After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 16

Wang had already prepared her explanation, her face bearing just the right amount of worry and helplessness: “Sigh, what can we do? Go into the mountains! There’s not much work left in the fields now, so while we have some free time, we should hurry up and gather more wild vegetables and firewood. There are so many mouths to feed at home, and these two boys are already quite big eaters. If we don’t take some risks and prepare more, we might really starve in the winter!” She paused, then added casually, “It’ll also be a good opportunity for these two boys to test their courage and see if they can get lucky and run into a pheasant or rabbit, which would bring in some extra income for the family.”

The villagers nodded in understanding: “That’s true, it’s not easy! You have to be careful in the mountains!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll just wander around the perimeter and won’t dare go too far in,” Wang replied, quickly leading her children away from the villagers’ sight.

Upon entering the mountains, the group had a clear goal and headed straight for the chestnut grove.

Faced with real “money,” ordinary wild vegetables had to take a backseat. The four of them divided the work: Lin Bai and Lin Song were responsible for knocking down tree branches with long bamboo poles, while Wang Shi and Lin Sang quickly picked up the fallen chestnuts and put them into their baskets.

After working for most of the day, until everyone’s baskets were more than half full and heavy, Wang called for a stop. She then directed the children to cover the chestnuts with a thick layer of wild vegetables and mushrooms as camouflage before she finally started walking back, satisfied.

On the way back, the group didn’t forget their job and continued to gather firewood as they walked.

Looking at the heavy basket on his back, Lin Bai took the initiative to speak up: “Mom, don’t worry, from now on, whenever there’s no work in the fields, I’ll come out and collect firewood. Now that the family is running a business, there are many places where we need firewood. I promise that our family will have plenty of firewood in the winter, so we won’t lack fuel!”

Back home, without even taking a break, the whole family immediately threw themselves into the intense “preparation.” Some washed the chestnuts, others made incisions with knives, the division of labor was clear, and it was an assembly line operation. After preparing the quantity needed for the next day, the remaining chestnuts were all spread out in the yard to dry.

Looking at her busy family, Wang felt a surge of pride and began assigning tasks: “Starting tomorrow, Sangsang and Songge will be in charge of setting up a stall in town. I’ll take Baige up the mountain to continue picking chestnuts and gather firewood. Miaomiao will stay home and feed the chickens and ducks, and watch over the chestnuts drying. You can do the simple housework for now. I’ll wash the clothes when I get back, dear husband. The work in the fields is your responsibility.”

Everyone agreed to the division of labor, and even Xiaolin Miao puffed out her chest, promising to complete the task.

With everything arranged, Lin Sang thought for a moment and then made a suggestion: “Dad, Mom, I think we should put all the money we earn together and have someone keep it safe. At the end of the month, we can count it together to see how much we’ve earned, and then discuss how to distribute the money—whether to save it, buy things, or give everyone some pocket money. What do you all think?”

Lin Laoda and Wang Shi exchanged a glance and both felt that this method was fair and could unite people’s hearts, so they immediately agreed.

Wang even vacated a small wooden box in her home and solemnly designated it as a “public funds” money box.

The next day, Lin Sang and Lin Song went into town again. Having learned from the first day, they were much more at ease. Lin Song also completely relaxed and was no longer reserved, helping his sister greet customers and skillfully promoting their products.

“Auntie, try our chestnuts! They’re sweet and fluffy. If you don’t buy them today, they’ll be gone tomorrow!”

“Uncle, take some home for your kids, they’re delicious!” He was clever and charming, and he really attracted a lot of business. He could sell out his chestnuts almost every day before noon.

We were busy like this for almost a month.

That evening, after dinner, the family finished washing up and gathered in the room of Lin Laoda and Wang Shi.

The oil lamp was turned up a little brighter, and Wang carefully took out the heavy little wooden box and placed it in the center of the kang table.

“Come on, let’s count the money!” Lin Sang announced with a smile.

Immediately, several pairs of eyes lit up. Wang poured all the copper coins onto the kang (a heated brick bed), piling them into an even larger heap. The whole family, young and old, gathered around the heap, each taking a small handful, and began to count them carefully.

“One five, ten, fifteen, twenty… Oh dear, where am I?” Lin Miao was young and got confused while counting, her face turning red with anxiety.

Lin Song teased her, “Silly Miaomiao, watch me count! … Fifty, sixty… Huh, how many did I just count?” He scratched his head as well.

Lin Bai was calm and counted carefully, but slowly. Lin Sang and Wang Shi exchanged a smile and joined in.

The kang (heated brick bed) was filled with the sounds of counting money, the children’s occasional annoyance at miscounting, and their playful laughter as they corrected each other, creating a lively and warm atmosphere.

Finally, everyone finished counting their share and reported the amount. Lin Sang then carefully added the numbers on the old wooden board with a charcoal pencil.

“One hundred and fifty coins…two hundred and eighty coins…four hundred…six hundred and twenty…eight hundred…one thousand one hundred…one thousand four hundred and fifty…” The more she calculated, the more her voice trembled with disbelief.

Finally, she raised her head, looked around at her family’s expectant faces, took a deep breath, and calmly announced with all her might:

“After deducting the costs of buying sugar, salt, and rent these days… we made a net profit of 1,930 coins this month!”

One thousand nine hundred and thirty coins!

That’s one tael of silver and over nine hundred cash!

The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in huge cheers!

“My God!” Wang clutched her chest, so excited she could hardly breathe.

Old Lin’s hand holding the pipe was trembling, and his face looked like he was in a dream.

Lin Bo and Lin Song excitedly hugged each other and jumped. Although Lin Miao didn’t quite understand the exact number, seeing everyone happy, she clapped and laughed along.

Under the dim light, the family gathered around the pile of copper coins that symbolized hope and the future, their faces beaming with unprecedented, heartfelt smiles. All the hard work of the past month had been worth it at this moment!

Looking at the smiles on everyone’s faces, Wang took a few deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. She reached out and patted the kang table to attract everyone’s attention.

“Quiet down, everyone, listen to me,” Wang’s voice still trembled slightly, but her eyes had regained their usual shrewdness and composure. “Your father and I have already discussed this. This money was earned by our whole family, so naturally we need to plan it carefully. It’s a total of 1,930 coins. Let’s divide it up—”

Her gaze swept over each child, and she said slowly:

“Sangsang, this idea came from you, and you were the one who mainly set up the stall. You deserve the most credit, so you get the lion’s share of the money, six hundred coins.”

Lin Sang opened her mouth as if to say something, but Wang Shi waved her hand to stop her, “What’s yours is yours, take it.”

Then, she looked at Lin Bai and Lin Song: “Brother Bai and Brother Song, you’ve worked hard these past few days, picking chestnuts and carrying firewood. You’ve suffered a lot. You two will each receive three hundred coins.”

Lin Bai smiled憨厚ly and didn’t say anything, while Lin Song was so happy that he almost jumped up again, but Lin Bai held him down.

Finally, Wang looked lovingly at her youngest daughter: “Miaomiao has been a great help these days, taking care of the house and feeding the chickens and ducks. She gets 100 coins, and the remaining 630 coins,” she said, looking at Lin the eldest, “your father and I will keep them as public funds, for daily household expenses, to buy things, or for emergencies.”

This distribution plan not only highlights Lin Sang’s contribution but also takes into account every family member who contributed, including the youngest, Lin Miao, making it very fair and thoughtful.

Boss Lin nodded silently to the side, clearly in agreement.

The completion of the first round of revenue distribution was like a shot of adrenaline for everyone, and each person secretly vowed to work even harder.