Zhou Shi sat in the shade under the eaves with two children, holding a needle and thread, embroidering flowers on a handkerchief.
Her needlework was quite good. Usually, she made small items like handkerchiefs and pouches, entrusted villagers to take them to the county town’s fabric store to sell, and could earn a bit of money.
The two young children nestled beside her, whispering quietly to each other.
“Brother, has Uncle woken up?”
“He probably hasn’t.”
“Then has Aunt woken up?”
“…She hasn’t either.”
Hearing the sound of a door opening, the three of them turned their heads in unison.
Seeing Yu Li come out of the room, Zhou Shi quickly stood up and said, “Li Niang, you’re awake. Go wash up. There’s bean porridge on the stove.”
Yu Li responded softly, recalling the scene from last night’s wedding, and said, “Thank you, Mother.”
A smile appeared on Zhou Shi’s face. She set down her work and went to the kitchen to bring out breakfast, placing it on the table in the main hall.
In the countryside, there weren’t so many formalities. Receiving guests, eating, and resting usually took place in the main hall.
Yu Li first went to the latrine.
She had drunk too much water last night, and upon waking, her bladder felt unbearably full. This reminded her once again that her current body was no longer the genetically enhanced warrior of her past life, capable of digesting anything she consumed.
While washing up, Yu Li stared at the water basin and saw a pale, emaciated face.
The facial features were very similar to those of her previous life, but because of her extreme thinness, it wasn’t attractive. If not for her youth, such thinness might even have appeared unsightly.
The same name, similar appearance… Yu Li even felt an illusion that the original owner of this body was herself.
Breakfast was bean porridge with pickled vegetables—very common countryside fare.
Qingshi Village was located in the southern part of the Great Qing Dynasty, near the residence of the Baiyi Tribe in the south. The staple food here was rice, along with a variety of legumes.
The pickled vegetables were homemade, sliced finely, and paired perfectly with porridge.
Yu Li first cautiously took a sip of the bean porridge, then paused for a moment before starting to drink it in large gulps. Her expression was devout, devout and earnest, as though even the pickled vegetable chunks tasted like a grand banquet.
The sunlight soon reached the shade under the eaves, prompting Zhou Shi to bring the two children into the main hall.
The main hall was well-ventilated, with a breeze flowing in from outside, making it very cool in the summer.
Since Yu Li appeared, the two children had stopped talking.
They secretly observed her with both vigilance and curiosity, scrutinizing her as a stranger. When they saw her expression while eating, the two children were puzzled. They couldn’t help but lean forward to see what she was eating and why it seemed so delicious.
Their little heads stretched further and further, like two ducklings craning their necks, amusing Zhou Shi to no end.
“Yanhui, Yansheng, what are you two looking at?” she asked the children.
Yu Li also turned to look at the two children who had nearly leaned over.
The pair appeared to be about four or five years old—a boy and a girl. Zhou Shi had taken good care of them; they were fair, clean, and obedient, sitting there like two round, plump dumplings.
The dumpling-like children were clearly startled by her and immediately shrank their necks back.
Zhou Shi took the opportunity to introduce them to Yu Li, “This is the older brother, Yanhui, and this is the younger sister, Yansheng.” Then she turned to the two children and said, “Good children, quickly greet your aunt.”
The two children obediently said, “Aunt.”
Yu Li glanced at them, thought of something, and went back to her room to retrieve a bundle. She rummaged through it and took out two small pouches.
She handed the pouches to them, saying, “These are meeting gifts.”
It was customary to present meeting gifts to the younger family members on the second day of marriage during the visit to the in-laws. However, this marriage was rather unusual—the groom was still unconscious in his room—so some of the formalities were skipped, but the meeting gift was still a requirement.
Zhou Shi was very surprised and smiled. “Li Niang, you even prepared this?”
The wedding had been rushed and kept simple. Zhou Shi hadn’t expected Yu Li to serve tea or observe any other formal rituals. As long as Fu Wenxiao remained unconscious, she didn’t have the heart to worry about such things.
“It wasn’t me who prepared it. It was my third sister,” Yu Li answered honestly.
Knowing that Fu Wenxiao had two young nieces and nephews, Yu Li’s third sister had slipped two small pouches into her belongings, assuming they’d be needed as meeting gifts.
Zhou Shi didn’t have much of an impression of the second branch of the Yu family’s daughters. These girls always had endless chores and rarely came out, so even the villagers weren’t very familiar with them.
The two pouches were made from scraps of cloth, without any elaborate patterns, but the colors were harmoniously matched, and the designs were adorable, perfectly suited to children’s tastes. It was clear that the person who made them was quite thoughtful.
“They’re very pretty,” Zhou Shi said with a smile.
The two children also loved the pouches and chirped, “Thank you, Auntie.”
Then they took the pouches and went off to play nearby.
After Yu Li finished breakfast, Zhou Shi fetched a basin of water and carried it into the eastern wing where Fu Wenxiao resided.
Yu Li, having nothing else to do, thought for a moment and followed her.
Zhou Shi brought the water to wash Fu Wenxiao. Although her youngest son remained unconscious in bed, she continued to take meticulous care of him, cleaning his body to prevent sores from forming on his back due to prolonged immobility in the sweltering summer heat.
When Zhou Shi saw Yu Li follow her in, a hint of satisfaction appeared in her heart, and her gaze toward Yu Li became noticeably softer.
