Next, Yu Li picked up the embroidery thread and fabric she had bought for Yu Yin, wrapping up the remaining candy and said, “Mother, I’ll take these to Second Sister and the others.”
Zhou Shi nodded and reminded her, “It’s getting dark. Be careful on the road and don’t fall.”
“I know.”
—
Carrying the items, Yu Li left the house and headed straight to the Yu family’s home.
Dusk was falling, and most of the villagers had already returned home for dinner, washing up, and preparing to rest. The road was quiet, with only a few late-returning villagers dragging their heavy steps homeward.
As she approached the Yu family’s home, Yu Li encountered Aunt Feng.
Aunt Feng had just returned herself, holding a bundle of wild vegetables, her feet still muddy. Seeing Yu Li, she greeted her warmly and asked with a smile, “Li Niang, what brings you here?”
“I went to the county town today and bought some embroidery threads for Third Sister. I’m here to deliver them,” Yu Li replied.
As she spoke, she remembered something, reached into her bag, and pulled out two pieces of malt candy wrapped in oiled paper. She handed them to Aunt Feng.
“Auntie, I bought some candy in town today. Let Yuan Niang, Da Niu, Er Niu, and Xiao Niu have a taste.”
Aunt Feng had helped the original owner a lot, even giving her food when she was nearly fainting from hunger. That kindness had always been remembered by the original owner, and now Yu Li remembered it as well.
Aunt Feng quickly tried to decline. “This is a precious treat. You should keep it for yourself. No need to give it to them.”
Yu Li pushed the candy into her hand. “I still have some.”
Without letting Aunt Feng continue to argue, she bid her goodbye and headed straight into the Yu family’s courtyard.
Aunt Feng watched Yu Li enter the Yu family’s courtyard, then smiled and headed home with the two pieces of candy.
When she returned home, her thirteen-year-old daughter Yuan Niang and her two daughters-in-law had already finished preparing dinner. Everyone was waiting for her to come back and eat. The men weren’t idle—they were sitting in the courtyard twisting hemp ropes while discussing the work they needed to do tomorrow. Meanwhile, her three grandchildren were obediently helping the adults by carrying over bowls.
Aunt Feng’s face lit up with a smile as she called the three grandchildren over and broke a piece of candy into smaller pieces to share with them.
Her granddaughter, Da Niu, held the sweet candy in her mouth and happily asked, “Grandma, this candy is delicious. Where did it come from?”
Candy was considered a luxury item in the countryside, rarely eaten except during the New Year or festivals.
Aunt Feng replied, “It’s from Li Niang.”
At these words, everyone turned to look at her.
After washing her hands, Aunt Feng sat down to eat and recounted her earlier encounter with Yu Li.
The eldest daughter-in-law of the Feng family glanced at her daughter, who was savoring the candy bit by bit, and said, “I heard Li Niang went to the county town today.”
In the village, people loved to gossip and chatter about anything. With no major news recently, even small events like Yu Li’s trip to the county town could spread like wildfire.
The second daughter-in-law chimed in, “It seems Li Niang is doing quite well since marrying into the Fu family.”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to afford candy.
The money for the candy didn’t need to be asked about—it was surely provided by the Fu family. They had all seen it clearly when Yu Li married into the Fu family with nothing but a shabby bundle, not even a decent piece of clothing. This spoke volumes about how poorly the Yu family treated her, and it was obvious that she wouldn’t have had any money of her own.
The Feng family didn’t know about the 20 taels of silver Yu Li had managed to claim as a dowry from the Yu family. Old Master Yu, concerned about his family’s reputation, had forbidden anyone from talking about it. Since he still planned to reclaim that money someday, he wouldn’t spread the news, as doing so would damage the Yu family’s reputation if they were seen taking back a dowry from a married daughter. That would completely ruin the standing of a family with two scholars.
Old Master Yu, who cared deeply about the family’s name, wanted to protect the reputations of the two grandsons in the main branch who were pursuing their studies.
Aunt Feng nodded in agreement with her second daughter-in-law.
Although Fu Wenxiao’s poor health made the match less than ideal and Yu Li was married under the pretext of bringing good fortune, what could be done once the marriage was settled? Other than living life well, there wasn’t much else to consider.
Thankfully, the Fu family wasn’t as unreasonable as the Yu family, and Yu Li seemed to be doing relatively well there. It could be considered a decent outcome for her.
—
When Yu Li entered, the Yu family had just finished dinner.
Seeing her, Old Madam Yu immediately thought of the 20 taels of silver she had taken yesterday. Her expression darkened, and she was just about to snort in disapproval when she noticed Yu Li looking at her calmly.
