When Yu Li returned to the butcher shop, the morning market was already halfway over, but there were still many people coming to buy meat.
The alley where the butcher shop was located had a heavy flow of people. Around it, there were various small stalls selling homegrown vegetables, fresh fish and eggs, or seasonal fruits, forming a small marketplace.
Some were even selling firewood, making it a lively scene.
The other people at the butcher shop had gone out to make deliveries, leaving only Zhang Yaoping to manage the shop. With so many customers buying meat, he was inevitably overwhelmed.
Yu Li put down the bamboo basket she was carrying and went over to lend a hand, helping with tasks like calculating costs and collecting payments.
Her mental arithmetic was excellent. As soon as Zhang Yaoping finished weighing the meat, she would already announce the price. When giving change, she didn’t even need to count; she would just reach into the basket of copper coins and pull out the exact amount.
With her assistance, the pressure on Zhang Yaoping was immediately reduced. All he had to do was focus on cutting and weighing the meat.
Most of the customers were neighbors from the surrounding area and were very familiar with the butcher shop. Seeing that there was an additional person helping, they were surprised.
While buying meat, they asked:
“Little Zhang, did your shop hire someone new?”
“Why did you hire a young lady?”
“This young lady is so good at math! She calculates so quickly and accurately, and she doesn’t even need to look when grabbing the copper coins—yet she doesn’t make mistakes. Was she in business before?”
“Hey, but this girl is a bit skinny. Has she not been eating enough?”
Everyone chatted away, and Zhang Yaoping responded warmly despite being busy.
“Yes, she’s new to our shop. Her last name is Yu.”
“Sister Yu is literate, so naturally, math is no trouble for her.”
Though he himself was amazed at Yu Li’s ability to do mental arithmetic, her presence indeed made his work much easier. The more he interacted with her, the more he felt that Yu Li seemed capable of anything, earning his deep admiration.
Before today, he had never been so impressed by anyone.
When the customers heard that Yu Li was literate, their perception of her immediately changed.
At first, they thought that such a skinny girl was probably from a poor family; otherwise, why would she come to a butcher shop to find work? Who would have guessed that she could read?
With the “literate” filter, Yu Li was no longer seen as a destitute young woman in their eyes.
She might be thin and plain-looking, but she was literate.
The customers’ attitude toward Yu Li became noticeably more polite, and they didn’t dare to treat her as casually as they did Zhang Yaoping.
Fortunately, Yu Li wasn’t the type of person to be overly friendly. She couldn’t bring herself to greet every customer with a smile or engage in small talk like Zhang Yaoping did.
Since they didn’t bother her, she felt all the more at ease.
When the rush of customers subsided and the shop wasn’t as busy, Zhang Yaoping took the opportunity to drink some water and rest for a moment.
Wiping his sweat, he asked, “Sister Yu, have you finished your deliveries?”
Yu Li gave a soft “Mm” in response.
“You’re really quick! Uncle Qi and the others haven’t come back yet,” Zhang Yaoping exclaimed in surprise. Then he added, “Thanks so much for helping earlier. I didn’t expect you to be so good at math. That’s amazing!”
“It’s nothing,” Yu Li replied flatly, not thinking that being able to do math was anything remarkable.
At this moment, Zhang Yaoping said, “Sister Yu, let me treat you to a meal sometime.” Such a capable elder sister definitely needed to be kept on good terms.
Yu Li immediately replied, “Sure!”
As they were talking, Zhang Fu and Tu Laoda returned from their deliveries. The two had come back together since their delivery destinations were closer by.
Seeing that Yu Li was already back, Zhang Fu was equally surprised. “Li Niang, when did you get back?”
Yu Li replied, “A while ago.”
Zhang Fu marveled, “It seems you’re quite fast. Want to deliver to a few more places tomorrow?”
“Sure!” Yu Li didn’t decline. Delivering to more places meant earning several more copper coins, and she was very willing to do it.
If not for the fact that meat deliveries had to be made early in the morning, she would even be happy to deliver meat across the entire county. It was just running errands, after all, and she didn’t find it tiring.
When Zhang Fu and the others returned, Yu Li took the package of braised meat from her bamboo basket and handed it to Zhang Fu.
She conveyed the chef’s instructions to them. “This is from Chef Bao at Fulai Restaurant. He said he’ll need two more pig heads tomorrow to make braised dishes.”
Zhang Fu nodded. “Got it.”
Leaving Zhang Yaoping to continue tending the shop, Zhang Fu invited Yu Li inside to rest and grab something to eat.
They had been up before dawn, doing physical labor, and by the time they finished their deliveries, their stomachs were already growling. There were still some large meat buns left from the morning, which they could use to fill their stomachs.
The three of them weren’t too particular about it. Sitting in the courtyard, they ate the cold meat buns alongside the braised meat.
The weather was hot, but the braised meat could be eaten cold, and it tasted delicious.
Zhang Fu commented as he ate, “Chef Bao’s braised meat has improved again. This flavor could soon become Fulai Restaurant’s signature dish.”
Tu Laoda agreed, “Indeed.”
