Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yan Lingsu finished cooking and entered the house. When she saw the two of them sitting there staring at each other, Yan Lingyu’s eyes were still a little red from the anger. She said in surprise, “What happened? Did you two quarrel?”
“We did not. Lingyu was worried about the family’s livelihood. I said I could earn money for the family, but she didn’t believe me. She was upset and started to cry.”
Yan Lingsu was angry and amused at the same time. She tapped Yan Qixun’s forehead and said, “Just admit it. Why did you provoke Lingyu? She is a little delicate and not as thick-skinned as you, but you just like to tease her. If you make her cry, surely Mother will be angry with you.”
Yan Lingyu was speechless. Who was the one that got so angry that their eyes turned red? Even though she was her biological sister, Yan Qixun was someone who had lived for two lifetimes. To her, this biological sister was just a baby. Why bother?
Yan Lingyu touched her face and forced a smile, and said, “I’m fine.”
A family of brothers and sisters would bicker with each other for no reason. Sometimes they would get angry, and sometimes they would get better. It was not worth taking it seriously. Yan Lingsu smiled gently.
In her previous life, Yan Lingsu was an orphan. She said she died to save others, but it was just a lonely world in reality. She had nothing to live for, so she could die calmly.
In this life as a twelve-year-old, her father was kind and was a serious man. Her mother was gentle and dignified. Her eldest brother was honest and generous. Her second brother was rebellious but doted on them very much. Her fourth sister was naughty and cute but also thoughtful, and her little sister was so delicate and delicate that people could not help but love her. Such parents and siblings were the things that she could cherish.
Feeling worried, she rechecked Yan Qixun’s pulse to make sure that her body was fine, then she smiled and said, “Mother and Second Brother should be back soon. This muddy road is tough to walk on. You two stay at home. I’ll go and welcome them so that I can help to carry some things.”
Yan Qixun hurriedly pulled her. “Sister, you’ve been busy all day. Hurry up and get on the brick bed to rest for a while. I thought that mother would take an ox-cart back. Our house is not far from the main road. It won’t be too late to welcome them when we hear their return.” Yan Lingsu smiled and said, “That’s fine too.”
Sitting on the brick bed, she thought of the argument between the two of them, and Yan Lingsu said, “I’ve told you before that you don’t have to worry about family matters. Earning money isn’t something that you should think about. There’s me, Second Brother, and Mother.
“I’ve studied medicine with my grandfather since I was young, and I know a lot of medicinal herbs. I’ll go to the mountains and dig up some medicinal herbs to refine and sell when I’m free. I’ll be able to earn some money.”
Her grandfather, Gongyu Jin, was the Imperial Physician of the Yuan Imperial Hospital. He was implicated in an incident and resigned. On the way back to his hometown with his family, bandits severely injured him. He temporarily stayed in the Yan family village, thinking that he would return to his hometown after recovering from his injuries.
During their stay, his only daughter, Gongyu Mingxi, accidentally fell into the water while washing clothes and was saved by Yan Fengchi. Yan Fengchi’s grandfather worked in the Imperial Academy of the Capital before his death. He was an official of the same dynasty as Gongyu Jin, so they could be considered acquaintances. Gongyu Jin simply married her daughter to Yan Fengchi.
After the two of them got married, Gongyu Jin thought that there were no relatives in his hometown, and he was worried about his only daughter. So, he decided to settle down in the Yan family village and built a house next to her son-in-law’s house, living next door to her son-in-law’s family.
Yan Lingsu had shown exceptional talent in medical skills since she was young. She studied medicine with her grandfather until the old man passed away. However, she had never checked someone’s pulse because she was young and was a girl. Therefore, she was not exaggerating when she said she would get herbs to earn money.
Yan Qixun was embarrassed. If she insisted that she could earn money, her third sister would not believe it, just like Yan Lingyu. She was not in the mood to say anything else.
However, it was also dull to just sit there. She could only awkwardly, “Why don’t I tell you a joke?” Without waiting for the two girls to respond, she continued her joke.
“A centipede was bitten by a poisonous snake and was sent to the animal clinic for emergency treatment. After the doctor diagnosed it, he said it must be amputated to prevent the poison from spreading.
“You have to hold on! The centipede said that it has a lot of legs to amputate! I can do it! “The doctor comforted the centipede.
