Chapter 42: Sisterly Affection, Part Eighteen

Fallen heart was only for a split second.

Grandma Tian quickly came to her senses: "Depending on others is never a long-term plan; in the end, you still have to rely on yourself. Guangzong is very good at studying. Once he passes the imperial examinations and enters officialdom, the children he bears will certainly be officials as well. By then, our family will completely cease to be farmers. Ji'an, wronged as you may be this time, rest assured, once Guangzong achieves scholarly honor, we will definitely fetch you back." She lowered her voice slightly: "This lady at a glance does not look like someone tyrannical; she will not do anything to you. If you coax her well, your own life will be easier. You are currently so seriously ill, and the family truly cannot afford the silver to hire a physician. Go ahead and get your illness cured first, and then figure out a way to come home..."

As she spoke, she inadvertently glanced at Tian Ji'an, only to meet his sarcastic gaze. Startled for a moment, she instantly flared up: "Are you unwilling? Ji'an, this is what you owe Guangzong. If not for you, his father would not have died. He has a father of his own, and would not want to rely on you."

Tian Ji'an had little energy to speak and casually said, "I'm not leaving!"

Grandma Tian: "..."

"You owe Guangzong..."

"I owe him?" Tian Ji'an laughed in sheer anger: "My older brother fell into the river when he went to town to hire a physician for me. Did I make him go? Clearly, you were also ill, and he worried about your condition, making this trip just to buy some medicine for you. If we really must talk about owing anyone, it is you who owe him. Of course, you raised his son to adulthood, which fulfills that sentiment. For all these years, I have worked like an ox and a horse for the two of you, grandmother and grandson, and I have worked enough. In the future, I will never be that foolish again."

He closed his eyes: "I'm not leaving. My body has not yet recovered, and I need to eat something nourishing. Go catch a chicken from the back yard, slaughter it, and stew soup."

"No! The rooster must be kept for brooding, and the hen must be kept to lay eggs so Guangzong can nourish his health." At this point, Grandma Tian caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of the wealthy lady in the courtyard outside, and she thought of what the lady had said earlier: if even one person was unwilling, she would not take anyone away. Thinking of this, she softened her voice: "Ji'an, your mother has never begged you for anything, and only wants to beg you for this one thing. Just go with her... No matter whether your life in the future turns out good or bad, I will never come to disturb you again. Whatever you owed your older brother will be fully settled!"

"I do not owe him," Tian Ji'an emphasized.

"Yes, yes, yes, you do not owe him." Never mind arguing a few words; even if Tian Ji'an wanted to demand things, as long as Grandma Tian could lay her hands on them, she would not be stingy at this moment.

"I'm not going," Tian Ji'an chuckled softly. "Unless I marry into her family as a concubine-husband. By the way, you must prepare a dowry for me and find a way to make her send betrothal gifts!"

Grandma Tian: "..." Has this son lost his mind?

A woman who had a falling out with her husband goes to find a handsome man to bring back and raise for amusement—how could she possibly send betrothal gifts to a man?

Furthermore, it was they who were currently begging Madam Yu, not Madam Yu who simply could not live without him.

Such words were things Grandma Tian did not even dare to bring up.

"No," Grandma Tian said bitterly. "Go you must, whether you want to or not. In any case, if you stay, I will not hire a physician for you. If you wish to die, you may refuse."

Naturally, Tian Ji'an did not want to die, and having met Chu Yunli, it was impossible for him to be allowed to die.

"Madam Yu said that all consultation fees and medicine costs will be borne by her, and the physician has already agreed to come and feel my pulse every day. Even if you wash your hands of me, I will not die."

Grandma Tian's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

Seeing this, Tian Ji'an became even more delighted.

Since he was unwilling to leave immediately, Chu Yunli kept her promise and did not force anyone. Before leaving, she spent a brief moment with Tian Ji'an, discussing the current situation.

In the carriage on the way back, the smile on the corner of Chu Yunli's lips never faded. Lady Zhang looked at her several times and asked, "You really took a fancy to him?"

Chu Yunli nodded: "I think he's quite good."

Lady Zhang disapproved somewhat: "Matters of marriage stress matching social status. Even if you do not marry him, you shouldn't find someone of such a vastly lower standing. In case he harbors malicious intentions... a person sleeping beside one is impossible to guard against, and I certainly do not want to hear news of you meeting with misfortune."

