In the early eighties, the term "ten-thousand-yuan household" was barely a whisper, let alone a reality. In the countryside, ten thousand yuan was the stuff of legend. So, what Cheng Ying saw struck her as utterly bizarre. Was this man here to rob her? Why did he bring several burly-looking companions? "Uncle," she ventured, "what's the meaning of this?"

The man replied, "Don't be scared, girl. I bring the money, but I don't bring people; I don't feel secure otherwise."

Cheng Ying conceded, understanding his caution. She glanced at Chi Wu beside her, her eyes brimming with pride. Look at the child we raised. With a thousand yuan at his age, he’s handling this with such composure. And just by looking, his assets seem greater than yours. The more she thought about it, the prouder she felt. Chi Wu, receiving these unexplained looks from Cheng Ying, flushed slightly. What is she thinking?

Cheng Ying entered the house with the man, Chi Wu accompanying them. The man produced a small wooden box and pushed it toward Cheng Ying. "Girl, count it."

Cheng Ying opened the box and felt genuinely troubled. Why were there loose bills?

Seeing her expression, the man looked embarrassed. "Girl, it’s a good thing I managed to scrape this together for you on such short notice. Hurry up and count it."

Cheng Ying and Chi Wu started working together, quickly getting through the pile. The man watched them intently. One shouldn't underestimate children just because they were young; watching how they handled the money, he could tell they were experts.

Chi Wu finished counting and stated simply to Cheng Ying, "It’s all there," just two words.

The man, unable to resist Chi Wu's composed demeanor, finally asked, "Miss, who is this young man?"

Cheng Ying pursed her lips. See? The person I raised has an aura that commands notice. Success! Raising a child successfully. "My younger brother," she replied. Even just those two words were saturated with pride.

The man didn't say anything, though he thought, Yesterday you were fatherless and motherless, and today a younger brother appears? She must have a boyfriend and is just being coy because of her young age.

Cheng Ying continued, "Uncle, the money is correct. But there's still the payment for the workers, which was supposed to be added to the wood before loading. You owe me an extra hundred yuan, as agreed."

The man said, "Little girl, you’ve just received such a large sum, why are you still haggling over a hundred yuan?"

Cheng Ying smiled sweetly. "I practice frugality in running the household. Otherwise, when I get home, the old lady will give me a beating with the feather duster."

Chi Wu stood by, grinning foolishly. She sure knows how to manage a home.

The man pulled out one hundred yuan—ten ten-yuan notes—and handed them to Cheng Ying. "Girl, are we settled now?"

"Settled. That piece of wood has nothing to do with me anymore," Cheng Ying confirmed.

The man looked quite pained watching the wood go. "This money has nothing to do with me either," he said, his eyes lingering with reluctance.

Cheng Ying replied, "Uncle, if you have a chance in the future, come visit. We are leaving now." No matter how reluctant you are, I’m not giving it back to you. Cheng Ying disliked the wooden box; wasn't that just advertising, telling people, Here is money, come and take it? It was far too conspicuous.

She took out her own net bag, filled with apples and flatbreads, and handed them to the man. "Uncle, you came so early, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Eat this on the road." As she spoke, she took a piece of old newspaper, wrapped the money, and tucked it into the net bag. Then, holding the bag in one hand, she called out, "Uncle, we're off now!"

The man stared, somewhat dumbfounded. Even his bodyguards felt a bit superfluous. When the money is in their hands, why is it treated with such casualness?

Chi Wu also felt a pang of realization. Society was changing, and both he and Cheng Ying were changing with it. He remembered how they treasured the money they got from trading the tiger skin, carefully tucking it away. Now, with this sum, which was even larger, they could afford to treat it lightly, carrying it out so casually.

Cheng Ying felt a bit frustrated too. If only my spatial storage could hold money, why would I need to carry it in a net bag? Even if I could check in now, that would be something. She silently urged, Society, hurry up and advance! I really don’t want to be lugging money around like this every day.

As the man walked out, surrounded by his associates, one of them remarked, "What spirit these two have!"

Indeed, two young people had completely suppressed the commanding presence of several grown men. They felt a deep sense of shame that they had brought several men along over ten thousand yuan, only to watch the other party carry the same amount away in a net bag.

Finally, the burliest man among them grumbled, "Whose unlucky kids are these?"

The rest of the group agreed wholeheartedly. They were convinced these were two remarkably unlucky children.

Chi Wu drove the car while Cheng Ying held the bag, and the two drove away. Watching their casual movements, it was as if they were carrying cabbages rather than cash.

Even with ten thousand yuan, Cheng Ying felt it was still a little short of her needs. After all, Cheng Ying had grand ambitions: she planned to buy a house in the provincial city.

Chi Wu felt a touch of concern. "Why did you sell the Hongsong wood? If you needed money, I have some here."

Cheng Ying replied, "Keep your marriage savings, brother. I’ve managed that mountain plot for so many years; it should yield some profit, shouldn't it? I wasn't just idling away the time."

With the money issue resolved, her mood lightened, and she asked Chi Wu, "Are you back to collect medicinal herbs?"

Chi Wu nodded. "Yes. I won't be doing the small collections myself; I'll buy up the bulk." He meant he would collect the small batches from others and then sell them wholesale, making a profit in between.

Cheng Ying warned him, "That’s speculation, isn't it? Be careful you don't get singled out."

Chi Wu retorted, "I am making necessary social contributions to the nation, setting a good first standard for their medical field."

