"The both of you must be hungry! Wash your hands, and we'll have lunch."
"Thank you, Mom!" Sheng Ning smiled and entered the house to wash her hands.
Shen Luhua held Sheng An back. "What happened? Did you fight with your sister?" Anyone could tell that the atmosphere between them was strange.
"No!" Sheng An replied lifelessly.
"You couldn't sell the bean sprouts?"
"That's not it, either. We sold them all."
"Then what's wrong going on between you two?" Shen Luhua was beginning to feel flustered. She was worried that her stepdaughter, who had just become good, would flare up and lose her temper again.
"Mom, have I been too selfish, petty, or useless?" Sheng An asked with a complicated look on her face.
Throughout their journey home, she kept thinking about Sheng Ning's confidence, composure, boldness, and generosity. She was astounded beyond belief that Sheng Ning would do something like that for her. They had grown up together, but she suddenly felt as if she were getting to know Sheng Ning for the first time.
"What are you talking about?"
"Mom, come with me." Sheng An pulled her mother over to an isolated area by the wall outside the house and told her about what happened at the mayor's house.
Shen Luhua's voice rose by three octaves. "She did what? The audacity of that girl!"
"Mom, lower your voice. If Father found out, he'd be furious," Sheng An said in a whisper.
"No way. I need to have a proper discussion with Ningning about this."
"What's there to discuss? She's always been stubborn, and she's never paid any mind to what anyone says. And the promissory note has already been written. It's too late to say anything now." In truth, Sheng An was inwardly rejoicing; she didn't have to marry the second fool anymore. She didn't even care if she got ridiculed for it in the future.
"An'an, tell me honestly. Did you force your sister to do that?" Shen Luhua looked at her suspiciously.
Sheng An immediately blew her top when she heard this. "Mom, are you really my biological mother? Tell me the truth. Did you pick me up from the market one day? Even if other people aren't familiar with Sheng Ning's personality, can you say the same? Since we were kids, she's always been the one bullying me. When have I ever bulled her?"
"Fair enough." Shen Luhua forcefully pushed her suspicions out of her mind. Her stepdaughter's personality was scary enough to intimidate even her. An'an's tongue may be sharp, but it was the other girl who was really cold-hearted.
Shen Luhua checked herself; calling her stepdaughter cold-hearted definitely wasn't a compliment. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't make any sense of Ningning's actions. Had her sincerity over the years finally moved her?
If that was the case, she would be willing to do anything for her.
Inside the house, Sheng Ning washed her hands and drank a full bowl of water. Only then did she feel better. Negotiating with a two-faced man like the mayor was a lot harder than quibbling with Qin Cuifen.
"Daughter, you're back?" Sheng Third was in the east side of the house, weighing their food rations. When he heard the flurry of activity in the central room, he quickly came out. With a chuckle, he said, "You must be tired. Have your lunch first. Your mom already prepared it for you. She was waiting for you to get back."
"I'm starving!" After a busy morning, followed by that long walk, her was growling.
"Sigh. If you were hungry, why didn't you buy something at the marketplace?"
"Hehe…" Sheng Ning laughed in reply. The truth was that she couldn't bear to spend the money.
After lunch, when Sheng Third was taking his afternoon nap, Shen Luhua took the opportunity to pull Sheng Ning into their room.
"Ningning, I know everything." Sheng Luhua had initially planned on scolding her for making a family decision on her own, but at the thought that she had done so for the benefit of her biological daughter, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Saying anything now would be taking her sacrifice for granted.
Instead, Shen Luhua sincerely thanked her. "Ningning, thank you!"