Old Man Gu was already furious, and Grandma Sun gave Gu Dashan a look, signaling him to help Old Man Gu back inside.
They had gone out not only without gaining a single copper coin, but also with their tempers thoroughly ruffled—how could they accept that?
At this moment, even though Gu Dashan was still angry, there was nothing he could do, so he followed Old Man Gu back home.
Once they left, Gu Qishan, Madame Zhou, and Gu Wan’er all breathed a sigh of relief.
Gu Wan’er looked at Li Xingyue with admiration. “Sister-in-law, you’re amazing! You made grandfather and second uncle so angry—they didn’t know what to do! It feels so satisfying!”
Madame Zhou also looked at Li Xingyue, surprised at how eloquent and persuasive she was—she had rendered both father-in-law and second uncle speechless.
Gu Qishan exhaled heavily and said, “Yue’nian, this time you’ve really offended the second branch. Grandmother and second uncle won’t let this go so easily.”
He sighed again. “All these years, I’ve been too incompetent. They’ve controlled us for so long, and it’s also caused you to suffer.”
“Old man, don’t say that. It hasn’t been easy for you either,” Madame Zhou said, her voice choked. “You’ve suffered a lot too.”
Seeing the elderly couple so moved, Li Xingyue decided to seize the opportunity to speak her mind.
She said solemnly, “Father, Mother, you know very well how biased Grandfather and Grandmother have been. All these years, you’ve worked tirelessly to support the second branch—what good has it brought you?”
“Whenever you did something that didn’t please them, they would turn on you immediately. Father, this is your family. You should have seen through them long ago; you just didn’t want to face it.”
She continued, “I can’t change the past, but from today on, I refuse to spend another penny on the second branch. Even if Gu Shao’an becomes a scholar, what real benefit would that bring? And even if there is, father, do you think the first branch would get any of it?”
“Last time, when I fell down the hillside, it was Gu Shaoning who pushed me from behind. Second Aunt of the second branch and Wu Rong should both know about this.”
Her words left the room in stunned silence.
None of them had expected that it was Gu Shaoning who had pushed Li Xingyue down the hill.
Why Gu Shaoning had tried to harm her, they did not know.
Gu Qishan looked incredulous. After a long pause, he asked, “Yue’nian, are you sure it was Shaoning who pushed you?”
Li Xingyue nodded. “Father, do you think I would just make something like that up?”
Gu Qishan sighed helplessly and nodded.
Madame Zhou’s face was full of anger. “How dare the second branch do something like this!”
Gu Wan’er stomped her foot in fury. “Sister-in-law, we absolutely can’t let this go!”
Gu Qishan was silent for a long moment before speaking slowly, “Yue’nian, you’re right. I’ve been foolish all these years. From today on, the first branch will no longer be entangled with the second branch.”
Seeing that Gu Qishan finally understood, Li Xingyue breathed a sigh of relief. She continued, “Father, Mother, from now on, let’s live our own lives. As long as our family works together, life will only get better.”
Madame Zhou nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, we’ll live our own life.”
Seeing Madame Zhou on board, Li Xingyue decided to say a few more words. She cleared her throat and said, “Father, Mother, there’s something else I want to tell you.”
Gu Qishan nodded. “Yue’nian, say whatever you need to.”
Madame Zhou also nodded, waiting for her words.
Li Xingyue spoke seriously. “Last time I was injured and unconscious, I had a very long dream. In the dream, I lived an entire life in another world. In that world, I learned to read and write, and I learned many skills. Later, I could earn money, and our lives gradually improved.”
“Father, Mother, you’ve worked hard your whole lives. From now on, you should eat well, drink well, and take care of your health.”
She thought of the dream. If the famine she had dreamed of was real, they would need to prepare well before it happened.
They wouldn’t lack food, but everyone’s health had to be maintained, or they wouldn’t survive a long journey.
Especially herself—she was pregnant, and when the famine came, her belly would be large. How could that be managed?
She didn’t dare to speak too much further, lest the dream never come true.
After she finished, the three were silent.
After a while, Gu Qishan spoke, sounding somewhat touched. “Yue’nian, you have a kind heart!”
Madame Zhou rarely said something so earnest: “Yue’nian, just having this heart is enough. You’re a woman—how could we let you go earn money?”
Gu Wan’er chimed in: “Sister-in-law, it’s impressive that you think this way, but earning money should be left to brother.”
Li Xingyue shook her head with a smile. “Wan’er, at any time, money is a person’s confidence—especially for us women. We’re naturally at a disadvantage, but if we can earn our own money, we not only live better, we don’t have to depend entirely on men. Isn’t that good?”
Gu Wan’er nodded, half understanding.
Gu Qishan thought for a moment. “Yue’nian, since you have the determination, go and do what you want. Just don’t overwork yourself in your current condition.”
Madame Zhou nodded in agreement.
Li Xingyue nodded, simply giving them a heads-up—she would earn money sooner or later.
..
The next morning, Gu Wan’er knocked on Li Xingyue’s door early.
“Sister-in-law, shall we go up the mountain after breakfast?” she called through the door.
The girl had become addicted to collecting herbs.
Li Xingyue thought there was nothing to do at home, and as the saying goes, “rely on the mountain when living near it, rely on water when living near it”—so why not take a stroll in the mountain? Maybe they’d find something valuable.
Li Xingyue responded and got up to get dressed, with little Yanran and little Teddy following.
Breakfast, as usual, was prepared by Madame Zhou: millet porridge, the leftover two buns and three potato cakes from yesterday, reheated, and some wild vegetables stir-fried with pork lard scraps.
The pork belly, pig stomach, liver, and kidneys bought yesterday by Li Xingyue remained untouched.
Li Xingyue brought out ten eggs from the house, saying she bought them in town—they were large and cheap.
She boiled all ten eggs, almost making Madame Zhou’s jaw drop.
Li Xingyue and Gu Wan’er each had a bowl of millet porridge, one egg, and one potato cake.
Little Yanran drank only half a bowl of porridge and ate one egg.
With one egg per person, five were left. Li Xingyue planned to bring them up the mountain.
After breakfast, the two girls slung on their baskets, bringing along little Yanran and little Teddy, heading up the mountain.
The March days were warming gradually, and the mountain scenery changed day by day.
Gentle breezes, warm sunlight, and a vibrant earth made everything come alive.
Trees began sprouting, slopes were covered in clusters of white apricot blossoms, and yellow forsythia dotted the forest.
In her past life, Li Xingyue had been a homebody—while others enjoyed traveling, she preferred staying home, watching videos and reading novels.
Now, walking in the mountains, she felt utterly refreshed, and her spirits lifted.
Little Yanran hopped and skipped, chasing butterflies and picking wildflowers.
Little Teddy ran joyfully nearby, sniffing the grass along the path.
Li Xingyue and Gu Wan’er kept an eye out for medicinal herbs while chatting.
Suddenly, Little Teddy barked at a patch of bushes not far ahead. Li Xingyue and Gu Wan’er exchanged a glance and cautiously approached.
Pushing aside the bushes, they discovered a nest of wild eggs.
“Sister-in-law, what a wonderful surprise!” Gu Wan’er said excitedly.
Li Xingyue smiled and nodded, while Gu Wan’er carefully placed each wild egg into their baskets as if she had found treasure.