Chapter 18: Falling into the River

Confident in her robust physique, she intended to give An Hao a thorough thrashing, but to her surprise, An Hao's body was nimble. The moment she saw Yang Yonghua lunging at her, An Hao swiftly dodged, and the heavy Yang Yonghua went plop and fell into the river under the bridge.

The coldest days of winter were upon them, and a thin layer of ice had just formed underneath the bridge.

When Yang Yonghua's hefty body hit the water, the thin ice shattered, and the bone-chillingly cold water soaked through her clothes. Fortunately, the water was shallow enough that it posed no risk of drowning.

"My God! I'm freezing to death! Help!" A scream like that of a pig being slaughtered echoed from beneath the bridge.

"Quick, let's go down and pull Yonghua up!" Zhang Juyun didn't have time to speak with An Hao, signaling everyone, and the gossipy women all scrambled to rescue her from under the bridge.

"Aunt Yang, don't hurry back up. Take your time to wash yourself clean before you come out, and maybe clear your head a bit too!" An Hao cleared her throat and called out, then chuckled and headed for home.

Once An Hao arrived home, her family had just woken up from their noontime nap.

She plopped the carrying basket onto the table in the main room and picked up the enamel jar to pour herself a drink, parched from the journey.

Bai Xue glanced at the basket and asked with a teasing smile, "Weren't you off to sell goods? Are you done selling?"

"Sold out." An Hao finished her water and lifted the cloth covering the basket to reveal a pile of items inside. "I sold some things and bought some stuff for the New Year. Our family can finally have a good celebration this year."

An Shuchao was packing his smoking pipe and upon hearing his daughter's words, he leaned in to peek inside.

Seeing the large chunk of meat, his face bloomed with joy: "Indeed, it has been several years since we've had a proper meat meal. Good girl, you've done well today!"

An Hao saw An Shuchao's rare smile and felt that her efforts today were worthwhile.

As they were speaking, Bai Yanjiao swept into the room through the curtain.

Seeing the array of items on the table, her eyes sparkled with excitement: "Am I dreaming? Sister, did you really make money today? How much did you earn?"

An Hao pulled out the twenty dollars from her pocket, counted out fifteen, and handed them to An Shuchao: "Dad, this is the money I borrowed from you before. I said I'd return it double. The extra five dollars are for you to use for the household expenses."

"You earned so much? You made more in one day than some people make in half a month!" An Shuchao was paranoid about poverty, so the sight of the money made him beam with happiness.

"Sis, how come you still have five dollars left?" Bai Yanjiao's eyelids were thin, and seeing the five dollars in An Hao's hand filled her with envy. That was several months' worth of pocket money for her.

"This is working capital. I'm saving it for a reason! There's a next time," An Hao planned to do more in the next round, then take the goods and sell them.

"Sister, can you give me two dollars?" Bai Yanjiao eyed the money in An Hao's hands, itching with desire. It had been a long time since she had gone to the market in town.

"Next time."

Seeing that An Hao was unwilling to share, Bai Yanjiao rolled her eyes at her: "You're so stingy!"

"I'm stingy? Do you know how much soy sauce and vinegar those two dollars could buy for our family? If you want to spend money, go earn it yourself!" An Hao did not care for Bai Yanjiao's selfish attitude and retorted sharply.

"Mom! Dad! Look at Sister!" Bai Yanjiao clung to Bai Xue's neck, a face full of grievance, "She won't give it to me, and she despises me like this!"

Listening to An Hao's words, Bai Xue felt angered and poked Bai Yanjiao's forehead: "Why do you have no ambition? You treat her like a sister, but she doesn't treat you like one!"