I asked you to dig wild vegetables to pay off your debt, not go up the mountain to pick up money!

The Lin couple happily weighed the food. They sent it to the restaurant for five cents per catty. Song Anning's food weighed a little more than five and a half catties. Lin Afu counted out 17 copper coins and handed them to her.

He collected some from the villagers today, and some from his own family who went up the mountain to pick them, so he could make a lot of money. He couldn't help but look at Song An Ning with a changed look in his eyes.

"Aning, this is 17 wen. Check it out. If you find good stuff like this again, bring it to me and I will definitely give you the highest price."

"it is good."

Song An Ning counted the silver and was very excited. This was her first pot of gold since she came here. Together with the forty-nine cents recovered by the system, Song An Ning earned 66 cents in half an afternoon.

Well, it’s an auspicious number and a good start.

An inexplicable sense of accomplishment surged in my heart. No matter when, I feel most at ease when spending the money I earn myself.

While talking to the Lin couple, Song Zeyuan was running out of breath with his sister. He saw a lot of people standing under the banyan tree from afar and thought to himself that something was wrong.

"Brother, tell me, do you think my sister is making a fuss at the Lin family?"

Song Zeyuan was unsure. No matter what anyone said, it was useless if his sister started to act up. If she smashed other people's things, he wouldn't be able to afford the compensation even if he sold them.

The two little ones were anxious and scared. They struggled to push through the crowd and got into the Lin family yard. They saw their elder sister and Grandma Lin chatting and laughing while sorting wild vegetables. The villagers who were watching the fun had a hint of jealousy on their faces.

Wait a minute, were those wild vegetables dug by my sister?

"Ayuan, your sister is so lucky today. She made a lot of money selling wild vegetables. Let her buy some meat for you..."

Song Zeyuan understood a little bit after hearing the woman's sour words. He stared at Song An Ning blankly until Song An Ning finished her work and waved to them:

"Ayuan, Ayue, let's go home..."

Song An Ning carried the basket on her back, said goodbye to the Lin family, and walked home holding one in each hand. Song Zeyuan and Song Anyue were still a little unconvinced and couldn't help asking:

"Sister, did you dig those wild vegetables? They look so fresh and juicy."

"Yes, I sold it for seventeen copper coins. I'll make you something delicious."

Song An Ning took out a handful of copper coins from her purse and shook them in her hand. The two little ones stared at the copper coins with bright eyes. The clattering sound of the copper coins was like heavenly music to them.

My sister is really different now. She no longer steals things and she even makes money. Even the air smells sweet on the way home.

No, we can’t let Sister go up the mountain alone. Starting tomorrow, they will go with Sister. His family’s life will definitely get better.

The two kids were thinking secretly in their hearts. Halfway through the walk, Song An Ning went to Aunt Guihua's house and bought two eggs and three pounds of cornmeal, spending a total of ten copper coins.

When selling wild vegetables just now, Song Anning saved a handful to make some cornmeal pancakes and some wild vegetable and egg soup. It was so delicious...

When we were almost home, the road was blocked.

The person blocking the way was the original owner's grandmother. She was holding a tattered cloth bag in her hand, exuding a cold air, and staring at Song An Ning fiercely.

This grandmother was not her biological one. The original owner's biological grandmother had been in poor health after giving birth to her father and second uncle. There was a famine at that time, and she just died.

Her grandfather remarried this Zhang and had a son and a daughter. A year ago, her father and second uncle separated from the family and went out to live on their own, leading to the current situation.

"You damn girl, you steal again and again!

You've brought shame to the Song family! I'll beat you to death, you idiot! "

Only then did Song An Ning see that there was a thorny wooden stick hidden behind the old lady. Seeing that the stick was about to hit her, Song An Ning ran away.

Damn the original owner, you are committing a sin...

Poor Song Anning, he never did any work and was still plump, so he couldn't run faster than the old lady who worked all year round.

