Chapter 4

When Yang Ruqing saw the old woman for the first time, she felt that this was not someone easy to get along with. This thought had just crossed her mind when the old woman at the door opened her thin lips and started shouting at the woman inside.

"It's almost noon, and the clothes haven't been aired, the rice hasn't been washed, and the kitchen is cold. Are you deliberately trying to starve the whole family at noon? I searched for you everywhere and couldn't find you, but you were hiding here, you lazy and wicked good-for-nothing!"

Sun Shi, holding a handkerchief, stood by the bed with her shoulders hunched. She glanced at Yang Ruqing sitting on the bed behind her, then turned to the old woman at the door and stammered, "Mother, I just came in. Qing'er was running a fever all night and just woke up. I was about to give her some tea..."

"Phew!" Sun Shi's words were cut off by Tan Shi's wave of her hand.

Only then did Tan Shi's cold gaze fall on Yang Ruqing, her face full of disgust. She spat on the ground and cursed, "You're finally awake? Shameless thing, jumping into the pond for a man, you've disgraced the old Yang family! You shameless wretch, even the King of Hell doesn't want you, just living to waste the old Yang family's money and grain!"

Yang Ruqing was taken aback.

Jump into the pond? For a man? A suicide pact?

This body was at most twelve or thirteen years old. In modern times, that would be a little girl just starting middle school. She never expected that in ancient times, people could be so reckless!

Thinking of this, a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

No matter what the reason, one shouldn't give up on their life so easily, especially for a man?

Speaking of which, even if it were true, this old lady, who seemed to be the original owner's grandmother, had a particularly venomous tongue. Wasn't she afraid of scaring her granddaughter to death?

Seeing Yang Ruqing's smile, Tan Shi's face darkened even more. She didn't want to look at Yang Ruqing any longer and started scolding Sun Shi, who was standing by the bed: "Look, look, this is the daughter you raised. I call her shameless, and she grins at me like an idiot! Oh... What did the old Yang family do in a past life to deserve such a fool in our family? The whole family will be dragged down by this idiot. The third son even ran to town to buy medicine for this fool, truly a waste of money..."

Hearing her mother-in-law curse her daughter like this, Sun Shi was so angry that her whole body trembled. She wanted to argue, but she didn't have the courage to contradict her mother-in-law. Feeling guilty, she glanced at Qing'er and saw her daughter sitting on the bed, her plump face twisted into a strange smile, showing her yellow teeth...

Tears welled up in Sun Shi's eyes as she clutched the handkerchief and said softly to Tan Shi, "Mother, it's all my fault, not Qing'er's. If anyone is to blame, it's me, Sun Shi, who has wronged everyone, the old Yang family, and my Qing'er... Mother, if you're angry, take it out on me. Qing'er just barely survived, and both her father and I hope she can live a good life from now on... I beg you, Mother, don't say such inauspicious things in front of her..."

"Phew!" Tan Shi, hands on her hips, spat directly at the bed. If Sun Shi hadn't moved quickly, the old phlegm would have landed on her shoes.

"A pair of jinxes, plagues! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and wash the clothes! The sun is already high, and the kitchen is still quiet. What a waste of a family..."

Tan Shi cursed as she left the room. When she reached the courtyard, she kicked the washboard off the wooden basin with a loud "bang!" The sound made Sun Shi, who was in the west wing, shudder, almost dropping the damp handkerchief in her hand.

Sun Shi came to her senses and saw her daughter looking at her, her head slightly tilted, her brows slightly furrowed, as if pondering something.

Sun Shi was surprised. Her daughter had been a fool since birth. They had seen doctors, taken many medicines, tried folk remedies, and even consulted a shaman in a nearby village, who said her daughter's soul was incomplete and could not be cured.

Although they later had two more sons, Qing'er's condition was a constant worry for the couple.

They often consoled each other, as long as Qing'er was happy, they didn't dare to hope for more.

But the expression on her daughter's face now, as if she had something on her mind, a bit unhappy, was unexpected.

This discovery made Sun Shi both surprised and delighted.

If she can think, could it be that Qing'er has finally come to her senses?

She put down the handkerchief, sat next to Yang Ruqing, and gently held her broad, sturdy shoulders, leaning down and asking softly, "Qing'er, what are you thinking about? Tell Mother..."

Yang Ruqing lifted her head, her gaze falling on Sun Shi's face. Sun Shi was even more surprised, having been so focused on her daughter's recovery that she hadn't noticed the change.

Her daughter's eyes seemed different from before. She couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

"Mother, who was that old woman cursing just now? Is she my grandmother?" Yang Ruqing finally spoke, her voice a bit hoarse. Her throat immediately felt like it was on fire, and she winced in pain.

When Tan Shi was cursing earlier, she had wanted to retort but held back because her throat was sore.

Hearing Yang Ruqing's question, Sun Shi's face showed surprise and confusion. Her already large eyes examined Yang Ruqing's face, as if she didn't recognize her own daughter.

Did I hear that right? Qing'er can speak more clearly now?

Before, the child could only speak one word at a time, with a mental age of about five or six, and it took several attempts to form a complete sentence.

Yang Ruqing was also examining Sun Shi, wondering why her adopted mother had such a strange expression.

"Mother, I'm asking you a question..."

"Oh, oh..." Sun Shi finally came to her senses, her gaze on Yang Ruqing filled with relief, but also more guilt and concern.

She gently pushed Yang Ruqing's messy hair to the sides, sighed, and said softly, "Mother knows you were wronged just now. Don't blame your grandmother; she actually cares about you, but she has a sharp tongue and a soft heart..."