《The Exiled Life of the Noble Girl》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1


    In early summer, at noon, the scorching sun was directly overhead.


    Pedestrians on the official road hurried by as usual. Li Mingwei wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. The prolonged exposure to sunlight made her a bit dizzy, so she squinted her eyes and looked into the distance.


    The road ahead was t and unobstructed, with no ce to take a temporary rest.


    She felt a sense of despair in her heart. By now, she had already been affected by the heatstroke, and if she continued like this, she was afraid she would copse on this road.


    "Halt!"


    The sound of chaotic hoofbeats came closer from a distance. Li Mingwei turned her head and looked at the road. A small toon of soldiers, consisting of more than ten men, was galloping towards her.


    Perhaps their mission was urgent, as the horses were running fast, kicking up clouds of dust as they passed by. Pedestrians on both sides turned their backs, trying to avoid the gusts of sand and wind.


    Li Mingwei quickly moved to the side, covering her face and turning away. The toon of soldiers, who were supposed to zoom past her, stopped behind her. The toon leader took a look at her figure and took out a portrait from his pocket.


    "You, turn around."


    Li Mingwei clenched her clothes tightly, looked around, and realized she had nowhere to escape. She could only reluctantly turn around. She hunched her back, burying her head in her chest, and her body trembled slightly.


    "Sir, what''s the matter? I-I''m a good person."


    The toon leader frowned. "Raise your head."


    The other soldiers were a bit puzzled, looking at the raggedy-dressed woman. This timid woman with such a little courage didn''t seem to be the person they were looking for.


    One was the fairy in the sky, the other was just mud from a lotus pond. What was there to inquire about?


    With a heavy heart, Li Mingwei slowly lifted her head. She knew she couldn''t hesitate at this moment. Hesitation would only raise suspicion. She raised her chin and revealed her face covered in dirt.


    Her hair was disheveled, her face inexplicably covered in ck and yellow mud, and her lips were slightly chapped. The soldiers turned their faces away, showing some disdain.


    "Captain, she doesn''t seem to be the one. Let''s go. It''s too hot today. Not just us, even the horses can''t bear it."


    "Yes, yes."


    The toon leader nced back and cast a sideways nce at his men, signaling them to quiet down. He was about to let her wipe her face and take another look when he saw the woman unconsciously taking a step back and falling into a ditch beside the road.


    There was no water in the ditch at the moment. Li Mingwei fell onto the yellow soil, feeling the pain, but she still managed to stand back up. She rudely patted her buttocks, imitating the actions of the farmer''s wife where she had rested the day before, and twisted her waist.


    "Ouch, I almost broke my back!"


    Li Mingwei had never referred to herself in such a way, and saying these words made her blush a bit. Unfortunately, her face was covered in thick mud, and nobody could see it.


    Hearing her sharp words and crude actions, the toon leader seemed convinced that she wasn''t the one. He spurred his horse''s belly with his legs and continued forward with the toon.


    After going a long way, he couldn''t help but turn around for another look. He saw the woman pulling a few des of grass, struggling to climb back onto the road from the ditch. Her behavior was extremely uncouth. Finally, he increased his speed and left her behind.


    Li Mingwei watched as they walked away without looking back, relieved that she had escaped unharmed. It was worth it for her to act in this y.


    Seeing that she couldn''t get up, several kind-hearted passersby came forward and helped her up.


    She bowed and said, "Thank you, gentlemen."


    An old man sped his hands together and said, "You''re wee, miss."


    Someone asked, "What did those soldiers say to you just now?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head and replied, "They didn''t say anything, just told me to look up, and then they nced at me and left."


    "Are they searching for someone?"


    "Perhaps it''s some wanted criminal."


    There were also people who knew the truth, and one of them pretended to be surprised and said, "You all don''t know?"


    Immediately, a group of people surrounded him, curious to know, "Know what?"


    Under the expectant gaze of the crowd, the man felt somewhat smug. He waved his hand, gesturing for them to step back a bit, and said, "Don''t crowd, don''t crowd, it''s too hot."


    "I just came from the capital city, and I heard that the Minister of Officials'' daughter has gone missing!"


    "Ah?"


    The group of people widened their eyes in astonishment and eximed, "How could such a youngdy go missing?!"


    "Oh dear, she''s about eighteen or neen years old. Recently, their family has been searching for her." The man leaned in closer to the crowd and whispered, "Let me tell you, the rumors are spreading outside. It''s said that they fear she won''t be found."


    "Why?"


    "Do you know who she married? Prince Jian, the current emperor''s own brother. They say this Prince Jian has a mistress outside, and in order to let the woman from outside enter the household, he harmed her!"


    This...


    Seeing that some of the people were skeptical, he continued, "It''s true. This youngdy said she was going to make an offering at the temple and never came back. She had so many guards from the royal residence with her, but not one of them saw how she disappeared."


    The crowd still found it hard to believe. After all, it was quite normal for a prince to have three or four concubines. Why would he harm someone''s life just to take a concubine?


    "It can''t be that serious. The Minister of Officials may not be as important as a prince, but it''s still a high-ranking match for his daughter."


    "Hey, what do you guys know? Her father may not beparable to a prince, but her grandfather was the former emperor''s mentor. Many officials in the court were his students. He was knowledgeable and had a wide range of abilities. He wouldn''t allow his granddaughter to suffer such injustice!"


    An old man suddenly recalled, "Could it be Minister Li?"


    "Yes, it''s him!"


    "Who is Minister Li?"


    The old man''s eyes filled with memories, and after a moment, he said, "You probably won''t remember even if I tell you. Back then, it was his suggestion to establish schools in various ces so that children from poor families could have books to read."


    "But now schools also require money, right?" The person who spoke had children studying, and they had to pay a lot of money every year.


    The old man lowered his head and sighed, "At that time, schools had just been established everywhere, but war broke out in the north again, and the court had no money to hire teachers."


    So now the teachers in schools everywhere would collect some fees themselves.


    "Minister Li traveled all over our country for this matter. He even visited the school in our town. I was lucky enough to encounter him and had a brief conversation with him."


    "That''s a great merit!"


    There are many people who wish for their children and grandchildren to study and be literate, in order to achieve fame and bring honor to their family. However, not everyone possesses such abilities. Minister Li, by doing so, has provided opportunities to many more people.


    "Minister Li is such a good person. Surely, the girls in his family are exceptional as well. This Prince Jian, he really doesn''t know what''s good for him!"


    "Oh my, my old friend, please don''t say that. We can''t criticize someone of noble birth."


    Li Mingwei paused for a moment. The rumors had already spread outside, but she hadn''t suffered, as they had divorced.


    That day, she simply had a sudden realization and wanted to escape that cage and see the outside world.


    She wanted to give it a try, to live without that respected identity, without her grandfather''s protection. She wondered what kind of person she could truly be.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    Under the scorching sun overhead, Li Mingwei walked forward step by step. Two hourster, with the guidance of passersby, she found a tea shed nearby on the left side of the official road.


    It was already past lunch time, and the stove fire in the tea shed had been extinguished. A young waiter was dozing off inside the shed.


    As she approached, the waiter heard the sound of footsteps and opened his eyes to stand up. He looked Li Mingwei up and down, and realized she was not a big customer, so his attitude was not very good.


    "Would you like some tea?"


    "Is there any water? I''d like a bowl of water, and maybe something to eat too?"


    The young man nodded and turned to rummage behind the stove. He took out two steamed buns and poured her a pot of in water, cing them on the table.


    "The buns are 1 wen each, these are thest two. Do you want them?"


    "Yes."


    Li Mingwei felt around in her clothes and took out 2 wen, paying for the buns. She was about to sit down but felt that she was too dirty, worried that she might stain the shop''s furniture, so she poured herself a bowl of water and squatted in a shady corner instead.


    The waiter thought for a moment and said, "You can sit at the table, I''ll wipe it clean afterward."


    Li Mingwei chewed slowly on the bun in her mouth, smiling without responding.


    Just then another wave of customers came, and the waiter immediately turned to serve them. No one noticed her sitting in the corner, and no one could tell that this destitute young woman was the famous noblewoman of Capital City just half a month ago.


    Half a month ago...


    Li Mingwei received word from someone at the most famous Embroidery Workshop in Capital City. Avoiding the maids at the Wang residence, she secretly came with her personal maid Ah Xiu to the back door of the embroidery workshop.


    As soon as their carriage stopped, the handyman of the workshop opened the door. He led them through a moon gate into a courtyard and told them to wait behind an artificial hill.


    "Mydies, please stay here and don''t move. The person will arrive soon."


    Ah Xiu nodded, letting the handyman leave first.


    Behind her veil, Ah Xiu couldn''t see her mistress''s expression clearly. She just held her mistress''s hand and said, "No matter what you seeter, mydy, please remember that Madam and Master will stand up for you."


    Li Mingwei smiled mirthlessly. Until now, she still couldn''t quite believe that her husband, with whom she had shared a bed for three years, would betray her. But the person who had informed her of this was her own mother.


    She had no choice but to believe it.


    The two of them fell silent for a moment. Finally, light footsteps could be heard outside. Through a peephole in the artificial hill, Li Mingwei clearly saw the entwined man and woman outside. Her heart felt like it was being stabbed with knives.


    The woman wore loose clothing. She was guiding the man to caress her slightly rounded belly.


    She looked somewhat downcast. "Yulong, my stomach is starting to show. When will you finally marry me?"


    The man''s brows were tightly knitted, his face full of embarrassment. He sighed and seemed to be recounting his own uselessness. "How I wish I could marry you this instant."


    Li Mingwei looked away, unable to watch any further. Her small face behind the veil had turned deathly pale now. Tears streamed down her face uncontrobly. The man she had admired since childhood now couldn''t wait to marry another woman. How could her heart not ache?


    She still remembered vividly that day under the peach blossom tree. The man had epted the sachet she personally embroidered for him and tied it at his waist. He had picked a peach blossom for her and made a promise: I, Murong Yu, will love only Li Mingwei for my whole life.


    In heaven we shall be birds flying wingtip to wingtip, on earth nts with intertwined branches.


    Howughable that seemed now in retrospect.


    "Yulong, I know my status is not equal to Li Mingwei, but my feelings for you are genuine. Now I don''t ask for anything else, I just plea that you give our child a legitimate name."


    The woman grew more and more teary-eyed as she spoke, her voice choking up. Murong Yuforted the woman in his arms gently, speaking softly, "Ruoruo, don''t worry. I will definitely give you and the child a legitimate name."


    "Just give me a little more time."


    "Yulong, I''ll wait for you."


    Hearing their conversationing to her ears, Ah Xiu was so angry she nearly erupted. She wished she could immediately rush out and take care of this adulterous couple.


    Li Mingwei trembled and held her back, shaking her head at her. Now was not the time.


    The voices outside gradually faded. The twodies crawled out from behind the artificial hill and returned to their carriage.


    "Mydy, just now..."


    "Ah Xiu!" Before letting her finish speaking, Li Mingwei asked in contemtion, "Do you recognize that woman from before? She looks somewhat familiar."


    Ah Xiu thought back for a moment. "I think she''s General Cheng''s illegitimate daughter, Cheng Ruoruo."


    "Illegitimate daughter? Not his legitimate daughter?"


    Ah Xiu nodded. "She''s an illegitimate daughter. Although General Cheng is very fond of her mother, Madam Cheng, who is sickly. It''s her mother who has been managing affairs in Cheng Residence."


    Li Mingwei understood now.


    Her husband had never been someone content with the status quo. Back then, he was the most likely contender for the throne, with many officials supporting him. He had even said that when he ascended the throne, she would be his sole Empress.


    Unfortunately, two years ago the previous Emperor passed away from illness and passed the throne to another prince instead.


    After the current Emperor ascended to power, he cleared out most of the people around Murong Yu. Her husband finally settled down for a period of time. She had thought he would give up after that. How na?ve she was!


    This General Cheng was newly promoted this year andmanded great military power. By choosing Cheng Ruoruo, Murong Yu undoubtedly had ulterior motives again.


    Li Mingwei was no fool. For Murong Yu to marry Cheng Ruoruo, he certainly had to get her approval first, otherwise he would not be able to justify it to her grandfather and father''s side. A mere general was still not enough for him to give up her grandfather''s influence and support.


    Since Cheng Ruoruo was already heavily pregnant, Murong Yu woulde to ask for her permission very soon. She would just wait and watch his performance then.


    Sure enough, Murong Yu couldn''t hold it in and broached the subject in less than two days. He held Li Mingwei in his arms, looking somewhat worried. Li Mingwei suppressed her disgust and didn''t push him away. Instead, she yed along and asked,


    "What''s the matter Yulong?"


    Murong Yu lowered his eyes to look at her for a long while before reluctantly opening his mouth. "Do you want to have a child, Mingwei?"


    "What is it?"


    Murong Yu sighed. "We''ve been married three years but are still childless. Someone has offered to adopt a child to us. I told them I''d ask you first. If you want to..."


    Li Mingwei squeezed out a few teardrops and slumped down on the couch. "It''s my fault."


    "Don''t me yourself like this, Mingwei." Murong Yu grasped her hands tightly, putting on an affectionate pretense. "Even if you can''t give me a son or daughter, you''ll always be my one and only wife. That won''t change. But other people..."


    If she hadn''t witnessed him embracing another woman intimately a few days ago, Li Mingwei would have been very touched. But now she only felt that his acting was superb¡ªno wonder she had always been manipted by him in the past.


    Li Mingwei tentatively suggested, "An adopted child will never be our own flesh and blood in the end. I have no affinity with children, but you can..."


    Perhaps things were going too smoothly. Murong Yu was stunned for an instant beforementing grievously, "Mingwei, how can you hand me over to another!"


    "My heart only holds you!"

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3


    He didn''t believe a single word that came out of Murong Yu''s mouth anymore. Li Mingwei only felt regretful for not having seen his despicable character earlier and being so determined to marry him.


    This time, her tears were genuine, but her words were still insincere, "Yng, just fulfill my wish."


    Murong Yu let her go, his eyes flushed red as he gazed at her. It was a long while before he nodded, "Weiwei, I''m sorry to you..."


    "No, it is I who should apologize to you!"


    Murong Yu held Li Mingwei''s hands to his chest again and swore, "In this life, this is the only time I have wronged you. After she gives birth, I will bring the child to your side to raise, and arrange for her to remarry or move to another residence."


    Li Mingwei sneered inwardly, though her expression seemed to rx.


    Murong Yu carefully asked, "What about your maternal grandfather?"


    "I will handle it," Li Mingwei stood up and called Aixiu to prepare to return to the Li Residence.


    She held Murong Yu''s hand in return, "Don''t worry, maternal grandfather dotes on me the most."


    Murong Yu smiled. That''s exactly why I''m worried.


    When Li Mingwei stepped into her maternal grandfather''s study, Aixiu closed the door behind her. She knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times to her maternal grandfather.


    Li Yi turned around and looked at his granddaughter kneeling on the ground. His eyes were full of distress. He had told her earlier that Murong Yu was no good man, but the child just wouldn''t listen. Now she must have suffered losses.


    When Li Mingwei saw her maternal grandfather''s expression, she knew her mother had told him about the matter. She lowered her head, feeling somewhat ashamed.


    "What do you n to do?"


    Li Mingwei had already made up her mind. She looked at her maternal grandfather firmly, "I want to divorce Murong Yu."


    These days, she had barely slept. It had been three years. She had been wrong for three years and could not make another mistake. She was only neen and still had so many years left in her life. Cutting losses in time was the best option.


    Without any hesitation, Li Yi went to the bookcase and took out a small box and handed it to her.


    When Murong Yu saw his wife return home looking exhausted, he felt somewhat uneasy. Seeing her slightly red eyes, he asked gently, "Your maternal grandfather doesn''t agree?"


    "Mm, maternal grandfather is worried..."


    Murong Yu looked somewhat disappointed as he lowered his head despondently, "After so many years, no matter what I do, your maternal grandfather still doesn''t like me."


    Aixiu, who stood behind her youngdy, rolled her eyes. Why doesn''t he like you? Don''t you know in your heart?


    "Aixiu, prepare the brush and ink!"


    Li Mingwei said loudly. She patted Murong Yu''s shoulder, "I will definitely get maternal grandfather to agree. I won''t let you lose your heirs."


    Murong Yu... He already had an heir.


    Right in front of Murong Yu, Li Mingwei wrote a letter of divorce. She stated that if her family did not agree to this matter, she would not have the face to see Murong Yu again and could only be a nun.


    Murong Yu looked at her somewhat moved and collected the letter. He gently persuaded, "Don''t talk to your maternal grandfather like this. What will I do if you be a nun?"


    Li Mingwei was toozy to bother with him. She snatched the letter back and stuffed it into the envelope. Murong Yu did not try to stop her again and watched as she handed the letter to Aixiu.


    She called two senior maidservants from the Prince Residence, "Go and prepare. I''m going to the temple to pay respects to Buddha immediately."


    "This..." The two maidservants looked at the Prince and responded, "Yes."


    "Aixiu, once I leave today, you should..." She looked out the window at the sun, "Nevermind, I won''t make it to the temple today. I''ll stay at most at the station outside the city. Go arrange it and ask them to prepare. First thing tomorrow morning, personally deliver this letter to maternal grandfather."


    Aixiuplied and took back the letter to arrange everything.


    Watching all this, Murong Yu felt somewhat uneasy for some reason. He went out to find the maidservants who had apanied Li Mingwei back to the Li Residence and asked about the situation today.


    The maidservants were stopped outside and did not notice anything unusual.


    "Aixiu closed the door to the room, so we could no longer see. We only saw the Princesse out crying."


    Murong Yu absentmindedly tapped on the railing with his long fingers as he went over everything that had happened these past few days. He didn''t notice anything wrong.


    "Alright, go down and prepare. Keep an eye on the Princess."


    "Yes, Prince."


    The maidservant withdrew. Li Mingwei''s convoy left the residence.


    The next dawn, Murong Yu saw Li Yi among the crowd heading to court. His eyelid twitched as the uneasy feeling instantly overwhelmed him. Wasn''t he retired from court already?


    He hurriedly made his way through the crowd to greet Li Yi, wanting to find out the inside story, "Greetings maternal grandfather, father-inw."


    Li Mingwei''s father, Zhang Dezhi, barely nced at him as he supported his father-inw onwards into the main hall.


    As soon as the Previous Emperor heard Li Yi hade, he immediately went up to the main hall to wee him, "Someone invite my teacher to take a seat."


    Li Yi saluted, "Thank you, Your Majesty, but this old man is still hale and healthy. There is no need."


    "I see teacher is still very spirited and increasingly vibrant in old age." The Previous Emperor smiled and got straight to the point, "I wonder why teacher hase today?"


    Li Yi handed the small box he held to his son-inw. Zhang Dezhi opened it and took out the imperial edict inside. Everyone raised their eyebrows in surprise.


    This was an imperial edict left to Li Yi by the Previous Emperor. They wondered what he intended to do by taking it out today.


    The Current Emperor was also nervous. He had a eunuch take the imperial edict, "Teacher, what is the meaning of this?"


    Li Yi shook his head without answering him. Instead, he directly said, "Your Majesty, make the announcement."


    The old eunuch was startled. He looked towards the Emperor who gestured for him to proceed. Still anxious, the eunuch opened the imperial edict. The contents made him look towards Murong Yu in surprise.


    As he read the imperial edict out loud word for word, Murong Yu''s expression grew uglier.


    "Your subject Li Mingwei hereby requests divorce from her husband. May my former husband regain his folding fan and crown ribbons after our separation. May you marry the daughter of a thousand gold and attain great sess in life. May you be surrounded by intimate friends and resolve all grievances and grudges in the future. Please do not hate each other. A farewell leads to relief for both, and happiness abounds..."


    It was a divorce letter written by Li Mingwei herself.


    Their marriage had been personally arranged by the Previous Emperor. Now it would also end by the Previous Emperor''s nk imperial edict, and no one dared object.


    Murong Yu''s face turned ghastly pale, "Maternal grandfather, father-inw, this is..."


    Zhang Dezhi stopped him, "Prince Regent, you and my daughter have already divorced. There is no need to address us that way."


    "Father-inw!"


    Li Yi nodded towards the Emperor from afar and swept his eyes past the court officials, "This is the Previous Emperor''s dying wish. Does anyone object?"


    The officials knelt down together, "Your subjects will obey the Previous Emperor''s dying wish!"


    Li Yi''s eyes fell on Murong Yu. His expression was cold. Murong Yu clenched his fists tightly and cursed Li Mingwei in his heart. She had actually schemed against him.


    After this matter, the court session ended not long after. The Emperor gave Murong Yu a severe reprimand and questioned how he had offended the Li family.


    Murong Yu could not exin. Just yesterday, he and Li Mingwei had still been fine. In a daze, he returned to the Prince Residence. Aixiu was leading the Li family servants to move things out while many people watched outside the residence.


    He was furious, "What are you doing!"

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4


    Ah Xiu endured the anger for many days and finally found a window to vent it. She ignored Murong Yu''s scolding and tucked back the messy hair behind her ears.


    "What am I doing? Of course taking back what belongs to my Li family. You and my youngdy are divorced now, and my youngdy''s dowry should naturally be sent back."


    The onlookers gasped. His Royal Highness Murong Yu and His Consort were a perfect match, it was destined by heaven. How could they suddenly divorce? Weren''t they always so loving?


    Murong Yu croaked, "I didn''t agree to the divorce!"


    Scoff!


    Ah Xiu sneered, "This is thete emperor''s decree, you have no choice but to agree. Our youngdy took the initiative to divorce, isn''t it just catering to your wish? Otherwise how could your outside woman enter the door!"


    "Nonsense!"


    "Nonsense!" Ah Xiu pointed at his nose, "I''m talking nonsense? Let''s wait and see if a pregnant womanes through your door in a few days!"


    Murong Yu shuddered. No wonder, no wonder they knew about it. He looked at the excited onlookers, now was not the time to argue.


    The watermelon was lost, he couldn''t lose the sesame too.


    Ah Xiumanded people to continue moving things. A soldier rushed over on horseback, barely avoiding crashing into people.


    "Bad news, bad news, the Consort is missing!"


    Ah Xiu was stunned and rushed up to grab him. "What did you say?"


    "The Consort is missing!"


    Ah Xiu''s vision blurred and she almost copsed, supported by others.


    In one day, Murong Yu and his Consort divorced, he had a woman and child outside, and the former Consort went missing. The three major events satisfied all the gossipy people in the capital.


    Murong Yu''s guards and Li''s guards searched everywhere in the capital and nearby but failed to find Li Mingwei.


    The station where Li Mingweist disappeared was surrounded threeyers deep. After fruitless searching, they prepared to interrogate the station attendants.


    The young brother who was making fire in the station was just throwing a bun into the firewood when he was seized by the officers and dragged outside.


    "Officer, we have nothing to do with this! We are all odd-job workers, we can only work in the back yard and can''t get to the second floor. Officer!"


    "Ah! Officer, we really don''t know anything!"


    "Please, stop beating us!"


    "I really don''t know anything!"


    Screams rose one after another. Li Mingwei clenched the bun in her hand, almost rushing out immediately. Bastards from Murong Yu''s manor!


    "Stop!"


    A roar came. Li Mingwei recognized the familiar voice, it was their chief steward. She breathed a sigh of relief and shrank back into the cer.


    "You are taking human lives casually!"


    "You overstate, we are just following orders to find the whereabouts of the Consort."


    "What Consort, there is no such person as the Murong Consort anymore, only my youngdy from the Li family. We don''t need you to find our youngdy, all of you get lost!"


    "But!"


    "No buts, our youngdy was lost under your manor guards, those who were present that day will not get away."


    The steward red at the badly beaten men on the ground and sneered coldly, "Don''t think finding some scapegoats can exonerate your suspicion!"


    Immediately silence fell over the crowd. Murong Yu''s affair... he was indeed suspicious too, the Li family would definitely not let them off.


    At midnight, the young brother who made fires during the day sneaked into the kitchen again, added some water to the pot, lit the stove, and nced at the guard who came in and left again.


    He carefully waited until all were gone before knocking on the firewood quietly, "Murong Yu''s people left, your steward has surrounded the station. Youngdy, what do you n to do next?"


    "Wait a little longer. How are you?"


    The young brother knew she was asking about his injuries. "I''m fine. Your steward got medicine for us, though the maids serving you were all taken away, don''t know if they will be in trouble."


    "Doesn''t matter, those were all Murong Yu''s people, I didn''t bring my own with me."


    "Youngdy is so clever! But I may have to be more careful these days, can''t bring you food on time, please endure it."


    "Alright, thank you so much."


    The young brother grinned, "Why thank me? Without you youngdy I would have died long ago. I never thought I could help you."


    Li Mingwei also smiled, recalling when she first saved him. She silently retreated to the depths of the cer to rest and conserve her strength. She still had much to do.


    Of course, not only Murong Yu''s and Li''s families were in turmoil, so was the Cheng family.


    Watching his kneeling daughter, General Cheng swept the teacups and pot to the ground. His face was gloomy as he looked at his favored concubine.


    "I trusted you to discipline our daughter, yet this is how you raised her!"


    "Old Master, I!"


    "Ruo Ruo, apologize to your father quickly!"


    Cheng Ruo Ruo touched her belly and somehow summoned her courage. She stood up straight and said, "Father, I know I have shamed you, but I truly love His Highness Murong Yu. I want to marry him."


    General Cheng was furious. He couldn''t believe his own daughter was so naive. As His Highness Murong Yu, doesn''t he understand better than a young girl like her?


    "Marry, in your dreams! Get rid of the child immediately!"


    "No, this is the flesh and blood of His Highness and I!"


    "Cheng Ruo Ruo!" General Cheng raged, then looked at his daughter calmly again, repeating "good" three times.


    "Good, good, good, let''s get you married then."


    Cheng Ruo Ruo was overjoyed. She knew her father loved her the most and would agree.


    General Cheng slowlymanded the steward, "Go prepare a small pnquin to send her to Murong Yu''s manor. I don''t want such a daughter."


    "Cheng Ruo Ruo, remember, once you walk out this door, you are no longer my daughter. Just watch, without my support, how His Highness Murong Yu treats you."


    Cheng Ruo Ruo''s face paled. Father wanted to sever ties with her. She pleaded for help from her mother.


    "Old Master, she is our daughter!"


    "Not anymore." General Cheng looked at his concubine coldly, extremely disappointed in her. Don''t they know what kind of family the Lis are? He didn''t have the power to steal the Li''s son-inw.


    Whoever did it, bears the consequences themselves.


    Cheng Ruo Ruo was not allowed to bring anything. She was sent to Murong Yu''s manor deep in the night. From Murong Yu''s expression, nothing else needed to be said.


    Well, the sesame was lost now too.


    "Yng!"


    Cheng Ruo Ruo apprehensively called out softly. Seeing Murong Yu''s stern face without response, she knew she had gambled wrong after all.


    Father was right. Without the Chengs, what was she to His Highness?


    With teary eyes, she stroked her belly. "Yng."


    Murong Yu snapped back to attention and had her taken away. What a stressful day.

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5


    Li Mingwei stayed in the cer under the firewood pile at the ry station for ten whole days until the people from the Li Residence finished searching the people at the ry station and went further away to chase after her before she was let out.


    "Miss." The little brother handed her a in set of clothes for her to change into, and also gave her a pair of worn shoes: "You can''t keep what you have on."


    Li Mingwei nodded. She took off the fancy clothes and jewelry she had been wearing. She hadn''t washed much in recent days and was already somewhat smelly.


    "Is there any water for me to clean myself with?"


    The little brother shook his head and smeared some pot ash on her face: "You have to be like this so you won''t be discovered."


    "Alright."


    In order to escape, Li Mingwei chose topromise.


    She gave all her jewelry to the little brother, only keeping a gold hairpin iid with a lot of pearls. The pearls on it were all very valuable and could be pawned if necessary.


    "Keep this handkerchief. Five days after I leave, bring it to the Li Residence. As for the other things, do whatever you want with them. Sell them for money or use them yourself, just be careful."


    "Miss, where are you going?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. She didn''t know either. Anyway, she didn''t want to stay in the capital anymore.


    She casually picked up a piece of firewood and tossed it on the ground. The firewood pointed northeast.


    "I''m going northeast."


    The little brother felt she was being rather casual, but he didn''t say anything. He gave her some copper coins and helped her hide the silver bills, instructing:


    "Don''t unt your wealth. Hide those things well, and hide your face well too. Being dirty and smelly doesn''t matter, safetyes first."


    "Oh right, Miss do you have anything that officials could use to send you back if they saw it, or that could help get a message sent back to the capital if you met bad people, so you''d have a way out?"


    Li Mingwei tightened her grip on the gold hairpin. Her grandfather had given it to her and it had her grandfather''s mark on it. She didn''t know if it would be useful, but her grandfather''s students would definitely be able to recognize it.


    Her grandfather''s disciples were everywhere. She would find a ce governed by one of her grandfather''s students to stay when the time came. There shouldn''t be a problem.


    Having made up her mind, Li Mingwei put on her little bundle, stuffed two steamed buns in, and headed northeast under the dark of early morning.


    All along the way, she endured the stench on her body and learned to conceal herself. She curled up in corners, finished the steamed buns, then quietly set off again.


    It was the fifth day since she had run away. She wondered if he had followed her instructions to deliver the handkerchief to the Li Residence, and how her grandfather and parents would react when they saw it.


    Li Yi took the handkerchief from the servant with shaking hands. His granddaughter had been missing for half a month. He had thought, he had thought she was really...


    Li Mingwei had written her farewell note in blood on the handkerchief:


    Unfilial Mingwei has made Grandfather and Father and Mother worry. I have been doted on by all my elders since I was little, and have never experienced the hardships of the mortal world or seen through people clearly. I want to go out and gain more experience. Please put your minds at ease, elders. I will protect myself well. When I have seen the ways of the world, I wille back.


    Do not make things difficult for the person delivering this message. I asked him to do it.


    Zhang Dezhi supported his sobbing wife, Li Langyue, and asked the messenger: "Where did you get this handwriting?"


    "The young miss gave it to me before she left."


    "Where did she go?"


    The little brother kept his head down and didn''t reply. He had promised the young miss not to tell.


    "You! Ah, she''s just a young girl and doesn''t know martial arts. How could you help her run away? If she wanted to go out and see the world, I could have prepared transport and guards and attendants for her to go wherever she wanted!"


    The little brother stubbornly kept his promise and refused to speak. Even Li Yi was moved. He helped the boy to his feet.


    "Alright, he''s just keeping his word. If he doesn''t want to say, we won''t ask." He looked at the steward and ordered, "Find some work for him at the residence."


    Li Langyue cried loudly in anguish, "Grandfather! How can you not ask?!"


    "There there, this was her own choice, no matter the oue, she has to bear it herself, just like back then when she insisted on marrying Murong Yu."


    Li Langyue didn''t agree. She only had this one daughter. How could she allow her to wander destitute out there? She flounced off, determined that no matter what, she would find her daughter and bring her back.


    Li Yi dismissed everyone and a look of grief also appeared on his face. How could he not worry about his granddaughter? But as the saying goes, "As free as birds in the sky and fish leaping in the sea," perhaps only by going out could she truly grow up.


    "May the sages protect her and keep her safe. I hope Mingwei cane back peacefully."


    Li Mingwei knelt before the Buddha and likewise prayed for her family back in the capital to be safe and healthy.


    She was staying the night at a shabby little temple today. Because it hadn''t been maintained for many years, the coating on the Buddha statue had peeled off in ces, but the two monks, one old and one young, still gave her and the other travelers a free bowl of thin gruel.


    "Thank you, Master."


    Li Mingwei took the watery porridge and drank a mouthful. The long absent warmth made her feel a bitfortable. After finishing the porridge, she helped the little monk clean up the bowls and chopsticks.


    The clear water washed the dirt from her hands. The little monk noticed her fair, delicate fingers that did not match her attire at all, and gave her another look over.


    "Where are you headed,ywoman?"


    "Northeast."


    "To visit family or friends?"


    "Traveling."


    The little monk saw her appearance and suddenlyughed without saying anything more. After washing the utensils, he let her rest alone in the rear courtyard.


    "Have a good rest, miss. My quarters are right in front. Call if you need anything."


    "Thank you, little Master."


    Lying on the rather hard wooden bed, Li Mingwei soon felt sore in her back and waist. Still, after walking every day for so many days, she was already exhausted enough to sleep very soundly.


    In the morning she was woken by the bells and chanting. She quickly got up to tidy her belongings, when she suddenly caught sight of her own snow white hands and understood the special favor the little Master had shown her yesterday.


    She put on her travel pack and left a few copper coins behind before slipping quietly out the back door. After she got outside, she rubbed her hands on the ground to cover them with dust again.


    She warned herself not to make such a low level mistake again in the future.


    She made it through early summer and endured midsummer, crawling slowly along like a snail and leaving her marks in different ces.


    Finally, in early autumn, she decided to stop. She was very far from the capital already, and she was exhausted. More importantly, she was almost out of money.


    Looking at the tall city gates not far away, she asked a passing traveler, "What ce is this?"


    "Anhuai County."


    Anhuai County...she didn''t have much of an impression. It looked ratherrge, but she didn''t go into the city. She took another small path and walked along that instead. She nned to stay in a town or vige like before. Amodations in the county city were too expensive and she would be easier to discover.


    Over an hourter, she arrived at a ce called Qingshi Town. Qingshi Town wasn''t very big. She strolled up and down the streets and had basically covered the entire town.


    She went into a small shop. "May I ask if you still have rooms avable?"


    The shop owner sized her up very directly. "Fifteen coins per night for the cheapest, and I can bring you a bucket of hot water."


    Li Mingwei sighed at the owner''s precise calctions. She counted out fifteen coins for her. That left her with only three coins.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6


    Thendy took her upstairs and opened a small room at the top of the stairs. There was only a bed and a set of table and chairs inside, but it was quite spacious and worth the price.


    Li Mingwei walked into the room and waited for thendy to bring hot water before closing the door and taking off her outer clothes to put them aside. She used a towel to wipe her body and hair.


    It had been half a month since shest washed her hair. Her hair strands were tangled together. By the time she finished tidying up, the sky was already dark and she didn''t dare to go out. She could only endure the hunger and go to bed first.


    Fortunately, the inn''s quilt was very soft. She wrapped herself up like a worm, which gave her a greater sense of security.


    Before falling asleep, she was still scheming and wanted to find a slightly bigger and more prosperous town. She had already discovered that in towns and viges that were too small, people were too sensitive towards strangers. Whenever she appeared, she could attract many eyes.


    "I''ll leave this ce tomorrow first and go to the county to exchange some money."


    After making the decision, she closed her eyes until the rooster''s cry woke her up in the small shop.


    She quickly tidied up her luggage. With herst three coins, she bought two buns, intending to go to the county. But the strap of her bundle broke and her clothes spilled out.


    She bit the bun, unable to make a sound. Fortunately, there were not many people on the street in the early morning. She hastily wrapped everything up and tidied it in a quiet alley.


    She folded her clothes and held the gold hairpin, wondering whether to exchange it for silver notes or take it apart to sell the pearls.


    Just as she was thinking about it, there were footsteps. She quickly hid the gold hairpin and looked towards the alley entrance. Three or four youths were converging on her.


    One youth walking in front leered at her, "Don''t hide it. I''ve already seen it."


    "Heh. Didn''t expect you to have something so nice looking like this!"


    "Who knows where she got it from?"


    "Who cares? Anyway it''s ours now."


    As they spoke, they had alreadye close. Li Mingwei retreated step by step until her back touched the wall and there was nowhere to go.


    "Go away!"


    "Help! They''re robbing!"


    She used the bundle to hit them and shouted loudly for help. One person immediately came up to cover her mouth, snatched away the bundle and handed it back for the others to search.


    The youth was very strong. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn''t break free. She watched helplessly as they took her gold hairpin.


    "Nice stuff. Gold!"


    "Must be worth a lot?"


    "Where do you think she got it? Does she have anything else on her?"


    The others understood instantly. They reached out and started frisking her body. Li Mingwei felt somewhat desperate. She had thought nothing would happen to her like this.


    "What are you guys doing!"


    A loud shout rang out. The four youths turned around at the same time, looking a little panicked. They clearly recognized the burly man in front of them and were somewhat timid, shaking their heads repeatedly.


    "Nothing, nothing!"


    Li Mingwei took the opportunity to break free from their grasp and shouted loudly, "They robbed my stuff!"


    When the man heard this, he cracked his knuckles, strode forward and said, "Give it back to her!"


    Unwilling to let go of the good stuff they just got, the four looked at each other and rushed forward together to fight with the man.


    In no time at all, they were beaten down to the ground by the man.


    "Where''s the stuff?"


    Li Mingwei pointed to the one who took her gold hairpin, "On him."


    The man fished out the gold hairpin and returned it to her, then gave each of them a kick and let them go.


    "Aren''t you reporting them to the authorities?"


    "Report? What''s the use? These kinds of petty thieves get locked up for a few days then let out again. When theye back they''ll definitely take revenge on you. Since I¡¯m letting them go now, they won''t hold a grudge."


    Li Mingwei noticed the familiarity between them and didn¡¯t say much. She thanked the man for his help.


    The man helped Li Mingwei tidy the bundle and warned again, "Don¡¯t unt your wealth. As a woman, it''s best you¡¯re more careful."


    "Thank you brother."


    Hearing her ent, the man asked, ¡°You¡¯re not originally from here. What are you doing here?¡±


    Li Mingwei hesitated and sorted out her thoughts: "I have nowhere else to go."


    The man looked surprised and nced at her dirty clothes, "Howe?"


    "After three years of marriage with no children, my husband divorced me so I left. I don''t know where else to go. Brother, do you know anywhere around here I can go?"


    "This..."


    The man hesitated for a while: "Forget it, juste with me for now. My wife should know, you can ask herter on."


    The man before her hadn''t shown a trace of greed at her gold hairpin and he also saved her life. Li Mingwei decided to trust him and follow him back home.


    On the way, the man briefly introduced himself. His name was Dong Shan and he was a hunter in Qingshi Town. His wife was named Wang Chunhua from Xinghua Vige nearby. They had a son and a daughter. Their son was now six years old and going to school. Their daughter still couldn¡¯t walk.


    Li Mingwei faithfully memorized everything.


    The Dong family lived in town, so they didn''t walk long before arriving. Dong Shan pushed open the door and went in. A slightly plump woman poked her head out of the room.


    "You just left. Why are you back already?"


    Dong Shan invited Li Mingwei in. Li Mingwei stood nervously in the courtyard, epting the woman¡¯s back and forth nces.


    "Who is this?"


    Dong Shan exined: "Just now after I went out, I saw Wu Dong and them robbing her stuff, so I helped her fight them off. She is divorced from her husband¡¯s family and had nowhere else to go. I was thinking of bringing her back for you to see if there is any work that can be found for her."


    Wang Chunhua nodded and walked up to Li Mingwei with a hint of suspicion on her face: "Why did you divorce your husband''s family?"


    "Three years of marriage without children."


    There was nothing more unfilial thancking in progeny. Divorcing after three childless years was normal. She asked again: "How did you end up here?"


    "I only remember my family is in the north. I asked for directions northwards and walked for months, but never found it. I have no money left now."


    "No money? What did Wu Dong and them rob from you?"


    Rob a woman in such ragged state? She didn''t look the type.


    "A hairpin. It was thest of my dowry."


    Dong Shan agreed with a nod: "A gold hairpin."


    Wang Chunhua looked at Li Mingwei¡¯s honesty and frailty, and believed her story somewhat. She let her into the room to sit down anddled her some watery rice porridge.


    Li Mingwei put down her bowl and chopsticks and thought for a moment: "I know how to embroider flowers and make pastries."


    Wang Chunhua looked at her appraisingly: "Embroidery, that''s good. Let me boil some water for you. Clean up, I¡¯ll bring you to the embroidery workshopter. Looking like this, no one will hire you."


    Li Mingwei hesitated but nodded when she met Wang Chunhua¡¯s expectant gaze.


    Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan looked at each other in disbelief when they saw the transformed Li Mingwei.


    The girl looked eighteen at most. Her skin was white, her face exquisite like a painting, her cherry lips naturally red without rouge. Her waist was slender yet full of curves. She was delicate and beautiful as a flower.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7


    Wang Chunhuaughed with smile lines at the corners of her eyes. She took Li Mingwei''s hand and stroked it over and over, even caressing her cheek.


    "Oh, this little face is so soft!"


    "With your petite figure, how could your husband bear to divorce you?"


    Dong Shan was wondering the same thing. If he had a wife as pretty as her, even if she couldn''t have children, having her at home to look at would beforting. Why divorce?


    "He has children with another woman out there, and ns to bring her into the household, so..."


    "Disgusting! Men are all wretched creatures!" Wang Chunhua stomped on Dong Shan''s foot and red at him. Dong Shan was quite innocent, and hopped away while rubbing his foot. His wife had such strength!


    After chatting briefly with Li Mingwei, Wang Chunhua felt some pity for her. She had Li Mingwei sit down, then went to the backyard to tidy up a room for her.


    The room was small, with only a bed and some odds and ends piled around it. Wang Chunhua cleared away the dust andid down some straw and clean sheets and nkets for her.


    Gripping Li Mingwei''s hand, she said, "This is the best our home can offer. Please bear with it."


    Li Mingwei bowed deeply to her. "Thank you, sister. I''m already very grateful that you''re willing to take me in."


    Wang Chunhua helped Li Mingwei to her feet. "You''re too polite, girl."


    Having secured shelter, Li Mingwei also felt some relief. She took out her dirty clothes from her bundle, nning to wash them. She was currently wearing clothes Wang Chunhua had found for her that didn''t fit very well.


    There happened to be a well in the backyard, so she drew up some water. But the buckets were too heavy, and she could only manage to fill half a bucket at a time. She hadn''t managed to fill up the whole washing basin even after all that effort.


    Wang Chunhua brought her some soap and saw her struggling. Somewhat impatiently, she grabbed the bucket, tossed it into the well, and hauled up a whole bucketful of water for Li Mingwei.


    "Seeing you now, I guess you haven''t done muchbor before?"


    Li Mingwei was somewhat embarrassed and didn''t dare meet her gaze. "My husband''s family did some business, and we had a few servants at home."


    Wang Chunhua nodded. Seeing the rope marks on Li Mingwei''s hands from the bucket, she simply squatted down herself and started scrubbing the clothes while Li Mingwei hurried over.


    "Sister, let me do it."


    "Oh never mind, it''s just two garments. I''ll have them washed in a moment. Go check on my little daughter for me, I think I heard her crying just now."


    Li Mingwei had never cared for a child before. Even the children of Li Mingwei''s siblings had been looked after by their nursemaids. But she couldn''t dissuade Wang Chunhua and reluctantly entered the house.


    The toddler girl had climbed out of bed herself. Her tousled hair stuck out and she sat on the bed bawling, her nose and cheeks somewhat red. Seeing it wasn''t her mother, she cried even harder.


    "Wah!"


    She couldn''t speak words yet, only able to express her grief with cries.


    Li Mingwei tremblingly approached her, smoothing the girl''s hair and taking her into her arms tofort her. "Don''t cry, don''t cry."


    But the child only struggled harder against Li Mingwei, whose forehead was beaded with anxious sweat.


    "Can you be good?"


    "Wah!"


    Hearing this from the yard, Wang Chunhua sighed. Indeed, she had never cared for a child before. Calling out, she said, "Carry her to the kitchen. I left some rice porridge for her."


    "Alright."


    Holding the child, Li Mingwei entered the kitchen and freed a hand to lift the lid of the big iron pot, taking out the still-warm porridge inside. She tested the temperature before bringing a small spoonful to the child''s lips.


    "No more tears now. We''re going to eat."


    The child''s cries slowly subsided as she looked somewhat disdainfully at the tear tracks and snot on her face. Li Mingwei found a handkerchief to clean her up.


    After washing the clothes, Wang Chunhua came to observe Li Mingwei feeding the child. Seeing her impatient expression, she worried what kind of work could possibly suit her.


    Her family was not well-off either, and she was an adult who would need a supply of food. It would be difficult for Wang Chunhua to permanently house her like this.


    "You said you can do embroidery, yes? Let me tidy up the child and I''ll take you to the embroidery workshop."


    "Alright."


    In an astoundingly short time, Wang Chunhua had changed the child''s clothes and strapped her to her back to head out.


    In less than a few minutes, a group had gathered around them.


    "Wang Chunhua, who''s this?"


    "Yes, haven''t seen her before!"


    Li Mingwei lowered her head while Wang Chunhua nced at her before shielding Li Mingwei behind her. She said loudly, "What''s there to stare at? Haven''t seen a pretty girl before? This is my maternal cousin staying with me for a few days."


    Li Mingwei was stunned. When had she be Wang Chunhua''s cousin?


    The townspeople were also confused. Wang Chunhua had married over here seven or eight years ago, and they had never seen this cousin of hers!


    "Maternal cousin? We''ve met all your maternal uncles and brothers. Don''t recall ever seeing this cousin though."


    "You all wouldn''t know her. She''s a rather distant rtive. I was still small back then. Her mother, my maternal aunt, eloped with a businessman and never came back after. My whole family thought she was dead!"


    "Thisss was divorced by her inws with nowhere to go, so she came looking for us herself. I didn''t even recognize her at first until she gave her name. That''s when I remembered."


    "What about her parents then?"


    Wang Chunhua shook her head regretfully. "Don''t know. Her father''s business failed back then and he married her off for some money before running away himself."


    Li Mingwei had to admire Wang Chunhua''s skill at spinning tales, although she still didn''t understand why she lied like this.


    A few elderly women came forward to inspect Li Mingwei, looking her up and down. "What''d you do wrong to get divorced?"


    Wang Chunhua waved them off, saying it was nothing much and not to ask. But she bent down to whisper into one old woman''s ear, "Infertile. Her husband already had children with another woman."


    The old woman clucked her tongue sympathetically. What a pity for thess. She released her grip on Li Mingwei.


    Seeing the woman let go, Wang Chunhua hurriedly exchanged a few more words before leading Li Mingwei away. Once out of earshot, she exined:


    "Folks in small towns like this are so distrustful of outsiders. If I didn''t make up some connection between us, who knows what rumors they''d start spreading. From now on when people ask, just repeat what I said just now. No one from my maternal side knows them well anyway, so they won''t find out I lied."


    "That old biddy runs the matchmaking service in town. Gossips all day so I told her you were infertile. Then she won''te bother you about it."


    Wang Chunhua herself had suffered much grievance upon marrying over from her vige. But her temper ran hot, and she would curse right back and hit anyone who bullied her. With her husband Dong Shan''s fighting skills protecting her as well, the harassment had eventually died down over time.


    Li Mingwei nodded obediently. "I''ll remember all that."


    Seeing hercent manner, Wang Chunhua sighed again. "Don''t let people walk all over you just because you''re soft-spoken. Some people only respond to curses and blows. If you can''t out-curse or out-hit them, thene tell me. I''ll retaliate on your behalf. Don''t suffer in silence."


    "Give them an inch, they''ll trample all over you and shit on your head tomorrow."


    Li Mingwei smiled. She understood the logic well enough, but had no idea how to actually curse at someone.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8


    Li Mingwei looked at the booth in front of her that was only the size of a door, and doubted life a little. Along the way, she had seen embroidery shops this small, but calling it an "embroidery house" was a bit much.


    "What are you staring for, go in!" Wang Chunhua strode in and yelled to the back, "Ms. Yu, are you there?"


    Someone inside quickly responded, "Yes, wait a moment."


    Li Mingwei''s gaze swept over the fabrics on the shelves, most of which were very dull colors. This was really different from what she had imagined. Fabrics like these didn''t even need embroidering.


    Like the one she was wearing, and the one Wang Chunhua was wearing, they were just simple cuts, without any designs, even she could make clothes like these.


    Female embroiderer Yu soon came out from the inside. She had her hair up in a mature woman''s bun, with silver hairpins, and was dressed appropriately. She looked very shrewd.


    She sized up Li Mingwei, while Li Mingwei sized her up too. Judging by her outfit, she was among the best dressed in this town.


    "Who''s this?"


    Wang Chunhua introduced Li Mingwei''s background again, then said, "My sister doesn''t know anything, she can just embroider a little. Take a look if there''s any work you can give her to do, she''s alone and has no money, how can she live?"


    Ms. Yu nodded and went behind the counter. "Do you know how to make clothes?"


    "Not very well."


    "So you only know how to embroider?" Seeing Li Mingwei nod, Ms. Yu took out some handkerchiefs and purses from under the counter and asked her, "What kind of flowers can you embroider?"


    She knew a lot of these.


    "Plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, peony, rose, peony, basically all of them."


    Ms. Yu raised her brows, "How about mandarin ducks, cuckoos and other living things?"


    "Yes."


    Seeing her so confident, Ms. Yu took out a white handkerchief and brought her to the back to get her threads of various colors, and let her demonstrate.


    Since people wanted to see her skills, Li Mingwei thought she shouldn''t make it too simple. She embroidered a multi-colored peony, which took some time, but Ms. Yu watched her needlework the whole time.


    "Not bad, very skilled, and the color matching looks good too." Ms. Yu praised her first, then said, "I can see you must havee from a good family. Some things I don''t need to say explicitly. Qingshi Town is small and poor after all. Complex designs like these will lose money."


    "You spent a lot of effort on it, and surely don''t want to sell it cheap. But the spending power here is limited. Just embroider simpler designs in the future. Keep this one here for now. If someone wants something like this, I''ll give you a better price for it."


    Ms. Yu went back out and got her a dozen white handkerchiefs and some nk purses.


    "Embroider these first, anything you want. Just a simple corner on the kerchiefs will do. The purses can be moreplex."


    Wang Chunhua moved closer. "How much will you pay?"


    Ms. Yu thought for a moment. "Five coins for each handkerchief, fifteen coins for each purse. If you put in more effort and the designs are nice, I can pay you a little more."


    Wang Chunhua wasn''t very satisfied. "The price for the purses is fine, but isn''t the price for the handkerchiefs too low?"


    Ms. Yu took out a set of needles and threads and handed them to the girls. "I''m also providing the needles and threads. This should be fine, right?"


    Only then did Wang Chunhua nod, collecting the needles, threads, handkerchiefs, etc. "Alright, it''s a deal. My sister will embroider them and bring them to you when they''re done."


    "Great. Come get more needles and threads directly when you run out."


    Li Mingwei thanked Ms. Yu, then followed Wang Chunhua out.


    Seeing her a little unhappy, Wang Chunhua guessed what was on her mind. "Don''t think it''s too little. This is already a good price."


    Li Mingwei pouted without replying. She never thought her skills would be so cheap.


    "We''re just a small town. Can''tpare to bigger cities. She can only sell a handkerchief for a dozen or so coins after all the material costs. She can''t earn much either. Just embroider simpler like she said. Five coins per piece, ten pieces is fifty coins, enough to buy several catties of meat."


    After this persuasion, Wang Chunhua pped her hands. "Oh right, I was thinking of going to the market to buy some meat to make for you. It''s thiste already. Let''s hurry, or all the good meat will be gone."


    Wang Chunhua pulled Li Mingwei to jog towards the market. They were only at the embroidery house for a short while, but many people in town already knew Wang Chunhua had a new sister.


    "Chunhua, this is your cousin?"


    "She''s so pretty."


    "Just down on her luck."


    "Oh I''m in a hurry to buy meat. I''ll chat moreter." Wang Chunhua pushed past them to squeeze out of the crowd, while Li Mingwei smiled awkwardly at them before catching up.


    Some teased, "Now that her sister''s here, even Wang Chunhua is being generous, willing to buy meat."


    "Right."


    Wang Chunhuapletely ignored them, and ran to the meat stall. Sure enough, only inferior meat was left. She looked at the frail Li Mingwei, and still carefully picked a small piece.


    "Weigh this for me."


    "Sure."


    The owner grinned, cut her a piece, and threw it on the scale. "One and a half catties, I''ll just count it as one. How about twelve coins?"


    Wang Chunhua beamed. "You''re being generous today."


    The owner smiled at her, then looked at Li Mingwei. "Your sister just got here. Visitors are guests. I''ll give you a discount today. Come often!"


    Li Mingwei smiled sweetly. "Thank you, big brother."


    "You''re wee, you''re wee. My pleasure."


    Wang Chunhua rolled her eyes. Being pretty was useful after all. Even misers were willing to make concessions.


    She pulled Li Mingwei to walk further. The stalls on both sides were vigers from nearby selling vegetables. Theirs were fresh and cheap. They only had some cabbage at home, so they still needed to buy more.


    "How much for these sweet potato tips?"


    "One coin per bunch."


    Quite cheap, and the olddy had picked them quite tenderly too.


    She squatted down and picked two bunches. Just as she was taking out money, someone else came over. Wang Chunhua looked up and saw it was an acquaintance, so she greeted, "Old Lady Wang, done with work?"


    Old Lady Wang nodded, without responding. She nced at Li Mingwei, and also squatted down. "How much per bunch?"


    "One coin per bunch."


    Old Lady Wang frowned. "Can it be cheaper?"


    The vegetable-selling granny was a little helpless. "How can I give you cheaper? Each bunch is not small already."


    Li Mingwei was also surprised. These were big bunches, one coin was quite cheap already. Sister Wang Chunhua didn''t bargain, how could this olddy still think it expensive?


    However, looking at the olddy''s gaunt face, frail body, and washed-out clothes, she didn''t say anything. There were many people who lived hard lives in this world. One shouldn''t judge others by one''s own standards.


    Old Lady Wang stood up. "Just a little cheaper. I''m buying three bunches. Take off one coin for me, how about it?"


    The vegetable-selling granny sighed. "Alright, alright. Just because it''s you. I would never do this for others."


    Wang Chunhua didn''t care what they were saying. She paid for her own veggies, took her two bunches, and signaled to Li Mingwei with her eyes.


    "Let''s go."

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9


    Wang Chunhua took the dishes from Li Mingwei''s hands and walked away with her, stopping when there weren''t so many people around before asking, "Why did you give her a bigger discount?"


    Wang Chunhua halted and pointed to a small courtyard to the right of the street: "That''s Old Lady Wang''s home."


    With Li Mingwei''s eyesight, she could naturally see that this courtyard was probably older than the Dong Family''s.


    The gates were closed so she couldn''t see inside, she just saw that the tiled roof had been damaged at some point, and was simply patched up with straw.


    "Can''t even afford to rece the tiles?"


    "That''s right," Wang Chunhua said. "Her husband died early, she doesn''t have many skills, she washes clothes and cooks for others, not only raising her child but even supporting him through school."


    "Now her son has passed the county exam and be a schr, so the county gives him two taels of silver and some rice every month. Her life is better than before, but her son still has to go to the capital to take the imperial exam, so there are still many expenses. She can only scrimp and save."


    Speaking to here, Wang Chunhua''s face revealed some hopeful expectation: "If our Lei could also pass the county exam and be a schr, no matter how hard I had to suffer, I''d be willing."


    She patted the daughter on her back andughed, "And find a good husband for our little Yan''er, then I''d have no regrets for this lifetime."


    Hmm?


    Li Mingwei was puzzled, passing the county exam didn''t seem that hard to her, she had even practiced the provincial and pce exams before, her grandfather had graded them for her and said while she wouldn''t rank first, she could at least pass and be a Jinshi schr.


    Why was it so difficult for them to even pass the county exam and be a schr?


    She didn''t understand, but she also didn''t say anything, silently following Wang Chunhua back home.


    They had just stepped through the door and hadn''t even had a drink of water yet when a group of chattering people crowded around the Dong Family''s gates, impossible to ignore.


    "What are you all squeezing at my gate for!"


    A girl holding shoe pads was pushed to the front, "Sister Chunhua, are you busy right now? If not, let''s chat together."


    "Yes yes yes, I just learned a new embroidery pattern, sister Chunhua why don''t youe learn it too?"


    Although she knew they were here for Li Mingwei, Wang Chunhua didn''t have the heart to drive them away as the saying goes, "Do not hit a smiling face," so she let them in and brought out stools for them.


    Seeing they had brought things, Li Mingwei also took out the handkerchief she was embroidering for the embroidery workshop.


    "I''m going to cook, my sister just got here, don''t bully her!"


    "Sister Chunhua, what are you talking about."


    "Right, what do you take us for?"


    Wang Chunhua didn''t believe them one bit, and gave them a warning look before leaving.


    As soon as she left, the girls crowded around Li Mingwei, shooting questions at her one after another.


    "What''s your name?"


    "How old are you?"


    "Where''s your family from?"


    Li Mingwei smiled, "My name is Mingwei, I''m 19 this year."


    "Ming? Never heard of that surname before."


    "19? I''m already 17, you look younger than me!"


    Li Mingwei casually answered all their questions while concentrating on her needlework. After all this was going to be sold for money, she couldn''t be distracted.


    "You embroider so well, can you teach me?"


    Li Mingwei nodded with a smile, "I can, but this is work I took onmission so I can''t let you practice on it. Bring your own handkerchief another day and I''ll teach you then."


    "Okay, I''lle back another day."


    Seeing the girl was also continuously working on the shoe pad in her hands, Li Mingwei returned the praise, "Your shoe pad looks very good too, I don''t know how to make them."


    "Then I''ll teach you another day too."


    Wang Chunhua peeked out from the kitchen to take a look, seeing Mingwei chatting happily with the neighbors put her at ease.


    She quickly finished cooking and called from the kitchen. The girls tactfully took their leave while she politely tried to keep them a few more times before seeing them out the door.


    At the dinner table she put an extra piece of meat in Li Mingwei''s bowl and asked her, "What do you think, they''re good to get along with right?"


    "Mm, very good."


    "That''s good then."


    Seeing her face was normal, Wang Chunhua let her eat while first feeding her young daughter before starting on her own meal.


    After Li Mingwei finished eating and put down her utensils, she suddenly remembered - "Isn''t big brother Dong and little Leiing back to eat?"


    "They''re noting back. Your big brother went to help out at my parents'' ce, after finishing there he still has to go to his uncle''s ce. It''ll be a few days before he gets back. Lei eats at school."


    Li Mingwei nodded, no wonder Dong Shan had taken luggage with him when he left this morning.


    She helped clear up the bowls and chopsticks. Seeing Wang Chunhua put the leftovers into a basket and lower it into the well, she looked at the sun - although it was early autumn, it was still rather hot.


    "Sister Chunhua, does it snow here in winter?"


    "It does, very heavily too. Freezing cold that you want to die! Where you lived before didn''t snow?"


    "It did too, I just don''t know how itpares to here."


