Chapter Four: Madam Miao

Er Ya gazed at her mother with deep reverence, watching as she so easily “soothed” her older brother. She bounced over cheerfully. “Alright!”

But after tallying up their belongings, even Yun Shuang, who had already prepared for the worst, fell silent—they had searched the entire house and found only ten copper coins!

In Great Qi, two copper coins could buy a single steamed bun, which meant their entire fortune was just enough for five buns!

Had someone told the former Yun Shuang this, she would have thought it was some enemy of hers playing a hellish joke.

“Mother hasn’t done anything these days, and she’s been ill often as well.”

A muttering voice came from the side. Gou Dan, still wearing a sullen look, walked in awkwardly. “If mother doesn’t recover, even these ten coins will be spent soon enough.”

Yun Shuang looked up at him, taking a silent, deep breath before putting on a calm face. “Did you drink the soup?”

“No,” Gou Dan replied, sitting down on a nearby chair and turning his head away.

He was young, but his temper was substantial.

Yun Shuang carefully put away the ten copper coins and glanced at the sky outside. “It’s getting late. Let’s rest early tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll take you both out to find something to eat.”

Autumn had passed, and the weather was growing colder; night fell earlier too. She had just arrived here, and as a woman with two children, it wasn’t safe to go out so late.

Gou Dan was startled and couldn’t help glancing at the woman nearby. She hadn’t changed—she was still saying she would go out with them to look for food…

But he couldn’t let himself hope—he mustn’t…

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment…

After all, he was just a child, and all his aggrieved longing was written plainly across his face.

Yun Shuang suppressed her laughter, lifted Er Ya up, and said, “Come, let me help you wash and change into clean clothes…”

Before she finished speaking, a woman’s voice called from outside, “Shuangniang, how are you feeling today? When I brought you some candied treats a couple days ago, Er Ya was crying her heart out, saying you were terribly ill…”

A figure instantly appeared in Yun Shuang’s mind: Lady Miao, the village chief’s wife. Yun Shuang’s brows instinctively furrowed.

But Gou Dan’s reaction was even stronger. He jumped to his feet, his young face fierce like a little beast, and darted out the door before Yun Shuang could stop him.

The next moment, the courtyard echoed with Gou Dan’s childish but angry voice—

“Go away! My mother doesn’t need your fake kindness! Get out!”

“Oh my, Gou Dan, you gave me a fright! Whatever is the matter with you? I saw your mother was unwell, so we made some bone broth at home today—I brought some over especially for her…”

“We don’t want it! Leave! Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to! My mother will never marry! I don’t want that fool for my father either!”

By the time Yun Shuang hurried out, it was too late.

Lady Miao’s face was a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance at being exposed. She glared at Gou Dan. “You little brat, such a filthy mouth for someone so young! Who are you calling a fool? Your mother dragging along two burdens and still hoping to marry into our family—she should be laughing in her dreams!”

Seeing Gou Dan about to retort, Yun Shuang quickly rushed forward and pulled him back, scolding him sternly, “Enough!”

She drew the startled boy behind her and, with a cool gaze, looked at Lady Miao, whose usual kind demeanor was nowhere to be seen. “Lady Miao, I apologize on Gou Dan’s behalf; he shouldn’t have said such things. But since we’ve come to this, there’s something I should make clear as well—I have no intention of remarrying for now, so there’s no need for you to trouble yourself on my account.”

Over the years, Lady Miao had never been subtle about her intentions. At first, Yun Shuang had hesitated, thinking her own family wasn’t bad, and even with a foolish son, perhaps they wouldn’t have to settle for a maiden.

But as her son grew older and Lady Miao faced repeated rejection in the marriage market, she fixed her gaze on Yun Shuang, who had a well-behaved son. Her persistence grew, and more than once she’d tried to force the matter.

Yet after the original Yun Shuang’s spirit was broken and her health declined, Lady Miao’s visits found her either bedridden or drowning in melancholy, making the prospect of marriage impossible.

Still, Lady Miao hadn’t given up. Yun Shuang had to admire her persistence over the years.

Lady Miao’s face darkened at these words. It was the first time Yun Shuang had so directly refused her, and she couldn’t hide her displeasure. “Yun Shuang, do you know what you’re saying? Don’t think you can marry well just because you have a passable face! A woman of unknown origin, dragging two wild brats—only our family is kind enough not to mind! Instead of being grateful, you’re actually ungrateful!”

“If my husband hadn’t taken pity on you and let you stay in this village, who knows where you’d be now!”

Faced with such venom, Yun Shuang’s expression cooled, but she remained composed, shielding her children and replying levelly, “Lady Miao, I appreciate that you think so highly of me.

But as for why Chief Huang let me stay in the village, I’m sure you know the reason.

Back then, when the military households of Xia Prefecture were fleeing in droves, the authorities would come every year to count the households. It was Chief Huang’s duty to keep the numbers up and prevent any from escaping. That’s why he allowed me to stay in Changsheng Village.

So, in a way, our relationship is mutually beneficial, isn’t it?”

Lady Miao’s face changed dramatically, disbelief written all over her.

This woman—today it was as if she’d become someone else! Not only was she no longer bedridden and weepy, but she even dared to talk back!

She was, after all, the wife of the village chief, and Yun Shuang didn’t want to completely fall out with her—at least, not yet.

After a pause, Yun Shuang’s tone softened. “Still, I do remember all the kindness Chief Huang and Lady Miao have shown me over the years. I don’t consider myself ungrateful. If I ever have the opportunity to repay you, I will do so many times over.”

Lady Miao’s lips moved for a moment before she spat, “Hmph! Anyone can say nice things! Yun Shuang, don’t blame me for being blunt—we’ve lived in the same village for years, and there’s some affection between us. You, a young woman with two children, have only survived because heaven favored you and because this village stood behind you!

But do you think things can always go your way? There have been plenty of men in the village eyeing you all these years. Do you think they all want to make you their proper wife? Dream on! If my son Chengdong wasn’t the way he is, do you think I’d even consider you?”

“Don’t be foolish and think that letting you marry Chengdong is a hardship. If you were that girl from the Liu family—pretty, shapely, and an untouched maiden—then maybe you could be choosy.

But you, with your circumstances, wanting to pick and choose—what a joke! I’ve said all I need to say. Think it over for yourself!”

The girl she mentioned, Liu Peier, had just come of age this year. As Lady Miao said, she was the prettiest in the village, with a powerful father, and had grown up surrounded by love.

The original Yun Shuang had once been much the same, perhaps even better.

Finishing, Lady Miao glared at Gou Dan, who was baring his teeth like a cub, then cast a greedy look at Yun Shuang, whose restored spirit only enhanced her beauty. With a cold huff, she turned and left.