Chapter 4: Hiding Private Money

The whole room froze. Even the children grew quieter than usual, hardly daring to breathe.

For Old Madam Lu, the sweetest sound in the world was the clink of her own money, and the worst was when someone asked her for it, took sick leave from work, or broke household items.

And Lin Wan had actually smashed one teapot and two teacups in a single go. That sound couldn’t have been more unpleasant.

Old Madam Lu whipped her head toward Lin Wan, ready to slam the table and scold her. But before she could, Lin Wan clutched her head, swayed unsteadily, and toppled toward the stove.

There was still an earthenware basin on it.

Old Madam Lu forgot all about her anger and shouted, “The basin!”

As Lin Wan fell, she grabbed the basin with one hand, braced herself on the bellows with the other, then turned her head and smiled. “Luckily, I didn’t break it.”

She looked down at the shattered porcelain on the ground, eyes widening in disbelief, and cried out, “Who broke these? Was it me? Oh no, my head’s so dizzy—”

Lu Ersao, afraid she’d keep breaking things, hurried to support her. “Third Aunt, you hit your head today and lost a lot of blood.” She glanced at Old Madam Lu, hinting that maybe Lin Wan should rest.

Normally, if someone broke household goods, Old Madam Lu would explode and grab a stick to beat them. If someone slacked off instead of working, she’d beat them too.

But now, with her brain short-circuited from anger, she didn’t even think to punish Lin Wan. She simply nodded for her to go rest.

Lin Wan quickly waved her hands. “No, no. Everyone’s busy—how can I rest? I only knocked my temple, bled a whole bowl, and died once. No big deal. Even the King Yama didn’t want me, which means I’m tough enough to work to death.”

Old Madam Lu, being superstitious, hated hearing words like “death” or “King Yama.” To her, they brought bad luck.

She snapped, “Go rest!”

But Lin Wan didn’t head inside. She adjusted the bandage on her head. It hurt, of course—splitting your head always hurt—but it wasn’t a huge wound. She could handle it. She had just arrived; there was no way she’d miss a family meeting and leave others free to scheme behind her back.

She stood quietly to the side, beautiful and smiling pleasantly, with not a trace of temper—nothing like the sharp-tongued daughters-in-law who clashed head-on with their mothers-in-law.

Even with a bellyful of anger, Old Madam Lu couldn’t find an outlet.

She was going to suffocate.

“Fine. Let’s leave it at that.” She had originally planned to discuss how to deal with Lin Wan, but since Lin Wan was being so agreeable, she had no choice but to back down.

Lin Wan never intended to shirk all work. In a family, everyone should do their part. But if the work was just a way to grind someone down or establish a pecking order—sorry, she wasn’t playing along.

She smiled. “Old Madam, I’ll get up early tomorrow to make breakfast so you don’t have to worry.”

Then she turned to fetch the earthenware basin. “I’ll get some water for Father and Mother to wash their feet.”

Lu Dasao quickly stopped her. “Third Aunt, no need. It’s summer—Father and Mother can just rinse with cool water.”

Lin Wan smiled knowingly. With how lazy Old Madam Lu was, there was no way she’d wash her own feet. The book even said that when her feet stank, the smell could travel for ten li, once making the heroine Jiang Yingyue—who had come home with Lu Zhengqi—feel nauseous.

Old Madam Lu liked to order her daughters-in-law to bring her foot water, preferably wash her feet too. But this was the new society—women could hold up half the sky. Asking for water was one thing, but having someone wash your feet? As if daughters-in-law didn’t have parents of their own? If word got out, she might even be labeled a feudal oppressor.

So really, the foot-washing was just an excuse to torment her daughters-in-law.

Lu Dasao felt Lin Wan’s smile was unreadable, which left her uneasy.

Second Sister Lu ended things: “Anyway, it’s Third Brother and sister-in-law’s wedding day. Rest early.”

Everyone dispersed. The women washed up at the latrine, and the men went to the river.

…….

