Chapter 462: Chapter 462

Immediately following, someone was eager to try their luck.

"Miss Shen, last time, you and Heir Xie moved a grave together, with intimacies apparent. Between him and Marquis Cui, which is truly your beloved?"

Shen Hua remained silent.

"Miss Shen, you used all the money from selling the Shen Mansion to distribute porridge in Fengzhou, setting up five porridge stalls. Alongside the porridge, there was enough plain wheat buns to fill one’s belly. Was this to accumulate virtues for your mother?"

Shen Hua continued in silence.

Next, she was silent throughout.

"Miss Shen! Your family sells coffins for a steep price, is there room for a discount?"

Shen Hua answered without a second thought: "Can you die twice?"

"Buying nine or ten at once, can you round down the price?"

The girl frowned tightly, wanting to speak but hesitated: "Has your family been cursed, to leave in such orderly fashion?"

The crowd couldn’t help but burst into laughter: "Hahaha!"

But the inquisitor was not the least bit annoyed, even proud: "See! Only with such questions will she bother to respond!"

Soon, no one was buying meat, a myriad of questions, none with malicious intent, surged towards Shen Hua.

The meat stall was deserted. The stall owner, at a loss for words and choking back frustration, joined in. He bellowed a question.

"Miss Shen, would you like to buy some meat?"

What has become of this world!

Shen Hua took a deep breath.

"Yingwu, let’s hurry!"

He Chu couldn’t understand, how had things come to this pass? He had become a street rat, while Shen Hua was immensely popular.

In the past, when he broke off the marriage engagement, few blamed him. Some even congratulated him for escaping a life of suffering.

But now, everything was completely different.

And yet, the girl was still as stunning and compelling as ever, and just as unreachable.

Watching the wheels roll away, his heart clenched. Subconsciously, he pursued them.

"That He Chu, truly nauseating; if it wasn’t for Yingwu being quick, I fear he would have caught up to seek Miss Shen."

After entering the kitchen, Manager Sun, unable to contain his rage, chopped the vegetables ferociously.

"What does he want with Miss Shen? Doesn’t he have a mirror to see his own worth?"

"One fall into a pit is enough for Miss Shen to detest, no need to stumble in twice. Previously, out of consideration for his studies and his family’s hardship, Madam always commanded me to send him money and grain, to relieve him of his worries. When he received help, He Chu would always act haughty and refuse, but his mother would laugh obsequiously, speaking of repaying his mother-in-law’s kindness in the future, which at the time didn’t seem too strange, seeing as he was considered a son-in-law."

"Thinking once he made something of himself, he would be grateful; his mother is a tough person, but she would at least read the room and both would naturally respect Miss Shen."

"Truly, those involved are blind. Looking at it now, one played the good cop, and the other the bad cop. Now that times are hard and the good days are over, they start reminiscing about the kindness of our Miss Shen again."

Yicui helped him wash the vegetables, equally indignant.

Her disdain for He Chu only grew deeper. She could not forget how, during the toughest times last year, the He Family kicked Miss Shen when she was down by calling off the engagement.

She still remembers what Mrs. He said at the time.

Clearly seeing the main branch of the family in decline, they hurriedly detached themselves. Yet in front of so many people, Mrs. He devalued Miss Shen to nothing, every word implied that Miss Shen was unworthy of He Chu.

Later, when He Chu sought out Miss Shen, every word from him spoke of endearing Miss Shen, claiming the broken engagement was an act of helplessness. He even pleaded for Miss Shen to forgive his predicament.

Manager Sun spoke again: "During the time Miss Shen was away, He Chu came to the embroidery workshop once and ended up being bagged and beaten by Li San."

"If not for the law, someone like him deserves to be beaten to death. He’s ungrateful and heartless."

Yicui finished washing the vegetables and saw Miss Shen leaning outside the kitchen, her dress billowing in the wind, so elegant and poised that no one knew when she had arrived.

