Chapter 38 – The Female Supporting Character Whose Life Was Taken Away by a Transmigrated Woman

Old Qin did not stay away for long before he returned, bringing several people with him. Wen Xin was a bit surprised, but when she heard they were here to look at the orchids in her garden, she opened the door and let them in.

Old Qin pulled Old Zhang, who was still babbling about how the Su Guan He Ding orchid could only be found in Yunnan Province, directly to the backyard.

After just one glance at the corner of the yard, Old Zhang shut his mouth. Without needing Old Qin to say anything, he walked over on his own.

Old Zhang’s eyesight wasn’t very good, so he always carried a magnifying glass in his pocket. He took it out and carefully examined the orchids, scrutinizing them thoroughly.

Meanwhile, Doctor Su squatted by the ginseng, observing it as well.

Xiao Huang, who didn’t understand orchids, just followed Doctor Su’s side.

Seeing that everyone had their tasks, Wen Xin felt like she had nothing to do, so she decided to leave.

At noon, Zhang Chunhua took the time to come by and brought her a basket of freshly harvested walnuts.

The walnuts were still raw. When she cracked them open and removed the slightly bitter brown skin, they were very moist, and the texture was quite different from dried ones.

Wen Xin remembered the walnut and chili stir-fry from her previous life and started cracking them.

She hadn’t finished cracking a small bowl of chili when the group who had been looking at the orchids and ginseng came out, looking very excited.

Among them, only Old Qin and Wen Xin were familiar with each other, so he came over to speak with her.

Old Zhang wanted to buy Wen Xin’s orchids, and Doctor Su wanted to buy her ginseng.

Old Qin spoke to Wen Xin from a distance while Old Zhang stood nearby, staring at her. The look in the eyes of this elderly man, who was over seventy, was enough to make anyone feel reluctant to refuse him.

The orchids were only picked casually from the mountains, and while there were plenty of orchids there, it was unknown whether they were the same as the Su Guan He Ding.

Wen Xin didn’t particularly like simple,淡-colored flowers. She preferred bright reds and purples, like the various-colored chrysanthemums in the front yard and the large, blooming camellias.

She wasn’t opposed to selling them, though.

Old Zhang was familiar with the market, and he wasn’t the type to deceive anyone. The price he offered was reasonable. For one Su Guan He Ding orchid, he offered 100,000 yuan.

This was probably all the savings Old Zhang had accumulated since retiring from the military.

Wen Xin raised her eyebrows: “Grandpa Zhang, isn’t this too much? These orchids were just randomly picked from the mountains; they’re not worth that price.”

Old Zhang repeatedly waved his hands, saying: “It’s worth it, worth it! Su Guan He Ding is an exquisite orchid. The quality of yours is so good—it’s a rare find. If you were to auction this flower at an orchid market, you could easily make three to five hundred thousand.”

Wen Xin stared at him blankly. In her past life, their family was never short on money. Her royalties for a single book in the early 2000s could easily reach ten to twenty thousand yuan. Gu Xiuping had always lived on allowances.

In this life, if it weren’t for the Original Owner being so poor and the family situation being what it was, Wen Xin wouldn’t have resorted to rushing ginseng to sell.

She had originally thought that selling a single ginseng for over seven thousand yuan was already a lot. Now, she found out that a single orchid could sell for over one hundred thousand yuan?

The money seemed to fall from the sky, and Wen Xin felt like money was too easy to make.

Old Zhang didn’t need Old Qin to act as an intermediary anymore. He began to educate Wen Xin on the various types of orchids and their prices.

Before Old Zhang joined the army, his family had a bit of wealth, and he had a particular fondness for orchids.

Wen Xin was persuaded by him and agreed right away.

Old Zhang’s passbook was still at the sanatorium, and it was already late, so transferring money or any transactions would have to wait until tomorrow. The thought of not being able to take the orchids tonight pained him.

