Chapter 6: My Family’s Yaozu

This man was none other than Dai Bo’an, the county magistrate’s legitimate son.
Since birth, he had been frail and sickly, often suffering from dizziness. He also struggled greatly during the summer heat, frequently losing his appetite. As a result, he became even thinner in the summer months, with sunken cheeks. If one caught a glimpse of him from afar, he looked as though a single gust of wind could blow him away.
As the eldest legitimate son, he should have been the pride and hope of his father. However, due to his weak constitution, his father always looked at him with a mixture of complex emotions, hesitation evident in his eyes. When he was young, he didn’t understand what it meant. But as he grew older and learned to read and write, he gradually came to understand.
He finally realized the meaning behind his father’s gaze: disappointment.
His father did not have only him as a son. With the legitimate heir deemed useless, there were still several concubine-born sons to rely on. Things had been fine when he was younger, but as he grew up, the distance between father and son widened, and his mother’s life in the inner quarters became increasingly difficult.
He resented his father and felt guilty toward his mother.
He did not believe that poor health prevented him from upholding the family’s honor; it merely meant his life might be shorter. He refused to accept fate. He was determined to carve out a path to success for himself.
He put in two or three times more effort than ordinary people, all to prove that he was capable. He was determined to ensure that his mother and younger sister could hold their heads high within the household.
Today, his mother had sent someone to deliver a message to the academy. He assumed something must have happened at home. As soon as classes ended, he hurried back, forgetting that he hadn’t eaten breakfast. His dizziness acted up again, which was why he had stopped the carriage and asked Laifu to buy some food to settle his stomach.
Dai Bo’an originally had no appetite, but upon seeing the sweet potato soup with its intermingling red and yellow hues, he suddenly felt hungry.
He slowly scooped up a spoonful of sweet potato, some brown sugar syrup clinging to it. The first thing he tasted was the soft, powdery texture of the sweet potato. Eating sweet potato alone might leave one feeling slightly dry-mouthed, but the brown sugar syrup perfectly neutralized this slight drawback.
He had never been fond of sweet foods, yet the taste of this sweet potato soup was unexpectedly good.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but after a few bites, he suddenly felt that his dizziness had alleviated considerably.
Halfway through the meal, he noticed the lotus-leaf sticky rice chicken sitting aside, looking quite ordinary. Curious, he peeled open the dried lotus leaf, and an irresistible savory aroma immediately wafted toward him.
Without hesitation, he took a polite bite.
His usually tired and dull eyes suddenly brightened. The taste of this dish was no inferior to what the chefs in his mansion prepared; in fact, it suited his palate even better.
Dai Bo’an lifted the carriage curtain. “Laifu, go buy another portion tomorrow morning and bring it to the academy.” He raised the bag containing the sticky rice chicken as he gave the order.
Laifu nodded blankly, momentarily unable to react. Was the food really that delicious? Everyone knew that the Young Master had a poor appetite. If he left half a bowl of rice uneaten, it was considered a good day. Yet just now, the Young Master had finished an entire sticky rice chicken. Maybe he should buy one for himself tomorrow to try?
He scratched his head, pondering.
Xu Ning and Feng Xiwen were packing up their stall, completely unaware that they would gain two loyal customers the next day.
After Xu Ning had mostly finished cleaning up, she handed two sticky rice chickens to Sun Yang. “Old Uncle, please take these home for you and your wife to taste.”
“How can I accept this?” Sun Yang declined. The young girl gave him food almost every day. Although he occasionally returned the favor, it wasn’t often.
Xu Ning smiled, revealing dimples identical to Xu Ran’s, making her appear extremely approachable. “Please, Old Uncle, just take them.”
She pushed the sticky rice chickens forward slightly. “I actually have something I’d like to ask you.”
Sun Yang wiped his hands and laughed heartily. “Hey, you young lady, why are you being so polite with me? Alright then, I’ll accept them. Ask away. There’s nothing in this town that I don’t know about.”
