Due to having lunch at the butcher shop, Yu Li only returned home in the afternoon.
Zhou Shi was seated at the embroidery table in the main hall. Upon seeing her return, she set aside her work, helped take off her basket, and asked, “Li Niang, are you hungry? Did you eat?”
She knew that Yu Li was going to accompany Yu Jin to the county town today and would return later than usual, but she hadn’t expected it to be this late. Concerned, she wondered if Yu Li had eaten or was starving.
“I’ve eaten already, at the butcher shop,” Yu Li replied. “Brother Zhang said that since it’s rare for my second sister to visit, he wanted to treat us to a meal. The stewed meat he made was so fragrant—I didn’t expect him to have such skills…”
Despite Zhang Fu’s rough appearance, he seemed capable of doing everything, from laundry to cooking.
Probably because he was single without a wife to care for him, he had to handle everything himself.
The stewed meat he made was extraordinary, even better than what Zhou Shi could prepare. No one knew how he managed to stew the meat—it seemed like he hadn’t added anything, just purely stewed meat.
Zhou Shi pursed her lips and smiled. The people at the butcher shop were easygoing, and knowing her child was working there without suffering any grievances made her very relieved.
After drinking two bowls of tea to quench her thirst, Yu Li shared with Zhou Shi that Yu Jin wanted to start a small business in the county town.
“Mother, she wants to sell mixed grain rice balls, stuffing them with things like bean paste and stewed offal to add a bit of meat flavor. That way, they’ll sell better. But she’s never made stewed dishes before and was hoping to learn from you how to prepare stewed offal.”
Zhou Shi readily agreed, “Have her come over. Making stewed offal is quite simple; anyone who knows how to make stewed dishes can do it.”
In the Great Qing Dynasty, recipes for stewed dishes weren’t a secret. Stewed meat was sold everywhere, but the spices were expensive, and many people were unwilling to spend money on them. It was often cheaper to buy stewed meat on the street rather than make it at home.
Of course, making good stewed meat also depended on the quantity and ratio of spices. If the ratios weren’t right, the flavor would differ.
Yu Li was delighted to hear this and said, “Thank you, Mother. I’ll have her come by tomorrow.”
“Sure,” Zhou Shi said with a smile. “Tell her to just come; there’s no need to bring any gifts.”
Yu Li insisted, “She should bring something, though. After all, this is your skill, and she ought to show gratitude for your guidance. She can’t just take advantage of you for nothing.”
Taking without giving is shameful!
Zhou Shi couldn’t help but laugh, feeling warm inside. She knew that Yu Li truly regarded her as a mother and didn’t want her to suffer any loss.
She was very fond of Yu Li’s earnest and meticulous nature, always clear and never ambiguous. There was a scale in her heart for everything.
With this personality, even in… well, she probably wouldn’t suffer losses either.
After organizing the items she’d bought today, Yu Li went back to her room to get her clothes for washing up.
Upon entering, she glanced around and saw that Fu Wenxiao was resting, so she moved quietly.
By the time she finished washing up, Fu Wenxiao was already awake. He was sitting on the bed, his eyes slightly narrowed as though he hadn’t fully come to.
Hearing the sound of movement, he raised his eyes to look over. Upon seeing her, he seemed much more awake.
He lifted the quilt, got out of bed slowly, and asked, “Li Niang, when did you get back?”
“Just now,” Yu Li replied, wiping her hair. “Did I wake you?”
Fu Wen walked over to the window, gestured for her to come over, took the towel from her hand, and helped her dry her hair. He said, “No, it’s just that time—it’s natural to wake up.” Then he asked, “How did it go today?”
He, too, knew that she was taking her younger sister to the county town today and would be back late.
“I just didn’t expect it to be this late by the time I finished washing up.”
Yu Li sat on a low stool, letting him dry her hair, and said, “Mm, it went relatively smoothly.”
“Relatively?”
He caught the nuance in her words. It seemed something else had happened today, though it didn’t seem like a big deal to her since she deemed the day “smooth.”
Just as Fu Wenxiao was pondering this, she started recounting what she had done in the county town.
“…I deliberately led those two yamen officers to an empty alley before taking action.” Yu Li held a fan in her hand, lazily fanning herself. “Ah Jin seemed really frightened—her face turned pale. Initially, I didn’t want to deal with them, but they just came looking for trouble. Considering that Ah Jin will be working in the county town in the future, and since she’s pretty, what if that Steward Cui takes a liking to her? Who knows what he might do?”
Fu Wenxiao’s hand paused mid-motion as he dried her hair.
He asked, “He has his eye on you?”
“Seems like it. That’s what those two yamen officers said,” Yu Li replied nonchalantly. “At first, I thought it was my uncles upset over the family splitting up and sending someone to cause trouble. But it turns out it wasn’t that at all. It was just because he fancied me and wanted to drag me off to be his concubine.”
As she spoke, she showed no particular reaction.
