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Yu Chunmiao felt that her new mother-in-law was not bad; she seemed easy to get along with, which gave her a slight sense of relief. However, knowing someone’s face doesn’t mean knowing their heart. She merely smiled faintly at Chen Ruolan.
Seeing her smile, Chen Ruolan’s lips twitched slightly. Wasn’t it said that this girl wouldn’t smile?
Qi Rong dashed into his brother Qi Chong’s room, where Qi Chong was sitting on the bed, wiping a knife with a cloth.
“Big Brother, your wife is here. She might really be a fool. The moment I saw her, she made this face at me,” he said, mimicking Yu Chunmiao’s silly expression with wide eyes and a tongue sticking out, puffing his cheeks and blinking.
Everyone in Old Pine Village said Yu Chunmiao was a fool. The ignorant people didn’t realize she was just withdrawn. She didn’t talk to anyone or express joy or sorrow. The person who loved her most had died, leaving nothing to stir her heart.
For four years, she neither laughed nor cried; even when her sister-in-law hit her with a fire stick, she accepted it with an expressionless face.
Qi Chong clicked his tongue. “What wife? I don’t want one. Don’t talk nonsense.”
Qi Rong sat beside his brother and whispered, “Are you going to tell Mother that? See if she doesn’t hit you. She’s been coughing again; you’d better not make her angry.”
Qi Chong set down the knife, picked up a crutch from the bedside, tucked it under his left arm, and swung his right leg over the edge of the bed. He used the crutch to support himself as he took two steps to sit down at a small round table.
“Are you so free today? Don’t you need to go gather wild vegetables?” Qi Chong said irritably to his brother.
Like a little shadow, Qi Rong sat beside him again. “Mother said when the new sister-in-law comes in, I should stay home and not run around. We’re having chicken for lunch; I’ll get you a big chicken leg later.”
As he spoke, he unconsciously swallowed hard. The last time they had chicken was six months ago because Er Ge had become an apprentice carpenter and did a beautiful job that earned him some praise from his master.
Thinking about Er Ge Qi Yuan returning in another month made him hopeful; he would have learned carpentry skills and could earn money, making life at home a little easier. However, it wouldn’t be easy; even if they earned money, it would go towards treating their brother’s leg. Doctor Yu said it would take thirty taels of silver to heal it completely.
When their father was alive, hunting a wild boar weighing over two hundred pounds barely brought in three taels.
How much work would Er Ge have to take on to heal Big Brother’s leg?
“Qi Rong! Tell your brother to come eat!” Chen Ruolan’s voice called from outside.
Qi Chong gestured with his chin towards the door for his brother to go out but then began to sulk again. Qi Rong understood what his brother meant—he simply didn’t want to go out.
Qi Chong couldn’t understand why their mother would buy him a foolish wife when they were so poor they could barely make ends meet. He had already been sulking in the house for two days without stepping outside; even urgent matters were dealt with in the house now.
At least someone was there to help him out; Qi Rong was quite happy about that.
If Qi Rong knew how his brother felt, he wondered if he would still be so eager to help.
Qi Rong stood up and headed outside, closing the door behind him as he said, “Your wife is quite pretty; are you really not interested?”
He initially wanted to describe how silly his sister-in-law looked but was met with a sharp glare from his brother that silenced him. Forget it; they would meet eventually anyway. He didn’t want to provoke Qi Chong and create unnecessary trouble.
Entering the kitchen, Qi Rong skillfully helped set the table. A large pot of chicken soup sat on the dining table nearby, its rich aroma wafting through the air, making Qi Rong’s mouth water faster than he could swallow.
Chen Ruolan opened the steamer and took out a few Wild Vegetable Dumplings. When Yu Chunmiao received them, Chen Ruolan was momentarily taken aback, a smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
"You’re the new bride, so you don’t have to work. Just sit down and eat," she said as she brought back the bowl containing the Wild Vegetable Dumplings and set it on the table.
Lunch consisted of Wild Vegetable Dumplings, chicken soup, and a plate of pickled vegetables.
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