Family ties were not something that could be severed just like that. At most, the Lin family would sell the lingzhi, strike it rich, and then turn around and marry her off anyway. In this era, children not starting a family was considered unfilial; women especially would be criticized if they did not marry, leaving the entire family unable to hold their heads high.
Nor could she directly sell the lingzhi for money and pay someone to help her flee. With no means to defend herself, she would very likely end up losing both her wealth and her life...
No one was reliable. In the end, this body was simply too frail. If she could nurse it for another three to five years, she might be able to stand on her own two feet.
Lin Yue pondered for several days. She wanted to learn a trade, such as medicine. With medical skills, the Lin family would weigh the benefits and perhaps not be so quick to marry Xiaya off. But in a place that placed such great importance on family lineage and succession, how could Doctor Chen be willing to teach her with merely a single blood lingzhi?
Other trades—refining table salt, making soap... None of those would do. Once the Lin family learned how, her own value would plummet.
A closely guarded, time-consuming heritage like medicine was far better.
A contemplative look appeared on Lin Yue’s face.
As soon as noon arrived, the system bubbled up with a reminder right on time.
System Name: Sign In and Receive Life System
Host: Lin Yue
Lifespan: 13/135
Lin Yue lifted her hand and tapped with a fingertip. Lifespan +1. This was the system's only function; otherwise, she would have fled long ago.
The farmers toiling in the fields did not return home for lunch. Lin Yue headed back up the mountain to try her luck, and this time she unexpectedly discovered a green lingzhi. At first, she had thought it was an ordinary mushroom.
Lin Yue was not very familiar with lingzhi and did not know whether it was genuine, but if it were real, it should be worth at least a few hundred copper coins.
Placing it carefully into her basket, Lin Yue plucked up her courage to search the nearby brush piles and rotting wood. Venturing deeper and deeper, she spotted a black snake in the grass, as well as ten wild pheasant eggs.
After scaring the snake away, Lin Yue gathered the eggs, left the mountain, and headed straight for the small town.
In the medicine shop, old Doctor Chen was tallying accounts with an abacus. Lin Yue fished out the green lingzhi and held out the basket directly for him to see.
A gleam flashed across the old physician's turbid eyes, and he immediately invited Lin Yue to the back courtyard.
“It really is a lingzhi?”
The old physician picked up the lingzhi and examined it carefully, gaining a general idea of it.
“This is a green lingzhi. It is relatively rare among the various types of lingzhi and comparatively more expensive. Twenty years of growth, average quality. At most, this old man can give you six taels.”
Six taels? Lin Yue raised an eyebrow. That much?
She felt a flicker of excitement and asked, “Old Doctor, could you teach me how to tell its age? If I find another lingzhi next time, I’ll sell it to you again.”
“Lingzhi aren't wild vegetables on the roadside you can just pick up whenever you like.”
The old physician waved his hand. “Without some experience, ordinary folks can’t tell. All you need to know is that the larger the lingzhi, the thicker the stalk, and the thicker the cap, the older its age.”
Lin Yue pondered for a moment and asked, “Doctor, how much silver would a century-old green lingzhi be worth?”
“That would be worth far more—at least a hundred taels of silver.”
Seeing the astonishment in the girl's eyes, clearly stunned by this illusory, unimaginable fortune, the old physician tapped on the table to snap her back to reality.
“Stop daydreaming. Six taels of silver is already plenty. Call the adults in your family over.”
Having said that, Doctor Chen stood up, brought over a square cloth, and spread it open, revealing several pieces of broken silver.
“Just give the silver to me. I’ll hide it well so no one finds out.”
Lin Yue grew anxious—this was her money! She hurriedly reached out to grab it, but the old physician pulled his hand back, leaving her grasping at empty air.
“That won’t do! If your family thinks I paid too little, they’ll definitely come cause a scene at my shop!”
The old physician refused. A few hundred copper coins was nothing, but several taels of silver was a fortune to a farming household. It would be trouble if they came to cause a scene later.
Lin Yue shook her head and said, “I'm not a child. I can make decisions for myself. If you think it's improper, Old Doctor, we can sign a receipt and press handprints.”
“No, no! Have the adults in your family come over.” The old physician's attitude was resolute.
Lin Yue spoke several pleasant words, but seeing that Doctor Chen remained completely unmoved, she furrowed her brows. Suddenly, a stroke of inspiration flashed through her mind, and she came up with a clever plan.
Lin Yue softened her tone. “Doctor Chen, my family doesn’t know I found a lingzhi. I don't want this money anymore. I’ll give it to you if you can do me a favor.”
Hearing this, Doctor Chen’s eyelids twitched, and he chided her.
“What nonsense are you spouting? This old man never reneges on what's owed. Don’t ruin my reputation.”
Lin Yue hung her head, showing hesitation, before plucking up her courage to speak.
“Old Doctor, I’m Xiaya from Lin Family Village. You treated me a few months ago, so you should know that I fell into the water. Actually, I didn’t fall into the river by accident—I tried to take my own life on purpose.”