"It won't happen," Chu Yunli said with a resolute tone. Seeing that Lady Zhang was about to speak further, she quickly added, "Rest assured, if he is unwilling, I will absolutely not force him."

Lady Zhang's mood grew even more complicated.

If a poor young fellow latched onto a wealthy lady and refused, it showed good character. Yet if that happened, her daughter's wish would go unfulfilled. But if he agreed, her daughter could indeed embrace a handsome man, but with a person of that sort placed by her daughter's side, how could she dare to feel at ease?

Having found the person, Chu Yunli was in a pleasant mood. As it happened, a batch of new goods had arrived at Yu Xuelin's shop, and Chu Yunli went personally to inspect them, reserving quite a number of accessories and fabrics used by men.

And this matter was inevitably discovered by Yu Shanmeng, who had consistently kept a close eye on the shop's business.

The items left behind were all intended for young men around twenty or thirty years of age, which were quite unsuitable for him to use... No matter how one looked at it, it resembled what his wife had stated earlier—finding a young man to raise for diversion.

If he were dead and his wife went off to remarry, that would be beyond his control.

Yet he was still alive and well, while his wife went outside to find someone... If word of this got out, where would he place his face?

Chu Yunli had purchased quite a few things. Formerly, Yu Shanmeng frequently praised Zhang Qingxue for looking lovely in green clothing; thus, regardless of spring, summer, autumn, or winter, the majority of her garments across all seasons were green, down to her deep green cloaks.

Not to mention that Chu Yunli disliked these garments and ornaments, even Zhang Qingxue herself had long since regretted them and grew irritated at the sight of these things. Therefore, Chu Yunli had people clear away all those clothes and bought new fabrics and custom ornaments for herself.

Just as she was discussing garment styles and embroidery patterns with the embroiderers, word came that Yu Shanmeng had returned.

The courtyard where Yu Shanmeng previously resided was located in the inner city, a distance that normally took a carriage about a quarter of an hour, but for an injured person like Yu Shanmeng, the journey was exceptionally taxing.

It must have been an urgent matter, the kind he needed to discuss personally with Chu Yunli.

Chu Yunli did not go out to greet him; she continued flipping through the embroidery patterns and said unhurriedly, "He comes if he comes, what's so extraordinary about that? He is the children's father, but now that we have already divorced, I ought to avoid suspicion and not see him. Am I supposed to go out and welcome him?"

No one dared to answer, and the room fell into a heavy silence.

Chu Yunli had done it entirely on purpose.

With an injury like Yu Shanmeng's, crossing a threshold or a bridge would cause him excruciating pain; if he accidentally aggravated his wound, he would likely be left with a permanent limp.

After waiting for another half-hour, Yu Shanmeng finally dragged himself into the room where Chu Yunli was staying.

"Rare visitor!"

Chu Yunli raised her eyes, looked him up and down, and asked, "Something the matter?"

Staring at her leisurely demeanor, with no intention of paying him any heed, Yu Shanmeng felt his anger surge: "Whom are you planning to give those items you withheld to?"

Chu Yunli casually replied, "That is my own affair."

Glaring at her, and recalling that their marital affection had long since faded and Zhang Qingxue held not a shred of feeling for him, Yu Shanmeng said, "You have three children, do not act recklessly."

"I know I have children, I do not need your reminder." Chu Yunli wore a smile that was not quite a smile: "You understand the logic, but have you lived by it? For years on end, you chased after another woman under the guise of my name, all while claiming it was for my own good. Yu Shanmeng, I have never seen anyone as disgusting as you."

With a stern expression, Yu Shanmeng retorted, "That was the truth!"

Thinking of something, Chu Yunli suddenly smiled: "You have been staying at home recovering from your injuries these past few days, so you probably do not know what has happened outside. Zhang Qingaya's reputation is currently rather poor, and my mother even drove their mother and daughter out to rent a small courtyard in the outer city..."

Looking astonished, Yu Shanmeng asked, "How could that be? Why would Mother do such a thing?"

"Simply because she cannot stand her seducing you!" Chu Yunli declared righteously: "She has fallen to her current plight entirely because of you!"

Gritting his teeth, Yu Shanmeng said, "Zhang Qingxue, I never expected you to become like this..."

