blogombal Chapter 18: Low-key preparation, nighttime planning
Chapter 18: Low-key preparation, nighttime planning
That night, Lin Yan had a rare, sound sleep. Since transmigrating, he had first been physically weak, like a candle flickering in the wind, then his father passed away, he was surrounded by beasts, he received a legacy, broke through in cultivation, renovated his house, arranged puppets... a series of events followed one after another, and even though he was mentally strong, his nerves were always on edge.
Now, most of the miscellaneous matters have come to an end. The identity issue has been resolved, the new house has been completed, and the elder brother and sister-in-law have "started their jobs." The facade of poverty has been established, and all that's left is to quietly "lay low" and cultivate oneself.
At nine o'clock in the morning, Lin Yan woke up naturally, feeling refreshed. He went downstairs to the brand-new bathroom to wash up, and then habitually swallowed a fasting pill. Walking to the porch, he saw his "cousin" tidying up firewood.
He called his cousin into the house and asked in a low voice, "Did Aunt Li and Grandma Ma accept the grain I delivered last night?"
My cousin replied in a low voice, "I delivered it. Both families were initially flattered and refused to accept it, saying that Mr. Lin (Lin Jianguo) had helped them a lot in the past, and it was only right for neighbors to lend a hand. I insisted that they keep it, and told them not to make a fuss to avoid trouble, and then I came back quickly."
Lin Yan listened, a slight smile playing on his lips. This was the life of ordinary people, with their own philosophy of survival. They might haggle over trivial matters, trying to gain an advantage, but deep down, they never forgot the kindness they received. They held simple principles of right and wrong and social obligations, only becoming somewhat ambiguous about insignificant details. A contradictory group, but also…quite endearing.
He then instructed his cousin, "Brother, when you go up the mountain today, find a good tree and cut some wood to make a nice and sturdy doghouse for Xiaoqi. Remember to smooth the edges so it won't get pricked." Thinking of Xiaoqi, a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. He must make sure to finish its doghouse today so he can take it out tomorrow. The little guy will definitely be so happy that he rolls around on the ground.
Then he said to his "sister-in-law," "Sister-in-law, use the leftover cotton and fabric from making extra quilts to make a soft cotton mattress for Xiaoqi, and also a small blanket."
After settling things with Xiao Qi, Lin Yan figured he wouldn't be doing intensive cultivation for the next few days and needed to find something to keep him occupied. After thinking it over, he couldn't think of anything he particularly wanted to do. He then asked his cousin, "Brother, has the factory announced the specific start date?"
"Next Monday," my cousin replied.
Lin Yan slapped his forehead: "Right, the food factory isn't close to here; it takes quite a while to walk there. I still have a bicycle voucher here. How about we go buy a bicycle tomorrow?"
My cousin shook his head, a cautious look on his honest face: "Master, that's not a good idea. With my stamina, walking a little more is nothing. We just spent a lot of money repairing the house, and now we're buying a bicycle? That's too conspicuous and will attract unwanted attention."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yan immediately realized his mistake. Yes, he had been somewhat out of touch with reality, forgetting that bicycles were one of the rarest "three essential items" in those days. Buying a bicycle right after "spending all his money" to repair his house would be a blunder. He readily accepted the advice and abandoned the idea.
In the morning, my cousin-in-law went to the market with a shopping basket, pretending to buy some carrots and green peppers. As she passed the front yard, she deliberately slowed down and "complained" a few words to the three older women who were picking vegetables:
"Oh, Auntie, you have no idea how deep the hole is in repairing a house! It looks bright and spacious now, but it's drained our savings. We've already run out of meat ration coupons for this month, so we're just eating pickled vegetables and cornbread to get by. We'll have to wait until my husband gets his salary next month before things get a little easier. Plus, Xiao Yan's medication hasn't stopped. Sigh, it's tough..."
Upon hearing this, Auntie San's eyes lit up immediately. She comforted her, saying, "Things will get better," but in her mind, she quickly memorized this "big news." As soon as her cousin-in-law returned home, Auntie San stopped picking vegetables and turned to run down to the big locust tree in the courtyard, which was the courtyard's "news exchange center."
