Daily Life of Raising Kids and Running a Stall - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Discussion

Second Uncle Su dragged his wife and Old Man Su away with him.

Qiu Yuruo seemed to have recovered a bit from the earlier emotional blow.

She managed a slightly forced smile and thanked the clan elder and the others who had helped with the wedding.

Her calm demeanor left the Su family members with the same thought: if only this daughter-in-law had come before the family split, life in this family might have been much better by now.

None of them said it aloud, though. They exchanged a few polite words before preparing to leave.

Qiu Yuruo turned to the boy who had been standing quietly to the side, shielding his sisters. She beckoned him over.

“Yunche, come help send off the elders.”

The eleven-year-old boy hadn’t hit his growth spurt yet. He was only half a head taller than his little sister and still had tear stains on his face when he came over.

Qiu Yuruo bent down slightly and said to him, “Even though Grandpa and Second Uncle have made it clear they don’t consider us part of the family anymore, the clan elder and the other uncles didn’t abandon us. Your Eldest Brother is sick, but we still have you. Go thank them on his behalf.”

Yunche nodded solemnly after she finished, then turned to the men and said, “Thank you, Grandfather and Uncles, for caring about our family. Since the clan hasn’t cast us aside, I’ll work hard when I grow up and bring honor to the family like my Eldest Brother did.”

Once the guests had been seen off, Qiu Yuruo gathered Su Yunting’s three younger siblings and went to clean up the kitchen.

Aunt Shuncai had already tidied most of it. Qiu Yuruo thanked her warmly. When she saw a basin of leftover dishes from the banquet, she told Aunt Shuncai to take it home for dinner.

In modern times, no one would think to gift others leftovers. But in this era, where food was scarce, dishes from a feast were considered top-quality food.

…

Once the helpers were gone, Qiu Yuruo shut the courtyard gate and called the three siblings back to her room.

She first went into the inner room to check on Su Yunting. Seeing him still lying quietly with no signs of nausea or discomfort, she turned to face the children who had followed her inside.

Ever since their father’s death and their brother’s coma, the three had been treated as burdens by their grandfather and second uncle countless times.

Their hearts had just begun to settle after Qiu Yuruo told their youngest sister that she would stay. But after hearing the argument between their new sister-in-law and Second Uncle, they felt uncertain again.

Qiu Yuruo could see their anxious faces but didn’t explain that she had argued with Second Uncle on purpose. It was too complicated to explain.

From their brief interaction, she could tell that Su Jingshu, who was only two years younger than her, still had a rather childish way of thinking. Yunche and the youngest girl, on the other hand, seemed sharper—especially Yunche. He would probably understand if she explained it all.

But she didn’t yet know his temperament well enough to say too much.

So instead of addressing the fight, she started by asking about Su Yunting’s care.

As she had expected, the girls handled feeding and turning him, while Yunche helped with more personal tasks.

After learning about Su Yunting’s care routine, she asked about the family’s financial situation.

This time, the three children were silent for a long while.

Qiu Yuruo had to ask directly. “There’s no money left, is there?”

They nodded.

“Did you borrow from anyone?”

Yunche answered, “No, we didn’t borrow anything. It’s just that we had thirty mu of land when we split from the family. Ten mu were given to Grandpa. We used the rest to fix up the house and buy medicine for Eldest Brother. The money we got wasn’t nearly enough. Mother ended up selling five mu of land. After she passed, we didn’t have money for the funeral, so we sold another five. It’s all gone now.”

Qiu Yuruo paused. “The ten mu you still have, are you farming it yourselves or…?”

“We rent it out,” Yunche replied.

He then took a small oil-paper package from his clothes and opened it on the table. Inside were the family separation contract and the deed for the land and house.

“I was afraid someone might try to take things during the wedding, so I kept these on me,” he explained.

Qiu Yuruo couldn’t help but smile. Just like her, he kept the most important things on himself.

Yunche pushed the package toward her. “Sister-in-law, you’re in charge of the family now. You should keep these.”

These were the most valuable documents they owned, and he was just handing them over like that.

Qiu Yuruo didn’t know if his character was reliable, but at his age, he was clearly too trusting.

Just because she said she wouldn’t leave and had stood up to Second Uncle, he already saw her as someone trustworthy.

Regardless of a person’s character, it was important to teach them to be cautious.

She put the papers away first, then said, “You’re giving me the family’s most valuable assets this easily? Aren’t you worried I’ll take them and run?”

Yunche’s expression shifted. He hadn’t thought of that at all.