He really wanted to refuse, but the aroma of the sticky rice chicken drilled straight into his nose—it was truly unbearable! At worst, he could give them meat burgers tomorrow.
“My husband was injured while hunting in the mountains. A few days ago, the doctor told me that his wounds weren’t healing because of internal damage. Are there any skilled doctors in town who specialize in treating such conditions?” Xu Ning asked.
“Doctor Chen in Xinghua Lane is very skilled in this area. When I was young, I also suffered internal injuries. He prescribed me some medicine, and after taking it for about ten days, I was mostly recovered. It was truly effective, with no lingering side effects. Excellent!”
Sun Yang stroked his beard, then furrowed his brows. “However… his personality is somewhat eccentric. He treats patients based on his mood. If you happen to visit him when he’s in a bad mood, you’ll be out of luck!”
So eccentric? Could it be…
“Did something happen to him?” Xu Ning asked quietly.
Sun Yang looked at her in surprise. He had intended to keep them guessing, but he hadn’t expected the young woman to be so perceptive.
“That’s correct,” Sun Yang lowered his voice. “I heard that when he was young, he accepted an apprentice. But that apprentice’s character was truly questionable. After learning only half of his skills, the apprentice hastily ran away, stealing most of Doctor Chen’s assets. Tell me, who wouldn’t be upset by such a thing?”
“Ever since then, his temperament became very strange. I’ve heard he enjoys drinking. Remember to bring a jar of good wine when you go see him,” Sun Yang advised.
“Understood. Thank you, Old Uncle,” Xu Ning said with a smile.
“No need to thank me. It’s the least I can do. Besides, I should be thanking you for the sticky rice chicken. I won’t keep you any longer. My old woman has probably finished cooking and is waiting for me to come home. I’ll be off now.” He waved goodbye and walked away hurriedly.
Xu Ning returned the gesture, and then she and Feng Xiwen headed back to the village together.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she felt that there were far fewer people in the fields today. Those who remained occasionally glanced at them with strange looks.
Although their gazes were subtle, she still noticed them. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment, and a sense of foreboding filled her chest.
Sure enough, before they even reached home, they saw a crowd gathered outside their house from a distance. Xu Ning and Feng Xiwen exchanged a glance and quickened their pace.
Pushing through the crowd, they saw an old woman throwing a tantrum, rolling on the ground. Beside her lay a man with his eyes closed and his face pale.
They were familiar with this man. He was the same person who had sneaked into their home a few days earlier, attempting to assault Xu Ning.
The old woman kept slapping the ground, wailing loudly without shedding any tears. “It’s the end of the world! You vicious, wicked women! How dare you treat my Yaozu like this!”
After shouting, she raised her hands and gestured wildly. “Everyone, come and look! Look at what they’ve done to our Yaozu! Look at the state he’s in! Our Yaozu has been unconscious this whole time. What will I do without you, my son!”
Xu Shu was utterly speechless. They had waited half a month before coming to cause trouble. Their intentions were crystal clear—they just wanted to extort money.
Xu Shu rolled her eyes, placed her hands on her hips, and shouted, “Let me finish the story for you! Your Yaozu is shameless! I’ve heard that your son has no sense of decency, sleeping naked in public with the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed. It’s utterly scandalous!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the surrounding villagers burst into laughter. Everyone in the village already knew that Li Yaozu liked to sleep naked. This topic had been the talk of his own family for half a month and was still fresh news.
Li Pozi looked like a mouse stepped on by a cat. Her eyes darted around nervously. However, having thick skin, she quickly convinced herself. She had endured the villagers’ gossip and pointing fingers for half a month. Today, she was determined to seek justice and restore her family’s reputation; otherwise, how would her Yaozu ever find a wife?
She stopped rolling on the ground and instantly got up. “Bah! It must be that your family of loose women tried to seduce our Yaozu. When you failed, you got angry and stripped him naked, throwing him into the fields. It’s all your fault!” She pointed at Xu Shu and cursed loudly.
