Qingshi Village is a small settlement located outside Shanping County in Qing’an Prefecture. At noon, a doctor specially rushed from the county town to the Fu family residence.
Shortly after, news spread that Fu Wenxiao had regained consciousness.
The villagers were shocked, as they hadn’t expected the “Chong Xi” to actually work, bringing Fu Wenxiao back to life.
When the doctor emerged from the Fu family home, a villager encountered him and inquired about Fu Wenxiao’s condition.
The doctor simply said that the young master of the Fu family still required proper rest and recuperation, saying nothing more.
The villagers understood immediately. Although Fu Wenxiao had awakened, it didn’t mean his condition had improved. He was still a frail, sickly man, and it was uncertain how long he would last.
Of course, the villagers had mixed opinions about the “Chong Xi.”
“So, it turns out that a Chong Xi can be this effective. Wasn’t the doctor advising Zhou Shi to prepare for his funeral not long ago? Now he’s telling the Fu family to take good care of him. Looks like nothing major will happen for the time being.”
“Sigh, I heard the reason Zhou Shi agreed to marry the second daughter of the Yu family to the young master of the Fu family was that a fortune-teller once read her fate and said she’s a blessed person, a lucky star. Whoever marries her will turn misfortune into fortune and transform calamities into blessings…”
Upon hearing this, everyone present was astonished.
They all lived in the same village and knew each other’s affairs well. No one had ever heard that the eldest daughter of the second branch of the Yu family was some kind of “lucky star.”
If she really were a lucky star, the Yu family would have cherished her and treated her like a treasure long ago. How could they let her live like a servant, toiling endlessly every day?
The villagers didn’t believe this claim and looked skeptically at the person who had spoken.
“Don’t doubt me,” the person said. “I heard it from Zhou Shi herself. She said it was Aunt Yu who told her this. Otherwise, why would she spend twenty taels of silver to marry the second daughter of the Yu family?”
The “Aunt Yu” mentioned was the matriarch of the Yu family.
Upon hearing this, those present began murmuring among themselves.
They had never heard of Yu Li being assessed by a fortune-teller when she was younger. This sounded more like a fabricated tale.
Everyone knew the kind of person the matriarch of the Yu family was. The villagers were more inclined to believe that the Yu family, greedy for the twenty taels of silver, had made up this story to persuade the Fu family into the marriage.
Still, the fact remained that Fu Wenxiao had indeed awakened after the Chong Xi.
Could it be that Yu Li really was a blessed person, and they just didn’t realize it?
Thinking along these lines, many villagers couldn’t help but regret not acting sooner to marry off their own children to Yu Li. Even though the Yu family had insisted on a bride price of twenty taels of silver, it wasn’t an insurmountable amount. They could have borrowed some money and paid it back later. If they brought a lucky star into their home, wouldn’t they have no trouble repaying the debt?
When the villagers later encountered Zhou Shi doing laundry, many of them specifically asked her about this matter.
Zhou Shi’s face was glowing with joy. As she scrubbed clothes, she said, “Li Niang is indeed a blessed person. Look, she just got married yesterday, and today my Xiao Ge’er woke up. She’s definitely Xiao Ge’er’s lucky star. I couldn’t be happier that Xiao Ge’er married her. I just hope they can live a long and happy life together…”
Then she began praising Yu Li, calling her hardworking and capable, attentive and caring, and even a thoughtful and considerate person…
In Zhou Shi’s words, her daughter-in-law Yu Li was the best girl in the world, second to none.
She was so satisfied with Yu Li that she wished she could treat her like a treasure and worship her.
Those villagers who had initially been half-skeptical couldn’t help but wonder as they saw Zhou Shi’s confident attitude.
Could it be… Yu Li really was a blessed girl?
Maybe there really had been a fortune-teller who read Yu Li’s fate in the past, and they just hadn’t known about it. After all, the Yu family had never mentioned it. No wonder Old Madam Yu demanded such a high bride price.
After Zhou Shi finished washing clothes and left, someone muttered, “If Li Niang really is a lucky star, how could the Yu family bear to treat her so poorly?”
“Exactly. Look how thin Li Niang is. She must not have had enough to eat.”
“It’s not like there’s a famine. How could they let a girl starve to the point of being so skinny?”
While there were indeed skinny people in the village, food was scarce for most households except for the landlords. Still, few were as emaciated as Yu Li.
It was clear at a glance that she hadn’t been eating well.
In recent years, the weather had been favorable, and taxes weren’t heavy. As long as someone was willing to work, they generally wouldn’t starve, let alone a family like the Yu family. They owned a decent amount of farmland and had several capable men in the household. Their grain supply should have been more than enough to feed the family and keep everyone half-full, if not entirely satisfied.
“Not just her. I think everyone in the second branch of the Yu family looks pretty thin.”
“True. The second Yu couple and their daughters are all skinny and small.”
“What’s the use of being a lucky star? They’re all just daughters. Who would be happy about that? It’s no wonder Aunt Yu doesn’t like the girls from the second branch. If it were me, I wouldn’t like them either. Even if she’s a lucky star, it’s useless!”
The speaker was a short man who looked utterly disdainful, clearly annoyed that the second branch of the Yu family had only daughters and no sons.
This kind of attitude was shared by many in the village, and several men voiced their agreement.
The men who echoed these sentiments were all strong believers in the importance of continuing the family line. If their wives gave birth to nothing but daughters, they’d be furious.
At this moment, a woman by the river holding a laundry paddle shouted angrily, “What’s wrong with having daughters? Weren’t you all born of women? Aren’t your mothers and sisters women? If having daughters is so infuriating, why don’t you just drop dead?”
