Chapter 1: with translation of chapter title

(The events in the book are not to be taken as real life; it's purely fictional~)

(Walnut kernel storage~)

"Xiao Meng, Grandfather's had it rough—how long has it been since you last went to his grave and burned paper money for him? Do you know how he's been getting by these years?"

"Good granddaughter, tomorrow you must definitely burn some money for Grandfather to spend down there; Grandfather will send you a big gift—remember to dig under the little wild chrysanthemum at his grave, that's where the thing is hidden……"

"……"

Upon waking in the early morning, Lin Meng recalled last night's dream, and a strange expression appeared on her face.

Usually she hardly ever remembers dream events this clearly, but this time upon waking she actually recalled every word her grandfather said, including the sight of him sniveling and tearing up while lamenting his poverty to her—it was as clear as if he had climbed up himself and stood face‑to‑face with her.

This is the first time she's been dream‑visited by the deceased, or rather by the hazy memory of her grandfather, and it feels quite subtle.

Lin Meng has had memories since age two, but her grandfather passed away when she was five, leaving her with hardly any impression of the old man—she can't even recall what he looked like.

Three years ago her parents both died as well, after which she became a solitary orphan, until early this year when she returned to the countryside, to the ancestral home her grandfather left her.

During the three years since her parents' deaths, she never once dreamed of them—not for lack of wanting, but because she simply couldn't.

This time, someone from underground finally came to see her in a dream—and it turned out to be her grandfather.

After gathering her thoughts, Lin Meng quickly got dressed and got ready to head straight to her grandfather's grave to check things out.

She doesn't really believe in ghosts and spirits, but this dream was all too real—her grandfather was crying so hard he almost kowtowed to her, showing just how destitute he'd become.

If she still doesn't pay attention, it would be utterly upside‑down.

After a hasty tidy‑up, Lin Meng grabbed a hoe, took a bottle of liquor, and hurried straight to the burial ground on the north hill behind the village.

Lin Jia Cun has altogether about a hundred households; most deceased villagers are buried in the rear mountain, each family with its own plot, and Lin Meng's family ancestral grave is there as well.

Though it was still early, quite a few villagers were already up and about.

When they saw Lin Meng passing by, they turned away as if she were a plague god; after she left, they couldn't help muttering a couple of remarks.

"This little plague god is deadly—she didn't just kill her parents; I heard she also killed someone in the city, supposedly a low‑level official at their workplace, a perfectly fine person who vanished after becoming her disciple."

"Tsk tsk, what bad luck—how did our Lin Jia Cun end up with such a plague god? We need to find a way to get the village head to drive her out, lest we spread the misfortune to our neighbors."

"Hey, look—where is she headed? What's she doing up in the rear mountain?"

"Oh, could it be she thinks her bad luck is tied to the ancestral grave and wants to tamper with it?"

"Quick, quick, quick—go tell her uncles and aunts, that dead girl digging up graves will get struck by lightning!"

"……"

Lin Meng knew many villagers disliked her; she was used to their gossip and paid it no heed.

She quickened her pace to the burial ground and, relying on memory, located her grandfather's grave.

She indeed hadn't come to this graveyard of the Lin Family old residence in a long while, since her father had been on poor terms with his Lin siblings and they'd severed ties over ten years ago.

After they died, they were buried in the town's public cemetery, not joined with the ancestral grave.

In these three years, Lin Meng has never once come to the ancestral grave.

Last night her grandfather's accusations still rang in her ears, and Lin Meng suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.

The tombstone was covered with a thick layer of gray soil, the grass on the mound nearly overgrowing it—clearly it had been untended for a long time.

Looking around, only these few graves of the Lin family looked desolate and neglected; the descendants really had been excessive.

Those few uncles and aunts of hers probably never even came to offer sacrifices for grandfather—how filial of them.

Lin Meng rolled up her sleeves, swiftly weeded the several Lin family graves and wiped the tombstones clean, then walked to her grandfather's grave, knelt down, and bowed deeply three times.

Then her gaze fell on the single wild chrysanthemum she had left when weeding, and her heart tightened with anxiety and panic.

Damn, there really is a little wild chrysanthemum!

If Grandfather really did send her a big gift, who knows what it could be?

If all this turns out to be true, and the old man down below is having a rough time, what if he blames her for being unfilial—how frightening would that be?

Without further hesitation, Lin Meng raised her hoe and started digging at the soil beneath the little wild chrysanthemum.

With that dig, she actually unearthed something.

She quickly picked up the object from the dirt pit, took a close look, and saw it was a yellow cloth bundle; when she opened it, inside lay a jade bracelet.

Lin Meng's almond eyes widened, her heart pounding nonstop.

Holy cow, there really is a treasure—Grandfather didn't lie to her.

So the old man really did give her a precise dream from underground—how uncanny!

Lin Meng swallowed, her heart in her throat, already planning to rush back and immediately buy some paper money to burn for the old man.

She feared that if she burned it too late, Grandfather would come up himself to demand it!

Suddenly a clamor rose from the distance—no need to guess, it was someone from the village informing the uncles and aunts.

Lin Meng stood up and looked; sure enough, a disorderly crowd approached from afar, led by her eldest uncle, second uncle, and fourth uncle—three senior members of the Lin Family.

Lin Meng narrowed her eyes, swiftly slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, and lowered her sleeve to conceal the jade bracelet.

She quickly kicked dirt over the hole she'd just made to hide the traces, then unscrewed the liquor and slowly poured it onto her grandfather's grave.

Lin Jianyang and the others arrived in a fury; upon reaching the grave and seeing Lin Meng pouring wine before her grandfather's tomb, they were incensed.

"Now you know you should be making offerings to your grandfather? You just take the benefits and don't honor your elders—do you know you'll incur heavenly punishment?"

The speaker was Lin Meng's fourth uncle, Lin Jianshan; her second uncle, Lin Jianxie, also glared at her with a hostile look.

"The old man was muddle‑headed; he shouldn't have left the ancestral home to the third son. Now that the third son is dead, the ancestral home has been snatched by a girl—our Lin forefathers ought to be weeping in the netherworld!"

The villagers, eager for a show, didn't fail to throw in a few remarks upon seeing this scene.

"Jianxie is right—Old Master Lin really messed up this; how could the family estate be transferred to a son whose household is registered elsewhere? Now that they're gone, the house goes straight to this little girl—whose house in Lin Jia Cun would ever end up in a girl's hands? It's hilarious."

"What a sin…"

While everyone chattered away, Lin Meng could no longer bear to listen, for she was presently enduring agonizing pain!

Where she had just put on the jade bracelet, waves of piercing, burning pain shot through, making her break out in cold sweat and her legs tremble.

I've never endured such excruciating pain in this life; Grandfather wouldn't really be angry, would he actually use this thing to punish her?

Thinking of this, Lin Meng felt her heart grow even more bitter.

Why would the old man not punish those unfilial children, but instead bully her, this orphan, just because of seniority?

She slipped her hand into her sleeve, trying to take off the bracelet.

Who would have thought she grasped at air—the bracelet was gone, vanished into thin air!

Lin Meng's head buzzed; she had no time to think, and she quickly shouted to interrupt them.

「All of you, shut up! 」

Her gaze shifted to the silent, cold-eyed great-uncle Lin Jianyang, and Lin Meng said in a cold, solemn tone:

「Want the ancestral home? Sure, if you can pay off the over three million debt grandfather owed before his death, I'll give up the ancestral home! 」

「If you don't have the ability, then shut up for me! 」

After uttering those harsh words, Lin Meng practically flew home.

Others thought she was cold-hearted, ruthless, and wronged, but in fact she was about to die from pain…