Ever since Chen Yuan arrived in this family, she had known that Zhang Laoer had died.
She also knew that the second branch’s eldest daughter had already been married off.
She had heard it was because the family needed money to buy books for the eldest grandson. So when the girl was only fourteen, she had been sold off at a high bride price to an elderly widower.
Madam Cui blamed herself for failing to leave Zhang Laoer with a son.
She believed she had let her husband down and considered herself the sinner of the entire family.
Because of that, she led her three remaining daughters in working themselves to the bone.
They did more work than oxen every day while eating less than chickens.
Between the four of them, they handled nearly every chore inside and outside the house.
That was also why the original owner had been able to live a comparatively easier life in the Zhang family.
Madam Cui spent every day laboring in the fields.
It could be said that she was responsible for at least half of the family’s farmland.
Erya took care of sweeping and cooking.
Sanya washed all the family’s clothes.
Even six-year-old Siya had to gather firewood and feed the chickens.
The four of them were unquestionably the family’s greatest contributors.
Yet whenever it was time to eat, they were forced to squat in the kitchen.
They weren’t even allowed to enter the main hall.
The girls were constantly hungry and never had enough warm clothes to wear.
The children from the eldest branch often pointed at them while calling them “freeloaders” and “money-losing girls.”
Whenever they were bullied, they never dared argue back.
Instead, they would run to their mother.
But all Madam Cui ever did was cry and tell them to endure it.
As someone raised in modern times, Chen Yuan simply couldn’t understand her second sister-in-law.
If you couldn’t stand up for yourself, who else could you expect to stand up for you?
Even if someone helped you once…
Or twice…
How long could you expect them to keep doing it?
More importantly…
If you didn’t even see yourself as worthy of respect, why would anyone else respect you?
She truly pitied her misfortune…
And hated her unwillingness to fight back.
Just as Chen Yuan was lost in thought, her door was kicked open with a loud bang.
Old Madam Zhao strode inside in a few long steps.
“Third son’s wife! Are you dead or alive? If you’re alive, then crawl if you have to—but get up and cook! Otherwise, you and that worthless little girl can both starve from now on!”
Chen Yuan ignored her completely.
She continued lying motionless on the kang, pretending to be gravely ill.
Old Madam Zhao waited for a long while.
When there was still no response, she walked over and placed a hand beneath Chen Yuan’s nose.
“Still breathing…”
“So she’s alive.”
She guessed the woman had fainted from hunger after missing yesterday’s meals.
Then she looked at the baby.
Daniu’s eyes were closed.
She couldn’t tell whether the child was asleep…
Or dead.
For a moment, Old Madam Zhao didn’t know whether to feel angry or annoyed.
She was angry because the third son’s wife lay there every day like a living corpse, doing absolutely nothing while the family still had to feed her.
She was annoyed because someone had already died that morning.
Surely two more people wouldn’t die before the day was over?
That would bring nothing but bad luck.
The more she thought about it, the more unlucky it all felt.
With a disgusted expression, she turned around and left the room.
Chen Yuan couldn’t care less what the old woman thought.
Right now, she only had one goal.
Recover her health.
Take Daniu.
Leave this family.
Not just this family.
She wanted to leave this village…
This county…
And go somewhere far away.
The problem was her household registration.
Her household registration papers were still in Old Madam Zhao’s possession.
When Zhang Laosan had brought the original owner home, she had possessed nothing except the clothes on her back.
No money.
No household registration.
Not even her memories.
After being forced to marry Zhang Laosan, she had been given the name Xiao Yanyan and only then was she officially registered.
Without household registration papers, she couldn’t even legally enter the county seat.
Traveling anywhere farther was completely out of the question.
For now…
The priority was getting her body back into shape.
Everything else could wait.
She spent the entire day drinking nothing but spiritual spring water.
She desperately wanted to recover as quickly as possible so she could leave.
Although the spring water couldn’t perform miracles or instantly restore someone from the brink of death, it was undeniably effective.
Compared to when she had first arrived, her body already felt much better.
She was confident that within a few more days, she would recover completely.
Madam Cui wasn’t given a funeral.
She was simply buried.
While Chen Yuan quietly rested and recovered, not everyone had the luxury of taking it easy.
The family’s workforce had either been sold off…
Or had died.
Suddenly, there wasn’t a single person left to cook.
Taohong, Zhang Laosi’s wife, was clever.
She had used Madam Cui’s burial as an excuse to stay away from the house.
Even now, she still hadn’t returned.
Little Madam Zhao—the wife of the eldest branch and Old Madam Zhao’s own niece—was someone Old Madam Zhao couldn’t order around.
Now that her second son had been drafted, Old Madam Zhao was even less willing to show her face in front of her.
As for Madam Lin, Zhang Laowu’s wife…
She was treated like a pampered young master.
Ever since marrying into the Zhang family, she had never done a single day’s work.
Meals were always served directly into her hands, and someone else always took care of her clothes and daily needs.
Besides, Zhang Laowu always shielded her.
Whenever Old Madam Zhao wanted to assign her work, he would sweet-talk his mother until she gave up.