“Yu Banxia, just you wait—I’ll make your life a living hell! How dare you call me a dog!” At the mention of this, Xu Xiucai’s eyes blazed with fury, as if flames were about to shoot out.
“Don’t worry, that little wretch—I’ll make sure she suffers,” Madam Ji chimed in, sniffing as she spoke.
The aroma of meat from the neighboring village had been tormenting her.
That little bitch, how dare she not send any meat to their house? She would hold this grudge for the rest of her life.
Meanwhile, Yu Banxia, who was happily enjoying her meal, suddenly sneezed. She then pursed her lips, thinking to herself, “It must be that mother and son pair up to no good, scheming against me.”
After everyone had eaten their fill, the village women stayed behind to clean up, while Yu Banxia was shooed away by Fan Cuilan and the others. They told her to take her nieces and nephews home first to bathe and rest.
Her eldest brother, Yu Mangui, had already heated the water and kept it warm in the pot.
Fusheng helped set up the bathing tub, letting his younger sisters bathe first. Then, he urged his aunt to go ahead and bathe as well. He washed himself quickly, poured out the water, and cleaned up afterward.
When Yu Banxia came out of her room, Fusheng carried a wooden bucket into her room.
He carefully scooped the water from the bathtub into the bucket.
Just then, Yu Mancang and Yu Banyue returned. Seeing this, Yu Mancang hurried over, took the bucket of water, and poured it out in the yard.
After cleaning up, he fetched warm water for Yu Banyue so she could also bathe and rest.
“Thank you, Third Brother,” Yu Banyue said with a smile. Yu Mancang waved his hand dismissively, then went back to his room to grab his own clothes, planning to wash up by the river.
By the time Yu Banyue finished bathing, Yu Mancang had returned.
After dealing with the water, he told the two sisters to rest first while he waited for their eldest brother and the others to come back.
Lying in bed, with her four-year-old niece sleeping beside her, Yu Banyue settled down on the other side. “We’ve been tired all day, so let’s get some sleep early.”
“Alright,” Yu Banxia replied, and before long, she was fast asleep.
By the moonlight, Yu Banyue looked at her younger sister sleeping soundly beside her, a relieved smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
She reached out and gently touched Yu Banxia’s cheek, her eyes growing slightly moist.
“Seeing how much you’ve changed, Elder Sister is truly happy. Even if Master Qian’s family comes to demand you, Elder Sister is willing.”
“At least Little Tiger can go to school and study. Our Xiaxia must live well.”
After saying this, she wiped her tears with a handkerchief, then closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.
Yu Banxia, however, suddenly opened her eyes, sighed softly, and closed them again.
She hadn’t been sleeping at all—she had been refining her Wood Elemental Power.
It seemed Elder Sister was still quite concerned about this matter. Then, she should resolve the issue with Master Qian’s family as soon as possible.
“Xiao Bai, has the ginseng I brought in earlier been cultivated yet? Can you give me a bottle of Fertility Aid Pills?”
Yu Banxia communicated with Xiao Bai in her consciousness.
After a while, Xiao Bai responded. Compared to before, its voice sounded less weak.
“Master, the planted ginseng has only increased by ten years in age, but a small patch of new ginseng has already sprouted. Of the two reserved for seeds, you may take one.”
“As for the Fertility Aid Pills, I can only give you two for now. Because sending you back consumed too much of my spiritual energy, I had to use the Space.”
“The Space isn’t in good condition now and will need some time to recover,” Xiao Bai replied honestly.
Just as Yu Banxia was about to say something, Xiao Bai added, “Master, there’s no need to worry. Everything is still within my control.”
“If you can discover more Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, or jade, antiques, they can provide me with spiritual energy for recovery. But there’s no need to rush.””Alright.” Yu Banxia nodded, deciding to first resolve these family matters before continuing up the mountain to search for what Xiao Bai needed.
This time, Yu Banxia truly closed her eyes to rest, enjoying a good night’s sleep.
After breakfast, Yu Banxia went straight to the old house to find her uncle, a widowed carpenter.
