Liu Anping was extremely indignant. He glared fiercely at Liu Qinting and then looked at Gu Liyue. "Liyue, why aren't you resting? Why are you running around everywhere?"
Gu Liyue pointed at the kitchen. "Get... get water..."
Liu Anping frowned. "If you want water, just call Yunniang to get it for you."
Gu Liyue explained, "Yunniang hasn't come back yet."
Miao was taken aback. "Yunniang hasn't returned? Has dinner been cooked? Really! Where has she run off to? She didn't even cook dinner."
Gu Liyue said in a low voice, "Maybe she's too busy to come back."
Miao said in a sarcastic tone, "Don't think I don't know. These days, Yunniang has deliberately taken jobs outside. She didn't even give the money to the family. I don't know what kind of shady business she's up to."
Gu Liyue's face paled. "No, Aunt. Yunniang... went to get medicine for me..."
Miao went to the table and took a look. There was nothing there, and there wasn't a single drop of water left in the kettle. She got even more annoyed. "What's going on? There's no water at all! Gu Liyue, do you think you're a rich young lady? You need someone to wait on you every day. You've been lying around for days without doing anything."
Liu Anping glared at her. "Have you said enough? Go boil some water."
Miao knew that Liu Anping was concerned about his reputation, so she endured it and went out to the kitchen to boil water. But as soon as she pushed open the kitchen door, she shouted, "Gu Liyue, look at how messy you've made the kitchen! It's all your medicine. Don't you know how to clean it up?"
At this moment, Granny Cao walked out and said coldly, "Oh, it's really something! There are so many adults in the family, but none of you can do anything. Do you expect a sick person to wait on you?"
Liu Anping was taken aback and asked, "You... Why are you in our house?"
Granny Cao sneered. "Don't worry. I'm not here to steal or rob. I just feel sorry for this poor girl, Liyue. She has to boil her own medicine. The medicine pot is so heavy, and she's too weak to carry it. I came over to help her pour out the medicine. I didn't have time to clean up for her after pouring the medicine, and it's offended your wife."
When Miao spoke, she always lowered her voice for fear of being heard outside. But Granny Cao wasn't so kind. She wished she could use a megaphone to spread the news everywhere.
Beads of sweat rolled down Liu Anping's forehead. "Sister Cao, it's my wife's fault. Liyue, you too. If you have anything to do, just call your aunt. Why do you have to trouble Granny Cao?"
Granny Cao said sarcastically again, "Oh, she wouldn't dare to trouble her aunt. I've seen it clearly now, Brother Liu. Your daughter has been coveting someone else's fiancé. She even forced that person to ruin their own reputation to break off the engagement. You're even worse. As an uncle, you watched your niece get so sick, but you didn't even give her the money for the medicine. You made Yunniang take private jobs to earn money to buy medicine."
Liu Anping felt embarrassed. He glared fiercely at Miao. "What's wrong with you? I give you money every month. What have you done with it? Liyue is this sick, and you won't even give her the money for the medicine?"
Miao was so angry that she gritted her teeth. Liu Anping didn't care about the family at all. How could he know how difficult it was to be the head of the household? A large family needed money for food, clothing, and shelter. Which one didn't require money? Gu Liyue had already spent one silver coin on seeing a doctor. She was clearly already better, but she kept pretending to be sick and taking medicine.
But of course, she couldn't say this.
Seeing that Miao didn't answer, Liu Anping got even angrier. "So this is how you've been bullying Liyue when I'm not at home? You, quickly help Liyue go in and rest. Qinting, go cook dinner!"
Liu Qinting was very unhappy. Ever since she was a child, because of Gu Liyue, it was always Yunniang and Gu Liyue who cooked. Even after she got married in her previous life, there were many sisters - in - law in the family, and she always slacked off whenever she could. Later, after being divorced by her husband's family and relying on Gu Liyue, Feng Lanqing became an official, and there was a cook at home. When did she ever need to do anything?
But since her father had given the order, she didn't dare not listen. She went to the kitchen reluctantly, feeling completely at a loss.
Miao stepped forward to help Gu Liyue, but Gu Liyue shrank back. Miao was so angry that she wished she could slap her, as if she had always treated her harshly.
Granny Cao couldn't stand it anymore. She took the initiative to help Gu Liyue walk inside and said, "You're not fully recovered yet, so don't over - exert yourself. In my opinion, you should stop embroidering those flowers. It's most important to rest well. If you get a chronic illness later, it won't be good."
Gu Liyue was pushed onto the bed by Granny Cao. None of the embroidery on the table was finished. Moreover, Granny Cao's hands were clumsy, and her work wasn't as delicate as Gu Liyue's. It wouldn't sell for a good price. Miao would definitely be furious later.
Whether Miao was angry or not was her business. Gu Liyue didn't have the heart to care. She was determined to anger them so that when she proposed to leave here, they wouldn't object.
Yunniang came back very late at night. There were two bowls of rice left for her at home. It wasn't that Miao was generous. It was just that the cooking skills of Miao and Liu Qinting were really too bad. Each of them just ate a little casually and then stopped. Yunniang wasn't picky about food. She hated to waste, so she ate up the two bowls of rice and vegetables.
When she returned to the room at night, Yunniang happily opened her palm. Five copper coins were lying in her hand.
Gu Liyue's eyes were a little red. She knew what Yunniang meant. Yunniang was saying that she could earn money and support her.
The night wind was a bit cold. It blew in and made Gu Liyue shiver. Yunniang quickly turned around and found that there was a hole in the window.
She searched for a long time but couldn't find a suitable thing to block the window. Finally, she took out the pillow from her own bed and blocked the window.
After Yunniang blocked the window, she turned around and gestured to Gu Liyue: The window is blocked. She can rest in peace.
But Gu Liyue waved to her, asking Yunniang to bring her quilt to her own bed so that they could sleep together.
Yunniang didn't think much of it. In the cold winter, one quilt wasn't enough. So she always carried her own quilt and squeezed into the same bed with Gu Liyue, hugging Gu Liyue from childhood to adulthood.
Gu Liyue asked Yunniang in a low voice, "Yunniang, do you remember my parents?"
Yunniang gestured. She had gestured to tell Gu Liyue more than once that her parents were the kindest people in the world. Every time, Gu Liyue would listen quietly and think quietly. If her parents were still alive, how wonderful that would be.
This time, Gu Liyue didn't listen. She just asked again, "Yunniang, was Daddy... a high - ranking official?"
Yunniang paused and continued to gesture after a long time: You know?
Gu Liyue told Yunniang what her uncle had said on the sickbed that day. "Uncle treats me okay now, but it's just because he's afraid of my father's relatives. But if my father's relatives still remembered him, how could they not have come to look for me for so many years?"
Yunniang got anxious. She made inarticulate sounds with her mouth and gestured even faster with her hands.
Miao's unhappy voice came from outside. "What time is it? The lamp is still on. Don't you waste oil?"
Yunniang immediately stopped making sounds and gesturing. She blew out the lamp and climbed onto the bed, hugging Gu Liyue even tighter.
Gu Liyue buried herself in her arms. She had almost forgotten what her parents looked like. The only person in her memory was Yunniang. No matter when it was, it was always Yunniang. In the future, she would only have Yunniang.