Yu Laosan and Old Madam Yu had a fierce quarrel this time.
It wasn’t that Yu Laosan wanted to make a fuss, but rather that Old Madam Yu was hard-hearted and refused to lend him the money. She told him to borrow it from someone else and repay it himself.
Yu Laosan, naturally unwilling, stubbornly refused to let go of Old Madam Yu.
Old Madam Yu, small and skinny, found herself immobilized by her burly son clinging to her legs. She could only curse and beat him as she struggled, but Yu Laosan wouldn’t let go.
No matter how much Old Madam Yu beat or cursed him, he held on tightly, insisting that unless his mother agreed to pay his debt, he wouldn’t release her.
As evening fell, the commotion at the Yu family’s home grew louder. Old Madam Yu’s booming voice carried far, attracting the attention of neighbors, who emerged from their homes one by one, eagerly peeking in the direction of the Yu household.
Listening intently for a while, they pieced together some of the story and found it odd.
Who could Yu Laosan owe money to? And why was he pestering the old lady to pay it back for him?
They suddenly remembered seeing Yu Laosan in the past couple of days, his face marked with welts that were clearly from a whip, swollen to the point where it wouldn’t heal for days. It showed just how vicious the person who struck him had been.
When people asked him about it on the road, Yu Laosan obviously didn’t want to explain, only saying it was because the old lady at home was in a bad mood and whipped him.
No one thought much of it at the time, merely concluding that Old Madam Yu had a fiery temper. Even so, they thought it was unreasonable—no matter how upset she was, she shouldn’t beat someone. After all, Yu Laosan was a father of several children and deserved some dignity.
Now, however, they began to understand why Old Madam Yu had been so angry.
How much money did he owe to make her this furious, hurling such harsh curses at her own son?
Still, who exactly did Yu Laosan owe money to? And how did he suddenly fall into debt? Could it be gambling debts?
The onlookers were full of curiosity, but unfortunately, apart from Old Madam Yu’s loud scolding, there wasn’t much useful information revealed. Even so, it gave them a fresh topic to gossip about the next day.
Perhaps it was because Old Madam Yu remained adamant, but Yu Laosan finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He shouted in anger:
“Mother, you won’t help me pay my debt because you’re saving the money for Eldest Brother and his family, aren’t you? Eldest Brother is your son—am I not your son too?”
Old Madam Yu angrily retorted, “How dare you compare yourself to Eldest Brother?”
“Why can’t I compare?” Yu Laosan roared. “If you had sent me to private school back then, how do you know I wouldn’t have done well? Compared to Eldest Brother, who couldn’t even pass the Tongsheng Exam, maybe I could have passed!”
“Pah! You dare talk big like that? With your foolishness, you think you could pass the Tongsheng Exam? You probably can’t even recognize all the characters!”
“If you didn’t send me to private school, of course I can’t recognize them!” Yu Laosan replied bitterly. “In the end, it’s your favoritism. You and Father were always biased towards Eldest Brother and his family. You sent Eldest Brother to school, and even let his two sons go to school. But my sons Jingzhong and Jingxin—obviously bright and talented from a young age—were denied the chance. Instead, we were made to toil like oxen and horses to support the Eldest Branch’s education!”
Hearing this, not only did the eavesdropping villagers perk up their ears, but even Old Master Yu, inside the house, could tell that Yu Laosan was resentful of the Eldest Branch.
Furious, Old Madam Yu raised her hand and hit him. “How dare you compare yourself to Eldest Brother and Jingde? Jingde and Jingli’s maternal grandfather is a scholar. They study under Scholar Chen without paying tuition fees. What connection do you have with Scholar Chen? Do you have the face to ask him to teach you for free?”
“That’s only because you sent Eldest Brother to study under Scholar Chen first and arranged for him to marry Eldest Sister-in-law. If it were me—”
“Pah! You’re dreaming! Even if you were sent to Scholar Chen, do you think with your behavior, you could marry a scholar’s daughter? Only someone as capable as Eldest Brother could catch their eye!”
“You don’t know that I couldn’t! You’re just biased, refusing to give me a chance!” Yu Laosan said resentfully. “You and Father have always been biased, favoring Eldest Brother since we were young and treating us harshly. To let Eldest Brother study, you married Eldest Sister off to a man who beats his wife, causing her to be beaten daily. And you even wanted to send Little Sister to the landlord of the neighboring village as a concubine. If she hadn’t been clever enough to escape, who knows what would have happened to her by now!”