Yu Li munched on a meat bun paired with braised meat, her cheeks puffed up as she ate, and she could only nod in agreement.
The braised meat was indeed as fragrant as its aroma suggested. The meat was cooked until it was soft, tender, and aromatic—another delicacy she had tasted.
Yu Li felt deeply moved. She had already eaten several delicious foods today.
Zhang Fu found it amusing to watch. “Li Niang, are you hungry again?”
“Yes!” Yu Li swallowed the bun in her mouth. “I have a big appetite. Should I contribute some money for the meals?”
Because they started work so early, the butcher shop provided them with free breakfast. Breakfast was usually prepared by the bun shop, with options like buns or noodles, alternating to prevent boredom. Most importantly, the food was made from refined white flour, far superior to coarse grains.
Zhang Fu waved his hand dismissively. “How could we take your money? This butcher shop hasn’t fallen so low that we can’t even provide breakfast for you all! You come over before dawn and do physical work, so of course, we have to make sure you’re well-fed.”
Yu Li hesitated. “But I eat a lot…”
“That’s nothing! Eat as much as you want!” Zhang Fu said grandly. “Tomorrow we’ll slaughter a few more pigs. We’ll make more money then, so you can eat as much as you like.”
After all, this was the benefactor who saved Young Master Xuan’s life. No matter how much she wanted to eat, he didn’t find it excessive.
Eat, just eat!
So what if she ate a little more? Did he look like someone who couldn’t afford it?
Yu Li didn’t expect Zhang Fu to be so generous, not minding how much she ate. She felt deeply moved and said, “Thank you, Uncle Zhang.”
Since coming to this world, she found that all the people she encountered were kind.
She was truly lucky.
Hearing her call him “Uncle Zhang,” Zhang Fu instantly choked on his food.
After hesitating for a moment, he thickened his skin and said, “Li Niang, could you not call me Uncle Zhang? It makes me sound so old. I’m not even married yet!”
Yu Li blinked, then replied, “Then I’ll call you Brother Zhang.”
He was the boss who paid her wages and ensured she had enough to eat. Changing the way she addressed him to show gratitude for his generosity seemed only right.
Now it was Tu Laoda’s turn to choke.
He was only two years older than Zhang Fu, yet now Zhang Fu was “Brother Zhang,” and he was still “Uncle Lao.” What was this nonsense?
After finishing the buns and braised meat, Zhang Fu calculated Yu Li’s wages for the day. They had agreed earlier that wages would be paid daily, and since Yu Li was exceptionally capable, Zhang Fu settled her pay very happily.
She had carried over 100 jin of meat by herself, making deliveries to 13 households—more than either he or Tu Laoda had managed.
Even without the connection to Xuan Huaiqing, Zhang Fu felt hiring Yu Li was absolutely worth it.
The butcher shop started work early, but it also ended early.
By the time the deliveries were done, there wasn’t much else to do. Except for Zhang Yaoping, who had to watch the shop, the others were free to rest. It wasn’t even mid-morning yet, barely the hour of Si (9–11 a.m.).
Yu Li received her 165 copper coins, packed up, and prepared to leave.
Tu Laoda said to her, “Li Niang, tomorrow I’ll wait for you at the village entrance so we can go into town together. You don’t have to come so early—you can sleep an extra half hour.” Then he muttered under his breath, “Young girls should sleep more. Don’t wear yourself out.”
Yu Li readily agreed.
–
After leaving the butcher shop, Yu Li thought for a moment and decided to head to Jinhua Embroidery Workshop.
Last night, after returning from the Yu family, Zhou Shi finally made up her mind to try embroidering a table screen. She asked Yu Li to buy some materials and embroidery threads from the workshop when she went into town today.
The embroidery shop was quiet in the morning, with few customers. When Yu Li entered, the shopkeeper recognized her and smiled. “What would you like to buy today, miss?”
Yu Li listed the items she needed.
The shopkeeper immediately understood and said cheerfully, “Your mother-in-law is finally going to embroider a table screen?” This was wonderful news.
The magistrate’s wife admired Zhou Shi’s embroidery and had once lamented that Zhou Shi only made small items like handkerchiefs and pouches, never larger pieces. If Zhou Shi embroidered a table screen and brought it here, even if the magistrate’s wife didn’t buy it, some discerning noblewoman surely would. It would definitely sell.
In the shopkeeper’s opinion, Zhou Shi’s embroidery skills were comparable to those of the embroiderers from prominent families in the provincial capital. She must have been trained by a master.
But he couldn’t figure out why someone with such exquisite embroidery skills would stay in the countryside.
Could it be that she was once a maidservant of a noble family who had bought her freedom and returned home to marry?
As the shopkeeper was wrapping up the materials and threads Yu Li had requested, some customers entered the shop.
The newcomers were two young women and a young man, all in their teens. One of the girls, slightly older, was dressed in a lavish and elegant style, clearly from a wealthy family.
The shop assistant recognized the well-dressed girl immediately. She was the daughter of the Yang family, wealthy merchants from the county.
The Yang family’s daughter was eighteen this year. While her appearance was ordinary, her demeanor was notably refined, and with some effort in dressing up, she could appear quite attractive.
