Song Xiaolan refused to let it go, fuming angrily: "This pheasant was caught by my eldest sister-in-law. What right do you have to take it? And you even injured her—if anything, you should be the one compensating us!"
Song Hai's face darkened. "What's with all this 'you, you, you'? I'm your second uncle. Have you no manners at all?"
Song Xiaolan looked as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world, curling her lips into a sarcastic smile as she shot back: "So you still remember you're my second uncle? I thought a bandit had barged into our home!"
"You—"
Song Hai's face shifted between pale and red, but he said no more. He knew this niece of his had a fiery temper and had never been afraid of him, so there was no point wasting his breath—lest he provoke Song Yubai's displeasure further.
He rubbed his knee, feeling that it was no longer a problem, then walked over and picked up the pheasant, weighing it in his hand. It was fairly heavy.
He looked at Mrs. Xu. "Sister-in-law, today I'm doing this out of respect for my nephew Yubai. I won't trouble you any further."
With that, seeing that Song Yubai was still sitting on the ground, he handed the pheasant to the man beside him and walked toward him with a look of great affability.
"Yubai, how did you injure your leg? You need to take good care of it. Come now, let your second uncle help you inside. When you make it big in the future, you can't forget your old second uncle!"
Even as he spoke, he bent down to support him.
Song Yubai shifted aside, dodging the hand extended toward him, and said with a stern expression: "Whether I remember you or not, Second Uncle, depends entirely on how you treat us. My father has been dead for a long time now. If you come making a fuss with claims that can't be verified, I will not tolerate it!"
In previous years when his second uncle came demanding debts, he had been young, and Song Hai had never taken him seriously. In the past two years, he had been away studying at the prefectural academy, rarely at home, so Song Hai had gotten away with it every time.
From now on, he would never allow such a thing to happen again!
Song Hai's hand trembled at the sharpness in his eyes. He quickly withdrew it, awkwardly rubbing his nose and forcing a smile. "Of course, of course… Good nephew, rest well. We'll be taking our leave today."
He led the way out of the courtyard, and the crowd behind him followed.
Once outside the yard, someone grumbled: "Second Brother Song, I say your nephew is just a scholar. Why are you so afraid of him?"
Song Hai turned and shot him a glare, his face dark. "That's because you lack foresight. My nephew may be a bookworm, but he holds an official title. If we suck up to him now, and he really becomes an official, won't we be able to swagger around these parts however we please?"
The man chuckled. "That makes sense. So, should we still come around asking for money?"
Song Hai looked at him like he was an idiot, then ignored him.
A lean, wiry man came over and shoved the pheasant into his arms, sneering: "Do you want money or do you want clout? I say, Zhao Laosi, you'd be better off figuring out how to cook this pheasant and give us brothers something to go with our drinks!"
The group laughed and chatted as they gradually walked away.
Back in the yard, the moment Song Hai and his men left, Song Xiaolan rushed to Yu Wanzhu's side, asking urgently: "Eldest sister-in-law, are you alright?"
Yu Wanzhu lifted her eyelids and gave a weak smile. "Xiaolan, I'm fine."
Mrs. Xu helped her son up, intending to support him inside, but Song Yubai pointed toward Yu Wanzhu's direction. "Mother, let me go see her."
Yu Wanzhu leaned against Song Xiaolan with her eyes half-closed, her mind in a daze. Waves of pain from her head came one after another, and her face was beginning to sting fiercely. Through her blurry vision, she saw Song Yubai approaching and couldn't help but open her eyes wide.
The two looked at each other, and once again fell into silence.
Song Yubai looked at that pale, bloodless face, his gaze complicated. He pressed his lips together and asked: "Are you alright?"
Yu Wanzhu forced an ugly smile. "The pheasant was taken. I'm not alright."
Song Yubai hadn't expected her to still be in the mood for jokes. He breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Next time, I'll have him catch ten for you."
Yu Wanzhu was silent for a moment, then said: "Next time, I'll make him repay tenfold."
She had suffered such a great loss today—how could she not repay it?
"Does your head hurt?"
"Does your leg hurt?"
They both spoke at the same time.
Song Yubai was startled, then shook his head.
Yu Wanzhu glanced at the cold sweat on his forehead but didn't call him out on it. She said to Song Xiaolan: "Xiaolan, give me a hand. I want to go back to the room and sleep for a while."
Song Xiaolan used all her strength and finally managed to help her inside.
The moment Yu Wanzhu lay down on the bed, she felt a wave of dizziness. She could no longer hold on, and closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
Mrs. Xu also helped her son back to his room to lie down. Looking at his face, pale as death after all the commotion of getting out of bed, she said worriedly: "A-Bai, is your leg not doing well?"
Song Yubai shook his head. "Mother, I'm fine. Hurry and have Xiaolan fetch Dr. Zheng to look at Yu Wanzhu's injuries."
Mrs. Xu said: "Of course we'll have your sister-in-law's injuries looked at. Your second uncle has a black heart—how could he strike so hard!"
Just thinking about it filled her with pent-up anger.
Song Yubai's expression dimmed somewhat. In the end, it was because he was useless that these people dared to do as they pleased in his own home.
A fire suddenly blazed in his heart. Never had he yearned more desperately to rise above his station than at this moment. He wanted to protect his family, to trample beneath his feet all those who had humiliated them, leaving them far behind in the dust.
Mrs. Xu hesitated, her lips parting twice as if she wanted to speak but held back.
Song Yubai noticed her difficulty and said gently, "Mother, leave the matter of the silver to me. Don't worry—the most important thing is to fetch the doctor first."
Indeed, the Song family could no longer afford to hire a doctor. Last time, they had relied on Yu Wanzhu's dowry.
Mrs. Xu sighed. "I understand, Mother will go now. Your leg injury hasn't healed yet, and you've taken another fall—you need the doctor to take a look at you as well."
…
She had no idea how long she had slept, but when Yu Wanzhu woke, she felt refreshed. Her head still ached, but the dizziness was gone.
There was a bitter medicinal taste in her mouth, and the fresh scent of herbs lingered around her nose. She reached up and touched her head—it was indeed wrapped in bandages.
She couldn't help but feel puzzled again. Where had the Song family found the money to hire a doctor for her?
She still had ten taels of silver and a few pieces of jewelry on her, but those were all stored in the Spatial Dimension. What had the Song family used to pay the medical fees?
Just as her thoughts were running wild, Song Xiaolan entered carrying a tray. Seeing her awake, she exclaimed in delight, "Elder sister-in-law, you're awake?!"
Yu Wanzhu caught the fragrance of rice porridge and sniffed. "I'm so hungry. How long did I sleep?"
Song Xiaolan said, "You slept for two whole days!"
"That long…"
Muttering to herself, Yu Wanzhu slowly sat up and took the porridge she offered, eating it in small mouthfuls.
White rice porridge paired with the pickled vegetables she had made—it was refreshing and appetizing. Even such a small bowl of porridge brought her immense satisfaction.
As she drank the porridge, Yu Wanzhu suddenly asked, "Xiaolan, how much did it cost to treat my injuries, and who paid the medical fees?"
Song Xiaolan's expression shifted, and she stammered, "Elder sister-in-law, I—I don't know either. Big brother said that if you asked, you should go find him…"
She knew her family had no money, and she didn't know how her elder brother had paid the medical fees. But since her brother wouldn't say, she didn't dare ask.