Since the division of the family had been settled, Yu Li no longer stayed and left the Yu family.
Yu Jin tugged at their woodenly-standing parents, leading her three younger sisters to see her off.
In truth, the second branch couldn’t comfortably remain in the main hall to avoid becoming targets of the anger from Grandpa, Grandma, and the eldest uncle, who were filled with resentment.
Of course, even if they were targeted, Yu Jin felt their second branch had nothing to fear. However, for the sake of their health, it was better not to linger in front of them for now.
Watching them leave, Yu Laosan also sensibly led his wife and children away.
If they didn’t leave now, were they supposed to stay and be scolded by the old lady and the others?
The old lady might restrain herself from randomly scolding the second branch because of Yu Li, but there was no such restraint for the third branch. There was a good chance they would become the scapegoats.
The third branch’s family all retreated to their rooms.
At the moment, their expressions were particularly animated, especially Wang Shi, who looked thrilled and eagerly asked, “Husband, is the family really going to divide? How much will we get?”
She only cared about what the third branch would receive; it absolutely couldn’t be less than the first or second branch.
Yu Jingzhong and Yu Jingxin were also visibly excited.
Just the thought of living separately after the division, with no excuses for Yu Li to order them around, filled them with joy. They would only need to work for their own household, choosing when to work or not, without fear of being bossed around by their cousin anymore.
Another benefit was that after the family division, they could stay far away from Yu Li. She would no longer have any reason to beat them, right?
Although Yu Li hadn’t really laid hands on them before, it was only because they were so scared of her that they’d obey her commands before she could act.
But just recalling the scene where she smashed the central house’s beam made them shudder, fearing her strength and the idea of being beaten by her.
Her strength was terrifying—being hit by her must be excruciatingly painful.
Yu Laosan looked at his wife and children, noticing their overexcited expressions, and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you all want the family to split?”
“Of course!” Wang Shi replied without hesitation. “Why stay together? So we can keep slaving away to support the eldest branch? I’m not stupid.”
Before the family split, all the money was controlled by the old lady. Even buying a needle and thread required asking her for money. On top of that, any earnings from odd jobs during the off-season had to be handed over. Wanting to buy something tasty was out of the question—they had to eat it in secret, like thieves.
Who would willingly endure such a life?
Wang Shi, as someone’s wife and mother, also wanted to be the master of her own home. She wanted to be as imposing as the old lady, to buy good food for her own children.
Once the family was divided, she would become the mistress of their household. Wouldn’t everything be decided by her then?
Yu Laosan said in surprise, “But didn’t you always say before that we should wait for Jingde and Jingli to pass the scholar examination so we could benefit from their success?”
The eldest branch had two scholars. If they achieved scholarly honors in the future, their uncles and aunts, who had supported their studies, would also reap rewards.
Wang Shi scoffed, “Come on, scholarly honors? Who knows when that will happen.”
In the past, she did think that way because the old lady and old man had repeatedly told them so. Over time, she believed it herself, waiting for Yu Jingde and his brother from the eldest branch to succeed so they could share the benefits.
What else could she do? Since splitting the family wasn’t an option, she had to think positively.
However, too many things had happened recently. Even someone as respected as Yu Laoda had been defeated by Yu Li, making her suddenly doubt whether Yu Jingde and the others were really capable.
“Eldest Brother used to be so impressive,” Wang Shi said with a sneer. “The villagers all respected him, thinking he had prospects. But look at him now—no matter how capable he was, he couldn’t even pass the Tongsheng exam. All he can do is work as a clerk in the county, pushing an abacus around.”
“With a father like that, do you think Jingde and Jingli have any chance?”
As the saying goes, “A son resembles his father.” What if Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli take after their father and can’t even pass the Tongsheng exam?
Yu Laoda, as a scholar, had always carried himself loftily, naturally distancing himself from the villagers and fostering a sense of awe that he was someone extraordinary.
Of course, this was also due to the world’s excessive reverence for scholars.
But were scholars really that remarkable?
Putting that aside, what exactly made him so capable?
If he were truly so impressive, how could he have just now been pressed to the ground like a dead dog, kneeling under Yu Li’s hand?
That moment, when Yu Laoda was forced to kneel, shattered Wang Shi’s reverence for him. She suddenly realized that Yu Laoda was actually useless—he couldn’t even handle a young girl. Although they couldn’t handle her either, it simply proved that Yu Laoda was no different from them: an ordinary mortal who ate and relieved himself just like anyone else.
Yu Laosan looked at her in surprise, not expecting her to articulate such a thought.
“What, am I wrong?” Wang Shi retorted.
