The room’s chests and boxes held a good number of books, all belonging to Fu Wenxiao. Out of politeness, Yu Li had never flipped through them.
This was the first time she saw him reading, which she found quite novel. Then she remembered hearing that he was a scholar, though his poor health had prevented him from taking the imperial examination.
The Great Qing dynasty’s examination system was highly developed, even allowing sons of merchants to participate.
These days, scholars were plentiful. Even the Yu family, though merely a farming household, had three scholars in the family. However, none of them had attained any official rank yet.
Yu Li was curious about the characters in this world’s writing. She leaned in for a closer look and discovered that the characters were traditional Chinese, some of which she could still recognize.
Her prolonged scrutiny, as she tried to decipher the characters, caught Fu Wenxiao’s attention. He turned to her and asked, “You know how to read?”
Yu Li hesitated before replying, “…No.”
The original owner of her body had been an illiterate farm girl. Despite having three scholars in the family, the Yu family had never considered teaching their daughters to read, and Yu Laoda certainly hadn’t bothered with them.
After all, he hadn’t even thought of teaching the boys from the third branch. Only the boys from the eldest branch were literate, a clear display of Yu Laoda’s favoritism.
Fu Wenxiao asked again, “Do you want to learn?”
“Is that possible?”
Of course, Yu Li wanted to learn. Even in the post-apocalyptic world, everyone could read. Illiteracy meant you couldn’t even understand mission updates—how could that work? In her mind, literacy was just as important as physical strength, no matter the world.
“Of course. If you want to learn, I can teach you,” Fu Wenxiao said calmly, as if her desire to read was completely normal. Unlike the Yu family, he didn’t view literacy for women as unnecessary or unworthy of effort.
Even Yu Qin, the eldest daughter of the Yu family’s eldest branch, whose mother was the daughter of a scholar and whose father and brothers were all scholars, only knew a few characters—just enough to write her own name. That was the extent of her education.
Yu Li was highly enthusiastic about learning to read. Without even needing to look for another book, she pointed to a few unfamiliar characters in the one he was holding and asked, “What does this say?”
Fu Wenxiao glanced at her and read each character aloud for her.
She listened intently, matching the sound to the symbols, and quickly committed the unfamiliar characters to memory.
Most people learned to read starting with the simplest characters, but not her. She deliberately picked out the hardest ones, asking him to read them while she memorized them.
No one learned like this. She didn’t even bother to pretend otherwise.
Yet Fu Wenxiao remained calm, showing no sign of finding her method unusual. As long as she asked, he would read.
Once she confirmed that she had memorized the unfamiliar characters, he leisurely turned the page and continued reading, allowing her to recognize more characters while he read aloud.
His voice was elegant, with the low and mellow timbre unique to grown men. It was unhurried and steady, a cadence that gradually drew her in, leaving her captivated. The sound seemed to resonate in her ears, softening her resolve and even making her eardrums tingle slightly.
Yu Li thought his voice was incredibly pleasant. Accompanied by such a voice, she found herself learning characters even faster.
—
As Zhou Shi passed by the room, she heard the voices coming from inside and couldn’t help but smile.
Yu Li had been married into the family for nearly a month. However, due to Xiao Ge’er’s poor health, while the two shared a bed, their marriage hadn’t been consummated.
Zhou Shi understood this was normal, though she felt a twinge of regret. The two didn’t seem like a proper married couple, and she worried that Yu Li’s “good fortune” might not be able to turn Fu Wenxiao’s luck around.
Now, hearing the commotion inside and realizing that Fu Wenxiao was teaching Yu Li to read, she felt a surge of joy.
She knew Fu Wenxiao’s personality well. Although he appeared refined and proper, he was actually highly guarded. It was hard for him to let people in, let alone accept someone as a spouse. While his sense of responsibility kept him from outright rejecting the arranged marriage, truly seeing Yu Li as his wife would take time.
The fact that he was willing to teach Yu Li to read showed that he was beginning to accept her.
Given time, as their relationship deepened, they might consummate the marriage and truly become husband and wife.
With Yu Li by his side, he wouldn’t feel so alone. When he was sick, having someone to accompany him would make life less bitter. Perhaps things would gradually get better.
Zhou Shi felt genuinely pleased as she corralled her two children, reminding them not to disturb their uncle and aunt.
“Is Little Uncle sick again?” Fu Yanhui asked, furrowing his little brows.
Fu Yansheng pouted, looking very worried.
Whenever Little Uncle fell ill, Grandma would keep them away, not only to avoid disturbing him but also to prevent them, being young, from catching any illness.
Zhou Shi smiled and said, “No, your uncle is teaching your aunt to read.”
“I want to learn to read too,” Fu Yanhui said eagerly. “Little Uncle taught me some characters last time, and I already know them all. I haven’t shown him yet!”
Fu Yansheng’s soft and sweet voice chimed in, “I want to show Little Uncle too.”
Zhou Shi pulled them into her arms, stroking their heads and smiling. “Alright, you can go over later. For now, let’s make some food. I’ll roast some sweet potatoes for you.”
Fu Yansheng’s face lit up, revealing a mouthful of small, pearly teeth. “Roast three for Auntie, too. She loves them.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll roast three for Li Niang.”
