Chapter 30: Neighbors Nearby

Li Jixiang followed An Chen’s mother into the house, casually placing the bamboo basket on the shelf by the bowl rack near the door.

“Jixiang, you’re here.”

“Aunt An, I won’t come in,” Li Jixiang tried to explain her visit, but An Chen’s mother, ever the hospitable host, had already pulled open the door to the inner room.

Hearing her mother speak in her booming voice, An Ning hurriedly fumbled to put on her socks. One foot was barely inside a sock when the door opened, and Li Jixiang stood at the threshold.

An Ning didn’t bother with the other sock; she leapt from the edge of the kang table onto the ground, hastily slipped on her new hard-soled leather shoes, then stood up straight against the wall, as if welcoming Li Jixiang for some grand inspection.

Suppressing a laugh behind her hand, Li Jixiang heard An Chen’s father call out to her. Composing herself, she said seriously, “Our little shop is switching to selling fruit, vegetables, and grains. Tomorrow we’ll hang a new sign and officially open for business. My grandmother asked me to bring over a basket of fruit for Uncle and Aunt An to try.”

“Your grandmother’s going into big business, I see!”

“And bringing us fruit, too—that’s wonderful! Tomorrow your uncle and I will definitely stop by and congratulate her, wishing you prosperity.”

An Chen’s parents looked surprised. Opening a shop to sell fruit was no small venture; it seemed that Grandma Li had come into good fortune lately.

Grandma Li had long wanted to go out and buy goods to sell, but Li Jixiang had always stopped her. She didn’t want her grandmother to tire herself, but Grandma Li was never one to sit idle—she felt uneasy if she went a day without work.

Since her granddaughter insisted that selling small goods led only to unsold stock and little profit, Grandma Li had mulled it over and finally agreed. She stopped talking about selling goods and, after Li Jixiang left for school each day, would take a burlap sack to the streets to collect recyclables.

If it hadn’t been for the summer heat causing the pile of junk behind the counter to give off a foul smell, Li Jixiang might never have uncovered her grandmother’s secret.

Unable to refute her granddaughter’s reasoning, Grandma Li finally agreed to the idea of opening a fruit and grain shop specializing in Star Hill’s local produce. As for sourcing goods, Li Jixiang assured her that suppliers would deliver right to their door.

This afternoon, while Grandma Li was out using the restroom, Li Jixiang carried out a haul from the vault and orchard at the Fortune Base. When Grandma Li returned, Li Jixiang claimed that the supplier had just dropped off the goods and gone. It should be enough for the grand opening tomorrow.

Upon seeing the fresh, just-picked fruits and vegetables, Grandma Li was both amazed and delighted.

Reluctant to eat any fruit herself, she filled a basket with bananas, pineapples, melons, and more, and asked Li Jixiang to bring it to the An family. Before Li Jixiang could even leave, An Chen’s chubby little face appeared at the shop door...

“It’s nothing big—just that we have the supply, so we can sell and settle up later. My grandmother can’t sit still, and it’s a waste to leave the shop empty anyway,” Li Jixiang explained with a slight smile.

Fame brings trouble, as the saying goes; keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention. Their image as a lonely, struggling grandmother and granddaughter inspired more sympathy and less envy, keeping ill-intentioned people from coveting what they had.

Last time, when she caught a foolish thief, she’d rather let An Ning take the credit than attract attention herself, lest people start to wonder. If anyone probed too deeply, how could a frail girl like her outmatch a criminal? She couldn’t very well confess she’d been eating golden rice from the Fortune Base, giving her boundless strength.

“That’s true, your little shop’s in a good spot—leaving it idle is a waste. Besides, you and your grandmother rely on it for a living. We’re not like the workers in town with wages and benefits. If we don’t work, we don’t eat. I saw your shop closed for several days and worried you might be in trouble...”

An Chen’s mother caught herself and laughed—her concern was clearly unnecessary. After all, Li Jixiang was now riding a brand-name bicycle, a sign that Grandma Li wasn’t short on money.

Li Jixiang listened, smiling sweetly and obediently.

She glanced at the kang table, laden with food—stir-fried tofu with shredded pork, steamed eggs with minced meat, braised pig’s trotters, and a huge bowl of fresh, green vegetables for dipping in sauce. The An family certainly ate more sumptuously than she and Grandma Li did.

But she’d already had dinner. Having completed her grandmother’s errand, she just wanted to hurry home and report back. Tonight she needed to study the three beautiful fruits in her backpack—having spent ten thousand popularity points to redeem them, they had to be worth the price, or better yet, exceed it.

At that moment, An Chen crawled onto the kang, swinging his chubby legs under the table. He grabbed a big handful of vegetables, dunked them in soybean paste, and stuffed them into his mouth.

“This child eats so much sauce! What if it makes him thirsty?”

An Chen’s mother tried to stop him, but too late; he’d already swallowed it.

An Chen’s father gave a wry smile, sensing a hint of grievance in his youngest son’s eyes.

An Ning stood ramrod straight beside Li Jixiang, glaring intently at An Chen.

He’d seen An Chen, after coming in, try to grab Li Jixiang’s hand, but she’d lifted her hand to fix her hair, leaving An Chen empty-handed and so, in a huff, he’d scrambled onto the kang.

An Chen’s mother enthusiastically invited Li Jixiang to join them for dinner, but she politely declined.

Her pink progress bar was dropping fast—she dared not linger at the An house any longer. Clearly, the little chubby one was sulking. He’d scored full marks in the recent test, but his family hadn’t made much of it, treating him as always, while his older brother was the one who could stand alongside their father. And he resented her, too, for not comforting him.

Li Jixiang took her leave, quickly pulling the door closed behind her.

An Chen’s mother hurried after her, insisting on seeing her to the gate. The two of them exchanged polite refusals as they walked to the front entrance.

At the gate, an old woman craned her neck, peering into the yard. When she spotted An Chen’s mother, she gave a loud, exaggerated cough.

Seeing the elderly woman and a young boy outside the gate, An Chen’s mother’s expression changed at once.

“Jixiang, you’d better head home now. Be careful on the way,” she said, pulling open the gate. But before Li Jixiang could step out, the old woman and the boy barged into the yard.

“You two, get out—I don’t know you,” An Chen’s mother blocked their path. The old woman, clutching the hand of an eleven- or twelve-year-old boy, shoved forward, dragging the boy along.

“I’ve come to see my son—out of my way!”

The old woman was short, with a long, angular face, and she was spry and tough. She was a match for An Chen’s mother as they tussled at the gate.

Li Jixiang didn’t understand what was happening, but seeing their mutual hostility, it was clear there was no love lost between them.

From the old woman’s words, she guessed this must be An Chen’s father’s mother—his grandmother, and thus An Chen’s mother’s mother-in-law.

So, sworn enemies—mother-in-law and daughter-in-law!

Other people’s family squabbles were best avoided. Li Jixiang turned to leave, only to find herself held back by something.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw the boy with the old woman clutching the back of her coat.

So young and already harassing girls—if he’s not taught a lesson now, who knows what he’ll become!

Li Jixiang twisted around, raised her foot, and delivered a hook punch straight to the little devil’s chest.

Her fist landed solidly on the boy, who slid from the old woman’s grasp and plopped to the ground, mouth wide open, bawling.

The old woman and An Chen’s mother both jumped back in shock, staring at the boy in surprise.

“She hit me! She hit me! Waaaa…”