The Yu family and the Fu family were located on opposite ends of the village, one in the east, the other in the west.
After leaving the house, Yu Li headed toward the Yu family home.
The sun had already risen, and the temperature was gradually becoming hotter. Many people were still busy in the fields, while some children swam back and forth in the river to cool off. Under the large banyan tree by the river, only a few idle men squatted, chatting leisurely.
As Yu Li walked along the path, she didn’t encounter many people.
Villagers seldom had idle time. Even outside of the busy farming seasons, they would seize the opportunity to go to the county town to find work. Earning a few more copper coins was always good.
“Oh, isn’t this Li Niang?”
As she passed a household, a thin-faced woman standing at the doorway called out to Yu Li.
Yu Li turned to look at her and searched her memory. The original owner didn’t seem to have a deep impression of this woman—likely someone she didn’t interact with often. It seemed that everyone called her Aunt Guihua.
Before Yu Li could respond, Aunt Guihua asked directly, “Li Niang, where are you going? What’s in your basket?”
As she spoke, she craned her neck, trying to peek into the basket.
Yu Li rarely interacted with people. As a genetic warrior, her daily life was centered around combat and killing. Even among her comrades, there was little conversation. In such a dangerous world, no one could guarantee their survival, and companions came and went.
As a result, most of the time they remained silent, avoiding unnecessary communication unless absolutely required.
Yu Li wasn’t good at dealing with people. Most of the time, if others didn’t speak to her, she wouldn’t initiate a conversation. However, if someone asked her something, she would still answer—it was basic courtesy.
So Yu Li replied, “Visiting home.”
Aunt Guihua paused, then pointed to the basket in her hand and asked, “Is this the return gift from your mother-in-law?”
Yu Li nodded.
Curious about what Zhou Shi had prepared for her, Aunt Guihua reached out to lift the coarse cloth covering the basket, but Yu Li blocked her hand.
Feeling slightly awkward, she said, “What’s with you, child? I just wanted to take a look…”
Seeing that Yu Li had no intention of letting her see, Aunt Guihua shifted the topic, saying, “Li Niang, I heard that the young master of the Fu family woke up. Is it true? Did your marriage bring him back to life? Was there really a fortune-teller who said you’re a lucky star? How come your grandmother never mentioned this before…”
Aunt Guihua bombarded her with a flurry of questions, all revolving around the recent rumors circulating in the village.
Yu Li had no idea about any of this and listened with a blank expression.
Seeing her reaction, Aunt Guihua snorted as if something had just occurred to her. “I knew it. It must be nonsense your grandmother made up. If it were true, she would’ve spread the word far and wide. How could she settle for only twenty taels of betrothal money? She’d dare to ask for a hundred!”
Then she added, “Li Niang, this won’t do. The Yu family took twenty taels of silver from the Fu family. That’s basically selling you off—they’re just leeching off you! But at least you’ll live a better life at the Fu family. Your mother-in-law seems like a gentle person, not the type to work you to death and starve you like your family does. But it’s a pity for your parents and sisters, still suffering at the Yu family. If only the Yu family could split up, your parents and sisters might have a better life…”
“Hey! You old hag, what nonsense are you spouting to Li Niang?”
An unhappy voice interrupted Aunt Guihua’s chatter.
The two people at the door turned to see Aunt Feng, carrying a basket of pigweed on her back, looking visibly displeased as she approached, having overheard Aunt Guihua’s remarks.
Yu Li was familiar with Aunt Feng and took the initiative to greet her, “Auntie.”
Aunt Feng smiled at her and then continued to scold Aunt Guihua. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting in front of Li Niang? Watch out, or her grandmother will give you an earful.”
Aunt Guihua didn’t expect to be overheard and looked a bit uneasy, but she quickly regained her composure.
