Chapter 35 – Cannon Fodder Old Woman Fleeing Famine (Part 5)

By the time Wang Daya and her youngest son were on their way back home, it was already noon. Since they wouldn't make it back in time for lunch, she simply treated him to a bowl of small wontons from a street stall.

The mother and son happily enjoyed their wontons, until they were interrupted by an unexpected guest. As soon as the man saw Lin Tiefeng, he dramatically fanned himself and mocked in a sarcastic tone:

"Isn't this our famous scholar from Songshan Academy? What a pitiful sight, eating street food like this! Why not come with me to the Juxian Pavilion instead? For old time's sake—since we were classmates and all."

Hearing this, Wang Daya felt quite annoyed. This guy was clearly insulting her son in a roundabout way. But judging from his flashy clothes, it was obvious he was a young master from a wealthy family.

What surprised Wang Daya, however, was that her youngest son wasn't fazed at all. He simply maintained his usual stoic silence and ignored the provocation completely.

The guy, whose name was Xie Zhiyuan, soon realized that talking more was useless and simply left with his entourage, looking awkward and defeated.

In truth, Xie Zhiyuan wasn't a bad person. He just couldn't accept the fact that Teacher Zhao, who had once favored him the most, now gave special attention to Lin Tiefeng ever since he arrived.

Although he would run his mouth, he never bullied anyone physically. Still, his sharp tongue had offended many. If not for his family background, he would've already been beaten and stuffed into a sack by someone.

As for Wang Daya, she didn't say anything because she knew very well—verbal sparring between young people was pointless. Once the famine struck, young masters like him would be the first to fall.

After they finished eating, the mother and son didn't linger. They went to find an ox cart to take them back to Lin Village.

Meanwhile, back at home, no one was surprised that Wang Daya wasn't back yet. Everyone knew that if she went to town, she sometimes wouldn't return by noon, so no one saved her any lunch.

Only her grandkids were chattering excitedly, saying:

"Grandma went to town, she'll definitely bring us something yummy!"

In better years, whenever Wang Daya went to town, she would spend five copper coins to buy three sticks of candied hawthorn for the grandkids.

Sure enough, when Wang Daya and her son returned, the three grandkids greeted her cheerfully, their eyes twinkling with anticipation—clearly scheming for a treat.

Wang Daya didn't keep them waiting. She pulled out the candied hawthorns from her bag, much to their delight.

Children's happiness really was that simple.

But before Wang Daya could even sit down for a few minutes, Qian Lan's mother showed up.

As soon as Wang Daya saw who it was, she knew this visit was not out of good intentions. The original host had always clashed with this woman.

Back then, this Madam Qian had wanted to marry Lin Daya's husband, but he didn't like her and chose Wang Daya instead.

Ever since Wang Daya married into the Lin family, Madam Qian had been her rival, and the two had often argued.

So today, seeing her arrive was like a weasel paying New Year's respects to a chicken—definitely up to no good.

Sure enough, she brought up the issue of selling their farmland cheaply.

This had happened in the original plot too. Back then, the original Wang Daya had been greedy for a bargain and fell for it, which played right into their hands.

Clearly, this family was treating her like a walking ATM, but she wasn't so easy to fool.

With a half-smile, Wang Daya declined, saying casually:

"We don't have much money left, you know how expensive Tiefeng's schooling is."

After hearing that, Madam Qian couldn't press the issue and left with a dark expression.

Once outside the Lin household, she even spat on the ground and cursed:

"Damn that Wang woman! Why won't she take the bait? Looks like my daughter's idea was useless after all…"

As it turns out, the scheme to sell the land cheaply had been Qian Lan's idea. Knowing her mother and Wang Daya were rivals, she'd maliciously suggested it—hoping to trick her. But unfortunately for her, the current Wang Daya was not the same as before.

When the rest of the Lin family heard about the opportunity to buy land at a low price, they were thrilled. But when Wang Daya turned it down, they all looked like wilted eggplants, their excitement gone.

Especially the second daughter-in-law, Zhang Zhaodi, who was deeply upset. She thought her mother-in-law only refused to buy land because she was spending all the money on the younger brother's education.

But, faced with Wang Daya's authority, she could only grumble privately to her husband.

Unfortunately for her, Lin Tiezhu didn't even respond—in their household, Mother's word was law, and no one dared to argue.

That night, everyone ate dinner without much appetite. Wang Daya's refusal to buy the land was unexpected and hard to understand.

After all, she had always been someone who loved to take advantage of bargains. This sudden change in behavior left the family puzzled and uneasy.