News that Lin Wan had bought the ruined temple and the surrounding wasteland spread through the village as if it had grown wings.
Before the ox cart had even reached the end of the village, everyone in Xinghua Village already knew.
The news was even more shocking than her cutting ties with her family.
What kind of place was that?
It was the village’s infamous “Ghost’s Misery.”
Nothing grew there except rocks and mud.
Even weeds refused to take root.
People said the temple was haunted.
Just walking inside in broad daylight made the back of your neck feel cold.
And this girl had actually spent five taels of silver to buy that worthless place?
Had a donkey kicked her in the head?
“I think the girl’s completely given up.”
Under the big banyan tree at the village entrance, Old Madam Liu cracked sunflower seeds while gossiping, spitting as she spoke.
“She probably knows she won’t survive this winter, so she spent every last bit of that dirty money she earned selling herself. Might as well enjoy it while she can!”
An old man with a deeply wrinkled face beside her shook his head.
“What a waste. That’s five taels of silver! If she’d bought coarse rice instead, it would’ve fed us for years.”
“Throwing it away like that… She might as well have used it to honor her elders.”
The villagers talked nonstop, looking at Lin Wan as though she were a reckless fool.
In their simple way of thinking, if you had money, you bought grain or farmland.
Buying a barren patch of land where not even grass could grow?
Only a mad person would do something like that.
Everyone stretched their necks, eagerly waiting to watch the siblings make fools of themselves.
They were waiting for the day they spent all their money and froze or starved to death in that ruined temple.
But three days passed.
Everything remained quiet.
No cries of hunger came from the temple.
No foul smell of dead bodies drifted through the air.
The village gossips, who had been eagerly waiting for disaster, grew anxious.
“It’s already been three days, hasn’t it? They should’ve run out of food by now.”
“Exactly. That girl spends money like water. They must’ve gone hungry already.”
“Come on, let’s take a look. Maybe they’ve already starved to death inside. We should report it to the village chief before the bodies start rotting and bring disease.”
The women immediately agreed.
Led by Old Madam Liu, they gathered in small groups, pretending they were heading into the hills to gather firewood.
Instead, they quietly sneaked toward the ruined temple.
Before they even reached the broken courtyard wall…
An overwhelmingly rich aroma drifted toward them on the wind.
The smell nearly stole their souls.
It was the scent of tender braised pork belly mixed with the rich fragrance of simmering bone broth.
There was also the aroma of unfamiliar spices they had never smelled before.
Gulp…
Old Madam Liu swallowed loudly.
Her own family wouldn’t dare cook meat like that even during the New Year.
The women exchanged stunned glances, each seeing the same disbelief and envy in the others’ eyes.
“That… that can’t be possible, can it? Where did they get meat?”
“Exactly! Zhang the butcher is the only one in the village who sells meat, and I never saw them buy any.”
“The smell is incredible… It’s making my mouth water.”
They carefully crept to a gap in the broken courtyard wall.
Peeking inside…
Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
The once-overgrown courtyard had been cleaned until it was spotless.
In one corner stood a simple stone stove.
On top of it, a large black iron pot was bubbling away.
That irresistible aroma was coming straight from the pot.
But what shocked them even more were the siblings.
Lin Wan had rolled up her sleeves and was splitting firewood with a sharp chopping knife.
Her expression was focused.
Every movement was clean and efficient.
Each swing split a log perfectly in half.
The sunlight fell across her pale yet sharply defined profile, giving her an unexpectedly heroic air.
And what about Lin Yulong, the boy everyone said was on the verge of dying?
He was sitting obediently on a small wooden stool beside his sister, neatly stacking the chopped firewood.
Although he was still thin, his cheeks were rosy and his bright eyes sparkled with life.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of illness left.
The siblings had also changed into brand-new, thick cotton winter clothes.
They weren’t made of silk or satin.
But the fabric looked sturdy, and the stitching was tight and well-made.
Compared to the patch-covered rags the villagers wore, they were countless times better.
Did they look like poor people about to starve?
They were living better than some wealthy landlords!
“My heavens… They’re really eating meat!”
