Chapter 7: Resilience Against a Beating

The sky was overcast, heavy with the promise of rain.

In the deep mountains, wild beasts were plentiful, and Yu Tingwan only wandered around the foot of the mountain.

The ground was blanketed with a thick layer of snow. After a half day’s work, she had gathered quite a few dry branches. Her hands were frozen purple, and she stomped her feet to keep warm as she pulled out a water gourd from her waist and drank a few sips, her teeth chattering.

Though slim, she possessed surprising strength. She was no longer the delicate Miss Yu who had once tired after a few steps and constantly complained of exhaustion. Yu Tingwan tied the branches securely with rope and began dragging them back, stopping to rest from time to time.

In the distance, a commotion arose, mingled with cursing and veiled accusations. Yu Tingwan paid it no mind, her thoughts undistracted.

She wondered how things were going with Matchmaker Liu. Madam Wang had probably gone looking for her.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a piercing scream split the air, so sharp it stung her eardrums.

“Get lost, you scoundrel! Other sons show filial piety to their mothers, but you? You dare come asking me for money!”

Old Madam Wei, white-haired and hunched, brandished her walking stick fiercely. “I have no money—not a single copper for you!”

“Mother! This is life-saving money. I beg you!” Wei Shouzhong’s eyes were red with desperation. “I’m not asking for much, just Ah Lang’s compensation money.”

The old woman struck him with her cane in fury. “Even with treatment, he might not live. Why waste silver? If your wife is being foolish, why follow her foolishness?”

“Do you really think of him as already dead?!” Wei Shouzhong ignored the pain, staring at her in disbelief. “He’s my son!”

“He wasn’t even of conscription age when he was sent to the army. Mother, have you no shame?”

Wei Shoucai, who had been standing nearby, hurried forward to pat his mother’s back and calm her down. He cast a disapproving look at Wei Shouzhong. “Watch your words. Mother has your best interests at heart. If Ah Lang only had minor injuries, forget about Mother—even I, as his uncle, would help. But he’s already got one foot in King Yama’s court.”

It was Wei Shoucai who had persuaded Old Madam Wei to collect the pension in the first place. The money in her hands was essentially his—how could he let Wei Shouzhong take it?

Wei Shouzhong’s gaze was piercing. “How do you and Mother sleep at night?”

In the past, he had let things go, too exhausted to fight, pretending not to understand while knowing everything. But now that his lost son had returned, wasn’t this Heaven’s mercy? Old Madam Wei, who had always disliked his wife, extended that disdain to their children.

“Second Brother, what nonsense are you spouting?”

She smiled shrewdly. “Your elder brother has many sons and struggles to feed them. You could adopt one of them—they’ll still care for you in your old age.”

Wei Shoucai added, “My wife and I have already discussed this. We have no objections.”

Wei Shouzhong felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy pit, his entire body cold. He, who had never rebelled before, suddenly let out a cold laugh. “If you won’t give it to me, I’ll take it myself.”

“If you dare, don’t blame me for disowning you as my son!”

Wei Shouzhong paused briefly.

But his son’s life hung by a thread. He remembered the day Ah Lang was brought back, his body mangled and bloody, his clothes clinging to raw flesh. New wounds layered over old ones, creating a horrifying sight. Who knew what suffering he had endured over these years?

Most alarming was the stab wound that had pierced through from chest to back, leaving a hole larger than a fist. Just stopping the bleeding had consumed most of Old Man Qian’s herbs.

Hui’er had kept vigil by his side, crying day and night. If they lost their son again, not just Hui’er but even he would surely go mad.

Thinking of this, Wei Shouzhong’s anger, accumulated over years, finally erupted. He couldn’t afford to hesitate. He pushed Wei Shoucai aside and kicked open Old Madam Wei’s door.

“Second Son! How dare you!”

Old Madam Wei, though fierce, was elderly and could not stop a strong farmer in his prime. She watched helplessly as Wei Shouzhong found the money pouch, clutching her chest in distress: “You’ll be the death of me!”

Yu Tingwan lowered her eyes.

Ah, she really envied that Wei Shen.

The wind howled fiercely, and the girl’s frail figure struggled forward. Against the vast snowy landscape, Yu Tingwan appeared particularly small and insignificant. Her face was bloodless from the cold, only the tear-shaped mole at the corner of her eye gleamed with grace.

Her footprints were soon covered by the winding tracks left by the dragged branches. Through the whistling wind, her voice could faintly be heard, unlike her usual coldness—it was fragile and aggrieved.

“But Tingwan’s father was the best.”

The Hu family’s main gate stood half-open. In the courtyard sat an elderly woman in a dark blue cotton jacket, clean and neat without patches. A thin silver hairpin adorned her tidily-combed white hair, lending her a dignified air. This was Li Lian, the village head’s wife.

Beside her sat the dejected Madam Wang and Xiao Xu. Snow fell from the branches in clumps, and Yu Tingwan couldn’t dodge in time, taking a direct hit. Under everyone’s gaze, she wrapped her cotton jacket tighter, sneezed, and shivered, her red nose making her look particularly pitiful.

After greeting everyone, she dragged the large bundle of branches into the house. Footsteps followed—there was no need to guess who it was.

“Is there something you need, Auntie?” she asked softly, her voice trembling from cold.

Seeing her frozen stiff, Li Lian closed the door, blocking both Madam Wang’s view and the biting wind. “I just came to chat.”

The village head’s scolding of Madam Wang wasn’t for Yu Tingwan’s sake but for Hu Yaozu’s. Having a scholar in the village would bring honor to the village head as well. With so many witnesses present, Madam Wang’s attempt to sell her niece couldn’t remain hidden. It would surely reach Yu Tingwan’s ears before long.

Having already played the role of mediator, Li Lian thought to see it through and came to reassure Yu Tingwan.

Li Lian carefully observed the young girl before her. Her beauty was striking; no wonder Madam Wang had thought to send her to the Dong family.

Her smile deepened: “You’re such a thoughtful child, and you’ve suffered these years. Your aunt isn’t truly bad-hearted. If anything’s wrong, just tell me. By seniority, she must call me Auntie, so I can certainly say a few words to her.”

“Your uncle and the others probably won’t make it back for the New Year. A household without men can’t manage everything. If you need any help, just say so.”

Yu Tingwan pretended not to understand her intentions, looking at her with grateful surprise.

Li Lian patted her hand and casually asked, “Good child, how old are you now?”

“Seventeen.”

“Then it’s time to think about marriage.” Li Lian shook her head. “Your uncle isn’t doing his duty, and your aunt is being foolish.”

Yu Tingwan appeared thoughtful.

Li Lian had given her something to consider. The Hu family was only temporary accommodation—she had no home and would have to marry eventually. Rather than living in fear of Madam Wang’s schemes and manipulation, she might as well find someone herself.

Yu Tingwan’s gaze toward Li Lian grew more eager.

She was unusually direct: “Is Auntie offering to help arrange a match?”

What a dream! With your background, how many proper families would accept you?

But Li Lian cared about appearances, and she found Yu Tingwan’s eager gaze somewhat hard to resist.

“Well… that could work.” She smiled. “Why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for? Perhaps a gentle, reasonable scholar like your cousin?”

What good were scholars? They couldn’t lift or carry anything. Books and poetry might be fine for noble families, but among commoners, they were useless unless one passed the imperial exams.

Her father had been different—strong and imposing, even thugs and ruffians hadn’t dared harm her or her mother.

Yu Tingwan replied seriously, “I want someone with strong fists.”

Li Lian: ??? Are you planning to withstand beatings?