Chapter 109: For Everyone, I Sacrifice Myself

She blurted out nonsense at once. “My dad hasn’t exactly been kind to me, but I still want to go back and see him. After all, the other two are illegitimate children, and they probably hate him by now.”

Everyone on the ox cart looked at her speechlessly.

He treats you badly, and yet he still gives you twenty yuan a month? What father and mother could manage that?

Aunt Liu looked at the way she grinned with all her white teeth showing, and barely restrained the urge to slap that face clean off. “Heh, well then, you really are filial.”

“Mm-hm, there’s nothing I can do about it. The other two are both ingrates, and they don’t even go back to see him,” Lin Jingyue said, doing her utmost to smear her enemies’ reputations.

The enemies could never be miserable enough; the worse, the better. That made her happy. Ha ha.

“...”

Lin Xinrou had been sent to jail, and Lin Xinjian could only fend for himself. To go back and forth would cost money, wouldn’t it?

Besides, they weren’t like Lin Jingyue, able to earn money.

“Aunt Liu, are you about to take a daughter-in-law?” Seeing that Aunt Liu had been choked into silence by her, Lin Jingyue suddenly felt a little lonely.

“... Where did you hear that? There’s not even anything like that yet.” This educated youth Lin must have a dog’s nose.

“Haha, your son said it. He said he doesn’t fancy the daughter-in-law you picked out for him.” Lin Jingyue winked.

Aunt Liu: “...”

The brigade leader’s brother’s wife: “...”

One knife, two people. Who in these ten miles and eight villages could match that mouth?

“Educated Youth Lin, if you’re this sharp-tongued, your future in-laws won’t like you,” Aunt Hua blurted out, unable to restrain herself when she saw Lin Jingyue’s smug expression.

The next moment, she regretted it.

“Aunt Hua, your daughter-in-law is pregnant and still goes to the fields every day to earn work points. Looks like you don’t like her much either. What a sin. Such a fine young girl, cherished by her father and mother back home...”

“Cough, cough...” The old man driving the cart choked on his own saliva and nearly drove the ox cart into the ditch.

Lin Jingyue cut herself off abruptly. Startled, she grabbed hold of something beside her, then patted her chest. “Grandpa Li, keep your eyes on the road. If we fall, that’ll be fatal. Of course, if it’s only your life on the line, that’s one thing, but if you ruin my face, don’t blame me for getting really angry!”

Old Li: “...”

Who could understand the feeling of having one’s mouth twitch like mad?

The whole ox cart fell silent. Everyone turned their heads to look at the scenery by the roadside, deliberately not looking at Lin Jingyue.

Honestly, this was probably the quietest trip Old Li had ever driven.

By the time they finally reached the county seat, Lin Jingyue hoisted her suitcase and waved goodbye. Watching her back, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

“You really didn’t have to answer her,” Aunt Hua couldn’t help complaining to Aunt Liu.

Aunt Liu rolled her eyes. “With her personality, even if I didn’t answer, wouldn’t she just find something else to say on her own?”

That was true.

Lin Jingyue didn’t hurry to the station. She first went to the scrap recycling station to see Old Huo.

When she left, she finally got the New Year money she had been longing for, and in the end she was practically chased out.

She smiled, found a place to change her appearance, and then went to look for Tian Yang.

“It’s almost New Year’s. This time, there needs to be more goods.” As soon as she saw Tian Yang, she got straight to the point.

Tian Yang had also been busy lately, and he knew Lin Jingyue’s temperament well enough. Without another word, he made the call. “We can take in two or three times the usual amount.”

“Good. As for rice, there should be about a thousand jin. There are also five hundred jin of white flour this time, the finest premium flour, so the price can’t be low. One hundred jin each of chicken, duck, and fish. In addition, there’s one pig weighing more than three hundred jin, already slaughtered. Prepare the money and vouchers, and we’ll trade in an hour at the old place. If you’re late, don’t bother coming.” Lin Jingyue spoke quickly.

She didn’t have much time.

The rice in her spatial storage had already been mixed with sand, all packed into sacks. The white flour had also been sorted out; she just had to take it out then.

