Lin Meng watched the retreating figures of Lin Ran and Zheng Sanya, feeling somewhat perplexed. She remembered that at this point in the timeline, the female lead and Zheng Sanya shouldn’t have had much interaction. What was going on now?
And then there was what Qin Jianyi had just said to Zhou Manman. If she hadn’t happened to overhear it, she almost would have forgotten about that matter. The position of scorekeeper was quite good; ever since she had transmigrated, she hadn’t gone to work in the fields once, so life at home had been quite difficult lately.
Originally, she thought she could change her current predicament after finding the treasure. As for the idea of stealing the female lead’s “golden finger” or opportunities, she didn’t think such a thing existed. Since she had transmigrated into the book and knew about the treasure, it meant this was her own opportunity as well. As they say, “the destined one shall have it”—it didn’t necessarily have to belong to the female lead!
But the problem now was that she had just turned that courtyard upside down and hadn’t found a single trace of any treasure. Not to mention mechanisms; did she really have to dig up every inch of the yard?
No, she had to think carefully about how the female lead in the book had found it. She needed to plan this for the long haul. For now, the most urgent matter was to secure the scorekeeper job. That way, her parents wouldn’t spend all day forcing her to work, and perhaps she would finally have some say in the household. Since she had already transmigrated here, she could only try her best to adapt and make her life a bit easier.
The Lin Household.
When Shen Wenfang returned at noon and saw the basket full of wild vegetables and mushrooms, she showered Lin Ran with praise. Lin Weiguo also looked quite gratified.
The three Lin brothers, however, were more practical.
“Little Sister, the mushrooms this season are just too fresh. Why don’t you go pick some more tomorrow? Isn’t this better than eating pickles?”
Before Lin Ran could even answer, Shen Wenfang gave each of them a sharp tap with her chopsticks.
“In your dreams! Ranran worked so hard going up the mountain to find food for you lot, and instead of feeling sorry for her, you’re already giving her assignments?”
“If you want to eat them, go pick them yourselves. Don’t go counting on Ranran for everything.”
The three brothers performed a rare, synchronized movement, rubbing their foreheads and grimacing in pain. They still had to work for work-points, after all; where would they find the spare time to pick mushrooms? But they didn’t dare talk back.
Beside them, Liu Ping weakly raised her hand.
“Mom, how about I wake up a bit earlier tomorrow to go pick mushrooms on the mountain? I promise I won’t delay my work!”
Hearing this, the look on Shen Wenfang’s face was beyond words.
“Just hurry up and eat. It’s not like our family is starving to death for want of your few mushrooms.”
Honestly, this eldest daughter-in-law was dim-witted all day long. If only she could have averaged out some of her personality with the second daughter-in-law’s shrewdness, how wonderful that would be.
Thinking of the second daughter-in-law brought to mind the half-jar of missing salt-pickles. Shen Wenfang’s chest tightened with anger, making her lose her appetite. With a loud clack, she set down her chopsticks.
Everyone at the table flinched. Especially Liu Ping, who thought her words had offended her mother-in-law; she immediately shrunk back like a quail, not daring to eat another bite. Even the sound of Lin Weiguo smacking his lips grew significantly quieter.
Looking at her vibrant mother, Lin Ran thought of her mother from her previous life, who had died gaunt and withered in her arms, and her heart ached with a sharp pang. She had heard from her maternal grandfather that before her mother married, she had been a lively, active, and even mischievous young girl.
But after marrying, because of her status as the Marchioness, she had to constantly mind her etiquette and posture, carving herself into a rigid mold of rules and regulations. Combined with her father’s betrayal, her mother had eventually died of a broken heart.
Lin Ran vowed silently that in this life, she would let her mother remain this happy and carefree forever!
However, the most important thing at the moment was to improve the family’s diet. Seeing how they cherished even these ordinary mushrooms from the mountains showed just how poor the family truly was. With this in mind, Lin Ran quietly added “treasure hunting” to her agenda.
In the evening, just as dinner was served, Wang Zhaodi returned as if nothing had happened. Seeing the stir-fried mushrooms and wild vegetable soup on the table, her eyes lit up with excitement.
“There are actually mushrooms to eat! I love these things!”
She immediately picked up her chopsticks and began piling them into her bowl. Suddenly, her hand froze as a thought occurred to her. Right! Why hadn’t she thought of taking mushrooms and wild vegetables to the black market to sell?
It was currently the season for them, and the wild vegetables and mushrooms on the mountain didn’t cost a cent. But city people couldn’t get them; their vegetable supply was already limited, so they might be willing to pay for a taste of something fresh.
At this thought, Wang Zhaodi couldn’t sit still. If it weren’t for the fact that it was almost dark, she would have wanted to head up the mountain immediately. One had to understand that the money she made selling pickles today couldn’t even compare to what she made selling rice last time. She had been worrying about what to sell next, and now she had seen the mushrooms. Even if they didn’t sell for much, mushrooms and wild vegetables had to be more profitable than pickles, right?
While Wang Zhaodi was busy plotting her grand money-making scheme, it didn’t slow the speed of her chopsticks at all. Once the food was nearly gone, she shifted her eyes and wiped her mouth.
“Mom, Dad, tonight’s mushrooms were quite tasty, and the wild vegetable soup was very fresh.”
“I was thinking, since the family hasn’t had much to eat lately, why don’t I take advantage of the fact that the wild vegetables are still tender? Tomorrow, I’ll go up the mountain to dig up a bunch more, dry them, and save them to eat slowly over time.”
Shen Wenfang glanced at her and retorted flatly, “You know the family has nothing to eat, yet you still stole half a jar of my pickles?”
Speaking of this, Wang Zhaodi gave a sheepish laugh and immediately tried to brush it off.
“Mom, it’s only because the pickles you make are so delicious. Last time I went back to my parents’ house, they kept going on about wanting to eat them, so I thought I’d bring some back for them to taste this time.”
She followed up with an immediate guarantee: “Mom, I know what I did was wrong. Taking away so many of the family’s pickles… I’ve let everyone down. So please, give me a chance to make it up to the family.”
“Tomorrow, I promise to dig up a lot of wild vegetables to replace what I took today.”
Thinking of such a good money-making opportunity, Wang Zhaodi was practically ready to raise her hand and swear an oath. But Shen Wenfang wasn’t buying it. She questioned her directly:
“You’re going to dig wild vegetables? Then what about work? You’re going to throw away your work-points for a few wild vegetables?”
How much are work-points even worth? Can they compare to making money at the black market?
Wang Zhaodi was screaming in her head, but she still had enough rationality left to know that if her in-laws found out she was “speculating,” she would truly be finished! But she really didn’t want to give up such a lucrative opportunity. Since logic wasn’t working, she could only continue to be difficult.
“I’m going anyway! It’s not like I’m asking to stay home and rest like Little Sister. Besides, me digging wild vegetables is for the benefit of the whole family. Mom, Dad, on what grounds can you disagree?”
“You! You! You!”
Shen Wenfang pointed at Wang Zhaodi, her hand trembling with rage. She must have spent eight lifetimes of bad luck to end up with such a “debt-collecting” daughter-in-law.