Chapter Thirty-Five: Little Green Vegetable

“Lele, where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”
A woman carrying a basket of vegetables was on her way back when she turned and saw Li Le, her face lighting up with a warm, familiar smile as she greeted her.

These days, Li Le hadn’t limited her interactions to just Lie. In order to gather information, she had charmed and won over most of the decent adults in the vicinity. Now that she was the district chief’s younger sister and had an innocent, harmless appearance, some people in the district were deliberately trying to grow closer to her.

Li Le, upon discovering that they could also provide her with a small amount of faith, was only too happy to play along, knowing full well that no one would mind living a little longer.

“Auntie, is that you?”
Li Le’s eyes curved, her expression shy to the extreme. She tugged gently at her hood, cheeks flushed as she looked at the woman. “How would I dare go far? I’m just too bored lately and thought I’d wander nearby for a bit…”

Not dare? Was there really anything this little lady didn’t dare?

Tuan Tuan, perched on her shoulder and listening with keen interest, gave a sudden shudder, its little paw slipping and nearly sending it tumbling off her shoulder. Luckily, it managed to grab hold of Li Le’s hood, swinging on her shoulder like a tiny mouse dangling from the edge of a cliff, clutching a rope, paws scrabbling at the air, its beady black eyes fixed on Li Le.

Li Le couldn’t help but laugh and cry at once—
What a little fool!

She quickly and deftly caught Tuan Tuan and settled it back on her shoulder. Turning to the woman, she apologized, embarrassed, “Tuan Tuan is a bit clumsy—please don’t laugh at us, Auntie.”

The woman chuckled at the sight and, hearing Li Le’s words, responded with generous amusement, “Oh, ‘Fireflies’ are easily startled by nature. There’s nothing for me to blame you for, dear.”

As she spoke, the woman pulled a handful of fresh vegetables from her basket and pressed them into Li Le’s hands, smiling as she said, “I just picked these from the garden. Take them home and share them with Yezi!”

The vegetables were crisp and vibrant, like the greens Li Le had known in her previous life, their roots still clinging to a bit of earth, freshly pulled from the soil.

“Auntie, I really can’t. The harvest in our district hasn’t been good this year—I can’t possibly take your food,” Li Le protested earnestly, hands pushing the vegetables back.

When she’d first arrived in District 13, Uncle Liu had given her a giant purple radish. Back then, she hadn’t understood the situation and thought it was commonplace, so she’d simply brought it home. Only later did she realize how precious these “vegetables” were in the district, given the limited land and meager yields.

That was why, when she’d later gone to the market with Lie, she’d made sure to compensate in kind. Now, knowing how valuable these greens were, how could she accept this handful from an acquaintance she didn’t even know well?

After all, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

“Oh, Lele, just take it. It’s nothing special… Yezi has done so much for everyone lately—we’ve all seen it. This is just a token of my appreciation,” the woman insisted, firmly pushing the vegetables back into Li Le’s hands. Her expression softened as she continued, “Besides, you’re about the same age as my own Ji. Looking at you reminds me so much of her.”

A subtle realization dawned in Li Le’s heart. Sure enough, the woman went on, “My Ji has been at the trading post with her father these past few days. She should be back soon. When she returns, you must all play together.”

Smiling, the woman’s eyes creased at the corners.

Li Le quickly caught on to her meaning—it was just the tender concern of a mother.

So, instead of refusing again, she accepted the vegetables with a smile touched with sincerity. “Don’t worry, Auntie. Lie has told me a lot about Ji, and I really like her. I’d love to spend more time with her.”

It wasn’t that Li Le coveted the vegetables; she simply knew that the woman wouldn’t be at ease unless she accepted them. Now, by taking the greens and agreeing to play with the standout Lie and Ji—the district chief’s sister—it was enough to show her goodwill.

As expected, the woman’s face lit up with joy, the fine lines at her eyes deepening as she said cheerfully, “That’s wonderful, just wonderful… I have some things to tend to at home, so I won’t keep you with my chatter. You young people probably aren’t interested in my old stories anyway…”

“But we’re all family now. With Yezi busy with city affairs and often away, if you ever have trouble deciding anything, you come find me, all right…”

The woman looked at Li Le with increasing satisfaction, genuine affection shining through her smile.

“Thank you, Auntie. I’ll be sure to trouble you in the future,” Li Le replied, her eyes sparkling as she accepted gratefully.

The woman left, still smiling.

“Tuan Tuan, you’d better be more careful in the future. If you fall again, I can’t promise I’ll always catch you,” Li Le said with a helpless, teasing sigh, giving the little ball curled up beside her a gentle rub.

“Chirp chirp—”

“For now, I’ll just put these vegetables away and then head to the market…” Li Le looked down at the greens in her hands and shook her head, heading into the wooden house.

—

There was no clear boundary between the inner and outer city; the market itself formed the dividing line, encircling the inner city in an irregular ring. When Li Le had first entered from the southern city gate with Brother Bai, they’d passed through the busiest part of this trading belt.

Now, her plan was to circle this vast market, getting a general sense of the inner city and observing the strengths of each district, as well as checking out a few places that interested her.

“Once again, I’m grateful this world is for minors…” Li Le mused, her eyes thoughtful.

“Movement between districts is restricted; otherwise, outsiders would quickly face rejection—except for special personnel and minors, of course…” she reflected as she walked.

Li Le, cloaked in gray, Tuan Tuan perched on her shoulder, its chattering filling her ear. Along the way, she sensed some curious glances, but with some means of self-defense at last, she felt no alarm. The hood over her head added to her air of nonchalance. No one in the crowd dared bother her.

“If only I’d brought Lie along to help carry things,” she thought with a twinge of regret as she browsed the intriguing wares, Tuan Tuan still at her side.