Chapter 115: Grandma Hopes You Live Smoothly

Du Yunluo’s little sugar cakes were crisp, fragrant, and sweet. The whole family normally had hardly any fat in their bellies, so after eating these little cakes, they found them all the more delicious. Every face glowed with satisfaction, and the large basketful of cakes made from a mixture of white flour and cornmeal was snatched clean in no time.

“Goodness, these cakes are truly delicious. They’re just a bit too small.” Third Aunt wiped her mouth, still savoring the taste. She had fought fiercely for them just moments ago, eating a full five or six little sugar cakes. Her stomach was clearly full, yet her mouth still felt unsatisfied. She wished she could keep eating until the fullness rose all the way from her stomach to her throat.

“Go on, you spendthrift woman! Can’t all those cakes keep your mouth shut? Do you think oil, sugar, and flour cost nothing?” Grandmother Du was furious at Third Aunt’s words and shot her a vicious glare.

Du Yunluo was Grandmother Du’s beloved granddaughter, as well as a capable girl who could earn money. Although Grandmother had felt a pang at the sight of all those ingredients being used, she had not wanted to scold Du Yunluo too harshly. Now that Third Aunt had leapt forward of her own accord, the anger Grandmother had been holding back was difficult to contain.

Everyone knew how delicious sugar cakes were, but once the money was spent, it was hard to earn it back. Having suffered through poverty for so long, Grandmother Du could never stop herself from wanting to be more frugal—then more frugal still.

“Mother, I’m not the one who made them,” Third Aunt muttered. Seeing her mother-in-law’s temper flare, she did not dare argue outright and merely slipped out that one sentence before scurrying off to ladle out the vegetable stew. The stew smelled wonderful too, for quite a lot of lard had been added. With the sugar cakes gone, she could always dilute the broth with a little water. A bowl of soup would do nicely.

“Grandmother, do you think we could make money selling these sugar cakes in town?” Du Yunluo asked, seeing that Grandmother and Third Aunt’s quarrel was getting out of hand. She did not particularly like her lazy, gluttonous aunt, but she still steered the conversation elsewhere.

People truly were different from one another. Whenever her own mother and Second Aunt faced Grandmother, they simply kept their heads down and worked in silence. Even when scolded, they only felt aggrieved. Third Aunt, however, had a thick skin. She dared to speak and act as she pleased, caring little what others thought. Compared with her two sisters-in-law, she was far more uninhibited. Du Yunluo did not like her, but she had to admire her for that.

“Sell sugar cakes? Would that really work?” As expected, money was the deepest obsession in Grandmother Du’s heart. The moment earning money was mentioned, she could think of nothing else.

“I was thinking that when I take the soft cakes to town, I could bring along some sugar cakes as well and see whether they might sell. Since these are baked, they keep longer than soft cakes. Perhaps someone will buy them.” Du Yunluo spoke half to comfort her grandmother and half to explain her plan, discussing the matter with her.

In the end, they decided that it was worth trying. Du Yunluo would first make ten sugar cakes and take them to town. Even if they did not sell, ten cakes would not use much sugar or flour, so there would be no need to feel too much pain over them.

“Sugar cakes are delicious, but we can’t eat them like this. If you don’t plan carefully, you’ll end up poor!” Grandmother Du muttered. In the dim room, the white-haired old woman sat in the shadows, and Du Yunluo’s eyes grew faintly hot.

“Grandmother, don’t worry. I’ll definitely earn plenty of money, so that from now on you can eat whatever you want and drink whatever you like. You’ll live even more comfortably than a landlord’s wife!”

Du Yunluo spoke softly beside her grandmother. She was not merely comforting the old woman; she was setting a goal for herself.

“Silly girl. Wouldn’t that make me a landlord’s wife?” Grandmother Du laughed at her granddaughter’s teasing and reached out to stroke Du Yunluo’s tender cheek. She felt that the girl had visibly grown fairer and more radiant over the past few days. “Your grandmother only hopes that all you youngsters will live peaceful, smooth lives. Not like your grandmother, who spent her whole life being strong. Being strong is good, but it makes life so tiring.”

“Grandmother…”

For some reason, Du Yunluo felt her eyes grow hot. In the zombie world, she still had a leader to deal with and a whole host of unfinished matters. How could her life ever be smooth and peaceful? Even so, the old woman’s plain, heartfelt wish still filled Du Yunluo with the warmth of family.

That night, Du Yunluo baked ten little sugar cakes and prepared the soft cakes she would take to town. Early the next morning, she set out with her bundles.

Naturally, her second elder brother escorted her all the way along the road to town beneath the fading stars. Du Yunluo thought of giving him one of the little sugar cakes, but he firmly refused, insisting that she take it to town and sell it for money.

By the time they reached the town entrance, daylight had come. Her second brother waved to her, then quietly turned and left.

Du Yunluo had two things to do that day. One was to see how many soft cakes she could sell. The other was to have the two young ruffians help her dispose of the goods she had brought back from the zombie world.

She stood at the town entrance and looked around. When she saw no sign of Zhang Liansheng or Zhao Jinbao, the two young ruffians, she headed into town. To make her lie about having received an order seem convincing, she had prepared quite a lot of soft cakes. She kept part of them in her storage compartment, but it would be better to sell some of the rest, at least for appearances’ sake.

After selling pastries in town for some time, Du Yunluo had gained a modest reputation. The moment she took up her place beside the toy stall, before she had even exchanged more than a few words with the stall’s older sister, customers came flocking over to buy her pastries.

Du Yunluo was busy serving them for quite a while. By the time she finally caught her breath, all the pastries in her basket had been sold. Even the little sugar cakes she had brought along had found buyers—six of them were gone, leaving four lying quietly in her small basket.

The two young ruffians were standing in their former spot as well. When they saw the conflicted, hesitant expression on her face, they did not know whether to approach and greet her or pretend not to notice her.

Du Yunluo ignored them. Clutching the money she had earned from selling the pastries, she said goodbye to the older sister at the toy stall and walked toward the area where meat and vegetables were sold. Her elder sister was about to be married, and several tables would be set up for the wedding banquet. A great deal of meat would be needed, so they had to reserve it in advance.

Grandmother Du had not yet decided whether to buy meat from the town stalls or order it from a butcher in the village. She had asked Du Yunluo to inquire about the prices first before settling the matter.

The meat looked good, so Du Yunluo bought a large piece while she was there. She planned to leave half at home and take the other half aboard the New Haimo, where she would stew it for the leader and the others.

After asking the price and buying the meat, Du Yunluo headed toward the road leading out of town. From the corner of her eye, she noticed the two young ruffians following behind her. She was in no hurry. She strolled along leisurely, browsing as she walked, and soon reached the outskirts of town.

“Hey, you! Wait!” The two young ruffians had learned their lesson this time. They did not dare rush up and grab Du Yunluo to provoke trouble. Instead, they called out to her from a distance.

“Hm? You two came.”

Du Yunluo walked another dozen steps, stopping beside a small grove. Only then did she turn around and look at them at her leisure.