Her aunt had died during a difficult childbirth, taking the unborn child with her. After that, it wasn’t that no one had introduced new brides to her uncle—he had simply refused them all.
He often traveled far and wide, having seen much of the world, and had recently returned to the village.
He planned to stay in the village and work independently. With his excellent craftsmanship, he could support himself and even provide some household expenses for his mother.
He usually took orders from surrounding villages, crafting items like tables and chairs to sell at the market.
“Xiaxia, what brings you here? Have you eaten?” Madam Wu asked as she saw her granddaughter enter, quickly rising to greet her with concern.
“Grandma, I’ve eaten. I’m here to see Uncle.”
Her eldest uncle had gone to the fields early in the morning. Her aunt gestured for her to sit and eat more, while her cousin’s wife began preparing to serve her some porridge.
“Cousin-in-law, I’ve really eaten. Please don’t trouble yourself.”
Her cousin’s wife glanced at Madam Wu, who waved her hand. “Since the girl has eaten, there’s no need to fuss.”
“Your uncle just finished breakfast and went to the small workshop at the back to work,” Madam Wu said, pointing toward the rear of the house.
Yu Banxia smiled and agreed, passing through the main hall to the backyard to find her uncle.
“Uncle.”
Yu Hongyu set down the plane in his hand and looked toward the door, seeing Yu Banxia walking toward him.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a cloth and smiled at her. “Well, what brings our little Xiaxia to see your uncle today?”
“Uncle, I need to ask you for a favor.”
Yu Hongyu motioned for her to sit and speak. Without beating around the bush, Yu Banxia said, “Uncle, I’d like you to make a wheelchair for me, but I don’t have the money right now. Could I pay you later?”
“Between family, what’s this talk of payment? Tell me, what do you need the wheelchair for?”
Yu Hongyu waved his hand dismissively.
Yu Banxia didn’t hide the truth. “It’s like this: I heard that Master Qian’s son has a leg disability and has difficulty moving around, so I wanted to make a wheelchair for him.”
“That way, I can go to the Qian family and discuss with Master Qian about my sister not becoming his concubine.”
Yu Hongyu looked at his niece in surprise. Back then, she had threatened to die unless her sister became Master Qian’s concubine in exchange for money to fund Xu Xiucai’s journey for the imperial exams.
Why had she suddenly changed her mind? Recalling what he had heard the previous night, Yu Hongyu hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, “Xiaxia, do you really no longer care for that Xu Xiucai?”
“I don’t care for him anymore. I was foolish before. He never thought much of me but kept taking advantage of me,” Yu Banxia replied without hesitation.
Yu Hongyu broke into a wide smile. “Good, good. Our Xiaxia is beautiful. A fortunate girl shouldn’t enter an unfortunate household.”
“Tell me, what kind of wheelchair do you want? Your uncle will make sure to finish it as soon as possible.”
Yu Banxia took a piece of paper he had set aside and quickly sketched an outline with a charcoal pencil, followed by detailed diagrams of its components.
Yu Hongyu stared in astonishment, finally managing to say after a long pause, “Xiaxia, when did you learn to do this? And with such detail.”
“If this thing is really made, your uncle won’t have to worry about making money in the future. Are you really giving these diagrams to me?”Yu Hongyu now understood—this wasn’t his little niece being unreasonable and exploiting him.
She was practically handing him money on a silver platter.
Yu Banxia chuckled and whispered a few things to him. Yu Hongyu’s eyes widened, then he covered his mouth and declared, “I, your uncle, swear from this day forward: if I ever reveal what you’ve told me, may I be struck by lightning and die a miserable death.”
“Uncle, it’s not that serious,” Yu Banxia quickly tried to pull his hand down, but Yu Hongyu had already finished the oath in a rush.
There was no stopping him.
“Master, your uncle’s oath has taken effect, but don’t worry—Xiao Bai has already placed a restriction on him. He won’t accidentally break the oath and suffer the consequences.”
Xiao Bai’s reassuring voice came through, and only then did Yu Banxia let out a sigh of relief.