Compared to the scheming nature of the third branch and their spouses, he actually preferred the simplicity of Lao’er and his wife. They were honest and dull, doing whatever was asked of them without complaint, like oxen toiling for the family. They required no effort to deal with.
As the primary beneficiaries in the family, Yu Laoda had never thought there was anything wrong with Lao’er and his wife’s submissive personalities, nor had he ever considered changing them.
After venting her frustrations, Old Madam Yu turned to her eldest son and said, “Laoda, the reason I came today is to ask for your advice. Your father has also said this can’t go on. We need to teach that wretched girl a lesson.”
They needed to restore the old order in the Yu family as quickly as possible.
How could they allow a married daughter to return and throw her weight around, harming the Yu family’s interests? At this point, Yu Li had become a thorn in the side of everyone in the Yu family except the second branch.
Yu Laosan also looked at him expectantly.
In his mind, his eldest brother was well-read, smarter than him, and full of ideas. Dealing with a mere little girl should be nothing for him.
He was eager to suppress Yu Li as soon as possible. If the second branch continued to act so arrogantly, it would inevitably hurt the third branch. The second branch ate well and worked less, but the losses were borne by the third branch, since they were the ones who had to pick up the slack.
The old patriarch and Old Madam Yu would never shortchange the eldest branch, after all.
What bothered Yu Laosan most was how Yu Li had recently forced his three sons to go up the mountain to chop firewood. Upon returning, they had to clean the chicken coop and pigpen, feed the chickens and pigs, and even wash their own clothes. She had told them they were already half-grown boys and couldn’t keep relying on their cousins to wash their clothes for them.
Left with no choice, Wang Shi had to wash her sons’ clothes herself, wearing an expression of resentment every day.
Wasn’t raising chickens, feeding pigs, and washing clothes the work of girls?
Yu Laoda thought for a moment before saying, “Mother, since she’s a married woman, she shouldn’t be coming back to her parents’ house to manage family affairs. It’s unreasonable. You should speak to the clan elders about this…”
“No way!” Old Madam Yu exclaimed in alarm. “If we go to the clan elders, she’ll tear down our house! Building a new one costs money!”
Yu Laoda: “…..”
It didn’t take him long to understand the underlying issue. With some incredulity, he asked, “Are you saying that no one in the village knows what she’s been doing at home?”
If they did, just the gossip alone would be enough to pressure her into behaving.
Even if she didn’t fear gossip, the village chief and elders wouldn’t allow her to do anything that could damage Qingshi Village’s reputation. In rural communities, reputation mattered greatly. If the village’s name was tarnished, how could girls from other villages be willing to marry in the future? And how could local girls marry out?
In Yu Laoda’s opinion, Yu Li was an easy problem to solve, requiring no direct action on their part. He couldn’t understand why the family let her behave so arrogantly.
Old Madam Yu complained, “Your father doesn’t want us talking about it outside. He says family scandals shouldn’t be spread.”
If it were up to Old Madam Yu, she would have publicized all the disrespectful and disgraceful things her granddaughter had done at the Yu household, letting the village shame her with a torrent of spit and insults.
But the old patriarch valued his pride and refused to let them do so. Coupled with Yu Li’s threats, no one dared to speak out, resulting in the village remaining unaware of her actions at the Yu family.
Even though Yu Li came back to the Yu household for breakfast every day, she did so during the early hours when most villagers were busy working in the fields, so few people noticed.
The neighbors, the Feng family, did see her, but they weren’t ones to meddle. Besides, they felt Yu Li was pitiful and wouldn’t do anything to worsen her situation.
Moreover, since Yu Li was married within the village and lived close to her parental home, just a few steps away, no one thought much of it when she occasionally visited her parents and sisters.
Yu Laoda frowned again.
As a scholar, he carried a certain aloofness and preferred to conduct himself according to scholarly principles. At this moment, he found the situation unexpectedly tricky.
Finally, Yu Laoda said, “Mother, I understand the situation. I’ll take a leave of absence and go back in a few days.”
Hearing this, Old Madam Yu and Yu Laosan felt reassured.
In their eyes, Yu Laoda, being a scholar, was knowledgeable and well-versed in reasoning. Dealing with a mere girl should be an effortless task for him.
In reality, Yu Laoda hadn’t given Yu Li much thought and was unaware of how formidable she had become.
His impression of Yu Li was still stuck in the past: a silent and reserved girl, much like her mother, Liu Shi, who only knew how to bury herself in hard work. She was a workhorse in the household and even after marrying, she wouldn’t cause any trouble.
Now, she was simply relying on some physical strength to act domineeringly at her parents’ house. No matter how much she flaunted, she was still just a young girl, hardly worthy of his attention.
Learning that Old Madam Yu and Yu Laosan had just arrived in town and hadn’t eaten lunch yet, Yu Laoda took leave from work and brought them to a noodle shop on the street. There, they each had a bowl of plain noodles before heading home to store the grain they had brought.