    After tying up the rope tightly, Wang Chunhua straightened up and looked at the tree in the yard that was already starting to lose leaves. Winter was almost here again! With one more person this year she''d have to stock up on more vegetables.


    She looked at Li Mingwei, "You don''t have any winter clothes yet right, I''ll have to make you a coupleter."


    Li Mingwei came back to herself. That''s right, she didn''t even have a decent set of clothes right now, yet she was dreaming of watching the snow. Not freezing would already be pretty good.


    "I''ll start embroidering handkerchiefs now and earn money for clothes as fast as I can."


    Seeing her hurrying, Wang Chunhua smiled, "It''s fine, I''ll loan you some first, you can pay me back after earning money. Staring at embroidery for too long is bad for your eyes too."


    "I can''t do that!"


    She had already dyed them long enough, the Dongs weren''t that well-off either, she couldn''t spend their money.


    After working hard stitching for many days, Li Mingwei finally finished embroidering that batch of handkerchiefs and over ten pouch bags. She neatly folded them one by one and prepared to bring them to the workshop.


    Just as she stepped out the door, she heard a familiar voice.


    "It really does look good. I''ve lost out by not doing anything to her back then!"


    Li Mingwei followed the voice and saw it was the few men who had snatched her gold hairpin a while ago. Feeling a surge of disgust, she immediately turned around and re-entered the yard.


    Seeing her poor expression, Wang Chunhua immediately walked over with concern, "What happened?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. Wang Chunhua went passed her and directly opened the yard gates. Seeing Wu Dong and his gang, her expression instantly clouded over and she grabbed a wooden staff from the yard, rushing over to whack them.


    "Scram! My sister is not someone lowlifes like you should be eyeing! I still haven''t settled ounts with you for snatching my sister''s dowry! Hurry up and scram!"


    The staff smacked towards Wu Dong and his men, the ones who didn''t dodge in time still got whacked twice.


    The one who got hit couldn''t stand the pain and said viciously, "Don''t think we won''t dare beat you just cause you''re a woman."


    Wang Chunhua wasn''t afraid in the slightest: "Go on then! Go on! If you dare touch me just wait till my husband gets back and see how he finishes you lot off!"


    They had just been beaten up by Dong Shan a few days ago and didn''t dare act too arrogantly now. And with Wang Chunhua yelling so loudly, quite a lot of onlookers had gathered.


    Being stared at by so many people when they were usually no better than street rats made them very ufortable. Lowering their heads, they quickly made their escape, waiting to take revenge another day when the chance arises.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10


    A few people ran away looking crestfallen. Those who were on good terms with Dong''s family then walked over. They had also heard what Wang Chunhua said just now.


    "What did they rob from you?"


    Wang Chunhua was fuming. She threw the stick on the ground and angrily shouted, "A hairpin. It was my sister-inw''sst dowry. Luckily my husband managed to snatch it back."


    "These shameless people are simplywless!"


    There were also many people in the crowd who had suffered at their hands. They were also indignant now that it was brought up.


    A auntie close to the Dongs pulled Li Mingwei over, "You''re an unmarried girl. Don''t offend them. Be extra careful when you go out alone now that your brother-inw is away."


    "That''s right. There''re so many of them. If you really provoke them, you two women won''t get any good out of it."


    Li Mingwei nodded slightly. She was in a weak position now, "Thank you, auntie. I''ll bear that in mind."


    Wang Chunhua took off her apron and closed the door behind her, "Let me go with you."


    "Little Swallow is still at home."


    "It''s fine. She''s asleep. We''ll go and return quickly."


    After bidding everyone farewell, the two quickened their pace and arrived at the embroidery workshop. Female embroiderer Yu checked the handkerchiefs one by one and took out an abacus to calcte the payment with them.


    "You embroider quite fast. In total, it''s 520 wen."


    Wang Chunhua was pleasantly surprised. She sped her hands. It had only been a few days but she had earned a lot. She took the money and eximed, "Oh my! By the way, measure her and make a winter coat for her. Winter is almost here."


    Female embroiderer Yu nodded, "Alright. Come to the back."


    She took out a measuring tape and measured Li Mingwei''s height and three circumferences, sighing, "You''re too thin. The winter coat will have to be made substantial, otherwise you won''t be able to leave the house in winter."


    Wang Chunhua didn''t hesitate at all, "Okay, make it thick for her. How much will it cost?"


    Female embroiderer Yu let them pick the fabric first before calcting the price, "This fabric isn''t expensive either. I''ll charge you 300 wen in total."


    300 wen. Wang Chunhua calcted it in her head. She gave all 520 wen back to female embroiderer Yu, "Make two coats. She can alternate between them. I''ll give you the remaining 80 wen another day."


    Li Mingwei shook her head again and again, "There''s no need, Sister Chunhua. One coat will be enough."


    Wang Chunhua brushed her aside in disapproval, "Whether it''s done early orte, it still has to be done. You can''t only have one coat for the entire winter."


    Although Li Mingwei didn''t want it, she had been living at the Dongs for so long. She still wanted to pay Wang Chunhua some lodging fees. Now she owed them money again.


    Female embroiderer Yu watched them with a smile as she put away the money, "Alright, stop arguing. I''ll still look for you when I have work. You''ll earn it back quickly."


    Li Mingwei looked at the basket full of handkerchiefs, "There''re so many. It''ll take a long time to sell them."


    "Don''t worry. I have no shortage of buyers."


    It wasn''t right for Li Mingwei to ask too much about others'' business. She thanked her and left with Wang Chunhua.


    Only then did Wang Chunhua remember something. She felt a little glum, "I forgot. Her husband also has a shop in the county town. She must be taking them to the county town to sell. The handkerchiefs in the county town aren''t priced like this. We were already selling each for 5 wen cheaply."


    Li Mingwei didn''t care. She only embroidered flowers with no risks. They ran businesses which carried risks. If the goods remained unsold, it would be their loss.


    People undertaking higher risks also earned more. There was nothing wrong with that.


    She advised, "Don''t get angry anymore Sister Chunhua. Let''s hurry back. Little Swallow is still home alone."


    Only then did Wang Chunhua not say any more. She skipped back home.


    To tell the truth, Li Mingwei was still a little delighted to earn so much money at one go. Not to mention much, if she could take on such work once or twice every month, that would be one or two taels a month. Ten-odd taels a year if she thought about it. It was beautiful.


    However, doing this non-stop was still tiring for Li Mingwei. She had decided to take it slower next time.


    "Auntie, auntie, it''s time to eat."


    Li Mingwei opened her eyes to Dong Lei''s round eyes. She pinched the flesh on his chubby cheeks andughed, "You''re back!"


    She must have slept for a very long time.


    "Mm. Just got back. Mother asked me to call you to eat first before sleeping again."


    "Alright. Auntie will get up now."


    Wang Chunhua hadid out the bowls and chopsticks. She sat at the table waiting for them. She yawned. Suddenly she also felt a little sleepy. Li Mingwei was tired and so was she. These days when Dong Shan was away, she had chopped all the firewood at home.


    She picked some meat for her son with her chopsticks, "Wonder when your dad will be back."


    Li Mingwei smiled, "Is Sister Chunhua missing Elder Brother Dong?"


    Wang Chunhua was unusually shy. She said awkwardly, "Oh, a little."


    Dong Leiughed loudly, "Of course! There''s no one to chop firewood when dad isn''t home. Yesterday mother was tired from chopping firewood while scolding people. Hahaha."


    Embarrassed by being exposed by her son, Wang Chunhua was a little angry. She red at her son, "Hurry up and eat. Do your homework after eating. The teacher told me your homework has been no good several times. Just you wait for your dad toe back and see how he''ll deal with you."


    Dong Lei hung his head with his heart thumping wildly. Not only was he scolded in ss for his bad homework, the teacher even told his family. That was going overboard.


    Seeing his expression, Li Mingwei couldn''t help butugh. After the meal, she went to take a look at Dong Lei''s schoolwork out of concern. She had been embroidering after meals these days and hadn''t paid much attention to it.


    She flipped through Dong Lei''s books. They were The Thousand Character ssic, The Three Character ssic, and The Analects of Confucius. They were all enlightening books for children and suitable for his age.


    Dong Lei had just started school not long ago. He was still learning how to write. Following the strokes in the book, he dipped his brush in ink and slowly copied them on paper.


    Seeing that his writing was terrible, Li Mingwei frowned. She held his little ws, "This character isn''t written like that. There''s a sequence to writing words. Write this stroke first, then that stroke."


    Dong Lei didn''t really understand but he moved his little hand along with Li Mingwei''s. Soon he realized his words were bing neater.


    "Auntie, you''re so awesome!"


    Li Mingwei taught him the proper way to hold the brush and apply force. She changed the paper for him and let him write by himself.


    Dong Lei was a little nervous. He slowly wrote ording to the instructions but Li Mingwei was staring at him intently. He panicked and forgot the stroke order again. His hand shook.


    "Auntie, don''t stare at me. I''m so scared."


    That was how Teacher stared at him in school. Why was Auntie staring at him like this when he was home?


    Li Mingwei didn''t know whether tough or cry, "How would I know if you''re writing correctly if I don''t watch you? Hurry up and don''t dawdle. It''ll be dark soon."


    "That''s right. Don''t dawdle. Listen to your auntie and hurry up with writing. It''ll be dark soon and we''ll have to light themps. That''s wastingmp oil," Wang Chunhua rushed out from the kitchen to join in admonishing her son.


    She had actually been watching them for a long time. She didn''t know Li Mingwei could even read and write. She seemed rather reliable. Her husband had really struck gold this time.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11


    For several days, there had been no new orders from the embroidery workshop, and Wang Chunhua didn''t want Li Mingwei to do any heavy work. With idle time on her hands, Li Mingwei focused on helping Dong Lei with his studies.


    Dong Lei was just starting to learn from books and was still a bit confused. Fortunately, he was obedient and willing to learn whatever he was taught. After a few days, his handwriting had improved significantly.


    At this moment, Yun Sister from the next door had already taught Li Mingwei how to make insoles. Winter was approaching, so Li Mingwei spent her days preparing her winter attire.


    With needle and thread in hand, Li Mingwei continuously worked on the insoles, asionally stealing a nce at the bored Wang Chunhua and smiling.


    "Chunhua, if you''re bored, you can go out for a walk. You don''t have to keep mepany. I''ll look after Xiao Yan for you," Li Mingwei suggested.


    Wang Chunhua yawned and waved her hand dismissively, "There''s nothing much to do. I don''t feel like going out."


    She nced at the door and couldn''t help but feel a bit worried, "Normally, your eldest brother should havee back by now. Why haven''t we received any news from him?"


    Ever since he left on the day Li Mingwei arrived, Dong Shan hadn''t returned for nearly ten days. Hearing Wang Chunhua''s words, Li Mingwei also grew concerned, "Has he never been away for this long before?"


    "No," Wang Chunhua paused for a moment, then added, "But it''s not much longer this year. Maybe he''s just busy. With his skills, he shouldn''t encounter any major troubles."


    "Big sister, big sister!"


    Just as she finished speaking, the sound of knocking came from the front yard. Wang Chunhua stood up excitedly and hurried towards the front, saying, "It sounds like my brother."


    Li Mingwei listened attentively and heard the voice of an unfamiliar man. However, since Wang Chunhua referred to him as her brother, she put down the insoles and went to wee them.


    Wang Dazhuang looked at the opened gate and immediately broke into a big smile, "Little sister!"


    Wang Chunhua was overjoyed, "Brother! Sister-inw!"


    Wang Dazhuang saw his sister and wife embracing affectionately and turned his head to push the cart into the yard. Then he noticed Li Mingwei, who had juste out of the house.


    "Who is this?"


    Wang Chunhua hesitated for a moment, then pulled Li Mingwei over and said with a smile, "This is our auntie''s daughter. Brother, you haven''t met her before."


    "Auntie? Which auntie?"


    "The one who lived next door to our paternal uncle''s house when we were young and married a businessman," Wang Chunhua exined.


    This wasn''t a baseless rumor to Wang Chunhua. After thinking for a moment, Wang Dazhuang recalled the incident and widened his eyes in disbelief.


    "Our auntie can have such a beautiful daughter?"


    Wang Chunhua...


    She gave her brother a firm pat, "What are you saying? Don''t you know that daughters resemble their fathers?"


    Mrs. Wang sensed that something was amiss but didn''t inquire further in the presence of others. She simply nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, people say that this son takes after his mother, but the daughter takes after her father. That''s why she''s so good-looking."


    With both his younger sister and wife saying so, Wang Dazhuang believed it. He looked at Li Mingwei with a smile, "Auntie left many years ago without a trace. How did you find your way back?"


    Wang Chunhua didn''t want to discuss this in front of others, so she instructed Li Mingwei, "Go and make some tea for my brother and sister-inw."


    Wang Chunhua''s brother-inw, Wang Dazhuang, turned to her and said, "Let''s push the cart inside. You''ve traveled a long way, and we can chat over teater."


    Only then did Wang Dazhuang turn around and push therge cart into the courtyard.


    Seeing the cart full of things, the people around couldn''t help but touch and inquire about them.


    "Chunhua, what good things have your rtives brought for you from your maiden family this time?"


    Wang Dazhuang was not stingy. He lifted the bamboo curtain that provided shade and rain cover to show them. There were tworge bup bags and some vegetables, most of which were longsting.


    He handed her a radish and said, "It''s nothing much, just two bags of grain and some vegetables. They don''t have much space, so I stored them in the cer for the winter."


    "Wow, Chunhua, your rtives from your maiden family are so generous. When will my brothers ever bring me something?"


    "So much, how generous."


    They took a radish from Wang''s hand. Only those who spoke well received one. Wang Chunhua smiled and kept herself busy, not engaging in conversation, but her hands were never idle.


    Having been married for so many years, if her brother didn''t bring anything, these women wouldn''t have gathered like this. They approached, just for the sake of those few things, but Wang Chunhua couldn''t be bothered with them.


    Wang''s sister-inw smiled and chatted with them for a while, but they didn''t linger after receiving their benefits. They each went home.


    Once they were gone, Wang''s sister-inw whispered, "On the way here, I told your brother that these women would gather around as soon as we pushed the cart to your doorstep."


    Wang Chunhua shrugged, "It''s always them."


    Wang Dazhuang alsoughed, "The people in this town are not as genuine as the people in our vige. They took the things, but did they bully you?"


    "No, they wouldn''t dare!"


    "That''s good then. It''s just a few vegetables, not worth much. If they take them, they shouldn''t cause you any trouble."


    Wang''s sister-inw nodded in agreement, "You''ve married far away, and we can''t take care of you on a daily basis. You still need to maintain good rtionships with your neighbors, unlike before, when you offended everyone with a few words."


    Even before Wang Chunhua left her home, she was impulsive and had a hot temper. Wang''s mother-inw and father-inw were most worried about her offending people outside.


    In the Wang household, she was their only daughter. Originally, they didn''t want to marry her so far away, but she insisted on marrying Dong Shan after seeing him at the market.


    "I know, I know. I''m not a newlywed. It''s been so many years. I have a pretty good idea of what''s going on," Wang Chunhua sighed and responded. She was already the mother of two children and still had to endure lectures from her sister-inw. Sigh.


    Li Mingwei stifled augh, feeling warm-hearted. The Wang family was just like her own. Their daughters were all married off, but they still worried just the same.


    She poured them water and offered it to them, saying, "Brother, sister-inw, have some water first. Rest a bit before we do anything else."


    "Okay, okay."


    Wang Dazhuang took the water, drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and asked, "We were just talking about you. How did you find your way back? And where''s your mother?"


    Wang Chunhua cleared her throat, closed the courtyard gate tightly, and then told her brother and sister-inw about Li Mingwei''s background.


    Mrs. Wang appeared uneasy as she scrutinized Li Mingwei and said, "Can you handle it like this?"


    "Why not? Since Auntie left and never returned, who knows what''s going on," Li Mingwei replied.


    "No, that''s not what I mean. I..."


    Mrs. Wang had many things to say, but she couldn''t say them in front of Li Mingwei. Looking at the perplexed face of the young girl, Mrs. Wang sighed, not knowing where to begin.


    Li Mingwei understood to some extent. She stood up and voluntarily excused herself, saying, "Sister Chunhua, Brother and Sister-inw have arrived. Should I go buy some meat for lunch?"


    Wang Chunhua nodded, gave her some money, and watched her leave.


    "Sister-inw, what exactly do you mean?" asked Mrs. Wang, gathering her courage.


    Mrs. Wang finally spoke up, cautioning, "Aren''t you afraid she might have done something wrong and escaped?"


    Wang Chunhua was taken aback. "No way!" she eximed.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12


    ¡°How can that be allowed!¡±


    Mrs. Wang was somewhat frustrated that her sister didn¡¯t seem to understand. This girl is usually quite clever, so why is she so unguarded now?


    ¡°Can she just say anything and you¡¯ll believe it?¡±


    Well, it wasn¡¯t exactly like that. A good girl fallen on hard times must have her sad stories that she doesn¡¯t want to tell, and Wang Chunhua didn¡¯t pry.


    If you say shemitted some crime and ran away, Wang Chunhua wouldn¡¯t believe it. She exined, ¡°Sister-inw doesn¡¯t know her situation. Her shoulders can¡¯t carry and her hands can¡¯t hold anything - what crime could she havemitted?¡±


    ¡°Murder and arson may not work, but petty theft still counts! Look at the way she looks - she can even read and write. She doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s from a poor family, so how could she have fallen to this point for no reason? I''m afraid she deliberately hid here in this poor ce.¡±


    Wang Chunhua¡¯s first reaction was to think about what Dong Shan said about Li Mingwei almost getting robbed of her gold hairpin. Gold is valuable, even just one hairpin is worth a few taels, and with her skills she could easily earn that in a year.


    Besides, if you''re going to steal, you wouldn''t just take one right? That would be a waste. If it were her, she would definitely take a whole bag full - gold, silver, jade, she wouldn''t spare anything!


    But after spending so many days together, deep down Wang Chunhua still believed Li Mingwei was a good person.


    "Sister-inw, I understand what you said, but she''s been at my house for so many days already, and I really feel like she''s not a bad person."


    Seeing that she couldn''t get through to her sister, Mrs. Wang furrowed her brows.


    Wang Dazhuang¡¯s eyes darted between the two arguing women. He didn''t know whose side to take for the moment.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Wang red sharply at him. ¡°Say something!¡±


    ¡°Well...¡±


    Wang Dazhuang hesitated. He had only met the girl once, and she seemed polite enough. He couldn''t really exin why.


    ¡°Alright, Chunhua¡¯s not a child anymore. If she feels it¡¯s fine, she must have her reasons. Don''t make a big deal out of it, it''s just a young girl. In this unfamiliar ce she can''t do much, even if she did anything we could just kick her out. Who could help her then?¡±


    But he still reminded Wang Chunhua, ¡°I know your heart is kind, but you can never truly know someone. Still gotta be cautious in everything.¡±


    Hearing hisst two sentences, Mrs. Wang¡¯s expression finally softened a bit. She approved, ¡°What your brother said makes sense. Still need to be vignt about things that need vignce. Especially with your husbanding back, don''t let them be alone together. Look how pretty her face is, maybe that''s why your husband brought her back.¡±


    Pretty?


    Wang Chunhua thought back to when Li Mingwei first appeared at her door. She could hardly be described as pretty. Her body even had a sour smell that still made Wang Chunhua feel nauseous when she recalled it.


    She made a sound of disgust. She didn¡¯t want to think about it anymore.


    ¡°Alright alright, I got it sister-inw, don¡¯t worry. I know what kind of person Dong Shan is, do you think I can¡¯t figure it out?¡±


    On this point, both Wang Dazhuang and Mrs. Wang agreed. Over the years Wang Chunhua married into the Dong family, every spring nting and autumn harvest Dong Shan woulde help out tirelessly. Everyone in the vige sang his praises.


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to be careful not to let others snatch him away!¡±


    ¡°Okay okay, I¡¯ll remember.¡±


    Speaking of which, Wang Chunhua suddenly remembered to ask about Dong Shan, ¡°When did he leave home? He still hasn¡¯te back yet.¡±


    ¡°Just left two or three days ago, probably still at his uncle¡¯s ce.¡±


    ¡°The family is that busy?¡±


    Mrs. Wang was a little embarrassed, ¡°Xiao Gang that kid had a craving for meat and insisted brother-inw take him hunting up the mountain, dying two or three days.¡±


    Wang Chunhua understood andughed. Xiao Gang was her eldest nephew, the eldest son of Wang Dazhuang and Mrs. Wang. As the first grandson in the family, he was a bit mischievous.


    ¡°It¡¯s not dying much. Meat is a rare treat at home, and the kids are all growing, it¡¯s normal for them to crave it.¡±


    The Wangs weren''t that well-off after all, with many mouths to feed. And the Dongs had been saving money for Dong Lei¡¯s schooling, rarely eating meat and frugally getting by. Let alone the Wangs.


    After a simple exchange about each other¡¯s families¡¯ recent affairs, Wang Dazhuang also helped carry the vegetables Mrs. Wang brought into the cer. It was only then that Li Mingwei came back with the meat.


    ¡°What took you so long just to buy meat?¡±


    Wang Chunhua had stood at the door watching for her for a good while, worried that she might have run into Wu Dong and them, and wondering if she should go take a look.


    ¡°I ran into Yu Boss again and she gave me more work.¡±


    ¡°So soon?¡±


    It had only been a few days! There was work for her already? Wang Chunhua was overjoyed to see the handkerchief and purse in Li Mingwei¡¯s hands, as if what she was holding was already copper coins.


    ¡°Then you can finish earning money for winter clothes very quickly. And make two thick pairs of shoes, then I won¡¯t have to worry about you being cold.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Mingwei nodded.


    Wang Chunhua took the meat from her and headed to the kitchen to start cooking. With Mrs. Wang today, she was much more nimble-handed than Li Mingwei, working very well together with Wang Chunhua.


    Li Mingwei stood at the kitchen door for a while feeling useless. She silently exited to go embroider flowers and earn money.


    The guests were staying for one night. After dinner, Wang Chunhua tidied up Dong Lei¡¯s room for the couple to rest.


    Wang Dazhuang rarely visited, so he went out for a stroll and bought some small things for Dong Lei and Dong Yan. Dong Lei was ted when he came home from school and saw them.


    His little sister was still too young to y, so they might as well all be his.


    ¡°Uncle is the best, I love uncle the most!¡±


    Mrs. Wang pretended to be jealous and teased him. ¡°What about auntie?¡±


    Dong Lei¡¯s little head spun quickly. He rushed up and hugged Mrs. Wang. ¡°I love uncle the most, and I love auntie the most most!¡±


    Everyone burst outughing merrily.


    Sensing Mrs. Wang¡¯s wariness of her, Li Mingwei had obediently stayed inside embroidering the whole afternoon. Hearing theughter now, she finally came out to take a look.


    Seeing her emerge, Dong Lei also rushed to hug her. ¡°Auntie, I love auntie the most most most! Teacher praised my writing for improving today!¡±


    Li Mingwei smoothed his hair for him, ¡°Then y for a bit, and we¡¯ll continue practicing writingter.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Can¡¯t we do itter? Uncle just bought me new toys I haven''t yed with yet.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Dong Lei¡¯s mother directly attacked. The teacher¡¯s praise was something her son had never received before. How could she allow him to ck off at this time?


    ¡°Go do your homework now. Let auntie watch you. We''re having meat for dinner today. If you don¡¯t behave, I won¡¯t let you have any meat.¡±


    His mother¡¯s threat instantly made Dong Lei¡¯s face fall. He dejectedly went to set up the table and took out his books and writing supplies.


    Li Mingwei smiled and sat down beside him, flipping open his workbook. Gently she asked, ¡°So where does today¡¯s assignment start and end?¡±


    Dong Lei pointed out two or three pages for her. As always, Li Mingwei first had him read aloud to check for any inuracies in pronunciation and punctuation, correcting them first before letting him copy.

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13


    Mrs. Wang was washing vegetables in the yard. When she heard the sound of reading, she looked up and suddenly couldn''t take her eyes off.


    The youngdy was all smiles as she gently touched Dong Lei¡¯s head. Her tenderness was almost tangible. If not for her clothes, her entire demeanor made her seem like a young miss from a prestigious family. No wonder the girl believed her so easily. No wonder Dong Lei was so engrossed.


    Wang Dazhuang walked behind Dong Lei to take a look at what they were reading so attentively. He nced at Dong Lei¡¯s textbook and felt a little dizzy.


    ¡°What are all these dense characters? I can''t make out any of them no matter how hard I try.¡±


    Mrs. Wang mocked him, "Oh please, you haven''t recognized half a character your whole life. What are you trying to butt in for?"


    Dong Lei giggled. He was more capable than his uncle now.


    Li Mingwei asked Wang Dazhuang his name. She swiftly wrote a few strokes on the paper and pointed at it, asking Dong Lei, "How do you read these characters?"


    Dong Lei scratched his head. "This is ¡®Wang¡¯, this is ¡®Da¡¯, and thest one...¡±


    His literacy was still limited. The character seemed familiar from books, but he couldn''t recognize it on its own. He hemmed and hawed but failed to get it out.


    "It''s ¡®zhuang¡¯, meaning robust and strong. This is your uncle''s name."


    Wang Dazhuang nodded profusely. "That''s right, that''s right. It means robust. My name is this ¡®zhuang¡¯ character!"


    As soon as Mrs. Wang heard this, she stopped washing the veggies. She wiped her hands on herself and rushed over eagerly, "What about my name? How do you write it?"


    "Sister-inw, what''s your name?"


    "Chunyan, Li Chunyan."


    Below Wang Dazhuang''s three characters, Li Mingwei wrote down the three characters for Li Chunyan. "Chunyan? Isn''t that the same character as little swallow?"


    "Well..." Mrs. Wang shook her head. "It''s not that Yan. My mom just named me this. Are there other yan characters?"


    Li Mingwei nodded and wrote down a few more characters. "All these are read as ¡®yan¡¯, just with slightly different meanings."


    Mrs. Wang was rather curious now. "There are so many? What do they all mean?"


    Li Mingwei patiently exined them one by one, "This yan is swallow the bird, I''m sure uncle and auntie know it."


    "We do, we do!"


    "This yan, yanli, means gorgeous and beautiful. When flowers bloom beautifully, you can describe them as yanli."


    Before she could continue, Mrs. Wang squeezed herself in front of Wang Dazhuang eagerly, "I like this one, I like this one! It means I''m pretty, right?"


    Li Mingwei reluctantly nodded, "I guess so. Chunyan, like gorgeous spring flowers, it is indeed beautiful."


    "Then I''ll take this yan character. It''s simpler than the little swallow yan, and prettier too."


    Wang Dazhuang side-eyed his own wife with some contempt. She was already middle aged with several kids, what beauty was she still going on about,paring herself to spring flowers? The only real flower here was Sister Mingwei.


    But he only dared to grumble internally.


    "Alright."


    Li Mingwei smiled and agreed. She took out a new sheet of paper, wrote down both their names, and handed it to them.


    The couple examined it again and again. Finally, Wang Dazhuang carefully folded the paper and tucked it into his clothes.


    Seeing their actions, Li Mingwei felt rather down. So there really were people nearing thirty who still didn''t know how to write their own names, perhaps many more people would never recognize a single character in their lifetime.


    Now she was starting to understand why her grandfather ced such importance on founding schools.


    If one day, people from all ces could receive free education, what a splendid era that would be. Those born smart but unable to realize their potential due to poor family circumstances would no longer be overlooked by the nation. Chu would certainly be abundant in talents, generation after generation.


    The road ahead is long, but I shall quest high and low.


    "Auntie, can I go with you to visit the school tomorrow?"


    "Sure,e get me tomorrow and I''ll go with you."


    Dong Leiined a bit, "Mom said it was close so I shoulde home by myself. But so many others get picked up by their parents every day. Mom hasn''t picked me up even once."


    "Your sister is too young to be left alone. Auntie wille get you tomorrow, okay?"


    "Okay!"


    Dong Lei agreed crisply, rather thrilled. Auntie would be the prettiest parent tomorrow. He was going to look so impressive!


    Right when school ended the next day, Dong Lei kept expectantly peering out the window. The teacher red at him several times without him noticing. It was his deskmate who poked him with an elbow to call him back to attention.


    He whispered, "What''s up?"


    His deskmate hinted for him to look at the teacher. He lifted his head to find the teacher staring right at him. He swallowed nervously and lowered his head, pretending to behave.


    In fact, Li Mingwei had arrived early. There were still quite a few parents picking up kids. She was unfamiliar with them, so she stood beneath the tree furthest out in the yard, trying her best to keep a low profile.


    With only a dozen or so students in this school, there weren''t even ten parents here to fetch them. But no matter where she hid, she would still be visible to the group. The women merely pointed and whispered among those they knew, unwilling to strike up conversation with her.


    "So that''s the wife of the Dong family? The one they took in?"


    "Who else could it be? Just look at her! Has to be her."


    "No wonder Wu Dong''s gang has their eyes on her."


    Aunt Cui, who had been cracking melon seeds, frowned at this and asked, "What do you mean Wu Dong''s gang is after her? That''s hardly a good thing."


    Wu Dong was no upright man. Having his lot take interest boded ill.


    "You didn''t know? My neighbor is matchmaker Chen. Wu Dong had asked her to arrange him with the girl, but Chen turned him down. I overheard him cursing her out as he left."


    The women all wore looks of contempt. "What nerve Wu Dong has, thinking matchmaker Chen would arrange any matches for the likes of him. That''d be wrecking her reputation!"


    "Not necessarily. The girl''s a widow who can''t conceive either. Marrying out already would be a feat, let alone being picky."


    Aunt Cui spat disdainfully, "Rubbish. If I had her looks and figure, why would I marry the likes of Wu Dong? I could just find a young master in the county city to be a concubine. I''d have wealth and status without needing to settle for scum like him."


    "Auntie Cui makes sense. That''s the good life, isn''t it? Old Xu''s daughter married into the county and although her man''s a bit older, he treats her well. I heard from her ma that he''d buy her a mansion if she bears him a son."


    "Now that''s something."


    Aunt Cui chatted idly with them for a bit before focusing her attention back on Li Mingwei. She walked over and held out a handful of melon seeds.


    "You''re Chunhua¡¯s sister-inw, yes? Want some seeds?"


    "Yes." Wang Chunhua was always admonishing her to mind her manners too much. By now, Li Mingwei was used to skipping formalities. She gave a slight nod.


    "No need, older sister. You should enjoy them."


    As women tend to be, Aunt Cui was delighted to be called young. She grinned widely, "Oh heavens, no need to call me older sister. Just call me Aunt Cui. My husband''s surname is Cui."


    "Yes, Aunt Cui."

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14


    Everyone was counting down to thest ss, and before long, a gentleman with some gray in his beard walked out of the ssroom, tapping the iron triangle hanging in the corridor. Apanying the crisp ding-dong sounds, the children hurriedly rushed out of the ssroom with their schoolbags that had been secretly packed up earlier, while the teacher stood at the door and watched them quietly.


    ¡°See you tomorrow, Teacher.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Teacher.¡±


    The teacher stroked his beard and smiled: ¡°Alright, go slowly back home, remember to do the homework I assigned, see you tomorrow.¡±


    This batch of students were rtively young, so the teacher didn¡¯t mind them being so impolite. They would slowly learn etiquette when the time came.


    Several of the older children walked out of another ssroom. They had already learned etiquette, so when they passed the teacher, they respectfully bowed.


    ¡°Farewell for today, Teacher.¡±


    The teacher waved his hand: ¡°Very well, off you go.¡±


    Dong Lei was thest one left. He stood by the teacher and craned his little head back: ¡°Teacher, can I bring my aunt to visit the school? She hasn''t seen what a school looks like and wants to see.¡±


    ¡°Oh? That aunt of yours?¡±


    By now, Dong Lei had already caught sight of Li Mingwei. He beckoned for her toe over.


    Li Mingwei walked up and made a student''s bow to the teacher: ¡°Student Li Mingwei. May I ask for the honorable surname of the teacher?¡±


    Seeing her bow, the teacher was taken aback for a moment, somewhat surprised. "You''ve studied before?"


    "Yes, I once sought teachings at an academy."


    "Which academy was it?"


    Naturally it was her grandfather''s academy in the capital city, but Li Mingwei couldn''t say that now. She only vaguely said, "I''m from the south."


    The teacher nodded knowingly. The south was wealthy and open-minded, so it wasn''t strange for youngdies there to have enough money to attend school or hire private tutors.


    "This old man''s surname is Jin."


    "Mr. Jin."


    Seeing that she was educated and knew etiquette, Mr. Jin felt some more affinity for her. He stepped aside and walked into the ssroom first: "Dong Lei said you wanted to take a look at the school? Our small rural ce here can''tpare to the academies down south, just take a casual look around."


    Li Mingwei stepped inside. Her gaze fell upon arge teacher¡¯s desk and some small tables, all somewhat old and covered in the marks of time. She just walked up and touched one of the small tables¡ªthey were a bit rickety.


    She lowered her head for a closer look. Wooden blocks were propped under the table legs.


    Dong Lei ran to the front of his spot and waved at her with a smile: ¡°Auntie, this is my seat.¡±


    Li Mingwei barely managed to force a smile to him, sitting down at his spot. Each small table had two attached benches, presumably for two children to share.


    Mr. Jin sat at the lectern, watching as her eyebrows remained knitted ever since entering the room. He smiled and asked, ¡°Is it quite differentpared to your former academy?¡±


    That would be an understatement. The difference was simply worlds apart.


    Her grandfather had built his academy on the outskirts of the capital. Nestled against the mountains, it upied arge area ofnd with Tai¡¯an Lake right next to it. Teachers often took students boating on theke andposing poems.


    The academy grounds were also split into a boys¡¯ section and girls¡¯ section. The boys¡¯ section was bigger and even had a lotus pond that she had secretly gone to see before¡ªshe loved it so much that she had insisted her grandfather designate the lotus pond to the girls¡¯ area instead.


    The desks and chairs allotted to them were evenrger than the one on Mr. Jin¡¯s lectern. And each girl had her own set for personal use. Every few years, officials and nobles would donate money to repair and refurbish the academy, getting them new sets of desks and chairs.


    ncing around this current ssroom, Li Mingwei sighed. The entire premises here probably wasn¡¯t even as big as her former ssroom in the girls¡¯ section.


    She said tactfully, ¡°It is a bit different.¡±


    Mr. Jin was old enough to read between the lines. He smiled and took a sip of tea.


    Li Mingwei was rather enlightened today. The dpidated desks and chairs baffled her, and she couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°If the desks and chairs are like this, doesn''t the county office send people to repair them?¡±


    ¡°The county office?¡±


    Mr. Jin only felt she was na?ve. This small, broken-down town was already lucky if the county even remembered its existence, let alone talk about refurbishing the school. And there were probably countless towns just like this in Anhuai County. If every single one needed repairs, where would the county find that much money?


    He shook his head: ¡°Not long after the county office built this school, there was more war up north, so they didn¡¯t have the energy to manage these things. They recruited us toe and take care of it ourselves. The students also didn''t want it, so when there were more students we would earn a bit more, and when there were fewer students we¡¯d just scrape by.¡±


    From when the school was first built...


    Li Mingwei made a rough calction: ¡°So Teacher has been teaching here for over ten years? With so few students now, it must be difficult for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still manageable now.¡±


    The current number couldn¡¯t be considered low anymore. Some years he only had a handful of students¡ªthose were the really hard times that still made Mr. Jin sigh whenever he remembered them.


    Dong Lei paid two taels a year for tuition and some additional lunch money, though the lunch money went to the kitchendy. With over ten students, thirty taels total perhaps, and that was before expenses like textbooks and supplies. Li Mingwei estimated there wouldn¡¯t be much savings at the end of each year.


    She felt Mr. Jin was merely putting on a brave face. Mr. Jin then took her upstairs to what turned out to be two bookshelves instead of a reading room for students like she had assumed.


    Mr. Jin shook his head: ¡°This is my bookstore. I hire people to hand copy books and sell them cheaper to students, so I can earn a bit more.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡±


    Mr. Jin took out a basic copy of the Analects and handed it to her. ¡°Buying a new book like this at the county store would cost hundreds of wen. I get them hand copied into booklets and sell for half price so students can save some money, while I can also earn a bit. It¡¯s win-win.¡±


    Li Mingwei flipped through several books¡ªnone were originals, and judging from the penmanship, they seemed to be copied by one person. She felt sorrowful at heart. What kind of lives were the teachers and students leading here?


    If her grandfather knew of the hardships they faced, what would he think?


    Mr. Jinid out paper and an ink brush for her and called her over. ¡°I saw Dong Lei¡¯s handwriting has improved quite a bit recently, I''m guessing you taught him. Come write a few characters and let me see.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Li Mingwei walked over to the desk, ground some ink, lifted her brush, and copied a few lines from the book on Mr. Jin¡¯s desk.


    Mr. Jin nodded approvingly. Her brush strokes were smooth and well-rounded, the characters upright and elegant¡ªher calligraphy was as beautiful as herself!


    ¡°Your handwriting is quite exquisite, just like you! Hahaha.¡±


    In a stroke of inspiration, he picked up one of the booklets on his desk and showed Li Mingwei. ¡°People all say calligraphy reflects character. Tell me what kind of person this is, judging from their writing.¡±


    It was the handwriting of the person who usually copied books for Mr. Jin.


    Anyone who could copy books would naturally have neat handwriting. Li Mingwei flipped through a few pages and said, ¡°It¡¯s written very well. In terms of neatness, I¡¯m not as good.¡±


    ¡°But being too neat makes it look lifeless.¡±


    With his style of writing and formatting, only exam proctors would like it. Others usually wouldn¡¯t take to it¡ªlike reading a textbook. It was hard to leave much of an impression. People might feel he was too bound by conventions.


    If he wanted to take the exams, not to mention her grandfather and father, even the current Son of Heaven wouldn¡¯t be too fond of him. Fresh, vibrant talent was sorely needed now to cultivate influence for the throne.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Mr Jin raised a brow. ¡°But this is the best student I¡¯ve produced so far.¡±


    Li Mingwei smiled withoutment. Mr. Jin felt somewhat awkward. ¡°He¡¯s been copying books since childhood, so he¡¯s used to being neat. Yes, he doesck some individuality.¡±

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15


    Wang Chunhua looked left and right at the door, but did not see Li Mingwei bringing the child back. Seeing that the sky was almost dark, she had no choice but to carry little Yan''er to find them.


    In fact, Li Mingwei rarely met someone she could talk to, and her chat with Mr. Jin was quite friendly, so they talked for a while longer and forgot about the time.


    Dong Lei didn''t really understand what they were talking about. He propped up his head and waited there. He hadn''t done his homework yet and didn''t know if the teacher would let him off tomorrow for making him wait.


    "Xiao Lei! Mingwei!"


    Wang Chunhua''s voice came, and Li Mingwei''s hand paused. She went to the window, and Dong Lei leaned on the window sill, waving at his mother excitedly.


    "Mother, I''m here!"


    Hearing her son''s voice, Wang Chunhua looked up at the second floor. Seeing both of them there, she breathed a sigh of relief. She had walked all the way without seeing anyone and really thought the two of them were lost.


    "Hey, why haven''t youe home yet?"


    "Coming now!" Dong Lei answered while running downstairs.


    Li Mingwei couldn''t stop him and could only bid Mr. Jin farewell herself, "Mr. Jin, it''s gettingte today. Let''s talk another day."


    Mr. Jin waved his hand, "Alright, alright, it''s not early. You go back first. It''s decided about that matter."


    "Yes."


    Li Mingwei walked slowly downstairs. Wang Chunhua was holding Dong Lei''s hand in the yard waiting for her. When she came down, Wang Chunhua took her hand too, "You didn''t even check what time it was. What were you talking about with Mr. Jin for so long?"


    "Nothing much. Mr. Jin asked me to look at some of the children''s handwriting exercises. I''ll probablye to the schoolhouse for a while every afternoon from now on."


    Handwriting exercises were usually thest ss in the afternoon. It would fit right in after she picked up Dong Lei.


    "You, teaching sses?"


    Wang Chunhua''s mouth fell open. She had never heard of a female teacher before. Was this girl''s learning already good enough to teach?


    Good heavens! How could this be real!


    "Not teaching sses, just watching them write for a while, same as when I watch Lei''er."


    "Oh." That made more sense, Wang Chunhua closed her mouth again. Fine, it was still an ie. But...


    "If you''ve taught them all and they can all write well, our Lei''er won''t be able to get the teacher''s praise anymore."


    There was still some regret in Wang Chunhua''s tone. Li Mingwei almostughed when she heard it. Handwriting had nothing to do with the teaching master, there was no direct corrtion. Aptitude and practice writing were also very important. As long as Dong Lei was willing to work hard and spend more paper and ink, he would not fall behind.


    Li Mingwei went to the schoolhouse to teach on time every day. The people in town soon found out, especially those with children who had learned to read and write. They were the first to know on the first day.


    Of course there were doubters: "She''s just a girl, can she do it? Who''s ever heard of a girl teaching?"


    "That''s right. And she was fired too. What if she has poor moral conduct and corrupts the children?"


    "Yeah, why don''t we tell Mr. Jin and have her dismissed?"


    "Let''s go, the more of us the better. Mr Jin can''t ignore us all. It''s for the children after all."


    There were also those who had asked Mr. Jin directly: "I''m not going. I already asked him. She just watches them write, not teaching anything. What''s there to corrupt? I hope my son can write better. You guys go yourselves if you want. I don''t mind if she helps my boy''s writing improve."


    "That''s true. Compared to the book, my son''s writing looks like chicken scratch. His dad couldn''t even recognize it after staring for ages. He said it was a waste of brush and ink."


    "Then let''s wait and see. If the children''s writing really improves, we''ll let her stay."


    "Alright."


    The parents discussed and decided to wait and see for a period of time. But some could not wait and didn''t dare go to Mr. Jin alone for fear of annoying him. So they said some idle words in front of the children.


    Li Mingwei walked back and forth in the ssroom. Seeing a child write not too well, she wanted to go over to teach him how to hold the brush. But he shook her off directly.


    "What''s the matter?"


    Things had been fine these past days. What was with this child?


    "I don''t want you to teach me. My mother said you have poor moral conduct. I''m afraid you''ll corrupt me!"


    "I..."


    Li Mingwei was stunned. When had she disyed poor moral conduct?


    She looked into the child''s earnest little face, truly at a loss for what to say.


    Dong Lei immediately stood up and red at him angrily, "Chen Fangyuan, what nonsense are you spewing? How is my auntie no good?"


    Chen Fangyuan also stood up to confront him. His voice was not one bit weak, "How would I know? It''s what my mother said."


    "Humph!"


    Dong Lei huffed out two breaths from his nose and let out a loud snort. He pulled Li Mingwei to his side, "If you don''t want to learn then don''t learn. Auntie, just teach me. I''ll study and have the best writing in school. Anyone who doesn''t study will have the worst writing in school!"


    Chen Fangyuan was still just a child in the end. He was easily frightened by those words. He really didn''t want to be deadst. Dong Lei''s writing had indeed been praised by the teacher recently. But mother said... What if Teacher Mingwei really did corrupt him? Mother would beat him to death.


    The child''s face was filled with distress. With one look, Li Mingwei understood the issue stemmed from the parents. They must have said something to him.


    The two children were not exactly quiet. The parents waiting outside had already crowded over. Li Mingwei walked right out and asked, "Who is Chen Fangyuan''s mother?"


    A woman hurriedly squeezed forward, looking rather flustered, "Me, I am, I am. What''s happened to him?"


    "Nothing much." Li Mingwei shook her head and stared into the woman''s eyes, "Chen Fangyuan just said he doesn''t need me to teach him anymore. In the future, if his writing is worse than the other students, I''ll let you know. Don''t me me then."


    "What is this child saying!"


    "Shouldn''t you ask why he doesn''t want me to teach him? How do you usually teach him at home?"


    Chen Fangyuan''s mother suddenly recalled something. She stiffened up, but her tone was still unyielding, "Who knows."


    Seeing her attitude, a spark of anger rose in Li Mingwei''s heart, "You!"


    "I didn''t say anything wrong. With so many people here, who knows anything about you."


    Li Mingwei could not refute this point. Mr. Jin walked over from behind and shielded Li Mingwei. He looked coldly at Chen Fangyuan''s mother.


    "Wu Shi, are you saying this old man is a poor judge of character?"


    Wu Shi had just been gloating over Li Mingwei''s speechlessness. Now she also had to restrain herself. Mr. Jin had taught in Qingshi Town for over ten years. He had even taught her husband. She did not dare offend him.


    "Mr. Jin, I did not mean that. Just..."


    "No need to say more. This old man will tender his resignation to the county office tomorrow for them to find a better teacher."


    Everyone was shocked and hurried to stop him. The scene suddenly grew loud and chaotic.


    Some even grabbed Mr. Jin''s hand directly, "Mr. Jin, what are you saying!"


    "Teacher, what will the children do if you leave? "


    "You''ve taught here for so many years. How can you just up and leave like that?"


    Mr. Jin shook his head in disappointment. He had just wanted to do more for the children.

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16


    The children were also startled and ran out to surround Mr. Jin: ¡°Sir, please don''t leave.¡±


    "Sir..."


    Mr. Jin felt a little tired, leaning against the ssroom door, patting each child''s little head, shaking his head: ¡°Sir, sir is old...¡±


    He looked at the parents around him, his tone was a little low: ¡°I have been teaching in Qingshi Town for more than ten years. If I really leave like this, I will be the first one who can''t bear it. But I am old now, and my energy is not as good as before. You send your children here, I can''t teach them well."


    "You can go and see, Mingwei''s handwriting is really good,pared to Yizhu''s, it''s not bad either. I hired her to share some of my burden, and also because Yizhu is busy with her studies now and has no time to copy books for the school. She can just fill in."


    "If she leaves, will you go to the County Town to buy new textbooks by yourselves next year?"


    It was quiet for a while. Everyone knew that buying books from Mr. Jin could save half the money, which could be tens or even hundreds of wen. It would be foolish not to take advantage of it.


    Li Mingweiined inwardly about Mr. Jin. He didn''t tell her earlier that he wanted her to copy books. Now she was pushed into this position and couldn''t refuse either. How reckless, she shouldn''t have agreed so quickly.


    What a schemer!


    Aunt Cui stepped forward first and pushed Mrs. Wu: ¡°Mr. Jin, I didn''t say not to let this girl Mingwei teach. She is the only one. Don''t do this just because of her.¡±


    "That''s right, that''s right, we didn''t say that, it was just her who said that, it has nothing to do with us."


    "Her son doesn''t study, our sons do!"


    Aunt Cui nodded: ¡°Mr. Jin has taught books here for so many years. I definitely trust your judgement. I feel assured to hand over my child to Sister Mingwei. Everyone, right?"


    "Yes, yes."


    "Rest assured, rest assured, definitely rest assured."


    At this moment, no matter if they really had opinions about Li Mingwei teaching or not, they didn''t dare to have opinions now. They had to appease Mr. Jin first, or else who knows what would happen if Mr. Jin left, even if the government office was willing to send another teacher.


    Mrs. Wu was surrounded by all kinds of voices, and she cursed bitterly in her heart. These people really turn their faces quickly. It seemed like she was the only one dissatisfied with Mr. Jin and Mingwei, and was here to make trouble.


    Li Mingwei was used to their speed of changing faces. She coldly sneered, and gently said, ¡°Except for Chen Fangyuan¡¯s mother, no one else doesn''t want me to teach their children how to write, right?¡±


    The group of people nodded together, like ying a drum, murmuring, ¡°No, no.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s continue ss. Rest assured that the children who want to learn from me, I will teach them well.¡±


    ¡°Okay, you teach, we won''t disturb you.¡±


    The children rushed into the ssroom. Mr. Jin held Chen Fangyuan alone: ¡°You don''t want to study, so pack up and go back with your mother first.¡±


    Seeing the child about to cry, Mrs. Wu couldn''t hold it in and grabbed Mr. Jin¡¯s arm, pleading, ¡°Mr. Jin, you can''t...¡±


    ¡°No need to say more, take him back first. If there is anything, let his fathere to talk to me.¡±


    Mrs. Wu really wanted to cry now. If her husband knew about this, he would beat her to death.


    She walked away gloomily with the child. After sitting for less than a quarter hour, her husband came back with Chen Fangyuan jumping into his father''s arms,ining grievously, ¡°The teacher doesn''t let me go to ss anymore.¡±


    Chen Jie runs a snack shop in town. No news could escape him. As soon as Mrs. Wu offended the teacher, someone came to tell him.


    He settled the child in the room before going to the front yard to deal with Mrs. Wu.


    Before he could speak, his mother already opened her mouth. ¡°What else to say, she offended the teacher. How good of a time will Fangyuan have in school afterwards? I say, take the divorce book, cut off her and Fangyuan¡¯s rtionship, then the teacher can¡¯t me the child anymore.¡±


    Mrs. Wu slumped to the ground, weeping and blowing her nose. She cried badly, ¡°Mother, how could you say that? I was just worried that the child would be led astray.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the child was led astray, led astray by you. Now you have offended the teacher and are simplywless. Do you know how many people outside areughing at my Chen family now!¡±


    ¡°Mother~¡±


    Chen Jie was caught between the two women and felt a little helpless. He hadn''t said anything yet.


    He stopped his mother and said, ¡°Although Mrs. Wu said some inappropriate things, there is no need to divorce her. I will buy some giftster and take her to apologize to the teacher. I know the teacher. As long as she is sincere and has a good attitude, the teacher will not care about it.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. Mr. Jin may be easy to speak to, but what about that Miss Li? She won''t teach our Fangyuan anymore. Wouldn''t Fangyuan be inferior to others? I say, divorce her. I''ll find a matchmaker to bring Miss Li into our home. She can''t conceive anyway, how much advantage will Fangyuan gain!¡±


    Chen Jie and Mrs. Wu responded at the same time, one grieved and one speechless: ¡°Mother!¡±


    Mrs. Wu said heartbrokenly: ¡°Mother, do you dislike me so much?¡±


    When Chen Jie heard his wife''s words, he held his forehead in distress and said, ¡°Mother, stop talking about this. I will go to apologize to the Dong Familyter.¡±


    ¡°Humph! You read too many books and have to make thingsplicated!"


    Chen Fangyuan¡¯s grandmother got up and mmed the table angrily, red at her son and then at Mrs. Wu: ¡°If you go to apologize and everything is fine, that''s okay to say. But if they really make things difficult for our Fangyuan, see how I will deal with you!"


    Mrs. Wu didn¡¯t dare to disagree and kept nodding: ¡°Yes, yes, Mother. I will definitely speak nicely so Fangyuan won''t suffer at all.¡±


    Chen Fangyuan¡¯s grandmother walked away waving her hand. Mrs. Wu finally felt relieved. She could only crawl grievously to Chen Jie¡¯s side.


    Chen Jie pushed her away: ¡°Get up and prepare gifts to go apologize properly. Think carefully about what to say to the teacher.¡±


    Mrs. Wu hurriedly got up from the ground, wiped the tears from her face, and went to prepare.


    Although she said those words in front of everyone this afternoon, it was an adult matter and should not affect such a young child. Li Mingwei still wanted to continue teaching Chen Fangyuan. She didn''t expect Mr. Jin to directly send him back.


    She felt uneasy. After sending the students away after ss, she went upstairs to find Mr. Jin.


    ¡°I was just joking. How could Mr. Jin really make the child leave?¡±


    ¡°You girl!¡±


    Mr. Jin pointed at her from afar and nodded. Seeing that she was still a little worried, heforted, ¡°Don''t worry. His father was also taught by me in his early years. He is quite polite. He will definitelye today if he knows about this, or at thetest tomorrow, and will certainly bring the child.¡±


    After Mr. Jin said this, Li Mingwei felt relieved. She leaned on the desk with both hands, deliberately putting on a stern face: ¡°Mr. Jin, when you asked me to teach, you didn''t say I had to copy books too.¡±


    Copying books is so boring!


    Having to copy more than ten copies of the same book, just thinking about it makes my hands go soft.

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17


    Of course, Li Mingwei eventuallypromised with money, although she was not poor, but in such a small ce, silver bills and the like hadn''t encountered any major events, so it was better not to use them.


    Books cost from a few dozen to a few hundred wen, which was still a considerable ie. In addition to the embroidery workshop orders, it was no small sum when calcted for the year, enough to spend in Qingshi Town.


    Li Mingwei was also contented. Leaving her parents, she could support herself.


    Holding Dong Lei''s little hand, the two walked leisurely home. It was time to eat, and there were few people on the street, but aromas of dishes floated out from the houses.


    Li Mingwei sniffed and pointed to a yard, "The dishes in that family are burnt."


    Dong Lei also moved his little nose, "Yeah, they are a little."


    "You two still have time to care if other people''s dishes are burnt or not, hurry home, Sister Chunhua is about to fight with someone!"


    Yun Jie from next door to the Dong family ran to them in a hurry. Seeing them, she grabbed them and took them back to the Dong house.


    Li Mingwei ran after her, "How did you start fighting?"


    Yun Jie didn''t know either. She was cooking at home originally and heard Wang Chunhua arguing with someone next door, so she went out with her mother to see. She had only listened to a few sentences when her mother told her to go call someone.


    "I didn''t hear it clearly either. My mother said that olddy is not easy to get along with. Sister Chunhua is alone and may not be able to handle it well, so she told me to find you."


    In fact, Yun Jie felt that calling Li Mingwei, a little girl, back would not help much. She was so soft that she could not even help argue, it would be better if Big Brother Dong was at home.


    "Olddy? That olddy?"


    "The matchmaker on East Street. You must have seen her before. She was at my house when you first came and asked you a few questions."


    A matchmaker?


    The only one who could talk about marriage in the Dong family now was her, Li Mingwei concluded it was rted to herself. Her pace quickened even more, leaving Dong Lei behind.


    "Wang Chunhua, don''t be ungrateful. Your sister is now fatherless and motherless, and childless. What capital does she have to be picky? She should be fortunate to find a man."


    "In my opinion, a divorced woman may be of questionable character. She is no different from Wu Dong."


    Wang Chunhua looked left and right, picked up a stick and held it in her hand, "You old hag, speaking nonsense!"


    "My sister, even if she never marries for the rest of her life, does not want the likes of Wu Dong!"


    "If he is crude, how much better can your sister be!"


    This was already the second person today saying she was of poor character. She didn''t mind the first, but she had to mind the second.


    Li Mingwei pushed away the onlookers, stopping Wang Chunhua who was about to rush forward to hit someone, and stared at Matchmaker Chen.


    "How am I of poor character? You had bettere up with evidence today. If you have no evidence but continue to nder me, I don''t mind taking a trip to the county office with you to see what crime it is to falsely use someone!"


    Matchmaker Chen was not one to be easily frightened either. She was naturally not afraid of a few sentences, she ridiculed, "Oh my, could it be that your husband''s family divorced you because your character was too good?"


    "Who told you I was divorced? My former husband and I had an amicable separation! My infertility is my problem. It''s only natural that he wants to continue the family line. I stepped aside, which has nothing to do with my character. Who here doesn''t have some illness?"


    "If you don''t believe me, I''ll bring the separation agreement and go to the county office to discuss this with you, and have the county magistrate bear witness!"


    "Take it out now if you have it, why do we have to go to the county office to see it!"


    "I have no need to show you my separation agreement, or the county magistrate. It''s because that would be evidence of your nder against me!"


    With that said, Li Mingwei forcefully grabbed Matchmaker Chen''s sleeve and started pulling her towards the town entrance, giving the impression that she was determined to take her to the county office overnight to sue her.


    Matchmaker Chen was also cowed. Seeing her attitude, it seemed she really had something, and it might really be a separation agreement, which was very different from divorce.


    She took two steps back, shook off Li Mingwei''s hand, and Wang Chunhua came over to grab her again, "Don''t run, let''s go together. We all heard what you just said. Let''s go to the county office together to talk it over."


    Li Mingwei crossed her arms and smiled as she watched her, "I''ve read Da Chu''sws. nder alone, just a few sentences, won''t get you beaten. At most you''ll be fined some money and jailed for a few days. I wonder if there are rats and the like in the county jail."


    Wang Chunhua sneered in agreement, "We country folk have seen everything. Rats are nothing. She''s an olddy with thick skin, she surely wouldn''t be afraid."


    Matchmaker Chen was at a loss for words, wanting to flee but unable to.


    More and more people gathered around to watch the fun. Li Mingwei was not afraid either. She did not actually have a separation agreement, but she was certain Matchmaker Chen would not dare to go to the county office with her. Even if she really hardened up and went with her, she had ways to make the county magistrate see a separation agreement.


    "Seeing this, the younger sister can''t have been divorced, right?"


    "Shouldn''t be, she said she has a separation agreement."


    "But we didn''t see it."


    "Why would she show it to you? She dared to show the county magistrate, how could it be fake?"


    "That''s true too."


    The discussions around her kept entering Matchmaker Chen''s ears. She also began to doubt, just who was it that told her this girl was divorced back? Why did she believe it so readily, she should have asked more questions.


    Now it was toote, she had no way out. Wang Chunhua kept holding onto her. It would be really bad if she was actually taken to the county city. Even if nothing came of it, she would lose face terribly. She should not have been greedy for that bit of money from Wu Dong.


    Wang Chunhua was actually quite happy to hear that Matchmaker Chen hade to propose marriage for Li Mingwei, and weed her warmly into the house, pouring her water. But her face instantly fell when she heard it was Wu Dong.


    She rejected Matchmaker Chen, but Matchmaker Chen still shamelessly disparaged Li Mingwei, angering her into arguing with her.


    The two sisters worked together to pull Matchmaker Chen towards the town entrance. Matchmaker Chen could not resist and kept retreating, "Let me go! Let me go!"


    They obediently let go at the same time, and Matchmaker Chen fell straight to the ground, instantly elicitingughter from the crowd.


    "What are you all doing at my door?"


    Dong Shan''s loud shout came. Wang Chunhua immediately found her backbone. Pushing through the crowd, she ran to him.


    "You''re back!" Wang Chunhua grabbed his arm and pointed at Matchmaker Chen, who had just climbed up from the ground, "Just in time. This olddy is speaking nonsense about our sister. Our sister was about to take her to the government office, and you''re back just in time to help us take her together."


    Dong Shan red angrily at Matchmaker Chen, "What nonsense did she say about our sister!"


    Matchmaker Chen''s legs trembled a little. Taking advantage of him not having approached her yet, she hurriedly ran in the opposite direction.


