“Power on, power on, power on—”
Yu Chun heard movement at the door, and her first reaction was to activate the system in her mind. She didn’t think she could handle such a complicated situation on her own.
“Let’s eat first—” It was already dark, and after traveling all day, they probably hadn’t had a proper meal.
Yu Chun opened the door and called into the courtyard, “A Rong, set out the bowls and chopsticks. Your—your grandparents and uncle are here—”
“Mother, my little sister is awake! I’m holding her—”
“Ah—okay, I’ll come!” She awkwardly rubbed her nose, probably a side effect of childbirth.
“Fengjie: Stupid is stupid, why make excuses! picks teeth.jpg”
“Chun: Alright, your criticism is fair.”
Yu Chun stopped letting her mind wander and, while setting the table, quietly observed her parents and brother.
Her father was of average height, always wearing a faint smile, but with deep lines across his forehead and around his mouth—anyone could see the hardship in his face.
Her mother, upon seeing her daughter, said nothing, only smiled—biting her lip, unable to hide her grin. Yet her appearance and expression made her look like a young girl barely twenty.
The most striking was Yu Xiao. He stood around 190 cm tall, his body full of muscle, yet his face was full of childishness. He even found time to wink and make faces at his sister, clearly trying to send her some signal.
She began to understand why Yu Chun had been deceived by Cao Jie.
In terms of social dealings, Cao Jie was far too good at pretending. Though he clearly looked down on Yu Chun’s entire family, he wore a constant smile, bustling about, serving food, warmly attending to them—one might think he was the couple’s own son.
The meal was prepared by Yu Chun: a thin mung bean soup, pan-fried tofu with braised green beans, a plate of pickled vegetables, braised chicken, and flatbread that could be eaten hot or cold.
“Big sister’s cooking is the best!” Yu Xiao bit off half a piece of bread in one go. “Mother just throws everything into one pot with salt—it’s like cattle feed, it’s miserable! These past ten days, Father wouldn’t even buy a single oil cake. Can you imagine that?”
His lively, familiar tone instantly closed the distance between them. Yu Chun smiled and added more meat to his bowl.
“If you like it, eat more. We’ll all be living together from now on. If you have time, come here—I’ll cook.”
“But how will we make a living here?” Yu Chun’s father, drinking with Cao Jie, did not scold Yu Xiao. Instead, he asked the question that concerned him most.
“Luoyang has fallen. We don’t yet know about Chang’an. Long-term work is difficult, but Father, you know carpentry. Making a living won’t be a problem,” Cao Jie said, a faint pride flashing in his eyes.
“Exactly!” Yu Chun’s father slapped his thigh, his fingers curling and uncurling nervously, his voice rising and falling. “If it weren’t for you today, son-in-law, I would have suffered! Drink, drink! Luckily we left early—I wonder how your elder uncle’s family is doing…”
Cao Jie leaned forward with a sincere expression. “Chang’an is not like Luoyang. The city is tall and strong, and to the west there is a constant supply of troops and provisions. Three years ago, the Yangxia King became prime minister—though she is a woman, her husband is the Marquis of Yingchuan.
“The Marquis governs with both kindness and strictness, commands great loyalty from the army, and treats his soldiers like his own children. With him stationed in the west and tens of thousands of troops under his command, a mere rebel force is nothing. We should seize this opportunity to buy houses and land—this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Yu Chun.
“Fengjie: Don’t follow his lead. Do you not want your family anymore?”
“Yes—but everything has risks. You should decide for yourselves,” Yu Chun withdrew her agreement.
She also thought it was an opportunity. But in her understanding, the An Lushan Rebellion had devastated Chang’an—investing here was certainly risky.
Yet in the mid-Tang period, even Bai Juyi had lamented how difficult it was to live in Chang’an. In the long run, the chance to own property here was still precious—perhaps a once-in-three-generations opportunity.
Cao Jie glanced at her in surprise. He had been the one pushing for this relocation, and he hadn’t expected Yu Chun—who usually rushed to speak—to hold back.
“We’ve come all this way to Chang’an—if we don’t buy what’s already agreed upon, are we just giving away that hundred strings of cash?” Yu Xiao spoke coldly, full of youthful defiance.
“Why give it to others? Why should our money go to others?” The sudden sharp, strained cry came from Yu Chun’s mother, who had been silent and eating all along.
Her sudden presence startled everyone into silence.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Our money is with your brother-in-law. No one will take it. Just eat!”
“I don’t care! If you don’t buy it, we’re leaving right now! You can afford inns and courtyards, but this is Chang’an, not Luoyang. Even if I die, so be it!” Yu Xiao declared.
