Our Family Has Struck It Rich

Lily Evans looked at Mrs. Thompson with indifference, responding with a simple 'oh.'

Seeing Lily Evans ignore her, Mrs. Thompson turned to Lucky and said, "Lucky, I heard you struck it rich buying stones, is that true?"

Lucky, seeing Mrs. Thompson approach, stepped back a few paces and said, "So what if I did? Now that I've earned money, I'm not living off someone else anymore!"

Mrs. Thompson edged closer with a smile, "Lucky, how did you pick those stones? Teach your aunt, will you? We're all neighbors here, no need to keep secrets!"

Mr. Carter, standing nearby with his ox cart, couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Mrs. Thompson, you ignorant woman, what do you know! Stone gambling is all about luck—Lucky just got lucky!"

Mrs. Thompson stiffened her neck and retorted, "Why am I unlucky?! Mr. Carter, don't you curse me!"

Mr. Carter spat, grabbed his ox cart, and left, muttering to himself that he shouldn't have bothered with that shrew.

Lily Evans pulled Lucky along toward home, but Mrs. Thompson followed right behind, nagging nonstop: "Lucky, let me tell you, you must keep your silver safe, don't let Lily Evans and her mother snatch it away. Hold onto your money, or if they kick you out after taking it, you'll have nowhere to cry! I'm saying this out of kindness, since you're a bit slow and I'm being honest with you. Lucky, remember your aunt's good intentions—if something good happens, don't forget about me!"

Lucky said, "The money I earn is for my wife. It all goes to her."

Mrs. Thompson, hearing this, slapped her thigh in frustration. Why did her own husband never give her a single copper coin, always taking money from her, while Lily Evans's foolish husband handed over a fortune to her?

We're all from the same village, so why is there such a huge gap between her and Lily Evans?

Mrs. Thompson, fuming, chased after Lucky, grumbling all the way: "You're just a fool! Even if someone sold you, you'd help them count the money! If I were you and got rich, I'd build a big house and marry a few concubines to serve me. No way I'd put up with Lily Evans's temper! ..."

Mrs. Thompson kept talking the whole way, but Lily Evans and Lucky didn't pay her any attention.

Mrs. Thompson talked until her mouth was dry and got countless eye rolls, but Lucky was completely unmoved.

Unable to do anything, Mrs. Thompson leaned against a tree, panting, and cursed at the backs of Lily Evans and Lucky: "You two ungrateful brats, pfft! Just a bit of luck, let's see how long you can stay smug!"

Back home, Margaret Evans held a thick stack of silver certificates, hardly able to believe her eyes.

"Lily, did our family really strike it rich?" Margaret Evans stared blankly at her daughter.

"That's right, Mom! Look, all the silver certificates are here." Lily Evans grinned, hugging her mother's shoulders. "Mom, see how Lucky brings us fortune? All this money was earned by him!"

Lucky scratched his head and chuckled, "Mom, Lily says I'm a fool blessed with good luck!"

"Blessed, we're all blessed! Even I am blessed!" Margaret Evans was so excited, she could barely get the words out.

Lily Evans brought out the jewelry and new clothes they bought at Fortune & Grace Emporium. Margaret Evans wiped her hands and smiled, "These are so fancy—how could an old woman like me wear them?"

"Why not, Mom? You look beautiful in them. I'll buy you even more next time." Lily Evans laughed, pinning a flower in her mother's hair.

Lily Evans thought to herself, those silver certificates are just sitting there—if she wants to get richer, she'll need to invest and put that money to work.

There were no banks or financial products in ancient times, so what should she invest in? Buy land and become a landlord? Open a shop and be a boss? Or build a big, new house?

Even though Savory House would pay her dividends later, Lily Evans wanted her own business to feel secure. She figured she should start investigating good investment opportunities—blindly throwing money at something could lose it all.