After finishing her meal, Yu Chunmiao went back to digging pinellia. That evening, she counted her earnings in her room. She spent a little as she went, but still had about one tael and 880 yuan left.
Two days later, she had saved up five taels and twenty-six yuan.
On the third evening, Yu Chunmiao and Qi Rong returned with two full baskets of pinellia, only to find that Chen Ruolan wasn’t home.
Chen Ruolan had gone to the village to rent an ox cart because Qi Chong couldn’t make it to town on foot. The village was small, only about thirty households, and there was only one ox cart, owned by Wang the butcher. Wang used it to collect pigs from nearby areas, and when idle, he also offered it to villagers.
At Wang’s gate, Chen Ruolan rang the bell and was greeted by Wang’s wife, Lin Qiujun. Wang was preparing to go to town the next day to sell meat, so three men would go with two big pigs each.
Chen Ruolan paid the fee and was about to leave, but Lin Qiujun stopped her, leaning in with a gossiping expression.
“Sister Chen, what’s going on with your brother-in-law’s family? I hear the couple’s been fighting every day. I also heard that Qi Ping isn’t really Qi Changsheng’s child—is that true?”
Chen Ruolan’s heart raced. Her clever daughter-in-law’s antics had caused so much chaos that no family could have peace. She felt guilty just listening to these rumors.
“I haven’t been to the village in ages. You probably know more than I do.” Chen Ruolan muttered, feeling doubly guilty—both for lying and for helping her daughter-in-law.
Lin Qiujun was excited. Finally, someone who didn’t know the latest gossip! She wouldn’t let Chen leave so quickly.
“I’ve noticed something off for a while. Look at your husband and Qi Changsheng—don’t they look alike? Your three sons—well, they all look like one family. But Qi Ping… tsk tsk tsk… and the fights! Just look at Zhang Guihua—her face has been swollen these past few days…”
Chen Ruolan didn’t really hear the rest. She was too wrapped up in her own guilt.
“I should get home now, there’s so much to do. We’ll talk later.”
Thankful, Chen Ruolan hurried home, wanting to avoid having to clarify anything further.
Back home, Qi Chong was cooking braised pork, while Qi Rong stood by the stove, watching hungrily.
“Where’s Chunmiao?” Chen Ruolan asked casually, noticing her daughter-in-law was missing.
Qi Rong stared at the sizzling pork. “Sister-in-law said her hair was still wet from washing, so she went to dry it before coming back. She should be done and back in her room now.”
Chen Ruolan nodded and went to take her medicine.
Qi Chong ruffled his little brother’s hair. “Do you want me to cook your head along with the meat?”
He plated the braised pork and handed it to Qi Rong. “No stealing!”
Qi Rong sighed. He had just been about to sneak a piece but settled for licking the sauce off his fingers instead.
The pork was the one Yu Chunmiao had bought that morning—last time’s meat had left her wanting more.
Yu Chunmiao, with her hair half-dried and tied loosely with a simple hairband, came to eat. At the table, she and Qi Rong ate with gusto, while Chen Ruolan looked worried, barely touching her food.
She picked at her rice, counting grains with her chopsticks.
Qi Chong calmly placed a piece of braised pork on her plate. “If you keep acting like this, I won’t cure it.”
Chen Ruolan finally put down her chopsticks, letting tears flow freely. “Hitting bones… it hurts my heart.”
Yu Chunmiao quickly wiped her mother-in-law’s tears. On the surface, she seemed calm, but the words hitting bones were echoing in her mind.
Qi Chong patted his mother’s shoulder, jokingly. “It’s nothing. Tomorrow, if I make a sound, you can call father to come hit me.”
Chen Ruolan glanced at him. “If it hurts, shout. Don’t endure it silently.”
“Alright. If it hurts tomorrow, I’ll shout. If I don’t shout… it doesn’t hurt.”
After a bit more coaxing, Chen Ruolan finally ate her meal.
The next morning, Qi Rong was left at home to watch the house. Qi Chong steamed buns for breakfast; Qi Rong could heat them up at noon.