With her hands on her hips, she said confidently, “What did I say wrong? Li Niang was sold off by her grandmother to a sickly man as a bride to ward off bad luck. And look at the second branch of the Yu family—those little girls will probably end up being sold for twenty taels too. It’d be better to separate the family while there’s still a chance. It would be good for them as well…”
“Bah!” Aunt Feng said angrily. “You have the nerve to egg Li Niang on about splitting the family? She’s a married daughter now, and this isn’t her concern. Stop spouting nonsense in front of her.”
As she spoke, Aunt Feng walked over and pulled Yu Li away, leading her off.
Yu Li obediently followed Aunt Feng. Compared to the unfamiliar Aunt Guihua, Aunt Feng was someone the original owner of her body trusted. In her memory, Aunt Feng was a kind person who had helped her many times. For example, when she was working so hard she became dizzy with hunger, Aunt Feng would secretly give her food to sustain her.
The original owner had remembered this kindness deeply.
Once they were far from Aunt Guihua’s house, Aunt Feng, still visibly upset, said to Yu Li, “Don’t take that woman Guihua’s words to heart. You’re already married now, and your family’s affairs are no longer your concern. Just focus on living your own life well.”
In these times, families didn’t separate as long as the parents were alive. The Yu family elders were both still around, so splitting the family was out of the question. Anyone who tried to force a separation would be labeled unfilial.
It was clear that Aunt Guihua didn’t have good intentions by talking to Yu Li about such things.
Yu Li looked at Aunt Feng and asked, “Auntie, if the family did split, would my three younger sisters no longer have to work all day? Would the money they earn be theirs to keep so they could buy food instead of giving it all to Grandma?”
Aunt Feng’s anger froze for a moment, and she didn’t know how to respond. After a pause, she finally said, “That’s true, but…”
The Yu family wasn’t going to split.
They needed everyone’s labor to support the two scholars in the eldest branch of the family. The family pinned all their hopes on those two—expecting them to pass the imperial exams and bring glory to the family. Splitting up would make it impossible to fund their studies.
Worried that Yu Li might dwell on this idea, Aunt Feng quickly added, “Li Niang, whether the family splits or not is up to the elders. As juniors, it’s absolutely not our place to bring it up. People would call you unfilial, and it wouldn’t be good for you or your parents and sisters.”
Although Yu Li was already married, a bad reputation could cause trouble with her husband’s family, making her life harder in the future.
Aunt Feng truly felt sorry for Yu Li. The child was hardworking and dependable—such a joy to have around. If she had a daughter like Yu Li, she would be over the moon.
But the Yu family had too many mouths to feed, and they only valued the boys. Daughters and granddaughters weren’t seen as people in their eyes.
Even as they arrived at the Yu family home, Aunt Feng repeatedly reminded Yu Li not to be influenced by Aunt Guihua’s words.
Aunt Guihua and the Yu family matriarch didn’t get along. It was said that when Aunt Guihua married into the village, the matriarch called her lazy and gluttonous, spreading gossip about her in public. Aunt Guihua had held a grudge ever since, and their feud had lasted to this day.
When Aunt Guihua stopped Yu Li earlier, it was clearly out of malice, trying to stir up trouble by pushing Yu Li to incite a family separation.
Yu Li didn’t respond, just silently listening. It wasn’t unusual for her to act this way, so Aunt Feng didn’t overthink it, assuming the girl had taken her words to heart.
“Alright, go on in.”
Knowing that Yu Li had come home for a visit and was surely eager to see her parents and sisters, Aunt Feng didn’t hold her back. She waved her off and headed back to her own home.
—
The gate of the Yu family courtyard was open, and an eight-year-old girl was sweeping the ground.
She was wearing ill-fitting clothes, with sleeves and pant legs that were too short. The garments were patched repeatedly, clearly hand-me-downs from her older sisters.
But since it was summer and the weather was hot, ill-fitting clothes weren’t much of an issue. In winter, it would be a different story.
When Yu Li entered, the girl saw her and lit up with surprise, running toward her. “Big Sister!”
As the girl threw herself into her arms, Yu Li felt a little awkward but still embraced her.
