Song Xiaolan had always feared her eldest brother. Gone was the fiery demeanor she showed in front of Yu Wanzhu, replaced by a timid mumble: "It was Sister-in-law who gave me the rice to cook. Everyone had thick porridge this morning…"
Song Yubai looked at Yu Wanzhu in surprise, only to find she wasn't paying him any attention at all. She was holding a bowl of white porridge, drinking it with evident relish.
Today she hadn't cooked a separate meal for herself, nor had she turned up her nose at the bland shredded radish. And her table manners were so refined?
What's more, this was porridge made from her own rice?
Could it be that this woman was actually starting to mend her ways?
Song Yubai said nothing more and ate his meal in silence.
The white porridge was cooked to perfection—rich in aroma and thick in consistency. Everyone ate to their heart's content, especially the third and fourth children of the Song family, whose little faces were practically buried in their bowls as they slurped away noisily.
At this table, the only ones who ate with refined manners and made no sound had previously been Song Yubai alone. Today, however, Yu Wanzhu had joined him.
Song Xiaolan kept glancing at her, noticing how she drank her porridge unhurriedly and didn't rummage through the dishes.
In the past, she had always said behind Yu Wanzhu's back that the woman ate like "a sow at the trough," mocking her for being a young lady from a scholarly family whose manners were worse than their own country folk.
But today, although her obese figure was still unsightly, there was something different about her—something that no longer inspired the same disgust as before. Song Xiaolan felt a flicker of confusion, furrowed her brow, and then continued eating.
Whatever. That fat woman was always up to some trick or another. Who knew what scheme she was cooking up this time?
Since she was willing to give up her grain for the family to eat, then they'd eat it. It was what she owed the Song family anyway—who told her to insist on marrying their eldest brother no matter how much he tried to shake her off?
After finishing her bowl of porridge, Yu Wanzhu set down her chopsticks at the right moment. "I'm full. You all eat more."
She hadn't forgotten she was trying to lose weight. She couldn't keep eating like she used to.
But her actions stunned everyone once again. Even the two little ones looked up at her. Wasn't this the woman who used to eat two full bowls of rice in one sitting? Why was she satisfied with just one bowl of porridge today?
…
After the meal, Song Yubai was reading in his room when he suddenly heard a knock on the window.
He pushed the window open to find a plump face outside, wearing a warm and gentle smile.
Seeing it was her, Song Yubai grew wary. His face turned cold as he frowned and asked, "What is it?"
Yu Wanzhu thought to herself, Don't give me that disgusted look. I have traumatic memories of this room—I wouldn't want to go in even if you begged me!
But on the surface, she said with all seriousness, "I was thinking—since we're heading to the city today anyway, I might as well buy some food and supplies while we're there. Your legs aren't convenient, so I was wondering if I could have Second Sister accompany me. Is that alright?"
Song Yubai gave her a long, searching look, then nodded once and closed the window.
Yu Wanzhu: "…" What a villain's mind!
Even halfway down the road, Song Xiaolan still couldn't believe it. This fat woman was actually willing to spend money to go to the city and hire a doctor for Mother and Eldest Brother?
Was this… was this really her?
Yu Wanzhu was genuinely uncomfortable being stared at like that, so she asked outright, "Xiaolan, are you tired from walking? Do you want to wait by the roadside for an ox cart?"
Song Xiaolan curled her lip and snorted coldly. "This is nothing! I'm not tired!"
Yu Wanzhu rubbed her lower back. Fine then—actually, she was the one who was tired. This body was both fat and weak; she was out of breath after just a few steps.
Song Xiaolan caught on and eyed her sideways. "Who told you to get so fat? If you can't walk, then pay for an ox cart yourself!"
Her tone was far from friendly, but to her surprise, Yu Wanzhu showed no sign of irritation. She simply waved her hand. "No need. We'll be there in another quarter of an hour. Let's just walk a bit slower."
Song Xiaolan was right. With a body this fat, she needed the exercise. She had to slim down as soon as possible.
Otherwise, when the time came for her to leave the Song family, how would she survive out in the world?
Shuozhou Cheng was a bustling, prosperous city. Having lived here for years, Yu Wanzhu knew her way around and easily found the most reputable medical clinic in the city. She requested an experienced old physician, but since he still had two patients to attend to, they were asked to wait a while.
Making good use of the time, Yu Wanzhu took Song Xiaolan to the streets to buy supplies.
With the twelfth month approaching, the city was lively and bustling. Song Xiaolan, who rarely came into town, found herself dazzled by the sights, unable to hide the excitement on her face.
Yu Wanzhu noticed her staring at a stall selling velvet flowers and smiled knowingly. "Xiaolan, which one do you like? I'll buy it for you."
