When she spoke to Zhao Lijie, her tone was very gentle. Zhao Lijie also seemed to realize that he had been paying too much attention to Yu Qiaoqiao.
He quickly looked around, took her hand into his palm and rubbed it, then said with some disdain, “I really don’t know what kind of strange luck Yu Qiaoqiao ran into—she actually managed to guess it right.”
His tone was full of disgust and his eyes carried ridicule. Only then did Yu Shanshan feel a bit relieved. She had known it—Zhao Lijie couldn’t possibly be interested in Yu Qiaoqiao.
“Mm, Qiaoqiao has always had some unexpected abilities,” she said casually.
Zhao Lijie glanced at her, then led her hand toward the farmland at the village entrance, his gaze burning hot.
During this period, the two of them often met secretly in this place. It was hidden and bold, unlikely to be discovered. Zhao Lijie could freely release his desires here.
Most of the time, when they were together like this, their bodies intertwined intimately. No matter what their hearts felt, their bodies craved each other. But today, even after kissing Yu Shanshan for a long time, Zhao Lijie showed almost no reaction. Yu Shanshan accidentally touched him and frowned slightly.
Could it be that they had been together too frequently lately, affecting him physically? She had heard from the village elders that if men overindulged in such matters, they could eventually suffer from impotence—meaning they would be unable to get hard when with women.
Her small movement was noticed by Zhao Lijie. He also found his own reaction strange. Could it be that seeing Yu Qiaoqiao today had distracted him?
Thinking of those fox-like eyes and her slender, delicate neck, Zhao Lijie suddenly felt his body heat up. Before long, he was back to full vigor, overwhelmed with desire.
Yu Shanshan straightened her clothes after coming out of the farmland. She felt in a good mood all the way back.
She had been overthinking earlier. Not only was Zhao Lijie not “incapable,” he was even more intense than usual, to the point that she almost fainted. That stimulating feeling, however, made her somewhat addicted.
With a smile on her face, she returned to the Yu household. The old grandmother was in the courtyard talking with Yu Dahai. Seeing her return, she immediately smiled.
“Shanshan is back.”
Yu Shanshan behaved especially obediently in front of the old lady. She quickly stepped forward, crouched beside her, and began massaging her legs.
“Grandma, what are you and Second Uncle talking about?”
At the mention of this, the old lady’s expression changed immediately.
“What else could we be talking about? That little wretch Yu Qiaoqiao. Both are Yu family girls—how can she be so different from you?”
One was her beloved, well-behaved granddaughter.
The other was the village’s despised, disreputable granddaughter.
Every time the old lady mentioned Yu Qiaoqiao, she became furious.
“By the way, Shanshan, did you hear what Yu Qiaoqiao did during the Gao family incident?”
Yu Shanshan paused. “Grandma, Qiaoqiao saved Sister-in-law Gao.”
“She? Pah! If she can save people, I might as well be a goddess.” The old lady scoffed.
Seeing that the old lady didn’t change her opinion of Yu Qiaoqiao even after she did a good deed, Yu Shanshan quietly relaxed.
“Grandma, maybe Qiaoqiao was just being playful. When I saw her earlier… when she was giving acupuncture to Sister-in-law Gao, she even seemed drowsy and had her eyes closed. The needles looked like they were inserted randomly.”
“That troublemaker! She’s asking for death! If someone dies because of her, our Yu family will be dragged down too!” the old lady shouted angrily, her face twisted with rage.
Yu Shanshan lowered her head slightly, her bangs hiding the coldness in her eyes.
“Grandma, don’t be angry. Qiaoqiao has never been close to our family and has a mischievous nature. Don’t ruin your health because of her.”
Only then did the old lady’s expression soften as she looked at Yu Shanshan.
“Only our Shanshan is sensible.”
Yu Shanshan leaned against her leg, and the two appeared harmonious.
At dinner, Yu Shanshan glanced at the eldest of the Yu family.
“Dad, I want to go to the city to buy some books.”
She needed to study hard. A major event would happen in the future. At that time, Zhao Lijie would successfully return to the city, and she would also change her fate because of it. Yu Shanshan had to seize the opportunity tightly—this was her only way out of this small mountain village.
The eldest Yu kept his head down while eating. Hearing her request, he didn’t stop eating, but his expression darkened.
“Shanshan, why do you suddenly want to buy books? Our family’s money…”
Before he could finish, the old lady shot him a sharp glare.
“Shanshan wanting to study is a good thing! What are you hesitating about?”
She stood up and went into the room. Soon she came out with a small cloth bag, took out three large bills, and handed one to Yu Shanshan while putting the other two back.
“If you want to buy books, go buy them. Grandma will give you the money.”
Yu Shanshan glanced at the third uncle’s family, who were eating while secretly watching, and accepted the money somewhat awkwardly.
“Grandma, when I earn money in the future, I’ll repay you with more.”
The third aunt curled her lip, clearly displeased.
The old lady saw her expression and immediately glared at her again, then turned to Yu Shanshan.
“Don’t mind others. In this family, as long as I’m alive, our Shanshan can do whatever she wants.”
Yu Shanshan was indeed capable—she had excellent grades, always among the top in her class. She was also “gentle and honest,” earning the old lady’s favor. The old lady firmly believed Yu Shanshan would become successful one day, and when that happened, she would enjoy the benefits as well.
So the current support was an “investment” for the future.
The money she gave out wasn’t even entirely hers. Each branch of the family contributed money to her annually. Yu Dahai, in particular—after losing his wife and marrying off his daughter—gave all his earnings from labor work to the old lady.
The majority of the money Yu Shanshan received actually came from Yu Dahai’s contribution.
As an uncle, he was even more generous to the old lady than to his own daughter Yu Qiaoqiao.
Meanwhile, Yu Qiaoqiao had brought Gao Chengbin back to the Qin family.
On the way, she had already told him, “Brother Gao, I have some herbs at home. I’ll give you some first. You take them back and boil them according to my instructions for Sister-in-law. If it works, then go to the county town to get proper medicine.”
Gao Chengbin felt embarrassed taking advantage of her. He knew Yu Qiaoqiao was having a hard time in the Yu family, and her life in the Qin family was also difficult.
“Qiaoqiao, these herbs cost money. Tell me how much they are, I’ll pay you.”
Yu Qiaoqiao knew he was an honest man. If she gave them for free, even if he accepted, he and his wife would feel uneasy about it later. So she casually quoted a low price, and the two entered the Qin household together.