Thinking about all this, Su Yun felt a throbbing headache.
There was even a lingering heaviness in her heart.
This was caused by a trace of emotion left behind by the original owner.
She rubbed her chest and muttered to herself, “Are these kinds of family members even worth your nostalgia and sorrow?”
In Su Yun’s eyes, family members who only drain their loved ones are nothing but garbage and burdens that should be discarded immediately.
Su Yun had no time to deal with them now; she needed to get something to eat first.
“I’m so hungry. What do you want to eat? I’ll make it.”
She turned to speak to Xiao Yuan.
Xiao Yuan stood up with the help of his crutches, his gaunt face filled with embarrassment.
“At home… at home, there’s only some coarse rice and sweet potatoes. I’ll… I’ll cook coarse rice and sweet potato porridge for you.”
Su Yun recalled the contents of the book.
Xiao Yuan had injured his leg two years ago and should have received a substantial compensation for his injury discharge.
Logically speaking, with that compensation and living alone, he shouldn’t have been struggling so much.
The book didn’t mention where his compensation money had gone.
However…
Su Yun glanced at the brick-tiled house next door, thinking it must be related to the Qin family next door.
First, fill her stomach, then take things step by step.
“No need, I’ll make it.”
With that, she entered the low, cramped kitchen.
The kitchen was just like the thatched hut she had woken up in—earthen walls, a thatched roof, a chipped iron pot, two equally chipped bowls, an ancient-looking rice jar containing a palm’s thickness of coarse rice, and a pile of over a dozen sweet potatoes in the corner.
Su Yun…
This home was so poor that even mice wouldn’t bother visiting.
Her starting point was truly a bit miserable.
Shaking her head helplessly, she rolled up her sleeves, scooped water with a ladle, poured it into the iron pot, grabbed two handfuls of coarse rice to wash, added them to the pot, covered it with a lid, then picked two sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped them, and set them aside in a large bowl.
Fortunately, despite Xiao Yuan’s poverty, he paid attention to cleanliness.
The bowls were washed clean.
While Su Yun busied herself in the kitchen, Xiao Yuan watched her back from the courtyard, a flicker of seriousness in his eyes.
Su Yun’s appearance was completely outside his plans.
Old Wu happened to be away these past few days, which was why he hadn’t been able to take Su Yun away immediately last night.
Now, if he drove her away, it would easily arouse suspicion.
Xiao Yuan felt momentarily troubled.
He didn’t know what to do.
Su Yun simmered the porridge for half an hour until a pot of thick sweet potato porridge was ready.
She ladled two bowls and called Xiao Yuan to eat.
Xiao Yuan leaned on his crutches and slowly made his way from the room to the kitchen.
Su Yun was looking for chopsticks.
“There’s only one pair of chopsticks. No spoons?”
Su Yun asked.
Xiao Yuan looked somewhat uncomfortable but still softly hummed in agreement, turning his face away.
“You first…”
Before he could finish saying “eat,” Su Yun lifted the bowl and gulped down the coarse rice and sweet potato porridge.
Surprise flashed in Xiao Yuan’s eyes.
“Su… Su… Comrade…”
“What’s wrong?”
Su Yun lowered the bowl in confusion and looked up at the man leaning on crutches across from her. “Aren’t you going to sit down? Aren’t you tired?”
“No… not tired.”
Xiao Yuan seemed a bit slow to react. “I… I’m… used to it…”
Su Yun let out an “oh” and said, “Then hurry up and eat.”
With that, she lifted the bowl again and slurped down the porridge.
The coarse rice was hard and scratched her throat.
After simmering for half an hour, the coarse rice had softened a bit, and with the sweet potatoes, it wasn’t too bad to eat.
Xiao Yuan tried to give her the only pair of chopsticks in the house, but Su Yun waved her hand in refusal.
Drinking porridge without chopsticks was no challenge for her.
Su Yun drank two bowls of porridge.
Only then did she set down her bowl, satisfied.
"Now that you're full, let's talk."
They needed to discuss the direction of their future life together.
She currently had nowhere to go and could only stay with Xiao Yuan for the time being.
To outsiders, they would present themselves as husband and wife.
"Don't worry, as payment, I'll do my best to cure your leg."
Xiao Yuan, who had been overly silent, showed a flicker of shock in his eyes upon hearing Su Yun's words.
Then, as if remembering something, he looked up and gave a bitter smile. "Comrade Su… there's no need, no need to joke about me."
"How do you know I'm joking if you haven't even tried?"
Su Yun retorted.
Xiao Yuan was stunned. "You…"
Su Yun stood up. "Just think of the old Su Yun as dead. The one who woke up today is a brand-new Su Yun."
As she spoke, she walked toward the door. After a few steps, she turned back. "Oh, and in professional academic matters, I never joke."
With that, she added that she was going to the mountains and left Xiao Yuan's dilapidated courtyard.
Being reborn into someone with nothing was not an optimistic situation.
Fortunately, she had read the book before and memorized the entire text.
She knew where Qin Aiguo had hidden the things he embezzled.
The book mentioned that several years later, Qin Aiguo was caught. When the female lead and male lead went to pay respects to her father after getting into university, they discovered ten gold bars at the gravesite!
Su Yun hadn't met the female lead or male lead from the book yet, but she was about to see the gold bars.
Following her memory, she entered the mountains and arrived at the graves of Qin Aiguo's parents.
Two small mounds of earth stood quietly among the bamboo grove.
Su Yun approached, circled the small mounds, and noticed some freshly turned soil.
This was the spot.
Her eyes lit up slightly as she picked up a nearby wooden stick and began digging.
She hadn't dug deep before she uncovered a cloth bundle. Putting down the stick, she took it out and opened it—six gleaming gold bars.
Su Yun curved her lips into a smile and tucked the gold bars into her pocket.
As for the cloth that had wrapped the gold bars? She casually tossed it into a nearby stream, letting the water carry it away.
After tidying up the gravesite to make it look untouched, Su Yun finally turned to leave.
The book mentioned that this area, with its lush mountains and abundant water, was rich in medicinal herbs.
She would gather some herbs to treat the wounds on her head and neck.
Xiao Yuan's leg also needed treatment.
Evening, in the village.
In Xiao Yuan's rundown courtyard, a man with a slight limp entered the kitchen carrying a small half-bag of coarse rice.
"Old Wu…"
Xiao Yuan called out to Wu Bozi. "Something's happened."
"What is it?" Old Wu turned around, lowering his voice.
Xiao Yuan briefly explained the events of the previous night.
"She was on the brink of death, and with my leg being inconvenient, I couldn't send her away immediately…"
At this moment, Xiao Yuan was completely different from how he had appeared in front of others during the day.
His eyes were deep, calm, and full of wisdom.
Wu Jiangtao listened, then slapped his thigh.
Excitement flashed in his eyes. "This is perfect. Her arrival can better conceal your identity."
"But she's not like the usual village girls…"
Xiao Yuan thought of Su Yun from earlier that day, sensing an aura that no one should provoke.
Wu Jiangtao didn't mind at all. "It's fine, it's fine. Just let her stay here for now. Give me a few days to investigate her background."
After saying this, Wu Jiangtao added, "Besides, if you try to drive her away now, wouldn't that be forcing her to her death?"
"Let's settle it this way for now."
Wu Jiangtao happily patted Xiao Yuan on the shoulder and was about to say something more when the courtyard gate was pushed open from outside.