I was a stepmother in ancient times, and I led my whole family to wealth.

Chapter 28 A Man's Heart is Like a Needle at the Bottom of the Sea

Gu Chenglin: "..." He had washed up and was planning to sleep with you tonight.

He said sullenly, "Fine."

Dongfang Jin: This man is so fickle.

Gu Jingye glanced at his father, noticing his expression, and said, "My sister and I will sleep together."

Dongfang Jin reached out and tapped his forehead, saying with displeasure, "Little brat, don't think too much. Your sister is a girl, and you should know that men and women shouldn't touch each other. Even if you're the older brother, you can't do that."

"But……"

"No buts, it's a happy decision. Once we have a big house, you can sleep in your own room."

I'll provide you with two servants and a schoolboy. As for Niu Niu, I'll buy her two maids.

Gu Jingye looked at his father: Aren't you going to do anything about it? She's started again!

Gu Chenglin pretended not to see it; these things would come sooner or later, no rush.

night

Dongfang Jin and Xiao Niu Niu shared a bed. Before going to sleep, she put a milk tablet in the child's mouth. The child was too thin and needed extra food.

"Young lady, what is this?" It smells so good, and it tastes so sweet.

Dongfang Jin put her index finger to her lips: "Shh, this was given by a god. Eating it will make you grow taller."

"Brother, can I eat this?" Gu Caiwei asked in shock. Was it given by a deity? No wonder it tastes so good.

"Yes, you can give it to your brother tomorrow."

"it is good."

"Go to sleep."

After the child fell asleep, Dongfang Jin disappeared into the bed.

She needs to figure out what's going on today, why seeing those words makes those things pop into her mind.

When she arrived at the three rooms, the bookshelves in the study were already filled with many more books.

Seeing familiar things, weren't these all from her villa area? How did they get here? Who did it?

This book? She didn't recall having this many books in her study.

No... there is, it seems to be in those unopened boxes?

Wait, weren't some parts still missing? Could it be...?

All the things she bought were for the elderly. You know, grandparents are all multi-talented, and her maternal grandmother is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Those who are close to her are all like-minded people, and she has made plenty of preparations.

What's the point of all these things suddenly appearing here? What's the significance? And why are there even enlightenment books here?

Do you have all the classic texts: the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, the Standards for Being a Good Student and Child, the Thousand Character Classic, the Expanded Collection of Wise Sayings, and the Young Learning Forest?

She must go to the bookstore tomorrow; if they have any, she'll buy some for her children's early education.

Looking at the well-categorized philosophical classics, famous classical Chinese texts, classic poems, and classic masterpieces, well... well... she doesn't run a bookstore, so why does she need to have such a complete collection?

She wasn't a top student when she was in school, and sometimes she'd sit on a small chair. Does this cheat code really want to make her a top student? Give me a break.

Dongfang Jinjin had no idea that these books would later bring about a qualitative change to the Donglin Kingdom, but that's a story for another time.

Holding an ice cream, Dongfang Jin watched TV while wondering why those things had spontaneously appeared in her mind.

Just when she couldn't figure it out, two words appeared in her mind: "contract," and then disappeared.

……

The next morning, after Dongfang Jin and Gu Caiwei got up, Gu Chenglin and Gu Jingye had already prepared breakfast.

The leftover pancakes from yesterday, a bowl of pickles, cornmeal porridge, and two eggs for each person were served hot.

After washing her face, Dongfang Jin entered the room and saw Xiao Shitou frowning as he stared at breakfast: "Quickly relax your brow and unfurrow your furrow. Gu Jingye, you're only seven years old, not seventy. Why are you frowning?"

Gu Jingye looked at her with a resentful expression: "Little lady, your request is too wasteful. You can just have porridge in the morning. This is a combination of white flour pancakes and eggs."

Dongfang Jin stepped over, bent down and looked him in the eye: "Gu Jingye, you should eat well in the morning. Do you know the saying, 'The early bird catches the worm'?"

"If you don't know, I'll tell you. You said you'd only drink porridge, but is this porridge enough to fill you up?"

Little Stone looked conflicted: "But..."

"But what? If we only drink porridge, won't we get hungry soon? Won't we feel uncomfortable on an empty stomach? How can we be in a good mood if our stomachs are upset?"

Furthermore, people who skip breakfast for a long time are prone to illness. So tell me, is medicine more expensive or eggs more expensive?

If you're sick, will taking medicine make you better? Think about it, is it better to eat eggs and stay healthy, or to take medicine when you're sick?

Little Stone said blankly, "Eating eggs is good."

"Yes, so it's good that you're calculating and thrifty, but shouldn't you learn how to calculate properly?"

When you're sick, you naturally need to take medicine, but did you know that all medicines have some degree of toxicity?

One egg costs one coin. I bought a lot yesterday, so it came out to three for two coins.

There are four people in my family. If each person eats two eggs, how much does it cost?

What if they're sick? The cost of one course of medication could buy so many eggs!

Eighteen coins a pound of meat. Can the four of us eat a pound of meat every day?

Boys, don't be so stingy with money, or people will call you a miser.

A real man should be generous; money should be spent, but it's all about how it's spent.

Remember this: "You won't go poor from eating or drinking, but you will if you don't plan ahead. Do you understand?"

Little Stone nodded: "I understand a little."

"Just understand this much, you'll gradually understand it later. Just remember to eat well and be full."

Anyway, I'm afraid of being hungry. I get in a bad mood when I'm hungry, and I hate being hungry the most.

Gu Caiwei sat down next to her: "Little mother, I'm also most afraid of going hungry." At her maternal grandfather's house, sometimes she and her brother would only eat one meal a day.

“Niu Niu is the best girl. Eat quickly. After you finish eating, we’ll go to the county and buy you some clothes, hair accessories, and earrings.”

Hmm, let's get a bracelet too. Girls should dress up nicely.

I'll buy you a few more books, and also prepare pens, ink, paper, and inkstones. What I bought yesterday were all household items.

Let's have a good shopping trip today and buy everything we need.

"Okay, I haven't been to the county yet."

Dongfang Jin looked at her and said seriously, "What's so difficult about that? When we have money in the future, we'll go on a trip."

"We can not only go to the county seat, the prefectural city, and the state capital, but we can also go to the capital."

As Gu Jingye listened to each of Dongfang Jin's words, his heart skipped a beat, followed by a moment of joy, then a pang of heartache, before finally turning to look at his father.

His father was engrossed in eating, and he... what was he worrying about?

He ate too, picking up an egg, peeling it, and eating it one by one—it was so delicious! After taking a sip of porridge, he peeled the second egg and ate it in one bite.

Dongfang Jin: Is this child going all out?

Looking at Gu Chenglin, she saw that he was unmoved and eating with a blank expression. What was this deadpan guy up to?

She noticed something was off about him last night; this man's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, truly unfathomable.

……

Two children accompanied him to the county today. They didn't go that early, and Gu Chenglin still borrowed the oxcart from Aunt Gu's family.

The family of four arrived in the county and left their oxcart at a storage facility.

Dongfang Jin held Gu Caiwei's hand, and Gu Chenglin held Gu Jingye's hand. The father and son each carried a basket on their backs and followed behind them.

When Dongfang Jin arrived at Jinyulou, he stopped. It was a jewelry shop.

After hesitating for a while, he pulled Gu Caiwei inside.