Wen Xin noticed his concern and asked: “Grandpa Zhang, would you like to take the orchids with you tonight?”

Old Zhang’s eyes brightened. “Is that possible?” But as soon as he spoke, he dismissed the idea. “No, I should leave them here. I haven’t paid yet. I’ll take them after I’ve paid.”

Wen Xin glanced at Old Qin and smiled. “It’s fine, Grandpa Zhang. You can take them. I trust you.”

Old Qin had been working with Old Zhang for many years, so he cleared his throat and vouched for him. Even Doctor Su, who had mostly stayed silent, chimed in.

In the end, the desire for the orchids won out. After asking Wen Xin whether she preferred cash or a passbook, Wen Xin said she wanted cash.

Her household registration was still in Danxi Village. When she had left, she had taken her household register with her, though she hadn’t planned on transferring her registration so quickly.

But now, things were different. Once Old Zhang brought the money tomorrow and she had the cash in hand, transferring her household registration would be an urgent matter.

The household registration system at that time wasn’t as strict as it was in the 60s and 70s, and policies were still somewhat chaotic. Transferring her household registration wouldn’t be difficult.

With the deal for the orchids settled, Doctor Su turned to discuss the purchase of Wen Xin’s ginseng.

The ginseng Wen Xin grew was between 30 and 50 years old. Doctor Su offered to buy it at market price, offering 2,000 yuan for each piece.

Compared to the prices at the hospital, this was still quite high.

For the five ginseng plants, Wen Xin earned another 10,000 yuan.

In just one day, she had earned a total of 120,000 yuan.

It was like becoming suddenly wealthy overnight.

It felt like a dream.

Having made such a large sum, Wen Xin decided to treat everyone to a meal.

Without waiting for anyone to refuse, she went to the backyard and caught a chicken. The little chick she had been raising for over a month wasn’t very large.

But perhaps because it had been fed vegetables with spiritual water, and since she couldn’t finish all the food, whatever was left over was either eaten by the dogs or given to the chickens. So, this one chicken weighed about two kilograms.

Wen Xin twisted the chicken’s neck and, with a single stroke, the chicken’s blood gushed out, falling into a bowl of salt water she had already prepared.

Seeing how quickly and cleanly Wen Xin killed the chicken, Xiao Huang, who had been a step too slow, rushed over to help.

Old Qin, sipping the tea Wen Xin had made for them, turned to Old Zhang and said: “This girl’s skill—if she had been born four or five decades earlier, she would have been a great asset on the battlefield.”

Old Zhang, always quick to retort, shot back: “Don’t kid yourself. Back when your lady was young, when did she ever hesitate when killing chickens and fish? Didn’t she tremble with fear the first time she went to the battlefield?”

Old Qin clearly thought of his late wife and sighed deeply.

Old Zhang continued: “Didn’t your Yi Xin say she was sent to Hunan Province? Any news about her yet?”

The ten years of turmoil had affected the Qin family. Old Qin was sent to a farm in Xinjiang, and his wife followed him. His son, the moment his father’s crime was confirmed, severed ties with him and even reported him to the authorities.

It was because of his biological son’s betrayal that Old Qin’s situation became even more difficult.

Old Qin’s youngest daughter was a filial and well-behaved child, and she was the one Old Qin worried about the most. At that time, his faction was being targeted and severely persecuted. Despite his deep concern for his daughter, he had no way to help her. So, he entrusted his best friend to look after her. But in 1968, his old friend passed away, and since then, there had been no news of his daughter.

It had been 25 years since he was sent away, and 15 years since his case was overturned. He had been searching for his daughter all this time, but she had changed her name, age, and family details with the help of his old friend. Searching for her felt like an impossible task. All he knew was that she was somewhere in Hunan Province, but with such a vast region and so many Educated Youth sent to the countryside, the lack of records and lost information made it nearly impossible to trace her.

Old Qin’s wife had passed away without ever hearing from their daughter again, her eyes never closing in peace.