The three of them waited at the village entrance for the ox cart.
It was Yu Chunmiao’s first time in the village. Usually, when going to town, she took the back paths and never came through the village itself.
Before long, a young woman approached. Her skin was fair and smooth, and her figure noticeably fuller than Chunmiao’s. Her almond-shaped eyes immediately locked on Qi Chong, and she kept glancing at him even after reaching his family.
Gathering her courage, she said to Qi Chong, “Chong-ge, long time no see.”
Yu Chunmiao watched her carefully. Her eyes were red the moment she saw Qi Chong—clearly, something was going on.
“Zhou Min, are you heading to town?” Chen Ruolan asked, not waiting for her son to speak, and politely pulled the girl aside.
Zhou Min blinked back to attention and said, “Yes, going to town to sell some embroidery work. And you all…?” Her gaze inevitably drifted to Qi Chong’s injured leg.
Chen Ruolan guided her closer and said, emphasizing the words, “I’m taking him to get his leg treated—with my daughter-in-law.”
The extra emphasis on “daughter-in-law” was deliberate.
Yu Chunmiao understood immediately—her mother-in-law was staking her claim.
As expected, Zhou Min then looked at Yu Chunmiao. After just one glance, she seemed discouraged and no longer dared meet her eyes.
Though Chunmiao’s clothes were patched, her natural beauty couldn’t be hidden. Her fair, soft figure was alluring, but compared to Zhou Min, she appeared a little less delicate and refined.
Chunmiao observed Qi Chong carefully, keeping her face calm and her gaze steady, showing no signs of flinching or distraction. Whether this was natural or an act, Zhou Min wouldn’t know. She gently nudged Qi Chong’s elbow and signaled him to lean closer.
Qi Chong obliged.
Chunmiao whispered in his ear, “She likes you. Do you like her back?”
She wanted clarity—she didn’t want misunderstandings born of awkwardness.
Qi Chong’s face flushed red and pale in quick succession, and he blurted out loudly, “I don’t like her!”
Chen Ruolan shot her eldest son a look—partly aggrieved, partly anxious.
Chunmiao groaned inwardly, embarrassed. “Do you have to shout like that?”
Zhou Min seemed to understand the answer. She silently stepped back, her face clouded with sadness.
Soon, the ox cart arrived. Wang the butcher loaded the pigs into the basket at the back. Yu Chunmiao and Qi Chong placed their two pinellia baskets, covered with banana leaves, alongside.
The cart had no cover. Chen Ruolan pulled Zhou Min to sit on one side, leaving Chunmiao naturally beside Qi Chong on the other. Qi Chong rested his left leg on the cart, letting his right leg dangle.
Chunmiao, petite as she was, settled against his left thigh, almost fitting into the space before him.
The cart jolted over a stone. Chunmiao lost her balance and began to topple backward. Qi Chong’s long arm shot out and steadied her—but she was so light that he overcompensated and ended up holding her fully in his arms.
Her small shoulders fit neatly into his grasp, and her soft, warm body pressed against him. Heat flooded his chest, and his breathing became irregular.
Chunmiao felt his racing heartbeat against her ear, and she could feel her own face growing warm.
In a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “Thank you,” and slipped out of his embrace.
Her body slowly moved from Qi Chong’s grasp, a little reluctant to leave.
The ride was silent. With strangers around, Chunmiao wisely chose to speak little.
From the corner of her eye, Zhou Min saw the interaction. Her eyes filled with regretful tears. If she hadn’t been weak, Qi Chong would have been hers. His hands would have only protected her, and his chest would have been her refuge.
When they reached the Yu Orthopedic Clinic, Qi Yuan was already waiting. He hurried forward to support his elder brother, but Qi Chong waved him off.
“No need. I can still walk.”
Qi Yuan then tried to help Chen Ruolan, but she waved him away as well. “No, I’m fine now.”
A few days earlier, when he saw his mother, he noticed her face looked much healthier than before—her previously sunken eyes now slightly filled out. With no income coming into the family and everyone waiting for him to finish his studies, he realized the credit went entirely to the new daughter-in-law.