The two smiled at each other, communicating a hundred meanings through their eyes. The sadness that had been gnawing at both their hearts had now completely faded away.

    Before the couple left, they promised to visit often, making Grandpa Tong’s face light up with joy. He also gave Haitang a basket of chicken eggs. Naturally, there was no formality between grandfather and granddaughter, so Haitang accepted them without hesitation.

    There were many ways she could repay him for this basket of eggs, so there was no need to refuse.

    Qian Tai carried the basket, and the couple walked back home hand in hand, happily.

    For Haitang, everything was now moving in a positive direction, except for two matters: the family's livelihood and...

    Revenge!

    Qian Tai, having just returned from bathing, saw his wife lying on the bed, deep in thought.

    “Do you have something on your mind?” Qian Tai asked, hoping he might help solve her problem.

    “Husband, what do you think is the most important thing right now?” Haitang asked, looking at her tall husband standing by the bed.

    “Right now, it’s just waiting for the rice harvest and for Mother’s health to improve. Isn’t that the most important thing?”

    “Husband, have you ever thought about your three younger brothers? What will happen in winter if Mother’s health deteriorates? Have you ever thought about that?”

    “You mean…”

    “Yes, I’m talking about our family’s finances. Soon, your brothers will need to marry. This house is too small for multiple families, and Mother’s health is unpredictable. So, the most urgent matter for our family right now is nothing but money.”

    Hearing Haitang's words, Qian Tai’s face showed clear worry, fearing she might be unable to bear the hardships and would want to leave. “Are you thinking about…”

    “Yes, right now we still have time. We need to focus on earning money first,” Haitang said, sitting up and looking into her husband’s eyes.

    Qian Tai, feeling relieved by his wife’s words, replied, “Of course, we need to earn money. Soon we’ll be able to harvest the rice, so don’t worry. By then, we’ll have more to eat and things will be better.”

    Haitang sighed softly, looking at the man in front of her.

    The money from the rice harvest was inevitable, but what then? It would not be enough to cover the entire year’s expenses and any emergencies that might arise.

    Haitang urged Qian Tai to lie down on the inside, while she got up to extinguish the candle and then lay down beside him. Soon, her husband's breathing became steady, indicating he had fallen into a peaceful sleep.

    Haitang raised her hand to her forehead, thinking about events from her past life.

    At this time, she had used her special abilities to earn money to buy luxurious items, competing with the city girls. She remembered a significant event from that period.

    The only son of Lord Lin, the city governor, had fallen from his horse, making it possible that he might never have children again. Doctors renowned for their skills from all over were summoned to examine the governor's only son, but they all shook their heads, denying any chance of recovery.

    Eventually, the governor found a doctor specialized in such ailments, but fate was not on their side. The herb required for the treatment was unavailable!

    It was an herb easily found in winter but extremely rare during the hot season.

    Time was also against them because the governor's son needed to be treated within a month, or he would lose the ability to have children permanently.

    Lord Lin, who had gone to great lengths to have this son, had him at an advanced age and he was the only heir of the family, making him the apple of the governor and his chief wife's eye. Therefore, the couple offered a reward of ten taels per plant for the herb required for their son's treatment.

    The prescription required more than twenty plants, meaning the governor was willing to spend over two hundred taels on an uncertain remedy.

    Ten taels for an ordinary villager could sustain a family for an entire year.

    However, at that time, Haitang disliked the young lady who was the elder sister of the injured young master—the governor’s eldest daughter from his secondary wife. Haitang had no intention of helping to find the herb, despite the generous reward.

    But things were different now. She might have issues with the governor’s child, but she needed money. Thus, she would use her abilities to earn money for the Qian family.

    It was true she didn’t want anyone to know about her abilities, but this could be managed by having her husband take the lead. After all, he was just a villager, and searching for herbs would not be beyond his capabilities. Her abilities would only be used when absolutely necessary for safety reasons.

    This way, it would benefit both her and her small family.

    As for her old adversary, the governor’s young lady, Haitang no longer cared. What she wanted to bring home was a substantial amount of money, not deal with an annoying young lady.

    Haitang lay there, planning extensively in her mind, but soon succumbed to the creeping drowsiness and fell asleep.

    In the morning, Haitang was still the first to wake up and start cooking in the kitchen.

    Shortly after, the four brothers woke up and went out to work in the fields. With less than a month until harvest, they needed to take good care of the crops, their vital source of sustenance.

