"Are you Nianhua’s biological mother?" The old woman scrutinized Fang Yue for a while before saying, "People say daughters take after their mothers. No wonder she looks like that."
"What do you mean?" Fang Yue was instantly displeased upon hearing this and looked at the old woman, saying, "Hey, old lady, if I grew up to look like you, I’d find a pillar to run into."
"What’s wrong with not being pretty? It’s still better than you, isn’t it?" The old woman mocked Fang Yue and said, "What, trying to acknowledge your daughter but can’t?"
"What’s it to you?"
Fang Yue glared at the old woman. She shouldn’t have come to the village today; the village was full of Xu Nianhua’s family, and they would surely side with Xu Nianhua.
"It’s none of my business, but I can help you." The old woman said mysteriously, with an air suggesting she had ideas to offer, inviting Fang Yue to plead with her.
"Who are you?" Fang Yue eyed the old woman half skeptically. The old woman looked well into her sixties, her clothes seemed quite new, but in Fang Yue’s eyes, she couldn’t look more rustic, especially with her sharp and mean face, which left a strong impression.
"I am..."
The old woman was about to speak, but then her eyes darted around as she said, "Who I am isn’t important, what’s important is that I can come up with a solution for you."
The old woman glanced around as she edged closer, intending to whisper in Fang Yue’s ear.
"Keep away from me." Fang Yue really couldn’t stand the smell on the old woman.
"If you don’t want it, then forget it. As I see it, you’re not that eager to save your daughter." The old woman sighed and said, "Oh, I feel sorry for you. Your daughter must have been to the village before, right? She’s quite a pretty one, it’s a pity..."
The old woman sat under a big tree, speaking and observing Fang Yue’s expression. She hadn’t seen Fang Yue’s daughter, but after hearing people in the village talk and seeing Xu Nianhua, Fang Yue’s other daughter, she knew the eldest daughter must be quite a looker too.
Fang Yue thought of leaving, but she couldn’t move her feet. She hesitated for a moment, then stepped back to the old woman’s side and asked, "What do you have in mind?"
"Now I don’t feel like sharing." The old woman leaned to another side, rubbing her thumb and forefinger together.
Fang Yue was furious, wanting to turn and leave, but thinking of her daughter in the hospital bed, she hesitated again. She opened her bag and pulled out a ten-yuan bill to hand over.
The old woman’s eyes lit up upon receiving the money, thinking to herself how easily it came. Her eyes keenly glanced at Fang Yue’s bag, the intention clear as day.
Fang Yue pulled out three more slips, saying, "Here, all yours. Speak if you want."
"I’ll talk, I’ll talk."
The old woman, delighted with the forty yuan she got for nothing, leaned in, and this time Fang Yue endured it without backing away.
Not long after, Fang Yue left, while the old woman hummed a little tune with delight, feeling pleased and smug with the forty yuan in her pocket.
...
"Dad, I think we can’t sell our fabric in South City. We could try the nearby Hai City and Guangcheng." Gu Mingzhu suggested. Since the phone call the day before, she had come up with many ideas. Her words made Gu Hai’s eyes light up briefly before saying, "No, do you think it’s as easy as just flapping your lips to sell the fabric?"
"Dad, I know many classmates, I can ask them tomorrow."
Gu Mingzhu spoke sensibly, saying, "Dad, I was wrong before, did a lot of wrong things, but thankfully Dad is so magnanimous and doesn’t hold my faults against me. Now I’ve come to understand that only if our family is well, can I be well. Dad, even though I don’t have much time left, I’ll definitely help you. Dad, are you willing to give me another chance?"
Gu Mingzhu’s words and attitude were well put together, looking at Gu Hai with a pleading expression for forgiveness.