Chapter 79: Tales of Heroes and Beauties

The man had an ordinary appearance, yet his presence was comforting. Even though he didn’t smile, he exuded a gentle aura. His eyes were kind, the epitome of simplicity and goodness. He wore a worn-out set of coarse clothes, albeit clean, and on his feet were a pair of cotton shoes, showing signs of use from the previous year.

The woman, in her twenties, also wore coarse clothes. Her hair was neatly arranged, held in place by a silver hairpin, though the pin appeared dull and worn. Her face was undoubtedly attractive, albeit thin and worn, indicating a hard life that had taken its toll. Her eyes reflected purity, much like the man’s, revealing her simple and genuine nature.

“Mama, I’m hungry,” the little one in the woman’s arms exclaimed, catching the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen. Chewing on her fingers, she drooled, her big eyes sparkling as she looked at Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an, then glanced towards the kitchen, as if anticipating a meal.

Su Zhi saw that the little girl had two braids, her complexion fair despite being a bit thin. With her rosy lips, white teeth, and big eyes, she was undeniably adorable. Seeing her nibbling on her fingers and drooling melted Su Zhi’s heart. Whether in this life or the previous one, Su Zhi had always loved children, particularly those with endearing personalities. As for troublesome ones, she couldn’t quite warm up to them.

The woman said to the little girl, “Ye’er, be good. Mama will get you some food in a moment.”

Upon hearing Su Zhi’s question, Shen Zi’an replied, “Wife, this is my eldest sister, Shen Yu. And this is my brother-in-law, Yang Qingshan. The little girl is their daughter, Ye’er. They’ve come today to help us with the house-warming. Sister, brother-in-law, this is my wife, Zhao Xiaomei. However, that name doesn’t quite suit her, so for auspiciousness, we’ve changed it to Su Zhi. Ye’er, say hello to Fourth Aunt.”

Ye’er looked at Su Zhi and softly called out, ” Fourth Auntie.”

Su Zhi now understood that this was Shen Zi’an’s sister. She had heard Shen Zi’an talk about this sister before, and Shen Yu could be considered quite a remarkable figure in the Shen family.

Back then, Shen Yu was like a flower. However, when she went to the county town to have fun, she encountered some bad people. Fortunately, Yang Qingshan happened to come to her rescue, playing the role of the hero who saved the beauty. He managed to pull Shen Yu out of danger, but in the process, he ended up with one of his hands severely injured. Even after it was treated, his hand could no longer move freely. For someone who relied on farming and manual labor, losing the use of a hand was akin to being disabled, unable to earn a living.

But that wasn’t the end of Yang Qingshan’s misfortune. The family of the person he had confronted was wealthy. When Yang Qingshan fought back against him, the man, out of spite, accused Yang Qingshan of harassing local women. No matter how much Shen Yu defended him, the corrupt officials, bribed by the wealthy man, sided against him. Despite Shen Yu’s insistence that Yang Qingshan was innocent, he was fined and forced to pay for the treatment of the man he had injured. He was fortunate to avoid imprisonment, but his reputation was tarnished. People began to spread rumors that he was a womanizer, and even those who had previously agreed to marry their daughters to him backed out, citing his supposedly questionable character.

Shen Yu, upon seeing her savior reduced to such a state because of her, insisted on marrying him, but the Shen family vehemently opposed the idea. Even if Yang Qingshan had remained the same, the Shen family would not have agreed. Shen Yu was beautiful, and there were plenty of suitors for her. Only by  marrying someone from the county town would have been acceptable for the Shen family. Why would they allow her to marry such a man? It would be like putting a beautiful flower in a pile of cow dung.

In the end, Shen Yu resorted to threatening suicide, even going to find Yang Qingshan. Eventually, everyone found out about it. People began to label Yang Qingshan as a philanderer, and Shen Yu’s reputation suffered as well. Some even went so far as to suggest that Shen Yu was already pregnant with Yang Qingshan’s child, which was why she was so eager to marry him—otherwise, why would her belly be so swollen?

After all the drama, both of their reputations were ruined. Finally, Shen Youfu, in a fit of anger, agreed to let Shen Yu marry Yang Qingshan. However, there was no dowry. Shen Yu went to her new home with just the clothes on her back.

It was said that after their marriage, Yang Qingshan’s parents kicked them out, leaving them with almost nothing. They faced a difficult life ahead.

In these matters, some were voluntarily disclosed to Su Zhi by Shen Zi’an. As for how Shen Youfu agreed to let Shen Yu marry Yang Qingshan, Su Zhi thoroughly investigated and Shen Zi’an did not hide anything, eventually revealing everything.

Su Zhi deeply admired this elder sister and brother-in-law. One was a kind and courageous person, the other repaid kindness with gratitude, both were good people.

Su Zhi has always been friendly and warm towards good people, especially since they were relatives of Shen Zi’an.

“Sister and brother-in-law, please come inside and have a seat. This is Ye’er. She’s really cute. Come, let your fourth aunt hug you. Your fourth aunt will get you some candy and snacks.”

