Chapter 177: 168: Is this a Lack of Virtue in Space?

Chapter 177: Chapter 168: Is this a Lack of Virtue in Space? Half an hour later, Rong Yan sighed... there had been billions in front of her, yet she had missed it by a hair’s breadth. Who else could be this foolish? It was her, her, it was definitely her. No one could understand the plummeting feeling and sorrow of having owned something only to suddenly lose it. It’s even more painful than a breakup! Was this because the golden finger was too generous, so it decided to take it back? But the problem was that those supplies belonged to her! She sighed deeply again. What else could she do? She had to accept it even if she didn’t want to. Fortunately, the space wasn’t entirely ruthless; it left the dark soil entirely to her. Another thing was... she had finally figured out that the initial novice period was a free-for-all opportunity given to her. She had been unaware of this. Now it was shut off directly. That didn’t mean everything had disappeared. It meant that if she wanted something from the supermarket in the future, she would have to pay for it. This was... outrageous. Her own supermarket—she still had to pay. And her villa. If she wanted to use it, she could, but it would cost money. One gram of gold per hour. And this wasn’t for unlimited use either; it was still only for one hour. Damn it... this was even more outrageous. Her own villa! Was this a management fee being charged? Outrageously expensive. Moreover, she had reason to suspect... that the space was eyeing the three gold bars she had stored. Otherwise, why would it charge in gold? The supermarket’s recharge account could be topped up with gold or with items grown from the space’s dark soil, converted into the supermarket’s virtual currency. A cash register system similar to those used in supermarkets for payment settlement had even been considerately installed. A word crossed Rong Yan’s mind... fuck, a plant. She carefully looked at the item prices—perhaps this was her only comfort; the prices were probably similar to the market’s wholesale price. Also, the variety of items was no longer the same as those initially placed in the supermarket; it could convert them into items from this era that she could take out. She had to give up on her freeloading ways. For now, she wouldn’t recharge with gold; instead, she dug up a ginseng directly from the dark soil. After placing it into the exchange machine, the display soon showed a balance of two hundred fifty. Rong Yan: ... Was this damn thing cursing her? You’re the moron, your whole family is morons. *** The cousins had taken a tractor to the train station to buy tickets before returning it to the farming machinery station. “You return the tractor.” Mr. Qin said to Luo Cheng. Watching the farming machinery station, he thought of something. Working in the village was really tough; it might be better to find a job for Qin Ye and Qin Ye’s Wife in town, which would surely be better than farmwork in the village! However, he then remembered that Qin Ye’s family would definitely be taken back to Jing City. At this moment, Luo Cheng returned. Mr. Qin glanced at him, “Let’s go! We need to pick up some things from Tie Zhu’s place.” The two men went to Tie Zhu’s home. Tie Zhu happened to be at home and immediately said upon seeing them, “You’re back! Are you here to collect your items?” Mr. Qin nodded, “Yes, we are leaving soon and came to retrieve what we left with you.” “That’s fine, I’ll go get them for you.” Tie Zhu went inside to pick up the items. He then handed over the three ginseng roots to Mr. Qin, along with their rattan suitcase. “Is there a train today?” Mr. Qin nodded, “Yes.” He handed the wild ginseng to Luo Cheng, “You pack them.” Luo Cheng promptly placed the ginseng into the rattan suitcase. “We’re off, goodbye!” Mr. Qin waved to Tie Zhu. “Goodbye!” Tie Zhu watched them leave before turning away. He was genuinely curious... why hadn’t Qin Ye gone with them to meet the relatives? But he clearly understood that even if they didn’t leave today, Qin Ye’s family would eventually have to leave. Their blood relatives were in a big city like Jing City, and they had searched for so many years without giving up; they wouldn’t let Qin Ye’s family continue living here. It had to be said, Qin Ye’s wife was incredibly lucky. It seemed that ever since Qin Ye got married, his luck had been on the rise... now, after so many years, even his long-lost relatives had found him, and they were exceedingly wealthy ones at that. Sheesh, what a change of fortune. **** Qin Ye finished his work and returned home at five in the afternoon. In the past, he would never have come home at this time, but things were different now; he had a wife at home and his mother-in-law had prepared hot, steaming meals. Each of these things was urging him to get home earlier. So, as soon as the time was right, he first went to the team’s point keeper to register his work points. Then he couldn’t wait to head home. Madam Rong, who was just walking out of the kitchen, saw him, “Qin’s back! Go wash your hands and come to eat.” She waited until Qin Ye had left before recalling that Qin hadn’t slept at all the previous night; he didn’t catch up on sleep and went to work in the afternoon. How could