"Take good care of your things," Liu reminded her again, still concerned.
This represents the entire fortune of the family.
After seeing Duan Zhuang off, Liu held Su Ruanruan's hand tightly and said excitedly, "Ruanruan, we owe you so much today. If it weren't for you, Sanzhu wouldn't have recognized this thing and would have thrown it away as a trinket."
Su Ruanruan laughed heartily, "What are you saying, Aunt? I just happened to know about ginseng. If you want to talk about it, our Sanzhu is really lucky. He was the only one who came across it in this huge mountain forest."
Without exchanging pleasantries with Liu, Su Ruanruan turned around and arranged the herbs she had gathered, sorting them and placing them in a winnowing basket to dry in the sun.
Liu called Sanzhu into the house to help, leaving only the siblings in the courtyard.
Xiao Xi blinked her starry eyes at Su Ruanruan.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that, sister?"
"Sister, I saw you stuff that little radish into the soil with my own eyes..."
Su Ruanruan quickly looked around, thankfully no one heard her.
"This is our secret, you mustn't tell anyone, or my sister will get angry."
"Sister, please don't be angry, please don't ignore me."
Su Ruanruan stroked Xiaoxi's head and smiled gently, "Your older sister won't ignore you. With your older sister here, no one will bully you in the future."
Now that she's using someone else's body, she'll definitely take good care of her younger brother.
"Xiao Xi, come over and try on these clothes to see if they fit."
Liu came out carrying a piece of clothing that was neither new nor old.
She called Xiao Xi over and carefully helped him change.
"fit!"
Su Ruanruan smiled and said, "Aunt, your cooking is really good, thank you so much."
"Oh, you child, don't thank me. This is what I, as your aunt, should do. I only wore this dress a few years ago during the Lunar New Year. It's been altered and fits perfectly. Please don't mind."
"Auntie, what are you saying? How could we possibly find it offensive? Xiao Xi, quickly thank your aunt."
Su Xiaoxi raised her head and said in a clear voice, "Thank you, Aunt."
A few people were chatting in the shade when they heard noises and voices outside the courtyard.
Sanzhu was the first to rush out.
"Mother, cousin, Father is back."
Several people also came out of the courtyard one after another and saw Duan Zhuang getting off the oxcart and carrying several bags of grain.
Other villagers, returning from the market, were sitting on the oxcart. When they saw Sanzhu, they all smiled and praised him, saying, "This kid is really capable."
Upon hearing this, Su Ruanruan's mind cleared. Her uncle must have already spread the news of finding the ginseng.
Although the people of Daohua Village are simple and honest, every family lives a very frugal life. If they knew that their uncle's family had received this sum of spare money and came to their door, should they lend it to them or not?
In short, talking about money can hurt feelings.
I'm afraid that if this goes on for too long, the relationship between neighbors will become strained.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the villagers on the oxcart, Liu and Duan Zhuang, who was carrying grain, returned home.
After closing the courtyard gate, Liu glared at Duan Zhuang and said, "Why don't you keep things under control? You tell everyone everything."
Duan Zhuang chuckled sheepishly, "I didn't say much. Our family's life is already tough, but I went to town today and bought these things, how could they not ask? I had no choice but to tell them..."
He then took out the remaining silver from his pocket and handed it to Liu.
Liu opened her purse, counted the contents, and found twelve taels of silver and some copper coins inside.
Su Ruanruan glanced at the things on the ground and estimated that he had probably sold them for thirteen taels.
"On the way, the villagers asked me how much I sold, and I only said I sold seven taels. I bought some daily necessities, and the rest of the money was for Da Tie to get married..."
Liu's face was beaming with joy, but the silver coins she held in her hands felt like they were burning her.
Yes, yes, Da Tie's marriage is finally settled.
Sanzhu was puzzled and asked his mother, "Why did Father say it only sold for seven taels?"
His mother glanced at him and said, "You're just a kid. You shouldn't ask questions you shouldn't ask, and you're not allowed to talk nonsense outside, do you hear me?"
Sanzhu responded hesitantly, his eyes filled with confusion, but he didn't ask any more questions. He turned around, picked up the candied hawthorns his father had bought for them, and went inside to play with Xiaoxi.
Su Ruanruan glanced at Duan Zhuang. This honest and simple farmer, despite his dull appearance, actually had a meticulous side.
I'm afraid the news has already spread throughout the village, and everyone knows he can afford five taels of betrothal money. It won't be long before this courtyard is swarmed with matchmakers.
After dinner at the Duan family's house, Liu tried to give Su Ruanruan three taels of silver, but Su Ruanruan refused.
She can't keep Xiao Xi with her right now, so she can only ask them to take good care of her.
After comforting Xiao Xi for a few more minutes, Su Ruanruan left.
After walking quite a distance, she saw Su Xiaoxi still leaning against the gate, gazing at her longingly.
Su Ruanruan waved her hand, signaling him to go back. Her life was a mess right now, and leaving him here was the best option.
She retraced her steps, her ankle still aching slightly. Her pace was slow and light. Before she even reached Maoshan Village, she heard a soft laugh from the woods.
She stopped and crept closer, parting the dense foliage, only to find a man embracing a woman of short stature. The woman was wearing a lotus-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and while not stunningly beautiful, she was quite pretty.
The man's hand had already slipped inside her clothes, causing the woman to tremble.
Su Ruanruan also shivered and quickly left this place of trouble.
Why does she always seem to run into these kinds of things?
Could there be an aphrodisiac in the woods?
Otherwise, even that menacing-looking constable would bully her in the woods!
Su Ruanruan recalled the woman's face and felt that it was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember who she was for a while.
Su Ruanruan returned to the village as darkness fell.
Someone was already waiting for her at the back door.
"Have you been here long?"
Qin Bei held a small package in his hand. "No, it didn't take long."
Su Ruanruan opened the back door and lit the oil lamp on the table.
Only then did he open the package and take out the pomegranate-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) to hold it up.
"Is it pretty?"
Qin Bei's ears turned slightly red. Although Ruan Ruan wasn't particularly fair-skinned, she had an extremely beautiful figure, with a wasp waist, pert buttocks, and even her breasts were round and full.
They didn't look like they were lacking food and clothing, or that they couldn't eat all day.
Feeling the intense gaze behind her, Su Ruanruan glanced at him.
She put down the dress she was holding and asked, "How much did these cost?"
Qin Bei said irritably, "Why are you bringing up money again? I bought these for you willingly."
Su Ruanruan counted out fifty coins from her purse and stuffed them into his palm. "I told you, I won't take advantage of you for nothing again."
"But you weren't like this before."
Su Ruanruan pouted. Qin Bei was a craftsman. Every time he came back from the town or county, he would bring back some snacks for the original owner. Sometimes, seeing that her clothes were too worn and old, he would even buy her a new set of clothes.
The original owner sweetly called out, "Brother Qin is so good," and this silly boy was overjoyed, wishing he could tear his heart out. However, he was still quite well-behaved; even after being with the original owner for so long, he only touched her hair and, at most, mustered the courage to hold her hand—that was all.
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