Except for the gold bracelet her mother had bought for her last time, these pieces of fake gold jewelry were all made of copper and were completely worthless.
After considering it, she quietly sneaked into her parents’ room and located the hiding spot for the key.
In her previous life, she and her mother had depended on each other, so she knew exactly where her mother hid the key. In this life, she managed to find the key in the exact same spot. She unlocked the drawer and swapped the jewelry.
She had previously given her mother a conscious reminder not to buy trendy styles and to stick with classic designs instead, which made it much easier for her to execute the swap.
Once the swap was complete, she relocked the drawer. She would switch the real gold jewelry back once her mother returned the next day.
The next day, Song Lanfang made sure to put on all the gold jewelry before heading out. Lin Qionghua quietly observed her mother’s face. Seeing her mother continuously looking in the mirror without noticing in the slightest that the jewelry was fake, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Lin Weisen had to leave for the neighboring town to sell cold dishes much earlier than usual, setting off past three in the morning. Since Lin Qionghua was still young, Song Lanfang wouldn’t let her daughter wake up that early, worrying that a lack of sleep would stunt her growth in the future.
“Do you want to come to your maternal grandmother’s house with me?”
Lin Qionghua didn’t want to go. “I want to stay home.”
“Alright.” Song Lanfang reminded her daughter, “The rice is in the pot, serve it yourself. Once you’re done eating, cover the pot.”
“I got it.”
Song Lanfang rode off on her bicycle, even making sure to bring along half a basket of eggs.
After finishing her breakfast, Lin Qionghua went to look for Qingqing.
The moment Qingqing saw her, she immediately shared some gossip. Zhou Dayong had also gone to Meihua Village to buy a residential plot. “A lot of people in the village have started looking for houses.”
Lin Qionghua didn’t pay much attention to it. She didn’t have much of an impression of Zhou Dayong from her previous life and didn’t know how things turned out for him later on.
However, Qingqing was clearly very interested in Zhou Dayong and kept gossiping about him. “The two of them have an exceptionally good relationship, just like your parents. I saw Zhou Dayong taking his wife to the market on his bicycle yesterday, looking very sweet and affectionate.”
Lin Qionghua uttered an “oh” and glanced at the small gold rat pendant hanging around her neck. “Where did that come from? I’ve never seen you wear it before.”
“My mom bought it.” Qingqing said with a beaming smile, “Haven’t you noticed? A lot of people in our village have bought gold jewelry. My dad bought my mom a gold hairpin, which is absolutely beautiful. Sadly, my mom is reluctant to wear it. She said she’ll keep it for me to wear on my wedding day when I get married in the future.”
Lin Qionghua felt mentally exhausted. “Aren’t you afraid of losing it, wearing gold at such a young age? Why don’t you take it back home and lock it away?”
Qingqing looked down at it, then turned to her with a puzzled look. “Why would I lose it? I’ve been wearing it all day and didn’t lose it.”
“You didn’t lose it yesterday, but it’s possible you might lose it today.” Lin Qionghua urged her, “Hurry up and go.”
Qingqing looked down at the gold rat, then looked up at her, and ultimately took the gold rat back home with a hint of reluctance, letting her mother put it away.
The two girls then ran off hand in hand to play.
At noon, Song Lanfang returned to the village and found her daughter playing cat’s cradle with Qingqing under a tree at the village entrance, while a few older women nearby were chatting away about gossip.
She stopped to greet everyone and called for her daughter to go home.
Lin Qionghua was completely engrossed in listening and gestured for her mother to come over.
As Song Lanfang walked closer, she heard Matchmaker Jiang chatting about Yu Feifei, so she also pricked up her ears to listen.
“After the scene she made yesterday, I thought this girl was vain and materialistic. I completely misjudged her; it turns out she’s actually quite decent. She woke up early in the morning to clean up, keeping busy inside and out. Dong Liang’s smile stretched from ear to ear.”
Zhao Cuilan, however, didn’t believe she was that virtuous. “She married Dong Liang at such a young age, isn’t it just for his money?!”
Matchmaker Jiang didn’t appreciate hearing that. “Young girls nowadays are different from how we were back then. Back then, we all listened to our parents, but girls today are incredible; they specifically look for wealthy men. They don’t want to live a hard life, which is perfectly correct. Who doesn’t want to live a good life?”
