From a distance, Su Jin saw the head of a small figure sticking out and peeping from the door. At the sight of the wagon, the figure rushed out and ran towards her as fast as it could.

“Elder sister, what is this wagon?”

Su Nian gulped a mouthful of saliva, staring at the wagon with shining eyes. He was familiar with the horse which he played with for a long time last night. But the wagon was definitely not there before, right?

“It belongs to our family now. We can use it when going out in the future.”

Su Jin smiled and picked up Su Nian with a hand.

Su Nian exclaimed when his feet suddenly left the ground. His cheeks were blushing slightly, feeling a little embarrassed yet mixed with excitement. As this was his first time in a horse carriage, his actions were stiff, and he was afraid of moving too much.

“Let’s go home. Sister bought cakes for you and Niu Niu.”

“Cakes!? I don’t want it. I don’t like them. Sister, don’t spend money on food, save it to treat big brother’s legs.”

When Su Nian heard the word “cake”, he was delighted at first. He had only seen the village chief’s child eat them, and heard that they were very expensive.

However, when he thought of his eldest brother bedridden at home, he immediately flipped his words. He couldn’t consume something so luxurious which barely filled the stomach.

He gave Su Jin a disapproving look and was about to open his mouth, but Su Jin grabbed his cheek and squeezed it.

“Little brats should focus on eating well and growing up quickly. Don’t worry about the problems of grown-ups. A capable woman like your big sister has no difficulty supporting the entire family. In the future, you guys will never have to suffer again.”

Su Jin looked at the malnourished boy, who looked a few years younger than his actual age. The Su family had gone through a lot, so he had matured very early and was more sensitive than others of his age. She patted him on the head and smiled.

Now that she’s here, he just needs to worry about growing up healthily. She would take care of all other matters.

“My dear Jin-er, you mean this horse wagon belongs to our family?”

“Yes, from now on, it belongs to us. In the future, Mom can visit the town whenever she wants.”

Qin Shi physically examined the sturdy wagon and pulled Su Jin aside. “Doesn’t it cost a fortune?”

“Not to worry, mom. I have bought all the medicine needed for eldest brother. I have also got the future expenses covered too…”

“Alright, mom believes in you. Have you taken your meal outside? Mom will prepare something for you.”

“That can wait. Where’s eldest sister-in-law? I haven’t seen her around. Also, is grandma still in our house?”

“Your eldest sister-in-law went home to pick up your nephew. It is not appropriate to always leave him at his grandparents’ house. As for your grandmother, she found a butcher to buy the wild boar meat, and returned home on his mule cart. I have also chased your second brother back to the academy…”

Since that was the case, Su Jin did not wait for them. She opened the canvas cover to reveal a cart full of goods and unloaded them one by one.

“What’s all these? Why did you buy so many things?”

Qin Shi nearly passed out from the shock. She smacked Su Jin on the forehead and felt her heart aching. Even if her daughter had some money, it should not have been splurged away in this manner.

Su Nian was stunned as well. This… did his elder sister bring the whole market home?

“Oww-”

That smack must have been passed down as the family’s secret technique. Even the point of impact was similar to her grandmother’s smack.

She hurriedly appeased Qin Shi with a smile. “Come with me, mom. I have something important for you…”

As she spoke, she pulled her mother into the house.

“Here you go, mom. From now on, our family will never live in poverty. This is for your keeping.”

From Su Jin deduction, the Su family might have become too used to living in poverty, and was afraid to spend money, to the point where her mother felt distressed whenever she discovered Su Jin splurging any amount of money. At the end of the day, it was caused by her mother’s feelings of insecurity, which made her afraid of spending on anything except the bare minimum necessities.

Su Jin had to change their perspective of money. The first thing to do was to provide reassurance to her mother. The most direct way was to give her some money. If her mother had a lot of money, she would be less sensitive to spending money.

Qin Shi widened her eyes when she saw what her daughter had forced into her hands. She never dreamed that she could see such a large denomination of a banknote.