Chu Yunli did not let him off the hook: "Like what?"

The two stared at each other. Yu Shanmeng felt thoroughly justified, yet his body was too weak to sustain him, and he simply could not endure it. Seeing the triumphant look on the face of the person across from him, he stamped his foot in anger, which instantly aggravated his wound once more, causing him to grimace in pain.

"I forbid you from finding another man!"

With those words, he turned and walked away.

Chu Yunli called out at his back, "I am going to find one, what business is it of yours?"

Exasperated, Yu Shanmeng snapped, "If you dare, I will cut both of you down!"

Unfazed, Chu Yunli remarked, "Will you be able to reach anyone to cut down?"

At that moment, Yu Shanmeng was worried about Zhang Qingya and her daughter; even if he wanted to turn back for a few more rounds of argument, he simply could not afford the time. He had been carried in, and now he had to be carried back out and placed into the carriage before it could set into motion.

Before they had even finished settling him, they saw the main gates open and a bright red carriage sway out from within.

Yu Shanmeng frowned, cast a glance at the carriage, and happened to see Chu Yunli poking her head out.

"I have nothing to do and fancied going out for a drive with you."

Yu Shanmeng: "..."

He sneered, "I have never laid eyes on a woman as vicious as you, who drove her own elder sister to such a place and still goes to gloat. Zhang Qingxue, had I known you were such a person, I would not have married you for all the world."

"That is hardly certain." Chu Yunli mocked, "You never wanted to marry me in the first place; in truth, I was merely a stepping stone to get closer to your beauty. Honestly, your only redeeming quality is that you are not promiscuous, but as for me, I must have had truly terrible luck to run into a piece of trash like you."

Yu Shanmeng hastily said, "Talk nonsense no longer!"

Chu Yunli let out a cold 'pah': "I figured out the cause and effect long ago. You can fool others, but you cannot fool me."

The two carriages went one after the other toward the outer city. The large courtyard where Zhang Qingya and her daughter lived was indeed shared with others, housing all sorts of people. Laundry hung in dense, overlapping layers throughout the small courtyard. There were children—quite a few of them, likely—and from a fair distance away, one could already smell the unpleasant odor lingering in the air.

Taking in this sight, Yu Shanmeng's face darkened further.

"Zhang Qingxue, you really are..." Pointing at her, he said through clenched teeth, "If you spent a little less on yourself normally, you could have allowed your elder sister to live much more comfortably."

"On what grounds?" Chu Yunli demanded unceremoniously, "We are sisters alike; on what grounds should a younger sister yield to her elder sister? It should be her yielding to me instead. Besides, I even handed my husband over to her—what more do you want from me?"

Yu Shanmeng retorted, "I am not her man!"

"You may not be her man in name, but your heart already is," Chu Yunli cast a glance at the tenement courtyard before them. "Otherwise, you would not have rushed all the way here."

The mother and daughter, accustomed to a life of luxury since childhood, had truly never endured this sort of hardship. People worked in the large courtyard day and night, and with numerous children running about, the noise was deafening. In particular, those young children knew no better and frequently slipped into her room on the sly to rummage through things—not necessarily to steal, but merely out of mischievous play.

In truth, if the children had actually stolen things, she could have torn off the facade and made a scene. But since they took nothing, and given that they were living away from home, neither mother nor daughter could easily quarrel with others over it.

The two carriages parked at the entrance drew quite a bit of attention. Coupled with the fierce argument between the two people, even more onlookers cast their gaze in this direction, which ultimately startled the mother and daughter inside the room.

Seeing that Yu Shanmeng had arrived, Zhang Qingya hurried out.

"Brother-in-law, why have you come?"

As she spoke, the look she cast toward Chu Yunli was filled with vigilance.

Yu Shanmeng looked her up and down, and seeing that she was unharmed, said, "I only just heard that you had moved here."

If he hadn't brought this up, it would have been fine, but the moment it was mentioned, Zhang Qingya felt a profound sense of grievance.

"Brother-in-law, I want to go back home to live. Will you help me, please?"

As her voice fell, tears fell as well.

Yu Shanmeng was unable to move about freely, and with so many people watching, it would not do to appear overly intimate. He had to choose his words with the utmost caution: "Qingxue, could you please..."

Chu Yunli instantly cut her off: "No!"