As soon as she finished speaking, she was sent flying. Huo Xiangli had come out.
Although his injuries hadn’t fully healed, dealing with an old woman was well within his capabilities.
He had been catching up on sleep in his room but came out immediately upon hearing the commotion. Otherwise, if anything went wrong, that female thief would surely blame him.
“Oh no! Murder! They’re killing people! They’re silencing witnesses because I told the truth!” Li Pozi slapped her thighs and cried out with surprising vigor.
Her eyes rolled, and she continued cursing. “There’s a male adulterer in the house, and you still try to seduce our Yaozu. You women are truly cheap!” She widened her eyes and pointed at Huo Xiangli.
Wow, weren’t they saying that this household consisted only of women? How did a man suddenly appear? The villagers perked up, watching the drama with great interest.
Huo Xiangli had initially intended to give the old woman a warning. He didn’t expect her to be so ungrateful and slander them casually. Frowning, he looked at the man lying on the ground. Was it Yaozong or Yaozu?
Regardless, he stepped forward without hesitation and planted his foot on Li Yaozu’s wrist, grinding down firmly.
Li Yaozu had always been a bully at home, but he was tough on the outside and weak on the inside. His body was frail. Almost the moment Huo Xiangli stepped on him, he screamed.
“Ahh—” His voice was loud and strong, hardly resembling someone who had been unconscious.
At this point, the onlookers finally understood what was going on. They looked at the mother and son with disdain.
“Husband, what’s happening here?” Xu Ning finally stepped forward. She naturally linked her arm with Huo Xiangli’s. Standing together, they looked like a perfect match, a handsome couple.
So this young man was their son-in-law. Look at Li Pozi, trying to turn white into black.
Li Xiufang, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. “Your Yaozu looks truly…” She paused deliberately before continuing, “…truly hard to describe. Plus, with a shrew like you in the family, no wonder no girls from the surrounding villages are willing to marry into your family.”
Needless to say, the women in Xu’s family were all beautiful. Li Yaozu, on the other hand, was short, ugly, and clumsy. He didn’t resemble Li Pozi’s description in the slightest. The villagers could easily tell who was telling the truth and who was lying.
“What? Do you think anyone in our family would fancy him? You’re worrying too much. We find it painful to even look at him.” Li Xiufang gave her another meaningful look. “Also, that bracelet on your hand doesn’t belong to you, does it?”
As soon as Li Xiufang finished speaking, Li Pozi panicked and tried to hide the bracelet. But everyone around had already seen the silver bracelet shining brightly in the sunlight.
Li Xiufang slowly took out another identical bracelet. “Your Yaozu sneaked into our home in the middle of the night to steal. We caught him, but he managed to swipe a silver bracelet from us. We haven’t even settled accounts with your family yet, and you come knocking on our door yourselves. You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. In that case, we’ll report this to the authorities!”
So Li Yaozu had been retaliated against because he broke into their home to steal. The villagers suddenly understood everything, and their gazes toward the mother and son became even stranger.
“You’re lying!” Li Pozi practically screamed. That bracelet had clearly been picked up by her at her own doorstep!
“Don’t bother talking to this vile woman anymore. Husband, please go to the town and report this to the officials,” Xu Ning said, feigning anger and squeezing Huo Xiangli’s hand tightly, afraid he wouldn’t cooperate.
“Fine. I’ll go now.” His tone was somewhat闷 (muffled/resigned), making it hard to decipher his feelings, but Xu Ning knew he was certainly reluctant.
And why wouldn’t he be reluctant? Having lived a life of luxury and privilege, this was the first time he had been ordered to run errands. If it weren’t inconvenient to reveal his identity, he would have long since…!
She had originally thought the matter would pass quietly, but Li Pozi’s scene had provided them with many eyewitnesses. There was no way they could deny it now. Finally, they had thoroughly vented their frustration.
Author’s Note: