Goldfield
Chapter 59: The Past

The villagers in the courtyard were all friends with Yu Hai and his wife, or a neighbor who lived nearby. When the second son of the Yu Family was brought home due to serious injuries, Madam Zhang went into hiding and claimed to be poor when mentioned to be paying for medical treatment. However, no one was surprised by his actions as it was already common in the village community.

Shuanzhu's wife couldn't help but feel somewhat sad in her heart. He had heard the elders in the house talking about Madam Zhang. Madame Zhang was Yu Hai's second wife after his wife died, and she was also the cousin of Yu Hai's late mother. At that moment, when the newly widowed Madam Zhang was chased away by her cruel in-laws, Yu Hai's bedridden mother graciously carried her in. Later, when Yu Hai's mother died of illness, Old Yu saw that Madam Zhang was rather sincere because she was taking care of Yu Hai and her older sister, so she married him as her second wife.

The eldest son, Yu Dashan, was Madam Zhang's son from a previous marriage and was only two months older than Yu Hai. The third son, Yu Bo, and the youngest daughter, Yu Caidie, were the biological children of Madam Zhang and Old Yu.

When Yu Hai's mother was alive, Madam Zhang had acted hypocritically and treated Yu Hai and his elder sister better than her own son. So, when Yu Hai's mother lay on the bed and died, she had entrusted her children to Madam Zhang. However, shortly after Yu Hai's mother died, Madam Zhang revealed her true nature.

Under the pretext that the family was in a bad state, Yu Hai and his elder sister were only given porridge, which was so diluted that one's image could be reflected in it, and a small piece of bean paste pancakes every day. In front of Old Yu, he would pretend that everyone was eating the same food. However, she actually kept the good things to be eaten secretly by her children at night.

When Yu Hai was young, he had climbed trees to get eggs, gathered wild fruits, and searched the sea for seafood due to hunger. As he grew older, he learned how to catch pheasants, wild rabbits, and small animals in the mountains alone.

Being pure and devoted, he never selfishly enjoyed the pheasants and wild rabbits he caught himself. He always took them home and asked his father to prepare them for the whole family to eat. However, Madam Zhang would choose a rabbit's foot to eat her own children. So, Yu Hai and his elder sister could only eat their parts without much meat. When Old Yu reprimanded him, he would answer sensibly by saying: ‘Third son and our youngest daughter are young, so Second Son should succumb to his sisters.’.

When Yu Hai was a teenager, he started fishing in the sea with Old Yu. Within two years, he had become one of the best fishermen in the village. Every time he went out to sea, he caught more fish than anyone else. Moreover, he often caught rare and valuable types of fish. Hence, the rich families and famous restaurants in the city all liked to buy the fish he caught.

Yu Hai also often hunted on the mountain with Hunter Zhao. They always brought home some games, but often, Madam Zhang was unwilling to let the family eat them. So, most of them were sold in the city in exchange for money, which was stored safely in his own wallet.

Gradually, the Yu Family moved out of their shabby ancestral home and built a five-bedroom residence on the east side of the village, near the sea. In the past two years, they have also replaced damaged fishing boats with new ones. With Yu Hai's ability, the Yu Family had jumped from a famous poor family to a relatively wealthy family in the village.

Madam Zhang has complete control over the family finances. It was impossible to even get a single cent out of his hands. Even the money used to buy groceries for the family is carefully calculated over and over again. Every day, they ate coarse-grain pancakes, bean porridge, and pickled vegetables. Sometimes, they just cook vegetables from their garden with boiling water, even without adding oil. Except during the New Year, there will be no leftover meat in the house.

Even people who rarely work and the poorest families in the village eat better food and wear warmer clothes than their families. There was no one in the village who did not know that the old lady of the Yu Family was like a mouse entering a place—— an entrance without an exit.

The eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Li, the girl's family lives nearby and has decent family circumstances. Furthermore, Madam Zhang had taken almost all the family resources to prepare the engagement gift to obtain this marriage for her eldest son. From time to time, Madam Li would bring her son back to her maiden house to eat a sumptuous meal. He always returned with various bags, all of which were tucked into his room. However, Madam Zhang would only turn a blind eye to her behavior. As a result, the mother and child ate so much that their bodies changed shape into balls. They were completely different from Yu Hai's wife and children, all of whom looked emaciated.

Yu Hai had chosen Lady Liu as his own wife and asked her father to hire a matchmaker to arrange the marriage. At that moment, the fat and ugly daughter of the general store owner liked Yu Hai, who was tall, handsome, and capable. They had invited someone to tell Madam Zhang that they did not need an engagement gift. Moreover, they had also prepared a thirty tael dowry.

For an ordinary family in a fishing village like the Yu Family, their annual expenditure was only around three to five taels. Although they earned a decent income from fishing every day, they had to pay the school fees of the third son, Yu Bo,. Moreover, they had to prepare the money needed for the upcoming exams. They also had to prepare their youngest daughter's dowry. At that time, thirty taels was a considerable amount of money for the Yu Family, so naturally Madam Zhang was interested.

Just when she decided to approve this marriage proposal, the marriage of Yu Hai and Madam Liu had been finalized. Madam Liu was from an ordinary family and her elder brother had just gotten married, so they only collected a few taels as dowries after putting in a great effort. Naturally, it was much worse than the thirty taels that general store owners suggested. The thirty taels he was about to receive suddenly disappeared, so naturally Madam Zhang would view Madam Liu as something that was a sight-destroying thing.

