Evening had fallen, and Yu Tingwan returned to the old house.
She cobbled together sothing to eat, washed up a bit, and lay down on the bed.
She was clearly very tired, yet she couldn’t fall asleep.
Yu Tingwan pressed her lips together and turned her head to look at the pair of cotton shoes.
Stuffed with cotton inside, the stitches were dense; at a glance, they were warm. Hui Niang usually scrimped and saved, but she was genuinely generous when it ca to her children.
By so curious impulse, Yu Tingwan sat up from the bed and put them on.
She walked a few circles on the ground.
Very warm, very comfortable.
And they fit perfectly.
The next day surprisingly turned out to be a rare sunny day.
The sunlight was warmly embracing, as if it could drive away the chill of winter.
Villagers hurried back and forth, joyfully exclaiming that it wouldn’t be long before the road to the town would be unblocked.
But Yu Tingwan knew it wouldn’t be.
Instead, around dusk, the cold wind would beco increasingly unruly, with large snowflakes rushing down, followed by a torrential rain.
She feared she wouldn’t be able to go up the mountain anymore.
Thinking of this, Yu Tingwan didn’t feel good.
After so consideration, she pulled out the money she got from Old Man Qian yesterday.
The Wei Family’s door was half-open.
In the courtyard, Wei Zhao was arranged to bask in the sun on a rocking chair.
His eyes were closed, his expression indifferent.
Hui Niang was beside him weaving a basket.
It was at this ti Yu Tingwan arrived.
She stood at the door.
The young girl saw Hui Niang coming over and awkwardly said, "I couldn’t finish these wild fruits, so I brought so over for Auntie."
It wasn’t that she couldn’t finish them; wild fruits were hard to fill the stomach, she clearly didn’t have enough to eat.
Hui Niang looked over, the wild fruits in Yu Tingwan’s hand were plump and round, they seed to be the best ones, washed before being brought over.
Yu Tingwan said, "These wild fruits aren’t worth much money, but if I pick better ones next ti, I’ll bring them over to you."
She pressed her lips, "I won’t take your shoes without giving sothing in return."
Before Hui Niang could refuse, she shoved them into her arms.
Seeing her determined attitude, Hui Niang understood that this girl was proud and didn’t want to take advantage, so she didn’t insist on being polite.
Yu Tingwan then softly asked, "Can I buy so vegetables from Auntie?"
The people of Xilin Village lived by farming, and the cellar would store grain. Cabbage, sweet potatoes, and radishes could be stored for a long ti, and every household had them.
Yu Tingwan placed a few coins under Hui Niang’s eyes.
"Auntie, you decide what it’s worth."
"I can’t take your money."
Hui Niang called out, "Co in quickly, let’s talk."
She pulled Yu Tingwan inside, worried that the stray dogs in the village might bump into Lang, she casually closed the door.
"Wait here, I’ll go fetch it right away."
Hui Niang hurried toward the backyard cellar, paused halfway, rembered sothing, then quickly returned to adjust the fla under the boiling dicinal pot.
Once she left, Yu Tingwan began to survey the Wei Family’s courtyard.
It wasn’t large, but it was kept very clean.
As she looked, her gaze fell on Wei Zhao in the courtyard.
He was dressed in rough cotton clothes, not bridal garnts. With his eyes closed, he coughed lightly from ti to ti.
Fragile, delicate, his brows and eyes carried a lingering frail air of illness.
Clearly, this wasn’t the one who pressed down on her and praised her fair complexion.
Yet Yu Tingwan felt very uncomfortable.
She really couldn’t understand.
What did she see in Wei Shen at that ti?
She could tell she hadn’t been forced, she was quite satisfied with this marriage and Wei Shen as a person.
Satisfied that he couldn’t shoulder burdens or handle chores?
The young girl sized him up unabashedly, without any concealnt. She scrutinized Wei Zhao from head to toe three tis, but still couldn’t find an answer.
"Bang, bang, bang"
At this mont, soone was pounding heavily on the door.
