Yun Jiao took a bucket to fetch water for Jiang Youzhi; there was no firewood at home either, so she took Gu Chuan to gather some firewood from behind the village.
Stuffing the firewood into the stove, she lit a fire to boil water and instructed Gu Chuan, "From now on, you need to go to the edge of the mountain every day to gather some firewood for boiling water."
"But don’t ever go deep into the mountains; be careful of wild animals."
"If you can’t carry the water, ask your eldest sister to help. If she doesn’t, get the brother from the second uncle’s family to help. If he doesn’t either, think of a way to carry a little water each time."
"In this weather, you must bathe and wash your hair at least every other day, or you’ll stink, understand?"
Gu Chuan bowed his head, "Got it."
Jiang Youzhi brought in a bucket of water, didn’t disturb the siblings, poured the water into the tank, and went out again.
Yun Jiao continued to instruct, "From now on, you also have to learn to cook by yourself. Eldest sister is already sixteen, and she might get married any day. By then, who will you rely on?"
"Also, if mother wants to sell the land, go and tell second uncle and third uncle; they won’t let her sell it."
Gu Chuan nodded again.
Yun Jiao added, "I took some of the books from home. Don’t let eldest sister or mother sell the rest; hide them yourself. It’s always good to read more when you have time."
Suddenly, Gu Chuan began to cry, "Second sister, please don’t leave, alright? Mother and eldest sister don’t care about me. No one mends my clothes when they are torn."
Yun Jiao sighed, "Second sister is also not in control of herself."
She wanted to leave the Jiang Family, nor did she want to return to her mother’s house; she just wanted to open a pharmacy on her own. After all, the medicine was already prepared, and she could earn some silver to support herself.
However, there were two problems with leaving; one was the lack of money.
She truly didn’t have a single coin on her, but this problem was relatively easy to solve. She had a medicine stockpile, and selling some would gather enough silver.
The other problem was her household registration.
Her registration was currently with the Jiang Family. Newest update provıded by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁
In ancient times, unlike the modern era, the movement of the population was strictly controlled. One needed a road pass issued by the government to travel; otherwise, you’d not only have nowhere to stay but might even be captured by the government in a foreign place.
Even if the government didn’t catch you, a little girl traveling alone would certainly attract traffickers.
Who knows where you’d be sold then.
So, the only way was to figure out how to legitimately separate from the Jiang Family and establish an independent account as a widow, so she could live a peaceful life on her own.
But this wasn’t easy, and she had to plan carefully.
Yun Jiao collected her thoughts and said to Gu Chuan, "Go get your clothes and find some needles and thread, and second sister will mend them for you."
Gu Chuan quickly ran out.
Yun Jiao saw Jiang Youzhi bring another bucket of water, stood up to check the water tank, "It’s enough now, no need to carry more."
"Thank you, must be tiring, go take a rest."
Jiang Youzhi nodded, "I’ll go sit in the yard for a bit."
He walked to the kitchen door, then stopped, as if he couldn’t go in or back out.
Yun Jiao looked out from behind him and saw Gu Mei standing outside in a pale red blouse and a peach pink skirt, her eyebrows drawn, looking eager.
This intention was obvious, and Yun Jiao rolled her eyes, returning to the stove to keep the fire burning.
Outside, Gu Mei twisted a handkerchief, shyly and timidly said, "Third, Third Brother, can you come with me for a moment? I have something to tell you."