    Everyone knew Dong Shan had formidable fighting skills, able to take on five men alone easily. If she let him catch her, she really would end up going to the government office.


    Watching Matchmaker Chen flee in panic, Li Mingwei felt some disdain. Fool, you should have been more stubborn, if you were a little more stubborn she might have backed down.


    After all, she did not want to expose her identity so quickly.

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18


    Dong Shan came back, and those dirty and smelly ones didn''t daree to the door easily. Wang Chunhua was very happy and talked about everything that had happened in the past few days to Dong Shan excitedly.


    Dong Shan looked at Li Mingwei with some surprise in his eyes: "Sister Mingwei is so amazing, she can embroider flowers and recognize characters."


    "Of course!" Wang Chunhua proudly straightened her chest: "Don''t you know who her sister is?"


    Dong Lei raised his little hand: "It''s still my auntie. My auntie is the most amazing!"


    Dong Shan looked at Wang Chunhua fondly, patting Dong Lei''s little head with his big hand: "Yes, yes, you are both right!"


    Seeing the loving interaction between the family of three, Li Mingwei thought of her grandfather and parents. Her heart felt warm. She wondered what they were doing now and if they were still looking for her.


    They probably weren''t. She had left them a letter after all. But her mother might still be, she never liked her wandering around. She wouldn''t even let her follow her father when he went on inspections.


    Dong Shan also brought back a lot of things from his uncle''s house. After they chatted and ate, it was quitete. While there was still some light outside, they busily tidied up.


    "So many dishes? Did big brother and theme by?"


    Dong Shan poked his head out from the cer, took over the dishes Wang Chunhua handed to him, and crawled back in to put them away.


    "Yeah, besides the dishes there''s also two bags of grains. Added to what uncle gave, there should be enough to get through the winter."


    "It''s usually about enough, but there''s sister Mingwei this year too."


    Wang Chunhua said disdainfully: "Her? She eats as much as a kitten, even less than Lei."


    Dong Shanughed: "That''s why she''s so skinny."


    Wang Chunhua touched her small belly. After having a child, she had gotten fatter. Was Dong Shan saying she was fat?


    She didn''t reply. When Dong Shan went down to put away the dishes, she closed the cer door.


    When it suddenly darkened, Dong Shan felt something was wrong. He pounded on the door: "Chunhua, Chunhua!"


    "I''m going suffocate you to death, husband! Teach you to run your mouth!" Wang Chunhua stomped on the door.


    "Dear, I know you can''t bear to. Quick, let me out!" Dong Shan pleaded apologetically: "My mistake, you''re the skinniest and most beautiful!"


    Only then was Wang Chunhua satisfied. She opened the door: "If you dare say something like this again, I''ll turn you in to the authorities!"


    "Yes, yes, I absolutely won''t anymore!"


    Seeing their yful bickering, Li Mingwei tactfully brought Dong Lei away with her. She drew a hot bath for him, had him wash his face and feet, then brought him back to the room and tucked him into bed.


    "Sleep tight!"


    "Mm!"


    Dong Lei responded and closed his eyes. Children were special - they could fall asleep as soon as they closed their eyes. Seeing he was settled, Li Mingwei lit an oilmp and quietly left.


    After washing up, she embroidered handkerchiefs bymplight in her room.


    Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan fooled around as they tidied up. Dong Shan saw Li Mingwei''s room was still lit up and told Wang Chunhua: "Go tell the young miss she should sleep earlier, staying up hurts her eyes when she''s still young."


    Wang Chunhua shook her head. Over the past days she had gotten to know Li Mingwei''s habits: "It''s fine, she''ll turn in soon. Without money on hand she doesn''t feel secure, thinking she owes us. Once she earns a bit and has some free cash, she won''t push herself so hard."


    Li Mingwei had already turned in her second batch of embroidery and paid Wang Chunhua for the winter clothes. Wang Chunhua used the rest to make her some lined innerwear and winter shoes, so most of it was spent.


    After nearly half a month at the Dongs, Li Mingwei was anxious to give Wang Chunhua money for food and board. That was why she urgently took on embroidery work.


    To prevent Wang Chunhua from taking her money and buying her more things, Li Mingwei turned in the work behind her back. Though Wang Chunhua noticed her leaving with packages, she didn''t expose her.


    Dong Shan had noticed too. Heughed: "Try declining at first when she pays you, but do take some in the end. Use it to buy her meat and nourish her, or some other things. Don''t refuse it all or she''ll be too embarrassed to keep staying with us."


    Wang Chunhua thought that made sense. Thisss was too polite.


    She agreed: "Alright, she really is too skinny. We''ll buy her some meat. Needs to put on some weight or the north wind will blow her away!"


    Dong Shan...Surely not that extreme.


    Winter came swiftly after autumn arrived. Bouts of autumn winds and rains, and the weather sharply turned cold. The wind howled frigidly, biting Li Mingwei''s face till it hurt.


    Li Mingwei forcefully shut the ssroom window, suddenly realizing scattered snowkes were drifting down outside. She went out and held out a palm. Some fluttering snowkesnded in her hand and immediately melted.


    It seemed her winter clothes woulde in use very soon!


    The waiting parents outside all had their hands tucked into their clothes looking at her.


    Auntie Cui smiled at her, "Haven''t seen snow before, eh girl Mingwei?"


    Li Mingwei wanted to say she had, then heard someone say: "Not havinge from the south, she probably really hasn''t."


    She closed her mouth. Then said: "You guys can go sit in that room over there, it''s too cold out here in this wind. Dress the kids warmer tomorrow. It''s quite cold in the ssroom too, don''t want them catching cold."


    "You needn''t worry for us about that. We''ve raised kids for years, we know what to do."


    Li Mingwei nodded and went back into the ssroom to continue teaching. Seeing her turn, the children watching the snow through the window also quickly returned to their seats.


    Auntie Cui red at the previous speaker: "What''d you open your trap for? She meant well."


    Only then did he recall Li Mingwei''s infertility. He smacked himself: "Slip of the tongue."


    "It''s fine, she won''t take it to heart."


    At this point, the crowd somewhat understood Li Mingwei''s character and acknowledged her professional capability. Their attitude towards her had greatly changed from the past.


    A sister-inw tucked in her hands and whispered: "Truth is, only three years, maybe she can still have kids. Just bad luck. I have a rtive who only had a child after five years of trying."


    "That''s true. And it might not be the woman''s problem. I''ll tell you, I know of a case where after eight childless years the woman was divorced. Then with another man she got pregnant right away."


    "Then it was the man''s fault!"


    "Exactly!"


    The women chatted more and more loudly outside. Li Mingwei helplessly stared at them but they remained oblivious.


    Just as she was about to go remind them she was teaching ss, someone happened to nce her way. She hurriedly tugged the immersed chatty ones beside her.


    The few looked back, smiling apologetically at Li Mingwei, then supported each other as they went to continue their discussion in a corner.


    The studentsughed quietly. Li Mingwei severely rapped the table. "Noughing! Focus on writing your characters. Anyone I catch messing around, your homework is doubled!"


    "What? No!"


    "Mister Liang~ "


    Li Mingwei cockily looked away. She was a mature mister now. Flirting wouldn''t work on her anymore.

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19


    The snowfall was light, with asional flurries swirling in the wind. It didn''tst long and left no trace except for a slightly slippery road. Li Mingwei''s shoes were not slip-resistant, and she nearly slipped as soon as she stepped outside. Fortunately, Dong Lei supported her as they returned home. As they entered the backyard, they caught a whiff of a pungent smell.


    Dong Lei pinched his nose and eximed, "Oh, Mom, what''s that smell? It''s so stinky!"


    Li Mingwei recognized the odor of mutton and headed straight for the kitchen. As expected, Wang Chunhua was cookingmb soup.


    "Chunhua, why did you suddenly decide to makemb soup today?"


    Lamb meat was not cheap, and thisrge pot meant that Wang Chunhua had splurged today.


    Wang Chunhua was quite proud of herself. "It snowed today, didn''t it? This is the first snow of the year. By havingmb soup, we''ll stay warm throughout the winter."


    She uncovered the pot, letting out the steam, and scooped up arge spoonful of meat to show Li Mingwei. "As soon as it started snowing, I rushed to buy the meat. That''s how I managed to snatch such a big piece of meat and two bones. Many people missed out on them."


    "Ah," Dong Shan was tending to the fire. He looked up and said, "This year''s snow arrived earlier than usual. No one expected it to snow these past couple of days, so themb meat vendors weren''t prepared. I reckon quite a few people won''t be able to havemb soup today."


    "That''s not good."


    Unknown to them, havingmb soup during the first snow was a tradition in their small town. If they couldn''t have it, it wouldn''t bode well for them.


    Moreover, with the snow arriving earlier this year, it might be colder than usual. Winter was the harshest season, and who knew how many people would suffer and endure.


    Xinghua Vige didn''t have this tradition, but since Wang Chunhua had married and moved here for several years, she had gotten used to it and even learned from the neighboring women, so she could make a decentmb soup.


    After preparing the soup, she first served Li Mingwei and Dong Lei a small bowl. "Quick, taste it. How is it?"


    Li Mingwei took a sip and found it quite good. It wasn''t gamey at all, so she praised, "It''s delicious."


    Dong Lei also nodded. "It''s delicious!"


    Wang Chunhua was satisfied. "You two go ahead and enjoy it. Warm your hands, and I''ll prepare a couple of dishes before we eat."


    "Okay."


    At some point, Dong Shan had gone to the front yard to take a look and returned to the backyard. "Chunhua, I noticed that Aunt Meng next door probably couldn''t get anymb meat. Why don''t you pack some for them and take it over?"


    Aunt Meng was Yun Sister''s mother, a fairly gentle person. She lived next door, and Li Mingwei got along well with Yun Sister, so her rtionship with Aunt Meng was also good.


    "I''ll go."


    "Sounds good."


    Wang Chunhua filled arge bowl for her. "Be careful, it''s hot."


    "Okay."


    Li Mingwei carefully carried themb soup and went to the next door, but she couldn''t free her hands to knock on the door. She could only rudely kick their courtyard gate a few times and called out twice.


    "Yun Sister, Yun Sister."


    "Hey!"


    "Lamb soup?"


    Yun Sister quickly opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to see Li Mingwei with themb soup. They hadn''t been able to buy anymb meat today, so they didn''t expect to have some ready to eat.


    Li Mingwei received therge bowl and said, "Thank you so much. My mother just mentioned that it''s inauspicious to not finish themb soup and asked my father if we should go buy somemb meat tomorrow morning to make up for it."


    "Thank me for what? It was Yun Sister who made it."


    Yun Sister smiled and said, "Thank you for bringing it to me, and please thank Chunhua Sister for me too."


    "Alright, go back quickly. It''ll get cold soon."


    Li Mingwei made a note of it and assured her that she would pass on the message. She also closed the courtyard gate on her way out.


    As she turned back home, everyone else had already taken their seats. Wang Chunhua had prepared the meal and even served her arge bowl of soup. She sat in her designated spot and Dong Shan started eating with his chopsticks.


    "Start eating, start eating."


    "Mmm."


    It had been a long time since Li Mingwei had eatenmb meat, and Wang Chunhua had cooked themb soup perfectly. Combined with the cold weather today, her appetite was wide open, and she ended up drinking tworge bowls of soup in a row.


    Wang Chunhua proudly said, "It seems like my cooking skills are pretty good, huh?"


    Dong Shan, not one to mince words, gulped down arge bowl of soup and said, "Mmm, it''s delicious. We should drink more of it to keep warm throughout the winter."


    "Yes." Suddenly, Wang Chunhua thought of something and put down her chopsticks. There was a hint of resentment in her tone as she said, "After this winter, Yun Sister will be getting married."


    Yun Sister had been engaged to Dong Shan when he had gone to help with the autumn harvest outside. Neither Dong Shan nor Li Mingwei knew about it, as Yun Sister would frequently visit Li Mingwei to do needlework, but never mentioned this matter.


    "It''s confirmed?"


    "Mmm, it''s confirmed."


    Seeing his wife''s less-than-joyful expression when talking about this, Dong Shan hesitated and asked, "Is it not good over there?"


    "Sigh, what''s good or not? We''re just ordinary folks anyway," Wang Chunhua replied with a bit of bitterness.


    To be honest, Yun Sister''s family actually had a few more acres ofnd than Dong''s family. The only difference was that Yun Sister had two younger brothers and a younger sister, and with children who had good appetites, the ie from thend was barely enough to cover the expenses. When everything was taken into ount, Dong''s family was actually better off.


    Whenever he had free time, Dong Shan would go up the mountain to hunt rabbits or wild chickens, but they never ate them. He would sell them to taverns and restaurants, earning more money than Yun Sister''s family, making their lives a bit better.


    "Then why are you looking like that?"


    Wang Chunhua sighed and shook her head. "Their ce is too far away. Haven''t you noticed that they''ve nevere here even once? Once Yun Sister leaves, who knows when we''ll be able to see each other again."


    They were already engaged, yet they had never visited even once. That was truly strange. Li Mingwei was puzzled and asked, "So they got engaged without meeting each other?"


    "What''s the big deal? There are plenty of couples who only see each other for the first time when they lift the bridal veil."


    Wang Chunhua was used to it, but Li Mingwei couldn''t agree. Although she and Murong Yu weren''t childhood friends, they had known each other since they were young, and they had some understanding of each other. However, it wasn''t deep enough, which was why their previous marriage had failed.


    At that time, when thete emperor fell seriously ill, they got married early to fulfill his wish and also to bring some good luck. Otherwise, if they had taken more time to get to know each other, Li Mingwei might have listened to her family and not married him.


    Now it was toote for regrets. The next time they got married, they would have to spend more time together and get to know each other well before making a decision.


    "I haven''t even met him, and now I''m supposed to marry him. What if the groom isn''t good? We can''t fully trust what the matchmaker says," Wang Chunhua nodded in agreement. Especially since Yun Sister''s matchmaker was Chen Matchmaker, who has a reputation for twisting the truth and presenting bad situations as good ones. We need to be cautious.


    "But it''s toote now. The marriage is already arranged, and they have even sent the betrothal gifts. You have no reason to object. If you break off the engagement, you''ll have to return double the gifts. Aunt Meng can''t afford to pay such arge sum of money. They married Yun Sister off so far away because they were enticed by the high bride price offered there."


    "You don''t understand. Yun Sister''s two younger brothers are reaching the marriageable age soon, and they will need to find brides as well. Their family is running out of options."


    Is it possible that they are sacrificing Yun Sister''s lifelong happiness for the sake of money?


    Li Mingwei felt a surge of anger. "How can Uncle Meng and Aunt Meng be like this?"


    Wang Chunhua shrugged. "No matter what, it''s their family matter. What can we do? Our family doesn''t have the money to help them find brides."

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20


    The Dong Family didn''t have any, but she did. Having made up her mind, Li Mingwei invited Yun Sister to embroider flowers with her early next morning.


    She didn''t beat around the bush, pulled Yun Sister into the room, made sure no one was outside, and asked directly: "I just heard from Sister Chunhua yesterday that you are getting married so far away. I wanted to ask if you really want to get married. If not, I can help you think of a way to return the betrothal gifts."


    Yun Sister was stunned for a moment, somewhat moved. She held Li Mingwei''s hand in return: "I appreciate your kindness, but you don''t have it easy yourself. Don''t worry about me."


    Yun Sister knew Li Mingwei had skills to make some money, but she still lived in the utility room at the Dong Family. That small utility room was even worse than her room with her sister. How could she bear to ask her for more help?


    Not knowing how to exin, Li Mingwei could only say: "Don''t worry about me. I have money."


    But Yun Sister still shook her head.


    In order to prove her capability, Li Mingwei had no choice but to take out the gold hairpin for Yun Sister to see: "Look, I really have money. Feel free to ask if you need help."


    "This, this is gold?" Yun Sister covered her mouth in surprise, even holding the gold hairpin with some tremor. In her life, the most valuable jewelry she had seen was the silver hairpin her mother brought for her dowry. But that couldn''tpare with what was in front of her eyes now.


    "It''s gold, real gold!"


    Touching the pearls iid on it, Yun Sister opened her mouth but couldn''t make a sound.


    It took her quite a while to regain some sanity. She asked: "Where did you get this from?"


    "It was part of my dowry."


    Yun Sister shook her head again and again: "Then I really can''t take it!"


    "I didn''t say I would give it to you!" It was the dowry her grandfather-inw gave her. How could she easily give it away!


    Li Mingwei said, "I just wanted to tell you that I do have some money. If you don''t want to get married, no matter how much betrothal gift your family has received, we can somehow gather money to return it."


    Yun Sister fell silent for a while, seemingly lost in thoughts. Then she sat down heavily on the bed and said in a resigned manner, "I should just get married."


    "Matchmaker Chen said the groom''s family is quite well off. Although I haven''t seen them with my own eyes and don''t know if that''s true or false, but the amount of betrothal gift they offered is really high. With this money, my two younger brothers don''t need to worry too much."


    Li Mingwei didn''t understand: "What about you! Are you really willing to marry a man you''ve never met?"


    "So what if I''m not willing? Would another one necessarily be better? Being picky doesn''t mean there won''t be any problems. Whether my marriage will be good or not is just like other girls - fifty-fifty. No need to fuss over it."


    The more Yun Sister spoke, the more determined she became. She straightened her back, gripped Li Mingwei''s hands tightly, and said: "I know you mean well, but some things are not as simple as you see them."


    "Mingwei, I''ve been the Meng family''s Eldest Sister for long enough. This identity has brought me too much burden. Consider this betrothal gift thest thing I''ll do for them before I get married and liberated."


    In the eyes of outsiders, Yun Sister was a verypetent Eldest Sister - selfless and gentle, always tolerant and yielding to her younger siblings, letting them have the best food and clothing.


    In front of her parents, she was also an exceptionally filial daughter, obediently doing whatever tasks she could to avoid tiring her parents out.


    Everyone saw Yun Sister as an extremely good person. Only she herself knew the confusion and struggle deep down - she didn''t do those things voluntarily. She even resented her siblings for taking away what originally belonged to her.


    Ever since childhood, her parents only told her that as the eldest sister, she should yield to her younger siblings. It was as if she was shackled by those words. Any slightest resistance would make her parents look at her like she had done something terribly unfilial.


    Only by being good to her siblings could she get her parents'' approving gaze and praises. Just for those inexplicable things, she had been going against her own wishes for many years.


    Now, she could finally get some liberation.


    Tears brimmed Li Mingwei''s eyes. She never knew Yun Sister had such bewilderment and struggle inside. Just like everyone else, she also thought Sister Yun was so good, so good!


    She choked and said grievingly: "Sister Yun~"


    The two held each other tightly and cried their hearts out until they almost fainted.


    Li Mingwei even had the impulse to take Yun Sister away - away from the family fetters here. With the wide world out there, she could let her roam freely.


    Yun Sister wiped her slightly swollen eyes and gently declined with a faint smile: "I don''t have the heart to do that, nor the ability. Please don''t worry about me. What I''m doing now is what I want to do."


    "Rest assured, I will definitelye back to see you."


    Li Mingwei bit her lips tightly until the tender skin bled a little. Her mind was aplete mess now, unable to think clearly about the truth behind Yun Sister''s words at all.


    She only remembered Yun Sister''s promise toe back. She must create the conditions for Yun Sister toe back.


    Mr. Jin had just paid her the teaching fee for next month. She counted the money in her hand and shook her head.


    Mr. Jinughed: "What''s wrong? Did this old fellow with blurred eyesight count it wrong for you?"


    "No." Li Mingwei shook her head again. She put the money back into her pocket, lowered her eyes and asked, "Mr. Jin, do you know where Qingshan Vige is?"


    "Qingshan Vige?" Mr. Jin tried to recall. There indeed was such a ce. "Is it the Qingshan Vige south to the county seat?"


    "Yes, I also heard it takes two days to walk there from here, with an overnight stay in the county seat in between."


    "Hmm, then it must be that Qingshan Vige." Although Mr. Jin had never been there himself, he had heard of it. It''s quite far. He looked up at Li Mingwei: "Why did you suddenly ask about this ce?"


    Li Mingwei pouted a little: "Sister Yun is getting married there after the New Year."


    "I see." Seeing Li Mingwei look somewhat unhappy, Mr. Jinforted with a smile: "Don''t worry. Although Qingshan Vige is just a vige, it has quite arge poption. Some families there may even be wealthier than those here in our small town."


    "Yes, the betrothal gift is twenty taels of silver, quite rich indeed."


    Although it couldn''tpare to thevish dowry she received at her wedding, it was already very high by local standards. When Dong Shan married Wang Chunhua, the betrothal gift was only ten taels. In their vige, even five or eight taels would suffice for other girls'' weddings.


    "Not bad then. Why the dissatisfied face?"


    Li Mingwei gritted her teeth: "I think Sister Yun deserves better!"


    Mr. Jinughed out loud. When he walked past her, he knocked her little head and said: "My child, don''t be too greedy. You think Yun Sister deserves better, but the groom''s family probably also feels their son deserves better. Given the Meng family''s status, twenty taels of silver betrothal gift is already very good."


    Li Mingwei naturally understood that. But it was because she felt Yun Sister was ill-treated, not that she looked down upon the groom''s family.


    This family had never truly cared for her or asked what she really wanted. Yet she still had to contribute so much to this family.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21


    Li Mingwei estimated how much money she would need for carriage and horse fees to get back from Qingshan Vige to the town, and set aside some money for meals and lodging along the way for Yun Sister, carefully putting it away to give to herter when there was a chance.


    With the rest, she thought about buying something for Xiao Lei and the others. The money she had earned from the previous batches of embroidery work, she had split with Wang Chunhua, half each. Now her finances were still quitefortable, so from time to time she could buy some nice things for the children.


    Just then, as she was passing the snack shop, Chen Jie, who ran the shop, greeted her very warmly, so she went in.


    Chen Jie hade with Mrs. Wu before to apologize to her, and Chen Fangyuan had been studying under her for a while, so the two of them were quite familiar now.


    "Sister Mingwei, buying something?"


    Li Mingwei looked at the snacks in his shop, they were about the same as what they had broughtst time, just some red bean cakes, green bean cakes, yellow bean cakes and so on, plus some types of buns she had never seen before.


    The ones she had liked to eat in the capital, there wasn''t a single one here.


    She tentatively asked, "Did you sell out of everything else because business was good today?"


    Chen Jie was quite smart, and understood what she meant right away. In fact, everyone in town knew in their hearts that Sister Mingwei''s family must not have beencking in the past, otherwise how could she be raised so fair and delicate, and recognize so many words even as a female worker.


    He tentatively replied, "What kinds of snacks were you looking for, Sister Mingwei? Let me see if my mother knows how to make them."


    Alright, no need to ask anymore. What wasid out was all there was.


    Li Mingwei asked about prices and bought some of each of the little buns she hadn''t seen before, and also some red bean cakes ¡ª she remembered Wang Chunhua sayingst time that she liked those.


    As Chen Jie was packing everything up for her, Li Mingwei suddenly caught sight of the paper and writing brush on his counter.


    "Brother Chen, may I use that paper and brush?"


    Chen Jie didn''t understand: "Sure, you need it?"


    Li Mingwei went behind the counter, ground some ink, and wrote down several snack recipes for him. "These are some snack recipes I remember. Please take a look and see if your mother can try making them."


    "Sister Mingwei, are you saying our selection of snacks here is too small?!" Chen Jieughed. He looked carefully at all the ingredients listed in the recipes, circled two, and said, "Maybe we can try these two, but not the others."


    "Why not?"


    "Sister Mingwei, you''re not an outsider, so I''ll be blunt with you. Aside from these two, the ingredients for the other recipes are too expensive. Do you know how much an ounce of tuckahoe costs? With the cost of ingredients andbor, how much would we have to sell them for just to break even?"


    "That''s not a price ordinary families in this town could afford."


    And things like the milk cakes, among the few hundred households in this town, only two or three even own horses. And those with money have moved to the county seat to live. We never see them around here day-to-day.


    Where would I buy mare''s milk, and who would I sell the cakes to after making them?


    Li Mingwei smiled. Alright, she had not thought it through. She smiled apologetically ¡ª she shouldn''t have assumed. "Then, Brother Chen, try those two kinds first."


    "Sure." Chen Jie nodded, put away the recipes, and saw her out the door. "If we can actually use these recipes, I''lle discuss payment with you."


    "Oh, don''t worry about it. I didn''t do this for money. I just suddenly felt like eating some snacks I like, that''s all. And I can make them myself anyway."


    In fact, she did know how to make them herself. But the Dong family didn''t have the tools for making snacks. To make some for herself, she''d have to buy the tools and ingredients ¡ª too much trouble for just some snacks. It was best if she could buy ready made ones.


    She had just taken a few steps out the door when she ran into Mrs. Wuing to bring Chen Jie his lunch. Mrs. Wu still felt rather awkward when she saw Li Mingwei now, but she couldn''t avoid her, so she just hardened herself and kept walking forward.


    Seeing that Mrs. Wu was just shy of writing "awkward" on her own face, Li Mingwei took the initiative to say, "Sister-inw Wu, bringing lunch for Brother Chen?"


    "Yes." Mrs. Wu gave a slight nod, and happened to nce down at the paper package in her hand, knowing she had just bought something from their shop. Her smile also held some real warmth now: "Sister Mingwei, where are you headed?"


    "I just bought some things from your ce. I''m going back now."


    "I see. Safe travels."


    "Thanks."


    As they were passing each other, Mrs. Wu suddenly said in a low voice, "There''s something I never told you. Last time when the matchmaker came to the Dong family for you and Wu Dong ¡ª she actually didn''t want to do it. Wu Dong gave her a lot of money before she went."


    Li Mingwei was stunned. That had happened so long ago she had nearly forgotten about it. Also, "How do you know, Sister-inw?"


    "The matchmaker lives next door to me. When she didn''t seed in matching you with Wu Dong, he went to ask her for the money back. I overheard." Mrs. Wu muttered, "Who knows where Wu Dong got so much money, I hope he''s not doing something shady again."


    Li Mingwei had no idea. After Dong Shan had returned, Wu Dong and the others hadn''te around to bother her again, and she hadn''t run into them for a good long while now.


    So what Mrs. Wu told her didn''t make much of an impression on her.


    At that moment, Wang Chunhua was also making dinner. Li Mingwei gave the snacks to Dong Lei, then sneaked stealthily into the kitchen. She tiptoed up behind Wang Chunhua and put her arms around her waist.


    "Ah!"


    Wang Chunhua got such a fright she nearly jumped. She whirled around to find Li Mingwei there. "You little scoundrel, sneaking around!"


    Li Mingwei giggled. She waited for Wang Chunhua to turn back to the wok to stir the dishes, then took out the rest of the money from her pocket and tucked it into Wang Chunhua''s clothes.


    Wang Chunhua held thedle, stirring continuously, and felt the movement at her waist. With raised brows, she said, "What''s this, your wages from today?"


    "Mm-hmm. I kept some for myself, bought some snacks on the way back. The rest is yours."


    "Bought snacks again?"


    Wang Chunhua''s brows knitted. She had always been thrifty and disapproved of Li Mingwei buying snacks. "How many times do I have to tell you, don''t spend all your hard earned money on us and the children as soon as you get paid? You making a little money isn''t easy either. Don''t spend every penny you get."


    Li Mingwei pressed her lips shut, not daring to answer back. Wang Chunhuadled the dishes quickly into a bowl and red at her, pretending to behave, before taking the food out to the main room.


    She noted the quantity of snacks on the table and, seeing Dong Lei''s noisy eating, made a quick estimate of the cost in her head. Even more angry now, she turned her ire towards Dong Shan, just returning from the mountains and in the middle of changing out of his shoes and socks.


    "You''re supposed to keep an eye on him! His mouth costs five coppers every time he opens it!"


    Dong Shan froze. He had only just gotten back, hadn''t even warmed the bench yet, and didn''t even know what had happened.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22


    Finally, apart from Li Mingwei, Wang Chunhua picked thorns at everyone, Dong Shan changed his wet shoes and socks and honestly took them to the backyard to wash.


    Li Mingwei helped him pour some hot water. It was so cold today that the water was cool. She looked at the snow stains on Dong Shan''s shoes. It had snowed against night.


    "Is the snow heavy in the mountains?"


    "It''s alright. There was no sun in the mountains today so the snow didn''t melt much and umted some." Dong Shan took the hot water from her and poured some into the basin while quickly rubbing the dirty socks, and said to her: "The really heavy snow hasn''te yet. After a few more days when the mountain is blocked by the snow, I won''t dare go hunting in the mountains anymore."


    "Yes, safety is still more important."


    "Right, although the family is not well-off, there is no urgency to earn that bit of money."


    Dong Shan nodded in agreement and took a look at his busy wife who had gone back to the kitchen, and his downcast son who was confiscated of snacks and was being punished standing in the backyard. Now he had a son and daughter, was happy and content. Naturally his own life was more important. If anything happened to him and left these two children, how could they manage?


    After washing the shoes and socks, he went to the front yard to deal with the game caught today. With the snow he didn''t dare walk too much and the game didn''t dare run too much either, leaving traces wherever they went. So his harvest today was pretty good.


    The snow in the front yard had already been swept clean. He carried the game to the backyard and found a spot in the empty vegetable garden where the snow was still thick to bury them for sending to the county town tomorrow.


    Wang Chunhua stuck her head out from the kitchen: "The inn didn''t buy them?"


    "I didn''t send them to the inn. " Dong Shan turned his head to look at her and exined: "The price is higher in the county. It''s too troublesome to sell one or two to the inn so I''ll just make a trip to the county town since there''s so many today. I should be able to earn more."


    "Isn''t the county town very far? It takes a whole day to make the return trip!"


    "If I can earn a few dozen or hundred coins more, it''s worth making this trip."


    Wang Chunhua pondered and felt he was right. The county town could probably buy for four to five wen more per catty. With over twenty catties today, he really could earn over a hundred wen more. It was worthwhile indeed.


    "Alright then."


    Li Mingwei was not interested in things like the county town. She had already asked Mr. Jin. What a coincidence, the current county magistrate of Anhuai County had studied at her grandfather''s academy.


    His academicpetence back then was probably average. He had taken the imperial examinations three times before finally passing as a jinshi. When he was in the capital, it was her grandfather''s academy that he borrowed to study at. It would be more steady to keep a distance from him.


    That night, it snowed again with strong northerly winds howling fiercely, the doors rattled noisily with cold winds continuouslying in. Li Mingwei had no choice but to get up and find a wooden stick to prop against the door tightly.


    She went back to bed but could still hear the howling winds and snow,pletely unable to fall asleep. She tossed and turned the entire night and appeared before Wang Chunhua the next day with dark eye circles.


    Wang Chunhua peered closer: "What''s wrong? Didn''t sleep well?"


    "Mm." Li Mingwei said grievously: "The wind was too strong."


    From the current situation, the winds and snow here were much greater than Beijing.


    What does strong winds have to do with sleeping, Wang Chunhua walked to Li Mingwei''s door and saw the wooden stick on the ground. She reached out to shake the door and the loose wooden door immediately made creaking sounds.


    Now she understood.


    "I also don''t know how to fix doors. Your brother-inw has gone out early and I''ll get him to take a look when he''s back. The wind has died down now, go eat then sleepter."


    "Okay."


    The embroidery work waspleted. She only needed to attend ss in the afternoon so Li Mingwei slept for the entire morning until Wang Chunhua looked at the time and felt it was gettingte before waking her to eat a few bites and hurry to ss.


    Her eyelids had been drooping the entire lesson and her head dizzy. She finally endured until ss was over and slumped into the chair, massaging her temples and heaving a breath of relief.


    Finally she could rx a bit.


    Dong Lei packed up and walked to her: "Auntie, what''s wrong with you?"


    "Auntie''s fine." Li Mingwei ruffled his hair: "Go home first, auntie still needs to copy some books upstairster."


    Dong Lei nodded and left first. Recently Li Mingwei had slowly been copying the books they needed for next semester. She would asionally let him go home himself and he was used to it already since home wasn''t far.


    At the start of copying books, in order to avoid mistakes, Li Mingwei copied very slowly. And since it was cold, her hands would turn cold after copying for a while and she needed time to warm them up again. In order not to affect the children''s learning progress, she had reserved a long period of time for preparation.


    After the children left, Li Mingwei walked around the yard twice to blow some wind and clear her groggy head before going upstairs.


    A man stood on the second floor watching her walk two rounds before disappearing from sight then withdrew his gaze, looking to Mr. Jin at his side: "Is this thedy who said my writingcks vigor?"


    Mr. Jin stroked his beard and nodded slightly. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he smiled: "Let me introduce you."


    Li Mingwei had just climbed up the stairs and saw a handsome man looking at her with a faint smile. She halted her footsteps and stopped moving forward.


    "You have a guest, Sir?"


    "It''s nothing,e on up." Mr. Jin waved to beckon her forward and pointed at that man to introduce: "This is the onecking vigor, haha."


    Lacking vigor?


    Wasn''t that the person whose writing she had copied previously? The promising son of Granny Wang who passed the county exams and was studying in the county.


    Although Li Mingwei didn''t eat at the school, she would asionally arrive early and run into Granny Wang who was helping to cook here. Granny Wang would only tidy up the kitchen and leave after, so they could be considered as acquaintances after so long.


    Having the discussion spoken aloud, Li Mingwei''s face grew redder. She red at Mr. Jin then apologetically looked at the man.


    The man had an air of books and learning. He wore an old faded grey gown that looked thick and warm. Although the clothes were bulky, his figure was slender and thin, making him look not bloated at all. At this moment, his refined and handsome face held a trace of smile and his bright eyes stared straight at her.


    He bent slightly at the waist in greeting: "Student Liu Yizhu, pleased to meet you, Mr. Ming."


    Li Mingwei''s face grew redder. Mr. Ming was what the children downstairs called her. He had obviously been here for a long time to overhear the children bidding her farewell as such.


    She quickly returned the greeting: "I''m only here to teach some copywork, can''t be called a teacher. Please call me Mingwei."


    "Alright, we''re all young people, no need to stand on ceremony." Seeing them be so polite, Mr. Jin said with augh: "No need to be so courteous here."


    One used to be his capable assistant and the other was his current capable assistant. It was good for them tomunicate experiences.


    He pointed at Liu Yizhu: "He copies books very quickly. You can ask him if he has any skills."


    Li Mingwei wrote beautifully but copied books at a pace that made him anxious.

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23


    Copying books was mostly a matter of practice makes perfect, and Li Mingwei did not need much guidance, but she also did not reject Liu Yizhu sharing some experiences with her.


    Liu Yizhu also showed her his calligraphy and discussed the issue of style and form with her for a while.


    As winter approached, the days grew darker earlier. Liu Yizhu was keeping an eye on the gradually darkening sky outside and interrupted their conversation, "Mr. Jin, Miss Li, I''m afraid I have to head back now. My mother is probably waiting for me to have dinner."


    Jin and Li Mingwei looked out the window in unison and both nodded, saying in chorus, "It''s gotten quitete."


    At this time, her sister Chunhua was probably also waiting for her to have dinner. Li Mingwei stood up, "I should go back too."


    Liu Yizhu extended an invitation, "Shall we go together?"


    "No need. Go ahead if you''re in a hurry. I still have some packing up to do."


    Li Mingwei politely declined. After all, there were differences between men and women. With just Mr. Jin here, it was fine, but if they went out together, who knows what kind of idle gossip would spread around town tomorrow.


    One was a promising young schr, the other a married woman living separately from her husband. No matter how the gossip went, she would be the one losing face. She had finally regained some reputation and did not want it ruined again in one stroke.


    Liu Yizhu did not consider this level of implications. Seeing the paper and writing brushes Li Mingwei had used on her desk, he assumed she wanted to wash her brushes before heading back. So he went ahead and left first.


    Indeed, Li Mingwei washed her brushes and put back all the books they had used before thinking about leaving. But before she could take a step, snow began fluttering down heavily.


    Jin stopped her, "The snow is heavy. Wait for me, I''ll go find an umbre for you."


    "Alright."


    Jin could not find an umbre in his room and went to the storage room in the backyard to look around. Finally he found an umbre that had not been used for years and was covered in dust. He used a handkerchief to wipe off the dust before handing it to Li Mingwei, "Make do with this for now."


    "Thank you, Sir."


    Li Mingwei walked briskly towards home holding the umbre. Because of the dy from Jin, the sky had already darkenedpletely.


    The snow fell heavily and the ground waspletely covered in white. There was no one else on the road. Li Mingwei stepped on the soft snow, sinking deeper with each step. She had not expected it to snow today and wore a pair of shoes with poor traction.


    She nearly slipped and fell once. Not daring to walk too quickly anymore, she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps stepping on snow behind her. When she looked back however, there was no one. But the shoeprints left on the ground were clearly real.


    Sensing a threat, judging by the length and width of the prints, they belonged to a man. There was a man following her. No longer caring about anything else, she broke into a run. The sound of running footsteps soon rang out behind her as well.


    Now even more terrified, she did not dare stop. But her slippery shoes made her steps so slow. Soon, she was caught up.


    The man suddenly covered her mouth from behind and dragged her towards a small alley nearby. Li Mingwei clung onto his hand and struggled constantly, but her strength was no match. No matter how she struggled, it was futile.


    "Still wanna run? Think you can get away?"


    The sinister voice came from behind. It was Wu Dong!


    Li Mingwei immediately recognized his voice and her heart sank further. Now clearly realizing his intentions, she struggled even more fiercely, prying open the hand Wu Dong used to cover her mouth, and bit down hard.


    Wu Dong yelped in pain and threw her onto the ground. He pressed down on her with one hand clutched around her neck and the other pinning her body. "You dare bite me? Do you know how much effort I spent for you?"


    If there was still light now, Li Mingwei would definitely have seen the injuries left on Wu Dong''s beaten face.


    After failing to snatch Li Mingwei''s gold hairpinst time, he had been frustrated. Always wanting to get his hands on that hairpin, and enticed by Li Mingwei''s cleaned up appearance, he lusted after her even more.


    With Dong Shan away and the fierce tigress Wang Chunhua around, he did not dare get close to the Dong house. So he tried the proper route, sending matchmaker Chen to bring up marriage. As long as Li Mingwei married him, the gold hairpin would be his anyway.


    The first time he went to Chen''s ce, he was rejected. His good friend reminded him, "That old matchmaker woman, she''s just greedy for money. Up your offer and she''ll definitely help you propose it."


    But where could he get that much money?


    After racking his brains for several days withouting up with another solution, he finally borrowed money from loan sharks, thinking that once Li Mingwei married him, he could pawn the hairpin to pay it back. With Li Mingwei''s money-making abilities, he would neverck money in the future.


    With the borrowed money in hand, he went back to Chen the matchmaker. Chen had wanted to chase him away initially, but unable to peel her eyes from the cash, she readily agreed to help him secure the marriage.


    Who knew Li Mingwei and Wang Chunhua would be so fierce, directly beating Chen out. Right on time, Dong Shan also returned. Chen no longer dared to continue this business. When Wu Dong showed up at her door, at the very least she got the money back to return to him before going to repay the loan.


    The principal was returned, but there were still days of sky-high interest. With no way to pay it back, the group gave him a beating, even sending people to turn his house inside out. Finding nothing, they got him to work to pay off the debt.


    Wu Dong med all these days of suffering on Li Mingwei. Lurking around waiting for a chance ever since he came back, he was determined to vite then defame her. Even if she could not marry for the rest of her life, he would not let her off.


    The gold hairpin must be his!


    His face revealed resentful rage as he pounced forward to rip Li Mingwei''s clothes. Li Mingwei cried loudly for help. Wu Dong instantly covered her mouth,ughing sinisterly, "Go ahead and yell! I hope you scream louder to draw more people over to see you in this state. Who would want you in the future!"


    He removed his hand covering her mouth after he finished. Single-mindedly focused on tearing her clothes.


    "Help!"


    How could Li Mingwei possibly let him seed? Even if she remained unmarried for life, she would not allow him to humiliate her. Resisting with all her might, she continued shouting loudly for help.


    Wu Dong hesitated briefly, wondering if he should muffle her again, when an enraged roar came from behind. "Who''s there!"


    It was Liu Yizhu!


    Like grasping onto a life-saving straw, Li Mingwei screamed at the top of her lungs, "Save me!"


    Recognizing her voice, Liu Yizhu threw down his umbre and charged over, forcefully dragging Wu Dong off of her. Seeing the man clearly, he berated angrily, "Wu Dong! What are you doing!"


    Wu Dong cowered instantly. Of all people, it had to be him. This brat was ssmates with the county official''s son! Mentally cursing his bad luck, he crawled up and turned to run away.


    Liu Yizhu had no time to chase him. He pulled Li Mingwei up from the snow covered ground and hastily averted his eyes when he saw her disheveled clothing. Taking off his outer robe, he wrapped it around her.


    Gently asking, "Are you alright?"


    Having just endured an ordeal, Li Mingwei''s body trembled slightly. Feeling his strong, sturdy arm, she could not help but sob softly.


    The nearby residents who came out to investigate after hearing themotion arrived at this scene. Seeing it, they widened their mouths in shock.


    In this small town, everyone knew everyone. But because it was Liu Yizhu, they cautiously asked, "What happened here?"


    Hearing the voices, Liu Yizhu wrapped Li Mingwei more tightly to prevent them from seeing her messy garb. In a low voice, he exined, "Miss Li slipped and twisted her ankle. She probably can''t walk. Please help inform her family."

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24


    Dong Shan and Wang Chunhua hurried over when they heard the news. Dong Shan had alsoe homete today. They fixed the door for Li Mingwei and were just about to go out looking for her when they saw she hadn''te back yet.


    Wang Chunhua rushed up and supported her, "What''s wrong? How did you fall?"


    She nced at Li Mingwei''s shoes and med her, "Why are you wearing those shoes again! You almost fellst time you wore them!"


    As soon as Wang Chunhua said this, the onlookers were almost convinced. They had thought Liu Yizhu and Li Mingwei were secretly doing something here.


    Li Mingwei still hadn''t recovered and couldn''t speak. Wang Chunhua called Dong Shan over to carry her back. When Dong Shan saw the clothes on Li Mingwei''s body that didn''t belong to her, he realized that Liu Yizhu had been standing there in a singleyer the whole time.


    He took off his own clothes in two strokes and was about to give them to Liu Yizhu to wear, "Don''t catch a cold!"


    They really couldn''t afford to let the young schr catch a cold!


    Liu Yizhu declined, but was firmly held down by Dong Shan. Wang Chunhua also said, "Wear it, wear it. We''ll wash your clothes clean and give them back to youter."


    Without waiting for Liu Yizhu to decline again, they carried Li Mingwei towards the house, with Dong Shan walking in front carrying her, and Wang Chunhua following behind. She thanked Liu Yizhu and the person who had brought the message again before catching up.


    After they left, people surrounded Liu Yizhu. The bolder ones curiously asked, "Did she really just fall?"


    Liu Yizhu knew what they were thinking. He said helplessly, "Auntie, today was the first time I¡¯ve met Miss Mingwei. If she didn¡¯t fall, what else could have happened?"


    The crowd suddenly realized that Liu Yizhu had been studying in the county town all this time. This was the first time he hade back since Li Mingwei came to town. How could something have happened between them when they had just met?


    Everyoneughed embarrassedly. Liu Yizhu gathered the ill-fitting clothes on him and took his leave first.


    Someone in the crowd said, "If Mingwei girl wasn''t married, they would be a good match."


    "What nonsense! Do you want Granny Wang to scratch you?"


    No one spoke again. The weather was cold too, so everyone went back home.


    Dong Shan really thought Li Mingwei had sprained her ankle. He thoughtfully carried her straight back to her room. Wang Chunhua lit the oilmp and drove away Dong Lei who hade to watch the excitement, "Get out! I have to change your auntie¡¯s clothes."


    "Oh."


    Dong Shan also retreated with his son. Wang Chunhua ordered, "There''s hot water in the pot. Bring me a basin."


    After Dong Shan brought the water, Wang Chunhua closed the door. She turned and smiled at the slightly stunned Li Mingwei, "Girl, you¡¯re so old already yet you still fall down. Let me change your clothes."


    She reached out to take off Liu Yizhu''s outer garment that Li Mingwei was wearing, but Li Mingwei held her hand down.


    "What''s wrong? Are you shy?"


    Li Mingwei looked up at her. Wang Chunhua met her slightly red eyes and had a bad premonition. She pried Li Mingwei''s hands open and took off the outer garment, only to find her messy clothes inside.


    Her heart sank. She hurriedly checked Li Mingwei''s pants and found they were still intact. The breath she had been holding was finally released. She asked with red eyes, "Who was it!"


    Li Mingwei lowered her head. "Wu Dong..."


    "That bastard!"


    Wang Chunhua turned and opened the door to rush into the kitchen to grab a kitchen knife to settle ounts with Wu Dong. Dong Shan didn''t know what had happened, but seeing her whole body ming with anger, he still stopped her.


    He blocked Wang Chunhua and saw the disheveled Li Mingwei chasing out behind her. It was as if his mind had exploded.


    "This is..."


    "Don''t stop me! I''m going to kill that scumbag Wu Dong!"


    Hearing her say that, Dong Shan understoodpletely. Li Mingwei also came up and hugged her. "Sister, don''t go!"


    Wang Chunhua was still angry. She wouldn''t listen at all, "Look at you now, how can I not go!"


    Dong Shan didn''t dare look at Li Mingwei. He whispered angrily in Wang Chunhua''s ear, "If you make a scene, do you want the whole town to know!"


    Wang Chunhua suddenly realized she couldn¡¯t let outsiders know. If they knew, what didn¡¯t happen would be fact, and how would her sister live after that?


    She came to her senses with regret written all over her face. She should have gone to pick her up earlier instead of thinking she coulde back alone when it was already dark.


    Dong Shan patted her. "Help your sister tidy up first."


    Wang Chunhua suppressed her distress and brought Li Mingwei downstairs to get cleaned up. After seeing her sleep, she dragged her exhausted body back to the room.


    "Is she asleep?"


    Wang Chunhua nodded weakly. "Yeah."


    "She''s fine, right?"


    "She¡¯s fine. Young Master Liu came quickly."


    Dong Shan breathed a sigh of relief. "We have to thank Young Master Liu tomorrow. It¡¯s thanks to him that he saved my sister, and helped her cover it up, otherwise..."


    "Yes." Wang Chunhua closed her eyes for a moment and looked at Dong Shan, "What about Wu Dong?"


    Dong Shan had a headache. In any case, this matter could not be made known, but Wu Dong really had to be dealt with. He whispered, "Why don¡¯t I find an opportunity to beat him upter and make him stay away from my sister."


    Wang Chunhua was very dissatisfied with his proposal, but Dong Shan had no other way. He said dejectedly, "I can¡¯t really beat him to death. If I did, then I would..."


    He would also be arrested. Murder was no small matter. The county government would not let him go.


    "Sigh."


    The two sighed at the same time after a sleepless night.


    The next morning at dawn, after Li Mingwei had packed up, she knocked on their door.


    Dong Shan quickly put on his clothes with panda eyes and opened the door, "What''s the matter?"


    "Big brother Dong, can you take me to the county town?"


    "County town?" Dong Shan was puzzled. "What are you going to the county town for?"


    "I want to go."


    Facing Li Mingwei''s determined eyes, Dong Shan finally nodded. He added a few more clothes, asked Wang Chunhua for some money, and decided that no matter what she wanted to do today, he would be willing to apany her.


    He pushed the cart out and motioned for Li Mingwei to get on. Li Mingwei didn¡¯t dare. Wang Chunhua firmly helped her onto the cart and said, "We saidst night you sprained your ankle. If you can walk again now, won''t we be caught lying? Get on quickly. You can get off and walk when there¡¯s no one on the road."


    Now she had no reason to refuse either. Dong Shan pushed her towards the county town. asionally they met acquaintances on the road and said they were taking her to see a doctor in the county about her foot.


    Li Mingwei had walked this road when she came, but it had snowedst night and she didn¡¯t remember anymore. She could only follow behind Dong Shan. She was reluctant to sit in the cart, and Dong Shan didn¡¯t force her. He could only slow down.


    The two stumbled into the county town. Dong Shan looked at Li Mingwei, "Where are we going?"


    "Brother Dong, do you know where the county government office is?"


    He knew what she wanted to do. Dong Shan nodded affirmatively, "I know."


    "Are you sure?"


    If the case had to go to court, I''m afraid the whole county would know.


    "Yes."


    Seeing her nod in acknowledgment, Dong Shan didn''t hesitate anymore. He took her directly to the county government office. But Li Mingwei didn''t go in through the front door. She had him lead the way and went in through a small door in an alley behind the county government office.

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25


    Dong Shan leaned against the cart, looking at Li Mingwei knocking on the back door of the county government building. He didn''t know why she didn''t let him follow her, maybe she was afraid of implicating him?


    The attendant at the county government building soon opened the door. He took a peek at Li Mingwei through the crack of the door, and his eyes lingered on her face for quite some time before continuing to look her up and down.


    Seeing that although she was dressed as an ordinarymoner, the master has always been kind to themon people. He was still rtively polite, afraid of ruining the master''s reputation.


    "What business do you have?"


    Li Mingwei took out a gold hairpin from her bosom and handed it to the attendant: "Please ry to County Magistrate Tang Shan that Li Yi''s granddaughter is here to visit."


    "Li Yi?"


    The attendant did not recognize Li Yi. But looking at her ornate gold hairpin, he thought she must be an old friend of the master who had fallen on hard times and came to seek refuge. He hesitated and went to ry the message.


    Anhuai County Magistrate Tang Shan received the notice and immediately took the gold hairpin from the attendant''s hand. Li''s young miss has been missing for several months. Could she really have wandered into his jurisdiction?


    Earlier he had already received a notice from the academy. Now looking at the imprint on the gold hairpin, what else was there to hesitate about? He waved his hand directly.


    "Quick, quickly invite her in."


    He used the word "invite", so the attendant did not dare to dy and quickly brought her in.


    Li Mingwei walked in, looked over the middle-aged man at the head seat, and greeted with a curtsy, "Mingwei pays her respects to Sir."


    Tang Shan recognized her identity almost instantly, because she looked so much like the famous beauty of the capital from years ago, Li Langyue, it was as if they were carved from the same mold.


    He excitedly got up, walked around the desk, and helped her sit down, "No need for excessive courtesy, no need. I was also a student at Master Li''s academy. Just call me elder brother, that would be appropriate."


    Since he was so polite, Li Mingwei epted it. She smiled, "Elder Brother Tang."


    "Eh." Tang Shanughed heartily and ordered the servants to serve her tea while he sat down beside her.


    "This outfit you are wearing is...?"


    Li Mingwei just smiled without answering. Tang Shan did not need her to answer either. "I received your mother''s letter long ago asking me to help find you. But I never imagined you would wander all the way to my insignificant little ce."


    Although Tang Shan passed the imperial exam years ago, his ranking was quite low so he did not get assigned to a good position. He had his ups and downs in the beginning, before eventually settling down here. Now he was not striving anymore, cing his hopes on his son instead.


    "I..."


    Li Mingwei was somewhat at a loss for words. "Please don''t tell my mother for now, elder brother. I don''t want to go back for the time being."


    "Because of Marquis Jian?"


    Seeing her silent, Tang Shan assumed he understood and nodded, agreeing to her request. He asked eagerly for gossip, "After you left, the Li family can be considered to have formed a feud with Marquis Jian''s estate."


    This was the first person with news from the capital in months. Li Mingwei could not help asking, "What about the Cheng family?"


    Tang Shan smiled and shook his head, saying in a low voice, "General Cheng called for a sedan chair and sent his daughter over in the middle of the night. He also publicly imed that he and his daughter have severed ties."


    Li Mingwei raised her brows. This General Cheng is a bit silly, not trying to curry favor with Marquis Jian''s estate?


    Of course, it was not something she could interfere with. She then asked about her grandfather''s and parents'' health, and was relieved to hear from Tang Shan that they were fine, only that they had been looking for her the whole time.


    "Elder brother Tang, I''m currently staying in Qingshi Town under your jurisdiction. If anything happens with my grandfather''s side, please send someone to notify me."


    "Of course, of course." How could Tang Shan not agree? He was thrilled to have Li Mingwei owe him favors. He didn''t care anymore, he still had a son! If his son could climb aboard the Li''s ship in the future, that would be great!


    "Since you don''t want to go back to the capital, what business brought you to see me today?"


    Wouldn''t it be better to keep hiding?


    Li Mingwei''s smile disappeared as she looked straight at Tang Shan, "There is a man called Wu Dong in Qingshi Town. I don''t want to see him again."


    Hearing the displeasure in her tone, Tang Shan''s face also darkened. "What offense did hemit?"


    "He almost..."


    Li Mingwei really could not bring herself to say it. But Tang Shan understood. He immediately stood up, "Nothing happened right?"


    This young miss, don''t let anything happen in his jurisdiction!


    Li Mingwei shook her head, "Nothing happened, thanks to someoneing to my rescue."


    "That''s good! That''s good!"


    Tang Shan breathed a sigh of relief, then became furious again. He went out directly and called the yamen runners over, ordering them to immediately go to Qingshi Town and arrest Wu Dong and bring him back.


    A bunch of yamen runners rushed off. They did not know what had happened, but when the master was angry, they dared not dy.


    After arranging everything, Tang Shan returned to the study room. Li Mingwei thanked him again, knowing that he would handle everything well, so she took her leave.


    Tang Shan did not keep her either, returning the gold hairpin to her and said, "Rest assured, your elder brother will definitely obtain justice for you."


    "Thank you, elder brother."


    Seeing her walking away, the teacher from the county yamen who had been hiding to the side finally came out.


    "She really is Young Miss Li?"


    "Yes, I would recognize that face anywhere." Facing his teacher, Tang Shan had already lost his earlier gentleness. He turned and instructed the teacher, "Find a way to figure out what happened to her in Qingshi Town. Have someone secretly keep an eye on her, we absolutely cannot let anything else happen to her."


    The teacher frowned, "Should we not notify the capital?"


    "Not yet. If peoplee from the capital, she will definitely know I was the one who leaked the news. Let''s observe the situation first and not disturb the young miss''s enjoyment ofmon life."


    "Yes."


    Sitting in the chair, Tang Shan kept tapping the table. Master Li''s granddaughter really was a bit extraordinary!


    As soon as Li Mingwei stepped out of the door, Dong Shan rushed up, looking at her with concern, "What did the county magistrate say?"


    "The sir told me to go back first. He will take care of things."


    Dong Shan was a little worried. Those kind of words, aren''t they just brushing her off? But in order not to dampen Li Mingwei''s spirits, he did not dare to doubt too much.


    He secured the cart, "Come on up, don''t refuse anymore. It''s not early anymore. If you really walked back yourself at this pace, it would be pitch dark by the time you got back."


    Li Mingwei...


    What else could she do, she could only get on.


    Dong Shan pushed her at a flying speed, nearly twice as fast as when they came. Li Mingwei felt insulted. Was she really that weak?


    She thought she was already quite impressive to be able to walk here from the capital.


    On the way back, there happened to be a steamed bun stand on the street. Dong Shan bought two for her and took two mantou buns for himself, stuffing them into his mouth before continuing on their way.


    Li Mingwei watched him eating. She took small bites and finished one steamed bun, then handed the other one back to him, "Big Brother Dong, I can''t eat anymore."


    "Ah? Just one bun and you can''t eat anymore? The bun isn''t even that big."


    Li Mingwei said aggrievedly, "Mm, I don''t have much of an appetite."


    Thinking that she must have been frightenedst night, Dong Shan believed her and stuffed her leftover bun into his own mouth as well.


    The snow on the road that afternoon had also melted somewhat, making the road easier to travel. Dong Shan moved fast, and they arrived at the town entrance before the sky even darkened.


    Dong Shan stopped to wipe some sweat, when the yamen runners just happened to walk by escorting Wu Dong back to the county town, followed by a group of onlookers.


    The yamen people actually moved faster than them!


    Dong Shan looked at theposed Li Mingwei in disbelief, for the first time harboring some doubts about her identity.

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26


    The whole town was excitedly talking about what crime Wu Dong hadmitted and why the county government officials hade from so far just to arrest him.


    "It must not be a small issue!"


    "I also feel that with so many government officialsing to arrest just him, it surely can''t be a minor issue."


    "Don''t tell me he killed someone!"


    "That can''t be, we haven''t heard of anyone dying around here."


    "If he killed someone in the county town, how would we know about it here? He went and stayed in the county town for many days before running back with injuries on his face."


    As the group spected more and more wildly, all kinds of theories emerged, and nobody cared about Wu Dong anymore, considering him a scoundrel and nuisance whose absence would be for the better.


    Dong Shan paid no attention to these rumors and sat gloomily in his room. Facing Wang Chunhua''s questioning gaze, he recounted in detail the events of the day.


    "She didn''t let me apany her either. I just waited outside for her. I saw her take something out of her pocket and give it to the gatekeeper, and soon she went inside."


    "When she came out, she said the official would take care of it. I thought it would take some days, but as soon as we reached the edge of town, Wu Dong was arrested. I really feel like something is off."


    Wang Chunhua also felt something was amiss. She pondered for a moment and guessed in her heart: "I heard people say Wu Dong came back with injuries on his face some days ago. What if he reallymitted some crime outside, and it was found out? You just happened to run into them."


    "Like you said, other than buying a steamed bun, we didn''t dy at all. The government officials didn''t ride horses either, how could they have caught up to you so quickly?"


    "You''re right."


    Dong Shan was quite confident in his speed. He was someone who often ran up the mountain, and carrying Li Mingwei who wasn''t heavy didn''t feel like much effort at all.


    It would have taken time to locate the right official and make the arrest. The county officials should have already left town long ago.


    Perhaps it really was just a coincidence?


    Seeing the worried frown on Dong Shan''s face, Wang Chunhua looked at it from another angle to reassure him: "If she really has some connection with the county magistrate, then she''s someone from an official family. Even viins would treat her well. What is there to worry about?"


    That was also a reasonable point. But...


    Dong Shan looked at Wang Chunhua and asked solemnly, "Chunhua, what would you do if one day you discovered that younger sister had deceived you?"


    "What is there for her to deceive me about? I''ve never given her any money. She even gives me money every month, and teaches our son for free every day. Even if she really hid something from me, so what? I''m not losing anything."


    Wang Chunhua was quite open-minded. Everyone has secrets, why insist others tell you everything? They were unrted to begin with.


    As long as she wasn''t a bad person, and didn''t use them to do bad things in town, whatever her background was, Wang Chunhua didn''t need to pry.


