The salted duck eggs, pickled at home, were halved, their oily yolks glistening temptingly.
Yu Li handed half an egg each to her three younger sisters and her parents, leaving only two halves remaining.
The rest of the family could only stew in silence, too angry to speak.
Any anger they felt evaporated, though, the moment their gaze landed on the missing roof pillar in the main hall.
The missing pillar wouldn’t cause the hall to collapse, but its absence served as a constant reminder of how it had broken. The memory of that incident was etched deeply in their minds.
After lunch, the family members went to rest. Having worked half the day in the fields, they were exhausted and needed to recharge for the afternoon.
Yu Li, however, followed Grandma Yu and Grandpa Yu to the main room.
Seeing this, Yu Laosan and his wife exchanged uneasy glances. As much as they wanted to know how Yu Li planned to demand her dowry and whether the old couple would relent, they didn’t dare involve themselves for fear of being caught in the crossfire.
—
When Yu Li stepped into the room, Grandma Yu’s scalp tingled with dread.
Grandpa Yu also eyed her warily. He knew this granddaughter of his was now bold and shameless, with great strength to back it up. She was capable of anything, and he dared not confront her directly.
“What… what do you want?” Grandma Yu asked, her tone tough but inwardly panicked.
Yu Li’s expression remained calm, her demeanor almost pleasant. “Grandma, have you prepared my dowry?”
Grandma Yu’s lips moved as though she wanted to say, What kind of shameless girl comes back to her natal home to demand her dowry?
But she knew better than to say it. If she did, this granddaughter might go crazy again, and who knew what she’d do?
Yu Li watched the silent old couple without a hint of impatience. She casually sat down on an old, paint-chipped armchair, leaned back against the chair, and gazed at them calmly.
Her posture made it clear: if they didn’t give her a dowry today, she wasn’t leaving.
Though she didn’t make a move, her quiet insistence and the piercing gaze she fixed on them kept the old couple on edge.
If it were anyone else, they’d have been thrown out without hesitation. There would be no reason for concern.
But this one? They couldn’t throw her out.
“Yu Li,” Grandpa Yu finally said, “though you are married, you are still a daughter of the Yu family. We are your grandparents. For you to force us like this… if word of this spreads, it will tarnish your reputation.”
Grandma Yu chimed in, “That’s right, Li Niang. Aren’t you afraid of ruining your reputation?”
Living in this world, how could one not care about reputation? Even Grandma Yu, as fiery as she was in her youth, cared about her name and would never have done anything to disobey her elders.
Yu Li appeared slightly puzzled. “I’m just asking for my own dowry—does that count as forcing you? If word of this gets out, people will likely understand, don’t you think?”
She wasn’t foolish and naturally understood some of the societal rules of this world.
As the saying goes, ‘Even the most just official cannot settle family disputes.’ No matter how much of a fuss she made at the Yu household, it was still a family matter, and outsiders wouldn’t bother meddling.
Moreover, the Yu family had sold her first. Now that she was asking for her dowry in return, even if the story spread, it would at most serve as gossip. No one would think she had committed a grave sin.
As long as she didn’t do anything that violated the laws of this world, nothing else truly mattered.
Grandpa Yu fully understood what she meant.
It seemed she wasn’t foolish and had decided that reputation wasn’t as important as tangible benefits. After all, in the face of practical gains, reputation sometimes didn’t count for much. What he had said earlier might scare off ignorant village women or children, but anyone with a bit of sense wouldn’t be intimidated.
After a long silence, Grandpa Yu seemed to have compromised. He asked in a low voice, “How much do you want?”
This question stumped Yu Li.
In both her lifetimes, this was her first marriage. How would she know what a dowry should include?
Even so, she didn’t let it show. With a calm demeanor, she said, “That depends on your sincerity. I’m the first granddaughter of the Yu family to get married. My dowry shouldn’t be too shabby, right?”
Grandma Yu couldn’t hold it in and cursed, “Don’t you dare—”
Before she could finish, Yu Li casually snapped off one of the armrests of the grand master’s chair and broke it into several pieces.
She did this with such ease that it seemed like the wood was made of tofu.
Grandma Yu was utterly horrified.
That grand master’s chair was an antique and a symbol of the head family’s status. Made from quality wood back in the day, it had been placed in the main room as a mark of distinction. Despite its age, the wood was still sturdy and not something that could be broken so easily.
This was clearly a threat.
Grandpa Yu’s pupils contracted slightly, and his grip on his smoking pipe tightened.
He said, “The twenty taels of silver given by the Fu family as bride price—we can give that to you as your dowry. How does that sound?”
“What?!” Grandma Yu immediately jumped up. “Old man, that money is for Jingde and Jingli’s schooling! They’re taking the county exams next year, and we still need it to grease some palms—”
Grandpa Yu’s face darkened, and he roared, “Shut up!”
Grandma Yu fell silent. Seeing his expression, she realized there was no room for negotiation. Covering her face, she began to cry, though whether she was mourning the twenty taels of silver or something else was unclear.
