Chapter 42: He’s Just Not Thoughtful!

The sky was darkening, and the evening light slanted across the yard. Several unvarnished wooden boxes sat there, finely crafted and sturdy despite their unfinished state. Beside them stood an incomplete walking stick, likely abandoned when Wei Shouzhong had to leave in a hurry.

Yu Tingwan had been sitting on the ground by the door for what seemed like ages, while Wei Zhao stood nearby, watching her just as long. Perhaps growing weary of the silence, he finally spoke slowly, “You…”

Annoyed, she glared at him. “Just say it!”

“You’re blocking my way.”

He wanted to leave?

Yu Tingwan had thought Wei Zhao had come out after hearing the commotion, and she’d felt a brief flicker of comfort at the thought. But as expected, this man wasn’t thoughtful in the slightest!

She eyed him suspiciously. “It’s freezing outside. What could you possibly want to do out there?”

Wei Zhao remained listless and didn’t respond.

Yu Tingwan frowned. “If you catch a cold, you’ll be the one suffering. Go back inside.”

She had expected to argue with him and had even prepared to drag him back indoors by force if necessary. Yet after a brief pause, he turned and went back inside without showing any emotion.

Surprised but somewhat relieved at his unusual compliance, Yu Tingwan stood up from the cold ground. She began picking up the scattered mushrooms, estimating there were still enough for a dish.

Feeling uneasy, she kept glancing toward the entrance, but no one appeared on the road.

When Hui Niang returned, night had completely fallen. Her usually gentle face was creased with worry. She hurried into the yard, not even bothering to brush off the snow, when she noticed the kitchen light and heard the young woman’s voice inside.

“My cooking may not be as good as Auntie’s, but at least try some.”

“You barely ate this morning. How can you not be hungry now?”

Wei Zhao, irritated by the chatter, attempted to leave, but Yu Tingwan pressed him back down with just one hand.

Wei Zhao: …

She forcibly placed a spoon in his hand.

Yu Tingwan looked at him with distress. “You’re making this really difficult for me.”

Wei Zhao: … He was the one having a difficult time.

Sighing, Yu Tingwan retrieved the sugar jar from the kitchen cupboard and scooped some brown sugar into his bowl.

“There, now you can eat it, right?”

Wei Zhao frowned even more, now thoroughly put off. “I don’t like sweet things.”

The young woman muttered under her breath, “You’re an adult; how can you still be this picky? Before long, you might be a father, yet here you are making others worry about your eating habits.”

Hui Niang didn’t immediately enter but stood by the door, watching the young couple with softening eyes.

Yu Tingwan noticed her then and instantly stopped fussing over Wei Zhao.

“Auntie, you must be hungry. I’ve made porridge.”

Just as she finished speaking, her expression changed. Following her gaze, Hui Niang looked down at her clothes, noticing bloodstains on the hem. She quickly explained, “It’s not mine.”

With a heavy sigh, Hui Niang said, “It was Silly Gu. Something happened to her at the foot of the mountain—she miscarried.”

Silly Gu wasn’t even married.

Hui Niang, still shaken, continued, “When we got there, the scoundrel who’d hurt her hadn’t even left yet.”

She shuddered at the thought. If Wan’er had gone to investigate the noise and been spotted by that man…!

Silly Gu had been lying in a pool of blood.

“That beast wasn’t from Xilin Village. He tried to run when he realized something was wrong. If the village chief’s sons hadn’t been there, we might not have caught him.”

“When I left, Silly Gu was still unconscious. Her mother had fainted from crying several times. Life was already hard enough for the widow and orphan, and now this… If not for me and Li Lian stopping her, she would’ve taken a cleaver to that beast.”

Yu Tingwan’s voice was hoarse when she finally spoke, “The child’s father…”

Knowing what she wanted to ask, Hui Niang shook her head. “It probably wasn’t him.”

“Not just outsiders – there are plenty of beasts in our own village. They take advantage of her simple-mindedness, luring her into the fields with candy and buns.”

Which only made Silly Gu more vulnerable.

Hui Niang sighed heavily. “How could anyone know whose child it was? Silly Gu doesn’t know anything, and her mother knows even less. Either way, it was an ill-fated child – better that it’s gone early.”

When they’d seen something was wrong, she and Li Lian had felt their hearts sink. They had worked together to secretly take her to Old Qian’s place.

Few people knew about Silly Gu’s miscarriage, and the village chief intentionally helped keep it quiet.

After all, the village was full of gossips – what decent words would they have to say? One person’s whispers could drown someone in shame.

She looked at Yu Tingwan – the young lady knew how to keep quiet.

She then looked at Wei Zhao – well, he didn’t talk at all.

Meanwhile, Wei Zhao was quietly taking advantage of Yu Tingwan’s distraction to transfer spoonfuls of porridge into her bowl.

When he noticed Hui Niang watching, he looked up, their eyes meeting.

Wei Zhao truly hated being nagged at. Yu Tingwan was bearable, but Hui Niang could mutter by the bedside all night long. He paused, then began scooping the porridge back.

Just then, a cold voice sounded from above.

The food-protective Yu Tingwan was hurt. “Why are you trying to steal my food?”

Wei Zhao: … This is really annoying.

*

After eating, Yu Tingwan didn’t stay long before returning next door.

Shortly after she left, Wei Shouzhong returned, looking utterly exhausted.

Before Hui Niang could ask much, he explained, “She’s not badly hurt, just needs to rest in bed for a few days.”

He was talking about Old Madam Wei who had fallen.

As a son, it wouldn’t have been right not to visit her. But Wei Shouzhong hadn’t expected that the moment he arrived, Old Madam Wei, though confined to bed, would keep her mouth running – cursing him for being unfilial and heartless while ordering him to chop the firewood outside and fill up the water vat.

These were all tasks he used to do. The main branch of the family had so many people, yet they were all lazier than the next.

Wei Shouzhong didn’t do it.

Old Madam Wei cursed even louder.

Even Wei Shoucai joined in with his sarcastic remarks.

“How impressive! Just because we split the family, we can’t make you do anything anymore. Second Brother, when did you become so calculating? What? Do only we use the water and firewood – doesn’t Mother use them too?”

After hearing him out, Hui Niang quickly asked, “Were you working there all afternoon after going over?”

“No,” he replied. “I just sat by the bed and listened to her curse at me all afternoon.”

Wei Shouzhong’s face darkened slightly. “Being cursed at doesn’t matter – just ignore it. But the medicine costs need to be split between both households.”

Hui Niang’s eyes dimmed slightly. She kept all the household money, but what needed to be paid had to be paid. “How much?”

Wei Shouzhong named an amount.

“I’ll go get it now.”

Wei Shouzhong stopped her. “This is actually a good thing.”

“On the way back, I was thinking that all these years, Big Brother and Sister-in-law’s respect for Mother was mostly for Ah lang’s pension and the monthly grain from the government office.”

But now these were gone, or rather had to be given up.

“Now that Mother can’t get out of bed, how filial can they really be as husband and wife? How well can they actually take care of her?”

Wei Shouzhong said grimly, “Mother needs to learn her lesson the hard way.”

*

「Translator’s note」👀 Hi readers.. sorry for going mia, I had a very busy week. I’ve already unlocked all 5 chapters I owe y’all for the 19th, 21st, 23rd, 25th and today.

Enjoy💞