Chen Shi’s lips twitched. Once again, she realized just how much the family split had affected him.
She took a deep breath and had just begun to speak when Yu Laoda, lying on the bed, erupted in anger and drove her out.
“You’re here to laugh at me too, aren’t you? Get out! Get as far away as you can—get out!”
Chen Shi left the room in a fluster, utterly humiliated and furious.
Faced with the concerned gazes of her two sons, she could only force a few comforting words and then sent them off to rest. She headed to the kitchen afterward.
No matter what, at least she was back in the county town. She couldn’t bear to spend another moment in that wretched village. She resolved never to return.
—
Yu Laoda’s illness lasted for nearly half a month.
Initially, he had planned to remain bedridden, avoiding everyone. However, the shopkeeper at the rice shop sent someone to visit him, bringing news that if he didn’t recover soon, they would have to hire a new bookkeeper.
Terrified at the thought, Yu Laoda finally forced himself to get out of bed, tidied himself up, and obediently returned to work.
Working as a bookkeeper at the rice shop brought in nearly three taels of silver a month. This was essential for supporting the family. Without this job, he wouldn’t even have money to pay rent for their home in the county town, let alone support his sons’ education and their aspirations for the imperial examinations.
Once Yu Laoda pulled himself together and returned to work, Chen Shi had no intention of going back to the village. She used the excuse that her two sons were at a crucial stage in their studies and claimed she needed to stay to care for them.
As for her daughter and younger son, who remained in the village, she did feel some worry. However, considering their age and the presence of Old Master Yu and Old Madam Yu at home, she believed they wouldn’t be mistreated or starved. With that, she left them be.
She never expected that a few days later, she would see her younger son in the county town.
Chen Shi had just returned from buying groceries, holding a vegetable basket, when she spotted her younger son. She was utterly shocked. “Zong’er, how did you get here?”
Yu Jingzong, looking aggrieved, replied, “Mother, you never came back, so I came to find you. I took Uncle Wang’s boat to get here.”
Over the years, Yu Jingzong had become familiar with the route between the village and the county town, having often traveled with his mother. Since she wouldn’t take him along this time, he decided to come by himself. After all, Boatman Wang knew him and wouldn’t charge him for the ferry ride.
Chen Shi was at a loss for words. In the end, she had no choice but to take him home.
That evening, when Yu Laoda and his two elder sons returned and saw Yu Jingzong, they were taken aback. Upon learning that he had traveled to the county town alone, Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli were furious.
“He’s just a child, traveling alone by boat! Even if he knows the way, it’s still dangerous. What if he had been kidnapped by human traffickers?”
That night, Yu Jingzong was lectured thoroughly by his two elder brothers.
Feeling aggrieved, Yu Jingzong retorted indignantly, “You have no idea how miserable it is back home! We eat plain vegetables and salted pickles every day, drinking thin porridge made of bean water, while Second Uncle and Third Uncle’s families have meat every now and then. Grandma won’t even buy us any meat to eat…”
By the time he finished speaking, tears of grievance rolled down his cheeks.
Yu Jingde asked, “When Second Uncle and Third Uncle have meat, don’t they bring some over to share?”
Even though the family had split, the elderly were still there. At the very least, they should have sent some meat over to the grandparents—it would be unfilial otherwise.
“Share? What sharing? They don’t send us anything!” Yu Jingzong wiped his eyes and continued bitterly, “They all look down on us now. It’s all Li Niang’s fault! If it weren’t for her forcing Father to kneel…”
“What?!” Yu Jingde and Yu Jingli were stunned.
What did he mean by forcing their father to kneel?!
—
Although the exact amount of money from the bookshop was still uncertain, Yu Li was confident it wouldn’t be a small sum.
Thinking about her savings, she felt at ease and became even more generous with her purchases.
She suddenly understood why Zhou Shi and Fu Wenxiao were willing to spend money on firewood. With Fu Wenxiao’s ability to earn, it was as though he didn’t work often, but when he did, his earnings could last for three years.
No wonder they spent so freely.
Of course, she still didn’t agree with the idea of buying firewood. She felt that as long as it was something she could do herself, there was no need to spend money on it.
Every evening, Yu Li would put the money she had earned into a small box and count it, checking how much she had saved.
Although she bought many things daily, she didn’t always spend everything, often having money left over.
As the saying goes, having money in hand keeps the heart steady.
Yu Li now deeply understood this. With money in hand, she could afford the pastries she previously couldn’t. She would buy and eat one piece after another, as extravagantly as she pleased.
She had a faint premonition that her awakening period was about to end soon.
Watching her sit there counting money, Fu Wenxiao couldn’t help but smile as he listened to the clinking sound of copper coins and silver ingots colliding.
She seemed to enjoy the sound.
Seeing her immersed in her task, she looked like a little miser. It was strangely adorable.
