Gu Chuan's face turned red. He often felt uneasy and wanted to take a bath, but he didn't have the strength to draw water. When he told his eldest sister, she just said, men being dirty isn't really dirty; everyone lives like this.
Gu Mei turned her face away and stopped speaking.
In her past life, after marrying into the Jiang Family, it took less than half a year for the family's land to be sold off, and everything valuable was pawned. Under the guidance of Aunt Li, Second Aunt sold Yun Jiao to an out-of-town merchant for twenty taels of silver to be a concubine, and she never returned.
It's said that the man was older than her father.
Meanwhile, her mother took the twenty taels of silver and took her younger brother to Prefecture City to find their father. After a few months, her mother returned alone.
Gu Mei asked where her brother had gone.
Her mother said they didn't have money for food and so sold him.
Gu Mei finally saw through her mother, completely selfish, not caring about daughters, and not even the sons.
She also had to make plans for herself.
As for her younger siblings, having lived another life, she knew these two wouldn't be able to help her in the future, nor could she rely on them, so who cares? Everyone just fends for themselves.
So, recently, at home, she just made two random meals to get by.
Her mother's medicine ran out, but she didn't bother to pick up more, and her brother was too lazy to care, spending all day ingratiating himself with Second Uncle, just hoping Second Aunt would find her a good marriage.
She had just returned from Second Uncle's house.
Seeing Gu Mei like this, Yun Jiao felt even colder inside.
In this family, neither the mother nor the eldest sister had any sense of kinship, all selfish and self-serving.
Only this younger brother, now, still had some semblance of humanity.
She couldn't be bothered to say anything more, one hand carrying her bundle, the other pulling Gu Chuan along.
Once in the kitchen, she first found a place to hide the bundle before rolling up her sleeves, intending to boil water for Chuan to bathe.
Upon walking to the water tank, she found it empty, not a drop of water inside.
Yun Jiao had no choice but to take a bucket and go outside to the well to draw water.
With her slender arms and legs, she struggled to draw a bucket of water and laboriously carried it to the kitchen.
Going to get the second bucket, her arms were already so sore she could barely lift them.
Yun Jiao pondered for a moment; this wouldn't do. With Gu Chuan this dirty, it would take seven or eight buckets just to clean him.
She waved at Gu Chuan, "Come on, let's take a trip to the village entrance."
Gu Chuan happily followed Yun Jiao.
At home, neither the mother nor the eldest sister cared for him, only the second sister was willing to be close to him.
The two of them walked to the village entrance and saw Jiang Youzhi sitting under a big tree.
Seeing Yun Jiao, he quickly stood up and walked over.
Yun Jiao straightforwardly said, "I want to draw water for my brother to bathe, but I can't carry the bucket."
The bucket was wooden and weighed a few pounds on its own, plus a full bucket of water made it hard to move even a step.
Talking with smart people is easier, Jiang Youzhi nodded, "I'll carry it for you."
They headed back home together.
Along the way, the villagers kept sizing up Jiang Youzhi.
Everyone speculated that he was Yun Jiao's new husband and was quite curious, especially since Jiang Youzhi was handsome, not at all like someone from the countryside.
The three of them carried on under the gaze of the villagers back home.
Entering the courtyard, they happened to run into Gu Mei coming out of the room.
Seeing Jiang Youzhi, her eyes lit up, but then something seemed to come to mind, and her gaze dimmed. She stood at the door for a long time, seemingly lost in thought, before returning to her room.