Yu Hongdou felt her head swelling like a jar as she listened to the chattering female spectators relishing the drama. Releasing her mother’s hand, she used her height advantage to monkey-squeeze through the crowd and hide under the eaves, patting her chest to calm her nerves.
Compared to the Yu Family home, the village chief’s residence not only had an extra row of gatehouses but also added eastern and western side courtyards. The front gatehouses served as the main hall and study—spaces for receiving guests and handling affairs. The main building housed the elderly couple and their daughter, while the eastern and western wings contained the kitchen and woodshed on one side and guest rooms on the other. The eastern and western side courtyards were prepared for their sons.
A well stood in the courtyard, above which floated a luminous green icon shaped like a round head with a pointed tail.
“Hongdou, come in quick~” Her second cousin Hu Tao, her face full like the harvest moon, peeked out from the eastern wing’s guest room and beckoned her younger cousin with a chin gesture.
Yu Hongdou cast a regretful glance at the glowing green well and scampered over with quick, light steps.
Upon entering, she discovered the small room was crammed with seven or eight people.
Most families in the village had few children, with a noticeable generational gap due to the natural disasters and warfare in previous years. During that turbulent era, people lived in constant fear, coupled with food and clothing shortages, resulting in very few pregnancies and high infant mortality rates.
It was only after the new dynasty was established in recent years, with the benevolent and people-loving Anhe Emperor on the throne, that commoners’ lives gradually improved. Consequently, the number of children born and raised in recent years had increased.
Thus, there were naturally few children Hongdou’s age, and boys seldom played with girls. At this moment, aside from little Hongdou herself, everyone in the room were girls around her second cousin’s age.
“You were delayed so long up front with Third Aunt—what did you hear?” Before Hongdou could greet everyone individually, her second cousin pulled her over for interrogation. Having arrived earlier with the brothers escorting Liu Shi and the Liu family members, she had been shooed to the backyard by her father and was now burning with curiosity about Liu Shi’s sentencing.
Seeing her anxious cousin and the other sisters, Yu Hongdou couldn’t help but smile. It seemed gossip was an innate human trait.
There was no need to conceal the handling of Liu Shi and the Liu brothers. Though only five, she was naturally articulate and now spun the events from the front room into a full-blown story.
Her tale particularly emphasized the various Sign-in Locations, especially the exquisite embroidered screen. Yu Hongdou wanted to know what made Lian Shi Embroidery so special that it filled the village chief with such pride.
“Of course it’s exquisite—that’s Lian Shi Embroidery! My eldest brother went through great effort and spent a lot of silver to acquire it.” The village chief’s youngest daughter, Gao Xiulan, lifted her chin, her face brimming with pride as she emphasized “Lian Shi.”
“Is that the world-famous Lian Shi? Heavens! I heard Lian Shi Embroidery was always a tribute item during the previous dynasty—ordinary families couldn’t even dream of owning it, let alone seeing it!” Whether genuinely astonished or simply buttering up the village chief’s daughter, one girl immediately expounded on the rarity of Lian Shi Embroidery.
“Ah, is it the Lian Shi Embroidery known for its exquisite detail, vibrant colors, and lifelike realism? My grandmother told me Lian Shi Embroidery was lost! I never imagined Hongyang Ge could obtain it! Xiulan, could you bring the screen for us to see? If I witnessed it with my own eyes, I’d have something to boast about for life!” If the previous girl’s praise contained some flattery, this one was far more sincere—especially when mentioning “Hongyang Ge.”
Yu Hongdou watched as Gao Xiulan’s expression shifted from pride to awkwardness, barely suppressing a laugh. She felt a surge of immense curiosity toward the highly praised Lian Shi Embroidery that everyone revered.
With the attention now diverted from her, Yu Hongdou opened her Sign-in System and tapped on the words “Embroidery Skill.”
