Chapter 11: Yu Zhengqing’s Clarity
Yu Haojie lowered his voice. Lying on the grass, still dazed, he recalled what had just happened while raising his arms to examine his two palms in disbelief. “I don’t know either! In a moment of desperation, the moment I put force into it—who knew they’d fly away like that!”
Ye Jiamai whispered excitedly, her eyes shining once again. “I get it—you must have a golden finger now too. Your golden finger is that divine, heavenly strength!”
At these words, both Yu Luo and her father, caught in their bewilderment, simultaneously showed a glimmer of determination in their eyes.
“Not only the three of us have it—apparently, our entire family now has a golden finger. Isn’t that just too outrageous?!”
Seeing Yu Luo’s face scrunched up like a little bun, Ye Jiamai cooed indulgently, her eyes still unable to hide her excitement. “Dear daughter, open up your mindset!”
“Yes, your mother isn’t wrong—the mindset must be broadened. Your father isn’t just some throw-in; why shouldn’t I have one too?”
“I’m not saying you can’t have it, Dad. I just think that Heaven has been overly kind to us.”
At that moment, as Yu Luo’s words faded, the system’s voice rang out again in her mind.
[System Message: Host, Yu Haojie’s ‘divine heavenly strength’ is the reward he obtained just now for assisting you in completing the mission.]
Yu Luo was utterly struck with realization! “So that’s how it is! But… if both my parents already have such a golden finger, could you… maybe get one for me too?”
Hearing Yu Luo’s shameless request, the system gave no reply; in her mind, all that remained was the sound of crackling electric current—“zzzzzz”—filling her thoughts.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhengqing and Chang Huilan sat on the cold grass, holding their two unconscious sons. Were it not for the warmth of the burning firewood, on such a night spent outdoors, none of them would have escaped the fate of freezing to death.
“How can it be? Zhengqing, I feel as if the entire second branch of our family has completely changed their core. How can Yu Haojie possibly have such enormous strength? And now Xiao Ran and Xiao Xuan remain unconscious, with blood still at the corners of their mouths—could they have internal injuries?”
Chang Huilan looked at her younger son, Yu Xiaoxuan, lying by her leg, then painedly glanced at her elder son, Yu Xiaoran. Besides her worry, her heart was filled with suspicion and hatred toward Yu Luo’s family. “Damn that Yu Haojie—how can he fake it so well? Back at the mansion, he couldn’t even let out a fart, yet today he dared to lay hands on our precious grandsons. It’s as if he’s been possessed by some evil spirit.”
At these words, the old matriarch, Matriarch Chen, immediately joined in: “And Yu Luo—even earlier, she actually slapped me! My face still burns with pain! The Yu Luo who used to tremble in my presence—how many days into exile is it now? Slapping me would have been enough; that terrifying look in her eyes earlier was as if she wanted to devour me. They must have been possessed!”
After Yu Yingying’s words, Lan, who had seldom spoken, finally murmured in a deep, soulful tone as she gazed toward the campfire not far off. “Honestly, I think perhaps the entire second branch has been silently enduring all along. Perhaps this is who they truly are.”
Yu Zhengqing raised his eyes and looked at the three huddled together, his brows furrowed deeply. “Hmph, I agree with Lan. Yu Haojie has been putting on airs for so many years for my sake, and now that the Guo An Marquis Mansion has fallen, he has nothing left to gain.”
Old Yu Hui looked at his son—whom he had once dismissed—and his eyes conveyed indescribable disgust. That once feeble Yu Haojie now was nothing but a disgrace in his eyes.
He had spent his life clad in military uniform, fighting bloody battles, and he couldn’t understand why he had been blessed with such a weak and timid son. This was also the reason Old Yu Hui had never taken a liking to Yu Haojie, even though he had only two sons.
“Whether or not they’re faking it, now that the Yu family is in decline, we are all still family.
Yu Yingying, why did you go and report them earlier? Don’t you know that even if they escape, we are all still implicated? Next time, when something like this happens, you should advise them instead of resorting to such foolish methods.”
Yu Yingying never expected that her father would not only refrain from taking her side but would now reprimand her?!
“What a load of crap about family—are you really saying that wretched scum deserve to be called your brothers?”
Hearing Matriarch Chen’s words, Yu Zhengqing snapped back irritably, “Mother! Haojie is already a grown man—put away your jealousy. That’s just an undeniable fact.”
Yu Hui, true to his rough-and-tumble roots, couldn’t fathom any nuance: “Mind your own business! I, as your father-in-law, will always be her in-law. Doesn’t she still want to defy us?”
Upon hearing his words, Yu Zhengqing felt utterly powerless!
“You listen, you… make sure you check our bundles for any medicine for internal injuries.
If the two boys have to trudge along tomorrow with their ailing bodies, without a carriage, they definitely won’t make it.”
At Yu Zhengqing’s reminder, several people hurriedly began rummaging through their bundles.
“Old man, I have some here—let each of the boys have one for now. If it really isn’t enough, please, let Ye Jiamian help.”
“You’re right, old man. Although we’ve had our share of disputes in the past, in the end, we are still family. On the road to exile, our family must work together, or else how can we face the hardships of the wild lands?”
Hearing Lan’s words, Chang Huilan gave her a faint, cold look. This woman—who had competed with her for her husband for over a decade—had always been the object of her hatred. But now, for the first time, Chang Huilan felt that Lan might be right. “Hmph, if you want to bury old grudges, then go ahead! As for me, I’m an elder—no matter what, it’s not up to me or your father to get along with them.”
After Matriarch Chen finished mumbling, she directly lay down by the fire. Her legs now ached terribly. With no carriage tomorrow, she didn’t know what she would do.
In the end, no one took the initiative to act, including Yu Zhengqing. The three of them huddled together, and after spending much of the night in excitement, they eventually fell into a drowsy sleep.
Before the guards’ reminders, as dawn broke and the firewood in the campfire burned out, everyone was awakened by the cold. The road of exile continued onward. From the experiences of the past few days, the Yu family had finally learned their lesson. The roast chicken and baked buns Wu Dahai had given them the previous night were kept aside, and in the morning, reheated over charcoal, the three of them enjoyed their first breakfast in days.
Yu Zhengqing’s two sons had woken up in the middle of the night; aside from chest pains, they seemed alright.
The carriage swayed, and by noon it finally arrived at Liangdong City, as promised by Wu Dahai.
Criminals naturally had no right to enter the city, but there was one huge piece of good news—
They could wait outside Liangdong City for a day until Old Yu Hui’s other two exiled brothers joined us on the journey.
Wu Dahai: “Today, stay at this relay station. You must pay your own silver, and only communal lodging is allowed. Additionally, given our past, I can make an exception and allow you to enter the city for supplies. For the rest of the journey, we’ll no longer be on the main roads but on narrow paths. So, you all should prepare some provisions and utensils on your own.”
