Chapter 17: The More Money, the Better  

Was Mother Su heartbroken?  

At this moment, her heart did ache, but definitely not for the reasons others imagined.  

Right now, Mother Su was likely grieving over the missed opportunity to get the watch, thinking about how to comfort herself and find a way to claim it.  

Su Ruanruan no longer dwelled on the Su Family’s affairs.  

She was already married. As long as she was willing to set aside her pride, the Su Family would have no real influence over her.  

In a few days, she would follow the army, putting a great distance between herself and this place. By then, the Su Family would be even less capable of affecting her.  

When Su Ruanruan and Fu Wenjing returned to the Fu Family’s home, lunch was already prepared.  

Today’s meal had been cooked by Third Brother Fu’s wife, Chen Chunlan.  

As the women’s director of the brigade, Chen Chunlan was efficient in her work, handled matters swiftly, and was known for her fairness.  

However, no one in this world was perfect. If someone excelled at certain things, there were bound to be areas where they fell short.  

Chen Chunlan’s greatest weakness was cooking.  

Among the other daughters-in-law of the Fu Family, even if they prepared entirely vegetarian meals, the dishes would still have some flavor.  

If they had the right seasonings and ingredients, their cooking would be even better.  

But Chen Chunlan was the exception. Whether it was white flour or coarse grains, green peppers, beans, eggplants, pork, chicken, or duck—everything she made ended up tasting the same.  

Chen Chunlan couldn’t stir-fry dishes. What she was best at was stewing everything together in one big pot.  

She didn’t bother with selecting side ingredients, nor did she care whether something should be steamed, fried, or boiled. Everything was simply thrown into the pot together.  

As a result, not only did all the dishes taste identical, but they even looked almost the same.  

The original owner of this body had never known about this. It was Fu Wenjing who had told Su Ruanruan about the Fu Family members while introducing them.  

Yesterday, Su Ruanruan had still been somewhat skeptical. But now, seeing the food in her bowl with her own eyes, she finally understood—Fu Wenjing had not only spoken the truth but had even put it rather mildly.  

Although Chen Chunlan’s cooking was truly unappealing in both appearance and taste, no one in the Fu Family voiced any complaints. Each person simply ate in silence, heads down.  

After all, no matter what the food looked or tasted like, it was all meant to fill their stomachs.  

The sooner they ate, the sooner they would be full, and that was enough.

Being an orphan, Su Ruanruan had endured all kinds of hardships and naturally was not a picky eater. She carefully finished every last bit of her meal without leaving anything behind.  

After the meal, Li Laidi set down her bowl and sighed. “Today, it’s Third Sister-in-law’s turn to cook. In a few days, it’ll be Seventh Sister-in-law’s turn. I heard she’s a great cook. When the time comes, we must have a proper taste.”  

She then added with a tinge of regret: “It’s just a pity that Seventh Sister-in-law will be leaving with Seventh Brother for the military unit. No matter how delicious her cooking is, Father and Mother won’t get to enjoy it.”  

“If they can’t eat it, then they can’t eat it.” Wang Maoni spoke coldly. “Food is food, isn’t it? We’re just ordinary, honest farming folk. We’ve never been particular about food, clothing, or luxury. Second Son’s Wife, what kind of attitude is this? You’re actually fussing over food!?”  

Li Laidi quickly explained: “Mother, that’s not what I meant! I was just making conversation, that’s all. Who’s fussing over food? Even though Third Sister-in-law’s cooking is terrible, didn’t I finish my meal without saying a word?”  

Hearing this, Su Ruanruan almost laughed out loud.  

Li Laidi was truly bold. With just a few words, she had offended several people in the family.  

Realizing her mistake almost immediately, Li Laidi quickly put on a bright smile and turned to Chen Chunlan.  

“Third Sister-in-law, I didn’t mean it that way. I wasn’t saying your cooking is bad.”  

Chen Chunlan remained unfazed, as if completely unbothered by the comment. “I know my cooking isn’t good. There’s nothing I can do about it—no matter how much I try, my skills just won’t improve. If Second Sister-in-law really can’t eat it, I can set aside your portion of the rations, and you can cook for yourself.”  

“No, no, no! That won’t be necessary.” Li Laidi waved her hands repeatedly. “I eat just fine! How could I not? I’ve been eating it for so many years—”  

“If it’s so bad, yet you’ve eaten it for so many years, you must have had a really hard time, Second Sister-in-law.”  

With that, Chen Chunlan stood up, gathered the dishes, and headed to the kitchen.  

Su Ruanruan secretly applauded.  

Chen Chunlan truly lived up to her role as the women’s director—quick-witted and sharp-tongued. With just a few words, she had completely silenced Li Laidi.  

