A Jar of Dried Abalone Prepared as Your Dowry

The next day.

As soon as Xie Yuling put down her backpack, she headed downstairs.

If Lin Mo was home, the door usually wouldn’t be locked—she could just reach in and open it.

She had already noticed on her way back upstairs.

The absence of the padlock meant he was back.

Xie Yuling happily reached through the small opening in the iron gate, slid the latch open from the inside, and pushed the door in.

The sound of splashing water came from the bathroom, as if someone was washing something.

Xie Yuling casually turned on the computer.

Her own home didn’t have one yet, so she still had to come to Lin Mo’s place to use his.

Sitting in the chair, Xie Yuling was in high spirits, humming the latest pop song while swinging her legs.

Soon after, the bathroom door opened, and Lin Mo stepped out, fully dressed after his shower.

Not a single ab in sight.

“You came straight here as soon as you got back?”

Xie Yuling immediately protested, “Not at all! I’ve been back for a while. I was just bored and came down to see you.”

This girl didn’t even blush when lying.

Lin Mo’s spiritual sense had seen everything clearly.

Xie Yuling had dashed downstairs the moment she dropped her bag—Auntie Zheng hadn’t even been able to stop her.

Lin Mo didn’t call her out, though. He just went to the kitchen to pour himself some water.

He had installed a direct-drinking filter there, so he could drink straight from the tap.

Within moments, Xie Yuling was back in the chair, scrolling through her QQ Zone.

She had paid for a VIP membership and was carefully checking her visitor logs.

Sure enough, she saw that Jiang Yunlu’s QQ had visited her space.

Jiang Yunlu was also a VIP, even a QQ member.

But she never hid her tracks—she had checked Xie Yuling’s space the day before yesterday but hadn’t liked any of her posts.

Xie Yuling had posted a photo of fireworks in the night sky.

Just an empty nightscape, but in reality, Lin Mo had been sitting beside her when it was taken.

Lin Mo then took out some specialty beef jerky from Hecheng.

“Beef jerky?”

“Yeah, pure yellow cattle beef jerky. Really chewy, with a milky aroma.”

Generally, it took about three to four pounds of fresh beef to make one pound of jerky.

And the drier it was, the more expensive.

But the profit margins were huge.

Many people would pass off chicken, pork, or even duck jerky as beef.

To mimic the taste, they’d add artificial flavors and colorings to make it look and taste like beef.

Once dried, the texture wasn’t too different either.

But Lin Mo wasn’t easily fooled these days.

The jerky he brought back was called Wudong beef jerky.

Unlike Chaoshan beef, which was sourced from Qianzhou before slaughter, Wudong beef used local yellow cattle.

Thanks to the supply from local farms, Wudong beef had gained quite a reputation.

Lin Mo had found this jerky at a shop specializing in Wudong beef.

At over a hundred yuan per pound, it was at least 60-70% dried, so he bought some back as gifts.

Xie Yuling suddenly pulled out a small sachet and handed it to Lin Mo.

“Here, this is a sachet I made with my aunt’s help.”

A tiny sachet, about the size of two fingers, rested in Lin Mo’s palm.

It was made of single-sided fleece, completely stitched shut with thread.

The word “Mo” was embroidered on the fabric—clearly a custom piece.

In ancient times, sachets were first filled with fragrant powder to keep the body smelling pleasant.

Later, herbs were added, using their aromas to stimulate meridians, open passages, and strengthen bones.

Most importantly, they were used for disease prevention.

Of course, the effects varied depending on the ingredients.

The one Xie Yuling gave contained mugwort, calamus, cloves, mint, lavender, and rose petals.

It had a slight effect but none of the medicinal bitterness.

To Lin Mo, though, it was purely ornamental.

Still, he accepted it gladly.

Xie Yuling immediately said, “People don’t really wear sachets these days, so I’ll hang it on your backpack. You’re not allowed to take it off.”

Ah, so this was about his backpack.

Lin Mo didn’t stop her—she could do as she pleased.

But then he suddenly took Xie Yuling’s hand.

“That ‘Mo’ character must’ve taken a lot of effort, huh?”

Her fingers were bandaged, but Lin Mo could still see several small wounds beneath the plasters.

“Why didn’t you use the rejuvenation talisman I gave you?”

He gently rubbed her fingers, smoothing out the wounds with a touch of spiritual energy.

They were just needle pricks—no scars, just occasional stings.

“No way! You said those talismans are super powerful. I’m saving them for emergencies.”

Lin Mo patted her head.

“Alright, I trust you know what you’re doing.”

With the local specialties and some New Year goods in hand, Lin Mo headed off to pay his respects to the landlady.

A “Happy New Year” had to be said in person.

Upstairs, Auntie Zheng was already cleaning.

Having been away at her parents’ place for days, Zheng Yuan was convinced the house was covered in dust.

So she had immediately launched into a whirlwind of tidying up.

She was also sorting through the fruits and vegetables brought back from her parents’ home.

And the free-range chickens—those had to be kept on the balcony.

Without even looking up from the open door, she scolded, “You little rascal, dropping your things and running straight downstairs.”

Lin Mo set the gifts on the table.

“Auntie Zheng, Happy New Year.”

Zheng Yuan immediately put down the broom. “Oh, Xiao Mo! Happy New Year to you too!”

She pulled two red envelopes from her pocket and handed them to him.

“Here, for good fortune—wishing you success in your studies.”

“Thank you, Auntie Zheng.”

Lin Mo accepted them with both hands. The envelopes felt like they contained about a hundred yuan each.

In Guangdong, where red envelope amounts weren’t a competition, a hundred yuan was the highest tier.

Only the closest kids got that much.

The next tier down was fifty.

This showed just how much Zheng Yuan adored Lin Mo.

After some small talk, Lin Mo was invited to stay for dinner.

Zheng Yuan paused her cleaning to pull some frozen abalone from the fridge.

“You should’ve seen it—on New Year’s Eve, that girl Yuling didn’t even start eating before she wanted to pack some abalone for you.”

“Mom!” Xie Yuling stomped her foot, trying to shut her up.

“What’s there to hide? Your uncle said he’d prepare a whole jar of dried abalone for your dowry when you get married.”

The mention of a dowry made the girl’s face flush red, and she bolted to her room.

“Girls are shy—don’t mind her.”

Lin Mo chuckled. If Auntie Zheng knew Xie Yuling had once ambushed him with a kiss long ago, she’d probably say the girl had no shame.

But of course, Lin Mo would never mention that.

Besides, the girl was currently peeking through the door crack, watching his reaction.

So he just smiled and said nothing, taking the broom from Zheng Yuan to play the role of the sweeping monk.

Master of avoiding trouble.