Sure enough, before lunchtime, almost everyone in the courtyard knew that the Lin family in the front yard had spent too much money on building their house and were now eating only pickled vegetables and cornbread every day. They were so poor that they were almost starving and were just hoping that Lin Gang's meager salary next month would buy them rice!
This effect perfectly matched Lin Yan's expectations for "the Way of the Dead." Most of the neighbors sighed with regret, thinking that Lin Yan's body was truly an insatiable medicine pot. Only a few people, such as Jia Zhangshi and the second aunt in the backyard, were overjoyed to hear the news.
As Jia Zhangshi slurped her cornmeal porridge, she smugly muttered to her daughter-in-law, Qin Huairu, "Hmph! See that? He was showing off about renovating his house the other day, flaunting how much money he had! Well, look what happened! He's bankrupted now, isn't he? A sickly, short-lived fool, not destined to enjoy life! What's the point of such a nice house? He won't even let our corn cobs get any food. Serves him right!"
Qin Huairu was already used to her mother-in-law's harshness, and could only feel a secret pang of regret: she had originally thought that since the Lin family was doing well, she could occasionally lend a hand and get some benefits, but it turned out they were even worse off than her own family. It seemed that if she wanted to eat something good, she would have to focus on Sha Zhu's lunchbox. She wondered what kind of food he would bring home from get off work today.
In the afternoon, my cousin returned from cutting down trees on the mountain, bringing back a good piece of timber. He picked up the tools left by our father and deftly sawed the wood into planks. He then precisely chiseled out the mortise and tenon joints, carefully sanded them smooth, and then assembled them. Before long, a delicate and sturdy one-story wooden cabin with a slightly sloping roof was finished. My cousin's wife carefully laid out newly made soft cotton mattresses and blankets, making it look warm and comfortable. Little Qi would surely be very pleased.
After dinner, in the courtyard. An older woman brought up the Lin family's "predicament" with Yi Zhonghai at the dinner table. Yi Zhonghai silently smoked, his eyes flickering amidst the swirling smoke.
He felt this might be an opportunity. Lin Yan was frail and sickly, requiring long-term medication—a bottomless pit of expenses. Currently, they relied entirely on his cousin's salary, which was clearly insufficient. If… if he could persuade the Lin family to rent one of their rooms to the Jia family at a low price, the Jia family's housing problem would be solved, and the Lin family would receive a little extra income each month to help with medication costs—wouldn't that be a win-win situation? He could also gain a significant favor from the Jia family…
He secretly made up his mind to visit the Lin family the next night under the pretense of caring for his neighbors and helping them solve their problems, in order to sound them out.
At two o'clock in the morning, all was quiet.
Lin Yan left the courtyard house silently and arrived at the Shichahai seaside. With a thought, five hundred Foundation Establishment stage puppets appeared silently before him, like ghosts in the night.
He distributed seven days' invisibility talismans to each puppet and issued the order in a deep voice: "You, disperse and go to every province in the country. You have two tasks: First, conduct a detailed survey of the actual grain reserves in each province, focusing on investigating any signs of drought or other disasters and assessing their severity; second, if you find any unclaimed property during your mission, you may take it. Remember, prioritize the first task, and be sure to act covertly. Return on time after seven days."
The five hundred puppets bowed silently in unison to receive the order, then transformed into blurry shadows and soared into the air like arrows, hurtling off in all directions and quickly disappearing into the deep night.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Yan waved his hand again, summoning another two hundred puppets. These puppets had a more refined aura and were clearly more adept at precise searches.
"Your missions are different," Lin Yan said sharply. "Focus on searching for buried gold, silver, antiques, jade, and emeralds! Especially those old royal palaces and mansions that have been confiscated but may still contain undiscovered hidden treasure troves! Sensing carefully, don't overlook any places with abnormal energy fluctuations. Again, you have seven days—go and return quickly!"
Two hundred puppets received their orders, their figures flickering as they vanished silently, seemingly merging into the earth, to carry out their special "gold-digging" mission.
Having arranged everything, Lin Yan felt a sense of reassurance as he sensed the subtle fluctuations emanating from the spatial imprint in his mind. He quickly returned home without disturbing anyone.
Now, all he needs to do is wait patiently. Wait for the intelligence to gather, wait for the wealth to be deposited.