Shi Xiaolan and An Fu carried a hundred jin of tofu into Jiuping Village, and the village immediately buzzed with excitement because Shi Xiaolan had not returned to Jiuping Village in two years. Some people even greeted Shi Xiaolan with sarcasm.
Shi Xiaolan naively thought that everyone was genuinely greeting her and called out to each person in return.
Unable to resist their curiosity, some people asked Shi Xiaolan why she was bringing so much tofu to Jiuping Village.
Shi Xiaolan was honest, and said that it was An Jing who had bought it and she was delivering it.
The expressions of the villagers immediately turned strange. As soon as Shi Xiaolan and An Fu passed by, they ran to Aunt Liu Hua’s house to gossip about how An Jing had bought a hundred jin of tofu from Shi Xiaolan’s house, obviously trying to make trouble for Aunt Liu Hua.
The people at Madam Liu Hua’s house instantly felt a tightness in their chests, wishing that Shi Xiaolan and An Fu would just hurry up and take their tofu out of Jiuping Village.
That was a hundred jin! Not one jin! Not two, but a hundred jin! Their family would take one or even two months to sell a hundred jin! Sometimes when the business was slow, they couldn’t even sell a hundred jin in three months!
An Jing and Xiao Changyi should have bought from their family!
Shi Xiaolan and An Fu were unaware that they had become the targets of resentment and continued carrying the tofu to the thatched cottage.
They did not immediately carry the tofu into the yard; instead, Shi Xiaolan and An Fu stood waiting at the gate of the courtyard.
"An Jing, Brother Xiao, are you there?" Shi Xiaolan called out.
An Jing and Xiao Changyi were in the firewood shed, tidying up the straw needed for making moldy tofu. Hearing Shi Xiaolan’s shout, An Jing replied that she was coming while walking outside.
Seeing that Shi Xiaolan and An Fu were respectfully standing at the entrance of the courtyard, An Jing quickly said, "Come in, we’re here!"
Only then did Shi Xiaolan and An Fu carry the tofu into the courtyard.
As soon as the tofu was set down, Shi Xiaolan said with a smile, "An Jing, take a good look and see if the tofu is to your satisfaction. We made it with the best beans, just as you wanted."
An Jing examined the tofu Shi Xiaolan had brought, and then the batch that An Fu had carried, and only after confirming that they were both fresh and tender did she smile with satisfaction, "This is exactly the kind of tofu I want. You made it well."
Only then did Shi Xiaolan and An Fu sigh with relief.
"My dear, please carry the tofu into the kitchen," An Jing said to Xiao Changyi.
Xiao Changyi immediately got to work, carrying the batch of tofu Shi Xiaolan had brought into the kitchen.
An Fu wasn’t idle either, hobbling as he followed Xiao Changyi into the kitchen with his batch.
Watching An Fu , An Jing was reminded of her elder brothers in the countryside when she lived with her grandparents, all of whom were simple, honest, and hardworking.
An Jing walked toward the kitchen with Shi Xiaolan, and while entering, she said to Shi Xiaolan, "Xiao Lan, you and Brother An Fu are too honest. You didn’t even ask for a deposit before making all this tofu for me. What if I decided not to take it? You’d be at a great loss."
Shi Xiaolan replied with a simple smile, "You’re not that kind of person, you wouldn’t joke about something this big."
An Jing sighed inwardly. Although Lin Anjing was timid, sensitive, and self-effacing, she was also a genuinely good person. Almost every time someone in the village asked Lin Anjing to help with farm work, she would go, if Father Lin and Mother Lin allowed it.
Over the years, not only had Father Lin and Mother Lin exploited Lin Anjing, but the villagers also took advantage of her.
Yet, despite exploiting Lin Anjing, no one thought she had any good in her; people even cruelly taunted her for being unable to have children.