Old Madam Yu complained, “Laoda, where’s your wife? When we came earlier, no one opened the door, and we couldn’t even get a drink of water.”
“They’ve gone to my father-in-law’s house,” Yu Laoda explained. “Next month, Qian Ge’er is getting married, so she took Qin Niang and Jingzong to visit.”
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Yu quickly said, “That’s only proper.”
Her two grandsons were studying under Scholar Chen, and the family was counting on them to eventually pass the provincial exams. Naturally, Old Madam Yu hoped to strengthen the relationship between the two families, ensuring they stayed close. This was also why the Yu family tacitly allowed Chen Shi to bring the children to the county every month to stay.
As a married woman, it was only proper for Chen Shi to visit her natal family when her nephew was getting married.
Yu Laoda added, “Once my father-in-law’s family is done with the wedding preparations, I’ll have Chen Shi bring Qin Niang and the others back home.”
Old Madam Yu nodded in agreement, completely forgetting how she had been complaining just days ago about Chen Shi staying in the county with her youngest son and daughter and not returning.
Since it was related to Scholar Chen’s family matters, it was understandable that she hadn’t come back.
—
Fu Wenxiao’s illness dragged on for several days.
He alternated between high fevers and persistent low-grade fevers, with his temperature sometimes spiking alarmingly high. Even when it subsided, it would only drop to a lingering fever.
Naturally, both Yu Li and Zhou Shi were exhausted from taking care of him.
They took turns watching over him, though Yu Li bore the brunt of it, spending more time by his side. She hadn’t gone out for several days, let alone ventured into the mountains to forage for food. Instead, she stayed home and ate more than usual to maintain her strength.
Zhou Shi, noticing her efforts, prepared extra food during meals, encouraging her to eat more to keep up her energy while caring for the patient.
That day, Da Zhuang delivered another batch of medicine.
Zhou Shi accepted it gratefully and said, “Thank you for your trouble, Da Zhuang. We’ve just finished cooking. Why don’t you come in and join us for a meal?”
Da Zhuang quickly declined. “No need, no need. I’ll eat at home. We’ve already prepared food.”
Zhou Shi always compensated him for his help and never expected him to work for free, so he couldn’t bring himself to take advantage by eating at their house.
These were hard times for everyone. Although the Fu family had some savings, taking care of a “gold-eating beast” like Fu Wenxiao, with his constant need for medicine, left little money to spare.
While others might not know the family’s financial situation, Da Zhuang had some understanding and couldn’t help but feel concerned for them.
After seeing Da Zhuang off, Zhou Shi carried the medicine to the kitchen. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the strong, bitter aroma of boiling medicine.
Yu Li carried the bowl of medicine into the room. In the fading light of the sunset pouring through the window, she saw the pale and fragile man lying on the bed. Dressed in white, his dark hair framing his delicate, refined features, he exuded an ethereal grace, like a fragile piece of fine porcelain.
Hearing the movement, he opened his eyes, a momentary haze in his expression quickly replaced by clarity.
“Xiao Ge’er, it’s time to drink your medicine,” Yu Li said.
She looked at the black, bitter liquid in the bowl, a hint of sympathy appearing on her face.
To Yu Li, the medicinal decoctions of this world were akin to the mutated food of the post-apocalyptic world she had known—strange and unpleasant. She didn’t like them at all.
Fu Wenxiao, however, drank the medicine as if it were food. He even had to drink three bowls a day. It seemed pitiful to her.
Without a change in expression, Fu Wenxiao took the bowl and downed the medicine in one gulp. He then accepted the clear water she handed him to rinse his mouth. When he raised his eyes, he caught her looking at him with an expression of admiration.
Her face was easy to read.
Unable to resist, Yu Li asked, “Doesn’t it taste bad?”
The smell alone was unbearable for her. She had once been curious enough to taste the dregs of the medicine, only to confirm how awful it was—comparable to the nutrient solutions and compressed rations of the post-apocalyptic world.
Who knew what strange ingredients were in it?
“It’s not too bad,” Fu Wenxiao replied calmly.
His nonchalant attitude deepened Yu Li’s admiration. She thought to herself that although he was a sickly man, his composure was remarkable. Even while ill, he remained unperturbed, showing none of the irritable temper often seen in those suffering from chronic illness.
Yu Jin had once asked her about his illness, worried that one day her brother-in-law might pass away, leaving her elder sister as a widow.
Yu Jin also mentioned an old man in the village who had been bedridden for years. His temper became increasingly eccentric; he would frequently beat and scold people. His children hated taking care of him but, out of filial piety, couldn’t abandon him and had to endure until his death. When he finally passed, instead of mourning, his children felt relieved.
In comparison, Fu Wenxiao had a much better temperament and was a good person overall.
Though he had been bedridden for a long time, he never vented his frustration on others. He drank his medicine without complaint and was considerate toward those around him.