She had absolute confidence in her own strength.
No matter what schemes or tricks were used, they were insignificant in the face of absolute power.
Fu Wenxiao understood this very well.
He had never considered using his past methods against her. Even though he knew she had a strange origin and carried secrets, he didn’t want to investigate further.
This young woman who had suddenly appeared in his life was an unexpected occurrence.
After confirming her character and finding her someone worthy of trust, he had once thought of entrusting Zhou Shi and the two children to her care, arranging their future lives, and then leaving in peace himself.
Fu Wenxiao smiled softly at her and said warmly, “Li Niang, it’s late. Let’s sleep.”
Yu Li responded with an “oh,” glanced at him again, and thought he seemed odd. Could it be that he had noticed his body suddenly becoming more comfortable and was starting to suspect something?
If he wanted to ask, she wouldn’t mind answering. Whether he believed her or not was his business.
Sharing the same room and bed, she had never hidden her abnormalities from him since the beginning. Unless he was a fool, it was only natural for him to notice something.
Given Fu Wenxiao’s character, if he knew she had saved him, he would undoubtedly be grateful.
After all, she was still waiting for him to repay the favor.
When the oil lamp was blown out, the two lay down to sleep.
Yu Li lay there using her ability to repair her body.
After dinner, she had consumed another bowl of medicinal soup, and her ability had recovered quickly, allowing her to mend her body.
While she was busy, Fu Wenxiao’s voice suddenly broke the darkness.
“Li Niang, in front of others, try not to do anything out of the ordinary.”
Yu Li replied with an “oh” without asking what he meant by “out of the ordinary.” She then asked, “Does that include Mother?”
The “Mother” she referred to was Zhou Shi, not Liu Shi of the Yu family.
Fu Wenxiao, understanding her meaning, firmly replied, “Yes, it includes her. Try to hide it as much as possible.”
Yu Li said, “But I eat so much every day—Mother already knows.”
Normal people didn’t have such a massive appetite.
If this world had specialized energy supplements, it would be much better. Supplements could fully replenish the energy consumed by her ability, so she wouldn’t need to eat so much. Honestly, it was a bit of a waste of food.
“She thinks it’s because you’re strong, so eating more is normal,” Fu Wenxiao said, his voice tinged with amusement. “Mother won’t overthink it.”
Zhou Shi had a gentle and kind disposition. Even after experiencing so much, she rarely assumed the worst about people.
She liked Yu Li and thought she was good in every way. Even if Yu Li ate a lot, with an appetite far exceeding normal, Zhou Shi would still find excuses for her.
She would never be seen as an anomaly.
As for the two siblings were still young, and their understanding of the world came from the adults around them.
Since the adults in the family were accustomed to Yu Li’s appetite, the siblings would naturally see it as normal. Even if they noticed something unusual later on, by then their affection for Yu Li would be so deep that they wouldn’t want to hurt her and wouldn’t investigate or talk about it.
Yu Li murmured a response. At that moment, her ability was almost depleted, and she was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open.
In her drowsy state, she said, “Xiao Ge’er, you’re such a good person…”
To even remind her of this—wasn’t he worried that by pointing it out, he might provoke her into wanting to kill him?
Fu Wenxiao chuckled softly.
Among the people who had ever known him, apart from innocent children, she was probably the only one who would call him a good person.
In her heart, he must truly be someone good. So good that she was willing to expose her trump cards in front of him and even wanted to make him feel better…
Fu Wenxiao sighed quietly in his heart.
She was the unexpected variable in his life, a surprise gifted by fate. Whether he lived or died in the future, it would be hard to forget such an extraordinary person.
—
In the morning, after breakfast—and another tearful bowl of awful medicinal soup—Yu Li headed out.
Zhou Shi reminded her, “If you don’t feel well, come back right away, or have someone send you back.”
Yu Li waved at her. “Don’t worry, Mother, I’m fine.”
Unfortunately, Zhou Shi didn’t believe her and watched her leave with a worried expression.
Yu Li was going to the Yu family to check on Yu Zhu.
In fact, the doctors weren’t wrong. Yu Zhu’s condition had been critical at the time, and whether she would wake up was uncertain.
In Yu Li’s perception, the injury to the back of Yu Zhu’s head was too severe. Her life force was gradually weakening, and if nothing unexpected happened, she would pass away in her sleep after a few days.
Although Yu Li had transferred some of her life energy ability to wake Yu Zhu up, her ability was too weak to fully heal her.
As a result, Yu Zhu was still bedridden these days.
Ultimately, it would depend on her own slow recovery until her body healed.
When Yu Li arrived at the second branch of the Yu family, Yu Zhu was in the middle of drinking medicine.
The three sisters were all at home and were delighted to see her.
“Eldest Sister, why are you here? Are you feeling better?” Yu Jin asked with concern, her eyes scanning Yu Li from head to toe.
Yu Yin quickly pulled her to sit down and poured her some water.
