After sharing the secret of the convenience store they were both protecting, Lu Lin and Chen Xiaomi grew much closer.
With money in hand, Chen Xiaomi was no longer in a hurry to earn more.
With winter approaching, Chen Xiaomi stopped hunting and gathered more firewood.
Chen Xiaomi heard from Lu Lin that the kang (heated brick bed) would be very warm in winter if heated, but it would use a lot of firewood.
Lu Lin, watching Chen Xiaomi chop firewood, witnessed Chen Xiaomi's incredible strength once again. With a single stroke of Chen Xiaomi's cleaver, a branch as wide as an adult's palm was chopped off. Chen Xiaomi also ran quickly while carrying the wood. Chen Xiaomi chopped three piles of firewood, while Lu Lin hadn't even finished one pile.
Chen Xiaomi knew that Lu Lin was a "young master" from a "wealthy family" in his previous life and didn't know how to do farm work. It was already quite remarkable that he could do this much. In addition, considering the money Lu Lin had earned, she was very tolerant of him.
The situation at the Chen family's house naturally became a topic of discussion among the villagers.
With new clothes being made and grain being bought, the villagers couldn't help but marvel at how quickly the hunters made money.
Suddenly, the villagers' interest in going into the mountains to hunt surged again; however, many gave up again when they thought about the dangers of going into the mountains.
Chen Xiaomi and Lu Lin spent more than ten days gathering firewood. Lu Lin also dug up some yams, picked a lot of mushrooms, and dug up some bamboo shoots to store in the shop.
Mushrooms don't have a long shelf life and generally need to be dried to preserve them. The same goes for yams; if dug-up yams aren't eaten promptly, they're prone to mold. However, if they're stored in a convenience store, this isn't a concern.
Chen Xiaomi and Lu Lin took some time to build a kang (a heated brick bed) for Zhou Lao, an old hunter in the village.
After Zhou the hunter became lame, the broken leg would hurt terribly every time it rained. Lu Lin said that repairing a kang (a heated brick bed) would make it much better, and Chen Xiaomi thought of it.
Old Zhou didn't really care about the kang (heated brick bed) at first, but after it was actually built, he liked it very much and stayed on it all day, not even wanting to get off.
Chen Xiaomi gathered some more firewood for Old Zhou and piled it in the woodshed. Soon, the news about the kang (heated brick bed) spread throughout the village.
After a cold snap, the weather got much colder, and everyone was thinking about how to keep warm.
Soon, the news that Chen Xiaomi had built a kang (heated brick bed) for Old Zhou spread throughout the village.
Hunter Zhou's legs are failing him, and Old Zhou has no land. In the past few years, he managed to save some money by hunting and selling mountain products, which he can now exchange for some grain. But with only expenses and no income, he doesn't know how many more years he can last.
Many villagers would exchange grain for money with him, and once they entered the house, they naturally noticed the kang (heated brick bed) in Zhou the Hunter's house.
Anyone who has been to Old Zhou's place knows that there is a magical thing there that is very warm to sleep on.
For a time, many people came to watch the kang (heated brick bed) at Zhou's place. The villagers were quite simple and honest; most of them brought a bunch of vegetables, two eggs, a handful of rice, or a load of firewood when they came to watch the kang.
Although there wasn't much, it was still a small supplement.
Those who come to see the kang (heated brick bed) inevitably end up sitting on it.
Suddenly, Old Zhou's place, which had been quiet and deserted, became bustling with visitors, and the threshold was almost worn out.
The villagers reacted differently when they learned that Chen Xiaomi had helped build the kang (heated brick bed).
In the villagers' minds, Chen Xiaomi was a wicked person who did all sorts of evil deeds, and many villagers were quite surprised that Chen Xiaomi would do such a good thing.
When news of the kang (heated brick bed) reached the Chen family, it infuriated them.
Old Mrs. Chen grumbled and cursed at home for a long time, incessantly calling Chen Xiaomi a traitor who only knew how to give away good things to outsiders.