    Haitang had not yet mentioned the idea of going out to find herbs for the city governor. She couldn’t make Qian Tai suspicious about how she knew about this news. Therefore, she needed to wait for an opportunity when they went to the town and then find a way to pass by the area where the notice was posted. To ensure her husband would hear about the city governor's announcement seeking this herb himself, Haitang planned to act at the right moment. When she suggested searching for the herb to earn money, her husband wouldn’t be suspicious.

    However, it would be difficult to go to town within the next couple of days because the vegetables weren’t ready for sale. To expedite their trip to town, Haitang helped her mother-in-law with sewing handkerchiefs. She even skipped the afternoon trip to the hills with the four brothers.

    The two women of different ages stayed home all day, sewing and embroidering handkerchiefs and making clothes for the four brothers. By the end of the day, they had completed clothes for Qian San and Qian Xi, along with ten handkerchiefs.

    “Third Brother, Fourth Brother, here are your new clothes. Try them on, and let me know if any adjustments are needed,” Haitang said, handing the clothes to her brothers-in-law before heading to the kitchen to cook.

    Qian San and Qian Xi looked at their new clothes with excitement. It had been a long time since they had new clothes. Their mother usually altered their older brother's clothes for them.

    It wasn’t that they minded wearing hand-me-downs; it’s just that new clothes brought more happiness.

    “How do they fit, Third and Fourth?” Zhushi asked as she saw her twin sons walk out of the room in their old clothes.

    “They fit well, Mother,” Qian San replied.

    “If they fit, why don’t you wear them now?” Zhushi didn’t understand why her sons didn’t come out in their new clothes.

    “Mother, let’s save the new clothes for special occasions.”

    “Come, Third and Fourth, help your sister-in-law bring the food from the kitchen,” Haitang said to Qian San and Qian Xi. When they walked into the kitchen, she gave her mother-in-law a look, signaling her to leave it to her.

    When Qian Tai and Qian Sao returned after fetching water, the family began to eat dinner together.

    “Husband, Mother and I have finished sewing ten handkerchiefs. Tomorrow we’ll go to the hills, and maybe we’ll find something to sell in town the day after tomorrow. Is that alright?” Haitang asked her husband during dinner.

    “Alright, we’ll go to the hills tomorrow and to town the day after. You three, go to the hills with us tomorrow,” Qian Tai said, looking at his three younger brothers.

    “Sure, Big Brother,” Qian Sao replied.

    Having achieved her goal, Haitang picked some vegetables and put them in her mother-in-law’s bowl, lowering her head to hide her smile. But her husband, who had been watching her closely, noticed.

    The next morning, all the men went out to work in the fields, including Qian Zhou, who was mixing fertilizer behind the house. Inside, only the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law remained.

    “Mother, once we finish sewing clothes for the third and fourth brothers, please go into their room and bring me the old clothes that they shouldn’t wear anymore. I’ll turn them into rags and vegetable covers, so they won’t have to wear those old clothes again.”

    This was Haitang’s plan. Since her brothers-in-law couldn’t bear to wear their new clothes, she had to be the one to firmly push them to use them.

    Zhushi agreed with this approach. The two women hurried to sew the clothes for Qian San and Qian Xi to have more options to wear.

    By the afternoon, they had finished two shirts and only had two pairs of pants left.

    Because Haitang had told her husband that she would go to the hills with him to gather herbs in the afternoon, she prepared food for the journey instead of eating at home. Since she had lost track of time while sewing, when the four brothers returned, they immediately set out for the hills, with Haitang bringing food for them to eat later.

    The path up the hill had a single trail, but after walking for a while, it branched into several paths leading deeper into the forest, depending on where one wanted to go. The four brothers planned to meet at a designated spot after setting their animal traps to wait for Haitang and have a meal before continuing their work.

    After waiting for just one ke (15 minutes), Haitang arrived with two mantou each for them. She didn't wait to eat with the four brothers because she had already eaten while steaming the mantou. Instead, she spent the time waiting by wandering around the area, exploring.

    Once Qian Tai finished eating, Haitang led her husband along a path where she could faintly smell some herbs. Haitang knew that she couldn’t find valuable herbs to sell right now. Even if she detected the scent of high-value herbs, she wouldn’t pick them for sale just yet.

