“You tell me the condition first, then I’ll decide whether to agree to it.” In front of Yu Fuling, Yu Zhuo found back the feeling of being the older brother.
“Since Second Brother wants to start a pickled vegetable business, you must have thought it through carefully, so I want to ask Second Brother to agree that no matter how unpleasant Big Brother’s words get in the future, you won’t argue with him.”
“Pick a different condition, I can’t do that one.” Yu Zhuo had wanted to have it out with his eldest brother countless times, but every time, thinking of how it would upset their parents, he’d forced himself to hold back.
“Mother told me last night that you were especially sensible as a child, and I don’t know when it started, but you became irritable and quick to anger. I’ve only just come back and don’t understand the situation, so I could only comfort Mother about it. But at breakfast this morning, I found the answer.”
“What do you mean?” Yu Zhuo turned his head, this time his look wasn’t anger or resistance, but confusion. “Why is Mother telling you this?”
“Something happened to me at the Marquis’ estate.” If she told her second brother the reason directly, he might not accept it, so Yu Fuling used her own experience to open his eyes instead. “The Marquis’ wife is someone who’s extremely afraid of the cold. Every year the moment winter began, she’d prepare charcoal fires early and insist her children wear extra layers of clothing. But I’m extremely sensitive to heat, I’d rather be a little cold than put on one more layer. So every year when winter came, I was bound to end up in a huge fight with the Marquis’ wife over the clothing issue.”
“It’s just one garment, if you don’t want to wear it, don’t. Besides, if you’re going to freeze, that’s your own business, it’s not like she’s the one freezing.” Yu Zhuo frowned, the Marquis’ wife was meddling far too much.
“I thought so too, but no matter how nicely I put it, or how furious I got, the Marquis’ wife insisted on having her own way. Eventually I learned to be clever about it, I knew she’d check my clothes, so I’d put the layers on when I went to pay my respects to her, and take them off once I was out the door.”
“What does this have to do with me?” Yu Zhuo still didn’t understand.
“Every time Second Brother gets into a conflict with Father and Mother, or with Big Brother, it always ends badly for everyone. So is the real problem really with them, or…” Yu Fuling paused, then continued, “with you?”
“I…”
Yu Zhuo’s eyes widened slightly, he’d suddenly realized why Yu Fuling had told him something that seemed to have nothing to do with the matter at hand.
“This morning, Big Brother deliberately provoked you, and once your anger flared up, you got sidetracked from the actual matter you’d meant to bring up, leaving a bad impression on Father and Mother, while also letting Big Brother get what he wanted. Second Brother, you must understand better than I do what Big Brother is thinking.” Living under the same roof, there were plenty of tangled interests among siblings too, it’s just that being wrapped in the guise of “family” made people overlook a lot of it.
“So that’s why, I’d barely started today, and Big Brother got so worked up. He was worried that if Father and Mother agreed to help me, no one would be there to look after his wife and daughter?” Yu Zhuo gave a cold laugh. The knot that had been stuck in his chest suddenly loosened at his sister’s words.
“It’s just a small thought of mine, might not be entirely right.” Yu Fuling stared at the fishing rod in her second brother’s hands. “Any fish biting?”
“Yu—Yu Fuling…”
“Hm?”
Yu Fuling looked up, meeting her second brother’s awkward expression, and asked with a smile. “What does Second Brother want to say to me?”
“You… about the condition you mentioned earlier, I’ve thought it over, I can agree to it. But that’s the only condition, and about your interest, once I’ve made money from the pickled vegetables, I’ll definitely pay you back. I’m not like Yu Heng, always scheming how to take advantage of family. I’ll make it on my own merit, and make Father and Mother see me in a whole new light!” Yu Zhuo said all this with utter conviction, but there was one more thing he didn’t say out loud.
Once he’d made money, he’d definitely leave this family that had chilled his heart.
“I believe Second Brother can do it.”
Yu Fuling saw the rod move and shouted excitedly. “Second Brother, it’s moving, it’s moving!”
“Oh.”
Yu Zhuo pulled up the rod at once, this time it was a big crucian carp. “Wow, there really is something in this pond! Again, again!”
The catch from fishing not only made Yu Zhuo forget his troubles from that morning, it also brought him closer to Yu Fuling.
“Mother, Mother!”
Yu Zhuo, carrying a string of fish he’d caught, pushed open the bamboo gate in high spirits. “Fuling and I caught so many fish, Eldest Sister-in-law can have fish soup now.”
“Oh my, where did you two catch these fish?”
Zhang Qiaofeng, who hadn’t seen her son and daughter come home all morning, rushed out at the sound and took the fish from them the moment she saw what they were carrying. “Did you two leave the village?”
“No, we caught them in a pond at the west end of the village.”
The two of them had caught seven big fish in one go, and if the sun hadn’t risen so high, making it too hot to stand there, they probably could have kept fishing.
“Who’d have thought that pond could produce fish this big?” Zhang Qiaofeng gestured with her hands to show the size. “It’s perfect timing too, Shuiqin doesn’t have any milk yet, and I was just worrying about what to make to help bring it in. This settles it, I’ll make her a crucian carp and tofu soup.”
“Mother…”
This time, with encouragement in Yu Fuling’s eyes, Yu Zhuo boldly spoke up. “What I told you all this morning, I really do want to do it. I’m absolutely not doing this on a whim. And I just want you to teach me how to pickle vegetables, I don’t want to dump the pickling work onto you.”
Zhang Qiaofeng was startled, as far as she could remember, this was the first time her second son had ever calmly stated what he needed. Looking at her son’s slightly nervous eyes, her nose suddenly stung. “How hard can pickling vegetables be? Go pick a few cucumbers and pull up some radishes, I’ll teach you how to pickle them at noon.”
“All right, I’ll go right now.”
Yu Zhuo had never imagined that, without having to shout and make a scene, his mother would agree to his request so readily.
He suddenly remembered Yu Fuling telling him about her time at the Marquis’ estate while standing by the pond.
In an instant, he turned to look at her.
Yu Fuling looked back at him with a smile too.
“From now on I won’t call you the Marquis’ young lady anymore, you’re my fourth younger sister… Yu Fuling.” Yu Zhuo still wanted to leave home and start his own household as soon as possible, but that didn’t stop him from building a bond with Yu Fuling as siblings. “Once I’ve sold the pickled vegetables and made money, I’ll buy you and Lehuan new clothes.”
“Sure, then I want two sets, so I can switch between them.” Yu Fuling wasn’t shy about it either, and stated her request openly.
“Fine, two sets it is! I’ll go pick the cucumbers and pull up the radishes now.” Yu Zhuo set the fish down in the kitchen, grabbed a basket, and headed toward the back of the house.
Zhang Qiaofeng had never seen her second son so full of life before, and she knew this must have something to do with her daughter. “Fuling, thank you. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known how to talk to Yu Zhuo, say too much and he gets annoyed, say the wrong thing and he gets angry.”
“Mother, I told you already, since I’m part of this family, I’ll definitely help you take good care of it.” Yu Fuling took her mother’s arm and walked toward the kitchen. “I’ll learn how to make pickles along with Second Brother later, and if he can’t manage on his own, I can lend a hand.”
“All right. Then I’ll wash out two jars, and gut the fish, we’ll have braised fish for lunch.”
Where some were happy, others were not.
Standing in the doorway, Yu Heng’s face darkened, and he retreated back into the room, slamming the door shut hard enough to startle Li Shuiqin.