CHAPTER 203: CHAPTER 203 ORIGINAL SIN 12

Seeing that kid sneaking into her mom’s room while she wasn’t around made Shuangshuang’s heart tighten. Shuangshuang knew all too well that kids aged ten or so were at their mischievous rebellious stage. They often lacked empathy and enjoyed bullying others. In her previous life, Shuangshuang struggled to make a living while taking care of the crazed Feng Jinyan and was often harassed by such troublesome kids, causing her to instinctively loathe children, especially boys!

The kid who snuck in had a back that clearly belonged to an eleven or twelve-year-old boy, right in the age range where they were unbearably mischievous without any sense of right or wrong.

Shuangshuang put down the basket on her back, gritted her teeth, and angrily found a thick wooden stick from the yard! She stormed into the house, determined to teach this brat who dared to bully her mom a lesson.

Who would have guessed that when Shuangshuang stormed in, the scene in her imagination of a brat bullying her honest mother wasn’t there. Instead, she saw her mom, Feng Jinyan, holding a big bun in one hand, eating it heartily, with another bun tucked in her arms as if she wouldn’t share it with anyone.

Opposite Feng Jinyan, the boy who had snuck in was also holding a big bun, eating and saying, "See? I wasn’t lying, right? My mom’s buns are especially delicious. While no one’s home, hurry and eat them all up. Make sure nobody sees and snatches them away!"

Shuangshuang recognized the kid, a neighbor’s child named Little Stone. She didn’t know his full name, and she hadn’t interacted much with his family. She never expected Little Stone to bring food for her mother.

Feng Jinyan, who was eating, was the first to see Shuangshuang. Her eyes lit up upon seeing Shuangshuang, and in her eagerness, she wanted to crawl over. But remembering Shuangshuang’s stern warnings not to crawl, Feng Jinyan changed her mind and approached her on foot lamely.

She awkwardly walked over to Shuangshuang and offered the bun she had tightly held, her eyes shining, saying, "Shuangshuang, eat! It’s delicious!"

Of course, Shuangshuang wouldn’t eat it. The bun was filled with lots of meat, and the dough was made from pure white flour—food that even the wealthier families in the village rarely ate.

Feng Jinyan, unaware and happily eating, had Shuangshuang aware of the bun’s value, so she couldn’t just eat it. Shuangshuang took the bun from Feng Jinyan, intending to return it to Little Stone, only to realize when she turned around that Little Stone had already slipped away unnoticed.

Shuangshuang helplessly chuckled, coaxed Feng Jinyan into finishing the bun, and thought of what to give Little Stone’s family in return. Such good food must have been stealthily taken by Little Stone. She couldn’t let his kindness towards her mom result in him being scolded or beaten!

After some thought, there were only rice and bone broth left. Giving too little rice wouldn’t look good—giving just a handful wouldn’t even be enough for a meal, and too much would hurt her, as she couldn’t often afford rice.

So Shuangshuang picked about three pounds of bones, carrying them to Little Stone’s house. Their house was made of red bricks, spacious, with a small vegetable garden fenced within the yard. They grew some fruits and vegetables, enough to eat and even sell some, or dry them to save for winter.

Among the poorest households in the whole village, the Yun Family was one of them.

Although the village was near Da Shan, it wasn’t isolated. The roads leading out were quite accessible, so no one worried about not being able to sell the crops. It ensured that as long as people worked hard, they wouldn’t worry about not making money. While farming didn’t make significant money, one could earn quite a bit.

Moreover, some would pick and dry mountain produce from Da Shan, which sold well in winter, bringing in a decent income. Some clever folks even built greenhouses during winter, earning significantly, their houses extending into two-story buildings.

Influenced by these families, many homes in the nearby villages also built greenhouses. Although the increase in greenhouses meant less profit, the additional income still turned the surrounding countryside into affluent villages.

However, no matter how wealthy the village, there were always a few impoverished households. Some were due to objective reasons, like a lack of strong laborers or a family member’s costly illness, but these were fewer. The most common case was a family like the Yun Family—lazy!

They’d rather laze around, visiting different homes in winter or playing mahjong, than work hard building a greenhouse. During autumn, when others picked mountain produce, they grumbled about the difficulty of walking up the mountain and refused to go. During the relaxing summer fieldwork, others took time to earn money with short-term jobs. Not them; those jobs paid well but were the most demanding work! Otherwise, why would they pay so much!

Just like Shuangshuang’s father, Yun He, fixated on buying a tricycle because delivering goods by vehicle was the easiest work. If diligent, one could help load and unload goods or earn repeat customers; if not, no one would mind.

With these thoughts swirling, Shuangshuang knocked on Little Stone’s family door. Their yard was spacious, and Shuangshuang vaguely heard some noise but couldn’t make out what was being said. She worried a bit that Little Stone’s mom was scolding him; in the village, although children are cherished, they also get punished.

The door soon opened to reveal a plump, kind-looking woman—it was Little Stone’s mom, Fang Qiao Ying. Shuangshuang immediately gave a large smile and said to her, "Auntie, I was fortunate to have your Little Stone help take care of my mom while I was out and even brought her food. I happened to buy some bones for broth, nothing valuable, just a little something for noodles!"

Fang Qiao Ying broke into a wide smile, "Oh, you silly child, it’s just a few buns, no need to bring anything over. Your family isn’t well-off either. Take these bones back to nourish your mother’s health!"

There was no way Shuangshuang would take the meat bones back. She directly handed the bones to Fang Qiao Ying, "I bought about ten pounds of bones, more than enough to eat. This is just a little sentiment from me as a junior, so don’t refuse."

Without giving Fang Qiao Ying any time to refuse, Shuangshuang left. Fang Qiao Ying verbally resisted firmly but didn’t push back much, understanding the value of bones even in a time when fat meat was favored, as they knew bones carried better taste and nutrition.

Fang Qiao Ying, holding the three or four pounds of bones, thought about making brown-sauce bones, sufficient for her small family.

Returning happily into the yard, Fang Qiao Ying saw Little Stone, looking as pitiful as a crying kitten, peeking at her timidly.