Chapter 16: Yu Luo, You’re Too Black-Hearted
“What, Xiao Luo, you really thought of everything. I heard that if you go another two or three hundred li to the north, you’ll be surrounded by snow—those leather boots will come in just the right time.”
While the mother and daughter were happily rummaging through the backpack, the once haughty Old Yu suddenly spoke up: “Yu Haojie, bring the boots over here.”
His commanding tone abruptly cut through the joyful chatter of the family and the little laughter remaining in the room.
Yu Luo looked at Old Yu in confusion, only to have him fix her with a steely glare and shout,
“Why are you staring? Hand them over now!”
Yu Luo nearly burst into laughter from anger. “Are you ordering me around now?”
Before Old Yu could say another word, matriarch Chen, who was leaning against the wall with one leg barely able to move, barked orders at Yu Luo, “Don’t you little brat know any better? Your grandfather told you to bring them over—so do it quickly! And bring over the boots for you and your mother too!”
Yu Luo: “You miserable wretch—am I even talking to you? Have you lost all sense of propriety, trying to act all high and mighty as an elder?”
Ignoring all these people, Yu Luo continued digging through the backpack. She pulled out a batch of steaming meat buns and deliberately stuffed one into each of her parents’ hands. She did it on purpose, showing off in front of these people—making their hearts grow as hard as stone, just as they had once trampled and bullied the original three of them.
What use is a little silver to them now? With the silver given by Yu Chu-Man and Yu Qiu Yun, along with the money from Lan and Chang Huilan on the maternal side—how long will they be able to last?
Moreover, by the time they reach the wild lands, even if they have tens of thousands of taels of silver, it might not be enough to buy what she now possesses. Then, when those pampered, highborn ones finally face true hardship, that’s when their miserable days will truly begin.
“I even bought a few water sacks so we won’t run out of water on the way, and here’s some braised beef for you to eat, Father and Mother.”
The formerly haughty Old Yu and his wife were not only ignored by Yu Luo, but matriarch Chen was even called a “miserable wretch” by Yu Luo—a rebuke that nearly made matriarch Chen’s throat erupt with blood!
“Quick, quick, quick—go slap that little wretch for me! This is outrageous; she dares insult me like that! Chang’s and Lan’s, I order you both—go slap her immediately!”
Yu Luo’s words nearly left injured matriarch Chen gasping for air! After several deep, rough breaths, matriarch Chen grabbed Chang Huilan and glared at Yu Luo with venom. If it weren’t for the injury on her leg, she would have pounced on Yu Luo and torn her apart herself!
And no one expected that Yu Luo would dare speak to matriarch Chen like that; just as everyone was shocked, matriarch Chen’s roaring voices startled them even more!
Lan naturally wouldn’t take the blame for this, while Chang Huilan instinctively looked to her husband, her eyes a mix of shock and surprise.
“Yu Haojie, is this truly the good daughter you birthed?”
Yu Haojie: “Matriarch Chen, if you didn’t slap my daughter, would she dare slap you? Father, don’t be clueless—if you keep acting up, I might, for the sake of our father-son bond, still treat you as a father. But if you continue this attitude and bully my wife and children, don’t expect me to show any mercy.”
The usually soft-spoken Yu Haojie suddenly spoke such insolent words that Old Yu was nearly so enraged that his eyes almost popped out!
Seeing Old Yu so incensed that he could barely speak, martriarch Chen slapped Chang Huilan hard on the back and furiously shouted at Yu Zhengqing. “What are you two good-for-nothings standing around for? Go and beat that little wretch! If you don’t, I swear I’ll have Zhengqing dismiss you all!”
Chang Huilan, biting her lip in pain, quickly dodged and leaned toward Yu Zhengqing with eyes full of grievance.
Yu Zhengqing’s face looked equally dismal as he coldly glared at the family—now seemingly a completely different trio—lost in thought.
“If anyone dares lay a finger on my daughter or wife, I’ll break their hand. Today, I’m putting it plainly: I, Yu Haojie, am no longer the man I once was, and you all must stop bullying my wife and children!”
Suddenly, Yu Zhengqing’s tone softened considerably, which left the entire Yu family and even Yu Luo’s little family dumbfounded. “Haojie, Mother is old; don’t stoop to her level. Big brother already apologized for neglecting your feelings.”
Matriarch Chen, who had almost suffered a heart attack from Yu Luo’s earlier outburst, upon hearing her son’s words, began to gasp for breath, her heart aching terribly. “What? Zhengqing, why are you apologizing for him? Yu Haojie is nothing but a lowlife, a spineless weakling! You, a legitimate daughter, are you degrading yourself? Are you trying to kill our mother?”
She completely forgot the words Yu Zhengqing had spoken last night.
“Hmph, big brother, I can’t accept your apology. I’ve grown up treading on eggshells in this mansion for over thirty years, then carefully raised my family, and you never cared for me a single word—now, I don’t need it.”
Hearing Yu Haojie’s retort, Yu Zhengqing pursed his lips and nodded, saying no more.
Just as one wave of conflict subsided, Old Yu, still fixated on the boots, continued to insist! “Boots—I’ll say it again. Yu Haojie, bring your leather boots over to me.”
“If you want leather boots, I’ll sell them for 100 taels a pair. I have three pairs—give me 300 taels to buy them.”
What a selfish old man—he deserved to lose his honor and end up in such a pitiful state.
Regardless, even though Yu Haojie’s original self contained half of Old Yu’s blood, that old man showed not an ounce of fatherly responsibility.
So, don’t blame Yu Luo for not having any filial feelings anymore.
“Why don’t you go and steal them? My aunt just said that a pair of leather boots costs over a dozen taels, yet here, you dare charge 100 taels a pair. Yu Luo, you’re just too black-hearted!
No matter what, he is still your grandfather!”
Seeing Yu Meiyao, unafraid of death, jump out, Yu Luo felt that talking with this family was a complete waste of breath. She couldn’t be bothered with Yu Meiyao; she simply opened the door and walked out.
“Commander Wu, can we rent a room next door?”
Of course, Yu Luo knew this request was a bit over the top. As she spoke, she had already prepared 100 taels of silver and shoved it directly into Commander Wu’s hand.
Commander Wu, who had been about to lose his temper, glanced at the amount on the silver voucher and immediately changed his tone, “For the sake of your mother’s treatment, tonight I’ll make an exception.”
Sure enough, money talks, and Yu Luo was overjoyed, thanking him profusely.
She turned to the shopkeeper, secured a room, and then, returning to the guest house, completely ignored the rest of the Yu family as she strode over to Ye Jiamai and her husband.
“Father, Mother, grab your backpacks. Let’s go live in the room next door.”
Ye Jiamai, never one to give face to anyone, was immediately overcome with excitement, staring at Yu Luo in disbelief. “Really? We can finally not live with those annoying people?!”