She asked Zhao Cuilan, “Did you want to live a hard life?”
Zhao Cuilan was left utterly speechless.
Matchmaker Jiang said excitedly, “She was washing clothes at the doorway this morning when she ran into me. She greeted me, and the two of us chatted for a while. She has a younger sister who is just as good-looking as she is, and she asked for my help to introduce a partner.”
Hearing this, anyone with a son at home began to harbor thoughts.
Zhao Cuilan’s eldest son had also reached the right age and still didn’t have a partner. Her eyes lit up, but she immediately remembered the exceptionally high bride price Yu Feifei’s family demanded, causing her to back down. However, refusing to admit she couldn’t afford the money, she sneered, “Looking that beautiful, she obviously isn’t the type to settle down. Just like a vixen, seducing men everywhere. I certainly wouldn’t feel at ease marrying her into my family.”
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Gu family felt Zhao Cuilan’s words were far too biased. “What’s wrong with being beautiful? At least the children she gives birth to in the future will be beautiful, right?”
She let out a sigh. “It’s just a pity our family can’t afford to marry her! The bride price alone requires twenty thousand yuan, and we’d have to buy the four pieces of gold jewelry as well. My mother-in-law just finished her surgery, and the family is waiting to use money. There’s no way we can let Gu De marry her.”
Other families who had harbored similar thoughts also backed out. Indeed, while the girl was beautiful and virtuous, the bride price was simply too expensive.
Seeing that they were reluctant, Matchmaker Jiang quickly added, “If it’s someone of a matching age, it wouldn’t require twenty thousand. Ten thousand would do.”
Although the amount was halved, everyone still felt it was too expensive. One had to understand that the local bride price was only two to three thousand yuan. With it being so much more expensive than other families, who could bear to spend it.
One by one, everyone slipped away, leaving only Matchmaker Jiang behind.
Song Lanfang looked at Matchmaker Jiang. “Yu Feifei is very virtuous?”
Matchmaker Jiang nodded. “Yes. Early this morning, as I walked past their house, she was cleaning up. After the banquet yesterday, the ground was covered in trash, and she cleaned it up until it was spotless. She’s polite too.”
Song Lanfang sighed; occurrences where evil met its rightful retribution were always rare in this world. She had thought that once Yu Feifei entered the household, she would stir up constant chaos in Dong Liang’s home. She hadn’t expected him to marry yet another virtuous wife, which left her feeling a bit disappointed.
Song Lanfang pushed her bicycle toward home, and Lin Qionghua, walking beside her, noticed something unusual about her. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
Song Lanfang couldn’t bring herself to voice her petty thoughts to her daughter. However, Lin Qionghua was exceptionally sharp, so how could she not see through it? With her hands tucked behind her back, she said with a beaming smile, “Mom, a barking dog seldom bites. You’ll understand in the future.”
Song Lanfang didn’t quite understand. Seeing her daughter sweating profusely from the heat and noticing her eldest sister-in-law selling popsicles not far away, she bought two.
When paying, Mu Xiaocao refused to accept the money, but Song Lanfang insisted on giving it. She also looked toward the man sitting nearby. “Who is this?”
Mu Xiaocao explained with a smile, “This is Liu Guoqing. He came to our village to find a partner.”
Song Lanfang realized who it was. So this was the son-in-law her eldest brother-in-law fancied.
Mu Xiaocao prompted Liu Guoqing to greet her. “This is your Third Aunt.”
Liu Guoqing greeted her obediently, “Third Aunt, my name is Liu Guoqing.”
Song Lanfang sized him up from head to toe. He was indeed fair-skinned and handsome, but she just couldn’t understand why he wanted to marry into a family matrilocally.
She nodded at him, chatted with Mu Xiaocao for a brief moment, and then headed home with her daughter.
Lin Qionghua looked at her mother’s bare neck. “Mom, where is your gold necklace?”
Before Song Lanfang could answer, Lin Weisen returned. He came back with an empty cart, having sold out all the cold dishes. Handing the wallet over to his wife, he lifted a portion of salted duck from the cart’s compartment. “Let’s add a meat dish to our meal.”
Lin Qionghua looked at her father and pressed her lips into a straight line. “Mom’s gold necklace is gone.”
