Chapter 43: Chapter 43 Injured (1)_1 Chapter 43: Chapter 43 Injured (1)_1 The Bai Family were not ones to pry into other’s business, let alone take unfair advantage of the Lin Family. While the two families had a good neighborly relationship, after all, there was a line; both families simply lived their own separate lives.
They had come to caution the Lin Family, since the village was abuzz with rumors recently, especially from the Yan Family, who had been avidly sabotaging the reputation of the Lin Family.
In a rural village, reputation was among the most important things. If a family’s reputation was tarnished, their relationship with the rest of the village was as good as over. In future, if they were to encounter any troubles, the villagers would be unlikely to lend a helping hand.
“Far from any treasures.” Lin Ziyin saw the look of astonishment on her family’s faces, and she hurried to speak up with a smile, “After all these years, Auntie, don’t you know our circumstances? Our family has been accumulating debts because of my injury, so I merely devised a way to run a small business.”
Having said that, she led Auntie Bai to the kitchen, “I was simply selling some offal and beans. How much money could that possibly bring in? I didn’t expect the villagers to think this way about us, the Lin Family.”
With these words, her eyes reddened.
A few bamboo baskets were laid out on the table in the hall, filled with various offal. A bucket by the table was filled with ordinary soybeans.
Auntie Bai didn’t react much to the sight of the soybeans, but when she saw the different types of offal, she was immediately stunned. Rural folks rarely had a chance to eat meat. While some resorted to cheaper offal in moments of craving, the strange smell that came with them ultimately deterred people from eating them.
Unexpectedly, the source of the meaty aroma from the Lin household was offal, and astonishingly, it had none of the usual off-putting smell.
“Auntie Bai, we also made some snacks using soymilk.” While observing the expressions of the Bai Family, Lin Ziyin said, “They’re just some snacks. We just want to earn a bit of extra cash as these snacks are not well known yet. We would prefer not to spread the word.”
Lin Ziyin stuttered with a blush on her face, appearing rather embarrassed.
Auntie Bai paused and instantly got her point, “You kid, we have been neighbours for so many years, surely you know the kind of people your sister-in-law and I are. Rest assured, we won’t spill the beans. You all have had a difficult life these past few years, and now that you finally found a way to make ends meet, do you think I could potentially ruin things for you?”
Lin Ziyin, upon hearing this, quietly rejoiced.
The Bai Family truly were good people. In her memory, the Lin and Bai families had always had a strong neighbourly bond, especially when her parents were still alive. They treated each other like family. When disaster struck the Lin Family, the Bai Family didn’t just stand back, but offered the little help they could.
“These are leftover soybean residues. They may not be much, but if you add some oil and vegetables, they can make fine buns,” Lin Ziyin knew the Bai Family wasn’t well-off either, and currently, she had just managed to improve her own family’s living standards. She did not have the spare resources to help them out yet.
But she thought that perhaps, she could assist them in the future.
“How can I accept this?” Auntie Bai blushed.
“Auntie, it really isn’t anything special. You know that beans aren’t worth much around here. As for these leftovers, to be very frank, we have been making use of them too, and even fed the excess to the pigs to prevent anyone from seeing.” Lin Ziyin’s voice faded as she finished, “So, I hope you won’t take offense.”