Shen Hua laughed: "Others have no conscience, you old folk expecting him to speak from it is a bit too much."

"Why bother to count the trivial He Family’s troubles at the cost of your own health?"

Her words were enlightening.

"Disgusting people, disgusting affairs, I’ve long distanced myself from them. The more they act , the more it is a manifestation of their dissatisfaction. The more they are dissatisfied, the more pitiful they appear before me, akin to ants in distress."

"Mrs. He’s domineering attitude is all because of He Chu, constantly boasting about her son’s abilities. However, He Chu can only be a Scholar for life, unable to advance, unable to turn his fate around. The more she boasts, the more He Chu fails the examinations, the more likely retribution will come. By then, Aunt Sun can slowly relish the schadenfreude."

To the common folk of Fengzhou, the status of a Scholar is indeed extraordinary, but what is it worth outside of that? It doesn’t even come close to Cui Yun’s literary grace.

"Having avoided such riffraff and met Cui Yun should be considered a stroke of luck. Come to think of it, I should thank him."

If He Chu had not broken off the engagement, I might have ended up sharing those bleak days with him. As tough as Shen Hua is on the outside, she is soft on the inside. Even without understanding love, she might have changed her attitude towards him.

But Shen Hua did not continue on this subject.

The girl slowly said, "I’m hungry." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novèlfire.net

Approaching, she saw that all the pots were clean.

She puckered her lips, feigning annoyance.

"Great, by the time you finish cooking, I could have reincarnated already."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! You’re meant to live a long life, such words should not be spoken lightly."

Sun, upon checking the time, said: "There are some snacks in the room, Miss Shen can go have some to fill her stomach first. The meal will be ready shortly."

Shen Hua was always polite in front of Aunt Sun: "Let me help you with the fire."

Seemingly keen, she had just sat down at the stove when a mocking laughter was heard.

"Saying such words, aren’t you ashamed?"

Zheng Qianyu had followed Shen Hua to Aunt Sun’s place before. Even after Shen Hua went to Shengjing, she would visit from time to time, so she wasn’t unfamiliar with the Sun Family’s people.

"You, with your dainty fingers, never dirty from spring water, what kind of fire could you possibly kindle? Not making trouble is merit enough."

Seeing Shen Hua’s icy gaze flick over, her face showed no expression, but it screamed ’you’re doomed’ from head to toe.

Zheng Qianyu was utterly unabashed.

"What? Did I say something wrong? You talk about starting a fire so casually, but if you really had to do it, you’d probably start being picky."

She mimicked Shen Hua’s tone.

"First, use the Fire Stick to ignite the straw, then add the firewood, right?"

This was a humble inquiry.

"Oh, my hands are dirty, somebody hurry and fetch a basin of water. I won’t start until I’ve cleaned them all."

This revealed a delicate and affected side that hardly compromises, even willing to make the effort to kindle the damp straw.

Zheng Qianyu, who had thick-skinned followed along in hopes of retaining a spot for the meal: "Save it, don’t be a bother anymore."

Yet, Shen Hua didn’t give her a single glance.

She ignited the Fire Stick. Without a trace of fear of filthiness, she added the wood.

Her fair hands accidentally touched the charcoal, becoming black and smudged.

Her eyelid twitched. Muttering to herself, Shen Hua continued with the task at hand, enduring Zheng Qianyu’s presence.

One, two, three sticks.

The girl then pulled out another stick.

After doing these things, she slowly stood up, moving ghost-like towards the outside.

She was unnervingly calm, like the harbinger of a storm.

Finally, she stopped right in front of Zheng Qianyu.

The girl gave a shallow smile. Zheng Qianyu was terror-stricken.

The dirty, charred hand, as swift as lightning, pressed a symmetrical handprint on both sides of Zheng Qianyu’s face.

"Do you like to eat fish?"

"...What... What do you mean?"

Shen Hua smirked coldly: "I noticed you’re quite the nitpicker."