Chapter 17: Lin Heng’s Doubts

Since midday, Zhiqin and Zhiyuan had been constantly watching the village road, their eyes practically going cross-eyed from staring so hard. Finally, their patience was rewarded—Wanqing and the others were back.

Maybe it was because every time Wanqing returned from the county town, she always brought something unexpected, so this time, her younger brothers were especially eager to see what she had brought home.

Zhiyuan ran up and gave Wanqing a big hug. “Second Sister, I missed you so much!”

“Oh? Did you miss me or the food?” Wanqing teased.

“Both!” The honest child didn’t lie.

Lin Heng began unpacking the baskets, placing their purchases on the table. Aside from the cotton and fabric they had bought, there was also a pig’s trotter, two cured ducks, a bag of brown sugar, a bag of lotus seeds, assorted pastries and candies—and even a fish? These were all gifts from Shopkeeper He.

Li Shi’s eyes widened in shock. “Husband, why did you buy so much again?”

Lin Heng felt a mix of emotions and told her, “Qing’er earned all of this.” Then, he recounted what had happened—just like last time, she had sold a recipe for the money.

From his pocket, Lin Heng pulled out five silver pieces, each worth five taels, and placed them on the table.

The 35 taels they had earned today were all thanks to Wanqing. She had even secretly added 15 taels from her space and given them to her father. Lin Heng, however, didn’t keep all of it—he secretly slipped Wanqing five taels for her personal use and exchanged another five taels for small change.

Zhifen, who was in on the secret, pretended not to notice. After all, only the three of them knew exactly how much silver had been earned. If he didn’t say anything, and their father didn’t say anything, no one would ever know that Wanqing actually had quite a bit of silver saved up.

As for whether Wanqing might lose the silver— Lin Heng and Zhifen chose not to think about it. Why assume the worst for no reason?

Wanqing looked at the colorful fabrics and told Li Shi, “Mother, these blue and black fabrics are for Father and the boys, the red and orange ones are for Big Sister and me, and the green and blue ones are yours.” She had chosen darker colors so they wouldn’t get dirty easily.

Li Shi ran her hands over the fabric—even though it was only coarse cloth, it had been a long time since she had been able to make new clothes for the family.

Zhifen had already grown accustomed to Wanqing’s ability to make money, and after today, Lin Heng was starting to accept it too. However, the rest of the family was still shocked. The younger brothers, still too young to fully grasp it, only knew that the family now had a lot of silver. Wanru, who was the closest to Wanqing, stared at her little sister in amazement, wondering how she had suddenly become so smart and capable.

Wanqing grinned mischievously. “Big Sister, if you keep staring at me like that, maybe silver will start appearing on my face.”

“Pfft—!”

Wanru burst into laughter. Even though she had become more cheerful than before, she was still the same older sister at heart.

As they admired the pile of goods on the table, Wanqing urged their mother, “Hurry, put the silver away in the jar.”

The entire family watched as Li Shi carefully placed each piece of silver into the jar—it had almost become a sacred ritual for them, one that they never tired of watching.

Afterward, Wanru organized the fabrics while Li Shi put away the other items. She also opened the pastry box and shared some with the family. The pastries were soft and slightly sweet, resembling rice cakes.

The children rarely had the chance to eat sweets, so they ate slowly, savoring every bite. Seeing this, Li Shi felt a pang of sorrow, and Wanqing’s heart ached as well.

Ever since they ran out of wild fruits, she too hadn’t had any snacks in a long time.

She thought back to her modern life, where snacks were endless. Wanqing made a firm decision: she would let her family experience the delicious treats of the modern world.

For dinner, Wanqing, of course, planned to make Spicy Boiled Fish. The fish she had originally bought had been cooked for Shopkeeper He and Doctor Su, but Shopkeeper He had gifted her another one.

Lin Heng cleaned the fish, and Wanqing taught Li Shi how to make Spicy Boiled Fish step by step. Soon, they had a pot full of steaming, fragrant fish.

Li Shi served a bowl to send to Huzi’s family—a token of gratitude for all the help they had given.

As for Grandfather’s house, Lin Heng sent them a cured duck along with some fish. It was the first time in over a month since the family split that he had sent anything to the old household.

Wanqing thought about Grandfather’s fifty copper coins and planned to return them soon—with interest.

That night, the family gathered around the table.

A huge bowl of Spicy Boiled Fish, paired with fluffy white buns, made for a simple yet fulfilling dinner.

After dinner, the family discussed making new clothes. Wanqing suggested that everyone should have new cotton-padded jackets since they were much warmer.

The winters here were extremely cold. After October, people mostly stayed indoors, rarely going out unless necessary.

Li Shi agreed to make a new set of clothes for each child, but for now, she planned to stuff more cotton into last year’s clothes so they could continue wearing them.

New clothes would be saved for the New Year.

Wanqing agreed with her mother’s practical thinking—it would be too extravagant for their newly separated household to make two sets of new clothes in such a short time.

