Chapter 6

Yu Jiefang had lived over half his life and seen plenty.

It wasn’t hard for him to guess that this young man, Lu Guanshan, likely had some sort of ulterior motive.

Still, if he wanted to work, why not let him?

Sure enough, Lu Guanshan threw himself into the task with enthusiasm. The field, which would have taken the Yu family two more days to water, was finished in just over an hour.

Yu Jiefang’s eyes widened. In his entire life, he had never seen anyone work so intensely!

This young man, no matter what he did, was clearly much more capable than the average person.

After finishing with the field, Yu Jiefang headed to the back mountain to chop firewood. Lu Guanshan immediately followed.

Before Yu Jiefang could even chop down his first tree, Lu Guanshan had already felled six in rapid succession.

“Uncle, is this enough?”

Yu Jiefang was completely stunned!

This young man wasn’t just good-looking—his work ethic was like a tractor on overdrive!

Back then, Yu Jiefang had arranged for Yu Li to marry Wu Guohua because he admired the discipline and character of a soldier.

But in reality, every time Wu Guohua came home, he showed no interest in farm work.

Yu Jiefang remained cautious, but the more he observed Lu Guanshan, the more impressed he became.

Not only did Lu Guanshan chop down trees, but he also immediately cut them into pieces, split the logs, and neatly stacked them onto the cart.

Yu Jiefang was deeply moved.

For most of his life, he had been the backbone of the family, taking on the toughest and dirtiest work. Even his two sons weren’t as capable as he was.

But for the first time, someone outperformed him, leaving him to play a supporting role.

And he had to admit, having someone stronger than himself brought an incredible sense of security.

Without hesitation, Yu Jiefang said, “Young man, come to my house for a meal!”

Lu Guanshan immediately nodded, his grin unrestrained. “Sure!”

He agreed so quickly, it was as if he feared Yu Jiefang might change his mind.

Yu Li woke to the sound of dumpling filling being prepared and got up immediately.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she spotted Bench sneaking into her room and rummaging through her belongings.

She jumped up and grabbed Bench’s wrist. “What are you doing? Haven’t I told you not to come into my room and mess with my things?”

Bench, who was chubby and had wrists thicker than Yu Li’s, struggled and shouted, his small eyes narrowed into slits by his round face.

“My mom said it! Sooner or later, you’ll get married! When you leave, this room will be mine! An aunt should spoil her nephew—your things are mine! You’re just a worthless girl!”

Before Yu Li could react, Chen Ailan stormed in from outside and smacked Bench on the backside.

“Shut your mouth, you little rascal! How dare you talk to your aunt like that? Apologize!”

Bench refused to apologize and sat on the floor, wailing.

Just then, Gao Xuelian returned from her family’s home. She rushed in, scooped up her crying son, and glared at Yu Li. “Ever since you came back, Bench has been crying! Is this how you act as an aunt? Go ask around—what kind of younger sister-in-law acts like you!”

Yu Li didn’t argue. Instead, she stormed into Gao Xuelian’s room and started rummaging through her things.

Alarmed, Gao Xuelian quickly put her son down and tried to stop her.

“What are you doing? Why are you going through my stuff?”

Yu Li sneered. “Your room is off-limits, but you taught your son it’s fine to rummage through other people’s belongings? Do you even know what he was just going through? He was digging through my underwear!

He’s already eight years old, and if you don’t teach him properly now, do you want him to end up eating peanuts someday? He keeps calling me and Pomegranate worthless girls. So what does that make you? When you were at your parents’ house, weren’t you a ‘worthless girl’ too?”

Gao Xuelian tried to argue, but Chen Ailan snapped, “Gao Xuelian, if you don’t want to stay here anymore, go back to your parents’ house!”

That finally shut Gao Xuelian up, though she was still fuming inside.

If it weren’t for the last time her brother from her family caused a scene at the Yu household, leading to dissatisfaction from her sister-in-law, Gao Xuelian would have gone straight to her brother again to demand justice!

Chen Ailan picked up the wailing Bench again. “Apologize! If you don’t apologize to your aunt, you can forget about having dumplings for dinner!”

