Yu Sanlang didn’t return until midnight. By the time he came back, Yu Hongdou had already woken from a nap and completed 30 slingshot pulls in Tutorial Mode.
Her Archery Skill Experience had now reached Level 1 at 16%. Even Yu Hongdou was surprised to achieve this progress on just the second day. Compared to embroidery, this Progress Bar was increasing rather quickly.
After careful consideration, she soon realized this progress growth followed a Multi-dimensional Calculation model—besides diligent practice, it also incorporated dimensions of speed and accuracy.
Coincidentally, Yu Hongdou’s accuracy was quite good. Out of ten shots, she would hit Bullseye two or three times, while the remaining shots consistently landed in the seven to nine rings, never missing the target.
If she could continue accumulating experience through outdoor practice, she estimated her Archery Skill would soon reach Level 2. With an additional 5 points then, she could go on a shopping spree at all the village locations she wanted to Check-in!
Holding onto this delightful prospect, Yu Hongdou contentedly exited Tutorial Mode, just in time to hear her father entering and speaking with her mother.
Being a seasoned little offender at feigning sleep to eavesdrop, she remained completely still, maintaining her breathing rhythm while openly listening in.
“What kept you out so late? Have you eaten?” Xu Shi asked with a mix of reproach and concern, handing her husband a towel soaked in hot water.
“It’s nothing. Hongdou’s words earlier made me realize something, so I went to send a message to Xiao Song. I ran into Father on the way and got delayed.” Yu Sanlang wiped his face and tossed the towel back into the basin.
Thinking of his encounter with his father, Yu Sanlang couldn’t help sighing. “Father said Zhenzi doesn’t want Liu Shi but wants to keep the child, and then plans to marry Liu Xingniang, our eldest sister’s husband’s niece.”
Xu Shi, who was retrieving food from the cupboard, nearly dropped the bowl in her hands. “Xingniang? Didn’t she marry long ago?”
“Yes. Zhenzi said she was divorced after a miscarriage left her unable to bear children.” Yu Sanlang was truly hungry. He picked up a steamed bun, split it open, stuffed it with pickled vegetables, and took large bites.
“…Why didn’t he mention this earlier? Zhenzi is, after all, the eldest grandson. Eight taels of silver isn’t beyond our means. Marrying within the family would be good for Eldest Sister too.” Xu Shi couldn’t understand what Zhenzi was thinking.
Something that could have been easily resolved had somehow turned into such a mess.
Liu Xingniang was the daughter of the elder brother-in-law of Yu Sanlang’s eldest sister, Yu Lian. This uncle from the Liu family and his wife favored sons over daughters, treating their three daughters as commodities to be sold for the highest price.
Liu Xingniang was pretty and skilled at sericulture, attracting many suitors at the time. She was eventually betrothed to a silk-reeling family in a neighboring town for a bride price of eight taels.
Before Xu Shi married into the Yu Family, her mother had assessed the family’s background and determined they were certainly not poor. Regardless of how much silver Yu Laoyezi had when he first settled here, the family had earned considerable income over the years from gathering and selling medicinal herbs.
After all, while new rice devalues old grains, no one had ever heard of medicinal herbs depreciating. Moreover, herb gathering was essentially a risk-free business with no capital investment.
Marrying a Liu Xingniang wouldn’t just rely on the elders drawing from the family funds; the eldest branch alone had enough private savings to cover it. Back when Yu Sanlang married her, the private savings he handed over exceeded eight taels. Given how frugal that couple from the eldest branch was, their private silver reserves could only be greater, not less.
“You married into the family later, so you wouldn’t know. When my elder sister was still at home, she often made trouble for our elder sister-in-law.” Yu Sanlang shook his head. His elder sister and sister-in-law were like two sharp needles clashing—neither of them was easy to deal with.