“Fengjie: I take it back—you’re not stupid! It’s a miracle your parents are even alive!”
Filial piety was above all—even someone like Xing could make her cry, let alone parents dragging the whole family toward ruin.
“Daiyu: Don’t lose heart, Chun. With your knowledge, you can grow step by step—one day you will soar.”
“Baochai: Your brother is capable—he may one day rise high in this world.”
“Xichun: Hmph, if you don’t cut ties, you’ll be dragged down!”
“Baoyu: The sisters are right. Chun, keep striving.”
“Tanchun: To forge iron, one must be strong. Many heroes rose from nothing with their own hands.”
Truly worthy of a masterpiece recognized by generations—though each had their flaws, they were kind and generous to those they acknowledged, especially Daiyu.
Yu Chun felt comforted. For the first time, she was grateful that fate had been generous.
With her heart lighter, the difficulties before her seemed less daunting.
Even those born into privilege had their own troubles—how could she be an exception?
“Fengjie: Your father likes flattery, and your mother listens to him. Better to cooperate for now—secure the house first. Even with losses, having a foundation matters.”
“Daiyu: Exactly—capture the leader first. That’s the key.”
Thoughts raced through Yu Chun’s mind. As she chewed her food, encouraged by the voices, she organized her words.
“Ordinarily, matters of family property aren’t for a married daughter to speak on. But Xiao is right. First, we have no foundation in Chang’an. If we back out, your son-in-law may only offend a few people—but in our current situation, we have no ability to recover that deposit.
“Second, if not for his connections, the owner would have already sold the house at a higher price. This is Chang’an—there’s no shortage of buyers at this price. And Father, you’ve seen how vast the city is today. With so many powerful and wealthy people, why would they care about a small rammed-earth courtyard?
“No matter who rules, there will always be opportunities to earn money. Who knows—perhaps our family might even rise in status.”
Yu Chun’s father lowered his head, listening carefully. Cao Jie glanced at his wife in surprise again—she, who would once have argued loudly, was now speaking with thought and reason, leaving him no room to perform.
Yet he had no intention of harming his in-laws. After all, he and Yu Chun had two children—he couldn’t doom her family.
Following her lead, he added, “What Chun says is right. Father, this was your own decision. When I mentioned it before, all my friends praised me for having such a wise father-in-law.”
“What did they say?”
“They said my father-in-law is farsighted, decisive, and truly shrewd. A house in the Western Market of Chang’an for three hundred strings—such an opportunity comes once in a century.”
“Alright,” Yu Chun’s father’s gloomy expression lifted. “I’ll go take a look.”
“No need. Brother-in-law said sister has already cleaned it—just move in. Or do you want to spend another night’s lodging?” Yu Xiao urged.
“Didn’t they say Luoyang has fallen? There are many wealthy people in the city—someone might take a fancy to such a small house as a refuge. Better sooner than later—secure the contract before anything changes!” Yu Chun added fuel to the fire.
“Exactly!”
“Two hundred strings! I heard staying in Chang’an costs a whole string per night!”
“Who would stay in such inns…”
Amid the noisy chatter, Yu Chun’s father wiped his mouth, carefully pulled out an oilcloth bundle hidden beneath the ox cart’s harness, and took out a gold ingot the size of a bar of soap.
He was quickly ushered out by Cao Jie and Yu Xiao.
Yu Chun shook her head with a bitter smile. How could people be like this?
Even feeding them required chasing after them!
As the last light of the setting sun faded, flies buzzed around the table. Only two women and two children remained eating.
Yu Chun’s mother seemed famished. Seeing her hesitant, pitiful look, Yu Chun’s heart softened.
“Mother, eat.”
She tore some chicken meat into small pieces, placed them in a wooden bowl, and soaked broken bread in soup for Cao Fang.
Her mother responded and began scooping meat from the large bowl—but in the time it took to feed half a bowl of porridge, a pile of bones had already formed in front of her.
Yu Chun froze. She turned to the pitiful Cao Fang beside her, took a deep breath, and shook her head helplessly.
“Leave some for the children!”
“But you told me to eat!” her mother complained.
“I—” Yu Chun broke down.
“Li Wan: This is indeed your fault. Some people simply cannot make decisions—you should allocate portions yourself. Walls have ears.”
“Scoop some for the children—”
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
Inhale. Exhale.
“Eat properly. Go to bed early later,” Yu Chun said to her mother—and to herself.
She picked out the meatiest pieces for Cao Rong, poured the rest into her own bowl, and quickly ate. She still had children to feed.
Thank you to those who voted and supported. Thank you to all readers for your support.