I Pampered Twin Sisters During a Famine and Built a Self-Sufficient Empire with Wives and Wealth! - Chapter 2:

Chapter 2:

“Sister-in-law, please have mercy. Our family was attacked by bandits while fleeing, and we’ve truly reached a dead end.”

“I’m willing to marry. I won’t ask for anything… just some food and water is enough…”

Shen Yourong knelt in the main room, clutching Yun Niang’s arm, pleading desperately.

After drinking some hot porridge and warming up a bit, she could finally speak clearly.

As for Shen Wei, she still looked dazed, clearly not fully recovered.

But when Yun Niang’s daughter, Xiao Yue, looked over, Shen Wei’s gaze softened.

She slightly opened her mouth, wanting to speak to Xiao Yue, but didn’t dare. Her elder sister was still crying beside her.

“You two girls are very pretty, clearly from a well-off family. No wonder my son took a fancy to you and said he wanted to marry you as soon as he got home.”

“But…”

Who didn’t like a beautiful wife?

Xu Tielin was no exception. Back when the family was doing well a couple of years ago, he might’ve gritted his teeth and accepted it.

But now, both pillars of the Xu family had fallen. Eldest son Xu Changqing had been missing for over half a year—most likely gone.

Xu Tielin broke his leg while hunting and wouldn’t recover for a year or two. He couldn’t work and needed medicine.

That left only the scoundrel Xu Changnian. Could they really throw everything on Yun Niang? Her daughter was only five!

“Little sister, get up and talk.”

“It’s not that I’m heartless, but you’ve seen the situation here. We truly can’t afford to feed anyone else.”

Yun Niang’s heart ached seeing Shen Yourong kneeling, but she still couldn’t agree.

“I…”

Shen Yourong stammered, unable to speak further. She could only look pitifully at her younger sister.

She fully understood the hardship the Xu family faced.

Xu Changnian brought the two of them home, yet Xu Tielin and Yun Niang didn’t beat them out with sticks. They even gave them hot porridge. That was already a great kindness.

How could she shamelessly ask for more and force the Xu family into ruin?

The room fell silent.

Standing outside, Xu Changnian felt miserable too. His head buzzed.

As a modern young man from 21st-century Blue Star, born into a life of comfort, he’d never seen anything like this.

Begging for food to survive?

He’d only seen it on TV. Hearing it in person now made him realize how cruel reality could be.

“Yun Niang, why don’t we just take one in? I’m old, I can eat a little less.”

“The third boy needs a wife too.”

Xu Tielin looked at Yun Niang carefully as he spoke. He was afraid his rascal son would cause a scene if unhappy.

Even keeping one was already the limit, and they still had to wrestle food out of his mouth.

“Father, don’t blame me for sounding harsh, but we’ve only got a little over 10 kilograms of millet left. We don’t even have enough food to get through the winter.”

Yun Niang gritted her teeth and laid out the harsh truth.

Over 10 kilograms of millet, divided among four people, would barely last ten to fifteen days.

To survive this harsh winter, they’d probably have to pawn their farmland just to borrow food!

And if they couldn’t pay it back, next year the Xu family would lose even their land.

Add a delicate daughter-in-law to that? Don’t even think about it.

In the countryside, the top requirement for a wife was being strong enough to work the fields and wide-hipped to bear children!

The Shen sisters were fair-skinned and fragile—forget fieldwork, a gust of wind might blow them over. Complete burdens!

“What about the stuff Eldest left behind? Didn’t we trade it for two sacks of…”

“Go ask that damn… he stole the grain and exchanged it for wine. I was too ashamed to tell you!”

After hearing Yun Niang’s words, Old Man Xu clutched his chest in silence and shook his head helplessly.

Shen Yourong also let out a bitter laugh.

…

What a bastard.

Serves him right to be dead.

Hearing that his predecessor sold food for wine, Xu Changnian silently cursed in his heart.