They were caught up not long after. Zhang pinched the back of Song An Ning's neck but couldn't bear to hit her. Her eyes were full of disappointment:

"Aning, your father is not my biological son, but I have raised him for more than 20 years. When your father and your elder brother got into trouble, your grandfather and I couldn't sleep all night long. Your grandfather and your second uncle would go for a walk in the mountains whenever they had nothing to do. You saw all of this.

But the living have to continue living. Your mother is sick, these two little ones are sensible, and your grandfather and I are old. We can't help much except bringing some food. This family still depends on you.

Every family has its own life to live. If you can't stand up on your own, who can you expect to help you?

Listen to grandma and stop stealing, okay? Live a good life with your two little ones.

Zhang said these words many times, but the original owner still did as he pleased, and sometimes even cursed Zhang when he was beaten badly.

But this time Zhang heard a different answer.

"it is good.

Grandma, I will never steal again, live a good life..."

"I do not believe."

"..."

Song Anning's heart exploded with a sharp cry: "Ahhh, I made such a heartfelt promise, and all you get in return is a word of disbelief!"

At the same time, the system was laughing like a fool in Song Anning's mind: "Ahahahaha, this is so funny. Your grandma won't listen to your excuses. You should go up the mountain more often and prove it with actual actions~"

The two younger ones saw their elder sister being held captive and quickly came to help:

"Grandma, you have to believe it. Sister has really gotten better. She really, really has gotten better. She even went up the mountain to dig wild vegetables this afternoon. Look at Sister's hands, they're all blistered."

"We just came back from Grandpa Lin's house. My sister sold some wild vegetables and got a lot of copper coins."

Song Zeyuan was afraid that Zhang wouldn't believe him, so he went to shake Song Anning's small purse.

“Really?

Aning, is this the money you earned from selling wild vegetables?"

The strength in Zhang's hand gradually eased, and Song An Ning quickly straightened up and poured out all the money in his pocket.

"I spent ten cents on eggs and cornmeal, and I have seven left. They're all here. Grandma, please trust me one last time, just this once. If you steal again, you'll beat me to death."

The old lady didn't say anything, she just reached out and touched the copper coins, then held Song An Ning's hand tightly, tears silently sliding down her face.

"Don't cry, grandma. You can go to Grandpa Lin's house and ask him. I really earned this money by digging wild vegetables. I didn't steal it."

Zhang turned her head to the side, wiped away two tears, and said with a sob:

"Grandma is so happy. My eldest granddaughter has stopped stealing and can earn money to support the family."

But the more she wiped away the tears, the more she cried and she could no longer control them. She was happy that Song An Ning had finally changed, but she also felt heartbroken for these children.

Song Zeyuan and Song Anyue went forward, hugged Zhang's thighs, buried their faces in their pants, and started to sob.

The evening breeze blew across the ridges of the fields, blowing away the past and dispelling the sadness of the grandparents and grandchildren. Zhang calmed herself down and spoke slowly:

"It's all in the past. As for the debt you owe, your grandfather and your second uncle have discussed it and each family will receive one tael of silver. You have to pay the rest yourself."

Song Anning shook his head. Taxes had been increasing year by year in recent years, and every family was struggling. Saving even a tael of silver took months. Even in Banyue Village, nestled in the mountains, they could barely scrape by.

"My younger uncle is still in school, and my second uncle has many children. Aning made a mistake, so he has to take the responsibility himself. He will pay back what he owes little by little. There will always be a day when he can pay it back."

Zhang cried and laughed when she heard this, and reached out to tidy up the hair around Song An Ning's ears: "You can say that... Growing up, how come my granddaughter has grown up so quickly.

Grandma believes you, for the last time.

It’s getting late, go home.”

As she spoke, she handed the cloth bag thrown on the ground to Song An Ning: "A few pounds of grains and rice, and a few duck eggs, take them back and eat them."

“No, I made money…”

Zhang waved her hand, turned around and walked away, holding the wooden stick:

"We're a family, there's no need to argue over a few pounds of food. Grandma is still waiting for you to show your respect..."