“But now it’s impossible. Liu Shi isn’t foolish enough to bear a child just to make way for Xing Niang.” Xu Shi couldn’t understand Zhenzi’s way of thinking. Did he think swapping wives was an easy matter? If they weren’t careful, they could end up being reported to the magistrate.
Yu Sanlang ate a steamed bun in silence, glancing at his wife and then at their daughter lying on the kang. In a low voice, he said:
“I had originally planned to move directly into the city after dividing the family, buying a house on the outskirts or in the suburbs so we could all be together.”
“But unexpectedly, the Magistrate thought highly of me and assigned me the task of trial planting of medicinal herbs. Now it seems we’ll have to stay in the village for another year or so.”
“Earlier, Father came to me, but he was just feeling aggrieved and wanted me to offer a solution. But this matter is beyond my control, and I don’t wish to interfere.” Yu Sanlang roughly understood his father’s intentions.
Either he wanted him to help devise a plan to deal with Liu Shi, or he wanted him to step back and allow Liu Shi to return. But why should he?
Why should he play the villain or sacrifice his own interests for the sake of the eldest brother?
“Huiru, let’s move out.” As soon as these words left his mouth, Yu Sanlang lost his appetite. He pushed the kang table aside and slumped back as if all his strength had drained away.
“Husband, I’ll follow your lead. Moving out isn’t such a bad idea—it’ll be peaceful, and I can teach Hongdou to read.” Xu Shi hugged her husband sympathetically.
She knew he was truly hurt. Even though the eldest branch of the family was unreliable, and even though their own branch had achieved success, the old man still couldn’t bring himself to abandon the eldest branch and even expected them to help manage their affairs.
Xu Shi smiled bitterly, recalling the conversation she’d had with her daughter that evening. Never had she imagined that in the end, they would be the ones moving out to make way for Liu Shi’s return.
“It’s nothing, I’m just tired.” Yu Sanlang leaned against his wife to rest for a while, letting go of some of the heaviness in his heart. Then he began to share the arrangements he had in mind.
“Right now, I’m uneasy about sending you and Hongdou into the city alone. Our roots are still in the village, so I’m thinking we should prioritize building a smaller house to live in for now. We can expand it later when we have more time.”
Yu Sanlang sat up again. After his conversation with his father, his first thought had been how to arrange things for his wife and daughter—there had been no time for sorrow.
Only when he entered the room and saw his wife did that deep sense of grievance surge up inside him. But it was quickly soothed by her gentleness.
Fingers vary in length, and people have their biases.
His parents might think his eldest brother was disappointing, but he was their firstborn, the one they would rely on in their old age. It was only natural for them to favor the eldest branch and hope for their well-being.
Xu Shi didn’t mind the size of the house, but building one now would require help from the villagers. With spring plowing approaching and the medicinal herbs to be planted this year, the villagers would hardly have any free time until after June.
Unwilling to let her husband owe favors for the sake of building a house, Xu Shi hesitated before speaking up: “Spring plowing is about to start, and the villagers may not have time to spare. Husband, do you remember my father’s old house?”
“Your family’s old house? The one near South Mountain?” Yu Sanlang frowned at the memory.
Xu Shi’s stepfather was a skilled builder. Back in the day, he had built the first stone house in Taoyuan Village at the foot of South Mountain, nestled against the mountainside.
The house was in a good location and solidly built, but it was rather remote.
When it came time for Xu Shi’s younger brother to marry, even his prospective in-laws were reluctant to marry their daughter to him. It wasn’t until they rebuilt the house in the village that he finally managed to get a wife.
The year Xiao Song turned six, Xu Shi’s mother passed away. Within three years, her stepfather was also gone, leaving the house vacant. Surprisingly, it still stands intact to this day, a testament to its sturdy construction.
“No, it’s too remote. With just you and the child at home, I wouldn’t feel at ease,” Yu Sanlang firmly rejected his wife’s suggestion without hesitation.
Yet his wife was right—both the spring plowing and medicinal herb planting couldn’t be delayed. He needed to think this through carefully…