Knowing how talented Lin Shengxia was, Cui Shizhen decided to speed up today’s lesson. Yesterday’s two-hour session was shortened to just over an hour, yet the results still exceeded her expectations.
“Shengxia, if you ever get tired of selling wild vegetables, you can come work with me on film sets. You can be my assistant. I’ll pay you five thousand yuan a month!”
Cui Shijin happened to push open the door to bring them some fruit. Hearing her sister’s words, she rolled her eyes.
“You think Shengxia only makes money selling wild vegetables? Five thousand? Even if you offered her fifty thousand, you wouldn’t stand a chance!”
Cui Shizhen knew that Lin Shengxia had some kind of business arrangement with her older sister, but she had no idea how extensive their cooperation had become.
She had only heard from her mother that Lin Shengxia supplied her sister with medicinal herbs that could be brewed into tea.
How expensive could a few herbs possibly be?
Besides, Shengxia had to climb the mountain every day to gather and sort them. Wouldn’t following her around film sets be much easier?
Sure, the working hours might be unpredictable, but at least Shengxia wouldn’t have to carry more than a hundred jin of goods around every single day.
But judging from her sister’s tone…
Could Shengxia actually be a secretly wealthy young woman?
While the sisters bickered, Lin Shengxia didn’t dare say a word.
At that moment, she was staring blankly at the enormous strawberries on the fruit platter in front of her.
“There are still strawberries at this time of year?”
Cui Shizhen laughed and picked up the largest one, placing it directly into her mouth.
Only after Lin Shengxia swallowed did she explain, “These strawberries were shipped in from somewhere else. They’re grown in greenhouses using modern agricultural technology. They’re not as fragrant or sweet as strawberries grown naturally in season, but they’re better than nothing.”
After all, Cui Shijin ran a high-end wellness center, and her clients often made all sorts of unusual requests.
In fact, the strawberries today had been specifically requested by one of her most important VIP clients.
And if they were talking about how that wealthy client had ended up spending so much money at her wellness center, Cui Shijin really had Lin Shengxia’s wild violets to thank.
After confirming the medicinal properties and safety of the wild violets, Cui Shijin had sent them to a factory she worked with. There, they were dried according to the standards for herbal flower teas and then served at the wellness center as a complimentary welcome drink.
That important client had visited several times, and each time, she slept exceptionally well afterward.
Eventually, she asked Cui Shijin about the tea.
Cui Shijin didn’t hide anything from her and even gifted her an entire box of beautifully packaged tea bags.
And just like that, the woman became the wellness center’s biggest client!
That was also why Cui Shijin had thought to bring some strawberries for Lin Shengxia to try.
But at that moment, Lin Shengxia had another idea.
Her mother’s birthday was coming soon.
Originally, she had only planned to buy a cake, some braised meat, and a few ready-made dishes so that her mother could enjoy a relaxing birthday without having to cook.
But now…
Perhaps she could give her mother another surprise.
Seeing how much Lin Shengxia liked the strawberries, Cui Shijin specially packed a box for her before leaving and told her to take them home for her family to try.
Lin Shengxia tried to refuse, but Cui Shijin insisted.
In the end, she could only accept the gift, silently remembering Cui Shijin’s kindness.
After Cui Shizhen brought her back to the steamed-bun shop, Lin Shengxia collected her basket and the cloth she used for her stall. Then she smiled and said goodbye to Li Xiangqin, Xiao Zhang, and the others.
The moment she returned to the ruined temple, Lin Shengxia eagerly took out the box of strawberries and placed it in front of her family.
To be honest, the strawberries shocked the Lin family even more than the apples from a few days ago.
Apples might be precious in this era, but the Lin family had still eaten them fairly often in the past.
Strawberries, on the other hand, were something they had only eaten a handful of times.
And the strawberries Lin Shengxia had brought back weren’t merely large. Every single one was bright, vibrant red.
Lin Handong was still young and couldn’t resist. He immediately picked one up and popped it into his mouth.
The moment the slightly tart yet refreshing sweetness burst across his tongue, the little boy narrowed his eyes in pure delight.
