  

Seeing her carrying an insulated container, the staff member even praised her for being filial.  

Gu Qinghuan felt a bit embarrassed.  

After sending the person away, Gu Qinghuan finally set down the food she had brought.  

“Mom, Grandma, I made some lean meat porridge, steamed buns, and smashed cucumber salad. You can choose what you like.”  

With the hospital meal added, there was more than enough for the three of them.  

“Why are you here so early? Mm, this porridge smells amazing, just the scent alone makes me hungry.” Zhong Zijun said with a smile as she leaned in.  

With water from the spiritual spring, of course, it smelled good.  

She hoped that food made with the spring water would help her mother’s arm heal faster.  

Gu Qinghuan scooped half a box of porridge and placed it in front of Zhong Zijun.  

“If it smells good, eat more. Grandma, you should also try my cooking.”  

An elderly woman from the neighboring bed, envious, remarked: “Zijun, you’re really blessed. Your daughter is so filial, and even the porridge she makes smells divine.”  

Zhong Zijun didn’t bother with modesty and nodded seriously. “Huan Huan is very filial.” Her daughter was simply the best.  

“Not only filial, but also a great cook and so beautiful. Just look at that face—delicate and lovely. I wonder which lucky young man will get to marry her in the future.”

The elderly woman’s unintentional words brought a sudden silence over the three generations of the family.  

Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help but think that this old lady had really hit the sore spot. She was already worried—sooner or later, the matter of her marriage to Xu Huai’an would reach her grandfather and the others.  

Just thinking about the tragic ending in the book sent chills down her spine.  

Since they were only minor characters in the story, their fate had been mentioned only in passing, so she had no way of knowing exactly when the truth had come to light.  

She absolutely could not let them hear about it from someone else. That would be an unbearable blow.  

And besides, outsiders always exaggerated when they told stories.  

Gu Qinghuan decided that she would be the one to tell them. That would be the safest approach.  

She just needed to find the right time.  

As for Zhong Zijun and Chen Shuying, their silence came from the heavy burden in their hearts.  

Huan Huan was already twenty, the perfect age for marriage. She had once had a childhood sweetheart as her fiancé, but after their family fell into trouble, that boy—unwilling to risk his future—had taken the initiative to break off the engagement.  

Trapped in this small, isolated world, what kind of family could she possibly marry into now?  

In the past, there had been plenty of promising young men for her to choose from. But now, aside from the educated youths, there were only farmers.  

And given their current situation, their complicated status had only dragged Huan Huan down.  

She had received a good education and had seen a wider, better world—how could she spend the rest of her life in stagnation?  

Zhong Zijun had even considered having her daughter go back and beg that heartless man, trying to find a way to return to the city. That would still be better than staying here.  

Even a tiger wouldn’t eat its own cubs—surely, he wouldn’t be cruel enough to completely abandon his own daughter to fend for herself.  

Seeing the darkened expressions on both her grandmother’s and mother’s faces, Gu Qinghuan quickly changed the subject.  

“Grandma, you should try my porridge too.” Please, just stop talking.  

The elderly woman also sensed that something was off and hurriedly followed along. “Alright, alright, thank you, young lady.”  

What should have been a warm and pleasant lunch had turned into an unusually heavy and silent meal, with each person lost in their own thoughts.

However, wasting food was out of the question. The three of them finished every last bite of the meal.  

After eating, Gu Qinghuan took the initiative to go wash the lunchboxes.  

Once she was done, she went to find Zhong Zijun’s attending physician for an update on her condition.  

The old doctor was quite responsible, explaining every detail of Zhong Zijun’s current condition and the key points to pay attention to during her recovery.  

She had been recovering well over the past two days. With careful care, sufficient rest, and the nourishing effect of the spiritual spring chicken soup, her nutrition was keeping up. If she continued at this pace, she could fully recover in two to three months.  

Gu Qinghuan carefully noted down all the important points to prevent herself from forgetting anything.  

The old doctor nodded repeatedly—what a filial child.  

In the afternoon, Zhong Zijun still had a few more IV drips to finish. Gu Qinghuan, unable to sit still in the hospital room, used the excuse of buying something to step out and take a walk.  

She had once thought that having access to the space would free her from financial worries, allowing her to reach the pinnacle of life effortlessly.  

Yet, in the end, she still couldn’t escape the stress of money.  

Even though she still had some savings and had just earned another four hundred today, the expenses were just as high.  

There were so many elderly, sick, and weak people to take care of, not to mention the occasional need to help out friends and relatives. She had to find a way to make more money.  

Her mind turned to the Plum Blossom brand wristwatch she had considered before.  

She could easily act as a middleman, buying it for ten yuan and selling it for two hundred. It was a business with immense profit margins.  

The only problem was that she hadn’t figured out exactly how to sell it yet.  

As she wandered aimlessly through the streets, she somehow found herself near the food supply store.  

Seeing the middle-aged man inside directing workers as they moved goods around, inspiration suddenly struck.  

Wasn’t that the son of the elderly woman from the hospital room? She had seen him once before.  

She wondered if he would be interested in this business.  

Without hesitation, she found a quiet spot, entered her space, and placed an order for a Plum Blossom wristwatch.  

With the freshly acquired watch in hand, Gu Qinghuan approached the elderly woman’s son, Lu Jianye.  

Perhaps because of their family connection through the hospital, Lu Jianye greeted her warmly.

He even invited her to his office for tea.  

Gu Qinghuan didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point.  

“Uncle, sorry to bother you. I have a business proposal. Whether you’re interested or not is entirely up to you.”  

Though she was dressed plainly, her refined demeanor and firm, confident tone made her words surprisingly persuasive.  

Lu Jianye was sharp enough to recognize an opportunity when he saw one. He neither rejected nor agreed immediately, instead signaling for her to continue.  

Gu Qinghuan reached into her bag, took out the watch she had prepared, and placed it in front of him.  

Lu Jianye opened the box and immediately recognized the item—it was the exact same model as his own Plum Blossom wristwatch.  

“A Plum Blossom watch? What’s this about?”  

“Uncle, how much did you originally pay for the watch on your wrist?” Gu Qinghuan asked instead of answering directly.  

“A little over three hundred. Why?”  

“What if I told you that a friend of mine has a batch of these exact watches, selling for only two hundred each—and no industrial coupons needed? Would you be interested?”  

After speaking, Gu Qinghuan nervously observed Lu Jianye’s reaction. To be honest, she was making a gamble—a gamble that Lu Jianye was a shrewd businessman.  

Her words caught Lu Jianye off guard.  

As the manager of a food supply store, he had a keen business instinct.  

Gu Qinghuan’s meaning was clear: she had a batch of these watches available at a low price of two hundred yuan, and they didn’t require purchase coupons.  

If he could secure them, selling them for two hundred fifty each would still attract plenty of eager buyers.  

Fifty yuan profit per watch—that was more than half a month’s salary for him.  

Most people might lack the connections to sell them, but he had a wide network and no concerns about finding buyers.  

The only question was, how many watches were in this batch? And could he afford to take them all?  

Lu Jianye’s lips curled into a businessman’s smile.  

“My dear niece, how many watches does your friend have? Are they all in this condition?”  

Gu Qinghuan quietly exhaled in relief.  

She knew she had won the bet.