Chapter 9: Bursting with Confidence

After returning to the Yu family, Yu Wei was soaked from head to toe. Bathing Yu Hui in the crowded bathhouse had been exhausting, with steam all around making her sweat profusely.

The house was empty—Yuan Guifang was outside gossiping with other women, Jiang Min was knitting with some other ladies, and the two men in the family seemed to have gone to the bathhouse as well.

Even though she was overheated, the thought of undressing in front of so many people made Yu Wei shudder.

She couldn’t bear it anymore. Tomorrow, she needed to figure out how to escape this place.

Reminding herself that she just had to endure for one night, Yu Wei tried not to care about her surroundings. The small room was stuffy like an oven. She sat on the messy little bed, using a fan to cool Huihui while her sweat finally dried off.

Yu Hui sat quietly by her side, not speaking. He was used to loneliness, having lived this way for four years.

Before, he hadn’t had Yu Wei’s company. Even when she wasn’t working, she would ignore him, leaving him to sit alone.

But now, Yu Wei was different. She not only stayed with him but also bought him treats he had never tasted before.

He felt like it was all a dream, unsure of when it would end.

After resting for a while, Yu Wei noticed the room was still empty and took out her phone. It showed 7:10 PM.

It was still early, but outside, people were already stirring. Yuan Guifang was muttering about something and suddenly came into Yu Wei’s room.

“You worthless girl, why did you lock the door?”

Yu Wei frowned, not wanting to open the door after hearing the impatient voice, but the more she ignored her, the more the woman seemed to want a response.

With a sigh, Yu Wei went out and opened the door.

“How many times have I told you not to lock the door at home? Are you doing something shameful in there?”

Yuan Guifang scolded as she walked in.

Yu Wei was speechless. “What could I possibly be doing?”

The room was so tiny, there wasn’t much she could do.

Yuan Guifang just wanted to see what the mother and son were doing. After seeing nothing unusual, she scolded again and walked out.

After she left, Yu Wei closed the door, but did not lock it. She feared Yuan Guifang might bang on the door in the middle of the night; she believed Yuan Guifang was the type to do such a thing.

Lying next to Yu Hui, the mother and son stared at each other until they finally fell asleep.

A restless night.

The next morning, Yu Wei woke up from the heat. The little guy, who had been lying beside her last night, had somehow wriggled into her arms. His fluffy hair brushed against her neck, tickling a bit.

Children sweat a lot, and with the room being stuffy and hot, Yu Hui felt even hotter, like a little furnace. Winter wasn’t as bad, but summer was sweltering.

Suddenly, a loud commotion erupted outside. Yu Wei rubbed her eyes to see what was happening.

It turned out that the little guy had already woken up. Although he was still nestled in her arms, he had big, grape-like eyes wide open, looking at her as if observing her. When he saw her wake up, he seemed alarmed.

He was scared, afraid that Yu Wei would be angry for him sneaking into her arms. But Yu Wei had already seen him.

Would she be angry?

Yu Wei found the little guy’s worried expression amusing.

Her voice was hoarse as she gently said, “Little Huihui, you’re up so early?”

Yu Wei’s smile was very gentle. She opened her arms to embrace Yu Hui and held him close.

The little guy felt soft all over. Even though he hadn’t had milk, there was a faint milky smell. Yu Wei thought if only he had a bit more flesh; now, his bones felt a bit prominent and pressed against her hands.

Yu Wei lowered her eyelashes to look at him.

She had to admit, the child had excellent physical features—eyes clear and bright like a lake, skin as fair as mutton fat, a nose like soft jade, and a small, rosy mouth.

But the child was too quiet, as mute as a little dumb boy, though he wasn’t really mute.

Before mother and son could enjoy their time together, the noise outside grew even louder.

“Lazy pig, get up already! Do you really want me to beat you before you’ll listen?”

Yuan Guifang was still yelling, and the voice grew closer. “Factory Director Luo even said he doesn’t want you working at his factory anymore. Get up! They want you to pack your things and leave!”

“I see, second sister is too afraid to go to the factory, so she’s sleeping in,” Jiang Min’s voice was sour from the side. “She usually wakes up at six.”

“What packing and leaving?” Yu Wei, just waking up and still groggy, saw the little guy had already slipped out of her arms and was sitting on the bed, staring intently at the door.

“Get up quickly! Are you really confused or just pretending to be? Director Luo doesn’t want you anymore!”

The door was opened from the outside, and Yuan Guifang came in with a feather duster, banging it against the wall with a loud clatter.

“Get up, get up!”

Yuan Guifang’s annoying habit of using the duster to scare people was too much.

“Ugh, Mom, you’re so annoying. Be quieter!” A raspy, impatient male voice came from the neighbouring bed, instantly driving away any remnants of Yu Wei’s sleepiness.

She sat up quickly to find that the bed next to her, which had been empty, now had a man sleeping there. The man, shirtless, was looking at Yuan Guifang with annoyance and told her to shut the door because he hadn’t had enough sleep.

Yuan Guifang’s expression changed immediately. She smiled at the man, saying, “Alright, I know you came back late. You keep sleeping; I won’t disturb you.”

Then, changing her tone, she lowered her voice and yelled at Yu Wei, “You smelly girl, get up quickly! Director Luo doesn’t want you anymore, and you’re still sleeping like a dead pig!” Her voice was rough, like a witch from an animated show.

Yu Wei frowned, her anger rising rapidly.

She hadn’t slept well the night before, and being a person who liked to sleep in, the loud noise early in the morning was making her head throb. She had no good mood left.

She put on a stern face, silently got dressed, and got up. Yu Hui rubbed his eyes and followed her, noticing her displeased expression. He kept his lips tightly pressed together, afraid to speak.

In this era, there were no pyjamas; especially in summer, the clothes worn to bed were the ones you wore the next morning. Fortunately, Yu Wei had worn a small shirt to bed last night. If she had worn something else, she would have had trouble changing with her brother Yu Bing still in the room.

Yu Hui watched as Yu Wei got out of bed and immediately tried to follow, but with his short legs, he had to be careful reaching the floor, and he finally slid down.

He followed Yu Wei out the door. Yu Wei’s expression was not good. She fetched well water from the pump to wash her face and felt a bit better.

On the table in the main room was warm porridge and pickled vegetables; there was nothing else, not even bread. Seeing bland and light food, Yu Wei left feeling hungry as she walked out the door.

Before she left, Yuan Guifang yelled at her back, “Hey! You ungrateful girl! Running off without eating, going to see Director Luo with Da Bao? Give me the child!”

Yuan Guifang tried to snatch Yu Hui from Yu Wei, but she pulled him away.

“Don’t pull him!”

Yu Hui’s little heart was pounding with fear from both his grandmother and mother. Then, lifted off the ground, Yu Wei carried him out the gate.

“Oh! Yu Wei, where are you going so early? We haven’t settled the score from yesterday!” A mocking voice came from next door. Fang Yanyan and her child were blocking the entrance.

The woman, who had appeared at their door without Yu Wei noticing, was followed by a six- or seven-year-old child, standing there in confusion, looking at his mother.

Fang Yanyan crossed her arms and put on an imposing attitude. Yu Wei ignored her and tried to leave.

The woman blocked her path with a very arrogant demeanour, “Where are you going? Don’t tell me you’re going to beg Director Luo for forgiveness!”