After dinner, Yan Liu Shi carried a bucket of water to the shed in the back courtyard for Yan Ji. Smiling kindly, she said, “Ji Niang, Mother already prepared the water for you. Hurry and wash up.”
“Thank you, Mother.” Carrying a change of clothes, Yan Ji followed Yan Liu Shi into the backyard. Seeing no one else around, she softly asked, “When will you be going to the market next?”
“Are you lacking something?” Yan Liu Shi replied. “The town market is far from our village. If you’re missing anything, just tell me and I’ll buy it for you. There’s no need for you to walk so far and tire your legs. Your brothers can go, too.”
Naturally, Yan Ji could not reveal her money-making plans just yet, so she casually offered an excuse, “Mother, staying cooped up at home every day is terribly boring. I just want to visit the market and look around. Please let me go.”
How could Yan Liu Shi possibly withstand Yan Ji acting spoiled? In the end, she could only relent, telling her daughter to be ready to follow along early tomorrow morning. Coincidentally, the family had accumulated enough eggs recently to sell some at the market.
Yan Ji’s eyes narrowed slightly, traces of amusement rippling within them.
────ρя
Before dawn the next morning, Yan Liu Shi woke Yan Ji. Yawning, Yan Ji climbed out of bed, got dressed, and washed up. Meanwhile, Yan Liu Shi packed the eggs into a basket and reheated some food in the kitchen.
“Mother, I’m ready.” Yan Ji said.
At this hour, the rest of the household was still asleep. Yan Liu Shi lowered her voice and whispered, “Then let’s head out. We need to make it back before noon.”
“Alright.” Yan Ji agreed, bringing along her small savings as she followed Yan Liu Shi toward the town market.
The village was about twenty li[1]a traditional Chinese unit of measurement roughly 500 meters or about a third of a mile jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2390060_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2390060_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); away from the town. Before long, Yan Ji already felt a sharp ache rising from the soles of her feet. She frowned inwardly, thinking that mortals were truly a hassle. If her powers still remained, such a trivial distance could have been crossed in the blink of an eye.
“Ji Niang, do you want to rest for a bit? These mountain roads are difficult to walk. Mother should have borrowed Auntie Li’s cart.” Seeing Yan Ji struggling, Yan Liu Shi could not help blaming herself for not thinking ahead.
Yan Ji knew how much Yan Liu Shi doted on her daughter and understood she had never intended to make her suffer. She replied, “Mother, don’t worry. I’m fine.”
Though she spoke reassuringly, her mind was already made up. The moment she got enough funds after selling her crafted fragrance, she would absolutely buy a horse carriage.
The sky gradually brightened, spilling sunlight and a creeping heat onto the road. Yan Ji took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead. When the entrance to the town finally appeared ahead, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
They had finally arrived.
“Here are two hundred copper coins. If you see anything you like, buy it.” Yan Liu Shi pulled two strings of copper coins from her pouch and pressed them into Yan Ji’s hands. Thinking that girls naturally loved pretty cosmetics and powders, she was unwilling to let her daughter feel deprived. “Mother is going to the western market to sell the eggs. Once you’re done looking around, wait for me back here at the town entrance.”
The two strings of copper coins felt quite heavy. Yan Ji weighed them in her hand, once again marveling silently at Yan Liu Shi’s excessive devotion to her daughter, before heading off to purchase the ingredients she needed.
The western market was where the common folk set up their stalls, while the eastern market catered mostly to wealthy families. Along the bustling streets, vendors selling cosmetics and face powders loudly hawked their wares.
Yan Ji had not visited the mortal world in a very long time, so she looked around at everything with curious eyes.
She wore a green outfit, and though the fabric was old, it had been washed spotlessly clean. The body she possessed had delicate, attractive features, perfectly fitting the image of a modest young beauty. Yet it was her peach-blossom eyes— sparkling with life and charm— that were truly captivating. Every glance and subtle shift of her gaze seemed capable of stealing a person’s soul, lending her appearance an indescribable allure.
She quietly observed her surroundings, entirely ignoring the disdainful looks cast her way by the passersby.
After wandering around for some time, Yan Ji finally purchased the items she needed. In addition to the two hundred copper coins Yan Liu Shi had given her, she dipped into her own private savings, spending a total of around three to four hundred copper coins. Once the shopkeeper wrapped her items up, Yan Ji headed back toward the town entrance.
Not long after, she saw Yan Liu Shi walking over happily, a basket full of goods strapped to her back. “Since we’ve bought everything, let’s head home.”
