After Xie Shuhuai departed, his mother, Lady Cui, retreated into her own room—her health had always been fragile.
Young Yun’er harbored no love for Lin Yuhe either. Muttering a quiet “Lazy Aunt,” under her breath, the girl scampered inside the main house to join her grandmother.
Lin Yuping looked at his sister with concern. “Hehe, have you truly thought this through? If you do this, your match with the Min family will have to be called off.”
“I know,” Yuhe replied. “That’s why I need you to help me break off the engagement, Brother. The betrothal gifts are with Auntie Qu—she won’t dare withhold them if you confront her.”
Yuping had his own business to attend to. After offering a few parting words of caution, he took his leave.
The household comprised only three rooms: Lady Cui occupied the main chamber, Shuhuai resided in the east wing, and Yuhe had no choice but to settle into the west wing.
The room was reasonably clean. It had previously served as a storage area for odds and ends, but Lady Cui must have cleared it out to accommodate guests expected from the Li family that evening.
Stepping into the kitchen, Yuhe found the counter lined with ingredients already prepped by the hireling cook. She sorted out the meats, rubbing salt and Sichuan peppercorns into them for curing. The uncut slab of pork was set aside in a wooden basin to be turned into potted preserved meat later, while the pre-sliced cuts were reserved to be stir-fried over the next couple of days. The cured chicken and fish were hung from the wooden fence in the courtyard to dry.
Every scrap needed to be managed with frugal precision.
After Shuhuai passed the provincial examinations, the imperial court granted him an annual stipend of ten taels of silver, along with tribute rice and basic provisions. By rights, the Xie family should have been among the most comfortable households in Hongye Village, save for the village head’s family.
Yet when Shuhuai first arrived years ago, he had expended considerable resources building their rammed-earth home and mud-walled courtyard. His mother’s chronic cough demanded an unending stream of herbal medicines, turning the household into a constant sinkhole for medical expenses. Shuhuai had also spent a substantial sum on travel expenses for his examinations—first to Guangling Prefecture for the provincial tests, and later to the capital for the national exams. On top of that, he was raising his young niece, who had been left behind by his late sister.
With the recent wedding preparations for his intended marriage to Li Yunluo, he likely had very little coin left to his name.
Yuhe glanced at the coop; not a single chicken remained.
Suddenly, a black dog bounded up to her, tail wagging with joyous enthusiasm. Yuhe patted the dog’s head, letting out a bittersweet smile. Momo, you’re the only one in this whole house who’s actually happy to see me.
The cook had prepped enough food to feed five or six banquet tables. Yuhe spent considerable time organizing the surplus before setting to work preparing dinner for the family. As the day grew warmer, she first set a pot of broomcorn millet porridge to simmer, then turned her attention to stir-frying the remaining vegetables on the counter.
Hearing the bustle from the kitchen, Yun’er poked her head around the doorframe to spy inside. The moment her gaze met Yuhe’s, the little girl bolted, darting back into her grandmother’s room.
“Grandmother, Aunt is in the kitchen cooking dinner,” she whispered to Lady Cui, who was resting in bed.
Lady Cui was skeptical. Yuhe had always been notoriously lazy; in the past, either she or Shuhuai had to prepare the meals and call her to the table.
Rising slowly, Lady Cui walked to the doorway. She froze, staring in surprise at the busy figure in the kitchen and the cured meat already hanging from the fence outside.
Yuhe was the first to speak. “Mother, dinner is almost ready. We just need to wait for Husband to return. Why don’t you go back to your room and rest?”
Regaining her composure, Lady Cui scolded her with a raspy cough, “Doing all this is useless! You won’t succeed in pulling Huai’er and Yunluo apart. Yunluo is a hundred times better to him than you ever were. You acted so heartlessly before—Huai’er’s heart turned cold toward you long ago.”
Having suffered several blows already, Yuhe remained unbothered. Lady Cui’s harsh words went in one ear and out the other. Without a trace of anger, she offered a soft smile. “I’m not trying to pull them apart. I only returned for the sake of the child. If Miss Li is as virtuous as you say, I’m glad for it. She will surely treat my baby well in the future.”
At the mention of the unborn child, Lady Cui’s heart softened, her stern expression relaxing slightly. She uncovered the three dishes resting on the counter: stir-fried pork with bracken fern, braised tofu, and a cold mallow salad. A mouthwatering aroma instantly filled the air.
Yuhe had learned her culinary skills from her late mother, making her cooking far superior to the basic meals Lady Cui or Shuhuai usually prepared. Normally, a family meal of four consisted of no more than two simple dishes, with meat making an appearance only once every few days.
Lady Cui knew these leftover vegetables had been intended as base dishes for the wedding banquet. If left uneaten today, they would spoil.
Her resentment easing slightly, Lady Cui grunted a reminder: “Prepare smaller portions in the future.”
“I will,” Yuhe replied softly.
