Yao Zhi quickly stored the plastic bucket and plastic basin into her shop's warehouse before she replied, "Aunt Wang, please wait a moment."
She didn't know what she could find in the border market, so she quickly bought two packs of meat jerky from the supermarket. Each pack weighed five hundred grams and sold for three coins.
Afterward, she opened the package and poured the jerky into a bamboo basket. Using a clean fabric, she covered it. The plastic package couldn't be discarded outside, so she stored it in her shop's warehouse.
When she was done, she grabbed the bamboo basket and locked the door. Opening the gate, she smiled at Wang Shen and said, "Aunt Wang, sorry for making you wait."
Meeting her freshly washed face, Wang Shen smiled and replied, "It's okay, I haven't been waiting long." She glanced at her bamboo basket and asked, "Yao girl, did you bring anything for sale?"
Yao Zhi locked the gate and nodded as she replied to Wang Shen, "I made some meat sauce and meat jerky. The meat sauce has been eaten, so I plan to see if I can sell this meat jerky."
When she heard this, Wang Shen's smile grew. "It's a good idea. Talking about your meat sauce, my family likes it very much. It's very delicious."
"It's my first time trying my family's secret recipe. I'm glad it turned out well," Yao Zhi replied embarrassedly.
"So it's your family's recipe. No wonder it tastes different from the meat sauce sold in town," Wang Shen nodded with understanding.
At first, she wanted to ask for the recipe for the meat sauce. But after she heard that it was Yao Zhi's family secret recipe, she changed her mind. Family recipe was something to be passed on to the next generation, and no one would tell others about it.
As they chatted, the two of them walked to the entrance of the compound. While it was called a compound, it was actually a small village. It's just that most of the villagers were the families of soldiers, and half of them were not locals.
When they reached the entrance, they saw a group of people waiting there. Seeing them, Wang Shen hastened her steps and greeted them, "Good morning, everyone. Are you all going to the border market too?"
Most people were familiar with each other. After they gave Yao Zhi a subtle glance, they smiled and made small talk.
"We are going. Now, we are waiting for Xiao Hu. Today, he will give us a ride," one of them said.
Wang Shen was delighted when she heard this. Turning to Yao Zhi, she said, "We are lucky today. Xiao Hu owns a donkey cart. We don't have to walk if we go with him."
Just after she finished her words, one of the young women suddenly said, "Aunt Wang, if she joins us, I'm afraid the donkey won't be able to pull the cart."
"That's right. What's more, with her size, she alone will take at least four seats. By then, there won't be enough space for everyone," another woman chimed in.
The moment Wang Shen heard this, she was taken aback. While their words were rude, they weren't wrong. She glanced at Yao Zhi and hesitated.
Noticing her hesitation, Yao Zhi said, "Aunt Wang, you said that your knees are hurting, so you should join them. I can walk to the market by myself."
Wang Shen was embarrassed by her words. She was the one inviting her, so how could she let her walk alone while she rode the donkey cart?
She thought for a while before she made up her mind and said, "Yao girl, you don't know the road. I'm not at ease letting you go alone."
After she said this, she turned to the group and added, "Since it's not early anymore, we will take our leave first."
Without waiting for their reply, Wang Shen grabbed Yao Zhi's chubby hand and left in large strides. Yao Zhi was stunned by this. She stared at the wrinkled hand holding hers and felt the warmth spreading from her hand to her heart.
She was a foreign soul in this world. She had no sense of belonging and never thought of herself as part of this world. Therefore, she never took other people's words into her heart. After all, she didn't have any intention of shouldering the sins of the original owner or avenging the original soul.
Wang Shen was the first person who cared for her in this world. Without her noticing, the corner of Yao Zhi's lips lifted, and she followed Wang Shen happily.
Half an hour later, Wang Shen finally let go of her hand and said, "Yao girl, you are very good, and your husband likes you. So, don't listen to them. They are just jealous of you!"
"Aunt Wang, I understand. I won't take their words to heart," Yao Zhi nodded.
Seeing her obedience, Wang Shen felt even more pity for her. When she sent Physician Yu off two days ago, he had told her that Yao Zhi was poisoned.
Her current physical and unstable mental condition was not caused by overindulging in food or due to her bad personality. But, because the poison left long-lasting damage on her body.
Even if she only drank water, she would gain weight, and she would be easily irritated due to an imbalance of her qi. He suggested they find a more skilled physician to treat her. If her condition were left alone, she would only have two years to live at most.
Noticing that Wang Shen was lost in thought, Yao Zhi said, "Aunt Wang, don't worry about me. I'm not that fragile."
When she heard this, Wang Shen was pulled out of her thoughts. She forced a smile and nodded. "Yes, Yao Zhi is a very strong girl."
Hearing the compliment, Yao Zhi smiled and stopped discussing this topic.
Staring at her foolish smile, Wang Shen let out a chuckle and shook her head. Such a good child, yet she lived such a bitter life. She didn't know who was so cruel as to poison her.