She remembered her aunt once saying that this was the Zhai family’s ancestral property, something that must never be touched. Yet, within just a few years, those words had turned to ash—the moment she needed money, she’d entertained the idea.
Very well. Tomorrow, she would go meet her “dear” aunt.
The next day, Xie Yushu woke up early. She picked out the lightest-colored outfit from her storage chest—a plain, pale white garment made of the most common fabric.
The original owner had lived in Aunt Zhai’s household for years and still remembered the location in Bailian Town.
Bailian Town lay west of Songwan Town. The distance wasn’t far. Xie Yushu took an ox-cart to Songwan Town, then transferred to another ox-cart bound for Bailian Town, arriving before long.
The houses in town were much better than those in the villages. The walls separating the alleys were built of neatly cut stone, the wooden gates were thick and solid, and the ground was flat and even.
From one household in the alley came the rhythmic “thump-thump-thump” of a knife chopping meat. Li Yu, the husband of the Zhai family, was skillfully hacking a chicken into pieces with swift, decisive blows.
After serving the family breakfast, he couldn’t stop—he was now simmering chicken soup, muttering curses under his breath the whole time.
The household had been in chaos lately. He had to manage all the daily chores and also take care of the husband of his eldest daughter, who was newly pregnant.
That alone infuriated him. The man was picky—wouldn’t eat this, wouldn’t drink that. Last night, he’d specifically demanded chicken soup for this morning, dragging Li Yu out of bed early.
He’d gotten up at dawn to buy a live chicken and slaughter it himself. Money was tight these days, yet the man had no sense of consideration, insisting on expensive chicken. The more Li Yu thought about it, the angrier he got. He only felt better after cursing him out a few times each day.
Still, for the sake of the first granddaughter to be born into the Zhai family, Li Yu gritted his teeth and bought one.
He only used half the chicken for the soup; the other half he saved to nourish his wife, who was working hard to support the family.
The Zhai family was currently worrying about the marriage of their second daughter, Zhai Er. They’d set their sights on a good household in town, and both families were interested—a perfect match.
But the bride price, the banquet, the wedding garments, and all the other expenses—every single one cost money.
The bride price was the biggest concern. The other family was well-off, so the Zhai family couldn’t appear too stingy and invite ridicule. The bride price was set at around ten guan.
In town, most families spent four to five guan on a wedding. The Zhai family was considered fairly well-off, and Zhai Yan, as a purchaser for a wealthy household, skimmed a decent amount off the top, so they naturally aimed higher.
The eldest daughter, Zhai Yi, came running over to urge: “Father, isn’t the chicken soup ready yet? Xu’er is waiting to eat.”
Already irritated, having his eldest daughter rush him only made things worse.
Li Yu exploded: “What household in town demands chicken soup first thing in the morning? Ever since that husband of yours got pregnant, he hasn’t lifted a finger—all he does is eat!”
“And you! Why do you spoil him so much?” Li Yu glared at his eldest daughter.
Unable to scold his daughter, he vented all his anger on her husband instead.
Zhai Yi rubbed her nose, knowing she was in the wrong, and tried to placate her father. “He’s finally pregnant and wants to eat something—why are you angry at him, Father? Once the baby is born, I’ll make sure he waits on you properly.”
Li Yu doted on Zhai Yi. Hearing her reasoning, he figured it was sensible and went back to work.
Zhai Yi’s husband, Wang Xu, had married into the family two years ago. A few months back, his belly had finally shown signs of life, and the Zhai family had been overjoyed.
But the good times didn’t last. Once Wang Xu was pregnant, he’d used his belly as an excuse to boss Li Yu around relentlessly.
Since he’d suffered Li Yu’s mistreatment after marrying in, he was now determined to pay back every ounce of hardship during his pregnancy.
Li Yu, under his daughter’s persuasion, swallowed his pride and endured it, silently vowing to make Wang Xu pay once the baby was born.
The warm moment between father and daughter hadn’t even passed when a dull, heavy knock came at the gate.
Then they heard a voice they wished they’d never hear again.
“Aunt, Uncle—are you home?” Xie Yushu’s clear, crisp voice drifted through the crack in the door, reaching the ears of both father and daughter.
Zhai Yi looked as if she’d seen a ghost: “Xie Yushu? Why is she here?”
Hearing the commotion, Zhai Er hurried over from her room, complaining to her older sister and father: “Why has that jinx come back? She hasn’t lost her job and wants to mooch off us again, has she?”
Startled, Li Yu also feared the same, but he forced himself to stay calm and composed.
He set down his work and went to open the gate. With a creak, the wooden door swung open. Li Yu stared at Xie Yushu standing at the doorstep, momentarily stunned.
It had been two years since he’d last seen her. The face behind the wooden door left him frozen—Xie Yushu’s transformation was startling.
The cowering, timid girl from before was gone. In her place stood someone with relaxed, confident brows, open and composed, facing him without a trace of fear—and even a hint of defiance.
“Uncle, it’s been a while. How have you been?” Xie Yushu greeted Li Yu with feigned pleasantry.
Li Yu quickly recovered, plastering a smile on his face. “Our Yushu is back! Come in, come in, have a seat.” He made a welcoming gesture, inviting her inside.
“No need to sit. I’m here today to discuss something with you and Aunt.” Xie Yushu’s smile vanished, her face suddenly turning cold.
