Yu Xiaolian placed the rice porridge and egg on the table, but Sun lay motionless on the bed. Yu Changhe called her several times, and Sun only said she wasn't hungry, then closed her eyes, dozing off.
Yu Xiaolian peeled a duck egg and offered it to Sun, but Sun acted as if she hadn't heard. Yu Xiaolian tried to persuade her a few more times, and then Sun abruptly sat up from the bed, slapped the duck egg out of Yu Xiaolian's hand, and then viciously crushed it on the ground.
Yu Xiaolian was stunned.
What happened to Sun?
Yu Changhe stepped forward to protect Yu Xiaolian, shouting, "What's wrong with you? The child kindly peeled a duck egg for you, and you don't want to eat it, fine, but why crush it?"
Sun responded hysterically, "I'm crazy. Ever since you brought her back, our family has had no peace. First, Kuang passed away, then you became crippled. Our family is being shattered because of her."
Yu Xiaolian's face turned pale, and her heart suddenly ached.
So Sun had been suppressing it all along, she truly blamed all the misfortunes on Yu Xiaolian.
"Slap..." Yu Changhe raised his hand and slapped Sun. "I think you've really gone mad. She's just a child; why are you being so vicious?"
"I'm vicious? I'm vicious... " Sun's appearance was a bit manic, repeating this sentence over and over. After a while, she squatted on the ground, collapsing into tears, "Yeah, why am I so vicious? She's just a poor child. Why do I blame her? It's all my own fault. I didn't keep Kuang safe, I couldn't bear another child. Does Kuang think I'm an unfit mother, is that why he won't come back?"
Yu Xiaolian crouched down and hugged the weeping Sun. Others might not know what's going on, but she did.
Sun probably already had schizophrenia, but the symptoms were mild. Today, she didn't know what triggered it, causing this outburst.
In a way, it's better to let it out than to keep it inside.
"Mother, I'm sorry." Yu Xiaolian wiped away Sun's tears. "Mother, today I collected a lot of herbs. Once I sell them in town, I'll find a good doctor for you and father. You'll have a little brother again, Kuang will surely come back. You're a good mother; he wouldn't want to leave you."
Sun hugged Yu Xiaolian tightly and cried even harder.
She mumbled, "Mother went crazy, I'm sorry, Lian'er. I'm sorry."
Yu Xiaolian felt incredibly bitter inside and could only continue to comfort Sun, "Everything will be fine, Mother, believe me."
After Sun cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep on the bed, Yu Xiaolian and Yu Changhe lost their appetite for dinner.
Cao, who came out to watch the commotion, didn't expect Sun to quiet down after such a short outburst, cursed Sun for being useless, and swayed back to her own room.
"Kuang... Kuang..."
Yu Xiaolian saw Sun starting to talk in her sleep, quickly went over, and gently patted her a few times.
Seeing Sun covered in sweat, she took a towel and carefully wiped her sweat away.
After wiping the sweat, she picked up a bamboo fan and gently fanned Sun to keep the mosquitoes away. There were so many mosquitoes in the summer, and in ancient times, open windows didn't have screens, allowing mosquitoes to come and go unchecked, as if they were rampaging with impunity.
Yu Xiaolian would get bitten several times a day. At first, she refrained from using mosquito-repellent floral water, fearing Sun and Yu Changhe might smell it, but when the bites became too much, she couldn't hold back any longer. Seizing the opportunity when Yu Changhe wasn't in the room, she sprayed herself and Sun liberally with the floral water.
Strangely enough, as soon as she sprayed it, the buzzing sounds of mosquitoes around disappeared; it was quite effective.
Yu Changhe had been weaving baskets outside and only returned when the sky was completely dark.
As soon as he entered, he caught a whiff of a pleasant scent, sniffing around, "What smells so good?"
Yu Xiaolian pulled the small floral curtain in the middle, lay back on her own bed, and lied with open eyes, "It seems to be from my mother."
Yu Changhe leaned closer to Sun and sniffed. "It's really from your mother. Why does your mother smell so nice?"
He sniffed carefully again, muttering, "Your mother doesn't usually use rouge."
"Maybe Aunt Zhao used some, and my mother got some of it on her while doing embroidery with her for a whole day."
Yu Changhe nodded, "Hmm, possibly."
Well, managed to bluff it through.
To sell more goji berries and gold and silver flowers, Yu Xiaolian decided to take out the few packages from the supermarket tonight so that the supermarket would automatically restock new ones tomorrow.
When she heard Yu Changhe's snoring, indicating he was asleep, Yu Xiaolian took out the goji berries, gold and silver flowers, and American Ginseng slices she packed in plastic bags yesterday.
All she had to do the next morning was wake up early and put the items back into the space.
She didn't know if this trick would work, but she had to try it to find out.
Because she was worried about oversleeping, Yu Xiaolian barely slept in the first half of the night. As soon as it passed midnight, she eagerly entered the space.
Sure enough, the supermarket shelves had a new batch of goji berries, gold and silver flowers, and American Ginseng slices.
Yu Xiaolian checked, six bags of goji berries, fifteen bags of gold and silver flowers, three bags of American Ginseng, two bags of Chicken Blood Vine, not one more, not one less.
Yu Xiaolian put the items from her bed into the space, and then she could finally rest easy and fell asleep.
A few days later, when the herbs were almost dry in the room, Yu Xiaolian took them to the backyard to dry them under the sun.
She was constantly vigilant, keeping an eye on the herbs, afraid that the fruits of her labor would be snatched away by someone.
Particularly Yu Ziyi; she watched him like a hawk. Whenever he headed towards the backyard, Yu Xiaolian followed closely.
A few days later, when Yu Xiaolian saw the herbs were dry enough, she happily gathered them into a cloth bag.
Yu Ziyi suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her way, "Grandma told you to dig some wild vegetables to feed the chickens!"
Yu Xiaolian bluntly replied, "She told you to dig them, right? We've split households; Grandma wouldn't order me around."
Seeing Yu Xiaolian see through him, Yu Ziyi stopped pretending, "I heard from Second Uncle that you're planning to sell these in town. A little girl like you knows the way to town? I happen to be going there to send something to my brother. Let me help you sell them, alright?"
Yu Xiaolian rolled her eyes at Yu Ziyi, wondering if he thought she was that foolish?
"No need, I can go myself."
Yu Ziyi hadn't touched Yu Xiaolian's herbs these days because he knew they couldn't be sold for money if they weren't dry. He was waiting for this day, and seeing Yu Xiaolian wouldn't give in, he just started grabbing. As worthless as the herbs might be, they could sell for a few dozen coins, and since they were ready to sell, why not take the money.