Chapter 2: Awakening the Golden Finger

Grandpa Meng’s grandson was truly something.

You should know that Old Meng had once served under him. However, he had refused the arrangements made by the tribe, and so he had remained here ever since, raising his only granddaughter and living off his compensation—what people also called a pension.

“Which rotten little brat is Old Meng’s grandson? Come out!”

“What are you hiding inside for? Ashamed to show your face?”

Ye Cheng shouted toward the house.

He was absolutely furious!

“Grandpa, I wasn’t bullied. Really. Meng Jingchen has already left.” Ye Wan looked at her grandfather.

She raised her hand and stared at that fat, dark-skinned hand. Any discomfort in her heart faded as she wiped away her tears.

All right.

The sorrow in her heart had lessened considerably.

The original owner’s grandfather looked exactly like her own grandfather, even down to his temper. Perhaps this was her only chance to make up for the regrets of her previous life.

“What?”

“He actually dared to leave?”

“Then what are you going to do? You and he already did that, so how can he simply walk away? No, I’m going to drag him back!”

“Granddaughter, don’t worry. Your grandfather will definitely bring him back and make him marry you. Why, for him to be chosen by you is his good fortune. How dare he refuse to take responsibility!” Ye Cheng was livid.

“I never thought Old Meng’s grandson would be such a man. He took advantage of her innocence and now doesn’t want to accept responsibility. What a piece of work!”

“This matter isn’t over!”

His precious granddaughter was such a wonderful girl!

And that fellow actually wanted to abandon her!

Hmph. He was furious.

How could anyone be so shamelessly cunning?

“Grandpa, I know you’re anxious, but please don’t rush. Listen to me. Actually, I was the one who let him go…”

“What? You let him go?”

Ye Cheng froze when he heard his granddaughter.

His granddaughter had let him leave?

Why?

That foolish girl!

He had gone to such lengths to find her a dependable husband. How could she have simply let him go?

His granddaughter was far too kindhearted!

That rotten boy must have tricked her into releasing him.

How despicable!

He was far too crafty.

“Yes, Grandpa. The truth is, I’m not worthy of him right now. Besides, he has important matters to attend to, and he can’t afford to delay.”

“Don’t worry, Grandpa. He told me to wait for him. He said he would come back and marry me.” Ye Wan looped her arm through her grandfather’s and spoke in a half-playful, half-coquettish tone.

Of course, she was only saying this as an excuse.

She wanted to put her grandfather’s mind at ease and keep him from worrying himself sick.

Since she had come here and taken over the original owner’s body, she was now the original owner. She was Ye Wan.

She would change everything for the better and properly honor her grandfather.

Besides, she had not truly lied. Meng Jingchen had said exactly that.

“All right, all right. He should keep his promise. But if he dares to break it, this old man will settle the account with him.” Ye Cheng looked at his granddaughter with concern.

His granddaughter was simply too innocent, too willing to trust others.

What if that man never came back? What would she do?

Ye Cheng was deeply worried, but there was nothing he could do.

After all, what he had done had indeed been wrong. It was only natural for Meng Jingchen to resent him.

Still, he had done it so that his granddaughter would have someone to rely on.

“All right, Grandpa. Don’t worry. Even if he doesn’t come back, you don’t need to worry. Even if your granddaughter never marries, I can stay by your side for the rest of my life.” Ye Wan smiled.

Marriage?

It did not matter.

If she could not meet a good man, remaining single for life would be perfectly fine.

Besides, she had her special advantage. Her whole life would go smoothly.

“Ahem, you silly girl. What are you saying?” Ye Cheng replied, displeased.

“Grandpa, your health isn’t good. Don’t keep running around. Go inside and rest. I’ll make dinner.” Ye Wan said.

The original owner had known how to do absolutely nothing. She had been lazy and lived off her grandfather all day long.

Now that Ye Wan had arrived, she naturally could not continue behaving like the original owner.

“Granddaughter, since when did you learn to cook?” Ye Cheng asked in astonishment.

His precious granddaughter had never lifted a finger around the house.

And now she was saying she would cook for him?

Was this real?

“Grandpa, if you don’t know how, you can learn. Don’t worry. I’ll let you taste your granddaughter’s cooking. Go rest for a while, and I’ll call you when the food is ready.” Ye Wan spoke somewhat shyly.

“All right, all right. It’s rare to see you being so sensible, so I’ll listen to you.” Seeing that he could not disappoint his granddaughter, Ye Cheng stopped arguing and went inside.

Only after Ye Wan watched her grandfather enter the house did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She looked at the large cabbages and chili peppers growing vigorously in the courtyard. Her grandfather had planted them himself.

At least there were vegetables.

But what about meat?

With her current build, the original owner had nearly eaten her grandfather into poverty.

In particular, she had consumed almost all of his pension.

Getting hold of some meat would not be easy.

Her grandfather’s health was poor. He needed some meat to restore his strength.

With that thought, Ye Wan picked up a bamboo basket, took a woodcutter’s cleaver, and headed toward the mountain behind the house.

The mountain began right behind their home. In autumn, the small animals had begun storing food for the winter. If she was lucky, perhaps she could find something suitable for a meat dish.

