When Yu Li entered, she found the room lit by an oil lamp.
Fu Wenxiao was leaning against the bed, his expression indifferent. He was dressed in plain white nightclothes, his ink-black hair draping down. His elegant face was as pale as snow, making his deep, dark eyes appear even more intense, as if they melded with the night.
Hearing the sound of footsteps, Fu Wenxiao raised his eyes to look over.
His gaze was so calm and steady that it seemed to pierce straight through a person’s heart, easily making one overlook his frailty.
Yu Li walked to the bedside and took out a boiled egg, handing it to him.
“For you to eat.”
Seeing the boiled egg in her hand, Fu Wenxiao was momentarily stunned before saying, “You eat it. I don’t like boiled eggs.”
His voice was slightly hoarse yet exceptionally pleasant to the ear, carrying a sense of tranquil ease, just like his current demeanor.
Yu Li looked at him in puzzlement. How could anyone not like something so delicious?
She thought he might either be foolish or have something wrong with his taste buds.
“It’s really tasty. Are you sure you don’t want to eat it?” she asked again.
She had specifically brought it back, intending to share what she found delicious with these people as a way of expressing her gratitude for providing her with temporary shelter and food.
Fu Wenxiao shook his head. His health was poor, and he had little appetite. Even if delicacies like dragon liver or phoenix marrow were placed before him, he wouldn’t be able to eat them.
After confirming several times that he truly wouldn’t eat it, Yu Li was delighted. She happily peeled the eggshell, saying as she did so, “I brought these especially for you all. Mother, Yanhui, and Yansheng all have one. Boiled eggs are so delicious.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Fu Wenxiao again, thinking it was a good thing he didn’t like them.
She could eat one more boiled egg herself.
Fu Wenxiao’s heart stirred slightly, and he rarely asked a question: “Was the visit home smooth today?” He then softly added an apology.
He apologized for his frailty, which had prevented him from accompanying her back to her family.
She had returned in the morning and spent the entire day at the Yu household, only coming back after nightfall.
From a normal perspective, staying at her parental home for so long suggested her family was exceptionally kind and caring toward her; otherwise, they wouldn’t have kept her for such an extended time.
Fu Wenxiao had already learned from Zhou Shi about his wife’s background and the circumstances of the Yu family. He had a rough idea of her situation there. Looking at her figure, so thin it was nearly out of shape, he knew her life at the Yu household must have been poor.
Otherwise, the Yu family wouldn’t have married her off for Chong Xi.
No family that cherished their daughter would marry her to a dying man for such a purpose.
Yu Li didn’t mind that he couldn’t accompany her back home. She simply said, “It’s fine,” and, after finishing peeling the eggshell, carefully took a small bite. She casually added, “It went smoothly!”
Very smoothly, in fact. So smoothly that she even thought about going back to the Yu household for meals every day. She could definitely eat her fill there.
Recalling the braised chicken and chicken soup from dinner, Yu Li sincerely felt that life was truly wonderful.
Only by being alive could one enjoy such delicious food.
The Yu family had so many chickens, at least a dozen. That would last quite a while. It was unlike the Fu household, which only kept a few hens for laying eggs.
Fu Wenxiao’s gaze remained on her the entire time, watching as she cradled the boiled egg, taking tiny bites as if afraid of eating too much in one bite and finishing it too quickly.
Besides that, one could sense her cherishing of food. It was clear she rarely had the chance to eat things like eggs.
It perfectly matched the image of a rural girl mistreated by her family.
After finishing the egg, Yu Li carefully licked the crumbs of egg yolk from her palm. When she looked up, she noticed him staring at her.
“How are you feeling today?” she asked, completely unbothered by him witnessing her actions.
Wasting food was shameful, and since eggs were so delicious, even a tiny bit of yolk falling was a pity—she had to eat every last crumb.
Fu Wenxiao’s lips curved slightly. “I’m alright.”
Once she was sure he was fine, Yu Li didn’t press further. She grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathhouse to wash up.
After her bath, she brought a basin of clean water back into the room, intending to help Fu Wenxiao clean his body.
“No need,” Fu Wenxiao refused. “I have the strength to do it myself now.”
Hearing that, Yu Li didn’t insist. She handed him the wrung-out towel and stepped outside to wait, keeping one ear tuned in just in case he fell.
The room remained quiet until she heard Fu Wenxiao’s voice. Only then did Yu Li push the door open and enter.
She glanced at Fu Wenxiao, saw that he had taken care of himself, and then carried the basin out. After tidying up, she extinguished the oil lamp, climbed into bed, and went to sleep.
Fu Wenxiao, in his weakened state, drifted off soon after lying down, too exhausted to even notice the unfamiliar person sharing his bed.
Thus, the two spent another peaceful night together.
That is, until Fu Wenxiao was startled awake in the middle of the night, breaking the harmony.
—
The next morning, Yu Li got up early, had breakfast, and went to the river to fetch water.
After filling the water jar, she informed Zhou Shi before leaving the Fu household.
Fu Wenxiao woke up late. While Zhou Shi brought water for him to wash up, she mentioned that Yu Li had gone out.
“Where to?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Li Niang didn’t say.”
Zhou Shi wasn’t the type of mother-in-law eager to keep her daughter-in-law close to impose rules. With not much work to do around the house, she had no objections to Yu Li going out. This was the countryside, not the rigid confines of a city manor. There weren’t so many rules here. Having seen plenty of poor young women running around to make ends meet, Zhou Shi never believed that a married woman should be confined to her home.
