The courtyard of the recycling station was about thirty to forty square meters, which wasn’t considered small in the city. A shed had been set up in the yard, and under it were all sorts of “scrap items.” Only a path about one and a half meters wide was left in the middle for people to walk through.

Lin Tong directly pulled her toward the house, whispering along the way, “All the good stuff is kept inside. Let’s go take a look.”

Good stuff?

Because of her words, Mu Jinyue’s anticipation grew. What kind of good things could she come across at this time? Could it be antiques? But thinking about it carefully, that seemed unlikely. The current situation wasn’t so dire yet—there was no way piles of antiques would just be lying around waiting for her to pick them up. Shaking her head to stop her wild thoughts, she only prayed she could find a flowerpot she liked.

The two quickly entered the house. Inside, it was messy—big items like wardrobes and chairs, and small ones like vases and basins filled the entire place, leaving only a narrow passageway to move through. When Mu Jinyue stepped inside, she instinctively held her breath and tried to make herself smaller, careful not to bump into anything and cause unnecessary damage. She had no money right now and couldn’t afford to pay for anything broken.

Time was short and the task urgent. After entering, Mu Jinyue scanned the room, then casually picked a spot to start searching.

Seeing her busy, Lin Tong didn’t disturb her anymore. Familiar with the place, she headed straight for the innermost corner where she had hidden a few books. She hadn’t finished them last time, so this was the perfect chance to continue.

Minute by minute, time passed. Mu Jinyue searched carefully, and she really did manage to find two flowerpots. The patterns on them were beautifully intricate—just from the craftsmanship, it was clear they wouldn’t be cheap. Unfortunately, both were damaged. One had a large piece broken off from the bottom, making it impossible to hold soil, so it was unusable.

The other looked intact, but just as Mu Jinyue held it up to examine more closely, it split in half right down the middle. That one was also useless.

She had already searched the whole room but found nothing suitable. Walking deeper inside, she saw Lin Tong engrossed in her book and didn’t disturb her. Instead, she turned and stepped out of the house. Wandering around the courtyard, she considered searching outside, but there were even more things piled there, making it troublesome to dig through. Besides, she was already tired from rummaging indoors. Not wanting to search anymore, she simply sat on a stone at the entrance, patiently waiting for Lin Tong.

Lin Tong had mainly come this time to accompany Sister Jinyue in shopping. Reading was just a side activity. So she occasionally looked up to check on Jinyue’s movements. But this time she had gotten too absorbed in her book, and when she finally raised her head, the room was already quiet. Startled, she quickly put her book back in its hiding spot and walked out.

The moment she stepped outside, she saw Mu Jinyue sitting at the entrance. She walked up and asked, “Sister Jinyue, did you find anything suitable?”

Mu Jinyue shook her head. “I found two, but neither can be used. What about you, are you done?”

Lin Tong looked regretful. “I’m done. Let’s come back in a few days and check again. For now, let’s go home.”

“Alright.” The two spoke and linked arms, ready to head back together.

Just then, Old Man Yu, who was busy nearby, spoke up. “What are you looking for?” Clearly, he had overheard their conversation.

Mu Jinyue replied, “I’m looking for a flowerpot. I want to plant a cabbage at home. That way, in winter, my family will feel happier seeing it, and we’ll also have an extra dish on the table.”

Old Man Yu also lived on their street, and he’d heard a bit about this new bride—rumor had it she came from the countryside. But in his view, what was wrong with that? People from the countryside were often more honest and down-to-earth.

He didn’t say much more, just turned and walked toward the shed, seemingly to search for something.

Mu Jinyue and Lin Tong were left standing there, unsure whether they should leave. Mu Jinyue turned to Lin Tong for guidance, and Lin Tong simply gripped her hand tightly. “Let’s wait a little longer.”

Seeing her reaction, Mu Jinyue understood and obediently stayed put.

After a short while, Old Man Yu returned, carrying something in his hand. He placed it before them and said, “See if this one will do.”

