Chapter 329: A Windfall

Chapter 329: Chapter 329: A Windfall

Leaving the kitchen, Ji Huan first went to the west room.

Dabao was sound asleep; he didn’t even stir when she pinched his cheek. Ji Huan smiled, tucked him in, and then carried the oil lamp back to her own room.

She lay down for a long while but still felt wide awake.

She threw on a robe and got up, wandering around the room like a lost soul for a couple of laps. Finally, she sat down in the armchair by the desk and stared blankly into the thick darkness outside the window.

It was only at this moment that reality began to set in.

Tomorrow, she was getting married. Whether real or fake, her name was about to be registered on the same household record as another man’s.

The villagers didn’t know the inside story. Even Hu Ximei had asked her if this sudden marriage was because of Song Jing.

It was easy to imagine how many people believed that speculation.

People say that the dead of night is when one can most easily find clarity and see their true nature.

Ji Huan searched her heart. ’Am I really taking this step just because Aunt Kang and Ji Xiu’e forced my hand?’

’Was there truly no other way to handle it? Was this really the only option?’

’Or was it because I couldn’t let go of Song Jing? Was this some childish act of revenge—he marries someone else, so I’ll marry someone else?’

’Or perhaps it was just pure self-destruction, giving up on myself completely.’

Ji Huan closed her eyes and began to untangle the messy knot of thoughts that had been plaguing her for days, sorting through and analyzing each one.

The conclusion she finally reached brought her a sigh of relief.

’As for Song Jing and me, what’s over is over. There’s no lingering resentment, no spite.’

’This decision has nothing to do with him.’

’It was just a way to preempt a future problem.’

Once a year or so passed and Guan Shan left, she would be seen as an abandoned wife. Then, no one could ever use marriage to pressure her again.

Of course, as a female head of household and an abandoned wife, her prospects for marriage in this lifetime would likely be nonexistent.

’But that doesn’t matter.’

She had already tried what she wanted to try and likely wouldn’t do anything else out of the ordinary. But she was also unwilling to be pushed into a marriage arranged by others, spending the rest of her life simply serving a husband and raising children.

She could live peacefully within society’s framework, but she couldn’t live without a sense of self.

’In any case, I don’t regret establishing my own household. And I don’t regret this fake marriage either.’

’Every step I’ve taken wasn’t impulsive. They were all the result of weighing the pros and cons. That’s enough.’

Having sorted out her thoughts, her mind felt crystal clear.

Ji Huan let out a long breath. Just as she was about to go back to sleep, a thought struck her.

She bent down, pulled open the third drawer on the left side of the desk, and felt around inside. Her fingers found a long, thin box.

She knew without opening it that a wooden hairpin lay inside. Its body was slightly curved and polished smooth, and its top was carved with a budding begonia.

This was the housewarming gift Song Jing had given her on the night of her feast.

Afraid of losing it, she had only worn it a few times, keeping it treasured in its box.

Looking at it now, she felt a sense that while the object remained, the people had changed.

’I burned the pouch, should I burn this too?’

But when Song Jing gave her the hairpin, their relationship hadn’t deepened yet. As he had said, it was simply a housewarming gift and a thank-you gift.

Burning something she had made herself was one thing; burning a gift from someone else was another matter entirely.

’If I really put it to the flame, wouldn’t that be making a mountain out of a molehill? It would just make it seem like I can’t forget Song Jing.’

’But is it possible that when Song Jing gave me the hairpin, he already had feelings for me...?’

Ji Huan shook her head, stopping herself from thinking further. ’There’s no point in thinking about this now.’

Just as she was about to put the box back, CLACK! It slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

Ji Huan hurriedly picked it up. She opened the lid to check the hairpin and suddenly froze.

Inside the box, besides the hairpin, was a stack of paper.

Ji Huan didn’t remember putting anything in there.

Puzzled, she took out the rolled-up papers. As soon as she unrolled a corner, her eyes went wide.

"Great Zhou Treasure Notes, one hundred taels of patterned silver..."

This wasn’t just paper, these were clearly silver notes!

