Volume One, Chapter 18: Everyone Knows About Your Trivial Matters

“Little wife… the little wife wearing the red scarf… the one holding the child…”

An older woman called out to her furtively, waving continuously at Shen Sisi.

Shen Sisi paused and asked, “Are you calling me?”

The older woman had a simple and honest appearance, dressed in a patched cotton jacket, her face flushed from the cold. “I have free-range chickens from the back mountain. Want one for the child?”

When Shen Sisi didn’t respond, the woman pressed on.

“If you don’t want chicken meat, you’ll want eggs, right? I have laying hens. If you buy one, you can have fresh eggs every day…”

“There are also chicks, but those are in the alley behind.”

As she spoke, she enthusiastically lifted the cover of a chicken cage in front of her, revealing several roosters, hens, and a white-feathered black-bone chicken.

Shen Sisi had only intended to buy some meat and vegetables before heading home, but the woman’s pitch stirred something in her.

Gu Chengfeng’s courtyard was quite spacious—it could easily accommodate a couple of chickens. This small number wouldn’t make the yard smell, and Niu Niu could enjoy fresh eggs daily.

Seeing Shen Sisi’s interest, the woman quickly added, “Don’t worry, my chickens are the best in the market. Look at this big rooster; its comb is so red, and it even has spurs on its legs—it’s a mature rooster. The hens are excellent layers, laying several eggs a day…”

Having spent much time in the countryside, Shen Sisi could tell at a glance if the chickens were truly free-range.

This woman was undoubtedly telling the truth; the chickens looked very good. But carrying a basket and holding a child made it inconvenient for her.

“If you really want them, just give me your address. I’ll deliver them to your door,” the woman said.

It was the first time Shen Sisi had met someone who offered home delivery—this woman really knew how to do business.

So she agreed to buy a rooster and a laying hen.

Just as she was about to give her address, a sharp whistle sounded at the alley entrance—the city patrol and inspection team had arrived.

In an instant, everyone hurriedly packed up and scattered like birds.

The woman didn’t wait for Shen Sisi, grabbing the chicken cage and darting away, blending swiftly into the crowd.

Shen Sisi ran with the flow, knowing that being caught at the black market would be trouble.

After running for quite a while, she found herself near the docks.

The place was bustling, with a dozen or so docks in sight, all crowded with boats of various sizes, their hulls swaying with the waves.

On the docks, workers busily moved cargo. Their bare, bronze-toned upper bodies glistened with sweat and mingled with blood, their muscles shining in the harsh light.

Panting, Shen Sisi’s eyes scanned the lively scene, recognizing both the prosperity and the hardship of the workers.

She noticed torn skin on shoulders, swollen and bruised arms, backs bent from years of labor, and even deformed joints—all enduring pain while shouldering heavy loads.

Nearby, several elderly workers sat on an open patch of ground, rubbing their shoulders with medicinal wine.

While rubbing, one muttered, “This medicinal wine worked a bit at first, but now it’s getting useless.”

“Brother, you should see a doctor! Your body won’t hold up like this!”

“Sigh, folks like us don’t have the time or money to go to the hospital…”

Shen Sisi was drawn by the medicinal wine and walked over curiously. “Uncle, may I see your medicinal wine?”

Surprised, the uncle turned around and, seeing a fair-skinned, pretty young woman, hesitated before handing over the bottle. “Why do you want to see it?”

“Curiosity,” Shen Sisi replied, taking the bottle and sniffing it several times, quickly discerning its contents.

She was almost certain it was a bottle of Erguotou liquor infused with camphor, cinnamaldehyde, and a bit of anesthetic herbs.

It had some effect, but not much, and worked very slowly.

She returned the bottle. “Do you all use this kind of medicinal wine?”

Several old workers nodded. “Most of us at the docks use this bruising medicinal wine. It used to be quite effective, but now…”

The rest was left unsaid.

Shen Sisi fell silent. Such medicinal wine was mostly water.

The herbs and their quantities were strictly controlled—too much, and it would be too strong; too little, and it wouldn’t work.

If the medicine had become ineffective, it was either because the workers had developed resistance or the factory had cut corners.

Either way, this medicinal wine couldn’t compare to the medicated oil she made herself.

The formula for that oil was given to her by an old Chinese medicine doctor from Jinfeng Village.

In those harsh times, the old doctor had been locked in a cattle shed, and only Shen Sisi treated him kindly, bringing him meals every day.

Before he died, he secretly entrusted Shen Sisi with several herbal oil formulas.

Shen Sisi remembered only two commonly used ones: one for bruises and injuries that promoted blood circulation and relieved stasis, and another for baby rashes.

The rest of the recipes were hidden in her countryside home.

Seeing this, an idea suddenly struck Shen Sisi. She had been worried about finding a business opportunity—and here it was.

Excited, she hugged Niu Niu tightly and planted a big kiss on the soft little face.

“Niu Niu, let’s go home. Mommy will make you something delicious…”

Niu Niu had been counting the big boats in front of her. Just as she reached fifteen, sixteen, she was suddenly embraced and kissed by her mother.

She was a bit confused but upon hearing there would be something tasty, her eyes sparkled with delight. “Yay! Mommy, I want to eat fish.”

“All right, Mommy will buy you fish…”

Unable to browse the black market, Shen Sisi took Niu Niu and headed to the supply and marketing cooperative, buying a plump fish weighing one and a half pounds, some vegetables, half a block of white tofu, and a few imperfect apples.

Mother and daughter happily walked toward the military district compound.

Upon entering the courtyard, she noticed the strange, less friendly looks from the others.

Shen Sisi was astute and understood from their expressions that news about her must have spread.

She didn’t mind and walked calmly past the crowd, though she wondered who had leaked her information—was it Feng Yanzhou? Or someone else?

“Ugh! Shameless slut…”

A slightly plump woman with dark flushed skin, while cracking sunflower seeds, spat in Shen Sisi’s direction.

Had Shen Sisi moved just half a step faster, the spit would have hit her face.

Frowning, Shen Sisi glared angrily but then forced herself to restrain her anger.

“What are you looking at? Huh? I’m asking what you’re looking at!” Zhang Xiuhong, with her flared nostrils and glaring eyes, was brazen and confrontational.

Shen Sisi’s fingers clenched until they turned pale, reminding herself that as a newcomer still living in the military district compound, she shouldn’t cause trouble for Gu Chengfeng.

She took a deep breath, ignored the foul-mouthed woman, and turned to walk toward her small courtyard.

Zhang Xiuhong, like a hen ready to fight, was poised to start a quarrel if Shen Sisi dared to respond, intending to drive her out of the compound.

But her fist struck only the cotton padding of Shen Sisi’s coat.

She was completely ignored.

This left her feeling bored and hollow inside; being ignored hurt more than a fight.

To regain some dignity, she placed one hand on her hip and pointed at Shen Sisi’s retreating back, shouting insults.

“Shameless secondhand goods, how dare you ignore me… Who do you think you are? Just you wait!”

“Don’t think your dirty secrets are unknown. There’s no wall that doesn’t leak. Just wait until you’re kicked out!”

“Hmph~”

While cursing, Zhang Xiuhong swaggered and boasted to a few military wives nearby. “You all wanna bet? She won’t last a month here.”

Beside her, the gentle Yang Chunxia covered her mouth and laughed. “Sister Zhang, you’re being too conservative. Not a month—she won’t last even a few days before they kick her out!”