Now that Li Laidi had quieted down, no one else said anything either. One by one, they got up and returned to their rooms for a midday rest.  

Su Ruanruan also returned to the bedroom with Fu Wenjing. She had originally planned to take out some fabric and make clothes for Fu Wenjing.  

But before she could even open the bed cabinet, she heard the sound of Fu Wenjing sliding the door bolt into place.

Su Ruanruan had just turned her head when she saw that Fu Wenjing had somehow already appeared beside her.  

Looking at him standing so close in the blink of an eye, she asked with slight confusion: “Why did you walk so fast?”  

Fu Wenjing hadn’t even answered yet when he chuckled first. “Because I wanted to get to Ruanruan’s side as quickly as possible.”  

“……”  

They had only been married for a few days, yet Su Ruanruan had already discovered that when it came to sweet, cheesy lines, Fu Wenjing was a complete natural.  

There was no internet in this era, and he had no other way to learn such words—he spoke them entirely from the heart.  

And sincerity was always the ultimate weapon.  

Even corny lines could turn romantic.  

“Then just sit beside me and watch. I’ll make you two sets of close-fitting clothes…”  

As Su Ruanruan spoke, she reached to open the cabinet, only for Fu Wenjing to grasp both of her hands.  

“No need. I have clothes to wear. It’s easy to get sleepy in the afternoon—I’ll lie down with you for a while.”  

Su Ruanruan’s cheeks warmed slightly. “I never said I was going to lie down. How did it become you lying down with me?”  

“Then you lie with me, alright?”  

With Fu Wenjing’s dark, shining eyes fixed on her, Su Ruanruan found that she truly couldn’t refuse. In the end, she lay down with him on the heated brick bed.  

She hadn’t been sleepy at first, but as they lay there, exchanging a few words here and there, drowsiness slowly crept up on her. Her eyelids grew heavier, and soon, she drifted off.  

When Su Ruanruan woke up in a sleepy daze, she realized that she was the only one left on the bed.  

Propping herself up, she had just sat upright when she noticed a piece of paper placed on the bed.  

The handwriting on it was bold and strong, carrying an underlying sharpness—just like Fu Wenjing himself. It was the perfect example of how one’s handwriting reflected their character.  

Fu Wenjing had written that he had gone out with Fu Chunshan to visit some relatives and told her not to worry about looking for him after she woke up.  

The Fu Family had many relatives. Since Fu Wenjing had not returned for many years and would be leaving again in just a few days, it was only natural for him to pay visits before his departure.  

Su Ruanruan carefully folded the paper and temporarily stored it in the bed cabinet.

It was still not yet two in the afternoon. Since it was not a busy farming season and the weather was hot, work in the fields only started at three in the afternoon. At this hour, most people were still taking their midday nap.  

Su Ruanruan got up and bolted the door before summoning the Taobao panel.  

For the past two days, she and Fu Wenjing had been practically inseparable, leaving her with neither the time nor the opportunity to properly examine Taobao. Now that she finally had a moment to herself, she decided to take a closer look.  

The homepage of Taobao was still filled with a dazzling array of goods, an overwhelming selection that made Su Ruanruan’s eyes blur.  

She only browsed but did not buy.  

With so many people in the Fu Family and her spending most of her time with Fu Wenjing, any sudden increase in supplies would easily be noticed.  

Even though she couldn’t make any purchases, it didn’t stop her from looking.  

Browsing Taobao itself was a kind of enjoyment.  

Of course, Su Ruanruan wasn’t just idly scrolling—she was also thinking about what she could sell.  

Antiques weren’t easy to come by, and she currently had no opportunity to search for them.  

But if not antiques, what else could she sell at this time?  

She had no idea which edition of stamps would be valuable, and even if she knew, there was no guarantee she could acquire them immediately.  

Then, as she thought of the vast, endless mountains behind the Hongqi Production Brigade and the shimmering rivers that ran through them, her eyes lit up.  

Wild delicacies from the mountains and fresh catches from the river—these might be worth trying!  

While everything technically belonged to the state in this era, it was still acceptable to go into the mountains to dig for wild vegetables, pick mushrooms and wild fruits, catch a pheasant, snare a hare, or fish a few for personal consumption.  

As long as she didn’t take them to sell for money, no one would interfere if she brought some home to eat.  

These things held little value in this time period. People living at the foot of the mountains and along the riverbanks could easily access them.  

But in the era she had come from, such purely wild and natural ingredients were highly sought after and sold at premium prices.  

The more she thought about it, the more restless she became. She wanted to go into the mountains immediately.  

She still had tens of thousands in balance, but who would ever think they had too much money?  

The more, the better, of course!