    Unwilling to discuss further with Dong Shan, Wang Chunhua got up and took out the letter that Liu Yizhu had asked her to pass to Li Mingwei when she went to the Liu house to thank him today.


    Yun Sister was still at home looking after Li Mingwei. To keep up appearances, Li Mingweiy in bed without moving. Wang Chunhua handed her the letter and sat down at the bedside as well.


    "From Schr Liu."


    With three heads huddled together looking at one letter, two of them illiterate.


    "What''s it say?"


    "Is it a love poem?"


    Li Mingwei was speechless. This densely packed page was no love poem. It was Liu Yizhu''s letter urging her to report the case and bring Wu Dong to justice. He said he was willing to testify on her behalf at the county government.


    Of course, if she was unwilling, he would also keep the secret faithfully for her.


    What happenedst night was also Liu Yizhu''s first encounter with such a thing. He knew well the tremendous impact it would have on a woman''s reputation if it got out. But he also felt the viin should not be let off lightly, so he had crawled out of bed in the middle of the night to write this letter.


    He told Li Mingwei that he was ssmates with the county magistrate''s son, and upon returning to the academy, he could ask him to inquire with Magistrate Tang on handling this case privately, and asked Li Mingwei to await his reply.


    Li Mingwei smiled radiantly. She no longer needed to await his reply! She had already taken care of it. Though this man was quite upright, and had preserved her dignity well when he saved herst night.


    She looked up, "Did Sister Chunhua go thank him for me today?"


    "I thanked him already. He said it was nothing."


    Li Mingwei took out her money pouch from under her pillow and handed it to Wang Chunhua, "Sister Chunhua, take however much the flowers cost yourself."


    "No need, no need. I can afford a little gift money." Wang Chunhua guessed from herck of response that the letter concernedst night''s events. She nced at Yun Sister and didn''t ask what was in the letter.


    "You keep it to treat your injuries. I''ll go to the academy tomorrow and ask for a few days off for you. Stay home and rest well."


    The show had to go on fully after all, with the whole town watching.


    Seeing nightfall, Yun Sister advised her to rest well before leaving.


    Only after Yun Sister had walked far off did Wang Chunhua wink mischievously at Li Mingwei, "What did the letter say?"


    "Nothing much, just that he would keep it secret for me and told me not to worry."


    "Such a long letter just for that?"


    Li Mingwei nodded slightly and fabricated, "Schrs are just flowery like that, talking round and round without getting to the point even after half a day."


    The educated''s reputation was being ruined.


    Liu Yizhu suddenly let out a huge sneeze. He rubbed his nose, had he really caught a chill for no reason?


    "You opened the window again!" Hearing his sneeze, Old Lady Wang hurried into the room and tightly shut the window.


    "It was too stuffy, so I just cracked it open to let in some air."


    Old Lady Wang red at him, "You just caught a chillst night, you can''t risk another draft today either. If you really fall ill, how will you go back to the academy tomorrow? You can''t fall behind on your lessons."


    She felt her son''s forehead, relieved to find no signs of fever, before going back out to continue making pastries. She would have her son bring them for his ssmates at the academy to eat tomorrow.


    Their family was not well off, and she could not prepare anything nice. But her son was older than his ssmates, so she worried he would not get along well with them. She could only do her best to facilitate more interaction between them.


    It was her fault really. In those first two to three years after his father passed away, she had stumbled along in a daze, unable to rouse any spirit to manage family affairs. By the time their savings ran out, she finally reacted and found work, but her son''s schooling had been dyed.


    Other children were sent to the academy by age five or six, while he had rushed to enroll at nearly nine.


    Fortunately, his older age also meant greater maturity. He learned much faster than the other children, and his grades had always been fine, sparing her much worry.


    Right now, Liu Yizhu had no time to think of anything else. Leaning back in his chair, he contemted the arrest of Wu Dong today and whether it had any rtion to Li Mingwei. Dong Shan said they went to the county town to have Li Mingwei''s injured foot looked at, but that was a lie he had fabricated.


    When Liu Yizhu had helped Li Mingwei upst night, her foot had been fine.


    But Magistrate Tang was no rash man. Relying solely on one person''s word without any witnesses or evidence, would Magistrate Tang have ordered the arrest so lightly?


    Or had Wu Dong trulymitted some other crime?

 Chapter 27

    Chapter 27


    After passing the county-level imperial examination, the County Government Office would distribute a certain quota of rice, flour and silver coins every month. Liu Yizhu was just taking this opportunity during his monthly break to deliver things and left the next day.


    In addition, Wu Dong¡¯s matter was even more explosive, so many people¡¯s attention was drawn there. His affair with Li Mingwei was talked about for a while before eventually dying down.


    Li Mingwei hid at home for a good number of days. Whenever someone came to see her, she would pretend to lie in bed sick. When no one was around, she could walk around freely in the house.


    She had originally nned to take this opportunity to earnestly practice her copying skills and increase her speed. So she had Dong Lei bring back the books she needed to copy from the vige school. But she had underestimated the chill of winter. After just a short while, her hands would be numb.


    Mr. Jin was getting on in years and could not tolerate the cold well, so he had long ago prepared a stove. Whenever Li Mingwei felt cold copying books at the school, she would go borrow his stove and warm herself. The Dong family did have a stove, but no charcoal.


    ¡°Sister Chunhua, where can I buy coal around here? Let me go buy some.¡±


    Wang Chunhua refused, ¡°No, coal is expensive. The price goes up as soon as it turns cold. It¡¯s several pennies per catty now. Burning five or six catties a day, how much would that cost for the whole winter!¡±


    She led Li Mingwei into the kitchen, added some water to the pot, lit some firewood, and had Li Mingwei sit in the fire-warming spot.


    ¡°Warm yourself here when you¡¯re cold. When the water boilster you can also soak your hands in hot water.¡±


    Li Mingwei''s expression was somewhat reluctant. This spot was warm but she couldn¡¯t copy books here. There were piles of firewood around her feet and hands, without even room for a table.


    Wang Chunhua would also be cooking hereter. She really didn¡¯t want the children asking her next semester why the new books smelled like food.


    ¡°Sister, why don¡¯t I just go buy some coal after all. We can move the stove into the room, it¡¯ll be morefortable and warmer.¡±


    Wang Chunhua firmly shook her head, ¡°If you put the stove in the room, won¡¯t you have to open the windows? Let me tell you, the family in front was afraid of the cold so they put the stove inside and sealed off all the doors and windows. The whole family suffocated to death.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just use firewood, it doesn¡¯t cost anything.¡± She pointed at the neatly stacked firewood under the courtyard wall, ¡°Your brother-inw has prepared so much, it¡¯s enough.¡±


    Li Mingwei could not persuade Wang Chunhua otherwise, so she gave up her copying ns for the next few days. She really was cold too, so she stayed in the kitchen the whole time.


    Wang Chunhua came to apany her, holding Little Yan. The three of them crowded together.


    Looking at the falling snowkes outside, Li Mingwei felt somewhat worried, "Did Big Brother Dong go up the mountain again? It''s snowing again, won''t it be too cold?"


    "It''s fine, he''s been hunting for so many years, he knows his limits. If it gets too difficult he''lle back, don''t worry."


    When Wang Chunhua had just married over, she worried like Li Mingwei did too, and even demanded to join Dong Shan up the mountain. In the end, she realized she would only slow him down on the mountain so she gave up and obediently waited for him at home.


    In these past few years, regardless of Dong Shan''s hunting gains or losses, he himself had never run into any problems after going up the mountain. So she was no longer worried.


    "Hunting is quite tough work. Sister Chunhua, have you ever considered buying somend?"


    "I¡¯ve thought about it before."


    Dong Shan was skilled at his craft, and their household was frugal, so they could still save quite a bit every year. Buying somend wouldn''t be an issue.


    "Your brother-inw¡¯s family originally hadnd too. His mother passed away early, leaving just him and his dad. Later his dad also fell ill and borrowed money for treatment without getting better. Your brother-inw was just over ten then, how could he pay back so much debt by himself? So he sold all thend to pay debts."


    "At that time, just because of this my dad was fiercely against me marrying over. Later when we were able to save up some money, the first thing we wanted to do was buynd."


    But before they could, by bad luck at that time Liu Yizhu had passed the county-level imperial exam. Government officials came happily over beating gongs and drums to deliver the good news. Seeing Old Lady Wang¡¯s blooming smile, she no longer wanted to buynd.


    Old Lady Wang had it so hard, yet was still able to support her son to this point. Though the two of them were still young and able-bodied, why not try?


    Wang Chunhua made up her mind and told Dong Shan, "Let''s give it a try, see if we can also support our child to move up and out."


    Dong Shan nodded.


    The two of them then took the money they had saved up to buynd, went to the vige school to ask Teacher Shu, and signed up Dong Lei, buying him books, paper, brush pens, and an ink stone.


    Of course they didn¡¯t spend all of that money at once, the rest was saved up as Dong Lei¡¯s future education fund.


    ¡°Every year your brother-inw goes to help out with the spring nting and autumn harvests at my parents¡¯ home and at his uncle¡¯s ce. After the harvest they also gift us with some grains and vegetables. Add in that plot ofnd in the back courtyard for vegetables, and asional extra purchases, even withoutnd we can scrape by.¡±


    Talking about these things made Wang Chunhua somewhat sad. She lowered her head, thinking as long as Dong Lei could test up and out, her efforts would be worth it.


    She probed, ¡°Is little Lei well behaved at school?¡±


    ¡°Very well behaved. His writing is now among the top one or two of children his age. We¡¯ll have to see about his other studies. After the new year he should start learning interpretation principles.¡±


    ¡°Good, keep an extra eye on him.¡±


    ¡°Mm, sister don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be watching him.¡±


    Having received her guarantee, Wang Chunhua was fully satisfied. She handed the child to Li Mingwei to hold and got up, lifting the pot lid. The water inside had long boiled.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cook some rice porridge for lunch?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Wang Chunhua firstdled out some hot water, poured the rinsed rice into the pot, stirred it, then added a bit of cool water to the hot water she had just taken out to moderate the temperature. She washed two radishes that would be cooked to eat along with the porridge.


    With just one vegetable dish, it was plenty for the three of them.


    Looking at the radishes, Li Mingwei thought of the mutton soup Wang Chunhua had stewedst time. The radishes in there were also delicious, making her somewhat drool in anticipation. She tentatively asked, "Sister Chunhua, do you all only eatmb soup when the first snow falls?"


    "No, we can eat it at other times too. Eating it when the first snow falls is for good luck." Sensing what was up, Wang Chunhua quickly replied with a smile, "What, are you wanting to eatmb soup now?"


    With her little wish seen through, Li Mingwei felt somewhat embarrassed, "Just a tiny bit."


    "Now with the cold weather, there should be more people sellingmb meat. Let me go take a look after our rice porridge if there''s still any for sale. We''ll drink the porridge first for now."


    "I''ll go, I''ll go."


    Since she was the one with cravings, how could she let Wang Chunhua go buy? And if Wang Chunhua went she certainly wouldn''t ept Li Mingwei''s money.


    Li Mingwei put down the child, having her lean against the wall and sit properly. She then hurriedly went back to grab some money before trotting off with a clip clop clip clop out the doorway. Wang Chunhua quickly called out upon seeing, "Your foot is still injured!"


    "It''s fine, I''ll just limp when going out."


    She limped towards the marketce. On the way some kind-hearted sisters-inw wanted to help prop her, but Li Mingwei waved them off, "It''s fine, it''s fine. I can walk slowly."


    The enthusiastic sisters-inw also advised her, "Alright, since you''vee from the south you may not know snow paths well. Pay more attention next time, and choose appropriate shoes too."


    "Thanks, I''ll remember. Much appreciated for the reminder, sisters."


    That night, Li Mingwei finally got to drink her desiredmb soup. After lightly finishing a bowl, sheined that only allowingmb soup on the first snowfall was a silly custom. There should bemb soup arrangements following every snowfall, that would make life better.

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28


    The snowstorm in Qingshi Town was even bigger than Li Mingwei had imagined. The Dong Family''s house was quite old to begin with, and the storeroom she was staying in had hardly been maintained at all.


    Thest time her door was broken, Dong Shan had helped reinforce all the doors and windows, and she thought there wouldn''t be any more problems. But as she was sleeping, she was woken up by the cold.


    She wrapped herself tightly in her quilt, and faint lighting in through holes in the window paper illuminated the room. Gusts of cold wind also blew in through the holes, so she quickly put on her winter clothes to try to find something to temporarily block the holes.


    There was nothing useful in the room, so she opened the door, and the umted snow outside immediately slid into the room, giving her a fright and causing her to quickly close the door again.


    "The snowst night was really too big!"


    The snow in the backyard of the Dong Family house had umted to her knee height. She didn''t dare open the door now, and cold wind kept blowing into the room. After enduring it for a while, she had no choice but to open the window and call out to Wang Chunhua''s room several times braving the wind and snow.


    "Sis! Sis!"


    "What''s the matter?"


    Wang Chunhua got up and opened her door, and the umted snow simrly rolled into her room, even falling onto her feet. She kicked the snow, trying to get it out of her room.


    "Oh my, so much snow! It''s really cold!" She looked towards Li Mingwei leaning out of the window, "The wind is so strong, why are you leaning on the window? Come back into the room quickly!"


    Li Mingwei said aggrievedly, "Sis, my window paper is broken."


    "Huh? How has the window paper broken again?" Sheined while looking at Dong Shan, urging him to quickly get up, "Didn''t I tell you to check things out for her properly when you were fixing the doorst time? If anything wasn''t right you should have changed it for her early on. How did you inspect it!"


    Dong Shan also felt wronged, "It wasn''t brokenst time I checked it. The wind was just too strongst night."


    Wang Chunhua red at him, "Fine, hurry up and clear a path in the yard, the snow is so thick."


    Only then did Dong Shan realize that after just one night, the snow had umted so deep. He put on his clothes and changed into leather boots, essential for going up the mountain, then strode out with a shovel to clear snow.


    Wang Chunhua took a broom and followed behind him sweeping snow. She told Li Mingwei, "Don''t stand there blowing wind anymore, go back under your quilt for a bit. We''ll clear a path, then you can squeeze in with little Lei for now since the shops selling window paper won''t be open yet."


    "OK."


    The husband and wife quickly cleared a small path leading to each room in the yard. The yard was so small, and with so much snow in winter they had no idea where to sweep it, they could only barely manage to clear a way to walk.


    Li Mingwei waited until they had cleared a path before opening her door. Wang Chunhua saw some melted snow water in her room, and realized she must have opened the door earlier.


    Dong Shan examined the window paper, the hole torn in it was quite big, "It''ll have to be reced. I''ll go buy a new sheet when it gets bright. You make some paste in the meantime."


    "Alright." Wang Chunhua helped carry her quilt to Dong Lei''s room, "Squeeze in with little Lei for now."


    The sleepy Dong Lei was roused and rolled over on the bed to make space, then closed his eyes to go back to sleep. Wang Chunhua spread the quilt for Li Mingwei to lie down.


    Li Mingwei still felt a little embarrassed, although Dong Lei was only six he was still a boy. She hadn''t slept next to such a young boy before.


    After blowing wind for so long she was wide awake now, and couldn''t sleep anymore either. Shey next to Dong Lei, not daring to move a muscle for fear of disturbing his sweet dreams.


    It was too cold at home, so after changing the window paper with Wang Chunhua, Li Mingwei decided to go to Mr. Jin''s academy to warm herself by his stove. She held Dong Lei''s hand and carried his small bag to help him with his things.


    "Sis, I''m taking little Lei to school, and I''ll copy some books beforeing back."


    "Alright, remember toe back for lunch. Little Lei paid so he gets lunch, you don''t!"


    "Okay, okay."


    Liu Yizhu hade early to help Mr. Jin shovel snow, so when Li Mingwei stepped into the academy the yard was very clean. She had originally wanted to ask if they needed help, but it turned out Mr. Jin was hale and hearty despite his old age.


    Maybe because he was getting older and had trouble sleeping, he had woken up early to tidy the ce.


    After Liu Yizhu finished sweeping the backyard, Mr. Jin''s mother had just bought vegetables and carried them to the kitchen out back. She forcibly washed all the vegetables for her mother before finally going upstairs to read under her urging.


    Sitting by the stove, Li Mingwei started feeling drowsy and could barely hold her pen. Liu Yizhu quietly walked over behind her and took the pen from her hand, gently smiling as he watched her sleeping face.


    The desk was upied so he took a book he had brought and leaned against the bookshelf to read.


    "Mm~"


    Sleeping hunched over was ufortable. Li Mingwei soon woke up, feeling the numbness in her hand. She moaned softly, shaking her hand and stretchingzily. Only then did she notice there was someone else in the room.


    Liu Yizhu held his book staring at her, "Awake?"


    Li Mingwei blinked, this wasn''t a vacation month! Why was he here?


    As if reading her mind, Liu Yizhu exined, "The academy is on annual leave."


    "So early?" The academies in the capital only got about a month off. There was still more than a month until New Year, and another half month after New Year. Their vacation was really long!


    "No choice, if I didn''te back now I''d be spending New Year outside." Liu Yizhu had specially asked around about her situation. Knowing she was from the south, she might not understand the northern climate very well, so he patiently exined to her.


    "You''ve been to the county town right?"


    "Yes."


    "There''s a few mountains on the road from Qingshi Town to the county town. Too much snow umtion blocks the roads, so I had to rush back before heavy snow shuts the mountain passes. Otherwise I wouldn''t have been able to return."


    The continuous heavy snow over the past few days made him feel more and more uneasy. Two years ago he had dyeding back for New Year and ended up imposing on another family for over a month.


    This year no matter what, he didn''t want his mother to spend New Year alone again. So he applied for early leave and came back ahead of time. Aside from students whose homes were in the county town itself, they could apply for leave in advance.


    Li Mingwei''s eyes widened slightly. So if he couldn''te back then they wouldn''t be able to leave either?


    "So that means we''re stuck in town for now?"


    "You could say that. For the next month or so it really would be quite difficult to leave. It''ll be fine next spring when the snow melts."


    What on earth! Li Mingwei felt a bit desperate. For the first time she regretted choosing this ce. Not only was the wind and snow severe and freezing cold, they would also be cut off from the outside world for practically two whole months each winter.


    What if, what if something happened to her grandfather and the others during this time, how would General Tang notify her?


    Li Mingwei sank into the depths of despair.


    Liu Yizhu saw her lost in thought and waved his hand in front of her eyes, "What are you thinking about?"


    "Nothing..." Li Mingwei shook her head nkly, and asked again, "Is it really impossible to leave or for anyone to enter?"


    "Very difficult, quite dangerous too. Otherwise I wouldn''t have spent New Year at a ssmate''s home two years ago. That was my first time spending New Year outside since I was born!"


    My first time spending New Year away from home too. New Year celebrations were banquets in the imperial pce. Now I can only be trapped in this broken down ce!


    But then anywhere was pretty much the same as a prisoner.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29


    The sudden bad news robbed Li Mingwei of her interest in copying books, leaving her disheartened and unable to lift her head from the desk.


    Mr. Jin, after finishing his ss, returned and saw herckluster state. He knocked on her head and said, "You''re upying my stove and not copying books properly. Don''t bezy here."


    Li Mingwei pouted and pointed to Liu Yizhu beside her, saying, "Let him copy. He''s faster at it, and I''m not in the mood."


    "What happened? Weren''t you fine when you came here?"


    Facing Mr. Jin''s inquiring gaze, Liu Yizhu shook his head and said, "I just told her that she might not be able to go out for the next month or two, and she reacted like this."


    This kind of situation happened every year here, and everyone continued with their normal lives without being affected.


    Mr. Jin was also puzzled and said, "Since you arrived in Qingshi Town, you''ve only gone out once. If you can''t go out, then you can''t go out."


    "You don''t understand!"


    Li Mingwei was furious. She was not afraid of road closures; what she feared was that by the time she could receive news from outside, it would be toote for her to go back.


    "This girl!" Mr. Jin had other sses to attend to, so he couldn''t be bothered with her tantrums. He told Liu Yizhu to handle her.


    After Mr. Jin left, Liu Yizhu asked Li Mingwei why she went to the county town when her foot wasn''t injured.


    The news of Wu Dong borrowing money at high interest and hurting someone before being sent to work as aborer in the far north had long reached Qingshi Town, and Liu Yizhu naturally knew about it.


    He had been somewhat suspicious of the matter, and it was only when Mr. Jin mentioned it that he remembered to ask. He was also curious about Li Mingwei''s background, as he didn''t think she was from the Wang family.


    Tang Daren had already found a reason for her, so Li Mingwei naturally couldn''t admit that she had gone to the county government office to file aint. She didn''t blush or skip a beat as she said, "My foot isn''t injured, but other parts of me are."


    "Other parts?"


    Liu Yizhu recalled and looked at the cor of Li Mingwei''s clothes.


    Li Mingwei cleared her throat, and he immediately averted his gaze. No impropriety, no impropriety.


    "What were you two doing?"


    Old Lady Wang''s voice came with some skepticism. Liu Yizhu stood still and smiled as he replied, "Mother, is there something wrong?"


    "Dinner is ready. Come and have your meal." Liu Yizhu nodded, put down his book, and walked towards her. Old Lady Wang asked him again, "What were you just doing?"


    "We were discussing some issues from the book."


    "With her?" Old Lady Wang didn''t believe it. Her son was a schr, so what could he discuss with a young girl? "Can she even understand? If you want to discuss something, you should do it with Mr. Jin."


    "Mother, Miss Mingwei is very knowledgeable."


    "Wasn''t she just good at writing characters?"


    Liu Yizhu helplessly said, "Mother, who practices calligraphy without reading? Surely it''s because of reading that she practices calligraphy."


    Old Lady Wang thought about it and realized it made sense. However, she still warned her son, "I''m illiterate, so I don''t know whether you were really discussing something or just pretending. But I know there is a difference between men and women. You, an unmarried man, and a young girl..."


    She paused for a moment. "She''s technically not married either. It''s still not appropriate for you to be alone in a room. If someone sees it and spreads rumors, it will be very scandalous. You''re a schr, so you mustn''t tarnish your reputation."


    "Understood, Mother. I will be careful."


    They went to have a meal, and Li Mingwei estimated the time and tidied up before returning to the Dong family''s house.


    The weather in the mountains was changeable. Sometimes in the morning, warm sunlight would still hang in the sky, but in the afternoon, the sky would darken, and snowkes would start falling. Li Mingwei felt like she was constantly sweeping snow and copying books¡ªsnow, books, snow, books, every day.


    Today, something was finally different. Early in the morning, Yu, the female embroiderer, sent someone to find her. She received a custom-made spring garment that required Li Mingwei to embroider some patterns on it.


    "A spring garment? Is it too early to make a spring garment?"


    "In wealthy households, it is customary to have them custom-made in advance."


    Yu pulled her towards the back to look at the fabric and introduced her to the real owner of the embroidery shop.


    "This is my man, Yu Ping. You haven''t met him before. He usually takes care of the store in the county town and onlyes back to apany me during the New Year. He took on this spring garment job."


    Yu, the embroiderer, turned to Yu Ping and said, "This is the Mingwei sister I mentioned. The handkerchief and purse that were sent before were all made by her."


    Yu Ping nodded and praised, "It''s a pleasure to finally meet you, Mingwei sister. Your embroidery skills are excellent, and you have a wide variety of patterns. Many girls in the city like to choose your embroidery. I''ve attracted quite a bit of business."


    Li Mingwei saluted and modestly replied, "Thank you for the kind words, Manager Yu. It''s just a few tricks that are not worthy of praise."


    "Ah, Mingwei sister is too modest."


    After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Yu Ping finally mentioned the main matter. He turned around and took out a piece of fine satin and a design sketch for Li Mingwei to see.


    "This sketch was given by a certain madam. She probably wants a spring garment like this, but she said she is not knowledgeable in this area, so if you have any better ideas on this side, you can make some changes."


    "ording to what her servants said, she intends to wear it to attend a rather important banquet, that''s why she started preparing so early. If we can make a dress that amazes everyone, there will surely be a reward."


    Li Mingwei understood. In the past, when making clothes, she also started one or two months in advance. For a banquet, she would have to inquire about the higher-ranking attendees and avoid choosing styles and colors that might offend them.


    But with her status in the capital, she only needed to inquire about the attire of the Empress, Noble Consort, and a few other royal consorts. Other people would naturally avoid her.


    Now, let''s not talk about whether Yu Ping has any manpower to inquire. They can''t even pass on the information freely, so they can only rely on their own creativity. They discussed it and decided to follow the madam''s sketch for the most part, but they made some improvements to the edges and corners of the garment while leaving the rest as it is.


    Yu, the embroiderer, meant that if thedy really wanted them to make changes, why would she provide such a detailed sketch? If they were to make changes, it would be equivalent to indirectly negating thedy''s work.


    "Great!"


    Li Mingwei raised her thumb, acknowledging that Yu, the embroiderer, understood more about social etiquette and customs.


    Yu, the embroiderer, smiled and drew a range for her, saying, "You can add some embellishments, but don''t touch theserger sections."


    The embroidered part of a high-quality spring garment cannot bepleted in just one or two days. So Li Mingwei''s daily schedule became going to the Dong family''s house, attending school, and going to the embroidery shop. Her daily routine turned into eating, copying books, and embroidering flowers.


    Liu Yizhu almost went to the schoolyard to clear the snow every day, and then he would read on the second floor until his mother finished preparing lunch for the children. Only after they finished eating and tidying up would they leave together.


    Li Mingwei couldn''t stand the way Old Lady Wang looked at Liu Yizhu when she came to call him for lunch. Her guarded eyes seemed as if she coveted her son, as if she wanted to do something to him.


    Clearly, she was the girl, so if anyone were to do something, it would be Liu Yizhu benefiting from it, right?


    After figuring out their schedule, Li Mingwei took on embroidery tasks for the workshop. She reserved the entire morning for the workshop. Once she estimated that they had left, she would go to copy books and attend sses in the afternoon, so as not to invite suspicion.

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30


    Originally, Li Mingwei thought that for the embroidery work, she would get paid by the employer when he received the goods next year. She didn''t expect that as soon as she finished the work, female embroiderer Yu gave her a small piece of silver. It wasn''t a full ingot, and Li Mingwei didn''t know how much it weighed.


    "Keep this for yourself. This is your wages for the past few days," said female embroiderer Yu.


    "I get paid now?"


    "Of course. You worked so hard these days and finally finished it. How could I deduct your wages?"


    Female embroiderer Yu had originally thought that Li Mingwei would have other things to do and it would probably take her quite a while. Unexpectedly, she came every day at dawn and stayed for a whole morning, finishing it so quickly. The rest was her own work.


    She said, "I will personally make this garment. If there is anything wrong with the cutting,e back and fix it."


    "Is the boss joking with me? You''ve been making clothes for so many years, how could anything be wrong with the cutting?"


    "You and your sweet talk," female embroiderer Yu pinched her little nose andughed. "My husband said if thedy really gives a reward, you''ll get a share too. But that''s not a definite thing."


    Li Mingwei waved her hand. "This is already enough."


    In all her years doing this kind of work, this was the first time she had received silver.


    After saying goodbye to female embroiderer Yu, Li Mingwei happily skipped back to the Dong family¡¯s house, putting the silver ingot in front of Wang Chunhua and waving it.


    "Sister, look what this is!"


    "Silver!" Wang Chunhua would recognize money anywhere. She grabbed it and weighed it again and again but couldn''t figure out the exact weight. "Where did you get it?" she asked excitedly.


    "It''s payment for finishing the embroidery work," said Li Mingwei.


    "So much!" Wang Chunhua called Dong Shan, "Quick, get the scales and weigh it!"


    There happened to be a scale in the house that was normally used to weigh Dong Shan''s game. It was rather big. Dong Shan refused, "That scale of mine is too big. It probably can''t weigh this properly. We can just directly exchange it for copper coins."


    Wang Chunhua gave him a whack. What an idiot. If they exchanged it for copper coins, Li Mingwei would have to split it with her again. This was just one silver ingot that couldn¡¯t be easily divided. It was perfect to just let Li Mingwei keep it herself.


    Under Wang Chunhua¡¯s re, Dong Shan had no choice but to take out his scale. There was still a little blood left on it.


    Wang Chunhua carefully ced the silver ingot on the scale. The scale moved slightly and Dong Shan adjusted the weight. "Two taels?" he said uncertainly.


    "Two taels!" Wang Chunhua eximed as she patted Li Mingwei. "Your early mornings these days were not in vain. That''s a lot."


    Two taels was more than Li Mingwei had imagined. But it was well worth the effort she had put in. She hugged Wang Chunhua and grinned. "Lamb soup,mb soup."


    How could Wang Chunhua not oblige? "Lamb soup,mb soup. Let''s havemb soup tomorrow. I can see you''ve been working hardtely, so I''ll cookmb for you today."


    "Great."


    Because Wang Chunhua absolutely refused to let Li Mingwei spend those two taels of silver, early the next morning after breakfast she hurried to the market ahead of Wang Chunhua and boughtmb meat.


    Themb meat seller shared his stall with the pork seller. He carefully wrapped up themb meat and handed it to Li Mingwei, reminding her, "Carry it a bit away from you. It''s not easy to wash clothes this time of year. The smell will be hard to get out if it gets on your clothes."


    "I know, Old Brother Su. You told mest time already and I remembered," said Li Mingwei with a smile.


    Old Brother Suughed. "Okay, good that you remembered."


    Carrying the meat, Li Mingwei moved aside to make way for the people behind her. As soon as she walked away, hushed discussions broke out.


    "They just bought meat yesterday and today it''smb soup again. Ever since her sister came, Chunhua has really be generous."


    "Of course she''s generous. Haven''t you seen how much money her sister earns? Embroidering in the morning and going to school in the afternoon, doing so much work. Of course she has to buy her some good things to nourish her."


    "Capable indeed! Whoever marries her will be lucky."


    "It would be lucky to have children with her."


    The groupughed suggestively while Liu Yizhu, squatting on the ground picking vegetables, knitted his brows. What did they mean by that?


    Humming a cheerful tune, Li Mingwei happily made her way home with a big chunk ofmb meat and bones.


    A figure suddenly appeared in front of her, giving her a fright and nearly causing her to fall. She patted her chest to calm herself. Wu Dong had already gone to the coal mine. He wouldn''t being back.


    Somewhat annoyed, she looked to see who was in front of her. It was Old Lady Wang. Why was she stopping her? They weren''t even familiar.


    "Is there something you need?"


    "I''m asking you to stay away from my son. He''s a schr and his reputation is very important."


    Though Old Lady Wang spoke as if she was making a request, her gloomy tone was full of warning. Li Mingwei was exasperated by her words. What did she mean a schr''s reputation was very important? Did she, a divorced woman, not need a reputation?


    Talking as if her son was some national treasure.


    She gave a mocking smile. "I''m also asking you to make your son stay away from me. It''s a fact he helped me and I''ve thanked him already. That doesn''t mean he can have any other intentions towards me."


    Old Lady Wang couldn''t believe what she was hearing. This woman actually looked down on her son?


    "Do you know why there''s only one schr in Qingshi Town?"


    "Huh?"


    Old Lady Wang was rather confused. Of course it was because her exceptional son was good at studying!


    Li Mingwei said sarcastically, "Because Qingshi Town is small."


    "He''s just one schr. Qingshi Town only has one, but Great Chu has hundreds of thousands. Your son is nothing special out there. Does he think I''ll chase after him? Do you even know who my ex-husband is? Even if I remarry, I can''t do as well, but I certainly won''t find someone so far beneath me!"


    She admitted Liu Yizhu was rather good-looking and seemed decent so far, but she didn''t know much about his character yet. As for Murong Yu, he was raised ording to the standards for an imperial heir. His manners and conduct were extremely good. Some things were determined at birth and it was uncertain whether they could be acquiredter.


    Hearing her precious son dismissed as worthless, Old Lady Wang nearly choked with anger. She opened her mouth to curse but Li Mingwei had already walked past her.


    ncing back, Li Mingwei said, "Don''te looking to get scolded again. Your son, I''m not interested."


    Regardless of background, as for education, that was hard to say. But he only earned two taels of silver a month while she had earned two taels in seven or eight days. She was clearly more capable than him. Yet Old Lady Wang still dared to say those things. She really had no shame.


    Her previously good mood was utterly ruined. Li Mingwei stormed back home with a dark expression. She handed over the meat to Wang Chunhua then immediately went back to her room.


    Wang Chunhua wanted to call her back to talk about something but seeing the long face she was making, hesitated over whether to say it or not.


    She boiled some water, washed themb meat and bones, and told Dong Shan to fetch some radishes from the cer. "She bought too much. Let''s cook it now and give some to Mr. Jin when she goes to sster."


    "Okay."


    Dong Shan got up to grab radishes and passed them to Wang Chunhua when he returned. Then he continued tending the fire. ncing up, he saw her cutting the meat in a distracted manner and quickly stopped her.


    "What are you thinking about? You''ll cut your hand!"


    Wang Chunhua put down the knife with a sigh. "Do you think our sister has really taken a liking to Schr Liu?"


    "How would I know anything about you girls'' affairs? Just ask her if you want to know. If she really likes him, we''ll think of something."


    "Alright then."

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31


    Wang Chunhua racked her brains thinking of ways to get schr Liu to ept her younger sister. She scurried to give her ideas, but Li Mingwei said she didn''t like him.


    "You don''t like schr Liu?"


    This was not what she had expected. What young girl wouldn''t like schr Liu? She didn''t believe it.


    Understanding Wang Chunhua''s gaze, Li Mingwei helplessly said, "Sister, I really don''t like him."


    "Then what they said about seeing you hugging him passionately on the street, was that false?"


    Hugging passionately?


    Li Mingwei''s mind buzzed. When had she ever hugged him passionately? She could barely dodge Liu Yizhu, let alone anything like that! Things she didn''t even remember happening, how could those people have seen it?


    But a specific description like hugging together, it probably wasn''t groundless gossip either.


    Soon, Li Mingwei locked onto the day before yesterday as the only recent time she had seen Liu Yizhu. She carefully recalled it, then swore to Wang Chunhua: "I really didn''t hug him. I just about tripped and he caught me for a second. I pulled away very quickly."


    "How did you trip again?"


    Li Mingwei...


    "Sister, I only tripped this once. It wasn''t truest time that I fell."


    Oh right! Wang Chunhua suddenly realized,st time was made up. But in the eyes of others, it looked like she had deliberately tripped into schr Liu''s arms twice. With that kind of rumor going around, it was no wonder.


    Li Mingweiy miserably on the bed, full of regret. She should have listened to Mr. Jin and shared an umbre with him that day.


    That afternoon when she went to the school, Liu Yizhu still hadn''t left. But while she was copying books, he was just sitting there reading a book without talking to her, so she didn''t want to assume familiarity.


    She didn''t have much left to copy of that book. She thought there was no point leaving a bit, she might as well finish it and take it back. After ss she went back upstairs to continue.


    When she was ready to leave, it started snowing again. She still owed Mr. Jin an umbre that she had lostst time. She had offered to rece it several times but kept forgetting.


    Liu Yizhu did have an umbre. Mr. Jin asked him to help walk her home: "You have to go past the Du house anyway on your way back. Just go with him. The snow isn''t light, who knows if the roads are covered. It''s better if you havepany in case you trip on the way."


    Li Mingwei didn''t really want to walk with Liu Yizhu. She hesitated without answering. Sensing this, Liu Yizhu pursed his lips and handed the umbre to her, "You can take it, I don''t need it."


    With him saying that, Li Mingwei couldn''t refuse either. It would seem petty. She reluctantly said, "Fine, let''s go together."


    The umbre wasn''t very big. The two walked rather close together. When her foot slipped and she was about to fall, Liu Yizhu reached out and caught her. As soon as she steadied herself she pushed him away. Those few seconds were apparently witnessed by someone again.


    "Sigh~"


    What kind of people had nothing better to do than wander around outside in the snow, not only aimlessly wandering but also peering around with such sharp eyes and gossipy mouths?


    The ns were useless now. Wang Chunhua was visibly somewhat disappointed. She patted Li Mingwei''s shoulderfortingly and told her not to overthink it. In the future, just staying away from schr Liu would be good enough.


    Hearing her say this, Li Mingwei''s stubborn side red up. She huffed, "Why does everyone tell me to stay away from him? Why can''t he be told to stay away from me?"


    Wang Chunhua looked embarrassed, "Sister didn''t mean it that way. It''s just that if you two are together, people probably think you approached him."


    "Do you think so too?" Was that why she came to talk to her about this? Li Mingwei pouted, "Sister, do you also feel I''m not good enough for him?"


    Wang Chunhua thought about it carefully before solemnly saying, "For this matter, we have to look at it from multiple angles. In terms of looks, you''re a perfect match for him. No other girl in this town is prettier than you. If you''re not good enough, who could be? You can also read and write, your handwriting is nice too, very well-suited to him."


    "For other areas, you fall a bit short. He''s around the same age as you, but that''s only because studying dyed him. He still hasn''t gotten engaged. But you..."


    You were married before and can''t have children anymore, which is a huge w. And Liu Yizhu is an only child.


    "Although his family is a bit poor, he''s a schr with boundless future prospects. For our family, sister, I don''t know what you do, but outsiders all think you''re my maternal niece from the vige. How could we match him?"


    Only then did Li Mingwei recall this. She still had the Wang family of Apricot Blossom Vige behind her! As far as the townspeople here were concerned, it was probably not odd that they would look down on her, a childless remarried vige girl without parents or home.


    Just today she had still arrogantly said those words to Madam Wang. She was probably considered an idiot by Madam Wang, undeservedly full of herself.


    Li Mingwei pulled the nket over her face, only revealing two beady eyes looking pitifully at Wang Chunhua. She whimpered, "Sister~"


    Wang Chunhua sighed, "There there, we don''t even like him anyway, so what''s it matter if we match him or not? I''ll find you a good one in the future."


    "No..."


    She looked down on even Liu Yizhu. Could there be any good ones left in Qingshi Town? She''d rather wait until she returned to the capital to find someone.


    Tofort Li Mingwei''s injured pride, Wang Chunhua directly served her two bowls ofmb soup at lunch. Boldly she dered, "Drink up! I cooked a huge pot today. Drink your fill!"


    Li Mingwei twitched her mouth. Her sister''s fervor was like she was offering alcohol. Still, she gulped down two hearty bowls with equal gusto.


    Wang Chunhua put Mr. Jin''s portion into a small y pot for her to carry in her basket to the school.


    "There''s a stove at school. You can put the pot directly on it to heat up. Remember to bring back the basket and pot after Mr. Jin finishes."


    "Got it."


    She ambled to school, sneakily peeked into the backyard with her basket. Madam Wang had left. Relieved, she went upstairs.


    Well, Madam Wang was gone but Liu Yizhu was still there.


    Seeing Liu Yizhu now instantly irritated her. She rolled her eyes, set the things on Mr. Jin''s desk, then turned to leave downstairs.


    Liu Yizhu was startled by her swift motions. He didn''t even pretend to seriously read his book anymore. Hurriedly he went up to grab her hand.


    "You''re not copying books today?"


    Li Mingwei shook his hand off. She had never been the wishy-washy sort. Bluntly she said, "I''ll copy when you leave. Tell me when you n to go and I''ll start then."


    Liu Yizhu was stunned. The past few days he had noticed Li Mingwei deliberately avoiding him. He assumed she felt men and women should keep distance.


    He didn''t expect such immense hostility from her today at their first meeting. Momentarily he was lost for words. "I... you..."


    Li Mingwei frowned, "If you have nothing to say I''m leaving first. Later when your mother sees, she''ll say I''m pestering you again. As if I care."


    "Did my mother go find you? What did she say?"


    "Why ask me? Go ask your mother. I don''t want to talk to you. Stay away from me in the future."


    From her expression and tone, Liu Yizhu could tell even with his toes that his mother had said nothing nice. Apologetically he said, "If my mother said anything offensive, I apologize on her behalf..."


    "I don''t need an apology. Just keep your distance and stop talking to me from now on."

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32


    "You may not ept my apology, but please stay away from me and stop talking to me. I can''t do it."


    With these words, Liu Yizhu walked away, leaving Li Mingwei standing in ce, sighing in relief. She stood there for a while, staring at her toes.


    Today, she had lost herposure.


    Perhaps it was the first time she had been so despised by someone, or perhaps the lingering resentment in her heart had been triggered. It all came bursting out.


    She had spoken too harshly just now. Should she apologize to him next time? No, it''s impossible. It''s better to make a clean break and not drag things on with anyone.


    Liu Yizhu returned home in anger, wanting to question his mother about what she had said to Li Mingwei. He pushed open the courtyard gate and searched around until he found his mother doingundry in the kitchen.


    "I... I''m using hot water to wash so that my hands won''t freeze."


    Old Lady Wang was startled by his sudden appearance. She straightened her body and stammered, exining like a guilty child.


    Liu Yizhu''s anger was instantly extinguished. He helplessly said, "Mother, didn''t I tell you not to do theundry anymore?"


    "It''s just a few pieces. They are old customers. I can''t refuse." She wiped her hands on her apron and asked in a low voice, "Weren''t you supposed to study at the school for a while? Why did youe back so soon?"


    "You should go back to your room and study. I''ll finish here soon. Studying is hard work, and once I earn money, I can buy some meat to supplement your diet."


    At this moment, how could Liu Yizhu go and study? He squatted down directly and helped his mother wash the remaining clothes. Old Lady Wang understood her son well enough to know that she couldn''t persuade him, so she quickly squatted down as well, speeding up theundry.


    The mother and son remained silent, with only the sound of rubbing clothes and the rushing water in the room.


    After they finished hanging the clothes, Liu Yizhu stopped his mother from doing other chores and helped her sit down, intending to discuss Li Mingwei''s issue with her.


    Seeing him being so serious, Old Lady Wang was initially a bit nervous, but when he spoke and asked if she had gone to see that woman behind his back, she became furious.


    "Do you know what she said? She actually said that you were pestering her, that she didn''t like you at all. I..."


    "She''s right. It was me."


    Huh?


    Old Lady Wang froze. Did her ears deceive her? Did her son just say something?


    "Mother, please don''t go and see her again. It was me who had feelings for her, but she doesn''t like me."


    "You!" Old Lady Wang pointed at her son, her hand trembling. "What are you saying?"


    Liu Yizhu reaffirmed his answer, "It was me who had feelings for her."


    She was the most beautiful, knowledgeable, and adorable girl he had ever seen.


    "What do you see in a woman like her? Did she seduce you? They say she was throwing herself at you. I''ll go find her and make sure she dares not to pester you again!"


    The more Old Lady Wang spoke, the more agitated she became. Unable to control herself, she stood up and wanted to find a suitable tool to go to the Dong family and teach Li Mingwei a lesson.


    "What do you mean by ''throwing oneself at someone''?" Liu Yizhu had not heard about this matter yet. He stopped his mother and raised his voice, "Mom, why don''t you understand? It has nothing to do with her. It''s because I like her. I think she is a very good girl."


    "What girl!" Old Lady Wang''s anger erupted, "She''s already married, she''s no longer a girl!"


    "I just don''t understand what you see in her. Is it just because she''s pretty? There are plenty of beautiful girls in this world. I can ask the matchmaker to find one for you. Why do you insist on liking her?"


    A vige woman, so arrogant and proud, dare to look down on her son. What''s so good about her?


    "Mom, I..."


    "I don''t care what you say. Let me tell you, as long as I''m alive, she won''t set foot in our house."


    She pushed Liu Yizhu back into his room, closed the door, and issued the finalmand, "You are not allowed to go to school to study anymore. If you want to study, do it at home!"


    Listening to the fading footsteps, Liu Yizhu pushed the locked door and weakly sat in front of his desk, his heart surging like waves.


    Li Mingwei''s clear rejection and his mother''s disapproval exhausted him mentally.


    To avoid him, after ss, Li Mingwei directly spent arge sum of money to buy fifty kilograms of coal. She would no longer go to the school to copy books. She woulde straight home after ss.


    She paid the money and said to the shopkeeper, "Wait a moment, my brother-inw wille to help me move it."


    Since they were acquaintances, the shopkeeper readily agreed, "Alright! You go back and call him, I''ll pack it for you."


    "Okay!"


    Li Mingwei agreed and went back to tell Wang Chunhua about it. Wang Chunhua immediately jumped up and lectured her about not knowing how to be frugal and wasting money, h h h.


    She didn''t argue back, just listened with her head held up like that, and also handed her a ss of water, slipping it into her hand while she was catching her breath.


    "Sister, let''s drink some water first to moisturize your throat."


    Wang Chunhua...


    Li Mingwei chuckled, "Sister, aren''t you going to say anything else? Are you tired? If you''re tired, let Big Brother Dong help me move the coal."


    Wang Chunhua felt an inexplicable surge of energy rushing through her body, stumbling from the top down, straight to her forehead. She shouted, "Dong Shan!"


    Dong Shan, who was working in the backyard, froze for a moment. He kept reflecting on whether he had done anything wrong today and walked steadily towards the main hall.


    He smiled at Wang Chunhua, trying to please her, "What''s wrong? Wife."


    "Go and carry the coal that the girl bought."


    Upon hearing this, Dong Shan straightened his back. Carrying something was no small matter. Why make such a serious fuss? It''s so hot in the middle of winter. Eating too much mutton, isn''t it?


    While Wang Chunhua turned her head, still wanting to continue lecturing her, Li Mingwei took the opportunity to quietly slip back into the house.


    With the stove, Li Mingwei felt warm at home every day and didn''t feel like going out at all. Yun Sister from next door also loved toe over and y with her. She was currently sewing her wedding dress, and her legs would get cold if she sat for a while.


    Snuggling up next to Li Mingwei was warm, and asionally she would even receive guidance on embroidery techniques.


    Li Mingwei drew several new patterns on paper for her, and she chose one to start embroidering.


    As she carefully stitched the pair of mandarin ducks, Li Mingwei couldn''t help but feel puzzled. "You''re not willing to marry over there, so why are you putting so much effort into this? I would think you''re marrying someone you love."


    "Regardless of whether I''m willing or not, this may be the only time in my life that I''ll have a wedding. How can I not take it seriously?"


    Li Mingwei felt a tinge of sadness. Taking the opportunity, she took out the money she had left for her and handed it over. Yun Sister touched the money but refused to ept it.


    Li Mingwei said, "This is a wedding gift I prepared for you. If things don''t go well over there, you can use this money toe back."


    Yun Sister chuckled with a hint of tears in her eyes. "What kind of wedding gift is this?"


    She hung her head, her eyes slightly red. Even if she came back, what would happen? Her parents would either beat her or send her back again.


    But this was Li Mingwei''s sincere gesture, so she eventually epted it.

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33


    The winter days were all long and boring. Li Mingwei learned from Wang Chunhua''s style, tucked her hands in, and the two of them stared at each other with big eyes. She had finished copying the book, and now there was nothing to do.


    Dong Shan took some sweet potatoes and potatoes from the cer and put them into the remaining fire in the stove. He came over and sat down next to them, using the stove to warm his hands.


    "I''ve put the sweet potatoes and potatoes in, you guys remember to check them from time to time, don''t let them get burnt."


    "Ok." Wang Chunhua nced at the yard. It had stopped snowing, but the cold wind was still bitterly cold: "I wonder if little Lei is cold or not in the school."


    Li Mingwei added a few more coals to the stove with tongs, and also looked outside: "It''s probably a bit cold, but it''s okay. They will be on winter break soon, it will be better when they stay at home."


    "It''s earlier thanst year."


    Although Dong Lei had not gone to schoolst year, she remembered that it should have been a littleter.


    "About the same time. Mr. Jin said it was too cold this year and the children had no spirit to take sses, so he brought forward the break by a few days. If it gets warmer earlier next spring, they can start school earlier to make up for these days."


    "That makes sense. The county released even earlier, schr Liu has been back for more than half a month."


    Li Mingwei really didn''t want to hear the name Liu Yizhu at this moment. Sister Yun said that the news that she was making advances towards schr Liu had spread all over Qingshi Town. Even with her toes, she knew what those people would say about her.


    Daydreaming, a toad lusting after a swan''s meat. In any case, there would be no good words.


    Wang Chunhua didn''t get a reply for a long time and looked up at Li Mingwei in puzzlement. Why wasn''t she talking?


    Dong Shan coughed lightly and Wang Chunhua reacted immediately, hurriedly covering her mouth. She shouldn''t have mentioned schr Liu.


    "It is colder thanst year!"


    "Yes, yes, cold!" Wang Chunhua nodded and changed the subject following Dong Shan''s words: "Shall we eat something warm tonight?"


    Li Mingwei had just got the money back from copying books recently, and she still gave her half of it. Now she was quite well off and it was a good chance to make something nice to cheer up her sister.


    "Warm food? How about we drink some wine, drinking wine is the warmest."


    "Good idea. What wine do we have here?"


    What Wang Chunhua actually meant was whether they should cook mutton soup, but seeing Li Mingwei was still a little interested in wine, she shut her mouth.


    Dong Shan got up excitedly, took out the vintage wine he had treasured for a long time, and grabbed a handful of peanuts: "This one, sorghum liquor. I got it early this year when we gave Lei gifts for the teacher before he went to school. I kept asking for a long time before she was willing to give it."


    The wine was expensive. Wang Chunhua had only bought him such a small bottle. He would secretly pour himself a small cup to sip when he craved it, so there was still quite a lot left.


    He took a few teacups and poured a little for each person.


    Li Mingwei leaned over to smell it, quite fragrant. She used to drink too, but mostly the kind of fruit wine suitable for youngdies, so she couldn''t tell whether this wine was good or bad.


    Dong Shan took a sip and threw a few peanut kernels into his mouth. He looked at her with a smile: "Try it."


    She saw that Wang Chunhua had also taken a small sip without any reaction before she dared to carefully bring the teacup to her mouth. The wine didn''t taste much at the beginning, there was a hint of sweetness, but after a few seconds it turned spicy, as if her entire throat was on fire.


    She spat twice: "So spicy, so spicy!"


    Wang Chunhuaughed at her: "Just now when you talked about drinking wine, your eyes lit up for a moment, I thought you had great alcohol tolerance. And you find it spicy already?"


    She peeled the peanuts and stuffed them into Li Mingwei''s mouth: "Help relieve the spiciness."


    Li Mingwei was unwilling to admit defeat: "My alcohol tolerance is fine, I''m just not used to this kind of wine."


    "Then what kind of wine do you usually drink?"


    "Mostly fruit wines, peach blossom wine and the like."


    It sounded like they were not very strongpared to his sorghum liquor. Dong Shan snorted, drained the wine in his own cup in one gulp, and poured some more: "Comfortable!"


    Wang Chunhua didn''t stop him either. He was used to running around in the mountains. Staying at home for too long made him feel useless from time to time, so it was good to let him vent.


    She drank a few more cups with Dong Shan, and Li Mingwei couldn''t help but join in when she saw that.


    Dong Lei walked back alone stomping on the snow. Seeing the three adults so happy, he was instantly unhappy. They were all free and yet no one came to pick him up.


    He walked up to the three of them and heavily put down his school bag, stomping his feet: "Humph!"


    Wang Chunhua nced at him and casually said, "You''re back. Come and warm yourself by the fire, and do your homework after warming up."


    "There''s no homework today!"


    "Oh?"


    Li Mingwei smiled: "These days they just go to Mr. Jin''s ce one by one to recite texts to check how much of this year''s textbooks they can remember."


    The older batch of children who had learned interpretation were going to take exams.


    She hugged Dong Lei and gently coaxed: "Why so angry as soon as you got back? Did Mr. Jin test the parts you didn''t know well?"


    "No, I recited very well!" Dong Lei said angrily, "Auntie didn''te to pick me up today."


    "I didn''t have sses today, I''ll pick you up when I have sses."


    "School break starts tomorrow, no more sses!"


    Wang Chunhua pped her son on the head directly and scolded: "Why so loud?! You''re grown up now, it''s just a short way and you still want someone to pick you up, aren''t you embarrassed? You walked back yourself when nobody picked you up, didn''t you?"


    Dong Lei was hit and it hurt, but he didn''t dare to cry out. His two cheeks were round like a little frog. Li Mingwei poked his slightly chapped little face that was frozen. Children''s faces were tender and couldn''t stand the wind.


    She hugged him and coaxed gently: "Alright, don''t be angry. Peanut?"


    Dong Lei didn''t want to eat, but his favorite auntie was feeding him, so he reluctantly opened his mouth.


    "By the way, auntie, Mr. Jin asked you go to the school when you have time, he has something to discuss with you."


    "What is it about?"


    "Seems like copying books."


    Copying books? That would be about earning money. Li Mingwei saw it was still early outside, tidied her clothes and said: "Then I''ll go over ande back soon."


    "Okay." Wang Chunhua also stood up, "I''m going to start making dinner too. I forgot about it after drinking just now."


    Li Mingwei walked out of the yard. The piercing cold wind instantly cleared her head that was a little dizzy from the wine. She shivered and walked quickly towards the school.


    At this time Mr. Jin was still grading test papers for the students on the second floor. When Li Mingwei came up, he noticed her slightly flushed cheeks: "So you drink too?"


    "A little."


    Mr. Jin stroked his beard andughed: "A little is fine too. Let me know when you have time to drink with me, I''m too lonely drinking alone."


    "Sure." Li Mingwei agreed: "Little Lei said you were looking for me?"


    "Oh right!" Mr. Jin took out some papers and two books for her: "There will be more children next year, copy the books they will need when you have time."


    "Okay, congrattions Mr. Jin! Your school is thriving!"


    Mr. Jinughed loudly: "It¡¯s mostly thanks to Yizhu. After he passed the county exam and became a schr, more people have been willing to send their children to school."


    Li Mingwei...


    This guy just had to show up everywhere. She was speechless.

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34


    Mr. Jin took in all the little expressions on her face. In his opinion, both were good kids, and it wouldn''t be bad if they got together. But for some reason Old Lady Wang had offended the young girl, making it difficult for Liu Yizhu to even see her now.


    He sighed, his gaze passing through the bookshelves to fall upon a corner.


    Li Mingwei borrowed Mr. Jin''s book basket to gather up her papers and books so she could go home. Mr. Jin lightly stopped her.


    "Do you have other business, Sir?"


    Seeing Mr. Jin''s hesitant manner, Li Mingwei''s curiosity was piqued. "Please go ahead and say whatever you need to say, Sir. No need to stand on ceremony with me."


    "Well, it''s about that Liu Yizhu kid..."


    "Ah, if it''s about him then forget it," Li Mingwei interrupted Mr. Jin, blocking his words. She picked up her little book basket, "I need to go home for dinner."


    "You child!" Mr. Jin grabbed her sleeve and pulled out a chair for her, "Sit down properly and listen to what I have to say."


    "Oh goodness!" Li Mingwei covered her ears and shook her head, "I don''t want to listen, I don''t want to listen."


    "Whether you want to listen or not, you must listen." Mr. Jin was unusually insistent today. He brought over a small stool and sat down opposite Li Mingwei. Li Mingwei slumped over the desk in resignation, propping up her chin as she looked at him.


    "Liu Yizhu is a rare outstanding young man. What''s the point of rejecting him like this? I thought you two suited each other well, which is why I wanted to mention this."


    A hint of helplessness appeared in Li Mingwei''s smile. "Mr Jin, do you think there''s anyone else in Qingshi Town who agrees with your opinion?"


    "I don''t know about others, but Liu Yizhu definitely thinks the same as me."


    "Well I don''t."


    "What''s wrong with Liu Yizhu that you look down on him so?"


    "It''s not about looking down on him or not." Marriage was never just about liking or not liking someone. For prominent official families, the key consideration was whether the marriage could benefit the family - bringing interests and advantages.


    In a small town like Qingshi, there were no powerful families or interests to speak of. But it still involved two families at the minimum. Aside from whether she liked Liu Yizhu or not, the Liu family line passed through a single heir. She couldn''t have children, and marrying into that family would cut off their line. She didn''t want to be the culprit behind their family dying out.


    "Then what is the issue?"


    "Oh, there''s no point telling you. As someone who''s never married, you wouldn''t understand."


    Li Mingwei had heard from Wang Chunhua before that Mr. Jin had lived alone ever since his parents passed away.


    Mr Jin had tough at that. Despite never marrying, he had reached a considerable age and experienced many things in life. Yet today he was being told by a youngdy that he wouldn''t understand.


    He smiled. "While it''s true I''ve never married, I did like a girl when I was younger. So I wouldn''t say I''mpletely ignorant about these things."


    Li Mingwei''s curiosity was piqued again. "Then why didn''t you marry her?"


    "At that time, I was focused on studying and wanted to earn a government position first before marrying her. But unfortunately, fate was unkind. I kept failing the exams. She wasn''t young anymore and couldn''t wait for me, so she married someone else instead."


    "Was it because your family was too poor or hers too wealthy?"


    Mr. Jin was taken aback for a moment. He shook his head, "While my family wasn''t rich, we were able to get by. Her circumstances were simr to mine."


    In other words, it had been a suitable match.


    "So when ites down to it, you just didn''t want to marry her that much. Was it so difficult to propose marriage and worship at the ancestral altar? Her family wasn''t out of your reach, and your family could afford the bride price. It was clearly something easy to achieve, yet you didn''t do it. And now you still feel that it was her who couldn''t wait."


    Li Mingwei felt somewhat indignant. The alcohol she had consumed was making her words more heated.


    "You''re right, she shouldn''t have waited for me."


    In the end, he never did make it to an official position. He could only huddle in this impoverished small town, barely scraping by through teaching. Marrying her would only have meant letting her suffer alongside him.


    "Mr Jin, you really are so strange."


    "What''s so strange?"


    "You met the conditions to marry her yet refused to do so. You don''t seem to have liked her that much. But in the end, you remained unmarried all your life because of her. I really don''t get it."


    The human heart. It really was soplicated.


    "Have you never heard the saying that people only learn to cherish things after they''ve lost them?"


    When she was still around, everything had felt natural. Only when she disappeared did he realize how much he couldn''t live without her already. But by then, regret was meaningless as no one would continue waiting unmoving for him.


    For the rest of your life, all that remains is regret.


    "Sigh."


    Seeing her distressed manner, Mr Jin''s tone took a turn. "So you need to treasure those around you now. Don''t be like me, full of lifelong regrets because I missed my chance."


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes.


    "Sir, I truly don''t harbor such feelings for him."


    Seeing her sincerity, Mr Jin''s hand stroking his beard froze. "What kind of man do you like then? I could help look around for you."


    "I don''t like anyone right now. I just want to earn money."


    Er, Mr Jin felt helpless and changed his line of questioning. "What kind of man was your ex-husband?"


