Chapter 145 A Family-Centric Woman

After finishing their purchases of clothes and fabrics, Du Yun and the others browsed the other counters at the Zhanji Shop and spent another dozen yuan or so. By the time they had looked at everything and completed their shopping, it was already quite late.

Du Zhi had never stayed away from home before and, feeling quite anxious, dared not linger in the town for long, hoping to head back immediately. As soon as she voiced this thought, however, she was stopped by Du Song.

"Elder Sister, it is not easy to make a trip to the county town, and the journey home takes too much effort. Besides, it is already quite late; why not stay the night, look around tomorrow, and then head back?" Du Song glanced at the sky outside, then looked at Du Zhi's frowning face and hesitant expression as he spoke thus.

"Indeed, Sister. Neither of us knows the way very well, and if Eldest Brother has to escort us back this late, he won't be able to return today. Besides, at this hour, there's no telling if there are even any carriages left." Du Yun was extremely eager to stay the night in the county town. Leaving aside how prosperous and interesting the place was, simply the fact that Du Yun wanted to seek business opportunities here was enough to make her exhaust every means to stay.

"But—" Du Zhi wanted to say more, but Du Yun grabbed her by the hand. "Sister, no buts! I have grown this big and have hardly ever been to the county town. Just let me look around!"

"That's right, exactly! The shop happens to have rented a large courtyard for those of us whose families don't live in the county. Eldest Brother and I share a room; today, my brother and I can squeeze in somewhere else, and you two can just take our room," Du杨 advised as well.

"Very well, then." Seeing that everyone wanted her to stay in the county, and with the most expensive lodging problem already solved, Du Zhi's desire to see the prosperity of the county town ultimately prevailed.

Since the time was right, Du Song and Du Yang carried the bundles and led the two sisters, Du Zhi and Du Yun, back to where they were staying.

The courtyard where the two Du brothers lived was only two streets away from the Zhanji Shop—not far at all. There were quite a few rooms in the courtyard, seemingly able to accommodate a dozen or twenty people.

"This is the room where we live," Du Song said, leading the two of them into the large courtyard with a spirited air. When they reached the doorway, however, as if suddenly remembering something, he grew somewhat embarrassed. "It's a bit messy, haha."

"I knew it!" Initially, Du Zhi had felt somewhat constrained upon entering the courtyard, but upon hearing her eldest brother utter those slightly sheepish words, she immediately knew what was going on.

And the scene that met their eyes upon opening the door fully confirmed Du Zhi's assumption. Although Du Song was eloquent and capable, he could not escape the common failing of most men: he did not know how to tidy up a household.

The room's windows were open, so there was no particular odor, but the unfolded quilts tossed on the beds, discarded clothing, unwashed dishes, and randomly scattered sundries all showed that no woman had ever helped tidy up this place.

Once Du Zhi stepped into the room, it was as if she had suddenly found her proper place; her initial constraint and nervousness vanished entirely, replaced by an energetic stance of rolling up her sleeves and tucking in her cuffs.

"I knew you men wouldn't know how to clean a room. Fortunately, there's still time today; Xiaoyun and I will help you tidy the place up, and we won't go out to eat tonight—we'll just whip up something simple ourselves." Whether it was because she had found her role, Du Zhi's entire spirit and vitality surged forth. Gone was her earlier timid and shrinking demeanor; she looked like a capable young mistress running her own household, bustling about with swift and deft movements as she began to clear away the clutter while speaking.

"Alright!" Du Song doted on his younger sisters, and as long as it didn't violate any major principles, he naturally agreed to whatever they said. He immediately responded, took off his work jacket, slipped on a coarse cloth tunic, and grabbed a basin to fetch some water.

Du Zhi was an old hand at domestic chores. While working diligently herself, she still had the leisure to dispatch Du Yun to help. Wherever her hands touched in that room, it was as if magic had been applied, and the place rapidly became clean. When Du Song and the others returned from buying groceries and saw the thoroughly renewed room, they all felt a fleeting sense of wondering if their eyes were playing tricks on them.

"Good heavens, is this still the room we live in? How can it possibly be this clean?!" After placing the vegetables at the doorway, Du Yang hesitated to even step inside the room, looking in astonishment at the bright, clean quarters that had practically undergone a complete transformation.

"Could it still not be your room?" Du Zhi walked out carrying an empty laundry basin, a faint flush of exertion on her face, clearly very pleased and satisfied with her handiwork.

"Indeed, though this doesn't look like your room at all. We actually dug out quite a few stinky socks and dirty shoes from this place! Eldest Sister had to wash them for ages!" Du Yun followed close behind with a beaming smile, fanning the air before her nose with her hand as she spoke.

"Are the vegetables back? I'll go make dinner!" Having finished her chores, Du Zhi seemed to have firmly anchored her role. With a rosy glow on her face, she picked up the vegetable basket and headed straight for the kitchen.

In this brief hour or two, Du Zhi had already integrated seamlessly with the matrons and sisters-in-law in the courtyard. She had figured out all the details: where to wash and dry clothes in the laundry room, and how to cook meals in the main kitchen.

Du Yun had to admit that there were women in this world completely different from herself. They centered their lives around the family, often rapidly finding their niche within it, swiftly blending in, and pouring their utmost effort into it. Most importantly, they relished every bit of it.

Du Yun knew that Du Zhi was precisely this kind of woman. Whether she tried to give her a sense of self or independence, neither was the happiness Du Zhi sought. For instance, at noon in the Zhanji Shop, the pretty clothes Du Yun had wanted to buy for her and the exquisite fabrics meant for her dowry were things Du Zhi liked immensely, yet they also brought her considerable pressure and even a sense of helplessness by the end.

At the time, Du Yun had only felt stifled and frustrated, thinking Du Zhi weak and easily bullied, failing to turn her thoughts around and consider whether her entirely well-meaning gestures were truly the best thing for Du Zhi. Only after calming down did Du Yun realize this, and she could not help feeling some regret for her actions.

Du Zhi was not a woman who took endlessly; rather, letting her find her place within a family and quickly make her own contribution gave her a swift sense of stability and adaptation, allowing her to joyfully immerse herself in such a life.

As she busied herself preparing the evening meal, Du Yun's mind kept replaying the events of the day. With this realization, she felt as though a veil had suddenly been lifted from her eyes. It turned out that for some people, what she believed to be "treating them well" was merely her own subjective wish all along.