Chapter 21 : An elder brother and a younger brother, both are lazy men

What Xiao Lanlan said was indeed true. After her comforting words, Jiang Sui felt much better.

Yes, it’s better to have something than nothing, but for someone who loves money as much as she does, it was still quite painful.

“Perfect. We can use this damaged ginseng to make soup. Since Sister-in-law is pregnant, she could use a good tonic.”

It was a great tonic, best suited for making nourishing soup. Jiang Sui had also heard about her second sister-in-law’s situation that morning. She knew she was anxious because she hadn’t been able to get pregnant, so it was a good time for her to nourish her body.

As long as she wasn’t infertile, there shouldn’t be a problem if she took good care of herself.

Or maybe the problem was with the man. After all, it’s a fifty-fifty chance. Without modern technology, it’s impossible to know whose issue it is.

“Alright, I’ll follow your lead. Should we head back now or keep looking around?” Xiao Lanlan agreed with Jiang Sui’s suggestion.

Jiang Sui thought about it and decided it was better to sell the Ganoderma and ginseng quickly and turn them into cash. They didn’t know how to store them properly, and if they waited too long, the items might go bad and lose value.

“Let’s head back first and tell Mother. It’s best to act quickly.”

Xiao Lanlan was fine with anything, she always followed Jiang Sui’s lead. And needless to say, Xiao Hechuan was even more agreeable whatever his wife said, he went along with it.

But before they left, he couldn’t help but flatter her a bit.

“Wife, you’re incredible. You always manage to find treasures!”

Being supported like that always made Jiang Sui feel incredibly content. Honestly, with a partner who offers so much emotional support, how could she lack confidence?

“Hechuan is amazing too. You’ve been so well-behaved these past few days and never complained about being tired. Once we exchange the ginseng and Ganoderma for silver, I’ll ask Mother to buy you something delicious.”

He was still a child at heart, and coaxing him with food was always the most effective way.

As soon as Xiao Hechuan heard there would be something tasty to eat, he grinned from ear to ear. His peach blossom eyes sparkled with a watery gleam, making him look especially innocent.

Jiang Sui absolutely loved his smile, it was full of youthful charm.

Xiao Lanlan was totally supportive of the couple. Seeing her Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law so loving and harmonious truly warmed her heart.

When Jiang Sui turned around and saw Xiao Lanlan looking at her with that smile on her face, her own face turned bright red.

The three of them didn’t linger any longer and headed home within the day. At home, Mother Xiao was doing housework, completely unaware that something good had happened again today.

The wild boar and roe deer meat they’d hunted earlier hadn’t been processed yet, so she and Zhou were busy pickling the meat at home.

She had originally thought the three of them had gone far to pick mushrooms and wouldn’t return until it got dark, but they came back in the afternoon instead.

All three had smiles on their faces, it was clear they’d had a fruitful day.

“Oh, you’re back early! Did you stumble upon another treasure?” Mother Xiao asked with a smile.

Liu was resting in her room, but she came out when she heard the commotion. The wooden door creaked open. Jiang Sui was about to share their good news with her mother-in-law, but was quickly stopped by Xiao Lanlan.

Xiao Lanlan was sharp. Her room was next to her Third Brother’s, and last night as she passed their window, she had overheard Liu and her Third Brother discussing borrowing money.

She thought that if her third sister-in-law found out they had gotten something as valuable as spiritual ginseng, she might start scheming again.

If her third sister-in-law knew there was extra money in the house, she’d definitely try everything to convince her husband to give some of it to her maiden family.

So Xiao Lanlan quickly spoke up

“Yeah, we had a pretty good haul today, so we came back early.” She held tightly onto the basket of Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng, covering it with a cloth. Originally, the cloth was meant to keep the mushrooms fresh and out of the sun, but now it also conveniently kept anyone from seeing what was inside.

When Jiang Sui saw this and then glanced at her third sister-in-law Liu, who was leaning against the door eating melon seeds silently, she immediately understood what Xiao Lanlan was trying to do.

Even though Xiao Hechuan didn’t really get it, Lanlan kept secretly pinching his arm to signal him to keep quiet so he actually did stop talking.

He was still pretty sharp.

Zhou was already used to being low-key. She never liked to get involved in family matters. She had been married for several years without having children, so she didn’t really have a say in things. In any case, her mother-in-law was a fair person and wouldn’t leave her out.

Since there was nothing else to learn, Liu returned to her room.

Once she closed the door, Xiao Lanlan gave Jiang Sui a signal it was safe to tell Mother Xiao now.

So Jiang Sui ran over to her mother-in-law, grabbed her hand, and mysteriously pulled her into the room. Zhou saw this and stood up to glance over a few times, but ultimately said nothing.

Mother Xiao let Jiang Sui tug her away, her hands still slick with lard from handling pork.

Xiao Lanlan, worried that Liu might overhear something again, didn’t follow them inside. Instead, she stayed in the yard and poured out the mushrooms they had picked that day.

“What is it? What do you want to tell me?” Mother Xiao asked with a smile. She really liked Jiang Sui she was clever, sensible, and well-behaved. Most importantly, the girl seemed to bring good fortune to the Xiao family.

These past few days since she joined the household had already confirmed that the dreams Xiao’s mother had before weren’t just fantasies.

“Mom, I found some really good stuff again today, look!” Jiang Sui lifted the cloth on the two baskets, revealing the Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng underneath.

When Mother Xiao took a closer look, she was stunned.

She wasn’t some ignorant village woman, she quickly recognized what they were.

“These… are these Ganoderma lucidum?” she asked, a bit uncertain.

Jiang Sui nodded.

“Yes, Mom, they’re Ganoderma lucidum, and they’re really good quality. These two are ginseng. They should fetch a good price. Unfortunately, I accidentally broke one of them…” she added, looking regretfully at the ginseng with the snapped-off tendrils.

After hearing that, Mother Xiao gasped and covered her mouth in disbelief. Ganoderma and ginseng were considered miraculous herbs. Everyone said they were cure-alls and powerful tonics, only the wealthy could afford them. Ordinary people like them could only dream about such things. She had only ever seen them a few times in a pharmacy when she was young. She’d heard that high-quality Ganoderma and ginseng could sell for dozens of taels of silver.