As dawn broke and a thin mist, like gauze, gently enveloped the dilapidated courtyard.
The spiderwebs under the eaves, damp with dew, swayed precariously in the breeze, as if they might break at any moment.
Lin Yun opened her eyes, the wound on her forehead throbbing faintly, reminding her of the harrowing experience she had yesterday.
She slowly got up. The coarse cloth quilt covering her body had long been worn stiff, and it felt like a layer of cold iron covering her.
"Yun'er, you're awake?" Lin's mother's voice came from outside the door, sounding tired and cautious.
Lin Yun responded, slipped on her worn-out cloth shoes, and pushed open the creaking door.
The morning light slanted into the room, and she could finally see the whole house clearly—low earthen walls, mottled window frames, and several chipped, rough porcelain bowls on a rickety wooden table.
A few yellowed vegetable leaves and a few drops of clear soup remained at the bottom of the bowl.
Lin's mother was squatting in front of the stove, holding a handful of withered vegetable leaves and tossing them into the pot. The water in the pot was bubbling and gurgling, but there wasn't a drop of oil in sight.
"Mom, is this all for breakfast?" Lin Yun couldn't help but ask.
Lin's mother paused for a moment, then forced a smile: "Yun'er, you're not well. I'll go to Aunt Zhang's house next door to borrow some rice and make you some porridge."
Lin Yun's heart tightened. She walked to the rice jar, lifted the lid, and saw that the bottom of the jar was empty, with only a few grains of rice lying forlornly in the corner, as if mocking the family's poverty.
"Where is Father?" she asked softly.
“Your father went to the docks to work before dawn, saying he could earn a few extra coins.” Lin’s mother sighed, unconsciously stirring the soup in the pot with a wooden spoon in her hand. “The family… really can’t afford to eat.”
It's a little upsetting; this is her home now.
"Mother, what year is it now?" Lin Yun suddenly asked.
Lin's mother was taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes: "The third year of Yongzheng's reign, Yun'er, do you... still have a headache?"
The third year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign! Lin Yun's heart skipped a beat. She had actually transmigrated to the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty, an era when the national treasury was empty and the people were suffering.
No wonder the family was so poor... Wait, the third year of Yongzheng's reign? Is that the reign of the Fourth Prince Yinzhen?
"So... how much debt does our family owe?" she continued to ask.
Lin's mother's hand trembled, and the soup splashed onto the stove.
She hurriedly wiped her hands with her sleeve and whispered, "In total... there are more than twenty taels of silver. Your elder brother lost ten taels gambling, and the rest... are debts from the shop and interest rates."
Twenty taels! Lin Yun gasped. Although she didn't know the purchasing power of Qing Dynasty currency, she knew that for a family like this, it was undoubtedly an astronomical sum.
"Mother, how much money do we have left?" Lin Yun continued to ask, while a bad feeling crept into her heart.
Lin's mother hesitated for a moment, then took out a tattered cloth bag from her bosom and carefully opened it—inside lay dozens of copper coins, rusty and some so worn that the writing was no longer legible.
"That's all..." Lin's mother's voice was so low it was almost inaudible.
Lin Yun picked up a copper coin and examined it closely. The coin was engraved with the four characters "Yongzheng Tongbao," and its edges were badly worn, indicating that it had been in circulation for a long time.
She suddenly remembered some information she had read in modern times—that prices in the Qing Dynasty were extremely low; one coin could buy a sesame seed cake, and ten coins could buy a pound of rice.
Even so, those few dozen coins wouldn't last more than a few days.
"Yun'er, don't worry," Lin's mother quickly comforted her when she saw her silence. "If your father can earn a few more coins today, we can buy some rice tonight..."
Lin Yun shook her head, put the copper coins back into the cloth bag, and gently stuffed them back into her mother's hand.
"Mom, I'm not eating breakfast." She stood up, her gaze resolute. "Keep this money; I need it."
Lin's mother stared at her blankly, as if she didn't recognize her daughter anymore.
In my memory, my daughter always hid quietly in a corner, like a shy gardenia, speaking softly as if afraid of disturbing others.
Her neighbors often praised her for her beauty, but this beauty became her shackle.
She dared not go out, dared not look up, and even her smile carried a hint of timidity.
The suitors flocked to their door, but how could Lin's parents bear to give their daughter away so easily? They would rather suffer themselves than let Yun'er suffer even the slightest grievance.
But now...
Her tone of voice, the way she walked, even the slight upturn of her chin, all exuded a strange and resolute air.
"This child... could it be that his heart is dead?" Lin's mother's heart clenched suddenly, but she immediately shook her head and denied the thought.
No, Yun'er was perfectly lucid; she was even calmer and more determined than before.
Lin's mother's fingertips trembled slightly as she recalled the day Yun'er hit her head against the wall, her face stained with blood and her breathing so weak it was almost imperceptible.
The doctor shook his head and sighed, saying that if the injury had been even an inch off, not even a celestial being could have saved him.
Lin's mother couldn't help but worry. Yun'er was so strong-willed; if she encountered a villain like Wang Wu again, wouldn't she do something foolish?
“Yun’er…” Madam Lin opened her mouth, but didn’t know what to say. She wanted to ask her daughter why she had suddenly changed her personality, and what those copper coins were going to be used for, but the words stuck in her throat.
In the end, Lin's mother simply sighed softly, stuffed the cloth bag back into her arms, and turned to walk towards the stove.
Lin Yun stood by the window, her gaze fixed on the old locust tree that was half-withered, but her thoughts drifted far away.
In the third year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign... she actually time-traveled, transmigrating into the body of a poor, debt-ridden woman.
"Since there's no going back, then I'll live well." She clenched her fists slightly, her nails digging into her palms, the slight pain making her more alert.
She looked down at her smooth hands. Her parents must have treated her very well; how could she have such smooth skin in such a poor family?
It's quite remarkable. Her own hands had designed countless gorgeous garments in modern times, every stitch and thread imbued with her heart and soul.
Although these hands are not her own, the dexterity in her bones has not disappeared.
The techniques of fabric, needle and thread, and tailoring are still clearly imprinted in her mind.
The clothing of this era is so monotonous. If she could create some novel styles, she would have no shortage of business.
Moreover, she not only understands design, but also business.
In modern times, she made a fortune in the financial markets thanks to her keen investment acumen.
Although we are now living in ancient times, the essence of business has never changed—buy low and sell high, seize demand, and create value.
"Twenty taels of silver..." This debt might not seem like much in modern times, but it was a devastating blow to this family.
Her gaze swept over the dusty loom in the corner, and a plan had already formed in her mind.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
