Chapter 21: Punishment and the Arrival of the Divorce Letter

After Lin Guilan reported the incident to the authorities, there was no further news—an outcome she had anticipated from the start. She never expected this matter to result in You Zhen facing punishment. You Zhen’s father was skilled at currying favor and had connections throughout the county, making it difficult to target his family. Lin Guilan’s report was merely meant as a warning to You Zhen, signaling that she was not to be trifled with!

As for the report itself, she never held out hope for any resolution. She continued her routine of setting up her stall for business. With the weather growing increasingly cold, she decided to sell noodles at the dock. The noodles were made from her own specially developed recipe, boasting a uniquely delicious flavor and including minced meat, making each large bowl exceptionally fragrant.

Unable to manage everything alone, Lin Guilan formally invited Aunt Zhao to assist her. From then on, Aunt Zhao stopped selling yam beans and instead helped Lin Guilan with various tasks. Lin Guilan, being kind-hearted, paid Aunt Zhao more than she had earned selling yam beans.

Yet, Jiang Zhimiao, watching his mother drive the ox cart to the stall before dawn every day, still felt she was working too hard. He redoubled his efforts to practice walking, hoping to soon be able to help his mother by fetching things or performing small tasks.

Just as Lin Guilan had nearly forgotten the incident, news suddenly arrived from the county office: You Zhen’s involvement in directing two local ruffians to commit mischief was confirmed with solid evidence. The two ruffians were sentenced to public caning at the county office entrance. As for You Zhen, being a woman, she was not caned in public, but her punishment was not waived—she received ten heavy strokes in the prison and was fined five taels of silver, which was paid to Lin Guilan as compensation.

Lin Guilan initially had no desire to accept You Zhen’s tainted money, but then she thought… why refuse what’s freely given? Because of You Zhen’s foolish actions, she had been forced to reveal her martial arts skills, frightening Miao Ge’er and nearly causing her husband to divorce her! This wasn’t about taking advantage of You Zhen—it was a judgment from the impartial magistrate, so how could it be wrong?

Although You Zhen avoided public caning, the Liu family still felt deeply shamed. Even before You Zhen was released from prison, they sent the divorce letter. Fresh from her punishment, You Zhen took one look at the letter, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.

Having endured such suffering, she was no longer as plump as before. When her family carried her out of the county office, she had visibly shrunk, her skin sagging and her face haggard, clearly showing the torment she had undergone.

Lin Guilan heard about this but felt nothing. Ultimately, this matter had nothing to do with her—You Zhen had gotten what she deserved. She was too busy saving up to buy new household items! There was another matter too… her food was becoming increasingly popular, and a bold idea began to form in her mind: if she could rent a shop in town, Miao Ge’er wouldn’t have to endure wind and sun with her, and she wouldn’t need to haul her supplies back and forth every day.

However, the cost of renting a shop was substantial. Although shops near the dock were cheaper, Lin Guilan hesitated to act on her bold idea, especially since her family was currently short on funds. Her husband’s important matters had to take priority.

When Jiang Zhimiao heard that You Zhen had suddenly been punished, he found it quite strange. The matter had previously gone quiet, so how had it suddenly cleared up? He couldn’t help but turn his gaze toward his perpetually calm and composed father… His father had been unusually quiet these past few days, showing no signs of anything amiss, but he had gone out twice recently. Suspicious, very suspicious!

After all, his father had always valued scholarly pursuits more than his own life or even his son! Why would he go out so frequently?

But his father was just an “honest and simple” scholar without any official rank—likely lacking connections. How could he possibly help his mother? Perhaps he was overthinking it.

With the first snowfall, Jiang Zhimiao had already turned two years old. Though his steps were still unsteady, he could now manage to walk on his own.

However, Jiang Qingshi absolutely refused to let Lin Guilan take Jiang Zhimiao out to the market stall. Though Lin Guilan felt it was a pity, she understood that setting up a stall in such snowy weather was truly impossible. Earning money was a minor concern—if her precious Miao Ge’er fell ill because of it, no amount of regret would help.

Reading his mother’s thoughts, Jiang Zhimiao felt a warmth in his heart. His mother was not one to stay idle. Though she couldn’t go out to do business, she began experimenting with new recipes at home and making preserved pastries. Over the past six months, Lin Guilan’s reputation had grown, with many people from neighboring villages and the town developing a fondness for her creations. Lin Guilan came up with a new idea: despite the cold and slippery roads, she could prepare storable snacks and deliver them to those living nearby. The winter cold made these items easy to preserve.

Additionally, Lin Guilan started studying how to dig a cellar near the bamboo grove beside their home and exploring methods to preserve ice collected from the frozen river.

Jiang Zhimiao trailed after his mother like a little shadow, marveling at how she simply couldn’t stay idle! How could there be such an exceptional mother in the world?

And this exceptional mother happened to be his!

Before long, the New Year was approaching. Though Lin Guilan no longer set up her stall, her excellent craftsmanship, delicious food, and affordable prices led more and more people to place orders for her treats to serve as holiday goods.

Lin Guilan also made new cotton-padded jackets for Jiang Qingshi and their son. In previous years at the Jiang Family, they had been “swelling their face to pretend to be plump”—appearing prosperous while actually struggling financially. Moreover, Jiang Laotaitai was notoriously stingy, hoarding any decent resources for her beloved son. As for Jiang Qingshi and his son, they rarely received a single bolt of new cloth all year. Now that Lin Guilan was earning money, she generously had new outfits made for all three family members.

As the year-end drew nearer, the number of people ordering from Lin Guilan increased. She specially commissioned oiled paper from town to wrap the pastries neatly for delivery. Eventually, when deliveries became overwhelming, customers began coming to pick up their orders themselves. Their previously remote and desolate location, where “birds didn’t even bother to poop,” actually became lively during the New Year period, with the muddy path trampled smooth from all the foot traffic.

Lin Guilan was swamped every day, to the point where she could barely attend to Jiang Qingshi and their son. One day, she became so busy that she missed preparing their meal on time, leaving her filled with guilt.

But this was precisely the perfect time to make money, and Lin Guilan didn’t want to miss it. Only with a stronger financial foundation could she ensure a better life for her husband and son!

One day, several aunties came to pick up their orders and happened to arrive right at mealtime. Guilan invited them to try the dumplings she had just made. One bite was all it took—the savory dipping sauce was so delicious it nearly made the aunties’ tongues melt! They were so impressed that they decided they wouldn’t even bother making dumplings for the New Year themselves and insisted on placing advance orders with Guilan.