“Th… thi… this banknote, how did you get it? Jin-er, mom’s heart cannot take it anymore. This isn’t any ill-gotten gains… right?”

“Mom, this one hundred silver taels banknote was a reward I received when I saved a young lady on my trip. Don’t worry about it. You can accept it with peace of mind. A hundred taels of silver might be a lot of money for us, but it is nothing to a rich lady.”

Su Jin only gave her mother one of the banknotes. She was afraid that if she took out the rest, her mother would not be able to withstand the excessive stimulation. She would gradually acclimatize her mother to it.

“Is that true? You must not lie to mother. ”

Qin Shi looked into Su Jin’s eyes to confirm for any signs of falsehood, and received the banknote with trembling hands.

“That is the truth. Haven’t you witnessed firsthand your daughter’s strength? Rest assured and keep the money.”

“Alright, mom will keep it for the time being as your future dowry.”

Su Jin: “…”

Why would there be a need for dowry? Even if she were to marry someone, she would be the one sending betrothal gifts. Su Jin had been deeply ingrained with the matriarchal system in her past tribal life. Even though she had transmigrated, her worldview remained unchanged. Her husband would be the one who marries into her family.

She would continue to pursue her unfulfilled dreams from her past life. But now was not the right time to discuss this issue. Her mother would understand when the time was ripe.

When she was sorting out her thoughts, the face of her dandy gentleman suddenly flashed across her mind, the one who fell from the sky when she had just transmigrated.

(That young tender face… Hehehe…)

Not to mention that she had not met anyone who could match his appearance till now. What a pity it was for her that he ran away!

(Sigh…)

……

In the capital…

The manor where Prince Li resided was located at the heart of the imperial city, just a stone’s throw away from the palace.

A man was buried in the reports on the desk in front of him. The side profile of that good-looking face showcased his flawless facial contour. His eyes were slightly downcast as he flipped through the official documents with his long, slender fingers. All of a sudden, he felt a little uncomfortable at the tip of his nose and covered his face before sneezing.

Ming Jue snapped his fingers and a guard entered the study room.

“Request the kitchen to prepare a bowl of ginger tea.”

“Affirmative!”

Zuo Yi entered the room at an appropriate time and delivered a letter to his master.

Ming Jue speed-read through the contents with an intense gaze. Without saying a word, he brought the letter to the candle flame and lit it up.

The handsome face projected by the dim candlelight was captivating.

“Have you made any progress?”

“Reporting back to the Prince, we have confirmed that it was a young woman who was skilled in martial arts and dressed in sloppy clothes who rescued the victims in the bandit’s hideout. No one had seen her again after that.”

There was a frown on his face. It’s a woman again?

“Cease all investigations on the case of the bandits. Keep a close eye on Chen Xinyue. I want to know every single movement from her side.”

At the thought of this woman, Ming Jue’s gaze turned dark with hatred. A woman who had made countless attempts to kill him in his previous life. No matter what method he tried, he had never succeeded in getting rid of her. She was an enigmatic existence to him. That was the only logical conclusion.

If it wasn’t for this woman, how could a good-for-nothing like Ming Sheng ascend the throne? Could an unkillable person who frequently brought out strange items really be considered a normal human?

He recalled his father’s last words, the tragic death of the entire Cheng’en Ducal family, and the despair in the eyes of his mother who committed suicide in his past life…

With a gloomy expression, he stared at the flickering candlelight for what felt like an eternity.

When he first returned after reincarnation, he had considered making a move directly to root out all future troubles. But he remembered that woman’s bizarre luck in the past life. It felt as though heaven was assisting her. The spies and intelligence personnel that he sent were always exposed in some way. Whenever he employed close proximity measures, things always ended up different from what he had planned. He had not solved this mystery yet. Death… was too kind of an ending for her!

TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. If you liked my translation and wish to support me, you could leave a comment below or in novelupdates, or send me a Ko-Fi. Thank you!