Chapter 38: Xie Hanchuan Comes to Deliver Money

Feeling disappointed, Lin Luoxie walked over to the medicinal herb seedlings she had planted earlier, taking one of them and planting it along the edge of the Spirit Spring. The soil there was moist, so after she planted the seedlings, there was no need to fetch water from elsewhere.

Just as she was about to leave the space, she recalled a small bundle of money she had scavenged from the old Lin family. She took it out, and upon opening it, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

It seemed that the old Lin family had exploited Lin Dayou quite a bit over the years; this pile added up to over thirty taels. Not bad at all for an unexpected windfall.

However, because she now had silver in her purse, Lin Luoxie lay on her bed and fell into a deep sleep.

This was the deepest sleep Lin Luoxie had experienced since arriving in this era.

When she started to regain consciousness, she could faintly hear Lin Dayou talking to someone in the courtyard.

She could catch bits of a conversation, something about looking for “my eldest daughter,” and in an instant, Lin Luoxie opened her eyes wide.

“Ah!”

“Lin Luoning, what are you doing? You scared me!” The moment Lin Luoxie opened her eyes, she was greeted by Lin Luoning’s wide, unblinking eyes fixated on her, making her jump as if she had seen a ghost.

“Hehe, sister, I noticed that you look prettier; your skin is so fair, definitely not like the children in our village.”

“Stop talking nonsense! If I don’t look like a village child, then who do I look like?”

“By the way, who’s out there talking to Dad?” After shooting Lin Luoning a sideways glance, Lin Luoxie quickly got out of bed.

“Oh! It’s Brother Hanchuan!” The change of topic distracted Lin Luoning, helping her forget what she had just asked, and she followed Lin Luoxie’s lead.

“Oh, looks like the God of Wealth has come to deliver money!” Lin Luoxie casually tied her hair up with a cloth strip and opened the door to her room.

“Creek!” The simple wooden door creaked open, making a noticeable sound and successfully catching the attention of the two people talking in the courtyard.

“Xie Hanchuan, you’re here!” Lin Luoxie called out, looking at the young man who was now staring her way. She mentally recalled his name from their brief encounter last night.

Yesterday was too rushed, and she hadn’t paid much attention to his appearance. But now, upon closer inspection, she found him unexpectedly striking.

His fair skin did not resemble that of a country boy, fitting what Lin Luoning had said, akin to the modern concept of being a “cold beauty.”

With sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his facial features were sharply defined, giving him a dignified appearance.

He wore a short shirt typical of rural men of that era, revealing his muscular arms that seemed to swell with strength. His long legs, accentuated by coarse fabric, were both straight and powerful.

One could only imagine the well-built chest and abs crafted through years of training.

With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, he fit the description that those who had gone through life might call a “fighter among fighters,” a source of happiness for women.

Lin Luoxie felt her mind race with indescribable thoughts, almost causing her to drool.

“Um, I came today to pay for the wild boar from yesterday.” Xie Hanchuan’s gaze briefly lingered on Lin Luoxie, entranced by her beauty.

However, with Lin Dayou nearby, he had none of Lin Luoxie’s boldness, quickly diverting his gaze after his moment of surprise.

After glancing at Lin Dayou, Xie Hanchuan took out the money from selling the wild boar and handed it to Lin Luoxie. After all, this money was earned at the cost of Lin Luoxie’s effort from last night, so he wanted to personally hand it to her. What happened to this money later was no longer his concern.

“Great! Thank you!” Lin Luoxie accepted the money without hesitation, in front of Lin Dayou.

“Take this one tael of silver,” Lin Luoxie said as she took one tael from the five taels and handed it to Xie Hanchuan.

The high price for the wild boar was clearly because Xie Hanchuan was a regular customer, allowing them to offer such a good price. Otherwise, if she had gone herself, she wouldn’t have sold it for such a high amount. With this layer of personal connection, Lin Luoxie felt good giving the money.

Last night, Lin Luoxie had already discussed with her family that she would let Xie Hanchuan help sell the wild boar and promised him a share of ten percent.

So, even though Lin Dayou felt a pang of regret for the one tael of silver when he saw Lin Luoxie handing it to Xie Hanchuan, he didn’t say anything.

“This is unnecessary; I just helped a little,” Xie Hanchuan replied, seeing the fair hand reaching toward him. His ears turned slightly red, and he hesitated to take the silver.

“What do you mean ‘a little’? You carried a two to three hundred jin wild boar to the county for sale all by yourself. That’s a huge help!” Lin Luoxie insisted, frowning as she urged him on.

Xie Hanchuan, under Lin Luoxie’s stern gaze, felt his ears heat up even more. Not wanting her to sense anything, he finally reached out and accepted the silver.

“Hope we have a pleasant cooperation in the future,” Lin Luoxie smiled with satisfaction after seeing Xie Hanchuan accept the money, adding that she looked forward to more collaborations ahead.

“Alright, I see you guys have things to do, so I’ll head back first.” After greeting Lin Luoxie, Xie Hanchuan quickly said goodbye to Lin Dayou and hurriedly left.

Heaven knew, his heart was racing from the brief contact with Lin Luoxie’s palm.

If he didn’t leave soon, he feared Lin Dayou and Lin Luoxie would hear his heart pounding out of his chest.

“Eldest Daughter, you should stay away from him in the future.” Once Xie Hanchuan’s figure disappeared around the corner of the yard, Lin Dayou cautioned Lin Luoxie.

“Why?” Lin Luoxie didn’t agree with Lin Dayou’s advice and asked for the reason.

“The villagers say he’s a calamity bringer. If you get too close to him, you might end up being cursed and suffer misfortune,” Lin Dayou communicated the local superstitions regarding Xie Hanchuan.

“Hmph, what do you mean a ‘calamity bringer’? Dad, do you really believe that?”

“Besides, they say that when he was born, he caused his mother’s death, and that bandits killed his parents. None of this was his fault.

He was born without a mother; it’s pitiful enough without using such feudal ideas to condemn a child, don’t you think?”

Hearing Lin Dayou’s words, Lin Luoxie felt a surge of sympathy for the young man while also growing angry at the villagers’ superstitious mindset.

“Others say our family is the poorest in the village, and they’re also scared to deal with us.”

Lin Luoxie didn’t shy away from pricking Lin Dayou’s heart, straightforwardly telling him the villagers’ views on their family.

“This, this…” Lin Dayou was at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond to Lin Luoxie’s remarks.