Chapter 2: Caught in the Act

Before Yuan Lingling transmigrated, this was indeed the case.

Xie Guanglian came to see the original owner almost every day, not because he truly loved her, but because she was easy to deceive.

Back then, the original owner set her sights on Shen Caisheng not just because he had no parents but also for a more important reason—he was rich.

It wasn’t just her. Anyone who knew about him, including many young women of marriageable age in the area, wanted to marry him.

Everyone said Shen Caisheng^[1]“财生” (Caisheng) can be interpreted as “born into wealth” or “bringing wealth to life”. had a fitting name. Just like his name suggested, he was born with the ability to attract wealth. While others might trip and fall flat on their faces, he could stumble upon money wherever he went.

Over the years, his family had prospered the most.

It was said that the Shen family used to be impoverished and was well-known for their struggles. But ever since Shen Caisheng was born, their fortunes gradually turned around.

However, if making money were really that simple, then Yuan Lingling might as well rename herself Yuan Youcai^[2]Yuan Youcai (袁有财) is a playful name that directly translates to “Yuan Has Money” or “Yuan Possesses Wealth.”.

She couldn’t speak for the past, but based on what was written in the book, before the era of economic reform, many people made their fortune through black market dealings, commonly known as speculative trading. As the main villain of the story, how could Shen Caisheng not be involved in such activities?

Yuan Lingling even suspected that his so-called transportation work was actually a front for smuggling and reselling goods.

He had money and wasn’t stingy, so naturally, he gave plenty to the original owner.

Yet, most of that money either went to her maternal family or was handed over to Xie Guanglian. Now, all Yuan Lingling had left was a few yuan. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be huddled in the kitchen eating roasted sweet potatoes.

These thoughts raced through her mind in just a matter of seconds.

“No, he only comes occasionally, usually to talk about money. I always thought he dressed decently, but I never expected him to be so short on cash,” Yuan Lingling said. She wasn’t sure how much Shen Caisheng knew, but the original owner had indeed given away a lot of money, so she had to offer some kind of explanation.

“I even lent him some money a few times. I didn’t want our family to seem stingy, you know? But now, he comes every time, even asking for travel expenses before going out of town. His family has money, so why is he like this?”

As she spoke, she puffed up her cheeks in frustration. But the moment she realized it, Shen Caisheng’s gaze was already fixed on her.

She quickly flattened her expression. His stare carried such an oppressive intensity, as if he could see right through her. But this habit of hers was ingrained. No matter how many times she tried to change it, it never worked. So she decided to let it be—she couldn’t mimic the original owner in everything.

She wasn’t sure if Shen Caisheng had noticed something off, but he kept staring at her.

“Do I… have something on my face?” Yuan Lingling asked nervously, reaching up to touch her cheek.

Shen Caisheng’s gaze shifted to the side of her nose. “You have some ash on you.”

Yuan Lingling paused for a moment before hurriedly rubbing her face with her hand. After two months of proper care, her hands were noticeably fairer than before, though she was still painfully thin, almost just skin and bones.

“Instead of lending money to others, you should keep it for yourself and eat better.”

After saying that, Shen Caisheng seemed to find his words unnecessary, so he changed the subject. “Keep the hens for laying eggs. Let’s cook some meat for dinner.”

He wanted to say something more, but the gossip he’d heard outside flashed through his mind, and he ultimately kept silent.

Yuan Lingling assumed he was warning her. She didn’t dare to talk back, nor did she see the need to. She simply nodded quietly. Then, she casually lifted the hen beside her, which was still clucking away. She was surprised—it was quite heavy.

Having grown up in the city, she had never raised chickens before. Was Shen Caisheng implying that she had to take care of this chicken? But in this freezing weather, she couldn’t possibly keep it outside in the yard. What if it froze to death?

Just as she was about to ask, Shen Caisheng had already walked past her without a word, his face expressionless, and left.

Yuan Lingling pouted. She didn’t want to go out and feel pressured by him, so she continued to huddle on the stool, soaking in the faint warmth from the stove.

But before long, a series of clattering sounds came from outside. Yuan Lingling moved to the doorway and saw Shen Caisheng working with a pile of wooden planks he had dug out from somewhere.