“And Second Brother—you skimped on money and married him off to Second Sister-in-law, a woman who fled famine!”
“You’re just biased!”
“All these years, we’ve done so much work, and the money we earned was all taken by you to support Eldest Brother and his family’s education. We’re like the dirt in the fields, trampled and discarded at your whim…”
Yu Laosan roared, venting his resentment and dissatisfaction.
It was just two taels of silver, yet his mother refused to help him pay. Over the years, the money he had contributed to the family fund far exceeded two taels.
And now, for the sake of two taels, the old lady beat and scolded him as if he weren’t her son.
Old Madam Yu, furious beyond measure, clawed and scratched at him, hurling curses and wishing she could push him to the ground and beat him relentlessly.
Inside the house, Old Master Yu finally lost his patience.
He came out with a dark expression and said, “Enough! How long are you going to carry on like this?”
Yu Laosan, beaten and wronged by his mother, was at the height of his emotions. Unlike his usual fearful demeanor around his father, he now only wanted to unleash all his grievances and bitterness.
“Father, you’re too biased! Eldest Brother has everything, while Second Brother and I have to slave away for them and can’t even get…”
Although Yu Laosan despised Yu Li’s behavior and didn’t like her, deep down, he envied her.
He envied her ability to rebel against the unfairness of the family, leaving Old Master and Old Madam Yu helpless against her.
If only he could be like her…
Old Master Yu’s face darkened, and he snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting? It’s just two taels of silver! We’ll give it to you!”
“Old man!”
Old Madam Yu raised her voice, clearly unwilling.
Yu Laosan froze, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, instantly quelling his fiery emotions.
He looked a little dazed, seemingly not expecting his father to give in.
Old Master Yu glared at him darkly. “Stop making a scene so you don’t embarrass us in front of others.”
Even though it was late, the commotion had undoubtedly reached the ears of the neighbors. He couldn’t afford to lose face, nor could he allow Eldest Brother’s family to be dragged into disrepute, with people accusing them of favoritism.
Wang Shi quickly went over to help Yu Laosan, who was still kneeling, up.
Yu Laosan had been kneeling, clutching Old Madam Yu’s leg, allowing her to hit and scold him. Despite his resentment and grief, he had never thought of retaliating against her.
He still didn’t dare.
Wang Shi was overjoyed. The old man was actually willing to give them two taels of silver, which meant they wouldn’t have to borrow money or worry about repaying it. There was no fear of Yu Li coming to smash their house anymore.
She didn’t think much of it, assuming her husband had said all this on purpose to force the old man and old lady to help repay the debt.
Old Madam Yu was livid. She wanted to argue, but then she heard Old Master Yu say, “Old woman, go get the silver!”
She panted heavily, her chest rising and falling violently. She was so angry that she wanted to lash Yu Laosan with a whip right then and there.
Yu Laosan’s earlier words had no effect on Old Madam Yu. She only felt he was spouting nonsense and remained unwilling to help repay the money. In the end, she could only glare at Yu Laosan angrily before returning to her room to fetch the money.
When Old Madam Yu brought out the money, Old Master Yu said to Yu Laosan, “Don’t say such things again in the future. Among you brothers, we as parents treat you all equally. It’s just that Eldest Brother and his family have the talent for studying, so we put more focus on them. In the future, if Jingde and Jingli achieve success, they surely won’t forget the contributions of their uncles and aunts. You’ll benefit from their success too, won’t you?”
Yu Laosan muttered quietly and didn’t say anything further.
Only Wang Shi cheerfully echoed, “Father is right. That’s exactly how I see it too.”
She didn’t care what Old Master Yu said; as long as they got the money, that was all that mattered.
Seeing Yu Laosan’s expression turn to one of guilt, Old Master Yu’s face softened. He added a few more conciliatory words before brushing the matter aside and leaving with Old Madam Yu.
Back in their room, Old Madam Yu fumed, “Old man, how could you help Laosan repay the debt?”
“That was two taels of silver!”
Old Master Yu sighed wearily, “If we didn’t pay it, would you rather let Laosan and his family grow to resent Eldest Brother and Jingde?”