Afraid she was seeing things, Ji Huan rubbed her eyes. After unrolling them all, she examined them carefully again.

’They really are silver notes...’

’Three of them. A full 300 taels...’

’And they look like official notes, redeemable at any Money Shop.’

Ji Huan was stunned for a long moment. When she came to her senses, she shot to her feet and scanned her surroundings.

’Has a helpful spirit visited my room?’

Of course, there were no helpful spirits.

Ji Huan calmed down and sat back in the armchair.

She looked the silver notes over and over, examining every nook and cranny, but couldn’t find a single mark or trace on them.

She clearly remembered that when Song Jing gave her the box, it had only contained the hairpin.

’What does this mean? It means someone came into my room and stuffed 300 taels into my box.’

’Never mind why this person gave me money; the very act of sneaking in is terrifying.’

Ji Huan mentally reviewed everyone who could have possibly entered her room.

Besides the Hu Family, she rarely had visitors. The few who did come would, at most, chat for a while in the main hall.

Not long ago, she had pulled Song Jing inside, but that was just to apply medicine in the main hall. Although she had stepped out into the courtyard alone for a moment, Song Jing had followed her right after.

’Besides, given his character, he would never do something like sneaking into a young woman’s private room.’

’And even if he would, he doesn’t have the financial means for this.’

Yesterday and today, the house had been bustling with people.

But Ji Huan knew their situations. Like the Hu Family, they couldn’t possibly produce 300 taels, nor did they have any reason to give her money.

’Besides, when I’m not home, I always lock the door to the east room.’

’Even if I’m gone, Dabao is here nine times out of ten.’

’Add to that Ji Mingfang, who often comes for lessons... Who could be so skilled as to slip past everyone completely unnoticed?’

Knowing that someone had been in her room, but not knowing who, was a truly terrifying thought.

A sudden windfall was certainly a happy event, but after the joy faded, all that remained was fear.

’This time it’s money. What if next time it’s a knife?’

Ji Huan slapped the silver notes on the desk. ’How is anyone supposed to sleep now?!’

Annoyed as she was, she truly couldn’t sleep without getting to the bottom of this.

Thinking back, there had been many times when she and Dabao were both out of the house, like during the autumn harvest, when they were gathering spices, or during spring plowing.

Sometimes, Dahuang would go with them too.

During those times, the house was empty. It wasn’t impossible for someone to have taken the opportunity to sneak in.

But she couldn’t think of a single person in the entire village who could afford 300 taels and also have a motive to give her money.

’Could it be someone from outside the village?’

’Xin Ziqi?’

’Unlikely. We’re business partners now. If it was profit sharing, he would just give it to me openly. There’s no need for all this secrecy.’

’Further back, who else... Zhen Jili!’

Ji Huan didn’t know why Zhen Jili’s name had suddenly popped into her head.

But thinking about it, he seemed to be the only one who fit.

In early February, when Zhen Jili came to say goodbye, he had complained of being thirsty and urged her to boil some water for him.

While she and Dabao were in the kitchen cooking, Zhen Jili had stayed in the main hall the entire time.

’Perhaps he entered the east room during that time?’

As for why he put the money in this specific box, the reason was simple: the other drawers were empty at the time. If he had left it in a more obvious place and someone else found it first, the money would have been completely wasted.

Ji Huan couldn’t be bothered to wonder why Zhen Jili had so much money or why he would leave it for her.

He had done too many strange things, and now he was far away in the Capital City.

But it was a relief to know the money came from him. At least she knew he probably wouldn’t harm her.

Feeling she had solved the mystery, a great weight lifted from Ji Huan’s heart. She hid the silver notes in her secret spot where she usually kept her savings. Just as she was about to climb onto the kang bed to sleep, she suddenly heard a muffled THUMP.

It sounded like something falling from a high place, but it was indistinct.

This was immediately followed by a bloodcurdling howl of pain and Dahuang’s distinctive bark, both crystal clear this time.

The relief Ji Huan had just felt vanished, and her heart leaped into her throat. ’A thief?’