Jin and Sun Yuanhu carried lanterns and walked in the dark to their own medicinal herb field.
"Hurry up, if other people find out, how much money will you, you idiot, get?"
Sun Yuanhu was given a good scolding by Jin Shi. He pounded the ground with the hoe in his hand, and mosquitoes buzzed around his ears. Jin Shi was bitten so badly that she jumped up and down.
The two dug for half an hour, their necks and faces red from being bitten, and they dug through more than half an acre of land, but they still didn't find a trace of copper coins.
"That's strange, that little brat was clearly picked up from the ground."
The moon was high in the sky, shining brightly on the ground, and Sun Yuanhu swung his hoe even more diligently.
"I knew it! There's no such thing as a free lunch!"
"What's the rush? They haven't dug over there yet. Let's go take a look."
The next day, early in the morning.
Sun Miao'er went to the pigsty to feed the pigs and bumped into two people returning from the fields.
"Second Uncle and Second Aunt, where did you come from? Oh dear! Second Aunt looks terrible. Should we get someone to take a look?"
Jin was still not giving up. The two of them spent the whole night turning their wasteland upside down, but they still couldn't find the copper coin that Sun Xiaoman had mentioned.
"You're always meddling in other people's business. Why don't you hurry up and go to the kitchen to cook some porridge? Do you think you can just freeload off us because you can't find a good buyer?"
The two men's eyes were now bruised, which was exactly what Sun Miao'er wanted.
In the kitchen, Grandma Sun lay on the wooden board next to the stove. "Did the second son's wife trip you up again?"
"Grandma, Miao'er is doing very well. I saw a magpie in the yard this morning, so I think something good is going to happen."
Old Mrs. Sun's face fell long. "A family that's not a family, a mother who's not kind and a son who's not filial—what good things can come of that?"
"Grandma will find out later."
The rice in the rice jar was almost gone, and the rice had turned yellow. Sun Miao'er frowned. This family was really starving. Poor Xiaoman was such a foodie.
Mi Sunmiao knew this like the back of her hand. She carefully picked out a small handful and tossed it into the pot. She didn't know how long the rest would last.
"The porridge my sister cooks smells so good!"
Only a stick of incense had burned, and Xiaoman had already slipped into the kitchen and circled around behind Sun Miaoer.
Xiaoman's face beamed with anticipation, and Sun Miao'er's worries vanished.
Having such a clever younger brother means you have plenty of ideas.
"Your nose is more useful than a puppy's; I just put the porridge in the pot and you're here."
Xiaoman snuggled up to Grandma Sun. In the morning, his mother went to his room with a cold face and asked him if he was lying. He shook his head with all his might to avoid a beating and quickly ran to Grandma Sun to hide.
"Come on, Xiaoman, take this bowl of porridge to your second uncle and aunt."
Although Jin was utterly wicked, considering that Old Madam Sun and she were now helpless, Sun Miao'er had to play along and wait until she had saved enough money to redeem Xiao Ning and had the capital to separate from the family before dealing with Jin.
"Woman, if I leave now, this amount of money won't even be enough to fill my stomach."
Sun Yuanhu stood in the courtyard with his luggage on his back. Jin Shi rolled her eyes at him, her resentment overflowing. "Our family is so poor that we're practically penniless, and you still ask me for money? It's my ancestors' fault that I married into your Sun family!"
Unable to raise enough money to pay off their debts, the two discussed it and decided to send Sun Yuanhu away to avoid his creditors. However, they argued again about money before he left.
"It's not that your ancestors committed evil deeds; it's clearly that our Sun family has lost our virtuous karma!"
Grandma Sun sighed in the kitchen. Back then, it was clearly Sun Yuanhu who took a liking to Jin Shi because she was quite pretty, and Jin Shi, seeing that the Sun family was wealthy, had ulterior motives, which is why they agreed to the marriage.
"It's good that Second Uncle isn't home, so Grandma won't be bothered. I'll take Xiaoman to the fields later, and Grandma can come with us."
Upon hearing that the siblings were going to the fields, the mother was alarmed, saying, "The fields are full of weeds and bugs; you might get bitten."
"No, Grandma, you'll see when you get there."
That abandoned medicinal herb field was not only her hope, but also the culmination of Old Lady Sun's life's work.
When the three of them arrived at the field, Grandma Sun's face was filled with disbelief. "What happened?"
Normally, this wasteland is overgrown with weeds, making it unapproachable, but now it has all been uprooted and can be transformed into fertile land with just a little tidying up.
"Grandma, this is all thanks to Xiaoman."
Sun Miao'er joked.
"Don't talk nonsense, our Xiaoman is still a child."
Surprised, Grandma Sun couldn't hide her joy. She thought she would never see this day before she died, but instead, she was blessed by her grandchildren, who brought life back to her few acres of land.
Sun Miao'er held Grandma Sun's hand, "Grandma, don't worry about these things. Yesterday I got some corn seeds from Aunt Ge. Corn is easy to grow. This land has been barren for so many years, so why not plant some corn to nourish the land first, and then get some medicinal herbs to plant later."
"Oh dear, that corn is Aunt Ge's treasure!"
Miao'er used to be quiet and reserved, but after falling ill, she became much more energetic and came up with one clever idea after another.
That's good. Now that we've found a good family for her, Miao'er can finally live a peaceful life.
Grandma Sun pondered in her heart, though she was old, her mind was still very clear.
Sun Miao'er arranged the small stool and told Grandma Sun to sit properly. "Miao'er is young, so I specially asked Grandma to come and guide her. It would be a pity if she ruined these seeds that we finally got!"
“My dear child, Grandma is watching right here. Be careful, there are a lot of bugs in this field.”
Sun Miao'er was prepared. She got some mint leaves from somewhere, crushed them, and smeared them on her and Xiaoman's faces, arms, and necks. It looked a bit ugly, but it was very effective at repelling mosquitoes.
"Hey, Old Sun, are you feeling any better?"
Granny Lü was a lucky woman. She rode in her son's oxcart past the field and called out to him twice.
Grandma Sun was usually bullied by her daughter-in-law at home and couldn't hold her head up in front of others, but today she could finally stand up for herself.
"I'm much better now. My grandchildren brought me to the field to plant corn."
Granny Lü's gaze fell on Sun Miao'er. "Miao'er has grown up so much, she looks exactly like her mother when she was young."
It's like bringing up a sore spot; everyone in the village knows that Song has disappeared.
That's how it is in the village; people always have to talk about other people's shortcomings in front of others and touch on their sore spots.
"Grandma Lü, I brought my grandma here to farm. Next year, when we harvest the corn, we'll send some to your house."
She didn't take Granny Lü's words to heart at all, and instead of getting to the point, she captured Granny Lü's gossipy heart.
"Alright, you guys go ahead with your work, this old woman will be going now."
Granny Lü was at a loss; the other party didn't want to pay any attention to her, and she was too lazy to make a fool of herself.
Sun Miao'er poured a bowl of tea for Grandma Sun. She was slightly out of breath from the work. "Grandma, I believe my mother will come back. She won't abandon me and Xiao Ning. No matter how long it takes, I will wait for her to come back with Xiao Ning."
Before Grandma Sun could speak, Sun Miao'er had already addressed her concerns.
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