But Song Xiaolan withdrew her wistful gaze and shook her head, walking away.
What a prickly little girl.
Yu Wanzhu quickened her pace to catch up. The two of them went to the market and bought a good amount of meat and vegetables. The Song family was poor, and their daily meals rarely had any oil or meat, so Yu Wanzhu thought she'd improve their diet a bit. Besides, with two sick people in the house, they needed proper nourishment.
Song Xiaolan stared in astonishment as Yu Wanzhu bought this and that. She wanted to ask but didn't dare, simply assuming it was all for Yu Wanzhu's own consumption, as usual.
On the way back to the clinic, Yu Wanzhu made a detour to the cart rental and hired a mule cart with a driver.
After all, if she was inviting a physician out to the countryside to see patients, she couldn't very well make him walk. A mule cart wasn't as fast as a horse-drawn carriage, but it was cheaper—the most economical choice.
The Song family lived at the foot of the mountain, and the narrow path before their door was too cramped for the mule cart to pass beyond the fork in the road. Yu Wanzhu told the driver to wait where he was.
No sooner had she stepped down than someone in the distance called out to them in greeting.
The woman waved enthusiastically. "Oh, Sister Song, Xiaolan! Where are you two coming back from?"
At the sound of that voice, Yu Wanzhu broke out in goosebumps all over.
She looked up at the newcomer. The woman was named Wang Jiao—she had been Yu Wanzhu's only "good sister" in the village ever since she married into the Song family.
Yu Wanzhu sneered inwardly, then said to Song Xiaolan, "Xiaolan, take Dr. Zheng on ahead. I'll have a word with her."
Song Xiaolan nodded with a look of impatience, hesitated for a moment, then muttered in a low voice, "Her reputation is ruined. You should stop associating with her from now on!"
With that, she turned and stomped off in a huff.
Yu Wanzhu was somewhat surprised. Song Xiaolan's words sounded like a warning, but they were really a reminder that Wang Jiao had a terrible reputation in the village—only a newlywed bride like herself, who had just married into the family, would be willing to keep company with her.
Add to that the original owner's pig-headed stupidity, and she had been wrapped around Wang Jiao's finger with just a few sweet words.
Wang Jiao pulled Yu Wanzhu aside and lowered her voice. "What's going on?"
Yu Wanzhu played dumb. "What do you mean?"
Wang Jiao's gaze flicked toward the mule cart. "I can see you've come back from the prefectural city. You bought all these things—don't tell me you paid for all of it yourself?"
Yu Wanzhu nodded, looking perfectly matter-of-fact.
"That's right. I picked up a few odds and ends, and I even hired a doctor to see Mother."
Wang Jiao was stunned, then said in disbelief, "Are you stupid! Didn't I tell you not to spend your dowry on them? And that old hag—why bother with her? Let her just—"
Yu Wanzhu looked at her calmly.
Under that gaze—so calm it bordered on indifference, with even a hint of contempt—Wang Jiao suddenly found she couldn't go on.
She couldn't help but wonder to herself: this fat woman was acting strange today. Whatever she said, she wasn't getting any agreement.
Her expression stiffened, and she switched topics. "So, that matter—did it work?"
What matter? The matter of crawling into his bed!
Yu Wanzhu sneered inwardly, holding up her injured hand for Wang Jiao to see. "Naturally, it didn't."
The original owner, after all, was the daughter of a respectable scholarly family—how would she ever have come into contact with that kind of filth-drug? The reason she had repeatedly tried to crawl into his bed, even going so far as to use the drug, was all because of the instigation of this "good sister" standing before her.
The drug had come from her hands as well.
Wang Jiao looked at her with an expression of utter frustration. "How many times now, and you still haven't succeeded?"
Yu Wanzhu put on a wounded look. "Sister Jiao'er, could this drug be fake? Look what he did to me."
Wang Jiao frowned. "It must be that you didn't use it right. The seller told me the drug is extremely potent—it absolutely makes people lose all control!"
Yu Wanzhu's expression was a half-smile. "Is that so? Sister Jiao'er is an unmarried girl—maybe you were tricked by someone. Or could it be that you've tried it yourself?"
Wang Jiao flushed red and instinctively retorted, "Nonsense! How could that be? I only heard it from others!"
But inwardly she thought: this fat woman is so hard to deal with today. She was just about to make an excuse to slip away when Yu Wanzhu thrust her hand directly in front of her.
"Sister Song, what are you—"
That address of "Sister Song" made Yu Wanzhu's stomach churn with disgust. She dropped her fake smile and said coldly, "Pay me back!"