At this moment, another girl, just over ten years old, came out of a mud-brick room in the western wing. She too was filled with joy. “Big Sister, you’re back!” Then she turned and shouted toward the backyard, “Second Sister, Big Sister is back!”
Hearing this, Yu Jin, who had been feeding the pigs in the backyard, quickly came running out.
Yu Li looked at the girl running over from the backyard, around thirteen or fourteen years old, just as thin and frail as her other sisters.
Or rather, all three of these girls were as emaciated as Yu Li herself. They had not an ounce of extra flesh on their bodies and were even thinner than many girls from the poorest families in the village.
These were the three daughters of the Yu family’s second branch, Yu Li’s younger sisters.
Fourteen-year-old Yu Jin, twelve-year-old Yu Yin, and eight-year-old Yu Zhu—names that meant “gold, silver, and pearl,” symbolizing precious treasures.
As for why Yu Li’s name was different from her sisters, it was because she was the firstborn. Although she was a girl, the second Yu couple had been delighted at her birth. When they returned home, Yu Lao’er (Second Yu) happened to hear someone reciting the poem line “Grasses lush and green on the plains” (lí lí yuán shàng cǎo), and thought the character “Li” sounded nice. Thus, he gave his newborn daughter the name Yu Li.
Unlike Yu Li’s thoughtfully chosen name, Yu Jin, Yu Yin, and Yu Zhu were named casually by the family matriarch, Old Madam Yu. According to her, she hoped the girls would bring an endless supply of gold, silver, and jewels to their family when they married out, hence naming the second branch’s daughters after those precious items.
The three sisters had all been busy working, but upon seeing their eldest sister, who had married off, return, they were so overjoyed that they forgot everything else.
They had been worried for their eldest sister over the past few days, fearing that the youngest son of the Fu family might really die, that the marriage to ward off bad luck would fail, and that their sister would be sent back with a reputation for being cursed.
Only after hearing that Fu Wenxiao had woken up did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Yu Jin, who was the impatient type, hurriedly asked, “Big Sister, how have you been these past few days? Is Brother-in-law okay? Has anyone bullied you? Are you getting enough to eat? You’re not going hungry, are you?”
By the end, her face was filled with concern.
Yu Jin feared hunger the most and worried that her sister might still be starving even after marrying out.
Everyone in the second branch of the Yu family was thin, but the most emaciated were Liu Shi1 The term Shi (氏) in Chinese is a suffix commonly used to denote a woman’s family name or her maiden name, especially in traditional contexts. and Yu Li.
Liu Shi’s plight required no explanation. Without a son to her name, she held no standing in the Yu family and lived cautiously. Any food that came her way was always taken by others before she could have her share.
As for Yu Li, being the eldest sister meant taking care of her younger siblings. Every time her sisters cried from hunger, she would save a portion of her own meager rations for them, leaving herself with even less to eat.
Yu Li’s face softened with a faint smile. “Don’t worry, I’m doing well. I’m not going hungry.”
“Really?”
Yu Li nodded firmly. She wouldn’t guarantee anything else, but she was indeed not going hungry.
Carrying the basket in her hand, she led her three sisters back to the western wing where the second branch lived. There were only two mud-brick rooms: one for their parents, Yu Lao’er and his wife, and one shared by the four sisters.
Yu Li placed the basket on the table, and only then did Yu Jin and the others notice it. They asked, “What’s that?”
“It’s the return gift Mother-in-law asked me to bring back.”
Curious, Yu Jin opened the basket. When she saw a small bag of fine grain, over a dozen eggs, and even a small piece of cured meat about the size of a palm, her eyes widened in amazement.
For villagers, grain was life itself. It was customary for a bride to bring grain as a return gift when visiting her natal family after marriage. The contents of this basket, carefully prepared by Zhou Shi, were exceptionally generous.
—
Author’s Note:
The Fu family’s grain reserves are rapidly depleting, and they’re about to run out of food. The countdown to the heroine slaughtering a pig begins (￣﹁￣).