Chapter 175: Your Family is Really Wonderful

Chapter 175: Your Family is Really Wonderful

The next morning, Shuangyun and Shuang He brought hot water for the woman to wash her face. They also found some old clothes for her to wear and, with joy, led the woman to see Madam Wei.

"Madam, look, she's quite a delicate and beautiful girl," said Shuangyun and Shuang He as they brought the woman over for Madam Wei to see.

Seeing her, Madam Wei noticed the woman seemed to shrink back, looking uneasy and unsure of what to say.

She was indeed a delicate and beautiful young woman.

"Don't be afraid, dear. Where are you from?" Madam Wei asked gently.

At this question, the woman's eyes filled with tears, and she immediately knelt before Madam Wei.

Madam Wei couldn't help but twitch her eyebrow.

Shuang He quickly helped the woman to her feet. "Oh dear, sister, our madam doesn't like people kneeling. I know you're grateful for her saving your life, but in our family, we don't stand on ceremony. Just remember it in your heart."

The woman, startled, glanced at Madam Wei's face and nodded timidly with a hoarse voice, "I, I understand."

Her heavy accent made it clear she wasn't from the area.

Fortunately, although her accent was strange, it wasn't unintelligible.

Realizing her frown had frightened the girl, Madam Wei felt a pang of guilt and quickly softened her tone. "...There's no need to be afraid. We're all from poor families. Please, no more kneeling. Now, tell me, where are you from, and why did you collapse on the road?"

The woman's eyes reddened as she wiped her tears. "I'm from Qingcheng... Life had become unbearable. Since the beginning of the year, I wanted to come to my aunt's house for refuge... But I was captured by bandits and taken to the mountains. I managed to escape during the government's crackdown, but without food or water, I almost died..."

Everyone was moved by her story.

It was clear to any adult what a woman captured by bandits would have endured. Her life had indeed been tragic.

Madam Wei also found the girl pitiful and spoke even more gently. "...And where is your aunt's house? I'll have my third son send you there."

Yu Sanbao nodded beside her.

The woman hesitated and looked at Yu Sanbao. "It's you..."

Her voice was hoarse. "I remember you. You're the one who saved me."

Yu Sanbao clicked his tongue. "I didn’t save you; you were the one clinging to my clothes."

The woman seemed a little embarrassed and lowered her head.

"You haven't told us where your aunt's house is. Is it nearby?" Yu Sanbao asked.

The woman shook her head, her voice hoarse and filled with sorrow. "...My aunt's house also suffered from disaster and has moved elsewhere. I don't know where they've gone."

The Yu family exchanged glances.

Madam Wei asked again, "Then where were you originally from? If necessary, we'll find a way to send you back. With the drought easing and the famine improving, you could survive by returning to your previous home and farming the land."

The woman burst into tears.

With her heavy accent, it took Madam Wei and the others quite some effort to understand her through her sobs.

It turned out that her father had passed away early, leaving her and her mother to rely on each other. They had a small plot of land that barely fed them, but the clan reclaimed it, citing their lack of male heirs.

The mother and daughter had no choice but to go to her aunt's place for help.

Before they could reach her aunt's home, her mother died of illness along the way.

The Yujia family exchanged glances.

This girl had nowhere to go.

The girl probably understood her situation and, after crying for a while, knelt before Wei Pozi again. "Old Lady, I know you're kind-hearted. Please take me in! I can do anything, really... I’ll work hard!"

Wei Pozi felt a headache coming on. "First, get up. Don’t kneel before me. This isn’t something we can just fix..."

There were already two maids in the household.

Shuang He was helping run the shop in town and looking after the four grandsons who were studying. Shuangyun assisted at home, helping with various household chores.

Wei Pozi couldn’t figure out where they could use another pair of hands.

Seeing Wei Pozi’s hesitation, the girl cried even louder and repeatedly kowtowed to her. "Old Lady, please do me a favor. I have nowhere else to go..."

Wei Pozi felt even more troubled. "Hey, stop kneeling! Get up, please... Shuang He, Shuangyun, help her up."

Shuang He and Shuangyun hurriedly helped the girl to her feet.

The girl was probably still weak from crying so much and became dizzy before fainting.

Shuangyun and Shuang He quickly helped her onto the kang (a traditional heated brick bed).

Wei Pozi felt a real headache coming on.

When they had rescued Xingxing before, they took her in because she had no other place to go. But this girl was grown up, and the Yujia family didn’t need more people. How could they take her in?

It was Yu Sanbao who came up with an idea. "...Since she says she can do anything, how about I find her a position as a laundry maid in a wealthy household in the county? Our family doesn’t need more maids, but we can find a household that does."

This idea was good, and Wei Pozi, relieved, nodded in agreement.

After the meal, everyone dispersed, and the girl gradually regained consciousness.

Shuang He, being kind-hearted, told her, "We left some food for you in the kitchen. It’s still hot."

The girl thanked Shuang He but still looked very troubled.

Shuang He, with a good heart, couldn’t wait to tell her, "Don’t worry too much. Although our family doesn’t need more people, Third Master has an idea that might help you. He’s very capable and knows many people from wealthy families. He’ll find you a household that needs a maid."

The girl thought for a while before slowly nodding.

Shuang He happily went to get her some food.

Though she wasn’t as ravenous as when she first arrived, she still ate quickly.

Shuang He sat next to the girl, doing some needlework while watching her eat.

After sewing a few stitches, she noticed Xingxing had come over at some point and was standing by the kang, curiously watching the girl eat.

"Sister, my name is Xingxing. What’s your name?" Xingxing asked curiously.

The girl finished the coarse rice cake in her hand before replying, "...My name is Yang Xiangdie."

Xingxing quickly adapted and called her, "Sister Xiangdie."

Yang Xiangdie responded and continued eating.

Seeing that Sister Xiangdie was focused on her meal, Xingxing ran out to play again.

"These cakes are so delicious..." Yang Xiangdie, having eaten two coarse rice cakes, wanted more when Shuang He stopped her. "Xiangdie, if you eat more, you’ll be too full."

Yang Xiangdie’s eyes never left the bamboo basket with the cakes. After a long while, she licked her lips and murmured, "Your family is so kind..."