he work so hard? Even an old ox shouldn’t be so overworked! Unfortunately, the person in question was already out in the fields. “Okay, Mom.” Qin Ye’s gaze swept around the yard before finally landing on his own room. Madam Rong quickly spoke up when she saw his look, “Don’t bother looking; Yanyan went up the mountain and hasn’t come back yet, even at this hour!” This girl was too much of a worrywart. She thought he’d come back early, but dinner time approached and there was still no sign of him. As soon as Qin Ye heard this, how could he wash his hands and eat? He immediately said, “Mom, I’ll go check...” Madam Rong wanted to say there was no need, but she was genuinely concerned for her daughter. It was too late; if she didn’t return soon, it would be dark. “Alright, you go look.” Qin Ye couldn’t wait and hurried out. Just at that moment, he almost collided with Rong Yan, who was just coming in. Luckily, he stopped in time. “Wife, you’re back!” Rong Yan glanced at him, replying languidly, “Mhm.” Only then did Qin Ye notice something was off about her expression and voice. His heart skipped a beat, about to ask what was wrong. But someone beat him to the question: “What’s wrong with you?” Madam Rong came over, seeing her daughter looking pitiful for the first time in a while. To the unknowing, it would seem like she had been bullied! Rong Yan’s voice remained lackluster, “I’m fine.” She had only lost a few billion, that’s all. So, it turned out that not only love could be lost in this world, but money could too. Madam Rong rolled her eyes, “You call this ‘fine’?” Who’s being fooled? Qin Ye didn’t believe her either. “I’m really fine...” Seeing their eager-to-inquire expressions, Rong Yan quickly added, “I lost five yuan, so I was looking until now, but sadly didn’t find it.” That was a white lie, indeed. Seeing her say this, Qin Ye and Madam Rong breathed a sigh of relief. Madam Rong said, “I thought it was something serious... you just lost five yuan. Forget about it, I’ll give you that later.” Such a spendthrift girl, losing five yuan... why didn’t she lose herself instead? Heartache, five yuan... that could buy several pounds of meat! “Mom, you’re so kind, but it’s not necessary. Just hearing you say that makes me feel much better now. Come on, let’s eat! I’m starving.” Rong Yan’s mood brightened once again. Madam Rong: ... Your mind is quite simple, getting happy over lost five yuan. Were you just putting on an act? Qin Ye scrutinized his wife’s expression closely, ensuring she was not feigning happiness. His heart, previously in his throat, settled down. “Then let’s eat first.” He went to wash his hands before helping his mother-in-law serve the dishes. Rong Yan was also washing her hands when Qin Yu sidled up to her. Rong Yan gave him a sideways glance, “What are you doing here? Aren’t you going to eat?” Qin Yu didn’t speak but fumbled in his pocket for a while, eventually handing over the crumpled five yuan bill. Heartache, five yuan! That was New Year’s money given by his Aunt. Seeing the money, Rong Yan first paused, then chuckled, “Nice! You’re really thoughtful, kiddo. It hasn’t been in vain, how I treat you... so, I can keep this money?” Qin Yu: ... Shouldn’t you politely refuse first? Rong Yan glanced at him and, under his reluctant gaze, pocketed the five yuan bill. Qin Yu: ... He couldn’t stand it... his money. Forget it, if his sparse fortune could make her happy, so be it. He turned and left, afraid if he stayed longer... he might ask for his money back. Rong Yan stifled a laugh. She planned to tease the boy a bit, and then return the money to him tomorrow. At that moment, Qin Mei trotted up to her. “Elder Sister-in-Law, this is for you... I don’t need the money.” The money Qin Mei offered was pocket money Madam Rong had given her after arriving. Rong Yan: ... It seemed like her little lie had informed the whole family she lost five yuan. How to tell this younger sister-in-law that she hadn’t actually lost any money? She had merely lost a few billion. She pushed the money back, “Elder Sister-in-Law doesn’t need it. Keep it for yourself.” Qin Mei tried insisting, but Rong Yan pushed it back. “If you want to make me happy, just focus on your studies; school will start in a few days. Study hard then, and use the money for pens and notebooks... Okay, let’s go eat, I’m starving.” Qin Mei was led out. Since her sister-in-law didn’t take the money, she tucked it away again. “Let’s keep dinner simple tonight and cook something nice tomorrow.” You can’t have meat every meal! No family eats meat every day. Though they were simple vegetarian dishes, Madam Rong’s cooking skills were impressive, and it was quite delicious. Qin Yu thought his sister-in-law wouldn’t have an appetite, but she ate even more than she had at lunch. He felt comforted; his money wasn’t given in vain and seemed to have served its purpose. Eating so heartily, she probably won’t be upset anymore. He completely understood the pain of losing money... he lost one yuan at the train station and couldn’t sleep at all that night. It took him days to get over it. Later, when it was time to go home, his sister-in-law mentioned that the police had caught the thief and even gave back an extra yuan. He was so elated he didn’t know how to express it.