Julie continued, "I picked up a piece of jade in town. The quality was good. I waited a few hours, but no one came back to claim it, so I pawned it for some silver. That's not illegal, right? Didn't you say before that you hoped I could live a good life? That wasn't a lie, was it?" If she didn't really want to live a good life, she would've already destroyed the village. She wouldn't bother explaining anything.
She didn't mention that she had actually picked ginseng in the mountains and sold it to the medicine shop for silver.
That's because she didn't want these people going up the mountain too.
Wealth comes with risk.
Before, the villagers didn't go deep into the back mountains because they knew there were wild beasts.
In their hearts, they felt fear.
Normally, when they picked wild vegetables or firewood, they only stayed on the edges.
That's why the resources deep inside stayed abundant.
If she said she found something valuable there, others would surely try to copy her.
When too many people go, the resources would get taken away, and the spiritual energy inside would also become weaker.
She would never allow that to happen.
After thinking about it, this excuse seemed more reasonable and matched the original owner's personality.
Right now, she only wanted to live a simple, ordinary life: farming, taking care of her husbands, Bailee, Haven, and Lorrie, and maybe having a few kids. She would practice martial arts when she had free time.
She already had plenty of money, so she wasn't thinking about opening a shop or getting rich.
She didn't want trouble, but if trouble came looking for her, she would make sure those causing it would disappear without a trace.
Julie stared straight at Pan Li, her eyes carrying a sharp, dangerous look.
Pan Li met her gaze and felt a sudden fear she had never felt before.
She regretted coming here, but with so many people watching, she couldn't just leave.
She forced herself to smile stiffly and said, "Right, what's the problem? If you have any difficulties, tell me. Maybe I can help..."
Julie said, "Li Zheng, before, I sold a few acres of good farmland my mother left me. I felt very guilty about it. Last night, my mother came to me in a dream and told me to redeem the land and live a good life. I have some silver now, and I want to buy back the land. Also, I want to buy the fields and the big piece of empty land around my house. You'll agree to that, right?" Farming was what she was really interested in now.
Li Zheng frowned deeply but couldn't find a reason to refuse.
She regretted even more that she had come running here at night.
She had no choice but to say, "Of course. But do you have enough silver? One acre of good farmland costs at least eight taels of silver." Her tone sounded caring but also a little worried.
"Thanks for your concern, but you don't need to worry about the money. Since there are so many villagers here, I'm not afraid of being accused of cheating. I have paper, ink, and brushes at home. Could I trouble you to write the land deeds now? Tomorrow, we can register them at the government office to make everything official."
Pan Li felt like she was sitting on a burning stove.
She never thought Julie had completely changed inside.
She was no longer stupid and was now very hard to deal with.
And worst of all, Julie spoke clearly and had strong reasons for everything she said.
Pan Li had no way out for now and had to agree.
Julie bought five acres of good farmland, three acres of wasteland, and a large piece of housing land. She planned to build a new house there.
The straw hut she lived in now was not only shabby but also very unsafe.
If she wasn't home sometimes, she worried a strong wind might blow it down.
If her three husbands, Bailee, Haven, and Lorrie, got hurt, she would never forgive herself. So building a proper house was urgent—it had to be done as soon as possible.
Altogether, it cost fifty-three taels of silver.
Pan Li promised to submit the paperwork to the government office the next day.
Julie didn't mention giving her extra money for help.
Since Pan Li liked to act like a good person, she would let her continue.
If Pan Li failed to finish the job, Julie would go find her at night.
Anyway, there was something she needed to ask Pan Li.
Normally, to get things done quickly at the government office, you had to give a little extra silver.
If you gave something, the officials would do the work fast and carefully.
If you didn't give anything, they would just leave your paperwork sitting there for who knows how long.
Pan Li obviously thought about that too.
But she cared more about saving face and her status as Li Zheng.
Now that Julie had tricked her, she could only endure it for now. Anyway, she thought, once back in the village, Julie would suffer.
Heh, so what if she's not stupid anymore?
Pan Li thought she still had the upper hand.
She would go to the government office tomorrow, but whether the work got done or not would still be up to her.
In Pan Li's mind, even if Julie's personality changed, she was still a useless fool.
What could she really do to her?
Just sweet-talk her a little, and everything would be fine.
After all, when Pan Li tricked her into selling those acres of good farmland for the price of wasteland, she was grateful instead of angry. A fool would always be a fool, no matter what.
Julie didn't expect that in this era, there were still people who thought too highly of themselves but had lives as fragile as paper.
If you don't cause trouble, you won't die.
Pan Li never understood, even at the moment of her death, who had actually killed her.