Fu Wenxiao gazed out the window. The brilliant morning glow spilled into the courtyard, illuminating every blade of grass and tree, every scene and object, with vibrant life.
That vitality was much like the girl called Yu Li.
She was like the grass, flowers, and trees of this simple rural courtyard—her eyes carried a wild vitality.
Bright, and searing.
—
Yu Li hadn’t gone anywhere special; she had returned to the Yu household.
She had said last night that she would be coming back to her parental home every day.
And why? Of course, to freeload meals at her parental home! Otherwise, with her terrifying appetite, the Fu family simply couldn’t afford to feed her.
Perhaps it was because she didn’t need to hold back yesterday and managed to eat until she was eighty percent full, but upon waking up this morning, Yu Li clearly felt much of the discomfort in her body had disappeared.
She was a bit stunned.
So, her body had always felt unwell simply because she wasn’t eating enough?
Believing her persistent discomfort was due to not being full, Yu Li decided that she must eat more, no matter what.
She didn’t want to eat too much at the Fu household, fearing she might scare Zhou Shi and the others. In that case, she’d go back to her parental home to freeload meals.
After all, they were already familiar with her appetite and shouldn’t be frightened anymore.
Yu Li headed toward the Yu household. Along the way, she didn’t encounter anyone.
The sunlight at this time wasn’t too intense, as most people were busy working in the fields.
When she arrived at the Yu household, she saw that the part of the courtyard wall that had collapsed yesterday was now blocked with several bundles of firewood to prevent prying eyes.
Glancing at it briefly, Yu Li turned to the main gate and found it locked from the inside.
In the countryside, if the homeowner was present, they usually wouldn’t lock the courtyard gate, so neighbors could come and go freely. The fact that the gate was suddenly locked spoke volumes about the situation.
Yu Li reached out and forcefully pushed it open. The wooden latch inside broke with a snap.
Hearing the commotion, the Yu sisters, who were busy working, peeked out and saw Yu Li strolling in as if she owned the place.
“Big Sister!”
The three sisters excitedly called out to her.
Yu Li looked around and noticed only her three younger sisters were home. She asked, “Where is everyone else?”
She examined the three of them and saw that they seemed to be in good spirits today. It appeared that after she left last night, the Yu family hadn’t dared to make things difficult for them.
That made sense. Having just been threatened, unless they’d completely lost their minds, they wouldn’t dare act up for the time being.
“They’ve all gone to work,” Yu Jin said happily, glancing at the broken gate latch. “Grandmother told us to bolt the gate when she left…”
Yu Li gave a casual “oh” and didn’t pay the matter any further mind.
A small wooden latch couldn’t even stop a thief, let alone her.
The Yu sisters didn’t dwell on it either. Yu Jin, curious, asked, “Big Sister, why are you back?”
“I’m hungry,” Yu Li replied honestly.
Hearing this, the three sisters immediately recalled her terrifying appetite from the previous night and suddenly understood.
Without hesitation, Yu Jin said, “Big Sister, have a seat. I’ll go make you something to eat.”
Earlier that morning, when Old Madam Yu left, she had put out the food for the family in the kitchen. Yu Jin figured she’d just cook it now.
After Yu Li returned last night, the family had stayed up late, fretting, and no one had slept well. They all woke up in poor spirits and didn’t feel like going to work.
But then they remembered Yu Li’s words from the previous day and were terrified she might actually come back today. None of them dared to stay home.
They weren’t entirely at ease leaving either, worried that something might be missing if Yu Li showed up.
However, compared to their possessions, they feared for their lives even more. In the end, they decided to avoid her altogether, praying in their hearts that this ominous star wouldn’t return.
With her thoughtful younger sisters around, Yu Li was soon enjoying a bowl of sweet and fragrant sweet potato porridge.
This porridge wasn’t the watery kind with few grains; it was thick and hearty, cooked to perfection. The entire pot of it ended up in Yu Li’s stomach.
That pot had originally been meant to serve as the Yu family’s lunch.
After eating her fill and checking in on her three sisters, Yu Li left before the rest of the Yu family returned.
Thus, when Old Madam Yu and the others came back from the fields and found Yu Li absent, they were all overjoyed.
Old Madam Yu specifically went to the kitchen to ask the Yu sisters, who were busy cooking, “That damned…,” but as the three sisters looked at her, she forcibly changed her tone, “Did Li Niang come back today?”
Yu Jin replied, “She did.”
“What?!!”
Old Madam Yu’s voice shot up, and the others instinctively tensed, glancing nervously toward the west room, their faces full of fear, as if dreading that Yu Li might step out at any moment.
Seeing their frightened expressions, Yu Jin felt utterly refreshed.
After savoring their unease and terror long enough, she leisurely added, “But she left after eating breakfast.”
Old Madam Yu and the others sighed in relief, but realization quickly dawned on them.
What did she mean by leaving after eating breakfast?
Their household’s daily meals were strictly portioned. They had finished breakfast before going out to work, so where had breakfast for Yu Li come from?
A sense of foreboding settled over them.
Sure enough, they soon heard Yu Jin explain that she had cooked lunch early for Yu Li to eat. Now, they were cooking the grain meant for dinner, which meant there would be no food left for the evening unless Old Madam Yu took out the grain reserved in her room. Otherwise, no one would have anything to eat tonight.
Before they could get angry, Yu Jin added, “My sister said that from now on, she’ll come back for breakfast whenever she has nothing else to do. We should save her a portion. If we don’t, she’ll just eat all three meals here with us every day.”
Everyone: “…..”