Chapter 51 – Mountain Folk

The first three older brothers had already settled their marriages, but there were still three younger ones left. Because of this, their parents were constantly distressed. Their sons were tall, strong, and capable, yet because they lived in the deep mountains, it was difficult to find them decent brides.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to be choosy—they simply didn’t have the qualifications. As parents, they felt deeply bitter about it. If their sons were lazy or undisciplined, it would be understandable for others to look down on them. But the truth was, their sons were objectively excellent men. To be belittled just because of where they lived… it was an uncomfortable injustice.

Ying-shi also felt indignant about the matter.

“Have you all never considered moving out of the mountains?” someone asked.

Ying-shi was stunned. “My parents have thought about it… but I suppose it’s hard to leave the place they’ve known all their lives. Besides, they wouldn’t know where to go…”

These past few days, Gu Yuzhu had been quite busy. The vegetables in her space were growing beautifully, but since the family was preparing to build a new house and Yan Fengru wasn’t planning to start any business just yet, Gu Yuzhu felt like a hero with no battlefield. Aside from occasionally playing with Yan Meihua’s two younger brothers, she now enjoyed mingling among the adults just to listen to gossip.

And honestly, ancient gossip was top-tier!

There was the wife of the family to the east, who appeared virtuous and well-mannered on the surface but had sticky fingers in private. Then there was a girl from the west, who had a pristine reputation yet was so lazy she still had her mother and sister-in-law washing her clothes—even her undergarments! Talk about bone-deep laziness…

And let’s not forget the woman who had already given birth to seven daughters and was reportedly pregnant again. If it wasn’t a boy this time, she’d just keep on going! Gu Yuzhu gulped in shock. My goodness! She almost forgot—she was living in an era with no population control policy. Terrifying!

Still, Gu Yuzhu found the gossip in the ancient countryside quite fascinating. It was like observing all facets of human nature.

And since she was just a child, the adults thought she was too young to understand anything, so they weren’t guarded around her. This made eavesdropping all the more delightful! While watering her green onions in the backyard, she overheard her mother, Yan Fengru, chatting with her younger sister-in-law.

The moment she realized they were talking about the Ying brothers, her ears perked up.

Thinking of her uncles from the Ying family—my goodness!

Weren’t ancient people supposed to be shorter due to limited productivity? Yet everyone in the Ying family was tall and robust, with hands like giant fans. They were intimidating!

At first, Gu Yuzhu thought she was imagining things because she was small herself, but she soon realized that wasn’t the case at all.

Yan Fengru had told her to follow her third cousin Xiaoshitou’s lead and call the Ying family youths “uncle.” And these uncles… they were practically giants! Even compared to the already tall Yan brothers, the Ying uncles were noticeably taller.

The average height might have been similar, but the tallest—Ying Xiaojiu, who was sixteen—was probably close to 190 cm! Tall and lanky like a walking bamboo pole, with a bright white smile. Wait—weren’t they talking about his marriage prospects?

Gu Yuzhu strained her ears even more.

From a child’s perspective, the Ying uncles were truly good people. Their family was just like the Yan family—more males than females. Out of six siblings in the previous generation, only Ying-shi was a girl.

Gu Yuzhu thought her little uncle (Yan Xinghe) must be under a lot of pressure. If he dared to mistreat her little aunt (Ying-shi), her side had six towering brothers who were all expert hunters! Poor little uncle!

“There’s no need to overthink it,” Yan Fengru said casually. “If your parents are willing to move down the mountain, they can settle here in our village.”

Ying-shi’s eyes lit up immediately. Living in the deep mountains had its benefits, but it also came with many inconveniences.

For instance, here in Qingshan Village, it was easy to go to the market. A simple ox cart could get them to town and back in a day.

But in her natal village, if you wanted to go to the market, you had to leave before dawn and rush back before nightfall. If you didn’t hurry, you might end up walking in the dark. Without strong stamina or hunting skills, no one dared go to the market. And if something delayed you, you’d risk encountering wild animals on the way back…

In fact, in Ying-shi’s home village, anyone without survival skills didn’t dare go to the market at all. To put it bluntly, what was supposed to be a joyful trip to the market often turned into a nerve-wracking ordeal—far from enjoyable.

Ying-shi still remembered vividly that as a child, she had longed to go to town. But before she married, she never got the chance. It was just too far, and she would’ve had to get up very early. As the beloved and only daughter in the family, she simply couldn’t manage it.

Thinking of all this, she found her elder sister-in-law’s suggestion incredibly appealing. If her parents moved to Qingshan Village, not only would she benefit, but the Yan family would also gain a stronger support system.

After all, the Yan household didn’t have any elders at home. If not for the capabilities of the siblings, they would’ve been bullied long ago.

These days, who didn’t value a household full of sons? Just like the last time—when her elder sister-in-law was bullied because her family lived too far away—she had been forced to hide indoors. But if her six brothers had been around, they could’ve crushed the other side with sheer presence alone.

Hide? Only cowards hide!

“I’ll ask my eldest brother about it,” Ying-shi said cheerfully, already mentally on board. Her mind was racing with possibilities. But then she remembered the complications of moving and building a new house.

Her family was huge, and relocating wasn’t as simple as just walking over. Their uncles were still in the mountains, not to mention the ancestral graves…

Then there was the matter of housing in Qingshan Village and needing to register with the local authorities.

Not that she was too worried. Getting registered just required some greasing of palms. With six capable brothers—who’d even fetched double bride prices—it wouldn’t be a problem. But housing… now that was tricky. The Yan family had a lot of space, but her family had even more people: parents, six brothers, three sisters-in-law, and six nephews…

Without wasting a moment, Ying-shi rushed off to find her eldest brother. Yan Fengru watched her sister-in-law’s energetic back and couldn’t help but shake her head with a smile. She felt quite lucky. Though she had lost her parents young, fate had been kind to her and her siblings.

At the very least, all three of her younger brothers had married decent, honest women. Right now, Ying-shi was probably already knee-deep in planning the move and had likely forgotten everything Yan Fengru originally said to her…