Qiu Yuruo took the papers back out and placed them in the center of the table.

“You shouldn’t believe someone just because of what they say. You have to look at what they do, and what results they produce. If their words and actions match, they’re probably honest. And if the things they do turn out well, that means they’re capable.”

All three children listened intently, and even Su Yunting, lying unconscious, heard everything clearly.

From the moment he heard her argue with Second Uncle, to now as she guided his siblings, he realized she truly had no intention of leaving.

She was defending the family’s interests and fulfilling her role as the eldest sister-in-law.

Knowing that Qiu Yuruo planned to stay and was already taking responsibility for their lives filled Su Yunting with a joy he hadn’t felt in a long time.

That joy stretched back to before his coma in his past life.

But it didn’t last long. Reality reminded him that no matter how capable his wife was, their financial struggles weren’t going to disappear. Life would remain hard.

He had no one to share his worries with, and no one would notice his turmoil.

Yunche was still reflecting on her words when Qiu Yuruo said, “Put the papers away for now. Only give them to me when you’re really sure you can trust me.”

But Yunche simply pushed the oil-paper package back toward her. “I trust you.”

Qiu Yuruo chuckled inwardly. Maybe she had the makings of a con artist after all.

Yunche added, “I remember everything you said. I won’t trust others so easily in the future. But you’re not just anyone. You’re Eldest Brother’s wife. You’re family.”

This kid really had something.

Qiu Yuruo accepted the documents again and officially took over as head of the family.

Looking at the three lovely children before her, she felt a surprising sense of joy.

In her previous life, she was an only child. In this one, though she had a younger brother, he died along with their parents.

In the Qiu family, her grandparents favored the sons of their other children. She’d always been overlooked, living like a shadow.

Now that she’d married into the Su family, despite her husband’s condition, she had authority in the family and three siblings-in-law to look after. In truth, it was the kind of life she’d always dreamed of.

They only had ten mu of land and a rundown one-entry courtyard. The income wasn’t enough to cover food, let alone medical expenses for Su Yunting.

As for the three siblings, the oldest looked like a grown-up but was weak and naive. The two younger ones were clever but still years away from being able to contribute financially.

They were nothing more than burdens that Old Man Su and Second Uncle had thrown away.

But Qiu Yuruo didn’t mind. Now that she had control of her own life, she would shoulder the responsibility of raising them.

She shared her plan to set up a food stall and sell homemade dishes.

“I was going to go to the marketplace,” she said. “But now I realize I can’t leave your brother alone, so I need to find somewhere closer. I don’t know the area around the village very well. Can you tell me where there are more people?”

The Qiu family’s village wasn’t far, just about five kilometres but she’d rarely gone out, and they had no relatives around here, so she was unfamiliar with the layout.

As soon as she finished asking, Su Jingshu said, “To the east of the village is the main road. A lot of people pass by there every day. When there’s a market day, vendors even set up stalls near the entrance to Shuangmiao Village. It’s not far from here. You could go there on market days.”

“Let’s check it out tomorrow,” Qiu Yuruo said.

“Okay,” Jingshu replied.

The youngest girl jumped off her seat and snuggled up beside her. “Eldest Sister-in-law, I want to go too!”

Qiu Yuruo nodded. “Sure.”

The little one immediately started chattering about where Shuangmiao Village was, and which family’s grandmother lived there.

Her excitement was infectious. But Yunche stayed quiet for a moment, thinking practically.

“If we’re going to sell food, we’ll need startup money. But we don’t have any left.”

His words brought the cheerful mood crashing down. The two girls’ smiles disappeared.

But Qiu Yuruo reassured them. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure out the money.”

As soon as she said that, their faces lit up again. The hope of earning a living gave them something to look forward to.

Yunche wasn’t as optimistic, but he didn’t want to ruin the rare joyful moment for his sisters, so he stayed quiet.

With the food stall plan settled, Qiu Yuruo brought the conversation back to Su Yunting’s care.

Su Yunting had been wondering how she would come up with the money for the business. But when he heard her say she and Yunche would handle his personal care together, he felt his whole being flush with embarrassment.

In his past life, after waking from the coma, he never married. He never even let a maid tend to him.

After his rebirth, it was his mother who handled everything. He had felt awkward at first, but since it was his own mother, he accepted it.

Now hearing that Qiu Yuruo was going to take over those tasks, he was overwhelmed by a long-forgotten sense of shame.

Whether it was from the emotional turmoil or a subconscious reluctance to face the situation, his awareness once again faded into unconsciousness.