When Gu Ya went to the market to fetch medicine for Su Yunjin, he also gritted his teeth and bought her two liang of meat to nourish her body. He chopped up the meat and cooked it in porridge. With the meat porridge, two liang of meat could last several meals, adding just a little each time. Although not much, the meat, at least, provided some richness that was preferable to plain meals.
In the afternoon, Su Yunjin had slept for a while, and by evening, she got to eat the meat porridge Gu Ya brought over.
Fragrant and steaming, Su Yunjin, having slept through the afternoon, couldn't help but swallow saliva at the aroma of the meat porridge.
How delicious!
Gu Ya casually placed the porridge on the wooden table and went to help his young wife up.
"Yunjin, let me help you," Gu Ya said, helping Su Yunjin to sit up before bringing the porridge over to her. "This porridge is just cooked and hot; please be careful while eating it."
Gu Ya carefully blew on the porridge before bringing a spoonful to Su Yunjin's lips.
After taking a bite, Su Yunjin asked Gu Ya, "Have you eaten yet?"
Gu Ya had been busy bringing the meat porridge over as soon as it was ready and had not eaten yet. Seeing the expression on Gu Ya's face, Su Yunjin knew he hadn't.
Taking the bowl and spoon from Gu Ya's hands, Su Yunjin said, "Give it to me, I can eat by myself, you go and have your meal."
After a moment's hesitation, Gu Ya no longer insisted, "Yunjin, then you eat by yourself, I'm going out."
"Mm!" Su Yunjin nodded, and when Gu Ya left, she scooped another spoonful of porridge for herself.
The aroma of the meat porridge left Su Yunjin feeling very content. Sitting there, she quickly finished all of the porridge in the bowl in one go.
Still not quite satisfied, Su Yunjin put down the spoon when her sister-in-law, Mrs. Zhang, walked in, glanced at the empty bowl on the table, and remarked, "Oh, third brother's wife, finished all your porridge?"
Clearly, Mrs. Zhang was looking for trouble. Su Yunjin gave her a glance and asked expressionlessly, "What is it? Did you come to see me for a reason, big sister-in-law?"
"Can't I come to see you if there's no matter? You still consider yourself a precious young lady and a noble wife, don't you?" Mrs. Zhang sarcastically taunted Su Yunjin, resentful and spiteful upon thinking that all the meat for that evening had gone to Su Yunjin, her tone growing uglier.
"Third brother's wife, you really consider yourself precious, don't you? A slight illness and you must have medicine and meat. The Gu Family can barely afford meals now, how are we supposed to support such a delicate person like you?"
There was a clear insinuation in Mrs. Zhang's words, and Su Yunjin knew she intended to continue, so she didn't engage. Sure enough, Mrs. Zhang snorted and added, "Every month, money goes to third brother's medicine and doctor visits. With your delicate needs, all the silver that your elder brother and the others earn in a month might all be spent on just you two. If things continue like this, the Gu Family won't even be able to afford meals soon!"
"Big sister-in-law, what do you mean by that?" Su Yunjin looked up at Mrs. Zhang.
Mrs. Zhang snorted heavily, "What do I mean? Hmph, my meaning is very simple, we must split the household! What's the point of living like this? It's cleaner for everyone to live separately, each to their own!"
The Gu Family was full of useless people, and she wasn't going to wait to be dragged down by a bunch of freeloaders who did nothing but eat and not earn money.
Was she foolish?
The reason she had married into the Gu Family in the first place was because it was a hunter's family, with several strong men who were hunters. By marrying in, she wouldn't have to worry about meat throughout the year, nor would she lack the opportunity to have a couple of new outfits each year!
But who knew, man proposes, God disposes! She had not enjoyed many good days in the Gu Family when her father-in-law and youngest brother-in-law fell off a mountain while hunting.
Now, one was paralyzed, and the other was crippled; two invalids that had drained the Gu Family's finances. It wasn't enough they had already spent the family's savings, but now they were costing money every month for medicine. If she didn't push for a separation now, who knew what state she and her husband might end up in from being dragged down by them?
Determined not to be burdened, Mrs. Zhang had her heart set on splitting the house.
Now Su Yunjin understood.
So, Mrs. Zhang was here to make a fuss about separating the household?