Upon hearing Ye’er calling her, Su Zhi immediately smiled warmly and greeted Shen Yu and Yang Qingshan, inviting them inside. She then picked up Ye’er. The child must be around three years old, yet so light. Seeing her thin face, Su Zhi’s heart softened, thinking that this couple must have had a difficult life.

Shen Yu and Yang Qingshan both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Su Zhi warmly inviting them into the house. It was their first time visiting their younger brother’s place, and they felt a bit nervous as soon as they entered the courtyard. Upon seeing the house, they hesitated to enter, wanting to observe their younger sister’s temperament first. The experiences of these years had taught them the warmth and coldness of human relationships, always fearing that others would look down on them. To avoid encountering even greater disdain, they always tended to shrink back a bit, as if this would prepare them for a quick escape.

Upon entering the main hall, Shen Yu and Yang Qingshan were amazed by the furnishings. They had never seen such beautiful furniture before.

Su Zhi’s main house was quite large. She divided the hall into two sections, while the third section occupied the back. On the right-hand side, there was a pair of intricately carved doors leading to a small back room. To the left of the back room was a stove used to heat the kang in the room to the left of the hall. In Su Zhi’s house, the kang was located on the side of the room rather than by the window.

However, the room was currently unoccupied, so the stove was not in use.

There was a door on the back wall leading to the backyard, where the old thatched cottage stood. However, it was now repurposed as a woodshed, cowshed, and chicken coop, all enclosed by a wall. There was no need to worry about them being lost when placed here.

Next to the back wall of the hall was a shelf resembling an antique rack, currently empty. Su Zhi thought of decorating it with some beautiful trinkets in the future. The doors leading to the side rooms were located just inside the entrance, also carved wooden doors. On either side of the wall were Spring and Autumn chairs^[1]“Spring and autumn chairs” refer to traditional Chinese furniture that was popular during the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 BC) and Warring States Period (475–221 BC), which are … Continue reading, with a long table in front of them, all intricately carved and shining brightly with fresh paint, making people hesitant to sit on them.

Su Zhi planned to make some cushions to keep warm when sitting on them, but time was insufficient, so she hadn’t made them yet, planning to do so in her spare time during the winter.

Overall, there were still many things missing; the antique rack was empty, the tea set was not yet complete, there were no vases, chair cushions, throw pillows, paintings on the walls, and various other items that Su Zhi had thought of but hadn’t had time to arrange. Nevertheless, even without these items, the visitors couldn’t help but marvel at the grandeur of the hall.

Yang Qingshan and Shen Yu felt hesitant to enter further. This place was better than any house they had ever seen. Although Shen Yu had visited the homes of landlords before, the furnishings there couldn’t compare to what she saw here. She felt that her fourth brother was truly wealthy now.

“Sisters, brother-in-law, it’s cold in the hall. Come into the inner room; there’s a kang here, which can be warmer,” Su Zhi said, carrying Ye’er into the inner room, then beckoning Yang Qingshan and Shen Yu to come in. Shen Zi’an also invited them, lifting the curtain to let them in.

As soon as Su Zhi entered, she put Ye’er on the kang, took off her shoes, and laid her on the small quilt that had already been laid out, covering her legs and feet with another blanket. Next to her was a kang table, with a plate of melon seeds and peanuts on it. Su Zhi fetched a sugar cube and put it in the plate, then pulled it in front of Ye’er.

“Ye’er, have some. Sister, brother-in-law, come and sit together to eat. Let Zi’an accompany you and chat. I’ll go pour some hot water for you to drink. You must be cold from the journey, right? Drink some hot water, rest on the kang for a while, and you’ll feel better.”

As Su Zhi spoke, she had Shen Zi’an fetch cotton socks for the two of them to change into and had them sit on the kang head. The fire was already burning there, and while the little child couldn’t bear it, the adults were fine.

Upon entering the inner room, Shen Yu and Yang Qingshan were once again attracted by the furnishings. They saw a table against the north side of the room, seemingly made of blue bricks, with a shiny wooden board painted along the edges. It was covered with reed-woven mats, and on both sides against the wall were low cabinets, where colorful new quilts were neatly arranged. Against the inner wall was a taller cabinet, extending all the way to the window, looking quite exquisite. In front of the window was a table, with chairs on both sides. With just a few pieces of furniture, the room exuded an atmosphere different from that of a typical rural home, and they were unsure where to place their hands and feet. Seeing Shen Zi’an handing them a pair of cotton socks, they obediently took off their shoes, put them on, and sat on the kang, pleasantly surprised to find the table warm!

“Fourth Sister-in-law, you don’t need to be busy, we’re not thirsty, just sit and chat.”

Shen Yu pulled Su Zhi, stopping her from fetching water. She could already sense that this younger sister-in-law was a good person. When Zi’an got married, she came back once, but was driven away by their father. Later, she heard that the younger sister-in-law was unwell, feeling sorry for her younger brother. However, there was nothing she could do to help. Who would have thought that in just a few months, everything would change drastically? Her brother split the family, her sister-in-law recovered from her illness, and they even became wealthy. She was happy for them. Especially since this younger sister-in-law didn’t look down on her because of her reputation, which made her even happier.