Chapter 16: A Face Full of Meaning
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Wei Shiman looked at her daughter and repeated her question, “What’s his name?”
Xiao Han replied, “Li Heng.”
“Li Heng?”
Wei Shiman furrowed her brows slightly, the name sounding vaguely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere recently, but she couldn’t quite recall where.
After a moment, she asked again, “Where is he from?”
Seeing her mother’s expression, Xiao Han immediately thought of the rumors involving Li Heng and Chen Zijin. Knowing her mother’s temperament—how much she cherished her and would pry relentlessly—she decided to lie casually, “From Shiqiaopu.”
Upon hearing this, Wei Shiman did not press further.
Instead, Xiao Han gently suggested, “Mom, if his family’s rice is good, then maybe we should buy from them.”
Wei Shiman looked at her daughter in puzzlement. “Aren’t you two not very close?”
Xiao Han looked up with pleading eyes. “He’s kind of pitiful. Ying Wen said his father suffers from spinal disease and can’t do heavy work. Usually, it’s his mother who works the fields to support the family. They don’t have a steady income. Maybe selling rice is to cover the tuition fees coming up.”
Wei Shiman asked, “Isn’t Ying Wen from Shangwan Village? How does she know all this?”
Xiao Han’s bright, lively eyes flickered as she composed herself and gently brought her two index fingers together, explaining, “Dear Mom, this is Shangwan Village, this is Shiqiaopu, and there’s only a mountain between them. They’re very close.”
That was true enough, and Wei Shiman believed her to some extent.
Her daughter rarely asked her for anything. Thinking about a promising student from No. 1 High School who couldn’t afford tuition, Wei Shiman felt genuinely sorry and immediately stopped walking. She circled back to Old Li’s stall.
Seeing the mother and daughter return after wandering around, Tian Run’e instantly became alert and readied herself to greet them with her best demeanor.
Wei Shiman didn’t respond to Tian Run’e’s enthusiasm but bent down to scoop up a handful of rice, spreading it in her palm to inspect carefully. She then brought it close to her nose to smell before pointing at four bags.
“How much do these weigh altogether?”
Tian Run’e answered, “Two dan of rice, a total of 185 jin.”
Wei Shiman asked, “How much per jin?”
Tian Run’e instinctively quoted, “Nineteen cents.”
But as soon as she quoted the price, regret crept in. It was nearly noon, and not a single grain of rice had been sold.
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She worried that if she priced it too high and missed the most likely buyer, she would beat herself up.
Hearing the price, Wei Shiman remained silent at first, then proceeded to check the other three bags of rice in the same manner.
The waiting felt agonizingly long.
Just as Tian Run’e was about to say something to seal the deal, Wei Shiman finally spoke.
She put the rice back into the bags, stood straight, and brushed the white rice dust from her hands. “I’ll take all four bags.”
Tian Run’e was stunned for a moment. This sudden declaration brought her immense joy.
She had thought selling even one bag would be fortunate. Unexpectedly, this fashionable woman was so straightforward—no haggling, just buying all four bags outright. She had never encountered such a decisive buyer before.
Li Heng was happy, but not as overjoyed as his mother. He looked at his old classmate with a puzzled expression.
Catching his gaze, Xiao Han calmly turned her head away without acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Li Heng wasn’t bothered. That was just her nature—when she was happy, she would acknowledge you; when not, you were invisible to her.
Tian Run’e, a conscientious person, said to Wei Shiman with a smile, “Where do you live? It’s inconvenient in this rainy weather. How about we deliver the rice to your home?”
That was great. Wei Shiman promptly gave her address.
Upon hearing it was near the town government, Tian Run’e glanced at the mother and daughter a few times before stooping to shoulder the rice bags and telling her son to follow.
The town government was opposite the town center, some distance from the agricultural machinery station, requiring first an uphill climb and then downhill—a journey of about 600 meters.
“Thank you both for your hard work. Please help put the rice inside this house.”
On the second floor, after unlocking the door and weighing the rice, Wei Shiman led the way.
She took the mother and son to the innermost storage room.
After settling the rice, Wei Shiman began to pay, not forgetting to ask her daughter to pour two cups of warm water for Tian Run’e and Li Heng.
“Four bags total 185 jin, at nineteen cents a jin, that’s 35 yuan and 1 jiao, right?”
Wei Shiman picked up an abacus from the coffee table and quickly calculated the total.
Tian Run’e did the math in her head and confirmed. To be sure, she looked to her son.
Li Heng had already done the calculations multiple times on the way here and nodded in agreement.
Receiving her son’s confirmation, Tian Run’e smiled and said to Wei Shiman, “Sorry for making you count. That’s the amount.”
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After confirming the amount, Wei Shiman counted out three ten-yuan bills and five one-yuan bills from her wallet, then took out two coins—a dime and a five-cent piece.
“Count it.”
“No need, let’s check together.”
Just as the payment was settled, Xiao Han brought over two cups of tea, handing one to Tian Run’e and offering the other to Li Heng.
She carefully reminded, “Auntie, this tea is a bit hot. Please drink slowly.”
“Thank you, dear.”
Tian Run’e accepted the tea courteously but then casually placed it on the coffee table without drinking. Li Heng did the same.
Because of the rainy journey, the mother and son were dirty and out of place in the pristine Xiao household environment. If they drank the tea, someone might insist on sterilizing the cups with boiling water afterward.
If there were anyone with a cleanliness obsession, these two cups might have to be discarded.
Putting herself in their shoes, Tian Run’e, who valued cleanliness, decided not to drink to avoid causing trouble.
With the money safely pocketed and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, the mother and son prepared to leave.
Wei Shiman escorted them to the door and, just as she was about to close it, suddenly asked Tian Run’e on a whim, “Sister, where are you from? The rice looks good. Once we finish this, I’ll come back to buy more.”
Actually, they were about the same age, but Wei Shiman, who worked in a government office and took good care of herself, looked at least ten years younger than Tian Run’e. So the address as “sister” felt natural.
Rice sellers loved hearing praise for their rice. Tian Run’e happily said, “From Shangwan Village. If you need anything, you can find me at the market next to the agricultural machinery station. Unless something’s up at home, I’m usually there on market days.”
“All right, I’ll remember. Take care.”
Watching Li Heng and his mother disappear down the hallway, Wei Shiman closed the door and then sat on the sofa, looking at her daughter with a meaningful expression.
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