“Yu Zhile, you wretched girl! How dare you jump into the sea? I think you’re truly tired of living! See if I don’t teach you a lesson!”
“You didn’t learn anything good, only how to be a troublemaker like your mother! Your whole family is a nest of vipers!”
“Yu Zhile, you money-losing commodity! If I had known better when that fox-spirit mother of yours brought you back, I should have strangled you right then and there.”
The old lady’s voice was full of vigor. She began cursing the moment she stepped through the courtyard gate and didn’t stop even after reaching Yu Zhile’s bedroom door.
“My sister hasn’t recovered yet.” Yu Yue stood firmly in front of the door, his body tense.
Yu Yue was Old Mr. Yu’s favorite grandson. His legs had been injured during the construction of the Yu family’s new house. Upon hearing Dr. Jiang say that he would only be able to use a wheelchair for the rest of his life, Old Mr. Yu had immediately smashed all the high door thresholds in the new house without a word. He even stayed up all night to build the wheelchair Yu Yue was using.
Although the old man had gone out to sea with the town’s fishing fleet two weeks ago, the old lady still didn’t dare to be too outrageous in his absence.
“Yu Zhile, it’s your family’s turn to cook tomorrow. Even if you have a fever, you’d better crawl out of bed and get to the kitchen!” Since the old lady couldn’t get inside, she began shouting at the door.
Yu Zhile looked toward the doorway and saw an old woman with a sharp face and high cheekbones. She was tall, her hair was combed neatly, and her features twisted wildly as she cursed.
Noticing Yu Zhile’s gaze, the old lady glared at her and shouted, “Yu Zhile, go ahead and keep faking it! I can see there’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just trying to dodge work, still dreaming of your days as a pampered young lady—”
“Mother, why did you rush back so early? Why didn’t you stay at Uncle’s house a bit longer? Aren’t you tired?” Yu Haiyao, who had also been woken by the noise, hurried over while pulling on a shirt to interrupt the old lady. “Mother, you’ve really worked hard.”
The old lady was easily charmed by Yu Haiyao’s few words, and her face broke into a smile. “Ah Yao, it’s not time for work yet, why are you up? Go back and rest. You have to sit at the production brigade office all day and do the accounts.”
A second later, the old lady looked back into the room, her lip curling. “I have to give this girl Yu Zhile a good piece of my mind today.”
As her anger flared again, she rolled up her sleeves, making a move to push past Yu Yue and enter the room.
Yu Haiyao quickly pulled the old lady toward the main hall, temporarily bringing the farce to an end.
Just as the mother and son disappeared into the main hall, Second Uncle Yu Haizong entered the courtyard carrying a small brown parcel. He walked straight toward Yu Zhile’s room.
“Xiao Yue, is Lele alright?” Yu Haizong’s face was etched with worry. Yesterday, before he had a chance to check on his niece’s injuries, he had been hurried off by Yu Haiyao to pick up the old lady from her brother’s house. The Second Uncle had a square face and dark skin. He had joined the fishing fleet early on, and years of leading teams at sea had built him a burly, muscular frame.
Hearing his voice, Yu Zhile searched the original owner’s memories for information about her Second Uncle.
He was an honest, salt-of-the-earth fisherman. He wasn’t as shrewd as Third Uncle, nor as successful as her father, Yu Haiguang. Consequently, he was the old lady’s least favorite son.
Seeing Yu Haizong, Yu Yue’s tense posture relaxed visibly. He replied, “She has occasional fevers, but nothing too serious.”
Yu Haizong glanced guiltily toward the main hall and then toward the east room where Yu Haiyao’s family lived. He pressed the parcel into Yu Yue’s hands and whispered, “This is malted milk and brown sugar I bought in town yesterday. Give it to Lele to nourish her. Mix a bowl for her every day after meals.”
The small parcel was heavy, with a few bits of stray straw stuck to the outside.
Yu Yue tried to refuse. “Second Uncle, take this back for Yu Lin to drink. He’s still young and needs the nutrition.”
“You keep it. Don’t let your grandmother or your Third Aunt see it,” Yu Haizong said, rubbing his hands together. “Tell me when it’s gone and I’ll buy more. Don’t let Lele’s health suffer.”
After Yu Haizong left, a wave of drowsiness hit Yu Zhile. Her eyelids drooped, and she fell asleep in less than a minute.