Outside, the figure of a hunched old woman, with white hair, sharp and caustic.
"Wei Shouzhong! I raised you to this age, and you repay with grievances?"
"Have you married a wife and forgotten your mother?!"
"Give the money! What’s the point of treating a sickly guy? It’s for your own good!"
Thinking about how even now everyone outside was criticizing Wei Qintian for being ungrateful, not visiting Wei Shen, Mrs. Wei was furious.
She screeched.
"What’s worth looking at in Wei Shen! Qintian’s wife is pregnant again, can he co here and bring bad luck? Wei Shen should act as Qintian’s scapegoat!"
"Why didn’t he die out there, and why did he co back!"
"Back then, the decision was made by , are you daring to be dissatisfied!"
"You lot better not be ungrateful! Qintian is a filial child, willing to be adopted by you, you should all be burning incense to thank heaven!"
Here she was again.
Yu Tingwan furrowed her brows.
This Mrs. Wei ca over every day to howl once.
Previously, if she was out and not at ho it was fine, but wouldn’t she have to listen to this racket every day now?
Wei Shen still needs peace to recuperate.
Just as she was thinking, she saw Wei Zhao move.
The man lifted his eyelids, and slowly stood up.
While it wasn’t obvious when he was lying down, upon standing, he was actually quite tall.
He was sowhat unsteady on his feet, possibly pulling at a wound.
But Wei Zhao was completely indifferent, also unconcerned about the people around, reaching out to pick up the pot of boiling dicine.
Words that were about to co out of Yu Tingwan’s mouth were swallowed back.
She even gasped sharply.
Shouldn’t that scald away a layer of skin?
Wei Zhao, who had been practicing martial arts for years, had thick calluses on his hands. He seed unaware, and walked toward the outside.
Outside, Mrs. Wei was in the middle of her tirade.
Given that there weren’t many households at the tail end of the village, even shouting left her unanswered. She had just planned to pause and catch her breath.
The door suddenly opened.
Before she could react, the boiling dicinal liquid was splashed over her.
A wretched scream rang out.
Yu Tingwan snapped out of her daze.
Mrs. Wei was old, but her body was robust. If she went crazy and lunged at Wei Shen, then wouldn’t that be the end?
Wei Shen was still shaky just taking a few steps, wouldn’t he end up a corpse?
She didn’t dare think further, though the astonishnt hadn’t left her eyes, her body reacted.
She rushed over, and as Mrs. Wei doubled over in pain, she closed the door, not forgetting to bolt it shut. Her movents were seamless, cutting off Mrs. Wei’s howling and cursing completely outside.
With her back against the door, Yu Tingwan could actually understand Wei Shen.
Being bullied to this point, even a clay figure would have a temper.
If she were Wei Shen, regardless of a weak body, even if she was buried, she’d claw her way out to give Mrs. Wei a piece of her mind.
But Yu Tingwan just couldn’t understand how he could be so harsh on himself.
Her gaze slowly dropped down.
"Are you..."
She asked dryly, "Are your hands okay?"
Wei Zhao, sickly, walked back, casually tossing the dicinal pot aside, laying back down.
The frustrations of the past few days seed to have found an outlet.
He had tolerated that old woman for a long ti.
A lot of gloominess in Wei Zhao’s eyes dissipated. There was even a smidgen of joy in his expression.
Wei Zhao had just closed his eyes, then thought of sothing, looked over at Yu Tingwan.
What did she just ask?
Wei Zhao tried to think.
Rarely, he was willing to respond to her.
Having not spoken for a while, his voice was a bit hoarse.
"Oh, I don’t know her."
Mrs. Wei cos every day to curse you to death, and you don’t know who she is?
Yu Tingwan: ???
She fell into confusion and quickly reacted.
That’s not what I asked you!
How is he even more dismissive than she is?
I asked how your hands are, and you tell you don’t know the person outside.
She went to observe Wei Zhao’s expression.
She saw that Wei Zhao was very satisfied with that answer.
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