Mu Jinyue accepted the flowerpot that the old man handed over and examined it carefully. Compared to the two she had found earlier, this one was much better—at least the bottom was intact and could hold soil. The only drawback was that the rim was chipped and jagged, with one section missing a chunk as wide as three fingers. No one knew what had happened to it, but only the rim was damaged. Still, as long as it could be used, it was already very good.

Seeing the satisfied look on her face, Old Man Yu said, “This is no use to me. If you like it, take it. I won’t charge you anything—it’s broken anyway.”

Mu Jinyue hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise. After all, she had only come to look today, planning to return and buy one once she had money.

Now that she didn’t have to spend anything, she sincerely thanked him. “Thank you, Uncle Yu. Thank you so much, really, I can’t thank you enough.”

Lin Tong chimed in, “Uncle Yu, you’re such a good person! Don’t worry—if you ever need anything, just call us. We’ll come right away!”

Old Man Yu gave a short grunt in acknowledgment, waved his hand, and told them to be on their way.

So Mu Jinyue carried the flowerpot home in high spirits.

With the flowerpot in hand, she was uncharacteristically eager. She even made a special trip to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a cabbage. That evening, she cooked a pot of cabbage soup, and she kept the leftover base of the cabbage in the kitchen.

After dinner, she wasted no time. Hugging the flowerpot, she went out into the courtyard. First, she fetched some water from the well and washed the pot clean, saving some water to use later. Once it was clean, she was ready to add soil. The courtyard was paved with green bricks, except for the ground beneath the big tree, where there was still dirt.

She looked at her flowerpot—it wasn’t big, only about seven centimeters tall—so it wouldn’t take much soil. She headed over to the tree. Since most of the neighbors were still inside eating dinner, no one paid her much attention. She carefully dug up a small layer of soil and filled the flowerpot.

Carrying it back to the kitchen door, she planted the cabbage root she had set aside, watered it a little, and then infused a bit of her power into it. At last, the task was complete.

Jiang Yi, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, had long since noticed her movements. When she crouched by the door, he had already finished tidying up the kitchen. So he stood at the doorway watching her. When his gaze fell on the slightly damaged flowerpot in her hands, he suddenly thought of what had happened yesterday. Could it be that this was the reason her mood had been so off last night?

He asked, “What are you doing?”

Hearing his voice above her, Mu Jinyue’s smile froze, then quickly faded. “Nothing. I just wanted to plant something.”

“I didn’t expect you to have the leisure for that.”

“No, it’s just a vegetable,” she replied, then added deliberately, “I found the flowerpot at Uncle Yu’s place. It didn’t cost anything.”

What did she mean by that? Was she implying he cared about the price of a few flowerpots? Did she think he was that petty? He could afford ten or eight flowerpots without issue—why would he care about such a thing? Ha. Jiang Yi gave a cold laugh, said nothing more, locked the door, and went straight back to his room.

Mu Jinyue kept her ears pricked, listening for his movements behind her. Only when she heard him go inside did she finally breathe a sigh of relief. She just found him baffling. Why was he always sneering for no reason? She really couldn’t figure him out.

Ever since that night when there had been an argument in the courtyard, Mu Jinyue had consciously kept her distance from him. Recently, their interactions had been fine—like water from different wells, they left each other alone. She didn’t know what had gotten into him today.

Even as these thoughts ran through her mind, her hands didn’t stop moving. Soon, the cabbage was planted. She carried the flowerpot inside and placed it on the floor beside the washstand. After washing her hands, she headed across the hall—it was about time for her to massage Aunt Zhang’s legs.

But before she entered, she heard the sound of laughter between mother and son inside. Peeking in, she saw Jiang Yi sitting by the bed, massaging Zhang Yulan’s legs. Not wanting to interrupt their family time, she turned back to her room, washed up, and prepared to sleep. She finally had a little time to herself—of course, she was going to rest well.