Chapter 3

Chapter 3

But the courtyard was one thing we could not move out of.

Because my father still did not know that, during all these hazy days of his, his fine son had already married into someone else’s family.

The doctor said that when Father fell down the hillside, blood had clotted in his brain, and he had to be kept alive on medicine. Even so, he was awake for only a short time each day, unless we were willing to shock him. But whether that shock would make him recover completely or send him straight over the edge, no one could say.

Mother did not dare take that risk. She would rather spend those few hours when Father was awake talking with him than never see him again.

She lied to Father and said my brother had met a good classmate from a wealthy family. This was a side courtyard belonging to that family, lent to us so it would be easier for us to see the doctor. As for my brother, he was still studying at the academy, so he did not come back often.

When Father asked where the money for his treatment had come from, Mother took out an IOU. “Sheng’s classmate lent it to us. His family believes our son will make something of himself one day, so they wanted to form a good connection early.”

The lie was complete from start to finish, so Father believed it.

But I was still a child. I was afraid I would not be able to play my part well, so I did not dare stay in the courtyard. Instead, I followed my sister-in-law around all day.

And after following her around, I realized my brother and my sister-in-law were actually quite well matched.

My brother was a thoughtful person. Mother had never spoiled him growing up either; she had ordered him to do every kind of chore. After I was born, on the days when Father and Mother were too busy to manage, he was the one who braided my hair and washed my diapers. He had even mended the ragged trousers I wore out crawling around on the ground.

My sister-in-law, on the other hand, was decisive and brisk. She managed a hundred or so people at the trading firm, and when she gave an order, no one dared argue. The moment people saw her, even their faces would tighten despite themselves. She was especially impressive.

More than once, I saw my brother watching her from behind as she issued orders, his eyes shining so brightly it was almost ridiculous. That look was admiration, and also utter fascination.

But at home, she was terribly muddleheaded. Even by dinnertime, she could not remember whether she had eaten lunch.

When Mother had first agreed to eat with everyone, my sister-in-law properly kept her company for a few meals. Half a month later, though, we often could not find her at all.

Once, in the middle of the night, my sister-in-law was in so much pain that she rolled around on the bed. My brother did not dare alarm Mother, so he called me over to keep her company, then drove the carriage himself and practically hauled the doctor over.

That night, my brother’s face was frighteningly dark. He listened as the doctor said this was an old ailment of my sister-in-law’s. He had already prescribed medicine many times and repeatedly told her to eat on time, but she had never managed it once, so the attacks kept coming back again and again.

When my brother fed my sister-in-law the medicine, his face was grim. “Serves you right if it’s bitter enough to kill you. Who told you to bury yourself in money and stop caring about your own health? Now do you know you need to eat properly?”

My sister-in-law was always strong-willed in front of my brother, and this time was no exception. She was so weak her face was covered in sweat, but she still glared at him and said, “Of course I have to bury myself in money if I want to earn it. It’s just like how you have to throw yourself into books if you want to study. The God of Wealth isn’t my relative, so why should he let me get rich for nothing?”

But perhaps it was because my brother so rarely got fierce with her, or perhaps it was because even though he was being fierce, one glance at his expression showed he was worried. By the end, she took his hand and softened her tone. “All right, all right, I was wrong. At worst, you can be in charge of making me eat from now on. My dear young husband, aren’t you the best at wearing people down?”

I sat there listening, and even though I had done nothing, my face burned bright red. Then I looked at my brother’s face and felt that his was even redder than mine.

Only then did the two of them belatedly realize I was still in the room. Both of their faces went stern, and together, they chased me out.