Right after dinner, Tangyuan brought over a bowl of dark, murky medicine. Tianyu felt nauseous just from the smell, but seeing Tangyuan's innocent gaze, she reluctantly forced herself to take a sip, pinching her nose. She immediately spat it out, and only felt better after drinking some water. She vowed never to drink this kind of medicine again; it was terribly bitter. She pitifully said to Tangyuan, "This medicine is too bitter, Mom, can I not drink it? I feel much better."
"But the doctor said I have to take medicine."
"When Mother saw this medicine, her head started to ache. Could you take it out first?"
Seeing that Tian Yu was in pain, Tang Yuan quickly took the medicine away. After watching Tang Yuan take the medicine away, Tian Yu smiled and thought that it was so bitter, who would dare to drink it? She wouldn't drink it herself. Besides, she felt fine and there was nothing wrong with her. In the future, Tian Yu also tricked Tang Yuan with various requests and grievances to get the medicine.
Tangyuan fed the chickens in the yard and then ran out to play with her friends. Tian Yu ate breakfast and felt much better. She didn't want to lie in bed and overthink anymore, so she got up and wandered around the yard. Just like in her dream, there were three thatched huts and a kitchen on the east side. The only redeeming feature was that they didn't need to fetch water; behind the houses was a mountain. Zhao Moyan used bamboo to channel spring water from the mountain into a water vat in the yard. Standing in front of the vat, Tian Yu saw her reflection for the first time. Looking at her reflection in the water, she couldn't believe her eyes. If she remembered correctly, this Tian Yu was about twenty years old, but her skin was very dry, thin, and sallow, and her lips were chapped and peeling. Tian Yu touched her face and looked at her withered figure, sighing. Even such a thick cotton coat couldn't hide her flat body. How hard this mother and daughter must have been living!
Tian Yu walked around the house again, finding the location acceptable. It was backed by a mountain, with a bamboo grove in front, and a wasteland to the west. To the east, she could see a village, which she assumed was Old Zhao Village. Back in the courtyard, the weather was nice, so she decided to do something. She tidied the room and aired out the old quilt. What she discovered was that Tian Yu had hidden quite a few treasures. In a chest in the east room, she found a jade hairpin wrapped in red cloth, two silver ingots, and a string of copper coins—a total of twenty copper coins. Overjoyed at finding money, Tian Yu danced for joy. But then she thought about how hard Tian Yu's life was with Tangyuan; where did she get so much money, and why was she so reluctant to spend it? Should she keep saving it? What if she found it? Surely it wasn't stolen? The more she thought about it, the less happy Tian Yu became. The heavy silver ingots suddenly felt hot to the touch, so she reluctantly wrapped them up and put them back. At the bottom of the box, she found another letter of divorce. It was written in traditional Chinese characters in a literary style that Tian Yu couldn't understand. After reading it for a long time, she could only make out that it roughly said they hoped each other would be well and have no further contact. The date was the 20th year of Wenwu, the 9th day of the third month. So they were already divorced. No wonder she couldn't see anyone else. But where did Tangyuan come from? Could it be that Tian Yu picked her up? Judging by the dates, Zhao Moyan shouldn't know about Tangyuan's existence. Did they share a room before the divorce? If so, why the divorce? What kind of person is Zhao Moyan? However, the handwriting was still elegant and refined, quite like the gentle yet stubborn young man in her dreams.
Unable to find a solution, Tian Yu continued tidying the room. The west room was where Old Mrs. Zhao lived, and it looked like it hadn't been lived in for a long time. It was piled with miscellaneous items, including two quilts from their wedding day, which Tian Yu seemed to have kept pristine, as if they were brand new. Then there were some old books and clothes, which appeared to have been left by Zhao Moyan. Looking at the pile of things, Tian Yu was perplexed. Where did the glutinous rice balls come from? Where were the Zhao family's grandmother and grandson? She was completely baffled. Tian Yu could only console herself that since she was already there, she should make the best of it and stop thinking about it. She should focus on what to eat for lunch; it was almost noon. She circled the kitchen several times but couldn't find anything to eat. Tian Yu stood in front of the chicken coop, considering whether to catch a chicken to slaughter, but there were only hens and one rooster, which she needed to keep for laying eggs and keeping watch. But the vegetable garden was also bare in the still chilly weather. What was she going to eat for lunch?! Just as Tian Yu was worrying, Tangyuan came skipping and hopping back. He ran into the yard and boasted to Tian Yu about how great he'd been that day, how he'd won all his games with his friends. Looking at Tangyuan's smudged and dirty face, and hearing him call out "Mother" over and over again, Tian Yu couldn't bear to tell him that his mother was dead, that she wasn't his mother. After some thought, Tian Yu finally couldn't bear it any longer and knelt down, brushing the mud off Tangyuan, tidying his messy hair, and seeing his scalded hands. She remembered that it had been two days since Xiao Tian fell into the water and she woke up; how had he, a child, survived like that? Whether it was because of her own body or because she was also an orphan, Tian Yu felt a pang of heartache and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Mother, what's wrong? Is Mother feeling unwell?" Tangyuan was very worried when she saw Tianyu crying, and she started crying too.
Seeing how much Tangyuan cared for her, Tianyu thought of her own lonely childhood, yearning for parental love, and felt even more uncomfortable. She felt that Tangyuan had taken over her mother's body, causing Tangyuan to lose her mother, yet Tangyuan still cared for her so much. Tianyu couldn't help but hug Tangyuan and whispered, "Mother is alright. Mother just feels sorry for Tangyuan, for not taking good care of you."
"No, no, it's because Tangyuan was naughty, Tangyuan is bad. Tangyuan will never get clothes dirty again, so Mother won't have to go to the river to wash clothes and won't fall into the river. It's all my fault." Tangyuan cried even more sadly and hugged Tianyu tightly.
Tian Yu didn't expect Tangyuan to cry even harder, so she quickly comforted her, "It's not Tangyuan's fault, it's all Mother's fault. Tangyuan is a very good girl, Mother will take good care of Tangyuan from now on, Tangyuan, don't cry."
"Tangyuan will take good care of Mother and be a good girl and listen to Mother."
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