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“Mother, if you die, none of us three sisters will survive!” Erya wailed, pounding the ground. “You save others, but who will save you? Oh, my mother!”
Zhao Shi, seeing this, scolded, “A young girl like you, shameless as can be! Crying and making a scene at our doorstep during the New Year—let’s see if any family would ever want you as a bride!”
“My mother is about to die—what use do I have for shame?” Erya’s words came from the depths of her heart. “Is my dignity more important than her life?”Yes, a sharp tongue could make people keep their distance.
But she told herself—she wasn’t going to marry any of these country bumpkins anyway!
One day, she would rise above them all—why should she fear their gossip?
Old Madam Hu sighed. “Poor child, a widow and her orphans—who would make such a scene during the New Year unless they were truly desperate?”
“You’re absolutely right! Doctor Hu is at our house right now! If you don’t believe me, go and see for yourselves!” Erya pleaded, her voice hoarse from crying.
“I beg you, grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters—please speak up for justice! Make them return the silver to us! That’s my mother’s life-saving money!”
Tears streamed down her face as she spoke, her words choked with desperation. Meanwhile, Sanya simply wailed at the top of her lungs, her cries piercing the air.
The onlookers murmured among themselves, the crowd buzzing with uneasy discussion.Zhao Shi kept cursing under her breath and even tried to retreat inside to shut the door, but several women held her back.
The crowd urged her to hand over the silver first—even if it was just a loan—since it was a matter of life and death.
“Hutou, get inside!” Xiao Dashan’s voice rang out.
Hutou, his cheek still red from the slap, scurried in.
A boy of fifteen or sixteen already understood the weight of shame. Being slapped by his own mother in front of so many people had left him utterly humiliated.
A short while later, Hutou came out of the house again, clutching a coarse cloth bundle. He shoved it into Erya’s hands.
“Take it—twenty taels of silver. Go save your mother.”
Zhao Shi’s eyes turned red with fury at the sight. She lunged forward, trying to snatch the money back—that was her life’s savings!
But Hutou wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her back as he barked at Erya, “What are you waiting for? Run!”
“Thank you, Brother Hutou! I’ll never forget your kindness as long as I live!” Erya shouted loudly before turning to flee.
Hutou’s face burned even redder—this time from shame. How could he possibly accept gratitude for something like this?
Mrs. Hu sighed. “What a mess this has become. It’s the New Year—let’s not drag this out any further. Everyone, go home and celebrate in peace. Disperse now.”
If Zhao Shi wanted to throw a tantrum, she could do so in her own home. There was no need to ruin everyone else’s holiday mood.
Clutching the silver tightly, Erya grabbed Sanya’s hand, and the two of them sprinted all the way back home without looking back. At the doorstep, she wiped her tears with a handkerchief, sniffled, and forced a smile onto her face.
Seeing that Sanya was still sniffling and unable to calm down, she frowned in annoyance.
“Alright, don’t come inside yet. Wait here until you’ve wiped your face clean.”
With that, she straightened her back and strode inside, chin held high like a victorious little rooster. She tossed the silver onto the kang with a clatter.
“Take it—get the medicine for my mother! Now! I’ll go knock on every pharmacy door myself if I have to!”
Even if it was New Year’s, she would bang on the doors of every pharmacy if she had to.
Her mother’s illness couldn’t wait a single day.
Lu Qiniang stared at the scattered twenty taels of silver in disbelief. “Zhao Shi actually gave you the money?”
“Of course! And you should’ve seen who was doing the asking.” Erya puffed up with pride.
“Alright, Mother, you just rest. I’ll go with Doctor Hu to get the prescription and buy the medicine. Daya, you focus on preparing the New Year’s feast—just make sure to add an extra egg for me!”
Having accomplished her mission, she now felt entitled to boss everyone around the house.
She was proud of herself.
“How did you get it back?” Lu Qiniang pressed.
