“Yun’er, Grandma is old and muddle-headed. Don’t hold it against me…”
Grandma Gu spoke awkwardly.
Thinking back to how she had treated Ji Yun when she first entered the family—how she had disliked her in every possible way, looking at her with contempt—Grandma Gu felt embarrassed and ashamed.
It was also that rascal Gu Zhou’s fault for not telling her beforehand.
He had caused such a huge gap between what she expected and what actually happened, which was why she had treated Ji Yun so coldly.
“The food is burning!”
Ji Yun had no patience to listen to someone confessing their guilt, nor did she have the patience to comfort them.
Many things should be judged by actions, not intentions.
Although Grandma Gu had disliked her for being foolish, she had never mistreated her when it came to food or daily necessities.
Besides, Ji Yun had always believed that there was no such thing as unconditional love in this world.
No one was obligated to support another person without expecting anything in return.
“Oh my, look at us! We got so caught up talking that we forgot the important thing.”
Grandma Gu hurriedly stirred the pot to keep the rice porridge from sticking to the bottom.
Looking at the sparse grains of rice floating in the pot, she gritted her teeth and added another handful of brown rice.
It was her in-laws’ first time visiting.
She couldn’t afford to embarrass herself.
Song-shi took everything in.
The corners of her lips couldn’t help but curl upward.
Her daughter had already secured her place in the family.
That was wonderful!
After shifting Grandma Gu’s attention, Ji Yun left in a carefree manner.
As Grandma Gu added more rice, she apologized, “Mother-in-law, things aren’t good at home, so we can’t entertain you properly. I hope you won’t take offense.”
Her attitude was more than ten times more courteous than when they had first arrived.
Song-shi was more than happy to see the change.
“Look at you. We’re all just ordinary people trying to get by. Everyone knows how difficult things are these days. Being able to eat our fill is already pretty good.”
Grandma Gu put the lid back on the pot and said, “I’ll go see if Gu Zhou is back.”
“He has important things to do. It’s fine if he doesn’t come back.”
“He needs to come back. It’s their first time visiting, and as their son-in-law, he should come greet them.”
Grandma Gu hurried up the hill and shouted toward the opposite side.
“Shunzi, could you do me a favor? Go into the mountains and call Gu Zhou back. Tell him his in-laws have come to visit.”
The village where the Gu family lived was a small one, with only a few households.
The villagers didn’t have much farmland and mostly made a living through hunting. They usually looked out for one another.
“Okay.”
The young man turned around and ran off.
About half an hour later, Gu Zhou returned, carrying a pheasant in his hand.
Seeing him limp, the disappointment in the Ji couple’s eyes was impossible to hide.
As expected, someone who had fallen to the point of being forcibly matched by the official matchmaker wouldn’t have good circumstances.
Still, having a skill was better than nothing.
At least they would occasionally be able to eat some meat.
Grandma Gu hurried over to him and introduced them.
“Gu Zhou, these are your father-in-law and mother-in-law. Come on, greet them.”
Gu Zhou immediately straightened up and spoke formally.
“Dad, Mom, you’ve come.”
The Ji couple nodded.
He actually looked quite good—tall and strong, with a sturdy build that suggested he had plenty of strength.
“All right, don’t be so nervous. We heard something happened to Yun’er, so we were worried and came to check on her.”
“She’s fine!”
“Not only is she fine, she’s quite clever too. In-laws, don’t worry. My Gu Zhou may be a little slow and reserved, but he has a good heart. He’ll definitely treat Yun’er well.”
Grandma Gu’s face practically bloomed with a smile. She was almost bowing and scraping in her eagerness to please them.
Gu Zhou glanced sideways at her.
His grandmother’s attitude puzzled him.
She was being far too polite.
Almost to the point of trying to curry favor with them.
What happened while I was away?
Ji the Eldest said, “As long as she’s fine, we’re relieved.”
“Mother-in-law, Gu Zhou’s legs are indeed somewhat inconvenient, but it doesn’t affect his ability to walk. He’s strong, hardworking, and willing to endure hardship. He’ll definitely be able to support his wife and children, so you can rest assured.”
The Ji couple felt both helpless and relieved.
Things had already come this far.
What else could they say?
“Are there many animals in the mountains these days?”
“Not many. I don’t come back with something every time I go out.”
Grandma Gu…
That silly boy! Why are you being so honest?
Can’t you make things sound a little better?
“Does your family have much farmland?”
“Not much. There’s a lot of vegetation and tree roots in the mountains, so the crops yield less than those down below.”
The Ji couple’s hearts tightened again.
Their circumstances are this bad?
How are they supposed to live in the future?
“However, no one in our village has ever starved to death over the years.”
