Lucky Brings Fortune

On their way home to the village, some villagers spotted Lucky carrying a huge sack. No one knew what was inside, but judging by the size, they must have bought a lot.

"Lily's family bought so many things!"

The villagers remembered that Lily Evans’s family used to be the poorest in the Evans Family. But ever since Lucky became their live-in son-in-law, they've been eating meat, hunting wild game, and buying all sorts of things—their days were clearly getting better.

A fool’s luck, that’s what the villagers thought of Lucky.

Back at home, Margaret Evans had already prepared dinner. Following Lily’s instructions, she butchered the wild rabbit and cooked it.

"Mom, we're home!" Lily called out at the door.

"Wow, why did you buy so much?" Margaret exclaimed as she rummaged through the sack, her face full of delight.

Just the fine cotton cloth alone—Margaret had never worn such quality fabric, not even when she was still a daughter-in-law in the Evans Family!

"Mom, all our clothes are worn out. We need to make some new ones. Besides, Lucky can’t keep wearing Dad’s old clothes forever!" Lily said.

Margaret wiped her tears, moved. "Lily’s right. Tomorrow I’ll make us new clothes! Oh, my Lily is so capable, and Lucky brings us fortune. How wonderful!"

"Wife, I really do bring in fortune!" Lucky puffed out his chest, looking especially proud.

"Mom, this is for you—Lucky picked it out. Do you like it?" Lily took a hairpin from her pocket; she hadn’t put it in the sack, worried it might get crushed.

Margaret’s hands trembled as she accepted it, wiping her eyes and carefully examining the hairpin.

It was a plum blossom-shaped hairpin, simple yet elegant. Lucky had a real knack for picking things—this hairpin suited Margaret’s temperament perfectly.

"Lily, is this silver?" Margaret could hardly believe it. She’d only ever worn wooden hairpins before; owning a silver one was a dream come true.

"Next time, I’ll buy you gold!" Lily grinned and pulled out the Three Hundred Silver Certificate from her pocket, slapping it on the table with flair. "Mom, this is the money from selling mushrooms. We’re going to get richer and richer!"

"Three hundred taels? Oh my, I’ve never seen so much money in my life! My daughter and son-in-law really are something." Margaret looked at their faces, tears streaming down. But this time, her tears were from happiness, not hardship.

===

This mushroom sale had brought Lily a windfall—three hundred taels was a huge sum for a farming family.

But Lily’s ambitions were far greater than just making a bit of money. Since fate had given her top-notch culinary skills and a second chance at life, how could she settle for anything less than becoming the richest woman in the region, showcasing the finest of Chinese cuisine?

Margaret wondered why Lily didn’t go mushroom picking every day, since it made such good money. But she trusted her daughter’s skills and ideas, so she focused on housework and didn’t push Lily to go back out. She made clothes at home and occasionally visited neighbors.

To Lily, mushroom picking was just pocket change—not worth her attention. Besides, how many mushrooms could one person gather? The wild mushrooms in the mountains were limited, and if she picked every day, they’d be gone in less than half a month.

Lily’s real goal was to earn a fifty percent share of the profits from Savory House.

She wasn’t in a rush—running to Savory House too soon would make her seem desperate. She was a chef in high demand, and letting them wait a bit would only sweeten the deal when it came time to negotiate.

Lily was still plotting her next business move when suddenly, someone outside shouted anxiously, "Lily, come quickly! Your mother is being bullied!"