Wang Cuilan hastily took Feng Qingxue to the grain shop, arranged her in line at the end, and told the middle-aged woman in front of Qingxue, "Xueniang, this is my niece’s first time buying grains. Could you keep an eye out for her, so no one cuts in front of her?" They always claimed they only recognized Feng Qingxue, their life-saver. They did not disclose their relationship with the Lu Family, hence did not introduce her as their daughter-in-law.
The middle-aged woman turned back, smiled brightly, "Sure, you can count on me, Director Wang!"
Even under the dim light of the torch, her smile still radiated charm.
Feng Qingxue was taken aback.
In terms of looks, the beauty of Chen Xueniang’s features was on par with that of Wang Jiao, the once renowned belle. Now older with fine lines at the corners of her eyes, her skin was no longer smooth. Nevertheless, she radiated an irresistible charm from within that made her more enticing. Even wrapped in conservative clothing that hid her curves, she could not contain her magnificent allure.
After Wang Cuilan left, Chen Xueniang turned around and saw the amazement in Feng Qingxue’s eyes. She immediately dropped her smile and stared blankly, as if the smile Qingxue saw was just an illusion.
However, there was no scorn, nor disrespect in Feng Qingxue’s eyes, just admiration for her beauty, which pleased Chen Xueniang.
Did Feng Qingxue not know about her past identity? Impossible!
In the early morning around one or two o’clock, Wang Erniu had sent Xiaoyan screaming to Baoguo Cheng’s home for medical help, and upon return, she called out loudly for her son to open the door. Chen Xueniang heard it all clearly from her room and knew well that with Wang Erniu’s loud mouth, she would certainly have badmouthed her to Baoguo Cheng and Wang Cuilan, and disclosed her past to others.
Furthermore, as Feng Qingxue was staying at the Cheng’s house, they would have informed her of the neighborhood’s incidents.
"This is my first time buying grains, and there are many things I don’t understand. Could you please help remind me later?" Feng Qingxue initiated the conversation, "My name is Feng Qingxue. I’m here for doctor’s training and am temporarily staying with Uncle Cheng and Aunt Cuilan."
Chen Xueniang hurriedly replied with a smile, "It’s great to study medicine. Being a doctor helps save lives and earns you karma. When it’s your turn, I will wait after I’ve made my purchase and help you buy. You need not worry. Buying grains is easy. Just hand over your grain book, grain ticket, and money. The shopkeeper will weigh the grains for you based on the allowance and grade in the grain book."
She added, "Grain tickets are distributed on the first day of April, so the second day is when most people buy grains. Usually, the whole family comes, because everyone is waiting for these grains to satiate their hunger. Today is Saturday and the sixth day, so there’s just over a dozen people in line ahead of us."
The number of people in line ahead was not many, but as time went on, the line gradually grew with more people joining.
When the grain shop opened at eight o’clock, Feng Qingxue turned to see a long line.
At least a hundred people were gathered.
Unbeknownst to her, someone had moved the empty basket placed up front to save a spot in the queue. Upon arrival, the owner of the basket, Wang Erniu, was furious, "Who the blazes moved my basket out of the queue? You sneaky rat!"
After a round of cursing, no one paid her any heed, and she had to reluctantly line up at the back.
Feng Qingxue heard someone muttering behind her, "Everyone else is queuing, staying awake all night. But she had it easy, dropped a basket, and went home to sleep. Wanting a spot at the front without the fatigue, what kind of good fortune does she think she has?"
"For all her insolence, there’s not much she can do if someone takes her basket away."