“Dear centipede, think about it. You will be an earthworm after this.”
Yan Lingyu covered her mouth and laughed, and Yan Lingsu’s eyes were full of smiles. The three sisters laughed for a while. Yan Lingsu heard footsteps outside and looked out the window. She saw her mother and Second Brother, Yan Yuhao, returning with something on their backs.
Yan Lingsu quickly jumped off the bed and shuffled her shoes to welcome them. Yan Qixun and Yan Lingyu leaned against the window and looked out.
Gongyu Mingxi opened the bamboo fence and entered the courtyard first. Second Brother, Yan Yuhao, followed her into the courtyard, but he slipped and crashed into the bamboo door. He fell onto his butt and sat in the mud. Yan Qixun and Yan Lingyu were both shocked and opened their mouths. However, he was still protecting the package and holding it high up. His appearance was ridiculous.
Yan Qixun said, “I hope the door is okay.”
Yan Lingyu slightly laughed. She thought it was not kind to laugh at her second brother like that. To show that she was kind, she even rolled her eyes at Yan Qixun and said, “Shouldn’t you be worried about Second Brother now? Why are you worried about the door? I’ll tell Second Brother about it later.”
Their grandfather, Gongyu Jin, did not have any sons. Gongyu Mingxi gave birth to three children in her first birth. Among the three children, the eldest and second children were boys. Gongyu Jin discussed with Yan Fengchi that the second son should be passed on to the Gongyu family. Therefore, Second Brother took Grandfather’s surname, Gongyu, and put him under the name of the uncle who died young.
Gongyu was an extremely rare compound surname. Later on, Gongyu Mingxi gave birth to the twins, Yan Qixun and Yan Lingyu. Yan Qixun was the godchild of their uncle, who died young. Therefore, her name was Yan Qixun, and she did not follow the “Ling” middle name of the family. Therefore, in this life, she was no longer called Yan Qixun. Her current name should be— Gongyu Qixun.
Strictly speaking, Yan Qixun and Second Brother, Gongyu Hao, were cousins with their elder brother and sister. However, the five siblings were all addressed according to their own family’s prologue in their own family.
The two young ladies were leaning against the window and gloating over the incident. Yan Lingsu was very kind. She quickly ran to catch the things in Gongyu Hao’s hands and even lent a hand to get him up.
Gongyu Mingxi looked at her restless son and her two daughters, who were leaning against the window sill and giggling foolishly. She shook her head.
The boy was very sturdy and would not be injured if he fell. However, she was worried now that he did not have any clothes to change. Each one of them was worried.
When Mother entered the house, Yan Qixun and Yan Lingyu also got down from the brick bed. They surrounded Gongyu Mingxi and asked, “Mother, what did you and Second Brother buy? Why are there so many things?”
“Because there isn’t much money, we only bought two beds and some bedding. Let’s make do with it for now. We also purchased a few katis of silk cotton and a few pieces of cloth to make your clothes for you to change.
“There are also some grains and oil and salt. I’m afraid that you will have to live a hard life with your mother in the future. However, this is only temporary. I will think of ways to earn some money back later.”
In this era, there was no cotton. The ordinary people did not have much money. Their clothes were stuffed with straw, kapok cotton, and cattail catkins to keep warm in winter. Those who came from better families used silk cotton. The wealthy families had not only silk cotton but also leather.
The Yan family originally had a few old fur coats, but they were all swallowed by the fire. The Gongyu family was worried about how they would spend the winter. Because they could not bear seeing the children fall ill from the cold, they decided to buy silk cotton to make winter clothes.
Yan Lingsu helped to put away the things, and at the same time, she said, “Earlier, Grandmother Zuo sent over a few catty of rice noodles, a jar of porridge, and a few pieces of flatbread.
“The First Granduncle sent over 50 katis of miscellaneous grains and two blankets. The Second Granduncle also sent over 30 katis of brown rice and ten taels of silver. We kept the things, but I rejected the silver.
“There were people from the clan who said they would gather some grains and send them over later. I thought that their families were short of silver, so I didn’t reply. I only said that the two Granduncles’ families had already sent some over. Our family will buy some more, enough to eat until next summer’s harvest.”
After buying bedding and clothes, the remaining silver could not buy much food..