“Li Niang, it’s late. Aren’t you going to sleep?” Fu Wenxiao reminded her.
Without turning her head, Yu Li replied, “Coming!” but continued counting diligently.
A while later, she finished counting, swept the money back into the box with satisfaction, and stored it in the cabinet.
Fu Wenxiao sat on the bed, his long hair loose, dressed in a plain white inner robe. From the waist down, he was covered by a thin blanket.
As he watched the young woman climb into bed, he asked, “Li Niang, do you like money that much?”
Yu Li glanced at him. “Is there anyone who doesn’t like money?”
Money could buy many things. In this world, ninety percent of problems could be solved with money. As long as one lived in this society, they couldn’t separate themselves from it.
Unless someone didn’t need food, drink, or any daily necessities, money would always matter to some extent.
Fu Wenxiao thought for a moment and said, “You’re right. No one dislikes money.” For some reason, a faint, ironic smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he sighed lightly. “There are so many things money can do…”
Yu Li couldn’t help but look at him, feeling that his smile wasn’t as pleasant as usual.
Normally, when he smiled gently, it was rather pleasing to the eye. But now, this smile was sharp, and though he was still good-looking, his aura felt unkind, cold and distant.
Fu Wenxiao came back to his senses and noticed her staring at him. He quickly smiled again, returning to his usual gentle and charming demeanor.
Yu Li thought for a moment and suddenly realized that he seemed to have a lot on his mind. Considering that he was already dying and burdened with so many worries, his mental state was likely far from healthy—perhaps even worsening his illness.
With this in mind, she awkwardly offered some comfort: “If there’s something troubling you, you can tell me about it.”
Talking it out could help ease his heart and prevent him from bottling it up until he became twisted inside.
After all, this was what she learned in her health classes: human emotions needed appropriate outlets to avoid internal strain. Her method of release was slicing off a mutated creature’s head in one swift motion—very effective for stress relief.
Fu Wenxiao, being sharp-minded, quickly understood her implication and felt both amused and exasperated.
He didn’t reject her offer and replied, “Alright.”
When the time came for him to leave this world, perhaps he would open up to her, allowing himself a final farewell to life.
With that thought, Fu Wenxiao closed his eyes and gradually sank into the darkness of sleep.
—
In the middle of the night, Fu Wenxiao suddenly woke with a start.
The fingers on his neck were slightly rough, not soft, but warm.
Though startled awake, he didn’t break into his usual cold sweat. Instead, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
“Li Niang?”
In the stillness of the night, Fu Wenxiao called out softly.
He felt the hand on his neck slowly retreat, carrying a faint sense of guilt. Along with it, the person who had leaned closer while gripping his neck also began to quietly pull away.
“Well, it’s still dark. Go back to sleep…” Yu Li muttered vaguely, retreating further and increasing the distance between them.
Fu Wenxiao acknowledged her with a hum before speaking again. “Li Niang, isn’t constantly grabbing someone’s neck a bit inappropriate?”
His question was tactful, subtly addressing the issue.
In the darkness, Yu Li remained silent.
Just as he thought she had fallen asleep, her voice rang out again: “I’ll do my best to control myself.”
She really was trying. Each time her hand reached out, she held back the urge to exert more force.
She added, “I’ll try to get used to it in the future.”
Fu Wenxiao’s lips curved into what seemed like a smile. He closed his eyes again in the darkness.
“It’s alright, I don’t blame you,” Fu Wenxiao said gently. “You’re a good girl, I know that.”
Yu Li buried her face in the pillow, feeling a little guilty.
Despite the midnight incident, Yu Li slept soundly for the rest of the night and got up as usual.
After working for most of the day, she received her wages and bought quite a few things in the county town. Among them were some wild fruits picked by villagers who had ventured into the mountains to collect them. She carefully selected the sweetest ones, intending to give them to Fu Wenxiao as a treat to soothe him after last night’s scare.
On her way back, Yu Li noticed someone following her.
She ignored it and exited the town as usual.
Not long after leaving the town, she arrived at a desolate area. Yu Li stopped and turned around, her gaze locking onto a group of men who had been tailing her.
These men, with their sloppy appearances, were clearly lowlifes who had no proper jobs and made a living through petty theft and other underhanded deeds.
Seeing her stop so suddenly, the men were momentarily stunned. They hadn’t expected her not to run and, instead, to seemingly wait for them at this spot.
As they approached, they began to size her up.
After two months in this world, Yu Li was no longer as frail and emaciated as when she first arrived. However, compared to the average person, she was still overly thin. That said, her naturally good features were starting to emerge, and her youthful charm was becoming evident.
In the eyes of these men, Yu Li’s appearance wasn’t extraordinary, but it was enough to stir wicked thoughts.
Meeting their leering gazes, Yu Li originally hadn’t planned to do anything. But now, she suddenly felt like she could take some action.