“Li Niang,” he called softly.
When she turned her head to look at him, her bright eyes met his, and he said warmly, “You didn’t rest this afternoon. Go to bed early.”
Yu Li responded with a nod and naturally walked over to the bed, climbing onto it.
She yawned, clearly very tired, and said, “Mother said she’ll make meat buns for me tomorrow morning, so I have to get up early.”
Fu Wenxiao replied, “You don’t need to wake up that early. You can sleep in a bit longer. Mom won’t get up so early to make them either.”
Knowing that Yu Li didn’t need to get up early, Zhou Shi wouldn’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to prepare breakfast either. This way, they could all sleep a little longer.
Yu Li reluctantly said, “Alright then.”
Her tone sounded rather begrudging.
Fu Wenxiao chuckled, realizing that, for her, food seemed to be more important than the chance to sleep a bit longer.
—
The next day, Yu Li finally ate the meat buns she had been eagerly anticipating.
The meat buns were indeed delicious. Yu Li thought they were even better than the ones sold in the county, mainly because Zhou Shi was generous with the meat and made the filling exceptionally savory and flavorful.
With a meat bun in her mouth, Yu Li carried a bowl of porridge, several more meat buns, and a small plate of pickled vegetables back to her room.
This was Fu Wenxiao’s breakfast.
Sitting by the window, she nibbled on her own bun and said, “Mother’s meat buns are so tasty. Hurry and try them.”
Fu Wenxiao sat opposite her, his posture relaxed and elegant. He took a sip of porridge first, then used his chopsticks to pick up a meat bun, eating it with refined composure.
Yu Li couldn’t help but glance at him, slowing down her own pace of devouring the bun.
However, after a moment, she resumed her usual speed, taking big bites of her bun. She quickly realized that she could never eat as slowly as Fu Wenxiao. His deliberate slowness made her feel like grabbing his head and shoving the bun into his mouth.
After Fu Wenxiao finished his breakfast, Yu Li cleared the dishes and said, “I’m heading to the Yu family now. Later, I’ll go into the mountains and pick some delicious fruit for you.”
Ever since she started working in the county slaughtering pigs, she hadn’t had the chance to go into the mountains.
By now, the wild fruits in the mountains must be ripe again, waiting for her to pick them.
Fu Wenxiao gently said, “Thank you.”
After Yu Li left, he sat upright at the desk by the window, using the bright light to continue writing what he hadn’t finished the day before.
—
Today, no one from the Yu family went to work in the fields.
For farmers, skipping a day’s work means delaying the growth of the crops by a day, so they rarely allowed themselves to slack off.
However, because the matter of dividing the family property was at hand today, the second and third branches of the family had no mind for fieldwork. Early in the morning, they stayed at home, waiting for the division to begin.
Meanwhile, the members of the eldest branch remained holed up in their rooms, refusing to come out.
Seeing this, Old Madam Yu couldn’t hold back her temper and began to berate them. She scolded the second and third branches, accusing them of laziness for not working and insinuating that they were staying home eagerly waiting for the family division, hoping to rid themselves of her and Old Master Yu.
Every word she spoke was cutting and accusatory.
If such remarks spread, the second and third branches would lose their reputations entirely.
The second branch couple dared not resist. They stood there like wooden figures, not even attempting to defend themselves.
In stark contrast, the third branch, particularly Yu Laosan and Wang Shi, had no intention of enduring the scolding in silence.
“Mother, how can you say that?” Yu Laosan retorted. “Wasn’t it Father who brought up the idea of dividing the family? We didn’t suggest it. We’re just following your lead.”
Wang Shi chimed in, “Exactly. If Mother doesn’t want to split the family, then we won’t do it.”
This remark was a deliberate jab at Old Madam Yu. If she dared to retract the decision, she risked having Yu Laoda kneel before her again today, perhaps not getting up this time.
As expected, Old Madam Yu was rendered speechless, choking on her anger. She nearly grabbed a cane to lash at them.
However, this time, Yu Laosan didn’t fear her. He wasn’t foolish enough to stand there waiting to be hit. Pulling Wang Shi back, he said, “Mother, please don’t get angry. Let’s talk this out calmly. Li Niang will be coming soon.”
Old Madam Yu: “…”
In the end, Old Madam Yu glared at them fiercely before storming off to her room, choosing not to engage further.
When Yu Laosan and Wang Shi saw her retreat without hitting or scolding them further, they realized for the first time how useful mentioning Yu Li’s name could be.
They exchanged a glance, suddenly gaining a new understanding.
It seemed they now knew how to handle the old lady in the future.
—
The Yu family skipping their fieldwork didn’t escape the notice of the villagers. Many recalled what Aunt Guihua had mentioned yesterday evening while chatting by the riverside, claiming that something major would happen at the Yu household today.
One by one, the villagers craned their necks toward the Yu family’s direction, distracted even from their own work.
By mid-morning, several villagers noticed the village head and a few respected elders heading toward the Yu family home, sparking curiosity.
Why would the village head suddenly go to the Yu family?
Among the elders accompanying him was an old man with completely white hair and eyebrows. Even Old Master Yu would have to address him respectfully as “Fifth Granduncle.”