Her eyes were dark and cold, shrouded in the dim twilight. Her slender frame seemed to stretch infinitely, resembling a beast lurking in the dense forest, ready to strike.
Old Madam Yu involuntarily swallowed her saliva, slumped her neck, and quickly retreated to the main room.
The third branch of the family also hurriedly withdrew to their rooms.
Even the old master and old madam couldn’t handle her now, so they certainly weren’t about to provoke her. It was better to avoid her altogether and wait for Yu Laoda to come back and deal with her.
Back in their room, Old Madam Yu said to Old Master Yu, who was sitting cross-legged by the window smoking, “Old man, how has that wretched girl Li Niang suddenly changed so much? Could it be that marrying into the Fu family has given her such boldness?”
Did she think that now she was married and beyond their control, she could do as she pleased?
Thinking this, Old Madam Yu suddenly regretted marrying her off to the Fu family for 20 taels of silver. Especially since the 20 taels were now gone, it felt like she had lost both her daughter and the money, a complete double loss.
Old Master Yu silently puffed on his pipe, his voice cold as he said, “She’s just a foolish woman.”
The Fu family had long since fallen into decline. Their only adult male was a sickly invalid, incapable of bearing any responsibilities. Constant illnesses required money for medicine and treatment, and the Fu family would eventually be dragged into ruin.
By then, she would understand that the Fu family was nothing to rely on.
In Old Master Yu’s mind, Yu Li was a foolish woman. She had no concept of the immense honor it was for the family to have produced two scholars. When the second and third branches of the family could bask in that glory, even the married daughters would be viewed with greater respect.
If the main branch could study, pass the imperial exams, and elevate the Yu family’s status, how could he be blamed for favoring the main branch?
When his two grandsons passed the scholar exams, she would see how foolish her actions had been, and she would regret it.
—
Yu Jin and her two sisters were naturally delighted by Yu Li’s visit.
“Eldest Sister, have you eaten? Should I cook something for you?” Yu Jin asked with concern, worried that Yu Li might be hungry.
She understood what it was like to go hungry, and knowing Yu Li’s appetite, she often felt distressed, fearing that Yu Li hadn’t had enough to eat in the past.
Yu Li reassured her that she was full and told them not to bother. She explained that she had come to bring them some things.
The sisters went to the west room. Since it was too dark inside, Yu Jin lit an oil lamp.
This lamp, of course, didn’t belong to their room; it was taken from the main hall. Yu Jin took it to use without hesitation, and while Old Madam Yu and the others would eventually notice, they couldn’t say much about it, though they were sure to mutter sarcastic comments later.
Yu Li took out the fabric and embroidery thread she had bought for Yu Jin and then emptied the earnings from selling the embroidery onto the bed.
“This is the money from selling Third Sister’s embroidery.”
Seeing the pile of copper coins on the bed, Yu Jin exclaimed, “So much?”
Yu Zhu began counting but lost track after a hundred, so she set aside one hundred coins and started counting the next batch.
When she finished, she happily announced, “There are four sets of one hundred.”
“That’s four hundred wen,” Yu Jin said, her expression darkening. “In the past, Third Uncle would take Third Sister’s embroidery to sell in town when delivering grain to Eldest Uncle. He always said they only sold for three hundred wen…”
Every month, Yu Yin had to produce the same amount of embroidery, as Old Madam Yu demanded it. If she didn’t meet the quota, she would be scolded as lazy and accused of freeloading at home.
Old Third was responsible for taking the embroidery to town, but he always returned with just three hundred wen.
So, where had the extra hundred wen gone?
Realizing the truth, Yu Jin’s face grew even darker.
Yu Yin also frowned, her mood sour.
Anyone would feel upset learning that their hard work had been sold, only to have part of the money pocketed by someone else.
Yu Li stood up immediately and said, “Let’s go. We’ll get it back from Third Uncle.”
The three sisters froze for a moment, then Yu Jin rose without hesitation, firmly following her eldest sister.
In this household, Yu Jin only listened to Yu Li. Whatever her eldest sister said, she would follow without question, not caring about the consequences.
Yu Li gave her an unshakable sense of security.
Yu Yin and Yu Zhu, seeing their two elder sisters heading to demand justice, instinctively followed.
Yu Li didn’t stop them.
However, Yu Jin hesitated, thinking that this matter could be handled by just her and her eldest sister. She wasn’t keen on involving their two younger sisters. But then she considered the harsh environment of the Yu family. They needed to grow up and couldn’t always hide in the background—it wouldn’t be good for them.
They needed to face challenges to mature. Only then would they be able to stand up for themselves and avoid being bullied in the future.