Whitaker Scarlett had no idea what Hughes Lawrence thought of her, and frankly, it didn’t matter. As long as business was running smoothly, his opinion of her was irrelevant.
She quietly peddled her goods along the way, approaching potential customers on the roadside and asking if they wanted to buy eggs. After circling around Harborfield for hours, she finally managed to sell off the remaining hundred-plus eggs. No matter how careful she was, she still ended up with about a dozen cracked ones. Without foam or plastic egg trays, it was nearly impossible to avoid some breakage. However, she had already decided not to focus on reselling eggs anymore; they had become secondary to her business. Thinking that way lightened her mood considerably!
Back at home, they still had plenty of loaches and crucian carp, along with a good amount of radishes and greens that Aunt Amanda grew in their garden. Scarlett wandered the market but, aside from pork, couldn’t think of anything else to buy. So she decided to keep buying meat.
By the afternoon, there was no fatty pork left at the stalls—only lean cuts remained. Lean meat was still delicious, though. Scarlett remembered her first few meals of sweet potatoes when she first moved in with the Millers during harvest season. The Millers’ food standards were excellent, and she had quickly replenished the nutrition her body had been lacking.
Scarlett bought two pounds of meat and picked up some additional seasonings.
Aunt Amanda was decent at cooking, but their home only used basics like salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, sometimes adding a bit of homegrown scallions, ginger, or garlic. Things like star anise, peppercorns, and bay leaves were absent. Scarlett figured she’d grab some extras. Once a person’s stomach is full, they begin to crave flavor. Treating herself well within her means was the motivation she needed to keep earning.
Making a trip to Harborfield every other day seemed like the right rhythm.
The sun was blazing today, and the Miller family’s rice grains were nearly dry enough to be stored in the granary.
Scarlett made over $20 today, and her mood was already fantastic when she returned to Wellwater Village. As soon as she parked her bicycle, William brought her some good news.
“Wesley has been taken into custody, and it looks like he’s going to face a heavy sentence!”
While Scarlett had been out selling her goods in Harborfield, William had made another trip to Greenfield County. He hadn’t been able to relax as long as those three thugs hadn’t been sentenced. It turned out Greenfield County had just launched a major crackdown. The criminals who had been arrested recently were paraded through the streets on trucks, wearing placards with their names and crimes, while loudspeakers blared their offenses.
William happened to witness the event. He didn’t personally know Wesley, but the placard hanging in front of him clearly displayed his identity. Wesley was the only one who fit the description. William had wanted to deal with Wesley himself for a long time but didn’t want to drag his friends into trouble, given the current crackdown. Who would’ve thought Wesley would be taken care of before William even had to lift a finger?
Scarlett couldn’t have been happier.
That moron had twice attempted to assault “Whitaker Scarlett.” The first time, the original Scarlett had been saved by Walter Janson. The second time had been the direct cause of the rumors that eventually led to the original Scarlett’s despair and attempt to take her own life.
Even though nothing improper had ever happened between her and Wesley, who would believe her?
People had spread rumors so confidently, as if they had personally seen her and Wesley rolling around in the haystack. Scarlett had been racking her brain on how to take revenge, but now it seemed she wouldn’t have to—Wesley was already in custody!
“What did they arrest him for?”
Scarlett was still a bit uneasy. If it was a moral conduct issue, Wesley might drag her into the mess. In 1983, during America’s crackdown on crime, even women were punished harshly for improper relationships—some were even executed for it!
She hoped she wouldn’t have to go to the hospital to prove her innocence.
William’s dark, lean face broke into a smile. “He was arrested for burglary. The local police said the amount was huge. This time, he’s definitely facing a heavy sentence!”