Old Master Lu also went to Old Hunter Zhou's place to try out the kang (heated brick bed) and found it very warm.
After trying it out, Grandpa Lu's mind started racing. He thought to himself: This kang was built by Lu Lin and Chen Xiaomi together, so Lu Lin should know how to build it. Now this kang is all over the village, and everyone is envious! If we had one, it would be a real status symbol.
After making up his mind, Grandpa Lu asked Lu Tong to go find Lu Lin, but Lu Tong returned empty-handed once again.
"Why didn't that brat come?" The old lady was immediately displeased when she saw that Lu Tong had returned alone again.
During the busy farming season, Lu Lin didn't come back, which made the old lady unhappy. Knowing that the old man had invited Lu Lin home to build the kang (a heated brick bed), the old lady thought she would show her authority and teach Lu Lin a lesson. However, she didn't expect that Lu Lin was unwilling to come back at all.
"Hasn't he come back yet?"
Lu Tong nodded and said, "Yes, my cousin doesn't want to come back. He also said that he doesn't know how, and that Chen Xiaomi repaired the kang (a heated brick bed), and he was just helping out."
The old lady snorted and said, "Hmph, what can't he do? To put it bluntly, he's just being lazy. He hasn't come back even once since he left home. I think he's married into the family and doesn't care about his family at all."
The old lady felt that things couldn't continue like this, so she decided to go find Lu Lin.
...
When the old lady found Chen Xiaomi, Lu Lin was sleeping.
Lu Lin is actually a lazy person with no ambition.
Because of the cold weather and the lack of air conditioning, Lu Lin became addicted to sleeping in late.
With money in hand, Chen Xiaomi no longer had to worry about winter food, and she turned a blind eye to Lu Lin's habit of sleeping in late.
In Chen Xiaomi's view, Lu Lin was a scholar from a wealthy family in his previous life, and it was still unfair for him to marry into her family now.
He had taken such a big advantage from the other party, so it wasn't a big deal for Lu Lin to just sleep a little longer.
Now that winter is here, it's time to take a break.
Lu Lin was sleeping soundly when he heard a commotion. When he went outside, he saw Xiao Cai and the old lady confronting each other.
The old woman lay on the ground, wailing, "They hit someone! They killed someone!"
Lu Lin glanced at Chen Xiaocai and asked, "What happened?"
Chen Xiaocai frowned and said, "This old woman started cursing as soon as she came in. I hit her once, and she just lay on the ground and wouldn't get up."
Lu Lin rolled his eyes, thinking to himself: "The old lady's lying on the ground like this, not getting up, is she trying to extort money? She's trying to scam me!"
Chen Xiaomi's group quickly gathered a large number of people.
Lu Lin looked at the group of onlookers and felt a little puzzled. This place was rather remote, and he wondered when these people had arrived. Perhaps they came together because they saw that the old lady was going to cause trouble.
"You heartless bastard, you're so unfilial! Second son, look what kind of son you've raised!"
"Second brother, did you give birth to a son just to bring me bad luck?!"
"Second son, look at your son! He married a hemiplegic woman and now he doesn't recognize his grandparents anymore, he doesn't even come home! He's giving all the good things to outsiders!"
...
Wang lay on the ground and refused to get up. As more and more people gathered to watch the spectacle, Wang's wailing grew louder and louder.
With Chen Xiaomi absent, several villagers whispered among themselves as they looked at Lu Lin.
...
A short while later, the village head was also invited.
"Young Lin, what's going on?" the village head asked.
Lu Lin calmly replied, "My grandma came to the house to steal things, but Xiao Cai caught her and hit her a few times."
Upon hearing Lu Lin's words, Wang Shi, who was lying on the ground pretending to be half-dead, almost jumped up.
The onlookers immediately started gossiping. Stealing was a big deal in the countryside; if you got caught, people would talk behind your back.
