After hearing what Lin Ranran said, the entire Ji family fell silent.
In the end, Ji Junxiao sighed. “My wife really has thought this through. In the end, these children can’t go to school simply because everyone is too poor. If everyone’s lives improved, who would care about one or two yuan in tuition?”
Lin Ranran nodded. “Exactly. That’s why we have to start a business. We have to create a way out for the villagers.”
Ji Junyao frowned. “Start a business? In a place this isolated, that would be really difficult.”
Ji Junshan agreed. “That’s right, Sister-in-law. The villagers work so hard just to grow a little produce, and then they still have to transport it to the county on horseback. A single horse can’t carry much. If they can’t sell it, they have to haul everything back. It wastes time, effort, and even the horse. It’s simply not worth it.”
Ji Junxiao pondered for a moment before his eyes lit up.
“It seems that if we want to develop the economy, we first need to build roads. If only we could get approval for a road construction project for the village.”
Lin Ranran looked at him with admiration.
“Husband, you’re really good at economics.”
She had always thought Ji Junshan had the sharpest business mind, but she hadn’t expected her own husband to be the hidden genius.
Then again, he was the future richest man whose talent had been delayed by his military career.
Ji Junxiao blushed at his wife’s praise and lowered his head with a shy smile.
Father Ji shook his head helplessly.
“I’m afraid getting approval for road construction isn’t possible for now. There are too many villages waiting, and the country’s funds are limited.”
Lin Ranran nodded.
“Then we’ll have to think of another solution later. By the way, Third Brother, aren’t you going to the county with the team leader in a few days to purchase supplies? When you get there, take a look at what sells best in the county. When you come back, we’ll make a plan.”
Ji Junshan’s eyes immediately sparkled.
“Sister-in-law, you really think I have talent for business?”
Lin Ranran smiled.
“Of course. In our family, you’re the smartest when it comes to business. I believe that if you go into business, you’ll definitely make a name for yourself.”
Receiving her approval filled Ji Junshan with confidence.
“With those words from you, Sister-in-law, leave it to me! From now on, I’ll be the one earning money to support the family.”
Everyone burst into laughter, and the heavy atmosphere instantly became much lighter.
After the laughter died down, Ji Junxiao suggested,
“Then how about we secretly tutor Team Leader Yang’s daughter?”
Lin Ranran nodded.
“Okay.”
Father Ji agreed as well.
“I’ll talk to Team Leader Yang tonight. I’m just not sure whether the child will be willing. She’s already exhausted after working in the fields all day.”
Lin Ranran smiled.
“People who truly love learning aren’t afraid of hardship.”
That evening, Father Ji told Team Leader Yang about tutoring Yang Sisi.
Team Leader Yang was so grateful that he was nearly moved to tears.
When Yang Sisi heard the news, she was overjoyed. She immediately sewed a small floral cloth pouch from scraps of fabric she had at home, planning to give it to Lin Ranran as a token of thanks.
At first, Yang Sisi was extremely shy around Lin Ranran and was so nervous that she didn’t know where to put her hands.
Lin Ranran offered her some candy, but the little girl waved her hands repeatedly.
“My parents said I mustn’t take things from other people.”
Seeing this, Lin Ranran changed her approach. She gave Yang Sisi a pencil and a notebook instead, patiently teaching her how to write her own name and some simple pinyin.
Yang Sisi was very bright. After only one evening, she could already write her own name. Although the handwriting was crooked, she was genuinely delighted.
When Xia Zhiyuan saw Lin Ranran and Ji Junxiao escorting Yang Sisi home late at night, she secretly followed behind them.
As they passed Goudan’s house, they heard a child crying and a woman shouting.
Hiding in the darkness, Xia Zhiyuan listened carefully and discovered that Gousheng had developed a fever.
Goudan’s mother was burning incense in the yard. She knelt on the ground, burning paper offerings while muttering prayers.
“I don’t know which spirit my Gousheng offended in the fields today. I know you probably think he’s adorable and wanted to speak with him, but we’re separated by the living and the dead. We can’t accept your greetings. Whoever followed Gousheng home, please leave. I’m begging you.”
After speaking, she kowtowed several times.
“I’ve been polite first. If Gousheng keeps crying, don’t blame me for what comes next.”
Then she got up and hurried inside to check on Gousheng.
His face was burning red with fever, and he continued crying uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Goudan hurried over carrying a bundle of freshly pulled cogon grass.
“Mom, use this! Beat them to death!”
Furious, Goudan’s mother gritted her teeth.
“You brought this upon yourselves! I was polite first, but since you won’t leave, then die!”
She waved the grass wildly inside and outside the house.
“I’ll beat you to death! Stop following my Goudan home! Stay away from my children from now on!”
But despite all this, Gousheng continued crying.
