Chapter 36

Gu Qinghuan stared fixedly at Lin Xiaomeng, which made Lin Xiaomeng feel somewhat embarrassed. Only then did Gu Qinghuan look away.

Lin Xiaomeng was the female lead in the book, and naturally, her appearance was not bad. She and Gu Qinghuan each had their own merits.

If Gu Qinghuan were a refined and gentle white magnolia, then Lin Xiaomeng was a lively and captivating peach blossom.

However, Gu Qinghuan wasn’t looking at Lin Xiaomeng’s face.

She suddenly noticed that she could see a progress bar behind Lin Xiaomeng, with a red progress indicating that Lin Xiaomeng’s luck value had already reached thirty percent.

She didn’t know what being able to see this meant, but it certainly wasn’t anything good. She reminded herself again to keep her distance from her.

Lin Xiaomeng had gone to the countryside early and married Xu Huaizhi many years ago. Her child was already five years old. So, although they were both educated youth, they weren’t actually familiar with each other.

But now, since they were sisters-in-law, it was only right to greet each other when they met.

“Qinghuan, how is your mother’s injury? We’re both educated youth, and we’re both from Beijing. Now, we’re sisters-in-law, such a coincidence! We should stay in touch more often in the future!” Lin Xiaomeng said with a sincere look of concern.

Coming back from her rebirth, the biggest variable she encountered was this woman, who should have already died. So, she felt a bit wary of Gu Qinghuan.

Especially since Gu Qinghuan had suddenly become sharp before, using Xu Huaizhi to ask for food from the old woman, which made Lin Xiaomeng uneasy. She was afraid that her rebirth might be exposed.

But she didn’t dare to act rashly or test the waters. She could only deal with it on the surface for now.

“No need to worry, sister-in-law. We’re not from the same path, so it’s better if we don’t interfere with each other.” Gu Qinghuan said coldly, mimicking her original self.

She didn’t want to have any connection with the female lead; it would bring misfortune.

Lin Xiaomeng was taken aback, not expecting her warm approach to be met with a cold shoulder.

But this was consistent with Gu Qinghuan’s usual style. She was always solitary, not fond of speaking, and had no friends.

It seemed that Lin Xiaomeng had been overthinking. Gu Qinghuan was still the same Gu Qinghuan, only luckier to have escaped disaster and not died.

The stone in Lin Xiaomeng’s heart finally fell to the ground.

Now, although the two were technically sisters-in-law, Lin Xiaomeng was the wife of the eldest son, favored by her parents-in-law, and had even given birth to the family’s first grandson.

Gu Qinghuan was merely the wife of a madman and a discarded son, inherently beneath her. They wouldn’t have any further interaction.

If there was any, it would be because Gu Qinghuan had to come to her, so there was really no need to maintain any relationship.

All of this thought took but a moment.

Lin Xiaomeng’s expression turned cold, and she angrily said: “A kind gesture taken for granted. Forget what I just said. I hope you always maintain such a strong will in the future.”

After speaking, Lin Xiaomeng carried her empty basket and walked straight down the mountain.

Gu Qinghuan turned around and gave her a meaningful look.

According to the pace in the book, by now, Lin Xiaomeng should have already discovered her Fortune Space and successfully absorbed the bad luck from a local ruffian in the village. She would then head up the mountain, hoping to find a lucky break, eventually stumbling upon a century-old ginseng.

This woman’s Fortune Space was truly eerie. It would be best to keep her distance. She probably wouldn’t approach again in the future.

As for the old Xu family, Gu Qinghuan would take advantage of them if possible. If not, she would stay far away. After all, they had been cast aside and were left to fend for themselves now.

Right, she had to remind the two kids to always be on guard against Lin Xiaomeng and her son Xu Jincheng.

Back at the place where they were picking five-flavor berries, the two kids had already picked all the low-hanging ones and were now sitting on the ground resting.

“Mom, you’re back. We’ve picked everything we could reach. We couldn’t get the higher ones.”

“Here, great job. Drink some water to quench your thirst first.” She handed over the water bottle.

