After going up the mountain, Zhou Qingling went straight to the place where the lingzhi mushrooms were said to grow in the book. It had to be said that the location was truly remote; otherwise, it would have already been picked clean.
This area was deeper in the mountain than where the villagers usually went. Otherwise, it would never have been the Original Owner’s turn to pick anything here.
The ground was covered with thick layers of fallen leaves, damp and humid. She did not dare to move forward carelessly and used a wooden stick to probe the surroundings. From time to time, rustling sounds came from the bushes, causing her hair to stand on end and making her want to leave.
But thinking of the white silver waiting for her, she forced herself to stay. As the saying went, a horse would not grow fat without grazing at night, and a person would not become wealthy without unexpected gains.
From childhood to now, her luck had never been good. When buying sunflower seeds or drinks, unlike other classmates who occasionally won prizes, she had never once won anything. Every time, she only received four words: “Thank you for your patronage.”
But everyone had a few moments in life when heaven granted them opportunity. Zhou Qingling knew this was the moment to change her fate.
She gathered her courage and walked forward. The ground beneath her feet felt soft as she stepped on the fallen leaves.
The closer she got, the faster her heart beat. Ahead, she saw a rotten branch, and on it grew a small brown umbrella-like fungus—that was the lingzhi mushroom. If one did not look carefully, it would have been impossible to notice, which was why it had not been picked yet.
In her modern life, she had only seen such things in videos, never in real life. This lingzhi was not as large as those shown online; it was only about the size of her fist.
At that moment, a “ding” sounded in her mind, startling her.
She immediately realized that her so-called “golden finger” from transmigration had finally arrived. Although it was two months late, she did not mind—having it was better than having nothing.
A ten-square-meter storage space immediately appeared in her mind, and her body vanished from the spot.
The storage space was a square room with neatly laid blue stone tiles on the ground, and nothing else inside.
She immediately took off the undergarment where she had hidden her money, tore open the sewn pocket, and placed five copper coins into the storage space.
During this period, she had been wearing double-layered undergarments. Every time she needed to access the inner layer, she had to do so secretly and carefully, afraid of being discovered.
Without lingering, she quickly exited the storage space. Zhou Qingling did not pick the lingzhi mushroom. Instead, she carried the dead branch it was growing on into the storage space, thinking that even if she did not have time to sell it in the next few days, she could still preserve it for a while.
After that, she dug out 115 copper coins she had buried in the back mountain and placed them all into the storage space.
Only after finishing all this did the heavy stone in Zhou Qingling’s heart finally lift. Ever since arriving in this dynasty, she had lived cautiously every moment, never daring to relax. But with this storage space, she now had something to rely on, and she felt more courage toward the future. Her steps became lighter as she headed down the mountain.
During these days, Lin Guihua had been restless. She always felt she had lost something extremely important, though she did not know why. She simply felt the urge to go up the mountain, as if something had quietly slipped away from her.
In the evening, the Zhou family sat in the hall waiting for dinner. Mother Zhou placed the steamed corn buns on the table but did not see the eldest son.
She asked Father Zhou: “Where is Dahai?”
Father Zhou wiped his freshly washed hands with a cloth and replied: “He went out for a walk and hasn’t come back yet.”
Mother Zhou was about to ask the younger son to go look for him in the village when Zhou Guanghai returned looking dejected.
Mother Zhou asked in surprise: “What happened to you? Why are you hanging your head like that?”
Wasn’t he quite happy a few days ago? He had just taken a liking to a girl, and she had even planned to ask a matchmaker to arrange the proposal.
“Nothing… nothing happened.” Zhou Guanghai stammered.
Seeing his son like this, Father Zhou frowned and said: “Dahai, speak properly. What exactly happened?”
The whole family looked at him.
Zhou Guanghai pulled a stool over and sat down with a long face. “Father, Mother… the Lin family said the betrothal gift must be twenty taels of silver.”
