The Return Gifts Cooked Clean

The matter of selling their granddaughter for twenty taels of bride price to marry a sick man to ward off bad luck was, in truth, not something pleasant to speak of.

But Fu Wenxiao had woken up, hadn't he?

"Who said that? Tell me who, and I will go tear their mouths apart!" Old Madam Yu shrieked.

Yu Li did not answer, merely lifting her basket and saying, "This is the return gift my mother-in-law had me bring back. I will give it to you later."

Old Madam Yu did not understand. Why couldn't she give it to her right now?

But Yu Li had already turned and walked into the west room, giving her no chance to say more, which left her thoroughly annoyed.

But thinking of her granddaughter's usual temperament, she wasn't too worried. After all, the things in the basket couldn't escape her hands; she would take them when the girl left. In her heart, Yu Li was still the same obedient granddaughter as before.

After Old Madam Yu returned to her room to rest, Yu Li immediately carried the basket into the kitchen.

Yu Jin was chopping vegetables, and Yu Zhou sat in front of the stove stoking the fire; the small kitchen was stiflingly hot.

Seeing her eldest sister enter, Yu Jin asked, "Eldest Sister, what is it?"

Yu Li opened the basket, took out the bag of rice and the piece of cured meat, and said to Yu Jin, "Second Sister, cook this bag of white rice, and cook the cured meat too."

Yu Jin was surprised. "Cook it for real?"

"Yes," Yu Li smiled. "We are going to eat well today."

From beside the stove, Yu Zhou's eyes lit up, and she said happily, "Eldest Sister, I want to eat cured meat rice."

This bag of white rice was very precious. The grains were finely milled without any impurities; when cooked, it would be incredibly fragrant and soft. Normally, poor farming families wouldn't dare to consume it, only eating coarse grains.

Yu Li laughed decisively. "Then cured meat rice it is!"

Yu Jin looked at her eldest sister, then at her youngest sister, and remembering the promise from earlier, she asked softly, "Eldest Sister, didn't you say you would give it to Grandmother?"

"Yes!" Yu Li replied easily. "We will eat it together with the whole family later; that can be considered giving it to her."

Yu Jin was stunned. "..." It could be done like that?

Yu Jin was still slightly hesitant, but perhaps influenced by her eldest sister's decisiveness, she finally agreed and began preparing the meal.

Yu Li also stood waiting for the cured meat rice, not leaving the kitchen, staying right there to watch the pot.

Yu Zhou did the same, her eyes fixed intently on the stove.

When the cured meat rice was done, Yu Li scooped out six full bowls, arranged them in the basket, and carried them to their room. Only a small amount of rice and a fragrant, crispy layer of scorched rice remained in the pot.

In truth, Yu Li really wanted to eat the scorched rice, but thinking that everyone had to share, she held back.

By noon, those working in the fields all returned, making the Yu family household lively.

Yu Lao Er and his wife were overjoyed to hear that Yu Li had returned. Even though they were drenched in sweat, they rushed to their daughter's room.

"Li-niang, you're back!"

Yu Li turned to look at her parents.

She saw two people who looked dark-skinned and emaciated, the very picture of poor farmers.

Although they were only in their early thirties, they looked nearly fifty. Madam Liu was particularly haggard, her face sallow and pale, her health clearly poor.

Both were kind, simple folk. Seeing their daughter return home, they were deeply moved but did not know what to say.

Their hearts were filled with worry, fearing that Yu Li would blame them for letting her be married off without protecting her.

In truth, Yu Lao Er and his wife had not wanted to marry their daughter to the Fu family to ward off bad luck, but it was Old Madam Yu's decision, which the entire family had to obey. Even as her parents, they could not object; the Old Madam had used the guise of "filial piety" to coerce them, leaving them with no choice but to endure and accept it.

It was precisely because of this helplessness that they always felt guilty toward Yu Li. For the past few days, neither of them had found peace of mind or been able to sleep well.

Even though they heard that the young master of the Fu family had regained consciousness, they still did not feel happy. What parents would want their daughter to be married to a frail, sickly man?

Yu Li looked at them and called out, "Father, Mother."

The two hastily responded, but did not know what else to say.

Finally, Madam Liu asked softly, "Li-niang, are you living well?"