The two kids gulped down the water, feeling much more comfortable afterward.

Gu Qinghuan took a few big white rabbit candies from her pocket and intentionally clenched her fist, letting them guess. “Guess what delicious thing I brought?”

Bei Bei, the little clever one, quickly shouted: “It’s big white rabbits!”

If it was something mom could hold in her palm, it must be candy.

Gu Qinghuan opened her hand to reveal the candies.

“Correct! You get candy as a reward.”

The two little ones happily took the candy, each taking one to share.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Qinghuan began her moral education.

“In the future, if you want anything—whether it’s food or something useful—as long as it’s a reasonable request, Mom will buy it for you.”

“But there’s one thing I want you to remember.” Gu Qinghuan looked at them seriously.

The two little ones immediately forgot about their candy, nervously listening to Gu Qinghuan’s lecture.

“And that is, you must never take other people’s things, no matter what it is—even if it’s just a bowl of water. Do not drink it, especially from people at the Old Residence. Be especially careful around them.”

“Of course, if I’m with you and you get my permission, that’s fine. But if I’m not around, never take other people’s things, never drink their water.”

“Remember, always be cautious. Not all people are good people. If someone is too kind without reason, they are either trying to deceive you or a thief. Be cautious, and you’ll sail through life safely.”

Da Bao nodded repeatedly, showing he understood.

Bei Bei didn’t quite understand why mom didn’t let her eat things given by others, but she wasn’t bothered by it. She obediently nodded along, though she was a bit confused.

Da Bao had been through a lot and already understood that there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world, so Gu Qinghuan wasn’t worried about him.

Her biggest concern was Bei Bei. The way she could be easily tricked with a piece of candy made Gu Qinghuan uneasy.

“Da Bao, make sure to keep an eye on your little sister. Don’t let her eat anything from other people.”

“Mom, I will definitely keep an eye on my little sister.” Da Bao promised seriously.

Gu Qinghuan felt a bit relieved.

“Alright, go ahead and enjoy your candy.”

Gu Qinghuan picked the berries from the higher branches, while secretly slipping them into her space as she went along. By the time she finished, half of the berries were in her space, and the other half still remained outside, filling a full sack.

As she was tidying up, an unfriendly voice interrupted her.

“Huaian family, is your family so poor that you plan on using these red fruits as rice to cook your meals?”

Qian Caihua, carrying a bundle of firewood, passed by and saw the family of three packing the red fruits. She stopped to watch, eager to gossip.

Gu Qinghuan didn’t like meddling busybodies and didn’t even spare her a glance. She continued her work, ignoring the woman.

“Hey, Aunt Caihua, do you live by the sea? Why are you so concerned about other people’s business? You should worry more about your own family!”

Qian Caihua’s days were soon going to take a turn for the worse. In the book, the second person Lin Xiaomeng targeted was Qian Caihua.

That was because Qian Caihua had a nasty habit of gossiping, spreading rumors about Lin Xiaomeng’s affair with another man behind Xu Huaizhi’s back.

Though it was true that in her past life, Lin Xiaomeng had abandoned her man and child in pursuit of her chance to return to Beijing and had an affair with a male intellectual from a neighboring commune, she wasn’t going down that path in this life.

Naturally, Qian Caihua had become Lin Xiaomeng’s target—an irritant to be removed.

She didn’t even spare Qian Caihua’s family.

After losing her good fortune, Qian Caihua’s life became miserable. She couldn’t even drink cold water without trouble. Her misfortune affected her entire family.

Her husband died young, her son got into trouble and was shot, and her youngest daughter married a violent man who had been married before. She often came home crying, and the constant blows of life became too much for Qian Caihua. Eventually, she took her own life.

Everyone has their own way of living, and no matter what, they didn’t deserve to die.

The absurdity, though, was that from the perspective of the book’s female lead, she believed she was simply ridding the world of evil.

Gu Qinghuan couldn’t understand and didn’t dare to agree with that logic. How was this different from being a butcher who kills for no reason?