Yu Hongdou was so infuriated by her parents’ conversation that she nearly jolted awake. How could people be so shameless? She had initially thought her grandfather was a reasonable old man, but it turned out he was just another biased, unfair elder!
And her eldest cousin—she had once believed he was the one decent shoot among a thicket of rotten bamboo in the eldest branch of the family. Yet, he turned out to be the worst of them all. If only he had mustered the courage to insist on marrying Liu Xingniang, this whole chain of events would never have happened.
Of course, even if he had married Liu Xingniang, other conflicts might have arisen. At this point, any speculation was merely hypothetical.
Yu Hongdou spent most of the night fuming. Even after her parents had fallen asleep, she lay awake, pondering how she could help her family.
Her two skills weren’t of much use to the household at the moment.
Selling embroidery might bring in a little money, but it was hardly enough to make the family prosperous. Unless she could embroider large, intricate pieces—which was beyond both her skill level and what was feasible for her age—it wouldn’t make a significant difference.
As for archery… she was still limited to stationary targets and couldn’t even hit a sparrow. Even if she could, her parents would never allow her to roam the mountains as a hunter.
Suddenly, she felt utterly useless, despite having a golden finger… Yu Hongdou opened her system panel with a hint of disdain and glanced at her backpack.
Her eyes were immediately drawn to the softly glowing Night-Luminous Pearl. She had almost forgotten about this item!
Quietly, she slid further under the covers, pulled out the Night-Luminous Pearl, and examined it by its light.
To her surprise, although the pearl emitted a gentle glow, it provided decent illumination—enough to clearly see her fingers. In the future, she could let it soak up sunlight and use it as a small night light.
After marveling at this ancient luxury, Yu Hongdou tried to put the pearl back into her backpack. Huh? It wouldn’t go back in?
Oh no! Frantically, she checked the system instructions. When she saw the fifth rule—”Once taken out, it cannot be put back in”—she slapped her forehead in frustration.
Life had been too comfortable lately, making her forget to be cautious.
What should she do now? Hand over the Night-Luminous Pearl and claim she found it?
Hmm… that might actually work?
After all, there really was a treasure stash hidden by the bandit Guo Jinlong in the mountains. Over time, groundwater might have eroded it, or someone from the past might have discovered and looted it, causing treasures to scatter.
It was plausible that a child like her, living by the river near the treasure site, could have stumbled upon this forgotten gem, right?
But she couldn’t offer it proactively. She’d wait until her parents noticed it themselves. After all, she was just an ignorant child who went to bed early and had no idea this pretty pearl could glow.
Yu Hongdou’s thoughts drifted in all directions, and she had no idea when she finally fell asleep.
In the depths of her slumber, she vaguely heard her father say he was going to the main house. In an instant, she sat up, grabbed her father as he was getting off the kang, and clambered onto his back.
She wanted to see the commotion too!
Yu Sanlang caught his daughter, who was clinging to his back like a little monkey, and decided to bring both his wife and daughter along to the main house. After all, they were going to discuss building a new house and moving.
It was rare for Yu Hongdou to appear in the main house during breakfast. When she was younger, she couldn’t eat solid food; later, she was too weak to wake up early; and after falling into the water and falling ill, she had always taken her meals in her own room.
On the table sat a pot of Foxtail Millet Porridge and a heaping plate of Vegetable Buns made from Buckwheat Flour. There were four side dishes: Salted Small Root Garlic, Cold Dandelion Salad, Pickled Cucumber, and Steamed Mustard Greens.
In her previous life, this spread would have been right up her alley, and she would have gladly devoured two bowls of porridge and two Vegetable Buns.
Ever since she transmigrated, her stomach had been rebelling, constantly craving rich meats and heavily oily, salty foods every day.
With many people eating together, the meal was quickly devoured. Normally, the next step would be for the men to head out to the fields and the women to start on household chores. Seizing this opportunity, Yu Sanlang gathered the family to stay.
A night had passed, and Yu Sanlang had mentally prepared himself. He went straight to the point with his father:
“Father, I’ve thought it over all night. The matter with Liu Shi can’t just be left like this for me. If she returns, I’ll move out with Huiru and Hongdou.”
“Father, it’s not that Huiru and I are unwilling to forgive. But having Liu Shi and Hongdou under the same roof every day, I’m afraid she might lay hands on her again if we’re not careful, or even use the child to harm others.”
Yu Sanlang’s words successfully choked Yu Laoyezi, who had intended to console his son.
He glanced at his little granddaughter clinging to his third son, then at his eldest grandson, who had been listless since being scolded by him yesterday, and finally let out a long sigh.
“In my heart, I don’t want Liu Shi to return. Even if we don’t divorce her in the future, she must learn her lesson and endure some hardship at her parents’ home, so she realizes how good life in our Yu Family is.”
“Unfortunately, Zhenzi is disappointing and has developed improper intentions. I’m afraid if we don’t let Liu Shi return now, the Yu Family’s reputation will be ruined.”
“Your mother and I are old and have nothing to fear, but you all still have to live in the village. If our reputation is tarnished, how will marriages be arranged in the future?”
“Even if the family divides, we still share the same surname. The eldest son’s family is already married or engaged, but what about the second, third, and future fourth son’s children? Won’t they need to marry?”
Yu Laoyezi’s words plunged everyone present into deep thought, as this was an angle they hadn’t considered.
Yu Sanlang and Xu Shi’s expressions eased slightly. So his father (father-in-law) wasn’t entirely biased toward the eldest son’s family; he had considered the other branches as well.
Last night, Yu Sanlang wasn’t the only one tossing and turning—Yu Laoyezi had also pondered deeply. Did he think highly of Liu Shi?
Naturally not, but she was already married into the family.
If Liu Shi had truly remarried as she claimed, or if there were no children involved, fulfilling the eldest grandson’s wishes might have been acceptable.
But it was clear that Liu Shi, knowing the family had divided, used the threat of remarriage to intimidate her son and the eldest son’s family, wanting to return and control the eldest branch’s finances.
The current situation was that the Yu Family couldn’t abandon this child, nor could they initiate divorcing Liu Shi. Even though Liu Shi was at fault, no serious consequences had occurred yet.
If they were to punish Liu Shi and the child in her womb over this, they would be seen as heartless and cruel.
Such a reputation wouldn’t just affect the marriages of the other grandchildren; it could also harm the prospects of the third and fourth sons.
When he spoke with the third son last night, he actually wanted him to endure for a while and move out after the house was built, benefiting both sides.
However, the third son had a point: during this busy period, who could guarantee that Liu Shi wouldn’t stir up trouble? If another incident occurred, the third son and the eldest would become sworn enemies.
“Third son, I understand your thoughts, and your considerations are reasonable. I don’t blame you, and don’t resent me either.”
“After this busy period, your eldest brother, second brother, and fourth brother will also move out. Your mother and I won’t keep anyone by our side, so you won’t feel we’re playing favorites.” The old man finished explaining his plans in one breath.
This was something he had discussed with his wife long ago—they had silver on hand, and keeping their sons by their side would only bring unease.
Looking at his three sons again, especially the third one, whose furrowed brow had relaxed and complexion improved, Yu Laoyezi couldn’t help but curse under his breath, “Little brat.”
He did favor the eldest son a bit, mainly because he was the first child, the first person in this world connected to him by blood. But as for the second, third, and fourth sons, it wasn’t as if he had neglected them entirely.