Chapter 8

The onlookers among the villagers dispersed in twos and threes, leaving only the Village Head still standing where he was, eyeing Lin Meng with a scrutinizing look.

Village Head Zhang Fengnian was already over seventy, an old cadre who had toiled for most of his life for Lin Jia Cun.

Although Lin Meng had never interacted with the old Village Head, she had heard a bit about his deeds.

In the entire township, Lin Jia Cun ranked lowest in per‑capita output value, yet many villagers still could not shake off their low‑income household status.

But without the old Village Head's efforts to drum up business everywhere, Lin Jia Cun would be even poorer.

It's a pity that Zhang Fengnian suffered from lack of education and had no connections; achieving this much for Lin Jia Cun is already merit through hard labor.

Yet most people in Lin Jia Cun felt the Village Head was incapable and often complained about him behind his back.

But Lin Meng knew the old Village Head, for the sake of their village, even neglected his own Zhang clan relatives, giving away money‑making opportunities.

When planting vegetables and fruits in the village, the Village Head always picked the land and seedlings for others first, and when it came to the Zhang family's turn, they always got the worst.

Even when merchants came to collect the produce, he always let others go first.

In the end, the buyers no longer needed so much agricultural produce, started crazy price‑cutting, and then it was the Zhang family's turn to sell.

Thus, after serving as Village Head for so many years, Zhang Fengnian grew poorer and poorer; his several sons and daughters successively left him, and now only a reluctant grand‑grandson pities him and stays with him in the village to continue performing his Village Head duties.

Lin Meng looked at the old Village Head; her attitude was not the indifferent aloofness she showed toward other villagers, and she said with a smile:

"Village Head, do you have something for me?"

Zhang Fengnian thought for a moment and said:

"The village ancestral hall needs repairs; no one has come to claim your grandfather's spirit tablet, so go fetch it."

Upon hearing this, Lin Meng's heart gave a jolt; instantly she pictured her grandfather's gaunt, weary face from her dream, and she could not help but redden her eyes.

In life the old man never had a good day, and after death it's just as miserable—his children don't even offer rites, and no one claims his spirit tablet.

Lin Meng suddenly felt it was unjust for the old man's lifetime; he had worked hard all his life, and aside from a slight "uneven distribution" concerning the ancestral home, he had sacrificed too much for his several children.

Lin Meng remembered that her eldest uncle, second uncle, and fourth uncle built houses, and the old man had practically paid the full cost.

Of the three aunts, except for the youngest aunt who married far away, the other two married nearby, and the old man had frequently helped them financially.

Speaking of which, the debts grandfather owed also included money given to several uncles and aunts.

If we were to settle this account, Lin Meng wouldn't have to bear it all alone!

Thinking of these things, Lin Meng felt a tightness in her chest.

She asked the old Village Head:

"What about my great‑uncles? Isn't anyone thinking of bringing grandfather's spirit tablet back?"

Upon hearing this, Old Village Head Zhang's face darkened, and he sighed:

"They—even if I personally brought your grandfather's spirit tablet to their door, they would still refuse to take it."

"Little Meng, listen to this old man's advice: from now on, keep your distance from those relatives; I know a bit about your family's affairs.

"Outsiders think your grandfather played favorites, only looking after your father and neglecting his other brothers and sisters, but I know the money he spent on them was no less, if not more."

"There's no need to stoop to their level; they're narrow‑minded, obsessed with the ancestral home—whether it's valuable or not aside, they feel it's embarrassing that the family ancestral home has fallen into a girl's hands."

Although the Village Head had little education and never left the village in his lifetime, his thinking was not outdated.

"What's wrong with a girl? This old man thinks girls are fine—they're warm‑hearted and look after people, unlike a brat who's born with endless worries and endless expenses."

As the two walked toward the ancestral hall, the Village Head chatted idly.

Suddenly, the Village Head seemed to recall something and probed:

"By the way, Little Meng, that distant relative who was especially close to your grandfather in his lifetime—do you still keep in touch with them?"

"A distant relative? What distant relative?"

Lin Meng thought for a moment; she had never heard her parents mention it.

Village Head: "That's the one who's especially well‑off, apparently doing big business in Jing Shi. If you still have contact, and if the debt collectors are really pressing, try asking them for a loan to tide you over."

"I've heard that this Fifth Uncle is hard to deal with; if he acts high‑handed, you'd at least have a fallback."

Lin Meng grew even more puzzled upon hearing this—how could her grandfather know any Jing Shi businessman? People from such a backwater place, even if they truly had distant relatives making big money abroad, would likely not be welcomed.

If it were her, she probably wouldn't get too close to poor relatives either, especially when encountering snobbish relatives like her uncles and aunts—it would be even more aggravating.

Lin Meng put this matter aside for the time being, waiting for a later chance to look into it; then she went to the ancestral hall, lit a stick of incense, and carried her grandfather's spirit tablet back home.

After placing the spirit tablet on the side table and setting out several plates of offerings on the Eight Immortals table, Lin Meng finally closed the door and rested.

Ye Heng led the team members, having already ransacked a considerable amount of gold, silver, and jewelry in the dilapidated mall of the old city area.

Ten years have passed since the Cataclysm, and over thirty years have elapsed since entering the Wasteland era; most of them were born during the Wasteland period.

What the world looked like before the Cataclysm is unknown to many, including Ye Heng and his group.

Due to the erosion of time and the devastation of the apocalypse, most things in the mall have aged and been damaged; conversely, items of metal, stone, and jade have merely gathered dust, and a wipe restores them to their original shine.

「Really, don't say that—these gold, silver, and jewels look beautiful; a girl wearing them would surely look lovely, but the constant jingling is too cumbersome; at a critical moment it's easy to make a noise and cause trouble, and I don't know what the goddess wants these for. 」

「Since everyone says she's a goddess, there's no need to consider these; we just need to collect them and let the Team Captain exchange them for supplies. 」

「That's also true—being able to let the Team Captain meet such a goddess is also a blessing for our Bi Hu Suo; my spouse seems to have left some jewelry nearby, and when we get back, I'll have her take it out to give to the Team Captain. 」

「……」

Ye Heng piled up all the collected gold, silver, and jewels, actually filling a backpack to the brim, heavy.

He raised a smiling face, thinking that Miss Lin Meng would surely like these, and the Bi Hu Suo's recent rations now had a source.

「We'll spend the night here tonight; I'll stay to clean up this room, while the rest go outside to patrol and guard, making sure the surroundings are cleared of danger. 」

After sending the team members off, Ye Heng immediately stowed the backpack into his space and used his mental power to call Lin Meng.

Lin Meng was studying Zhou Gong's dream interpretation in the small courtyard, wanting to see if there was an explanation for her grandfather's such precise dream visitation; after flipping through it twice, she still couldn't find the key.

She had just put down the book when she heard Ye Heng's slightly excited voice, and her eyes lit up.

Her wealth has arrived?