“Exactly! Would you dare say this in front of your mother or wife?”
“You bunch of good-for-nothings! You think you’re so great just because you’ve got a little more meat on your bones. Be careful, or someday a dog might snatch that meat off you, and you’ll lose your manhood altogether!”
The women present were visibly annoyed by the men’s disdainful attitudes, especially those who had daughters themselves. They began to wonder if these men secretly despised their own daughters. Their expressions turned stormy, their eyes blazing with anger.
The women immediately joined in the scolding, their loud voices overwhelming the men, who had no choice but to retreat in embarrassment.
When it came to arguments, the women in the village never backed down. Their voices were powerful, and no man could win an argument against them.
—
When Zhou Shi entered her home, she saw Yu Li sitting in the shade of the courtyard, sharing peeled raw sweet potatoes with two children.
Sweet potatoes could be eaten raw. They were crisp and slightly sweet, with a unique taste.
Yu Li loved roasted sweet potatoes but also enjoyed eating them raw. As long as the food was edible, she liked it.
Whenever the children saw her eating, they couldn’t resist joining in. Although these were ordinary foods they’d eaten countless times before and grown tired of, watching Yu Li made them feel like it was delicious again.
When she noticed Zhou Shi entering, Yu Li walked over with half a sweet potato in her mouth, took the wooden basin of clothes from her hands, and helped her hang the laundry.
The sun was bright, the sky was clear, and an occasional breeze rustled the trees, offering a hint of coolness.
After finishing the laundry, Yu Li stood beside the drying clothes, basking in the sunlight. One hand rested on her hip while the other held the half-eaten sweet potato she continued to nibble.
The weather was hot, and the sun was dazzling, but she didn’t mind at all. She felt that soaking up the sunlight was a kind of pleasure.
There had been no sun like this in the apocalypse.
Zhou Shi found it amusing.
She was in such a good mood that everything she saw felt pleasant, especially her daughter-in-law Yu Li, whom she had firmly labeled as a lucky star in her heart. No matter what Yu Li did, Zhou Shi viewed it with a tolerant and forgiving attitude.
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she said, “Li Niang, today is the third day since you got married. It’s the day for your Hui Men1Hui men (回门) is a traditional Chinese custom that refers to a bride’s formal visit to her parents’ home after her marriage..”
Yu Li blinked at her in confusion, then searched her memory carefully until she finally understood what Hui Men meant.
Over the past few days at the Fu household, she had food, drink, and a place to stay. Zhou Shi had a gentle and generous temperament. Noticing that Yu Li had a large appetite, she always cooked extra food and didn’t mind if Yu Li helped herself to snacks after meals. Zhou Shi never locked up the food or said a single word of reproach.
It was entirely different from life in the Yu family.
Living here was so comfortable that Yu Li had nearly forgotten about the Yu family, let alone the tradition of returning to her parents’ home on the third day.
Zhou Shi was a rule-abiding person. Although this marriage was arranged to ward off bad luck, she still treated Yu Li as a proper daughter-in-law of the Fu family. This was her Xiao Ge’er’s wife, and she valued her accordingly.
“Li Niang, I’ll prepare some things for you to take back later,” she said, her tone carrying a trace of guilt. “Xiao Ge’er can’t get out of bed right now, so he won’t be able to go with you…”
In Zhou Shi’s eyes, it was a failure on her son’s part not to accompany his wife on her Hui Men. She felt that it was unfair to Yu Li.
Yu Li, however, didn’t mind. Given Fu Wenxiao’s poor health, he didn’t even have the strength to wash his face; there was no point forcing him to go. Better for him to stay in the room and rest properly, lest he suddenly stop breathing one day.
Although she had no desire to return to the Yu family, Yu Li agreed since Zhou Shi insisted it was part of the rules.
Zhou Shi packed a basket of things for her to take back and added, “You don’t need to hurry back. It’s a rare visit—spend more time with your parents and sisters…”
Inside the house, Fu Wenxiao was awake. Hearing the conversation outside, he turned his head to look toward the window.
The window was open, and he could see the courtyard.
Zhou Shi was holding the young girl’s hand, offering her endless advice. The girl listened obediently, her expression serious, as if Zhou Shi’s words were profound truths to be carefully remembered.
His gaze fell on the girl, who was wearing a faded, coarse linen dress that villagers typically wore. The dull gray fabric made her look like a little gray creature. Combined with her thin frame, she didn’t look particularly appealing.
Yet strangely, she stood there calmly, without a hint of awkwardness. There was a natural ease and serenity about her, as though she was unaffected by external circumstances. This quality made others gradually overlook her appearance.
Fu Wenxiao stared at her intently, as if trying to see through her exterior and glimpse the soul beneath.
Sensing his gaze, Yu Li turned her head to look at him.
She tilted her head slightly, finding his expression odd. But ever since he had regained consciousness, he had always looked at her like that. She didn’t care anymore.
Taking the basket Zhou Shi handed her, Yu Li was about to leave when she suddenly stopped and turned back. She walked briskly to the window of the eastern wing.
Through the window, she said to the man sitting on the bed, “I’m going back to the Yu family.”
Fu Wenxiao looked at her and immediately caught a subtle difference in her words.
It wasn’t “returning to my parents’ home”, but “going back to the Yu family”.
Yu Li continued, “If you need anything, you can ask Mother to help you. If she doesn’t have enough strength, have her call me back.”
Fu Wenxiao: “…”