Yu Zhu, sitting on the bed, looked at her longingly and tugged at her sleeve. “Eldest Sister…”
Yu Li patted each of her sisters on the head, smiling. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
The three sisters scrutinized her closely and noticed that her complexion had indeed improved significantly.
Perhaps it was just their imagination, but it seemed like their eldest sister’s skin had become fairer, and her once gaunt face had filled out slightly. While she still appeared thin, she no longer resembled the emaciated, refugee-like figure she once was.
“Eldest Sister, you seem to have gained some weight,” Yu Yin said hesitantly.
This version of their eldest sister was truly beautiful.
Whoever said their eldest sister was ugly? She was clearly very good-looking, like a flower bud waiting to bloom.
Yu Li pinched her own cheeks and said, “Lately, I’ve been eating three meals a day, plus taking medicinal soups and herbal tonics, so I’ve regained some weight.”
She then explained to them about her current health regimen and how she was drinking medicine every morning and evening.
In short, the medicine was a torment to her, but it restored her abilities quickly, allowing her to use them to repair her body.
The three sisters looked at her with bright, sparkling eyes, all delighted.
“Eldest Sister, you must take good care of your health,” Yu Jin said eagerly. “Then you won’t faint again in the future.”
The other two sisters nodded in agreement.
Yu Li’s expression twitched slightly—the medicine was truly awful.
She glanced at the bowl of medicine in Yu Jin’s hands. The bowl was still half full of the dark liquid, and she asked, “How is Little Sister’s health? Has the doctor come to check on her?”
“The doctor came yesterday,” Yu Jin said cheerfully. “He said that since Little Sister woke up, she’s out of danger. But she suffered a lot this time and still needs plenty of rest. She’ll need to drink a few more doses of medicine to recover.”
Yu Li felt even more sympathetic.
It seemed that the doctors in this world had one universal solution: have patients drink tonics to restore their health.
It wasn’t entirely wrong. If you were sick, you took medicine to treat the illness; if you weren’t sick, you drank it to nourish your body.
Yu Zhu gulped down the remaining half bowl of medicine in one go, without a single complaint. After finishing the medicine, she happily sucked on the candy her sister had given her, looking thoroughly content.
Yu Li asked, “Little Sister, wasn’t the medicine hard to drink?”
“It was awful,” Yu Zhu admitted, “but drinking it will help me get better faster. That way, we won’t have to spend more money on medicine or doctors. Medicine is expensive, you know.”
Her face was full of concern. Her elder sisters had asked the doctor to prescribe more medicine for her, insisting that she take it to recover properly. She couldn’t let her sisters’ kindness go to waste, nor could she afford to squander money.
Yu Li patted her head. “Good girl.”
The sisters chatted for a while and brought up how, two days ago, Yu Qin from the neighboring first branch of the Yu family had delivered ten taels of silver.
“It was Grandfather who told her to bring it over,” Yu Jin said, her expression souring.
Grandmother Yu had nearly caused Yu Zhu to lose her life, yet because she was an elder, no matter how angry they were, they couldn’t do anything to her.
If Yu Li hadn’t gone over there herself, they likely wouldn’t have received even these ten taels.
The ten taels were clearly given as a way to ensure Yu Li wouldn’t cause them trouble—it was a heavy concession for them.
Yu Li said, “Just take it.”
“But I’m still angry,” Yu Jin muttered softly.
Yu Li patted her head. “Then work hard to become strong enough that no one dares to bully you again.”
Yu Jin seemed thoughtful.
Yu Yin and Yu Zhu, watching their two older sisters, didn’t quite understand what it meant to make themselves strong.
They didn’t have the strength their eldest sister possessed, nor the ability to fight back against those who bullied them. How could they become strong?
—
After confirming that Yu Zhu’s recovery was progressing well, Yu Li didn’t stay much longer.
Her sisters were mainly worried that her health hadn’t fully recovered and didn’t want her to overexert herself. They urged her to go back and rest instead of wandering around outside.
“Eldest Sister, you should head back. Don’t worry about us,” Yu Jin said to her. “Once Little Sister’s health improves, I’ll go to the county to find work and start earning money.”
Yu Zhu’s injury to her head had cost them quite a bit of silver.
Although Yu Qin had delivered ten taels, their expenses continued to outweigh their income, and the money would eventually run out.
Yu Li was a bit surprised. “What kind of work are you planning to look for?”
“I have an idea, but I need to visit the county first to figure things out,” Yu Jin said hesitantly. “I’ve never been to the county before.”
Yu Li nodded. “Alright, when you’re ready to go to the county, let me know, and I’ll take you there.”
Yu Jin agreed.
After leaving the second branch of the Yu family, Yu Li passed by the main courtyard of the Yu family.
The courtyard gate was open. Inside, Yu Qin and Wang Shi were hanging clothes to dry, while Grandmother Yu stood by the kitchen, muttering curses under her breath. It wasn’t clear who she was scolding.
As Yu Li walked by, all three of them turned to look at her simultaneously.
Grandmother Yu was startled and immediately darted into the kitchen.