Chapter 2: The Person Crossed Over, but the Dream Cannot Be Lost

After the second house of the Xu family packed up and left, a graceful figure walked out.

Wu Cuihua smiled broadly and approached: “Miss Cui, today I must thank the village chief for his assistance.”

Cui Jinfeng stared at the retreating second house: “My father was just doing his duty.”

“Yes, yes,” Wu Cuihua nodded repeatedly, “I must also thank you for telling me that Xu Sinan is about to get married.”

A few days ago, Cui Jinfeng had informed her that Li Haitong from their village was planning to propose to Xu Sinan.

Her own son wasn’t married yet—why should they prepare a dowry for that wretched girl?

The children of the second house were all grown up, who knew how much they would spend on marriages in the future?

Mentioning marriage, the smile on Cui Jinfeng’s delicate face instantly disappeared as she stared coldly at Xu Sinan’s figure.

Since childhood, people in the village said Xu Sinan was handsome, like a New Year’s doll, and as she grew up, they praised her as a fairy from a painting. Not only that, but Xu Sinan was also skilled in writing and arithmetic.

Cui Jinfeng’s ancestors had been village chiefs for four generations, yet she was always overshadowed by a village girl—how frustrating!

She could tolerate all of this, but now Haitong Brother was going to marry Xu Sinan!

Cui Jinfeng clenched her fists, her long nails digging into her palm. She could no longer stand it.

A few days ago, she had taken the opportunity to push Xu Sinan into the water, but the wretched girl’s life was tough, and she didn’t drown.

So, she could only incite Wu Cuihua to force out the second house.

Let’s see how Xu Sinan would compete for Haitong Brother when she could barely even eat.

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Xu Sinan stared at the dilapidated thatched house, still stunned after a long time.

The roof had holes, there was nothing inside, and if a typhoon hit, it would blow away in minutes. Wasn’t this a bit too much of a rough start?

Fortunately, she was an optimistic person. With a low starting point, what was there to be afraid of? Building from scratch had its own sense of accomplishment.

As a modern, educated woman, she was sure she could turn things around and lead her family to a better life.

Xu Shuisheng carefully inspected the roof: “I’ll go into the mountains to gather some wood and fix the roof, and we’ll make some tables and chairs.”

Zhu Wanrou looked around: “Anan, let’s clean up first and then go to the county to buy some daily necessities and food.”

“Axing, go help your father in the mountains and gather some wild vegetables.”

“Okay!”

The four of them split up, and after half a day of effort, the thatched house was barely livable.

Zhu Wanrou boiled corn and added some wild vegetables.

The family sat around the simple dining table and silently ate dinner.

Xu Sinan was starving, but the corn was soft and glutinous, and the wild vegetables were crisp and unexpectedly delicious.

“Ah, the price of corn has gone up again.”

Zhu Wanrou sighed. The five taels of silver they had just received were almost all spent on daily necessities and food. How were they going to live from here on?

Xu Shuisheng looked at his wife, who had worked hard with him for half a lifetime, and felt heavy-hearted.

“Don’t worry, tomorrow I’ll go fishing to make money and buy more food.”

“I’ll also make a bed and wardrobe tonight to complete all the furniture.”

Xu Qianxing also comforted: “Mother, I’ve grown up. I can help father and even go out to work to earn money.”

Xu Sinan put down her bowl, content: “Father, brother, you don’t need to work so hard anymore. In the future, I’ll earn money to support you!”

They had been exploited by the first house for so long, working day in and day out, never resting. Their bodies couldn’t handle it anymore.

“Poof!”

Zhu Wanrou chuckled. Since when had Anan become so funny? She even knew how to cheer people up.

Even if it was a joke, it was nice to hear.

Xu Qianxing laughed as well: “Sister, you should stay home and accompany Mother.”

Xu Shuisheng was extremely pleased: “Just hearing you say that is enough.”

Xu Sinan froze for a moment: “Why don’t you believe me?”

She had studied history in college, and archaeology in graduate school. She knew all kinds of ancient knowledge and skills. She was sure she could make a success of it.

Her biggest hobby since childhood was making money—seeing money come in was the most satisfying feeling.

