Chapter 234: Lucky Star

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Lucky Star

There wasn’t even any space left to sit under the tree.

Song Yao and Wei Guilan quickly packed up their things.

When Yu Nana saw them, she immediately trotted over to lend a hand.

She almost tripped, but quickly steadied herself and reached for the small, woven-wicker basket.

In reality, they had sold out of almost everything; only a few odds and ends were left.

Wei Guilan casually rested the carrying pole on the baskets, hoisted it onto her shoulder, and was ready to go.

Yu Nana reached out, wanting to take the pole.

Wei Guilan waved her off with a flick of her wrist.

"It’s very light. You don’t need to carry it."

Yu Nana asked again.

"Song Yao, which bus are you taking back?"

Song Yao grinned and said, "We’re not taking the bus, we’re walking! Aunt Yu, let me treat you to a bowl of noodles!"

Yu Nana shook her head vigorously.

"No way! I’ll treat you! It has to be me!"

After a pause, she added.

"If you don’t let me treat you, I’m really not going with you."

Song Yao immediately agreed.

"Alright! Aunt Yu is treating then!"

After Yu Nana ordered the noodles and paid.

Song Yao turned around and added two bottles of orange soda and two small stir-fried dishes to the order.

"You’re covering the noodles, so we’ll cover the drinks and side dishes. I’ll get the soda, and I’ll get the stir-fries. That makes it even, doesn’t it?"

Song Yao separated two pairs of chopsticks, handing one to Yu Nana and placing the other next to Qi Xi.

Yu Nana’s face instantly flushed.

"But we agreed I’d cover everything..."

Song Yao waved her hand dismissively.

"You did! The money for the noodles came from you!"

Then she patted her on the shoulder.

"Don’t worry. When you’re making big money in the future, I’ll definitely stick to you. We’ll go to the most expensive restaurants, and I’ll even order two extra eggs in a single bowl of soup!"

Yu Nana looked down and felt her wallet, which was wrapped in a handkerchief. She clutched it tightly and nodded emphatically.

"Yes! When Aunt Yu has some money to spare, the very first thing I’ll do is treat you and your big sister to a feast!"

"Pinky promise!"

Early the next morning, as Song Yao came over with her cart as usual, she was instantly dumbfounded.

As soon as her cart rounded the corner, she saw that the empty spot was gone.

Her usual spot, where she set up every day, had been thoroughly taken over.

Song Yao stared at the bamboo pole for a full three seconds before slowly blinking.

She didn’t need to guess. The person was none other than Yao Yuzhen.

Yao Yuzhen was pacing back and forth with her hands behind her back.

Seeing Song Yao arrive, she stopped walking and lifted her chin an inch higher.

Song Yao: "..."

’She truly hadn’t expected someone could be this shameless.’

Wei Guilan was also stunned.

"This... What do we do now?"

Song Yao stared at the usurped spot and took a deep breath.

’Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. If you get sick from anger, there’s no one to help you up!’

After silently repeating the mantra three times, she turned to her mother-in-law and said, "We’ll set up right here!"

Wei Guilan glanced at the smug face next to them and muttered under her breath.

"But..."

Song Yao suddenly raised her voice, her words crisp and clear.

"What’s there to be afraid of?"

"She dares to do something so shameless, so why should we be afraid of losing face?"

Song Yao stood up straight, completely unfazed.

But Yao Yuzhen was even more aggressive. Before Song Yao had finished speaking, she shot to her feet, her finger nearly poking Song Yao in the nose.

"And you think you’re completely in the right? That you’ve done nothing wrong?"

Song Yao slowly cleaned out her ear, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Oh my, where is that fly buzzing from? It’s so annoying."

Wei Guilan opened her mouth, then silently closed it again.

She had never dared to speak a harsh word in her life, let alone talk back to someone so sharply.

Besides, Yao Yuzhen was Song Yao’s biological mother.

The weight of that status was so great that she didn’t even dare to breathe too heavily.

"Out of the goodness of my heart, I left you the golden bracelet and earrings I had saved! I didn’t take a single thing, I stuffed them all in your schoolbag! I must have been blind! Even a dog I raised would wag its tail, but you... I raised you for nothing!"