One of the women couldn’t help blurting it out before Old Madam Liu quickly covered her mouth.
“Keep your voice down! Don’t let that crazy girl notice us!”
Old Madam Liu stared at the scene inside the courtyard, her eyes burning with jealousy.
She simply couldn’t understand it.
Just three days ago, they had been two pitiful children thrown out of their home without a single coin.
How had they ended up living better than families who had homes and land?
Could that girl really have found some treasure in the back mountains?
Or was it true, as the rumors claimed, that she’d found herself a wealthy lover in town?
“Something’s not right.”
The more Old Madam Liu thought about it, the more suspicious she became.
She pulled the other women together and whispered.
“Let’s go. We need to figure this out. We can’t let that little bitch keep all the good fortune for herself.”
The gossiping women quietly slipped away, already planning to stir up another storm of rumors throughout the village.
What they didn’t know…
Was that their every movement had already been detected by Lin Wan’s sharp hearing.
Lin Wan paused in the middle of chopping wood.
A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
It seemed these peaceful days wouldn’t last much longer.
There were always flies that didn’t know when to stop buzzing around.
“Big Sister, what’s wrong?”
Lin Yulong noticed the change in her expression and asked nervously.
“Nothing. Just a few stray dogs barking outside.”
Lin Wan gently rubbed his head, her tone relaxed.
“Come on. The meat’s ready. Let’s eat.”
She lifted the steaming pot of braised pork, and the rich aroma spread through the air once more.
The siblings sat on the temple’s doorstep, each holding a bowl of meat soup, eating until their mouths were glistening with oil.
The relaxed and peaceful scene made the villagers secretly watching from afar green with envy.
Word spread from one person to another.
Soon, everyone in Xinghua Village knew that not only had the siblings not starved to death…
They were eating meat every day while living on their newly purchased land.
Naturally…
The news also reached the dark, damp Lin family home, where nothing remained but despair and regret.
“What?!”
Inside the main room, Zhang Shi was nibbling on a dark, coarse bran cake while drinking a bowl of rice porridge so thin it reflected her face.
The moment she heard the news, the bran cake slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
“Those two little bastards aren’t dead? They’re eating meat every single day?!”
Lin Daqiang was lying on the heated brick bed, his injured leg still not fully healed.
The moment he heard the word “meat,” he couldn’t stop himself from drooling.
“Mother, where did they get the money to buy meat? Did they secretly sell that He Shou Wu?”
“Bullshit!”
Old Madam Lin slammed her cane against the floor.
“That girl hasn’t even left the village! Where could she have sold it?”
Greed gleamed in her triangular eyes.
“I told you from the very beginning—that wretched girl must be hiding some other treasure!”
“No, we can’t let this go!”
Zhang Shi slapped her thigh viciously.
“The meat they’re eating and the clothes they’re wearing should all belong to our Daqiang!”
“Husband, hurry and get the village chief. Tell him that girl stole the family’s money!”
Old Man Lin squatted silently in the corner, smoking his pipe without saying a word.
For the past few days, every time he closed his eyes…
He saw Lin Wan’s cold, lifeless gaze.
And the chopping knife pressed against his neck.
She had truly frightened him.
“Go already! You useless coward! Have you gone mute?”
Seeing that he remained silent, Zhang Shi stormed over and reached for his ear.
Old Madam Lin hobbled over as well and repeatedly struck his back with her cane.
“Boss, I’m telling you now. If you don’t go, then you’re no son of mine!”
“Everything the Lin family owns belongs to us! Why should those two ungrateful little traitors get any of it?”
Left with no choice, Old Man Lin slowly struggled to his feet.
“I’ll go… I’ll go, alright?”
With his back hunched over like a shrimp with its spine removed, he shuffled out of the courtyard.
Old Madam Lin and Zhang Shi exchanged a glance.
Both saw the same greedy determination in each other’s eyes.
“That little bitch.”
“You think you can fight us? You’re still far too inexperienced.”
Zhang Shi spat on the ground viciously.
“Once we drag her back, I’ll break both her legs!”