When Lu Zhengting came back, he immediately sensed the strange atmosphere. Looking around for Lin Wan but not seeing her, he headed to the west room.

Old Madam Lu grabbed his chair. “What did you bring back? Give it to me!” She reached for what he was holding.

He didn’t let go but opened his hand to show her—clean bandages and medicine from the barefoot doctor.

“Medicine? Why? Anyone with a cut can just press stove ash on it. Buying medicine costs money! If you’re not dead, you can tough it out. What doctor?”

When Lin Wan hit her head earlier, her family was present, so they had to fetch the barefoot doctor to treat her. That had cost several mao, which Old Madam Lu still resented.

Second Sister Lu slipped in, looking sneaky. “Mother, are you arguing with Third Brother? Forget it—he can’t hear you. Quick, she’s in the latrine and won’t be back for a while.”

Lin Wan had gone to fetch water to wash up. They wanted to use the chance to search for the fifty yuan. Second Sister Lu had already checked her pockets earlier—no money—so it had to be in her room.

They started rifling through Lin Wan’s things right in front of Lu Zhengtian.

He rapped his knuckles on the edge of the kang.

Second Sister Lu looked over. “What, Third Brother?” She waved her hands casually.

He pointed to the medicine, indicating she should help change Lin Wan’s bandage later, then tapped the kang again, staring at her.

She immediately understood—he was accusing them of stealing behind Lin Wan’s back.

She huffed, “Mother, you say Third Brother has no heart, but look at him—already protecting that bargain wife.”

They searched for a while but couldn’t find the money. Where had she hidden it?

Disappointed, Second Sister Lu told Old Madam Lu to rest while she headed home. Her in-laws lived in the next village over, so it wasn’t far.

Before leaving, she took the bandages and medicine to Lin Wan, planning to get her talking while changing her dressing.

Old Madam Lu vented her anger on Lu Zhengting. “You’ll sleep here tonight. She’s your wife—it’s your job to serve her.” She didn’t believe he was really deaf; she thought he just ignored her out of spite.

He saw they’d found nothing and wheeled toward the west room. As he tidied his desk, he noticed one book felt odd. Opening it, he found five neatly stacked large bills—and a note: You’re my man, so help me keep the money safe!

He chuckled silently. She really didn’t treat him like an outsider.

But remembering she was just using him to spite Lu Zhengqi, his faint smile faded.

Just then, Old Madam Lu stormed in, shouting, “Are you deaf? I’m talking to you! I gave birth to you, raised you, married you off—”

Lin Wan, coming back from washing up, heard the old woman laying into Lu Zhengting, taking advantage of his deafness to spew venom.

“You resent us for giving you your brother’s unwanted woman? Look at yourself—you’re a cripple. You should be burning incense in thanks. Still want to compare yourself to Fourth Brother? Can you hear? Can you speak? Can you walk or run? You didn’t want to wipe his butt? Without you, would Fourth Brother’s arm have been broken as a child? Would Lu Xinlian’s face be scarred? You’re a waste of food!”

Lin Wan had thought the scolding would stop after a few sentences, but it only grew nastier.

Old hag, you’re really enjoying this, huh?

At the east room’s doorway, she saw Old Man Lu lying there pretending to sleep, not lifting a finger, while Old Madam Lu sat on the kang picking her feet and cursing her son.

Lin Wan poured a large cup of hot water—at least seventy degrees—from the thermos, carried it over, and smiled. “Old Madam, tired? Thirsty? Have some water to moisten your throat before continuing.”

Old Madam Lu had just said she wasn’t thirsty, but before she could think, the cup was shoved toward her, and she instinctively took it.

“Hot! I’ll feed you!” Lin Wan said, pouring it straight toward her mouth.

“Ah—!” Scalded, Old Madam Lu flailed, and the cup tipped into her lap. She shot up like a bean in hot oil, splashing Old Man Lu beside her.

Lin Wan quickly retreated to the doorway. “Old Madam, what happened? Too tired to hold a cup?”

