Upon hearing Fu Wenxiao’s words, Yu Li’s reaction wasn’t one of joy or relief; instead, her expression turned somewhat subtle.
She tilted her head to look at him and spoke slowly, “That wouldn’t be appropriate, would it?”
Fu Wenxiao asked, “What’s inappropriate about it?”
He seemed oblivious to the look on her face, remaining utterly composed, as if the issue of having no money or food at home was of no consequence. His calmness made it seem as though nothing in the world could stir his concern.
“Your health isn’t good; how can I let you go and do work?” Yu Li said seriously. “If anyone’s going to work, it has to be me.”
She couldn’t allow a sick person to go out and labor.
Fu Wenxiao’s expression paused for a moment, and then he suddenly said, “Li Niang, come here.”
Yu Li didn’t understand his intent but obediently walked over to stand in front of him, looking down at him from above.
He was sitting on the bed, while she stood at its edge, towering over him.
Even so, his posture didn’t appear weak. His relaxed demeanor easily made people overlook his frailty and focus instead on him as a person.
Fu Wenxiao didn’t mind. He looked into her eyes, as though peering deeply into her soul, gazing past the surface to the essence beneath. His voice was gentle as he said, “Li Niang, aren’t you feeling unwell too?”
Hearing this, Yu Li’s face showed a trace of confusion. She tilted her head slightly but didn’t respond.
After a long while, she asked, “Why do you think… I’m unwell?”
By asking this, she indirectly admitted that her body indeed had issues.
Fu Wenxiao smiled faintly and said, “Maybe it’s because I’ve been sick for so long that I can empathize.”
In truth, whether a person’s health was good or bad would always manifest in their physical actions or words. No matter how strong their willpower or how much they tried to feign indifference, certain bodily reactions couldn’t be concealed.
Fu Wenxiao, having spent much time bedridden, was particularly observant. He understood the kinds of reactions that indicated physical discomfort.
Yu Li did act like a normal person—so normal that no one would notice her discomfort. However, sharing the same bed and spending day and night together allowed him to detect certain clues.
For instance, when she slept, she would fall into a very deep sleep, as if using rest to adjust and repair her body.
Yet, if he made the slightest movement, she would wake up instantly. Though she appeared calm and acted quickly after waking, it seemed she had never truly entered deep sleep.
Still, from her slightly sluggish demeanor, it was evident that her physical discomfort affected her.
Yu Li was merely surprised and said, “It’s not that bad; it doesn’t really affect me.”
Unless her body was in extreme discomfort, it didn’t hinder her. Even if she had to fight, she believed she wouldn’t lose.
Unless she was up against one of those bloodthirsty aberrations, in which case defeat might be inevitable, and the price of losing would be her life.
Fu Wenxiao smiled again. His smile was elegant and gentle, like snow falling in the moonlight—pure, serene, and beautiful.
“I don’t know the exact condition of your body, but clearly, you’re not well. Don’t push yourself too hard,” he said with a smile. “Li Niang, don’t worry. You won’t go hungry.”
Having realized that her body might not be well, he considered whether he should find a doctor to examine her. However, the thought was quickly dismissed.
He wasn’t the type to meddle unnecessarily. Since she hadn’t mentioned it, it was likely unnecessary—or perhaps she had her reservations.
Putting himself in her shoes, he also disliked others prying too much into his own affairs, whether good or bad.
Yu Li shook her head and insisted, “It’s fine. I can do it.”
Fu Wenxiao was somewhat surprised and asked, “Why do you insist so much?”
If it were an ordinary girl, learning that her husband’s family was willing to earn money to support her, sparing her the need to step out and work hard, she should be happy, right?
Of course, she wasn’t an ordinary girl…
Yu Li decided to speak the truth. “The old are old, the young are young, the sick are sick. If this household doesn’t rely on me, there’s no other way.”
Faced with such a situation, she resolved to take up the responsibility of supporting the family.
In her previous life, she had been busy with all kinds of dangerous tasks and had little interaction with people, to the point that she didn’t even know how to get along with others.
However, in recent days, when her body was unwell, the Fu family not only provided her a place to stay but also gave her enough food to help her recover from her initial weakness. Zhou Shi was gentle and kind, the two children were innocent and adorable, and even though Fu Wenxiao was frail and sickly, he had a good temperament and never minded her eating a lot…
To arrive in an unfamiliar world and encounter kind-hearted people—it was a fortunate thing.
Now that she was temporarily staying at the Fu family’s home, and their food had been consumed ahead of time because of her, she saw it as her responsibility to repay their kindness by doing something in return.
Fu Wenxiao fell silent.
She was truly honest to an excessive degree, leaving him speechless.
In her eyes, as someone on the brink of death, whatever he did was probably wrong.
—
Although she said she would find work and earn money to support the family, for the moment, Yu Li didn’t know what kind of work to look for.
In the memories of her original body, the ways for a rural family to earn money were limited.