    Murong Yu?


    Li Mingwei pondered for a bit before selecting the most urate descriptor. "A hypocrite. All smiles to your face but stabbing you in the back. His speed of switching faces - it''s a true waste he didn''t join an opera troupe instead."


    "Then why did you marry him?"


    "How would I have known before marrying him? He was so handsome, just the kind of guy all the youngdies would fall for. His family background was great, and he always acted with such perfect courtesy and grace. By all ounts, he looked to be an ideal husband."


    "I understand that in your hearts, you all probably feel I''m the one unfit for Liu Yizhu instead of the other way round. But you don''t know - the man I married previously was so, so much better than him."


    It was just that in his eyes, power was more important.


    The reason for her divorce - Mr Jin had probably heard about it already as well. He hesitated before asking, "Do you still resent him?"


    "I did a little in the beginning. I married him when I was sixteen. Being betrayed after three years of feelings would make anyone sad. After finishing the divorce decree, we ceased to have any rtion to each other. How can there be resentment orck thereof towards a stranger?"


    Mr Jin nodded in approval. "You''re quite open-minded about it."


    Li Mingwei spread her hands. "People can''t hang themselves on a single tree branch forever right? I''m just neen this year and will be twenty next year. Even if I just live until sixty, I still have ample time left to live freely."


    "Mm." Mr Jin''s words carried meaning. "Just the right time to try hanging on another tree branch to see if it suits you or not."


    Li Mingwei''s little face copsed. Mr Jin really was so annoying!


    She leapt up and ran off. "I''m leaving, humph!"


    "Hahahahaha!"


    The cheerfulughter from behind made her mood even more gloomy. Mumbling under her breath a couple times, she charged into the wind and snow.

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35


    After she left, Mr. Jin returned to his seat and saw Liu Yizhu walk out from behind the bookshelf with a worried look on his face. Mr. Jin gave a slight smile.


    "You heard that, right? That girl who just left is quite a catch. If you''ve really set your heart on her, then you''ll have to try even harder," said Mr. Jin.


    Liu Yizhu sat down across from Mr. Jin, looking a little dejected. "I know," he said.


    Mr. Jin reminded him, "You''ll also need to work on persuading your mother."


    Liu Yizhu hung his head even lower. Seeing him like this, Mr. Jin showed sympathy on his face. This boy had been sweet on the same girl ever since he was little. Why was it so difficult?


    "Let''s not talk about this anymore. Young man, I should first finish reviewing your essays so I can hand them out tomorrow," said Mr. Jin.


    "Yes, it''s gettingte, let''s work on them together," replied Liu Yizhu.


    After being distracted by chatting with Li Mingwei, the two stayed upte into the night before finally finishing their work.


    On thest day, there were no sses. Mr. Jin summarized and reviewed each child''s progress for the parents before sending the kids home. The start date for next semester would be announcedter after being finalized.


    Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan went together to listen to the teacher¡¯sments. Wang Chunhua happily patted Dong Lei¡¯s head, nodding with satisfaction. The teacher had just praised him for making good progress.


    ¡°Do you remember all the homework Mr. Jin assigned?¡± asked Wang Chunhua.


    ¡°I remember,¡± replied Dong Lei.


    ¡°Good. Mother is going to the market to buy some groceries. Pack up your things and go back home with your dad,¡± said Wang Chunhua.


    As Wang Chunhua headed to the produce market, Dong Shan first took his son back home. When Li Mingwei heard that the teacher had praised Dong Lei, she also said she would reward him.


    She took Dong Lei to the rouge shop in town. Yesterday she had noticed how windburnt his face looked and wanted to find some type of ointment or cream to put on it, to at least provide some protection for his little face. Little Xiao Yan was also about old enough to start using it.


    As the adult and child stepped into the rouge shop, two mocking voices came from behind them, ¡°Oh look, they¡¯re so poor yet still buying rouge. What a true fox spirit.¡±


    ¡°Right, she even dared to publicly make advances on Young Master Liu. So shameless.¡±


    ¡°I bet she threw herself at him but Young Master Liu still didn¡¯t want her. She probably thinks dressing up more will work.¡±


    Li Mingwei turned around to see who it was. Two young girls were looking at her with contemptuous smiles on their faces, waving handkerchiefs in their hands.


    Having spent time working in the embroidery workshop, Li Mingwei now had a basic understanding of fabric prices. She could tell these two girls were dressed noticeably better than her.


    Seeing her look back at them, the two girls didn¡¯t back down at all. Their faces were full of provocation. They had spoken loudly on purpose for her to hear.


    Li Mingwei raised an eyebrow and stroked her hair coquettishly, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want me, how could he possibly want you two? Go look in a mirror, neither of you are half as pretty as me.¡±


    ¡°You!¡± One of the girls was so angry she wanted to rush up and teach Li Mingwei a lesson, but was held back by the other girl.


    ¡°We¡¯re good girls from respectable families. How could wepare looks with a fox spirit?¡± said the second girl mockingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Doing shameless things like publicly grabbing men on the street, we could never,¡± added the first.


    Li Mingwei gently touched Dong Lei¡¯s little head and slightly crouched down, pointing at the two girls, ¡°Little Lei, do you remember what these two elder sisters look like?¡±


    Dong Lei looked up at them briefly then nodded to indicate he remembered.


    The two girls were confused. Was this woman crazy? Did she want this little kid to get back at themter?


    Li Mingwei looked tenderly at Dong Lei and educated him, ¡°Remember their faces clearly. Auntie will tell you, there is a ce in the county town full of girls dressed like them. They love standing around waving handkerchiefs to attract men. If you ever get lured in by them, your mom will beat you to death.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean!¡±


    ¡°What do I mean? Can¡¯t you two understand human speech? Just look at yourselves covered in gaudy colors. With all your shy red and green, you must have a lot of good friends working in the county town brothels. And you still call yourselves good girls? Even a fox spirit like me doesn''t dress as vulgarly as you!¡±


    The people around them burst into loudughter. The two girls¡¯ faces turned pale. The one with the worse temper could no longer hold back. She rushed up wanting to hit Li Mingwei.


    Li Mingwei was prepared. She tightly grabbed the girl¡¯s hand while Dong Lei hugged the other girl''s leg.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit my auntie!¡± yelled Dong Lei.


    ¡°You little brat, piss off!¡±


    Seeing the girl try to attack Dong Lei, Li Mingwei directly flung the other girl¡¯s hand aside and shielded Dong Lei behind her body. She disdainfully scolded, ¡°Go on, hit me! Do it! Assaulting someone in broad daylight, even bullying a child. Let¡¯s see who still dares to marry you shrews!¡±


    She raised an eyebrow provocatively, ¡°Hurry up! One against two, such a good chance doesn¡¯te often. Everyone¡¯s watching. If you beat me up, this fox spirit, word will spread across all of Qingshi Town by noon.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± The slightly more reasonable girl quickly nced around at the gawking crowd. She held back herpanion and pleaded, ¡°Don¡¯t do it!¡± But she was directly shoved aside and almost fell.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way! Today I¡¯m going to teach her a lesson no matter what!¡± shouted the angry girl.


    She watched in dismay as her friend tangled fiercely with Li Mingwei, not daring to step in and help. If word got out they were brawling shrews, she might never get married. Ruining her own future over someone who already had a bad reputation wasn¡¯t worth it.


    Li Mingwei had been prepared to fight them two against one, so battling just one assant was even easier. The two grabbed each other¡¯s hair, scratched faces, and choked necks.


    Unlike her decorated opponent, Li Mingwei had no essories. She grabbed the girl¡¯s earrings and yanked them down harshly. The girl yelped in pain and lowered her head, allowing Li Mingwei to press down on the back of her skull and shove her face towards the ground.


    ¡°What are you two doing!¡± Just as the sh was intensifying, a woman rushed in to separate them. ¡°How can two youngdies fight like this!¡±


    ¡°Aunt Cui!¡±


    Aunt Cui shielded Li Mingwei behind her and red fiercely at the young girl, ¡°What do you think you''re doing hitting someone!¡±


    The girl argued, ¡°It was her! She said we looked like prostitutes!¡±


    ¡°Only because you called me a fox spirit first!¡± retorted Li Mingwei.


    ¡°You basically are one...¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Aunt Cui shouted to halt the squabbling, ¡°Speaking with a mouth as nasty as yours, just looking at you brings shame on our family! Let¡¯s see what your mother says about this!¡±


    ¡°Auntie, how can you take that outsider¡¯s side!¡± protested the girl.


    Oh? This girl is Aunt Cui¡¯s niece? Yet Aunt Cui is still justly shielding her. How righteous! How inspiring!


    ¡°You still recognize that I¡¯m your aunt?¡± said Aunt Cui sarcastically, dragging her niece outside by the cor, "Don''t make things worse by chattering and juste back home with me!"


    Before leaving, Aunt Cui shot onest re at the remaining girl, scolding her too, ¡°I warned you many times, don''t befriend the Dong girl. She''s cunning and deceitful. Look at what happened! You both ganged up to provoke someone but in the end who was the only one left humiliated and beaten?¡±


    Only now did the Cui girl finally look at her friend still standing frozen in ce. Fury boiled up within her instantly. ¡°Dong Qin, you didn''t help me?¡±


    Dong Qin stammered out excuses, ¡°I did try to stop you, but you wouldn''t listen...¡±


    ¡°How could you...!¡± Aunt Cui grabbed her niece by the shirt cor before she could continue, ¡°Not one more word! Come back home with me right now!¡±


    With the older woman''s departure, Dong Qin no longer dared linger. She fled in shame and humiliation.

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36


    Dong Lei was scared to death, curling up in the corner and biting his hand. His auntie was so fierce just now, Li Mingwei turned around and smiled at him, first apologizing to the owner of the rouge shop, after all they had just fought in someone else''s ce.


    "I''m so sorry, I''m so sorry, I lost control for a moment."


    "It''s fine, it''s fine, do you want to clean up your face?"


    The owner of the rouge shop was also a woman. Coincidentally, her child was also studying under Li Mingwei. Her son came home every day praising Teacher Li Mingwei, saying he was gentle. Today she also got to witness it.


    Really gentle...


    She brought a copper mirror for Li Mingwei to look at. The person in the mirror had disheveled hair and two small scratch marks on her face. Li Mingwei cursed inwardly, she couldn''t leave scars on her little face!


    Seemingly seeing through her thoughts, the female ownerforted: "It''s alright, not deep, it probably won''t scar."


    That''s good!


    Borrowing her copper mirror, Li Mingwei tidied up her hair and pushed the somewhat nk Dong Lei to the front. She still remembered the main purpose of today: "This child''s face is chapped by the wind, could you see if there is anything that can be applied to help recover it a bit?"


    "I don''t want it! That''s stuff for little girls."


    Dong Lei protested. His auntie said she would give him a gift, how could it be something like this.


    "You must use it. Feel your face, see what state it''s in. If you get blown at for a few more years, your face will be rough and thick. When you grow up you won''t be able to find a wife."


    Dong Lei touched his little face and pouted unwillingly. Using little girls'' stuff would make his ssmatesugh at him, he would rather be a little rough.


    The female owner took out a solidified pale yellow ointment from behind the counter: "This is tung oil, applying it will help, my son uses it too."


    Hearing her say this, Li Mingwei felt more at ease. Her own child uses it, even if there is not much effect at least there shouldn''t be any problems: "Alright, how much is it, give me a box to try."


    She paid money and shoved the small box into Dong Lei''s arms. Seeing that he was still sullen, she said: "Come on, auntie will buy you some snacks, okay?"


    Dong Lei was about to nod when Wang Chunhua ran in. With one nce she saw the injury on Li Mingwei''s face: "Snacks? You got into a fight and still want to eat snacks!"


    She looked closely. She was no stranger to fights in the past few years. She knew it was not serious, and a big weight lifted from her heart.


    She had just bought vegetables and hadn''t entered the door yet when someone told her Mingwei was fighting with someone. Thinking of her little sister''s petite body, she must have been bullied. She threw the vegetables in the yard and ran over.


    "Who did you fight with?"


    The female owner behind said: "Cui''s daughter, Cui Yu. Don''t worry, your sister didn''t lose, she was pressing Cui Yu down beating her."


    "As long as she didn''t lose."


    She didn''t need to go to the Cui family to regain face either. The Cui family had many nasty women, she was outnumbered and bound to lose.


    "It doesn''t hurt anywhere else right?"


    "It doesn''t hurt. The clothes are so thick, just the face here."


    "Then that''s fine. Let''s go back first. Don''t tell anyone else though, I happened to buy meat today, you have to eat moreter."


    Seeing they were about to leave, Dong Lei hurriedly reminded: "Auntie, snacks."


    Wang Chunhua pulled his ear and made a fist: "Snacks? Does this look like a snack to you? If you don''t want a beating, hurry back with me!"


    Li Mingwei desperately signaled Dong Lei with her eyes, mouthing to him: next time, next time.


    Dong Lei could onlypromise.


    At the dinner table, Wang Chunhua kept putting meat in Li Mingwei''s bowl, while praising: "That''s right, when others bully you, you have to fight back, otherwise she''ll dare to do it again next time. Eat more, grow some meat, or else next time someone fatteres along that you can''t beat."


    Li Mingwei sent the meat into her mouth: "Okay."


    Dong Shan picked up a piece of meat and brought it to Wang Chunhua''s mouth, trying to cover her mouth: "Teach some good stuff."


    "Let me tell you, fighting is not good. Whether you win or lose, you might get hurt. Next time someone hits you again, you just run. Girls go find your sister, boyse find me and let us handle it."


    Wang Chunhua gave Dong Shan a thumbs up: "Your brother-inw is right. Come on, eat more, run faster."


    Li Mingwei smiled. Her eyes felt a little sour, but her heart was warm. It felt so good to be protected.


    "Knock knock knock!"


    There was a knock at the door. Wang Chunhua put down her bowl and went to open the door. Everyone was eating now, who could it be? It shouldn''t be someone from the Cui family right?


    Dong Shan thought the same thing. He stopped Wang Chunhua and opened the door himself, while Wang Chunhua couldn''t rest easy and followed behind him. Li Mingwei''s eyes were also following them.


    The door opened and they were both a little surprised: "Tutor Liu?"


    "Brother Dong, Sister Dong." Liu Yizhu bowed and greeted, his voice a little apologetic: "Barging in, sorry to disturb."


    "It''s fine, you...is there something?"


    Liu Yizhu came to see Li Mingwei after hearing that she fought with Cui Yu and got injured. He just couldn''t stop worrying and wanted toe see that she was alright before he could feel at ease.


    "I...I want to see Miss Mingwei for a bit."


    "Pleasee in first." Wang Chunhua took a look outside, there was no one on the street, so she moved aside to let Liu Yizhu in and closed the door. They couldn''t let anyone else see, or else her sister would get scolded again.


    She nudged Dong Shan and they went inside together to call Li Mingwei.


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes: "Make him leave. I don''t want to talk to him."


    "Ohe on, I already let him in."


    "Sis! Why did you do that! Haven''t I been scolded miserably enough? Just earlier I got into a fight and got hurt because of him, my face still hurts now! And you let him in!"


    She had lived for over ten years and never been hit before.


    Wang Chunhua lowered her voice: "Letting him stand outside would attract more attention. I looked and saw no one outside so I let him in. At least talk to him for a bit so he doesn''te again, right?"


    Li Mingwei had no choice. She put down her chopsticks and went out.


    "Young Sir, what do you want now?"


    Liu Yizhu stretched out his hand then stopped himself: "Does it hurt?"


    "It hurts, it hurts to death. So please stay away from me, I don''t want to get beaten again."


    "I..."


    "Young Sir, please let me off. I''ve had continuous bad luck recently."


    Liu Yizhu gritted his teeth without speaking. Li Mingwei met his disappointed eyes and felt a little headache: "Go home and focus on your studies. You still have a long way to go. There are plenty of nice youngdies, why cling to me and cause trouble?"


    "You messing around doesn''t impact you much, but they alle looking to make trouble for me. It''s very hard on me, understand? Please just let me live in peace for a while, I beg you."


    Every sentence from Li Mingwei was like a knife stabbing into Liu Yizhu''s body. Her earnest voice made it a little hard for him to breathe.


    After a long pause, Liu Yizhu finally moved his feet with difficulty: "Alright, I understand."


    Wang Chunhua leaned against the door, watching Liu Yizhu''s lonely back. Her heart ached a little: "Last time my sister said she didn''t like Tutor Liu. I didn''t believe it then, but turns out it''s true."


    "How can you exin things like this clearly? Weren''t you also lovestruck when you first saw me?"


    Wang Chunhua nced at him: "Weren''t you too?"


    Dong Shan grinned: "I was!"

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37


    Li Mingwei sat back at the table angrily, and Wang Chunhuafortingly patted her. Then she drew back her hand. Why should shefort her when she had just rejected Liu Yizhu, the schr admired by all the youngdies in town?


    There was nothing tofort.


    "Sister!" Li Mingwei pped the table, "I feel he brings me bad luck."


    Since getting to know him, nothing good had happened. Today, their fortunes were told to be ipatible.


    Wang Chunhua thought about it and realized it was true. Her sister had been a bit unlucky these past couple months. "Then let''s go divine or ask for a talisman to change your luck?"


    "Can we?"


    Wang Chunhua looked towards Dong Shan. Dong Shan nced outside at the snow and wind and hesitated a little. "Now we can only go to Yuqing Temple in the south."


    "Yuqing Temple?"


    "Yes, the main deity there is Master Yuqing. Here in the north we have a temple, and in the east there is the Guanyin Temple, but both roads are blocked. The only one close to us that we can get to is Yuqing Temple in the south."


    Every year around this time, many nearby vigers could only go to Yuqing Temple. So it was the busiest time of year for Yuqing Temple, and they would sweep the mountain path stairs clean to attract customers. As long as you reached the foot of the mountain, you didn''t need to worry about anything else.


    "Alright, when should we go?"


    "Let''s wait a couple days. Yesterday''s snowfall was heavy, I''m afraid there''s a lot of snow piled up on the road. After it melts a little in the sun, we''ll go."


    "Okay, okay."


    Li Mingwei decided not to go out again until they went to the temple.


    Wang Chunhua wanted to bring Dong Lei to check on his studies, and leave Little Yan with Aunt Meng and Sister Yun next door. She would go along with Li Mingwei.


    Once out of town, the snow on the road was uncleared. Relying on memory, Dong Shan went ahead to break a path, with Dong Lei on his back. They hadn''t gone far when a line of footprints appeared,ing from another road.


    Dong Shan rxed, leading them to step in the prints ahead, "Looks like some people set out earlier than us."


    Wang Chunhua pinched Dong Lei''s little nose on his back, "That''s because thiszy runt was hard to rouse."


    "He works hard at his studies, it''s normal to want more rest when he can get it."


    Leaning on his father''s broad shoulders, Dong Lei swung his little legs and grinned, "That''s right, my studies tire me out."


    "Oh please!"


    Wang Chunhua poked his little head, then looked back at the silent Li Mingwei, "What''s wrong sister, unhappy?"


    "No."


    She just felt a little envious seeing their happy family of three interact. She touched her belly. She would never have that blessing in this life.


    Indeed Yuqing Temple was close. In just a quarter hour, the four arrived at the mountain base. A few young novice monks on the path were sweeping the steps from top to bottom. Seeing them approach, they immediately stopped and bowed in greeting.


    "Patrons, good morning."


    Dong Shan kindly replied, "Good morning to you too, monks. You''re up early sweeping the path, it must be tiring work."


    "It''s our duty. Esteemed patrons, please ascend the mountain. The masters and senior brothers above are receiving guests."


    "Thank you, monk."


    The mountain where Yuqing Temple sat was not very high, and the path was clear of snow. Wang Chunhua had Dong Lei climb down from Dong Shan''s back to walk up himself. When asking favors, sincerity was key.


    Although Dong Lei hadzed a bit in bed, they had still set out fairly early. The spacious temple grounds held only a sparse ten-odd people, and they quickly moved to the front of the line.


    Wang Chunhua had Dong Lei kneel, and handed him a moon block. She knelt beside him and murmured, "Go on, ask Master Yuqing if you can be a schr."


    Dong Lei repeated it silently in his heart. With a flick of his small hand, the moon block rolled to the ground.


    Both blocksnded face up,ughing blocks. Wang Chunhua was a little disappointed, "Doesn''t seem your time has arrived."


    Dong Shan knelt beside them and respectfully kowtowed once, "He''s only six. To be a schr he would need to be over ten. Of course his time has note."


    Wang Chunhua realized he was right. She hurriedly pressed Dong Lei''s head down for several kowtows, "Go on, pray to the deity to bless your academics."


    After several thuds, Dong Lei''s forehead was a little red. Wang Chunhua was satisfied and had him stand up, telling Dong Shan to take him outside first. She pulled Li Mingwei, who was waiting behind, down to kneel.


    "Your turn."


    Li Mingwei carefully held the moon block. Taking a deep breath, she made a wish in her heart - please let Liu Yizhu stay far from me.


    Looking at the two moon blocks on the ground, Li Mingwei froze. Wang Chunhua frowned, "What did you ask for?"


    Both were face up, crying blocks.


    "Let me try again."


    Still crying blocks.


    "What did you request?"


    Li Mingwei felt like breaking down. "This temple is a sham!"


    Wang Chunhua covered her mouth, "Watch what you say! The gods respond when they will. Both the granted and the denied are normal."


    She warily eyed the monks nearby and warned, "We''re still on their grounds! Don''t speak recklessly."


    Li Mingwei''s fighting spirit was provoked. She straightened her back, and recited inwardly - in the end, she and Liu Yizhu would be together.


    With a flick of her small hand, she watched the moon blocks intently as her heart lifted slightly. The two blocks collided and tumbled on the ground for a few rolls before stopping.


    One face up, one face down. One yin, one yang. Sacred blocks.


    Wang Chunhua excitedly pped her arm, "Sess, sess! Sacred blocks mean the deity granted your wish. You really are fortunate!"


    Li Mingwei...


    Could she do without this fortune?


    Why did it have to be Liu Yizhu? She looked deeply at Master Yuqing''s idol. Li Mingwei kowtowed three times and rose to leave.


    A white-haired elderly monk beckoned her over with one hand stroking his beard and one hand gesturing wee.


    "Please sit, patron."


    "Monk."


    Li Mingwei nodded at him and respectfully handed over the fortune slip. Only then did she sit across from him.


    The old monk nced at the fortune and smilingly asked, "What did you request, patron?"


    "Marriage affinity."


    "Excellent." The old monk nodded agreeably and recited the poem, "You and your sought one will depend on and cherish each other, envied by all."


    It aligned with what she expected. Li Mingwei forced a smile and added some coins to the oil donation urn.


    She rose and bowed, "Many thanks, monk."


    The elderly monk kindly smiled and pocketed the fortune slip.


    She apanied Wang Chunhua in requesting several protective talismans before they regrouped with Dong Shan and son to return home.


    Wang Chunhua dropped back with her and asked softly, "Who did you request marriage affinity with?"


    Seeing Li Mingwei''s rather helpless expression, Wang Chunhua felt she understood.


    "Schr Liu?"


    "Yes."


    "The sacred blocks too?"


    "Yes. I requested twice for him to stay away, both times crying blocks. Then I said we would be together, and it turned to sacred blocks."


    Wang Chunhua''s mouth fell open. What karma between these two!

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38


    Returning from the Taoist temple, Li Mingwei''s whole person felt a little unwell. She was depressed and listless, lying in bed every day, unwilling to step out of her room at all.


    Wang Chunhua secretly peeked at her from the window and saw that she was still in a daze. She was a little worried.


    In her heart, she really felt that Liu Yizhu was not bad and he didn''t mind that she was divorced, which was so rare. Even the immortal Master Yuqing thought so highly of this marriage fate. If her younger sister doesn''t get together with him, isn''t that a waste of this heaven-sent affinity?


    "Sister, is that you outside?"


    "Ah, it''s me." Wang Chunhua pushed the door in and smiled, "I came to ask if there is anything you want to eat. Xiao Lei is making a fuss about wanting to eat desserts. It''s been a few days already. I''m thinking of going to buy him some. He''s been at home reading and practicing writing every day, quite well-behaved."


    Li Mingwei got up, throwing off the quilt: "I''ll go. I promised himst time that I would buy them for him."


    Thinking that she had been cooped up at home for so long, it would be good for her to go out and walk around. So Wang Chunhua agreed. She tidied up Li Mingwei''s clothes and hooked her arm around hers, "Let''s go together."


    "Okay."


    The shop owner was still Chen Jie. He warmly weed them. The prescription Li Mingwei had previously given him, he and his mother had already made. It sold quite well. Chen Jie had already given Li Mingwei gifts earlier to thank her.


    "Sister-inw Chunhua, younger sister Mingwei, what are you buying today?"


    "Let me see."


    "Sure, sister-inw, feel free to look around. They were all made today. Call me when you''ve picked out what you want."


    Chen Jie noticed Li Mingwei''s somewhat paleplexion and couldn''t help asking, "Younger sister Mingwei, what''s the matter? You don''t look well, are you sick?"


    "No, I just didn''t sleep well."


    "Younger sister is so young yet can''t sleep well? That''s not good." Chen Jie''s face showed a look of concern. He suggested, "Why don''t you go to the pharmacy and get some tranquilizers?"


    "My mother said before that she couldn''t sleep either. The doctor said it was because of her old age that she got little sleep. He prescribed her some tranquilizers and she said it was quite effective after drinking it, sleeping much better than before. It''s also not expensive, a prescription is just over ten coins, enough tost several days."


    Wang Chunhua was intrigued. She looked tentatively at Li Mingwei, "Let''s go take a look. It''s not good to keep not sleeping well like this."


    Li Mingwei refused. Medicine is one-third poison. She knew her body was fine. She didn''t want to drink that bitter medicine.


    "I''m fine."


    "Brother Chen, pack me some red bean cakes."


    Wang Chunhua stopped her, "Aiya, what do you want red bean cakes for? I won''t eat them. Just buy what you and Xiao Lei like to eat."


    "Xiao Lei likes to eat everything."


    Li Mingwei signaled Chen Jie to pack them up. Chen Jie swiftly packed several for her. Wang Chunhua didn''t want him to take them out again, so she epted her thoughtfulness.


    She also picked several others and had Chen Jie pack them together. When paying, Chen Jie gave Li Mingwei a discount of a few coins.


    Just a small discount was enough to make Wang Chunhua happy for a while. Her face was full of smiles as she repeatedly thanked Chen Jie before hooking Li Mingwei''s arm and leaving.


    "Really not going to the pharmacy to take a look?"


    "Not going."


    Since she refused to go, and there was nothing else to buy, Wang Chunhua just brought her home.


    Turning the street corner, Wang Chunhua nced at the absent-minded girl beside her and lightly coughed, pulling on her sleeve.


    "Ahem~"


    Li Mingwei frowned at her, "What''s the matter, caught a cold?"


    "No." Wang Chunhua gestured for her to look ahead, "Your marriage affinity."


    Li Mingwei looked up and met Liu Yizhu''s inquiring gaze. What marriage affinity, more like an unfortunate fate. She should have just rotted at home, she wouldn''t have gone out even if she was beaten to death.


    "Why do you look so terrible?"


    Liu Yizhu stopped right in front of her, asking concernedly. His voice was still a little hoarse.


    To be honest, Liu Yizhu''splexion now was not great either. The two of them wereparable. Li Mingwei''s gaze fell on the medicine package in his hand as she opened her thin lips.


    "You should take care of yourself first."


    "What''s the matter with Schr Liu?"


    Wang Chunhua''s attitude was much nicer than Li Mingwei''s. She didn''t interact much with the Liu family and wasn''t close to them, but having lived in the same town for so many years, seeing Liu Yizhu sick, she was still a little worried.


    "It''s nothing, I just didn''t sleep well."


    Goodness, what a heaven-sent affinity. One couldn''t sleep, the other couldn''t sleep either.


    "Then what''s this medicine for?"


    Liu Yizhu exined, "It''s for my mother. My mother caught a cold and has a bit of a cough."


    "It''s not serious, right?"


    "The doctor said it''s fine. He told her to take some medicine first and see."


    "That''s good then, that''s good."


    Liu Yizhu bowed slightly, "Thank you for your concern, sister-inw."


    "You''re too polite, too polite." Wang Chunhua nudged her sister who had a cold expression. He was so polite, yet she looked so resentful.


    "Hmm?"


    It seemed Li Mingwei had just returned to her senses. Her gaze shifted between them, "Done talking? Then let''s go back."


    She walked around the person blocking her way and left directly. Wang Chunhua apologetically nced at Liu Yizhu before catching up to her. She twisted Li Mingwei''s arm lightly.


    "You girl, when did you be so temperamental? Someone is talking nicely to you, what''s wrong with responding? We''re from the same town, don''t try so hard to make things difficult."


    "ording to the immortal, your fates are entwined. Don''t say Old Lady Wang won''t be your mother-inw in the future. She''s sick and you''re concerned for a couple sentences, what''s wrong with that?"


    Humph~


    Li Mingwei let out a coldugh, "I don''t want a mother-inw like that."


    Wang Chunhua, Wang Chunhua didn''t want that either. That old woman was somewhat miserly and mean, but if it was for Liu Yizhu, she could endure it.


    "What about Master Yuqing''s side? He looks upon you two so kindly, the divination blocks and writing were all auspicious."


    "Sister."


    "Hmm?"


    "Do you know the saying, ''Man can conquer Heaven''?"


    Wang Chunhua was speechless. Just what was it about Liu Yizhu that her younger sister disliked so much? With her talking about conquering Heaven, it seemed that Liu Yizhu''s devoted heart had been ced wrongly.


    Liu Yizhu didn''t look back. He just stood there for a while before rushing home. If he didn''t keep an eye on her, his mother wouldn''t rest properly.


    As he had expected, when he wasn''t home, Old Lady Wang had gotten up and washed all the containers she had used for medicine. She also lit the fire and cooked porridge in the pot.


    "Mother, the doctor said to let you rest well. Why did you get up to work again?"


    "I''m not coughing anymore, I''m better now, no need to rest." She lifted the lid to show him, "Didn''t you say you wanted to eat sweet potato porridge for lunch? Mother cooked it for you. You''ll be able to drink it soon."


    Liu Yizhu was a little annoyed, "I said to wait until I got back to cook it. I''m grown up now, don''t even know how to cook porridge?"


    "When you''re away studying, how can I not worry if you''re like this at home?"


    Old Lady Wang shrank back a little. She just couldn''t help wanting to do more.


    She smiled ingratiatingly and patted his hand, "Mother really is fine now. Just a couple coughs, no need to keep taking medicine for so long. Don''t go to the pharmacy again, it''s wasting money. There are still many ces you''ll need moneyter."


    Liu Yizhu rubbed his forehead. He really had a headache now, unable to get through to anyone.

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39


    On the day Mr. Jin took a day off, he entrusted Li Mingwei with the task of transcribing the "Thousand Character ssic" and the "Analects." Due to her bad mood, she procrastinated for a long time before finally finishing the task. Once the ink had dried, she tidied up and hurriedly delivered it to Mr. Jin, who intended topile it into a booklet.


    As she stepped out of the courtyard, she noticed that several households along the street had put up red couplets and door gods, signaling that the Lunar New Year was approaching.


    Now she couldn''t leave, let alone return to the capital. She had no way of receiving any news from the capital or knowing whether her family and friends were safe. Her grandfather was getting older, and she couldn''t help but regret her stubbornness.


    With these thoughts, Li Mingwei felt a hint of mncholy. However, she didn''t want to go back just yet. She seriously pondered on writing a letter to her family next spring, asking Lord Tang to deliver it for her. She wondered about the likelihood of not being caught by her family.


    Someone tapped her from behind, saying, "Hey, Mingwei, what are you thinking? I''ve been calling you for quite a while, but you didn''t respond."


    Li Mingwei turned around and saw Su, the eldest brother. She said, "Oh, Brother Su, you scared me."


    "I''ve been calling you for a while, and you got startled," Su teased. "You have poor hearing and a timid heart, little sister."


    Li Mingwei took two steps back, feeling a bit uneasy about the bloody smell emanating from him. She asked, "Ah, didn''t you call me? By the way, your business seems to be doing well today since you closed up so early."


    "Not really. The head of the Chen family asked me to run an errand. I left my son in charge of the stall," Su replied. "By the way, you love drinking mutton soup, but do you like beef soup? If you do, let me know, and I''ll save some for you."


    "Where did you get the beef?"


    Li Mingwei remembered that it was illegal to ughter cattle. The beef they had eaten before was said toe from the northern border, which was closer to here, but weren''t the roads blocked? It seemed unlikely that cattle traders could enter.


    "We can''t worry about that. The Chen family has a source. They don''t have many rtives, so they asked me to help them ughter the cattle. They''ll keep half for themselves and sell the other half. Do you want some?"


    "Yes."


    Regardless of its origin, who wouldn''t want to eat something delicious?


    "Alright, I''ll save some for you. But it''ll take a few more days. They''re ughtering the cattle for the uing New Year feast."


    Li Mingwei agreed and made a request, "Save two bones for me to make soup. You can handle the meat. I want to make a hot pot."


    They happened to have a firece and charcoal at home. A beef hot pot sounded delightful. In this snowy weather, it would definitely be warm andforting.


    "Okay, I''ll save the tender ones for you."


    People who sold meat all year round were indeed knowledgeable. He immediately understood her intentions. Li Mingwei cast a approving nce at him. With thoughts of delicious food, the road to the academy seemed much brighter.


    Mr. Jin lived in the backyard of the academy. The front gate was always open during the day. Li Mingwei called out a couple of times but received no response. So she pushed the door open herself and went in. She went upstairs and found no one there either.


    "Where did Mr. Jin go, leaving the front gate open like this? Isn''t he afraid of things being stolen?"


    She muttered a few words and ced the items on the desk. As she prepared to leave, she heard a series of, well, unpleasant notesing from the backyard¡ªa somewhat discordant melody.


    Li Mingwei was skilled in ying the qin, and her music was always smooth and melodious. However, the person ying the qin at the moment seemed to be struggling and obscure, sounding like a novice. Moreover, there seemed to be some issues with the qin itself.


    The study hall was empty, and Li Mingwei unconsciously assumed that it was Mr. Jin ying the qin. In her mind, she couldn''t help but mock him, so she pushed open the window that overlooked the backyard and sarcastically asked, "Mr. Jin, are you sawing wood?"


    "You''re already at such an age, shouldn''t you find a young person to do this kind of work so you don''t hurt your back?"


    Li Mingwei leaned against the window, peered out, and met the gaze of three people in the backyard. She choked and looked at Liu Yizhu downstairs, who still had his hand on the qin strings, forcing an awkward smile.


    Just when she had praised Wang Pozzi for ying well, a pair of narrow eyes stared at her unhappily.


    Mr. Jinughed and teased, "I''m already so old, how could I dare to saw wood? It''s the young people I hired who do that."


    Li Mingwei admitted that she had been too hasty just now, and at this moment, she just wanted to escape.


    "What are you doing here today?"


    "I''ve finished copying the book, I brought it for you. Take a lookter, I''ll leave first."


    Li Mingwei mmed the window shut and heard Mr. Jin calling out to her, "Don''t you want the money?"


    She opened a small crack in the window again, "It''s fine, no rush. Whenever you give it to me is fine."


    "Oh, by the way, Mr. Jin, how are you spending the New Year alone? I''ve ordered beef for a hot pot. Would you like to join?"


    In fact, every year, the parents of students in the town would invite Mr. Jin to spend the New Year at their homes, but he refused all of them because he didn''t want people to gossip.


    Only Liu Yizhu and his mother, they woulde every year to apany him, cook the New Year''s Eve dinner for him, and leave after having a meal together.


    Now Li Mingwei invited him to have beef, and he was a little surprised, "Where did you order the beef?"


    "It''s none of your business. Old Brother Su said there is, so there is. Will youe or not? If youe, I''ll go and ask him to save some for me."


    Mr. Jin knew she was referring to the butcher, so it must be true. However, he still shook his head, "No need, beef is not cheap. Let me save you some money."


    Li Mingwei propped up her head and pouted, "Do I need you to save me this little money?"


    "You talk as if you''re very rich." He looked at Liu Yizhu and said, "I always spend the New Year with Yizhu and the others, so don''t worry about me."


    "Okay."


    Knowing that he hadpany, Li Mingwei felt relieved. It wouldn''t be right to leave him alone during the New Year. She rested her hand on the window and was about to close it and leave when Mr. Jin hurriedly called her.


    "Can you y the qin?"


    Li Mingwei nced at Liu Yizhu and then at Old Lady Wang, and decisively shook her head, "No, I can''t."


    "You said you couldst time."


    "Did I?"


    Mr. Jin was resolute, "Yes."


    Having been exposed for her lie, Li Mingwei wasn''t embarrassed. Having been in her fair share of fights on the streets, she now had an incredibly thick skin.


    She said helplessly, "Then why did you ask me?"


    Mr. Jin smiled and invited, "Come down and show me, I''ve been listening to the sound of sawing wood for days, I want to clear my ears."


    Liu Yizhu''s face blushed with a hint of shyness as she looked at Li Mingwei with anticipation.


    Li Mingwei shook her head in refusal, finding fault and saying, "With your skills, ying that instrument will always sound like sawing wood."


    Liu Yizhu''s expression of disappointment did not go unnoticed by Mr. Jin. After a moment of silence, he made an effort to argue, "But they say a skilled musician can produce beautiful melodies even with a mediocre instrument, right?"


    "That''s just a lie. Skilled musicians use instruments worth thousands of taels," she sneered.


    Even her own instrument would cost thousands of taels. In the pce, her former sister-inw owned several priceless instruments, antique guqins that were centuries old.


    Mr. Jin looked at the instrument he had bought twenty or thirty years ago, spending more than ten taels on it, and fell into silence. He remembered how much it had pained him to make that purchase. If it weren''t for the need to teach music at the academy, he would never have been able to part with it.


    Old Lady Wang scoffed, "You''re talking as if it''s all true. Thousands of taels, my foot! Such a young age and already full of hot air."


    Seeing her demeanor, Li Mingwei wished she could pull out a couple of hundred taels and smash her with them.

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40


    "My dear, Miss Li Mingwei said it right that a ssmate of mine customized a zither for over a hundred taels," said the son.


    Old Lady Wang definitely believed her son''s words. She opened her mouth wide in surprise: "What kind of thing is that? Just a long piece of wood worth a hundred taels?"


    Liu Yizhu exined: "It depends on what kind of wood is used - pine, camphor, cedar, yellow pear wood - each wood has a different price. Famous artisans also charge a lot for their craftsmanship. Plus, there are all kinds of zither strings of varying qualities, so altogether it can cost hundreds or thousands of taels."


    "This is..." Old Lady Wang was puzzled in her heart upon hearing this. There are indeed so many rich people under heaven. She stared at Mr. Jin''s zither like a treasure: "How much did Mr. Jin''s zither cost?"


    "My zither is not that good, just a dozen or so taels."


    "That''s still pretty expensive." Her son became a sessful imperial examination candidate with only twenty-four taels a year. Buying a zither wouldn''t even leave him money for food. No wonder he had to borrow from Mr. Jin.


    She urged Liu Yizhu: "My son, y it carefully. Don''t damage Mr. Jin''s."


    She really couldn''t afford to pay for damages.


    Sensing her implied meaning, Li Mingwei sighed. This mother and son really had it hard too. She reassured Liu Yizhu: "It''s already damaged to begin with, what''s there to be afraid of? Just y as you wish."


    "What''s damaged about it?"


    Liu Yizhu did not have much contact with the zither before. Most of his knowledge about it came from books. He knew the notes gong, shang, jiao, zhi, yu, but not the finer details.


    Mr. Jin was also mediocre at best. He could only muddle through.


    Li Mingwei closed the window and came downstairs. She signaled Liu Yizhu with her eyes to step aside. Liu Yizhu obediently made way. Li Mingwei pressed the strings with her left hand and plucked randomly with her right. She spoke with extreme dissatisfaction: "Mr Jin, how long has it been since youst changed the strings?"


    Mr Jin awkwardly stroked his beard and turned his head away: "This old man hasn''t touched the zither for over ten years already. If not for Yizhu wanting to learn, I wouldn''t have taken it out."


    Over ten years?


    Li Mingwei took a look and found that some of the wood on the bottom of the zither had already rotted. Hmm, even if it wasn''t ten years, she still wouldn''t believe it.


    "As a gentleman and a schr, aside from propriety, you must also learn music. Yet you, a teacher, have abandoned music. Even if you don''t y, you should take it out regrly for maintenance!"


    Mr. Jin felt embarrassed. "I have to admit this old man dislikes music theory the most when studying in the past. I only reluctantly took a few lessons from my teacher. Aftering to Qingshi Town to teach, I had no use for it anymore and cast it from my mind."


    "But for a schr, it is easy to embarrass yourself if you don''t even know basic music theory."


    She started learning music theory from the age of three. By five or six, she had systematically learned all kinds of musical instruments. In the end, her mother felt she had more talent with the zither and had her focus on mastering zither skills. And not for anything else, only to avoid humiliation.


    As a youngdy from an official family, if she didn''t know some musical instruments, chess, calligraphy and painting, or have one or two outstanding skills to show off, she would feel embarrassed to even step out the door.


    In the capital city, appreciating lotus flowers today, appreciating chrysanthemum tomorrow, appreciating plum blossoms the day after, and someone''s birthday the next day...there was never an end to banquets and dances.


    In case someone called on her on a whim and asked her toment or perform, she couldn''t possibly say she knew nothing. If she did, rumor would spread across the capital city within a day that the youngdy from the so-and-so family has no talent or virtue.


    It wouldn''t just be humiliating for her, but her whole n would be shamed for failing to teach her properly.


    Deep down, Li Mingwei also disliked these social expectations. But whenever she stepped outside, she represented the entire Li family. Her maternal grandfather was thete emperor''s mentor who dedicated his whole life to education and teaching. If even his own granddaughter wasn''t taught well, wouldn''t it suggest his incapability or her incapability?


    After marrying Murong Yu, things became even more difficult for her. Even entering the pce, she had to carefully remember which foot to step in first, otherwise people would impeach the imperial concubine the next day for disrespecting the emperor, questioning if she harbored malicious intentions.


    Indeed there were too many rules and formalities that she now enjoyed the freedom of her current life, where she could act as she wished without following propriety and no one would find it odd.


    Things were different for Liu Yizhu. Having grown up in such an environment since young, there were many things he did not know. To truly step out into the wider world in the future, he would have to learn everything from scratch.


    From Li Mingwei''s understanding, Anhuai County was not big, with only two academies. She looked up at him: "What''s your rank in your academy now?"


    Speaking of this, Old Lady Wang stuck out her chest proudly and held up a finger: "First ce!"


    Li Mingwei raised her eyebrows: "Including the other academy?"


    Liu Yizhu smiled. "For the civil service exam, still first ce."


    "Other than the civil service exam, there is also poetry, music theory, horse riding...?"


    "Poetry is fine. Music theory does not have exams. I have not learned horse riding before. My teacher only said I needed more music theory practice. Not to achieve mastery, just to not fall too far behind."


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes. So he was only first because it was just the civil service exam. With this level, passing the provincial examination would be difficult, it would be so humiliating for Anhuai County.


    After passing the provincial exam, he would have to go to the capital to take part in the metropolitan exam. He had to make up for his music theory, even if he couldn''t y any instrument well, he still needed to know how to appreciate music.


    She looked at Mr Jin: "Can other zithers be found in this town?"


    There were no musical instrument shops in this town. They could only check if any wealthy households had zithers to lend out. If even they didn''t have any, needless to say for the rest.


    As Mr Jin was familiar with these wealthy households, he shook his head: "Haven''t heard of any."


    Then that meant there were really none. Li Mingwei looked at the old zither on the table worriedly. She tuned the strings with some difficulty, then she turned one wooden peg and with a snap, it fell off!


    Some unknown yellow powdery substances fell out from inside. Li Mingwei leaned in, originally wanting to stuff the peg back in, but she caught sight of a still wriggling cocoon.


    "Ah!"


    Goosebumps rose all over her body and she let out a scream. She flung the zither aside and retreated backward. Liu Yizhu had been standing to her left rear. He reached out to catch her as she fell back.


    "What''s the matter?"


    Li Mingwei grabbed Liu Yizhu''s hand tightly, shivering as she said: "There was a bug."


    Old Lady Wang could no longer remain seated steadily. She had half believed and half doubted the rumors of this woman making advances on her son earlier. Yet now, right in front of her face, this shameless woman still dared to throw herself into her son''s arms. Was she tired of living?


    She strode over in two quick steps and separated the two. Livid, she scolded: "What about bugs? Haven''t you seen bugs before growing up this big?"


    "Move aside. Where''s the bug? Let me deal with it!"


    Still shaken up, Li Mingwei cautiously kept her distance from the zither as she pointed to the hole and said there was a bug there. Old Lady Wang took a look, went to the kitchen to take a small rod, poked the bug out, then stomped on and crushed it sullenly.


    "There, it''s done."


    After seeing the squashed bug''s pulp on the floor, Li Mingwei felt a tinge of nausea.


    Old Lady Wang looked at her in puzzlement and blurted out tactlessly: "What are you vomiting for? Are you pregnant?"


    "Mother, stop speaking nonsense!"


    Liu Yizhu looked somewhat displeased at his mother. He went up to support Li Mingwei, gently patting her back while softly asking: "It''s alright now, don''t be scared."


    Li Mingwei gave a soft hmm, and turned her back so as not to look at the floor.


    Seeing her son''s pathetic state, Old Lady Wang almost spit out a mouthful of blood. As expected, she is a vixen!

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41


    Because Old Lady Wang always looked at her as if she was trying to marry above her station with her son, Li Mingwei did not initially want to teach Liu Yizhu to y the zither.


    But thinking that her grandfather often helped poor students, she did not refuse Mr. Jin''s request. Her grandfather always said that people from poor families often have talent, but it''s hard for them to be nobles. He was always willing to help whoever he could help. It would be unreasonable for her to not help when she was able to.


    However, she soon found the joy in teaching Liu Yizhu - angering Old Lady Wang to death! Hahaha!


    Old Lady Wang usually did not seem close to people and had a bad temper, but she truly cared about her son from the bottom of her heart. She could not even stand hearing others say one bad thing about him. She was afraid Li Mingwei would do something to her son. Every day during the zither lessons, she would bring a stool over to watch them, staring at them with eyes as big as rednterns, afraid Li Mingwei would take advantage of any chance to get close to Liu Yizhu if she was not paying attention.


    Li Mingwei did not want to get near Liu Yizhu at all. Just thinking about the bugs in the zither made her nauseous. She found a small teaching whip that Mr. Jin usually used and instructed Liu Yizhu from afar.


    If Liu Yizhu made a mistake or yed too slowly, she would snap the whip at him and deliberately yell loudly, "You''re so stupid!"


    After scolding Liu Yizhu, she would sneak a peek at Old Lady Wang''s face to see if she was unhappy, which made Li Mingwei happy.


    "Oh! Too slow again, stupid!"


    "Wrong, wrong!"


    "How did you ce first in the exam ying like this? Your ssmates must have let you win on purpose."


    Old Lady Wang was furious but did not dare to say much more, because Li Mingwei had deliberately chosen a piece she could y very well to show off her skills earlier, crushing Liu Yizhu badly. Now Old Lady Wang was a little afraid of offending Li Mingwei in case she refused to continue teaching her son.


    She could endure some anger, but she could not dy her son''s important endeavor.


    Seeing Old Lady Wang''s flushed old face, Li Mingwei turned her back to hide her mouth while sheughed gleefully like a sly cat who caught a mouse.


    Liu Yizhu secretly nced at her, a trace of indulgence shing through his eyes. He did not dare to look back at his mother. As the victim in the battle between the two women, he had no right to participate.


    Of course, Old Lady Wang would not just sit back and do nothing. She soon found herself a little helper for a two against one fight. How could she lose?


    Li Mingwei thought Old Lady Wang had left in anger and would note back. But not long after, Old Lady Wang came back bringing another person Li Mingwei knew well - the girl who saw her fight with the Cui Family Girl at the rouge shop and did not dare to step in. She remembered her name was Dong Qin.


    Old Lady Wang led Dong Qin in with a smiling face and introduced her to everyone, "This is the youngdy from the Dong family, Dong Qin. She heard Liu Yizhu was learning to y the zither and wanted toe watch. I''m too old to understand these things you young people do. She is close in age with Liu Yizhu so they can chat."


    She added meaningfully, "Our Dong Qin is graceful, virtuous, gentle, understanding and polite. She has not been engaged at her age, a rare good girl."


    Everything was fine until thest sentence. Li Mingwei almost rolled her eyes out of her sockets. Not being engaged did not make someone a good girl! That day on the street when Dong Qin called her a fox spirit, Li Mingwei did not see any of her polite virtues.


    Graceful and virtuous? More like ungrateful and shameless! She knew it would look bad if word got out so she did not dare to fight, yet she did not try to restrain her good friend either, leading to Li Mingwei getting punched twice.


    Dong Qin smiled at them, "I''vee uninvited. I hope I''m not intruding?"


    Li Mingwei quickly waved her hands, "No intrusion at all! What is there to intrude? Pleasee sit by me!"


    Even though Dong Qin did not hit herst time, there was still some resentment between them. Dong Qin felt a bit uneasy that Li Mingwei was so enthusiastic toward her now.


    Li Mingwei smiled, "Dong Qin, Dong Qin, just hearing your name I can tell you must understand the zither well. Come, let''s discuss the art together!"


    Dong Qin... She knew it. A wolf giving New Year blessings to a chicken could not be up to any good. She looked awkwardly at Liu Yizhu. Somewhat embarrassed, she said, "I, I don''t know how to y the zither."


    Mr. Jin could not even find a second zither in Qingshi Town. Of course she did not know how. Otherwise, Li Mingwei would not have said that.


    "You don''t know? That''s fine! Liu Yizhu here doesn''t know either. He''s also learning now. It''s simple,e listen."


    Liu Yizhu expressionlessly nced at Li Mingwei. He had not said a single word, yet she still found an opportunity to belittle him when putting down Dong Qin. Did he not make good progress these days? In her eyes, was he still counted in the group of people who did not know anything?


    Dong Qin tentatively asked, "Very Simple?"


    "Simple. Liu Yizhu is just a bit stupid. It''s been several days and he has barely grasped the basics. You will be different. Just hearing your name, I can tell you have talent and will definitely learn better than him."


    Dong Qin gnashed her teeth. She would have to be an idiot to believe Li Mingwei''s nonsense. Even someone as incredible as Liu Yizhu could not learn it well. How could she possibly do better? This fox spirit just wanted to embarrass her in front of Liu Yizhu!


    Hearing her son belittled again, especially in front of his potential match, Old Lady Wang''s face did not look pleasant either. Right now she wished she could be the folk hero Zhong Kui carrying two big axes, charging over to flip this evil spirit of a woman over!


    She took a deep breath to restrain herself. Dong Qin was still here. She must not lose her temper. She must not lose her temper! She had Dong Qin sit down, "You just walked over, you must be tired. No rush to learn anything. Wait until Liu Yizhu learns it, then slowly learn from him."


    Dong Qin understood her intention. Her little face blushing slightly as she nodded, "I''ll listen to Old Lady Wang."


    Liu Yizhu finally could not stand it, "I won''t have time to teach you."


    "Child, what nonsense..."


    "You don''t even know how. Don''t randomly promise things to others. You did not even ask me about this matter today either." Liu Yizhu said strongly. "No next time."


    Old Lady Wang was rendered speechless. She forced out a smile and held the hand of the stunned Dong Qin tofort her, "Ignore him. Let''s sit."


    Since Dong Qin had alreadye, she naturally would not leave so easily. She gave Old Lady Wang''s hand a light reassuring squeeze as well and sat down. Old Lady Wang was even more pleased with her now.


    But before Dong Qin''s bottom touched the stool, Li Mingwei stopped her, "Oh, that''s my seat. Please sit somewhere else."


    Dong Qin stood straight back up and angrily red at the stool under Li Mingwei. Sure enough that woman was targeting her!


    Li Mingwei gestured at Mr. Jin across from her and exined, "I''m going to sit thereter to y chess with Mr. Jin. Or why don''t you sit down first to y a game with Mr. Jin?"


    Mr. Jin paused his chess piece arrangements and looked up at Dong Qin, gesturing for her to go ahead. Dong Qin nced at Mr. Jin then down at the chessboard and ck and white chess pieces on the table. She...she did not know how to y chess either...


    Old Lady Wang red at Li Mingwei before quickly pulling over another stool for Dong Qin.


    But Li Mingwei ignored her. Holding the teaching whip, she circled a section on the zither sheet music and said to Liu Yizhu, "y this part ten times!"


    Liu Yizhu looked at her innocently. What had he done wrong to deserve another ten repetitions?


    Li Mingwei cockily tossed her head. You did nothing wrong. I just want to punish you. What can you do!


    Liu Yizhu resignedly nodded.


    Seeing he was obedient now, Li Mingwei sat down across from Mr. Jin, "You first, Sir."


    "Very good, very good!" Mr. Jinughed heartily as he ced down his ck chess piece. Today''s show was wonderful entertainment he could not get enough of!

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42


    Dong Qin sat next to Old Lady Wang and watched Li Mingwei and Mr. Jin y a game of chess that she did not understand. She also listened to Li Mingwei scold Liu Yizhu for being stupid and make him y the same piece ten times in a row, for a full hour or more without saying a single word to Liu Yizhu.


    When today''s lesson was over, Old Lady Wang insisted on taking Liu Yizhu to walk Dong Qin home, in order to create an opportunity for them to be alone together. Li Mingwei couldn''t be bothered to pay attention to them, so she tidied up and prepared to leave first.


    Mr. Jin stopped her, "Don''t rush off,e with me."


    Although she didn''t know what Mr. Jin wanted to do, Li Mingwei still followed him.


    The two of them went upstairs, and Mr. Jin showed her the small books he had made, then took money out of his pocket, "Six copies each of Thousand Character ssic and Analects, this is your payment."


    Li Mingwei pped her forehead, just remembering that she had forgotten all about collecting payment these past few days as she''d been so busy.


    Although sheughed and joked around with Old Lady Wang all day, she was actually very serious about teaching Liu Yizhu. Over thest few days when she went home, she had been writing out sheet music from memory for Liu Yizhu, since she had promised to teach him well.


    She weighed the money in her hand and put it in her pocket, then invited again, "Are you really noting over for New Year''s? Beef is hard to buy, who knows when we''ll have it again."


    Mr. Jin still refused, "I won''t go. Yizhu and his mothere to apany me every year, I can''t abandon them just because I''m craving some beef. You can eat extra for me."


    "That''s true, it would seem ungrateful for the master to do that. In that case, I''ll tell Old Brother Su to send some over to youter. Remember to tell Granny Wang it''s from you, or she won''t be able to eat any of the reunion dinner."


    "You little rascal, I know you''re hoping she can''t eat any!"


    "Me, that petty?"


    "Of course, look at how you two have been thesest couple days." Suddenly, Mr. Jin sat up straight with a serious expression and asked, "Do you truly not care for Yizhu at all? I saw you weren''t too happy to see that Dong Qin girl today either."


    "You''re imagining things. I don''t like her not because of Liu Yizhu, but because she insulted me earlier - she''s buddies with that Cui Family Girl I fought with!"


    "And you still deny it!"


    Mr. Jin had been wanting to scold her for a while now and kept putting it off until he nearly forgot. He pped the table, "The children call you Little Master Li, that makes you half a master, you ought to set an example. Getting into fights outside, what will their parents think of you?"


    "Master..." Li Mingwei pouted grievously and cried out, "They insulted me first, and hit me first too. I was just defending myself!"


    "No excuses, fighting is wrong!"


    "So you''d just let them beat me to death? No more beef for you, Master doesn''t care for me one bit, always taking other people''s side!"


    Li Mingwei harrumphed loudly, stamped her foot, and ran off.


    Mr. Jin called after her to no avail. He could only pinch the bridge of his nose helplessly - children and their sense of justice are difficult to deal with, such a headache.


    Seeing Mr. Jin lead Li Mingwei away, Liu Yizhu stopped pulling against his mother and directly turned to go home. Old Lady Wang had no choice but to escort Dong Qin back herself.


    After sending Dong Qin back, she pushed open her son''s door to see him still looking at the sheet music Li Mingwei had given him. Anger rose in her heart.


    She snatched the sheet music away, "I see you''ve been obsessed with your music lessons these days, all you think about is that Mingwei. What''s wrong with Little Qin? She''s so pretty and from a rich family, if you married her our family wouldn''t have to struggle so hard."


    Liu Yizhu ignored her words. He grabbed the sheet music back from her hand, smoothed out the creases, and carefully put it back in the drawer.


    "Mother, don''t touch my things in the future. And about today, you didn''t even discuss it with me before bringing someone over directly, it made everyone unhappy."


    Old Lady Wang red, "Unhappy? I''ve been unhappy thest few days, but you didn''t notice right? Now that she''s unhappy you suddenly have eyes? I wanted her to be unhappy, I wanted her to know what kind of daughter-inw I want, she doesn''t measure up at all!"


    "The kind of daughter-inw you want..." Liu Yizhu''s words carried some sarcasm, "Mother, you want an illiterate daughter-inw who can''t y music or chess?"


    "I don''t care if she can do those things!" Old Lady Wang waved her hand dismissively to cut him off, "I only need her to bear grandchildren and continue the Liu family line, so I can close my eyes in peace and have the face to meet your father!"


    Liu Yizhu...


    He pulled at the corner of his mouth dispiritedly and sat back down, staring out the window at the swirling snow and feeling as cold inside as the ice and snow outside.


    Suddenly, he sighed, "Do as you please."


    The joy came so suddenly that Old Lady Wang almost couldn''t believe it. Sheughed, "You agree?"


    Liu Yizhu looked back to meet her eyes, "Mother, I know she doesn''t like me, so why do you keep targeting her?"


    Old Lady Wang''s smile disappeared, her face wooden. At first she had believed some rumors and thought Mingwei was clinging to her son, but after observing their interactions these days, it was clear as a mirror - the girl did not like her son.


    But wasn''t she targeting her own son if she didn''t target Mingwei?


    She had to admit, even divorced, Mingwei was still an outstanding girl - aplished and educated. But she just couldn''t ept it. If the Liu family line ended with her, how could she face the Liu ancestors a hundred yearster?