She found her uncle’s pretentiousness as nauseating as ever.
He loathed Xie Yushu to the core, yet still put on the act of a loving elder, all to maintain his good reputation outside.
One invited her in, the other refused—and so they ended up talking right outside the Zhai family’s gate.
Li Yu maintained his kindly elder facade and asked gently, “What business do you have with your aunt? You haven’t visited your aunt’s house in so long, child.”
Xie Yushu caught the scent of chicken soup wafting from the kitchen. She sniffed lightly and, instead of answering, said with a hint of praise, “Uncle, is that chicken soup I smell on the stove? Life’s been treating you well—having chicken soup first thing in the morning.”
At that, Li Yu’s expression flickered. His heart raced—he couldn’t tell where she was going with this.
What did the Zhai family’s life have to do with her?
Then a thought struck him—could it be?
Xie Yushu’s tone shifted, growing flat and cool: “Nothing major. I just wanted to ask my dear aunt and uncle—since you’re all living so well, why do you want to sell the only house the Zhai family has left in the village?”
Before Li Yu could recover from the shock of her bluntness, Zhai Er, hot-tempered as ever, rushed out and yelled at her:
“What do you want? Don’t tell me you’re here to move back in? Let me tell you—not a chance! There’s no room for you in this house!” Zhai Er, just at marriageable age, was brash and loud, the first to lash out at Xie Yushu.
She’d hated Xie Yushu since childhood—hated this cousin, only a year older, who was an orphan living on their family’s charity.
Whenever she got the chance, she’d bully Xie Yushu mercilessly, reducing her to a trembling mess that would shrink away from her.
But this time, after she came out, Xie Yushu’s expression hadn’t changed in the slightest. No fear—just a growing look of disdain.
Zhai Er hated being ignored and looked down upon. When had she ever been treated like this by Xie Yushu?
Xie Yushu, seeing Zhai Er still as reckless and brainless as ever, didn’t get angry. She had no reason to spar with a hothead.
She let out a quiet laugh, then stepped closer, her voice cold: “Move back in? Where would I stay? That damp, cold, cramped little woodshed of yours? Better save that room for your parents in their old age.”
When she’d been brought back by Zhai Yan at age ten, she’d been told there was no room and was made to stay in the woodshed.
At that time, she’d just lost her parents and hadn’t recovered. She was young and obedient, so she didn’t complain.
Zhai Yan had thrown together a makeshift bed with some bedding and declared it her room—and never mentioned it again.
The woodshed behind the main hall was tiny, with no proper window. In summer, it was stifling and sweltering; in winter, damp and freezing cold.
For years, the original owner’s fingers and toes would swell with chilblains that festered every winter. It wasn’t until she got her own house and could afford thick winter clothes that they slowly healed.
She’d never dared to talk back to her aunt and uncle, because they were her only living relatives. Without them, she’d have nowhere to go.
So she endured it all.
It was a miracle she’d survived this long.
“You—” Zhai Er was about to keep cursing when Li Yu grabbed her hand and cut her off.
“Shut up! Is that how you speak to your cousin? No manners! Get inside, now!” The Zhai husband signaled to Zhai Yi to drag her sister back inside, pretending not to hear the jab about “saving it for their old age.”
Catching her father’s signal, Zhai Yi pulled Zhai Er back. As she looked around, she noticed neighbors peeking out and a few nosy onlookers gathering at their gate.
Zhai Er’s loud outburst had successfully drawn the neighbors’ attention.
Seeing a show brewing early in the morning, the neighbors quietly poked their heads out to watch. Some even brought their breakfast, others clutched melon seeds as they ate and watched.
How strange—this was the much-praised Zhai family. What was going on today?
Xie Yushu sighed: “Uncle, stop pretending. You’ve been putting on this act for years—aren’t you tired? I’m tired of watching. I came today for just two things.”
“First, the Zhai family’s old house cannot be sold. Second, return the money my mother left me.”
Both of these struck at Li Yu’s weak spots.
Selling the old village house had been his idea. With the family strapped for cash due to Zhai Er’s wedding, he’d heard of someone looking to start a mountain goods business and needing a house near the mountains—preferably with the deed included.
It immediately occurred to him: wasn’t the Zhai house in Qingluo Village right at the foot of the mountain? Perfect for the buyer’s needs. What a coincidence!
He and his wife Zhai Yan had discussed it and agreed to sell the old village house. They’d even prepared the deed, just waiting for Zhai Yan to go through the official formalities with the village chief.
Selling houses and land in the village involved many formalities, since these were people’s only assets. Records had to be clear to avoid anyone being cheated.
Especially a house—that was a family’s roots.
If a farming family wanted to sell their house to pursue business elsewhere, they had to go through the village chief’s office for a public inspection, and every member of the household had to agree to the sale.
Earlier, Zhai Yan had been afraid Xie Yushu might lose her job and come back to mooch off them, so she’d generously handed over the keys to the Zhai house in the village.
Xie Yushu didn’t bear the Zhai surname—she was an outsider, a granddaughter through marriage. Technically, the house wasn’t hers and her consent wasn’t needed.
But Zhai Yan knew that the village chief, that old woman, had a soft spot for the Zhai family. Since she’d let Xie Yushu live there, she was acknowledging her as part of the family.
That was bad news. With Xie Yushu in the picture, selling the old Zhai house would be difficult.
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