In truth, Lin Yue was not certain whether the original host had slipped or had been driven to jump into the river.
She had inquired around; an auntie who was present at the time said she had slipped and fallen. Furthermore, based on descriptions from her cheap mother, Sanya, and the people around them, the original host was originally a lively, sensible, and filial child—gentle in temperament, caring toward her younger siblings, on decent terms with her family, and without any childhood sweetheart.
Even when she heard about being betrothed to a sickly invalid, she had only gone to her birth mother to express her worries, and in the end compromised under her mother's persuasion. She had neither thrown a huge tantrum nor been fierce enough to prove her resolve with death.
Moreover, it had just rained the day she transmigrated, making the roads muddy, so Lin Xiaya had most likely slipped and fallen into the river.
Even so, that did not stop her from making up a story.
Hearing her words, the old physician’s yellowed, turbid gaze trembled. He studied Lin Yue's expression, seeing that her eyes were resolute, neither wavering nor evading.
Connecting this with the matter of the Wu family, he could also guess the reason behind it. Believing her somewhat, he could not help but sigh.
“Child, why go to such lengths!”
Lin Yue lowered her gaze, her voice heavy and sorrowful.
“Everyone knows his health is poor, yet Father and Mother stubbornly agreed to this marriage just to get an extra two taels of silver. If he could at least walk and move about, that would be one thing, but he can’t do anything at all. If I marry him, my entire life will be ruined. I just want to live a normal person's life...”
Lin Yue wore a sorrowful expression as she pushed the silver toward Doctor Chen, speaking with sincere earnestness.
“Doctor Chen, I’ll give you this money. Please, help me.”
A complicated look filled the old physician's eyes. He had treated Lin Xiaya, and he had treated Wu Yang’s illness; it could be said that no one understood the matter better than he did.
A marriage had nearly cost a life; this girl was truly ruthless enough toward herself.
He sighed once more, feeling helpless.
“This old man is merely a doctor. I cannot help you. As for that child Wu Yang’s illness, I have already done all I can.”
“You only have one life. Never do anything foolish like that again in the future! Staying alive is the most important thing; if you die, nothing is left!”
“Doctor Chen, please take me as your apprentice! Just teach me a tiny bit of medicine. That way, with a craft to support myself, my family won’t force me to marry.”
Lin Yue’s words came as a shock. Snapping out of his sorrow over another's tragic fate, the old physician spoke with a stern face.
“This old man's medical skills are my livelihood, meant to be passed down through the family. How could I teach them to an outsider!”
Lin Yue raised her hand, swearing an oath like a two-timing scoundrel. “I promise I won't pass these medical skills on to anyone else, nor will I compete for the medicine hall’s business! If you don't feel at ease, I don't even have to learn—just let me stay at the medicine shop to do odd jobs. Doctor Chen, a physician possesses a benevolent heart. Please, help me!”
Smoothly dropping to her knees, Lin Yue kowtowed.
“Get up, get up!”
Fluster flashed across the old physician’s face. Seeing this, he hurriedly tried to pull her up, but Lin Yue remained firmly rooted to the floor like a holdout tenant; he could not pull her up no matter how hard he tried.
Compassionate yet helpless, he said, “Now that you have six taels of silver, you can have your father and mother find you another good marriage.”
Who could have guessed that the child kneeling on the ground would shake her head, her logic crystal clear.
“Good men are already betrothed. At my age, I can no longer find a good family. All that's left are widowers and hooligans. If I marry into such a home, I will surely suffer endless misery. I don't want that! Please take me in, Doctor Chen!”
“There are still good families...” Doctor Chen tried to reassure her with a few words, but could not cite any examples. In the end, he said:
“Even if you stay here with me, I cannot help you cancel the betrothal. A woman must marry eventually...”
Sensing the softening in the old physician’s words, Lin Yue immediately pressed her advantage.
“As long as you are willing to take me in, Doctor Chen, I will find a way to break off this engagement. I can earn money for my family; once I earn enough, they won’t force me anymore. When I meet a good family in the future, we can discuss marriage then. I just need a few years—just a few years will do...”
Doctor Chen looked at the girl kneeling on the ground, refusing to rise. At such a young age, her mind was already so mature, and she knew that money was the root solution to the problem. It could not help but make one sigh; it was all brought on by poverty.
Everyone had their own difficulties. He could not meddle in this marriage, and taking her in at such a critical juncture would not do—the fallout would be far too great.
“Showing your face working here will only make it harder to arrange a marriage. Take the money and go back; discuss it with your father and mother...”
Seeing that Doctor Chen still would not budge, Lin Yue knew that pushing any further would only breed resentment. She did not stubbornly loiter, but took the money and left.
Before leaving, she left the wild pheasant eggs behind. No matter what Doctor Chen said, he refused to take them, but Lin Yue dropped the eggs and ran, moving so fast that not even the medicine apprentice in the shop could catch up.
Doctor Chen sat back down in the medicine shop, sighing deeply. Having cured the sick and saved lives all his life, he had never encountered anything like this, and he felt utterly at a loss...
Rate on N.U.
