Chapter 57: The Vixen Keeps a Dainty Husband at Home

"After that..." Su Tang said faintly, "just like any other young woman, I was sent into the bridal sedan chair by my parents, but in the end, I never crossed the threshold of my husband's family."

Song Qing's heart tightened slightly, and she pressed further, "Why? Did some accident happen?"

Su Tang nodded. "Yes, but the accident wasn't on my end. It was on my husband's family's side. On the very auspicious day we were supposed to be wed, my fiancé suddenly dropped dead at home, just half an hour before my bridal sedan chair was to arrive at his gates..."

Song Qing opened her mouth, suddenly at a loss for words. After all, for a young woman, such an experience was simply too tragic.

Seeing the stunned look on Song Qing's face opposite her, Su Tang forced a lighthearted shrug. "It's nothing. Life goes on just the same either way, and aren't I still doing well now?"

In truth, as she recalled the past experiences of the original owner, Su Tang's heart felt quite heavy as well.

Those memories were now stored in her own mind. When she reminisced, those events felt as vivid as her own personal experiences, leaving a profound impression that made Su Tang feel choked up inside.

Hearing these words from Su Tang, Song Qing felt a tightness in her own chest as well. She had never imagined that such a cheerful young woman would harbor such a bitter past.

"Then your parents..." Song Qing asked hesitantly.

Su Tang gave a bitter smile and let out a soft breath to ease the turbulent emotions within her heart. "Back then, everyone was spreading rumors that my fiancé had been cursed to death by me. Rumors always travel faster than your explanations. Later on, even explanations became useless. When my father and mother heard those vicious talks, they couldn't bear the blow and simply..."

Su Tang left the remaining words unsaid, but the implication was already self-evident.

"Previously, because of the expenses for my wedding, my parents had borrowed some money from the people around us. After the tragedy struck, unable to pay it back, I had no choice but to sell the house."

Su Tang spoke these words word by word, yet the longer Song Qing listened, the more unsettled her heart felt.

Adjusting her mood, Su Tang looked at the person across from her and couldn't help but chuckle. "Why are you pulling such a long face? Are you angry?"

Su Tang meant it as a joke, but Song Qing nodded in earnest. "I believe none of this was your fault. It's just the stubborn prejudice of those narrow-minded people. We don't need to value the opinions of such outsiders."

Su Tang smiled. She had known all along that Song Heqing would think differently from those narrow folks.

She reached out and patted Song Qing's head. "Alright, I understand all of this. Hurry up and eat; if you don't, the food will get cold. I'm going outside to take care of some things."

Feeling Su Tang's hand gently rub the top of her head, Song Qing was momentarily dazed. Before she could utter a reply, Su Tang had already walked out.

Watching Su Tang's busy figure in the courtyard, Song Qing stood in a brief trance, her earlobes blushing crimson as she finally resumed eating.

Su Tang strapped a bamboo basket to her back, rummaged through the corner of the courtyard to find a small hoe and a little shovel, and headed up the mountain.

She intended to craft some simple traps herself to catch wild rabbits and the like.

On her way deeper into the woods, Su Tang intentionally paused to inspect the traps set by local hunters. Once she figured out how they worked, she continued deeper into the forest.

Although she had promised Old Li yesterday to mind her safety, she still walked recklessly into the depths of the woods. After all, even though she only possessed a few minor spells now, they were more than enough to protect her life.

Su Tang gave a lazy yawn. *[001, can you detect any small animals nearby?]* She vaguely remembered that in the previous realm, 001 had helped her out in a similar manner.

001 replied: *[...System rules dictate that excessive assistance to the host is strictly prohibited. The only reason I helped you with the variety show in the previous realm was because—]*

Su Tang cut 001 off. *[What do you mean by that? Including the previous realm, we've accompanied each other for decades at least, and you won't even help with such a small favor... Besides, this concerns my precious life, you know! I'm so destitute right now, I might just starve to death any day now.]*

Worn down by Su Tang's relentless nagging, 001 ultimately caved in.

Armed with the coordinates of the wild rabbits' usual feeding grounds, Su Tang quickly constructed a small trap nearby and only then set off to gather herbs.

Although yesterday's earnings had been quite decent, human greed is insatiable—let alone a fox like Su Tang.

Thus, she ventured even deeper into the forest. First, she bypassed the common herbs that everyone gathered along the outer edges and instead searched for rarer varieties.

Even though many peasants in their town made a living by gathering herbs, only a small fraction of the men dared to venture deep into the mountains.

The outer perimeter of this forest was somewhat dry, but the deeper Su Tang walked, the more she could feel the moist, damp air lingering within.

Su Tang mused that since this forest was so vast, perhaps walking even further inward would lead her to an untamed primeval jungle?

Yet, up to this point, no one in the town had ever truly penetrated the deepest parts of that forest, primarily because the venomous snakes and toxic insects dwelling within were simply too numerous.

However, Su Tang clearly had no fear of such things. She simply walked deeper step by step.

Guided by 001's prompts and her own keen senses, she was well aware that countless venomous snakes and crawling insects surrounded her, yet she remained utterly unfazed.

Drawing upon the few remaining spells at her disposal, she cast a protective barrier around herself. While it might not withstand a massive attack, it was more than sufficient to ward off minor pests.

Su Tang gave a lazy yawn. Looking at the bamboo basket brimming with herbs on her back, she felt a twinge of regret that she hadn't brought along a few more baskets, or perhaps fashioned a larger one.

With no other choice, she had to head back first. On her return trip, she checked her trap, but perhaps due to the timing, there were no wild rabbits inside.

Still, Su Tang was not in a hurry; as long as the trap was there, they would eventually show up.

Carrying her harvest of medicinal herbs, she returned to Old Li's apothecary, only to find Old Mrs. Li there as well.

The elderly couple both cared deeply for Su Tang. Seeing that she had dared to venture into the deeper parts of the mountains, Old Mrs. Li was thoroughly frightened. She pulled Su Tang aside and showered her with anxious warnings for a long time before finally letting her leave.

Today's earnings amounted to one tael of silver. It was a significant improvement; after all, for ordinary farming households, it took quite a while to save up a single tael of silver, whereas she had managed to earn that much in a single day—which was already quite remarkable.

Su Tang stretched her arms out wide, feeling that her future held much promise as she contemplated what business she might start next.

Since she hadn't bought any vegetables earlier, she had no choice but to stop by the roadside stalls on her way back. As soon as she stepped into the bustling market, those familiar gossiping, sneering gazes were cast at her once more.

Su Tang bought her vegetables with complete indifference and walked away with her head held high. After all, the original owner hadn't done anything wrong, had she?

By the time Su Tang walked back home, Song Qing was in the middle of bandaging a wound. When Su Tang entered the courtyard and noticed Song Qing wasn't in sight, she didn't make a sound. Who would have thought that the moment she stepped into the room, she would find Song Qing with her upper body completely bare? "I'm back..."