“What?! Twenty taels? Why don’t they just rob us?” Mother Zhou exclaimed in shock.
Her reaction was not unreasonable. In rural villages, the usual betrothal gift was two taels of silver, maybe three or four for wealthier families.
Earlier that year, the eldest daughter of Wang Shoucai’s family had married into the city, and the groom had only given five taels of silver, which had already made the entire village envious.
No one in Yangliu Village had ever heard of a twenty-tael bride price. That was an outrageous sum—enough to buy a person from outside.
Moreover, Mother Zhou had never thought highly of the Lin family. They were known throughout the village for being difficult and having a poor reputation. The head of the Lin family was lazy and constantly tried to take advantage of relatives and neighbors, while the Lin woman was timid and tearful, never able to stand up for herself. At first, people had sympathized with her, but since she would not defend herself, no one bothered anymore.
Mother Zhou, as a daughter herself, understood how families could exploit their own. But since her eldest son liked the girl and the Lin daughter’s reputation was acceptable, she had once thought it could work—like “buying a pig without caring about the pen.”
Now, in anger, she slammed her chopsticks down and said: “That Lin family is no good! She’s not some heavenly fairy, yet they dare ask for twenty taels. Tomorrow I’ll go find a matchmaker and arrange another girl for you.”
Zhou Guanghai sat silently, not responding. Mother Zhou continued scolding him, but he did not listen.
Finally, Father Zhou saw that Mother Zhou was getting nowhere and slapped the table, cutting her off. “Enough. Dahai, you know what bride prices are like in our village. No one has ever asked for this amount. You also know our family situation. Tomorrow, let your mother find you another match.”
Zhou Guanghai fell into silence. He did not want another girl. He only liked Guihua. This was the first time he had ever fallen for someone, and he could not bear to see her suffer at home. He wished he could immediately bring her into his household.
As for his family, he knew his parents had money and could afford the twenty taels.
But he also knew the price was far too high.
Yet when he thought of Lin Guihua’s tearful eyes looking at him so softly, his heart softened completely.
Between his parents who raised him and the woman he loved, he truly did not know what to choose.
The entire family held their breath. Even the usually favored Old Fourth kept his head lowered.
After a long silence, Zhou Guanghai seemed to make a decision. He wiped his face and said: “Father, Mother… I like Guihua.” After saying this, he turned and walked into the room.
Those words enraged Mother Zhou. She said to Father Zhou: “I really raised him for nothing!”
Father Zhou let out a long sigh. As the saying went, when a young man grows up, he begins to admire beauty. His son was no longer someone who simply obeyed everything.
That meal passed without taste for anyone. In the following days, although Mother Zhou still felt sorry for her son, she never agreed to the bride price.
The atmosphere in the household became tense.
Zhou Qingling became even more careful in her actions, afraid of becoming the target of someone’s anger.
Second Sister Zhou Qingcha had to submit a batch of handkerchiefs and knots, and she was busy every day.
Previously, Mother Zhou would occasionally help with cooking, but due to her disagreement with Zhou Guanghai, she had no mood for it. Almost all household chores fell onto Zhou Qingling alone.
She did not even know who to pass the work to. Everyone had perfect excuses for not doing anything.
For tasks like chopping firewood or carrying water, Father Zhou and Old Fourth could not be counted on—one was a scholar and the family’s treasure, the other was the head of the household, whom she did not dare to order around.
As for the eldest brother, he was still sulking. In modern terms, it was like a man coming home from work, collapsing onto the sofa, and refusing to lift a finger. In this feudal era, a man who did not beat his wife or children was already considered decent.
At this moment, the eldest brother was probably somewhere comforting his beloved.
Zhou Qingling carried the last bucket of water into the water vat, her back aching so much it was almost impossible to straighten. After a long while, she finally recovered and lay down on the wooden bed.
Listening to the frogs outside, she closed her eyes.
Tomorrow would still be a busy day.