Yu Li carried twenty taels of silver in her sleeve as she walked along the edge of the fields.
The sky was clear and boundless, with golden sunlight so dazzling that it hurt her eyes. Walking under the sun for just a while, she was already overwhelmed by the scorching heat, her head spinning.
Yu Li walked slowly, her chest feeling heavy—both sour and desolate.
This was not her own emotion but the emotions of the original owner of this body.
In truth, after receiving the silver from Old Madam Yu’s hands, a wave of emotion had surged within her chest like boiling water, endlessly churning.
The Yu family had married her off to the Fu family to ward off bad luck, all for the sake of this twenty taels of silver.
Even though she had worked diligently and given quietly, no matter how obedient she was, her family still didn’t see her as important. They didn’t care about her thoughts, her well-being, or even her very existence—just because she was a girl.
A girl’s life was cheap, worthless, a loss to the family.
This was what she had heard most often since she was old enough to understand. Everyone told her this, and over time, even she began to feel confused and started believing it herself—that because she was a girl, her life was cheap, and she was worthless.
But was her life really that cheap?
If women’s lives were so worthless, then why were they born in the first place? Why did women even exist in this world?
No, that’s not right—without women, where would men come from?
Were women truly worthless?
Unfortunately, she couldn’t untangle the logic behind this, nor did anyone tell her how to do so.
For thousands of years, everyone had simply believed it to be true.
So, for her family to marry her off to the Fu family for twenty taels of silver—it must have been only natural, right?
Was this her fate?
Not just her—would her younger sisters also face the same future? Would they be casually married off, just for the sake of a hefty bride price? How was that any different from selling goods?
But she was a person!
A living, breathing person with flesh and blood. How could she be treated as mere merchandise?
In truth, she dared not say it, but she had never truly believed that women were just goods. Comparing women to goods—even women themselves believing they were goods—was such a profoundly tragic thing.
She felt a faint sadness about this in her heart.
“Yu Li” was silent, but that didn’t mean she was a wooden puppet without her own thoughts.
Occasionally, she would feel lost, as if the world were shrouded in a heavy haze. She couldn’t see the road ahead, couldn’t see the future, couldn’t see any hope.
She had grown weary of such a life, numbed by it.
But in the end, she realized that she still resented it all—though she didn’t even know what exactly she resented.
It wasn’t about the twenty taels of silver. Yet, somehow, it also seemed to be about those twenty taels.
Yu Li walked silently, tasting the emotions in her chest—desolation, confusion, bitterness, and despair.
As she drew closer to the Fu family’s home, the surging emotions in her chest gradually calmed.
When she stepped into the Fu family’s house, the various feelings in her heart finally disappeared, leaving no trace behind.
She lowered her head, reaching out to touch the spot over her heart. She understood that the original owner’s consciousness had completely vanished and would never return.
When the Yu family gave her those twenty taels, “she” seemed to have finally let go.
Perhaps it wasn’t letting go, but rather choosing to release herself.
Yu Li’s expression was somewhat complicated.
They had similar appearances and the same name. If there was such a thing as past lives and reincarnation, she felt that the “Yu Li” here might be her past life. There must have been countless connections between them for such a coincidence to occur—her death leading her to this world, reviving in “Yu Li’s” body, and even awakening once more.
—
“Li Niang, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Zhou Shi came out of the house and saw her standing there, clutching her chest. She couldn’t help but feel worried.
Yu Li snapped out of her thoughts, lowered her hand, and walked over as if nothing had happened. “I’m fine, Mother.”
She followed Zhou Shi into the main room.
Seeing her drenched in sweat, Zhou Shi poured her a bowl of herbal tea.
This herbal tea was brewed from wild herbs collected from the fields. Such herbs grew everywhere—along the edges of fields, at the foot of mountains, and in the woods, like common weeds. Every summer, households would boil a large pot of herbal tea, drinking it to quench thirst and beat the heat after a long day of labor.
The tea had a faint taste, carrying the unique aroma of herbs. It wasn’t unpleasant to drink, and over time, it gave a comforting sense of reassurance.
Yu Li drank two large bowls of herbal tea and then took the twenty taels of silver out of her sleeve, handing it to Zhou Shi.
Startled, Zhou Shi exclaimed, “Li Niang, where did this come from?”
Yu Li replied, “It’s the dowry from the Yu family.”
“Dowry?” Zhou Shi was confused. She couldn’t imagine the Yu family giving a dowry to a bride. If they were so generous, why would they marry off their granddaughter for just twenty taels to ward off bad luck?
Though Zhou Shi was soft-spoken, she wasn’t a fool.
At the time, she had been frantic over Fu Wenxiao’s condition, but she was well aware that the Yu family had married off their granddaughter for the twenty-tael bride price. This made her feel guilty toward Yu Li, so she had tried her best to treat her new daughter-in-law well since the marriage.
On the wedding day, Yu Li had arrived with only a shabby bundle, and the Yu family hadn’t given her any dowry. It was hard to believe they had suddenly developed a conscience and decided to make up for it now.
Yu Li pushed the silver toward her and said, “Mother, use it to buy some grain.”
She didn’t explain where the dowry had come from. In any case, it was given by the Yu family, and its origin was legitimate—there was nothing to worry about.