As long as the old clothes were stuffed full of cotton, they would still be warm enough.

“Mother, make sure you add extra cotton to mine—I’m afraid of the cold,” Wanqing reminded her in advance. There was no need to be stingy anymore; their family could afford it!

“Alright, I won’t let you freeze,” Li Shi promised.

She wasn’t a stingy person, but in the past, they simply had no money, and life forced them to be frugal.

She had always treasured her children like precious gems, willing to go without food or drink herself just to provide for them. And when it came to Wanqing—the child she had worried about most since birth—her love was even greater.

With the harsh winter months no longer a concern, Wanqing began thinking about their long-term survival.

They couldn’t afford farmland just yet, but wasteland was a different story. Their house stood alone, with no other families nearby. Most villagers built their homes near the river.

Beyond Daxi Mountain, there was a small hill, and right past it lay their home, positioned at the highest elevation in the village.

Wanqing had big plans—she wanted to buy up all the surrounding land.

She could plant flowers, vegetables, and fruit trees, dig a pond for lotus and fish, and when they had even more money, they could buy hundreds of acres of good farmland.

Then, she could live a leisurely life as a happy landlord’s wife.

“Father, where do you plan to build the new house next year?”

“Right here. Buying another plot of land would cost money.”

“If that’s the case, why don’t we just buy all the land around us? We can leave these thatched cottages as they are and build the new house next to them. Any extra land can be used for farming. And later, when Zhiqin and Zhiyuan grow up, we can expand the house if needed.”

“Qing’er, that land is wasteland—you can’t grow crops on it.”

“Father, we don’t have much else to do anyway. Why don’t we start clearing the land tomorrow?”

“I can help too!” Zhifen immediately spoke up.

Lin Heng thought about it—it was true. He was strong and had plenty of energy. Why not? Clearing land it is.

Before they started, Wanqing suggested they buy the land first. “Do you know how much wasteland costs?”

“Not much. I’ll ask the village chief tomorrow.”

Excited about the land purchase, the family kept discussing it.

“We’re buying land!” Little Zhiyuan cheered.

“Haha, that means you’ll have work to do,” Wanqing teased.

“I don’t mind! I can work!” Zhiyuan, though small, had a sharp tongue and plenty of energy.

Speaking of work, Wanqing suddenly remembered they lacked farming tools.

“Father, when will you buy farm tools? We’re missing hoes, sickles, and all sorts of things.”

“Tomorrow. There’s a big market in town—I’ll go then.”

Thinking of the market day, Lin Heng turned to Wanqing.

“Qing’er, are you coming to the market tomorrow?”

“I’m not going. The town isn’t as lively as the county city. I’ll stay home tomorrow. Whoever wants to go can go—I’ll watch the house.”

“Sister, why don’t you and Mother go to the market? Buy something you like.” Wanqing encouraged Wanru to go.

Li Shi said she wasn’t going, as she had nothing to buy, but she insisted that Wanru should go, suggesting she go with Hehua for a day out in town.

Even though their house was close to town, before the family split, Wanru never had the chance to go—partly because they had no money, and partly because she was always busy with chores.

Wanqing turned to her sister. “Go on, Sister, just have fun. There’s nothing urgent at home—I’ll take care of the chores tomorrow.”

Seeing her mother and sister both urging her to go, Wanru finally smiled. “Alright, I’ll ask Hehua if she wants to go with me tomorrow.”

With that, Wanru left for Hehua’s house, and Zhifen went along with her.

Meanwhile, Li Shi washed the dishes and boiled water, and Wanqing stayed behind to help her.

“Mother, do you know how to make a school bag? Zhiqin will start school next year—you should make him one.”

“Alright, I’ll use the leftover fabric from making clothes.” Li Shi’s mood had been especially good lately. Her face looked brighter, and at that moment, she was glowing with happiness.

That night, Lin Heng sat on the bed, lost in thought. He turned to Li Shi and asked,

“Do you think Qing’er has changed? Is she still our daughter?”

“Of course, she is!” Li Shi replied firmly. “Just because she can make money now, does that mean she’s not our daughter?”

“She’s too capable. Everything she says and does—it makes me wonder if she’s still our Qing’er.”

“She is,” Li Shi said with certainty. “No matter how much she changes, she will always be our daughter. My poor Qing’er… I didn’t take good care of her. She suffered so much… Heng, we’ve let her down!”**

Tears streamed down Li Shi’s face as she spoke.

Seeing her cry, Lin Heng pulled her into his arms.

“I just feel like… as her father, I’m not even as capable as my own child.”

Li Shi, eyes still glistening with tears, smiled. “A capable child is our blessing.”

“Yes, we’re lucky. And I’m especially lucky to have married you.” Lin Heng wiped away her tears and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Li Shi was caught off guard. Her face instantly flushed red, and she playfully punched Lin Heng’s shoulder.

Lin Heng laughed, pushed her down onto the bed, and turned off the lights.

That night, the household was warm and peaceful, filled with quiet happiness.