When the sweet potatoes were ready, the siblings held hands and peeked into the room, calling out, “Auntie, do you want a roasted sweet potato?”
Yu Li’s eyes lit up instantly, and without hesitation, she abandoned her reading lesson with Fu Wenxiao.
“Absolutely!”
When it came to food, everything else could take a backseat.
Not forgetting her generous reading teacher, Yu Li turned and asked, “Xiao Ge’er, do you want one?”
Fu Wenxiao shook his head. “You eat.”
Seeing that he didn’t want any, she didn’t push but felt a pang of sympathy. She assumed he had no appetite because of his illness, which made him miss out on so many delicious foods. It was truly pitiful.
Fu Wenxiao watched as she and the two children happily sat on small stools at the door, eating their roasted sweet potatoes with great relish. The three of them looked so similar, their expressions mirroring each other as they savored each bite.
Looking down at the book in his hands, Fu Wenxiao chuckled softly.
Bold, simple, and easily satisfied, she occasionally resembled a child. The murderous aura she exuded at night seemed like nothing more than an illusion.
He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of environment could shape such an odd and fascinating personality.
A few days later, Zhou Shi looked at the nearly empty jar of copper coins and couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.
During the meal, Yu Li noticed the worried look on Zhou Shi’s face and found it strange.
Although she wasn’t well-versed in the nuances of human interactions, she could read expressions. Thinking that Zhou Shi was facing some kind of trouble, she asked, “Mother, what’s wrong?”
Zhou Shi hesitated for a moment. But then, remembering that Yu Li was now part of the Fu family as a daughter-in-law, she decided there was no need to hide certain matters from her.
“Recently, the household expenses have been high. We’ve almost run out of money, and the grain is nearly gone…”
Originally, the grain at home was supposed to last until the autumn harvest. By then, the tenants renting their land would pay their rent in grain, saving them the need to buy more.
However, since Yu Li had joined the household, the family’s consumption of grain had increased significantly, and it wouldn’t last until the autumn harvest.
Zhou Shi didn’t blame Yu Li for eating more. In her eyes, Yu Li was now the Fu family’s daughter-in-law, and it was their duty to ensure she was well-fed. How could she fault her for having a big appetite?
Yu Li stared at Zhou Shi blankly. It took her a while to fully process her words.
She tried to grasp the situation. “Mother, does this mean we’re out of grain?”
This was a serious problem!
She thought about it solemnly. Other issues could be overlooked, but going hungry was absolutely unacceptable.
“Yes,” Zhou Shi nodded. “Originally, we still had some savings, but your wedding with Xiao Ge’er cost quite a bit, and Xiao Ge’er’s medicine can’t be stopped…”
Fu Wenxiao had been taking medicine regularly, and the cost wasn’t insignificant.
While outsiders didn’t know the exact state of the Fu family’s finances, Zhou Shi was well aware that their funds were limited. With Fu Wenxiao needing constant medication, money quickly ran out.
Seeing Yu Li frozen in thought, Zhou Shi didn’t want her to worry too much and reassured her, “Don’t worry, Li Niang. I’ve been working on embroidering some handkerchiefs and pouches. Once I sell them, I’ll be able to buy grain.”
Zhou Shi wasn’t worried about running out of food; her primary concern was not having enough money to buy medicine for Fu Wenxiao.
His medicine couldn’t be stopped. If it were, his health would deteriorate again.
However, Yu Li couldn’t let go of the matter. She returned to her room with a serious expression.
Since Fu Wenxiao wasn’t in good health, he usually didn’t eat with them but had his meals in his room.
Noticing her unusually somber demeanor, he asked, “Li Niang, what’s wrong?”
Normally, she was cheerful and full of curiosity about the world, sometimes even a bit naive. It was rare to see her so serious.
Yu Li glanced at him and said, “Mother said the family is out of money, and the grain is almost gone.”
Fu Wenxiao: “..…” That’s it?
“Is it because I eat too much?” she asked earnestly.
Fu Wenxiao: “…..”
Yu Li was well aware that she ate a lot. In this feudal world with low agricultural productivity, eating more was undoubtedly a burden.
She had even been going to the Yu family to scrounge meals, hoping to reduce the Fu family’s burden.
Yet, despite her efforts, the Fu family’s grain was still almost gone, unable to last until the autumn harvest.
Fu Wenxiao felt an urge to laugh. It was rare to see her like this, and he found it… quite endearing.
He said gently, “Don’t worry. You won’t go hungry.”
He knew she ate a lot, and he was well aware of the peculiarities about her. But he didn’t mind at all.
No matter how peculiar she was, she had never done anything to harm him. On the contrary, during his illness, she had stayed by his side night after night. Eating a little more wasn’t a big deal in comparison.
Yu Li turned to look at him.
Fu Wenxiao said, “In a few days, when I feel a bit better, I’ll take on some work from the bookshop.”
Although his health was poor, making it difficult for him to do other types of work, copying books was something he could manage.
Like Zhou Shi, he understood that since she had married into the family and was now his wife, it was his responsibility to ensure she was well-fed—especially knowing how much importance she placed on food. He couldn’t let her go hungry.