Cheng Ying shook her head. This unlucky child was becoming difficult to deal with. "You carry on then. I need to visit the county seat these next few days. I have to move these saplings of mine."

Chi Wu suggested, "The province is also undertaking greening projects; perhaps you can check there."

"It doesn't matter. Since summer vacation has started, I plan to travel around. Wherever there is a need, I will go. I must get these mountain resources distributed somehow."

Chi Wu pursed his lips; this sounded quite good. "I'll go with you."

With this decision made, Cheng Ying enjoyed her summer vacation thoroughly. Although travel conditions in those days were poor and the roads were sure to be uncomfortable, the advantage was that all the scenery was natural. She decided to go to whichever city was the largest, and she would travel there. She felt quite pleased.

When her grandmother returned home, Cheng Ying showed the old lady the ten thousand yuan she had received. Then, she told her grandmother that she had kept one piece of wood from the mountain for her—a slab of Hongsong. The old lady understood immediately what the wood was for and felt deeply comforted. At her age, people naturally began thinking about matters concerning their final arrangements. The village chief's third wife often showed the old lady the clothes she had prepared for her own passing; there was no taboo between them on such topics. Knowing this, Cheng Ying dared to mention it to her grandmother.

The old lady looked at her granddaughter proudly holding the money. "Show off, why don't you? I'm old now, and I can't control you anymore. I wonder if you are just more capable, or if our generation was too timid. How is it that when the money comes into your hands, it seems like just... money?" This was a heartfelt sigh. In their time, they nearly tore the family apart over a few dozen yuan, yet now, this amount barely registered. The old lady felt that the fuss her eldest son and his two daughters-in-law made over such trifles was simply not worth it, almost laughable.

Cheng Ying was momentarily speechless. It was true; for an old woman who earned two yuan a day, being confronted with ten thousand in cash might be a huge shock. However, I’ve been reborn. I’ve lived hand-to-mouth for the last two years, and now that I finally have some money, why is Grandma getting resentful? When it came to Chi Wu, well, the old lady had seen him earn money. Her own earnings truly paled in comparison to his. But Chi Wu had parental backing; that was an inherent advantage, not something everyone was lucky enough to have.

The old lady stated, "You don't need to give me this cash. If you care, just bring me that piece of wood later."

Cheng Ying asked, "Grandma, I’m going out to travel. Do you want to come?"

The old lady replied, "My old bones can't handle the tossing and turning. You go ahead and enjoy yourself."

"Don't regret it later, Grandma!"

Chi Wu chimed in, "Grandma, why don't you come to the city with us for a look?"

The old lady shook her head. Being in the city once was enough. Her granddaughter was well, her family was safe, and the old lady was content living here in the mountain valley.

Cheng Ying pursed her lips and smiled. Once I get things arranged, whether you like it or not, you're coming with me. Besides, Grandma was getting old. It really wasn't suitable for her to stay here. They were too far from a hospital; if anything serious happened, she’d be worn out on the road before she even reached medical care. This was genuinely true.

In the surrounding villages, although Cheng Ying no longer had the only tractor, she was still number one in Shanghe Village. Last year, a young woman in the village went into labor, and Cheng Ying drove her to the hospital in the tractor. How could she refuse help in a life-or-death situation?

The delivery happened on the tractor, bouncing over dirt roads for so many li. The baby was born from the jolting before they even reached the hospital. The experience terrified Cheng Ying so much that she couldn't get out of bed for days, recovering slower than a woman postpartum. Her grandmother insisted that she would never involve herself in such messes again.

Cheng Ying thought, I probably won't dare drive my vehicle again after that. Does she know what I was feeling driving that day? Tears of heartache. She suspected she might be too traumatized to even consider having children herself. The grandmother made Cheng Ying a special calming meal for several days, seeing how frightened her granddaughter was.

Cheng Ying was frustrated thinking about it. Building a hospital in the village was currently beyond her capability. Therefore, the only option was for Grandma to travel to the city with her, so they could live somewhere neither too close nor too far from the hospital for convenient medical access.

Chi Wu collecting herbs wasn't strictly tied to following Cheng Ying. His operation was much larger; he had established collection points across several townships and needed to cycle through them all.

Furthermore, before Cheng Ying could even leave, people from the Forestry Bureau arrived. And they arrived with money in hand. Cheng Ying’s saplings couldn't be hidden from the neighboring forest farms. When the county held a meeting regarding planting trees along the roads, the person in charge of the Forestry Bureau mentioned that Cheng Ying's nursery was quite good, which led to this visit.

Cheng Ying was so happy her mouth stretched ear to ear. It’s a sign of good fortune! Heaven must think I’ve been low-key long enough, and now it's time for my luck to shine. Even if this didn't materialize into a contract, it was still an opportunity.

When Cheng Ying arrived at her mountain plot with the visitors, several men with their hands behind their backs were already inspecting her nursery. "Uncle Lin," Cheng Ying greeted the head of the Forestry Bureau. He gave Cheng Ying a gentle smile. "Yingzi, these are some leaders from our county. Your nursery is excellent; we came to take a look."

"Welcome to inspect our facilities, esteemed leaders," Cheng Ying responded.

County leaders, Cheng Ying noted, tended to carry a large air about them, completely ignoring her presence.

Cheng Ying offered, "The nursery is large, perhaps we could first enjoy some sweet melons? They are grown here on the mountain, very fragrant and sweet."