Meanwhile, Shuhuai had gone to the Li residence to offer his formal apologies, enduring a heavy tongue-lashing from the head of the household. After he took his leave, the members of the Li family couldn’t help but voice their indignation, feeling that Li Yunluo had been deeply wronged.
The maid Dongyue could not help but complain as well. “Miss, what’s so great about that Xie Shuhuai, aside from his good looks? He treats you like this, yet you’re still pine for him!”
Li Yunluo gave a secretive smile. “You’ll understand just how wonderful he is in due time.”
Only Li Yunluo knew that the future Xie Shuhuai was a figure far beyond the Li family’s reach. Three years from now, he would pass the highest imperial exams with top honors as the Tanhua, and by his thirties, he would rise to become the Grand Chancellor—a man second only to the Emperor himself.
These details came from the previous host’s fragmented memories.
Li Yunluo was a soul transmigrated from modern times, occupying the body of the original Li family daughter. Just a month ago, she had been a spoiled princess of a wealthy modern household. After getting involved in her sister’s marriage—an affair that ultimately ended with her brother-in-law returning to his wife—Yunluo had refused to accept being discarded. She had slit her wrists in her bathtub, and though the paramedics failed to revive her, her soul had awakened here, in the fictional Jin Dynasty.
Having failed to outshine her sister in the modern world, she now faced a similar romantic rivalry here. Involuntarily, she projected her resentment onto Lin Yuhe, treating her as a stand-in for her sister—a match that only fueled her fierce, competitive nature.
What woman wouldn’t want a handsome man who wielded absolute power? Armed with the ultimate heroine trope—a transmigrated soul equipped with a hidden pocket dimension—she harbored no doubt of her eventual victory. A foolish woman like Lin Yuhe was destined for complete and utter defeat.
The only strange thing was that the original host’s memories were somewhat incomplete. For reasons unknown, even after marrying the man she loved, the original Li daughter had eventually died of illness, consumed by melancholy.
Back at the house, Xie Shuhuai returned.
Yuhe rushed over to greet him, a sweet smile gracing her lips. “Husband, you’re back.”
Shuhuai walked right past her without so much as a glance.
Yun’er scampered over, throwing herself at his side with an excited grin. “Uncle! Auntie made such delicious food today!”
Shuhuai patted her round head gently before turning to tear down the red “Double Happiness” papers, door curtains, and hanging lanterns from the eaves. Once finished, he stepped into the main chamber at Lady Cui’s call.
“Huai’er, how did things go with the Li family?” Lady Cui asked anxiously. “Is Yunluo angry? Did you comfort her properly?”
“Do not worry, Mother. I have handled everything,” Shuhuai reassured her smoothly.
Knowing her son was dependable, Lady Cui dropped the matter and turned her attention back to Yuhe. “As for her, don’t let it bother you. She claims she only came back for the baby. Once the child is born, we will keep it, and whatever she chooses to do afterward will no longer be our concern. Come, let’s eat.”
Shuhuai’s dark eyes flickered with unreadable emotion. After a brief pause, he said, “Mother, I will handle the cooking myself from now on.”
Assuming he simply despised Yuhe, Lady Cui chuckled. “Silly child, do you fear she’ll poison our meals? She doesn’t have the stomach for that. Besides, the grain belongs to our household; let her work if she wants to. Laboring now will only make her delivery easier.”
The family shared dinner in a stifling, heavy silence, broken only by Yun’er’s soft, cheerful chatter.
Yuhe placed a piece of tofu—Shuhuai’s favorite—into his bowl, only for him to pick it out with his chopsticks and flick it onto the table without hesitation. By the end, Shuhuai refused to eat another bite, leaving Yuhe to endure a string of cold glares from Lady Cui.
“Auntie, can we make this tofu more often?” Yun’er asked innocently. Children were quick to forget grudges; a single meal was all it took for her to overlook how Yuhe used to fight her for eggs.
Yuhe scooped the remaining tofu into the girl’s bowl with a gentle smile. “Of course.”
“But tofu is expensive. Grandmother said we can’t buy it often,” Yun’er babbled on. “Next time Auntie Yunluo comes, let’s ask her to make it! She cooks so many dishes that even Grandmother has never seen before. Auntie Yunluo is amazing—even Uncle praises her!”
Yuhe’s heart sank, a bitter smile touching her lips.
Suddenly, unfamiliar footsteps echoed in the yard, followed by Momo’s sharp, frantic barking.
Lady Cui and Yuhe set down their chopsticks and stepped out of the kitchen, arriving just in time to see two imposing men striding into the courtyard. Actively bullying their way inside, one of them kicked hard at a farm tool on the ground, forcing Momo to retreat with a fearful whine.
At the sight of the pair, an ill omen flared in Yuhe’s chest.
The man in the navy gown spoke first, his tone arrogant and cold: “We’re here to collect a debt.”