That was the only topic people were talking about as of late. No one could be bothered anymore about the rumors surrounding Sheng Ning.
While at home all day, Sheng Ning wasn't idle. By chance, she found quite a few soybeans in the house and got to work growing some soybean sprouts.
In this era, having a skill was something to be proud of. Because information was inaccessible and education levels were low, the villagers didn't know how to do anything else apart from farming.
Therefore, it was almost impossible to learn a new skill.
In the future, making bean sprouts would simply be a matter of searching for how to grow them online and following the instructions. At the present, not many people knew how to make bean sprouts.
In Shixi Township, where Sheng Ning's home was, no one knew how to grow bean sprouts. The easiest way to get some was to wait for the fair and buy them from sellers that came in from other villages.
At other times, the only way to get some was to buy them from the county.
Sheng Ning was relatively experienced in the art of making soybean sprouts. As long as the soybeans were watered at the right times and with the right temperature of water, the soybean sprouts would be especially fresh and tasty.
The price of soybeans was cheap, and it was cheap to grow them. It was always a good thing to be able to add another delicious dish to the table.
Sheng An had been ignoring Sheng Ning, but when she saw the soybean sprouts Sheng Ning grew, she couldn't resist going up to her.
"Sheng Ning, what do you think about making a little more and selling them in town?" Sheng An's mind raced, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Sheng Ning looked at her in surprise. "Soybeans are cheap, and prices aren't regulated. With one catty of beans that costs two cents, we'll be able to sell a lot! That's a really good idea."
"Isn't it? I knew it!" Sheng An rubbed her hands together animatedly.
"Why don't we give it a try? It's our turn next month to send food to Grandpa, and if we don't produce anything, Big Aunt and Second Aunt will definitely hold it against Father."
Sheng Third was the youngest of three brothers, and the wives of his two older brothers were extremely harsh and cruel. Their elderly parents lived alone, but the brothers took turns sending them food rations. Each family was responsible for providing them with four months' worth of food, whether in cash or in kind, and their turn was fast approaching.
If they weren't able to produce anything, it wasn't going to be a good New Year.
Sheng Ning thought of her grandparents living in the east of the village, and she felt a dull ache in her chest. When she was young, her parents didn't have a son, and her grandmother constantly blamed her for being the jinx that prevented the third family from having a son to carry on their family name. Later on, when Sheng An died a horrible death, it was this same grandmother who blocked the entrance with Big Aunt and Second Aunt and refused to allow the coffin carrying Sheng An's body to enter.
Therefore, Sheng Ning had no warm feelings whatsoever for this grandmother of hers.
The chilly expression on Sheng Ning's face gave Sheng An a scare. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.
"It's nothing." Sheng Ning took a deep breath. Inwardly, she kept chanting to herself, "Keep calm. You have to keep calm. She's your grandmother. She's your family. You swore that you would be a filial daughter in this life, so you can't be an unfilial granddaughter."
Sheng An stared at her uncertainly, and her suspicions grew. It had barely been half a year since Sheng Ning entered the General Union, but this change in her was too drastic. It was almost as if she were a different person.
If she wasn't familiar with her habits, she would have thought this Sheng Ning was an impostor.
Sheng An saw that she was distracted and asked impatiently, "So are you going to do it? If you're not keen on doing it, just forget it. I know how lazy you are! Hmph!"
"I don't have the time to do it, but I can teach you." She had to return to the General Union in a week's time, and she had to ensure that An'an's betrothal to the mayor's son was dissolved before then.
There wasn't enough time.
"Did you just say you're going to teach me? You're really willing to?" Sheng An pointed to herself incredulously and asked again, "You're not kidding, are you?"