Chapter 190 This is a Fuling Water Chopstick Knife, even sharper.
"How could this be..."
Yu Anan sat on the ground in a daze, shivering from the cold. She was happy that the children were alright, but not that they had been poisoned...
Although the medicine from itinerant doctors was cheaper, it was still a huge expense for Yu Anan. She emptied her pockets and only managed to buy enough poison for her three children. Otherwise, Yu Anan wouldn't have chosen to hang herself: why suffer so much pain when she could die comfortably?
The anger of possibly being cheated out of money and the joy of the child being safe and sound intertwined, making Yu Anan's expression somewhat distorted. Seeing that she seemed to have figured out the key to the matter, Hua Qing decided to add fuel to the fire.
"Sister Annan, please let the doctor take a look at the container of medicine."
Colorless and odorless, it has nothing to do with solids, and no matter how clean a liquid is poured out, there will always be some residue if it is not washed. Upon hearing this, Yu Anan went into the room and came out with a small open porcelain bottle in a short while. She could only manage to take the whole family away with the medicine, and she really couldn't bring herself to throw the bottle into the pot and boil it together.
Having seen all sorts of things, the doctor had already gleaned the key points from the few words spoken earlier. His mind raced with thoughts, but he remained outwardly composed as he accepted the porcelain bottle and began to examine it carefully.
"This is not poison at all, it's Poria cocos water, which strengthens the spleen and calms the mind."
What do you mean by "sleep forever"? It's such a tiny amount; at most, it will make you sleep a little deeper. Many itinerant doctors only do one-off business anyway, but this time, their bad intentions have turned into a good thing.
"That's good, that's good..."
After the doctor made his diagnosis, Yu Anan was finally relieved. The tears she had managed to hold back started flowing again. Hua Qing paid the consultation fee and saw the doctor off. She was once again glad that she had made the decision to come overnight. If she had come during the day, seeing Anan swaying in the tree with three children crying and wailing below, she didn't know how she would have faced that scene.
After what had happened, everyone except Hua Qing, who had eaten her fill, was starving. Hua Qing sighed as she listened to the cacophony of rumbling stomachs, then went out to find a vendor and bought them a few bowls of porridge to fill their stomachs. Yu An'nan didn't want the children to go hungry, but she felt embarrassed to take any food herself. Hua Qing didn't argue with her, simply paid, and with a stern face, placed the porridge on the table and said:
"Sister Annan, why don't you eat with them?"
Hua Qing pointed to the children huddled on the other side of the table, their faces full of longing as they looked at the porridge, but they dared not reach out because they hadn't been given permission.
"Either you starve with them."
Hua Qing had only ever received kindness from Yu Anan, and the only person she truly wanted to help was Yu Anan. The children's food was merely a bonus because of Sister Anan—there are pitiful children everywhere in this world, and if she were to help every single one she saw, she would have been exhausted long ago.
The idea that one should be full because of their love for someone else, while the person they are supposed to repay goes hungry, is not the same in Hua Qing's world!
Yu Anan originally wanted to say something, but after Hua Qing's system of collective punishment, she dared not speak. In the end, she could only obediently finish her bowl of porridge and, unusually, not feel hungry, went to bed to rest.
It was too late, and Hua Qing wasn't in the habit of giving away gold coins, so she simply squeezed in with Yu Anan for the night. But perhaps she had really been pampered in the Wutong Courtyard, because she really wasn't used to sleeping in the Yu family's place. In the end, she couldn't stay awake any longer and managed to doze off for a while, but she woke up as soon as it was light.
"Auntie, I've found a sewing job for Sister Annan. I'd appreciate it if you could look after these children for a day."
Hua Qing handed over the copper coin, and the aunt, who was initially somewhat reluctant, immediately beamed with joy. She didn't tactlessly bring up the ligature marks on Yu Anan's neck—gossip about where to make money with Chinese medicine!
“Sister Annan, the place where I work has strict rules. Once you arrive, just wait patiently. I’ll talk about the popcorn machine when the lady has some free time.”
Hua Qing had originally planned to leave after discussing her business last night, asking Yu Anan to come over in the afternoon, but plans changed and she had to make sure he waited a little longer.
"I'll just stand here, not say anything and not cause any trouble."
Yu Anan gave a somewhat flustered assurance, but Hua Qing immediately stuffed the bun into Yu Anan's mouth to mute him. The three children's breakfast was taken care of by their aunt, and the bun was specially bought by Hua Qing for Yu Anan so that he wouldn't feel uncomfortable if he got hungry at the Wutong Courtyard.
"We can still move a stool out."
Hua Qing got up early, and it was just dawn when she brought Yu Anan to the Wutong Courtyard. She briefly explained to everyone why Yu Anan had come, put him in the chair where she usually ate, and then hurriedly went out to buy groceries with Aunt Pang.
The meat and vegetables in Wutong Courtyard now have a fixed supply, but they are all common varieties. In order to find fresh produce and to teach Huaqing, Aunt Pang still goes to the market every morning. Before, Huaqing always obediently carried the bags and refused to spend a single copper coin. But this time, for the first time, she spent her own money to buy some corn kernels and corn.
Aunt Pang didn't know what Hua Qing was buying these things for, but she didn't concern herself with other people's business and was too lazy to ask any questions, which made Hua Qing very relieved: these were prepared for Yu Anan. She had secretly checked yesterday and found that the place where the Yu family stored grain was already empty.
Firewood for the popcorn machine can be collected, but starting this new business isn't easy if you don't produce any food yourself first. So Hua Qing decided to go all the way and provide everything for Sister An Nan.
