How did such immense wealth fall into my family?

Chapter 2: Was it foolishness or ulterior motive?
On the mountain, the two men hesitated for a moment, then turned and ran. Making something out of nothing with the young lady of an official's family is one thing, and driving her to the point of jumping into the river is another.

A: "Damn it, if we had known those two little wench would dare to jump into the river, we should have pounced on them right then and there."

B: "Stop talking, let's think about where to hide. We didn't hide from anyone when we followed those two young women into the mountains."

A: "Damn it, those two little wenches really don't know what's good for them. They look down on us brothers who are so tough."

B: "Alright, stop talking and hurry up and think of where to hide?"

A: "I'm thinking about it. Damn it, she doesn't want any men to touch her, yet she still goes to the mountains. Isn't that just asking for trouble?"

Down the mountain, Chunhua was overjoyed to find that the two young ladies had surfaced shortly after falling in! "Thank God! Thank you, God! Ladies, don't panic, I'll come and rescue you right now, I can swim."

After shouting, Chunhua was about to go down to rescue people.

The puppy clung to Chunhua's leg. "Waaah... I'm scared! Waaah... I'm scared! Waaah..."

Given their intelligence, if her older cousin went to rescue them, they might just hold onto her so tightly that she couldn't move.

Her eldest cousin is great in every way, except she often forgets to think about herself. It's probably because she's the eldest child. The elders in the family often expect the eldest to give way to their younger siblings. And so, they get used to it.

Although the river in their village is wide and deep, it's not fast-flowing. Those two idiots were yelling so loudly, everyone nearby must have heard them. Before anyone gets there, those two idiots definitely won't have drifted away; they'll probably still be floundering around.

Chunhua tried to pull her younger cousin away. "Gousheng, be good, your older sister will be back soon."

The puppy, Sheng, hugged even tighter. "Sheng is naughty! Sheng is scared! Waaah... Sheng is scared! Waaah..."

Chunhua knew her little cousin was terrified when she heard her call herself "Gou Sheng" (Dog Leftover). Her little cousin particularly disliked that name and never called herself that.

Chunhua quickly emptied the clothes from the basin onto the ground. "Ladies, my little cousin is frightened. I'll throw you this basin first, try to grab it. I'll pat my little cousin's head and then come over to rescue you."

After saying that, Chunhua lifted the wooden basin. "Ladies, I'm throwing it away."

The two girls in the river wanted Chunhua to cross directly, but the little child wouldn't let go. "Just throw her."

Chunhua threw the pot sideways.

The two girls struggled and tried to stop them.

Thank goodness, a girl stopped them.

Farmhouses typically use large basins for washing clothes because they also need to wash the children in the house.

The girl who received the basin shared half with the other girl. The two girls each grabbed one side and barely managed to keep their balance.

"Little sister, don't cry, I'll buy you candy."

"I'll buy you flowers to wear."

The little dog, Sheng, ignored him. "Waaah... Big sister, Sheng is scared. Sheng wants to go home. Waaah..."

While stroking Gousheng's fur, Chunhua said anxiously, "Gousheng, be good. Big sister will roast a sweet potato for you later, okay?"

"Oh no! Gousheng wants to go home! Gousheng is scared! Waaah..."

Chunhua offered several more benefits, but Xiaogou Sheng still wouldn't let go. Chunhua was sweating with anxiety. Chunhua wanted to say, "If you keep causing trouble, your older sister won't want you anymore." But her younger cousin was already frightened. What if she fainted from fright?
Or, why not just lie to my little cousin and tell her she can convince Grandpa to let her change her name?

Just as Chunhua was about to trick Xiaogousheng, Qian Tiezhu came running over with a hoe. "What's wrong? I heard someone shouting for help? Oh dear! Young masters, how did you fall into the river?"

After being surprised, Qian Tiezhu was about to go into the river to save the person.

Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Qian Tiezhu arrive. She no longer needed to lie to her little cousin; the two young ladies were saved.