Seeing how much he enjoyed it, Dong Wanqiu chose only the smallest strawberry for herself.
After tasting it, she refused to eat another.
Lin Qizheng went even further, insisting that he didn’t like fruit and refusing to touch any at all.
Seeing this, Lin Shengxia immediately understood what her parents were thinking.
She felt both heartbroken and frustrated.
“Back when our family had no money, I could understand everyone enduring it. But now that I can earn money, you’re still doing this. Then what’s the point of me earning money at all?”
Seeing her daughter’s eyes redden with grievance, Dong Wanqiu hurriedly gave Lin Qizheng a meaningful look.
Only then did the couple obediently begin eating the fruit.
“Our bodies suffered so much during the past six months. How could we possibly recover overnight? People in the future can eat meat every day, yet they still worry about lacking this nutrient or that one. Then we have even less reason to deprive ourselves of good food! Just eat as much as you want. If we finish it, I’ll buy more!”
“Sis, I want bananas! And I want milk too!”
After hearing Lin Shengxia say that she could earn money, Lin Handong was the first person to take those words completely to heart.
Lin Shengxia smiled and stroked his fluffy little head.
“All right. I’ll buy both for you tomorrow. But there’s one condition. You have to behave yourself at home, listen to Mom and Dad, and not run around recklessly. Can you do that?”
“Yes! Absolutely!”
Almost the moment Lin Handong finished speaking, a knock sounded from outside.
Lin Shengxia quickly stored the strawberries in her space. After making sure nothing suspicious had been left out, she slipped behind the straw mat to change her clothes.
Lin Qizheng waited until she had finished changing before getting up to open the door.
When he saw Fu Yanzhi standing outside, he froze.
“Young man, who are you looking for?”
Without revealing anything on his face, Fu Yanzhi glanced into the ruined temple.
Sure enough, he saw Lin Shengxia nestled against Dong Wanqiu, acting spoiled in her mother’s arms.
A faint smile flashed through his eyes.
Then he handed the wildly struggling rabbit in his hands to Lin Qizheng.
Startled, Lin Qizheng immediately tried to give it back, but Fu Yanzhi raised a hand and stopped him.
“Old Zhuang and I are acquainted. He asked me to bring this over.”
After saying that, Fu Yanzhi turned around and left without giving Lin Qizheng any chance to react.
Only after he had walked far away did Lin Qizheng carry the rabbit inside by its ears.
No one knew what method Fu Yanzhi had used to catch it, but there wasn’t a single wound on the rabbit’s body.
The moment Lin Handong saw it, he fell in love with it.
He immediately announced that he wanted to raise the little rabbit properly and make it his best friend.
Lin Qizheng looked helplessly at Dong Wanqiu.
Only after seeing her nod did he agree.
“Fine. But after lunch, you have to help me weave a cage for the rabbit. Otherwise, I won’t let you keep it.”
Seeing that his father had agreed, Lin Handong clapped his hands excitedly.
If he could, he would have started helping Lin Qizheng build the rabbit cage that very second!
Lin Shengxia, however, stared at the wild rabbit and couldn’t shake the feeling that something was strange.
She just couldn’t figure out what.
“When I visited Old Zhuang yesterday, he didn’t mention anything about this…”
“Then ask him tonight when you deliver his dinner. If that young man came here with unclear intentions, it would be better not to keep the rabbit.”
Lin Shengxia nodded.
Soon, she put the matter out of her mind.
That evening, when she arrived at the cowshed, she discovered that a fire was still burning inside Zhuang Beiwang’s room.
She gently tapped on the window.
Zhuang Beiwang immediately came out to greet her.
The moment he saw Lin Shengxia, an unconscious smile appeared in his eyes.
Lin Shengxia placed the food on his small table before mentioning that Fu Yanzhi had visited them earlier that day.
When Zhuang Beiwang heard what had happened, he silently cursed Fu Yanzhi for being incapable of staying still.
His fever had only just gone down, and his wounds hadn’t even fully closed yet!
Yet he had actually dared to go out and catch a rabbit for her!
How reckless!
That boy was truly far too reckless!