Of course, he meant the predecessor.

Just as he was about to push open the door, another round of gut-wrenching words came from inside.

“Let my sister stay. Sell me instead. Use the money and grain to survive the winter.”

“Is there a tavern or brothel nearby…? I’ve accepted my fate!”

Seeing no other way out, Shen Yourong bit her lip until it bled—she had clearly made up her mind.

She wasn’t ugly. In a place like that, she could probably fetch a decent price.

Better she fall into hell alone than for the two of them to starve to death together.

“Sister… don’t go!”

Shen Wei suddenly snapped out of her daze and threw herself into her sister’s arms, crying.

“Girl, what are you saying? How could we possibly…”

Yun Niang grew more and more distressed. Seeing the two sisters like that, her eyes welled up uncontrollably.

“Mother, don’t let big sister leave, please…”

Xiao Yue tugged at her mother’s sleeve, whispering softly.

Yun Niang said nothing. Sell someone into a brothel? She couldn’t do it.

But she truly had no way to keep them both.

Seeing her mother remain silent, Xiao Yue’s heart sank. She could only stare helplessly.

“Let’s keep one.”

“That older girl, you’re on your own.”

“Yun Niang, let’s borrow some extra food to make it through this winter. I’ll get some medicine from Granny Huang to heal my leg. If I hunt two wild boars next year, we can pay it back.”

“With Changqing gone, I had thought maybe you and Changnian… but he doesn’t think that way about you. Forget it.”

In the end, it was Xu Tielin who spoke. He wanted a wife for his son and couldn’t bear to turn both sisters away.

“Father, how can you say such things…”

Yun Niang’s face twisted with disgust.

Fortunately, the Shen sisters were from out of town and didn’t understand the meaning behind Xu Tielin’s last words.

In the area around Qingshan Village, there was a tradition—if the elder brother died, the younger one would marry the widow. They couldn’t let the Xu line die out.

“Thank you, kind benefactors…”

Shen Yourong knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly. At least her younger sister would stay in the Xu household, with a chance to live.

Xu Tielin and Yun Niang weren’t cruel people. For her sister, this was already a huge blessing.

Yun Niang only covered her mouth, saying nothing. She shook her head lightly, unable to stop herself.

Go into the mountains to hunt wild boars?

Easy to say!

Even when Xu Tielin was young and strong, it came down to luck. Now with a broken leg, going deep into the mountains would be a one-way trip.

Besides, could Granny Huang’s medicine even cure anything?

If the mortgaged land wasn’t redeemed, the Xu family would be finished.

It was all that scoundrel Xu Changnian’s fault. If only he’d been the one to go missing half a year ago…

But Yun Niang couldn’t say it aloud. She could only grumble silently in her heart.

“Raising one is enough. I’ll go do some sewing at Old Xu Hei’s place. That should earn us a bit of food.”

Yun Niang turned away, muttering to herself blankly, like she was convincing herself.

“The Xu family are good people. Little sister, you have to live well… wait for me to come back for you!”

Shen Yourong hugged her sister and whispered in her ear, comforting her.

Then, clenching her teeth, she pushed her sister away and walked toward the door.

“No!”

Shen Wei collapsed to the ground, nearly fainting. Thankfully, Xiao Yue was right beside her.

“What’s all this noise? Ate too much today? Where’s my meal?”

“Don’t even have that much sense? How can you be anyone’s wife like this? Hurry and bring it over!”

As the door opened, Shen Yourong walked forward with her eyes closed and bumped right into Xu Changnian’s chest.

The two locked eyes. Shen Yourong murmured in a mosquito-like voice, “Please treat my sister well,” then lowered her head and tried to walk out.

But how could Xu Changnian let her go?

He grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her back into the house.

After shutting the door, he deliberately put on a fierce tone and shouted a few lines.

He had no choice. He wasn’t the original scoundrel. But for now, he had to play the part.