Payday

At the thought of it, a smile appeared on her face as well.

Steward Zhang was a good man and treated people kindly. He knew her family was having a hard time.

During the days she had been away, Steward Zhang had taken over her work and had not let her wages be docked because of it.

If she had the chance, she would definitely thank him properly.

"Li Yu, what are you doing? Wash faster! These clothes are still waiting to be collected!"

Old Woman Li stood with her hands on her hips and spoke in dissatisfaction.

Steward Zhang had fallen ill and was resting at home. Old Woman Li was the one managing them now.

She and Steward Zhang did not get along, so she naturally found Li Yu unpleasant to look at as well.

Li Yu quickly answered and sped up her work.

Water splashed onto the hems of her trousers and swiftly froze into a thin layer of ice, but she had no time to wipe it away.

Another day passed. Some of the snow had melted, and the sun had come out. It was no longer as cold as it had been the past few days.

Today was payday at the Laundry Room, and many of the workers wore smiles on their faces.

"Line up! One at a time! Not a single copper coin will be shorted!"

The accountant shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Du He, four hundred copper coins. Come collect them..."

"Wang Yan, three hundred and eighty copper coins. Come collect them..."

As name after name was called, they hurried forward to receive their wages.

Li Yu, standing among the crowd, shuffled slowly forward with the line.

"Li Yu, four hundred copper coins. Your performance has been good. Steward Zhang put in a word for you, so you get an extra fifteen copper coins. Four hundred and fifteen copper coins in total. Come collect them..."

Hearing her name called, Li Yu hurried forward.

She accepted the string of coins with both hands.

Li Yu had just wanted to offer her thanks, but the accountant was somewhat impatient and waved his hand.

"Hurry along. There are still people waiting behind you."

Only then did Li Yu give up on it. She quickly stepped aside and repeatedly counted the copper coins in her hands, afraid some might be missing.

Once she had counted all four hundred and fifteen, a smile spread across her face. Only then did she put the string of coins into her cloth pouch.

Today was the last day of the month. Since wages were being handed out, the entire Laundry Room had the day off.

After leaving the Laundry Room, Li Yu went onto the street, intending to buy medicinal plasters and pig offal.

This was the Outer City of Willow City, and the snow on the streets had yet to fully melt.

Li Yu tucked the pouch of money more securely against her chest, hunched her neck, and headed toward the pharmacy.

The snow piled along both sides of the street had been trampled black by passersby and mixed with mud, making the road especially difficult to walk.

Just as she rounded a street corner, her steps abruptly stopped.

A ragged man was curled up against the base of a wall, holding a sallow, emaciated child in his arms. Neither moved. A thin layer of snow had settled over them, making them look like two stiff snowmen.

A broken bowl lay discarded beside them. It was completely empty, containing only a few withered leaves frozen into icy shards.

Li Yu's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively took half a step back.

She recognized the man. A few days ago, he had still been begging at the street corner, his throat so hoarse that he could not speak and could only bow with clasped hands.

She had never expected...

She bit her lip and quickened her pace, not daring to look again.

Yet from the corner of her eye, she kept catching sight of those two rigid figures.

A little farther ahead, two more people were curled up beneath a bridge. Judging by their clothes, they seemed to be mother and daughter. Their hair was crusted with ice, and their faces were a terrifying shade of blue.

Several passersby hurried by. Some walked around them, while others took one glance and looked away, as though they had long grown accustomed to it.

Li Yu clenched her hand tightly. The copper coins in her pouch dug painfully into her palm.

In these times, simply being alive was already a blessing.

She hurriedly bought two of the cheapest pain-relieving medicinal plasters, then went to the butcher's shop and chose a set of pig offal—this stuff was cheap and could help build up her dad's and younger brother's health.

After paying, she did not dare delay any longer and carried her things toward the city gates.

As she left the city, the soldiers guarding the gates were dragging several corpses wrapped in straw mats onto a cart. Through the gaps in the mats, purple-frozen hands and feet were visible.

Li Yu turned her face away and practically jogged out through the city gate.

She hurried all the way until she saw the Old Scholar Tree at the Village Entrance, and only then did she relax slightly.

Her face was numb with cold, but her hands and feet had become scorching hot from rushing along.

She had not touched the rest of the copper coins in the pouch. She planned to take them home to Dad.

There was some distance between the village and the city. If she bought millet, it would not be easy for a weak woman like her to carry it back.

Besides, the road was not peaceful. If she left the city laden with bags and bundles, someone might set their sights on her.

These days, grain was worth its weight in gold.

Just now, several people had followed her on the road, but she knew the way well and had managed to shake them off.

When the villagers bought millet, they usually went together in groups. It made bargaining easier while shopping and made the road safer too.

She had only just let out a breath.

"Yu'er, where are you headed?"

Suddenly, a voice came from the small path beside her.

Li Yu turned her head and saw the local thug from the neighboring village, Chen Hu.

Her heart sank. Chen Hu was also known in the neighboring village for bullying men and oppressing women. His reputation was even fouler than Li Xiao's. She had heard that he had ties to gang members, and ordinary people would take a detour whenever they saw him.

Chen Hu also had connections with Li Xiao, because Chen Hu's older brother was a minor Headman in Li Xiao's gang.

Chen Hu had long coveted Li Yu. That was why he had called Li Xiao brother, hoping to use him to get close to Li Yu.

Li Xiao's former self had even wanted to match the two of them together, using it as a stepping stone to cling to Chen Hu's older brother.

She was already nineteen this year. In this world, she was considered an old unmarried woman, but she had never entertained such thoughts because she needed to care for Old Dad.

What was more, she had no regard at all for a scoundrel like Chen Hu.

She usually avoided Chen Hu, yet today she had run right into him.

"Chen... Brother Chen..." Li Yu even stammered as she spoke.

"I just came back from the city. I'm getting ready to go home." She tightened her grip on the cloth pouch in her hand and forced herself to speak calmly.

"Oh, Yu'er really is devoted to her family. If I married you, that would truly be my good fortune." Chen Hu's gaze roamed over Li Yu.

She was not breathtakingly beautiful at first glance, but her features were delicate, and a gentle softness showed between her brows and eyes. Combined with that timid, doe-like gaze—

he found her deeply appealing.

The other women in the village were all sallow and skinny, having never seen the wider world. How could they compare to Li Yu? Even beside women from the city, she would not be inferior.

Li Yu's expression tightened, but she did not answer.

Chen Hu edged closer. The stench of cheap liquor drifted over, making Li Yu frown.

"What's the rush to get home? What did you buy? It's still early. How about big brother walks with you?"

Li Yu instinctively shifted the bag holding the pig offal behind her.

"Nothing. I bought pig offal to help my dad build up his health.

Brother Chen, if there's nothing else, I'll be going. My dad is still waiting for me."

After saying that, Li Yu did not wait for his reply and hurried forward.

Chen Hu wanted to move closer, but he was somewhat drunk. His foot slipped, and before he knew it, he took a tumble.

Sitting in the snow, he watched Li Yu's retreating back and shouted loudly.

"Yu'er, be careful on the road! Let Uncle Li nurse himself back to health. Then I'll come to your home to ask for your hand! Hahaha!"

Li Yu's steps abruptly halted. Her back felt as though caterpillars were crawling over it.

She did not turn around. Clutching the cloth pouch tightly, she hurried onward and nearly broke into a run.

The muddy road left behind by melting snow was especially hard to travel. She nearly slipped several times, while the medicinal plasters and pig offal against her chest bumped and thudded.