"Was she saved?"
People said that Mrs. Gu from the Gu Family had fallen into the water, and they didn't know if she could be saved! Those who went to see said they feared it was hopeless; she had been unconscious for almost a whole day and night.
Someone in the crowd remarked, "Ah, the Gu Family has really been in bad luck recently. They finally borrowed some money to marry a daughter-in-law, and then she fell into water during her visit back home!"
"Right, do you guys know how that daughter-in-law of the Gu Family fell into the water at her parents' home?"
Someone curiously asked.
"Who knows? They say she fell accidentally while digging wild vegetables in the village! But, none of us saw it with our own eyes! If you ask me, it's likely that the daughter-in-law sought to end her own life. Her in-laws are so poor, and her husband is a cripple, who could bear such a life?"
Several women outside the Gu Family courtyard were gossiping profusely. Su Yunjin, lying unconscious inside the house, heard the noisy voices outside; she moved uneasily and then opened her eyes!
Mud-built walls filled with clutter and an old thatched cottage!
Where is this?
Why is it so noisy outside?
Drowning?
Who drowned?
Su Yunjin looked around bewilderedly!
She thought she was dreaming!
Besides, her body felt extremely weak.
Before Su Yunjin could figure out what was going on,
she fainted again.
The passed-out Su Yunjin didn't know that she, or rather her body's original inhabitant, had already been asleep for two days, and the people outside were discussing how to deal with her!
Inside the courtyard!
The atmosphere was unusually silent!
The eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. Zhang, spoke first, "Mother, the doctor came and said that the third brother's wife is past help. I think we should no longer waste money on her medicines. Our Gu Family is already so poor that we can barely keep the pot boiling. Instead of wasting that spare cash, wouldn't it be better to buy some meat to nourish everyone?"
The fourth brother's wife, Mrs. Han, agreed, "Mother, the eldest sister-in-law is right. The third sister-in-law has been unconscious for a day; if she were to wake up, it would have already happened. Why should we waste more money? Our family isn't what it used to be. Father and third brother, one is paralyzed, and the other is a cripple. We have a debt-ridden household that needs money everywhere. Any available funds should be spent wisely; spending it on the third sister-in-law is like watching our hard-earned silver go to waste."
"But the doctor did say that the third brother's wife wasn't completely beyond help—there was still a slight chance she could wake up..."
Mother Mrs. An still wanted to persist in treating Su Yunjin. After all, when the old Gu Family married Su Yunjin, it had cost a great deal of money.
Fifty taels of silver!
That amount would be enough for the Gu Family's living expenses for half a year!
Three of those taels were borrowed from an elder in the family.
And they hadn't yet repaid it.
How much could a doctor's fee be?
At most a hundred or so copper coins.
But if they didn't try to save her, those fifty taels of silver they had spent would be completely wasted—a massive loss indeed.
And that was secondary!
The most important reason was that Gu Ya had a lame leg! Half a year ago, Gu Ya went hunting on the mountain; trying to save his father, he fell and broke his left leg, becoming a cripple.
A lame cripple!
Under normal circumstances, which family would want their daughter to marry such a man?
Now, Mrs. An had no other hope but for Su Yunjin in their home to be all right.
She feared spending more money on Su Yunjin.
The eldest sister-in-law, Mrs. Zhang, and the fourth brother's wife, Mrs. Han, were both persistently inciting Mother Mrs. An to toss Su Yunjin deep into the mountains to feed the wolves.