Chapter 49 Worry

Chapter 49: Worries

Come to think of it, isn’t tomorrow another market day in town?

Last time, Su He hadn’t thought about it—this is the North we're talking about.

Even in the countryside, better-off families keep coal stocked up.

She could buy some coal from others or go to town to get some, then cook and sell right there.

Last time, she sold out in a flash. This time, cooking fresh to order would surely be even more appealing.

The more Su He thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. So she decided to visit Aunt Niu first to get some information.

Her last trip to town had been too rushed. This time, she wanted to prepare properly.

After telling the kids to stay put, Su He made her way to Aunt Niu’s house.

But halfway there, she happened to run into Aunt Niu, who was heading to the vegetable patch.

“Well if it isn't Miss Su!” Aunt Niu called out cheerfully.

“Aunt Niu, I was just on my way to see you, and here you are!” Su He was all smiles.

“Were you going to ask me about tomorrow’s market?” Aunt Niu beamed back.

“Yes, exactly!” Su He nodded eagerly.

“I was just about to talk to you too. Are you still going to run your stall in town tomorrow?”

“Of course! I definitely will.” Su He jumped in, afraid Aunt Niu might think she wasn’t interested.

“But hasn’t your husband, Tinghua, come back? I thought you two would be catching up after being apart.” Aunt Niu teased.

“Oh, not at all. Everyone’s busy. Besides, the work's got to get done regardless, right?”

As they chatted, the two made their way back toward Su He’s house.

“Aunt Niu, I mainly wanted to ask—do they sell coal in town?”

Su He had initially considered buying coal from villagers, but thinking about the trouble of hauling it to town, she figured it’d be easier to buy it there directly.

“Of course they do! Town people burn coal to keep warm in winter, unlike us who rely on firewood,” Aunt Niu replied with a laugh.

“You know, my snacks are best piping hot from the fryer, so I was thinking of frying them on the spot tomorrow,” Su He explained.

“My word, that'll be backbreaking work!” Aunt Niu was surprised by Su He’s diligence.

After all, Fu Tinghua worked in the city—his salary couldn’t be low.

But Su He’s drive to earn money wasn’t how someone well-off would act.

“Well, times are hard now, but the kids will need to go to school in the city someday. Though Tinghua works there, his salary compared to city natives is a bit...”

Su He didn’t finish the sentence, but Aunt Niu understood.

It made sense. No matter what, they were still from the countryside, with no connections. The cost of living in the city was high, and relying solely on Fu Tinghua’s salary to support the whole family would be tough.

And, well, Fu Tinghua probably sent money home to his parents too.

They live in the countryside, where food is mostly self-sufficient, and they rarely afford meat.

Not to mention in the city, where they have to buy rice and vegetables.

Su He didn’t know what Aunt Niu was imagining, but when she came back to reality, Aunt Niu was looking at her with sympathy.

"You’ve been through a lot. If you ever need help, just ask," Aunt Niu said in her no-nonsense way.

Su He felt a bit embarrassed by Aunt Niu’s words and remembered the eighty yuan she still owed her. She asked, "Aunt Niu, Ting Hua gave me some money yesterday. If you need it urgently, I can return the eighty yuan I owe you first."

As she turned to go fetch the money from her room, Aunt Niu immediately stopped her.

"Oh, you silly girl, why are you so stubborn? I’m not in a hurry for money. Just consider that hundred yuan saved with you. When the time comes, my family will have money for the New Year."

This Su girl was so guileless—she wanted to repay her debt the moment she got a little money.

Seeing what a good soul she was, Aunt Niu found it harder to believe the rumors going around the village.

She decided then and there that if anyone dared to gossip about Miss Su in the village again, she would stand up and defend her.

Unaware that her standing had just gone up in Aunt Niu’s esteem, Su He had originally planned to discuss planting more durian trees with some of the village women today. But for now, she put that plan on hold.

After all, she could use tomorrow’s trip to town as an excuse to say she was arranging for someone to deliver durian saplings.

The day after tomorrow, she’d head up the mountain to temporarily plant the saplings there.

Most of that hillside belonged to the Fu family and Aunt Niu’s land, so few people ever went there.

After planning everything out, Su He returned home to make her fried dough cakes.

She still needed to make some ahead of time and put them aside in her storage, or else she wouldn’t have enough to sell.

This time, making them fresh while selling would surely attract even more customers, so Su He wasn’t worried they wouldn’t sell.

The two children were playing near the doorway when they saw their mother say she was going out, only to head straight into the kitchen.

Su He glanced at them and asked, "Zai Zai, Niu Niu, you shouldn’t only play by yourselves at home all the time. Look at the other kids in the village—don’t they all wander off and play together? If you want to go out and play, go ahead. Just remember to come home for lunch."

She didn’t want the kids to be too restrained. They’d been in the village for a while now but never wandered off like other kids their age.

Right now, what Su He wanted most was for them to be ordinary kids—happy, carefree, and enjoying their childhood.

"But I want to stay with Mommy," Zai Zai replied.

How anxious must he feel to say something like that?

At just over three years old, they should be at the age where they loved chasing after older kids and running around playing.

"Mommy will always be here waiting for you. You can go out and play for a while, but make sure to come home on time so I don’t worry, okay?" Su He’s voice was so gentle that the children nodded without thinking.

Zai Zai looked hard at Su He, struggling with himself.

He wanted to listen to his mother, go out and play, and make her feel at ease.

But he was also afraid that if he stopped watching carefully, she might go back to being how she was before.

Hesitantly, he asked, "Mommy, you won’t leave again, right?"

Su He knew Zai Zai must have picked up on her change. She took a deep breath and smiled. "No, I promise. I’ll always stay with you, okay?"

Zai Zai studied her for a long moment, confirming she wasn’t lying, before turning to his clueless younger sister. "Come on, I’ll take you to play."

Niu Niu was still clueless, but just hearing ‘play’ got her excited. "Yay! Let’s go play with Zhuang Zhuang and the others!"

Then she turned back to Su He and said, "Mommy, you’ll wait for us, right?"

"Okay, sweetheart. Go on," Su He crouched down, gave Niu Niu’s hair a fond ruffle, and replied.