After Lady Liu married into her family, she was responsible with almost all homework. He had to cook, wash clothes, and collect fish moss and firewood. He also had to feed the chickens and pigs. In addition, he was also responsible for taking care of two parcels of family-owned land. Even when she was pregnant, Madam Zhang did not allow her to rest. He scolded her all day, while nagging at everything she did.

Before Lady Liu finished her confinement after the birth of her youngest son, Little Shitou, she had been ordered to wash clothes in the ice-covered river. As a result, he fell ill and suffered the effects of a prolonged chronic illness. During the winter and rainy days, he would cough continuously. Sometimes, he coughed so hard to breathe and his face turned blue from suffocation. Besides, he almost died on several occasions.

Every year, Lady Liu had to go to the doctor and take medicine for her illness, which cost her a lot of money. Moreover, Yu Xiaocao was born with a weak constitution and would always fall ill. Every time Madam Zhang had to pay for their medical expenses, it was as if someone was digging the grave of her ancestor. The old woman would scold them every day while saying that she was raising two deceitful demons that were bottomless pits …

In the past, seeing Yu Hai's ability to earn money, Madam Zhang would file a complaint, but she still spent money to pay for medical expenses.

However, he was considered quite lucky. Even though his veins were about to rupture, he was able to hold on until the doctor came from the city. They initially thought that the best healers in town would give them good news. However, after examining Yu Hai's injuries, Doctor Sun of Tongren Medicine Hall only shook his head and said, “Do what can be done and leave the others to fate.” Afterwards, he reluctantly writes a prescription for them, saying that the drug may not be effective and they simply seek peace of mind.

The dosage of the medicine cost roughly one tael and might not be able to save the life of the second son of the Yu Family. There was no way Madam Zhang would let the money she had painstakingly saved go to waste. With a family filled with sick and weak people, if Yu Hai could not wake up, they would all become a burden to the Yu Family in the future. If Yu Hai survived with an amputated leg, he would also only be a burden to the family since he had lost one leg.

Shuanzhu's wife had learned of the current situation. If Madam Zhang could make a decision, then she would definitely drive the entire Yu Hai family out of the house without hesitation. However, Old Yu still had the final say in the family. Moreover, Madam Zhang was afraid that the other villagers would gossip, so she did not dare to mention this suggestion boldly.

Aye! How will the Yu Hai family survive under Madam Zhang's control in the future? Shuanzhu's wife couldn't help but worry about them!

There was a thick smell of blood floating in the air. Yu Hai, who was lying on the bed, looked deathly pale and barely breathing. Every time he went hunting in the mountains, he could earn at least four or five hundred copper coins. But now he was only covered with a worn cotton blanket that had faded and patched.

The room was dark and narrow inside the western room, which was mostly occupied by a bed. At the head of the bed, there was an old rattan box, while a table supported by many boards was placed on the side of the bed. And that's it. Yu Hai and his wife, who were the main workers in the family, had to live in a room crowded with these few children.

Yu Hai was still alive, yet the second branch had already been treated in such a way. If…

“Quick and pay Doctor Sun for the cure!” Old Yu, who was dragged into the main hall by Madam Zhang, suddenly shouted. The villagers in the courtyard looked at each other speechlessly. Did Madam Zhang seriously throw away all pretenses and refuse to pay Yu Hai's medicine?

“Five taels! Even doctors say that there may be no point in taking the medicine! Doesn't Xiaocao have Doctor You's medicine box? We can use some medicine inside to get peace of mind. Five taels is enough for a month's supply of brushes and ink for our third son! ” Madam Zhang's growl sounds like a female beast guarding her cubs.

Old Yu's voice sounded once again, “Do you think I don't know how much money you have saved? Even if there is a glimmer of hope, we should do our best to make our last effort. If not, will your conscience be at ease? Aren't you afraid that Xiaocao and his brothers will hate you? ”

Madam Zhang would not comply, “It is not that I do not want to save her, but the doctor has already said that taking medicine will not help. So, why are we still wasting money? It is better to just save and help Second Son raise his children. ”.

As the old couple sparred in the main hall, the neighbors in the courtyard looked sympathetically into the western room and shook their heads nonstop.

“Uncle Yu——” A man with a strong body, who exuded a strong sense of strength and looked valiant, entered the gate of the Yu Family courtyard. He was the person Yu Hai had saved today, Zhao Bufan.

When Madam Zhang heard her voice, she immediately walked out of her room. Even though she looked skinny and petite, she was actually quite strong. He grabbed onto the front of Zhao Bufan's clothes and shouted as loudly as possible, “You damned hunter Zhao! If not for you today, would Yu Hai of our family be bedridden and on the verge of death? I don't care! Our second son is injured because of you, so your Zhao Family should be responsible for medical expenses! Also, if something happens to Yu Hai, then your Zhao Family will also be responsible for taking care of the widows and orphans of the second branch! ”

In the end, Madam Zhang never cared about Yu Hai's life and death. The only thing he was worried about was money, money, and money!

“Don't worry, Auntie! Brother Yu Hai has saved me from this misfortune. If it wasn't for him, I would have been dead long ago! I, Zhao Bufan, am an honest and courageous person, who will never act ungrateful and dangerous! I have killed the bear that injured Brother Yu Hai and sold it to the city. ”.

With a greedy expression on her face, Madam Zhang interrupted Zhao Bufan before he finished speaking, “Hunter Zhao, please step into the room to speak!”

Ignoring the bears' fur and gallbladder, claws and bear meat alone could be sold for a considerable price in the city.