Chapter 30: Seeing an Old Acquaintance Again

Three days passed in a blur, and Lin Ruanruan had earned nearly an ounce of silver, but there was still no news of Bo Cheng'an.

She absentmindedly stirred the potatoes in the basin, her worry growing with each passing day.

She wasn't sure if he had left because he found her annoying, had been delayed by something, or if something had happened to him. Despite three days of asking around, she had no news.

"Hey, you're about to mash those potatoes to a pulp," a drunkard, holding a wine jug to his mouth, frowned and reminded her.

Lin Ruanruan snapped out of her daze and looked down. Sure enough, the potatoes in the wooden basin were already mixed.

These past few days, she had been distracted, but fortunately, nothing she made had gone wrong.

"Miss, you've seemed uneasy these past few days. Are you in trouble?" the drunkard teased, taking another swig of wine.

Lin Ruanruan glanced at him and packed the potatoes he had ordered.

"Hey, just these plain potatoes again. The rabbit meat you made the other day was really good, and the venison wasn't bad either. Why don't you sell them anymore?"

He took the package of potatoes and, without using a skewer, grabbed two pieces with his hands and stuffed them into his mouth.

After chewing slowly, he frowned in disdain.

"Oh, I get it. That venison must have come from the person you're looking for."

Everyone who had bought from her knew she was looking for someone, and there were many speculations about who it could be.

Like this drunkard, some thought she was looking for the hunter who supplied her.

Others believed she was seeking revenge, as her public beating of several stall owners had made her a notorious figure in Changping Town.

Another theory was that she was searching for a faithless lover. True, Lin Ruanruan wanted Bo Cheng'an to be her husband, but whether he was unfaithful was debatable.

After all, he had never acknowledged Lin Ruanruan as his wife or promised to marry her. Though they had lived together for a few days, he had always maintained proper boundaries, never making any inappropriate advances.

In contrast, Lin Ruanruan often took advantage of him when he wasn't paying attention.

"Girl, let me tell you, you're too stubborn. There are other hunters around here. Just because you can't find him doesn't mean you should stop buying rabbit and venison. If you don't buy it, what am I supposed to eat?"

The drunkard muttered, swaying as he drank, before paying and wobbling away, pushing anyone in his path aside.

Lin Ruanruan watched his retreating figure and awkwardly smiled without saying anything.

While others could imitate roasted chestnuts, no one could replicate her special wolf-tooth potatoes because Daliang didn't have potatoes.

Since she still needed to make money from them, Lin Ruanruan didn't plan to let potatoes become widely known. Maybe once she found another way to earn money, she could sell potatoes as seeds.

After all, like sweet potatoes, they could stave off hunger when there wasn't enough rice or wheat.

The basin of seasoned potatoes sold out quickly, with several people still waiting in line. As Lin Ruanruan distractedly fried the next batch, a voice pulled her thoughts away from the missing Bo Cheng'an.

"You're that stuttering wife from the Fu family, right? Lin, is it?"

Fu family. She never thought she would hear that name again.

Lin Ruanruan looked up and saw a face as round as a pancake.

The shrewd eyes stared at her intently, making her uncomfortable.

"Yes, you're really that stuttering little wife from the Fu family. I'm your Aunt Chen, from the east end of the village."

Seeing Lin Ruanruan's face clearly, the fat woman became excited and quickly introduced herself.

She didn't forget to introduce Lin Ruanruan to her companion either.

"Second Sister, see? I told you this girl looked familiar. She really is from our village."

"She's been married into our village for two years now, but the poor Fu boy was drafted the day they got married, and he never even made it to the bridal chamber."

"Now that boy is dead, and this poor stuttering girl is a young widow."

In just a few sentences, the tragic life of the original owner of Lin Ruanruan's body was casually summarized.

Lin Ruanruan scoffed inwardly, noting how easy it was to recount a miserable life when it wasn't one's own. If such things had happened to this woman or her daughter, Lin Ruanruan wondered if she could still speak so lightly.

"Really? So, she's an acquaintance." The woman's second sister smiled after hearing the brief introduction.

Lin Ruanruan felt a sinking feeling and a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, before her thoughts could fully form, the woman continued.

"Since she's an acquaintance, shouldn't she give us some of this food to try? You know, this young widow really has a knack for cooking. My youngest has been craving this for days."

She spoke with such self-righteousness and entitlement that Lin Ruanruan found her absurd and wanted to ignore her.

To ask for free food from someone she had never met—this woman had a face thicker than the city walls.

Lin Ruanruan rolled her eyes openly at her and slowly lifted the potatoes from the pot to drain the oil.

"Hey, little sister, did you see that? How could this young widow from your village roll her eyes at me?"

The woman, who had been smugly waiting for Lin Ruanruan to hand over the wolf-tooth potatoes, was surprised by the eye roll.

Used to being domineering, she couldn't tolerate such disrespect.

Her loud voice drew the attention of nearby stall owners and customers.

The vendors selling pancakes and pastries exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with mischief.

They had witnessed Lin Ruanruan's fierceness firsthand. The young man selling roasted chestnuts, who had been beaten by Lin Ruanruan, still hadn't returned to his stall.

Now that someone else was picking a fight with her, they anticipated another beating.

But they weren't inclined to intervene. Whoever lost out, Lin Ruanruan's business would be affected, which might bring them more customers.

"Lin, you should call me 'aunt.' I won't blame you for not speaking, but how could you roll your eyes at my second sister?"

The woman who called herself Aunt Chen also expressed her dissatisfaction. Lin Ruanruan could see the disdain in her eyes.

In the original owner's memories, this woman had often bullied and mocked her.

"F-f-five coins a serving," Lin Ruanruan stammered as she quickly mixed the potatoes, clearly indicating they should buy or leave.

"Give me a serving."

"I want one too."

The surrounding customers didn't care about the women's quarrel; they just wanted to buy the potatoes quickly.

"Buy what? Lin, pack up that entire basin for us. Both our families are large, and this isn't much to split between us," Aunt Chen said loudly, waving off the other customers.