    She advised gently, "Son, since she doesn''t like you, don''t pester her anymore. There are so many nice girls in town, if you don''t like them we can go to the county town next year to look. No matter how much the bride price is, Mother will figure it out for you, so why cling stubbornly to her?"


    "No need, Mother. I don''t want to marry for now."


    He didn''t even know why he kept clinging when Mingwei had rejected him so clearly.


    Though he didn''t know if he could wait until Mingwei saw him one day, marrying someone else just to have children when his heart belonged to another was unfair to both him and her. He couldn''t do it.


    Old Lady Wang said nothing, but took in the unwillingness in his eyes. No, she had to think of something to make her son give up.


    Looking at her husband''s memorial tablet in the room, she quickly had an idea. But not now - she had to wait until Mingwei finished teaching her son music.


    The new year was approaching, and Li Mingwei didn''t have much time to spend on Liu Yizhu. Shepiled a basic sheet music book for him and found a time to give it to him.


    "Practice following this for now. Come ask me if you have any questions. I probably can''te watch you practice every day for a while."


    "You..." Liu Yizhu''s heart leapt thinking of the earlier matter, "Is it because of what happened with Dong Qin, you''re unhappy?"


    "No ah."


    What did she have to be unhappy about, she didn''t lose or anything.


    Hiding his disappointed look, Liu Yizhu asked solemnly, "Then why are you suddenly unwilling to teach me?"


    "Older brother, it''s almost New Year''s. My family still has a lot to prepare, I can''t keep watching you. I''m going back, just keep practicing."


    Remembering that Li Mingwei was staying with her cousin''s family, Liu Yizhu reluctantly believed this reason. Those relying on others had to be more considerate.

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43


    Li Mingwei also didn''t have any more burden after finishing thest thing. She looked at the warm sunshine in the sky and jogged home.


    "Sis, the weather is so nice today. Let''s go out for a walk. The New Year ising soon. If there is anything we haven''t prepared at home, let''s go buy it together."


    "That''s great!" Wang Chunhua took off her apron and tidied up her clothes, "Let''s go take a look. I see the couplets have been put up by the neighbors across the way and they look so festive. We should also go get a pair to put up."


    "Okay, what else?"


    Dong Lei threw down his pen and hugged Li Mingwei''s legs anxiously, "And snacks! We need snacks for the New Year!"


    "Okay, auntie will buy them for you."


    Dong Lei smiled triumphantly, "Auntie is the best!"


    Wang Chunhua didn''t refuse either. There would still be some guestsing over during the New Year. It wouldn''t look good if there were no snacks or tidbits at home for the guests.


    "Besides snacks, we can also buy some peanuts, melon seeds, candies and such. They may bring kids when theye. Kids love sweets."


    "Alright."


    Li Mingwei made a note of everything, "Anything else? Do we have enough food at home if peoplee over?"


    "Don''t worry about the dishes. We can just buy them when peoplee. It''s not far anyway."


    "What about New Year''s Day? We are having beef for dinner, what about lunch?"


    Wang Chunhua poked her little nose, "Let me see who is so greedy here. Would your sister shortchange you? Isn''t your brother-inw going fishing on the ice river?"


    "If he has a good catch, we will have fish for lunch. If not, sister will ughter a chicken for you."


    Speaking of chickens, Wang Chunhua ran to the yard and took a look. She pointed to the chicken coop, "When you are getting the couplets, remember to remind me to have my husband write a ''prosperous poultry'' couplet to post on it."


    Li Mingwei nodded, "Got it. I''ve noted everything down. Let''s go."


    Hmm, wait. What did her sister just say? A husband?


    "Where are we getting the couplets?"


    Wang Chunhua immediately guessed what she was thinking. She exined, "Not Mr. Jin, but Mr. Liu from North Street. He also studied in the county for a few years when he was young. His handwriting is pretty good. People in town all go to him for couplets every year."


    Li Mingwei understood then. It was just like how people woulde to her grandfather to ask for couplets every year, except her grandfather didn''t charge money.


    "Why don''t we go to Mr. Jin then? Mr. Jin can charge me money too."


    About this, Wang Chunhua exined in a low voice, "Although Mr. Jin is knowledgeable and his writing is decent too, but his parents passed away early and he has always been alone..."


    "Mr. Liu is different. He is in his sixties now with four generations living under one roof. His children and grandchildren are also filial. With so many children running around, everyone wants an auspicious omen for the New Year."


    Li Mingwei pouted. She felt sorry for Mr. Jin. Things like this were difficult to talk about.


    "Alright, alright. Let''s go."


    Wang Chunhua urged her and the two went out together.


    They first went to North Street to look for Mr. Liu. There were already quite a few people queuing up for couplets. It was noisy and lively outside Mr. Liu''s home, just like a marketce.


    Wang Chunhua led her to the end of the line. Li Mingwei peeked through the crowd and looked at Mr. Liu who was standing at the desk, wielding arge brush to write couplets for everyone.


    Although Mr. Liu''s hair was white, his face glowed. He looked rather benevolent. He wore festive dark red today with dark gold embroidered blessings.


    He smiled at everyone who came forward, carefully asking about their wishes for theing year, pondering and then writing corresponding couplets. As usual, he would read them out loud for people to hear.


    His family was skilled in this. Some prepared the ink, some cut the red paper, some were responsible for delivering. Everything was coordinated efficiently and the queue moved quickly.


    Soon it was their turn. Mr. Liu smiled and asked, "What are your wishes?"


    Wang Chunhua said, "My child started school this year. I hope he can do even better in his studies next year."


    Mr. Liu nodded understandingly, "Very good, studying is important."


    He picked up his brush. Someone beside him immediately smoothed out the red paper for him. He wrote two lines - "Vast knowledge within books, great writing enlightens the world" for the upper couplet, and "Reading extensively breaks through tens of thousands of volumes, writing transcends the talents" for the lower couplet. As usual, he read them out loud.


    Li Mingwei was speechless. The writing was mediocre. It only mentioned studying and nothing else.


    But Wang Chunhua thought it was good. She didn''t say anything since it was done right in front of Mr. Liu. She only reminded Wang Chunhua, "Sister, prosperous poultry."


    Without Wang Chunhua saying anything, the one passing the red paper had already prepared a square red paper upon hearing that. He smoothed it out for Mr. Liu.


    Soon after the two couplets were written, they were squeezed out of the queue. Only then did Li Mingwei say, "Sister, your couplet only wished for Lei''er. There was nothing else."


    Wang Chunhua didn''t care. "It doesn''t matter. As long as Lei''er does well, I''m happy. You schrs overthink. Not many people can understand these couplets posted by the door anyway. It''s just for good fortune. What truly matters is your own heart."


    Since she put it that way, Li Mingwei couldn''t say anything more. She reluctantly epted it. Mr. Liu''s literary talent was mediocre but his handwriting was still decent after all.


    With the couplets in hand, the two walked down the street and bought everything they had nned to get, carryingrge and small bags home.


    Not long after, Dong Shan came back covered in icy kes, carrying two big fish, "My catch today is pretty good!"


    Wang Chunhua took the fish and weighed them in her hands, "Not just pretty good. These two fish must be over ten jin. With all that beef my sister bought too, how can we finish everything?"


    Dong Shan boasted, "If we can''t finish, we can freeze them in the snow and eat slowly. I worked really hard for these two fish today. Look at me!"


    "Hurry and clean the fish with you looking like this. I''ll boil water for you to wash up properlyter. Don''t catch a cold."


    Dong Shan thumped his chest, "My body is not afraid of anything!"


    Wang Chunhua directly kicked him and asked if he was afraid or not. Dong Shan immediately cowered.


    Li Mingwei and Dong Lei hugged Xiao Yan''er andughed loudly at the side.


    On New Year''s Day, Wang Chunhua got up early to start preparing the meals. After lunch, she cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks and washed the beef bones before putting them in the pot to stew.


    Li Mingwei sliced the beef that Su Boss had sent over piece by piece and arranged them on a te.


    Today Dong Lei didn''t need to write or study. His mouth was full of candy as he watched worriedly beside the stove at Li Mingwei who wasn''t very skilled, "Auntie, be careful."


    Wang Chunhua came back from outside. As she lifted the pot lid, hot steam and fragrance burst out at once. After the smoke dispersed, she stirred the pot, "Mm, it''s white and smells so good!"


    Dong Shan lit up the stove in the middle of the table. He called out to the kitchen. Wang Chunhua immediately brought out the beef bone soup she haddled into a small pot and put it on the stove. The fire slowly brought the soup to a boil.


    Li Mingwei brought out the sliced beef and Dong Shan praised, "Not bad, little sister. You''ve arranged them like flowers."


    He picked up a slice and couldn''t wait to throw it into the pot. Wang Chunhua smacked his hand, "You''re so impatient. There are still dishes to bring out."


    Everyone went to the kitchen together to carry out the rest of the dishes and arranged them nicely before sitting down in their seats. Dong Shan took out the wine Li Mingwei had gifted him and generously poured everyone a big ss.


    "Let''s eat and drink happily today to celebrate New Year!"


    "Cheers!"


    Dong Lei couldn''t drink but still wanted to join in the fun. He held up his bowl of bone soup, yelling "Woohoo" as he wanted to clink sses with them.


    Li Mingwei gently clinked his bowl, "I wish little Lei''er progresses further in his studies, sister and brother-inw live happily, and the whole family stays safe and healthy."


    "Great. You too, stay happy and healthy!"

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44


    After three rounds of drinking, Li Mingwei''s cheeks were also flushed. She propped up her somewhat dizzy head and pinched Dong Lei''s round little face as he ate the meat voraciously without stopping.


    "Eat slower, no one is going to snatch it from you."


    With his mouth full, Dong Lei didn''t speak, just looked up at her with a smile on his little face.


    Wang Chunhua cooked some meat slices and put them in her bowl, "What are you dazing off for? Eat some more, the night is still long. Later this naughty kid will eat everything up and there won''t be any left."


    Dong Shan smiled as he picked up a slice of meat and brought it to his little daughter''s mouth, "Our little Yan''er should eat too."


    "Cut smaller pieces for her. The slices Sister Li cut are too big, how can she fit them in her mouth?"


    "Alright."


    There was no tradition of staying up all night in Qingshi Town, because it was already cold, and even chillier at night. How could anyone endure staying up the whole night? Everyone waited until midnight when the firecrackers weing the new year were set off, then they could go to sleep.


    As soon as the time came, crackling sounds rang out from all directions. Dong Shan had already prepared and lit the firecrackers in the yard, then rushed back into the house.


    The deafening sounds exploded in her ears. Li Mingwei didn''t have time to react before covering Dong Lei''s ears. Wang Chunhua also hurried to shield her little daughter. Dong Shan ran back in and closed the door. They reopened it after the sounds outside subsided.


    "Alright, alright, let''s clean up and then we can sleep."


    "Okay, you go boil some hot water. I''ll pick up the bowls and chopsticks."


    Wang Chunhua declined Li Mingwei''s offer to help, because she really didn''t look sober at the moment.


    Li Mingwei leaned against the door and slid down to sit on the threshold. She was still a little dizzy. She was used to fruit wine, so the wine here was still too strong for her. But tonight she was indeed a little happy, so she had drank a few more cups.


    She knocked her head, "Ah, headache."


    Hearing her voice, Wang Chunhua poured her a cup of hot water from the kitchen and sat down beside her, "Drink some water. You shouldn''t have drank so much if you can''t handle it."


    "But I was happy."


    "I don''t see you looking very happy."


    Li Mingwei smiled awkwardly, her gaze falling onto the ring red paper debris left on the ground after the firecrackers exploded, contrasting sharply against the white snow. Her eyes hurt a little.


    Wang Chunhua gently stroked her back, seeing her slightly reddened eyes, she couldn''t help sighing softly.


    "Feeling upset?"


    "No, just missing home a bit."


    "Where is your home?"


    "My home is in the capital, very very far from here."


    "That''s quite far."


    Having assumed she was homeless and fallen into misfortune, which was why she had wandered here, Wang Chunhua was a bit puzzled, "If you have a home, why did you leave with Liu Yizhu instead of going back?"


    Li Mingwei''s eyes misted over. She lowered her head and buried it in her knees. After a long while, she choked out, "Because I did something wrong."


    She recounted the whole story, "Ever since I was little, I was quite an obedient child, willing to go along with whatever my mother arranged, except for him. No one in the family agreed to me marrying him, but I insisted on it anyway."


    Even knowing he was ambitious, even knowing his feelings were mixed with other things, but marriages were all like that in a ce like the capital, at least she felt he truly cared for her in his heart.


    But she had overestimated herself.


    "That was the only time I made my own choice. I married him so resolutely, but he betrayed me behind my back and had a child with another woman. The most absurd thing is, it was my mother who found out and told me about it."


    The first thing her mother said was, I told you not to marry him, but you insisted on it anyway. Go take a look yourself what kind of person you chose.


    "I really don''t know how to face them when I go back."


    Especially her grandfather. He could have used that imperial edict for more meaningful things, yet he wasted it on her childish love. She truly had no face to see him.


    Wang Chunhua hugged her and stroked her head sympathetically. She understood those feelings to some extent.


    When she first met Dong Shan years ago, his father had already passed away. Theirnd had all been sold. He was left alone, living in this old house, still working as a risky hunter.


    Although the Wang family was not wealthy in the vige, they still had a few acres ofnd. They were adamantly against marrying their daughter into the Dong family, afraid she would starve to death since the Dongs didn''t even havend left.


    Fortunately, Dong Shan did not disappoint her. He had always treated her well. Although life after marriage was poorer, supporting each other, they had slowly arrived where they were today.


    She understood Li Mingwei''s resolute devotion. Just thinking about it, she could feel her helplessness. She pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes, hugging the crying girl tightly in her arms.


    On this cold yet lively winter night, she gave her as much warmth as she could.


    Liu Yizhu settled the drunk Mr. Jin and leaned against a pir outside the room. Lifting his head to look at the endless dark night sky, a feeling of mncholy rose in his heart for some reason.


    He touched his chest and murmured, "What''s this about?"


    Old Woman Wang finished washing the bowls and lit up antern. She came to his side, "Has Mr. Jin fallen asleep?"


    "Yes, he''s asleep."


    "Then let''s go back."


    "Alright."


    Liu Yizhu took thentern from her and supported her arm. Guided by the dim light, he slowly walked along, assisting her.


    Li Mingwei did not sleep all night. There was a tradition of staying up in her family, so she didn''t want to sleep, nor could she sleep. Wrapped in her quilt with eyes wide open until dawn.


    In the half year since she ran away, it seemed she had done so many things, yet also nothing. Her heart was lost in confusion, not knowing which direction her future should take.


    Perhaps because she had slept tootest night, when she got up, there was still no movement from Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan''s room. She swept the snow in the yard, took the New Year''s gift prepared for Mr. Jin, and headed to the academy.


    Mr. Jin was old with poor sleep. He must be awake by now.


    But she miscalcted again. Mr. Jin, who had gotten dead drunkst night, was still lying in bed snoring. Only Liu Yizhu, who was worried about Mr. Jin and hade early to check on him, met her gaze to gaze.


    "Mr. Jin?"


    "Still sleeping."


    Oh, Li Mingwei took the gift upstairs, nning to leave it on his desk.


    Liu Yizhu didn''t sweep the snow either. He put down the broom and followed behind her, "What happened to your eyes?"


    "My eyes?" Without a bronze mirror, Li Mingwei couldn''t see. She could only touch them, seeming to feel some slight swelling, "Maybe I didn''t sleep wellst night."


    Liu Yizhu reached out and stroked the corners of her eyes,pletely incredulous, "This is from not sleeping well? They''re so red and swollen."


    It looked clearly like she had been crying.


    "I just didn''t sleep well."


    Li Mingwei avoided his hand and turned around, putting down the gift and changing the subject, "How has your qin practice been these days?"


    "Not bad. The sheet music you gave me is quite simple."


    They were all songs suitable for beginners like him, not tooplicated at all. After practicing them repeatedly, they were easy to master.


    "That''s good then."


    "The qin isn''t hard. Butst time you said my calligraphycked a bit of ir, so I went back to the academy to ask some teachers for advice and practiced. Take another look?"


    Seeing her nod, Liu Yizhu immediately went to the desk, spread out paper and ink, ground some ink, and wielded the brush.


    He blew on the ink and smiled, eyes full of anticipation, "What do you think, does it have some ir now?"


    May I be like the stars, and you the moon, flowing light illuminating each other every night.


    Li Mingwei was speechless. She had thought he was serious about letting her look at his calligraphy, but instead he came up with this.


    She said angrily, "None at all!"

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45


    Mingwei Li really hated Yizhu Liu. Every day, he would only tease her for fun. She pped the paper on him, turned around and left: "Go read more books and practice the piano more, instead of always messing with these useless things."


    "Don''t..."


    Yizhu Liu was anxious, so he directly pulled her back from behind. Mingwei Li''s body stiffened instantly and bounced up. She turned back and pushed him away, keeping a distance from him: "What are you doing!"


    "No matter what I do, why don''t you like it? You don''t even want to talk to me when I try to have a few words with you."


    Yizhu Liu told about his own helplessness, slowly walked up, and held Mingwei Li''s hand: "What exactly is wrong with me that makes you dislike me so much? At least give me a chance to change."


    Mingwei Li shook off his hand. Her small face wrinkled into a ball as she shook her head: "There is nothing wrong with you, we just really don''t match."


    "How do we not match?"


    "I..." Mingwei Li was a little helpless. She turned her head to one side, not knowing how to tell him about this problem.


    Seeing that she was a little embarrassed, Yizhu Liu took two steps back to let her sit on the chair. He took out the music score that she had personally written for her and ced it in front of her. He flipped to his favorite page.


    Mingwei Li saw the words on it and was slightly embarrassed. Teacher Jin must have seen it when making the booklet. How could he have not picked it out for her!


    She awkwardlyughed: "I just casually wrote when I was practicing writing. I just casually wrote."


    Yizhu Liu chuckled lightly: "When you practice writing, are you always thinking of me?"


    Mingwei Li ufortably turned her head away, pointing to the word after his name, and firmly said: "You can''t even see thest word at all? I wasn''t thinking of you, but thinking of how stupid you are."


    "I''ve never seen anyone as stupid as you when ites to learning the piano. So I had this feeling at that moment."


    Um!


    Mingwei Li nodded affirmatively. That''s how it was, it must be so.


    Yizhu Liu pretended to cater to her, but was secretly happy in his heart: "Oh, that''s how it is. I must be really stupid then."


    To be able to let you scold me over and over again, I must be stupid to the bone.


    Mingwei Li couldn''t stand his gaze. She quickly stood up and angrily said, "I''m going back now!"


    Yizhu Liu grabbed her and drew her into his arms. He rested his chin on the top of her head and gently called out, "Mingwei~"


    "Really, please give me a chance okay? If you are dissatisfied about anything, tell me, and I will try to resolve it. But don''t keep rejecting me like this."


    Resolve! How to resolve? Mingwei Li''s mind gradually became clear. Some problems cannot be resolved. She fiercely stomped on Yizhu Liu''s foot and ran away.


    "Pervert! I don''t want to see you again!"


    Yizhu Liu yelped in pain. He tumbled and sat on the chair behind him. This little girl was quite vicious. He rubbed his aching toes, but his mouth was full of sweet smiles.


    "Jerk, bastard, turtle egg!"


    Mingwei Li kept cursing Yizhu Liu in her mouth as she jogged back to the Dong family.


    When Chunhua Wang got up, she saw that the yard had already been swept, so she knew Mingwei Li was already awake. But there was no one in the room. She even went out and took another look around. At this moment, Mingwei Li came back, so she hurriedly went up to ask.


    "You girl, didn''t even say a word before going out. What were you doing so early in the morning?"


    Mingwei Li mumbled, "I went to give New Year greetings to Teacher Jin. I prepared a gift for him too. I took the chance to deliver it."


    Chunhua Wang looked at her, always keeping her head low, feeling strange. She stretched out her hand to lift up her head and saw that her small face was flushed red, and her breath was also a little unstable. Sheughed and said, "What''s the matter? You ran so fast that you''re panting? Did you agitate Granny Lin''s dogs and got chased? I told you not to mess with them randomly."


    Mingwei Li touched her hot cheeks, feeling a bit embarrassed. She didn''t agitate any dogs, but a dog pulled her close instead.


    Chunhua Wang didn''t think too much about it. Seeing that her eyes were also red and swollen, she felt so distressed. What Mingwei Li had told her yesterday was also considered confiding to her. She now felt even closer to her.


    "Your eyes are also red. Go back to sleep for a while. Sister will cook and call you when it¡¯s done."


    "Okay."


    Mingwei Li obediently returned to the room. She picked up the copper mirror and gently stroked her still slightly flushed cheeks. How annoying. If he dares to hug her again next time, she¡¯ll have Lord Tang banish him to the north to mine as well!


    When Chunhua Wang finished cooking breakfast and came over to call her, she saw that Mingwei Li was sleeping soundly, so she hesitated and didn''t disturb her. Since she could still sleep, she probably wasn''t too hungry either.


    She returned to the table. Dong Shan handed her the freshly scooped porridge: "Where''s my sister?"


    "Let her sleep a little longer. I guess she didn''t sleep wellst night. Her eyes were so red, like a rabbit''s."


    "Alright, let¡¯s eat first then."


    After eating, Chunhua Wang kept Mingwei Li¡¯s portion warm in the pot and went back to the room to pack things up. Tomorrow was the second day of the lunar new year. ording to custom, she would be returning to her natal home.


    Since she was only staying for one night, there weren¡¯t many clothes to pack. She mainly needed to pack the new year gifts she had bought for her family and some other odds and ends.


    Chunhua Wang hesitated, "Should we bring my sister along?"


    "Let''s not bring her. If you take her back, how will you exin to the vigers?" Dong Shan said, "Elder brother and sister-inw told us earlier to just tell our family for now."


    "What''s so hard to exin? Just say she''s my sworn sister who came along to y for a couple of days." Seeing that Dong Shan wouldn''t agree, Chunhua Wang continued lobbying, "If you leave her alone at home, she wouldn''t know how to cook either. Wouldn''t she starve then?"


    "She has money, how can she starve? There are still restaurants in town."


    Chunhua Wang didn''t say another word.


    Dong Shan had no choice but to voice his concerns: "The snow still hasn''t melted. Going to your hometown will be through mountain roads. I''ll have to carry Little Lei and the gifts while you watch Little Yan. What about her? It''s a two hour plus journey. Can she make it walking?"


    "Minor bumps and scrapes are fine, but if her feet slip and she tumbles down the mountain, then things would go badly."


    Of course Chunhua Wang knew about all these concerns he mentioned. But leaving Mingwei Li alone at home still made her feel uneasy no matter what.


    Dong Shan took her hand and advised: "If you really want to take her back home to y, wait until the spring nting season when the snow has melted. I can then push the cart up and give her rides if she can''t walk anymore."


    "I''m not saying to take her back for fun. What is there fun to do in our vige right now, other than snow?"


    Chunhua Wang exined: "I''m worried about those boys¡ªWu Dong was captured but those other boys also know my sister still has that gold hairpin. I''m afraid they''ll try something bad when they see us leaving."


    The key thing was, several times earlier, she saw those boys loitering suspiciously outside their home. When she went out to check, they would immediately run away. No matter what, she just couldn''t put her mind at ease about this.


    "They know very well that we return home every year around this time. The only thing to fear is if my sister can''t handle it alone when something unexpected happens, and ends up suffering a loss again."


    Dong Shan had almost forgotten about the gold hairpin. Now that his wife mentioned it, he became worried again. That gold hairpin had so many pearls on it that looked really valuable. Those rascally boys had seen it before, so they must''ve kept thinking about it.

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46


    Li Mingwei woke up groggy from her sleep. As soon as she stepped out of the room, she received a call from Wang Chunhua, asking her to go back with them to Xinghua Vige.


    "Me? What am I going there for?"


    "You can''t do much staying home. Come back with us and take a look. Everyone knows you''re my cousin. Your mother came from Xinghua Vige. It wouldn''t look right if you don''t go back there during the New Year," Wang Chunhua reasoned.


    What Wang Chunhua said made sense. Li Mingwei hurriedly prepared gifts for the Wang family. It was her first time visiting them, so she couldn''t show up empty-handed.


    The next day at dawn, Dong Shan saw the pile of New Year gifts in the yard and fell silent. This was too much, how could he ept all this?


    He looked sternly at Dong Lei, "Lei, you''re grown up now. You should be able to walk back by yourself this year."


    Dong Lei was thrilled. He raised his little hand, "I can!"


    "Good, our Lei has really grown up and be sensible," Dong Shan pushed him towards Li Mingwei and instructed, "Auntie isn''t used to walking the mountain roads. You have to protect her well, understand?"


    "I understand!" Dong Lei patted his chest proudly. He was a big boy now!


    Wang Chunhua didn''t care that he was tricking a child. She went to Li Mingwei and whispered, "Did you bring your valuables? Once we leave, there''ll be no one home. It''d be bad if thieves got in."


    "Mm, I know. I brought them," Li Mingwei replied.


    She had already been remindedst night, so she had packed everything early this morning. She didn''t forget the silver and gold hairpins. As for everything else, even clever thieves wouldn''t be able to find them.


    When Dong Shan overheard their conversation, he circled around the house and picked the easiest ce to climb over the wall. He jumped in and threw his hunting traps where hended, satisfied to pack the new year gifts into his carrying basket before leading the women out.


    At first, Dong Lei held Li Mingwei''s hand happily as they walked. But after climbing a hill outside of town, the little boy couldn''t go on. The two fell far behind the rest.


    Dong Shan, who was scouting ahead, had to stop and secure the basket on his back before carrying away Dong Lei, who clung stubbornly to Li Mingwei''s clothes. Li Mingwei breathed a sigh of relief. Her stamina wasn''t great to begin with. Dragging Dong Lei made it even harder for her to walk.


    Since there were two people slowing them down, their journey today was full of stops and dys, costing them a lot of time. The Wang family waited and waited but no one arrived, so they set out along the road to find them.


    Worried that something might have happened to them on the way, it was the Wang''s three strong young men who came looking¨DWang Dazhuang and his two younger brothers, Wang Erzhuang and Wang Sanzhuang.


    They soon spotted the few resting by the roadside up ahead. The brothers rushed forward.


    "Big sister, brother-inw!"


    "Big sister, brother-inw!"


    Hearing their voices, Wang Chunhua immediately stood up and waved to them. "Big brother, second brother, third brother!"


    Their saviors had arrived!


    As the youngest, Wang Sanzhuang reached them first. He supported his sister and took the child from her back onto his own. "Sis, we''ve been waiting for you guys at home for half a day already. Why are you sote today?"


    Wang Chunhua looked helplessly at her limp son and cousin. She didn''t want to bete either, but these two couldn''t walk any further.


    Wang Dazhuang saw Li Mingwei sitting weakly on the ground, drenched in sweat and flushed. Surprised, he said, "Sister Mingwei, you, what are you doing here? This road isn''t easy to travel."


    Li Mingwei managed a smile at him but couldn''t get a word out. She was exhausted and parched.


    Although Wang Erzhuang and Wang Sanzhuang heard their brother address her so intimately, they didn''t dare help her up since they were men.


    In the end, it was still Wang Chunhua who supported Li Mingwei as they set off again. Wang Dazhuang carried Dong Lei on his back while Wang Erzhuang took the basket.


    The Wang brothers'' wives reheated the dishes again and again. Finally, little Gang came bounding back from the vige entrance to announce loudly, "They''re here, they''re here, they''re at the vige entrance!"


    "Good, good, good." Wang father''s suspended heart finally settled. He looked to Wang mother beside him, "Set the table, time to eat. They must be starving."


    Wang mother didn''t need to be told. She and her three daughters-inw and older grandchildren together brought out the dishes and waited in the yard.


    Little Gang sidled up to his grandfather, "Grandpa, Auntie also brought a young auntie back."


    "Huh?" Wang father was confused. He only had one daughter, what other young auntie was there?


    "The young auntie is so pretty, just a little thin. I saw Auntie supporting her because she could barely walk."


    Wang''s eldest daughter-inw understood. She pped her thigh, "It must be Sister Mingwei. No wonder they''re sote today."


    She got up to head outside, "Father, Mother, I''ll go take a look. Sister Mingwei is gentle and quiet. How could she make it over these mountains?"


    Wang father and Wang mother exchanged a nce. They had heard about this from their eldest son, but why on earth was she brought back home? Did he really take in this girl?


    They quickly rushed to the doorway to look outside.


    Wang''s eldest daughter-inw and Wang Chunhua supported Li Mingwei from both sides as they approached. Wang Chunhua greeted her parents, "Father, Mother, why are you standing in the doorway? Come inside!"


    Li Mingwei forced a smile and also greeted them, "Uncle, Auntie."


    "Oh, hurry in, hurry in. Lunch is ready, we''ve just been waiting for you all. You must be starving," they fussed.


    While Wang Chunhua spoke with her inws, Wang''s eldest daughter-inw helped Li Mingwei over to a stool by herself. Seeing the sweat on her head, she rubbed her cold hands and reached under her clothes to feel¨Dthey were soaked through.


    "This won''t do. You''ll get sick if you don''t change out of these wet clothes." She turned and called for her sister-inw, "Sister-inw,e help me bring Sister Mingwei to my room. I''ll get some hot water to wipe her down. She has to change out of these damp clothes."


    "Alright."


    Wang''s second daughter-inw supported Li Mingwei into the room and sat her down by the dressing table. Exhausted, Li Mingwei slumped over the table, unable to even move her legs. She also felt a bit nauseous.


    Seeing how poor herplexion was, Wang''s second daughter-inw patted her back and asked with concern, "Sister, are you alright?"


    Li Mingwei looked at her pitifully. Wang''s second daughter-inw''s heart softened and she spoke even more gently, "Rest for now. Eldest sister-inw went to get water. Let''s change your clothes."


    Of the three sisters-inw, Wang''s third wife was the thinnest. Hearing her eldest sister-inw''s instructions, she brought in one of her nicest undergarments. Together, the three women removed Li Mingwei''s clothes, wiped down her sweat, and changed her into clean dry ones.


    Exhausted, Li Mingwei was powerless to resist and could only allow them to manipte her limp body like a wooden puppet.


    Seeing her fair skin as they changed her, Wang''s second daughter-inw touched it lightly and clicked her tongue, "So soft."


    If she had skin this supple, who knew how much her husband would cherish her.

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47


    Li Mingwei was extremely tired and did not have much of an appetite. She drank a few sips of water and then rested. Dong Lei was the same. The two slept in Wang Chunhua''s room where she had not yet married.


    When she woke up, it was already dusk. Pushing open the door weakly, the colorful clouds on the horizon immediately caught her attention. She stood there nkly for a long time without realizing that several children were sitting on the steps in front of her.


    "Big brother, what is auntie looking at?" Little Gang had a de of grass in his mouth and shook his head, "I don''t know, the sky?"


    "What''s there to look at in the sky?" It''s always the same every day.


    After a while, Little Gang''s patience also ran out. He couldn''t help but say, "Auntie, aren''t you hungry?"


    "Ah?" Li Mingwei looked around for the voice and only then realized that there was a group of children sitting on the ground in front of her from tallest to shortest. She was stunned, "Have you guys been here the whole time?"


    "Yes!" Little Gang stood up, "My mom told me to keep an eye on you and call her when you wake up so she can heat up food for you to eat."


    "Your mom is...?"


    "My mom is the one who helped carry you back."


    That was Wang Dashi''s son. Li Mingwei remembered he was called, "Little Gang?"


    Little Gang scratched his head shyly, "Yes, Auntie has heard of me before."


    Li Mingwei smiled, "I''ve heard your Aunt mention you several times."


    Aunt? Little Gang''s smile disappeared instantly. I hope Aunt didn''t say anything bad about him. Aunt and Mother were in cahoots. At lunch just now, Mother had ratted him out to Aunt, saying that he was naughty and asked Aunt to help discipline him.


    "I''ll go get my mom." Little Gang slipped away as fast as he could.


    In the winter, the several adults in the Wang family gathered together to chat. Wang Chunhua briefly introduced Li Mingwei''s background, then sang her praises.


    Wang''s Father knocked on his tobo pipe to shake off some ash. He said dubiously, "Is this girl really that capable?"


    "Of course! Would I lie to you?" Seeing her father''s face, Wang Chunhua said with some pride, "At least she can tutor Dong Lei. You and Dashi are illiterate and can''t help Dong Lei at all."


    The grandson is also a grandson. If Dong Lei could be a sessful schr, the Wang family would also gain some fame by association.


    She looked towards her son and daughters-inw, "Just listen to what Chunhua says. When you''re outside, just say she knows a capable girl."


    "Yes, Mother."


    Seeing that they had all agreed, Wang''s Mother doted on her granddaughter in her arms and said meaningfully, "Girls from outside are different. Our family doesn''t even have one boy who has studied."


    Wang''s Father puffed on his tobo pipe without speaking. Who doesn''t want sessful descendants? The family simply doesn''t have the means.


    Xinghua Vige only has fifty to sixty households. It''s in a mountain valley. What kind of teacher is willing toe to this kind of ce to teach? The nearest schoolhouse is in Qingshi Town. Round trip is a full day. How can you study properly?


    An awkward silence descended. Little Gang ran in, "Mom, auntie is awake."


    "Where is Lei?"


    "I don''t know. Haven''t seen hime out."


    "Alright, go apany your auntie. I''ll go heat up food for her."


    Mrs. Wang went to the kitchen. Wang Chunhua also followed, wanting to check on her children.


    Since her daughter and son-inw were back today, there was definitely nock of food at home. Mrs. Wang used the leftover chicken broth from lunch to cook chicken noodle soup for Li Mingwei, and added some stir-fried shredded pork.


    "Eat some noodles first to fill your stomach. We''ll eat dinner soon."


    "Thank you, sister-inw."


    Just as Li Mingwei took a bite of noodles, wanting to praise Mrs. Wang''s cooking skills, she noticed the children sitting around her staring longingly at her food, drool practically dripping out.


    She asked hesitantly, "Haven''t you guys eaten?"


    "With the way you look like you''re starving, shoo! Don''t bother your auntie while she''s eating." Mrs. Wang chased them away and exined to Li Mingwei, "They''ve eaten. They''ve eaten. They''re probably hungry again. You go ahead and eat, we''ll be eating again soon."


    "Alright."


    After Mrs. Wang led the children away, she didn''t return until they were out of Li Mingwei''s line of sight before instructing them, "Don''t go bother Auntie now. She''s shy. Wait until she''s finished eating before going back."


    A little girl tugged at Mrs. Wang''s sleeve, "Mom, is there more noodles? I want chicken noodle soup too."


    The other children chimed in, "Auntie, we want it too. With shredded pork."


    "As if!" Mrs. Wang tapped their little heads and scolded, "So many mouths to feed, if you all only want to eat the good stuff, our family would go bankrupt in half a year! All of you scram, or I''ll tell Grandma on you!"


    After chasing the children away, Mrs. Wang returned worriedly to the kitchen, whispering to Wang''s Second Sister-inw, "It''s not like they''ve been eating less meat these two days. How are they still acting so starved?"


    Wang''s Second Sister-inw frowned, "Didn''t we already tell them to behave themselves in front of Eldest Sister-in-Law?"


    "Those half-grown children listen obediently at first, then immediately forget about it." Mrs. Wang sighed, "I hope Big Sister didn''t notice anything off. Father and Mother warned us over and over again not to let her find out."


    "I know." Wang''s Second Sister-inw nodded, "If Big Sister finds out, she''ll definitely give our family more money again. Brother-inw isn''t one to gossip, but Xiao Lei will have to pay his school fees again soon. We have to know when to stop."


    Li Mingwei was on her way to get more salt for her noodles when she overheard their conversation from around the corner. She silently took her bowl outside to find the children. After giving them her shredded pork, she probed, "Is it delicious?"


    "Delicious!"


    "If you want your mothers to buy meat for you every day so you can eat it every day, just be extra good and obedient for her."


    The children all shook their heads, "Mother won''t buy us meat every day."


    Li Mingwei crouched down to their level and pretended to act childish, "Why not? My mother buys me meat every day. Don''t your mothers love you as much?"


    "That''s not it. Our mothers love us very much too. It''s just that you need money to buy meat, and Mother doesn''t have money."


    "Why doesn''t she have money?"


    They didn''t know the reason. In any case, if Mother says there''s no money then there''s no money. After half a day of fruitless questioning, Li Mingwei gave up on getting an exnation from them since they were still small. She turned her attention to Little Gang instead. He was already ten. He must know the reason.


    After looking for him unsessfully for a while, she could only return her empty bowl to the kitchen first. Wang''s Second Sister-inw washed it for her as soon as she saw it. Li Mingwei thanked her and asked Mrs. Wang, "Sister-inw, where is Little Gang?"


    Little Gang''s head popped out from under the stove. He still had two firewood in his hands, "Auntie, I''m here. What do you need me for?"


    "It''s not that I''m looking for you, your Aunt wants you."


    "Oh." He tossed aside the firewood. "Mom, I''m going to see Auntie!"


    Mrs. Wang waved her hand, "Go on, go on. Listen to your Auntie."


    Little Gang followed Li Mingwei to Wang Chunhua''s room. Wang Chunhua was still sitting by the bed, hesitating over whether to wake up her son. She turned around, "Little Gang? Do you need something?"


    Little Gang pointed at himself, "Wasn''t it Auntie looking for me?"


    "It wasn''t me." Wang Chunhua was still confused.


    Li Mingwei quickly closed the door. She tattled, "I just overheard your big sister-inw and second sister-inw say that the family has run out of money."


    Little Gang''s expression changed instantly. He turned to run but had no way to escape.

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48


    Wang Chunhua frowned and stepped towards her nephew. Xiao Gang shivered in fear and resentfully nced at Li Mingwei, before turning to his aunt, trying to smile ingratiatingly.


    "What did your auntie just say? That we''re out of money at home?"


    Granny had instructed that this should not be spoken about. Xiao Gang gritted his teeth and stammered, "I don''t know. It''s what auntie said, not me."


    Wang Chunhua twisted his ear viciously. "Are you sure you don''t know?"


    "Ow, that hurts! Dear aunt, my own flesh and blood, go easy on me!"


    He was in an impossible situation now. Telling would anger his granny and mother. Not telling would anger his aunt. Why should a child like him suffer for adult matters?


    Feeling her grip on his ear grow heavier, Xiao Gang cried, "Auntie, ask my mom instead. She''d beat me to death if I told you!"


    "I''ll beat you to death right now if you don''t tell me!"


    Though Xiao Gang knew his aunt wouldn''t actually beat him to death, her sinister expression still frightened him. He swallowed and confessed.


    It was nothing major. Last year, while gathering firewood in the mountains, Wang''s Father took a bad fall which left him bedridden for nearly the whole winter. All their money went towards treating his injuries, leaving little for daily expenses. They hadn''t bought much meat in the lead up to New Year, which is why the children were craving it so badly.


    They didn''t want to tell Wang Chunhua, firstly to avoid worrying her, and secondly to stop her from giving the family money. Dong Shan made his living through blood and sweat alone. Dong Lei was still studying. They were worried...


    Xiao Gang recounted haltingly. Wang Chunhua was already fuming. So that was why her father kept massaging his legs when speaking to her today!


    How dare they keep this from her? Outrageous!


    She stormed off to the main house, face ck as thunder.


    Soon after, yelling erupted from the main house. Xiao Gang unhappily eyed Li Mingwei, "You just had to tell auntie. Now they''re fighting because of you."


    With her temper, things would surely escte. Everyone was in for a scolding.


    Li Mingwei pouted. She had only wanted to help, thinking it was a problem that could be easily solved with money. She hadn''t expected sister Wang Chunhua to react so strongly.


    "It''s my fault, but was it right for all of you to hide this from her?"


    "Grandpa and granny hid it for auntie''s own good!"


    "But she could have helped out had she known about this earlier. Keeping it from her probably made her feel worse."


    People saw things differently. Her intentions were good, but that didn''t mean others would ept them.


    Li Mingwei poked the brat in front of her, "You and your siblings are still growing. How could you not eat meat for so long? That''s not how saving should be done. You all should have discussed this together. Who knows, there might have been a better solution."


    Xiao Gang scoffed. "What solution? Making cousin Dong Xiu buy us meat? I''d rather starve!"


    Li Mingwei nced at him. This kid was quite staunch.


    She ruffled Xiao Gang''s hair but he shook her off, still angry. Seeing it was useless to rile him up further, Li Mingwei sat by the doorframe, unsure of what to do next.


    Just then, Dong Shan emerged from the main house. His gaze swept the yard before settling on Li Mingwei. He beckoned her over.


    Li Mingwei bounced up to him. "What''s wrong?"


    Dong Shan stepped aside, signalling for her to enter. "Your sister''s looking for you."


    The people inside wore solemn expressions. Li Mingwei didn''t dare venture further than the door. Clutching the frame, she called out, "Sis, you wanted me?"


    Wang Chunhua wiped her tears and nodded for Li Mingwei to enter. She took out a small pouch from her clothes. "Sis didn''t bring much money today. Do you have any on you? Lend it to me first, I''ll pay you back after I leave."


    Wang''s Mother quickly stopped her. "No need, no need. Your father''s recovered already. What do you need money for?"


    Wang Chunhua ignored her mother, eyes fixed on Li Mingwei. Li Mingwei removed the sachet from her waist and fished out a small silver ingot from within, passing it to Wang Chunhua.


    The Wangs gaped in shock. Even Wang Chunhua paused briefly, recognising it as the silver from the embroidery workshop.


    "You brought so much money out for just two days?"


    "Sis, didn''t you ask me to bring valuables along?"


    While it was no golden hairpin, the ingot was still rather valuable. Wang Chunhua put away her pouch and handed the silver to her mother instead. "Mother, take this two taels of silver and buy something nice for the children, and get father''s health back in order."


    Clutching the money, Wang''s Mother turned to look at Wang''s Father. He took a long drag of his pipe and nodded. "Our daughter gave it to you. Keep it."


    That daughter''s temperament meant there was no other way. The yelling from before had left his ears ringing.


    Only then did Wang''s Mother smile at Wang Chunhua, tucking the money into her clothes.


    Standing outside, Xiao Gang gaped at Li Mingwei in astonishment. "Auntie, where did you get so much money?"


    The others were curious too, gazing over in askance. Li Mingwei smiled. "Your auntie earned it."


    "How?" Xiao Gang hugged her arm, shaking it repeatedly. "Teach me, I want to earn money too!"


    Wang Chunhua came over to pull him away. "Don''t bother your auntie. She''s tired. She earned it through embroidery. Do you want to learn that?"


    Xiao Gang had no such inclination. That was a girl''s pursuit. No way would he pick it up.


    "That''s right." A thought struck Wang Chunhua and she ordered Dong Shan, "My sister made handkerchiefs for all the girls in the family yesterday. Those were gifts from her so she should hand them out herself. I kept them, go take them out."


    Yesterday, Li Mingwei had specifically asked for numbers, making one handkerchief for each female from Wang''s Mother down to the youngest girl.


    Mrs. Wang instructed her son to call out all the girls. After Dong Shan retrieved the handkerchiefs, they each picked out a design they liked, leaving the rest for the older women.


    The girls were delighted. These were much finer than their regr kerchiefs!


    Wang''s Mother held hers, the coarse skin of her hands gliding over the smooth fabric and vibrant crimson flowers. Joyfully she praised, "If not teaching, how do you know embroidery too?"


    Li Mingwei lowered her gaze. "I''m not teaching. Just helping the students practice writing. The embroidery workshop also calls me over sometimes when they''re busy."


    "Not a word my daughter said about you was wrong. A true capable person!" Wang''s Mothermended.


    Outside, Xiao Gang let out an aggrieved huff. Why only the girls? Weren''t he and his brothers people too? Auntie was clearly ying favourites!

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49


    Li Mingwei looked at Xiao Gang, who had passed by her and grunted several times in a row, and felt a little confused. Why was he still angry?


    Reaching out to grab him, Li Mingwei twisted his ear in the same way Wang Chunhua did: "If you have something to say, say it. Don''t keep circling around me. I''m getting dizzy."


    She didn''t use much force, so Xiao Gang wasn''t hurt. He didn''t struggle free, but he didn''t want to directly ask for a gift either. He kept his mouth tightly shut with a stubborn look on his face.


    "Not talking? If you don''t talk, I''m going to sleep." Li Mingwei yawned. Although she had only been up for a little while, she was incredibly sleepy again. She had really been worn out today.


    Seeing that she was about to leave, the 10-year-old boy couldn''t hold back anymore. He mumbled: "Auntie, you''re biased. You only bought presents for my sisters. My brother and I didn''t get anything."


    "I did too." Li Mingwei had bought them gifts, she just happened to have a few nk handkerchiefs, so she prepared extra for the girls. "Didn''t I buy you all snacks? You didn''t eat them?"


    "I did eat them." Xiao Gang now realized the snacks were bought by her. He pouted: "At lunch, Auntie opened the snacks, and Mother only gave us each one piece before putting them away again. She said eating too much at once wasn''t good and to eat more tomorrow."


    "That''s not my business. I did buy them after all." Li Mingwei pinched his little face andughed: "You little kid, thinking too much just because I didn''t buy you a gift. Circling around here so many times."


    Xiao Gang''s face flushed slightly in embarrassment and annoyance. He pushed Li Mingwei into the room and ran to the kitchen: "Auntie was going to sleep right? I''ll go get wash water for your feet."


    A child''s feelings are like the weather in June. One second it''s overcast, the next it''s sunny once he realized Auntie didn''t neglect them. He attentively helped tidy up and take care of things for her.


    With his assistance, Li Mingwei quickly washed up andy back down in bed. She thought of Ah Xiu for some reason. Ah Xiu had followed her since childhood too. This was the longest they had been apart. She wondered how Ah Xiu was doing.


    She had returned to the Li family, so even if she was just watching over her empty courtyard, her days must be better than before. No need to worry too much. Li Mingwei just thought about it briefly before closing her eyes.


    Most farming families were thrifty and didn''t want to waste that bit of oil. They had to sleep before it gotpletely dark. In the winter, there was not a single chirp from birds or insects. Everywhere was perfectly quiet.


    Just as it was in Xinghua Vige, it was most likely the same in Qingshi Town. Everyone was asleep. Only a few young men in hemp clothes got up and groped their way through the starlight towards the Dong family home.


    "Ow!"


    The young man walking in front identally stepped on a rock and fell right on his butt. The few people behind him hurriedly covered his mouth.


    "Keep it down!"


    The young man pushed their hands away andined: "It''s pitch ck. No lights. I can''t see anything. How can I walk?"


    "Lights?" In the darkness, someone knocked him on the head directly: "Are you stupid? We''re here to steal stuff. Should I get a sedan chair to carry you? Would that be good enough?"


    "Stop arguing. All of you keep your voices down. Hurry up and get this done. We can go into the city to eat and drink well after."


    "Yes, Boss Stone."


    After Wu Dong was captured, a man named Stone had be their new leader. When he spoke, the others showed respect and nodded obediently.


    They were used to climbing through windows and walls. They were all experienced. The group circled the Dong house and quickly chose a good spot.


    They really did have great tacit understanding with Dong Shan.


    When one person started climbing the wall, someone else stopped him.


    He hesitated: "Boss Stone, Dong Shan is not easy to bully. Last time the four of us were beaten up by him. If he finds out, he''ll crush us to death."


    The worst thing whenmitting a crime was hesitation. Hearing him say this, Stone''s face darkened: "We''vee this far. If you''re afraid, don''t get involved. After we get the goods, you''ll have nothing to do with it."


    "That''s right. If you want to leave, leave now. We''d be happy to take more. Dong Shan and that tigress aren''t home. What are you afraid of? Even if hees back and finds stuff missing, even if he suspects us, there''s no evidence."


    When it came to dividing the spoils, the man shut up.


    Seeing that he closed his mouth, Stone looked at the others: "Anyone else want to leave? Go ahead. Don''t waste my time here. That hairpin can be exchanged for loads of meat to eat."


    "Yeah, yeah."


    Several people here had seen the gold hairpin before. If it didn''t look so nice and seem so valuable, they wouldn''t have eyed it for so long.


    Stone pushed them aside and was the first to climb over the wall. He had just be boss. He still needed to set an example for the younger brothers to listen to him in the future.


    "I''ll scout ahead first. Follow me."


    After speaking, he leapt down. Perhaps his legs weren''t as long as Dong Shan''s. He didn''t jump as far and didn''tnd in the area with the traps.


    "Ah!"


    But the pig-ughtering screams still sounded on time. Because there was snow in the yard, he slipped as soon as hended and fell forward right into a trap that mped his entire left calf.


    The people outside ready to help were shocked. One quickly climbed the wall to take a look: "Boss Stone, what happened?"


    Stone held his calf in pain, breaking out in cold sweat. His body kept trembling: "Tr-trap!"


    "Damn! What should we do now?"


    He fell back off the wall and looked at the lightsing on in the surrounding houses. His voice shook a little: "Let''s...let''s run. Boss Stone got caught in a trap so he definitely can''t run. We..."


    "Huh? Isn''t it too unbrotherly to just run like this?"


    "Then you stay here and wait to get caught. I''m leaving first."


    He turned and ran. The remaining people looked at each other. They didn''t want to get caught either.


    "What was that sound?"


    "Who is it sote at night?"


    Angry shouts sounded. They couldn''t care about any sense of brotherhood. In the face of disaster, they could only think of themselves first.


    Only Stone was left crying in pain in the yard.


    The people woken up walked out of their courtyards and asked each other what happened. They quickly determined the target was the Dong house.


    "Didn''t their family leave with the kid to visit rtives? They aren''t back yet right?"


    "No, they just left this morning. Coming back tomorrow."


    "Then what''s going on over there?"


    "Shouldn''t be anyone home." One woman tentatively knocked on the door. No one responded: "Could it be a burr?"


    Aunt Meng went back to grab the key to the Dong house that Chunhua had given her. She told everyone: "Chunhua gave this to me. I''ll open the door and we can go in and see. If anything is missing, you all have to testify for me."


    "Uh..."


    "Fine, fine. Hurry and open it."


    Holding lights, the group walked into the yard and looked around. Yun Sister suddenly remembered something and rushed straight for the back yard. Mingwei had just earned two ounces of silver. Don''t let it get stolen.


    Hearing the footsteps, Stone anxiously tried moving a bit. The rubbing sounds immediately gave away his location. Yun Sister yelled loudly: "Who''s there?"


    Hearing this, everyone hurried over with their lights to the corner to take a look. They gathered together for courage and closed in. The lights gradually illuminated Stone''s face.


    "Stone?"


    "It''s you, you little punk! Say, what are you doing sneaking into someone''s yard in the middle of the night?"


    Caught red-handed, Stone had no other choice. He could only beg: "Help...help me!"


    Only then did everyone notice his trapped leg, blood continuously flowing out. They were all townspeople after all. Two men came forward to support him to the pharmacy.

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50


    Originally, Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan had nned to only stay at the Wang family for one night, but the next day, Li Mingwei''s legs became even more sore, making it simply impossible for her to walk back, so Wang Chunhua could only keep her and stay as well.


    "You can take Xiaolei and Xiaoyan back first, I''ll keep an eye on my sister-inw."


    With only taking the two children, Dong Shan didn''t have much of a problem, but said: "Do I really not need to stay as well? With just you two sisters going back, I won''t feel assured."


    "You have to go pay your respects at your uncle''s home tomorrow, I can miss it but you have to take the kids."


    It was arranged like this every year, they couldn''t mess up the ns just because of this. Now they also couldn''t find anyone to pass along the message, Dong''s uncle''s family had prepared food tomorrow, if no one showed up, they wouldn''t know what to think.


    "That''s true,st autumn when harvesting, second uncle said he hadn''t seen Xiaolei in a long time, I said he was in school and it wasn''t easy for him to take time off."


    The older generation cherished the children, it would be hard to exin not bringing them. Dong Shan reluctantly nodded: "Alright, I''ll go back first, you have someone bring me a message when youe back, and I''lle get you."


    Wang Dazhuang walked over, heard their conversation, and quickly said: "No need for you toe get us, after I apany your sister-inw back to her maiden home, I''ll bring them back, I was going to bring Xiaogang and the others to visit your family for New Year''s anyway."


    "That works too, but you have to be back by the 6th at thetest, on the 7th my uncle''s side will have peopleing, I can''t get into the kitchen with my cooking skills."


    "Got it."


    After discussing, Wang''s wife made an early lunch for Dong Shan to eat, then he took the two children and left first.


    Li Mingwei felt remorsefulying in bed, her legs really were sore to the point she couldn''t walk, if she tried going back now, she might be crippled.


    Wang Chunhua massaged her legs for her andforted: "It''s nothing, I''m happy to stay a few more days,ing back only once or twice a year, staying one night then leaving, thanks to this."


    Her father had also fallen and hurt his leg, it was good she could stay and attend to him more.


    "It''s also thanks to you, every year things are arranged to go visit his uncle''s ce, I don''t want to go but it''s awkward to bring it up, your leg hurting like this, I can stay and he has nothing to say."


    Li Mingwei smiled at her joking, teasing: "Then I''ll hurt my leg every year."


    "Don''t you dare." Wang Chunhua stopped her: "I won''t dare bring you again."


    That journey yesterday had already stressed her out enough,ing once a year, she couldn''t take it.


    She looked at Li Mingwei, a feeling of sadness appearing on her face, hesitating for a long time but ultimately not speaking. She knew Li Mingwei wouldn''t be able to stay here forever, she still had family and home, when she figured things out, sooner orter she''d go back.


    Seeing her somewhat sad, Li Mingwei thought she was thinking of Wang''s father, that she hadn''t been able to be by his side when he was injured, so urged her: "Sis, go keep uncle and auntpany, you rarelye back, don''t waste your time on me, I''ll rest up and be fine."


    "Then I''m going, call for Xiaogang if you need anything."


    Xiaogang obediently nodded, he had been apanying Li Mingwei this whole time: "Auntie don''t worry."


    After Wang Chunhua left, Xiaogangy at the foot of Li Mingwei''s bed, fawningly asking: "Auntie, is there anything you want me to do for you?"


    Seeing his brown-nosing manner, Li Mingwei knew something must be up: "Go on, what do you want me to do?"


    "Hehe." Xiaogang bared his teeth in a grin, happily saying: "Auntie really is clever, as expected of someone who''s studied."


    "Oh?"


    Li Mingwei looked at him, tentatively asking: "Do you want to learn to read and write?"


    Xiaogang''s smile faded somewhat, he waved his hand indicating no, but the disappointment was visible on his face. He said: "Last time auntie wrote my parents'' names, I want auntie to write one for me too."


    When his parents brought back the paper with their names on it, Xiaogang had looked on enviously, growing up this big, he still didn''t know how to write his own name.


    Since Li Mingwei didn''t have paper, brush and inkstone, she could only take his hand and write the three characters for Wang Xiaogang in his palm, telling him: "This is your name."


    "Huh?"


    Wang Xiaogang scratched his head, he hadn''t remembered it at all, auntie had written too fast.


    Li Mingwei also felt this method wasn''t great, she had Xiaogang support her going outside, found a very t patch of snow, and gripped his hand, using a stick to slowly write out his name stroke by stroke.


    Xiaogang instantly became excited, grabbing the stick to practice next to it a few more times, but without Li Mingwei''s guidance, his writing was crooked and sloppy, very ugly. He felt dissatisfied, practicing over and over.


    The two''s actions quickly attracted a crowd to watch. They didn''t recognize Li Mingwei, saw she looked quite good and was dressed decently, and came up to ask: "Xiaogang, which rtive of yours is this?"


    "My auntie."


    "Auntie? Your grandpa only had the one daughter Chunhua, what auntie?"


    It was a small vige, who had how many kids, what rtives, everything was clear. Everyone looked at the sudden appearance of Xiaogang''s auntie, discussing amongst themselves.


    Li Mingwei also didn''t know how to exin. They certainly all knew if Chunhua had a cousin or not, if she said something they''d know she was lying.


    "She''s my auntie, my father''s sister recognized her as a sworn sister in town."


    "Oh, a sworn sister."


    "This Wang Chunhua, where''d she recognize such a pretty sworn sister." A woman looked Li Mingwei up and down. Li Mingwei awkwardly bowed to them, standing stiffly in ce.


    "I don''t know the details, aunties can go ask my aunt, she''s in the yard."


    While talking with them, Xiaogang kept practicing writing, after a long time still unsatisfied. He threw down the stick in irritation andined: "Auntie, I can''t write well."


    Li Mingwei picked up the stick and gave it back to him, strictly saying: "Keep going, you''ve only written a few times, how could you write well already."


    This kid really had no patience, good handwriting wouldn''t happen after just one or two days, ever since she could hold a brush, if there was nothing major, she had to practice one or two pages of characters almost every day to reach her current level.


    He''d barely started.


    "Oh."


    Under Li Mingwei''s stare, Xiaogang had no choice but to continue.


    "What are you drawing there?"


    "My name, Wang Xiaogang, do you recognize it? My auntie just taught me."


    Wang Chunhua bringing back a literate sworn sister, teaching Xiaogang to write his name at the vige entrance, it spread through the vige in an instant like a gust of wind.


    The adults didn''t care much, just watching the lively scene and gossiping. A few kids came over wanting to learn too, and Li Mingwei taught them one by one.


    That entire afternoon, the idle adults of the vige crowded around the snowy ground, watching a dozen or so children drawing and writing on the ground. If they didn''t write well or made a mistake they''d smooth it out and start again, if they thought it looked good they''d raise their hand seeking praise, or want to learn something more.


    Parents of kids who were there would also watch for fun, having Li Mingwei teach their own children''s names, but the adults seemed to have thinner skin, none wanted to directly learn themselves.


    "We''re already this old, we won''t meddle, you teach them, teach them."


    "It''s nothing, auntie, learning has no limits, people of any age can learn!"


    "No more, no more."


    They declined while backing away, simply unwilling to learn. Li Mingwei didn''t insist.

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51


    As dusk approached, Dong Shan carried two children and appeared at the entrance of the town. Someone immediately waved at him and shouted loudly: ¡°Big Brother Dong, Big Brother Dong!¡±


    ¡°Yun Sister?¡±


    Dong Shan had a bad premonition that something must have happened at home. Those little bastards must still be eyeing his sister¡¯s things.