She said, “Li Niang, Xiao Ge’er is someone who likes to stay clean. He needs his body wiped down daily. The doctor said this can prevent sores from forming if he lies in bed for too long. Now that you’re Xiao Ge’er’s wife, you’ll need to take on this task in the future…”
With her youngest son now having a wife, Zhou Shi figured that she wouldn’t have to personally handle such chores anymore.
Yu Li stared blankly at her, then nodded.
She recalled a line from the original owner’s memory—something Grandmother Yu had once said to the Yu family: “That Fu Wenxiao is bound to die sooner or later. What a ridiculous idea, calling it a Chong Xi. Isn’t it just buying a maid to serve them?”
It wasn’t unreasonable for Grandmother Yu to think this way. The Fu family had previously been merchants, which, to the farming villagers, meant they were wealthy. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to return to the village, buy land, and build a brick house. Though not large, it was impressive enough to catch the villagers’ attention.
And on top of that, Fu Wenxiao was a money-draining burden—just his medical expenses were astronomical.
The Fu family was now filled with elderly, sickly, and weak members. If they truly wanted to buy a maid to help with household chores, it wouldn’t have been surprising.
The Yu family hadn’t taken this marriage seriously at all. They believed that while it was nominally a Chong Xi, in reality, it was just sending someone to the Fu family as a maid.
To them, Yu Li was nothing more than a maid bought by the Fu family.
Yu Li’s understanding of this world came entirely from the memories of the original owner.
From the original owner’s memory, Yu Li understood that the Yu family believed she had been sent to the Fu family as a maid.
If she was a maid, it seemed she had to work.
Anyway, she had nowhere else to go. Being a maid temporarily wasn’t a big deal. After all, the Fu family was much better than the Yu family. At least Zhou Shi gave her food—just now, she had eaten a big bowl of thick bean porridge.
Such bean porridge would have never been her share in the Yu family.
In the Yu family, where boys were valued over girls, the daughters only got coarse rice porridge mixed with wild vegetables. There were barely any grains of rice in it, and its bitter taste often scratched the throat.
After giving instructions, Zhou Shi wrung out a towel and began cleaning the face of the person on the bed.
Since there was a patient in the room, the doors and windows were kept closed. It was a common belief of the time that patients couldn’t be exposed to wind, which might invite harmful “wind ailments.” As a result, the room was dimly lit, and the air smelled a bit stale.
Yu Li stood by the bedside, helping Zhou Shi with small tasks.
After cleaning his face, Zhou Shi prepared to lift the man on the bed and clean his body. Seeing her struggle to support the unconscious man, Yu Li reached out and easily lifted him upright.
Zhou Shi stared at her in surprise.
Yu Li also stared back at Zhou Shi, tilting her head slightly, as if asking, ‘Is something wrong?’
“Li Niang, you’re very strong,” Zhou Shi said, recalling how Old Madam Yu had once mentioned her strength. Apparently, it was true.
Judging by how effortlessly Yu Li managed, it didn’t seem like she used much strength at all.
To be clear, although Fu Wenxiao had been bedridden for a long time, he was still an eight chi1In ancient Chinese measurements, “eight chi” (八尺) roughly equates to 6 feet tall in modern terms, depending on the era. man. Every time Zhou Shi had to lift him to change his clothes, it was a struggle.
Yu Li thought to herself, ‘This is nothing.’ Although she was now too weak to lift a large water jar, carrying a grown man was still within her ability.
She sighed inwardly, lamenting how weak she had become. She needed to recover her health as soon as possible.
Zhou Shi merely marveled for a moment before continuing her work.
In no time, they had cleaned and dressed Fu Wenxiao in fresh clothes, leaving him lying neatly on the bed.
In the dim light, Yu Li took a closer look at the man on the bed. His face was deathly pale, resembling that of a corpse. His skin was cold to the touch, his breathing faint and barely perceptible. It was hard to tell when he might pass away.
In her past life, she had witnessed countless deaths. However, those people had all died after mutating into monsters due to contamination, rarely leaving intact corpses behind. This was the first time she had seen someone quietly waiting for death. Curious, she couldn’t help but take a few more looks.
Zhou Shi gazed at her unconscious youngest son, her face filled with sorrow as she lowered her head to wipe away tears.
Yu Li stood there in a daze, watching her silently weep, her expression somewhat blank.
In the apocalypse, wandering through dangerous wilderness, death was a common occurrence for gene warriors like her. She couldn’t empathize with such grief, but out of consideration, she refrained from saying anything.
At noon, Yu Li had another meal of coarse rice porridge with pickled vegetables, accompanied by a bowl of vegetable soup.
This was ordinary fare for rural families, bland and tasteless. However, when they saw her expression, even Zhou Shi began to wonder if the food on the table was some kind of rare delicacy. The two children were even more influenced, eating an extra half bowl of vegetable soup and coarse rice porridge, their little bellies unusually full.
In the end, Zhou Shi attributed it to the Yu family’s cruelty in not feeding her properly. That must have left her thinking even coarse rice porridge and vegetable soup were delicacies.
What a pitiful sight.
And so, the day passed uneventfully.
Yu Li was very satisfied with the day’s life. What pleased her most was the Fu family’s generosity. Unlike the original owner’s memories of being rationed food, eating less than a cat, forbidden from sharing a table with men, and forced to eat in the stifling heat of the kitchen, the Fu family treated her much better.
She was still ill and needed to recover her health, so she could only eat more to nourish her body back to strength.