She pointed from the shelter toward the courtyard wall.
Yu Li saw that she already had a plan and nodded. “Alright, let’s do it this way for now.”
At least this way, the second branch wouldn’t have to deal with people coming over to ask for meat whenever they cooked some. It was truly bothersome.
Yu Lao’er and his wife listened quietly as their eldest and second daughters discussed building a house and erecting a wall. The two spoke naturally, as if they were the heads of the household.
The couple looked at their bowls of coarse grain rice and meat but ultimately said nothing.
—
On the other side, Yu Qin returned empty-handed and was naturally scolded by Old Madam Yu, who berated her for being useless.
Feeling wronged, Yu Qin said, “That meat was brought back by Li Niang. If you want to eat it, Grandma, you can go ask her yourself.”
Old Madam Yu: “…”
The old lady was instantly furious. She pointed at Yu Qin and scolded her, saying she was disrespectful to her elders and even dared to talk back.
Yu Qin, who had never been scolded like this before, felt her eyes redden. She suddenly got up and ran back to her room, burying herself in her quilt and crying.
Old Madam Yu, angrier than ever, shouted, “I’m her grandmother, and she dares talk back to me? Does she think she’s some rich landlord’s daughter? Her temper is too big! If she gets married in the future, which mother-in-law would tolerate such a spoiled attitude? No, no, this temper needs to be straightened out…”
Chen Shi, afraid the old lady would truly force her daughter to change her temperament and cause her unnecessary suffering, quickly said, “Mother, Qin Niang is just upset for the moment. I’ll go and talk to her. She respects you, don’t overthink it.”
She was annoyed as well. The old lady didn’t dare confront Yu Li herself, and since she couldn’t get any meat, she vented her anger on her daughter instead.
But understanding was one thing; she couldn’t say it out loud. She had to placate the old lady.
After only a few days, Chen Shi was already mentally and physically exhausted. She started thinking about taking her children back to the county town.
Old Madam Yu remained unhappy, muttering curses under her breath.
Especially as the fading aroma of meat lingered in the air, it made her feel even worse, and she cursed louder.
Meanwhile, the third branch was also eating. Initially, the meat aroma had made their meal tasteless, and they were discussing whether to buy some meat to stew the next day. But hearing Old Madam Yu’s tirade, they immediately understood.
Apparently, the old lady hadn’t managed to get any meat.
The third branch felt a sense of satisfaction. With Yu Li guarding the second branch, who would dare go ask for meat?
It was better for them to simply buy some meat and cook it themselves to satisfy their cravings.
—
After dinner at the Yu family home, Yu Li helped tidy up the house before leaving.
By the time she returned to the Fu family, the sky had already darkened.
Zhou Shi was sitting under the light of an oil lamp, embroidering a table screen. When she saw Yu Li return, she asked, “Li Niang, you’re back. Are you hungry? Should I make you something to eat?”
Before leaving, Yu Li had told her she would have dinner at the Yu family’s house, but Zhou Shi was still worried she might not have eaten enough.
After all, Yu Li had a big appetite, and Zhou Shi feared she might not have been fed well at her natal family.
Yu Li said, “No need, Mother. I’m full.”
Her three younger sisters were all endearing. Ever since they learned about her large appetite, they had also worried she wouldn’t eat her fill.
Now that the family had split, they could manage their own household, cook however they wanted, and had more freedom. Yu Jin had cooked a large pot of coarse grain rice and let Yu Li eat to her heart’s content without holding back.
So tonight, Yu Li was genuinely about 80% full and didn’t go hungry at all.
Yu Li went to the main room to fetch some water and, after drinking, sat down opposite Zhou Shi.
Zhou Shi couldn’t help but look at her.
“Mother, my third sister wants to learn embroidery. Can you teach her?” Yu Li asked directly. “If you’re willing, I’ll have her bring a formal gift to acknowledge you as her teacher. If not, I’ll send her to the embroidery workshop in town to learn.”
The embroidery workshop in town also taught young women embroidery, but it required pulling strings to get in, and there was a fee. Moreover, they only taught the basics since the embroiderers made a living off their craft and feared training apprentices who might compete with them.
Zhou Shi was momentarily stunned and then chuckled.
She knew Yu Li’s straightforward personality—she spoke her mind without pretense, direct and forthright. It was comfortable to interact with someone like that, but for those with more sensitive dispositions, it might be off-putting.
Zhou Shi was gentle and kind-hearted, always inclined to think the best of others. She actually liked Yu Li’s straightforward nature, as it saved her from guessing at hidden intentions and made their interactions pleasant.
“Let her come. There’s no need for any formal gift,” Zhou Shi said warmly. “When I learned embroidery back then, I didn’t give any gift either. The embroiderer who taught me took pity on me and decided to teach. She said that in this world, it’s hard for women to survive, and having a skill provides an additional way to make a living…”
A trace of sadness crossed her face as she spoke.
As for her craft, Zhou Shi had never thought of keeping it to herself. If anyone wanted to learn, she was happy to teach.
In truth, she would have loved to teach the young girls in the village embroidery, but…
She sighed inwardly. Qingshi Village was remote and far from the capital. Life here was tranquil and peaceful, but she still didn’t dare to draw too much attention to herself.
Yu Li quietly observed her without saying a word.
Zhou Shi quickly recovered and smiled at her. “Have your sister come tomorrow.”