As for him, he didn’t know how many more years he had left to live. The thought that he might never see his daughter again in this lifetime made him deeply sad.

His expression grew heavy. Old Zhang sighed deeply.

Old Zhang had also been one of the most severely scrutinized during those years. He had even been sent away a few days before Old Qin. However, things had been a bit better for him. His children and grandchildren were somewhat filial, and none of them had done something like reporting their own father.

Neither of them spoke, and Doctor Su remained silent as well.

Since there weren’t many good ingredients in the house, Wen Xin suggested making hotpot.

With her skillful hands, Wen Xin chopped the chicken into large chunks, heated oil in a pot, and added ginger, scallions, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and grass fruits to sauté until fragrant. She then added the chicken and stir-fried it, seasoning with salt, soy sauce, and cooking wine. Finally, she poured in a bowl of water to cover the chicken. When the water boiled, she transferred the chicken into a small pot and placed it on the stove that Xiao Huang had set up in the courtyard to simmer.

Xiao Huang went to the garden and picked a lot of fresh vegetables, washed them, and set them aside.

Wen Xin asked everyone if they liked spicy food, then mixed a bowl of dipping sauce. As the chicken cooked and its aroma filled the air, everyone gathered around the stove to eat. A wooden board was placed across the middle of the pot, with the dipping sauce on top. In addition to the dipping sauce, there was a small bowl of walnuts stir-fried with chili that Wen Xin had prepared.

The chicken in Wen Xin’s house was fatty, and it released a lot of oil as it cooked. The fresh, tender vegetables were the perfect oil absorbers. The vegetables turned a vibrant green as they soaked up the oil, and when dipped in the spicy dipping sauce, they made a great accompaniment to the meal.

By the end, the vegetables had run out, so Xiao Huang went to pick another basket full to ensure everyone was full.

After the meal, there was no need for Wen Xin to remind him. Xiao Huang, being very considerate, took care of cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes on his own.

Full and content, Old Qin rubbed his belly and, along with Old Zhang, who was still clutching the orchids, headed back to the nursing home.

As soon as they arrived, Doctor Su handed both elderly gentlemen some stomach-soothing medicine. After taking it, the two of them went for a long walk around the courtyard before going to bed.

That night, they both slept soundly, feeling refreshed in the morning, something they hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Early the next morning, Old Zhang skipped breakfast and, with Xiao Huang, went to the bank to withdraw money. They then returned to Wen Xin’s home, where Doctor Su handed her the payment for the ginseng and carefully replanted the entire ginseng plant into a flowerpot. He then carefully carried it back to the nursing home.

That afternoon, Old Zhang hosted a flower appreciation gathering at the nursing home, inviting all the elderly residents to enjoy the orchids from his own garden.

The elderly men and women who loved orchids commented on everything from the shape of the petals to the leaves. Those who didn’t care for orchids were more interested in hearing about the young Wen Xin, as described by Old Qin.

The nursing home was mostly populated by elderly residents. The younger ones, like Xiao Huang, were a bit of a novelty, though there were also some young nurses. But they had seen them all before, while Wen Xin was a new and fresh face to them.

With enough money in hand, Wen Xin went to the county office in Lanyang to change her household registration.

Because she had the original household registration book and had discreetly given a 100-yuan bribe to the officer in charge of household management, the officer processed her request in less than ten minutes. She was also given a migration certificate. The date field was left blank, to be filled in later when Wen Xin moved into a house and registered her residence.

With the household registration issue resolved, Wen Xin made her way to the bus station.

Meanwhile, Su Quihe was outside the post office, complaining to Zhou Wenhai over the phone. After a brief exchange of half-hearted comfort from Zhou Wenhai, who quickly hung up citing being busy, Su Quihe, feeling unsatisfied and irritated, turned around and spotted a figure strikingly similar to Wen Xin.

Without thinking, Su Quihe immediately chased after the person.