Chapter 143: A Person Met Only Once

The woman who had stopped them from asking brightened at these words, a warm smile spreading across her face.

“Oh my, you’re looking to buy soybeans, aren’t you? The soybeans at my place are big and of excellent quality, and none of them are spoiled. If you want to buy, you can come to my house and take a look.”

Many people came to Niugeng Village to buy soybeans, so the woman was quite familiar with outsiders asking about them.

“This here is Niugeng Village; folks from all around, from ten or even eight miles away, all know that our soybeans are the finest grown here.”

Gu Xiaoyao and Mrs. Li exchanged a glance, relieved now that they knew they were indeed in Niugeng Village. They followed the woman’s lead to her home.

Niugeng Village appeared much larger and livelier than Lianhua Village. Along the narrow paths and ridges between the fields, many children were playing noisily, their laughter ringing out freely.

“Look who’s here—guests!”

Inside the courtyard, a man was sharpening a knife and chopping firewood. Seeing his wife had brought strangers back, he asked uncertainly.

“Yes, guests have come. These two want to buy soybeans. We still have plenty left at home, so I told them to come with me.”

“What are you standing there for? Hurry and get some water for the guests! You’re such a blockhead.”

“Don’t mind my husband, he’s a bit slow sometimes. Please come in and have a seat.”

The woman eagerly brought over small stools, urging Gu Xiaoyao and Mrs. Li to sit. The man came out from the house carrying two bowls of water.

“Auntie, thank you. Please don’t trouble yourselves. I’d like to see how your soybeans look—would you mind showing them to me?”

Gu Xiaoyao took a small sip of water before getting down to business.

Hearing this, the woman smiled and called softly before quickening her steps into the house. She retrieved a sack of soybeans from a corner.

“Wife, bring the good sack. That one’s got holes in it.”

The man, still holding his firewood knife, looked at the sack gnawed apart by mice and quickly stopped her, whispering a warning.

The woman knelt down in distress, staring at the scattered, ruined soybeans at the bottom of the sack.

“Oh, those damned rats! How could they chew this sack to pieces? I’m furious. Today, I’m going to catch every last one of those pests.”

That sack was unsellable—the soybeans were crushed and unsightly.

The man went back inside and soon returned with another sack of good soybeans. Gu Xiaoyao reached out, taking a handful to examine.

“These soybeans really are well-grown. Back when my mother planted soybeans, only in a bountiful year did they look this good.”

Mrs. Li also took a handful, inspecting the beans in her palm, convinced that Niugeng Village’s reputation was well deserved.

“Sister, the land here in Niugeng Village must be exceptionally fertile!” Mrs. Li said, a hint of envy in her voice.

If the land weren’t good, how could the soybeans grow so well?

“Ha! The soil in Niugeng Village is famous for its fertility. Anything planted here thrives. Our ancestors were wise to settle in such a place.”

The woman smiled broadly, the lines around her eyes deepening in joy as she saw their satisfaction. She took a stool and sat down with them.

“How many soybeans do you need? I have quite a stock at home. If you want a lot, I can even ask my mother-in-law to bring more over.”

Just as the woman spoke, a voice of surprise came from outside the courtyard. A young girl hurried over, waving at Gu Xiaoyao.