I Crossed Over with My Enemy, Only to Find Him Running the Empire - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Outrageous

Toward evening, the Wu family courtyard was deathly quiet.

A few wisps of lingering sunset hung in the western sky, a dark, dull red like strips of cloth that had faded from being washed.

The chickens and ducks had already returned to their coops; only a few sparrows chirped in the locust tree at the corner of the yard, making the courtyard seem even more silent.

Taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, Li Qiaoqiao slipped back into her small room.

She fished out half a loaf of bread she had hidden under the k’ang mat and hurriedly stuffed it into her mouth.

The bread had become somewhat hard and was difficult to chew, but she was starving and didn’t care about that.

She swallowed it in two or three bites, her neck stretching as she nearly choked. After finishing, she tucked two candies into her pocket, smoothed her lapel, and walked out acting as if nothing had happened.

Just as she stepped out the door, she heard the crying of children coming from the third branch’s room, mixed with Mrs. Liu’s frantic attempts to soothe them.

Li Qiaoqiao hesitated for a moment, but eventually moved toward them.

The third branch’s room was a complete mess.

Mrs. Liu held her crying younger son, Wu Dongping, in one arm, while trying to catch her eldest daughter, Wu Xianghe, who was running all over the floor with the other. Fine beads of sweat soaked her forehead, and strands of hair were stuck messily to her cheeks.

“Qiaoqiao, you’ve come at just the right time!” Mrs. Liu said upon seeing her, as if seeing a savior. “I don’t know what’s wrong with these two little ancestors, they just won’t stop crying, I really…”

Li Qiaoqiao didn’t say much. She stepped forward and took the smaller one.

The child was about two or three years old, crying until his face was flush red, his small body hiccuping. She took a piece of chocolate candy wrapped in oil paper from her pocket, broke off a small piece, and popped it into the child’s mouth.

The crying stopped abruptly.

The little fellow blinked eyes that were still brimming with tears; tasting a sweetness he had never experienced before, he momentarily forgot to wail.

Seeing his younger brother had candy, the other child ran over and tugged at Li Qiaoqiao’s hem.

She followed the same method and gave her a piece as well. The two children quietly licked the candy, and after a while, they actually broke into smiles through their tears.

Mrs. Liu let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. “Finally, some peace! It’s truly strange what kind of candy is this? They aren’t usually this well-behaved.”

“Just some snacks brought from the city,” Li Qiaoqiao said vaguely, handing the remaining candy to Mrs. Liu. “Keep them, Sister-in-law, for coaxing the children occasionally.”

Mrs. Liu took them and thanked her repeatedly, her gaze toward Li Qiaoqiao becoming a bit more grateful.

Ever since this girl had a bout of illness a while back, she seemed like a different person after waking up. Before, she was timid and didn’t like to talk, but now she has become quite sharp.

Li Qiaoqiao didn’t stay long. After playing a bit of hide-and-seek with the children, she took her leave.

Just as she stepped into the courtyard, she saw Wu Tiezhu and Wu Ya carrying a door panel together. Lying face down on the panel was Wu Tiesheng, who had just received the family discipline.

Wu Tiesheng’s buttocks were a bloody mess; his pants had been beaten to shreds and were stuck to the wounds, looking shocking to the eye.

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, yet he didn’t utter a single sound.

Following behind them, Mrs. Yuan had already cried herself into a wreck. Supported by her daughter, Wu Peilan, her steps were unsteady, looking as though she could collapse at any moment.

Earlier, when she heard her husband was being beaten, she had fainted. She had only just regained consciousness, and seeing her husband in this state, she couldn’t help but start sobbing again.

“What are you crying for! Is it not unlucky enough already!” Zhang Jinhua shouted sharply as she came out of the main house. “If there’s a next time, I’ll just beat him to death and be done with it!”

At this shout, Mrs. Yuan instantly silenced herself, though her shoulders continued to shake uncontrollably.

Wu Peilan, her eyes rimmed with red, said in a low voice: “Mother, let’s go back to the room and take care of Father first.”

The group struggled to move Wu Tiesheng into the second branch’s room, and the courtyard fell quiet for the moment.

After a while, Wu Ya came out of the second branch’s room with an expressionless face. Wu Tiezhu followed behind him, shaking his head and sighing incessantly.