Yan Ji nodded. “Alright.”
“Let me tell you,” Yan Liu Shi whispered as they walked, “some time ago, while gathering firewood on the back mountain, I found a wild ginseng root. I took it to the herbal shop today and sold it for thirty taels! Mother bought some fine white flour and pork, and I even got a bolt of cloth for you. When we get back, I’ll make you some new clothes.”
Yan Liu Shi pulled out the pouch containing the silver and glanced around carefully. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did she pour out the broken silver pieces, her face glowing with smiles. She picked out the smallest piece and pressed it into Yan Ji’s hand.
“Take it quickly. If you’re missing anything, you can buy it next time. Just don’t tell your brothers or sisters-in-law. Your Eldest and Third Sisters-in-law are honest enough, but your Second Sister-in-law keeps her eyes glued to my room all day long, as if she’s terrified I’m secretly hoarding some grand treasure.”
At the mention of Wang Xuefeng, Yan Liu Shi’s face tightened with dissatisfaction. Back when her second son had insisted on marrying Wang Xuefeng, she had been deeply reluctant. After living under the same roof for some time, she increasingly felt she should never have agreed to the marriage in the first place.
Yan Ji did not know the depths of Yan Liu Shi’s grievances, but looking at the broken silver in her palm, she blinked before tucking it safely into her purse.
No wonder Wang Xuefeng was so determined to target the original owner. Her luck truly was unbelievably good.
Yan Ji glanced at Yan Liu Shi, who was still immersed in her own thoughts, and silently resolved that once she made her own fortune, she would ensure Yan Liu Shi enjoyed it, too.
The mother and daughter hurried all the way back, finally arriving home just before lunchtime.
Yan Ji locked her purchases, along with the new cloth Yan Liu Shi had bought for her, inside the cabinet in her room. When she stepped back outside, she caught Wang Xuefeng standing by the kitchen door, craning her neck to peer into the room.
The moment she saw Yan Ji, Wang Xuefeng snorted coldly and unhappily ducked back into the kitchen. Sidling up to her eldest sister-in-law, who was currently tending the stove fire, she leaned in and grumbled, “Mother really is biased. She gives every single good thing to Ji Niang.”
The Yan family’s eldest sister-in-law’s surname was Lin. She hailed from a neighboring village and had a rather dull, honest personality. Seeing the resentment written all over Wang Xuefeng’s face, she remained silent, simply continuing to feed firewood into the stove.
“Eldest Sister-in-law, Xiao Yi is already so big, yet she still wears nothing but Ji Niang’s old hand-me-downs. She hasn’t even had a single piece of new clothing in her life. It’s just pitiful. But look at Ji Niang, she gets new clothes every other day.”
Wang Xuefeng didn’t care whether Yan Lin Shi responded or not. She simply kept rambling to herself.
Xiao Yi was Yan Lin Shi’s eldest daughter. Ever since marrying into the Yan family, Yan Lin Shi had only given birth to two daughters and no sons. Feeling that she had somehow failed the family, she constantly threw herself into extra chores around the house, terrified of displeasing her mother-in-law.
“Second Sister-in-law, she is Mother’s only daughter, after all.” Yan Lin Shi replied with a good-natured smile. “It’s only natural that she’s a bit more spoiled.”
Wang Xuefeng clicked her tongue. “But at least you gave the Yan family two granddaughters!”
Yan Lin Shi pursed her lips, clearly struck in a sore spot. It was precisely because she had only given birth to girls that she felt her mother-in-law held a grievance against her.
After that, no matter how much Wang Xuefeng prodded, Yan Lin Shi remained stubbornly silent. Her quietness made Wang Xuefeng feel as though she were talking to a brick wall.
What a blockhead!
Wang Xuefeng cursed inwardly before storming out of the kitchen.
The firelight danced across Yan Lin Shi’s face, casting her expression in a cold light. After a long moment, she forced out a bitter smile. Did Wang Xuefeng really think she was completely blind? Wasn’t the woman just trying to provoke her into picking a fight with their mother-in-law? Did she truly think she was that stupid?
……
Lunch was ready shortly after.
Yan Liu Shi took out some sweets she had bought in town and distributed them to her two granddaughters. “You can’t eat these right now. It’s almost lunchtime, understand?”
“Thank you, Grandmother!”
The two little girls grinned happily and obediently handed the treats over to their mother for safekeeping. When Yan Lin Shi saw that the snacks had come from her mother-in-law, her eyes widened in brief surprise before she smiled and patted her daughters’ heads. “Mother will keep them in our room for you. You can eat them this afternoon, alright?”
