Sun Shi tucked the blanket snugly around Yang Huazhong. She turned and glanced at the shattered shards of earthenware bowls on the floor, her mood growing heavier. Wiping away her tears, she turned to get the broom and dustpan in the corner to clean up.
But Yang Ruoqing beat her to it.
"Mama, just stay here and talk with Papa. I'll clean this up."
Sun Shi sighed and reminded her,
"Be careful not to cut your hands on the shards."
"Mm, I know."
Yang Ruoqing replied while picking up the broom and dustpan, then began tidying the mess on the floor. At the same time, she kept her ears open, listening for any sounds from the bed.
Her intuition told her: though her father, Yang Huazhong, appeared honest and simple on the outside, he was likely a man with his own opinions and backbone. Unlike her mother, Sun Shi, who had a soft, yielding nature—accepting things passively, crying when bullied, and offering weak pleas when wronged. Sigh!
In this rural village society, if a family didn't want to be pushed around, it needed a man to stand up and take charge. And when things got serious, the man had to make the call!
And sure enough, as Yang Ruoqing finished sweeping up the mess and went to push open half the window to let in fresh air and brighten up the room, Yang Huazhong finally spoke again in a hoarse voice.
"Ruoqing's mother, I've been thinking… we should split from the family and start anew!"
His voice was rough and every word was spoken with great difficulty. But once the words were out, they landed one by one with firm, thunderous weight—like a hammer slamming straight into the hearts of Sun Shi and Yang Ruoqing.
Ruoqing's eyes immediately lit up with excitement. She wanted to give this "discount dad" a hundred thumbs up. Yes! That's what I call guts!
But while she was thrilled, Sun Shi nearly fell off her stool in shock.
She instinctively reached out to cover Yang Huazhong's mouth and glanced nervously toward the door and windows. Only when she was sure no one was around did she finally let out a breath and whisper sharply:
"Qing'er's father, are you out of your mind? How could you say something so unfilial? If anyone hears this, we'll be condemned for generations!"
Yang Huazhong brushed her hand away with his uninjured one, frowning at her with bloodshot eyes.
"I, Yang Laosan, would rather be condemned than watch our family break apart—my wife and daughter cast away! Even if I never walk again, I won't let my daughter be sold off like livestock!"
To divorce his wife, to sell his daughter—even if his legs were miraculously healed, what kind of life would that be?
Sun Shi went silent. Her head lowered, tears falling again, and she muttered with a bit of hurt:
"Why are you glaring at me? She's your daughter, but she's also the flesh of my body! Do you think I'm willing? But your parents would never agree to a split. And even if we could split away, how would we survive? We can barely feed ourselves now—where would we find the money to treat your legs?"
"Even if my legs are done for, I still have my hands. As long as the two of us are willing to work hard, we can raise all three children just fine!" Yang Huazhong said firmly.
"If it were before, I might've felt guilty about the Mu family. That boy Zichuan is famous for being smart and studious, aiming to take the exams and earn titles. And Ruoqing… her mind wasn't all there..."
He paused, glancing over at Yang Ruoqing with pride and joy.
He continued:
"But now, thanks to the Bodhisattva's blessing, Ruoqing is awake and clear-headed. After we split off, we'll raise her properly for a few more years, and when the time comes, she can marry into the Mu family honorably. That'll finally take a huge weight off our shoulders. An and Xiao'an are getting older too—they can start helping out in the fields. Our life will get better and better..."
"So what you're saying is… our Ruoqing has a lucky fate, huh?"
Sun Shi wiped away her tears and looked over at Ruoqing standing by the window like she was keeping watch. Her heart warmed at the girl's cleverness. She turned back to Huazhong, bit her lip, and said:
"Fine. Even if we end up starving, this family stays together—we won't be split apart!"
"Mm. Then it's settled. Tonight, you bring my father, mother, and brothers here. I'll tell them myself."
"Then you'd better keep your temper in check and speak calmly—not like earlier when you clashed with Ruoqing's grandma the moment you opened your mouth…" Sun Shi couldn't help but warn him.
Yang Huazhong gave a helpless look.
"I know, I know."
…
Yang Ruoqing stood with her back to the bed the entire time her parents were discussing how to bring up the matter of splitting from the household later that evening. She didn't say a word, but deep down, a sense of anticipation had begun to bloom.
A split would be good. Even if the beginning was tough and lonely, just as her parents said, as long as they stuck together and worked hard, life would get better.
Besides, she'd only just transmigrated here. Everything was unfamiliar, and her body hadn't fully recovered yet.
Once the family split off, and things settled a little, she planned to walk around the village and the fields, see what business opportunities she could find, and lead her parents and the two younger brothers she hadn't met yet toward a life of abundance.
As for the supposed future husband, Mu Zichuan, she didn't feel anything for him. No anticipation, no fondness.
After all, the original owner of this body had been driven to jump into the pond and kill herself—all because of something that very boy had said!
But that was something she would keep buried in her heart—never to be shared.
…
All the other members of the Yang family—including Jin Shi and Liu Shi, who was pregnant—had been taken by Old Man Yang to the fields to harvest rice.
Tan Shi had hurt her hand and gone to Uncle Fu's house in the village to get dressed. She hadn't returned all morning.
In the backyard of the Yang house, only Yang Huazhong, Sun Shi, and Yang Ruoqing remained. It was a rare moment of peace.
The autumn sun was warm. After helping Yang Huazhong drink a bowl of herbal medicine and fall asleep, Sun Shi brought out all the damp bedding from Ruoqing's room to dry under the sun in the yard.
Ruoqing didn't idle either. With broom and dustpan in hand, she thoroughly swept the corners and under the bed in her room, then opened all the windows to air out the damp, musty smell.
After all that work, she was sweating, but she felt lighter and more refreshed.
When she stepped into the yard, she saw that her mother had already set up the large washbasin under the old pagoda tree as usual. Sun Shi was sprinkling plant ash into the water and placing a washboard over the basin to begin scrubbing the family's dirty laundry piece by piece.
"Mama, let's wash together!"
Yang Ruoqing put down the broom and dustpan, rolled up her sleeves, and walked over with a smile.
(End of Chapter)