【Embroidery Skill Tutorial Course】
【Embroidery Master Lian Wenzhi (Embroidery Skill Level 2, 95%)—Begin】
Without a second thought, Yu Hongdou clicked 【Begin】. Immediately, a familiar pop-up window appeared at the top of the interface:
【Friendly Reminder: In learning mode, the host’s body must enter a dormant state. For your safety, please ensure your surroundings are secure.】
…Well, the current environment was indeed unsuitable for sleeping or fainting. Yu Hongdou silently closed the system and sat idly on the small stool her second cousin had given her, spacing out.
“Hey, does anyone know what’s going on with Third Uncle Yu and Fourth Uncle Yu?” The topic of Lian Shi Embroidery concluded with Gao Xiulan’s hesitant promises, and another curious girl quickly raised a new subject.
“I don’t know, but you actually call Yu Heng ‘Fourth Uncle’!” The girl who had earlier praised Lian Shi Embroidery couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny? My mother and Third Aunt Yu are cousins. Since I’m the same generation as Hu Tao and Hongdou, shouldn’t I address him as ‘uncle’ too?” The girl who brought up the new topic rolled her eyes at the laughing girl.
“Chunxing isn’t wrong. But Suqin, you’re so close to Hu Tao, yet you refuse to call him ‘uncle.’ Could it be…” The girls present were all around the same age, at the time of marriageable years, and instantly understood the implication. They began teasing her, playfully scratching their cheeks in mockery.
“What’s the big deal? Brother Yu Heng is so capable—it’s not shameful to want to marry him. My mother even said she’d send someone to the Yu Family later to inquire!” Instead of being embarrassed or angry, the girl named Suqin was remarkably forthright, which made a few of the other girls exchange meaningful glances.
“The other day, when I went to my grandmother’s house with my mother, I saw Brother Yu… Heng talking to Tian Manman from the Tian Family. At the time, I didn’t realize it was Brother Yu Heng and thought it was… They seemed very familiar with each other.”
Yu Hongdou, who had been quietly keeping to herself like a little mushroom, immediately pricked up her ears upon hearing the female lead’s name. Had the male and female leads already reunited at this point??
In truth, the Yu Family and the Tian Family were not from the same village. The Yu Family resided in Taoyuan Village, a place surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on two, where the streams converged downstream into a river. The spot where the waters merged was Taoxi Village, where the Tian Family lived.
The two villages weren’t far apart, but for children, the distance wasn’t exactly close either. Moreover, the female lead Tian Manman was eight years younger than the male lead Yu Heng, so calling them childhood sweethearts was a bit of a stretch.
From the flashback scenes in the later plot, it was clear that Yu Heng had only encountered the female lead’s predecessor twice during his childhood days of roaming the mountains and fields, chasing cats and teasing dogs. On both occasions, the girl was on the verge of fainting from hunger.
The first time, Yu Heng gave her a roasted sparrow and a shriveled fruit. The second time, he offered her a small fish and tools for catching fish and shrimp.
After the transmigrated female lead inherited all of the original host’s memories, she was deeply impressed by the older brother who had been the only source of warmth and sunlight in those memories. Their earlier reunion and recognition were merely to fulfill the original host’s long-cherished wish.
Upon learning the male lead’s identity, the female lead began paying attention to and helping him as a means to leverage his influence. It was through their interactions that feelings gradually developed, eventually leading them together.
Yu Hongdou remembered that the female lead’s second encounter with the male lead occurred at East Mountain by Taoxi River. The male lead had been ambushed and knocked unconscious, and the female lead rescued him while also providing a crucial clue.
This clue enabled the male lead to successfully locate an important object. After presenting it to his superior, he earned great merit, received an immediate promotion, and was granted a residence.
Cupping her small head in her hands, Yu Hongdou pondered silently: If that object could bring such significant benefits to the male lead, perhaps it might also be useful for her brother who already held an official post and her father who had secretly pledged allegiance to a noble patron?