Bench sobbed, realizing his mother wasn’t going to back him up this time. Reluctantly, he mumbled an apology.

Yu Li looked at him suspiciously and deliberately teased, “Bench, stop crying. The more you cry, the smaller your eyes get! Look at your parents—they both have big, double-lidded eyes. Why don’t you look like them?”

Gao Xuelian froze, her face paling slightly. She hurriedly grabbed Bench’s hand and stammered, “Let’s go! Back to the room!”

Yu Li sneered internally. Gao Xuelian’s reaction confirmed her suspicion—she was hiding something!

She was determined to uncover the truth about Gao Xuelian and Bench!

Chen Ailan sighed deeply, clearly annoyed at Gao Xuelian’s constant troublemaking.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Wang Xinghua, the wife of the second son, smiled and said, “Mom, why don’t we let Little Sis come and help with the dumplings?”

Five-year-old Shiliu (Pomegranate) chimed in with her sweet voice, “Auntie, Mom said we’re having meat dumplings tonight! Eating meat dumplings will make me as pretty as you!”

This brought a wave of laughter, lifting everyone’s spirits.

Yu Li walked into the kitchen, smiling as she patted Shiliu’s head.

Shiliu was adorable, fair and delicate like a pearl, though a bit too thin. Wang Xinghua was also gentle and kind.

The second brother’s family could have been so happy if things had gone differently.

As she washed her hands and started wrapping dumplings, Yu Li silently resolved that this time, she wouldn’t let anything happen to Shiliu.

In the kitchen, Chen Ailan worked with her youngest daughter-in-law and daughter, quickly wrapping dumplings.

Shiliu and Yu Li boiled water together as everyone chatted and laughed, the atmosphere warm and lively.

Over a hundred dumplings, plump and white like little geese, were soon tossed into the boiling water.

Yu Li’s two brothers, Yu Tuanjie and Yu Fendou, returned home after finishing their work.

Wang Xinghua quickly set the table, and plates of steaming dumplings were brought out one after another.

Chen Ailan glanced outside. “Why isn’t your father back yet?”

Gao Xuelian emerged with her child, acting as if nothing had happened. She sat down and began eating.

Chen Ailan scolded her, “Your father’s not back yet! No eating until he’s here!”

Bench, feeling wronged, whined, “Grandma, I’m hungry!”

Without waiting, he grabbed a dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth.

Yu Tuanjie couldn’t stand it anymore. He tapped his son’s hand with his chopsticks. “Who taught you that? Eating like you’ve never had food before! Can’t you wait until your grandfather gets back?”

Seeing her son scolded by his grandmother and hit by his father, Gao Xuelian was about to explode.

But when she looked up, she met Yu Li’s gaze—one that was clearly scrutinizing Bench’s features.

A chill ran through her. Panicked, she quickly changed the subject.

“Mom! I have something to discuss! Now that Li has broken off her engagement, there’s a guy in my hometown who’s willing to pay 200 yuan as a bride price to marry her! How about I arrange for him to come over tomorrow to meet her?”

Gao Xuelian waited smugly, expecting everyone to be impressed.

Two hundred yuan! In the surrounding villages, who else could offer such a large bride price?

But Chen Ailan frowned. “That much money? What’s wrong with his family?”

Yu Fendou asked, “Whose son is it?”

Gao Xuelian hesitated. “It’s the Liu family’s boy, from behind our house…”

Yu Tuanjie’s eyes widened. “Isn’t he the one who went to prison for murder? Spent 20 years locked up and only got out last year? He’s almost 40, right? And only about 1.6 meters tall?”

Gao Xuelian quickly defended, “He doesn’t kill people anymore! He’s reformed! Two hundred yuan, Mom! What’s wrong with being 1.6 meters? If he jumps, doesn’t that make him 1.8?”

The Yu family stared at her in disbelief. Gao Xuelian, realizing she was losing the argument, tried to defend herself further, but Chen Ailan cut her off coldly.

“Gao Xuelian, don’t push me! If you keep this up, I’ll slap you! You’ve clearly had too much to eat—so much so that you’re causing trouble. Don’t bother with these dumplings. Go back to your room and eat your leftovers!”