To do business, you had to call out to customers. Yu Chunmiao stood up and cried loudly,
“Clams! Fresh clams! Fresh from the river! Boil them in plain water with a pinch of salt, add a few slices of ginger, some tofu and scallions—one sip and your mouth fills with fragrance!”
“Clams! Fresh clams! Drop them into boiling water and scoop them out as soon as they open. Mix with ginger vinegar, smashed garlic, a little chili—perfect with wine!”
Her calls were novel, and as she shouted, she even taught people how to cook them. It quickly drew a crowd. The clams were as fresh and sweet as sea clams, but far cheaper.
“Are they really fresh? No dead ones, right?”
“Guaranteed fresh. They’ve been kept in clean water for a whole day, all the sand spat out. Smell them—there’s no foul odor at all.”
That was thanks to Chen Ruolan. She’d changed the water diligently and kept the clams out of the sun, which kept them lively and fresh.
There were no plastic bags, so the day before they had cut a large number of banana leaves. These served not only to hide the clams from villagers along the way, but also as natural packaging.
Yu Chunmiao didn’t know how to read a scale, so Chen Ruolan handled the weighing. Yu Chunmiao packed the clams, collected the money, and gave change. In less than two hours, they sold more than a full basket.
Yu Chunmiao counted roughly—over four hundred coins.
“Mother, there are still plenty of clams in the river. We can sell them every other day. Once we save enough, we’ll treat both you and Qi Chong. Our family’s life will get better.”
Compared to her daughter-in-law’s excitement, Chen Ruolan’s eyes welled with tears. Holding Yu Chunmiao’s hand, she said, “If that day really comes, you’ll be the blessing of the Qi family.”
Yu Chunmiao handed her the money pouch. “Here. Let’s go to the clinic and get you a couple of prescriptions.”
Chen Ruolan waved her hands hurriedly. “No, no. We need to save it for Chong’er’s leg. Today we should buy cloth to make you some clothes.”
To a mother, her son always came first.
Yu Chunmiao frowned and shook her head. “I don’t agree. Qi Chong’s injury will cost a lot. If we wait until we’ve saved enough but you collapse first, what then? Every time we come, we’ll get you two days’ worth of medicine. We’ll treat you while saving for Qi Chong at the same time—both things can move forward together. I have enough clothes for now. Next time. We’ll buy them next time.”
Chen Ruolan immediately understood—Yu Chunmiao had already thought this through. In the past, her life had always been arranged by her husband. After he died, Qi Chong took over. Once Qi Chong was injured, she gradually lost hope altogether. That was why she’d made the first major decision since marrying into the Qi family: buying a wife for Qi Chong.
She didn’t expect beauty or brilliance—she couldn’t afford that anyway. All she wanted was someone who could take care of the three brothers’ daily needs.
She’d thought she’d wait for the second son to return from his apprenticeship and shoulder the household. Instead, it was this “bought” daughter-in-law who had begun carrying the family’s burden.
She pushed the money pouch back into Yu Chunmiao’s hands. “Mother doesn’t know how to manage money. You help me manage it. Otherwise, I won’t listen to you.”
Yu Chunmiao thought it over and agreed. She slung the empty basket on her back and headed for the clinic.
After the doctor took Chen Ruolan’s pulse and said a lot she couldn’t fully understand, the conclusion was simple: she needed rest, no overwork, and a good mood. With cough-suppressing and heat-clearing medicine, taken for a while, she would recover.
Two doses a day, forty coins per prescription—one hundred sixty coins in total.
Yu Chunmiao understood now. Her mother-in-law’s illness came from grief over her husband’s death and worry over her son’s injury—pent-up emotions and internal heat. As long as life felt hopeless, she would remain ill; medicine alone wouldn’t help. That was why she’d been sick for two years without improvement.
So comfort had to come immediately.
“Mother, we still have over three hundred coins left. At this rate, we’ll soon save enough to treat Qi Chong. But you must listen to the doctor—don’t overthink things, keep your spirits up. Once you recover sooner, we can save money for Qi Chong even faster.”
When Chen Ruolan heard that her own illness directly affected her son’s treatment, she immediately nodded. “Yes, yes. I’ll listen to you. I’ll be happy every day. I’ll smile every day.”
Chen Ruolan truly meant what she said—no sooner had the words left her mouth than she broke into a smile.
“Mother, you look really beautiful when you smile.”
Yu Chunmiao kept coaxing her along the way, and her mother-in-law’s smile never once faded.
“Chunmiao!”
A familiar shout came from behind. It was her gambler of a father. When she looked up, the mother and daughter-in-law were just passing by a gambling house.
Bad luck. She’d avoid this road in the future.
Yu Chunmiao’s first reaction was to play dumb. She leaned close to her mother-in-law’s ear and whispered, “That’s my father. Mother, just treat me like I’m still stupid. Say the medicine was bought for me. It cost two taels of silver—our family doesn’t have a single coin left.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her eyes went vacant and her expression blank.
Chen Ruolan was impressed by her daughter-in-law’s acting and knew she had to go all in as well. If Yu Daman found out his daughter wasn’t stupid anymore—and could even make money—he’d cling to them like a plaster.
She took Yu Chunmiao’s hand and turned around, coming face to face with Yu Daman, his face bruised and swollen.
Yu Daman covered half his face and stepped forward, glancing at the medicine in Yu Chunmiao’s basket. “In-law, buying medicine? Who’s sick? Medicine isn’t cheap, is it?”
If they could afford medicine, they might still have money on them.
Yu Chunmiao pretended to be frightened and hid behind her mother-in-law, whispering against the back of her head, “Scold him. Say you’re not his in-law—I was sold.”
Receiving the signal, Chen Ruolan immediately lifted her chin and snapped, “What in-law? Who’s your in-law? Chunmiao was bought by me. We only have a buyer–seller relationship, not a marriage alliance. You want to claim kinship? Fine—bring back the deed of sale. I’ll count three taels of silver as bride price. You prepare a proper dowry.”
From her sharp tone, Yu Chunmiao could tell her mother-in-law had a past of her own. She hadn’t expected that with just a cue, Chen Ruolan would perform so flawlessly.
Yu Daman was used to being scolded. With a thick face, he said, “That’s reasonable, sure. But my daughter’s already in your family—must be fate, right? Even if we’re not in-laws, we can still be friends. No need to be so distant.”
Yu Chunmiao was about to add another idea when Chen Ruolan spoke first. “Friends? I was just about to look for you. I bought a wife to continue the family line. And what happened? The doctor took her pulse and said she’s been starving for years—her body’s completely ruined. It’ll cost a fortune to treat her. This single batch of medicine cost me two taels of silver. I don’t want this daughter-in-law anymore. Come to my house tomorrow, return my money, and I’ll give you both the girl and the deed of sale.”
As she spoke, Chen Ruolan even pushed Yu Chunmiao toward Yu Daman.
Oh… damn.
This mother-in-law is impressive. Looks like I need to act too.
Yu Chunmiao deliberately walked behind Yu Daman and grabbed onto the gambler father’s sleeve, refusing to let go.
Before Yu Daman could react, Chen Ruolan burst into tears. “Heavens, how am I supposed to live like this? There’s no money to treat my son’s leg—the doctor says he won’t make it! I’m about to die myself, and all I want before I go is to see a grandson. If after these two doses of medicine my daughter-in-law still doesn’t recover, Chong’er’s line will end! There’s no money left to treat anyone! Zhen-ge, if your spirit in heaven can hear me, bless me—give me a healthier daughter-in-law instead!”