TPGA - 52

Chapter 52: Father and Daughter

“Forget it. That man has always been overbearing, and his brother-in-law works at the county office. We can’t afford to offend him, so let him take some advantage. Besides, we got the musk deer back in the end, didn’t we?” After starting the fire, Wu Laosan skinned the musk deer while sizing up Yunyi. “I see you’ve lost some weight since coming back this time. Is it because you’re not used to working at the governor’s mansion? I’ve heard that in those big households, the rules are strict. If you make even a small mistake or if one of the masters takes a disliking to you, you’ll be punished—often made to kneel for two or three hours.”

Yunyi smiled faintly and replied, “There are quite a few rules, but the people in the mansion are relatively kind. It’s not as harsh as you described. Besides, I don’t have to do any menial work in the governor’s mansion.” Under Wu Laosan’s surprised gaze, she recounted how she had been selected as a dancing girl. Hearing this, Wu Laosan was quite pleased and nodded repeatedly. After asking a few more questions about her life in the governor’s mansion, he sighed and said, “It’s all my fault for being useless and not earning enough money, forcing you, a young woman, to go out and work.”

Yunyi, doing her best to mimic Meixue’s tone, said, “Father, please don’t say that. You found me in a tiger’s den and raised me with great effort. What I’m doing now is nothing compared to what you’ve done for me.”

Wu Laosan shook his head. After a moment, he said, “If you’re unhappy there, don’t go back. I can support you. At most, I’ll just have to make more trips to the mountains and hunt more musk deer and pheasants to sell.”

Thinking of Feng Cheng’s face, Yunyi sneered, “No matter how much you hunt, the benefits will always end up in Feng Cheng’s hands.”

Wu Laosan had never seen Meixue with such an expression or tone before. He looked at her in surprise. Realizing her slip, Yunyi quickly covered it up by saying, “Whenever I think about how Feng Cheng bullies you, it makes me sad.”

Yunyi’s words warmed Wu Laosan’s heart. He waved his hand dismissively and said, “It’s fine. I’m used to it. Right now, I have no other thoughts except saving up enough money over the next couple of years to find you a good family so you can marry well. Then, my heart will truly be at peace.” Pausing, he added regretfully, “I did meet a decent young man recently—well-mannered and handsome—but unfortunately, he’s already married.”

Yunyi was momentarily stunned, then laughed softly. “Father, where did you get such ideas? I haven’t thought about marriage at all.”

“Ah, when boys grow up, they marry; when girls grow up, they wed. There’s no avoiding it. People would laugh at you if they heard otherwise. Actually, Ruhui isn’t bad either—he studies hard and treats you well. The Du family is also fairly prosperous. But his mother… alas!” Wu Laosan shook his head and suggested, “Otherwise... I could ask Aunt Li, the matchmaker from the east side of the village, to keep an eye out for you.” As he spoke, he finished skinning the musk deer, and the water on the fire had come to a boil.

Yunyi couldn’t help but smile wryly. “As you say, but I’m still young. Let’s wait a couple of years, as you suggested earlier.”

Wu Laosan didn’t press further. He efficiently rinsed his hands and, seeing Yunyi’s hands tucked close to her body, fetched two pieces of iron, placed a piece of charcoal between them, wrapped it in old cloth, and handed it to her. “Here, use this to warm your hands. By the time you return next, I should have saved enough copper to make you a proper hand warmer. That’ll be much better.”

Yunyi examined the object in her hands in surprise. She had no idea that two pieces of iron and a piece of charcoal could make a hand warmer. “You can make hand warmers too?”

Wu Laosan chuckled. “You little girl, have you forgotten everything after just over a month away? I’ve done all sorts of things—blacksmithing, carpentry. Making a hand warmer is nothing. It’s just that copper is expensive these days, so I can only save up bit by bit.” Smiling, he asked, “Well, is it warming up for you?”

Yunyi smiled and said, “Very warm. Thank you, Father.” Her words made Wu Laosan happy, and he bent his head to continue preparing the musk deer. He didn’t notice the complex look in Yunyi’s eyes.

The person who should truly be called “Father” had never neglected her and had never stinted on her needs. From childhood to adulthood, she had owned at least eight hand warmers, yet none were as warm as the one she held now.

She could see that Wu Laosan genuinely loved and cared for Meixue. In this regard, Meixue was far luckier than her.

“Alright!” Wu Laosan’s voice pulled Yunyi from her thoughts. Looking up, she saw that he had already cleaned the musk deer, cut off its remaining hind leg, and chopped it into pieces to prepare braised musk deer meat. The rest of the meat was coated with seasoning and hung in the courtyard to dry, allowing it to be preserved for a long time. Whenever they wanted to eat it, they could simply cut off a piece—a common method used by ordinary families.

As Wu Laosan prepared to take the meat inside, he remembered something and asked, “By the way, what did you say to add to remove the gaminess?”

“Vinegar and radishes.” To avoid suspicion, she added, “The kitchen staff at the mansion taught me.”

Wu Laosan nodded. “Alright, I’ll go buy some now. You stay here and wait. If you’re cold, go inside and sit down so you don’t catch a chill.”

“Mm.” After Wu Laosan left, Yunyi carefully examined the small courtyard. There were only two wooden houses—one serving as the kitchen and dining area, and the other as their living quarters, divided into two rooms by wooden boards. Aside from a bed and a cabinet on one side, there was nothing else. In Meixue’s room stood a dressing table with a slightly rough makeup box, likely made by Wu Laosan himself. Opening it, she found a thin silver hairpin, a few red strings, and beneath them, a yellowed piece of paper. Unfolding it, she saw the following written: Born on the Renwu day of the Gengshen month in the Wuwu year, at the Gengzi hour.

Seeing these characters, Yunyi’s pupils contracted sharply. If she wasn’t mistaken, these were Meixue’s birth details—but... how could this be? This... this was impossible!

As her thoughts were in turmoil, footsteps sounded outside the house. She quickly folded the paper and put it back, closing the makeup box just as the door was pushed open. Turning around, she saw a young man about seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in a pale moon-white scholar’s robe, with a clear and handsome face, looking at her joyfully.

Yunyi silently speculated about the identity of this young man. She had only ever heard Meixue mention Wu Laosan and never any other relatives. She didn’t dare ask casually for fear of revealing any cracks in her disguise. However, judging by the quality of his clothes, his family must be relatively well-off—certainly better off than Meixue’s family.

Before Yunyi could speak, the young man happily said, “I just ran into Uncle Wu, and he said you were back, so I hurried over to see you. Meixue, how have you been in the governor’s mansion? I heard that Chunxiu and Ji Rong also entered the mansion. Have they been bullying you?”