Seeing Qian Tiezhu about to go into the river, Xiao Gousheng quickly cried out, "Uncle Tiezhu, they're not young masters, they're young ladies, the young ladies of a high-ranking official's family!" Upon hearing this, Qian Tiezhu turned and ran. The daughters of officials were very particular, and he didn't want to get into trouble for saving them. "I'll go find a woman who can swim."

Chunhua: "..." Uncle Tiezhu, don't run away! Why don't you dig up a small tree from the riverbank for them to hold onto?

The little dog silently gave Qian Tiezhu a thumbs-up. "Uncle Tiezhu, you're amazing! Not only did you not lose your head at the sight of a beautiful woman, but you also resisted the temptation to rise to prominence by saving the daughter of an official. You're definitely going to be someone important in the future; I have high hopes for you."

On the other side, Qian Tiezhu was less looking for people and more stopping them. As he ran, he shouted, "Two young ladies have fallen into the river! Women who can swim, hurry and save them! Men, don't go. If you see something you shouldn't, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

The men who rushed over upon hearing the commotion stopped in their tracks, while the women ran even faster.

Some people thought Qian Tiezhu was being nosy. "Qian Tiezhu, why are you running so fast? If you ran slower, we would have seen what the rich girl looks like!"

"What are you looking at? Be careful you don't lose your eyeballs!"

Most villages in this area are located next to the river, and most of the girls living near the river are good swimmers.

Soon, the women who rushed over rescued the two young ladies.

The two immediately thanked everyone. "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, we would be dead today."

Everyone said not to hold a grudge, that surviving such a calamity meant good fortune was coming, and that saving them was their blessing...

For a time, the riverbank was as lively as during the Chinese New Year.

Little Dog Sheng didn't want to have much to do with people who were risking their lives. While everyone was praising the two ladies, Little Dog Sheng dragged his large wooden tub back. "Big sister, let's go home, Little Dog Sheng is scared."

Chunhua pinched Gousheng's chubby cheeks. "You little money-grubber, you still remember to drag our wooden tub back when you were scared."

After saying that, Chunhua started packing her things, and then took her little cousin home.

As soon as the puppy got home, it told Granny Tian what had happened. "Grandma, my older sister is so brave. When can I be like her?"

Granny Tian turned around and grabbed her eldest granddaughter by the ear, pulling her into the house.

The little dog blinked. "Grandma, are you going to praise my older sister behind my back?"

"Okay. Go play. Grandma will make you a bowl of eggs when you come back."

"Okay. Grandma, you're so kind. Grandma, I'm going to play now."

"Go."

As soon as the puppy was gone, Granny Tian started scolding her eldest granddaughter.

The next day, the housekeeper of one of the ladies gave a large sum of money to the people who had saved the day before. Chunhua received some as well, and she was quite embarrassed.

Little Dog Sheng thought the matter was over. Unexpectedly, a few days later, the young lady surnamed Tang came to visit her older cousin. She said that if her older cousin hadn't thrown her a basin, she wouldn't have survived until those people came to rescue her. She even called her older cousin her savior and said she wanted her older cousin to be her sister-in-law.

Even the little dog was stunned!
Is this person out of their mind?
The little dog blinked and looked at Tang Xiaoya, asking in a childish voice, "Sister Tang, are you your brother's mother or grandmother? My grandmother said that only mothers and grandmothers think about finding wives for the boys in the family every day."

Tang Xiaoya's face flushed red instantly. She didn't know if it was from anger or embarrassment. "Little sister Gousheng, I'm not my brother's mother, nor his grandmother. I just thought your sister Chunhua was gentle, beautiful, kind, and we got along well, so I wanted her to be my sister-in-law. I've already told my mother, and she also thinks your sister Chunhua is a good girl. My mother said she'll come to visit your grandparents after she finishes what she's doing."

Chunhua covered her face in embarrassment. "Miss Tang, please don't say anymore, I... I'm just a country girl."

The puppy squinted its eyes.

Is this Miss Tang simply naive, or does she have ulterior motives?
If there was ulterior motive, was the drowning incident that day also meticulously planned?
But why?

Their family didn't hide their identities, and her eldest cousin wasn't stunningly beautiful.

(End of this chapter)