Standing in the corner, Li Qiaoqiao took all of this in.

She caught a glimpse of Mrs. Wei from the eldest branch standing at her own door, curling her lip and muttering: “Thirty tales of silver! Just went down the drain like that…”

Seeing her mother-in-law Zhang Jinhua glare over, she quickly pulled her head back inside.

“Serve the food!” At Wu Duofu’s command, the whole family began to gather in the dining hall.

The evening meal was exceptionally quiet.

On the table sat a pot of thin porridge, a dish of salted vegetables, and several mixed-grain steamed buns. No one dared to speak loudly; only the subtle clinking of bowls and chopsticks could be heard.

Zhang Jinhua shoveled a few mouthfuls of food, then suddenly slammed her chopsticks down: “You all saw what happened today! Thirty tales of silver enough for our whole family to eat and live for many years was just thrown away like that by that troublemaker! Buying what ‘Golden Pill for Delivering Sons,’ Divine Physician Gong? I say we met a Divine Swindler!”

The whole family buried their heads even lower, wishing they could sink their faces into their bowls.

“The second daughter-in-law is also useless!” Zhang Jinhua grew angrier as she spoke. “Can’t even keep an eye on her own man! If she could give birth to a son, would Old Second resort to looking for folk remedies?”

Mrs. Yuan’s shoulders shook, and tears dropped pa-ta pa-ta into her bowl; she didn’t dare raise her hand to wipe them.

“Listen well, all of you!” Zhang Jinhua scanned the room. “From now on, whoever dares to secretly hide the family’s money or spend it recklessly, Old Second is the example! I’ll beat you to death directly and throw you to the back mountain to feed the wolves!”

Wu Duofu coughed once, seemingly feeling the words were too harsh, but in the end, he didn’t speak.

Li Qiaoqiao silently chewed her mixed-grain bun; the thing was scratchy on the throat and had to be washed down with porridge to be swallowed.

She peeked at the people around the table: Wu Tiezhu ate with his head down, acting as if it had nothing to do with him; Mrs. Wei was still aching over the silver, her brow knit tight; the third branch couple were submissive and kept their heads low, fearing the war would spread to them; Wu Ya was calm, as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

Recalling Wu Tiesheng’s bloody buttocks from earlier, a chill ran through Li Qiaoqiao’s heart.

For thirty tales of silver, was it necessary to use such a heavy hand? That Divine Physician Gong was clearly a swindler. It’s true that Wu Tiesheng was fooled, but in the end, he just wanted a son.

She suddenly remembered a plot point from the original book. To have a son, the second branch couple later believed in even more ridiculous folk remedies. Mrs. Yuan developed a chronic illness because of it and passed away within two years.

Wu Tiesheng, traumatized, took to drinking all day and eventually accidentally fell into the river. The two daughters, Wu Peilan and Wu Caixia, were sold to passing merchants.

Thinking of this, Li Qiaoqiao couldn’t help but shiver.

Compared to what would happen later, Wu Tiesheng buying the Golden Pill today actually seemed less “outrageous.”

At least right now, the second branch couple was still alive—one lying in the room enduring pain, the other weeping by his side. It was better than the family being destroyed.

After dinner, each branch returned to their rooms.

Li Qiaoqiao helped clear the dishes and was about to head back when she was stopped by Wu Ya.

“Mother told you to boil some hot water and send it to the second branch.”

Li Qiaoqiao complied and went to the kitchen.

Wu Ya followed her in. He didn’t speak, but simply squatted down to help her light the fire.

The kitchen was dim, with only the flickering flames in the stove reflecting on Wu Ya’s face, casting light and shadow.

Li Qiaoqiao stole a glance at him. This heir to the wealthiest man, who was usually so domineering, didn’t seem out of place at all now, wearing coarse cloth clothes and squatting before an earthen stove.

“Second Brother… is his injury serious?” Li Qiaoqiao asked softly.

Wu Ya added a handful of firewood: “His skin is torn and flesh mangled; he won’t be able to leave the k’ang for a month.”

Li Qiaoqiao fell silent.

When the water boiled, Li Qiaoqiao ladled it into a wooden bucket. Wu Ya stood up and lifted it: “I’ll deliver it. You go back to your room and rest.”

Watching his departing back, Li Qiaoqiao let out a soft sigh.

This Wu family was far more complicated than she had imagined.