After getting out of the car, Luofeng once again took Bai Ningbing’s hand. Their fingers intertwined, just like any other young couple, as they strolled down this old street. It was as if they had traveled through ti, back to a bygone era. This place was not a comrcial street; it was quite small, and the buildings were all more than a decade or two old. Small restaurants wafted the aroma of stir-fried at, and older n and won sat at their doorsteps playing cards and chatting. The air was filled with the noisy sounds of people, and various street vendors hopefully watched the passing pedestrians, trying to figure out if they were potential custors.
"Luofeng, look," Bai Ningbing gestured.
Luofeng looked in the direction Bai Ningbing was pointing.
"Is it that old lady selling mulberries?" Bai Ningbing had a very good mory and recognized the lady imdiately.
The old lady who sold mulberries did not have any for sale today. After all, it was winter. Today, her goods were a basket full of radishes and cabbages.
Luofeng glanced at her and saw that her business wasn’t going well; the basket was still full, without any discernible decrease. But the old lady still looked hopefully at the passersby, unlike the young vendors who would be glued to their mobile phones. Even in the cold wind, she persevered.
"Luofeng, it looks like she hasn’t sold anything?" Bai Ningbing asked.
Luofeng didn’t answer imdiately. He walked with Bai Ningbing toward a scallion pancake shop.
"Baby, would you like one?"
"Mmm, it slls really good!" Bai Ningbing nodded.
Luofeng then bought two scallion pancakes, one for each of them.
As the shop owner was packing the pancakes into bags, Luofeng asked, "Sir, may I ask about the old lady selling cabbages and radishes over there? What’s her situation?"
"Oh, her? I heard she’s a widow from East Village. So also say she has sons and daughters, but the specifics are unclear," the shop owner said. Although the shop owner didn’t know the old lady personally, she often ca here to sell things, so he naturally knew a bit about her. "It’s really tragic. She carries those cabbages over every day and doesn’t sell much. It’s mostly the nearby neighbors being kind and buying a little to help!"
"But if she really has children and it’s still like this? That’s the real tragedy, right?" the middle-aged shop owner remarked with emotion.
Bai Ningbing approached the old lady. "Granny, do you rember ?"
"I do. You’re the young lady who bought five boxes of mulberries from , right?"
The old lady was getting on in years, but Bai Ningbing was such a beautiful and kind person that, of course, she was morable.
So, being beautiful cos with its advantages? Bai Ningbing thought.
"Granny, it’s so late. Why haven’t you gone ho yet?" Bai Ningbing continued.
"I’ll wait a little longer to see if any workers coming off their shift want to buy so cabbages and radishes," the old lady replied. "After I sell these, I can go to the city this spring and buy a new set of clothes for my grandson."
"Young lady, your clothes are quite nice. They must have cost a hundred or two, right?"
"..." Bai Ningbing was at a loss for words; her outfit was from Gucci, costing eight or nine thousand.
"Only eighty-five bucks, not as expensive as a hundred or two," Luofeng replied. "Granny, how old is your grandson now?"
"He’ll be ten soon. He’s so mischievous!" the old lady said with a smile.
"Young man, you’re really lucky. This young lady is truly beautiful," the old lady comnted.
"I think I’m lucky too. By the way, how much are the radishes and cabbages per half kilogram?" Luofeng asked.
"Eighty cents for the cabbage, fifty cents for the radish," she replied.
"Then I’ll take them all. Our family has a restaurant in the city, and we can use these vegetables," Luofeng said.
"Really? That’s wonderful! Thirty-two half kilograms of radishes make sixteen bucks. Twenty-four half kilograms of cabbage are nineteen bucks. That cos to thirty-five bucks in total."
"Alright, just a mont. I’ll go next door to get so change!" Luofeng said. He knew the old lady didn’t use WeChat Pay. He could only go get so cash. He had originally thought of buying a scallion pancake from the shopkeeper and then asking for change, as it was common courtesy in business—buy sothing small before asking for a favor like making change. But the shopkeeper knew Luofeng was doing a good deed, so there was no need for such polite maneuvers.
[Ding! The host has shown a touch of ordinary warmth. Even though life is hard, a single candle fla can still warm the heart!]
[Special reward: Bai Ningbing’s mindset has undergone a subtle change!]
The System issued a prompt at this mont.
Luofeng, carrying woven bags in both hands, asked, "Baby, what’s wrong?"
"Huh?" Bai Ningbing ca back to her senses. "What?"
"I asked what’s wrong."
Bai Ningbing said sowhat lancholically, "I feel so sorry for the old lady!"
Luofeng first opened the car’s trunk and tossed the two vegetable-filled woven bags inside. Even though their family didn’t run a restaurant, these ingredients couldn’t go to waste. After all, Luo Feng’s Family also had a construction site with a ss hall, and he could just send them over.
But in reality? The wear and tear and fuel costs to drive the Lamborghini over would probably be worth more than these cabbages. So, was this being frugal or not?
"Get in the car first!" Luofeng said after stowing the items.
Bai Ningbing quickly sat in the co-pilot seat, looking a bit downcast. The old lady’s situation had clearly affected her.
Especially when the old lady asked about the price of her clothes, she felt terribly stifled. After all, in the old lady’s eyes, clothes costing a hundred or two hundred yuan were already a luxury, but in reality, her outfit cost seven or eight thousand!
"Baby, did you know? Actually, the old lady is quite happy!" Luofeng said.
"Huh?" Bai Ningbing was puzzled.
"Firstly, the old lady earns money through her own labor, and she’s content with that. ’If you are not a fish, how can you know the happiness of a fish?’"
"Plus, she has a goal: working hard to earn money to buy clothes for her grandson. Many young people lost in the city don’t have such a clear goal, often because their aspirations are too difficult to achieve."
"Striving for a goal makes her life feel fulfilling!"
Bai Ningbing nodded. "Yes, people fear having no goal, and they fear even more having a goal they can never achieve in their lifeti."
"So, compared to many young n and won in this bustling world and in the cities, she’s already very fortunate."
Bai Ningbing seed to understand Luofeng’s words.
She also knew this world was hard. After graduating from university, just finding a job was a feat, let alone aspiring to make a na for oneself. Looking down on those driving a BBA worth a few hundred thousand? That was already the peak for an average person. So, having such a wonderful boyfriend like Luofeng... Bai Ningbing understood at this mont that she should cherish him.
"Alright, don’t be unhappy. Co here and let your husband give you a kiss." Luofeng smirked, wrapping his arms around her slender waist.
She rolled her eyes at Luofeng but still leaned in.
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