Wang glared fiercely at Lu Lin, "You heartless bastard, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Lu Lin looked at Wang Shi and said in a gentle tone, "Grandma, I married into the family, and my family gave me ten taels of silver for millet. You can't just steal it because you think you're losing out just because you think millet is making more money! My eldest cousin is a scholar, and what you're doing isn't good for him either!"
Lu Lin spoke with earnestness and sincerity, and Chen Xiaocai couldn't help but give Lu Lin a strange look.
Hearing the commotion, Chen Xiaomai ran out. Upon hearing Lu Lin's words, she grinned and said, "Stealing, stealing."
When Lu Lin heard Chen Xiaomai's shout, he immediately thought that Chen Xiaomai's words were a good match! In the eyes of the villagers, Chen Xiaomai was silly and foolish, so what she said must not be false.
Lu Lin decided that once everyone in the family left, he would steam a bowl of Xiaomai's favorite steamed egg custard.
Upon hearing Chen Xiaomai's words, the village head turned ashen with anger.
Upon hearing Lu Lin mention ten taels of silver and hearing that Wang had stolen something, the villagers became excited.
Many villagers toil all year and only earn seven or eight taels of silver. Ten taels of silver is a huge sum! Wang has already gotten such a great deal, yet she's still not satisfied. That's not right!
Wang stopped crying and looked at Lu Lin with malice.
Lu Lin lowered his head, looking sincere.
Looking at the expressions of the people around her, Wang was both angry and anxious. "You heartless bastard, what nonsense are you spouting? I'll strangle you!"
"Grandma, my father died in battle, my mother died from exhaustion, and I married into another family. Our second branch of the family has no descendants. You're trying to steal Xiaomi's money? Aren't you trying to drive me to the brink of despair?"
When the villagers heard what Lu Lin said, they began to criticize Wang Shi, saying that the extinction of the family line in this place was a serious matter.
The villagers believed Lu Lin's words. After all, in their eyes, Lu Lin was an honest man who worked hard without lifting a finger. If he hadn't been so honest, he wouldn't have ended up being married off to another family. Besides, the villagers knew what Lu Lin looked like when he left home.
Chen Xiaomi has such a bad temper! If Wang really takes the money, Lu Lin will definitely get beaten up, and might even be beaten to death.
The village head looked at Wang and said, "Have you made enough of a scene? Get up now."
"Murder! The grandson has slandered his grandmother!" Wang lay on the ground, wailing in anguish.
Lu Lin listened to Wang's wailing but did not express his opinion.
The village head gave Lu Lin a meaningful look and said, "Lin, although you married into Chen Xiaomi's family, you are still a member of the Lu family."
Lu Lin glanced at the village head and said, "Uncle Zhang is right. Before, when I was sick, my family spent one or two taels of silver to treat me. They still couldn't bear to part with me."
The villagers looked at Lu Lin and thought to themselves: Lu Lin is too honest. He only spent one tael of silver for the medical treatment, but he could sell it for ten taels of silver. If it weren't for that money, how could the Lu family afford to treat Lu Lin?
The village head, with a stern face, gave Lu Lin a cool look and said, "It's good that you understand."
The village head had Wang Shi taken away. The rest of the people, seeing that there was no more drama to watch and fearing that Chen Xiaomi would come back to cause trouble, dispersed.
The story of Wang stealing from the Chen family and being beaten by the Chen family's children quickly spread throughout the village.
When Wang returned to the Lu family, Old Master Lu slapped her across the face.
Wang was used to being arrogant at home, and was furious when she was suddenly slapped.
No matter how Wang explained that he hadn't stolen the money, his family didn't believe him.
Many people in the village knew that Chen Xiaomi had made a lot of money selling wine in town, and Wang Shi knew it too.
Mrs. Tang had heard the old lady scold him quite a bit. When Chen Xiaomi said it was ten taels of silver, he should have negotiated the price further, at least to fifteen taels. Because of this, Mrs. Tang felt that the old lady was greedy for money and might have taken advantage of the situation to steal.
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