    Seeing him holding a child in each hand, sweaty all over, Yun Sister quickly reached out to take Xiao Yan: ¡°Big Brother Dong, when you were away yesterday, Shi Tou climbed into your yard and got his leg caught in your trap, losing quite some blood. We took him to the medicine shop overnight. The doctor said the injury was quite severe.¡±


    Dong Shan threw Dong Lei onto the ground, furious: ¡°Good! Taking advantage when I¡¯m not home, aren¡¯t you? See how I will deal with you.¡±


    He strode away angrily. Yun Sister looked at Dong Lei squatting on the ground, not knowing whether to chase or not.


    ¡°Shi Tou, get the hell out here! What were you trying to do sneaking into my house in the middle of the night!¡±


    ¡°What, you dare to do it but don¡¯t dare to own up to it. Everyone saw it, you can¡¯t get away.¡±


    ¡°Get out here! If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll report to the officials tomorrow and have you arrested like Wu Dong, go do hardbor!¡±


    Hearing the constant beating and scolding outside, and imagining Dong Shan¡¯s burly figure, Shi Tou shrank his neck and decided to y dead as a turtle, refusing to go out even if beaten to death.


    ¡°Are youing out or not? If not, I¡¯ll smash down this door!¡±


    Dong Shan waited for half a day without any movement. But knowing his injured foot, Shi Tou probably couldn¡¯t go far either, so he kept shouting at the door.


    ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. If you still don¡¯te out, don¡¯t expect to have this door! I¡¯llpensate you for a new one even if I have to put you in jail.¡±


    He didn¡¯t want to go to jail!


    ¡°Three!¡±


    ¡°Two!¡±


    p! The door opened.


    Dong Shan strode forward, grabbed Shi Tou¡¯s cor, his eyes as fierce as a tigering down the mountain. Shi Tou shuddered and pleaded: ¡°Brother, I was possessed for a moment. Look, my foot is injured too. Just let me go.¡±


    ¡°You have an injured foot. What does that have to do with me? My trap was in my own yard, perfectly fine until you decided to step on it!¡±


    Although he scolded harshly, Dong Shan still let him go after taking a look at his tightly bandaged leg, and lightly kicked Shi Tou¡¯s other uninjured leg.


    ¡°Besides you, who else was therest night?¡±


    He knew they always hung out together.


    Hiding in the crowd, those who had participated inst night¡¯s incident immediately tensed up. If Shi Tou gave their names, they would be done for.


    Without any hesitation, Shi Tou reported several names - the bastards who had left him behind to runst night. How could he not take revenge?


    Dong Shan turned his head and met the eyes of one of them. Pushing through the crowd, he took three big steps forward to grab the one who was just trying to escape, and lifted him into the air.


    The man grabbed Dong Shan¡¯s arm in panic, struggling desperately, scared out of his wits.


    Dong Shan shouted loudly: ¡°Everyone stand still! You think you can get away?¡±


    Those who had run quite far heard his threat and couldn¡¯t help but stop in their tracks. There was no escape now, even if they ran away Dong Shan would still know where their families lived!


    ¡°Get back here!¡±


    Exposing yourself to attack whether you move or not, the few looked at each other and reluctantly went back, looking at theirpanion in Dong Shan¡¯s hand like frightened partridges, trying their best to shrink into their shells.


    ¡°Brother Dong.¡±


    Dong Shan threw the man in his hand at their feet. ¡°What did you guys steal from my housest night?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± They quickly denied any involvement: ¡°Brother Dong, none of us went in, only Shi Tou went inside.¡±


    Shi Tou shrank back to avoid Dong Shan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Brother, I didn¡¯t either. I injured my leg as soon as I went in.¡±


    Among the onlookers was someone who was at the scenest night. He said: ¡°He¡¯s probably telling the truth this time. Aunt Meng let us in together yesterday. Your house didn¡¯t look tossed over, but you¡¯ll have to go back and see if anything¡¯s missing.¡±


    Dong Shan had clearly just returned, covered in dust. He probably came to settle scores as soon as he got the news, and hadn¡¯t had time to check carefully.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, he was just sitting in that corner with his injured leg, could barely move. We were the ones who carried him out.¡±


    Shi Tou was rather moved that someone was willing to speak for him, and almost shed tears. ¡°Brother, you see, they all saw it. I couldn¡¯t even get into the house.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Dong Shan reluctantly believed him, then warned the others: ¡°No second chance. If I catch you again, I really will send you to the officials.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, we absolutely won¡¯t dare anymore.¡±


    They really didn¡¯t want to jump in, one foot per trap. Too scary!


    Taking advantage of the situation, someone suggested: ¡°Next time any of us goes out with no one home, let¡¯s all go ask Dong Shan for a trap! Catch them red-handed for sure.¡±


    Dong Shan smiled and shook his head. ¡°Can¡¯t abuse those either. You guys aren¡¯t skilled with them, might injure yourselves, not good.¡±


    He cupped his hands together. ¡°Thanks again everyone for yesterday. It¡¯s easier for things to happen with no one home. Everyone should still be more vignt.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to thank between friends? Of course we¡¯lle help when something happens in any family.¡±


    ¡°We should, we should.¡±


    After thanking everyone and exchanging some polite words, Dong Shan dragged his exhausted body back home where Yun Sister had already taken the two kids inside. She handed the key to Dong Shan.


    ¡°Big Brother Dong, this is the key Older Sister Chunhua gave me to return to you now that you¡¯re back.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the trouble.¡±


    ¡°No trouble at all.¡±


    Seeing only the three of them, Yun Sister asked about Li Mingwei and the others. Knowing they would be back by the 6th at thetest, she breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°That¡¯s good. If they don¡¯te back soon, they might miss my wedding feast.¡±


    ¡°Wedding feast?¡± Dong Shan frowned. He remembered Yun Sister still had about a month before her wedding. It was only the third day after New Year, how could it be toote already?


    ¡°Moved up?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yun Sister lowered her eyes, smiling, but Dong Shan felt it was sadder than crying.


    She invited: ¡°Big Brother Dong muste drink at the wedding on the eighth.¡±


    ¡°So rushed?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He is ill...¡±


    Yun Sister¡¯s betrothed had been sick the previous year. His side was anxious to have her marry over to bring luck. They had sent someone over long ago to discuss it, but unfortunately the road from the county town was blocked then. Their people still managed to take a big detour toe.


    When the time came, Yun Sister would probably have to take that roundabout road to get there too.


    ¡°What illness? Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. They didn¡¯t say, only wanting me to marry over sooner. I asked the messenger, he said the groom looks decent too and is easy to talk to, just a little unhealthy.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty good. I¡¯m not young anymore either. More dy would be meaningless.¡±


    Dong Shan...

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52


    Wang Chunhua''s three sisters-inw''s families lived closer, so they could go and return in a day. It was more convenient for them to visit each other frequently. So every year, they would first keep Wang Chunhuapany and entertain her before going back.


    Although she could stay for longer this year, she should have stayed at home to apany her family. But Wang Dazhuang would take Xiao Gang to send her back in a couple of days, which would waste too much time going back and forth. So Mrs. Wang packed up and nned to go back to her parents'' home first the next day.


    She packed her luggage. Wang''s Mother prepared new year gifts for her and gave her some money. Now the family was better off, but still could not lose face in front of her inws.


    Mrs. Wang took the money and counted it. She returned some of it to her mother-inw, "It''s not easy for the family this year either, I should take less."


    Wang''s Mother refused, "Chunhua just gave some money yesterday. There is enough at home, don''t worry. Take it. You three are the same. They both took it."


    Since her mother-inw said so, she silently epted it, but she did not know Wang''s Mother said the same to all her daughters-inw.


    After organizing her luggage, Mrs. Wang was going to cook dinner. There were still guests at home, so she could not make it too simple. She wanted to find her son to help her start the fire, but then realized there were no children at home.


    "Where did they all go?" She knocked on Li Mingwei''s room, but no one answered, "Howe the girl is not here either, wasn''t her leg hurting?"


    Wang Chunhua, who was sitting in the yard cracking melon seeds, saw her looking for people every day. She had seen enough of her son practicing writing. She pointed out the direction to her daughter-inw.


    Before Mrs. Wang reached the vige entrance, she saw the dense crowd in the distance. This was probably the whole vige!


    Seeing here over, Xiao Gang waved to her excitedly, waiting for praise, "Mom,e here quickly. I can write your name now."


    Mrs. Wang walked over to take a look at the words he wrote, and they were indeed simr in shape to what Li Mingwei had given her before. Just as she was about to praise him, she heard him ask, "I''m so good, can I have an extra dessert tonight?"


    "All you think about is eating."


    The happy mood disappeared all of a sudden. Mrs. Wang didn''t want to pay attention to him anymore and went to Li Mingwei, asking her softly if she wanted to eat anything special tonight.


    "Anything is fine. Sister-inw doesn''t need to prepare especially for me."


    During those months of discement, the picky eating habit she had developed in the capital had beenpletely cured. She would be happy enough to cry just to have food in her belly.


    "How can I not, since you rarely visit?"


    While talking to her, Mrs. Wang''s gaze kept falling on Xiao Gang. Li Mingwei''s heart moved. She asked in a low voice, "Sister-inw, why don''t you send Xiao Gang to school? I see he likes writing quite a bit."


    In the more than two hours she had taught writing, many children hade to write for a while and left again, but Xiao Gang had stood from beginning to end, although part of the reason was rted to her, it was still not bad.


    Mrs. Wang nced at her father-inw, who was sitting in the crowd and kept cracking melon seeds with his pipe. She lowered her head and held Li Mingwei''s hand, patting it, "Sister, you don''t understand."


    This was not something she could decide. Her inws were the head of the house, and all ie was in their hands. Apart from her dowry, she only had some petty cash that her mother-inw asionally gave them. Where could she get the money to send her child to school?


    "If you really talk about it, which family can''t scrape together two or two silvers, but it''s two or two silvers every year, plus books, pens and ink stones, none of them are cheap. How can we afford it?"


    "Besides, there are so many children in the family. Why should only Xiao Gang be sent to school? The second and third brothers also have sons. If you want to send them, you have to send them together. How much would that cost? They haven''t even recognized all the words yet. The family would go bankrupt."


    Li Mingwei looked at the other Wang children who were also there. Although they were young, they were also obedient. Two of them couldn''t even hold the branches firmly, but were still poking hard, so there was no reason not to let them go.


    With so many children, it was not easy for the Wangs to raise them with their financial situation, let alone so much more.


    She could hear the helplessness in Mrs. Wang''s tone, but she was also powerless to help. She did have some money left, but it was unlikely for her to spend it all on this group of Wang children.


    The Wang family was just a microcosm. There were many more such families in Xinghua Vige, and Da Chu had many more Xinghua Viges. This was not something she alone could change.


    It had taken her grandfather a long time to negotiate and call in favors before thete emperor finally agreed to allocate funds for counties to set up schools in towns and viges. Even with so many court officials in support, this matter was still not going very smoothly.


    Seeing how few students Mr. Jin had before Liu Yichu passed the imperial examination, it was obvious even for a whole town, let alone a small vige like Xinghua Vige. Apart from tuition fees, they might not even be able to afford pens, ink, paper and ink stones.


    "s..."


    Mrs. Wangughed. "What are you sighing for no reason?"


    "I suddenly feel that I''m too poor. If I were the richest person in Da Chu, I would build schools for them and hire teachers so that they could all go to school."


    Mrs. Wang didn''t know whether tough or cry. The girl''s vision was great, but the possibility of realization was too small.


    Thinking that the girl was still young and it was normal to have such naive ideas, Mrs. Wang didn''t discourage her too much, but joked, "When you be the richest person in Da Chu, don''t forget about your sister-inw. Your sister-inw wille to work for you. I don''t ask for much, just to have meat every meal."


    Li Mingwei said solemnly, "Sister-inw, don''t worry, I won''t forget you."


    "Hahaha..."


    Mrs. Wang was tickled by her response andughed loudly, attracting many eyes. Feeling embarrassed with so many people staring at her, she quickly closed her mouth.


    This time Li Mingweiughed at her, "Sister-inw is shy."


    "Who has thick skin like you!" Mrs. Wangined about her. Suddenly meeting her bright eyes, she somehow believed a little in her nonsense.


    She thought for a moment and said, "Sometimes people should be a little selfish. Keeping too much in your heart is too tiring. After all, we are just ordinary people. It''s enough to live our own lives well."


    Was that why her grandfather lived such a tiring life?


    Li Mingwei was stunned for some reason. Was she influenced by her grandfather too much? She ran away to get rid of constraints and live a simple life for a few days, so how could she start worrying about things unrted to her again?


    She didn''t want to live such a tiring life. She was just an ordinary person now who only needed to live her own life well.


    The moment she made up her mind not to worry about so much, she saw a child raise his hand and ran over excitedly.


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Auntie, how is this word I wrote?"


    "It''s very good. Can you write it again for me to see?"


    "Sure!"


    The child excitedly wrote in front of her again. She gently praised him first, then pointed out what he had written wrong and taught him how to correct it.


    After teaching for more than half a year, she was very good with children now. No child wanted to be scolded as soon as the teacher came over. They were proud in their hearts and would try harder only after being praised.


    Time flew by quickly. The setting sun dyed the sky yellow again. Calls for dinner came from somewhere.


    The vigers who had been sitting there numbly came to their senses at the same time and looked up at the darkening sky to estimate the time. They called their children and headed home.

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53


    After dinner, Xiao Gang drew arge bucket of hot water for Li Mingwei, for her to wash up. She tested the water temperature and put her sore, soft feet into the wooden bucket. A feeling offort instantly enveloped her body.


    "Sofortable!"


    Xiao Gang was going to wait to pour water for her, sitting on the edge of her bed, smiling as he said, "My mother said soaking your feet will make them less painful tomorrow."


    "I''m already not as ufortable now."


    Xiao Gang blinked his eyes. "So is auntie''s monthly visitor about to leave?"


    Li Mingwei met his somewhat reluctant gaze. "The sixth day, I think. Aren''t you going with me too?"


    "I''m only going for a couple days thening back." He lowered his head, extremely disappointed. "After auntie leaves, there won''t be anyone to teach me to write characters anymore. There''s still so many characters I want to learn."


    A gentle hand rested on top of his head. Li Mingwei sighed and asked, "Why do you want to learn characters, is it for fame and fortune, or for making money?"


    "For money," Xiao Gang answered without hesitation. Li Mingwei was stunned for a moment. This child was far too practical. Just as she was about to say something, she heard him continue, "In the vige, only the vige chief and Uncle Qiang know how to write. Whenever anything in the family needs writing, we have to ask them, and it costs money every time. If I know how to write, I can save that money."


    "So you just want to learn writing, purely to know how to write. Have you ever thought about taking the imperial examinations for official positions?"


    "Taking examinations?"


    "To be an official."


    Li Mingwei exined to him what was required to be an official. Xiao Gang listened hazily, not understanding anything about the county, provincial, and pce examinations. He only opened his mouth wide when he heard you could see the Emperor.


    "Good heavens, Auntie, by taking that whatever trial you mentioned, you can truly see the Emperor? I''ve heard from Grandpa that the Emperor lives in the capital."


    "That''s right. When you go to the capital to take the examinations in the future, you''ll be able to see him. He''s the examiner for the final round of examinations."


    "Go to the capital? Me?"


    Xiao Gang pointed at himself, his face full of disbelief. His parents didn''t even take him when they went to the county town to sell grain every year. How could it be possible for him to go to the capital, which he heard was months of traveling away. Who knew how much it would cost for food, lodging and transport along the way.


    What if, what if he got lost and was kidnapped by child traffickers? No, no, he couldn''t go to the capital!


    He shook his head again and again. "Auntie, I won''t go to the capital. I just, I just want to learn some words so in the future I won''t need to ask others to write things. I don''t want to go to the capital."


    With such a simple wish, it would be easy for Li Mingwei to help him achieve it. She could bring him along to attend a few months of ss with the new students at the academy when she returned. As long as she kept an eye on him, there would definitely be no issues.


    Li Mingwei patted him. "I''m done washing. Go pour the water. When auntie goes back, I''ll bring a few books for you. I guarantee I''ll teach you."


    "Oh, thank you Auntie!" Xiao Gang was overjoyed at Li Mingwei''s promise. He diligently carried the wooden bucket out and even thoughtfully closed the door for her.


    Li Mingwei fell peacefully asleep. The next day, she didn''t know why but was awakened by a mor. She got dressed and opened the door, only to be given a fright.


    The yard was filled with children. Xiao Gang was busily exining to them that she hadn''t gotten up yet and telling them to go back out first.


    "What''s going on here?"


    Hearing her voice, Xiao Gang immediately turned his head and rushed up to her, anxiously saying, "Auntie, they want to ask if you''re still teaching how to write characters today."


    With over a dozen pairs of hopeful little eyes staring at her, Li Mingwei couldn''t bear to utter a refusal. She revealed a smile and told them to go wait for her at yesterday''s ce after she had breakfast, then she would be over.


    Xiao Gang led his little friends from the vige back out. Then Wang Chunhua came to bring her breakfast.


    Wang Chunhua smiled at her. "In just half a day, look how many kids you''ve attracted."


    Li Mingwei scooped up a spoonful of rice porridge, blew on it, and unconcernedly said, "They want to learn so I''ll just teach them. Whether it was teaching Xiao Gang or teaching this group, it''s the same."


    "But we''re going back the day after tomorrow. You wouldn''t be able to teach much in two days."


    It took educated people ten years to seed in their learning. All she could teach them were some simple words and phrases.


    "I know. I also don''t n to teach too much either. When I go back, I''ll bring over some books and teach them through the Thousand Character ssic. After they finish the Thousand Character ssic, they''ll count as literate."


    Wang Chunhua frowned. Her son Duolei had studied for a whole year but had only gotten through the Thousand Character ssic and the Analects. It would probably take several months to get through those materials with that group of children, a big waste of time.


    Sheined, "You have things to do at the academy too. School is just about to start. Won''t you be losing ie?"


    "Oh, right." Li Mingwei''s face was all scrunched up. Would Mr. Jin allow her to take such a long vacation? With the addition of a few more people this year, it was uncertain whether the elderly gentleman could handle everything.


    "How about I bring Xiao Gang back to teach the others after he has learned?" She felt a littlecking in confidence even as she said this. It wasn''t a task a single child could aplish well, adults were still needed to properly teach.


    She criticized, "I feel your vige chief isn''t up to par. He knows how to write yet hasn''t said anything about teaching the vige children. He''s not fulfilling his duties as chief at all."


    Wang Chunhua nced at her little head and gave her a p. "What nonsense are you spouting. He''s the vige chief not a teaching sir. As long as he''s managing vige affairs properly that''s him fulfilling his duties to the best of his ability. You can''t expect him to handle everything right?"


    "You''re my little sister now. By seniority, you ought to be calling him uncle. Don''t be bbing nonsense after you go out."


    Li Mingwei rubbed her head. It seemed this vige chiefmanded quite some status!


    After gulping down the rest of her porridge, she grabbed a makeshift wooden stick lying in the yard and directly headed out the vige entrance. It was the same as yesterday, writing on the ground something once for whoever wanted to learn it, and having them copy it themselves for practice.


    When there was a lull, she took the chance to ask the children some questions. Most had simr thoughts as Xiao Gang. There were also those who wanted to be officials and take examinations, but gave up when they heard how many years of studies were required and how much it cost.


    "Being able to recognize some words is good enough. Us children of destitute families can''t expect more than that."


    An old, aged voice sounded. Li Mingwei raised her head to take a look. It was an elderly gentleman dressed in cyan clothes. She quickly stood up and offered the small stool Wang Chunhua had brought for her, inviting him to sit.


    The elder smiled as he shook his head, then casually found a rock to sit on, hands held behind his back.


    He squinted at the children practicing their writing, the wrinkles on his face seeming to smooth out a little. After a while, his gaze finally fell upon Li Mingwei.


    "Little miss, why do you want to teach them?"


    "I didn''t originally want to teach them. It was Xiao Gang who wanted to learn. Then they came along wanting to learn too, so I taught them together."


    "I heard from them you do odd jobs at the academy in town?" Seeing Li Mingwei nod, the elder asked, "Young miss, how do you charge to teach?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. "No need for money. I''m just casually teaching them."


    The elder quickly exined, "What I meant was I wanted to ask if you could teach them more. How much would I need to pay to have youe teach the children in our vige?"


    Li Mingwei understood his meaning now. She politely declined, "I just help out the master in town. I can''t teach properly myself."


    "I see."


    The elder was somewhat disappointed. After sitting for a while longer he left. Li Mingwei then heard people addressing him as the vige chief. She felt puzzled. If he had the idea of hiring a teacher for the vige children, why didn''t he teach them himself?

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54


    In order to make Li Mingwei''s return journey less difficult, Wang Dazhuang borrowed a unicycle handcart from a neighbor. She could walk if she could, and if she couldn''t, he could help push for a while.


    Li Mingwei didn''t want to burden them, but her physical strength was limited. She couldn''t walk far before her legs started acting up again, so she had to trouble them.


    Wang Chunhua helped her sit on the unicycle handcart with a worried expression on her face and said disdainfully, "With your condition, you still want toe back and teach them literacy? I think it''s better to forget about it."


    Li Mingwei pouted, "I already told them."


    Noting back would mean breaking her promise, and it wouldn''t be good to deceive the children.


    "Ah, suit yourself."


    Wang Chunhua sighed and went ahead to scout the way. Now that her little sister had grown up, she had her own ideas, as long as they weren''t doing anything bad, she wouldn''t interfere.


    With the handcart, they returned to the town quite early. Dong Shan knew they wereing back today, so he cooked some rice and bought a few vegetables outside, ready for a meal when they arrived.


    As soon as Li Mingwei sat down at the dining table, Dong Shan told her that Yun Sister was getting married the day after tomorrow. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she threw down her chopsticks and ran to the next room to take a look.


    Except for the word "double happiness" pasted on the front door and some red dates, longans, and peanuts arranged in the main hall, there was nothing else to indicate that a wedding ceremony would take ce in two days.


    Yun Sister could tell from her expression that she was unhappy. Afraid that her parents would think too much, she quickly led Li Mingwei into the room, and her little sister, who was smart enough to understand that they had something to talk about, went out to y.


    "Getting married is a happy asion, why do you have such a serious face?" Yun Sister grabbed a handful of wedding candies for her, then took out her wedding dress and showed it to her, "How about it, does it look good?"


    It was just a red dress with a few embroidered flowers, nothing special in Li Mingwei''s eyes, but she knew she couldn''t say that. She nodded and said, "It looks nice."


    Yun Sister smiled instantly. She held up the embroidery on the dress for her to see and said, "You taught me how to embroider this. I''m not as good as you, I was afraid you wouldn''t like it."


    "It''s already very good." Li Mingwei looked at her, unable to tell if she was genuinely happy or just pretending. But she still asked one more time, "If I had a way to let you not marry, would you be willing to give it a try?"


    Yun Sister paused for a moment, her fingers caressing the embroidery on the wedding dress, and with a smile on her face, she said, "Hmm, although I haven''t learned for long, I think I''m almost there."


    She didn''t give a direct answer, but she had already answered. Li Mingwei could only respect her choice.


    Yun Sister nced outside secretly, changed into the wedding dress, and gracefully twirled a few times in front of Li Mingwei, like a flower blooming in spring.


    She eagerly asked, "Do I look good in this outfit?"


    "It looks good." Li Mingwei nodded, feeling a bit perfunctory, but she reaffirmed, "It really looks beautiful."


    "That''s good," Yun Sister quickly changed her clothes and neatly folded them. She sat next to Li Mingwei, holding her hand, and said shyly, "I heard from the gift-givers that he looks pretty good. If I''m not attractive, others might say I''m not worthy of him."


    Knowing that she wasforting herself, Li Mingwei yed along and smiled, saying, "You''re worthy of anyone. It''s his good fortune to marry you."


    Yun Sister leaned against her shoulder, smiled sweetly, and suddenly felt a tinge of sadness in her heart. "I''m going to marry him, so it will be difficult for us to see each other often in the future."


    "It''s okay. If you can''te back, I can go visit you. If you miss me, you can send me a message through someone, but it''s best to choose a time when I''m not busy. You know, I still have sses to attend."


    "Yeah, I know."


    Li Mingwei held back her tears, peeled a candy and put it in her mouth, then gave one to Yun Sister as well. The sweet taste in her mouth instantly made her feel a little happier.


    With the candy in her mouth, Yun Sister''s eyes flickered mischievously as she gossipingly said, "The day before yesterday, when Mom and I were shopping, we ran into Schr Liu."


    "And then?"


    "He asked me why you hadn''te back."


    Thinking of what he had donest time they met, Li Mingwei couldn''t help but speak with annoyance, "What does it have to do with him whether Ie back or not? Just ignore him."


    "That''s impossible. It''s Schr Liu we''re talking about. I can''t ignore him, and neither can anyone else in town," she poked Li Mingwei and winked, "I''m telling you, the whole town knows about Schr Liu''s feelings for you. Aren''t you even slightly moved?"


    Li Mingwei gritted her teeth, "Don''t mention him to me. He''s annoying!"


    Yun Sister covered her chest and clucked her tongue twice, "You''re really heartless."


    Knowing that Yun Sister''s fianc¨¦ was ill, which was why he was in such a hurry to marry her, Li Mingwei felt even more sympathetic towards her.


    When she got married back then, it was also for the sake of marrying quickly, rushing against time. However, thete emperor had given her many things aspensation and even came personally to attend the wedding, despite his illness. He gave her enough face and dignity.


    Yun Sister, on the other hand, had nothing. They sent many gifts over, but the dowry from the Meng family was meager. She took a closer look and felt a chill in her heart. No wonder she was willing to marry into a family like that.


    Mother used to say that a woman''s dowry is her confidence in her husband''s family. The Meng family''s dowry was not doing her any favors.


    But Li Mingwei had just lent money to Wang Chunhua, and she only had a little over a hundred wen left. She still needed to buy paper and ink to copy books for the children in Apricot Blossom Vige. It wouldn''t be enough to add something for Yun Sister.


    She hesitated outside the school, wondering whether she should go ask Mr. Jin for a little loan. But then she remembered that she had to go to Apricot Blossom Vige to teach, and she would need to ask Mr. Jin for a leave of absence when school started. It would be embarrassing to ask for a loan as well.


    However, Xiaogang was still waiting at home, so she decided to go inside.


    Mr. Jin was preparing his lessons. There were less than ten days left until the start of school, and he had already begun writing his ns.


    "You''re back?" He nced at Li Mingwei''s leg and asked with concern, "Is your leg not hurting anymore?"


    Li Mingwei pouted, "Sir, how did you know my leg was hurting?"


    Of course, he heard it from Liu Yizhu. But seeing Li Mingwei''s gloomy expression, Mr. Jin didn''t dare to say anything. He pointed to the desk by the window and said, "I prepared it for you. You can sit there from now on."


    Originally, there was only one set of desk and chairs on the second floor, which belonged to Mr. Jin. Li Mingwei had to use it whenever she needed to do something, which was quite inconvenient. After discussing with Liu Yizhu, they decided to give her a set of her own.


    The desk and chairs were not new, but Li Mingwei was still touched. Finally, she had her own ce in the school. However, it made her feel even more embarrassed to take such a long leave.


    She propped her head up and sat in her designated spot, feeling a bit of a headache. How should she start the conversation?


    Seeing her silence and sitting there absentmindedly, Mr. Jin smiled and said, "Did youe to school just to enjoy the view?"


    "No," Li Mingwei turned around, feeling embarrassed, and said, "I came to buy some paper."


    There was no bookstore in Qingshi Town. If someone needed paper, ink, brush, or inkstone, they either had to go to the county town ore to Mr. Jin''s ce.


    Mr. Jin gestured for her to look in her drawer, where he had prepared some paper for her. "Take a look and see if it''s enough."


    "Not enough."


    "You still need more. What are you nning to do?"


    "I''ll be copying books."


    Li Mingwei exined the background of the matter, and Mr. Jin, feeling helpless, opened the cab and gave her another stack of paper and a box of ink.


    "You, you''re just too soft-hearted."

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55


    Who is not a little ambitious when young? Mr. Jin used to care about the sadness of humans and feel pity for this and that. He wanted to make things more convenient for the students, butter realized that he himself was the most pitiful.


    During those most miserable years, he almost couldn''t even support himself.


    Afterwards, he opened a bookstore and started doing business. Strictly speaking, a gentleman like him should not be involved in these merchant things, but he had to make a living and had no other choice.


    They were all people who had gone through this. He also understood Li Mingwei''s mood now, but he couldn''t agree to her taking leave for the time being: "Do you have to go? You can ask someone to bring the books back and let the vige chief teach them, right?"


    "The vige chief would have taught them long ago if he was willing to."


    Mr. Jin nced down at the n he had just written on the desk. It hadn''t even started yet, but it was already ruined. He looked at Li Mingwei somewhat angrily.


    Li Mingwei spread her hands helplessly and looked at him: "I already promised the children."


    The two stared at each other silently. When Liu Yizhu came upstairs, he was caught in their strange atmosphere. He looked back and forth between them: "What''s wrong with you two?"


    Mr. Jin snorted and crumpled the paper on the desk into a ball, turning his face away.


    Li Mingwei knew he was angry, so she didn''t dare say anything either. She justid her head on the desk here and waited silently for him to calm down.


    Liu Yizhu walked behind her and asked in a low voice, "Is your leg better?"


    Li Mingwei was still angry from the past few days. She kicked him and pushed him away, "None of your business, go away!"


    "It seems better." Liu Yizhu wiggled his toes to relieve the pain, smiled helplessly, "What''s the matter, why are you so angry?"


    Li Mingwei ignored him, so he could only look at Mr. Jin helplessly.


    Seeing Liu Yizhu look in his direction, Mr. Jin pointed at Li Mingwei, "Don''t look at me, ask her. She insists on going to teach in Xinghua Vige when everything is fine."


    Xinghua Vige?


    Isn''t that where Sister-inw Dong''s maiden family lives? It''s quite far from here.


    "Isn''t it good to teach in town? I guess Xinghua Vige doesn''t have a school. Do you want to open one?"


    "I don''t. I just promised to teach them some literacy and was going to copy some Thousand Character ssics for them to study."


    For ordinary people, learning the Thousand Character ssic well is indeed enough. Going there to teach for a month or two shouldn''t be a big deal. Liu Yizhu nodded, "Do you want me to help copy them? I can do it faster."


    "No!"


    "Are you sure? I''m going back to the academy in a few days. When you get tired of copyingter and want to ask me again, it may be toote."


    Li Mingwei looked up with great delight: "You''re finally leaving!"


    Her smile was so dazzling that Liu Yizhu couldn''t doubt her sincerity at all. His face darkened instantly: "You''re so happy that I''m leaving?"


    "Of course."


    Once he''s gone, she won''t have to keep avoiding him anymore.


    Li Mingwei happily pulled her chair over and sat down next to Mr. Jin, pleading, "Please let me go. They are all so old but can''t even write their own names. How pitiful."


    "Hmph." Mr. Jin sneered, "There are so many pitiful people in this world. Not to mention Xinghua Vige, most of the people in our Qingshi Town can''t read either. Are you going to teach them one by one?"


    "I''m not pitiful? I finally found an assistant at my age, and now she wants to leave again."


    Li Mingwei tried, "Why don''t you find another assistant? I was going to leave sooner orter anyway."


    Mr. Jin nced at Liu Yizhu, with a hint of smugness at the corner of his mouth, "Leave? Where can you go?"


    "Home." She couldn''t keep wandering outside forever. There were still so many people at home. Even though the capital was like a cage, she would still have to go back eventually. Or maybe, "I can go see other ces before going home too."


    "My grandfather said that traveling can let you see all kinds of people and experience the sufferings of themon people, which is even more precious than reading. Because going out requires tremendous courage, not everyone has the guts to do it."


    She whispered to Mr. Jin, "That''s how my father met my mother. He brought her back while traveling outside."


    Mr. Jin rested his chin on his hand, helplessly thinking that the little girl still couldn''t keep a secret.


    He pointed out, "Wasn''t your grandfather originally from Xinghua Vige? He had money to travel around?"


    Li Mingwei...


    Oh no, what was she talking about just now? How stupid! She was exposing herself!


    "I..."


    Mr. Jin interrupted her, "That''s enough, if you can''t think of an excuse then don''t try. I won''t tell anyone anyway."


    Li Mingwei looked expectantly at the only other person in the room. Mr. Jin wouldn''t tell anyone, but what about him?


    Leaning against her desk, Liu Yizhu crossed his arms and looked at her unpleasantly, "Where do you want to travel?"


    Alright, he wouldn''t tell either.


    Li Mingwei turned back around and changed the topic, "Mr. Jin, shall we exchange ideas?"


    Mr. Jin gestured for her to go ahead.


    "Mr. Jin, what do you think is the best way for children from poor families to get education too?"


    This was her grandfather''s ultimate wish, but it looked like it wouldn''te true before he passed away. Mr. Jin had taught here for over ten years after all. If she could get some experience from him to discuss with her grandfather when she goes back, that would be great!


    "A strong nation."


    It was Liu Yizhu who answered, not Mr. Jin. Liu Yizhu continued, "Only when the country is prosperous can the people live in peace."


    Mr. Jin nodded in agreement, "What Yizhu said is right."


    "We are neither officials nor aristocrats. Some things are beyond our individual capabilities. In order to make it possible for children from poor families to get education, we still have to rely on policymaking at the higher level."


    "Wasn''t there an imperial edict to establish schools before? It was discontinuedter because wars drained the military funds, so the silver was transferred to emergency relief. It alles down to money. The country has to be prosperous, the treasury full, before the Emperor and his officials will be willing to take out money and continue this cause."


    Oh well, it sounded nice but there was no money in the treasury!


    The new Emperor had been on the throne for only two to three years. His position was still unstable. Several vassal states on the border thought he was too young and easy to bully, so they kept making troubles. The military funds were almost depleted.


    Plus, there were people like her ex-husband in the imperial family. On the surface they werepliant, but they never stopped making little moves in private. The other princes were probably not much better.


    Right now, the Emperor faced both internal and external troubles. Where would he find the time to care if children in remote viges could afford education? It would be good enough if he could keep his throne.


    Suddenly she felt her grandfather''s ideas were a bit unrealistic. Should she persuade him to give up when she goes back? Or he might beat her to death!


    "It''s so difficult!"


    Mr. Jin still found her worried little face amusing. He didn''t know which family this littledy was brought up in to be so concerned about people''s livelihoods.


    "Alright, stop frowning. It causes wrinkles easily."


    As soon as Li Mingwei heard this, she instantly tensed her face and felt the corners of her eyes, "Do I have wrinkles already?"


    "Not yet, but you will if you keep frowning like that, just like me."


    "Ew, I don''t want that." Li Mingwei said in disgust, "I''m only twenty this year. How can I get wrinkles already."


    "You''re twenty? You don''t look that old."


    "Almost, just a few more months." Li Mingwei suddenly looked at Liu Yizhu, "How old are you?"


    "Eighteen."


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips, "Tsk, so young. Call me sister."


    Liu Yizhu...


    He lightly coughed, "It''s fine. I look older. People can''t tell you''re older than me when we''re out."

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56


    Although it was still wintertime, Mr. Jin suddenly felt the chair under him be as hot as a stove, and he stood up, wanting to take a walk to cool off.


    As soon as he left, Liu Yizhu immediately came forward, turned Li Mingwei to face him, and then propped his hands on the chair back, caging her in. In a low voice he asked, "Did you just say you''re going home? Going on a trip?"


    The hot air hitting her made Li Mingwei shrink back a little. Righteously she said, "What''s wrong with going home? Don''t you go home every day?"


    "Where''s your home?"


    "What business is it of yours!"


    Liu Yizhu stared at her. He was quite a big fellow, yet was pouting like a child, "Keep saying it''s none of my business."


    Li Mingwei turned her head away, vexed. "Don''t look at me like that!"


    She reproached him, "Sir was just here a moment ago, look at what you''re saying, you''re still a schr, don''t you know propriety between men and women? Last time you also..."


    As Li Mingwei spoke she became more and more upset, no longer able to restrain her temper. She threw two punches at Liu Yizhu''s chest. Liu Yizhu caught her little fists and pulled her into his embrace, "Alright, next time I''ll only say it to you."


    "I don''t want to hear it either!" Li Mingwei was angry and pinched his waist, struggling out of his restraint, "If you touch me again, I''ll tell Lord Tang and have him send you to do hardbor too."


    "So was it you who reported Wu Dong?"


    He had thought that for an assault case like this, if enough money was paid, it could be quickly resolved. The Wu family only had this one son, even if they sold their house they would get Wu Dong out. But Lord Tang hadn''t even given the Wu family a chance, directly sending him away.


    Li Mingwei didn''t want him to still have suspicions, and her heart skipped a beat, but outwardly did not reveal anything. "Why would I report him? Wasn''t he arrested for beating someone?"


    "But you just said..."


    "What I meant is, if you touch me again, you''re no different from Wu Dong."


    Li Mingwei turned her back to him, no longer looking at him, and anxiously gripped the chair back.


    Liu Yizhu stared at the back of her head for a while, then forcibly turned her to face him. He knelt on the ground, looking straight into her eyes, not missing any hint of abnormality. "Do you think I''m no different from Wu Dong?"


    "Mm-hmm!"


    Liu Yizhu gently enfolded her in his arms, slowly soothing her unease. "Do you really think there''s no difference?"


    His low voice exploded by her ear. Li Mingwei felt a little weak, and shrunk back into the chair a bit, sorting out her thoughts. Slowly she opened her mouth, her voice tinged with exhaustion, "Liu Yizhu, we really don''t suit each other."


    "I don''t want to dy you. I''m just a passerby in your life, just as you''re only a passerby in my life. I won''t stay here long. Maybe next time youe back, I''ll be gone already."


    She mustered a smile, and stroked Liu Yizhu''s face. "You''re still young. Focus on your studies. In the future when you''ve gone far and seen more of the world, you''ll probably realize how foolish you''re being now."


    "I''m already this old. Time is precious. I can''t gamble anymore. Right now I just want to find someone ready-made. Do me a favor and let me off easy."


    Having said this, Li Mingwei pushed him away and walked straight out, muttering under her breath, "Really troublesome, have to find another ce again."


    Seeing the girl return home distracted, Wang Chunhua waved her hand in front of her eyes until she looked over, then said, "What''s the matter with you, looking like you''ve lost your soul? You went to buy paper but didn''t even bring it back."


    "It''s nothing." Li Mingwei casually made up a reason, "It''s just that Sister Yun is getting married, so I was thinking of buying her a gift."


    "Didn''t Sister Yun sayst time you''ve already given her a gift?"


    "Yes, I did." Li Mingwei was at a loss for words for a moment, thenined in a low voice, "Sis, go take a look at Sister Yun''s dowry. Just a few bolts of cloth, and those were gifted by othersst time. Even if there''s no time, it shouldn''t be like this. Uncle and Aunt Meng are shameless to ept a dowry of only twenty taels of silver."


    Wang Chunhua''s nut-cracking motions stopped for a second, and she spat in agreement, "What kind of people!"


    "Huh?" Mrs. Wang was a bit surprised, "That family with the Meng surname next door looks quite polite, and they get along well with you, so how could they be like that?"


    "They''re usually easy-going and obliging, and pleasant to speak with, but just on this matter, however you look at it, they didn''t handle it properly."


    Having been neighbors for years, with more time ahead to get along, Wang Chunhua didn''t want to criticize others too much. She calcted Li Mingwei''s spending and guessed her money was gone. She went into the room and brought out 100 wen for her.


    "What''s this for?"


    Wang Chunhua put the money in her hand, "You''ve lent me all your money, your purse must be empty too. Take this money and see about buying Sister Yun a gift."


    Li Mingwei nodded and tucked the money into her pocket.


    This matter couldn''t be dyed, so after eating the next day, she told Dong Lei and Xiao Gang to fetch the items, and hurried out to take a look around.


    After hesitating a moment, she walked into a rouge shop.


    The proprietress warmly weed her. She hade to buy almond oil for Dong Lei twice before, so was considered a regr customer.


    "Mr. Xiao Ming hase. Are you here for almond oil again today?"


    "No, I still have some left fromst time."


    The proprietress smiled, "I figured there should still be some left. What is it you want today?"


    Li Mingwei said embarrassedly, "How do you sell your rouge here?"


    She knew rouge was expensive. The rouge used by Ah Xiu was several taels a box. So with a little over 100 wen in hand, she really felt awkward asking.


    "It depends on what kind you want." The proprietress brought out several boxes for her, opening them one by one to show her the colors. "See any you like? You can try it on your face."


    "Oh no, this is to give someone else. I shouldn''t try it. How much are these boxes?"


    After the proprietress told her the prices, seeing she made no response, she guessed what Li Mingwei wanted and brought out some lip balm from under the counter.


    "These are lip balms, also nice for gifting, and cheaper than rouge."


    In the end, Li Mingwei spent everyst penny to her name, 118 wen, to buy a box of decent quality lip balm.

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57


    On the early morning of the eighth day, even before the sky was fully bright, a long string of firecrackers sounded from the neighbor''s house. Li Mingwei bolted up and ran to the front yard, pulling over a stool to climb on and peer over the wall into the neighbor''s home.


    Before long, Yun Sister was led out by a man with a red silk ribbon, though not by her husband since he was ill and couldn''t make it - so her brother-inw hade to stand in his ce.


    Because of the long distance to travel, they were in a hurry, so Yun Sister was swiftly helped onto an ox cart, with several people standing behind without getting on. With a horn sounding, the driver snapped his whip and the procession set off.


    Li Mingwei clung to the door frame, watching as Yun Sister stealthily lifted her veil and nced in her direction, giving a faint smile. She pointed at her lips, which bore the lip color Li Mingwei had given her yesterday.


    The matchmaker nearby quickly pressed it back down. "Don''t lift your veil - it''s unlucky until the new husband arrives."


    Yun Sister said nothing, obediently putting her hand back down. Apanied by the sound of gongs and drums, she gradually faded into the distance with the convoy.


    Wang Chunhua came back from next door and saw tears brimming in Li Mingwei''s eyes. She pushed her inside, "Don''t look, don''t look. Just go back and wait for the meal."


    Li Mingwei retorted stubbornly, "I won''t go."


    "They''re our neighbors, if you don''t go, how will you get along in the future? Don''t be petty."


    "Weren''t they the ones who said I''m divorced, so I''m unlucky and shouldn''t go? That''s why they didn''t let me go to see her off."


    "You can''t go to send her off, but you can still go eat at the wedding feast. Aunt Meng just asked me specially toe get you," Wang Chunhua chided her, then reminded, "I know you''re unhappy, but you have to put on a passable face. Aunt Meng also feels awful today, so don''t show that expression when you go overter."


    Li Mingwei grumbled, "What does she have to feel awful about?"


    If only Aunt Meng had chosen a more normal family for Yun Sister, she wouldn''t dislike her so much.


    "No matter what, Yun Sister is a piece of her own flesh. Of course it hurts her, and she usually treats Yun Sister well too. It''s just that for the sake of her other two children, she had no choice but to..."


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips, not wanting to hear Wang Chunhua''s exnation. She turned and went back into the room. Wang Chunhua sighed helplessly, left some instructions for Dong Shan, then went back next door to help.


    Dong Lei brought Xiao Gang to grab red packets and candy, then came running gleefully back to show off to her. Seeing her displeasure, they reluctantly gave her two as well.


    Xiao Gang urged, "Auntie, you said you''d transcribe books for me too. When will you do it?"


    "I don''t want to transcribe!" Li Mingwei nearly gritted her teeth into dust in anger. "Can''t you see I''m upset right now? You didn''t evenfort me, yet you''re asking me to copy books for you - you''re heartless!"


    Dong Lei chimed in agreement, "You''re heartless!"


    Xiao Gang pouted aggrievedly, "But I''m going back tomorrow, so I just asked..."


    "What''s the point even if you take them? You can''t recognize a single character. We''ll talk about it next time I go back."


    She really didn''t feel like moving these days, her head truly ached.


    Seeing her press at her temples, Dong Lei immediately took off his shoes and climbed onto the bed to massage them for her. "Auntie, your head hurts again?"


    "Mm, a little."


    Xiao Gang was also concerned. "Auntie, why don''t we go to the pharmacy? Your head''s been hurting since you came back, and it''s been two or three days already."


    Li Mingwei waved her hand weakly. "No need, it''ll be better in a while."


    Dong Lei nodded in agreement. "Mom said Auntie isn''t sick, her head just hurts because she''s in a bad mood. It''ll stop hurting once she feels better."


    Xiao Gang had a puzzled expression. "Then what can we do to put Auntie in a good mood?"


    Once she was in a good mood and her head didn''t hurt, she could copy books for him.


    "Do you want me to feel better?" Li Mingwei stopped Dong Lei''s massaging hand and sat up against the headboard.


    The two children nodded in unison. "We do!"


    Then Li Mingwei smiled wickedly and stretched out her sinful little hands. The two children instantly erupted into chaotic screams and fled in all directions.


    Hearing the children''s shrieks from the room, Wang Daisao rushed over in rm, only to see Li Mingwei chasing the two children into a corner. She had grabbed a cheek of each child, pinching and squeezing them. Unable to escape, the two brothers could only squeeze their eyes shut and wail loudly.


    Children''s little faces were so tender, especially chubby little Dong Lei''s, so soft and supple. Li Mingwei said in satisfaction, "So nice to pinch!"


    "Auntie is so mean!"


    Wang Daisaoughed uncontrobly. Mingwei wasn''t a small child anymore, yet she was still ying with the kids. She didn''t interfere, and under Dong Lei and Xiao Gang''s pleading gazes, decisively walked away.


    Li Mingwei chuckled smugly. "Look, no one can save you!"


    She pounced on the two children, tickling their armpits. Xiao Gang couldn''t stand it and took the lead in counterattack. Dong Lei followed closely after, raising the g of retaliation. The three tumbled into a pile together.


    After this romp, Li Mingwei actually felt less gloomy. She caught her breath, then gathered the two children into her arms and sank into a deep sleep.


    At noon, Aunt Meng specially came to invite her over. She really couldn''t decline out of politeness, so could only bring the two children with her.


    Aunt Meng gripped her hand tightly and apologized. "Auntie knows you two were close, and not letting you go see her off must have upset you. But..."


    "Auntie, it''s fine. Customs are just customs, watching from this side is the same."


    Seeing her smile breezily, Aunt Meng also breathed a sigh of relief. She apologized to her again, then led her and the two children to find seats. "Don''t stand on ceremony, eat whatever you like."


    "Alright Auntie, go busy yourself."


    Aunt Meng was indeed busy today. She didn''t have time to chat, just said a few words before leaving.


    Li Mingwei hurriedly ate a few bites, but seeing the two children still eating with relish, could only wait helplessly. There was no one she recognized at the table either, so she boredly nced around. Her eyes just happened to meet Old Lady Wang''s.


    As soon as Old Lady Wang saw her look over, she quickly lowered her head to avoid her gaze.


    Well wasn''t this a rare asion, the sun rising from the west!


    Li Mingwei was extremely puzzled. That was Old Lady Wang! Not ring daggers at her? Retreating so cowardly, she wasn''t used to it at all.


    Old Lady Wang withdrew her eyes and quietly finished eating before promptly taking her leave of the host family.


    Aunt Meng held her back. "Leaving already? Did you eat enough?"


    "I ate plenty, ate plenty. My son isn''t feeling well, so I need to go back and check on him."


    Aunt Meng quickly expressed her concern. "What''s wrong with Schr Liu? I thought it strange he didn''te today."


    She had heard from Yun Sister long ago that Schr Liu liked Li Mingwei, so he would certainly attend. How could he miss this?


    Old Lady Wang shook her head. "It''s nothing serious, he probably caught a chill from the wind yesterday and is resting in bed. I want to go back and cook some congee for him."


    "Yes, nd food is better when sick. I won''t keep you then, hurry back."


    "Alright, thank you for having me today."


    "No need to stand on courtesy."


    Li Mingwei secretly stole nces at their conversation, but with so many people and the noise, she was too far to hear clearly. She just saw a hint of worry flit across Aunt Meng''s brows, and Old Lady Wang left in a rush.


    She brought her eyes back and knitted her own brows, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

 Chapter 58

    Chapter 58


    Old Lady Wang hurried back home and listened for a while outside Liu Yizhu''s room door. Hearing no movement inside, she first went to the kitchen to cook porridge for him. When the porridge was ready, she knocked on his door.


    "My boy, get up first and drink the porridge before going back to sleep."


    Liu Yizhu wasn''t sleeping. He put away the paper and writing brush on his desk and opened the door for Old Lady Wang: "Mother, give it to me."


    Old Lady Wang handed the porridge to him. Seeing his hair and clothes weren''t messy, she knew he hadn''t been sleeping. She nced at his desk and said unhappily, "Didn''t I tell you to rest well? Why are you up reading books again?"


    "I''m fine."


    Liu Yizhu sat back down on his chair, constantly stirring the steaming porridge but didn''t eat a mouthful.


    "Eat up."


    "It''s too hot. I''ll wait a bit."


    Seeing him like this, Old Lady Wang was worried sick. "I shouldn''t have taken you to visit your father''s grave yesterday."


    Sheined, "Who knew the wind on the mountain would be so strong."


    "It''s nothing. It was necessary to go." Liu Yizhu''s voice was t without any ripples. He put aside the bowl and casually flipped open a book. "Mother, I want to read for a while. You go rest."


    "Then I won''t disturb you. Rest if you''re tired."


    Seeing her son couldn''t eat at all, Old Lady Wang had no other way. She left the room and closed the door for him. Back in the kitchen, she kept the remaining porridge warm in the pot so he''d have something hot when hungryter.


    She returned to her room, took down herte husband''s memorial tablet and wiped it clean, hugging it to herself. Her eyes involuntarily moistened and sheined, "Why did you leave so early? I have to do everything now. If I don''t, I''ve let you down, but if I do, I''ve let our son down."


    She raised her hand to wipe away the tears, her voice hoarse, "What should I do? Seeing him like this..."


    "You might as well take me away. I want to be like you too, free of worries and as carefree as can be."


    Early yesterday morning, Old Lady Wang had prepared offerings of paper money and got ready the sacrificial items. On the excuse that Liu Yizhu would be leaving again soon, she wanted to take him to the mountain to pay respects to Liu''s father as a farewell.


    Although in previous years she hadn''t taken him up the mountain at this time, Liu Yizhu didn''t doubt her and agreed to go along.


    With no snow since New Year''s, the path was easy to walk. Mother and son soon arrived at Liu''s father''s grave. He used a sickle to clear away some of the umted snow and weeds on the grave while Old Lady Wang cleaned the offering table.


    From the basket Old Lady Wang took out a piece of cooked pork, put in the incense sticks, and lit them with a fire starter. She urged Liu Yizhu to kneel and said, "Talk to your father. Let your father bless you properly."


    Liu Yizhu didn''t know what to say. He just lit the paper money and ced it in front of the grave.


    His father passed away when he was still small. Now he had almost forgotten what his father looked like. He only vaguely remembered his father lying in bed, coughing violently, even coughing up blood, which frightened his mother into screaming. He had been scared stiff too.


    Then after a few days, his father was put into a thick coffin and buried here.


    Every year his mother would bring him here to pay respects to his father. Each time she would ask him to speak to his father and ask for blessings. When he was little, he really believed his father could hear him. Every time he would properly tell his father he didn''t need blessings. It was enough to bless Mother.


    His mother had to do everything and was truly exhausted.


    Whenever he said this, Old Lady Wang would choke up and turn her head away to cry.


    Later when he grew up and read more books, he understood that death extinguishes life, and his father had long dissolved away from this world and could neither hear him speak nor bless them. So he never spoke again.


    With him not speaking, Old Lady Wang didn''t mind. She carried on a one-sided conversation with Liu''s father, telling him some ordinary affairs.


    Suddenly she nced at Liu Yizhu and the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile, extremely joyful. "Our son has grown up now. I found a matchmaker and am preparing to propose a marriage for him. Maybe next time, it''ll be the three of using to see you."


    "If it goes smoothly, in a couple years the Liu family can also have an addition. When Ie to see you holding your big fat grandson, you''ll definitelyugh with joy."


    Old Lady Wang happily pped her hands, as if she already had a house full of grandchildren. Sheughed, "Then the Liu family will really prosper. Even when I''ve closed my eyes, I can hold my head high going to see you."


    Finally Liu Yizhu understood why his mother had suddenly brought him here to visit his father''s grave. It was for this purpose. He lowered his eyes and gave a coldugh. Go ahead and try to find someone he doesn''t care for at all.


    Li Mingwei''s words were like nails, each word nailed into his mind. Her earnest tone made him feel if he disturbed her again, he really wouldn''t be able to justify it.


    But giving her up didn''t mean he had to ept someone else.


    "Mother, I''ve said I don''t want to get married."


    Old Lady Wang''s brows shot up as she scolded harshly, "Do you really not want to get married or are you pretending you don''t want to get married? Do you think I don''t know what''s going on? I''m afraid with a flick of that woman''s hand, you''d be preparing your wedding feast tomorrow!"


    "Don''t even think about it!" Old Lady Wang''s hand shook as she pointed at the grave in front. "If you have the guts, tell your father right now that you''ve decided to cut off the Liu family line!"


    "Mother!"


    "Say it! Say it in front of your father."


    Looking at his yelling and threatening mother, Liu Yizhu suddenly felt estranged. He sighed lightly and said helplessly, "I won''t go look for her anymore. Isn''t that enough? But I really don''t want to get married."


    Old Lady Wang was half distrustful, half trusting. "You really won''t go look for that woman anymore?"


    Liu Yizhu nodded slightly and gave a bitterugh. "Looking for her would be fruitless anyway. She said she''s leaving. You...forget it. When she''s gone, whether you believe it or not, you''ll have to."


    For some reason, hearing her son say this made Old Lady Wang''s heart suddenly tighten. She looked at him anxiously. She knew it, she knew something wasn''t right with her son since he came back yesterday.


    She let out a breath. Leaving is good, leaving is good.


    Liu Yizhu finished burning the remaining paper money. He knelt silently for a while, then suddenly said, "Mother, you didn''t use to be like this."


    Hearing the catch in his voice, Old Lady Wang turned to look. Only then did she realize her son''s eyes had reddened. She opened her mouth wanting to say something, but her throat seemed choked.


    She was paralyzed, only able to watch as her son got up and left. After he had gone far away, she copsed to the ground in front of the grave and broke down sobbing loudly.


    She cried until she was exhausted and sat numbly at the grave for a long time before tidying up and getting ready to leave. She had thought her son had already gone home, but unexpectedly he was still waiting for her at the foot of the mountain.


    Seeing her son''s lonely back, Old Lady Wang''s nose soured again. Seeing him suddenly turn his head, she hurriedly wiped her face with her sleeve and walked quickly up to him.


    "Why are you waiting here? The wind is strong. Don''t catch cold. Let''s go home."


    Liu Yizhu took the basket from her hand with a murmur and walked in front.

 Chapter 59

    Chapter 59


    Wang Dazhuang and Mrs. Wang stayed at the Dong''s house for two days and were going to take Xiao Gang back with them. Li Mingwei sent them to the town entrance.


    When saying goodbye, Xiao Gang repeatedly confirmed with her the next time to go to Xinghua Vige. She hadn''t even opened the books yet, how could she make any promise. After returning home, she didn''t dare to ck off again and could only work overtime to copy books.


    Seeing that she was really tired but still refused to rest, Wang Chunhua sighed and went to the room to take out some money to invite her to go out.


    "Sister, I still have to copy books. Let''s do it another day, okay?"


    "Why another day? You can see the weather is going to get warmer. We have to make spring clothes in advance."


    Li Mingwei looked up at the sun in the sky. It was about time to start preparing. In a few days, she would have to go to Xinghua Vige again and didn''t know how long that would dy her.


    She put away her pen. "Fine, let''s go shopping for new clothes."


    Only then was Wang Chunhua satisfied. She also brought her daughter along. "Our Xiao Yan has grown up too. She needs a new one too."


    "What about Lei?"


    "He doesn''t need it. He just enrolledst year and we were afraid he would be embarrassed at school. So we got two new sets made for him."


    Those who can go to school are not considered too poor at home. If you wear tattered clothes, you are bound to be ostracized. Adults can let it go but children should not suffer the slightest grievance. Sost year Wang Chunhua made two good sets for him.


    Children grow fast. When making clothes, female embroiderer Yu always leaves room at the cuffs and pant legs for the following year. Then they will fit just right when let out.


    female embroiderer Yu took them into the small room with a lit stove and told them to take off the children''s thick coats so that she could take measurements. She measured Xiao Yan first, then looked at Li Mingwei.


    "Do you wantst year''s winter clothes size or shall I measure again?"


    Li Mingwei wanted to save trouble and refuse but Wang Chunhua didn''t agree. "It''s been half a year. You may have gained or lost weight. Let''s just measure again."


    Fine. Li Mingwei had no choice but to take off her outer clothes leaving only her undergarment.


    female embroiderer Yu recorded her measurements in her notebook andpared them withst year''s data. She nodded, "You did lose some weight."


    "Lost weight?" Wang Chunhua''s eyes widened in surprise. Where did all that food she ate go? She was originally worried that she had gained weight and the clothes would be too small to fit.


    female embroiderer Yu nodded affirmatively, "Yes, lost weight. I''ll make them a little bigger for you. Go home and eat more. Being too thin is not good either."


    Embarrassed, Li Mingwei nodded slightly and touched her belly. She felt like she was already eating quite a lot.


    After selecting the fabrics, Wang Chunhua wanted to take her to buy meat but Li Mingwei declined, "Let it go. Buying clothes has already cost a lot of money."


    Two sets for her, one for Xiao Yan, totaling almost one or two silver coins.


    She sighed. "You didn''t really have to buy me such good fabric."


    "You''re still young. You should wear brighter colors." Wang Chunhua gently patted her shoulder. "I want you to dress up more brightly. Maybe it will make you more attractive."


    "What? Sister, do you dislike me already and want me married off so eagerly?"


    "No, not really."


    It was mainly because at Sister Yun''s wedding, the matchmaker who came to finalize the engagement set sight on Li Mingwei at first nce. She asked Aunt Meng to convey that she had several good families and asked if Li Mingwei was interested.


    If so, she could pass her a letter and the matchmaker would arrange for them toe see her. If it worked out, she and Sister Yun could keep each otherpany in the future.


    Wang Chunhua didn''t mean to marry her off so far away but from the matchmaker''s tone, girls in her situation were still easy to find a husband. So she felt they should prepare just in case she did meet the right one.


    Li Mingwei rejected Wang Chunhua''s request to matchmake her. Right now she just wanted to hurry up and finish copying the books then go to Xinghua Vige and fulfill Xiao Gang''s wish. Getting married? No, no, absolutely not!


