Chapter 188: A Head Full of Water!
Even though they were exiled with no clear return date, Shu Suhua thought that instead of dwelling on hardship, it would be better to secure a good marriage for her daughter and ensure her future happiness.
Yu Luo smiled and nodded. “I’ll keep this in mind and discuss it with my mother later. But let me say this first—most of those men, I don’t know well yet. That Tao Ming from earlier, though, seems honest and straightforward, but we’ll need to observe him further. If they do end up together, I believe that even if we never leave this wilderness, Tao Ming would still provide Qiao’er with a happy life.”
“That’s good, that’s good! Oh, right, Xiao Luo, what brings you here today?”
After her excitement, Shu Suhua suddenly realized that Yu Luo and Tao Ming had come from elsewhere. Yet instead of heading to their own cave, Yu Luo had come straight to them. Curious, she asked.
“It’s like this—my uncles built a house for us elsewhere. We just found out about it yesterday. My parents already moved in last night, and I came back to check if we left anything behind in the cave. I also wanted to tell you, Third Grandpa and Third Grandma, that we’re giving you our cave. You should move in first, and when conditions improve, you can build your own house outside our residence. That way, we can be neighbors again.”
The city planned by the system already had multiple streets.
Given how close the Yu family’s third branch had been to them along this journey, Yu Luo would definitely set aside a shop for them in the future. That way, they could have a means of livelihood in this desolate land.
As for the house, it wasn’t that they were being stingy about letting the third branch move in. It was simply that many new servants would soon be added to their household, and until their character was fully understood, it might be risky for the third branch to live there.
After all, they were simple farmers, unaccustomed to the dangers of the world. Even if they had heard of such things, they likely couldn’t imagine them.
No matter how close their relationship was, one couldn’t be overly generous.
Providing them with a shop so they could earn a living and secure their future was the best way to ensure their stability.
Yu Luo’s family didn’t owe anything to others, but they couldn’t bear to ignore the third branch’s well-being.
However, after she spoke, everyone in the cave— including Yu Qiao’er, who had just been shyly avoiding the conversation—was utterly shocked!
“A house? In this place, building a house must be incredibly difficult! Let’s not even talk about bricks—your family has only been exiled for a few months. Your uncles must be quite remarkable!”
Wang Ying dreamed of having her own home, as did Wu Hongping, who had been married for over two years.
Especially Wu Hongping—she had married Yu Yongjun when she was almost eighteen, and now, after more than two years of marriage, there was still no sign of a child.
Though they were exiled, life had to go on. But since their exile, they had all been living in the same cave, and there had been no opportunity to conceive.
Now that everyone had finally settled down, she also wished to bear a child for her husband.
Yu Luo feigned delight, nodding. “Yes, my uncles are quite capable. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to send us food. But we don’t know when this rain will stop. Once it does, I’ll take you all to see the house. My father plans to start a brick kiln since there’s so much clay-rich soil here—it would be a waste not to fire bricks. Once the bricks are ready, you’ll be able to build your own houses, too.”
“That’s great, that’s great! Your family is full of resourceful people. Third Grandpa won’t hold back, then. We’ll move into your cave, and your Uncle Yongjun and the kids can come with us. This way, we’ll leave this place to your Uncle Yongcai and his wife.”
“Father, let’s move in with you. That way, we can help take care of the children and support you and Mother. This cave should be left to Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law. They’re still newlyweds—it’s better if no one disturbs them.”
As the eldest sister-in-law, Wang Ying understood her younger sister-in-law’s wishes. She spoke sensibly, ensuring that Wu Hongping wouldn’t feel awkward.
Hearing this, Wu Hongping blushed.
“That works. You all arrange it however you like. I’ll check if we left anything behind, and before I leave, I’ll say goodbye.”
“We’ll help you! If you—”
Yu Yongcai started to follow, but Yu Luo quickly declined.
How could she have him around when she needed to store things back into the system?
“No need, Uncle Yongcai. Everything important has already been moved. I’m just checking for small items we might have missed. Oh, and the furniture and other things we left behind are yours to use. It’ll make living here more convenient. I’ll be heading off now.”
With that, Yu Luo put on her conical hat and was about to leave when Yu Qiang suddenly remembered the land-clearing work.
“Xiao Luo, now that your family is moving, will we still be clearing the land?”
“Third Grandpa, yes, we’ll continue. Your wages remain the same—ten taels per acre. As for the reservoir, we’ll decide after the rain stops.”
Hearing that they still had work, everyone silently sighed in relief.
“Good, good! Xiao Luo, be careful on your way back.”
As they watched Yu Luo leave, the family members returned to the cave, each lost in thought.
“I’m so jealous that Second Sister-in-law has such capable relatives. Back when my family was exiled, my own relatives sent me a severance letter! The more I think about it, the angrier I get!”
Wang Ying was an outspoken person, unafraid to voice her resentment against her maternal family in front of her in-laws.
Wu Hongping chuckled. “Sister-in-law, don’t dwell on it. I doubt you’ll ever see them again in this lifetime. Why get angry over people you’ll never meet again? What matters most is that our whole family is together. Isn’t that the greatest blessing?”
“You always know what to say! Now that you put it that way, I feel a lot better.”
With their worries eased, laughter filled the cave as the Yu family’s third branch found comfort in each other’s company.
Meanwhile, after returning to her cave to collect the stored food, Yu Luo left some rice, flour, and eggs for the third branch before heading to the stone house.
As she used her light-footed martial arts to leave, Yu Meiyao, who had been keeping watch at the cave entrance, suddenly widened her eyes in shock!
“I think I just saw Yu Luo using light-footwork martial arts to head toward the stone house!”
“You must be seeing things. That wretched girl knowing light-footwork? Ha! I think after two days of nonstop rain, your brain is completely waterlogged!”
Rushing into the cave, Yu Meiyao eagerly shared what she had seen with her family, only to be met with Yu Yingying’s cold and mocking laughter.