It was said that she was already engaged and would be married this month. As someone who frequently visited the embroidery shop to buy clothes, she was well-known to them as a valuable customer.
However, the pair of young people accompanying her—a boy and a girl—looked unfamiliar, as they rarely came to the shop.
When the younger girl addressed the Yang family daughter as “sister-in-law,” it became clear that they were relatives from her future husband’s side of the family.
–
Yu Li had just collected her items and was about to leave when a voice suddenly called out.
“Li Niang?”
Yu Li turned in the direction of the voice and saw the three young people not far away. Her gaze swept over them and rested on a girl of about fifteen, whom she recognized.
It was Yu Qin.
Yu Qin bore some resemblance to her mother, Chen Shi. She was a delicate and pretty girl, wearing a honey-colored buttoned jacket and adorned with a beaded coronet, completely embodying the appearance of a well-off city dweller.
By comparison, Yu Li looked like a country bumpkin.
Dressed in coarse linen clothes, her garments were dull and grayish. To facilitate her work, her hair was casually tied at the back of her head, portraying the image of a poor and struggling laborer from the lower class.
Her sallow face and thin frame only added to this impression, making her look like someone who didn’t get enough to eat.
Even the shopkeeper glanced over in surprise, not expecting this impoverished country girl to know someone from the city.
Could they be relatives?
That made sense—after all, even emperors had poor relatives. Naturally, city dwellers could also have countryside kin.
Yu Li felt nothing about the situation.
Even with Yu Qin appearing before her, well-dressed and radiant, making her own plainness stand out starkly, Yu Li was neither flustered nor ashamed. Instead, she calmly looked at Yu Qin and nodded slightly as a greeting.
Yu Qin, however, seemed quite surprised to see her here. She asked, “Li Niang, what are you doing here? You…” Her gaze swept over Yu Li in disbelief, and she blurted out, “You seem to have put on some weight.”
It had been over a month since Yu Qin last saw Yu Li, and upon seeing her now, she indeed appeared slightly less gaunt than before.
Hearing this, the shopkeeper and the shop assistant exchanged peculiar looks.
They glanced at Yu Li—this girl was already so thin, yet someone said she had gained weight? Just how emaciated had she been before? They couldn’t even imagine it.
Then they looked at Yu Qin, who was clearly a pampered young lady. Her skin was fair, her complexion rosy, and the contrast with Yu Li was stark.
Yu Li said nothing. Although she and Yu Qin were cousins, they had never been close growing up and had little to say to each other.
She was about to leave when an unpleasant voice, hoarse like a drake’s, cut through the air.
“Cousin Qin, who’s this ugly wretch? How do you even know someone so hideous?”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Yu Qin scolded lightly but not sternly. “She’s my second uncle’s daughter.”
The speaker was a boy around fourteen or fifteen. While his appearance was decent and his attire respectable, his expression of disdain was revolting. Even the shopkeeper and the staff couldn’t help but glance at him. A boy so young, calling a girl “ugly wretch” without a second thought, was shockingly rude.
Yu Qin turned to Yu Li and said, “Li Niang, this is my cousin from my maternal uncle’s family, Cheng Ge’er—Chen Jicheng. He’s still young and speaks without thinking, so please don’t take offense.”
The Yang family’s daughter standing nearby furrowed her brows slightly.
She glanced at the scene before her with a hint of impatience but ultimately said nothing.
Chen Jicheng suddenly understood and sneered, “Cousin Qin, so she’s actually one of your second uncle’s daughters! I heard your second uncle only has four daughters, and all of them are ugly—really ugly. Oh my, how can a girl be this ugly? She looks nothing like you. Having such an ugly cousin must make you feel so embarrassed…”
As he spoke, Yu Li began walking toward him.
The boy, oblivious to the dangers of the world, was about to mock her again when, suddenly, a slap came out of nowhere and struck him hard. He was sent flying to the ground.
Everyone: “…”
The entire room froze in shock.
Even the previously impatient Yang family daughter widened her eyes, staring in astonishment at Yu Li, who had just acted without warning.
Yu Qin finally snapped out of it and let out a shriek. “What are you doing?!” She yelled angrily, “Li Niang, how could you hit someone? Is this how Second Uncle and Second Aunt raised you? I’m going to tell Grandma!”
Yu Li looked at her calmly. “Do you want to get hit too?”
Yu Qin’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she instinctively took a step back, her expression tinged with embarrassment and anger.
“You—you want to hit me?” she stammered in disbelief. “Li Niang, how can you hit people? That’s wrong!”
Yu Li replied, “He has a filthy mouth, insulting me and my sisters. Why shouldn’t I hit him? If I insulted him and his family, and he hit me, I wouldn’t complain.”
Yu Qin was rendered speechless.
What kind of twisted logic was this?
Ignoring her, Yu Li walked up to the still-dazed Chen Jicheng, who was lying on the ground, and grabbed him by the hair, dragging him up.
This was the first time in his life that Chen Jicheng had been hit. The slap had left him dizzy and disoriented, unable to get up for a long time.
Yu Li pulled him close and said coldly, “Apologize!”