Gu Zi held the thick stack of money in her hand, roughly estimating that it was a few hundred yuan.
In this era, where people earned only a few dozen yuan per month, this man had casually handed over several hundred yuan, which was far more generous than anyone else.
She admitted to herself that she was a shallow person. Faced with this much money, it was indeed hard not to be superficial.
Su Shen hadn't expected Gu Zi to change her attitude so suddenly, and he found it somewhat surprising. However, he didn't say anything about it.
Facing her benefactor, Gu Zi waved her hand in response and then bid farewell. Her smile was as radiant as a flower.
She walked out of the pig farm and found a quiet place where she carefully counted the money.
As she counted, her hands couldn't help but tremble.
This man was really generous!
A total of 520 yuan!
In this era, that was a considerable sum of money. If any family had that much in savings, they would probably be laughing every day!
No wonder this man was willing to pay 3,000 yuan as a betrothal gift. He was not short of money.
Aunt Chu was hired by Su Shen to take care of the children. She probably received a lot of money for her "hard work". In addition, Aunt Chu was a little greedy, so she probably took a lot of advantage to gain significant benefits for herself!
...
After Gu Zi left the pig farm, those people surrounded Su Shen again and started asking questions.
"Boss, what did you talk to Sister-in-law about?"
"Boss, you should have brought Sister-in-law over yesterday to introduce her to everyone. Are you afraid that we will snatch her away, that's why you hid her at home?"
"Boss, hurry up and open your lunch box. When Sister-in-law came just now, I smelled the delicious food from the lunchbox."
Su Shen sat on the stool calmly and opened the lunch box under everyone's expectant gazes.
At the top layer of the lunchbox was beautifully braised pork, glistening with oil and releasing a mouthwatering aroma.
The next two dishes were also so fragrant that they made everyone there drool. The bottom layer was a bowl of rice and four steamed buns.
Even though everyone had already eaten, they couldn't help but salivate, and each of them took out their chopsticks.
"Boss, this braised pork looks really good. Do you want me to taste it for you?"
"Taste what? Do you even know what you're talking about? Braised pork is a rare dish. I've only had it at city restaurants, and it's quite expensive. Besides, that didn't smell half as good as what Sister-in-law made. If you eat it, Boss won't have any left."
"This is definitely not made by Aunt Chu. Every time Aunt Chu brings you lunch, it feels like she washed the wild vegetables in the field and stewed them in a pot."
"Boss, Sister-in-law cooks so well. When are you inviting us to dinner at your place? We want a free meal too!"
Su Shen looked at the spread of dishes on the table and his eyes darkened for a moment.
These dishes were undoubtedly made by Gu Zi. There was no one else in the village who could cook like this, and Gu Zi wouldn't have hired someone to deceive him.
He also recalled the words Gu Zi had spoken earlier, and a faint smile crossed his face.
It seemed that she was indeed different from the rumors.
Or perhaps someone with ill intentions had tried to tarnish Gu Zi's reputation.
Su Shen's eyes turned serious again.
...
After leaving the pig farm, Gu Zi headed to Aunt Zhang's house. She found Aunt Zhang sitting under the shade of a tree, sewing clothes. Upon seeing Gu Zi, Aunt Zhang gestured for her to keep her voice down and whispered, "You're back. Be quiet; both the children are asleep inside. Don't wake them up."
Gu Zi thanked Aunt Zhang and took a small stool. She sat down and said, "Thank you, Aunt Zhang. I really appreciate your help this time."
Aunt Zhang handed a stool to Gu Zi and smiled, "No need to thank me. Su Shen is a good person. He sells pork to the villagers at a low price, and we all benefit from it. His pig farm also provides jobs for many people in the village. If we want to thank anyone, it should be you guys."
"I just helped look after Lele for a while. She's a well-behaved child; she didn't cause any trouble," Aunt Zhang said with a warm smile.
Gu Zi thought about the villagers' attitudes toward Su Shen and the encounter with the young man on her first day here. She also considered what Aunt Zhang had just said. It seemed that Su Shen had a good reputation in the village.
In theory, Su Shen should have a decent relationship with his ex-wife if the issue wasn't related to the three children.
After all, Su Shen had been clear when they met that he didn't want to raise his own child. Gu Zi's thoughts drifted as she contemplated these matters.
She asked Aunt Zhang in a soft voice, "Aunt Zhang, can I ask you something?"