"What? May Parker ran away?" Lily Evans's eyes shot up, wide as saucers, as Wu Caiwei waddled in for a visit. Lily sprang to her feet and swept her inside with all the urgency of a gossip-loving neighbor.
Wu Caiwei, cradling her obviously pregnant belly, plopped down shakily and declared, "Word on the grapevine is, May Parker did something outrageous to tick off the Leo Family. Howard Liu was so incensed, he cut ties and marched straight to the magistrate to accuse her of fraud! By the time Howard Liu stormed over with the constables to arrest her, May Parker had already bolted."
"Wait, weren't those two supposed to be husband and wife? How did things get so ugly that even the authorities came knocking?" Lily Evans clicked her tongue, blissfully unaware that her own off-season greenhouse vegetables had set off this family feud.
"Who can say? Mrs. Zhao and Grandma Parker were clinging to Howard Liu's arm, wailing and kicking up a fuss—May Parker's the Leo Family's daughter-in-law, how could he drag in the law? But Howard Liu just shrugged them off and flat-out denied ever marrying her! The Parkers couldn't cough up a marriage contract, so they had to eat humble pie." Wu Caiwei shook her head, drama in every word. "First Parker Shimao marries Leo Ru, then May Parker's husband turns on her and calls the constables—talk about losing face! The Parkers are the laughingstock of Greenfield City now."
"Let the Parkers stew in their own mess. It has nothing to do with my family," Lily Evans said breezily, clearly unfazed by the drama. Margaret Evans, however, was already plotting a temple run for the Midwinter Festival, incense sticks and blessings on her mind.
In Greenfield City, it's tradition to troop down to the southern temple on the Midwinter Festival and burn incense, hoping for a year of good luck. Rich or poor, everyone flocks there on festival day, turning the place into a bustling sea of humanity.
Every year, Margaret Evans would drag Lily Evans along to burn incense, but back when they were pinching pennies, they could barely scrape together a couple of copper coins for the offering. This year, flush with newfound wealth, Margaret was determined to donate more—might as well ask the Bodhisattva for a double helping of blessings!
Days raced by, and before anyone knew it, the Midwinter Festival was almost upon them. This year, the snow came early and heavy—whole neighborhoods in Greenfield City were buried under snow disasters. The poor saw their shacks collapse, and the roads out of town froze solid.
"Madam, with the roads blocked by snow, how are we supposed to transport our vegetables? Serenity Vegetarian Bistro and Vegetarian Bistro can't possibly use up all our produce, and if we don't harvest the rest soon, it'll rot in the fields!" Belle was practically spinning in circles with worry, watching the vegetables and mushrooms ripen while the blocked roads made transport impossible. Every day meant losing hard-earned silver. Mushrooms were manageable—they could be dried—but vegetables lose their value if they're not fresh!
Lily Evans was anxious too, but there was nothing she could do. A snow disaster is an act of nature—in a place like this, with such backward productivity, once the roads are blocked and there are no airplanes, forget transporting goods—even people can't get through.
"Since the trade routes are buried under snow, tomorrow when I head to the Vegetarian Bistro, I'll poke around the city and ask some other restaurants if they want fresh produce. Our mushrooms and veggies are the cream of the crop—someone's bound to bite. Greenfield City isn't exactly rolling in silver, so prices won't be sky-high, but selling even a little beats watching it all rot away." Lily Evans tapped her chin, already scheming a clever compromise.
Lily Evans was never one to dawdle. The next morning, with snow swirling and customers scarce at the Vegetarian Bistro, she shut up shop early, hopped onto her carriage, and set off to pitch her vegetables to every restaurant and tavern she could find in Greenfield City.
Across the street from the Vegetarian Bistro, in the shadowy mouth of a narrow alley, a beggar crouched, his clothes little more than rags, his fingers digging into the cold brick as he watched Lily Evans step out. His eyes burned with venom, every muscle tense—a storm of malice brewing just for her...