Yu Laosan said hesitantly, “…You’re not wrong.” Indeed, Big Brother had spent his whole life trying to pass the Tongsheng exam without success. How could Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli be any different?
Even if they passed the Tongsheng exam, there was still the Xiucai and the imperial provincial exam to contend with.
It was said that being an Tongsheng was nothing, and that the Xiucai was incredibly difficult to achieve. Some spent their entire lives trying and ended up as mere old Tongshengs, let alone advancing to the provincial level.
Waiting for them to make a name for themselves… Who knew how long that would take?
They couldn’t possibly keep supporting the eldest branch until they themselves grew old, could they?
Thinking along these lines, Yu Laosan realized such a life was not worth it. It was better to divide the family.
The third branch had no objections to dividing the family. On the contrary, they were highly enthusiastic.
Gathered together, they eagerly discussed tomorrow’s family division, speculating on how much silver the old man had, how the family’s farmland and belongings would be divided.
In any case, their third branch could not be shortchanged.
—
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the central hall was far from pleasant.
The second and third branches had left, leaving only Old Master Yu, his wife, and the eldest branch.
The old lady, distressed by the sight of her eldest son collapsed on the ground, hurried to help him up, muttering under her breath, “That wretched girl! Why doesn’t the heavens send a bolt of lightning to strike her dead already, saving her from continuing to harm our family…”
Yu Laoda’s face was dark, and he said nothing.
Old Master Yu also remained silent, but the thought of the family splitting tomorrow weighed heavily on his mind.
He was the one who least wanted to divide the family, always keeping the three branches tightly under his control. If anyone dared mention division, he wouldn’t hesitate to pin them down and give them a good beating to teach them a lesson.
Yet, in the end, the one to bring up the idea of dividing the family was none other than himself.
“Mother, it hurts!”
Yu Jingzong’s voice broke the silence, tinged with a faint sob, drawing everyone’s attention to him.
It was then that Old Master Yu and the others finally noticed that Chen Shi, Yu Jingzong, and Yu Qin all had disheveled hair, looking even more wretched than Yu Laoda.
In truth, Yu Laoda was merely forced to kneel the entire time and didn’t suffer much harm. However, Chen Shi, Yu Qin, and Yu Jingzong—the mother and children—had fallen into a heap, solidly hitting the ground and ending up dizzy and disoriented.
The old lady cried out, “Oh, my precious grandson, what happened to you?”
She adored all the grandsons of the eldest branch. Although she placed more value on the two elder grandsons who could study, Yu Jingzong was also cherished. It was said that he was a promising student as well—Scholar Chen had even praised him. If the family hadn’t already been supporting two students and unable to afford another, they would have sent him to study too.
Yu Jingzong pursed his lips. “She hit me! My face hurts, my body hurts too.”
Because of the two falls, his hair had come loose, and his hair tie was nowhere to be found.
The old lady brushed aside his hair and, upon seeing his swollen face, gasped in distress. She hurriedly pulled aside his clothing to check, discovering numerous bruises on his body, all from the falls.
That said, it wasn’t too serious, as Chen Shi and Yu Qin had cushioned his fall—Chen Shi even cushioned him twice.
It could be said that the one who suffered the most was Chen Shi, while Yu Qin fared relatively better.
Yu Jingzong, feeling aggrieved, repeatedly complained about the pain. When the old lady asked where it hurt, he pointed to this spot and that, his tone full of indignation but otherwise energetic, making it clear he wasn’t seriously injured. He was simply looking for his elders to stand up for him.
But how could the old lady take his side?
Not to mention her, even Old Master Yu had no means to intervene, let alone Yu Laoda, who had just been forced to kneel.
“Be good, Zong’er. Grandma will rub some medicinal wine on you, and it won’t hurt anymore,” the old lady coaxed.
Yu Jingzong threw a tantrum. “Grandma, she went too far! She treated my father like that and even hit me. Let’s beat her to death!”
His face was full of malice, his tone vicious.
The old lady’s expression stiffened, and she finally lost her patience. “Beat her? Be careful that if you don’t beat her to death, she’ll come over and beat you to death instead! That’s enough. You’re fine, just go back to your room with your mother to apply some medicine.”
Yu Jingzong: “….”
The old lady had many grandchildren, but her favorites were the eldest grandson, Yu Jingde, and the second grandson, Yu Jingli. The others were secondary—she doted on them when there was spare time or money, but otherwise, they were ignored.
Yu Jingzong didn’t understand this logic and stared wide-eyed at the realization that the grandmother who had always doted on him would say such words.
Chen Shi, however, understood and realized the old woman had grown impatient.
Enduring her pain, she asked, “Father, Mother, Husband, are we really going to divide the family?”
