Chapter 34

“Mom told me before that if they’re not home when we get back, they’ll leave a key under the threshold,” Lin Yumei answered her sister’s question while unlocking the door.

“Aren’t they afraid someone else might take it? And why did she only tell you and not me? I had no idea about this at all,” Lin Yun said, a little upset.

“You only started caring about the family stuff this summer. You didn’t know anything before, so what’s the point of telling you?” Lin Yumei replied matter-of-factly. That made Lin Yun feel a little embarrassed—although it was the original owner of the body back then, she was the one in it now.

“Alright, sis, stop teasing me. Let’s make dinner so we can eat right away when they get back. Also, let’s boil some water—I want to take a shower early. I don’t know if I brushed up against something on the way home, but I feel super itchy.”

Hearing that, Lin Yumei didn’t delay. “Okay, we’ll cook first, then you can go shower.” Lin Yun nodded and went to scoop rice from the rice jar. As she opened it, she was surprised. “Sis, when did we get this much rice in the jar? I thought I was seeing things!”

When Lin Yumei came over, Lin Yun pointed to the rice jar, which was more than half full. Ever since Lin Yun had come here, this was the first time she’d seen so much rice at home. Normally there’d only be a thin layer barely covering the bottom.

“Mom and Dad must’ve brought some milled rice back. Let’s make porridge today—use less sweet potato and more rice.” Lin Yun had gotten used to eating sweet potatoes with every meal and didn’t object.

While the two were cooking, they heard someone calling loudly from outside, “Sis? Are you home?”

“It’s probably Gangzi,” Lin Yumei said casually.

Just as she spoke, Lin Yonggang burst in. “Sis, you’re finally back! I missed you guys so much. You don’t know how unmotivated I was to earn money without you here…”

He grabbed Lin Yun and started pulling her along. “Big sis, I need to talk to second sis for a sec. I’ll be right back!”

Lin Yun tried to tell him she needed to help cook, but Lin Yonggang didn’t give her a chance. He dragged her straight to his room and whispered mysteriously, “Sis, I’ve got something good to show you. You’ll never guess!”

Lin Yun played along. “What is it?”

Lin Yonggang sneakily pulled out a small cloth pouch and opened it like he was showing off treasure. “My secret stash. Mom still tries to take my money, but I didn’t tell her about the money I made selling centipedes. I saved it all up.” He handed the pouch to Lin Yun.

Lin Yun took it, opened it, and counted the amount—it was quite a lot, several hundred yuan.

After counting, she handed it back. “Just let me look at it. You keep it.”

But Lin Yonggang refused. “I waited for you to come back just to give it to you. I want you to keep it for me. Without you, I wouldn’t have made this much in the first place. And honestly, whenever I have money, I get the urge to spend it. I’ll feel better if you hold onto it.

Plus, you need to go to school. You won’t have time to earn money later, so just think of this as your little brother’s way of supporting you.” He said it all so naturally, without a trace of hesitation.

Seeing how serious he was, Lin Yun didn’t refuse again. But she promised, “I won’t spend it recklessly. If you ever need money, as long as it’s not for something bad, just let me know and I’ll give it back.”

“Don’t worry, sis. I don’t really need to spend on anything. You’re the one with lots of stuff you’ve wanted to buy—now you can. You’ve got money! And I didn’t give you everything, I kept some for myself. No need to worry.

Even if I won’t be able to catch centipedes as often when school starts, I still made a good haul this week,” he said proudly.

Lin Yun said no more and took the money. “Alright, I’ll hold onto it then.” After settling that, the two of them left his room.

That evening, the whole family had dinner together. At the table, Lin Yun took the initiative to talk about school. Seeing her speak up, Lin Yumei also stopped just eating and shared a bit about her recent life.

What surprised Lin Yun most was that Zhao Lanxiu and Lin Chuntian also started sharing about things at home—something that had never happened before. Even Lin Yonggang exclaimed, “Mom, why didn’t you tell me any of this? I didn’t know anything!”

Zhao Lanxiu shot him a glare. “You’re always running around with those good-for-nothings. As long as you don’t cause trouble, I’m already thankful.”

Lin Yonggang looked like he wanted to argue but swallowed his words halfway through, as if something stopped him.

“When you go to school tomorrow, bring some pickled vegetables with you,” Zhao Lanxiu said to Lin Yun and Lin Yumei.

“Mom, do we even have containers for that? Don’t give us something that’s not sealed—what if rats get to it at school?” asked Lin Yumei.

“Your dad brought home some glass jars earlier. Just use those. Don’t worry about rats.”

“Dad, where do you go every day with those jars? Do you always sell them all?” Seeing the atmosphere was good today, Lin Yun finally asked the question that had been bugging her. She’d been curious for a while. Her centipedes counted as medicinal material, but she didn’t see what use those jars had.

She had heard people say that Lin Chuntian was making money, and based on Zhao Lanxiu’s reaction, it didn’t seem like a baseless rumor. But she didn’t know the details—just the general idea.

Lin Chuntian seemed a bit thrown off by his daughter talking to him. In this family, he was mostly invisible—he quietly earned money but hardly ever spoke.

“Next county over. They all sell,” he replied briefly and went back to eating.

“That far? What do people usually use them for?” Lin Yun pressed on.

“I know, sis!” Before Lin Chuntian could answer, Lin Yonggang jumped in. “Pickled veggie jars!”