Yu Li nodded. “Thank you, Mother.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for,” Zhou Shi said casually. “I’m happy to teach your sister. I’ve seen her embroidery work—it’s quite delicate, with a good sense of color matching. That alone shows she has a talent for embroidery.”
She genuinely admired Yu Yin. However, due to her limited connection with the Yu family before and the second branch’s difficult situation, she had never mentioned it.
Now that Yu Yin wanted to learn from her, she was more than willing to teach, especially with Yu Li’s connection.
And so, the matter was settled.
The next day, Yu Li returned from the county town and brought Yu Yin to meet Zhou Shi, along with a formal acknowledgment gift.
Although Zhou Shi had said it wasn’t necessary, both Yu Li and Yu Yin were insistent, believing that the gift was a must.
To prepare the gift, Yu Yin had even handed over the two taels of silver that the third branch had returned to her, asking Yu Li to help buy it.
In the end, the gift only cost half a string of coins. Yu Li had Yu Yin keep the remaining money and instructed her to pay attention to Zhou Shi’s needs in the future.
In this era, the master-apprentice relationship was highly regarded, akin to a half-parental bond.
Yu Yin began learning embroidery from Zhou Shi and was, in name, considered Zhou Shi’s apprentice.
When the second branch heard that Yu Yin was learning embroidery from Zhou Shi, they were naturally delighted. Even Yu Lao’er and Liu Shi couldn’t hide their joy.
This was a valuable skill. Not only could it potentially earn money, but it would also provide Yu Yin with more options when considering a match in the future. A skill like this could elevate her status in the eyes of her future in-laws after marriage.
—
While Yu Yin was learning embroidery from Zhou Shi, Zhou Shi finally completed her embroidered table screen.
Not only that, but Fu Wenxiao had also finished copying his book.
Nowadays, since Yu Li worked in the county town and traveled back and forth daily, Zhou Shi handed her the completed table screen to take to the embroidery shop and sell.
The table screen had taken her half a month to finish, with much care and effort put into it.
This was mainly because, over the past half month, Fu Wenxiao’s health had been stable, giving her less to worry about. With Yu Li helping out around the house and assisting with chores, Zhou Shi had more time to focus on embroidery. She also wanted to earn some extra money since the family couldn’t rely solely on Yu Li to support them—she worried Yu Li might overwork herself.
That evening, Fu Wenxiao handed Zhou Shi the book he had copied and asked her to take it to the bookshop in the county town the next day.
Yu Li wrapped the book in cloth and placed it in the basket along with Zhou Shi’s table screen.
She didn’t expect Fu Wenxiao’s copied book to fetch much money but thought it was important to encourage him, as he had labored over it despite his frail health.
After all, it was far better than the three so-called scholars in the Yu family, who had never considered copying books to earn money and help the family.
Back when Yu Laoda was studying, he had focused solely on his books, ignoring the world outside the window and never bringing a single penny home. It was only after repeatedly failing the imperial exams that he gave up and started working as a bookkeeper at a rice shop in the county town, finally earning some money for the family.
—
The next day, after finishing her work, Yu Li first went to the Jinhua Embroidery Shop.
As she entered, the shop assistant immediately widened his eyes upon seeing her.
He vividly remembered the scene from her last visit, where she had fought someone in the shop. The memory was so striking that he couldn’t help but feel a little fearful upon seeing her again.
This young woman had been so imposing when she fought. The boy who got beaten up had his face swollen like a steamed bun—imagine how painful that must have been.
Still, the boy had provoked her first, so he deserved it. Even if he had reported it to the authorities, he would have been in the wrong.
Of course, filing a report over a slap was rare. In these times, common folk rarely dealt with officials unless absolutely necessary, as they preferred to avoid entanglements with the authorities.
The shop assistant ushered Yu Li in and, upon learning she had come to sell embroidery, promptly introduced her to the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper was calm and composed. When he saw her, he said, “Miss, have you come because your mother-in-law has finished her table screen?”
He was more interested in Zhou Shi’s exquisite embroidery skills than in the incident where Yu Li had fought someone. He had been waiting for Zhou Shi’s table screen.
Yu Li took the table screen out of her basket and handed it to the shopkeeper for inspection.
After examining it, the shopkeeper was very pleased. “This table screen is excellent. I’ll offer six taels of silver for it. If your mother-in-law has time, please have her embroider more.”
The shopkeeper had a keen eye. The embroidery’s craftsmanship was so refined that it reminded him of techniques from the capital, not something commonly seen locally. He couldn’t help but wonder if the girl’s mother-in-law had once been to the capital and learned from the embroiderers there.
Yu Li was a bit surprised, as the price was one tael higher than the five taels she had expected. She couldn’t help but look at the shopkeeper in astonishment.
The shopkeeper smiled and said, “This table screen is beautifully embroidered. This price is well-deserved.”
In truth, a table screen like this could sell for twenty to thirty taels in the provincial capital, several times the price. But there was no need to tell her that—if the girl found out, she might stop bringing table screens to sell here, and that would be a problem.
Yu Li received six taels of silver and then purchased some fabric and embroidery threads.
The shopkeeper was generous, only charging her for the raw materials and even giving her several fabric scraps for free. For impoverished families, these fabric scraps were considered valuable, as they typically had to be purchased with silver. The shopkeeper had included them as a complimentary bonus.
After leaving the embroidery shop, Yu Li headed to a bookshop in the county town.
There were several bookshops in the county, but the one she was going to was called “Jinxian Bookshop”. The name alone sounded grand and dignified.