“By making a scene, of course! With people like that, if they have no shame, you have to be even more shameless than them.” Erya declared.
“If throwing a fit gets the silver back, then I’ll throw a fit!”
Lu Qiniang stepped forward and gently brushed the dirt off her back. Without a word, she pulled her into a tight embrace.
No one understood their own child better than a mother.
The truth was, beneath her bravado, Erya’s heart ached.
She longed for dignity, yet had no choice but to abandon it.
“Mother, why are you being so sentimental?” Erya discreetly wiped the corner of her eye.
“Just give me the silver and go rest—I’ll handle buying the medicine!”
Lu Qiniang handed over the twenty taels of silver, her heart aching as if bleeding.
Making ends meet was like bailing water with a leaky ladle—no matter how hard you scooped, it kept spilling away.
Saving money—why was it so impossibly difficult?
Every time she thought she had scraped together a little security, barely long enough to ease her worries, the silver would vanish just as quickly, never letting her savor the relief for long.
“Ah, forget it—perhaps this is just my fate: to toil and worry, never able to hold onto wealth.”
She resolved to kowtow a few extra times to the God of Wealth this New Year.
Doctor Hu studied Erya with genuine admiration.”You, girl, are a force to be reckoned with. Your future will be boundless. Come, I’ll go with you to buy the medicine. And don’t worry—I won’t insist on you marrying my fool of a son anymore. That boy’s been the same since he was three, no changing him. He’d never be a match for you. Just remember to lend him a hand when you rise to greatness someday.”
“Of course! And if you could just… lower the consultation fee a bit, I’d be grateful for your kindness the rest of my life!”
Just then, Sanya—who had finally composed herself and stepped inside—paused, thinking, “Why does that line sound so familiar?”
It seemed this trick worked no matter the situation—she’d learned well.
Doctor Hu stammered, “You—you little—!”
Before he could finish, Erya shoved him out the door.
Sanya called out, “I’m coming too!” and dashed after them.
Daya, supporting Lu Qiniang, said softly, “Mother, you should rest now.”
Lu Qiniang smiled weakly. “I’m really fine. Don’t let Doctor Hu scare you—there’s nothing wrong with me… Alright, alright, I’ll rest. Don’t cry, Daya. It’s the New Year, after all!”
She hugged Daya tightly. “Mother knows—you’re all such filial, good children. I can’t bear to die. I ‘have’ to live a long life… I need to stay with you.”
Daya bit her lip, her head bowed as tears silently fell onto Lu Qiniang’s shoulder. Her expression was one of restrained sorrow.
Xiao Yan watched her face—every flicker of emotion—clear as day. Something inside him stirred deeply.
In the past, he had never paused to notice such things. But now, slowing down, he realized: Between people, there existed moments of connection so tender, they shone.
Whether it was Erya’s fiercely outspoken love or Daya’s quiet, restrained devotion—both were deeply moving.
But what struck him most was Lu Qiniang’s selfless, unconditional love for them.
What kind of woman was she, really?
When slaughtering the ox, her hands had been swift and decisive—yet she’d first covered the old beast’s eyes, sparing it one last mercy after a lifetime of labor.
When dividing the meat, she’d been shrewd, bargaining with clever glee—yet still set aside a bowl of fat for the elderly widow who had no one left to care for her.
And now? Here she was, cradling her daughter, soothing her with a tenderness so meticulous it left no ache unnoticed.
She murmured, “Daya, the marriage with the Xiao family falling through wasn’t your fault—it simply wasn’t the right match. Erya’s fierce, but you’re the one who comforts me. You’re both my blessings.”
She worried Daya might blame herself, so she softened the blow with kindness.
Yes, she was undeniably stout, careless with her appearance, and rougher around the edges than most men.
But in this moment, she moved Xiao Yan profoundly.
She showed him a woman’s hidden greatness—a quiet, uncelebrated beauty.
Pretty faces were a dime a dozen, easily found anywhere.
But a noble soul commands reverence and admiration.