Chapter 34: Hidden Motives
“I’ll go gather more firewood to keep Dad and Big Brother warm!”
With that, seven-year-old Yu Xiuxiu, her frail figure swaying, went off to collect firewood.
“You’re such an idiot! I asked you to fetch water, and you managed to fall into the river yourself! What can you do right? If you catch a cold, you’ll really suffer! Now it’s not just your grandpa and me who need to warm up by the fire—we have to prioritize you and your father first! You’re truly useless!”
Mu Chunfang’s scolding rang in their ears. Yu Shanhai held Yu Xiaogang tightly, not daring to utter a single word.
Yu Liang sighed, “Enough. Xiaogang’s fortunate enough not to have been swept away by the river. Stop your nagging already—can’t we get some rest?
“Second daughter-in-law, boil some water and prepare something to eat. Since we’re near the river, eldest son, see if you can catch some fish. We’ve been eating wild vegetables and black bread for days—that’s not sustainable. Without some meat, your old father’s legs won’t hold out.”
“Dad, the river’s rushing so fast, and it’s the middle of winter. You want my husband to go fishing? Aren’t you afraid he’ll catch a cold or get swept away?”
Liu Lan immediately protested, snapping back at her father-in-law, Yu Liang, upon hearing his instructions.
“How dare you talk back to your father-in-law? Are you itching for a beating? If you feel sorry for your husband, then send your son—or go yourself!”
Before Yu Liang could respond, Mu Chunfang, ever ready to defend the old man, immediately scolded her eldest daughter-in-law with the full authority of a mother-in-law.
Fuming but holding back her retorts, Liu Lan bit her lip and dropped the firewood she had gathered, swallowing her indignation.
“Fine, I’ll go. I saw that Big Uncle has a basket. I’ll go borrow it and try to catch some fish.”
Afraid that his wife might escalate the argument, Yu Shanhai quickly tried to smooth things over. Despite his exhaustion, he dragged himself up, intending to head toward the first branch’s camp.
“Yes, go borrow it. See if you can ask for a bit of food too. Tell them your wife is pregnant and your son just fell into the river—they need something nourishing.”
Mu Chunfang, ever shameless, immediately pushed her luck, making Yu Shanhai hesitate, his feet glued to the spot.
“Don’t worry. Dad will go with you. Let’s go check on your Big Uncle.”
Yu Shanhai, who had been silently praying for his father’s intervention to speak some reason, was utterly deflated when his father sided with Mu Chunfang.
But having his father along was better than going alone.
As the father and son duo made their way to the first branch’s camp, they found Yu Hui lying on a mat, flanked by his two grandsons. Nearby, Mu Chunfang leaned against Yu Yinyin, waiting for her daughters-in-law and Yu Meiyao to finish preparing dinner.
“Big Sister-in-law, how’s Big Brother doing?”
Yu Liang squatted beside Yu Hui, eyes full of concern.
“Just the same—neither dead nor getting better. I don’t understand why the heavens are tormenting our family like this…”
As she spoke, the usually domineering Mu Chunfang started sniffling, her voice quivering.
Seeing his grandmother cry, Yu Yinyin, already weighed down by the hardships of the past few days, broke into tears as well.
As if on cue, Lady Lan’s youngest son, seven-year-old Yu Xiaoyun, also began wailing loudly, his cries drowning out those of his grandmother and elder sister, filling the cold night by the river with a palpable sense of despair.
From a distance, Yu Luo glanced at the scene and shook her head, thinking that if the first branch was already crying this hard just two days into their journey, what would they do when things really got tough?
[Ding-dong! System task released: Go fishing in the river and share the catch with the third branch to win them over. Task completion rewards 100 points; failure results in a deduction of 100 points.]
Just as Yu Luo was enjoying the show, the system’s voice echoed in her mind.
Her smile froze, and she was utterly speechless!
She was already exhausted, and now the damn system wanted her to fish in the freezing river?
It wasn’t that she was unwilling to help the third branch, but giving too much too soon might create a habit of dependency. Besides, being overly generous might turn friends into enemies—hadn’t she seen enough of that kind of ungratefulness?
But there was no way she was willing to lose her hard-earned points without even getting to use them. Gritting her teeth, she accepted the task.
“Mom, I’m going to try and catch some fish. Maybe we can have a better meal tonight.”
With that, Yu Luo grabbed a basket from her pack and headed toward the river.
Ye Jiamai, who was still warming up by the fire, was startled. She reached out and grabbed Yu Luo in panic.
“Are you crazy? That river’s too dangerous! If you get swept away, do you think your father has the strength to save you?”
“Mom, it’s a system task—I have to go. Don’t worry, I know how to swim. Besides, I’ll just try fishing from the shore with the basket. If I can catch some, great; if not, I’ll come back.”
Unwilling to lose the 100 points, Yu Luo had no choice.
Hearing this, Ye Jiamai hesitated, then got up. “I’ll go with you. I’ll hold onto you, so you won’t slip into the river.”
“Alright!”
Seeing them head out, Yu Haojie tried to rise but was immediately glared back into place by Ye Jiamai.
“You just warm up and stay put. Don’t cause more trouble.”
With that, Yu Haojie obediently sat back down, but as soon as the mother and daughter turned away, he hurriedly bundled up and trailed after them.
Meanwhile, Yu Liang, who had intended to seek some help from the first branch, found himself at a loss for words as they wailed and lamented like a mourning procession.
“Ah, Sister-in-law, don’t be sad. Maybe this is just a trial for our family. Who knows—once we get past this, the Yu family might rise again.”
“Yes, yes! Don’t lose hope, Big Aunt. At least we weren’t executed along with the rest of the clan—that’s already a blessing…”
“Bah! You’re the one who’ll get executed along with your clan! Can’t you speak properly? If not, just shut up!”
Yu Shanhai hadn’t expected his comforting words to provoke such a reaction. He was utterly dumbfounded.
After all, if they were to be executed, wouldn’t Mu Chunfang and her entire branch be dragged down as well?
