Chapter 14 – Eldest Aunt

“This must be Madam Zhou’s handiwork—truly exquisite. It’s a pity my useless girl has no discipline. She spends all day playing wildly. If she could learn even a fraction of Madam Zhou’s skills, I could die in peace,”

Perhaps to ease the awkwardness, a matron laughed and said this to Yan Fengru. Gu Yuzhu looked up at her and recognized her as a resident of Qingshan Village—her daughter must be one of those learning embroidery from Aunt Zhou.

Yan Fengru’s words confirmed that.

“Aunt Qian, don’t say that. Fenfang is a talented child.” Yan Fengru didn’t say more, which Gu Yuzhu immediately understood. After all, she had the mind of an adult.

If someone complains to you about how annoying their child is, they’re not inviting you to join in the ridicule.

Only she herself can criticize her child, got it? Of course, you can commiserate, but you’d better stick to criticizing your own child.

Clearly, in Yan Fengru’s eyes, she—Gu Yuzhu—was perfect! Nothing to complain about!

So Yan Fengru chose to compliment Aunt Qian’s daughter. What was her name again? Gu Yuzhu tilted her head and thought for a moment but couldn’t remember.

Oh, right—something like Fenfang…

The whole village knew that Yan Fengru was close with Madam Zhou. When Madam Zhou’s son was a baby, he had been nursed by Yan Fengru, and when he grew up, he even saved her son. Their families were far more closely connected than ordinary friends.

So when Yan Fengru said this, the woman was naturally delighted. Since Madam Zhou and Yan Fengru were close, and now even Yan Fengru said her daughter had talent—even if her girl was lazy, inattentive, and insisted she didn’t want to learn—at least she had talent!

Aunt Qian wanted the whole village to know. Soon, other women whose daughters or relatives were studying embroidery at the Zhou household started chiming in.

Naturally, no one paid any attention to Xiao Jiang and her daughter, making her seethe. Worse, Feng Shuilian was being unreasonable, fussing loudly for new clothes. Furious, Xiao Jiang pinched her daughter’s thigh so hard that Feng Shuilian screamed in pain.

…

The ox cart rolled slowly into Qingyun Town, and a scroll-like painting of the quaint and slightly desolate town slowly unfolded. Gu Yuzhu lifted her head just as the sun peeked halfway above the horizon.

Oh, no wonder she was so sleepy.

But children had boundless energy. Realizing it was still early, Gu Yuzhu finally began to feel drowsy.

She soon fell asleep.

Yan Fengru looked at her daughter, who yawned delicately and then dozed off, smiling as she scooped her into her arms. At this moment, a burly, honest-looking man was already waiting nearby.

As soon as he saw Yan Fengru, the man broke into a slightly goofy grin.

“Big Sister, you’re here. Oh? Our little niece is asleep?” he said as he naturally took Gu Yuzhu into his arms.

Already asleep and trusting of her mother, Gu Yuzhu slept deeply, unaware that she had been picked up by her eldest uncle, Yan Xingjia. Though honest-looking, he was an exceptionally skilled craftsman.

The Yan family owed everything they had to the eldest sister, Yan Fengru. All three younger brothers, and even their sister Yan Fengjiao, respected her immensely.

Despite his simple appearance, Yan Xingjia had exceptionally nimble hands. In his youth, he had caught the eye of a carpenter in town and had now completed his apprenticeship. He married the carpenter’s only daughter, Madam Kang.

Because they trusted Yan Xingjia, the Kang family didn’t require him to marry into their household. However, since Madam Kang was an only child, she and Yan Xingjia often stayed at the Kang residence in town—partly because it was convenient for work, and partly so she could care for her aging father.

Especially after the couple had children, Old Master Kang doted on his two grandsons.

Upon hearing that his elder sister would be coming to town, Yan Xingjia had gotten up early to wait at the town gates. Knowing she was picking up her nephew, he first brought Gu Yuzhu back to the Kang household.

Though not a talkative man, Yan Xingjia was extremely fond of his niece.

Madam Kang even more so—she adored daughters, but fate had given her two mischievous boys.

As soon as her husband arrived, Madam Kang brought out the pastries and fruits she had bought the day before. Seeing the little girl’s rosy cheeks while she slept, she grew increasingly fond of her.

“Carry our niece into the inner room to sleep, make sure she doesn’t catch cold.”

“You go with Big Sister to fetch Bo-ge from Little Sister’s house. Let’s eat lunch here today—and pick up a slab of meat on the way back.” Madam Kang was a brisk and capable woman who managed the entire household efficiently. Yan Fengru was very satisfied with this sister-in-law.

“Then the three of us won’t stand on ceremony.”

“Sister, don’t be ridiculous.”

Madam Kang replied with a laugh. Yan Fengru was good at reading people; she could easily tell sincerity from pretense. Even so, she still thought about what small gifts she could buy later for her two nephews. No matter how close siblings were, once they had their own families, there needed to be some boundaries—one couldn’t take others’ kindness for granted.

She had raised her younger brother and knew his personality well. Still, if some things weren’t handled thoughtfully, her sister-in-law might still harbor resentment.

Yan Fengru wouldn’t allow such things to affect their sibling bond.

When Gu Yuzhu woke up, she found herself lying on a traditional wooden bed. She instinctively sat up and realized the room was unfamiliar, yet strangely enough, she didn’t feel afraid at all. There were only two possible reasons for that:

First, her original body had been here before, so the environment didn’t trigger any sense of danger.

Second, her soul was that of an adult. As a grown-up, waking up in an unfamiliar place—but not under threat—she could still remain calm.

Just then, the door opened, and in came a woman wearing a light green short jacket. She had a round face and smiled as soon as she saw Gu Yuzhu.

“Oh, Zhu-zhu’s awake!”

Gu Yuzhu: “……”

Zhu-zhu???

But upon seeing the woman’s face, Gu Yuzhu calmed down. This was her original body’s maternal eldest aunt. She remembered now—she had come to town with her mother Yan Fengru, supposedly to pick up her older brother.

However, the Yan family had several places they could stay in Qingyun Town.

Her eldest uncle Yan Xingjia’s wife, Madam Kang, was from here. Her younger aunt Yan Fengjiao’s husband also lived here. Gu Yuzhu figured she must have fallen asleep, and her mother had left her in her aunt’s care.

“Eldest Aunt…” Gu Yuzhu called softly, and Madam Kang’s heart immediately melted.

Tsk! Why did she have two noisy boys? Little girls were so much more lovable!

“Zhu-zhu, your mother went to your aunt’s house to fetch Bo-ge. She’ll be back soon. Auntie will take you to play with your cousins.”