Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Not the Right Time to Reveal Her Wealth

Yang Chunshu’s sudden kneeling left everyone at a loss for what to do.

Some villagers, softened by the sight, couldn’t help but say, “Maybe we shouldn’t send her to the authorities. Let’s just drive her out of the village.”

Others were disgusted: “Zhao Zhaodi, is this how you use your own child? Have you no shame?”

Someone else added, “A child without a mother is indeed a pitiful thing.”

The Village Chief, however, stood with a furrowed brow, lost in thought.

Everyone had their own opinion, but in the end, the decision rested with the Chief. Seeing their eyes turn toward him, he spoke: “This matter must be handled according to the rules. Otherwise, if others develop wicked intentions in the future and think they can use children to escape punishment, will our village ever know peace?”

Hearing the Chief’s words, those who had felt a pang of sympathy for Zhao Zhaodi because of the child immediately felt it vanish.

He was right—with so many witnesses today, if they let her off easily, others might follow suit. How could the village remain stable?

Zhao Zhaodi, who had initially thought there was hope to escape prison, saw that the Chief’s heart was made of stone. She began to wail frantically.

“Shu’er, save your mother! Save me! Quickly, beg your Uncle Chief!”

Many felt nothing but contempt for the way she manipulated her child, their faces filled with disdain.

Yang Chunshu began to howl and cry: “Uncle Chief, please, I beg you, let my mother go! Let her go!”

Seeing the boy cry so piteously, the Chief felt a flicker of pity, but he would not allow his principles to be broken.

Bending down, the Chief said to Yang Chunshu, “Xiao Bao, your mother has committed a grave error. Those who do wrong must face the consequences. Get up now.”

Ignoring the boy’s reaction, the Chief turned to several villagers and commanded, “Take her away.”

“Understood.”

The Chief followed the villagers as they escorted Zhao Zhaodi out of the village, failing to notice the resentful glare in Yang Chunshu’s eyes as he remained kneeling on the ground.

…

Once they reached the county magistrate’s office, Zhao Zhaodi—usually a local bully—was scared witless by the imposing atmosphere of the yamen and confessed to everything.

However, she had only provided the bandits with information on where the grain was stored and acted as a guide. Since she hadn’t participated in the actual robbery, looting, or distribution of the spoils, she was sentenced to a public flogging and six months in prison.

Even so, the beating and the half-year sentence were more than enough for her to handle.

With the matter concluded, the Chief and the villagers left the magistrate’s office to head home. As they reached the street, they bumped into two people.

Lin Zhiyuan saw the Chief and offered a smile. “Uncle.”

Hearing Lin Zhiyuan greet the man, Lin Yuansheng sized up the Chief. So, this was his young master’s uncle?

The Chief was startled to see him. “Wei—”

“Uncle, I was just heading to the village to find you,” Lin Zhiyuan interrupted with a smile.

The Chief cleared his throat. “Zhiyuan? What brings you here?”

“Something happened at home, so I’ve come to seek refuge with you. Would you mind putting me up for a while?”

Alarmed, the Chief asked, “Something happened? What was it? Why didn’t you send word?”

“Uncle, it’s alright. We can talk more once we get back.”

“Young Master…”

Lin Yuansheng seemed about to speak, but Lin Zhiyuan raised a hand to stop him. “Yuansheng, since we’ve run into Uncle today, we’ll head back with him.”

Since Lin Zhiyuan had spoken, Lin Yuansheng had no choice but to remain silent.

“Alright, come back with us. However, the houses in the village haven’t been fully repaired yet. It might be a bit uncomfortable for you.”

“It’s fine, no trouble at all. We have nowhere else to go anyway.”

The Chief then introduced him to the other villagers: “Everyone, this is my brother’s son, Lin Zhiyuan.”

The Chief had been assigned to Xiaoniao Village less than ten years ago. The villagers didn’t know much about his family details, as he rarely spoke of his past. Hearing that he had a brother came as a surprise. In all these years, no relatives had ever visited; they had assumed he was alone in the world.

“So it’s the Chief’s nephew! He looks quite talented, he carries himself just like the Chief.”

“Yes, he looks like someone destined for great things.”

The Chief felt helpless. “Alright, stop the flattery. Let’s go, there’s work to be done back home.”

Seeing that they intended to walk back, Lin Yuansheng frowned. “Young—”

Meeting Lin Zhiyuan’s chilly gaze, he quickly corrected himself. “Brother Yuan, are we not taking a carriage?”

The Chief and the villagers looked embarrassed. Where would they get the money for a carriage? Even if they had it, they wouldn’t waste it on a ride. That money was better spent on food. It was just a short walk back to the village.

Lin Zhiyuan glanced at Lin Yuansheng. “If you want to take a carriage, I won’t stop you.”

Recognizing he had misspoken, Lin Yuansheng rubbed his nose sheepishly and gave a dry laugh. “Haha, Brother Yuan, I’ll stay with you.”

However, the “short walk” in the villagers’ eyes felt like it was going to break the legs of Lin Zhiyuan and Lin Yuansheng.

…

As they reached the village entrance, Lin Yuansheng’s eyes suddenly narrowed. The girl wandering near the entrance looked very familiar.

The night before, after dinner, Yang Xue had snuck down the mountain to collect her grain delivery. Once the delivery person left, she stashed the grain in her space.

Just as she turned to leave, she saw a small puppy whimpering past her. It looked like it had been washed away by the floods and was now a stray. Yang Xue’s first instinct was to catch it—otherwise, the poor thing might end up as someone’s dinner.

But as she chased it, the dog panicked and ran faster. With the dense trees and mountains, it ducked into the brush and vanished. Yang Xue wanted to keep searching, but she had used the excuse of a post-dinner stroll; if she stayed out too late, her family would get suspicious. It was dark, and she couldn’t see, so she was forced to give up.

This morning, still worried about the puppy, she came down to look for it again.

She didn’t expect to run into a familiar face—the man who had bought the herbs from her. He was with the Village Chief, so they clearly knew each other.

Is he a villager too?

Yang Xue frowned. Her only concern now was whether this man would tell the villagers that she had earned twenty taels of silver from selling herbs. Making money wasn’t something to be ashamed of, but right now was definitely not the right time to let people know she was wealthy.