Fortune Favors the Bold

So Lily Evans briefly told Mark Hunter about the situation with Wutong Academy, and at the end she said, "Mark, buying property comes with risks. I can't guarantee that the prices will definitely go up. If you're thinking of buying, you need to think it through. There's no such thing as making money without taking risks. If Tenmile Hill doesn't develop in the future, those shops and houses might just end up stuck in your hands."

Lily Evans made sure to lay out the risks to Mark Hunter in advance. Mark just smiled and said, "You're right, Lily—fortune favors the bold. To be honest, I've saved up a bit these past years, and I'm ready to take a gamble and buy two shops at Tenmile Hill. If I win, that's great; if I lose, I have no one to blame but myself."

Lily Evans nodded. Mark Hunter was a sensible man, so she kindly advised him to find Chief Walker at Tenmile Hill—just mention he's a friend of Lily Evans, and he'd be able to buy property at the same low price Lily negotiated.

Mark Hunter understood clearly that Lily Evans was doing him a huge favor—otherwise, if he went alone, the price would be much higher.

"Lily, I won't forget what you've done for me. If you ever need help, just say the word," Mark Hunter said sincerely.

Lily Evans laughed, "We're neighbors—no need to be so polite. If you get rich, Mark, you'll be able to find yourself a good wife in the future!"

Mentioning marriage made Mark Hunter’s face darken for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal. He delivered the wild rabbit to the kitchen, politely declined Lily’s invitation to stay for a meal, and hurried off to town with all his savings to buy property.

Margaret Evans heard about it and exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect Mark Hunter to be so bold!"

Lily Evans smiled and nodded, thinking to herself that Mark Hunter was such a good man—brave and insightful. He was sure to be successful in the future. Wu Caiwei, you really need to wake up and see what's in front of you!

Lucky squeezed over, a little jealous, and said, "Darling, I—I’m brave too!"

Lily Evans laughed and pinched Lucky’s cheek. “That’s right, my Lucky is the bravest—he dared to buy a stone! And he’s got an eye for treasure. If my husband hadn’t struck it rich gambling on stones, we wouldn’t have had money to buy a house!”

Lucky realized she was right—he really had contributed, and instantly felt useful again. He definitely wasn’t just living off his wife! Proudly, he grabbed the water bucket and trotted off to fetch water.

“Mom, soon we’ll build a new house. A big one, with blue bricks and green tiles—a grand mansion with three courtyards!” Lily Evans glanced at their shabby thatched hut. She’d spent all her money buying property, so they’d have to wait for profits from Fragrant Pavilion before building. Living in this hut forever just wasn’t an option.

Margaret Evans smiled and nodded. “In the past, I never even dreamed of living in such a nice house. But now, life keeps getting better—there’s real hope for the future.”

At the Evans house, Helen Parker was washing vegetables in the yard. She looked up and saw Samuel Evans coming home.

"Samuel, why are you home today?" Helen Parker wondered aloud—she remembered it wasn’t a day off.

Samuel Evans coughed twice and said, "The teacher had something come up, so we got the day off."

Helen Parker didn’t suspect a thing and cheerfully said, “Go rest inside, Samuel. I’ll make you something tasty for dinner tonight.”

Samuel Evans walked into the house, but instead of heading straight to his study as usual, he lingered by May Parker’s bedroom door.

“Oh, brother, why are you home?” May Parker was embroidering, but when she saw her brother, she put down her hoop and came out.

“Oh, we’ve got the day off tomorrow, so I came home,” Samuel Evans replied, then casually added, “Tomorrow I’m going on an outing with Howard Liu and the others.”

The moment she heard ‘Howard Liu’, May Parker’s eyes lit up. She lowered her head, blushing, and whispered, “An outing? I’m always stuck in the village—I’ve never been on one before.”

Right now, May Parker was thinking only of Howard Liu. Without thinking, she blurted out, “Brother, I want to go too—can you take me?”