Chapter 87

Meixiu is peacefully looking around at the vegetables they are selling on the market, her eyes busy scanning the fresh bunch that is displayed in front of her.

"Are you going to buy?"

The vegetables are fresh and look delicious, yet the attitude of the vendor seems to be bitter and rotten.

Meixiu looks up from the brightly colored fruit and nods, grabbing a few vegetables and giving them to the vendor.

The vendor put them in a plastic bag, throwing them on top of the other vegetables before paying the price.

"30 thousand yuan."

Meixiu stops, her eyes looking at the vendor, before smiling and putting her wallet back in her pocket.

"That seems overpriced."

The vendor's eyebrows rise, her arms crossed on her chest, as she looks at Meixiu mockingly.

"Then don't buy this! The vegetables are fresh and delicious, and when I give you the price, you complain!?"

Meixiu was about to speak when a man went to the store, accusing the vendor of poisoning his family.

"My wife bought from you!"

"Is it my fault already!? She also had some plastic bags when she went here!"

Meixiu's ears perked up at what the man said. Her hand picked up a red bell pepper, seeing it shining and looking fresh as if it was out of the world.

"It's your fault! The vegetables taste rotten!"

His accusation causes everyone to look at them. The people who bought it from the vendor were confused and couldn't decide if they should believe the man or not.

For fresh vegetables that cost half what they should be sold, it's worth buying and cooking them for the family.

Yet, this man accuses the vendor of poisoning his family.

Meixiu's eyes crest, seeing wrinkles on the back of the vegetable. She quickly pulled it, thinking it was dirt that was colored like a vegetable, but she was shocked to see a black part of the vegetable.

Her hand quickly continues to remove the color, and it reveals a rotten red bell pepper under the shining and fresh-looking one.

Meixiu held it in her hand until someone snatched it from her hand as they took a close look.

"What's this!?"

The person asked, presenting the rotten vegetable in front of the vendor. Her eyes shook, yet she didn't drop her attitude.

The vendor raises an eyebrow before glaring at Meixiu, hands on her hips as she points at Meixiu's face.

"You garbage, try to manipulate my customers!"

"I don't know what you're talking about; I just saw that vegetable on the stacks."

Meixiu said calmly, her eyes staring back at the vendor's upset ones. The latter quickly walked out of her stall, standing in front of Meixiu, before she spit on the woman.

"How can I be so sure!?"

"You being defensive is already an answer."

Meixiu looks back at the vegetables; her hand-picks one, and she quickly looks for a spot that isn't painted well. Meixiu's eyes look at the vendor as if challenging her.

She quickly looked around, seeing the people waiting for the answer. She removed a small piece, revealing a small spot of the rotten vegetable. She then starts to remove the paint again, revealing a bigger spot.

The people around them gasp in surprise. Their bought vegetable, which is said to be fresh and delicious, is rotten in disguise!?

They quickly grab the small plastic bag with the vegetables that they bought from the vendor.

"Here's your rotten vegetable! Give me back my money!"

One spoke, throwing the plastic at the vendor. The others followed suit as they demanded for their money to be returned. The vendor, having enough humor, couldn't help but cry.

Meixiu couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows, looking at the vegetable in her hand. Her eyes widen upon smelling a little something on the paint.

It's a failed experiment that the government didn't approve of being released. The scientist who made them go mad decided to release it on the black market.

The paint will turn any rotten vegetable into a fresh one to lessen the waste of food. And people took advantage of this once it was released on the black market.

Although the effect is somewhat threatening, it can lead to death after being poisoned if not treated early.

-

"Why did you return home now? Xiaohui already left for work!"

Xiaowen yelled at Meixiu as soon as she stepped inside the house. The younger woman ignored her, walking towards the kitchen to start preparing lunch.

"I'll just deliver her lunch later."

She spoke, causing Xiaowen to scoff and go towards her; her hand lay on her hips as she looked at Meixiu up and down, judging the latter.

"When are you going to divorce her?"

The question that hasn't been answered for the past 5 years lay inside Xiaowen's mind. She knew and felt that anytime soon the two of them would divorce each other.

But it seems like they won't.

When Xiaoli died, Xiaowen was sure that Xiaohui would divorce Meixiu already because she didn't need to please her father anymore. But she was wrong.

Xiaohui continues to live with Meixiu, yet she doesn't pay that much attention.

Until recently, she couldn't understand why Xiaohui's feelings suddenly changed towards the garbage.

She doesn't have any clue when or how it happened. Considering that Meixiu doesn't even look that good to begin with,.

Her train of thought got cut short when a phone rang. Meixiu put the wooden spoon down, and her hand reached for her phone to answer the incoming call.

Xiaowen sneered at her before walking away, her arms crossed, as she thought of a solution for the two to get divorced.

Meixiu's lips curve into a smile, and he answers the phone without any hesitation.

"Baby, why did you call?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I already went to work because I'm late."

"That's fine; I'll deliver you lunch. Is that alright?"

Xiaohui hums in response. Meixiu stayed quiet, only hearing the paper flipping as the former seemed busy studying or signing a report.

It wasn't an awkward call.

It's comforting to hear how Xiaohui works in the office. She put the phone on a dry surface and pressed the speaker button.

Xiaohui's eyes turn to her phone, hearing the wooden spoon hitting the bottom of the pot. Her lips curl into a smile as she imagines Meixiu stirring the dish slowly.

She quickly put down the paper, her chin lying on top of her palm as she glanced at her phone.

'In a call with Hubby'

While the minutes were running and Meixiu's sweet hum was running in the background, Xiaohui felt as though she was in heaven.

Her eyes glance at the nickname she put on Meixiu's number. Her heart was beating faster as butterflies erupted in her stomach.

Her head shakes in the process, her cheeks turning pink as she looks away.

"What is happening?"

"Baby, are you alright?"

Meixiu asks, her voice laced with worriness. Xiaohui hummed and nodded, grabbing the paper back again. 

"I miss Grandma."

Xiaohui sighs, her mind going back to when Grandma Peng was with them. The older woman decided that it's best to take a vacation again at their town.

And she has been out of the Zheng premises a week after they went back to Jiangqiao. Meixiu nodded her head. Even if the woman couldn't see her answer, she stopped and turned the stove off, grabbing her phone to sit down on the couch.

"Maybe we can visit her at the weekends; she might probably want to go home now."

"Yeah, I do promise her that I'll be visiting her."

"Then let's plan this weekend to visit Grandma."