Baozi Xishi's Struggle

After two months of getting along, everyone in the restaurant was very nice to her. Shen Yu felt a little reluctant to leave, but she didn't stop and walked away without looking back.

In modern times, she always lives alone. Occasionally, someone treats her well, and she always misses the warmth. But she is afraid that they will suddenly leave her like her parents, so she is always worried and keeps a distance from others.

After coming here, there was no competition in the workplace. Manager Fan and Chef Lu took good care of her. Most of the waiters were still teenagers. Unconsciously, she let down her guard and was happily busy with everyone. If she really had to leave, she would only be lying to herself if she said she was not sad.

Walking out of the alley and looking up at the first ray of sunlight that had just appeared, she was filled with fighting spirit again.

She finally had her first sum of money and could start a new life with the Li family.

Because she was afraid of being seen by the villagers and causing trouble, she was not in a hurry to return to the village before noon. She walked slowly, and compared to the nervous mood when she left Dongxi Village to go to the restaurant for a job trial, she felt much more relaxed and happy.

Walking on the road back to the village, the sun gradually became brighter and hotter, and the wind was also hot. Today was another sunny day.

Shen Yu was sitting under a big tree by the roadside with a piece of dogtail grass in his mouth. He shaded his eyes with his hands and looked at the road to see if there was any truck coming back from delivering goods to the town.

About a quarter of an hour later, she saw an empty donkey cart coming from afar and she hurried to meet it.

After some bargaining, Shen Yu only paid three dollars and sat comfortably in the car that had just delivered vegetables and was heading back to Xixi Village.

It was a clear day with scorching sunshine. Fortunately, the donkey cart had a cloth awning to prevent the vegetables transported daily from wilting and losing their appearance. Sitting on the cart was very comfortable as it was well ventilated and protected from the sun.

Along the way, Shen Yu and the old man driving the cart chatted casually, and somehow they ended up talking about the Tianfu Festival.

The old man driving the cart exclaimed in admiration: "Girl, you didn't see it. The flower cake placed on the central table that day was made by some skilled woman. It was so beautiful. The lotus leaves and the little fish looked like they were alive. You could even smell the fragrance of the lotus flowers."

"If it weren't for my old wife's pious devotion to Buddha, she would have asked me to take her to the front gate to line up the night before. When the gate opened, we would have sat in the front row. I wouldn't have had the blessing to see such beautiful honey cakes. I've been there several times before during the Tianfu Festival, but none of them looked as good as this one. It's a pity that the honey cakes in the middle are for the nobles, and we ordinary people can only look at them. I don't know what they taste like, but they must be sweeter than other cakes."

The old man was talking with great concentration. As he drove the cart, he imagined the taste of the flower cake and smacked his lips with regret.

Shen Yu burst out laughing when he heard this: "Uncle, actually the ingredients of flower cakes are almost the same, and the taste is the same, it's not sweeter."

The old man didn't agree with what he heard, shook his head, and said seriously: "What do you know, young girl? You have seen it a few times. The flower cake does smell sweet, and it must taste even better. Whoever eats it will be blessed."

He looked fascinated, which made Shen Yu laugh. Others praised her flower cakes for being beautiful and delicious. She was a little proud when she heard it, but she was too embarrassed to say that she made the flower cakes herself.

The old man driving the cart was a very talkative person. He talked about this and that along the way, and soon they arrived at the fork in the road leading to Dongxi Village.

Shen Yu got off the car, thanked the old man, carried his bag, and turned onto the path back to the village.

In the bean fields on both sides, there are not many pods and they are not full, which makes it obvious that the harvest this year will not be good.

Some bean fields far from the roadside have dried up and become barren because it is difficult to irrigate the fields with water. The owners of the fields have given up on this season's crops. The leaves have been dried and brittle in the sun, and it seems that they will break into powder if touched by hand.

The water shortage situation in the fields had not improved much compared to when she left.

Shen Yu's good mood was wiped out. A poor harvest in the fields meant that he would have no food to eat in the second half of the year and would have to rely on the weather for food, which was a huge risk.

After walking for a while, you will see Taohua Creek with a thin stream of water.

If you go directly into the village from the path, you will encounter people from the village and only get into trouble. When Shen Yu saw the stream, he turned off the path and walked along the stream. This way he could also reach the path near the stream in Dongxi Village, but the road was more difficult to walk on.

As she walked, she broke off some willow twigs and dead branches from the stream, and made a willow hat out of it, which she put on her head. The branches and leaves covered her, and she lowered her head, so that her face could hardly be seen.

The broken dead branches were about the size of half a bundle of firewood. He sandwiched the bundle between the dead branches, tied it up again with rattan, and carried it on his back.

After getting dressed and checking that there was nothing conspicuous about her body, Shen Yu walked into the village with a bundle of dry firewood on her back, half bent over, like the village women who often go to the stream to pick firewood. She wore a willow hat on her head to protect herself from the sun.

It was almost noon and the sun was scorching. Unless there was something important going on, no one would go out. Even those who were working in the fields had packed up their tools and gone home to eat and rest.

The distance from the stream to the Shen family's house is very short, and fortunately he didn't meet anyone on the way. Shen Yu looked around and saw no one, so he walked quickly to the door. The gate was ajar, so Shen Yu walked in directly, turned around, put down the dry firewood, closed the door, and then he felt completely relaxed.

Someone in the house heard the noise and saw a person wearing a willow hat walking into the house. He wanted to ask, but when he looked up and saw Shen Yu's face, he called out in surprise: "Big sister!"

Hearing the voice, Shen Yu turned around and saw Yu Cheng standing at the door of the house. He quickly gestured to him to keep quiet, picked up the dry firewood at his feet and walked into the house.

Yucheng was the only one in the room. He stood stupidly at the door, watching his elder sister, who was wearing a big willow hat and carrying a bundle of firewood into the main room. He was stunned for a moment before he reacted and called her happily, "Eldest sister, you are back. Have you been in the restaurant in town these days? I asked mother, but she wouldn't tell me."

Shen Yu took off her willow hat and looked at Yu Cheng's happy expression. She couldn't help but feel happy in her heart. It seemed that she also felt the original owner's feelings, and she felt more and more that she and the three of Li were a family.

She smiled and scolded Yu Cheng: "It's so hot, why don't you go and pour me a bowl of water."

Only then did Yu Cheng notice that there were beads of sweat on Shen Yu's forehead and nose.

He hurriedly said "Oh" and ran to the kitchen, turned around, picked up a clay pot and a large bowl and placed them on the table, and poured a full bowl of water for Shen Yu.

After drinking half a bowl in one breath, Shen Yu let out a long sigh and felt a little cooler and more comfortable.

Yucheng handed over a palm-leaf fan and waited eagerly for his elder sister to speak.