The more Ye Wan thought about it, the more excited she became, and she quickened her pace.

She remembered that some small animals liked laying eggs in piles of grass, so she began searching through every clump and heap.

Sure enough, she found five pheasant eggs.

“This is wonderful! I actually found five. If only I could find a wild rabbit too.” Ye Wan grinned.

There were plenty of small animals in the mountains during this era.

She knew that, at a time when people rarely hunted indiscriminately, wild rabbits had even become a serious nuisance in some places.

Although everyone was poor then, very few people hunted in the mountains.

Bang!

Ye Wan saw a wild rabbit smash straight into a stake and collapse.

She was utterly stunned.

What was going on?

When had her words become so effective?

Could she really summon whatever she wished for?

Could it be that she had been blessed with extraordinary luck?

If so, she had to test it again.

“Hmm. It would be great if another wild rabbit fainted right in front of me. Then I could take it home.” Ye Wan muttered.

The very next second, a gray-white rabbit burst from the grass in the distance, raced straight toward her, and collapsed at her feet.

Ye Wan was dumbfounded.

This had really happened?

Good heavens!

That was incredible!

The system was truly amazing!

Delighted, Ye Wan picked up the two wild rabbits. Together, they weighed at least seven or eight pounds. This was wonderful.

They could eat for two days.

She placed the rabbits and the five pheasant eggs in her basket, then gathered some common wild greens from the mountain to cover them. Only after that did she head down the slope with peace of mind.

Her main concern was being seen.

Everything on the mountain was ownerless. Although anything she found would technically belong to her, someone might still object. If they demanded a share, it would be difficult to refuse.

And if the matter became a dispute, it would be troublesome.

As luck would have it, she ran into Auntie Liu from the village.

“Well, well, isn’t this Ye Cheng’s granddaughter? I never expected to see you up here too. What did you find? Just some wild greens?” the older woman asked with a mocking smile.

Ye Wan’s fat figure had long been a source of private amusement for the villagers.

Who would ever like a dark, fat girl like that?

It seemed she would never be able to marry.

Ye Wan noticed the woman’s contemptuous expression but did not bother responding. She simply turned and walked away.

The woman was no good, and Ye Wan had no interest in dealing with her.

Besides, she had to go home and cook. Who had time to entertain such an ill-intentioned woman?

She could not be bothered to pretend to be friendly with her, either.

The aunt watched Ye Wan’s retreating back, her eyes filled with scorn.

What was she so proud of?

She was still an unwanted fat girl who would never find a husband!

…

When Ye Wan returned home, she latched the gate. She needed to prepare the rabbits and was worried someone might happen to see her.

It would be safer with the gate closed.

Ye Wan lit the fire.

She boiled a large pot of water, then began scalding and plucking the rabbits.

She thought the rabbits would taste best cooked spicy. Luckily, there were still dried chilies and green peppers at home. Everything had fallen into place.

Since it was her first time preparing rabbits, the process took Ye Wan some time.

Once they were cleaned, she chopped the meat into small pieces, blanched them, and set them aside before preparing the accompanying vegetables.

She had been a fairly good cook in her previous life.

These dishes were easy enough for her.

Before long, Ye Wan had prepared spicy rabbit meat and a plate of sour-and-spicy cabbage.

She served everything and placed the dishes on the small wooden table in the courtyard, then went to wake her grandfather.

At the bedroom door, she knocked.

“Grandpa, get up. It’s time to eat,” Ye Wan called.

“All right, I’m coming.” Ye Cheng put on his jacket and got out of bed. Seeing that his granddaughter was safe and well, he finally relaxed.

Thank goodness.

His precious granddaughter had not been hurt.

Wait a moment.

What was that delicious smell?

It smelled wonderful!

“Grandpa, come quickly and taste what I made. Tell me how my cooking is. I just threw it together,” Ye Wan said.

“My granddaughter is truly amazing. It smells delicious even from here,” Ye Cheng said with a hearty laugh.

When he reached the courtyard, the rich aroma made him even hungrier.

Then he saw the food on the small wooden table and grew eager to eat.

But wait—the house had no meat left.

Where had this meat come from?

When Ye Cheng approached the table, he realized that it was fried wild rabbit. The rabbit’s head made that unmistakable.

Where had his granddaughter gotten rabbits?

Ye Cheng was completely bewildered.

“Grandpa, you have no idea how lucky I was today. I went to the mountain behind the house to gather some wild greens, and I happened to come across two wild rabbits. They ran into a stake and died, so I brought them home. I also found five pheasant eggs, and I’m steaming an egg custard in the pot.” Ye Wan spoke happily.

She sounded almost as though she were showing off how capable and fortunate she was.

Ye Cheng was even more stunned.

His precious granddaughter had gone into the mountain?

She had never gone up there before, much less cooked such delicious food.

Just looking at it made him think it must taste wonderful.

Anything his granddaughter cooked would taste good to him, even if it was terrible.

He would never dampen her enthusiasm.

“My Wan’er is so lucky and capable! Wonderful!”

“The food you made looks delicious just sitting there, and the aroma is irresistible!” Ye Cheng praised her excitedly.