Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 31 The Disaster is the Disaster

Shen Yu fanned himself with a fan, looked around, and asked Yu Cheng: "Are mother and Yu Tao not at home? Where did they go?"

"Mother and second sister went to work in the fields. They should be back soon." Yu Cheng looked at the sky, answered Shen Yu's question, and then asked impatiently: "Eldest sister, have you been in the restaurant in town these days? Did you meet anyone from the village on your way back?"

Seeing his worried look, Shen Yu laughed and said jokingly, "Why, are you afraid that the villagers will catch me and take me to pray for rain?"

Yu Cheng, however, was worried: "Big sister, during the time you were away from home, the villagers have been causing trouble for our family. Mother is so angry that she is sick. This is no joke."

When Shen Yu heard that Li was ill, the smile on his face froze, and he asked anxiously: "Is mother ill? What's wrong with her? Is it serious? Did she see a doctor and get medicine? Why did mother go to the fields when she was ill?"

The series of questions made Yu Cheng not know which one to answer first. His face suddenly turned red. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the door knocker being knocked a few times, and Yu Tao's voice came from outside: "Yu Cheng, Yu Cheng, open the door!"

Yu Cheng was delighted when he heard this, and hurried to open the door, saying, "Mother, Second Sister, I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Shen Yu was afraid that there might be villagers passing by outside, so he stood at the door of the main house and looked out, but did not go out.

Li and Yu Tao followed in and asked Yu Cheng curiously, "Why are you closing the door in broad daylight?"

Yu Cheng did not answer, but looked outside the door again before closing the door, bolting it, and walking in.

"Mom, Yutao." Shen Yu stood at the door and greeted the two people who came in with a smile.

It was bright outside when someone suddenly called out from the darkness of the house. Li was startled. When she saw that it was Shen Yu standing there, her thin face was full of surprise: "Yuzhi, why are you back?"

Then he asked worriedly: "How did you get back? Which road did you take? Did you meet any villagers on the way back?"

Shen Yu did not answer, but looked Li up and down. Li looked fine, but her face was a little gloomy and she looked thinner.

Shen Yu pushed Li to sit on a small stool, and then said, "Mom, don't worry. I didn't meet any villagers on the way back. When I entered the village, I wore a willow hat and carried firewood, so no one paid attention to me."

"Yucheng said you were sick. What's wrong with you? Are you feeling better now? Have you asked Doctor Sun to take a look and prescribe some medicine?"

Seeing Shen Yu's concerned face, Li smiled soothingly: "Mom, it's okay. Don't listen to Yu Cheng's nonsense. Look, I'm fine."

Yu Tao interrupted and said, "Sister, Yu Cheng is not talking nonsense. Mother couldn't get out of bed a few days ago. She has only gotten better in the past few days, and she insisted on going to the fields to take a look. I couldn't persuade her to stop."

Shen Yu looked at Li seriously and said, "Mom, how are you feeling? You can't hide anything from me if you feel uncomfortable."

Are you kidding? This is an age where even a cold can be fatal. If you are sick, it is better to seek treatment early to have a chance of survival.

Li explained hurriedly, "It's nothing. It's just that the villagers kept saying you were a disaster. Plus, there was no harvest in the fields and the weather was hot, so I couldn't stand it anymore and lay down for two days. Your uncle came to persuade me and gave me some herbs to relieve the heat and heart fire. I boiled them and drank them, and I feel much better now. But you, how come you came back suddenly? What happened?"

Shen Yu finally felt relieved and briefly explained the reason for his return. The three of them were all indignant after hearing this, and felt that Shen Yu had been wronged.

Shen Yu looked at the expressions of the three people and felt warm in her heart. Yes, regardless of whether they could really help her or not, she had relatives around her who treated her sincerely and were willing to stand on her side regardless of right or wrong.

After Shen Yu finished explaining the reason for his return, he stood up, untied the bundle of firewood thrown in the corner of the room, took out the bag, untied the sheet, poured it on the table, then took out the purse hidden close to his body and poured out the gold and silver ingots.

The three Li family members were a little surprised when they saw the several strings of copper coins poured out on the table. When they saw the three shining gold and silver ingots, they were so shocked that their mouths opened wide.

Li was the first to react. She slapped Shen Yu's arm hard and said angrily, "You damn girl, what have you been doing for the past two months?"

Shen Yu was happily waiting for Li to praise her, but unexpectedly she was slapped hard in the face, which stunned her for a moment.

Yutao hurried over to pull Li: "Mom, you are fine, why are you hitting your sister?"

Li was still angry and cursed: "Your father and I are both honest people. Tell me, have you done anything shameful?"

"Didn't Doctor Sun, the old man, say that he would work as a handyman in a restaurant? He could earn so much money as a handyman in less than two months. Where did he take you? You are a pure young lady. No, I have to settle the score with him."

Li became more and more excited as he spoke. He rolled up his sleeves, turned around, picked up a hoe by the door, and was about to rush out.

Shen Yu was stunned at first and just stood there stupidly. After listening to Li's scolding, she realized that Li had misunderstood her.

She had been feeling very aggrieved, but when she saw Li's hateful yet protective look, she couldn't help but feel angry and amused. She was also afraid that Li would yell and curse at the neighbors, so she hurriedly pulled her into the house. Yutao and Yucheng also came up to help, and finally they dragged Li back into the house and made her sit on a small stool.

Li held on to the hoe tightly and kept cursing Shen Yu and Doctor Sun. When she saw Shen Yu coming to pull her away with no shame on his face and still smiling, she became even more furious and was about to hit him without thinking.

Shen Yu was prepared at this time and dodged to the side swiftly. Li's attack missed and he almost fell off the stool.

Shen Yu quickly supported her and said hastily, "Mom, you misunderstood. It's not what you think. I really earned all this money as a noodle cook in the restaurant."

Li saw that she did not look fake, and still had a clean face and clear eyes. Her clothes were still patched old clothes, and she did not look like a prostitute. So she was about to believe her words. But then she felt that her daughter's cooking skills were not good enough to earn so much money, so she stopped and hesitated.

When Shen Yu saw that Li had calmed down, he quickly took the hoe from her hand to prevent her from accidentally hurting herself.

She asked Yucheng to get a few more bowls to pour some water for everyone, and asked Yutao to go out and check at the door to see if Li's loud shouting had alarmed the neighbors.

After scolding, Li finally calmed down and looked at Shen Yu silently, waiting for her explanation.

After the three of them were seated at the table, she briefly explained how they would receive their wages and rewards after going to the restaurant.