The smile on Lin Weisen’s face instantly vanished. He lowered his head to look at his wife’s neck, his brow furrowing deeply. “What happened? Was it stolen or grabbed by someone?”
Seeing him look so anxious, Song Lanfang quickly shook her head. “No! Nobody stole it. It was…” She hesitated, stammering over her words.
Lin Weisen urged her repeatedly.
Only then did Song Lanfang have no choice but to reveal the truth. “My mother asked for it.”
Lin Weisen was about to explode with rage. “On what grounds? I bought it for you, what right does your mother have to take it away?! Who conducts themselves this way?! No! You must go back and ask for it to be returned.”
Song Lanfang remained completely motionless.
Lin Weisen turned around to leave. “Fine, if you won’t go, I will!”
Song Lanfang quickly grabbed hold of him. “Forget it. Don’t go. It wasn’t easy for my mother to raise me. My eldest brother is already so old and still hasn’t married. As his younger sister, it’s nothing for me to contribute a little effort.”
Lin Weisen remained displeased. “It’s not my fault he can’t marry a wife. It’s because there’s an issue with his own legs and feet. Nobody is willing to marry a cripple.”
Song Lanfang dragged him back into the room. Lin Qionghua wanted to follow them, but her mother stopped her.
Lin Qionghua turned back to her own room, opened the drawer, and put the real gold jewelry away securely. She decided not to swap them back anymore.
She didn’t have to wait very long either; Song Lanfang and Lin Weisen soon emerged from the room, the two of them reconciled just as before. Lin Weisen was still thoroughly cheerful. “Qionghua, come help me tend the fire. Let’s stir-fry a dish and then we can start eating.”
Lin Qionghua gave an acknowledging response and locked the drawer securely.
Upon reaching the kitchen, Lin Qionghua asked her father, “Are we still going to get the gold necklace back?”
Lin Weisen glanced at his daughter. “Do you feel that your mother is being foolishly filial?”
Lin Qionghua didn’t want to lie, so she nodded her head.
Lin Weisen let out a sigh. “Back then, your mother was beautiful and many people pursued her, including two wealthy men. Yet your maternal grandmother supported your mother marrying me. Without your maternal grandmother’s support, you wouldn’t even exist. Just on account of her being willing to let your mother marry me, I have to be grateful to your maternal grandmother.”
Lin Qionghua genuinely didn’t know about this matter. “My maternal grandmother actually didn’t prefer a wealthy son-in-law? Is that true or fake?”
“Of course it’s true.” Lin Weisen told her to stop being angry. “Your mother promised me that this would be a one-time thing, and she will absolutely never give anything away next time.”
Lin Qionghua was left speechless; her father was truly easy to fool.
In the blink of an eye, a week passed.
On this day, Lin Qionghua went to the town’s market together with her father. Just as they returned to the village, they encountered Qingqing at the village entrance. She gestured toward Lin Qionghua. “I saw Yu Feifei’s younger sister. She looks exceptionally beautiful, far more beautiful than her. There’s also her mother, who is incredibly gorgeous.”
She gesticulated with exaggeration. “Even more beautiful than your mother.”
Before this year, Song Lanfang was universally recognized as the most beautiful woman in the entire village.
Seeing her speak with such conviction, Lin Qionghua also grew interested. “Really? Where are they?”
“At her house. Come on! Let’s go take a look.” Qingqing took Lin Qionghua’s hand.
Lin Qionghua waved to her father, and hand in hand, the two girls sprinted a dozen meters away in a flash.
Upon reaching the front of Dong Liang’s house, the two children didn’t enter but poked their heads around to peer inside. A few women were indeed seated in the main room, but the room was a bit dark, so Lin Qionghua couldn’t see very clearly.
Right at that moment, Matchmaker Jiang passed by her side, entering the house with a cheerful smile. “Oh my, I heard you all had arrived early this morning. Let me take a look, so I can find a handsome young fellow for you to meet later on.”
The people inside the house immediately came out to greet her, allowing Lin Qionghua to see the other party’s appearance clearly. She found it nearly impossible to describe; the other party was truly a beauty, with skin as fair and delicate as porcelain, an oval face, and watery eyes.
“Wow!” With an exclamation of awe, Lin Qionghua turned her head, only to see the eldest cousin from her second uncle’s family staring infatuatedly at the girl, his eyes completely fixed.