Although Zhou Shi was puzzled, seeing that Yu Li didn’t want to elaborate, she didn’t press further.
However, she didn’t accept the silver.
She pushed it back gently and said warmly, “Li Niang, this is the dowry given to you by the Yu family. You should keep it yourself and decide how to spend it. There’s no need to give it to me.”
Yu Li looked at her for a moment, then took back the silver and nodded slightly. “Alright, I’ll go to the city tomorrow to buy some grain and look for some work.”
“Find work?” Zhou Shi was stunned. “What kind of work are you planning to do?”
“I don’t know. I’ll go to the county town tomorrow and see.”
Zhou Shi: “…”
—
Yu Li carried the twenty taels of silver back to the room.
Fu Wenxiao was sitting by the window reading a book. Though it was the height of summer, he was dressed neatly, his face pale. He wore a simple blue robe embroidered with elegant bamboo patterns at the collar and hem, giving him a refined and leisurely air.
Yu Li entered, covered in sweat, and when she saw him, she had the illusion that even the stifling heat in the air had cooled a bit.
When she placed the silver on the table, Fu Wenxiao looked up in surprise.
He had just heard yesterday that the household was out of money, and now, today, she brought back a sum of silver—about twenty taels by the looks of it.
If he didn’t know her temperament to be simple and free from deceit, he might have thought she had robbed someone.
“This is the dowry the Yu family gave me,” Yu Li explained. “Tomorrow, I’ll use it to buy grain.”
Fu Wenxiao’s gaze flickered slightly. He didn’t ask why the Yu family had suddenly given her a dowry. From what Zhou Shi had told him about the Yu family, it was clear they valued money highly. For her to obtain this dowry, the process must have been anything but straightforward.
Yu Li looked around for a place to store the silver but, after scanning the room, realized there was nowhere suitable.
In her heart, the Fu family home was merely a temporary lodging; she didn’t see it as her own home.
It wasn’t her domain.
This room belonged to Fu Wenxiao, and her belongings amounted to nothing more than a bundle for clothes—a worn, grayish piece of cloth containing only a single change of clothing. It was truly pitiful.
Fu Wenxiao, being perceptive, immediately understood her dilemma.
His eyes briefly lingered on her shabby bundle before his expression shifted slightly. He pointed to a small box on the cabinet against the wall and said, “You can put the silver in there. In the future, you can store anything else in the cabinet as well.”
Yu Li obediently walked over, opened the cabinet, and saw that it was mostly empty—indeed, a good place for storage.
She placed the silver into the box.
Just then, she heard Fu Wenxiao ask, “You’re heading to the city tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Yu Li nodded. “I need to buy grain. There’s no need to trouble Brother Da Zhuang from next door anymore. It’s not good to keep relying on others.”
The Fu family was a household of elderly, young, and sick members. Before she married in, tasks like fetching water, chopping firewood, and running errands were handled by Da Zhuang from the neighboring Zhou family, who was always compensated.
Although the pay wasn’t much, Yu Li felt that since she could handle these tasks herself, they might as well save that money.
Fu Wenxiao gave a slight hum of acknowledgment and said, “Your clothes are worn out. Tomorrow, buy some fabric and have Mother make you a few new sets.”
Hearing this, Yu Li looked down at her clothes.
They weren’t just old; they were patched in several places. Who knew how many years she had worn them? Torn and mended, again and again. The Yu family had never spent money on new clothes for daughters of the second branch; they wore hand-me-downs from adults, altered just enough to fit.
By their thinking, having clothes to wear at all was good enough—what was there to complain about?
In contrast, the male members of the Yu family received new clothes every year, especially the scholarly men of the first branch, who were particularly particular about their attire…
Thinking of this, Yu Li suddenly felt that she had been too lenient on the Yu family. Their actions still fell far short of the fairness she sought.
Yu Li responded with a soft “Mm, I understand.”
Although she only cared about food, if she could dress better and live more comfortably, she certainly wouldn’t mind.
People weren’t born to suffer; if conditions allowed, who wouldn’t want to treat themselves better?
After putting the silver away, Yu Li told Fu Wenxiao that she would also look for work in the city tomorrow.
“… I asked my second sister, and there are quite a few jobs available in the city. Once I find a job and start earning money, I’ll buy you all some good food. I’ve heard there are lots of delicious things in the city, like malt sugar, pastries, braised meat, roast chicken…”
Fu Wenxiao watched her with amusement, noticing that the last part was what truly mattered to her.
He couldn’t help but chuckle; she was still just a child at heart. Only children would light up at the mention of tasty treats.
She kept talking, and Fu Wenxiao listened quietly, not turning a single page of the book in his hands for a long time.
When she finally finished, he asked, “Have you been to the county town before?”
“I went when I was little,” Yu Li replied.
Fu Wenxiao glanced at her, unusually concerned. “If you’re unsure of the way, you can take a boat. There’s a riverside dock at the village entrance where you can catch one. The boat is fast and will get you to the county in just over half an hour.”
Yu Li tilted her head and looked at him, saying, “I know.”
She had the original owner’s memories and knew where to catch the boat. She found his explanation odd—why bother telling her something so obvious?
Their eyes met briefly before Fu Wenxiao calmly looked away.
He casually turned a page in his book, silently noting that, while she lacked social experience, she was at least familiar with basic knowledge and the village’s workings.