When she woke up again, it was already noon. Yu Zhile still felt weak, so she didn’t go to the main hall for lunch, which triggered another round of indirect insults from the old lady.
Over the next few days, Yu Zhile’s fever fluctuated. Dr. Jiang visited the Yu house several more times, and the villagers began to speculate that the eldest Yu daughter might not live much longer.
On the evening of the fifth day after the drowning incident, Dr. Jiang appeared at the Yu house once more with his large medical bag.
At that moment, the house was quiet. The men hadn’t returned from work yet, and the women had taken the children to go beachcombing. Only the four members of Yu Zhile’s immediate family remained, along with the old lady, who was mending nets in the courtyard.
For the past few days, Yu Haizong had been the one to pick up the medicine. Today, after finishing the examination, Dr. Jiang personally pushed Yu Yue out of the small courtyard.
Yu Zhile, sleeping fitfully, found her hearing becoming more acute. She heard the sound of someone rummaging through drawers and cabinets in the room next door.
Just as she was about to sink back into a deep sleep, the noise in the next room stopped, followed by the heavy thud of a door slamming and the old lady’s low-voiced cursing.
It seemed someone else had arrived at the house. The old lady exchanged only a few words before breaking into a tirade: “You brat, all you have is a big mouth. You were wearing rare city clothes not long ago, but now you come to visit and won’t even bring a single vegetable. Get out of here!”
By the time Yu Zhile woke again, it was dinner time. The area near the house had become lively with the laughter and shouting of children.
Yu Yue handed her a bowl of warm, bitter-smelling medicinal soup.
She accepted her fate and took a sip, her face immediately wrinkling in a grimace.
“You can eat these after the medicine.” Yu Yue produced a few wild strawberries as if by magic.
The bright red berries were glistening with water droplets, looking sweet and tart enough to make one’s mouth water.
The feeling of being coaxed into taking medicine by her younger brother felt novel to Yu Zhile, but it also warmed her heart. She closed her eyes and gulped down the rest of the soup in one go.
“Someone was rummaging through things in the next room earlier,” Yu Zhile said.
The room next door was their parents’. Since their mother fell into a coma, only Second Aunt, who was responsible for her care, entered frequently. No one else usually went inside.
Yu Yue’s expression tightened, his lips pressing into a thin line. He replied, “It’s fine. There’s nothing valuable in that room anyway.”
Yu Zhile observed Yu Yue as she ate the berries. She increasingly felt that he wasn’t as simple as he appeared on the surface.
Yu Haiyao usually timed his arrival perfectly for dinner, and today was no exception. As soon as the food was on the table, he walked through the door.
Wu Caixia and Yang Suyun had good luck today, having found a large amount of kelp and over a dozen clams the size of a child’s fist, plus half a bucket of miscellaneous small seafood. Tonight’s dinner was the most abundant they had seen in a while.
At the dinner table, the old lady’s demeanor shifted from the forced civility of previous days. No matter how much Yu Haiyao winked or signaled, she refused to give Yu Yue a kind look, let alone Yu Zhile. She wouldn’t even let Yu Yue take a bowl of food into the room.
After dinner, Yu Haiyao followed the old lady into her room. The two whispered for quite a while, and Yu Haiyao eventually emerged with a satisfied expression.
The next day was a rare day of rest for the village, so everyone slept in. After the sun rose, it was the noise of children that first broke the silence.
Yu Zhile moved a chair to sit under the eaves to soak up some sun, but she was unexpectedly drenched from head to toe by a ladle of water thrown by Wu Caixia.
Looking at the completely unrepentant Wu Caixia, Yu Yue gripped the armrests of his wheelchair so hard the veins on the back of his hands bulged.
“Lele still does too little work. Otherwise, why would she be sitting here?” Wu Caixia said with an exaggerated expression.
Yu Haiyao put on a show of reprimanding Wu Caixia for a couple of sentences.
Facing their clumsy acting, Yu Zhile sneered inwardly. She wanted to see what kind of play these people were trying to perform.
Toward evening, a strong wind picked up and the temperature dropped. Yu Zhile began to run a fever again.
At this time, Yu Haizong’s family had been sent away by the old lady to go beachcombing, and the neighbors weren’t home.
When Yu Yue tried to go out to find Dr. Jiang, the old lady laid a wooden staff across the courtyard gate, blocking his path.
“Move it,” Yu Yue said.