    The herbs Haitang smelled now weren’t intended for sale; she planned to use them to nourish her mother-in-law. But as they walked closer, she realized there were quite a few of these herbs. If she picked them to sell now, it shouldn’t be a problem.

    “Husband, pull up this plant. Its root is a nourishing herb,” Haitang instructed.

    Without asking for further explanation, Qian Tai obediently started digging as his wife directed.

    Haitang guided him on how to dig carefully to avoid damaging the herb’s roots. Before long, Qian Tai successfully extracted the entire plant.

    Haitang looked around and spotted another similar herb. She directed Qian Tai to dig it up while she carefully pulled out the roots of another plant.

    In a short time, the couple managed to gather three herb plants and filled a basket with the roots.

    Although there were more herbs, Haitang didn’t plan to collect them all at once. Since they weren’t growing in clusters and it was clear that the villagers didn’t recognize them as valuable, she decided to collect and sell them gradually to avoid drawing attention and having others mimic her actions.

    Humans are naturally selfish. Being kind isn’t wrong, but giving away one’s means of livelihood isn’t something smart people do.

    Haitang not only collected the roots but also took the leaves and flowers of the herbs, as they were also marketable. However, to avoid arousing suspicion, she carefully picked the leaves and flowers without damaging them. The stems were buried back in the ground by Qian Tai, hoping that in three years, they could harvest them again.

    Each of the couple carried a basket, covered with leaves to conceal the herbs, and made their way down the hill.

    At the meeting spot, the three younger brothers hadn’t returned yet, so Qian Tai asked Haitang to wait with the baskets while he went to fetch his brothers who had gone fishing.

    After a while, it wasn't Qian Tai who returned but Qian San and Qian Xi, who were sent to carry the baskets back home with their sister-in-law, Haitang. Then, the two brothers carried the empty baskets and ran back up the hill to help their elder brothers catch fish, leaving Haitang and her father-in-law, Qian Zhou, to wash and dry the herbs they had gathered.

    Fortunately, their house was surrounded by a tall wall, which prevented outsiders from seeing in.

    Initially, Haitang planned to prepare dinner, but her mother-in-law, Zhushi, volunteered to cook instead, allowing Haitang to return to help her father-in-law wash the herbs.

    Before long, they managed to wash and dry the two baskets of herbs. Qian Tai and his younger brothers also returned.

    Everyone washed up and then gathered to have dinner together.

    Before eating, Haitang had already sliced the herb roots and started boiling them. After the meal, she brought two bowls of the herbal tonic for her father- and mother-in-law to drink.

    "Mother, this is a fresh snow lotus herb that we gathered today. It helps balance the body and is great for nourishing the blood. Father, you too should drink it. This herb is beneficial for your health. Please, both of you, have a bowl. I have saved some to boil on other days as well," Haitang explained.

    "Haitang, aren't you going to sell these herbs? You don't need to save them for us," Zhushi said, feeling a bit reluctant.

    "Mother, the main reason I gathered them was to brew a tonic for you. But since we gathered a lot, there's enough to sell as well. So, don't worry. Your health should always come first," Haitang reassured her.

    "That's right, Mother. Haitang and I gathered these herbs for you. Please drink it, or you'll hurt our feelings," Qian Tai added, supporting his wife's words.

    "Mother, I've also set aside a portion to give to Grandfather. Do you think that's wasteful too?" Haitang teased lightly.

    "This child... Giving it to your grandfather isn't wasteful at all. Give him plenty," Zhushi relented.

    "Giving it to Grandfather isn't wasteful, so neither is giving it to you. You should drink it while it's still hot," Haitang insisted.

    Eventually, both her father-in-law and mother-in-law gave in and drank the herbal tonic.

    The snow lotus roots were arranged neatly in a basket, ready for sale, while the leaves and flowers were placed in another small basket to avoid being crushed.

    Haitang set aside a portion of the roots to brew for her parents-in-law and another portion for her grandfather. She planned to bring it to him herself after returning from the market the next day.

    Apart from Haitang's herbs, they would only have twenty handkerchiefs to sell the next day, as the vegetables they were growing weren't ready to be harvested yet.

    Zhushi intended to give them money for the trip, but this time Haitang refused because the snow lotus they planned to sell was a relatively valuable herb. Though not extremely expensive, it should fetch a few taels of silver, so they didn't need to use Zhushi's money for now.