Chapter 29: Fourth Brother Fu Worked Himself to Death

Even though none of this had happened yet, since Fu Wenjing had said so, Su Ruanruan was certain that if she ever became lazy and gluttonous in the future, he would definitely keep his promise.

Although Su Ruanruan would never allow herself to become that way, hearing such words still made her happy.

Even though she had transmigrated, Su Ruanruan never felt that she was any different from others.

She was just an ordinary girl who liked hearing sweet words.

Especially when those sweet words came from her handsome and considerate husband—she liked them even more.

After wiping herself down with warm water, Su Ruanruan felt completely refreshed, but the drowsiness came over her even stronger.

Even though she was already very sleepy, she forced herself to stay awake, waiting until Fu Wenjing returned before finally closing her eyes and falling asleep peacefully.

After physical exertion, the body would become exhausted and naturally enter a deep sleep.

That night, Su Ruanruan slept exceptionally well. She had no dreams at all and slept straight through until the next morning when she was awakened by the crowing of roosters.

Waking up at the sound of roosters was far too early for many people from the era Su Ruanruan had come from.

But for most people in this time period, it was completely normal.

Some people even woke up earlier than the roosters.

Even though she was awake, Su Ruanruan did not get up immediately. Instead, she lay there with her eyes closed, resting for a little longer.

It was not until she sensed movement beside her that she finally got up and started dressing alongside Fu Wenjing.

Aside from their first morning as a married couple, Fu Wenjing had, every morning thereafter, prepared warm water for their morning wash together. After that, he would go fetch water.

Sometimes, he used it to irrigate their private plot, while other times, he simply filled up the water tanks at home.

Since Su Ruanruan could not be of much help with those tasks, she busied herself with cleaning the courtyard and feeding the chickens.

Today, it was the fourth household’s turn to cook.

Fourth Brother Fu had already passed away several years ago, leaving behind only his wife, Liu Feng, and their two sons and one daughter.

It was quite a coincidence—there were seven brothers in the Fu family, and aside from Fu Wenjing, each of the other six had exactly one daughter.

Liu Feng’s daughter was Fu Siya.

Fu Siya was eight years old this year and had a somewhat introverted personality. Over the past few days, Su Ruanruan had barely heard her say a few words.

Whenever the family gathered, Fu Siya was either silently eating or quietly working.

Just like now.

The eight-year-old girl was bustling around in the kitchen, moving swiftly yet with remarkable orderliness.

The kitchen knives used in rural households were heavy iron knives. Even adults found them quite weighty, let alone an eight-year-old child.

Yet, despite the knife’s heaviness, Fu Siya handled it with exceptional ease. She chopped vegetables at an astonishing speed, and the thickness of each piece was remarkably even.

Standing in the courtyard, Su Ruanruan watched this scene, feeling nothing but anxiety.

With such a heavy knife and such rapid chopping, was she not afraid of cutting herself?

Though she was worried, Su Ruanruan dared not speak at this moment.

She feared that if she suddenly spoke, she might startle Fu Siya and cause an accident.

Su Ruanruan remained where she was, watching intently as Fu Siya finished slicing a small basin full of potatoes. The potato strips were cut so uniformly that they looked as if they had been shaved with a grater.

Once Fu Siya was done with the potatoes, she did not rest for even a moment. She turned swiftly and walked over to the stove, seemingly ready to start cooking.

From the way she moved so skillfully, it was clear that she had done this many times before.

Watching all of this unfold, Su Ruanruan could not help but feel puzzled.

Today, it was the fourth household’s turn to cook. By reason, the one busy in the kitchen at this time should have been Liu Feng. But why was it Fu Siya instead?

Feeling puzzled, Su Ruanruan took a couple of steps toward the kitchen door.

As she got closer, the scene inside became clearer.

Liu Feng was indeed in the kitchen, but she was sitting beside the stove, tending to the fire.

The mother was stoking the fire while her eight-year-old daughter was chopping and cooking.

If this mother had been in poor health, it would have been understandable. But Liu Feng was still young, fully capable, and physically sound. This made the situation all the more baffling.

“Doesn’t this seem strange to you?”

Su Ruanruan had been watching attentively when she was suddenly startled by a voice. She instinctively took two steps to the side and turned her head to look at the person beside her.

It was Li Laidi. She had no idea when Li Laidi had walked over.

Li Laidi winked at Su Ruanruan, a teasing smile playing on her lips. Her expression practically screamed one word—gossip.

Before Su Ruanruan could respond, Li Laidi leaned in closer.

When she spoke, her voice was deliberately lowered, but her tone carried an unmistakable excitement.

“Seventh’s Wife, you’re new here, so you don’t know. Among all of us sisters-in-law, the one living the best life is her.”

As she spoke, Li Laidi subtly gestured toward the kitchen.

There was no need to ask—she was clearly referring to Liu Feng.

Curiosity was a natural trait, and Su Ruanruan was no exception.

Especially now that she was a daughter-in-law of the Fu family, she wanted to learn more about its members.

Her eyes widened with interest as she looked at Li Laidi. “Second Sister-in-law, why do you say that?”

Su Ruanruan’s expression greatly delighted Li Laidi, making her even more excited.

“She doesn’t even look that good—just fair-skinned, with a nice figure, and she knows how to dress up. Always putting on airs, acting all refined, and had out Fourth Brother completely entranced. Back then, our mother had already chosen a wife for Fourth, but he insisted on marrying her instead. He made such a fuss that our mother couldn’t do anything but agree.

After they got married, Fourth treated her like a treasure, as if she were made of glass—afraid she’d break if he held her too tightly or melt if he spoke too softly. Every morning, he brought her water to wash her face. Every night, he heated water for her bath. Even during meals, he had to pick out food for her and put it into her bowl before she would eat.

When it was her turn to cook, she claimed she didn’t know how, saying she had never done it at home. So, Fourth did all the cooking. Whenever she went to work, she always picked the lightest and cleanest tasks, while Fourth worked himself to the bone like an ox—just to support her.

She gave birth to three children, but she never changed a single diaper. Fourth was the one rocking them to sleep at night, taking care of them during the day, working, and managing the household all at once. Meanwhile, she just made sure to dress up nicely every day, looking neat and beautiful.

Fourth raised those three children with the belief that they had to work, that their mother couldn’t be burdened. When Fourth was around, he earned work points to support her. And after he was gone, her two sons took over, earning work points to keep her fed. Look at Siya—she started learning to cook and do laundry at the age of four. She does all the housework. Do you think she does it willingly? Isn’t it obvious that her own mother forced her to?”

Li Laidi had spoken all this in one breath, growing more and more worked up. She didn’t even care if Su Ruanruan responded or not. After taking a quick breath, she continued.

“Fourth was perfectly healthy. How did he suddenly fall ill? If you ask me, he was overworked—he worked himself to death. Anyone who married such a troublesome wife would be worked to death too!”