Chapter Thirty-Three: A Thief in the Night!

Early that morning, Old Woman Tian didn’t even bother to prepare breakfast before ordering her granddaughter, Second Girl Tian, up the mountain to collect firewood!

With an empty stomach, Second Girl Tian trudged up the hill, cursing every member of the Tian family under her breath! By midday, she had barely gathered any firewood, and the thought of Old Woman Tian’s sharp, spiteful face made her too afraid to return home!

So she kept on searching. As she muttered to herself, she suddenly turned and, to her surprise, stumbled upon a piece of silver right in her path. Luck was finally on her side! Forgetting all about the firewood, she dashed home in a flash!

She had planned to stash the silver away in secret, thinking that in a year or two, the family would start negotiating a marriage for her. With Old Woman Tian’s temperament, she doubted she’d be matched well. She didn’t trust her one bit!

But fortune was not with Second Girl Tian that day. She had returned home late and acted suspiciously, which drew the sharp eye of Third Son Tian’s wife, Madame Huang. Madame Huang caught her red-handed and immediately began to scold and insinuate. The Tian family hadn’t split their household, so all six branches were crowded together in the same courtyard, constantly scheming and bickering. Madame Huang seized every opportunity to pick on the main branch—what, just because they had a son, did they think they were the only ones with a treasure in the family? Did the third and fourth sons’ families count for nothing? Only the old woman seemed to treat that chubby child as if he were a golden nugget!

So, the third branch found itself at odds with the main branch. The adults fought their battles, and the children had their own skirmishes. In the chaos, the poor piece of silver flew out of someone’s grasp!

And so, the Tian family’s courtyard erupted into a wild scene over a single piece of silver, with shouting and quarrelling that soon drew the attention of all the neighbors—everyone except Old Lady Lin, who was busy cradling Lingzhi in her arms at the time.

Thus, the seeds of misfortune were sown!

Hearing the commotion, all the curious aunts and distant relatives outside began to speculate.

“Hey, Auntie, I heard the Tian family got their hands on some silver! They’re fighting over how to split it!” one bystander whispered, winking conspiratorially.

“What money? It’s not just silver! You think they’d fight like this over a little silver? I heard Second Girl found a treasure up in the mountains, about the size of a fist! The Tian family’s struck it rich!” interrupted a local mischief-maker, speaking with excitement.

“Nonsense! I just heard from my cousin’s second aunt that the Tian family did find a treasure, but it’s much bigger—about the size of a washbasin! Right now, the whole family is arguing about how to divide it!” a shady character said, rubbing his chin with a leering smile.

The wild imaginations of the villagers ran rampant, and before long, rumors of a hidden treasure at the Tian household spread throughout Lin Family Village!

The Tian family had only just finished their great brawl over the piece of silver—a conflict, of course, won by the formidable Old Woman Tian with her fierce determination and unyielding spirit. She took the opportunity to discipline each unruly branch of the family, one by one, thoroughly satisfied with herself!

She locked the precious piece of silver in a chest, securing it with a dozen locks. Only then did she rest easy.

But was she not just inviting thieves with such a display?

Sure enough, despite all those locks, Old Woman Tian’s prized silver vanished overnight—not just the silver from the day before, but her entire secret stash as well!

The Tian family had been robbed!

Old Woman Tian wailed as if her own father had died. When the news reached Old Lady Lin the next day, she was so frightened she could barely stand. Whether or not the Tian family truly had treasure was uncertain, but her own family certainly did! She resolved to hide it even better.

So, the Lin family heirloom found itself yet another new hiding place…

At that moment, Fortune Child was troubled—she faced a dilemma!

Just yesterday, she had made a new friend—a little white rabbit. But the little ginseng sprite was sulking, throwing a tantrum. Fortune Child was utterly baffled. The rabbit was so adorable; why was her ginseng friend unhappy?

The little ginseng spirit grumbled: “I only went out for a little stroll—not even a full circle—and when I returned, my home was gone! Where did this rabbit come from? Taking over my territory!”

The rabbit merely flicked its bright red eyes at the ginseng sprite, waggled its fluffy tail, and turned away, refusing to speak to such a foolish spirit.

“This little bed is so comfy!” thought the rabbit.

The ginseng sprite lamented: “Life is unbearable! Tonight, I’m eating rabbit stew!”

Of course, the ginseng sprite would not get its wish. Whenever it dreamed of rabbit stew, Fortune Child declared that the ginseng sprite must not want its little topknot anymore! For the sake of her precious remaining hair, she endured, holding back her tears.

Later—

“Bunny, bunny, I’ve prepared a nice, warm little home for you. Let me show you!” Fortune Child remembered what her father had said about arranging a cozy nest for the rabbit. “Bunnies can’t sleep in little beds, or they’ll get sick.” She recalled that Granny Liu at the village gate kept a few rabbits, too—they all lived in enclosures, just like the pigs!

So, she brought the white rabbit to the pen Lin Sanlang had just built—a proper rabbit hutch at last.

The ginseng sprite, nestled in the freshly washed little bed, sighed with satisfaction.

Of course, the little bed had been thoroughly cleaned!

After lunch, Fortune Child was all ready, carrying her special little bamboo basket, chest puffed out, eagerly waiting for her cousin Dog Egg to take her to the creek to catch fish.

“Let’s go, little treasure!” Dog Egg looked at his cousin, so meticulously prepared, and couldn’t help but laugh as he took her chubby hand to set off.

But, “Wait for me, brother!” she called, dashing into the side room.

“Hey, Fortune Child, where are you going?” Dog Egg scratched his head, wondering what she was up to.

Fortune Child had forgotten something important. She hurried to the little bed, fished out the ginseng sprite, who was burrowed under the blanket with only its bottom visible.

“Don’t pull me! I want to sleep!” the ginseng sprite protested. After roaming all night, it was determined to catch up on sleep during the day.

“Little ginseng, we’re going to the river to catch fish! Come on, come on! Dog Egg brother is waiting!” Fortune Child’s voice was soft and sweet as she tugged at the reluctant sprite.

So heavy!

“Come on! Come on! Please!” she begged, refusing to let go.

“No!” The ginseng sprite buried its head in the bedding, refusing to budge.

After a long while—

“Alright, I’ll go! Fortune Child, my head is aching from your nagging!” The ginseng sprite, beset by her endless coaxing, finally relented, feeling utterly beset and miserable. Why was its life so hard?

Fortune Child triumphed!

And so, after much waiting, big cousin Dog Egg was finally able to set out for the creek, leading a string of little radish-heads along behind him.