Aside from Old Master Yu, the person most unwilling to split the family was undoubtedly the eldest branch. She was well aware that the good life they enjoyed was entirely due to the second and third branches supporting them.
People are inherently selfish. When living comfortably, they tend to turn a blind eye to the struggles of those supporting them, pretending not to see their hardships.
If the family divided, the eldest branch would undoubtedly lose their current comforts.
She, her daughter, and her youngest son would likely no longer frequent the county town but stay in the village to do farm work and tend the fields.
At this thought, Chen Shi felt a wave of dizziness.
The old lady snapped irritably, “What, not divide? So that wretched girl can come back and force Laoda to kneel again?”
At these words, Yu Laoda’s expression turned even darker.
Though his body was uninjured, his pride had taken a massive blow. He couldn’t stand hearing anyone mention the kneeling incident.
Chen Shi wanted to say more, but the old lady, now exasperated, waved her off. “Enough. Take Jingzong back to treat his injuries.”
Left with no choice, Chen Shi endured her pain, dragging her son and daughter back to their room.
They were both in pain and exhausted, but thankfully, no arms or legs were broken, and their bodies were still intact.
Even so, Chen Shi was unhappy. She would have preferred if one of them had been seriously injured; that way, she could have used it as leverage to confront others.
After Chen Shi and her two children left, the old lady, filled with pity, turned to her silent son and said, “Laoda, you’ve been wronged.”
Yu Laoda remained silent.
Old Master Yu sighed and lowered his voice. “Laoda, we must endure for now.”
Yu Laoda’s expression shifted slightly.
At that moment, they heard the old man continue, “She’s using Jingde and Jingli to threaten us. We can’t take any risks; for now, we have to go along with her. But mark my words, once Jingde and Jingli earn their titles, how long will she still be able to act so arrogantly?”
Yu Laoda understood his father’s reasoning but still felt stifled and resentful.
He had immense confidence in his two sons, firmly believing they would achieve his unfulfilled aspirations in the imperial examinations. One day, he would be the father of scholars, the father of an official, living a life of comfort thanks to his sons’ success.
But that was in the future, with no clear timeline for realization.
For now, being forced to kneel by Yu Li was a humiliation he couldn’t forget. It had nearly shattered his pride entirely.
The thought of enduring such disgrace indefinitely was unbearable to him.
But what could they do?
They were all commoners, albeit slightly more educated. In terms of actual abilities, they had none.
Even their in-laws, the Chen family, besides Scholar Chen and Qian Ge’er, who had passed the Tongsheng exam, were also just ordinary folk.
With such status, they were utterly powerless against Yu Li.
—
When Yu Li returned to the Fu family’s home, she found Zhou Shi sitting in the main hall sewing clothes. This time, she was embroidering bamboo on the garment, which was taking her longer than usual.
Seeing Yu Li return, she said, “Li Niang, there’s still some time—go rest for a bit.”
“Mother, I’m not resting,” Yu Li replied. “I need to go find Uncle Tu and let him know that I won’t be going to the county to work tomorrow. I need to take a day off.”
Zhou Shi was momentarily stunned and asked anxiously, “Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, it’s because the Yu family is dividing the household tomorrow, and I need to go back and check.”
Zhou Shi was dumbfounded. Why would the Yu family suddenly decide to divide the household?
Yu Li didn’t elaborate. She drank several bowls of cold tea in the main hall to quench her thirst before heading to her room.
When she entered, the first thing she did was glance at the bed. Fu Wenxiao wasn’t asleep; he was reclining there with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.
Sure enough, upon hearing movement, he opened his eyes.
“You’re back,” he asked gently. “Everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine,” Yu Li replied.
She walked to the bedside, reached for the fruit plate on the small table beside the bed, and popped a piece of dried fruit into her mouth.
She had bought this dried fruit for him to eat with his medicine, but she enjoyed it too, often sneaking a piece for herself. Once it was gone, she would simply buy more.
Yu Li sat down by the bed, eating the dried fruit as she said, “The Yu family is dividing the household tomorrow.”
Fu Wenxiao raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised by this outcome.
In a gentle tone, he asked, “You weren’t wronged, were you?” He seemed more concerned about this than the family division itself.
“Nope,” Yu Li replied nonchalantly. “When I first got back, Eldest Uncle told me to kneel. Since he was so eager to kneel, I kicked over his stool and made him kneel before Grandpa and Grandma instead.”
Fu Wenxiao: “…..”
This development was so unexpected that even someone as composed as Fu Wenxiao was momentarily speechless.
Yu Li continued eating as she observed his reaction.
