Chapter 101: The Control Group for the Farm Family’s Lucky Baby – 11

Lu Jinghuan remained in the village with no apparent intention of leaving. Had it not been for his handsome face and generous spending, the grandmothers at the village entrance would have surely labeled him a shiftless loafer.

He spent his days doing absolutely nothing. Ren Xin would run into him when she returned from her apprenticeship, bump into him when she went up the mountain, and even when she was feeding the pigs, she only had to look up to see him staring at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle with a melancholy expression.

Ren Xin: “…” Seriously, is this guy sick? He lost his memory and somehow developed a case of the blues.

Zhang Qingmei seemed to have truly given up on Lu Jinghuan. She no longer followed him around offering warm greetings and solicitous care. Previously, wherever Lu Jinghuan was, she was guaranteed to be within three steps of him.

Now, however, she had returned to her domestic duties, focusing on needlework every day and maintaining a facade of a calm, undisturbed heart.

Ren Xin: “???” This is the Farm Family’s Lucky Baby?

Book Spirit Number One: “The characters presented in a book aren’t enough to cover the complexities of human nature. Not all storylines can run as originally planned. For instance, Lu Jinghuan’s amnesia never appeared in the book. This caused a deviation when the male and female leads first met. Add to that a ‘shit-stirring ginseng,’ and the outcome becomes even more unpredictable.”

Ren Xin: “…” You’d better explain yourself. What do you mean by ‘shit-stirring ginseng’? Slander will give you hemorrhoids.

Book Spirit Number One: “…” It didn’t even have a body; it couldn’t grow those.

Probably not, anyway.

Ren Xin’s current embroidery work was being praised repeatedly by her master, who said she had a natural talent for color coordination and urged her to practice hard and not let it go to waste.

She was now attempting to embroider larger pieces. Her master thought highly of her, and her previous small items like handkerchiefs and pouches were being sold in the master’s garment shop. Apparently, they sold very well. Regardless, Ren Xin had earned some silver, all of which she had spent on stuffing her face.

Ren Xin howled as her mother gave her a drubbing, but it was no use; she refused to change her ways. She insisted that if she could spend it, she could earn it—after all, she possessed top-tier talent.

Book Spirit Number One: “And who gave you that talent gift pack?”

“It certainly wasn’t you! This was earned through my hard work completing tasks. What does it have to do with you?”

Book Spirit Number One: “…” She was quite difficult to manipulate.

Her two brothers returned home and announced they had been laid off. “The shopkeeper’s wife’s nephew wanted a job, so we became redundant. The shopkeeper didn’t want to be the bad guy, so he had his wife find faults with us. It wasn’t pleasant working there anymore, so we figured we’d just call it quits. We’ll rest for a few days and then go look for other work. One way or another, we’ll support ourselves.”

Mother Ren was very displeased. That wretched shopkeeper actually dared to look down on her sons; she’d deal with him sooner or later.

However, she still spoke words of comfort. “It’s fine. Stay home and work with your father. We have more than enough to do here anyway. This way, I can free up my hands to focus on managing your sister.”

Ren Xin: “???” Ma’am, your words are a bit terrifying!

For the sake of family harmony and her own happy life, Ren Xin stroked her chin and decided she should pass down a certain craft.

“Brothers, have you ever heard of castrating pigs?”

Forget the brothers; even Father Ren and Mother Ren looked bewildered.

“Castrate? How? By slapping the pig’s face?” the second brother asked, a soul-searching question.

Ren Xin began her nonsense. “I don’t remember where I heard it, but they say if you castrate a pig, the meat tastes better and they grow faster.”

The three men of the house: “…” Is this something a young girl should be saying?

Mother Ren grabbed Ren Xin by the ear and scolded her harshly, “Ren Xin, has it been too long since I last tanned your hide? You’ll say anything now. Do you ever want to get married?”

Ren Xin cautiously begged for mercy, promising she only said it at home and wouldn’t blabber about it outside.

Only then did Mother Ren let her go, but Ren Xin was still grounded. “Go back to your room and embroider a large piece. Don’t come out to run wild until it’s finished.”

Hmph! Fine!

The whole family discussed whether Ren Xin’s “rumor” was reliable. Ren Xin, who hadn’t yet returned to her room, patted her chest and guaranteed, “It’s absolutely reliable. Just give it a try. If it works, this will be our family’s unique trade. You won’t have to work for others and endure their attitudes anymore. In the future, people will be coming to our door to beg for your help.”

But how was this supposed to be done? That was the difficult part.

That, however, was no longer the concern of a poor ginseng under house arrest.

In the end, it was Father Ren, with his wide circle of acquaintances, who found an old eunuch who used to perform surgeries in the palace. He took his two sons to seek guidance.

Ren Xin: “…” Her father was truly a genius.

The path to learning this craft was not easy. The three of them busied themselves for nearly half a year before they felt they could strike out on their own.

But looking at her two brothers’ increasingly haggard faces, it seemed the process wasn’t exactly simple.

It was fine; young people were just too inexperienced!

Lu Jinghuan still hadn’t left. No one knew what he was waiting for, but he spent every day wandering around like a lost soul.

It wasn’t until the end of the year approached that he finally planned to depart.

In the middle of the night, a troop of men and horses appeared at the Village Head’s door without making a sound. Even the Village Head’s dog didn’t bark, as if the people outside didn’t exist.

Ren Xin only discovered this because she got up to use the latrine.

Under the collective gaze of dozens of men in black, Ren Xin showed no fear. Instead, she looked them over curiously. This was so cool; she’d definitely have to take on a female assassin mission in the future.

Book Spirit Number One replied reliably: “Consider it arranged!!”