After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 17

“Hey, have you heard? The Lin family has struck it rich! They’re going to town every day, making a fortune in copper coins!”

“That’s right! They take wild fruits from the mountains that cost nothing and turn them into silver in no time. They make money so easily! And they have the nerve to keep it all to themselves?”

“Exactly! That mountain belongs to everyone, why should only their family get rich?”

Everyone was talking at once, almost shouting so that the whole village could hear them.

These words quickly reached Wang’s ears. She wasn’t one to swallow her anger, so she immediately rolled up her sleeves, rushed to the village entrance, hands on her hips, and shouted in a voice loud enough to be heard for miles:

“I thought it was someone farting! It’s just you few who’re bored out of your minds! That mountain belongs to everyone, that’s true, the gate is wide open, and no one’s stopping you! If you’re so capable, why don’t you go in and pick some yourself? Go sell them in town! All you do is talk nonsense here, are you jealous? You feel uncomfortable just because my Lin family is doing a little better, don’t you?”

She pointed at one of the women who was talking the loudest: “Li Cuihua! You have the loudest voice! Do you dare to go into those deep mountains? You’d probably wet your pants if you heard a wolf howl! If you don’t have the guts, don’t be so sour here! I’m taking my child into the mountains, and that’s hard-earned money with my life on the line! Who dares to say no? Who dares to come with me into the mountains?”

Wang launched into a barrage of insults, her imposing manner leaving the gossipy women speechless and red-faced, unable to find the words to retort.

Indeed, going into the mountains is dangerous. They only dare to wander around the outer areas. How could they dare to go deep into the mountains like the Lin family? Some sensible villagers nearby also advised, “Alright, alright, what Sister Lin said makes sense. They dare to take risks and they can make money. If you want to make money, you have to have the courage and ability.”

After Wang’s outburst, the rumors and gossip on the surface decreased considerably, but secretly, the jealousy remained.

Li Cuihua was embarrassed by Wang’s public rebuke, and she was filled with resentment and envy for the money the Lin family earned.

Back home, she grew increasingly resentful, slapping her thigh in frustration: “Hmph! It’s just going into the mountains to pick some wild fruit! If your Lin family can go, so can I, Li Cuihua! Once I’ve made some money, let’s see what you’re all so arrogant about!”

She found a small basket and headed towards the mountain behind the village with high spirits.

At first, it was fine, and the path was relatively smooth as the villagers often walked. But the further in you went, the narrower the path became, and gradually there was no clear path anymore.

As the trees grew denser, the sunlight was blocked by layers of leaves, making the surrounding light much dimmer.

“What a terrible road!” Li Cuihua muttered as she trudged forward, her steps uneven.

The ground was covered with tangled tree roots and slippery fallen leaves. She was not paying attention and tripped over a thick, protruding tree root. She cried out “Ouch!” and almost fell face-first into the mud, and her basket was thrown away.

She grumbled as she got up, brushed the dirt and fallen leaves off her body, and noticed with distress that her newly changed pants were stained with a large mud stain.

Before she could catch her breath, a clump of thorny brambles snagged her sleeve again. With a “rip,” a long tear appeared in the sleeve of her worn-out jacket, and her arm burned with pain. Looking down, she saw several bloody scratches.

“These damned thorny vines!” she cried out angrily as she tried to pull them off, only to have her hands pricked by even more thorns, causing her to gasp in pain.

The forest was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional call of an unknown bird, making it seem exceptionally empty and eerie.

Li Cuihua began to feel uneasy, as if something was watching her from the shadows. She mustered her courage and continued to grope her way towards the direction the mountain people had mentioned that might be a chestnut tree. The sound of her footsteps breaking dry branches made her heart pound.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead.

Li Cuihua’s hair stood on end. Upon closer inspection, she saw a grass snake as thick as a child’s arm slithering out of the grass, its triangular head raised, flicking its scarlet tongue at her!

“Oh my god! A snake!!!”

Li Cuihua was so frightened that she let out a shrill scream. Forget about finding any chestnuts, she scrambled back home.

She forgot to pick up her basket, and didn’t care that she had lost a shoe while running away. There was only one thought in her mind: get out of this godforsaken place! Branches ruffled her hair, and thorns tore her trouser legs again, but she didn’t notice. She just ran desperately back the way she came, as if a demon was chasing her.

When she finally scrambled out of the forest, her clothes tattered, her hair disheveled, and her face filled with terror, and ran back to the village entrance, she was spotted by several women who were sewing shoe soles and chatting idly under the trees.

The group was taken aback when they saw her disheveled and distraught appearance, and then burst into laughter.

“Oh my! Isn’t this Sister Cuihua? What have you been up to? Did you get into a fight with a wild boar in the mountains?”

“Hahaha, I think so! Your clothes were torn by a wild boar, weren’t they?”

“Hey, where’s the basket? Did you go into the mountains to search for treasure like the Lin family? Did you get scared out of your wits if you didn’t find any treasure?”

Li Cuihua blushed with embarrassment at their laughter, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

She stammered, unable to utter a coherent sentence, and didn’t even bother to retrieve the lost shoe. With her head down and her hand covering her torn sleeve, she slunk and limped home amidst the laughter and chatter of the women, her pace almost as fast as when she was fleeing for her life.

From that day on, Li Cuihua became completely obedient and never dared to mention going into the mountains to pick chestnuts again. In fact, she would subconsciously shudder whenever someone mentioned the mountains and forests in front of her.

After this incident, the villagers gradually paid less attention to and talked about the Lin family. After all, as much as they envied them, few people had the courage to actually take the risk.