“Mhm!”
When lunch was served, Yan Ji once again ate only a single bowl of watery porridge before setting down her chopsticks. Seeing this, Yan Liu Shi waited until after the meal to secretly carry the pastries she had bought in town into Yan Ji’s room.
Naturally, this little exchange was witnessed by Wang Xuefeng.
She marched back to her own room in a fury and threw herself onto the bed, her expression dark with resentment.
“What’s wrong now? Why are you angry again?” Yan Lao Er[2]Yan the Second; In traditional Chinese families, children are often referred to by their surname and birth order jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2390060_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2390060_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, asked helplessly from where he lay on the bed.
“And you still dare ask what’s wrong?” Wang Xuefeng glared at him, her eyes welling with resentful tears. “I haven’t even been married into your Yan family for very long, yet I handle everything inside and outside this house. Even if I don’t get credit, I deserve recognition for my hard work! Why does your mother only favor Ji Niang? Every single good thing goes to her first!”
Hearing that, Yan Lao Er looked utterly speechless. “My little sister is my mother’s biological daughter. You’re not. What are you making a fuss about?”
“Even if you won’t think about me, at least think about the child in my belly!” Wang Xuefeng shot back fiercely.
The moment Yan Lao Er heard that, he bolted upright in bed and stared at his wife, his face alight with excitement. “You’re pregnant? Since when? How many months? Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”
Wang Xuefeng gently rested a hand on her stomach. Recalling that she had also conceived around this exact time in her previous life, she replied with absolute confidence, “Two months already. I only realized it a few days ago. The physician even said it’s bound to be a boy.”
“Good! Good! Brilliant!” Yan Lao Er was so ecstatic he nearly lost his bearings. He stared fixedly at his wife’s belly, his eyes full of joy.
Seizing the moment, Wang Xuefeng pressed her advantage, “Then go speak to Mother. I don’t want to work in the fields or handle the housework anymore. I need to rest and nurture the baby. As for my meals, I want the same treatment as Ji Niang. Those coarse flatbreads are far too hard and difficult to digest.”
Blinded by sheer joy, Yan Lao Er agreed without a second thought. He threw open the door and practically bounded toward his mother’s room. Knocking loudly, he called out, “Mother! Mother, open up quickly! I have wonderful news!”
“What are you shouting for, waking people from their sleep? Don’t we have to work the fields later?” Yan Liu Shi yanked the door open impatiently, instantly scolding him.
Yan Lao Er didn’t mind his mother’s sharp tongue at all. He beamed, practically bursting with pride. “Mother, Xuefeng is pregnant! Two months already. The physician said it’s a boy. I’m going to have a son!”
“Oh, so she’s pregnant.” Yan Liu Shi rolled her eyes. “Just be careful during the first three months. What is there to make such a massive fuss about? And since when does a physician’s word guarantee a boy anyway?”
She had thought something catastrophic had happened, but it turned out her second son’s wife was merely expecting. What was the grand crisis in that? Yawning, Yan Liu Shi began to pull the door shut, eager to return to her afternoon nap before the grueling field work began.
Unexpectedly, Yan Lao Er blocked the door. “Mother, since Xuefeng is carrying a child, let’s not have her work the fields anymore. She should skip the housework, too. And for her meals, she ought to eat the same as Little Sister—”
Yan Liu Shi nearly laughed aloud from sheer rage, sharply cutting him off, “And should I, her mother-in-law, personally serve her hand and foot as well? She’s gotten far too full of herself! Those who don’t know any better would think she’s carrying a golden treasure, not a baby! If she doesn’t work, who will? Didn’t your eldest sister-in-law still toil in the fields and manage the chores when she was pregnant?”
“But Xuefeng is carrying a boy.” Yan Lao Er muttered weakly. “Besides, isn’t Little Sister just idling away at home anyway……”
“So what if it’s a boy? A boy still has to sweat in the fields when he grows up! If she weren’t born a wealthy young lady, she shouldn’t harbor such lofty delusions! And now she wants to order your little sister around to pick up her slack? Lao Er, do you have no shame at all?!”
With a resounding crash, Yan Liu Shi slammed the door in his face.
Replaying her second son’s words, her face contorted with fury. That Wang Xuefeng truly was a poisonous creature! To think she actually had the audacity to plot for her precious, darling daughter to do manual labor?
She could keep dreaming!
References[+]