Chapter 7 I want to eat the wild vegetables she dug in my next life

Seeing Bai Xiuying’s dark expression, Xu Dingbang walked over, patted her arm, and lowered his voice: “Don’t forget what I told you last night.”

Although Bai Xiuying was extremely unwilling, she didn’t dare defy her man. Reluctantly, she pulled ten yuan out of her pocket. “Wan-Ning, take this money. Buy whatever you want to eat.”

Looking at the ten yuan in Bai Xiuying’s hand, Tang Wan-Ning’s heart itched with desire. If only it were points instead of money—then she could immediately empty the Xu family’s house. But then again, if she really did that, the old couple would surely go to the Tang family to sponge off them. Forget it. In the end, the Xu family’s money would be hers anyway, no need to rush. Besides, she’d already been eating chicken and braised pork these past two days. If she also accepted this ten yuan, the old couple would definitely start suspecting her strange behavior.

So she simply refused: “No need, Mother. If I run out of money, I’ll tell you.”

Hearing her refusal, Bai Xiuying secretly let out a breath of relief. This little wretch had been acting so differently these past couple of days that she’d really been afraid she might actually take the money.

“Alright, then don’t go to the fields for the next few days. Stay home and rest well.”

“I know, Mother.”

Watching Tang Wan-Ning turn back into her room, Bai Xiuying had no choice but to accept her lot and head to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for herself and her husband. Ever since Tang Wan-Ning had married into the family, all housework and meals had fallen to her. As for Bai Xiuying, she had rarely entered the kitchen anymore. So when she did step in, she couldn’t help but vent her temper for quite a while. Only, afraid Xu Dingbang might hear, even her tantrum was thrown quietly.

After grumpily finishing breakfast, the Xu couple went out to work in the fields.

Inside the house, Tang Wan-Ning listened to their movements. After waiting five minutes, she also slipped out. She had to hurry and gather plants and animals over these two days to stock up on points.

Along the way, she ran into several villagers. To brush them off, she just said she was out for some fresh air, and so she strolled until she reached the foot of the mountain behind the village.

Looking at the lush forest, Tang Wan-Ning’s eyes curved with delight. All of this was points waiting to be collected.

Carrying her basket and brimming with excitement, she headed up the mountain. Quite a few children were already there, digging wild greens and gathering mushrooms. Tang Wan-Ning picked a spot with fewer children and squatted down, digging wild greens while scanning and collecting plants. Perhaps because it was a mountain, there were many different varieties of grasses and vegetables.

In just half an hour, she had earned 29 points. Adding the 10 points from yesterday, she now had 39 in total.

Looking at the pitiful few greens in her basket, Tang Wan-Ning rubbed her nose awkwardly. She had been so focused on collecting that she had forgotten to actually dig greens. But she had already scanned most of what was around here, so staying wouldn’t yield much more. She decided to move deeper in.

Sure enough, after changing spots, she found more things she could collect. This time she didn’t forget to dig greens as well.

Just after collecting a wood ear mushroom, she raised her head thoughtfully, staring at a big tree in front of her.

I wonder how many points collecting a big tree would give? Should I try?

But there were several kids not far away. If the commotion was too big, it would draw attention. Better wait until they left.

Time slipped by, and by a little after ten, all the children digging greens had run down the mountain. Still, Tang Wan-Ning waited another ten minutes to be sure no one was around. Then she raised her hand toward a big tree.

【Target scanned successfully. Can be exchanged for 10 points. Confirm exchange / Reject exchange】

Tang Wan-Ning immediately confirmed. Ten points appeared in her account, while before her there was only a giant pit.

She then collected three more trees of different species she had already marked, earning another 30 points.

Glancing at her point balance—93 now—her eyes lit up. With this many points, the Xu family’s money was as good as hers.

Not wanting to return early and risk being given chores, Tang Wan-Ning decided she’d go back later. If Bai Xiuying asked, she’d say she lost track of time while digging greens. In any case, doing chores was out of the question. She was only going back to eat. She wasn’t worried about Bai Xiuying trying to trick her—since they were making braised pork, the couple themselves would want to eat too.

She stayed on the mountain until noon. After pushing her points to exactly one hundred, Tang Wan-Ning finally wandered back home.

Sure enough, as soon as she entered the house, the rich smell of braised pork hit her. Even though in her previous life she’d never lacked meat, this body had been starved of it for too long. Tang Wan-Ning swallowed hard before calling out: “Father, Mother, I’m back.”

Hearing her voice, Bai Xiuying stuck her head out of the kitchen, displeased. “Wan-Ning, why aren’t you resting at home? What are you doing running around?”

To an outsider, it might sound like concern. But Tang Wan-Ning knew perfectly well—Bai Xiuying was just angry she wasn’t home helping with chores.

“Mother, I was getting a little bored at home, so I thought I’d dig some wild greens on the mountain.” She lifted her basket and held it out. “See? I dug nearly a whole basket.”

Looking at the basket, Bai Xiuying’s face eased slightly. “Go wash your hands and dish up the rice. The food’s ready.”

“Alright, I’ll go now.”

This little wretch—she didn’t come back earlier or later, but right when the food was finished. Clearly on purpose. The more Bai Xiuying thought about it, the more furious she became, almost wishing she could smash the spatula on Tang Wan-Ning’s head. But she could only grit her teeth and hold it in.

After washing her hands, Tang Wan-Ning went to the kitchen to help dish up. Staring at the bowl piled high with braised pork, her mouth watered uncontrollably. Bai Xiuying and Xu Dingbang were no better off.

“Eat,” Xu Dingbang said, picking up a piece of meat first. Bai Xiuying and Tang Wan-Ning followed suit, eating hungrily—one bite of meat, one bite of rice. It was delicious.

In just ten minutes, the bowl of braised pork was gone. While the Xu couple used the sauce to soak their rice, Tang Wan-Ning quickly said, “Father, Mother, I’m done. You two eat slowly.” Then she slipped away into the courtyard, successfully avoiding the chore of washing dishes.

When they weren’t paying attention, she grabbed the basket of wild greens she had dug that morning and took it straight back to her mother’s house. Hmph, if they wanted to eat her greens, they could wait until the next life.

After lunch, Bai Xiuying leaned back in her chair with a satisfied burp. “Wan-Ning, clean up the dishes. I’ve been busy all morning and I’m a bit tired. I’m going to lie down for a while.”