The whole family became frantic. They looked at one another, wondering whether they had encountered some powerful evil spirit today that required a master to drive it away.
At that moment, Xia Zhiyuan stepped out from the shadows and pretended to ask with concern,
“Auntie, what’s wrong with Gousheng?”
Wiping away her tears, Goudan’s mother anxiously replied,
“Xia, you’re here at the perfect time. Gousheng has a fever. What should I do? He worked especially hard this afternoon. He kept saying the bugs weren’t biting him anymore, but now he has a fever. What should I do?”
Xia Zhiyuan secretly rejoiced but put on a worried expression.
“Gousheng has never been sick before. But after the Ji family’s daughter-in-law treated him, he suddenly became ill. Could there be something wrong with the medicine she used? And that little pouch she gave him… I’ve heard that some people with evil intentions give others cursed objects so they can transfer misfortune onto them. Think about it. Some of the villagers wore crushed garlic this afternoon but still got bitten by ticks. Only the pouches she handed out actually worked. Doesn’t that seem strange?”
After hearing her words, Goudan’s family panicked.
Lin Ranran was pregnant, and according to village superstition, pregnant women were the most likely to attract evil spirits. Could it really be that Lin Ranran had transferred something unclean onto Gousheng?
“Damn it! I was thanking her with all my heart today, and she’s actually this evil?” Goudan’s mother’s face turned pale with anger. “Does she think we’re easy targets?”
Xia Zhiyuan continued adding fuel to the fire.
“Auntie, think about it. Some people know dark magic. Check inside the pouch to see if there’s something unclean. Otherwise, how could a country girl marry into a city family? And how could she have the Ji family completely wrapped around her finger? She’s only been in the village for two days, yet all the men have already lost their minds over her.”
The more Goudan’s mother listened, the more convinced she became.
She tore open the pouch. Inside were nothing but crushed garlic and sulfur.
“So there really is something strange in here.”
She threw the contents onto the ground in disgust.
Goudan was furious as well.
“Mom, I’ll burn it! Let the curse rebound onto Lin Ranran. That woman is too vicious!”
His mother stopped him.
“No. Don’t burn it. This is evidence. We have to keep it.”
Standing beside them, Xia Zhiyuan continued encouraging them.
“That’s right, Auntie. In my opinion, you should go to the educated youth compound and make a scene. Let everyone see what kind of person Lin Ranran really is.”
Grinding her teeth, Goudan’s mother said,
“Bring me the pouch. I’m going right now. Everyone needs to know she’s a menace and drive her out of our village.”
Goudan angrily agreed.
“Mom, wait for me. I’ll go too. No, I’ll bring our relatives as well.”
Just as the three of them were about to leave, Doctor Zhu hurried over carrying his medical bag.
Zhu Ming was the barefoot doctor among the educated youths. He regularly traveled between several villages treating sick villagers, often working until late at night and sometimes staying overnight in other villages.
The villagers respected him greatly because he always treated them wholeheartedly. If a folk remedy would work, he never prescribed medicine. His principle was simple: if people didn’t have to spend money, they shouldn’t.
Goudan’s family had benefited from his help many times.
Doctor Zhu said,
“Goudan’s mother, the Ji family’s daughter-in-law told me that Gousheng was badly bitten by leeches and ticks today and might develop a fever, so she asked me to come and take a look.”
Goudan’s mother looked at him suspiciously.
“The Ji family’s daughter-in-law sent you?”
“Yes. How is the child now?”
“He has a fever and won’t stop crying.”
She hesitated for a moment, deciding to let Doctor Zhu treat Gousheng first. If he couldn’t cure him, she would settle the score with Lin Ranran afterward.
“Doctor Zhu, please come in.”
After examining Gousheng carefully, Doctor Zhu spoke seriously.
“The child developed a fever because he was bitten by too many leeches and ticks, which caused an infection. Fortunately, the wounds were treated properly. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”
Goudan asked suspiciously,
“The Ji family’s daughter-in-law treated the wounds and used medicine. Doctor Zhu, are you sure there wasn’t anything wrong with it?”
“Of course not. If it hadn’t been for her, your Gousheng might not even be alive today. He was bitten this badly, and yet you still made him continue working this afternoon. Were you trying to work him to death?”
As he scolded them, Doctor Zhu gave Gousheng antibiotics.
“I’ve given him medicine. Let him rest for a few days before going back to work.”
“All right.”
Goudan’s mother lowered her head in shame.
After a while, Gousheng felt much better and stopped crying.
Only then did Goudan’s mother remember the pouch. She handed it to Doctor Zhu.
“Doctor Zhu, the Ji family’s daughter-in-law gave this to Gousheng. Does it really work? Why wasn’t the garlic we made this afternoon nearly as effective?”
Doctor Zhu opened it and examined the contents carefully.
“The pouch she gave him also contains sulfur, so of course it’s much more effective. Yours only had garlic and no sulfur.”