His long fingers flicked a chalked string, leaving a fine black line on the wood. Following the line, he sawed the plank apart, then quickly hammered nails into place. Before long, he had joined several wooden boards together.

“Do you need my help?” Yuan Lingling had admired his work for a while before finally stepping forward. Standing around doing nothing felt awkward, even though she had no idea what he was making.

To her surprise, Shen Caisheng didn’t even lift his eyelids. “No need. Go do your own thing.”

Do what? What did she have to do?

Since arriving in this world, all she had done was sleep and eat. Thinking about it, Yuan Lingling yawned.

Pregnant women were naturally drowsy—she couldn’t help it.

Seeing that Shen Caisheng wasn’t planning to say anything else, Yuan Lingling simply went back inside for a nap.

She had eaten her fill, and the moment she lay down on the heated brick bed, drowsiness washed over her. The hammering noises outside even turned into a soothing lullaby.

When she woke up again, two hours had passed. Half-squinting, she perked her ears up and, after not hearing anything outside, sluggishly crawled out of bed. She glanced around both the inner and main rooms but saw no sign of Shen Caisheng. She let out a small sigh of relief.

Opening the door to the main room, she was immediately hit by a gust of cold wind and nearly shrank back inside. But just as she was about to retreat, her peripheral vision caught sight of someone’s head peeking over the courtyard wall.

That persistent ghost again—Xie Guanglian.

Climbing walls—seriously?

Xie Guanglian had also spotted Yuan Lingling and was frantically waving at her. He looked so ridiculous that Yuan Lingling felt the urge to smack him over the head with a shovel.

She had originally planned to ignore him, but dragging this out any longer wasn’t going to solve anything. Might as well end things cleanly.

With lingering sleepiness, she tucked her hands into her sleeves, opened the door, and strode toward the courtyard wall.

As she moved, her gaze swept across the locked gate, and she hesitated. Shen Caisheng hadn’t gone out?

Wouldn’t this affect her performance?

But since she had already stepped into the yard, ignoring Xie Guanglian now would be odd.

“Lingling, what’s going on? I’ve been waiting for you here for ages,” Xie Guanglian whined.

A sweet osmanthus tree grew just outside the courtyard. Not the most cold-resistant plant, so it was rarely seen in the north, but this one was thriving—it had even grown taller than the wall. A perfect ladder for a sneak.

“What are you doing, climbing over my wall? Do you know how suspicious that looks?” Yuan Lingling huffed.

If Shen Caisheng found out about this, he’d probably go insane. No man could tolerate his wife cheating on him—even if it was just a wife in name.

“Shen Caisheng just got back. Are you looking for him? I can call him for you.” Yuan Lingling deliberately raised her voice, a little nervous.

Xie Guanglian was momentarily stunned by her uncharacteristically harsh tone, but he caught on after her next words. Clearly, she was joking.

It was freezing, and she didn’t even have the heart to care for him? No wonder Shen Caisheng, despite having a wife at home, was never around.

“Don’t try to scare me. I saw him leave. But why’s he climbing walls when he has a perfectly good door?”

Yuan Lingling exhaled in relief. Yeah, well, that was to guard against you, you sneaky rat. She tugged at her sleeves and asked, “What do you want?”

Xie Guanglian hesitated. What else? He had seen Shen Caisheng carrying all those supplies back. The man barely stayed home—was this woman really going to eat everything by herself? She wasn’t worried about bursting?

Of course, he couldn’t say that outright. Usually, she would just hand over good things to him without needing a prompt. What was going on today?

Adjusting his expression, he flashed a smile. “I just missed you. Not seeing you for even a little while makes my whole body feel off.”

Yuan Lingling rolled her eyes internally. Did he think he was being romantic? With his pathetic face? The original owner must have been starving for affection to fall for this.

“What should we do, then?” Yuan Lingling sighed dramatically, feigning distress. “I was just thinking of letting you go to Yangcheng first, and I’d follow later. But if you can’t bear to be apart from me, what are we going to do?”

“Why?” Xie Guanglian was confused. Why were they suddenly separating to travel?

Without her, where was he supposed to get the money to go to Yangcheng?

He had heard that place was expensive—everything cost more than in Beijing. How was he supposed to survive without money?

Yuan Lingling had no idea what nonsense he was thinking. She kept up her act.

