Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Life is Full of Suffering Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Life is Full of Suffering “Sigh—-”
Shen Zhaozhao slumped into the chair, finding cleaning this small rental house more tiring than the last time she and Sheng Chuyi had cleaned up a villa together.
“Tired, huh, I’ll make you something delicious in a bit,” Ye Zhen said as she poured her a cup of water and handed it to her.
“Thank you!” Shen Zhaozhao replied, taking the water.
The two rested for a while, then Ye Zhen took her to a nearby market.
Though called a market, it was merely a cluster of makeshift stalls without any management, disorderly with goods placed haphazardly and rubbish all over the ground–unlike any other market Shen Zhaozhao had seen.
“If you’re not comfortable, you can wait outside for me,” Ye Zhen said to her.
“It’s okay,” Shen Zhaozhao was not so fussy.
“Alright, let’s go then!” Ye Zhen led her into the market.
As soon as they entered, they heard someone calling out, “Isn’t that Drunk Qin’s daughter? Heard she was taken back by her birth parents to live a life of luxury, how come you’re back?”
“Granny Zhao, you’re still so well-informed. I came back to see my dad,” Ye Zhen greeted her familiarly.
Granny Zhao, revealing her yellow teeth, said, “You’re a good-hearted girl. Your dad’s life was a mess, never made much of himself, but he raised a good daughter, that’s his fortune. What would you like today, want some fish? I’ll give you a discount.”
“Okay, pick a big one for me!”
Granny Zhao adeptly grabbed a large fish, threw it on the ground, banged its tail several times and, after the fish was stunned, she swiftly gutted it with a knife.
After buying the fish, Ye Zhen took her to a meat stall.
Shen Zhaozhao noticed that, although Ye Zhen usually didn’t talk much, she was very familiar with the people here and nearly everyone greeted her at each stall.
Leaving the market, Ye Zhen voluntarily started to explain, “The Granny Zhao who was selling fish is already seventy-nine this year. Her husband died when she was young, and she raised her son by herself. But her son turned out to be a good-for-nothing, always causing trouble. He was killed during a fight a few years ago, and now she has to sell fish to support herself.”
“And that old man who was selling vegetables is Liu Abao. In his youth, he indulged in all vices, and his wife couldn’t stand it and remarried with their son. Now that he’s old and can no longer wander about, he just stays on this street, surviving by selling vegetables.”
“The woman selling tofu next door, Sister-in-law Zhang, her husband got seriously sick a few years back and couldn’t do anything. They also have a daughter in elementary school. It’s all on her to wake up early and work late making and selling tofu to support the family.”
“Then there’s Sister Qian who sells meat, only twenty years old. Her parents died in a car accident. I heard they were at fault and didn’t receive any compensation, in fact, they ended up paying a lot to the other party. She’s left to support her younger brothers and sisters all by herself.”
Those who stay on this street are either elderly, without anyone to rely on, or living in hardship, barely being able to make ends meet.
It was Shen Zhaozhao’s first time realizing that there were so many people in the world having such a hard life.
Compared to them, her life before was practically like that of a fairy tale.
Shen Zhaozhao thought from their perspective–her carefree life was possible because her parents had shielded her from hardships. If one day her parents grew old and could no longer take care of themselves, would she be capable of taking care of them?