After being touched, Jiang Tao's heart skipped a beat again.
Oh no, this Ma Dongmei is deaf and mute—communicating with her is going to be twice as hard!
Jiang Tao didn't know the first thing about sign language. How was he supposed to communicate effectively with her?
Looking at Jiang Tao, who neither spoke nor gestured, Ma Dongmei appeared very patient.
She just smiled faintly at him, showing no trace of impatience or urging him to speak.
It was as if a kind elder was watching her junior.
"Um, give me one… no, make it four!"
"Give me four roasted sweet potatoes, the bigger the better!"
Jiang Tao used his makeshift "plastic" sign language to gesture his request to Ma Dongmei.
Seeing a big order coming in, a spark of excitement flashed in Ma Dongmei's gentle eyes.
She probably didn't get customers like Jiang Tao, who ordered so much, very often at her stall.
After deciphering Jiang Tao's clumsy sign language, Ma Dongmei put on a heat-resistant glove and pulled out a drawer.
Instantly, the unique sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes wafted into Jiang Tao's nose.
Originally, he had only bought the sweet potatoes to support Ma Dongmei's business.
But now, he wanted to treat his taste buds!
These roasted sweet potatoes smelled surprisingly delicious!
Ma Dongmei skillfully selected the most perfectly roasted sweet potatoes, placed them in an oil-proof, heat-resistant paper bag, and weighed them on an electronic scale nearby.
The total came to 6 pounds and 8 ounces.
Ma Dongmei took out a calculator, punched in 6.8 × 8, and arrived at a total of 54.4 yuan.
"Alright, I'll scan your WeChat to pay!"
If it were a regular person, Jiang Tao would've at least asked her to round down the price.
Four roasted sweet potatoes for over 50 yuan? The profit margin was huge!
Jiang Tao came from a rural background and had done his fair share of farm work growing up.
His old farmer parents grew sweet potatoes almost every year.
Raw sweet potatoes sold for, at most, 1.5 yuan per pound, sometimes even less.
These roasted sweet potatoes were sold at 8 yuan per pound—just think about the profit!
But it was all clearly priced, and the size of the sweet potatoes was fixed—you could pick whichever size you wanted.
It wasn't like cutting a cake where it looks like a small piece, but one slice costs enough to make even Jackie Chan cry.
Ma Dongmei, a deaf and mute woman, was out here running a small business in the cold winter. It wasn't easy, so Jiang Tao didn't haggle with her.
With a *ding*, he scanned the payment code on her cart and promptly sent 55 yuan.
Ma Dongmei checked her phone, saw the payment come through, and smiled as she handed the bag of four roasted sweet potatoes to Jiang Tao.
With the sweet potatoes purchased, Jiang Tao stood still. He hadn't gotten to the main point of his visit yet, so naturally, he wasn't going to leave just like that.
But… how was he supposed to talk to her?
"Huh? Brother Jiang! It's really you!"
Suddenly, a voice that sounded both familiar and unfamiliar rang in his ears.
Jiang Tao turned his head toward the source of the voice.
He saw a tall, slender girl to his left, smiling brightly and waving at him.
The girl was wearing a short, light brown puffer jacket with a hoodie underneath.
Her lower half was clad in tight gray yoga pants that hugged her long, slim legs, paired with white ankle socks and light brown snow boots.
The "wide top, narrow bottom, short top, long bottom" styling rule accentuated her long, slender legs even more.
On her left wrist, peeking out from her sleeve, was a women's watch with a red crocodile leather strap, set against her fair, lotus-root-like skin.
Her smile was sweet and warm, like a ray of sunshine in the winter.
"He Jing, what a coincidence! What are you doing here?"
Jiang Tao quickly recognized this girl from his hometown, whom he had only met once before.
To be honest, He Jing was quite pretty. If you scored her out of 10, she'd easily get an 8 or so.
Her delicate oval face had soft, refined features, paired with meticulously groomed misty eyebrows.
The brows and their tails were slightly adjusted to maintain a natural look, giving her a bare-faced beauty.
On top of that, she was skilled at styling herself, and her overall aura was perfectly on point.
He Jing was the second prettiest girl Jiang Tao had met in real life.
The first, of course, was his dear wife, Xu Li!
Although Jiang Tao had a strong impression of He Jing, he genuinely had no other thoughts about her, nor would he in the future.
He simply saw her as a fellow townsfolk he happened to meet in a foreign place, nothing more.
After their last interaction involving a watch transaction, they had added each other on WeChat but never actually chatted.
Running into her here today was truly a chance encounter!
"I'm here to visit my aunt. I've already bought her train ticket to go back tomorrow."
"So, I came to spend some time with her today and have dinner together tonight."
He Jing didn't feel any shame in admitting she had a deaf and mute aunt and openly acknowledged her familial connection with Ma Dongmei.
"What a coincidence! This aunt is your aunt? She's from Ping County too?"
Jiang Tao's eyes lit up when he heard He Jing refer to Ma Dongmei as her aunt!
So, Aunt Ma Dongmei was also from Ping County?
With this hometown connection, plus his acquaintance with He Jing, would it make it easier to play matchmaker between Ma Dongmei and the landlord?
"Yep, my real aunt!" He Jing said, affectionately linking arms with Ma Dongmei and resting her head on her with a bright smile.
You know what? Now that you mention it, standing side by side, He Jing and Ma Dongmei did look somewhat alike!
Jiang Tao felt a spark of joy in his heart.
He had been worrying about how to communicate with Ma Dongmei, and now He Jing, the perfect translator, had shown up!
She was like a timely rain for him!
With a speed that dazzled Jiang Tao, He Jing gestured a few signs in front of Ma Dongmei, introducing him to her.
When Ma Dongmei learned that Jiang Tao was from her hometown, her gaze softened even more, and her smile grew warmer.
"Um, Xiao He, can we step aside for a moment? I want to ask you something privately."
After a brief introduction, Jiang Tao pointed to the side and nodded at He Jing.
"Oh, sure."
He Jing didn't quite understand but followed Jiang Tao a few steps to the side.
"Uh, Xiao He, is your aunt married right now?"
Jiang Tao didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.
"Huh? Brother Jiang, you… what do you mean?"
He Jing's expression turned a bit stunned at his words.
Could Brother Jiang have taken a liking to her aunt?
Sure, her aunt was indeed very pretty, but there was quite an age gap between them!
"Ahem, Xiao He, don't get the wrong idea. I'm already married, I have a wife."
Seeing that He Jing seemed to misunderstand, Jiang Tao quickly clarified.
"Oh, okay…"
He Jing let out a sigh of relief after his explanation.
But then, her expression turned a bit sad.
"My aunt has never been married."