The village head and Fifth Granduncle were ushered into the Yu family’s main hall.
Seeing Old Master Yu sitting there with a gloomy expression, the village head asked, “Old Brother Yu, are you truly set on dividing the family?”
Last night, after dinner, Yu Laosan had unexpectedly visited him to say the family would be splitting and requested his presence to oversee the process.
The village head had been shocked, thinking it must have been caused by disobedient juniors stirring up trouble.
Who would have thought that Yu Laosan would say it was the old master himself who brought up the idea of dividing the family, and that they hadn’t caused any trouble about it.
As for why Old Master Yu suddenly wanted to split the family, Yu Laosan wasn’t foolish enough to reveal the real reason. He vaguely said that it was because the eldest brother had returned from the county, which made the old master have such thoughts.
In his mind, this wasn’t wrong—if it weren’t for Eldest Brother provoking Yu Li, would the old master have decided to divide the family for his sake?
Ultimately, the root cause was Laoda.
The village head listened with a neutral expression and immediately suspected that it must have been something Laoda did to prompt Old Master Yu to want to divide the family.
That’s why he came to the Yu family today, looking for Laoda. Yet, to his surprise, he couldn’t find him anywhere.
This only reinforced his belief that Laoda must have done something.
Old Master Yu felt bitter inside and wanted to say something, but then he saw Yu Li walking in from outside.
Her arrival was silent, and since she was a younger generation and a married-out daughter, the village head and Fifth Granduncle didn’t pay her much attention. However, Old Master Yu and Old Madam Yu couldn’t afford to ignore her.
Seeing her appear, they didn’t dare say another word, fearing they might provoke her. If that happened, she might lash out at Yu Jingde and his brothers at any moment.
Old Master Yu had no choice but to say, “The children are grown now, and the grandchildren will soon be getting married. The family is only going to get bigger. When so many people live under the same roof, it’s inevitable that there will be clashes and arguments. It’s better to divide the family and let them fend for themselves, so there won’t be trouble in the future.”
His words were insincere, but this reasoning was common in the village. For families living together with three or even four generations, especially when there were many brothers, not dividing the family often led to endless arguments over trivial matters. Sometimes, the village head would even be called over to mediate disputes.
Just thinking about it was a headache.
The village head, though feeling that there was some truth to this, outwardly maintained a disapproving stance.
After all, with Old Master Yu and Old Madam Yu still alive and well, suddenly deciding to divide the family was unusual and required persuasion.
However, Old Master Yu was adamant, insisting that the family must be divided this time.
Seeing his determination, the village head stopped trying to dissuade him.
Fifth Granduncle asked, “Since you’re dividing the family, why isn’t your eldest son here? He’s the eldest son of the main branch and the head of the household. You can’t exclude him.”
Hearing this, Old Master Yu and Old Madam Yu looked a bit embarrassed.
What could they say?
Naturally, Eldest Brother still felt humiliated from kneeling yesterday. He hadn’t recovered and didn’t want to face anyone yet.
At the time, everyone in the Yu family had witnessed it, even the younger generation had seen it clearly. Eldest Brother felt utterly humiliated. This incident was the greatest shame of his life, something he might never come to terms with for the rest of his days.
But dividing the family was a big matter, and as the eldest son, Eldest Brother had to come out.
Old Master Yu could only say, “Laosan, go fetch your elder brother.”
Yu Laosan was more than happy to do this task and cheerfully agreed before going to call him.
Before long, the members of the main branch came out.
Eldest Brother was dressed in a scholar’s robe, looking somewhat presentable, but his face was haggard, and his bloodshot eyes made it clear that he hadn’t slept all night.
As for Chen Shi and the others, they had tidied themselves up and no longer looked as disheveled as they had the day before.
The village head was taken aback and asked, “What’s wrong with you? Why do you look so awful?”
Yu Laoda was just about to speak when he turned his head and saw Yu Li sitting with the people from the second branch. Blood instantly rushed to his face, making it flush red. His eyes bulged like a frog’s, and the veins on his forehead throbbed violently.
This appearance was extremely alarming, as if he had been deeply traumatized by something horrifying.
The village head and Fifth Granduncle, along with the others, were startled. “You… What’s wrong with you?”
“Eldest!” Old Master Yu shouted sternly.
Old Madam Yu anxiously looked at him, her lips trembling slightly. She felt deeply distressed, believing her eldest son had suffered unimaginable humiliation. She thought to herself how that wretched Li Niang had frightened him into such a state. Just look at what she had done to him!
Yu Laoda finally regained his senses and forcibly averted his gaze, not daring to look at Yu Li again.
Every time he saw her, he was reminded of the humiliating scene from yesterday, and he couldn’t control himself. He felt an overwhelming urge to cover his face and escape this world altogether.
It was truly unbearable!
—
Author’s Note:
This is a farming-focused story, so the pace will be relatively slow. Impatient readers can wait for more chapters to pile up.
The protagonist of this novel is absolutely the female lead, Yu Li. Everything revolves around her. Her strength and capabilities will remain consistent throughout the story. She will not be oppressed, nor will she be anyone’s subordinate.