The idea of her becoming someone’s little wife was impossible, and it was equally impossible for anyone to capture her.
Since she believed such a thing could never happen, she didn’t feel much about it.
Fu Wenxiao remained still for a long time.
Yu Li, puzzled, turned her head to look at him. Seeing his deep-set expression, it seemed he wasn’t in a good mood.
“Xiao Ge’er?” she called softly.
Fu Wenxiao suppressed the anger clouding his brow and eyes, gave her a gentle smile, and continued drying her hair.
After listening to her recount the day’s events, he said, “Li Niang, you did the right thing.”
Yu Li chuckled, “You’re saying the same thing as Uncle Tu.”
Though she said that, she was genuinely pleased. It seemed that her actions today weren’t wrong; both of them agreed with her.
In the past, when she shared her experiences outside with Fu Wenxiao, it was to confirm whether her actions were appropriate, to avoid clashing with the world and causing trouble.
Eventually, it became a habit.
This person was strange—in a good way. No matter what she did, he never overreacted. Instead, he would calmly analyze whether her actions were right or wrong. Most of the time, he thought she was in the right.
It seemed she had successfully integrated into this world.
Yu Li was quite satisfied.
Fu Wenxiao naturally understood Uncle Tu’s perspective. Even setting aside everything else, he didn’t think she had done anything wrong.
Those despicable villains who abducted young women—who knew how many they had harmed—deserved no mercy.
If she didn’t have such martial skill, and had been captured by those scoundrels, who knew what might have happened to her. Under such circumstances, he would rather she be strong enough to act decisively and deal with such people directly, sparing no words.
Fu Wenxiao gently used the towel to dry her hair, his voice steady and calm. “If you encounter such situations in the future, you don’t need to hesitate. Just deal with them directly.”
Yu Li froze for a moment, then felt something was off with his words. “That’s not right. If it gets exposed, won’t it implicate all of you?”
As for others, that was one thing, but when it came to the Fu family and the second branch of the Yu family, she couldn’t disregard them entirely and still had to consider their situation.
“It won’t,” Fu Wenxiao said with a faint smile. “Even if it’s exposed, it doesn’t matter.”
Yu Li was puzzled and looked up at him again.
If it were exposed, wouldn’t that mean becoming enemies with the authorities? Although the county magistrate was only a seventh-rank official, he still held an official position. She hadn’t considered dealing with a magistrate before.
Fu Wenxiao didn’t explain further and instead said, “To put it bluntly, it’s because I lack the ability to protect you.”
It was clear he was still bothered by this matter.
If it had been in the past…
Yu Li froze again, unable to understand his reasoning. What did this have to do with him?
She could protect herself—she didn’t need anyone else to protect her. Besides, with him being so frail… Yu Li thought she wasn’t so weak as to need a sickly person to shield her.
The idea of needing protection sounded strange to her.
Unaware of her thoughts, Fu Wenxiao continued, “Li Niang, once my body recovers, I’ll go take the imperial exams. One day, I’ll earn you a noble title so no one will dare to bully you.”
At the heart of it, it was because she was merely a commoner. No matter how capable she was, there would always be people who underestimated or mistreated her.
He couldn’t tolerate that.
Yu Li blinked, not understanding what a “noble title” meant.
The original owner of her body didn’t have any concept of such things, and as a result, she knew even less. Titles like that were far removed from the lives of rural folk, and no one ever talked about them in casual conversation.
“You want to take the imperial exams? Sure,” Yu Li said casually, knowing that in this world, all scholars aspired to gain fame and rank through the exams.
When his health improved, and he could go out freely, he could take the exams if he wanted to.
Hearing the nonchalance in her tone, Fu Wenxiao realized she hadn’t grasped the significance of him becoming a scholar, a candidate for higher office, or even an official.
They were husband and wife. If he gained success, she would share in his glory and status—she could become the wife of a scholar, a candidate’s wife, or even the wife of an official.
Unfortunately, she currently didn’t see him as her husband, so she wouldn’t consider these possibilities. His achievements would mean nothing to her. She preferred to rely on her own skills to achieve what she wanted.
Fu Wenxiao chuckled helplessly.
Though he understood her perspective, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.
—
In the evening, Yamen officers Ge and Peng left the Cui residence, with the sound of Old Madam Cui’s wailing and lamentations still echoing behind them.
Their faces maintained a serious expression, but inwardly, they were full of disdain.
This Old Madam Cui, relying on her daughter’s favored status in the county magistrate’s household, often put on airs, looking down on everyone. She even imposed strict rules on the young women her son had abducted, demanding they revere him as their sky and forbidding the slightest disobedience—otherwise, they’d face a beating or scolding. She behaved like a tyrannical mother-in-law, treating those girls as less than human.
Anyone unaware of the truth might have thought her son was the emperor.
Even the magistrate’s wife didn’t impose such rigid rules or physically punish her husband’s concubines.