Chapter 41: Need to Take It Slow

In the courtyard, Wei Shouzhong was bent over, diligently sawing wood. Wood shavings flew everywhere as he worked beside the nearly finished box. With the leftover wood, he planned to craft a walking stick for Ah Lang—something that wouldn’t require much effort but would help with mobility. The trees he’d felled from the mountains still needed drying, planing, and trimming. With the wedding date approaching, Wei Shouzhong worried he might not finish in time. These materials were borrowed from a village craftsman, with a promise to repay later.

Hui Niang stood nearby, discussing arrangements.

“We haven’t invited too many people, but with some squeeze, everyone should fit.”

“A proper feast needs meat dishes,” she mused. “You’ll need to catch some fish and shrimp. And we should slaughter one chicken.”

Though it pained her—they only had five egg-laying hens—Hui Niang wanted the banquet to be respectable, not appearing stingy.

“We have little preserved meat from last year, but sliced thinly, everyone can have a taste. It still counts as a dish. Tomorrow, I’ll dig up winter bamboo shoots for stir-frying.”

“There’s still plenty of leftover tofu; we can make soup with eggs.”

“At least we’re not short on radishes and greens—everyone can eat their fill.”

Wei Shouzhong wiped his sweat. “I trust your judgment. Everyone knows our situation. If we put on airs, Uncle and the Village chief are kind people—they might feel uncomfortable eating.”

“But we can’t skimp on wine—that’s what they truly enjoy.”

Hui Niang smiled and nodded. “I understand. Silly Gu’s mother is skilled at brewing wine. She makes plenty to sell each year, and villagers like supporting their mother-daughter business. I’ve already arranged several jars—enough to go around.”

As they spoke, they noticed Yu Tingwan emerging from Wei Zhao’s room. The young girl was striking, her mere presence drawing attention though she seemed unaware of her own charm. She offered Hui Niang a gentle smile.

“Auntie, is there anything I can help with?”

Hui Niang, assuming she was restless, considered for a moment. “Actually, there is. For weddings here, we need to boil red-dyed eggs. The Du family borrowed our dye powder for their last celebration and seems to have forgotten to return it.”

She hadn’t pressed them about it. After all, with her children gone, she’d thought she’d never need the dye powder again.

“If it’s convenient, Wan’er, could you fetch it for me?” Then, worried, she added, “Do you know the way to Du family’s house?”

Yu Tingwan actually did know. She remembered meeting the Du family’s wife on her first night in the old house—the plump woman who had warned her about Granny Fan’s ill intentions and mentioned her nephew running around naked, with that particular package being rather small. At the time, Yu Tingwan had thought she should look for someone slim or it would hurt going in.

But she’d been busy lately and had forgotten about Wei Shen. Though he was tall and strong, his sickly and somewhat delicate nature reassured her. Probably not very impressive. Yu Tingwan felt quite confident about this.

“I know the way. I’ll go now,” she said.

As she left, Hui Niang called after her, “The mountain paths are slippery—be careful!”

Yu Tingwan responded cheerfully, “Got it!”

The snow lay thick, forcing Yu Tingwan to walk slowly. She met few people along the way but reached the Du family home without trouble. Upon learning her purpose, Grandmother Du quickly retrieved the dye powder and insisted on adding some vegetables.

“Oh my! Look at my aging memory—completely forgot to return it to Hui Niang. These vegetables are from our field; please take them to her to add to their meal.”

Yu Tingwan accepted and took her leave. Behind her, Grandmother Du continued berating her forgetfulness until her daughter-in-law crept out, whispering, “Mother, why would the Wei family need dye powder?”

“Are you dense? Obviously they need it for—” Grandmother Du suddenly realized. “Wait! Shouldn’t they be preparing for a funeral? Why would they need to dye eggs?”

“Who is Ah Lang marrying?”

The daughter-in-law glanced around warily before lowering her voice. “Probably Miss Wan.”

“Impossible!”

“Why else would she come?”

“She might just be kind-hearted.”

The daughter-in-law was skeptical. Given Yu Tingwan’s stubborn nature and wariness of others, she doubted the girl would run errands just to maintain good relations with neighbors.

“I’ll go ask around.”

She quickly grabbed her mother-in-law. “Don’t! If we haven’t heard news, the Wei family probably wants to keep it quiet. Let’s not cause trouble.”

Taking advantage of the early hour, Yu Tingwan decided to visit the mountain’s base where she’d previously found mushrooms. The recent rain suggested new growth, and she remembered Hui Niang praising mushroom soup’s flavor. Few villagers ventured out in the cold for foraging, allowing her to gather plenty, carrying them in her clothing without a basket.

Just as she prepared to leave with her bounty, she heard crying—cat-like, sharp, and intermittent. It sounded like cries of pain, quickly muffled as if someone had been gagged. The distance made it hard to hear clearly.

A bitter wind swept through, rustling trees while mountain birds called back and forth. Large snowflakes fell on her neck, sending chills down her spine. Yu Tingwan grew alert, eyes fixed on the sound’s source. Through the falling snow, she could only see a white expanse of overgrown weeds, harboring unknown dangers.

There were no households near the mountain’s foot. Even screaming for help would be futile here.

Who was there? Were there others?

Yu Tingwan, though strong for a girl, was no fool. Her fear told her not to investigate. She turned and left, fortunately with no one following.

Her pace quickened steadily until she broke into a run. Upon reaching the Wei family gate, her legs gave out, and she collapsed.

Hui Niang rushed over at the commotion. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Yu Tingwan grabbed her hand. “Something’s wrong at the mountain’s base,” she explained breathlessly.

Hui Niang grew anxious. “What terrible timing! Ah Lang’s grandmother fell, and your uncle just left.” She tried helping Yu Tingwan up. “Go warm yourself by the fire in Ah Lang’s room—I’ll find the Village Chief.”

Yu Tingwan waved her off. “Auntie, I have no strength left. I need to rest. Don’t worry about me.”

Seeing only pallor but no injury, Hui Niang hurried out, somewhat relieved.

Yu Tingwan needed a long while before the fear in her heart dared surface. After some time, a pair of shoes appeared before her.

Slowly raising her eyes, she found Wei Zhao standing there. She wasn’t sure if she’d been too frightened to notice his approach or if his steps were simply that quiet.

The man regarded her with hooded eyes.

“Like what you see?” Yu Tingwan asked sarcastically, aware of her disheveled state—mud-stained clothes and messy hair.

Wei Zhao didn’t speak but took a step back.

Yu Tingwan: ???

Fine, fine, fine—this was the man she chose.

How wonderful!