There were no vegetables this time. The land in the space was basically all planted with medicinal herbs now, with only a small portion growing vegetables.

She kept those for herself.

It really was several times the usual amount. Tian Yang was a little excited. “Don’t worry, little brother. We’ll be there on time.”

“Good. Then I’m off.”

After Lin Jingyue left, Tian Yang didn’t linger either. He had money to prepare.

After leaving, Lin Jingyue didn’t go anywhere else. She went straight outside the city and waited there.

Tian Yang and the others arrived in just over forty minutes. Luckily, Lin Jingyue had prepared quickly, and as soon as she heard movement, she took the goods out.

“Little brother, haven’t you been waiting long?” Tian Yang came over with his people. There were quite a few of them this time.

First, because of the amount of goods. Second, because it wasn’t convenient to bring things in broad daylight, so they had to split up a bit.

“Not long.” Lin Jingyue waved a hand.

Tian Yang was also worried about being discovered. He quickly had people weigh everything, then calculated the payment for Lin Jingyue.

Because she had already sorted everything out, it didn’t take long.

Very quickly it was all settled. Lin Jingyue took the money and turned to leave.

She moved swiftly. After entering the city, she found a chance to change back into her original clothes, then went to buy a bus ticket.

The shuttle bus lurched and swayed, with all kinds of smells mingling inside. It was truly unpleasant.

Fortunately, she had quick hands and snagged a seat by the window. Once she opened the window, it was much better.

“Miss, could you close the window? It’s freezing people to death.” The old woman beside her shrank her neck and looked at Lin Jingyue unhappily.

“The smell is too strong. Please bear with it,” Lin Jingyue said without looking back.

“It’s easy for you to say, since you’re not the one freezing.”

“I’m cold too.” Lin Jingyue wrapped herself up in her scarf until only her eyes were visible.

“But I’m not afraid of the cold. The smell in the bus is too strong. For everyone’s sake, so we can have some fresh air, I’ll sacrifice myself.”

“...”

That really wasn’t necessary.

Everyone in the bus looked at Lin Jingyue with complicated expressions, but no one argued with her. Mainly because what could you even say to a girl with such a thick skin, who could stare wide-eyed and tell such obvious lies?

Everyone cursed her inwardly, and by the time they finally got off the bus, all of them were stamping their feet.

Only Lin Jingyue, suitcase in hand, walked away, her merits and fame hidden from view.

She wandered around for a while, found a guesthouse near the train station, and checked in. Since all her food had already been prepared and stored in the space, she had no intention of going out again in the middle.

The next day, she got up at six. After washing up and eating breakfast, she took out the dumplings she had made herself, stuffed with cabbage and pork, in a lunch container. When she took them out, they looked as though they had just come off the stove.

After eating and drinking her fill, she poured hot water from the kettle—heated with spring water from the space—then went downstairs to check out.

After that, she went to catch a bus.

With the New Year approaching, the station was packed shoulder to shoulder, and at times like this pickpockets were everywhere. She only kept ten yuan in her pocket for emergencies; the rest of her money was in the space.

She wasn’t worried.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, she narrowed her eyes. Up ahead to her left, there was indeed a pickpocket working someone’s pocket.

The other man was a tall young man wearing a cap.

He was dressed very well, so his pockets probably held some money. But that build at a glance told her he was no ordinary person.

The thief was truly bold.

“Ah!” Just as Lin Jingyue looked away, she heard a scream by her ear.

The corners of her mouth twitched. She looked over, and sure enough, the pickpocket had been caught by the man, who had twisted the thief down hard onto the icy ground.

A quick note from me: my male and female leads are always evenly matched.

In my three books on other websites, whether historical romance, xianxia, or period fiction, there has never been any kind of doormat. They are always a powerful pair, evenly matched, and fighting side by side.

That is the kind of love I believe in, and it is the style I write. I can’t write a story with a one-sided pining fool, and whether it is the male lead or the female lead doing the pining, I don’t like it.

Being good to the person you like is only natural, of course. But if you are sure the other person has no feelings for you, then you should walk away in time and stop the bleeding in time. Girls, you should keep your eyes open.

We are all excellent in our own way, so please never be the first to doubt yourselves. Love you all.