Grandma Gu…
This silly boy. At least he knows how to salvage the situation.
“That’s true. People living near the mountains can depend on the mountains. With such a huge mountain, the wild vegetables alone should be enough to feed quite a few people.”
“That’s right.”
“Grandma, I’ll go prepare lunch. You can chat with… Dad and Mom.”
The Ji couple exchanged a glance.
This child even knows how to work in the kitchen.
That’s actually pretty good.
Their daughter had been foolish for so many years, so she obviously lacked experience with household chores.
If their son-in-law knew how to handle these things, they wouldn’t have to worry too much.
“No need. I’ll go.”
Grandma Gu walked away on tiptoe.
“You stay here and have a good talk with Yun’er’s parents.”
She even took the pheasant with her.
“I’ll stew another chicken.”
“Mother-in-law, you don’t have to go to so much trouble. Take that chicken and sell it. Even a little money could be exchanged for grain.”
“It’s your first time visiting. How can I not prepare a proper meal?”
Grandma Gu cheerfully walked away.
Gu Zhou sat down with his knees together, staring straight ahead.
It was obvious that he was extremely nervous.
“Gu Zhou, what do you do for a living?”
“Hunting, gathering medicinal herbs, and farming when I have free time.”
“How are the harvests?”
“Not… bad.”
“Do you earn something every day?”
“Not necessarily.”
Gu Zhou answered each question stiffly and honestly.
In the kitchen, Grandma Gu was getting anxious.
Why is he acting like a block of wood?
Why are you so nervous? Can’t you be a little more tactful?
Ji Yun sat by the window and watched the scene with some amusement.
Besides, she had no time to deal with this matter right now.
As she watched the forest gradually lose its color and turn yellow day by day, her anxiety grew stronger.
If she wasn’t mistaken, the Gu family and the Ji family were both practically penniless.
Neither family had the ability to withstand a disaster like this drought.
“You child, how can we feel at ease if we don’t ask?”
Song-shi gave her a reproachful look.
This girl is already taking his side after only one day.
“Whether you feel at ease or not, what difference does it make? We’ve already received the marriage certificate, and there’s no way to undo it. What’s there to think about?”
There was a faint edge to Ji Yun’s words.
Perhaps it was the original owner’s emotions resurfacing.
“Yun’er, you’re still blaming us.”
Song-shi’s tears immediately began flowing again.
“Mom, if you keep crying, you’re going to flood Nanshan Village.”
“You child, you’ve even learned to tease me now.”
Song-shi broke into a smile through her tears.
“Mom, I’m being serious. If you have the chance, you should stock up on more grain.”
“Daughter, are you saying…?”
Ji the Eldest immediately became tense.
“You’ve both farmed your whole lives. You should understand the situation down the mountain better than I do. Grain prices in town are changing every single day. Haven’t you ever wondered why?”
The moment she said this, the atmosphere in the courtyard became unusually tense.
No one had the time to think about Gu Zhou anymore.
“But what can we do? Your grandmother controls everything at home. Your mother and I don’t have much say…”
Ji Yun didn’t remember what the old woman looked like, but simply hearing her name made her shrink instinctively.
She was probably not an easy person to deal with.
“Then separate from the family and live on your own.”
Considering the original owner, Ji Yun was willing to help where she could.
But if they couldn’t help themselves, she wouldn’t force them.
“Your grandmother won’t agree.”
“Living people can’t let themselves be suffocated just because they have nowhere to go.”
“Yun’er, don’t speak so crudely.”
Song-shi even glanced at Gu Zhou, afraid he might dislike her daughter.
“Mom, the dignity you’re talking about can’t save you. It can’t save me either.”
Those words made Song-shi’s face turn completely pale.
Her daughter’s words were unpleasant to hear, but they were true.
“But if we separate from the family, where can we go?”
“If it doesn’t rain soon, even a huge family fortune won’t survive. And besides, the Ji family only has a few acres of poor farmland. What fortune do we have to protect?”
Ji Yun snorted.
“But…”
“Yun’er, I’ll listen to you.”
Ji the Eldest made up his mind.
“When I go home, I’ll find a way to separate from the family. We work like old oxen every day, yet we couldn’t even protect our own daughter.”
There was no shortage of resentment in his heart.
His daughter was his weak spot.
Now that the family had forcibly tied her up and sent her to the county office, his resentment toward the old household had reached its peak.
“…”
Song-shi fell silent.
She had never been a particularly decisive person.
Before marriage, she listened to her parents.
After marriage, she listened to her husband’s family.
Naturally, whatever the head of the household decided, she would follow.
“The food is ready.”
Grandma Gu’s voice broke the atmosphere in the courtyard.
“Come eat. Afterward, go home and think carefully about what I said.”