Yu Hongdou finally understood why her parents held such strong resentment toward the eldest branch of the family. Recalling the original plot where Xu Shi chased people with a knife in madness, and the later deadly feud between the third and eldest branches—it all traced back to this.
The third branch had lost two children because of the eldest branch.
“Your grandparents are reasonable people. After marriage, aside from household chores, each branch could keep their additional earnings,” Yu Sanlang said with gratitude and admiration for his parents, which made him feel deeply guilty for forcing Lao Yezi to divide the family estate.
“Both your fourth uncle and I were always hungry, roaming the mountains since childhood searching for food. Later, when we trained under Wu Shifu, we gained even more. Your fourth uncle dared to run away from home back then because he had money saved up and felt secure.” Remembering those days of roaming mountains and rivers with his younger brother, Yu Sanlang relaxed with a smile.
It wasn’t that he particularly liked this brother—they were seven years apart, and since childhood he’d been tasked with looking after the fourth child, often resenting him as a burden.
Only when the fourth brother grew up and became sensible did their relationship improve. Later, sharing the experience of training under Wu Shifu, hunting and gathering herbs together to earn money, they developed some fraternal bond.
However, these bonds had faded considerably over the years since the fourth brother left home.
The reason Yu Sanlang looked so happy mentioning the fourth brother was actually something else.
He glanced toward the door, and Xu Shi immediately took her sewing basket to sit by the doorway. Only then did Yu Sanlang explain the real reason to his daughter.
Previously, when Yu Silang was injured at Dongshan, Yu Sanlang borrowed a donkey to report to the Magistrate and request assistance, then personally led the search party through the mountains for several days.
Not only did they capture several notorious bandits, but they also discovered crucial clues. Combined with Yu Sanlang’s discovery of the Tian family girl cultivating ginger and pepper on the mountain, all this was reported to the Magistrate.
The Yamen Secretary accompanying the Magistrate then proposed the Trial Planting of Medicinal Herbs, remarking that if successful, it would secure their master’s future prospects.
The Magistrate was extremely pleased, awarding Yu Sanlang and Yu Silang five hundred taels of silver in reward, while privately giving Yu Sanlang additional valuable items.
“Although it was because of that troublemaker Liu Shi that we fell out irreconcilably with the eldest branch, we can’t deny our role in the family division. Your grandfather spent his early years alone, so he values family prosperity deeply.”
“The family division must have upset your grandfather. This is my failure in filial duty, so I decided to give that silver to your grandparents for their retirement, to prevent them from feeling insecure in their old age.”
Here, Yu Sanlang paused and looked at his wife. He had told her about giving away the money, but this was the first time he explained his reasons.
Feeling her husband’s gaze, Xu Shi smiled gently and nodded, indicating her agreement.
Yu Sanlang returned her smile before turning back to continue explaining to his daughter.
“You’re young, but your parents know you’re clever. I remember when you were three, going out with Hu Tao for the first time, you found two duck eggs by the river and hid them all the way home, only giving them to us at night. That’s why I’m explaining everything clearly—so you won’t overthink or misunderstand.”
The reason Yu Sanlang willingly shared these family secrets with his children was because both his children were exceptionally intelligent.
He feared that without clear explanations, resentment might take root in their hearts, leading them astray in the future.
“Alright, Father, don’t worry. I understand. I won’t tell anyone.” Yu Hongdou solemnly promised her parents.
Compared to Yu Sanlang giving Lao Yezi over two hundred taels of silver, Hongdou was even more surprised by how openly he confided in her, a mere five-year-old child.
Was this the kind of enlightened parent she’d read about online—the type willing to respect their children? Even her highly educated parents from her previous life hadn’t managed this. Unexpectedly, she was experiencing it now in this ancient Farming Literature world.
For a moment, Yu Hongdou’s emotions were too complex to unravel.
“Alright, that’s enough for today. I need to go to the village chief’s place to finalize the homestead,” Yu Sanlang said, noticing his daughter’s attentive expression. He cheerfully pinched her cheek before heading out to take care of business.
“I’m coming too! I want to be the first to know where our home will be!” Mentioning the village chief’s house immediately perked Hongdou up.
She hadn’t forgotten about the elusive [Zhi Xiang Cult’s Jialan Incense].
The village chief’s house remained the same, but this time it disappointed Hongdou. Of the four original check-in points on the Eight Immortals table, only two green cursors now flickered faintly—the other two had vanished without a trace.
[Check-in Location: Scholar Li Ru’s Painting. Consume 2 Check-in Points?]
[Check-in Location: Carpenter Li Tiedan’s Wood Carving. Consume 2 Check-in Points?]
This was the first time Hongdou learned that check-in locations could actually disappear.
Rubbing her eyes, she confirmed only these two spots remained. She gazed at the painting that had returned to a check-in-ready state, then at the empty spaces on either side of the Eight Immortals table.
Unable to resist, Hongdou seized a gap in her father’s conversation with the village chief to ask, “Grandpa Chief, that pretty embroidered painting is gone, and the fragrance is gone too.” Playing the innocent child, she pointed at the Eight Immortals table.
“Haha, your Aunt Xiulan liked that embroidered painting too. She said she wanted to learn from it and borrowed it for reference. If you want to see it, Hongdou, just go to the backyard and play with your Aunt Xiulan.” The village chief was quite fond of Hongdou’s appreciation for fine things.
Stroking his beard, he explained—half boasting—to father and daughter about the incense: “I only recently found out that incense was the Zhi Xiang Cult’s Jialan Incense. I heard they sell it by the stick. Hongyang said smelling it can clear your mind and enlighten your spirit, but what use would an old man like me have for such things? So I had him take it back.”
Yu Sanlang’s eyebrow twitched when he heard “Zhi Xiang Cult,” and he couldn’t help asking a few more questions.
He learned that the Zhi Xiang Cult’s incense was quite popular among scholars, especially this Jialan Incense, which was said to make people energetic and spark inspiration.
Remembering what Old Fourth had previously told the Magistrate, Yu Sanlang felt this incense might not be a good thing. However, he couldn’t say so directly and merely filed it away, planning to discuss it with his son later and have him mention it to the Magistrate.
Hongdou had arrived full of excitement but left disappointed, feeling rather dejected.
It wasn’t until her father decided to take her to see the homestead in person that she regained her spirits.
Taoyuan Village had two springs, located in the south and north of the village respectively, hence named the South Spring and North Spring.
Since the South Spring had a weak flow and would dry up during droughts, the area around the consistently abundant North Spring was considered Taoyuan Village’s prime location.
The next best areas were where the spring waters converged—this was where the Yu Family’s old homestead stood.
Yu Sanlang had limited options for choosing a location. After the family division, it was just the three of them living together—his frail wife and young daughter—and since he often traveled away from home, the surrounding environment and neighbors had to be carefully considered.
There couldn’t be too many young, strong men around, lest his wife feel anxious and fearful. Yet, a remote location would be unsafe. After much deliberation, Yu Sanlang chose a plot of land near the top of the North Spring, not far from his brother-in-law’s house. He even planned to persuade his second elder brother’s family to settle there as well.
Although it was within the village, Yu Hongdou had rarely visited this area before. Perched on Yu Sanlang’s back, her curious eyes darted around eagerly.
When she spotted a small stone house not far from their new homestead, her eyes couldn’t help but light up.