“It’s all because of Shen Caisheng.” She made a show of being exasperated. “I don’t know what rumors he’s been hearing outside, but he came back and questioned me about visitors. He even said I have to manage all the money myself now—if I run out, he’ll send me back to my parents’ house.”

Seeing that Xie Guanglian was deep in thought, Yuan Lingling continued her performance.

“So, I was thinking, Brother Guanglian, you should go ahead to Yangcheng and find a place first. I’ll try to get more money from Shen Caisheng in the meantime. Once I have enough, I’ll join you there, okay?”

She lowered her gaze, her face full of urgency. “I’m worried he might really find out and hurt you.”

Her words were laced with concern, completely looking out for Xie Guanglian. He wasn’t heartless—of course, he was touched. But that sentiment was nothing compared to his greed.

“Then… can you lend me some money for travel expenses?” Xie Guanglian asked, playing the part of a poor, struggling man.

Yuan Lingling looked up, her eyes welling with tears. “What should we do? Shen Caisheng might already suspect something. He questions every single coin I spend. And not just money—he even warned me not to give away any of the things he brought home today. Otherwise, I would’ve sent you that hen to make soup already.”

Hearing this, Xie Guanglian silently cursed Shen Caisheng a hundred times over.

Not eating it himself was one thing, but keeping it from others?

One day, he’d sleep with this foolish woman and give Shen Caisheng the biggest green hat ever.

“Or… let’s elope now, Brother Guanglian. Even if we have to beg on the streets, I will never leave you.”

Xie Guanglian had been feeling smug, but as soon as he heard that, he shuddered, lost his footing, and fell straight down.

Thud!

Yuan Lingling twitched. That sounded painful.

“Brother Guanglian, are you alright?” Yuan Lingling called out hypocritically before leisurely opening the courtyard gate. When she saw Xie Guanglian struggling to get up from the snow, she nearly burst into a loud, honking laugh.

However, she still put on a slightly anxious expression and said, “Brother Guanglian, you don’t have to be so moved. When the time comes, I will surely share both joy and hardship with you, never leaving your side.”

Xie Guanglian had no interest in sharing hardship—he only wanted to enjoy life. “Lingling, you really know how to touch my heart. How could I bear to let you suffer? Let’s do as you said—I’ll go to Yangcheng first, and once you get Shen Caisheng’s money, you can come find me.”

After saying that, he quickly added, “Once we make money, we’ll pay him back.”

“Brother Guanglian, you’re such a good man.” Yuan Lingling sweetly praised him despite knowing she was lying through her teeth. “Then it’s settled. You also need to inform Auntie and the others not to come looking for me. You know, Shen Caisheng isn’t a fool.” She couldn’t be bothered to deal with them.

Xie Guanglian thought to himself—if he wasn’t the fool, then who was? Only a fool would fall into this trap and marry a woman like her. Only a fool wouldn’t realize that his own wife was cheating on him.

Even as he ridiculed the thought, Xie Guanglian knew just how ruthless his mother and younger sister were. The two of them probably thought the entire Shen family belonged to them.

“I got it. Don’t worry,” Xie Guanglian replied, feeling a bit downcast. “Later, I’ll have to borrow some travel expenses. You know how everything at home is always prioritized for my eldest brother.”

As he spoke, Xie Guanglian kept his eyes on Yuan Lingling. It wasn’t until he saw the familiar pained expression on her face that he felt a little relieved.

Yuan Lingling put on an anxious look, tears welling up in her eyes.

“How about I give you some money instead? Take it and run. If he finds out, I’ll chase after you. That way, he’ll have to bring the money himself!”

Earlier in the dimly lit kitchen, Xie Guanglian hadn’t seen her clearly. But now, under the bright, snow-covered landscape, her tear-filled eyes, delicate and petite face, and flushed cheeks made her look especially captivating. In that instant, his heart skipped a beat.

If this woman behaved herself, perhaps he could still live with her after they reached Yangcheng.

“Lingling, you’re so beautiful.”

Almost instinctively, Xie Guanglian reached out to caress Yuan Lingling’s face, but before he could, she took a step back and dodged him.

His hand froze in midair. A flicker of irritation crossed his face, but when he glanced behind her, his entire body stiffened.

Yuan Lingling followed his gaze, her fingers trembling. “You… you’re back.”