Chapter 35

Gu Qinghuan led the two children as they walked, engaging in a lesson.

“Whenever we go out and others ask what we eat and drink, what should you two say?”

Bei Bei, proudly shaking her mushroom-shaped head, eagerly answered: “We eat rice, white steamed buns, and dumplings and noodles.”

Da Bao quickly moved to cover her mouth.

“You shouldn’t say that.”

“Why? We’ve eaten all of that.” Bei Bei looked at her Big Brother with confusion.

Gu Qinghuan, intrigued, asked: “Da Bao, why?”

“Dad said, ‘A greedy heart is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Wealth should not be flaunted. If we eat so well, those who are worse off than us will grow resentful and jealous, which will definitely bring trouble.'” Da Bao explained seriously.

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t expected that Xu Huai’an had taught the children these things, and he felt a sense of pride.

“Da Bao is right. Wealth should not be flaunted, and secrecy brings success.

Wealth should not be flaunted, this teaches us not to show off our wealth easily. When we are too ostentatious, it can attract others’ jealousy and dissatisfaction.

It’s like in the cold winter, when we wear thick coats and enjoy the warmth, those who are shivering in the cold wind will become resentful.

Our display will only make them feel colder, even stirring up their malice.

The same applies to food. When we enjoy fragrant rice, those who eat poor food will envy us, bringing unnecessary trouble.

Secrecy brings success, this teaches us to keep our secrets.

There are always things we don’t want others to know. Only when we know them ourselves can we better seize opportunities and avoid unnecessary disturbances and obstacles.

Behind every success, there are always many unknown plans and efforts.

If secrets are leaked, it could lead to failure and bring disaster.”

Both children listened very attentively.

“So, from now on, when others ask about our family’s food, clothing, and daily expenses, remember to downplay it. We need to make our fortune quietly.” Gu Qinghuan concluded.

“Mm, make our fortune quietly!” the two children chimed in unison.

The mother and her two children chatted and laughed as they walked into the mountains.

Gu Qinghuan, not daring to go too deep, found a small path she had never taken before and wandered along it.

Whenever they came across hazelnuts or other mushrooms, they picked some.

It was quite a leisurely and pleasant experience.

When they reached a patch of forest, Gu Qinghuan noticed a dense cluster of small red berries.

If she wasn’t mistaken, these were… Schisandra berries?

To verify, Gu Qinghuan carefully approached and studied them, and indeed, they were Schisandra.

Schisandra berries have a variety of medicinal benefits, including treating coughs, expelling phlegm, calming nerves, protecting the liver, dilating blood vessels, regulating myocardial cell energy metabolism, boosting immunity, preventing ulcers, and anti-aging effects.

Perhaps the villagers weren’t familiar with medicinal herbs and didn’t know the value of Schisandra, so no one had picked them.

An idea quickly popped into Gu Qinghuan’s mind for making money.

Wild Schisandra berries, if sold fresh, should be worth at least five mao per pound, right?

This large patch of Schisandra, if picked all at once, would easily amount to three to four hundred pounds.

That would be one or two hundred yuan.

Though it might be hard work, even the smallest mosquito is still meat.

“Da Bao, Bei Bei, come over here and look. These red berries are called Schisandra, a kind of medicinal herb. If we pick them and sell them, they’re worth more than wild vegetables.”

Both children’s eyes lit up, surprised that the red berries they often saw could actually make money.

“Mom, these red berries are worth more than wild vegetables? Then let’s pick more to sell. I know several places where these red berries grow.” Da Bao exclaimed happily.

“Shh, keep it down. Be careful, or someone might hear and we won’t be able to make any money.”

Although Schisandra wasn’t worth much these days, if others took it, it wouldn’t be of any use to them.

But if she sold it in a vending machine to people from the future, it could be quite valuable.

Still, caution was needed.

Bei Bei looked at Gu Qinghuan with admiration: “Mom, you’re amazing. You know everything.”

She, Big Brother, and the other villagers had no idea that these berries were medicinal and could bring in money.

“This is because Mom has read a lot of books and seen many people and things.

These are very simple things. As long as you study well, you will understand everything in the future.” Gu Qinghuan planted the seed of good learning in the two children’s hearts.

Da Bao looked at Gu Qinghuan with surprise: “Mom, can we learn knowledge too?”

Gu Qinghuan hadn’t expected Da Bao to be so surprised. After a moment of thought, she understood the reason.

In Xu Family Village, very few children went to school. Most children worked for their families, with the older kids doing the work of adults.

Only families with some savings could afford to send their children to school in the town.

For instance, several of the Xu family children had gone to school, and even Xu Meiling had finished junior high, so she considered herself educated and looked down on the men in the village. She had fallen for Chen Jianghe, who was well-educated and came from a good family.

But evidently, Chen Jianghe hadn’t taken her seriously; he only tolerated her because of the Branch Secretary’s influence.

The two children clearly hadn’t considered that Gu Qinghuan would pay for their education. They were pleasantly surprised.

“Of course, you can learn! But the semester is already halfway through, so let’s not start just yet.

Winter is coming, and it will get cold. Your Grandma and I will teach you both some basics at home, and after the New Year, we’ll send you to the town to study.” Gu Qinghuan had already made plans in her mind.

Zhong Zijun was a university teacher, and she herself was a 985 graduate, so teaching the two little ones the basics wouldn’t be a problem.

If not for the fact that the children would learn more systematically in school, she could have easily taught them at home.

Da Bao felt warm in his heart: “Mom, we will study hard.”

Bei Bei didn’t quite understand the benefits of studying, but seeing that her Big Brother was happy made her happy too.

Once they had agreed on the study plan, the three of them rolled up their sleeves and prepared to work hard and earn a lot of money.

The two children, being short, stood under the tree to pick the lower fruits, while Gu Qinghuan picked the higher ones.

She used a stick to pull down the vines that were too high.

Before long, they had filled a large sack.

Gu Qinghuan also secretly moved a lot of the fruit into her space, so she wouldn’t have to carry them all back.

Once the sack was full, she planned to take these down first, letting the two children continue picking while she went back up. This area wasn’t deep in the mountains and wasn’t far from home, so it was safe.

“Da Bao, Bei Bei, keep picking into the basket. I’ll take these down and come back up. You two wait here quietly and don’t run off. If anything happens, climb this tree and be careful.”

“Okay, Mom, we know. It’s safe here. Hurry and go.”

Da Bao often took his little sister up the mountain, and they were very familiar with this area, though they hadn’t been deep into the mountains.

Gu Qinghuan carried the sack of Schisandra berries down the mountain.

Once home, she set the sack down, quickly drank a pot of spring water, and hurried back up the mountain.

When she reached the edge of the mountain, she unexpectedly encountered a beautiful woman.

This woman was none other than Lin Xiaomeng, the educated youth, who was officially her sister-in-law and the female protagonist in the book.