Li Tingyun stood frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.
What did they mean by “Father is coming back”?
Wasn’t the original owner’s husband—Yi Yang, the third son of the Yi family—supposed to have died during a mission?
So what exactly was going on now?
Mother Yi, who had been holding Third Treasure the whole time, heard the commotion outside and came out to look. Seeing that Li Tingyun had returned, she quickly waved her over excitedly.
“Ayun, come quickly! There’s something important we need to tell you!”
Li Tingyun followed Mother Yi into the living room of the Yi family’s old house. Everyone in the Yi family was there, filling the room densely.
After she sat down, Mother Yi said to her, “Ayun, our Yi Yang isn’t dead. He was only injured!”
So the story that Yi Yang had died during his mission was false. He had merely been seriously injured.
Li Tingyun had no idea how she was supposed to react. She simply replied with an “Oh.”
“Oh?”
The entire Yi family stared at her. Only then did she realize belatedly that her reaction had been far too calm.
“Ah!” Li Tingyun covered her mouth dramatically and exclaimed loudly, “Yi Yang is really alive? That’s wonderful!”
Everyone: “……”
That acting was a little too exaggerated.
Fortunately, Father Yi and Mother Yi both knew that Li Tingyun had always looked down on the Yi family, and by extension hadn’t thought highly of Yi Yang either. So her current attitude didn’t surprise them too much.
Although the third son’s wife had clearly improved over the past few days, whether she had truly changed inside was still uncertain.
Clearing his throat, Father Yi said to Li Tingyun, “Third son’s wife, there was a phone call from town today. They said our third son was fortunate enough to survive the mission, but his injuries were severe. It’s already been several months, and he still can’t get out of bed.”
Hearing this, Li Tingyun realized the mission must have been extremely dangerous. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been so badly hurt, nor would it have taken months before any good news reached them.
Her heart tightened as she sighed emotionally for Yi Yang. “Fortunately Yi Yang was lucky enough to survive this disaster. From now on, things will surely go smoothly for him.”
Only after speaking did she notice the shocked expressions on Father Yi and Mother Yi’s faces.
Based on the third son’s wife’s previous attitude toward Yi Yang, it would already have been good enough if she didn’t curse him after hearing the news. Yet now she was saying such thoughtful words?
That truly was rare.
Li Tingyun had no idea why they were staring at her like that and asked doubtfully, “Father, Mother, what’s wrong?”
Mother Yi came back to herself and shook her head. “Nothing.”
Yi Yang’s eldest brother, Yi An, asked, “If Third Brother’s condition is this serious, then he probably won’t be able to return home anytime soon, right?”
His injuries were severe, but no one knew exactly how severe. They might be bad enough to force him to retire from the military, or they might simply require time to recover.
Father Yi took several puffs from his tobacco pipe and said, “From the sound of the call, Third Son’s injuries are pretty serious this time. The army camp is far from home, and his condition isn’t suitable for long-distance travel. Staying at the military hospital to recuperate is the safest option.”
Yi Wu suggested, “Since Third Brother can’t get out of bed, should us brothers go visit him?”
Zhao Hong, always blunt, immediately blurted out what she was thinking.
“It’s harvest season right now! Missing even one day of work means earning fewer work points, and at the end of the year we’ll receive less grain. How can we leave during such an important time? There are still so many mouths in this family to feed!”
Unable to hold back, Yi Wu glared fiercely at Zhao Hong and scolded her, “Our Yi family is this large—do you really think we’d let you starve?”
Having been rebuked by her husband, Zhao Hong was still unwilling to back down and muttered softly, “I’m only speaking the truth.”
The rest of the family remained silent.
Zhao Hong’s words were rough, but not unreasonable. Yi Yang’s severe injuries were a major matter, but it wasn’t realistic for the entire Yi family to go visit him.
After all, they still had to work and eat.
A whole family traveling would cost a great deal, and traveling itself wasn’t easy in this era.
They would need approvals, train tickets, and various procedures. None of it was simple.
Father Yi waved his hand and said, “Right now the harvest comes first. As for visiting Yi Yang, I think the decision should be made by the third son’s wife. Third son’s wife, what do you think?”
Li Tingyun froze. “Me?”
When Yi Yang’s injuries were mentioned, she had never truly placed herself into the role of his wife.
Even though the original owner of this body had indeed been Yi Yang’s wife, she still couldn’t fully identify with that role.
Ever since transmigrating here, the people she interacted with day and night were the three children.
Perhaps because the original owner herself hadn’t liked Yi Yang very much, the inherited memories about him were sparse and fragmented. She couldn’t even clearly remember his appearance.
From Father Yi’s tone, it sounded like the responsibility of visiting Yi Yang had fallen onto her shoulders.
Just moments ago she had been an outsider listening to everyone talk, yet suddenly she had been pushed into the center of the matter. Inevitably, she felt a little lost.
“Yes,” Mother Yi nodded. “No matter what, Third Son is the father of your children. You’re husband and wife—you must have feelings for each other. You should be the one to visit him.”
Li Tingyun thought silently: I’m not the original owner, so there might not actually be any feelings.
Of course, she didn’t dare say that aloud and could only complain inwardly.
Mother Yi sighed. “The person from the army said Yi Yang is still unconscious. Whether he wakes up or not depends entirely on himself now. The doctor said that if people close to him talk to him by his bedside, it might help awaken some of his consciousness.”
Li Tingyun looked up in surprise.
Father Yi also spoke sorrowfully, “Your mother and I are old now. We can’t travel far. And with the harvest season upon us, we simply can’t leave. Otherwise we wouldn’t ask Third Son’s wife to make such a difficult trip…”
After going around in circles, it really did seem like she was the most suitable person to visit Yi Yang.
Although Li Tingyun felt somewhat resistant to meeting the original owner’s husband, she also wanted to see more of the outside world of this era.
After thinking it over, she agreed. “Father, Mother… I’ll go.”
Mother Yi’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
Li Tingyun nodded. “Mm. Yi Yang is, after all, the father of my children. Visiting him is my responsibility.”
Mother Yi exchanged a glance with Father Yi. The tightly furrowed brows on their faces finally relaxed, and the gloom lifted.
Originally, they had assumed the third son’s wife would refuse. After all, she and Third Son had always had a strained relationship, so they had mentally prepared themselves for her rejection.
Unexpectedly, she had agreed. Naturally, Father Yi and Mother Yi were overjoyed.
Father Yi slapped his thigh and declared, “Then we’ll trouble you with this. I’ll arrange the transportation to the county.”
…
On the way home carrying Third Treasure, Dabao and Second Treasure were unusually quiet and subdued.
Li Tingyun was busy thinking about what might happen during the journey and didn’t notice that the two older children seemed worried, their usual liveliness gone.