After the two of them left, Lu Bin’s cries and Wang Hua’s curses could still be heard behind them, but those things no longer had anything to do with either of them.
“When did you make that list? How come I didn’t know about it?”
Wei Shiyu had not expected Lin Zhiyi to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time.
It seemed that she had planned all of this long ago.
She was doing it so the family would have more money and their lives would be easier.
“Zhiyi, thank you.”
This was Wei Shiyu’s sincere gratitude. If they had not been forced to go to the countryside, she would never have needed to worry about these things.
“You thank me far too often. You’re making me sound like some kind of merciful Bodhisattva who saves people from suffering.”
Wei Shiyu did not say anything, but inwardly, he thought, Aren’t you exactly that to the Wei family? You saved our family and gave us hope.
Within minutes, the two of them arrived home.
When Mother Wei saw them return, she called for them to wash their hands and come eat.
On the table were Lin Zhiyi’s favorite sweet and sour ribs.
In the past, Lin Zhiyi had always gone to the state-run restaurant to buy this dish. After Mother Wei found out, she learned how to make it herself and eventually managed to perfectly recreate the flavor.
“Mom, it smells so good. Thank you for working so hard.”
The old Lin Zhiyi had never known how to appreciate the people around her, but the current Lin Zhiyi did.
“We’re family, there’s no need to be so formal. You must be hungry after being out for so long. I also made your favorite Four Happiness Meatballs.”
Mother Wei smiled as she placed the soup on the table before heading back to the kitchen for the remaining dishes.
When it came to cooking, Mother Wei was actually quite talented.
Before the Wei family’s troubles began, the only dish she knew how to make was sweet and sour ribs.
Before dismissing the housekeeper, she had asked her to write down the recipes for every dish Lin Zhiyi liked.
In order to persuade Lin Zhiyi to stay, she had learned how to make all of them in just two days.
From Mother Wei, Lin Zhiyi truly understood what it meant to say that hardship could shape a person.
After all, Mother Wei had once been someone who had barely needed to lift a finger around the house.
Lin Zhiyi was genuinely hungry today, and she quickly finished an entire bowl of rice.
“Do you want some more?”
Wei Shiyu had just been about to put some vegetables into her bowl when he noticed that it was already completely empty.
Lin Zhiyi had always been a devoted meat lover, and after becoming pregnant, she liked vegetables even less. She always claimed that they tasted like grass.
“Yes.”
When Lin Zhiyi smiled, her bright eyes curved into crescents.
She really liked Mother Wei’s cooking, as it suited her tastes perfectly.
The sweet and sour ribs were rich without being cloying, while the Four Happiness Meatballs were filled with the fragrant aroma of meat. Even the simple egg soup was seasoned just right.
When it came to cooking, aside from her father from the twenty-first century, she had never met anyone who could cook better than Mother Wei.
Wei Shiyu got up and served her another half bowl of rice. When he sat down again, he casually placed some vegetables into her bowl.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Lin Zhiyi staring motionlessly at the vegetables, her cheeks puffed out like a little goldfish.
Wei Shiyu reached over and rubbed the top of her head.
“You can’t only eat meat and refuse to eat vegetables. Your nutrition will be unbalanced, and that won’t be good for your health.”
“But they really taste like grass.”
Lin Zhiyi slowly put the vegetables into her mouth and chewed a few times.
Whether before or after transmigrating, Lin Zhiyi’s dislike of vegetables had remained remarkably consistent.
When her parents were still alive, they had always tried to persuade her to eat more vegetables.
Her stomach was sensitive, and eating too much meat would upset her digestion.
After her parents passed away, she went to live with her uncle’s family.
At mealtimes, she still preferred eating meat, but after receiving several disapproving looks from her aunt, she eventually learned to eat more vegetables and less meat.
However, habits developed over many years could not be changed overnight, and even her body gradually became unaccustomed to eating so little meat.
When she was in high school, she once ate braised pork after going without it for a long time and unexpectedly developed an allergic reaction. That incident had nearly cost Lin Zhiyi her life.
Lin Zhiyi pushed the vegetables around in her bowl without much enthusiasm.
“Meat still tastes better.”
Wei Shiyu picked up a small piece of Four Happiness Meatball and placed it in her bowl.
Lin Zhiyi’s eyes immediately lit up.
“From now on, every time you eat a piece of vegetable, you’ll get a piece of meat as a reward.”
“Really?”
“When have I ever lied to you?”
Although Wei Shiyu worried about Lin Zhiyi’s health, he did not want such a small matter to make her unhappy.
Seeing how comfortably the two of them were getting along, Mother Wei was delighted.
“Later, I’ll pack up all the meat we have at home.”
After dinner, Wei Shiyu took Lin Zhiyi for a walk around the courtyard.
He pulled a small cloth bundle from his shirt pocket and handed it to her.
“This is what Father-in-law didn’t have time to give you this afternoon. When he saw me, he asked me to pass it on to you.”
Lin Zhiyi opened it and found several grain coupons, meat coupons, industrial coupons, and even a bicycle coupon inside.
She had not expected that an old man, who had been so ruthless as to cut ties with his daughter in her previous life, could actually be so considerate.
Lin Zhiyi counted through the cash and found that there were nearly several thousand yuan.
Adding that to the money she had just recovered from the Lu family, as well as what Wei Zhongliang and Mother Wei had given her, she had officially become part of the ten thousand yuan household.
Coming here has truly been worth it!
She knew exactly how significant it was to have ten thousand yuan in this era.
For a middle-class family of three, even if they saved every cent and spent nothing at all, they could only accumulate around twelve hundred yuan in a year. At that rate, it would take at least ten years to save ten thousand yuan.
She was so happy that she nearly wanted to stomp her feet on the spot.
With prices being so low in this era, she no longer had to worry about not having enough money.
“From now on, you’ll be in charge of all the money in the family.”
Wei Shiyu took out all the money he had in his pocket and handed it to her.
When he had bought everything Lin Zhiyi asked for at the black market, he had used his own money.
The original Lin Zhiyi had always demanded that he hand over all his savings. Although he had given her most of it, he had secretly kept some aside for himself.
Wei Zhongliang and Mother Wei had covered all the household expenses, but the original Lin Zhiyi had always spent extravagantly. He could not possibly go to his parents and ask for money every time something happened.
Lin Zhiyi did not hold it against him for keeping a private stash. After all, no one wanted their wife taking their money to support another man.
She put the money into her pocket, then placed Lin Dongshan’s money together with the money Wei Zhongliang had given her.
As she watched the space gradually become more crowded, she began to feel that life in the countryside might not be as difficult as she had imagined.
After their walk, the two returned to their room and briefly packed their clothes and other belongings.
The dresses in the original owner’s wardrobe were all far too impractical for life in the countryside.
After leaving the black market that afternoon, the two of them had gone straight to the state-run store and bought four sets of ready-made clothes, along with some undergarments and other necessities.
Lin Zhiyi put all of the original owner’s beautiful and extravagant clothes into her space, together with her jewelry and shoes.
She even stored the silk quilt from the bed, intending to use it again after they returned.
By the time Lin Zhiyi finished packing everything, Wei Shiyu entered the room carrying a basin for washing her feet.
“You’ve been tired all day. Soak your feet for a while.”
Perhaps because the current Lin Zhiyi was still young, and although her constitution was not as strong as that of women accustomed to working in the fields, she did not feel particularly exhausted.
“Thank you, hubby.”
Lin Zhiyi’s sweet, soft voice immediately made Wei Shiyu’s face turn red. He quickly placed the towel on the chair beside them and fled from the room.