Women skilled in needlework could do embroidery and send their finished pieces to embroidery shops in the county, like Zhou Shi and Yu Yin did.
Alternatively, they could wash clothes for others. This work didn’t require much skill, but the pay was minimal.
There was also the option of working as a porter at the dock in the county, carrying heavy loads for hard-earned money. This work was typically done by men, and few women chose to do it. Lastly, there was the option of working as long-term or short-term laborers for wealthy households, spending all day in the fields.
Apart from needlework, Yu Li felt that she could handle the other kinds of work.
She had strength. Whether it was washing clothes, carrying loads at the dock, or working as a long-term or short-term laborer, she could do it.
Probably?
Seeing that Fu Wenxiao was feeling slightly better and no longer required her constant attention, Yu Li went to Yu’s house again to mooch a meal.
Recently, because of Fu Wenxiao’s illness, Yu Li hadn’t come to the Yu household for breakfast in several days. However, Yu Jin had still saved breakfast for her. If Yu Li didn’t come, her sisters would divide the meal among themselves and leave some for their parents.
These days, the members of the second branch of the Yu family had been eating their fill every day.
“Eldest Sister, you’re here!”
Seeing Yu Li, Yu Jin and her sisters were delighted. They quickly brought over the breakfast that was on the stove.
As for the rest of the Yu family, they often avoided being home during the day out of fear of running into Yu Li. They didn’t realize she hadn’t been coming for breakfast these past few days—otherwise, they would have been thrilled.
Yu Jin asked with concern, “Eldest Sister, how is Brother-in-law’s health?”
Yu Yin and Yu Zhu also looked at Yu Li with nervous expressions.
Although they had never met this brother-in-law of theirs, they were naturally concerned about him. Even though Yu Li had married into the Fu family nearly a month ago, they had yet to meet Fu Wenxiao due to his poor health and their reluctance to disturb him. Thus, until now, they hadn’t seen this brother-in-law of theirs.
Not only her sisters but also most people in the village had never seen Fu Wenxiao and didn’t know what he looked like.
Three years ago, Fu Wenxiao came to Qingshi Village. Due to his poor health, he had been staying behind closed doors. The village had a custom: if a household had a sick person, it was best not to visit casually, to avoid bringing bad luck.
Of course, Yu Jin and her sisters weren’t afraid of this, but the rest of the Yu family certainly cared and wouldn’t let them visit. Thus, it wasn’t appropriate for them to go uninvited.
They had heard that Fu Wenxiao’s health was poor, though they didn’t know the specifics. Since their eldest sister had already married into the Fu family and the family seemed to treat her well, they naturally hoped he would live a long life. The last thing they wanted was for him to die and leave their eldest sister a widow.
Although widows were allowed to remarry in these times, the label of “widow” was still unpleasant. It often came with rumors of being cursed or having a hard fate, and they didn’t want their eldest sister to suffer such humiliation.
Yu Li said, “For now, he’s still breathing.”
The three sisters: “….”
Eldest Sister, do you even hear yourself? What do you mean by “for now, he’s still breathing”? Are you saying he might stop breathing any day?
Yu Li was speaking the truth. In her eyes, the difference between the living and the dead was simply whether they could breathe or not.
Fu Wenxiao was a frail man, and his breathing was weaker than that of ordinary people. Listening to his shallow breaths as she fell asleep each night often gave her the feeling that he might stop breathing at any moment.
Seeing Yu Li’s calm demeanor, Yu Jin figured that her brother-in-law was probably fine for now.
Feeling slightly relieved, she said, “Eldest Sister, a few days ago, Grandma and Third Uncle delivered grain to Eldest Uncle’s family in the county. I think they might have gone to ask Eldest Uncle for advice on how to deal with you…”
Yu Li, who was eating, raised her head at these words and looked at her.
Yu Yin’s expression changed slightly, nervously tugging at her sleeve, while the youngest sister, Yu Zhu, didn’t understand and blinked in confusion.
She looked at her older sisters with curiosity and mumbled, “Eldest Uncle’s family is so lucky. They get to live in the county and eat refined grains. I’ve never been to the county before…”
Not just her—Yu Jin and Yu Yin hadn’t been there either. Every time they saw their eldest aunt take Yu Qin and Yu Jingzong to the county, they could only watch enviously.
Hearing this, Yu Li only responded with a light hum and continued eating, as if she didn’t care at all.
Yu Jin, who already had great confidence in her, felt even more reassured seeing her reaction. Yu Yin, who had been a little worried, also relaxed.
As long as Yu Li wasn’t concerned, they wouldn’t worry either. They now had an almost blind faith in her—faith that even surpassed their trust in their own parents.
Yu Jin smiled slightly and continued, “Eldest Uncle has limited days off each month, so he probably won’t be back until next month’s holiday. Oh, by the way, this time Eldest Aunt, Qin Niang, and Zong Ge’er have stayed in the county for quite a while and haven’t returned yet. I think it’s probably because there’s some matter at Scholar Chen’s household…”