At dinner, Yu Li told Fu Yanhui and Fu Yansheng that she would be going to the county town the next day.
She said, “I’ll bring back some candy for you two tomorrow.”
Children loved sweets. Seeing these two kids from the Fu family and knowing it was a rare trip to town, she thought she’d buy them some snacks to make them happy.
Having just received twenty taels of silver, Yu Li, feeling quite well-off, was especially generous now.
Of course, she also wanted some candy for herself.
Fu Yanhui and Fu Yansheng’s eyes sparkled, and they said in crisp voices, “Thank you, Little Aunt!”
The two children were rather shy, perhaps because there was a sick person in the household. Zhou Shi often kept them at home, not letting them play outside much. They were nothing like the lively, sun-darkened children running freely around the village.
Still, they were obedient and well-behaved. Even though Yu Li wasn’t particularly fond of children, she found these two quite agreeable. When she foraged in the mountains, she would often remember to bring something back for them.
After spending time together, the two kids had fully accepted Yu Li as their Little Aunt.
In their minds, Little Aunt was amazing. She often brought them food, played with them, and even seemed to help their Little Uncle recover his health.
On top of that, Zhou Shi would occasionally chat with them, saying things like Yu Li was Fu Wenxiao’s lucky star. In the children’s eyes, she had become a remarkable figure.
Yu Li reached out and patted their heads, feeling quite eager about her trip to the city tomorrow.
—
The next morning, Yu Li woke up at dawn.
The room was still dimly lit. She fumbled out of bed, changed her clothes in the dark, and opened the door to step outside.
Zhou Shi was already up, busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast and brewing medicine for Fu Wenxiao.
The room was filled with the strong smell of herbal medicine, wafting out from the kitchen.
Even when Fu Wenxiao wasn’t ill, he still had to drink medicine—one bowl a day. Zhou Shi called it a tonic. Yu Li didn’t know much about the medicine in this world, but she felt particularly sympathetic toward Fu Wenxiao. Drinking medicine even when not sick was no different from having to eat the unpalatable food she had endured during the apocalypse.
Today, Zhou Shi had specially made multi-grain buns. The buns were more filling than porridge and would help Yu Li stay full so she wouldn’t go hungry on the way.
After the initial surprise at Yu Li’s appetite, Zhou Shi quickly got used to it.
Li Niang had great strength, so eating more was perfectly normal, wasn’t it?
Zhou Shi placed the freshly steamed multi-grain buns onto a plate and reminded her, “Li Niang, take the boat to the county town today. Don’t save that money. If you can’t make it back by noon, just eat in town. Don’t scrimp. You can have a bowl of noodles; I’ve heard the shredded pork noodles there aren’t expensive—five coins a bowl…”
Yu Li listened silently as she ate, nodding vaguely in agreement.
Zhou Shi handed her a bowl of relatively thin multi-grain porridge to go with the buns so she wouldn’t choke. As she looked at Yu Li’s still overly thin frame, a hint of pity rose in her heart.
After nearly a month of living here, Yu Li still hadn’t gained much weight and remained as thin as ever.
What was remarkable was that even though Fu Wenxiao had been bedridden for so long, he didn’t look as thin as Yu Li. That was how extreme her thinness was.
Knowing this was Yu Li’s first time going to the county town—her childhood visit didn’t count—Zhou Shi felt a little worried. She was afraid Yu Li might get lost or encounter trouble in town.
Yu Li’s current appearance was too deceptive, making it hard not to worry about her.
Zhou Shi asked repeatedly, “Li Niang, are you sure you don’t need someone to accompany you?”
“No need. Everyone’s busy; there’s no need to waste their time,” Yu Li said. “By the way, I’ll help Third Sister deliver her embroidery to the embroidery shop. Mother, give me the embroidery you’ve been working on lately, and I’ll take it to town to sell for you.”
Zhou Shi nodded, wiped her hands dry, and went back to her room.
Soon, she returned with a bundle. Opening it, Yu Li saw neatly folded embroidered handkerchiefs and pouches, each with exquisite embroidery that looked lifelike, showcasing Zhou Shi’s exceptional skill.
Curious, Yu Li picked up a pouch and examined it. The design was of green bamboo, so vivid it seemed alive—leisurely and elegant.
It was identical to the bamboo patterns on Fu Wenxiao’s clothes.
“Mother, this is beautiful,” she said truthfully. “Your embroidery is different from the other women in the village.”
Most women in the village knew how to sew and mend, but few were skilled at embroidery.
Zhou Shi smiled shyly, seeming a bit embarrassed. “My embroidery is only passable in a rural place like this. In the provincial capital, it can’t compare to those trained embroiderers at fabric shops or in wealthy families. Those women make a living with their craft. I once learned from an embroiderer for a few years, but I never mastered her essence…”
She paused, a rare look of nostalgia and complexity appearing on her face.
After breakfast, Yu Li prepared to leave.
Zhou Shi handed her a large bamboo basket, which she could use to carry the grain back from the city. The basket could hold about fifty catties of grain.
Yu Li placed the silver and Zhou Shi’s embroidery inside the basket.
Zhou Shi said, “Li Niang, while you’re in town, stop by Huichun Hall and bring back a few doses of medicine for Xiao Ge’er. Look for Doctor Xu at Huichun Hall; he’ll know what to give. Oh, and when you sell the embroidery, get some fabric too. I’ll make you a couple of outfits.”
Her gaze lingered on Yu Li’s clothes, and guilt flickered in her expression.
Li Niang’s clothes were old and tattered, but with the household’s tight finances and Fu Wenxiao’s poor health, she hadn’t had the energy or resources to make her anything new.
