The old lady went off to cook, and a group of little kids trailed after her.
“Grandma’s angry—we can’t let her hit little sister. We have to cheer her up!”
The one who spoke was Xi Bao, the eldest grandson from the first branch, now nine years old. He also had an eight-year-old younger brother, Huan Bao, who had gone to visit their maternal grandparents these past few days.
The other three little ones were the second branch’s twins, Su Chen and Su Yu, and the third branch’s son, Su Mingxuan.
As the old lady cooked, the children chattered endlessly beside her, trying their best to coax her into a better mood.
Before long, the meal was ready.
The dishes were placed on the table, but no one dared to move.
“Alright, eat,” Old Madam Su finally said.
Only after hearing this did Old Master Su pick up his chopsticks. Once he started, the rest of the family followed and began eating quietly.
Old Madam Su scooped a large spoonful of steamed egg custard into Su Muyao’s bowl.
The small dish of egg custard was nearly emptied by that single scoop.
Watching this, Su Muyao felt a pang in her heart.
She realized she needed to find a way to earn money for the family as soon as possible.
Maybe it was time to come up with an excuse to take some things out from her space… little by little.
Over the past year, she had clearly felt how much this family loved her—more than even the mischievous boys in the house.
“This cabbage is really tasty—little sister, you eat!”
Four-year-old Su Mingxuan, still slightly unclear in his speech, carefully picked food for her.
That small gesture alone made Su Muyao firm up her resolve.
Old Madam Su glanced at her grandson, who looked like a little glutton fussing over his sister.
“If your sister wants something, she’ll take it herself. Just eat your own food—you’re just like your father!”
At the side, Mingxuan’s mother watched with quiet pride, thinking her son had grown up enough to care for his little sister.
While Old Madam Su lowered her head to eat, Su Mingxuan made a funny face at his sister.
Seeing his adorable expression, Su Muyao almost couldn’t resist pinching his cheeks.
Soon, the whole family ate their fill—something rare—and after the satisfying meal, everyone prepared to go about their chores.
“Grandpa, Grandma, uncles, Father, Mother—wait a moment. I have something to tell you.”
At her words, even the second aunt, who had been about to wash the dishes, stopped what she was doing.
Everyone returned to their seats.
Only then did Su Muyao speak.
“In my dreams, there’s an old man with a white beard who teaches me things every day.”
The moment she said this, Old Master Su immediately thought about taking his granddaughter to a doctor.
He had heard stories before—children who fell ill and started talking about dreams, spirits, or strange visions. Could his precious granddaughter be sick too?
But Old Madam Su, sharp as ever, stopped him.
“Let her finish first.”
Su Muyao continued, “That white-bearded old man not only taught me how to understand animals, he also gave me many things—and even recipes. In the future, our family could start a business…”
The family listened as the little girl sat at the table, her small mouth moving as she spoke of plans for the future.
But they were simple farmers. Being able to eat three meals a day was already their greatest wish—how could they even imagine doing business and making big money?
Even Old Madam Su simply treated it as a child’s imagination.
“Alright, alright,” she said indulgently. “Our good girl will earn lots of money in the future and buy pretty clothes and nice hair ribbons.”
Su Muyao nodded seriously. “And I’ll buy Grandma big gold bracelets too.”
Old Madam Su was so delighted by her granddaughter’s sweet words that she completely forgot about scolding her for running off to the mountains.
Old Master Su, however, felt a little jealous. “Oh? You only remember your grandma? What about me?”
Su Muyao grinned. “Of course not! When I earn money, I’ll buy Grandpa a jade smoking pipe.”
That instantly pleased him. Chuckling, he waved his hand. “No need for jade—that’s for rich families. When our good girl makes money, just get Grandpa some fine tobacco.”
Seeing that nothing serious had happened, everyone soon went back to their chores.
Su Muyao didn’t mind at all. From now on, anything unusual she brought out could simply be blamed on her “dream.”
She didn’t need them to fully believe her yet—just planting the idea was enough.
While the whole family busied themselves, no one noticed that the little girl who had just returned from the mountains at noon was already planning to sneak out again.
But this time, she wasn’t so lucky.
Before she could slip away, Su Sanlang caught her.
“Trying to sneak out again? Don’t tell me you’re heading back up the mountain?”
Caught red-handed, Su Muyao saw it was her father—and immediately relaxed.
Her father doted on her, and he was also a bit money-minded. If she told him she was going to make money in the mountains, he might just agree.
“Father, listen to me. I’m going to do something important in the mountains. Please don’t tell Grandma, or she’ll definitely beat me.”
Su Sanlang snorted. “No.”
“Please, father~” she pleaded.
“I said no—unless…”
Hearing that, Su Muyao’s eyes lit up. “Unless what?”
“Unless I go with you.”
“Deal! Let’s go!”
She quickly grabbed his hand and dragged him outside before he could change his mind.
On the way, Su Sanlang said, “Wait a moment. I’m going to dig some wild vegetables near the mountain. Stay behind me and don’t run off.”
“I know, I know—you’ve said it three times already.”
As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, Su Muyao began rummaging through the grass, searching for medicinal herbs.
Before transmigrating, she had crammed a lot of knowledge about herbs—this was her first step toward making a fortune.
Thinking about her family’s hardships, she quickened her pace toward the mountain.
“Good girl, don’t go any deeper. Stay nearby,” her father warned.
“Got it!”
“Father, do you think there are bird eggs in that tree? Look at that big nest up there!”
Su Sanlang looked up and saw a large nest perched on a thick branch. It really was possible there were eggs inside.
“Stay here and behave. I’ll climb up and check.”
“Don’t worry, father! I’ll wait right here. If there are eggs, we can boil them tonight!”
The moment her father started climbing, Su Muyao began searching the surrounding area for herbs.
Her efforts paid off—she actually found quite a few.
Though most were common and inexpensive, there was a whole patch of wild chrysanthemums nearby, which she planned to gather later.
She also spotted a few stalks of Longyang grass, a sun-loving herb known for clearing heat and detoxifying—quite valuable in ancient times.
Then, suddenly, she noticed a plant whose leaves looked strikingly like ginseng.
Her gaze swept across the area—clusters of ginseng leaves, and atop them, those familiar bright red berries.
Su Muyao froze.
“…Could I really be Heaven’s favorite daughter?”
“These are the kinds of lucky encounters only the protagonists in novels have… and I just stumbled upon them like this?”