At the mention of jewelry, she thought Song Yao would blush, lower her head, or at least pretend to look a little guilty.

Instead, Song Yao let out a cold laugh, the corners of her mouth pulling down into a sharp curve.

"You have the audacity to say that?"

"You abandoned your own daughter at the drop of a hat, couldn’t even be bothered to update the household register, and stuffed your child into an orphanage for some other man. Then you turned around and brought that man’s daughter back to dote on as the apple of your eye. I doubt anyone else in the whole city could pull off a move like that!"

That really stirred the pot.

"What? She really abandoned her own daughter?"

A plump auntie in a blue cloth apron asked, her voice trembling.

"My god... A biological mother could do something like that?"

"I know, right?"

"The one in the dress next to her, that couldn’t be the one she took in, could it?"

Ruan Xinxin’s face burned bright red. She wished she could rush over and cover everyone’s mouths.

Yao Yuzhen herself was stunned.

’How does this girl dare to say anything?’

’She doesn’t give me any face, has no inhibitions whatsoever!’

Someone in the crowd who wasn’t afraid to stir up trouble asked Song Yao directly.

"Miss, so how were you found later on?"

Hearing this, Song Yao immediately switched into tragic-damsel mode, raising her hand to point directly at Ruan Xinxin.

"It was her, this ’good’ older sister! She ran into me on the street and despised me for being rustic. She laughed at my shabby clothes, said I walked without any manners, and called me a good-for-nothing country girl... When her mother found out, she immediately brought her brother over to back her up. They stood on the street corner and publicly berated me, saying I was a disgrace to their family... But then her brother recognized me at a glance, and that’s how I was finally brought home!"

Yao Yuzhen’s eyes turned red with fury. She glared at Song Yao, grinding her back teeth.

But Song Yao just turned her head away, not even bothering to lift her eyelids.

"The day I first returned home, she said—"

Song Yao’s voice grew quieter and quieter, and her shoulders began to tremble.

"The family... only acknowledges her as the daughter... There’s no place for someone like me."

The crowd of onlookers had long since packed in, shoulder to shoulder.

Everyone saw Song Yao standing there with her large, pregnant belly, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Don’t cry, dear! Your health is what’s important!"

"That’s right, that’s right, wipe your tears. How much are these hair clips? I’ll take two!"

"And those earrings? How much for a pair? I’ll take them all!"

"How much are the small cloth bags? Three for one, or five for two?"

As the crowd tried to cheer her up, they all reached for their money.

Song Yao had barely finished setting up her stall when all her goods were gone. Not even a single needle was left.

When did Yao Yuzhen and Ruan Xinxin slip away?

Song Yao hadn’t even noticed.

In any case, early the next morning, Yao Yuzhen was once again sitting securely in the old spot.

When Yu Nana came by to restock, she mentioned it casually.

"Hey, Yao Yuzhen came to talk to me a couple of days ago."

After saying this, she glanced up at Song Yao’s expression, then quickly looked down again to untie the knot on the burlap sack.

Upon hearing this, Song Yao decided to just lay all her cards on the table.

"She’s my biological mother. She’s also the proper wife of the Shen Zhenwu family."

After speaking, she didn’t look at Yu Nana’s reaction, instead reaching for a piece of chalk on the table.

Yu Nana froze on the spot. Her mouth fell wide open, and she nearly choked on her own saliva.

But she was quick-witted. She immediately dropped the subject and didn’t ask a single extra question.

She bent down to lift the burlap sack, then took a grease-paper packet out of her satchel and placed it next to Song Yao.

"Freshly made braised pork knuckle. See if it’s salty enough."

In just three or four days, Song Yao had made almost two hundred more yuan through her connection with Yu Nana.

As soon as the money was in her hands, Yu Nana, without a second word, pulled Song Yao and her mother-in-law, Wei Guilan, out to a restaurant.

She ordered the same braised pork as last time and even made sure to get a bottle of orange soda for Song Yao.

She held up the glass bottle, beaming.

"You and the boss, you’re really the lucky stars for me and my daughter!"

"I’m not good with words, I can’t say pretty things. So today, I’ll use this instead of wine. Song Yao, I toast to you!"

She tilted her head back and took a big gulp, soda trickling down the corner of her mouth.