Purchasing, preparing ingredients, starting a fire, cooking... The work in the Wutong Courtyard wasn't heavy, but after a flurry of activity, it was already broad daylight. Hua Qing took advantage of the time when Yao Xiaoyu had finished eating to tell her about Yu Nan'an. With Hua Qing's willingness to vouch for him, Yu Nan'an successfully obtained a popcorn machine and prepared everyone's lunch in advance. She used this precious time that she managed to create to help Yu Nan'an get the hang of it.
"Sister Annan, this is all I can do to help you. The rest of the business depends on you."
The machine was provided, the method was taught, and even the bait for baiting was prepared; there was nothing more Hua Qing could do.
"That's enough, thank you..."
As Yu Anan spoke, his eyes welled up with tears again. Hua Qing couldn't bear to watch such a sentimental scene, so she ran away in a flash. Yu Anan, seeing this, stopped crying, thanked Hua Qing in his heart again, and hurried home.
Because of those contradictory rumors about the Yu family, the Yu family has always been the focus of attention for the neighbors. Even without any wind, there would be three waves of gossip. Not to mention what happened last night. The three children couldn't explain themselves. They left empty-handed, but came back with heavy baskets on their backs and obvious marks on their necks. Yu An'nan naturally became the main person to be questioned.
Yu Anan had already prepared himself for being questioned on his way back, and he handled the barrage of questions with ease.
Where I went—I was taken to do mending work, and they wouldn't let me tell them the address.
I bought a whole basketful of things in one day—the day laborer's pay was a few radishes in his hand, and the basket was filled with coarse grains borrowed from others, enough to last for two days. Do you have any extra food at home?
What are my plans for the future? I'll start a small business tomorrow and see if I can earn enough to feed the children. Do you have any grain? I'd like to borrow some.
It's not good to show your face in public—you can't just starve to death, so could you lend me some food?
...
Every sentence was explained and every matter was settled, but the ambiguity made people uncomfortable. However, no one dared to ask further questions, since Yu Anan's tone always veered towards borrowing grain. They had to be careful with their own finances, so how could they possibly have any grain to lend out?
Yu Anan arrived home safely. After tidying up, he went to pick up the children. They had porridge as usual that evening, and the children were very well-behaved. However, before going to bed, Yu Anan's niece whispered something:
"Auntie, next time you go to visit Mom and Dad, please let us know in advance, okay?"
The lives of ordinary people in this era cannot withstand any turmoil. Even young children understand the meaning of death. The three children are not opposed to going with Yu Anan, but they do not like the feeling of being kept in the dark.
Yu Anan didn't speak, pretending to be asleep. Only after the children's breathing became even did he open his eyes and look in the direction of the three children. The room was pitch black without any lights on, but Yu Anan could clearly make out the sleeping positions of each child.
All three children belong to the Yu family. Nominally, there is one boy and two girls, but in reality, all three are girls. The youngest is Yu Anan's biological daughter, and the second oldest is Yu Anan's sister, the youngest daughter of Yu's parents in their later years.
The eldest child, nominally her nephew but actually her sister-in-law's eldest daughter, was born three years after her sister-in-law married into the family. Since she was pregnant and gave birth to a girl, the Yu family decided to announce to the outside world that the baby was a son to avoid external pressure.
At the time, the Yu family planned to have their eldest niece occupy the position of their nephew for a few years. Once their sister-in-law actually gave birth to a son, they would then have the niece switch back to her true gender. The reason was readily available: the fortune teller said that the child had a special destiny and had to be raised as a boy before a certain age. This situation was not unusual in the area, except that while other families had men dressed as women, the Yu family had women dressed as men.
As for exactly what age that "certain age" is, it depends on how old the niece was when the nephew was born. Then, find the nearest date that can be linked to the birth date and change her back into women's clothing. Whether it's the third day of the third month, the sixth day of the sixth month, or the seventh day of the seventh month, as long as you have the will, you can come up with any date.
But before the real nephew was born, the brother and sister-in-law... The true gender of the niece was never revealed for some reason. It was precisely because of her apparent male identity that Yu Anan was not sold off along with the other two girls—women in this world always need a master, even if it is just a boy.
Yu Anan sighed, just then hearing a familiar noise from the courtyard wall. He immediately stopped thinking about those depressing things, grabbed a wood-chopping knife, and walked to the corner of the wall like a cat. He then slashed hard at the two legs that were falling down the wall!
"ah--"
A scream rang out, and Yu Anan heard the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground from the other side of the wall. He regretted that he hadn't found the right angle with his machete: if it had hit the bone seam, the entire foot could have been detached from the body. Now that it had landed on the bone, although he would inevitably become a cripple, he would at least be able to die with a whole body.
He got off too easy.
After confirming that no one dared to climb the wall for the time being, Yu Anan took his machete back to his house to sleep. The next day, he got up early, carried his popcorn machine out, and followed the steps he had planned in his mind to find a bustling alley. He stammered a couple of calls and then started making popcorn with the corn and rice he had brought with him.
This stuff is common outside movie theaters, but it's still a novelty for many. Yu Anan was willing to use freshly made popcorn as bait, and the price wasn't high; he could even trade it for grain. Soon, he got his first order, then the second, the third...
Carrying a heavy basket home, Yu Anan cried bitterly after counting the money and grain: the four of them wouldn't starve to death!
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Author's Note: A small detail:
Yu Anan's inner monologue after realizing he had bought counterfeit medicine: "My child is alright (so happy)... I was cheated out of money (so sad)... My child is alright (so happy)... I was cheated out of money (so sad)... (infinite loop)"
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