The lamplight glowed warmly, and the room was silent.
Cheng Baozhu lowered her head, twisting her fingers together. Every now and then, she sneaked a glance at Xu Chuan, only to quickly look away again.
Was it really necessary for him to stay silent for this long?
There was no guarantee they could even retrieve the gold yet. With such a massive water vat pressing down on it, even after several years, they might still not find the right opportunity.
Thinking of this, Cheng Baozhu let out a soft sigh.
When the original owner’s parents hid the gold beneath the vat, they probably never imagined things would come to this.
“Cheng Baozhu, you really can’t scare me like this,” Xu Chuan suddenly said faintly. The breath he had held earlier was still stuck in his chest, unable to go back down or come out.
Gold. This girl actually had a gold bar hidden at the Cheng family home!
Today he truly opened his eyes. The famously lazy girl of the surrounding villages actually had such wealth. If her brothers and sisters-in-law knew, they probably would not have let her marry off so easily.
But what Xu Chuan was curious about now was not the gold itself. He wanted to know how many more things Cheng Baozhu was hiding from him.
“No,” Cheng Baozhu said, looking aggrieved. “That’s all there is. You’ve already found out everything.”
Except for the transmigration, which did not count.
Lying to Xu Chuan was extremely difficult. Even if she had prepared a perfect excuse, the moment her eyes shifted even slightly while speaking, he would immediately sense something was off.
Last time, she had secretly bought a bag of caramel cookies from the system’s clearance sale to satisfy her cravings. She had wiped her mouth and rinsed afterward, leaving no trace. Yet somehow, Xu Chuan still discovered it.
She had claimed she ate roasted sweet potatoes, and he merely snorted a few times before reaching under her pillow and pulling out the tin box containing half a cookie.
He confiscated them all, and only returned them three days later, when the cookies had nearly gone soft.
Wuwu, life was too hard!
Life was not easy. Baozhu sighed.
In the countryside at midnight, it should have been completely silent.
Yet from the house at the end of the village, faint murmurs could still be heard, like a young couple whispering under the covers.
Xu Chuan said, “So you want to go back to the Cheng family on the twenty-eighth and retrieve the gold?”
“Mm.” Cheng Baozhu nodded.
She had a plan. That day was Great-Uncle Cheng’s birthday, his seventieth.
All her brothers would definitely go to celebrate. According to tradition, by dinner time, each household would prepare two dishes and bring them over, and everyone would gather to eat together.
“So the house will be empty,” Cheng Baozhu continued thoughtfully. “That way, I can sneak in and take the gold.”
Xu Chuan was silent.
He had to admit, sometimes her mind worked quite cleverly.
If the water vat were lighter, she might actually manage to retrieve it on her own.
After all, everyone would be at Great-Uncle Cheng’s house, and in the countryside, people rarely locked their doors. Under the cover of darkness, it would not be impossible for her to slip inside unnoticed.
Xu Chuan asked, “So when you went to the Cheng family today, you were checking how heavy the vat is?”
Cheng Baozhu pouted. “Mm, it’s really heavy.”
Not to mention moving it, even pushing it secretly a few times did not budge it at all.
Xu Chuan sighed and patted her head. “Go to sleep. When the time comes, I’ll help you get the gold you’ve been thinking about.”
“Really?”
“Would I lie to you?”
Only then did Cheng Baozhu relax. One of Xu Chuan’s few redeeming qualities was that he always kept his word.
The next day.
When Xu Chuan was woken up by the system’s alarm, it was still pitch dark outside, and the stars were shining in the sky.
Without even opening his eyes, he reached out and pulled the soft Cheng Baozhu into his arms, hugging her for a while and stealing a couple of kisses. After dozing off again briefly, he was awakened by the system’s second alarm.
…
He rubbed his head heavily, then turned on the light and hurriedly dressed, shivering in the cold.
The moment he stepped out from under the covers, he was completely awake.
After getting up, he first lit the fire in the kitchen and the earthen oven. Soon, the pot began bubbling, and gradually, the sweet aroma of zenggao filled the air.
Today, after tending the fire, Xu Chuan did not return to bed. Instead, he took out the flour he had prepared earlier and began making egg cake.
Egg cake required many eggs. Over the past few days, he had brought some back from the county each trip, and with the ones his mother gave him, there were now three large baskets under the bed.
He separated the egg whites and yolks, whipping the whites into a fluffy foam before beating the yolks and mixing them together.
Then he added sugar and used the whisk again until it dissolved completely.
Sugar in the county required ration coupons, but in the system shop, white sugar was quite cheap.
A few days ago, he had spotted a deal, one jin of white sugar for only three points, and immediately bought ten jin. Not even three minutes later, it was gone, and when it reappeared, the price had gone back up to ten points per jin.
Though lost in thought, his hands did not stop.
He sifted the flour into the egg mixture, stirred it evenly, then poured the batter into a large, lidless iron mold greased with sesame oil.
The mold had been custom-made, each one producing thirty-six standard-sized egg cakes.
Finally, he pushed the mold into the oven and hurried back to the room to sleep.
“System, keep an eye on it.”
System: […] “Alright.”
When the time came, the system woke him again. He steamed another batch, and by then, the stars were beginning to fade.
Cheng Baozhu slept remarkably well. Despite Xu Chuan going in and out several times, she did not even frown, which he found impressive.
The second batch of egg cake was done, and the sky in the distance finally began to lighten.
After leaving two pieces on the table, Xu Chuan rode his bicycle toward the county.
He sighed inwardly. After working so hard all day, he still had to give thirty percent of the earnings to Lao Ban and pay Xu Jialiang three mao for renting the bicycle.
It felt like he was working for others.
He sped toward the county, and just before arriving, he took the goods out from his storage and loaded them onto the bicycle, stacking them so full that riding became difficult.
