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Chapter 89: Chapter 86 Aunt (4th update)_2
Shen Yunfang nodded in understanding. She only had one aunt, so she knew who it was and could pretty much guess what her aunt was here for.
"Alright, thank you. And please thank your mom for me too," Shen Yunfang said as she took a piece of fruit candy from her pocket and placed it into Ergouzi’s little hand.
The kid wasn’t bad. Although a bit dirty, he spoke quite clearly—an understanding child.
In fact, it was Shen Yunfang who hadn’t seen enough of the world. Which kid from the countryside at that time couldn’t be described as scruffy?
Watching Ergouzi run off into the distance, Shen Yunfang slowly began to follow her flock of sheep, still pondering what to do about the situation.
She certainly couldn’t just give away the grain for nothing, and she was still upset about not having reclaimed last year’s grain.
What attitude to take towards her mother’s side of the family in the future, she had long made up her mind about that. But she couldn’t bring herself to be the bad person just yet—how should she handle this?
Shen Yunfang thought about it all night. The next day, as usual, she went to work on time and simply ignored the message her aunt had left for her the day before.
In the evening, Ergouzi came again to report: her aunt had returned, had been furious to find her not at home.
Shen Yunfang couldn’t care less. She wasn’t the one who was angry—people like that were better off angry, maybe even dead.
So, for the next few days, her routine didn’t change, and finally her unreliable aunt gave in.
Early one morning, the door of Shen Yunfang’s house was loudly knocked on.
Vaguely guessing who it might be, Shen Yunfang put down the kitchen knife in her hand, dusted off her clothes, and walked over to open the door.
Sure enough, standing at the door was Shen Yunfang’s aunt, the very one who had carried off a hundred pounds of corn from her home at the same time last year.
"Yunfang, don’t you know I’ve been here several times looking for you? Why weren’t you at home during the day, waiting for me? It forced me to get up before dawn and hustle over here. How could you, girl, be so unconcerned about your elders?" Qian Xinxue, Shen Yunfang’s only aunt, asked with a displeased expression.
"So it’s Auntie. I have to work during the day—if I don’t, I won’t be able to get my share of grain by the end of the year, and then I’d have to borrow grain from Auntie’s place. But I thought with the heavy burden you already carry, I better not trouble you. If I had known Auntie felt this way, I surely wouldn’t have gone to work; I would have stayed home and waited for you," Shen Yunfang retorted with a curl of her lips. The woman had started off with such a confrontational tone that it was downright unbearable.
Qian Xinxue, upon hearing her niece’s lukewarm tone, frowned and instead of proceeding with her interrogation, took a good look at her niece.
The girl had grown up a lot since last year, her eyebrows and eyes ever more resembled those of her late aunt, except her face no longer held a timid expression, but instead, she looked confidently at Qian Xinxue.
Qian Xinxue felt a shock—how had this happened? How had the good-for-nothings of the Shen family brainwashed her, making her so hard to fool this year?
Considering a change of strategy, Qian Xinxue’s expression turned sorrowful, "Yunfang, Auntie said that because I’ve missed you. I’ve been here several times without seeing you; your aunt was worried! Now that I finally see you, I can relax. Yunfang, you’re a good kid, you understand Auntie, don’t you?" As Qian Xinxue spoke, tears began to pool in her eyes.
Shen Yunfang rolled her eyes unapologetically on the spot. Such a dramatic performance—it’s no wonder the original Shen Yunfang got deceived.
"If you missed me so much, why didn’t you come to get me during last year’s New Year’s? From the time you came to borrow grain to now, you haven’t appeared once, Auntie. I’ve seen no sign of you missing me," Shen Yunfang said indifferently.
Qian Xinxue’s eyes widened, the tears vanishing.
"Yunfang, listen to yourself. You know Auntie’s difficulties. Our family is poor. With elders and children to look after, Auntie is busy taking care of everyone at home every day; even if I wanted, I just can’t find the time to come see you. Yunfang, you’re a filial child, you can surely understand Auntie, right?" Qian Xinxue quickly grabbed Shen Yunfang’s hand in hers, affecting an extremely affectionate air.
"Ugh, disgusting." Ergouzi, who had been lurking nearby and couldn’t bear to watch anymore, spat on the ground and sauntered off right in front of them.
He had seen this woman sneaking into the village from his own yard, quickly following her to make sure Shen Yunfang wasn’t too foolish. Seeing that she wasn’t, he felt at ease and, patting his stomach, decided it was time to head home for breakfast.
"Whose unruly brat is this?" Qian Xinxue, interrupted in her emotional moment, felt displeased and showed it plainly on her face.
Shen Yunfang, on the other hand, found herself amused. Ergouzi was quite entertaining—she’d have to reward him with a couple more candies next time.
She took the opportunity to pull her hand back.
"Yunfang, look how long your Auntie has been standing at the door. Why don’t you let your Auntie inside to rest a bit? I’ve been walking from Gaijiatun since four in the morning without even a drop of water to drink. I’m parched," Qian Xinxue hastily tried to recapture the emotional tone, eager to get inside first and talk later. 𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖
Even though her niece’s attitude was off today, she was confident that after she had a good talk with her, maybe mentioning the old days when her mother was at home, or even breaking down into tears together, in the end, her request would certainly be successful.
And these past few days, she had been itching to know—last year, there wasn’t even a lock on the house, but this year they had an iron gatekeeper, surely there must be something valuable inside. "There are too many prying eyes outside—let’s go inside and talk," she said, trying to push past Shen Yunfang towards the house.
Shen Yunfang wasn’t looking to invite trouble into her home and immediately blocked the way with an outstretched leg and arm.
"Auntie, that simply won’t do. Ever since you left last year, my uncle said that if you ever came again, I’m to take you directly to his place. After all, I have no elders at my home, and you should be received by my uncle. Besides, he wants to ask you a few things." Shen Yunfang stated. People like her were like adhesive bandages—once stuck on, impossible to get off, and it was best to steer clear.
