These past few days, although Su Wan had not been there in person, she heard all of Su Niang’s gossip as soon as she got home, so she had not missed any of Liu Rongrong’s “amazing deeds” at all! Every time she listened, Su Wan could not help sighing inwardly. As expected of a Mary Sue novel—this kind of plot!
Su Wan remembered that in the book, after Liu Rongrong discovered the chestnut trees, she went up the mountain again and encountered a venomous snake. The snake had clearly been heading toward Liu Rongrong, yet when it reached her, it unbelievably turned a corner, deliberately bypassed her, and lunged at Zhao Qiuyue behind her instead.
The earlier parts of the novel that described Liu Rongrong’s lucky-koi fortune were still fairly normal, but who would have thought that later on, the story would use other people’s suffering to highlight the heroine’s blessings?
Liu Rongrong’s reputation became even more impressive. As for Zhao Qiuyue, no one paid attention to her. The book did not describe her situation in detail either. It only briefly mentioned, “The unconscious Zhao Qiuyue was sent to the hospital,” and moved on. Later, it never even said whether Zhao Qiuyue lived or died.
Although Su Wan was not close to Zhao Qiuyue, she still felt that Zhao Qiuyue was actually a pretty decent person. She looked delicate and spoiled, but her personality carried a proud and unyielding spirit. When she had first arrived in the countryside, no matter how exhausting the farm work was, she had never once complained and had persevered through it all.
Su Wan felt that she and Zhao Qiuyue were practically birds of a feather. Just because of the novel’s plot, they were both destined to become cannon fodder.
So, Su Wan did not want to see Zhao Qiuyue suffer such an undeserved disaster!
The problem was, if she interfered, and Zhao Qiuyue was no longer there, would someone else get hurt instead? Probably not. Last time, she had stopped Liu Rongrong from keeping the money she found, and afterward, Liu Rongrong never found money again.
If she successfully prevented Zhao Qiuyue from being bitten by the snake, then the snake probably would not bite anyone else either. That was Su Wan’s reasoning.
But how was she supposed to stop it? She could not exactly tell Zhao Qiuyue, “There’s danger on the mountain. You’ll get bitten by a snake, so don’t go.” People would think she was crazy! Su Wan thought gloomily.
Forget it. Yesterday, Liu Rongrong discovered the chestnuts, and the day after tomorrow they would be going up the mountain again. She would go too. Then she would stay close to Zhao Qiuyue and find a chance to lead her farther away from Liu Rongrong.
In the kitchen, Su Niang was boiling chestnuts, and the sweet aroma drifted through the window into Su Wan’s room. The moment Su Wan smelled the chestnuts, all her worries instantly disappeared. She immediately became lively again. Better go eat chestnuts first!
After coming here for so many years, Su Wan had only eaten chestnuts once or twice. So now that there were chestnuts to eat, even though they were not sugar-roasted chestnuts, she was still very satisfied.
Su Wan was squatting in the kitchen peeling chestnuts when she suddenly heard Su Lei’s voice from the courtyard.
“What smells so good? What delicious food are you eating?”
The last sentence came after he walked to the kitchen doorway and spoke directly to the crouching Su Wan.
The moment Su Wan saw her brother return, she rushed over with an enthusiasm she had never shown before and happily said, “Brother, you’re back!”
Su Lei was startled by Su Wan’s enthusiasm. He looked at her suspiciously and shouted, “What’s with you being so happy? You’ve never acted like this before. Come on, what scheme are you plotting now?”
“Brother—when have I ever plotted anything?” Su Wan said while tugging on Su Lei’s arm and acting spoiled. Then she added, “I just… want you to go up the mountain with me tomorrow. That’s all!”
Seeing the disbelief on his face, Su Wan repeatedly emphasized, “Really, really! How could I possibly trick you?”
Su Lei pretended to smack her forehead hard and said, “Haven’t you tricked me plenty of times since we were little?”
Su Wan covered her forehead and exaggeratedly cried out in pain. Su Lei finally could not help laughing and said, “Alright, alright, I agree. Stop yelling already. Someone who didn’t know better would think it actually hurt.”
The moment Su Wan heard him agree, she immediately let go of her forehead and beamed with joy. Pulling Su Lei toward the kitchen, she said, “I knew my brother was the best! Come eat chestnuts!”
Su Niang listened to the siblings bickering while she cooked. She had watched them like this since childhood and was already used to it. When they came in, she said, “Hurry and eat the chestnuts. If you wait any longer, they’ll get cold, and they won’t taste good anymore.”
As Su Lei peeled chestnuts, he asked, “Where did these chestnuts come from?”
The moment Su Lei asked, Su Niang became interested again and said excitedly, “They were picked from the mountain behind our village!”
“Mom, no way. I’ve been on that mountain countless times since I was little. How could there possibly be chestnut trees there?” Su Lei looked completely unconvinced.
“Why would I lie to you? I’m telling you, Educated Youth Liu discovered them. The villagers all went together to pick them. There were several trees, and they were full of chestnuts! If you don’t believe me, ask Su Wan.”
Su Lei looked at Su Wan, and Su Wan nodded.
“How is that possible? The villagers never discovered them all these years, yet Educated Youth Liu just happened to find them!” Su Lei said in shock.
Su Niang lowered her voice mysteriously and said, “The villagers all say that Educated Youth Liu is someone favored by Heaven and blessed with great fortune!”
“Mom, that’s superstition! We should believe in science. It’s probably just a coincidence!” Su Lei argued seriously.
“One thing might be a coincidence, but what about two things? Three things? Just a few days ago…” Su Niang then began telling Su Lei about Liu Rongrong’s recent incidents.
After hearing everything, even Su Lei fell silent. Science really could not explain this!
Listening nearby, Su Wan desperately wanted to say, I know why—it’s because she’s the heroine! A lucky-koi heroine!
“Alright, whether Educated Youth Liu is some kind of lucky star or not, she has brought us real benefits. Last time it was pork, and this time it’s chestnuts. We should properly thank her!” Su Niang said.
Thank her my foot. In the book, who knows how many people suffered because of her! Su Wan muttered inwardly.
“Little Sister.” Su Lei suddenly remembered something. “Is Educated Youth Liu the female educated youth we ran into last time?”
“Yeah,” Su Wan replied. “It’s her.”
“What did you two run into?” Su Niang asked curiously when she saw them speaking in riddles.
“It was the time when Little Sister and I went to sell ginseng, and on the way back…” Su Lei then carefully recounted what had happened that day.
“No way. Educated Youth Liu doesn’t look like that kind of person,” Su Niang sighed.
“Mom, you can know a person’s face but not their heart. It’s better not to get too close to Educated Youth Liu,” Su Wan warned, afraid that if Su Niang got involved with Liu Rongrong, she might get hurt too.
“Alright, I’ll listen to my daughter. Actually, I also think there’s something a bit strange about Educated Youth Liu,” Su Niang immediately switched sides.
“Mom, it’s enough that we know about Educated Youth Liu picking up that money. Don’t tell anyone else. If word gets out and she hears about it, she’ll definitely guess it was me and my brother who spread it, since only the two of us were there that time,” Su Wan reminded her again.
“Alright,” Su Niang agreed readily. She had always listened to Su Wan’s advice.
That night, after returning to her room, Su Wan took out the imitation black jade she had made and threaded it with a red cord. It now looked exactly the same as Liu Rongrong’s. The day after tomorrow, Su Wan planned to carry it with her as well. If she found the right opportunity, she could switch them.