“They wouldn’t dare!” Old Madam Yu said fiercely.
Old Master Yu’s expression darkened. Why wouldn’t they dare?
If they refused to help him repay the money, Laosan would surely harbor resentment toward them, as well as toward the Eldest Branch. If that happened, the family would likely fall apart, unable to unite in supporting the two grandsons’ education.
That was the last thing he wanted to see.
—
The noise outside had been so loud that everyone in the west room, including Yu Li, heard it clearly.
Yu Jin’s lighthearted mood from enjoying the snacks earlier vanished instantly. She clenched her hands tightly, pressing her lips together in silence.
Yu Yin also fell quiet.
Yu Zhu blinked her eyes and said softly, “I think Third Uncle is right. That’s how I feel in my heart too.”
Though she was young, it didn’t mean she understood nothing.
Grandfather and Grandmother were obviously biased toward Eldest Uncle’s family—this was something everyone knew.
Yu Yin patted her lightly. “Don’t say that.”
Yu Zhu puffed up her cheeks, wanting to argue, but seeing the silent expressions of her sisters, she reluctantly fell quiet and continued nibbling on the white rice cake.
Not long after, Yu Laosan came to the west room. In front of Yu Li, he handed the two taels of silver to Yu Yin.
He said, “Li Niang, here’s the money. I’ve returned it to you.”
Yu Li nodded without saying much.
Yu Laosan glanced at her, his gaze somewhat complicated, and then left the west room.
When he returned, Wang Shi was beaming with joy. “This is great! Now we don’t have to worry about her smashing our house anymore.” She lowered her voice and added, “Good thing you made such a scene and forced the old folks to give us the money.”
She hadn’t expected Old Master Yu to end up paying the money. Who knew such a method would work?
Yu Laosan said nothing. He quietly returned to his room, his expression heavy with thought.
“What’s wrong?” Wang Shi looked at him, confused. The money had been repaid—shouldn’t he be happy?
Yu Laosan sat there and said, “It’s nothing, I just realized…”
In truth, the old man and old lady were indeed biased. If they weren’t afraid of him causing a scene and damaging the Eldest Branch’s reputation, they wouldn’t have given the money.
Although Old Master Yu had said many conciliatory words afterward, words that sounded reasonable, Yu Laosan still felt uncomfortable.
What the old man said was just to prevent resentment from brewing in his heart, to keep them working tirelessly like before to support the Eldest Branch.
Did Yu Laosan feel resentment?
Of course, he did.
Who is born to suffer, and for the sake of others at that? Watching the Eldest Branch prosper, living a respectable life in the city while they toiled away doing grueling work in the village, cutting back on food and clothing, even letting their own children go hungry—who would be happy with that?
The things he said earlier to Old Madam Yu were, in fact, his true thoughts.
In the past, because the Second Branch had always been at the bottom of the Yu family hierarchy, their lives were comparatively better. After all, someone else had it worse. That comparison made their struggles seem less dire.
But when the Second Branch refused to continue enduring, began resisting, and even demanded fair treatment, the Third Branch’s position became more precarious. Their struggles became more pronounced.
Who could be happy about that?
Yu Laosan was never a fool—he was even quite shrewd.
In the past, he simply didn’t want to think about things too deeply. Besides, the old man always told them that once the Eldest Branch achieved success, they too would benefit. This had convinced them to willingly support the Eldest Branch.
But that didn’t mean they weren’t aware that the Eldest Branch had been living off their labor all along.
That night, Yu Laosan tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, countless thoughts surfaced, making his heart ache even more.
Finally, he began to question—when Eldest Brother returned, could he really handle Yu Li? Why was everyone helpless against her, but Eldest Brother was supposed to succeed? Just because he had read a few more books?
But what if even Eldest Brother couldn’t handle Yu Li?
At this thought, Yu Laosan suddenly sat up.
The noise woke Wang Shi, who sat up groggily and asked, “It’s not even dawn yet. What are you doing?”
After a hard day’s work, all she wanted was a good night’s sleep.
Yu Laosan sat quietly for a moment before speaking. “What do you think will happen if even Eldest Brother can’t deal with Li Niang?”
Wang Shi was startled awake. “…That, that can’t be, right?”