He thought he should get his own bicycle voucher. Borrowing Xu Jialiang’s every day was not ideal, especially since he carried heavy loads and might damage it.
In a secluded courtyard, Lao Ban was already waiting.
Ever since learning that Xu Chuan could make egg cake, he had been eagerly anticipating it. The demand for egg cake was enormous. Every time it appeared in the supply and marketing cooperative, it sold out within half a day. Some people had even approached him privately, asking if he could get some.
After Xu Chuan arrived, he handed over the goods as usual.
Lao Ban could not resist picking up a piece and taking a bite.
“You’re something else. Quiet one moment, then astonishing the next,” he said with admiration.
Xu Chuan smiled. “What can I do? I’m married now. My wife keeps wanting a new house. It’s stressful.”
Though he complained, the smug look on his face made people uncomfortable.
Lao Ban waved him off. “Alright, go home and keep your wife company. I’ll try to sell these at a higher price. You can make one more batch tomorrow.”
Satisfied, Xu Chuan counted the money from yesterday and left.
He had made more zenggao yesterday and even added some osmanthus honey, so it sold better than usual.
Still, he did not dare produce too much. This was exclusive business, and he had to control the scale to avoid drawing attention.
Now most of his customers were regulars, and his daily income had stabilized.
Lao Ban often urged him to expand, saying the current environment in the county was favorable, with fewer patrols and good connections above. It was the perfect time to make big money.
But Xu Chuan did not dare.
If something happened to him, Cheng Baozhu would not be able to stand on her own, and her natal family was unreliable.
What would she do then?
Suppressing his restless thoughts, Xu Chuan bought two newspapers on his way back, one national and one provincial.
Since starting his business, he has made it a habit to read daily.
He used to think his world was sufficient, but now he realized even Cheng Baozhu had broader knowledge than him.
That realization left him somewhat dejected.
When he got home, Cheng Baozhu was still lying in bed, as expected.
“I’m going to the team leader’s house. Are you coming?” Xu Chuan asked, nudging the blanket wrapped tightly around her.
She shook her head without speaking.
“Today should be the day Old Zhang gives the team leader acupuncture. Weren’t you curious about him? You’re really not going?”
Old Zhang? The barefoot doctor from the commune?
Cheng Baozhu instantly sat up. “I’m going, I’m going!”
She grabbed her clothes and began dressing.
“Xu Chuan, go get me some wash water, pour me a cup of warm water and mouth rinse, and make me a cup of malted milk too,” she said hurriedly.
Xu Chuan was speechless.
Even the landlord did not order people around like this!
Though she usually dawdled, Cheng Baozhu did not drag her feet when it mattered. By the time Xu Chuan finished eating, she had also finished.
He was amazed that someone could dress, braid her hair, brush her teeth, and wash her face all within three minutes.
“Too fast, right?” Cheng Baozhu said, still unsatisfied. She felt she had not brushed long enough.
Xu Chuan shook his head and pulled her along. “Let’s go.”
Today, they will finally settle their debt with the team.
The winter sun felt warm and pleasant.
The team was resting today. After two days, they would head into the mountains for the winter hunt.
Snow falls here in winter, sometimes up to the calves.
This year had turned cold as early as November, and the system predicted it might be the coldest in nearly twenty years.
Cheng Baozhu shivered at the thought. If not for the high price of cotton in the system shop, she would have bought some.
The system reminded her about daily sales, but she was annoyed. The discounts appeared randomly and only lasted ten minutes.
She could not possibly stare at the shop all day.
They soon arrived near the threshing ground, where villagers were chatting and eating sunflower seeds, warming themselves by a fire made from tree roots.
Children tossed chestnuts into the fire, laughing as they retrieved them.
Cheng Baozhu grew nervous and pulled Xu Chuan to walk faster.
“I’m afraid they’ll call us over,” she whispered.
“So what?”
“I don’t want to go.”
Last time, she had been dragged into the crowd, given sunflower seeds, and surrounded by people asking questions, while some aunties even touched her face.
It had scared her so much she did not dare move.
Xu Chuan tried hard not to laugh. Sometimes, this girl was truly dense.
“Alright, we’ll take a detour next time,” he said, finally letting out a laugh.
They soon arrived at the team leader’s house.
The team leader, Xu Xingli, managed the village well and valued education. He had even established a primary school years ago.
Xu Chuan respected him, but also feared him.
When he had skipped school in the past, Xu Xingli had caught him and nearly beaten him.
The courtyard gate was open. “Is the team leader home?” Xu Chuan called.
His wife, Xu Juan, pointed inside. “He’s having cupping therapy.”
Inside, Xu Xingli was talking with Old Zhang while receiving treatment.
After settling the accounts and confirming the money, Xu Xingli finally nodded in approval.
“Since you’re married now, act like a proper man. Work the fields and stop loafing around,” he advised earnestly.
Old Zhang snorted with laughter beside him.
Xu Chuan working the fields? That would be like pigs climbing trees.
Ignoring him, Xu Chuan dragged Old Zhang aside. “Do you need help at your clinic?”
Old Zhang frowned. “What are you up to?”
“I’ll send someone to learn from you.”
Old Zhang immediately refused.
But Xu Chuan pointed at Cheng Baozhu. “My wife. Let her follow you at the clinic.”
Old Zhang was speechless. Seeing her hopeful eyes, he held back his scolding.
“My place is a clinic, not somewhere to play.”
“I can work,” Cheng Baozhu said quickly.
Xu Chuan added, “She knows herbs. Point at any plant, she can name it.”
Old Zhang fell silent.
Before he could respond, Xu Chuan declared, “It’s settled. I’ll bring her tomorrow.”
Old Zhang snorted and walked off faster.
Let her come. She would probably run away on her own.