Grandpa Yu ignored her and stared at Yu Li with a dark, oppressive gaze. “Are you satisfied now?”
Yu Li remained calm, her face showing no trace of triumph. She nodded and said, “That will do.”
Who would have thought she’d shamelessly accept so readily? Grandpa Yu’s face twitched as he said, “Old woman, give her the money.”
Crying as she went, Grandma Yu opened a black box from the cabinet. Her fingers trembled so much that it took her a long time to unlock it.
Once she opened the box, she kept her back to Yu Li, as if afraid she might see its contents.
Yu Li didn’t care. She remained seated casually, her gaze wandering leisurely around the room.
This was the Yu family’s main house, the bedroom of Grandpa and Grandma Yu, and the largest room in the household. Though the furnishings were old, they reflected the couple’s seniority and status.
The room was dimly lit. The elderly didn’t sleep much and disliked bright lights when they rested. Whether it was day or night, the windows and doors were kept shut, filling the space with a characteristic elderly scent—not particularly pleasant.
Yu Li calmly surveyed her surroundings before her gaze fell on the two elders.
Grandpa Yu sat sullenly, his brows furrowed tightly, while Grandma Yu shakily took out twenty taels of silver from the box—some in ingots, some in loose silver—until the sum was complete.
When handing the silver to Yu Li, Grandma Yu’s heart ached so much she felt like it was bleeding. She even clung to the cloth bundle wrapping the silver, unwilling to let go.
Yu Li calmly tugged the bundle away, casually slipping it into her sleeve pouch before returning the cloth to her grandmother.
Her sleeve felt slightly heavier, but it was manageable.
She politely said, “Then I won’t disturb Grandpa and Grandma’s rest any longer. I’ll come back to visit when I have the chance.”
Neither of them replied. As Yu Li turned to leave, Grandpa Yu’s gaze turned dark and venomous, filled with hatred.
Yu Li noticed but didn’t care.
Just an old man. Even if he hates me, what can he do? Nothing but impotent rage.
After Yu Li left, Grandma Yu choked on a sob before breaking into loud wails.
She cried bitterly, wailing and complaining, “Old man, why did you agree to give it to her? What about Jingde and Jingli’s county exams next year?”
It was precisely because her two grandsons would be taking the county exams next year and needed money for bribes and expenses that she had her sights set on the twenty-tael bride price from the Fu family. Now that it was gone, her heart ached terribly.
Of course, losing the twenty taels wouldn’t put the Yu family in dire straits, but scholarly pursuits were expensive. There would be the academy exams, the provincial exams, and perhaps even the imperial exams in the future—all of which required money.
Grandma Yu wanted to save as much as possible for her two grandsons’ education and didn’t want them to suffer any hardship.
Grandpa Yu took a silent puff from his dry tobacco pipe and said coldly, “The way we gave her the money today is the way we’ll take it back from her in the future.”
“What?” Grandma Yu looked up at him.
Grandpa Yu’s tone was harsh and ruthless. “Let her have her moment of arrogance for now. When the eldest son returns, we’ll deal with her.”
Grandma Yu’s crying paused. Thinking of their capable eldest son, her distress eased slightly.
In her eyes, the twenty taels of silver already belonged to the Yu family, and losing even a single coin to Yu Li felt like bleeding her dry. But with Grandpa Yu’s reassurance, she began eagerly anticipating the eldest son’s return.
Unfortunately, the eldest son had said he would only return to the village after the Chen family finished their wedding celebrations, which would take some time. Grandma Yu could do nothing but endure for now.
Although she was temporarily appeased, her heart still ached terribly.
Unable to hold it in, she stormed out of the main house, marched to the west room, and banged loudly on the door, calling out Yu Lao’er and his wife. As soon as they stepped out, she unleashed a torrent of abuse.
“You useless pair! Can’t even control your own daughter! What kind of parents are as spineless as you? Look at you two—good for nothing but eating filth. Even the maggots in manure are more useful than you! Your entire lives will amount to nothing. When you die, you’ll have no son to send you off, no legacy left behind—just lonely ghosts starving to death!”
Her voice was so full of vigor that everyone in the Yu household could hear her.
Inside, Yu Jin and her sisters didn’t come out. They let Grandma Yu continue her ranting.
In the third branch’s house, Yu Laosan and Wang Shi heard the commotion and immediately guessed that Yu Li must have taken the dowry.
Otherwise, how could Grandma Yu be this furious, taking it all out on Yu Lao’er and his wife?
Wang Shi, burning with curiosity about how much Yu Li had taken, didn’t dare ask directly. Instead, she muttered angrily, “I’ve never seen such useless people in my life. Whether as a son, daughter-in-law, or parents, they’re utterly spineless. Pathetic to the core.”
From the bottom of her heart, she looked down on Yu Lao’er and his wife.
Yu Laosan was equally frustrated. Although the family favored the eldest branch, all the property in the house would eventually be divided among them when the time came. Whatever Yu Li had taken now felt like a loss to his share as well.