Still unwilling to give up, Xia Zhiyuan asked,
“Doctor Zhu, is this really that amazing?”
“Of course. If Gousheng hadn’t had this pouch, he would have been bitten again this afternoon, and then you’d really have something to cry about.”
Xia Zhiyuan hated Doctor Zhu with all her heart.
If he hadn’t arrived in time, the educated youth compound would already have been in complete chaos by now.
After Doctor Zhu left, Xia Zhiyuan continued trying to persuade Goudan’s mother.
“Auntie, aren’t you going to confront the Ji family’s daughter-in-law anymore?”
Goudan’s mother’s expression suddenly changed.
“I may gossip a lot, and my character isn’t exactly perfect, but I still know right from wrong. I get it now. You were trying to use me to smear the Ji family’s daughter-in-law.”
Xia Zhiyuan hurriedly defended herself.
“Auntie, what are you talking about? I was only trying to help your family. Gousheng has never been sick before, but he got sick as soon as she arrived. Isn’t that too much of a coincidence? She must know some kind of dark magic.”
“If Gousheng had gotten unlucky the moment she touched him, maybe I’d believe you. But she’d never even met him before today. What, are you saying she can cast spells from a distance?”
“Maybe all those leeches and ticks biting Gousheng were her doing. Think about it. You argued with Mother Ji today. Maybe Mother Ji secretly put something on Gousheng.”
“I’m an uneducated woman who believes in superstition—that’s one thing. But you’re supposed to be an educated person. How are you even more superstitious than I am? I think you’re deliberately trying to sow discord.”
Goudan’s mother cursed angrily.
She had argued with Mother Ji earlier, but Mother Ji had stayed far away from Gousheng the entire time. Even if she had wanted to put something on him, her arms would have had to be impossibly long.
Xia Zhiyuan insisted,
“Auntie, I’m not. I’m only trying to help you.”
“Help my foot! If you hadn’t told us about the garlic this morning, would I have argued with Mother Ji? The Ji family came all the way from the capital to help everyone here. You’re trying to harm our family!”
“I wasn’t.”
“You still deny it? Damn you! You rotten-hearted woman…”
The angrier Goudan’s mother became, the more fiercely she cursed Xia Zhiyuan.
In the end, Xia Zhiyuan ran away crying in utter embarrassment.
Hidden in the darkness, Lin Ranran enjoyed every moment.
She understood that the Ji family had only just arrived. If they fell out with the villagers, it would be extremely harmful to their future plans. Especially Goudan’s family—even though they were gossipy, they weren’t bad people at heart.
After helping Gousheng, she remembered how this family was described in the novel, so she deliberately laid out a plan and used them to deal with Xia Zhiyuan.
A truly wise person doesn’t waste time arguing. They strike directly at the enemy’s weakest point and finish the fight in one move.
Standing beside her, Ji Junxiao was furious.
“That Xia Zhiyuan actually tried to ruin your reputation and Mother’s too. She’s absolutely despicable! If she weren’t a woman, I’d really want to beat her up. No, we should take her to the team leader and let him judge this matter.”
Lin Ranran simply smiled calmly.
“There’s no need. If we do that, people will only spread even stranger rumors about me. With Goudan’s mother and her big mouth around, Xia Zhiyuan won’t even be able to hold her head up tomorrow.”
If Xia Zhiyuan wanted to smear her reputation, she would only end up ruining her own first.
Ji Junxiao held her hand tightly, his face filled with guilt.
“Wife, it’s my fault. I wasn’t able to protect you.”
“You don’t need to blame yourself. It’s just that bad people are truly evil. Husband, remember this: any woman who tries to destroy your family is a disaster. Stay far away from a disaster.”
Ji Junxiao nodded.
“I know. Whenever strange women try to talk to me, I ignore them unless it’s about work.”
“You get full marks for your moral conduct. But remember this—if you ever have anything to do with Xia Zhiyuan, I will never forgive you.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I ever have anything to do with a wicked woman like her? I’m not blind!”
Ji Junxiao understood that Xia Zhiyuan was a bad woman, and it was only natural for his wife to be on guard against her.
Still, he couldn’t understand why she kept worrying that he might end up involved with Xia Zhiyuan. Was it because pregnant women were naturally more sensitive?
Or had he failed to make her feel secure enough?
No. From now on, he would treat his wife even better. If she started overthinking and reverted to how she used to be, everything would be ruined.
A strong sense of urgency filled Ji Junxiao’s heart.
Lin Ranran had deliberately brought Ji Junxiao to watch the entire scene because she wanted him to see Xia Zhiyuan’s true colors with his own eyes.
That was all she could do for now.
From this point onward, she would focus on building her career.
Because if there was one thing she believed, it was this:
A man might betray you someday.
Money never will.