C3 Come out with a Big Belly to Earn Money

Whew—her unusual ability was still intact. That meant life could go on. Later, she'd head to the garden to speed up the growth of some vegetables, sell them, and earn a bit of money to ease the immediate pressure. It was crucial to replenish their food supply; after all, there was an elderly person, a child, and a six-months-pregnant woman at home. They couldn't survive on thin porridge every day.

Shuling placed her palm on the ground, and a soft green light, visible only to her, slowly shimmered. She had acquired this strange ability at the age of twenty, after a car accident. Initially, she just noticed that the flowers she tended to always thrived exceptionally well. It wasn't until after fall, when all the nearby flowers had withered except for the ones by her window, that she realized something was off.

After some careful investigation, she finally discovered the key—when she focused, her palms could generate energy that promoted plant growth. She wasn't exactly sure what this energy was, though. Amazed and a bit terrified, Shuling pursued a Ph.D. in agriculture, gradually using her peculiar ability to improve plant species and create various innovations.

In summary, if she wanted, she could keep a plant in a particular stage indefinitely. If the flowers were beautiful, they would keep blooming; if the apples were delicious, they would keep producing. As long as she didn't want it to end, the flowers and plants could live forever. Shuling found her ability too extraordinary to comprehend and had never revealed it to anyone.

Well, right now... if you can't even put food on the table, who cares about the laws of nature? Besides, who would specifically pay attention to whether mushrooms are growing by someone else's wall?

It wasn't until two large clusters of fresh mushrooms sprouted in the corner that Shuling decided to pick a few. Her little nephew, Tianyang, peeked in and was so amazed by the sight of all those mushrooms that his mouth hung open in surprise.

"Auntie, so many mushrooms!" Tianyang squatted down, reaching out to pick them one by one, so adorably that Shuling wanted to scoop him up in a hug.

Shuling gathered the mushrooms and placed them in a basket. Since it was still early, she decided to head to town to see if anyone was interested in buying them.

Back in the day, when she was in her twenties and living alone before moving into the company dorms, she used to cook for herself. That was around '95, when a pound of vegetables cost about 30 cents. These fresh mushrooms were rare, so they might fetch a higher price per pound.

If she was lucky enough to sell these mushrooms, she could trade them for a few pounds of rice. After making sure her nephew and Lim Shan were settled, Shuling slung her cloth bag over her shoulder, picked up the basket, and headed out.

Whenever she got tired on the road, she'd stop to rest, and if she was thirsty, she'd drink from the water bottle in her bag. After walking for about half an hour and with just a few hundred yards to go before reaching the market, someone suddenly called out to her from behind.

As she turned around, a young woman wearing a white cotton dress, her hair neatly draped over her shoulders, and a trendy pink hair clip walked over.

"Ms. Shuling, why are you out here alone?" Liu Xue had been following Shen Shuling for several hundred yards, watching her pause and walk intermittently, feeling an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

See, what good is it to be pretty?

Who said she married well? Her belly's big, her husband is gone, and she's left with an old man and a little one at home, plus a baby on the way without a father.

Hmph, this is her life now.

The villagers used to praise her beauty, saying she'd live well after marrying Lim Fuqing, but look at her now.

Isn't she out here, pregnant, trying to make a living?

"Ms. Shuling, my grandmother knows a man looking for a wife. Your situation might not be ideal, but you're beautiful, and he'd definitely be interested."

"Should I ask around for you? Otherwise, how will you manage? Are you really planning to take care of old Mr. Lim and raise the little one too?"