Comforted by everyone, Sun Linglong had indulged in another bout of venting until she was utterly exhausted. Upon returning to her room, she collapsed onto her bed and fell fast asleep.
The next morning, she inevitably overslept, and the others, by tacit agreement, chose not to wake her. When she finally stirred, the house was quiet, and the sunlight outside was already bright. She got up, dressed, and pushed open her bedroom door. Sun Wanwan, who had been playing obediently in the main room, immediately ran over upon hearing the sound.
"Auntie, you're awake!" The little girl looked up, waiting to be picked up.
Sun Linglong scooped her up and tapped the tip of her nose. "Are you hungry?"
Sun Wanwan shook her head. "Auntie, there’s breakfast in the kitchen that Grandma saved for you. Grandma told me to remind you to eat."
A warmth washed over Sun Linglong’s heart. She carried Sun Wanwan into the kitchen and gently lifted the lid of the pot. Inside sat a bowl of porridge and an egg—a rare luxury in the countryside. Sun Linglong was deeply touched; her family only had one hen that laid eggs every other day, and those eggs were almost always reserved for her.
She set Wanwan down, picked up the egg, and gave it a light tap against the stove to crack it. The peeled egg was pearly white.
"Gurgle."
Sun Wanwan couldn't help but swallow, though she quickly covered her stomach. "Auntie, it wasn’t my tummy. I’m full."
Taking advantage of the moment, Sun Linglong split the egg in two and popped half into Wanwan’s mouth. "Auntie can’t finish it all. Can you help me eat some, Wanwan?"
"Okay, then." Wanwan pulled the piece of egg from her mouth, licked the yolk, and began to nibble on it with great relish. Watching her, Sun Linglong felt a pang of heartache.
***
Meanwhile, Sun Youyong was lurking near the Educated Youth Point.
"Youyong, stay here and wait. I’ll go check things out," Song Linlin said. She gave Sun Youyong a look from behind the tree, smoothed her clothes, and walked toward the Educated Youth Point.
"Comrade Wang Zhiping, are you busy?"
Wang Zhiping turned at the sound, his face lighting up with surprise. "Comrade Song, what brings you here?"
"I heard some new educated youths arrived, so I thought I’d come take a look. I heard one of them is particularly handsome, so I figured I’d see for myself—maybe play matchmaker if the occasion arises."
Song Linlin had once been an educated youth herself, forced to the countryside after her family was persecuted. Later, after her family passed away from the suffering, she had intended to drown herself in the river, but Sun Youyong had saved her. He promised to give her a home, and after careful consideration, she had decided to stay with him. Since then, Sun Youyong had treated her well, and the Sun Family had given her the warmth of a true home; she had never regretted her decision. Because of this, she would not allow anyone to destroy the home she had worked so hard to find.
Song Linlin lowered her head to hide the malice in her eyes.
"You must be talking about Comrade Wen. He certainly is a fine-looking man," Wang Zhiping said, pointing to Wen Ruocheng, who had just emerged from his room. "That’s him right there."
Wen Ruocheng had spotted Wang Zhiping talking to a woman from a distance and had heard his own name mentioned. He had no desire to engage.
"Comrade Wen!" Wang Zhiping called out to stop him. "This is also an educated youth, though she married the brigade captain’s son later on."
Wen Ruocheng’s expression shifted, and he put on a gentle smile. "Hello, I’m Wen Ruocheng, the new arrival. I look forward to your guidance."
"I’m Song Linlin."
Song Linlin secretly studied the culprit who had caused the death of her entire family. *Tsk,* he certainly did wear a good mask. But it was too fake. Did he take her for some ignorant village woman?
Behind the tree, Sun Youyong also saw Wen Ruocheng and frowned. The couple shared the exact same thought. After a few brief pleasantries, Song Linlin took the initiative to leave. Once they were out of sight of the Educated Youth Point, Sun Youyong darted out.
"No wonder Linglong was fooled by this bastard. He’s a two-faced hypocrite, and we’ve raised Linglong to be far too innocent."
Song Linlin pursed her lips. During their conversation, she had felt Wen Ruocheng constantly observing her, sizing up her potential utility. This man was difficult to deal with; he was so artificial that it was hard to find his true weaknesses.
"Regardless, since he dared to hurt my little sister, I’ll make him pay the price!" Sun Youyong’s aura turned fierce. "Trash belongs in the trash heap! Who does he think he is, coming here acting like a big shot?"
Song Linlin nudged him. "Enough. Pull yourself together; don’t let the family worry."
Sun Youyong took a deep breath, and his usual devil-may-care expression returned. "That’s why I love my wife; you understand me."
Song Linlin cast him a side-eye. "I’m going to work. Mother and sister-in-law will worry if I’m late. You go up the mountain and see if you can find some game for Linglong. Her emotions have been too unstable lately."
"Understood, wife!"
They went their separate ways. After breakfast, Sun Linglong took Sun Wanwan up the mountain. She wanted to find something to help nourish her family.
"Auntie, let's just stay at the foot of the mountain. Grandma said there are man-eating beasts in the deep forest—it’s very dangerous."
Considering she had little Wanwan with her, Sun Linglong decided not to head deeper. The two of them began searching for wild vegetables at the base of the mountain.
*Wait, is that? Solomon’s Seal!* Sun Linglong’s eyes lit up. In her past life, she had studied a great deal, and she knew that the Solomon’s Seal growing beneath these vines was quite valuable. Selling it to a pharmacy wouldn't be considered "speculation," so she didn't have to worry. Thinking of this, she picked up a hoe and began to dig at the roots.
"Auntie, what are you doing?" Sun Wanwan didn't understand why her aunt was digging that up.
"Wanwan, this is a medicinal herb. Pharmacies will buy it."
Hearing that, Sun Wanwan began to dig along with her. "Wanwan wants to earn money too!"
Sun Linglong took a quick look around and realized there was plenty of Solomon’s Seal on this mountain. The villagers didn't recognize it, so no one had ever bothered to dig it up. That was to her advantage. Digging it wasn't easy; the older the plant, the deeper the roots. The thicker the vine, the larger the rhizome below. Sun Linglong carefully cleared the soil, trying her best not to damage the plant.
"Little sister, what are you digging up here?"
Sun Youyong’s sudden appearance gave Sun Linglong a start.
"Second Brother, this is Solomon’s Seal! It’s worth a lot of money!"
Hearing that it was valuable, Sun Youyong handed his wild pheasant to Sun Wanwan and joined the digging effort himself. A few minutes later, they unearthed an entire, intact root. Sun Linglong carefully brushed off the soil and counted the nodes—there were twenty of them! That meant the plant was twenty years old. They had struck gold!
Sun Linglong cut off the top node and replanted it with the stems and leaves so the plant could continue to grow. Sun Youyong leaned in, curious. "Little sister, can this thing really make money?"
"Of course, Second Brother. At the pharmacy, it sells for five yuan a jin." Because pharmacies usually only kept the processed product, the villagers had no idea what the fresh herb looked like, which was why there was so much of it here.
"Really?" Sun Youyong’s eyes brightened.
The two worked together to dig up the nearby patches. To avoid suspicion, Sun Youyong bundled up some firewood, hiding the Solomon’s Seal and the wild pheasant inside, and the three of them headed down the mountain.