The old lady gave Wu Caixia a look, signaling her to close the courtyard gate. She then turned to block Yu Yue and said, “Do you really think your sister is some pampered lady? Finding a doctor for a little fever… the family has no money for you to squander like this.”
“Get out of the way.” Yu Yue glared at the old lady.
Yu Zhile and Yu Yue didn’t resemble their mother; instead, their eyes and brows looked more like their biological grandmother. This was one of the reasons the old lady disliked the siblings so much.
“That money-loser Yu Zhile can forget about wasting another penny of the Yu family’s money!” The old lady stood with her hands on her hips. “I’ll tell you straight: I’ve already negotiated with the Zhang family in the neighboring village. Your sister will marry their son, and you will marry the Zhang family’s daughter.”
The Zhang family in the neighboring Haiyang Village was known for miles around. Their son was nearly thirty, but his behavior and intelligence were no different from a seven or eight-year-old child.
Yu Yue looked at her coldly and rolled his wheelchair forward. The old lady didn’t back down, and the wheels ran directly over the top of her foot.
The old lady pushed him back with great force and added a kick to his leg.
The old lady had once been part of the village’s deep-sea fishing fleet; she was elderly, but her strength was still considerable. That kick left a clear footprint on Yu Yue’s pants.
“Xiao Yue, don’t be stubborn with your grandmother. A headache and fever are small matters; your sister will be fine after a few hours of sleep. There’s no need to find Dr. Jiang—it’s just a waste of money.” Yu Haiyao took the opportunity to run out. “Your Third Uncle doesn’t want this exchange marriage either, but the communal funds really can’t afford to support your whole family. The best way is to find someone to take care of you.”
Yu Yue didn’t respond, but his gaze toward Yu Haiyao was razor-sharp.
“If you want to find a doctor, find one using your mother’s money! The communal funds won’t contribute a single cent!” the old lady screamed at the top of her lungs.
Yu Yue sneered. He went back to the room, brought out an enamel washbasin, and struggled to reach into the large water vat for the floating ladle. It took him several attempts to succeed.
In the few minutes it took to scoop the water, Yu Yue’s clothes were mostly soaked, but no one stepped forward to help.
The old lady and Yu Haiyao exchanged a glance and curled their lips; the expressions on their faces were almost identical.
Inside the room, Yu Zhile had heard the entire exchange. When she saw the footprint on Yu Yue’s leg, a surge of fury rushed to her brain.
A moment later, a cool washcloth was placed over her face, covering her eyes. She could only hear Yu Yue’s muffled voice.
“Don’t worry. My legs lost all sensation a long time ago. It doesn’t hurt,” Yu Yue said.
Yu Zhile’s eyes welled with tears, but eventually, she couldn’t resist the exhaustion brought on by the fever and fell into a deep sleep.
After running a fever on and off for two more days, Yu Zhile finally fully recovered on the third day. Her mind was no longer foggy.
That morning, she woke up early and lay in bed thinking about her plans for the future.
During her illness, Yu Yue had been busy rolling his wheelchair back and forth, not only monitoring her temperature at all times but also frequently enduring the scolding of the old lady and Third Aunt. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his face was even paler than when Yu Zhile had first arrived.
Even her “idiot” younger brother seemed to sense something. He no longer crouched in the corner poking the wall with a stick, but stayed by her side instead.
While she was burning with fever, Yu Zhile had decided: regardless of whether the original owner’s mother woke up, she was going to take care of Yu Yue and Yu Chi.
Over the past few days, the Second Uncle’s family had also helped quite a bit, and she kept that in her heart.
As for the Third Uncle’s family and the step-grandmother… Yu Zhile narrowed her eyes. She thought of the footprint on Yu Yue’s pants, then of the scene she had witnessed when she got up in the middle of the night.
She had seen Third Uncle pulling Second Uncle toward the private plot in the backyard.
Shortly after, an argument broke out in the backyard. The voices weren’t loud, but it lasted for a while.
But no matter what tricks Yu Haiyao was trying to play, no one was going to take what belonged to her family.
Suddenly, a loud commotion broke out in the courtyard. Cries, shouts, and curses tangled together, shattering the morning peace of Haiyu Village.
Yu Zhile could just barely distinguish the voice of her honest Second Uncle amidst the noise.
He was loudly repeating one sentence: “Mother, divide the family. We want to divide the family!”