Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 531 - 532 Sister Flowers Educated Youth 49_1

Chapter 531: Chapter 532 Sister Flowers Educated Youth 49_1

"Here, take this as repayment for a portion of the debt," Shen Jie said as she returned home from work, only to find Shen Yuan waiting at the door.

Seeing her, Shen Jie started to wonder. Had Shen Yuan run into some trouble lately and was about to ask for money again?

It wasn’t until she came closer that she realized Shen Yuan was actually there to repay some money, which indeed shocked Shen Jie.

Upon closer inspection, she thought, "Alright, one really can’t have too much hope for Shen Yuan."

"Are you planning to give me these mushrooms to settle the debt?"

"Is this the selling price?"

Shen Jie made it clear she would not accept the money, "I’d rather not take it than get disgusted by these mushrooms."

Shen Jie let the onlookers around them take a peek, and they all leaned in, exclaiming, "These mushrooms are so tiny."

"They’re worthless little mushrooms."

"What do you mean worthless," someone retorted. "It’s just that such small mushrooms simply can’t be sold."

"Exactly, with mushrooms like these, honestly, you’re better off picking them yourself."

Shen Jie gestured for Shen Yuan to take her things and leave, "You don’t want to repay the debt, I know. Your family has always been like this, starting with the old ones."

"But don’t use unsellable stuff to disgust people."

"I know how to go up the mountain myself," Shen Jie said, implying that these items should be taken back to where they came from.

Shen Yuan was very unhappy. "At least I picked these mushrooms, and now you’re looking down on them."

"Please, you’re here to repay a debt, and you expect to settle at the market price. Don’t I have the right to be picky?"

"Truly worthy of being a couple, both of you are so good at disgusting people."

"You might as well keep these mushrooms and make them into mushroom sauce for yourself to eat."

"Right, if you’re really intent on repaying the debt, then give me cash, because that’s what I lent you initially."

"I don’t accept goods in place of money."

"Now you’re bringing me these tiny mushrooms, who knows if one day you’ll bring toxic mushrooms."

Even if people called her thoughts malicious, or said she thought too badly of others, so what? She’d rather think worse of others than to be unlucky herself.

"You..." Shen Yuan snatched up the basket and walked away, fuming about being choosy.

"What am I being picky about? I’m just telling you that I lent you money, and now I also expect money."

"As for mushrooms and other things, I can pick them in the mountains myself." Although she consumed quite a lot of mushrooms and sometimes made mushroom sauce,

She would not trade with Shen Yuan. She was always on guard against her.

It wasn’t long ago that Shen Yuan seemed so in love with Gao Jian, acting as if she had to marry him, as if she adored him to death, giving the impression she was willing to sacrifice anything for Gao Jian.

But after Gao Jian made a series of blunders, Shen Yuan changed dramatically, shedding any pretense and not hesitating to speak ill of him.

The numerous stories about Gao Jian definitely involved someone who understood him well, stirring the waters in the background.

With just a little prompting, Shen Yuan could be incredibly harsh towards Gao Jian.

If she could be so merciless towards a former lover, could she possibly have any warmth towards her cousin?

She was probably harboring resentment, waiting for a chance to lash out against her, but perhaps through some experiences, she wasn’t as transparent as she used to be.

Shen Jie could distinctly sense that the current Shen Yuan had become less transparent than she used to be.

Yet, her gaze still betrayed her, cautious, ever more cautious.

Now it was the end of April ’66, just a year and a half to go before she could hear the good news, news that would change her fate.

After all, the closer that day approached, the less she could afford to let her guard down.

Shen Yuan was walking home with a basket on her back, cursing under her breath in anger.

She had thought that since Shen Jie was already prepared not to repay the money, there was no reason she wouldn’t accept the mushrooms now.

After a few more trades, Shen Yuan was certain Shen Jie could no longer just look at her with a long face; that would be the time for her to act.

In any case, she absolutely wouldn’t allow Shen Jie to dodge the issue. When the time came, she would make sure the matter was settled, and see how Shen Jie could resist.

But no one had expected that the plan, which seemed so perfect and was sure to succeed, would fall through just like that.

What to do? Shen Yuan truly regretted it now, knowing there was a big project and big plans, why couldn’t she restrain herself from selling the good mushrooms.

Even though she made some money, could it compare to the benefits of getting the goods from Shen Jie?

Shen Jie didn’t care what Shen Yuan was up to; she was busy with her meat drying business.

Yes, that’s right, the meat drying business. She just knew that Zhao Yu had joined the army but didn’t ask where he had been sent.

Although they had a good relationship, it wasn’t intimate enough to consider future encounters likely.

Little did she expect that her connection with Zhao Yu would be so significant — his unit was the very one Zhao Xiaoguang was in.

While not under his direct command, his leader was a good friend of Zhao Xiaoguang and one who also looked forward to receiving parcels from Shen Jie.

One day, seeing a parcel from Shen Jie, he did all he could to be a good person, taking Zhao Yu who happened to be passing by to deliver the package to Zhao Xiaoguang.

Zhao Yu had known that Shen Jie had a brother in the military, but he never inquired about the specifics or his duties, and Shen Jie didn’t bring it up either.

It was then that he saw the familiar writing on the package, the familiar return address, and that the recipient was Zhao Xiaoguang.

Zhao Yu knew this because he had glanced at the information once, and later when he saw the meat drying consumed by the leadership, he recognized it.

He could confirm without a doubt that Zhao Xiaoguang was Shen Jie’s brother.

Even without asking for details, he knew that the abundance of meat drying with each parcel wasn’t all for Zhao Xiaoguang.

If it were all for Zhao Xiaoguang, there would be no need to send so much, no need to send it every month.

Moreover, after each parcel arrived, he noticed that leaders on good terms with Zhao Xiaoguang had meat drying too.

What did that tell him? It was a clear sign Shen Jie was in the meat drying business, something that delighted him immensely.

The rigorous daily training had not crushed Zhao Yu; after all, he had gone through much since childhood.

What frustrated him was the lack of meat in his diet, despite the hard work every day.

If he were on the farm, it wouldn’t be an issue; he could just buy food from the nearby villagers. With money, he would never have to go without.

But this was the military, and money didn’t guarantee access to food and drink, which worried Zhao Yu greatly.

He truly feared that going without meat for an extended period could lead to serious problems.

He wrote directly to Shen Jie to discuss this matter.

Shen Jie was very surprised when she received the letter, wondering why Zhao Yu, whom she hadn’t heard from in so long, would write to her, leaving her quite perplexed.

After reading the letter, she realized Zhao Yu wanted to obtain meat drying from her, of course, in exchange for money.

The opportunity to make money was, of course, too good to refuse for Shen Jie; she promptly agreed to the arrangement.