The monthly market day was a big event.
Villagers from all around would gather together to exchange various goods, and many were willing to spend money to buy them.
The prices of everything sold there were much cheaper than in the county town and other towns.
Lin Weiming wasn't the only one from Ning'an Village who went to the market.
But Lin Weiming carrying such a heavy basket of tiger bones still surprised everyone. The villagers all knew his family had killed a tiger and had been envious for quite some time.
Lin Weiming traded tiger bones for many things, most of which were bought by a pharmaceutical merchant.
When Lin Weiming returned home, he bought some small gifts for each of the children. Lin Zihan and Lin Ziqiu were two different little wooden carvings.
His original intention was for the two children to take turns playing with the same wooden carving, but the two of them argued and bickered like mosquitoes over the different ones.
Lin Zheyun got a small bow and arrow and immediately ran excitedly to the back mountain, saying he was going to catch a little rabbit for Lin Wanyue to eat.
What was given to Lin Zhongyuan were two blocks of rosin ink made by the mountain people, which would last a long time.
"Daddy~" Lin Wanyue looked at her father with longing eyes.
Lin Weiming took out three hairpins from his pocket. They weren't anything precious; they were just hairpins engraved with plum blossom patterns.
But although they are the same size, one of them is unusually small.
Lin Weiming carefully inserted it into Lin Wanyue's hair tie.
Lin Wanyue has thin hair, but Xuefu would comb it into various small buns every day and tie them with brightly colored hairbands or small silk flowers.
She's wearing a small hairpin in her hair now.
"Mom, look!" Lin Wanyue immediately ran to her mother to show off.
Xuefu smiled gently and helped her fix her hair.
Lin Weiming then came over and inserted another hairpin into Xuefu's hair.
"I stay home all day, what would I do with this? It's a waste of money." Xuefu said it was a waste of money, but she still held the hairpin in her hand and looked at it again and again with Lin Wanyue.
There's one more that's reserved for Liu Junlan.
After Xuefu finished admiring the view, she turned to look at Lin Weiming and stretched out her hand.
"..." Lin Weiming obediently took out all the silver from his pocket and placed it in his wife's hand.
He didn't dare keep a single penny of his own money.
I'm afraid my daughter will tell on me.
Tiger bones weren't sold for a high price, but the quantity was so large that dozens of kilograms of tiger bones sold for about ten taels of silver.
Xuefu put the money together with the ninety-seven taels of silver and did some mental calculations.
“Weiming, I think… how about we talk to Mother about this? Since everyone’s not doing much lately and the wages for hiring workers are low, how about we build a house? It would be great if we could also buy a cow.”
The land is parched and everyone is struggling to make ends meet.
But silver is also worth more than before.
Normally, if you want to build a four-room house, it would cost at least fifty or sixty taels of silver.
But now that labor is cheap, you only need to spend some money on materials, and you can actually save a lot.
"Hmm." Lin Weiming nodded. "I also think it's a good idea."
The family only has two rooms, but there are four sons. In a few years, the eldest son, Lin Zhongyuan, will be getting married, and he can't do without a house.
As for buying a cow, you can buy a calf and raise it until next year, then it can help with farm work.
Xuefu has always been quite calculating, but she is also wholeheartedly devoted to her family.
...
On the other side, the Yu family.
Yu Dong didn't get home until evening. He exchanged all the mountain produce he had at home for salt, and he was covered in sweat from exhaustion.
Zhang Cuihong poured a large bowl of herbal tea, which he gulped down in a few mouthfuls.
"Why are you back so late? I saw Lin Weiming come back this morning," Zhang Cuihong complained, putting the things in her basket away.
"Tsk... How can I compare to them? They didn't bring any mountain products with them, just a basket of tiger bones, sold them for money and came back." Yu Dong said with great envy.
Their goods can't be sold for money; at most, they can be exchanged for some salt, and it's just bitter, coarse salt.
But working in the fields is strenuous, and you can't do it without salt.
"I told you this already! Why won't you listen to me?" Zhang Cuihong put the things on the table and immediately became imposing.
"If it weren't for their little girl, would they be living such a good life now? They can eat meat every few days. With a tiger that big, they could probably eat for half a lifetime. Even a tiger bone can be exchanged for silver. Who knows how good their life will be in the future?"
Although Yu Dong didn't want to admit it, he knew after a moment's thought that what Zhang Cuihong said was highly likely.
If he didn't believe it at first, then seeing Lin Wanyue last night actually being able to deal with a female ghost!
That forced him to believe it.
"What can we do? Are we really going to listen to you and spend money to buy that little girl back? Even if you're willing to spend the money, they know she's a precious gem, so why would they be willing to sell her to you?" Yu Dong said sullenly.
He wasn't without regrets; if he had listened to Zhang Cuihong earlier, his family might be living a life of luxury now.
Zhang Cuihong laughed, sat down next to Yu Dong, and said in a low voice, "As long as you listen to me, this matter can be accomplished."
What do you suggest we do?
“Of course, it’s impossible to buy her with money! I plan to have my brother take her away and raise her at my parents’ home.” Zhang Cuihong’s eyes lit up when she talked about this, and her voice became excited.
But Yu Dong frowned: "I think you're only thinking about your family. We're struggling to make ends meet, and all you think about is your family. It's one thing to take things back normally, but now that this is such a precious thing, you're only thinking about your brother and nephew! Why don't you think about your son and grandson?"
Zhang Cuihong pointed her finger at his head and said through gritted teeth, "How could I have married such a fool like you? Are you an idiot?"
“We live in the same village, we see each other all the time! If we take matters into our own hands, do you think the Lin family won't find out? And then you'll still be able to keep them alive?”
Yu Dong fell silent after being told that.
But I still felt something was off.
If Lin Wanyue, that precious girl, is really taken back and raised by Zhang Cuihong's family, what does that have to do with Yu Dong?
Zhang Cuihong saw through her husband's little scheme and explained to him, "Think about it again. I am, after all, your son's biological mother. How could I not think about him? We are just raising that child in my brother's house. Of course, we should still take these things."
"What if your brother refuses to give it to you?" Yu Dong couldn't help but interject.
“If my brother refuses to give it to us, then we’ll tell the Lin family. We have leverage over them, so they can’t refuse even if they want to,” Zhang Cuihong said, as she gripped something tightly in her hand.
“But…” Yu Dong still hesitated.
Stealing a child, once discovered, can land you in jail.
Zhang Cuihong slapped Yu Dong on the head. "But what? Are you even a man? Don't you have any backbone? Look at the life the Lin family lives, and then look at the life you live."
"If we can just snatch that little brat away, all those good days will be ours."
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