Granny Wang patted her leg and wailed softly, "You two, father and son, are really cutting flesh from my bones! Your father has asked me for dozens of taels of silver, and now you're asking me for more. Add to that what I've already spent, and I have nothing left! Are you trying to kill me?!"
"Grandma, stop complaining about being poor! If you don't do it yourself, I'll find one myself!"
Granny Wang glared at him fiercely, "What sins have I committed, you old woman!"
She wiped her nose and could only pull out a small bag from under the bed. She counted it; there were a little over three taels of silver in total, including loose silver and copper coins.
He pushed it in front of Su Xiaoqiang, saying, "I don't have much, just these. Do you want them?"
Su Xiaoqiang pursed his lips and weighed the money bag in his hand.
Well, a little over three ounces is fine. Something is better than nothing.
Besides, with his grandmother around, he wouldn't have to worry about not having money to spend.
That old woman is definitely hiding something!
He just couldn't understand why a man in black would leave such a large sum of silver in his yard.
Not to mention him, even Granny Wang, who unexpectedly got up in the middle of the night to use the outhouse, couldn't understand who would leave such a large sum of money in her house.
She hid the silver, but after ten days or half a month no one came looking for her, so she quietly told her son about it.
She blamed herself for being too talkative, because after that, her good-for-nothing son would ask her for money every few days.
After Su Xiaoqiang left, Granny Wang sighed again.
The eldest son was not his biological son; Su Zheng was his only biological son, and Su Xiaoqiang was his only grandson.
They've been spoiled rotten by that damned Zheng family.
Granny Wang took out the hidden jar and counted it carefully. Originally it contained one hundred taels of silver, but now only twenty-odd taels remained.
That's outrageous! I can't give it to them anymore. Right then and there, when no one was looking, she dug up the soil under a tree in the yard and buried the jar there.
This is all her savings for her funeral; it can't be squandered.
Of course, Su Ruanruan was unaware of these things between Su Xiaoqiang and Granny Wang.
She and Gu Ji are heading up the mountain right now.
It was getting dark, and the people who had been chatting at the foot of the hill began to go home one after another.
Seeing that these two were doing the opposite of what was going on, you could tell what they were up to.
She's just like her shameless second uncle.
His gaze toward Su Ruanruan grew increasingly contemptuous.
Su Ruanruan ignored them and only asked, "Does Uncle Gu know you've come out?"
"He's not home. He went to the next village this afternoon to help deliver a calf."
Su Ruanruan said "Oh," and carrying an oil lamp, she walked into the dark forest with a sense of trepidation.
Firstly, she was afraid there might be wild animals in the forest, and secondly, she was genuinely afraid of the darkness within the woods.
Sensing Su Ruanruan's unease, Gu Ji took the initiative to hold her hand.
Su Ruanruan did not refuse. The warmth from her palm calmed her panicked heart.
“We’ve been walking this road for years, why are you still afraid? This isn’t a deep forest, there are no wild animals here.”
"If there were any, we would have been eaten when we discovered this place. Recently, many villagers have been going to the forest to collect ginseng, but they have all returned empty-handed. Your little brother is really lucky."
He added, "I never noticed you were afraid of the dark before. What's wrong with you lately?"
Su Ruanruan said in a muffled voice, "I've been having nightmares lately, and they're all pitch black in the dreams, so I'm scared now..."
"How about we come during the day next time?"
Su Ruanruan shook her head, "There are too many people during the day, I'm afraid they'll find out about this place."
Guided by his memory, Gu Ji led Su Ruanruan through the forest.
He finally stopped in front of a stone wall and brushed away the branches blocking the entrance to the cave.
Bending down and squeezing into the low opening, Su Ruanruan unloaded the basket on her back and followed him step by step.
The babbling water grew clearer in her ears. Gu Ji reached out and took the basket from her back, then helped her inside.
The cave's interior space is neither too big nor too small; it can be described as a masterpiece of nature.
The three pools here, large, medium, and small, are quite unique. The small one is a regular hot spring, the medium one has skin-beautifying effects, and the largest one contains sulfur.
Gu Ji took out the candles from his basket, and his brow twitched slightly as he looked at the six candles.
"Ruanruan, aren't six roots too many?"
"Not much, I'm afraid of the dark."
Gu Ji swallowed hard. In the past, Ruan Ruan only lit two candles, making the cave dimly lit.
On the last two occasions, Ruan Ruan lit six candles, making the cave as bright as day. Even when he was guarding the entrance, he could see the shadows cast on the cliff face.
He's a young man full of vigor and passion; Ruan Ruan is far too trusting of him.
With a sigh, he obediently lit six candles before retreating to the cave entrance. He picked up the largest branch and placed it at the entrance, cautiously looking around, but couldn't help peeking into the cave through the gaps in the leaves.
Su Ruanruan took off her clothes and walked into the steaming sulfur pool. The dark color on her body slowly faded away as she was bathed in the sulfur water.
She revealed her fair, jade-like skin.
She wiped her face with a handkerchief again, removing her disguise and revealing a face that could launch a thousand ships.
Her skin was as white as a freshly peeled water chestnut, and her face was as blushing as a peach blossom.
Gu Ji's heart was pounding with anxiety. Looking at the shadow cast on the wall, he hurriedly closed his eyes.
By the time she was eight or nine, Ruan Ruan had already grown into a graceful young woman.
The men in the village were looking at her more and more strangely.
She begged him to help her disguise herself. He pleaded with his father for a long time before he finally gave him a recipe to change his appearance. Using his knowledge of herbs, he went up the mountain every day to find herbs. Not only did he gather all the necessary medicine, but he also accidentally discovered this secluded hot spring that had not been discovered by others.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