The water wasn’t hot enough to burn, but Old Madam Lu was still furious. She grabbed a broom. “You wicked thing, get over here!”

Lin Wan snatched up the thermos. “Need foot water, Old Madam? I’ll get it for you!”

Old Man Lu barked, “Put it down!”

Old Madam Lu shouted at Lu Zhengting, “Hit her! She’s ruining the family!”

But he couldn’t hear. And even if he could, he wouldn’t.

Seeing no one come to her aid, Old Madam Lu had to swallow her rage, planning to teach this insolent daughter-in-law a lesson later.

Lin Wan smiled sweetly. “Old Madam, rest up—don’t tire yourself. Besides, Lu Zhengting is my husband now. If there’s any beating or scolding to do, let me handle it. It wouldn’t be filial to tire you out.”

She moved to push his wheelchair to take him back to their room.

At this stage, he was her ally—she needed his help, so she’d protect him too. Since they weren’t really husband and wife, she could afford to be generous.

But his first reaction was to refuse. He pushed her hands away, eyes cool, nodding toward the next room for her to sleep there.

She scribbled a note: Go to bed. Don’t worry, I won’t take advantage of you.

Up close, she noticed just how handsome he was—sharp features, refined lines.

Her faint fragrance drifted over, and his breath quickened slightly. Glancing at the note, his lips curved, but his eyes remained cool.

He shook his head, gripped her wrist firmly, and pushed her out, then shut the door.

She could joke about sharing a bed, but he couldn’t. As long as they slept separately, her reputation stayed clean.

Lin Wan: “…”

What a temper!

She went back to her own room. Lying down, she contacted the system: “39, still alive?”

The system, called 999, was an all-purpose medical system. But it had been badly damaged in a defensive battle, and after bringing her here, it had gone into near-hibernation.

999:[“…Not dead yet. Host, Lu Zhengtian is so pitiful. Let’s help him.”]

“With what—our mouths? You’re a pitiful case yourself.”

The system stalled, then said, [“…Sob sob, it’s my fault. But rest assured, Host, I’m as determined as Lu Zhengtian. I’ll repair myself!”]

“Can his disability be cured?”

[“As long as there’s will and skill, no problem is insurmountable! I can’t activate my functions now, but I can teach you basic medical knowledge to learn on your own.”]

…That would take forever. “Fine. I need something to do anyway—might as well become a barefoot doctor first.”

As a modern soul, farming, carrying manure, harvesting—none of it was as easy as people imagined. She’d start with medicine.

She received a Basic Medical Handbook from the system—stored in her mind since it lacked the energy to produce a physical copy.

Too tired from the day’s events and the journey through time, she soon fell asleep.

……

With no curtains in the countryside, dawn came early. By 4:30 a.m., the house was already bustling, and Lin Wan had to get up.

She washed up, noting that Old Madam Lu was still asleep.

“Da Sao, what’s for breakfast? I’ll cook.”

“You go find the team leader for work. We’ll handle breakfast,” she said quickly.

Cooking was the easiest job at home.

Lin Wan chuckled. Maybe her sister-in-law didn’t want to give her the chance to show off. Fine—she wasn’t avoiding cooking, just avoiding letting Old Madam Lu win.

She headed to find the production team leader.

Outside the courtyard, she ran into Lu Zhengtian. She smiled and waved. Even if he couldn’t hear, he could see her greeting.

The morning light made her smile shine like stars—bright, but warmer.

He silently handed her a cloth money pouch.

Her eyes curved with joy—he’d hidden the money for her and hadn’t told the old woman. Good man.

Leaning close, she patted his shoulder and teased, “What a good man.”

A flicker of discomfort crossed his face. He quickly pushed her away. “Morning.” Then he wheeled off.

It was the first time she’d heard him speak—his voice was deep, slightly husky, rich in texture.

Smiling, she opened the pouch to find some coins and a note: Fifty yuan kept safe for you. Five yuan for spending money.