By a twist of fate, she had learned archaeology in modern times, and now she had the perfect opportunity. She was determined to get rich and become the wealthiest person!

“How do you plan to make money?” Xu Qianxing asked, looking at his cute sister and unable to resist teasing her.

“I haven’t figured it out yet, but in the future, I’ll own stores and workshops, with business spread throughout all of Da Sheng,” Xu Sinan said confidently.

The Xu family members laughed even more joyfully. Anan had become the family’s little sunshine.

Laughter and joy filled the air, easing the pain of the family separation and the worries about their future life.

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The next morning, Xu Qianxing and Xu Sinan accompanied Xu Shuisheng as he set out to sea.

“Be careful, Father!” Xu Sinan called out.

“Don’t worry!” Xu Shuisheng replied with a wave of his hand.

Xu Sinan watched his father’s retreating figure, knowing fishing was risky and the profits were unstable.

Despite Xu Shuisheng’s hard work and good skills, they couldn’t afford the rapidly rising food prices.

Ling Shui Village had too much mountainous land and was not suitable for cultivating rice or other grains.

Moreover, the drought would likely continue, so agriculture was not the direction for her to develop.

Xu Sinan decided to focus on business, but the reality was that they were starting with nothing. She needed to find a way to earn her first bucket of gold.

She gazed out at the sea, contemplating the good resources at hand. How could she not take advantage of them?

She pulled Xu Shuisheng along the coastline, carefully observing the surrounding terrain and the positions of the reefs.

After repeated comparisons, she pointed to a stretch of sea. “Brother, let’s go there.”

Xu Qianxing glanced at the area and shook his head vigorously. “No, it’s too close to the restricted waters.”

“It is close, but we’re not going into the restricted waters,” Xu Sinan reasoned.

Xu Sinan vaguely remembered that the villagers feared that area.

Still, Xu Qianxing disagreed.

“Brother, yesterday, Mazu appeared in my dream and said there’s treasure there.”

Xu Sinan had no choice but to invoke the gods and Buddha, knowing the villagers believed in them.

“Mazu?” Xu Qianxing said, surprised. “Did the goddess appear to help us because of our family’s misfortune?”

Xu Sinan nodded firmly, softening him up with persistence.

Finally, the doting older brother relented. They borrowed a boat from their friend Li Gouzi and quietly sailed toward the area.

Xu Sinan carefully studied the surroundings, becoming more certain that this was the place. Her heart raced with excitement.

Before crossing over, she had assisted her mentor with a shipwreck archaeological project, speculating that the ship held many valuable porcelain items.

If she could find the shipwreck, everything she pulled up would be hers!

“Brother, the treasure should be down there,” Xu Sinan said eagerly.

Xu Qianxing’s eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly tied a rope, preparing to dive.

Xu Sinan reminded him of the methods and precautions for recovering a sunken ship.

“I got it,” Xu Qianxing said, taking a deep breath before strapping on a bamboo basket and diving into the water.

Xu Sinan watched the surface anxiously, but as time passed, Xu Qianxing still hadn’t resurfaced.

Her worry deepened. Without professional diving equipment, was it safe for him?

Although he had grown up fishing with their father and was skilled in swimming, he had already been underwater for too long. Who could hold their breath for this long?

The underwater pressure was great, and the light was dim. Recovering a sunken ship was difficult even with modern equipment.

Her brother had always been so good to the original owner, but now, as time passed, Xu Sinan grew increasingly anxious.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have been so greedy, blindly trusting Xu Qianxing’s swimming ability.

“Brother, if you can’t find it, come back up?” Xu Sinan called out, but the surface of the sea remained calm, with no reply.

Xu Sinan couldn’t sit still any longer. She stood up and pulled on the rope, hoping to pull Xu Qianxing back.

It was too easy to pull the rope. Her heart sank—something must have happened.

She hastened her movements, and as the rope snapped, her mind went blank. She collapsed back onto the boat.

Without a second thought, she yelled in panic, “Brother, come up quickly!”

Still, there was no answer. Xu Sinan couldn’t wait any longer. She immediately removed her outer coat and prepared to dive into the water herself to find him.