Upon seeing the money, sweaty and hastily shoved into her hands, Sophia felt dizzy, her legs weak as she staggered. Watching her almost fall, Jackson reached out to steady her, but she slapped his hand away with force.

She couldn’t bring herself to believe that Jackson, this lazy, good-for-nothing man, could make so much money in a single day.

This amount of money—this was what an average working-class family would have to scrape together over several years, living frugally and cutting back on every expense. How could he come home in one night with so much cash, claiming he had earned it?

In her mind, she couldn’t help but wonder what shady business he might be involved in.

In the past, she had seen through his character and never expected him to earn money for the family. She only hoped he could stick to the basics and avoid doing anything immoral or illegal. Even when he repeatedly asked her for money for drinks or gambling, she had no choice but to comply and ignore it.

But this time, she felt a sense of helplessness and despair like never before. If Jackson ended up in jail for stealing money, their daughter would carry the stigma of being the child of a convict, isolated and bullied by other kids. The suffering she herself had endured was something she never wanted her daughter to go through.

What would they do now? Life seemed impossible.

How could she go on living like this?

Jackson, seeing that his wife didn’t believe a word he said and watching her face grow dimmer with despair, almost felt like he might kneel before her. The towering man, over six feet tall, bent over as if crushed by the weight of the situation, nervously explaining:

"I… I went up the mountain last night to gather wild Dendrobium. By chance, I found a civet’s den, and before dawn, I rushed to the town to sell what I found. I made $600 from the Dendrobium, and I spent one bill on food stamps. This is all that’s left."

He didn’t dare mention how he almost fell off a cliff to find the civet den, because even if he did, his wife wouldn’t sympathize with him.

As he spoke, he pulled out a handful of small change from his pockets, shirt, and even from cracks in the kitchen wall, thrusting it all into her hands.

When Sophia heard "Dendrobium," her eyes finally regained some focus.

Dendrobium? There’s Ginseng in the north, and Dendrobium in the south. It’s highly valuable for medicinal use and can be sold for a lot, but it grows in deep mountains and cliffs. Wild Dendrobium is especially hard to find, and most people don’t even know how to harvest it, especially not in the dead of night.

She had heard rumors of wild animals and wild people in the back hills of the village, and only a few experienced hunters dared to go up there. The rest just wandered around the foot of the mountain, and those reckless troublemakers roamed aimlessly.

But when she thought back, she did notice bloodstains by the water well this morning, and there was civet meat simmering in the pot.

Could it be that she had wrongfully accused him?

But then again, how did he know about Dendrobium?

Under her gaze, Jackson raised his right hand and swore repeatedly, "I really didn’t do anything bad. If I did, I’d die a horrible death. Let the heavens strike me down. I, Jackson, swear on my life."

The sincerity in his eyes, the way they gleamed with honesty, made Sophia pause. He didn’t look like he was lying.

Seeing her breathe a little easier, with her gaze less furious, Jackson sighed in relief, despite the two slap marks on his face, and said:

"Honey, you’d better put the money away and divide it up. I’m going to take some meat to Big Brother’s place. Let them try something fresh."

Although hiding the money in a safer place would be a good idea, giving it to his wife meant handing over the control of the household finances. That money had to go to her.

He placed a dish of stir-fried civet meat and a bowl of stewed carp and tofu soup on the table in the main room, then returned to the kitchen. He filled a bowl with meat, took it out of the yard, and headed toward Big Brother’s house.

On the way, he also repaid the debt for old Larson’s cereal and some previous drinking money. He still had a few bills left in his pocket, just in case.

Once he left, Sophia looked at the money in her hand, clutching it tightly, and hurried back inside.

She locked the door, staring at the five bills.

Having been married for over two years, Jackson had always been the one taking money from her. This was the first time he had voluntarily handed it over.

With this amount of money, if she spent carefully, along with what she earned from odd jobs, they wouldn’t have to worry about living for the next two to three years.

She glanced around the shabby house and finally divided the money into five parts, hiding them away.

After she finished this, she heard Jackson’s steady footsteps outside, signaling he was back. She stepped out of the room, unlocked the door, and without a word, went straight to wash her hands before returning to the room.

Looking at the steaming dish and soup on the table, the aroma was intoxicating. She felt momentarily dazed.

After washing her hands, Sophia went back to the kitchen to take a look. The grain bin was nearly full with fine white flour, the oil jar was full, and on the beam hung a slab of fatty pork weighing at least ten pounds.

Ten pounds of meat? Who eats that much meat? It’s usually just a little at a time.

Had he really changed? Sophia wasn’t sure. She couldn’t tell how long he could maintain this reform, and she had no confidence in him. After all, a dog couldn’t stop eating shit.

She couldn’t place all her hopes on him.

Jackson, seeing his wife sitting down, placed a chicken drumstick in her bowl, saying:

"After dinner, honey, you should rest. I’ll head up the mountain early tomorrow."

While winter hadn’t fully set in, and the ground was still soft, he planned to gather Dendrobium from all the places he remembered. He needed to collect it all before spring came, or else everyone would start gathering it, and it would become harder to make money from it.

For now, this was the quickest way to earn money, and he needed to save up before investing in other ventures when the country fully opened up.

Hearing him, Sophia paused, understanding his plan. She nodded without saying anything.

Last night, even though he had gotten lucky finding one Dendrobium, it wasn’t likely he would always have such luck. According to the books, Dendrobium roots grow on stone and tree trunks, not just anywhere.

Sophia thought of reminding him that if he really wanted to make money, he should get a job. Even if it was only a few cents a day, it was better than having no income.

But thinking of his temperament, as long as he didn’t gamble or drink, she decided to let it be.

She picked up her knife and fork, intending to return the chicken leg to her bowl.

Jackson, seeing this, quickly used their child as an excuse to stop her:

"Honey, you’re too thin. Eat more, or the baby won’t have enough milk. No matter how good the formula is, it’s not as good as breast milk, and it’s expensive and hard to get."

As he spoke, he pushed the bowl of stewed fish and tofu soup toward her.

His words made Sophia glare at him. Her fingers gripping the knife and fork turned pale, but she didn’t refuse again. Slowly, she began eating the chicken leg.

Jackson, having spent an entire day and night working, was tired and exhausted. With the household's livelihood finally sorted, he wolfed down the mountain chicken meat, chewing on five dry pieces of bread, just to fill his stomach.

Turning to his wife, who was eating slowly, he said:

"Honey, I’m going to bed first. You leave the dishes, I’ll clean them up in the morning." He stood up, pulled back the curtain, and bent into the inner room.

He stripped off his clothes, leaving only his boxer shorts, and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep instantly.

After Sophia washed the dishes and returned to the room, she noticed the mess on the floor. She bent down and picked up his clothes, walking out to wash them under the moonlight.

Returning to the kitchen, she wiped herself down quickly, dressed, and closed the door.

After finishing, she wearily locked the door and went to the bedroom.

But as she stepped in, her foot knocked into a woven basket. Items rolled out.

Looking down at the two oil-paper-wrapped packages, she picked them up, opened them, and found a set of brand new clothes, her size.

The other, smaller package contained three sets of baby clothes.

Her eyes lingered on the man asleep in bed, and she stared at him for a long time.

This man… she couldn’t understand him anymore.

Quietly, she tidied up the clothes, unwound the thread from her red jacket from when she first got married, and left it in a ball on the table.

She blew out the oil lamp and climbed into bed in the dark.