Now that Yu Li was heading to town, it was a good opportunity to buy some fabric and make her two new sets of clothes.
Both the embroidery shop and fabric store sell ready-made clothes, but those are more expensive than sewing your own.
Yu Li agreed to everything.
Yesterday, Fu Wenxiao had mentioned buying fabric to make clothes, and she decided to use her own silver for it so Zhou Shi wouldn’t need to spend the money earned from selling embroidery.
By the time she left, the sun was already bright in the sky.
The villagers, taking advantage of the cooler morning hours, were busy working in the fields. When they saw Yu Li passing by, they glanced at her curiously but didn’t greet her.
This was mainly because the second branch daughters of the Yu family were always focused on their work, and the villagers weren’t very familiar with them.
At the riverside dock at the village entrance, Yu Li waited for a while before a boat arrived.
The boat had come from a neighboring village and would stop along the way if there were passengers to pick up. At the moment, there were already two people on board, along with some luggage. They seemed to be heading to the county town to visit relatives. Generally, people were reluctant to take a boat to the county since one trip cost four coins—enough to buy a bowl of plain noodles in town and still have one coin left over.
Since Yu Li didn’t know the road to the county, she decided to take the boat.
The boatman was a middle-aged man with dark, sun-weathered skin. He was from the neighboring village and surnamed Wang, commonly known as Boatman Wang. It was said that he was related to Wang Shi, the wife of Yu Laosan (Third brother Yu).
Boatman Wang rowed the boat to the dock and stopped it. Seeing Yu Li, he hesitated before asking, “Are you Li Niang from the second branch of the Yu family?”
Yu Li nodded and, after boarding, found a place to sit.
The two passengers on the boat looked at her curiously, their first impression being that this girl was astonishingly thin.
As Boatman Wang rowed, he chatted with a smile, “I often take your two elder brothers to the county town for their studies. I heard they’ll be taking the county examination next year. If they pass, they’ll become Tongsheng (scholars)…”
There was an unmistakable tone of envy on his face as he spoke.
Although the second and third branches of the Yu family toiled like beasts of burden to support the first branch’s education—seeming like fools—outsiders admired the Yu family deeply. They envied the fact that the Yu family had produced three scholars. It was said that Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli’s academic achievements even surpassed those of Yu Laoda (Eldest son Yu) in his prime, giving them a good chance of passing the Xiucai1Xiucai (秀才), also known as Licentiate, was the first and lowest rank in the imperial examination system of ancient China. This system was a hierarchical method of selecting government officials based on merit rather than birthright, and it played a crucial role in social mobility during imperial times. examination.
If the two brothers passed, it would be a significant event. The Yu family would boast two Xiucai, exempting them from taxes and elevating their social status. The entire family would share in the glory, and even the second and third branches would benefit.
As a relative of Wang Shi, Boatman Wang knew a bit about the Yu family. That’s why he recognized Yu Li when he saw her, though he wasn’t entirely sure at first.
He was well aware that the Yu family didn’t place much value on the daughters of the second branch, who rarely ventured outside.
Seeing her suddenly appear now naturally made him uncertain.
Yu Li, being unaccustomed to conversation and unsure how to interact with strangers, sat quietly and didn’t respond.
Boatman Wang didn’t mind. After finishing his remarks about Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli, he asked, “Li Niang, what are you going to the county town for today?”
It was rare to see her taking a boat to town, so he couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
Yu Li replied, “To buy grain.”
“What?” Boatman Wang was taken aback. Why would a country person need to go to town to buy grain?
Could it be that the Yu family had run out of food?
Wait, no. He vaguely remembered hearing that not long ago, the eldest daughter of the second branch had been married off—to a scholar surnamed Fu from the same village. Wang Shi had mentioned it casually when visiting her natal family, which was how the Wang family learned about it.
As for the Yu family marrying off their daughter to bring good fortune to the Fu family, people outside the village didn’t know much. After all, the Fu family had moved to Qingshi Village and kept a low profile, with no relatives in the area to spread gossip.
So, this marriage was only occasionally discussed among the villagers of Qingshi Village and wasn’t known elsewhere.
The main reason was that they didn’t want to offend the Yu family.
After all, who didn’t know that Yu Li had been sold to the Fu family for the sake of warding off bad luck?
What the Yu family had done wasn’t exactly honorable, but they had two scholars in the family! It was said that even Scholar Chen from the county town held them in high regard. If one day they passed the exams and became Xiucai, it would be even more critical not to cross them.
Boatman Wang, being a talkative and sociable man, knew that in his line of work, having a glib tongue was necessary for attracting customers.
With an understanding look, he said, “I’ve heard that the Fu family used to be traveling merchants. Though they’ve purchased farmland, it’s rented out to others for farming, so buying grain is normal. Li Niang, you’ve married into the Fu family and must be living a good life…”
Yu Li glanced at him strangely but still didn’t respond.
The two passengers on the boat also looked at her. Knowing she was a daughter of the Yu family, they were somewhat polite to her.
This was simply how things worked in this world: as long as a family had a scholar and the potential to pass the Xiucai exams, others treated them with a bit more respect.
All trades are lowly; only studying is esteemed.
Scholars held an exceptionally high status in people’s minds, almost sacred. It seemed that as long as someone was a scholar, they were above reproach.
Yu Li seemed to understand a bit better why the Yu family had such unwavering confidence in her eldest uncle.
Yu Laoda was a scholar. In their minds, he was the most capable person. Since they couldn’t deal with her, they assumed Yu Laoda could handle her.