Scarlett’s cooking skills were average, but her knowledge was vast. To entertain clients in her previous life, she had tried dishes from many cuisines—what hadn’t she eaten before?
The loaches and crucian carp William had brought home had already purged their mud and sand. Scarlett used a bit of vegetable oil to pan-fry the crucian carp over low heat until both sides were golden brown, then added water and simmered it on low heat until the fish meat fell apart into the broth. It was a bit labor-intensive, but she made sure everyone in the family had some fish soup. Scarlett paid particular attention to Elizabeth and Michael, ensuring they had plenty. Elizabeth was as skinny as a famine victim, and Michael needed calcium to grow taller—otherwise, his height would be doomed to match the rest of the family.
The loaches were cooked with chili sauce, tofu, and a sprinkle of garlic greens just before being taken off the stove.
The meals at William’s house were well-planned, and Amanda was extremely satisfied with Scarlett’s contributions.
However, Elizabeth couldn’t accompany Scarlett to the city for the next few days. Staying at William’s house meant they couldn’t let William and Amanda shoulder all the work in the rice fields alone. Elizabeth had to help with the harvesting.
“Be careful when you go to the city by yourself,” Elizabeth cautioned.
Scarlett nodded. “I will, Mom! Don’t overwork yourself.”
While Elizabeth headed to the fields to harvest rice before sunrise, Scarlett set off for the city on her bicycle. Over the past few days, Scarlett had nearly saturated the egg market at the two factories. There simply weren’t enough buyers to purchase such large quantities of eggs every day.
Carrying over 400 eggs at a time and making two trips to Greenfield County each day, Scarlett found herself with around 100 unsold eggs by her second trip today, even after waiting for some time at the agricultural machinery factory.
Scarlett decided to try a different location.
She usually avoided shortcuts, but since she had spent longer selling eggs today, she chose to cut through a narrow alley.
Unbeknownst to her, the nickname had garnered quite a reputation in the county over the past few days. Her beauty and the cash she carried daily had caught the attention of some unsavory characters who decided to target her.
Scarlett, perhaps a bit overconfident, hadn’t encountered any trouble so far despite carrying a large pair of scissors for self-defense.
The alley opened onto a main road, and Scarlett pedaled hard, only to have her bike basket suddenly grabbed.
“Hey, little sister, why are you in such a hurry? We just want to buy some eggs!”
The sudden stop nearly threw Scarlett off her bike. The basket on the back hit the ground hard, making her heart ache for the eggs. How many had broken?
A man quickly jumped in front of her, blocking her path, while two others held onto her bike. Scarlett straightened her posture, her large scissors hidden in her sleeve but firmly gripped in her hand.
The situation looked grim.
Three rough-looking young men were eyeing her from head to toe with lecherous smirks. Despite wearing long sleeves and pants to protect herself from the sun, their disgusting gazes felt as though she were undressed. It was clear they didn’t intend to let her go easily.
Scarlett didn’t panic like an average girl might. She didn’t waste time arguing and instead opened her mouth to scream:
“Help! Someone, help! These men are harassing me! They’re blocking me in the alley!”
Her sharp, piercing cries startled the three men.
One of them rushed forward to cover her mouth, but Scarlett swung her scissors at him, stabbing hard. The man yelped in pain, his face contorted.
“Stupid girl! Did you think we didn’t know about your background? Hold her down, you two! She even dares to stab me with scissors!”
Scarlett pressed her back against the wall, wildly swinging the scissors and shouting non-stop. She screamed words like “harassment” and “help” at the top of her lungs. Her bicycle provided a temporary barrier in front of her, making it hard for the men to get close.
One of them grew impatient and yanked the bike away.
Scarlett kept screaming while smirking coldly. As one of them reached for her wrist, she aimed for his eyes with the scissors.
The man retreated quickly but not fast enough to avoid the sharp tip, which grazed his eyelid. Enraged, he grabbed Scarlett by her braids, dragging her toward him while another man knocked the scissors from her hand.
“Stupid girl! Stop pretending to be some chaste maiden! Everyone knows you’re just a loose woman from Larkspur Village—Scarlett Whitaker!”
