Chapter 15: If You Aren't Alang, Then Who Is?

Even though she thought so, Yu Tingwan couldn't exactly start stripping the other person's clothes while looking at them; she'd be scolded as a hooligan.

If it were any other girl hearing such words, her face would have been flushed and burning long ago.

But not Yu Tingwan.

She was born without knowing how to be shy, and she was actually listening very intently.

The young lady was diligently studying the "experience."

After a simple cleaning to make the room habitable, the villagers didn't stay long. As they all left the courtyard, people began shaking their heads one after another.

"If we hadn't rushed over just now, and if the Village Head hadn't backed her up, a girl like her would have surely been suppressed by Lady Wang and the Xu family by now."

"That child is quite pitiful. Look at those chilblains on her hands—how could anyone bear to look? Just now, she was thanking us so softly and repeatedly; you couldn't tell at all that she had just arrived in Xilin Village."

A young wife who had recently married into Xilin Village couldn't help but ask, "What was she like back then?"

"Her father was an escort with great skills. He doted on his only daughter terribly; the little girl had been wearing gold and silver since she was small."

"Back then, the girl was arrogant and prickly all over. If she was in a bad mood, she'd even stop on the road to curse at a dog."

Someone joined in with a laugh: "She used to bicker with Lady Wang all day long, too."

"Every time Hu Dazhu wasn't around, Lady Wang would be sarcastic toward her, and with that temper of hers, she wouldn't tolerate it for a second."

"Lady Wang would jump around in frustration because she couldn't do anything to her, and the girl would be exceptionally brazen about it."

The person thought for a moment, then imitated Yu Tingwan's casual yet difficult tone, lifting her head high.

"Auntie, you should calm down. What if you die of anger because of me?"

Someone in the crowd burst into laughter.

"I know, I know! She said one more thing afterward."

"What was it?"

"She said, 'It would be fine if you died of anger, that way I'd have a new auntie.'"

An older woman sighed with emotion, "Wan-niang had to go through a lot of hardship for her temperament to gradually become so steady. In the end, she just learned how to read people's faces."

Li Lian was the last to leave.

She said to the gentle young girl before her, "No need to see me out."

"The quilt you brought from the Hu family looks thin. It will be cold at night, so burn more firewood."

As she spoke, she lowered her voice.

"The family has been busy these past few days, so I haven't been able to go out much. But I've kept your matter in my heart. Tomorrow, when I go to Butcher Wu's to fetch a pig, I'll mention you to him."

"It's near the end of the year, and several nearby villages will be sending people over, so he might be busy too."

"If he's willing, I'll ask him to make time to see you as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Yu Tingwan felt at ease.

After bidding farewell to Li Lian, she returned to her room and slid the bolt shut. Only then did she have the chance to properly examine this old house.

After everything that had happened, Yu Tingwan was exhausted.

Tonight had been terrifying enough, and having to move to a new place again, she thought she would inevitably struggle, but as soon as she lay down, she fell into a deep sleep shortly after.

As time passed, light climbed up the walls, and daylight replaced the night.

Since she had to live in this old house for a while, Yu Tingwan wiped it down inside and out.

The scraped skin on her leg hadn't scabbed over yet, and she would accidentally pull at it if she wasn't careful. Her movements were slow, but fortunately, she was in no rush.

Someone had lived here before; although there was no kitchen, Yu Tingwan found a simple pot in a corner.

It was broken, but the bottom was fine, so it would do for now.

She washed it and boiled some hot water.

By the time she finished cleaning, it was noon, and Yu Tingwan had worked up a sweat.

"Wan-niang! Wan-niang!"

Someone called her from outside.

Auntie Wu was standing outside holding a basket.

"Auntie, why are you here?"

"I came to bring you some food."

Auntie Wu lifted the cloth covering the basket to show her; inside were several coarse grain steamed buns.

Yu Tingwan guessed her purpose.

Sure enough, Auntie Wu grabbed her hand with lingering fear. "It's a good thing you reminded my daughter-in-law, otherwise something terrible would have happened."

Without Yu Tingwan even asking, she said irritably, "That Xu boy is nothing but trouble!"

Yu Tingwan was stunned.

"Didn't the Village Head drive them away?"

How had something still happened?

"He did, but the legs belong to them; they were dawdling and refusing to leave. They even wanted your auntie to pay for the roof repairs."

Yu Tingwan:...

How could that stingy Lady Wang agree to that?

"I was in a hurry to travel, so I didn't pay much attention."

"Everything was fine, but before they even left the village, someone suddenly jumped out from Widow Shi's house. They went straight for Xiufen, trying to ram into her."

Yu Tingwan: "What if they had actually hit her?"

Indeed! It was lucky she was there. If she hadn't been strong, if she hadn't blocked them in time...

She spat in disgust, "Those sons of bitches! The whole Xu family is rotten to the core. At such a young age, they're already acting like thieves, stealing Widow Shi's purse! If anything happens to the child in Xiufen's womb, I'll beat him to death!"

After this incident, the Village Head flew into a rage and had the Xu family driven straight out of the village.

She pushed the coarse buns into Yu Tingwan's arms.

"Don't be polite with me. Now that you're living outside, what will you eat without grain? I'm the best at making buns, give them a try."

"Once Xiufen gives birth, you must come to our house for a meal."

Yu Tingwan smiled.

By then, she would have long since married out.

She truly was hungry. After thanking her, she was just about to take a bite when there was movement next door. A woman in coarse cloth came out carrying a food box.

When Yu Tingwan saw who it was, she immediately felt uneasy.

Wasn't this Wei Shen's mother?

After all this wandering, she had actually moved to the end of the village?

Auntie Wu greeted her with a smile, "Hui-niang, are you out delivering food again?"

She asked with concern, "How is your Alang doing?"

A rare look of joy appeared on Hui-niang's face. "Dr. Qian said once he's a bit more stable in a few days, he can move back to recover."

Living at the Qian house was ultimately inconvenient.

Old Man Qian's medical skills were limited; all he could do every day was write prescriptions and apply medicine.

"That is good news."

Auntie Wu added, "If he pulls through, you can send him to a clinic in town later. If he recovers, you'll have something to look forward to."

She introduced, "This is Wan-niang, Hu Dazhu's niece. She just moved in yesterday. I know you're busy, but once Alang moves back and you have some free time, you two should visit each other often."

She turned to Yu Tingwan and said, "Everyone knows how capable the Wei family's Alang is; he's a man who has been on the battlefield. Living next door to him, who would dare to mess with you?"

Yu Tingwan:... "That might not be convenient."

Hui-niang: "It's not that it's inconvenient, it's just..."

Her face was clouded with sorrow. "It's just that this child insists he is not Alang."

Auntie Wu was shocked. "Huh?"

"I asked him, 'If you aren't Alang, then who are you?'"

"What did he say?"

"He fell silent."

Auntie Wu slapped her thigh. "See, he couldn't answer."

"He doesn't even recognize us."

Auntie Wu felt that this couple was truly miserable.

"But then he turned around and hung the peace talisman from his pillow around his neck!"

And after that, no matter how they tried to coax him, he wouldn't show a smile.

Most importantly! He wanted to leave.

However, before he could even get out of bed, Old Man Qian had pressed him back down.

Hui-niang was very sad. "He must have hit his head when he fell from the mountain that day."