The thought scared her. If even Eldest Brother couldn’t handle Yu Li, what would become of the family? She didn’t dare imagine it.
In the darkness, Yu Laosan’s eyes gleamed like a cat’s, eerily bright.
“If that really happens…”
If that really happens, the Yu family might fall apart.
No, more likely, the Yu family would—split up, with the Second Branch being separated out.
If the Second Branch were separated, the burden of supporting the two scholars in the Eldest Branch would fall entirely on the Third Branch. Their situation would then resemble the Second Branch’s past plight—reduced to toiling like oxen, eating worse than dogs…
The more Yu Laosan thought about this, the more restless he became, tossing and turning all night.
—
Yu Li was unaware of the growing thoughts of splitting the family in Yu Laosan’s mind. She had already adapted to her routine of waking before dawn each day to butcher pigs in the county town.
Zhang Fu was a kind man. Knowing that she had a big appetite, he generously ensured there was plenty of food prepared for her.
In fact, over the past few days, eating well had noticeably improved her physical condition. The heavy, oppressive discomfort she’d been feeling had eased significantly.
The awakening period could last anywhere from a few days to several months.
How long the process took depended entirely on one’s constitution. The ability one awakened—whether strong or weak—also depended on personal circumstances and opportunities.
Having arrived in this world less than two months ago, Yu Li had faced a lack of clothing, food, and supportive medicines, which would likely extend her awakening period.
Still, Yu Li was patient. She was willing to wait through the long process.
Even if it took several months, she didn’t mind. She could simply eat more to nourish her body in the meantime.
As Yu Li grew accustomed to the awakening period and her work in the county town, the Chen family finally hosted a wedding.
Eldest Brother Yu, along with his entire family, attended the Chen family’s banquet.
After the festivities, Eldest Brother Yu left his eldest and second sons at the Chen family’s private school, instructing them to study hard and prepare for the county-level exam next year. He then departed with his wife, daughter, and youngest son.
Back at their rented house, Eldest Brother Yu said to his wife, Chen Shi, “Pack up tonight. We’ll return to the village tomorrow.”
Chen Shi nodded with a sullen expression.
She was simmering with anger, and her fury was naturally directed at Yu Li.
Every time she thought about how Yu Li had struck Chen Jicheng, forcing her to return to her maiden home and humbly apologize to her elder brother and sister-in-law, she felt humiliated. She was even more worried that this might affect her two sons’ education at the Chen family’s school.
With barely contained irritation, Chen Shi said to her husband, “When we go back, you must have a serious talk with Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law. How could they raise such a daughter? Li Niang’s behavior is outrageous—actually laying hands on someone! No matter what kind of misunderstanding there was, hitting someone is unacceptable. Look at Cheng Ge’er’s face after she hit him—it’s so swollen that anyone who sees it would think they’ve got some deep-seated grudge.”
Eldest Brother Yu frowned and said solemnly, “I know. Li Niang was indeed in the wrong.”
When he first heard that Chen Jicheng had been beaten, he couldn’t believe it and thought there must have been a misunderstanding.
No matter the circumstances, hitting someone was wrong. Fortunately, the Chen family hadn’t let this incident affect their attitude toward his sons.
Nearby, Yu Jingzong, who had been playing, suddenly asked, “Father, Mother, why did Cousin Li come to the county? Could it be that she sneaked here on her own?”
At ten years old, he was already a half-grown boy.
After hearing that Yu Li had beaten Chen Jicheng, he even went to the Chen family’s house to see for himself. When he saw Chen Jicheng’s face—swollen on one side and slurring his words—he was utterly shocked.
That timid and weak cousin of his had actually hit someone? Was this even real?
What puzzled him even more was why Cousin Li had suddenly appeared in the county town.
“Who knows?” Chen Shi snapped irritably. “Probably the Fu family sent her to the county to buy something.”
Everyone knew that Yu Li had married last month, to the son of the Fu family, who had settled in Qingshi Village three years ago. It was said that her husband was a sickly man who treated medicine like meals, frail and weak, and likely to pass away at any time.
No one had ever seen the Fu family’s son. Rumors suggested he was so ugly that he couldn’t bear to show himself.
After all, it was common knowledge that people who were chronically ill rarely looked good.
Why else would he have hidden his face for three years? Most likely, he knew he was hideously ugly and didn’t dare step outside.