Regret to the Bone

"Oh, isn't this Helen Parker? What are you poking around my basket for?" The young wife shot Helen a nasty look.

Everyone in the village had benefited from Lily Evans, so they all sided with her. Since Lily and Helen Parker didn't get along, naturally, the whole village was against Helen too.

Too bad Helen hadn't realized this yet. Her eyes were glued to the basket, practically drooling. "Wow, so much tasty food! That must've cost a pretty penny."

The young wife replied smugly, "Not much, just a little over three hundred coins."

Helen's eyes widened. Over three hundred coins was a lot—how could she call that 'not much'?

Helen immediately pursed her lips. "Oh, come on. We're all from the same village—no need to act like you're some big shot garlic head. You expect me to believe your family can just whip out three hundred coins? Pfft, probably begged and borrowed from every corner just to flaunt it in front of me! What a performance!"

The young wife exchanged a look with Mrs. Jewell, then both glanced at Helen and giggled behind their hands, as if she'd just told the village's biggest joke.

The young wife looked Helen up and down. "That was before. Back then, we were poor and three hundred coins meant borrowing. But now? My husband can earn that in three days. It's nothing to us now."

"Yeah right!" Helen snorted. "I know exactly what kind of skills your husband has. If he could really earn a hundred coins a day, your family would've been rolling in dough ages ago."

"Tsk, there's no point explaining to you. Anyway, my family's with Lily—we've got money and meat on the table." The young wife and Mrs. Jewell ignored Helen, linking arms and strolling off.

Helen stood frozen. She'd been so busy with her own family drama that she hadn't paid attention to what was happening in the village. Plus, with Old Mrs. Evans filling her head with nonsense, Helen believed Lily Evans was out to scam everyone for their house deeds and land.

Who would've thought that following Lily Evans in business could make so much money!

That's at least a hundred copper coins a day! Good heavens!

Helen Parker thought of how well-off Lily Evans's family was, then glanced at her own household, so poor they could barely afford a proper meal. Her eyes turned green with envy, and she stomped her foot. "It's all those two clueless old fools' fault, especially that wretched old woman! She insisted we couldn't do business with Lily Evans, otherwise I'd be raking in a hundred coins a day too! Ugh, that cranky old bat, always bringing bad luck, lying around waiting to be served—why can't she just drop dead already!"

Grumbling to herself, Helen Parker trudged along, so dispirited even her steps seemed heavy.

As she passed through the village, Helen kept her eyes peeled. Sure enough, every family doing business with Lily Evans had the delicious aroma of meat wafting from their homes, kids and adults alike sporting new clothes, everyone beaming with joy. Some even had enough money to buy their children fancy lanterns from Green Seed City!

The more Helen walked, the angrier she got—she was practically sick with regret.

Why hadn't she noticed Lily Evans was such a rising star before? If she'd known, she never would've crossed Lily and her mother. If only her family hadn't split from the Evans, she'd be living the good life right now, eating well and drinking fancy tea just like them.

Lost in thought, Helen passed by another household—finally, someone as down-and-out as her own.

It was Doggie Lee's family.

Doggie Lee had gotten on Lily Evans's bad side, and his wife, Mrs. Wang, tried to join in the business but was turned down. They were among the few families in the village who hadn't teamed up with Lily Evans.

To save money, Doggie Lee's family lit a dim vegetable oil lamp, no lanterns at the door, no meat at home. His son Lee Carter wore old clothes, shivering by the kitchen stove for warmth.

Mrs. Wang's nose was red from the cold. While cooking, she grumbled, "Let those fools in the village enjoy themselves for now. Just wait—when Lily Evans shows her true colors, they'll lose their land and homes and cry their eyes out!"