"He’s gone out," Ruan Jiaojiao leaned on the chest, batting her eyes at the ice pops inside. She picked a mung bean one and an ice cream. The ice cream was more expensive than the mung bean one, so the Ruanlin Family handed over fifteen cents to the vendor.
The vendor accepted the money with a smile, praising, "Auntie, your granddaughter is really pretty. I’ve been wandering through the streets for many years now, and I haven’t seen a child as beautiful as yours."
The vendor’s words were half flattery, half genuine praise.
Ruan Jiaojiao’s body had inherited the best features from her parents; she would grow up to be a white-collar beauty, many times more attractive than the female protagonist. Even though she was still young, pampered by the Ruan family, dressed in beautiful clothes, and nourished daily with milk, her skin was fair and tender. Describing her as if carved out of ivory wouldn’t be an overstatement.
The vendor had never seen such a good-looking child even in the city.
Upon hearing this, the Ruanlin Family couldn’t stop smiling. She said to the small vendor, "My child loves ice pops, so make sure you come by regularly. We will be moving to the apartment at the village entrance soon. When you get there, just call out, and we’ll definitely give you our business."
"Oh, that’s your family’s house, huh? It’s really impressive!" the vendor said, his eyes widening as he gave a thumbs up, his face full of envy.
Flattered, Ruanlin Family laughed even louder. Liu Mei and Xiu Cheng from next door heard the noise, came out to look, and Liu Mei rolled her eyes. Xiu Cheng, seeing the ice pop vendor, couldn’t bear to go back inside and pulled at Liu Mei to buy him an ice pop.
"What are you eating, it’s so expensive! If you’re thirsty, just drink well water!" An ice pop cost five cents, and even though Liu Mei was fond of Xiu Cheng, she was reluctant to spend the money on one.
"No, I want an ice pop, I want one!" Xiu Cheng said as he lay down on the ground and began to roll, his eyes fixed on the ice cream in Ruan Jiaojiao’s hand from start to finish.
"..." Ruan Jiaojiao, licking her ice cream, quietly stepped back behind the Ruanlin Family.
Seeing potential business, the vendor immediately called out, "Big sister, buy one for the kid. It’s not expensive."
"Not expensive? My family can’t afford such luxurious things like some can, and don’t have spare money and grain to feed others," Liu Mei retorted with a cold snort, bitterness lacing her tone.
The vendor was thoroughly confused.
He scratched his head and looked toward the Ruanlin Family, who couldn’t be bothered with her.
Holding the ice pop for Xiu Xi, she asked, "How long can these ice pops last?"
"If you keep them in a cool place, they can last half an hour," the vendor answered. "If you put them in a bowl, even if they melt, they’ll still be cold and delicious to eat."
The Ruanlin Family nodded and, holding Ruan Jiaojiao’s hand, prepared to enter the courtyard. When Liu Mei heard that she was going to store the ice pop away and guessed that it was probably for that bastard child, her eyes lit up instantly. Shouting over the fence, she said, "Auntie Ruan, since you’ve bought it, it would be a shame to let it melt. Why not let my kid eat it first, then when we buy one later, we can give you one back?"
"The person is standing right here, do we need to wait for ’later’?" said the Ruanlin Family, pointing at the vendor with a mocking look on her face.
Having her ulterior motive revealed made Liu Mei’s face turn ugly. Seeing that the vendor was also watching her, she slapped Xiu Cheng on the head, "Stop howling. You’re not privileged enough to eat such fancy food. Be careful, or you’ll get diarrhea!"
These were the words the vendor disliked hearing. He looked seriously at Liu Mei, "Big sister, you’re not right to say that. My ice pops are clean, and nobody has ever complained about getting diarrhea after eating them!"