Noticing her gaze, Fu Wenxiao remarked, “You did the right thing. One kneels to Heaven, Earth, and one’s parents—not to a distant uncle from another branch of the family.”
And just like that, the matter was resolved.
In any case, she was right.
Yu Li’s eyes lit up with joy, and she exclaimed, “You’re absolutely right! That’s why I made him kneel to Grandpa and Grandma. They’re his parents, so it’s only proper for him to kneel before them.”
Fu Wenxiao: “…..”
Yu Li then recounted the earlier events to him in detail.
In her heart, Fu Wenxiao was a reasonable person. If he agreed with what she had done, it confirmed that she was in the right.
Though she retained the original host’s memories, they felt like watching a black-and-white movie—distant and detached. Many things required her own interpretation, and as the original host was merely a rural girl, her understanding of many matters was shallow and unreliable.
Since coming to this world, Yu Li had interacted with many people but found Fu Wenxiao to be the most reasonable of them all.
Of course, this might also be because he was the first person she encountered upon waking up and almost strangled him to death. That left her with a small sense of guilt.
Moreover, Fu Wenxiao was very weak—so weak that he seemed like he could die at any moment. There was no need to hide anything from him, as he was too frail to leave the house. Even if he noticed something unusual about her, what could he do?
He likely wouldn’t have time to act before she could imprison him.
This made her completely at ease around him, never needing to conceal her differences.
That said, despite his frailty, Fu Wenxiao was truly a good and reasonable person.
So, Yu Li liked to share everything with him, seeking his opinions to determine whether her actions were correct and aligned with the norms of this world. It was the best way for her to integrate into this unfamiliar place.
Yu Li felt too out of place in this world, worried she might not fit in.
She needed someone to help her understand it all. However, she couldn’t turn to Yu Jin and the others—they knew the original host too well. The only person she could rely on was Fu Wenxiao.
He was weak, a man on the verge of death, and had never met the original host before. He knew nothing about her past.
No matter how strange her behavior was in front of him, he wouldn’t realize the difference between her and the original host.
This gave Yu Li peace of mind.
After recounting the events to Fu Wenxiao, she waited expectantly for his response.
True to her expectations, Fu Wenxiao spoke gently, “As the saying goes, ‘When a tree grows large, its branches split; when children grow up, families divide.’ Family divisions are common, and the Yu family should indeed split. Otherwise, the second and third branches suffer too much.”
“You think so too?” Yu Li asked, delighted. “I think so too!”
Fu Wenxiao replied calmly, “Yes, indeed.”
Yu Li smiled brightly, finding Fu Wenxiao increasingly pleasing to the eye. It was a pity his life wouldn’t be long.
But it didn’t matter—before he passed, she would take good care of him and make sure he was comfortable.
She then changed into an old set of clothes, preparing to head into the mountains to find Tu Laoda.
After all, she didn’t want the brambles in the mountains to tear her new clothes.
“Won’t you rest for a while?” Fu Wenxiao asked. “There’s no rush to enter the mountains later.”
Yu Li rolled up her sleeves. “No need. I don’t have to wake up early tomorrow, so I can rest tonight. I’ll chop some firewood while I’m at it.”
Fu Wenxiao paused for a moment, then said, “You know, you can buy firewood from people in the village. There’s no need to tire yourself out.”
Like Zhou Shi, he thought buying firewood was perfectly reasonable and wouldn’t cost much.
Yu Li looked at him in surprise. “How could I? Buying firewood costs silver, and though it’s not much, it could still buy a few meat buns.”
Fu Wenxiao: “…..”
After Yu Li grabbed her machete and basket and headed out, Fu Wenxiao propped himself up and got out of bed. He went to his desk, laid out a sheet of paper, and slowly began grinding ink.
The sunlight streaming into the courtyard outside the window distracted him momentarily.
When the ink was ready, he rolled up his sleeves and picked up the brush, beginning to write on the paper.
—
Yu Li entered the mountains and headed straight to Tu Laoda’s house.
Though Tu Laoda’s home wasn’t far from the village, it was located on the mountain, in an area with very few people around. Living in such a place required some courage.
When Yu Li arrived, Tu Laoda was feeding his pigs.
Recently, the butcher shop had been slaughtering more pigs. Zhang Fu would go to the villages near the county every afternoon to buy pigs, stocking up on live ones, with the extras temporarily kept at Tu Laoda’s place.
Tu Laoda’s home had a large wolfdog as a guard.
The wolfdog was intimidating, looking fierce and scary. Whenever strangers approached, it would bark loudly, enough to frighten people away.
However, when Yu Li stepped inside, the once-fierce wolfdog tucked its tail between its legs and whimpered as it slinked into the house to hide.
Guarding the house? Not happening.