    Seeing how strongly she refused, Wang Chunhua had to drop the idea. Let her go back and have her parents find someone. It would probably be better than whoever she rmended anyway.


    After half a year of practice, Li Mingwei''s book copying speed had improved tremendously. The paper she boughtst time from Mr. Jin was almost used up. She sorted out the copies and nned to ask Mr. Jin to help bind them into booklets first.


    There were so many children in Xinghua Vige. It was impossible for everyone to have a personal copy. She would need to ask Mr. Jin''s advice on how many copies to make. She had never taught before and could also ask him for some tips and tricks.


    Carrying her bag, she strode through the gates of the school. She happened to run right into Liu Yizhu who was justing out from inside. Her eyes fell on his somewhat paleplexion and she quickly frowned before walking past him expressionlessly.


    "Mingwei." Liu Yizhu''s helpless voice sounded behind her.


    Li Mingwei paused then turned back with a smile, politely asking "Did Schr Liu need something?"


    "I''m returning to the academy tomorrow."


    Li Mingwei was delighted. "Is the road to the county reopened?"


    "Yes."


    Then they could wait and see if there was any news from Lord Tang. If not, it meant everything was fine at home.


    Li Mingwei looked up at him and sincerely wished, "Then I hope Schr Liu has a smooth journey."


    Liu Yizhu gazed at her for a while before suddenly bowing solemnly and bidding her farewell.


    Caught off guard, Li Mingwei was puzzled. Was this his final goodbye?


    So he had figured it out? After briefly contemting, Li Mingwei also returned the bow and formally bid, "Farewell."


    Having said thisst word, she picked up her bag and forced herself to ignore his lingering gaze on her back as she turned and went upstairs without looking back.


    Liu Yizhu watched as she disappeared around the corner before giving a self-deprecatingugh. Then without any more hesitation he strode out of the building.


    As soon as she turned the corner, Li Mingwei stopped in her tracks. She leaned back against the wall to catch her breath before continuing upstairs.


    Mr. Jin was not there, only Aunt Cui sitting in his spot.


    "Aunt Cui."


    Aunt Cuiughed heartily. "You youngsters making such a big fuss over saying goodbye. It''s not like he''s nevering back."


    So she had been watching the drama unfold upstairs?


    Flustered, Li Mingwei exined, "It''s not..."


    "It''s not what? This auntie isn''t blind. I saw everything clearly."


    Aunt Cui beckoned her over to sit next to her but Li Mingwei didn''t want to squeeze in so she pulled over Mr. Jin''s chair instead.


    Seeing Aunt Cui''s teasing expression, Li Mingwei helplessly rified again, "Auntie, we aren''t in that kind of rtionship..."


    "Oh please." At her age she had seen everything. If she couldn''t even see this clearly her eyes were useless.


    Further arguing was pointless. She wouldn''t believe otherwise. Li Mingwei gave up and changed the subject. "What are you doing here, Auntie? Where is Mr. Jin?"


    "I don''t know. My son ran out of paper so I came to buy more. When I got here, I only saw Schr Liu sitting there. He said Mr. Jin seemed to have gone out to buy stuff and told me to wait a bit."


    "Sitting there?"


    "That''s right. When I came he got up to let me sit but said he was leaving soon. Schrs are so polite indeed." Aunt Cui praised.


    With only two chairs here, she wouldn''t feel right sitting in someone else''s spot when the owner wasn''t around either.


    "What''s that little table there for?"


    Embarrassed, Li Mingwei answered. "It''s for me."

 Chapter 60

    Chapter 60


    Aunt Cui had a knowing look on her face as she lightly bumped Li Mingwei''s shoulder and jokingly said, "Auntie, when can I drink the wedding wine for you two?"


    "Auntie, I..." Li Mingwei didn''t know how to exin. Things were like this already, what wedding wine could there be?


    She slumped over the table and humbly held up three fingers, "I swear, we really don''t have anything going on between us."


    "Really?"


    "Really!"


    Aunt Cui was half believing and half suspicious. She pursed her lips and said, "Actually I feel like you two are quite well-matched."


    Li Mingwei didn''t want there to be a second person in this town, other than Mr. Jin, who felt that she and Liu Yizhu were well-matched.


    She raised her eyebrows, "How are we well-matched?"


    "You''re well-matched in many ways. You both look good, you both can read, and I remember he''s taking the provincial examination next year, right?"


    "Auntie even knows about the provincial examination?"


    Aunt Cui proudly stuck out her chest, "Of course, my son wants to study, so I''ve looked into everything."


    She patted Li Mingwei, "Don''t change the subject. Let me tell you, Liu Schr''s learning is quite good in the county. If you marry him, you might be an official''s wife in the future."


    What was so great about being an official''s wife? She used to be a princess! An official''s wife would still have to bow to her.


    Li Mingwei wasn''t interested.


    She turned her head away and casually said, "Aunt Cui, do you think having children is important?"


    "Children?" When Aunt Cui heard her say this, she probably understood what she was worried about. Sheughed and said, "It''s important but also not that important. It depends on the person."


    She leaned back in her chair and gently patted Li Mingwei''s back, recalling the past, "I married your uncle when I was 16 and didn''t have my precious son until I was 36. That''s 20 years in between where I was just like you."


    "We were married for over a year without children. My mother-inw urged me to go see a doctor. The doctor said my health was poor and I would have difficulty conceiving. I took countless medicines but he just kept saying the same thing. So I guessed that his ''difficulty'' meant it was impossible for me to conceive."


    "Your uncle told me to hide it for as long as I could so my mother-inw wouldn''t find out. But that''s just not my personality, how could I hide it? When my mother-inw found out I couldn''t have children, she immediately wanted us to divorce. Your uncle refused no matter what. He said he only wanted me, with or without children."


    After so many years, when Aunt Cui thought back to that day, her heart was still deeply shaken. When she looked at the man who was protecting her with all his might, she had thought at that time that being married to him made her life worthwhile.


    Later, during the countless times they argued, she only had to think back to this and she wouldn''t be so angry anymore.


    Li Mingwei reached out and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes.


    Aunt Cui held her hand in return, "Luckily, Heaven pitied me and allowed me to have my precious son. It took me 20 years to obtain one child. How could you be so sure at your young age that you truly have no fate with children?"


    "Even if you really have no such fate, choosing the right partner makes no difference. Two people can also live, three people can also live, it''s all the same."


    Li Mingwei drooped her head, "But my mother said children are very important."


    When the imperial doctor diagnosed her with great difficulty in conceiving, although her mother didn''t show too much disappointment, she started looking for opportunities to adopt not long after, saying she would find her a young child who wouldn''t remember anything. Then she would silence the servants'' mouths so the child wouldn''t know and would just take her as his birth mother.


    Li Mingwei didn''t want that, but her mother''s attitude was very firm. She basically had no way to refuse, she could only tell Murong Yu about it. Murong Yu said that if she didn''t want it then don''t do it, and personally helped her reject her mother. She had been very touched by this at the time.


    "Your mother?" Aunt Cui was puzzled. If her own daughter couldn''t have children, shouldn''t she beforting her? How could she say children were very important?


    "Yes, my mother. My grandmother had difficulties giving birth to my mother and passed away. My grandfather didn''t remarry, so my mother was his only child. My father married into the family, so I took my mother''s surname."


    "I''m also an only daughter. My mother originally wanted me to stay home and find a husband to marry into our family."


    But married or not didn''t make a difference anymore. To continue the Li family line, she could only find someone to adopt.


    Also influenced by her mother since she was little, Li Mingwei had always felt that having children was very important. Liu Yizhu was an only son, so she couldn''t bear to cut off his family''s lineage. That''s why she had refused him very clearly from the start.


    Aunt Cui felt quite sorry for her and softened her tone tofort her for a bit. She said it was fine, just change to another one. There were so many men in this world!


    Li Mingwei smiled and felt Aunt Cui made a lot of sense. The two saw eye to eye and chatted very happily. Aunt Cui even gossiped about a lot of people in town.


    When Mr. Jin came back and saw them chatting so cheerfully, he was a bit confused. Since when did these two be so close?


    "Mr. Jin, you''re back. Aunt Cui came to buy paper."


    "Oh, okay."


    Mr. Jin got the paper for Aunt Cui and saw her out. Then he looked at Li Mingwei, "What were you two talking about so happily?"


    "Nothing much, ha ha."


    She didn''t want to say, so Mr. Jin didn''t ask further. "What are you here for?"


    Li Mingwei took out the Thousand Character ssic she had copied and asked Mr. Jin to make it into a booklet for her, "If you''re busy, you can also teach me how to do it myself."


    Anyway, Liu Yizhu was leaving tomorrow, so she wouldn''t run into him here anymore.


    "Alright, I''ll teach you. School is starting in a couple days and you''ll be asking for leave again. I still have a lot to do."


    "Okay, take a look, is this enough? I don''t know how many to make, probably a dozen or so kids, is two or three to a book fine?" She rubbed her wrist, "Copying so much made my hand hurt."


    Mr. Jin''s expression turned cold, "Oh, so you know your hand hurts now. Last time when Yizhu said he would copy for you, you acted all capable and said you could do it yourself, refusing his help, didn''t you?"


    "Mr. Jin!"


    Li Mingwei was furious, looking like she wanted to bite Mr. Jin to death.


    Mr. Jin ignored her and turned to grab a stack of paper from the bookshelf, throwing it down on the desk. His tone carried some interrogation, "What''s going on between you two now?"


    Mr. Jin had taught Liu Yizhu for seven or eight years, so he had watched him grow up. Today when Liu Yizhu came over, Mr. Jin noticed something was off about him. But when asked, Liu Yizhu wouldn''t say anything, only asking Mr. Jin to help make these into booklets because he had to go back to the academy and didn''t have time to do it for her.


    Feelings were personal matters between the two of them. Mr. Jin didn''t want to get too involved. If they could make it work, then great. If not, then part ways. But after seeing Liu Yizhu''s state today, Mr. Jin still felt a bit distressed, so he couldn''t help asking about it.


    Li Mingwei flipped through the pages. It was a copy of the Thousand Character ssic and the handwriting was extremely familiar.


    She blinked and put on a smiling face as she looked up, "Nothing much is going on between us! What could possibly happen?"


    Her smile was too fake. With one look, Mr. Jin could tell she was lying. He harrumphed, not wanting to bother with her.


    Li Mingwei put his and her copies together and hugged them to her chest. She smiled ingratiatingly at Mr. Jin, "Teach me how to make booklets."


    "I won''t teach you."


    "Mr. Jin is petty!"


    Mr. Jin nodded, "That''s right, I''m petty. I won''t teach. If you want to learn from someone, go find whoever you want!"


    "Hmph!"


    Li Mingwei cursed inwardly. Other than him and Liu Yizhu, who else knew how? He was obviously trying to make her go find Liu Yizhu! How nasty!

 Chapter 61

    Chapter 61


    When Li Mingwei and Dong Shan appeared in his sight, Xiao Gang was so excited that he almost jumped up. Since he came back from townst time, he woulde here to take a look every day at noon.


    He had been waiting for half a month. In fact, Li Mingwei had finished making the booklets long ago, but the mountain roads were still covered in snow, and Dong Shan was afraid that she would get into trouble likest time again, so he decided to wait until the road conditions got better before taking her here in the cart.


    "Auntie, uncle!"


    Seeing the child running towards them, Li Mingwei waved her hand at him, "Xiao Gang, what are you doing here?"


    "Waiting for you!"


    "How did you know we wereing today?"


    Xiao Gang grinned without answering. He went forward to help Dong Shan push the cart. He took a look at the things on the cart, but didn''t seem to find what he was looking for.


    "Auntie, where are the books you copied for me?"


    "Where are they?"


    Li Mingwei pointed to a blue cloth bag to show him. Inside were dozens of Thousand Character ssics that she had made herself. Although somewhat crude, they could still be of use.


    Xiao Gang lifted the edge of the bag to take a peek inside. Seeing that it was full of books, he opened his mouth wide in surprise, "Howe there are so many? I thought we were only learning the Thousand Character ssic?"


    "It''s not just for you to learn."


    After thinking over his auntie''s words twice, Xiao Gang finally understood the implication. He grinned from ear to ear and stopped helping push the cart. He ran back to the vige as fast as he could to notify his little friends.


    "Hey!" Li Mingwei called after him, "Remember, I''m only teaching the Thousand Character ssic. After I finish teaching it, I''ll be leaving."


    "Got it!"


    Xiao Gang acknowledged and then continued sprinting. In less than an hour, the news had spread throughout the vige, and many vigers went to the Wangs to ask about the situation.


    After receiving affirmative replies, they brought their children to the open area at the vige entrance early the next day to wait there.


    Li Mingwei was still racking her brains there. The snow had mostly melted, so it was impossible to have them practice writing in the snow. She could only ask Xiao Gang to find her a wooden board to barely write on with burnt wood charcoal.


    Xiao Gang knew she was shy, so he helped her gather the people, "Children who want to learn, pleasee forward. Uncles and aunties, please move back and don''t block the way."


    The vigers politely stepped aside. Li Mingwei counted the number of children and found that she didn''t have enough booklets for everyone. So she told Xiao Gang, "See which of them are from the same family, and just give one booklet to each family."


    Xiao Gang nodded to show he understood. When he opened the blue cloth bag and the booklets inside were revealed, many children couldn''t help but gather around to take a look, wanting to reach out and touch them.


    "You can''t touch them!" Xiao Gang closed the bag and red at them, "Go find a ce to sit down first, and I''ll hand them out one by one."


    Li Mingwei added, "Children from the same family should sit together."


    Kids that age tended to be naughty. Some were obedient, others were not. Li Mingwei simply picked up a stick from the back and drew a circle in the air, threatening them, "If you make trouble, you''ll have to leave. I''ll hit anyone who misbehaves inside this circle."


    "That''s right, my auntie hits really hard when she''s angry!"


    Xiao Gang put on a serious face to help scare the children. When it came to getting hit, he even rubbed his arm, making Li Mingwei reflect on whether she had actually hit him before.


    The vige chief walked out, sped his hands behind his back, and swept his eyes over the group of children, focusing on the few troublemakers. He said sternly, "Go ahead and hit them. Naughty children should be punished. If you don''t feelfortable doing it yourself, just tell us which family the child is from and we''ll take care of it."


    The children''s backs turned cold, and none of them dared to move around anymore. They obediently found a ce to sit.


    Only then did Xiao Gang reopen the blue cloth bag. He randomly grabbed a booklet, flipped it open and took a look. He noticed the characters inside were different from the one his auntie had given him yesterday.


    "Auntie, howe the words in this booklet are different? Weren''t they all copied by you?"


    Li Mingwei raised her brows, "Who have you been learning from these past few days that you''ve picked up how to distinguish handwriting so quickly?"


    Xiao Gang looked at her as if she were dumb, "Auntie, I can''t recognize the words. I can''t even tell big from small."


    "Oh."


    Right, she was overthinking it. Li Mingwei took the booklet in his hand and nced at it. Liu Yizhu''s handwriting was indeed smaller and neater than hers.


    The two of them distributed the booklets together. Li Mingwei tapped the wooden board to draw everyone''s attention, then reminded them, "There''s only one copy per family. If it gets damaged, you won''t get a recement."


    The children unanimously responded "Yes!" And so, the makeshift little schoolhouse in Apricot Blossom Vige began its lessons.


    Following Mr. Jin''s teaching methods, Li Mingwei arranged for them to read aloud and recite in the morning, and practice writing on the ground in the afternoon, simr to a proper school, just with a simpler curriculum.


    Soon, Li Mingwei realized that teaching children was not as easy as she had thought, especially under these uneven distribution conditions. Some families had three or four kids, and those sitting at the edge couldn''t see, so they would try to snatch the book, often leading to fights.


    She could only separate them and partner those who came alone with others. The ownership of the booklets still belonged to the original child, but during lessons they could share.


    "Oh dear..."


    Seeing her sigh, Mrs. Wang poured her a cup of water to help her rx, "That''s just how it is with lots of kids. Mine at home are always bickering too, it''s impossible to be perfectly fair."


    Li Mingwei took a sip of water and sighed again. She was beginning to understand that siblings tended to fight the most fiercely.


    It was time for them to practice writing. After drinking the water, she picked up the stick and went down to continue patrolling, making sure she paid close attention to each child.


    She walked to the back of the group and found a little girl secretly watching them from behind a tree. Smiling, she went up and beckoned to the girl, "Do you want to learn how to write?"


    The girl nervously clutched her sleeves and nodded, biting her lip.


    "Why didn''t youe these past few days then? It''s toote now, there are no more books left. But let me try to find you a spot."


    The girl widened her eyes at her, seemingly unable to believe that she had so readily agreed to let her learn to write.


    Li Mingwei felt it was odd. She patted the girl''s head, "What''s wrong?"


    The girl said hesitantly, "Xiao Gang said girls weren''t allowed toe."


    She had several little friends who also wanted toe along.


    Li Mingwei clenched her fist. She knew it, besides the Wang kids, howe there wasn''t a single girl? Turns out Xiao Gang had been spreading nonsense.


    She had assumed other families didn''t want their daughters mingling with a bunch of boys and nned to speak with the vige chief about it in a few days. They were all just children, there was no need to be overly cautious. She would do her best to look after the girls as well.


    She shouted loudly, "Xiao Gang!"


    Xiao Gang was diligently practicing writing. Being yelled at so suddenly left him somewhat bewildered. He wasn''t the only one startled, the other children also paused and looked back.


    Li Mingwei dragged the girl by the hand to the front while twisting Xiao Gang''s ear to haul him over.


    She said angrily, "When did I ever say that girls weren''t allowed to learn?"


    Xiao Gang scratched his head,pletely confused, "You didn''t say that!"


    Li Mingwei pointed at the girl, "Then howe she said you told them not toe?"


    The girl exined, "You didn''t say we couldn''te, just that we shouldn''t get involved."


    "That''s right, they shouldn''t be involved anyway! Grandpa Vige Chief said that studying is for men. What business do they have getting involved?"


    Li Mingwei tightened her grip on the stick and smacked him with it.

 Chapter 62

    Chapter 62


    This blow contained all of Li Mingwei''s anger. Xiao Gang was beaten until he was a little confused. The burning pain on his arm quickly sobered him up. He covered it with his hand and looked at Li Mingwei with tears in his eyes.


    Li Mingwei pointed at him, "What do you mean studying is a man''s business and little girls shouldn''t get involved? I''m not a little girl, am I? If I didn''t study, could I stand here and teach you today?"


    The vige chief stood aside, extremely embarrassed. He kept waving his hands and said, "I just said the examiner was a man''s business, I didn''t say studying was."


    The examiners out there weren''t only men anyway. He had just said that one sentence, who knew the child would take it the wrong way.


    Li Mingwei let out a cold snort, not bothering with whether what he said was true or false. She pointed at Xiao Gang and continued, "Do you speak and act without thinking first? You take whatever others say as the truth, even misunderstanding it and spreading false rumors!"


    Xiao Gang looked at the vige chief resentfully. Hearing the whispers around him, he couldn''t keep hisposure. He was about to run off when Mrs. Wang hurriedly stopped him.


    "Where are you going? Your auntie is talking to you!"


    Although her son was beaten, she couldn''t bear to stop Li Mingwei from disciplining him.


    "Let him go. It will free up his book for someone else who doesn''t have one."


    Xiao Gang was stunned. He said loudly, "Auntie, you gave me that book!"


    Up until now, he was the only one reading a book by himself. Even his own siblings weren''t qualified to share with him, because it was a gift Li Mingwei had given him personally.


    Li Mingwei had her arms akimbo. "I only gave it to you so you could learn to read and write. Now that you''re not studying, I can take it back."


    "Who said I''m not studying anymore!"


    "Then where are you nning to go during ss time?"


    Xiao Gang was silenced. Mrs. Wang hurriedly pushed him back into his seat. "Nowhere, nowhere. Quick, apologize to your auntie and don''t speak recklessly anymore."


    Li Mingwei looked coldly at the stubborn Xiao Gang, tapping her stick on the ground. Xiao Gang nced at it and recalled the blow to his arm earlier. He lowered his head and chose to submit.


    "Yes, I''m sorry, Auntie. I won''t speak recklessly anymore."


    "Humph! Don''t think an apology means I''ll forgive you." Li Mingwei pushed that little girl next to him. "From now on she''ll share the book with you. When you''ve caught her up on the lessons she missed the other day, that''s when I''ll forgive you."


    "Huh?"


    Xiao Gang was crestfallen. He had only studied for a few days himself and still didn''t know anything. How could he teach someone else?


    The little girl sat next to him, also somewhat shy. Li Mingwei saw it in her eyes. She nced around at the adults who were watching eagerly and said, "What''s there to be afraid of? From now on you''re fellow students, just like siblings. There''s nothing to be embarrassed about. When more girlse in the future, it will be the same."


    After she said this, many little girls dide the next day. She barely managed to arrange them, telling them to make do for now. She had someone go into town to buy her some paper and writing brushes, preparing to copy more books.


    When enthusiastic vigers heard about it, they set up a table for her at the vige entrance overnight.


    Li Mingwei...


    That was unnecessary though.


    Since things were already like this, she could only ept it. Anyway, there were always crowds of adults watching whenever she taught, so her face was already thick enough.


    Only during breaks, many people woulde to watch her copy books. asionally some who didn''t understand would pretend to and insist onmenting, making her have to try very hard to hold in herughter and steady her hand, striving not to waste paper in vain.


    That was her hard-earned money! She currently had no ie, so every penny seemed extremely precious.


    After copying for about ten days, Li Mingwei calcted the quantity and felt it was about enough, so she stopped writing. She startedpiling it all into pamphlets, with Mrs. Wang helping her out.


    Seeing the new pamphlets in the children''s hands, Li Mingwei nodded satisfactorily and tapped the wooden board. "ss is starting!"


    At the same time, the bell rang to start ss at Hong''e Academy in Anhuai County.


    Tang Jue saw his deskmate still staring at the tree outside and couldn''t help poking him with his folding fan. "Brother Liu, no matter how good that tree looks, we should still appreciate it after ss, don''t you think?"


    Liu Yizhu came to his senses and closed his eyes, concentrating his gaze on the teacher.


    After ss ended, Tang Jue squeezed next to him on the bench. From his perspective he looked the tree up and down, scrutinizing it carefully, but didn''t find anything particrly special about it.


    He unfolded his fan and gently waved it, praising, "As expected of Brother Liu, always able to discover the unique beauty in ordinary things, something the rest of us are incapable of."


    Yang Jingyuan in front of Liu Yizhu turned around with augh. "Brother Tang is able to interpret daydreaming so cleverly, also beyond what the rest of us are capable of!"


    Tang Jue knocked on his head with the fan, annoyed. "Of course, just look who I am."


    "The county magistrate''s son, who doesn''t know that?"


    Yang Jingyuan let out a light snort. There wasn''t much respect in his tone, but Tang Jue didn''t mind. His father had said heroese from all walks of life. As long as Tang Jue felt the other party might have a promising future, he could associate with them.


    So he never put on airs and got along well with most of his ssmates.


    He nudged Liu Yizhu. "What are you thinking about?"


    "Nothing."


    "Come on." Yang Jingyuan didn''t believe it at all. He had noticed something off about him for a while now. "Ever since the start of the school term you''ve been acting strange, always staring outside in a daze. There must be something going on. Tell us and let us think of a way to help. The county magistrate''s son is right here. He''s got money and power, so he can easily take care of anything for you."


    "No." Zhong Liangyu, who was sitting to the side, leaned forward and stared into Liu Yizhu''s eyes. "To be precise, he''s been off sincete Octoberst year. It''s just that he smiled more often when looking out the window before the new year. After the new year there''s only frowning left."


    Tang Jue apuded him. "You''re really attentive toward our Brother Liu."


    Yang Jingyuan eximed in surprise and moved away from him. "You don''t have homosexual tendencies, do you?"


    "What nonsense are you talking about!" Zhong Liangyu straightened his chest to disy his arms. "I''m a real man!"


    "Brother Liu doesn''t look like a girl either. Why do you keep staring at him? You even remember whether he''sughing or frowning. "


    "He wasn''t crying, I said frowning."


    "You see, you see, you sit so far away yet you can see his frowns so clearly. And you still say you don''t have indecent designs on him."


    Zhong Liangyu took a deep breath. No longer enduring, he pounced and started wrestling with Yang Jingyuan.


    Liu Yizhu braced the shaking table and sighed with slight annoyance. "Don''t fight, fighting is not allowed in the ssroom. The teacher will punish you again if he sees."


    The two looked at each other, both unwilling to be penalized. They simultaneously withdrew their hands and even affectionately tidied each other''s clothes and headwear.


    Tang Jue was long used to their swift change of attitude. Ignoring them, he continued showing concern for Liu Yizhu. "Is something going on at home?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head. "Really, it''s nothing."


    "If you don''t want to say, I''ll just remind you - keep this up and I just might end up ranking first next time. The end of summer vacation is almost here. If you don''t want to waste a few more years, you''d better stop being distracted."


    After dropping those words, Zhong Liangyunguidly returned to his seat.


    Liu Yizhu fell silent. Zhong Liangyu was right, he really should get a grip on himself.

 Chapter 63

    Chapter 63


    March, everything is budding.


    Li Mingwei looked at the tender buds on the branches of the old trees at the vige entrance, the wildflowers dotted around the grass, and suddenly realized that she had been in Xinghua Vige for so long that it was probably time to say goodbye.


    "Auntie."


    A little girl walked over to her and held out her hand, revealing a round egg: "Here, this is for you."


    Li Mingwei squatted down and pushed her hand back, shaking her head: "You have such a good memory when ites to studying every day, yet you just can''t seem to remember that Auntie doesn''t eat eggs."


    The little girl didn''t answer, but Li Mingwei could probably guess what she was thinking. Her family was poor, and the best thing she could offer was likely this egg.


    Looking at the girl''s somewhat messy hair, Li Mingwei smiled and said, "Did you get upte today? Your hair isn''tbed."


    The little girl couldn''t see what her own hair looked like. She reached up and touched it, exining, "Ibed it. Grandma went to the fields, so Ibed it myself."


    After the long winter, the vige had started to get busy again. She lived with her grandparents, and since Grandma had gone out, there was no one tob her hair for her.


    Li Mingwei sighed softly, went to the nearest house to borrow ab, and tied two small braids for her. The girls who gradually came to ss begged her to do the same for them.


    Seeing there was still some time before ss, she obligingly tied braids for each of the girls.


    "Okay, next."


    Another little girl sat down with her back to Li Mingwei. She touched the two little buns on the girl''s head - with such thin hair, small braids really weren''t suitable.


    She coaxed gently, "Auntie thinks your current hairstyle looks very nice just as it is. No need tob it again."


    "Really?" The little girl reached up doubtfully to touch her hair. Looking at the other girls with their small braids, longing showed in her eyes. "But I want to have my hair like theirs too."


    Seeing her pitiful look, Li Mingwei didn''t have the heart to refuse. She looked at the girl''s old hair ribbon, went to borrow scissors from the nearest house, and cut her own ribbon into strips to tie the girl''s hair.


    Li Mingwei had made two spring outfits, one pink and one light green. Today she was wearing the pink one, with a matching pink hair ribbon. Naturally, the little girl loved it.


    The girls with braids now envied her in turn, crowding around with longing in their eyes.


    Li Mingwei didn''t mind cutting her ribbon into more strips to give them all new ribbons.


    Mrs. Wang looked at the messy hair ribbons in Li Mingwei''s hand, feeling somewhat regretful. Her older sister had only recently asked someone to bring them to her, and they hadn''t been used for long before ending up like this.


    The aunties watching thought that Li Mingwei was so patient styling each girl''s hair, and couldn''t helpmenting, "Mingwei really likes girls, doesn''t she!"


    The boys could only watch enviously from the sidelines.


    "Yes, she likes them so much she might as well have a daughter of her own. With such a pretty mother, her daughter would certainly be a beauty too."


    "She should have a son - girls take after their father and boys after their mother. Who knows how handsome her son would be if this youngdy had a boy. All the little girls would follow him around."


    "If the young master was good-looking, she could have dragon and phoenix twins, one boy and one girl, both beautiful!"


    "That sounds good to me!"


    Everyoneughed merrily.


    But Mrs. Wang looked rather embarrassed. She nced uneasily at Li Mingwei, who just smiled lightly and nodded, "Hopefully."


    Patting Li Mingweifortingly on the back, Mrs. Wang came forward to shoo away the onlookers: "Alright, alright, you''re done braiding their hair now, time to start ss. Stop getting in the way here, don''t you have work to do in the fields?"


    "Of course we''re busy, very busy."


    "Then hurry up and go. The crops won''t wait."


    And so they dispersed. Li Mingwei pinched the bridge of her nose to suppress the thoughts in her heart, and had the children return to their seats to start ss.


    In fact, there wasn''t much left for her to teach them. After drilling with the one book for over a month, apart from a few inattentive or slower children, the others could basically recognize all the characters.


    Li Mingwei nned to wait until thosest few children had learned well, then she would leave. But after spending so much time together, she had be quite attached to the children, so she wanted to prepare a proper farewell ceremony.


    She gave the children a few days off, and went back to the Fang residence under Wang Dazhuang''s escort.


    When Wang Chunhua saw her walk in, she thought her eyes were ying tricks on her. The two hadn''t seen each other for over a month.


    Li Mingwei rushed over to hug her and nuzzled her cheek. "Sister Chunhua, did you miss me?"


    Wang Chunhua eximed in surprise and looked Li Mingwei up and down, smiling and nodding, "So it really is you! You''ve finished teaching and areing back?"


    "More or less. I came back to buy some farewell gifts for them, then I won''t need to go anymore."


    Wang Chunhua didn''t understand. "You taught them for so long without taking a penny, and now you want to buy them gifts too? The paper and ink for copying that booklet was bought by you as well. You must have money to burn."


    "Oh Sister," Li Mingwei hooked her arm around Wang Chunhua''s. "You know very well how much money I have. It''s not like I can buy anything valuable for them, just a token, since I did teach them for so long."


    "Well, after you taught them for so long, did they give you any tokens?"


    "They did! A girl gave me an egg every morning."


    Seeing her proud look, as if being given an egg was some grand gesture, Wang Chunhua helplessly pinched her. "When you''re home, doesn''t Sister cook eggs for you every day?"


    "Hehe."


    Wang Chunhua paid her no mind and went into the house. She took out some silver and handed it to Li Mingwei. "Here, this is yours."


    "Mine?"


    Li Mingwei was puzzled. Where did she get so much money?


    "Mm. Last time you borrowed two taels from us, I''m returning it to you. There''s also five taels from Ms. Yu the embroiderer. She said the spring outfit you made together was well-liked by the mistress, who gave a bonus. She wants you to make more."


    Li Mingwei picked up one of the ingots. "How much is this?"


    "These two are one tael each, that one is five taels."


    The five taels were neatly stacked, from Ms. Yu. The married couple''s two taels were separate. Wang Chunhua remembered clearly.


    Li Mingwei returned one tael to Wang Chunhua. "Last time the money for the clothes was from Sister, as well as what I used to buy rouge for Xiao Yan. Take it out of this."


    Wang Chunhua pushed it back. "The clothes were a gift from Sister, and there was a piece for Xiao Yan too."


    "Then count that piece as my gift for Xiao Yan."


    Before Wang Chunhua could react, Li Mingwei swiftly pocketed her money and ran outside. "I''m going to the embroidery workshop."


    She had originally wanted to ask about the bonus, but as soon as she entered, Ms. Yu smiled and said, "You have a dog''s nose, following the scent straight here."


    "What scent?"


    "What else could it be, the scent of money!" Ms. Yu led her to the back and handed her two bolts of silk. "It''s the same client asst time. She wants us to work on something casual for daily wear, nothing too formal."


    Ms. Yuughed. "I was thinking of sending someone to Xinghua Vige to ask if you were interested, and you just happened toe back. Perfect timing - you can draft some patterns and we''ll discuss them together."


    Li Mingwei would never turn down a chance to earn big money. She immediately took paper and brush and started discussing ideas with Ms. Yu.

 Chapter 64

    Chapter 64


    Li Mingwei and Wang Dazhuang made ns together and set a time. Li Mingwei bought herself a new hair ribbon and then went home.


    Thinking that doing this bit of work would earn her more money so she could buy the children better gifts, Li Mingwei decided to postpone going back to Xinghua Vige and asked Wang Dazhuang to go back and spread the word for her.


    Wang Dazhuang agreed and, after spending the night in town, went back first.


    Wang Chunhua thought it was silly of Li Mingwei to get up so early every day to do embroidery work at the workshop in order to buy gifts for the vige children. She felt the girl was too foolish and reckless, spending all her money on these unimportant things. What would she do if she suddenly needed money in the future?


    Wang Chunhua had already said what she wanted to say about it, but the girl insisted she knew what she was doing and wouldn''t spend it all, telling Wang Chunhua not to worry. So Wang Chunhua couldn''t be bothered to interfere anymore.


    When Dong Lei told Mr. Jin that Li Mingwei had been back for several days but hadn''te by the school yet, Mr. Jin thought she was trying to get out of work. He told Dong Lei to notify her toe over and get scolded.


    "Get scolded?"


    Li Mingwei looked up from her needlework, wondering if she had heard wrong. Why would Mr. Jin want to scold her?


    Dong Lei shrugged, indicating he didn''t know. Mr. Jin had simply said so.


    Fine, if she was going to get scolded, then she''d get scolded, Li Mingwei thought. She tidied up the handkerchiefs in her basket, got up and stretched. Her eyes were tired and her neck sore from all the embroidery work. It would be good to get out and walk around a bit.


    Mr. Jin was still marking the students'' dictation from that day. Li Mingwei trotted up the stairs, and he immediately put down his pen and red at her, "You''ve been back from Xinghua Vige for days but still haven''te to work. What are you up to?"


    Li Mingwei pulled over a chair and sat down across from Mr. Jin. "Nothing much, I still have to go back there in a few days."


    Mr. Jin was about to continue scolding her, but seeing how tired she looked, slumped over the table with her eyes almost closed, he reluctantly let her off the hook.


    Li Mingwei just dozed briefly before opening her bleary eyes and saying softly to Mr. Jin, "I''m so tired from all the embroidery work thesest couple days."


    "If you''re tired, go home and sleep for a while," Mr. Jin said.


    "Mm," Li Mingwei murmured in agreement but didn''t move. She looked at Mr. Jin and suddenly gave a little cough. "Um, has Schr Liu been back recently?"


    Mr. Jin hesitated a second before answering with amusement, "You still have asions to ask about him?"


    "No, I didn''t mean I wanted to ask him anything."


    The other day on her way home from the embroidery workshop, she had run into Old Lady Wang hiding in a small alley, leaning against the wall and sighing, as if she were unwell. Since Liu Yizhu wasn''t home, there was no one to look after her.


    Old Lady Wang came to the school every morning to cook, and Mr. Jin had seen her at noon. She had seemed fine, so he guessed, "Maybe she was in a hurry and needed to rest for a bit?"


    "Maybe."


    What Li Mingwei had seen was from two days ago already. Since Mr. Jin saw today that Old Lady Wang was fine, then she must be alright.


    No one knew that Old Lady Wang was only trying to avoid Li Mingwei. Ever since she had taken her son to visit his gravest time, she hadn''t felt right. Seeing Li Mingwei made her feel guilty, so she hid whenever she could.


    Li Mingwei didn''t dwell too much on this. She and Old Lady Wang were hardly on good terms, and she was only asking out of consideration for the fact that Old Lady Wang was Liu Yizhu''s mother. Liu Yizhu had copied so many books for her and hadn''t asked for payment. She hadn''t even gotten a chance to thank him.


    But it didn''t matter anymore. It wasn''t as if hecked her thanks.


    When Dong Lei heard Li Mingwei was going to the county seat to buy gifts for Xiao Gang and the others, he almost twisted her arm into a pretzel. He insisted on going with her.


    "Auntie, auntie, I want to go too!"


    Li Mingwei yanked her arm out of his grasp like pulling out a radish, only to be grabbed again a secondter. "I already promised to buy you a gift. Why do you still want to go?"


    But it was the county seat! His mother had said the county seat was even bigger than the town, with lots more people and livelier. Dong Lei just wanted to go see it. "I want to help pick out gifts too. They''re all around my age. I know what they''d like. Please let me go!"


    Li Mingwei threatened, "If you go, then there''ll be no gift for you."


    She thought that would make Dong Lei back down, but after hesitating a moment, he agreed.


    "You want to go that badly? Don''t even want a gift?"


    "Yeah, I want to go."


    Seeing his determination, Li Mingwei had no way to stop him. It was Wang Chunhua who gave her the idea to get up early while Dong Lei was still asleep and leave first.


    Whether they were overheard making this n or Dong Lei figured it out himself, that night he brought his pillow to sleep beside Li Mingwei.


    Li Mingwei refused on the grounds he was too old for that now, so he took his pillow and went to sleep by his father instead. Either way, he wasn''t going to let them sneak off without him. They could only wait until his school holiday and all go together then.


    The school gave a three day holiday each month - one day in the middle and two at the end. With only two or three days until mid-month, the dy wouldn''t hurt anything, so Li Mingwei waited.


    The academy had a simr schedule, so Tang Jue naturally wanted to take the rare break to go out for a drink with a few good friends.


    He crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it onto Yang Jingyuan''s desk. Yang Jingyuan unfolded it to find a nk scrap, then crumpled it back up and threw it back.


    Tang Jue caught it and raised an eyebrow at him. "Let''s go drinking tomorrow."


    Yang Jingyuan loved drinking more than anything. How could he refuse? He immediately answered in a much louder voice, "Drinking! I''m in!"


    He turned to Zhong Liangyu, "Old Zhong, youing?"


    Zhong Liangyu hesitated a moment and looked to Liu Yizhu. "Are you going?"


    Liu Yizhu said, "I''m not going."


    "Then I won''t go either."


    Yang Jingyuan was hopping mad. "You two are really joined at the hip now, aren''t you? Wherever you go, I go; wherever I don''t go, you don''t go. Gotta stick together all day, huh?"


    "You wouldn''t understand!" Tang Jue stretched his legs up onto the desk and leaned casually back in his chair. "Old Zhong''s been forever number two. With number one never taking a break, he doesn''t even dare take one if he wants to."


    Liu Yizhu''s writing paused a moment as he nced at Zhong Liangyu''s rigid back. He nodded. "Go on. I won''t drink much."


    "As if you drank a lotst time," Yang Jingyuan sneered. How could someone not enjoy such a fine drink was beyond him.


    Liu Yizhu gave him an icy look. "Have Zhong Liangyu carry you back tomorrow then."


    "No, don''t!" Yang Jingyuan panicked immediately. "Bro, big bro, I was wrong, okay? Still gotta trouble you, sir. With those little arms and legs of his, I''d just get tossed again."


    Last year when Liu Yizhu had left early, the three of them went drinking and, as usual, Yang Jingyuan got dead drunk. The next morning when he woke up, he found himself in terrible pain all over. He''d gotten drunk plenty of times before and had at most a headache. He''d never hurt all over like this.


    When he went out and asked about it, he learned that Zhong Liangyu hadn''t been able to carry him and had simply thrown him on the ground, more than once. From that day on, if there wasn''t a brawny fellow around, Yang Jingyuan didn''t dare drink too much.


    Tang Jue stillughed whenever he recalled this incident. He had been there that day too but was also drunk and couldn''t look after Yang Jingyuan, only able to hand him off to the sober Zhong Liangyu before going home with servants. As a result, the next day they saw Yang Jingyuan''s face bruised on one side.


    Tang Jue had nearly diedughing.

 Chapter 65

    Chapter 65


    Wang Chunhua got up early in the morning to wake up Dong Lei, who had squeezed in between her and Dong Shan, because they had to go ande back the same day, and they also needed to leave time to shop for gifts.


    Dong Lei groggily opened his eyes, looking like he had just woken up. Last night, he had stayed upte doing all his homework bymplight so that he could go to the county town.


    "Aren''t we going to the county town? Get up already."


    County town!


    Hearing the words "county town", Dong Lei''s eyes lit up immediately. He got out of bed without any hesitation, not even taking the time to put on his shoes, and stood on the floor barefoot.


    Wang Chunhua was stunned. She hurriedly picked him up, dusted off the soles of his feet, and put his shoes on for him.


    She gave Dong Lei''s little bottom a smack: "Go wake your auntie up."


    "Okay."


    Her son sped off, and Dong Shan also got upzily, stretching. Wang Chunhua went to cook, and he went to pack up his gear. With a child and a frail woman, they definitely couldn''t do without the little cart, and they still had to buy so many things.


    Wang Chunhua simply boiled them a few tea eggs. After eating, they set off, with Dong Shan pushing the cart to the door. Dong Lei was utterly shameless, plopping himself down on it immediately. Li Mingwei didn''t want to trouble him, and said she''d rather walk for a while first.


    Then, she bravely walked until the gate of the county town. She reached out and nudged the long since fast asleep Dong Lei on the cart, lest he miss the hustle and bustle of the county town.


    Looking up at the gate of the county town, Dong Lei was incredibly excited, jumping off the cart and running inside. Dong Shan hurriedly chased after him.


    He grabbed the back of Dong Lei''s cor and lifted him up, scolding him, "Don''t run. There are so many people in the county town. What if you get lost? You have to stay with me."


    Dong Lei nodded and swung his little feet. "Dad, I know, I won''t run anymore. Put me down."


    So many people were watching. How embarrassing!


    Dong Shan dumped him on the ground. He immediately went to Li Mingwei''s side and took her hand, sticking his tongue out at his dad, "I''ll go with Auntie, not you."


    It was all the same to Dong Shan, so he didn''t bother with him, pushing the cart along behind them.


    Li Mingwei didn''t know what to buy yet, so she just strolled down the street. Gifts for boys and girls ought to be a little different. She wanted to distinguish between the hardworking and not so hardworking students too.


    In addition to the shops, there were many small stands along the sides of the street, covered in trinkets. Dong Lei was immediately enchanted, but Li Mingwei had said if he came to the county town then there would be no gifts, adamant about not buying anything for him.


    Dong Lei was heartbroken.


    Dong Shan ridiculed him, "Serves you right. If you hadn''te, wouldn''t you have gotten gifts?"


    Ignoring his dad''s mockery, he hugged Li Mingwei''s hand and acted cute. "Auntie."


    Li Mingwei looked at him expressionlessly. "A promise is a promise. I gave you a chance."


    No longer paying him any mind, Li Mingwei continued chatting with the peddler, who took down some hair ribbons to show her. "All kinds of colors avable. See what you like?"


    "What colors do little girls like?"


    "Oh, lots. The bright ones like these, little girls all like them, and they suit them more too."


    Li Mingwei thought for a bit before buying the same color for all of them. Buying different ones, what if two girls liked the same color? She really hated arbitrating between children nowadays.


    The peddler wrapped up the goods and handed them to her. When Li Mingwei turned around, she realized Dong Lei and Dong Shan were gone. She anxiously looked around everywhere.


    Dong Shan was across the street. Seeing she had finished her purchase, he waved to her, "Sis! I''m over here!"


    Li Mingwei breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran over to them.


    Liu Yizhu heard the familiar voice and didn''t hesitate for a moment, getting up and going to the window to look outside. He just happened to catch a glimpse of a faint green figure shing by. He leaned out to look for her, but didn''t see anything else.


    Tang Jue saw him leaning halfway out and quickly put an arm around his waist. "Master Liu, what are you doing? Are you trying to jump?"


    Liu Yizhu took onest look, still no one, somewhat disappointed as he drew back in and sat down again.


    "What were you looking at just now? See someone you know?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head.


    Li Mingwei ran to Dong Shan''s side. Dong Lei was happily nibbling on a candied haw, and when he saw here over, he even stubbornly turned his head away. "Not giving any to Auntie."


    "I didn''t ask for any either." Li Mingwei was helpless, watching him crunch through the outer sugar coating of the hawthorns. She hesitated. "Are you hungry? It''s not early anymore. Why don''t we eat first?"


    Dong Shan looked at the sun for a while, smelling the fragrant aroma floating out from the nearby restaurant, and patted his stomach. "I am a little hungry. Let''s eat first."


    He was about to take them to buy steamed buns when he saw Dong Lei staring longingly at the dishes on the tables inside the restaurant, sniffing.


    "Smells so good!" He pointed at the dishes other people had ordered, eyes shining as he looked at his dad. "Dad, can we eat that?"


    Dong Shan decisively refused. "No, too expensive."


    With one look at the sign, it was clear this restaurant was not cheap. He couldn''t bear to take him to eat such nice dishes.


    Dong Lei''s little mouth drooped, a bit wronged, but hearing his dad say it was expensive, he didn''t ask for anything either, only leaving reluctantly, eyes nearly popping out.


    Li Mingwei sighed. She stopped walking. "Forget it, let''s just eat here. I brought enough money."


    "Sis." Dong Shan stopped her. "This ce is too expensive. If you don''t want steamed buns, we can find a smaller restaurant too."


    Dong Lei also nodded understandingly. "Yeah, steamed buns are tasty too."


    The more he was like this, the more Li Mingwei wanted to take him. She directly took his hand and strode into the restaurant decisively. Dong Shan hurried to follow.


    The waiter looked them up and down, seeing Li Mingwei and Dong Lei''s clothes were decent enough, and didn''t say anything, only leading Dong Shan to put the cart in the backyard through a side alley.


    He took the three of them directly from the backyard to the front. Looking around, he saw there were no seats downstairs, and bowed slightly. "No seats left downstairs. Is upstairs okay?"


    "What''s the difference?"


    The waiter shook his head, suddenly feeling he''d said something foolish, and led them upstairs. There were a lot of people upstairs too, and not many seats left.


    Just as they were going up, some customers finished eating and were leaving. The waiter quickly led them over to sit down and swiftly cleared the leftovers from the table. "Please wait a moment, esteemed guests. I will bring your dishes shortly."


    Another waiter saw and hurried over to help. He took the white towel off his shoulder and wiped the table clean for them, then draped the now somewhat oily towel back over his shoulder. Li Mingwei distastefully turned her head away.


    This was really too unhygienic. It was already dirty, why couldn''t he just hold it in his hand instead of soiling his clothes too?


    Dong Shan saw his sonughing and waving his candied haw while turning to look over there. He also smiled broadly when he saw who it was and greeted, "Schr Liu! Didn''t expect to run into you here too. Is the academy not having ss today either?"


    Schr Liu? That Schr Liu?


    Li Mingwei pondered for a moment but couldn''te up with a second answer, because there was only one Schr Liu in Qingshi Town.


    She closed her eyes and resigned herself to looking over. Oh no, this was retribution. Of all the restaurants and eateries and steamed bun shops in the county town, why did she have to choose this one?


    Jade Emperor, please, don''t mess with me anymore.

 Chapter 66

    Chapter 66


    <Li Mingwei> turned her head, and <Liu Yizhu> was also looking at her. Their eyes met for a moment before <Li Mingwei> lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling somewhat tired.


    <Liu Yizhu> faintly smiled at <Dong Shan>: ¡°Mm, we¡¯re taking a break today and came out to eat with a ssmate. <Dong Shan>, what brings you here?¡±


    <Dong Shan> nced at <Li Mingwei>, whose expression wasn¡¯t too good. He had a rough idea that the two of them were not in a good mood, so he said, ¡°Nothing much, just wandering around and buying some things.¡±


    The waiter recognized <Tang Jue> and saw that they were acquainted with the county magistrate''s son''s friend, so he became more polite. "What would you three gentlemen like to eat?"


    <Li Mingwei> tilted her chin towards <Dong Lei>: "Order whatever you want."


    "I..." <Dong Lei> sat up straight, his small eyes darted around, before settling on a chicken at <Liu Yizhu> and the other''s table. "I want that."


    <Li Mingwei> gritted her teeth. This kid really knew how to order.


    The waiter quickly said, "That''s a steamed chicken."


    <Dong Shan> patted his son. Ordering something so extravagant and expensive-looking at first nce.


    <Li Mingwei> nodded: "We''ll take one. Anything else?"


    "No more." <Dong Lei> shook his head. He felt he could be full already.


    She looked to <Dong Shan>, and <Dong Shan> quickly waved his hands, indicating he wasn''t picky and would eat anything. She had no choice but to ask the waiter herself, adding a vegetable dish and soup.


    The two tables weren''t far apart. <Tang Jue> lowered his voice and asked, "You know them?"


    "They''re from the same town."


    <Yang Jingyuan> made two clicking sounds as he looked at <Li Mingwei> tenderly wiping the sugar stain from the corner of <Dong Lei>''s mouth. "Are they a family of three? The girl looks young but the child is so big already."


    <Zhong Liangyu> kicked him. "Are you blind?" He hinted for <Yang Jingyuan> to look at <Liu Yizhu>''s unpleasant expression. <Yang Jingyuan> nced back at the three and said, "They don''t look like a family at all. From the girl''s looks, she resembles <Liu Yizhu> more."


    "Don''t speak nonsense."


    The three of them understood from his verbal scolding but rxed expression that there was more to it.


    <Tang Jue> secretly gave <Zhong Liangyu> a thumbs up. As expected of a man who stared at <Liu Yizhu> a hundred times a day.


    He nudged <Liu Yizhu>''s elbow. "You like her, don''t you?"


    Before <Liu Yizhu> could reply, <Zhong Liangyu> had already leaned forward andmented, "What a pity, the flowing water is intentional but the fallen flower is heartless."


    <Yang Jingyuan> covered his mouth. "Unrequited love?"


    "Of course. Didn''t you see how he''s been eyeing her this whole time while she barely even nced at him?"


    "Tsk tsk tsk. Today''s a difficult day for Brother <Liu> as well."


    <Liu Yizhu>...


    It was another day of being backstabbed by his two sworn brothers.


    <Dong Shan> took a look at the four huddled together whispering and murmuring. His gaze fell onto <Li Mingwei>, and seeing her listless, he grew somewhat worried. "What''s wrong?"


    <Li Mingwei> shook her head and bent down to rub her calf. She had walked extremely quickly today in order to not slow <Dong Shan> down. She didn''t feel it while walking around, but as soon as she sat down to rest for a bit, her legs started cramping badly.


    <Dong Shan> understood at a nce that her leg was hurting again. He sternly said, "I told you to take the carriage but you insisted otherwise. Your leg is hurting again, isn''t it? Don''t try to endure it on the way back. You''re not heavy at all, it won''t take much effort for me."


    <Dong Lei> also peeked at her and chimed in. "Auntie, take the carriage. I''ll eat moreter so I can walk by myself on the way back."


    <Li Mingwei> didn''t believe his nonsense at all. Thest time when he had clung onto her refusing to let go halfway up the hill, she didn''t know who that was.


    Their food arrived very quickly. <Dong Lei> was starving and started eating in big mouthfuls. <Dong Shan> lightly tasted all the dishes before slowing down his pace. He wanted to wait until they were done before finishing everything.


    But when he looked up, he saw that <Li Mingwei> had barely touched her chopsticks. "Why aren''t you eating?"


    "I''m done."


    With her calf cramping incessantly, <Li Mingwei> hadpletely lost her appetite. She even felt a little nauseous and didn''t want to eat anything.


    "You''re done already?" <Dong Shan> looked at her bowl which had only been prodded at twice with her chopsticks. "Is the pain so bad you can''t eat?"


    <Dong Lei> pulled his hand out from his busy eating and brought his candied haws to her mouth. "Mom said sour stuff stimtes your appetite. The hawthorn here is so sour."


    The cloyingly sweet taste wafted into <Li Mingwei''s> nose, making her even more ufortable. She quickly pushed it away. "Auntie doesn''t like sour stuff. You can have it yourself."


    "Alright."


    Noticing the fine beads of sweat on her forehead, <Liu Yizhu> was extremely worried. It was still spring and not even hot, even a bit windy today. This sweat was undoubtedly from pain.


    He held his forehead and went through <Li Mingwei''s> words in his mind again, realizing he was not at all calmer, and let out a sigh. Getting up, he squatted by her feet.


    He tentatively reached out and squeezed her calf. "Where does it hurt?"


    <Li Mingwei> was about to refuse when her calf suddenly cramped again. She cried out in pain, "Ah!"


    <Liu Yizhu> hurriedly pulled back his hand, flustered. "Was I too forceful?"


    "No, it just suddenly twinged."


    Seeing how much pain she was in, <Liu Yizhu> said to <Dong Shan>, "Brother Dong, there''s a medicine shop nearby. I''ll take her there to get it looked at. Please go ahead and eat first."


    <Dong Shan> stood up, about to say he would go along, when he saw <Liu Yizhu> had already swept <Li Mingwei> into his arms and headed downstairs.


    <Li Mingwei> let out a shocked cry and struggled a little, to no avail. She could only tug her waist purse off and throw it to <Dong Shan>. <Liu Yizhu> probably didn''t have much money on him but they would need to payter.


    <Dong Shan> caught it. In the end, he didn''t have the heart to follow them.


    <Tang Jue> watched <Liu Yizhu> carrying the girl disappear around the stairwell. He turned back and snatched <Yang Jingyuan''s> wine cup. "Don''t drink anymore. No one''s carrying you back today."


    <Yang Jingyuan> didn''t mind. He sprawled over the window with a solemn expression, gazing downstairs andmenting, "I ask the world, what is love?"


    <Tang Jue> tapped his palm rhythmically with his fan, smiling contentedly. "It''s something you''ll never understand anyway."


    <Yang Jingyuan''s> face instantly crumpled.


    Curious nces kepting at them from all directions. <Li Mingwei> only felt her face burning. She lifted her eyes to look at the slightly flustered <Liu Yizhu>. After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and looped her arms around his neck, burying her head in the crook of his neck.


    Feeling the hot breath against his neck, <Liu Yizhu> froze. "What''s wrong?"


    <Li Mingwei> mumbled, "Embarrassing."


    Broad daylight, openly embracing and carrying each other in the streets - if her mother knew, she''d be grounded for at least a month.


    After ncing around, <Liu Yizhu> held her tighter against himself and quickened his pace.


    The medicine boy led them to an inner room and drew the curtains before leaving. The doctor came in shortly after and gestured for <Li Mingwei> to roll up her pants. After examining her legs, he said, "Nothing too problematic. You just walked too hurriedly and got a leg cramp. It''s still sore and aching, right?"


    "Yes."


    "Mm. Small matter. Do you have medicinal wine at home?"


    <Li Mingwei> shook her head. She didn''t think there was, Sister Chunhua hadn''t mentioned it.


    "Then I''ll prescribe you some medicinal wine. Have your husband massage it for you when you get home, and rest for two more days. It''ll be fine after that."


    Before <Li Mingwei> could exin, <Liu Yizhu> had already agreed ahead of her and followed the doctor out.


    A trace of annoyance shed over her expression. This guy really had a lot of nerve, daring to casually agree to anything.

 Chapter 67

    Chapter 67


    Liu Yizhu came back with medicinal wine and saw her still sitting there in a daze with her pants legs rolled up. He squatted down on the ground, took off her shoes, put her small feet on his legs, poured some medicinal wine into his palm and rubbed it for a bit before gently massaging her feet.


    Li Mingwei nced at him without moving from the chair she was leaning against. The two of them fell silent and the air turned tranquil.


    She was unusually quiet today, not saying a single word. Liu Yizhu still wasn¡¯t quite sure what was going on, so he raised his eyes to look at her, still dumbstruck, and took the initiative to speak first: ¡°What did youe to the county seat to do today?¡±


    ¡°To buy some gifts for the children in Apricot Blossom Vige.¡±


    ¡°Are sses over?¡±


    ¡°Almost.¡± Li Mingwei lowered her eyelids. She hadn¡¯t finished picking out the gifts yet. And now her leg was like this too. She didn¡¯t know what she was going to doter. Big Brother Dong wasn¡¯t very good at choosing these kinds of things.


    Liu Yizhu switched to massaging her other foot and continued, ¡°What did you buy them?¡±


    Li Mingwei sounded a little dejected. ¡°Some hair ribbons and little trinkets. I think I''m pretty good at picking out gifts for boys. I wanted to go shopping again after eating.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I also wanted to go buy a brush.¡±


    The brushes Mr. Jin sells are mediocre. And even if he did have expensive ones, no one would buy them. So Li Mingwei had been making do with what she had up to now. Now that she had some money, she still wanted to buy a slightly better brush.


    A good brush has a sharp, neat, round, healthy tip that moves smoothly. For someone who writes frequently, it can be a tremendous help. She didn¡¯t have enough money now to buy a really good one, but she could still look around a bit.


    After putting her pant legs back in order and slipping her shoes on, Liu Yizhu held her by the arm. ¡°Stand up and see if you can walk.¡±


    Li Mingwei gently stamped her feet. Her calves were still a little sore but it wasn¡¯t too bad. She stood up and walked two steps, nodding. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s go find Big Brother Dong and Little Lei.¡±


    ¡°Mingwei.¡±


    She had just lifted the curtain, about to go out, when she heard Liu Yizhu softly call out behind her.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Li Mingwei looked back. She saw the man in front of her sigh. She waited for him but he didn¡¯t say anything. He just supported her out.


    Not wanting her to walk too much, Liu Yizhu told her to wait at the clinic entrance while he went to get Dong Shan and his son. He took them to the bookstore, helped Li Mingwei pick out a brush, and also grabbed some other small items. Then he saw them off at the city gate.


    Dong Lei helped Li Mingwei onto the carriage and get settled before obediently standing next to the carriage without getting on himself.


    Dong Shan waved at Liu Yizhu, ¡°Go on back, Schr Liu. You really helped us out today. We should get going now too.¡±


    ¡°It was no trouble at all. Be careful on the road, Elder Dong.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve traveled this road who knows how many times. There won¡¯t be any issues.¡±


    Seeing Li Mingwei slowly organizing things in the carriage, apparently not having anything she wanted to say to Liu Yizhu, Dong Shan pushed the carriage and left.


    Liu Yizhu stood rooted in ce, watching their backs disappear into the distance. Even when they were out of sight he couldn¡¯t snap out of it.


    After all, the two of them hadn¡¯t rified what their rtionship was yet. Dong Shan felt it would be inappropriate to meddle too much in the affairs of the youngdy. And as a grown man, it would be difficult for him to broach the subject. He could only go back and tell his wife about it.


    Dong Shan was a frank man. He said to his wife, ¡°You ask Little Sis what exactly is going on between her and Schr Liu. If they¡¯ve truly be an item, we¡¯ll pick a date and settle things. If not we¡¯ll leave it be. It doesn¡¯t look right to keep up this wishy-washy back and forth in public.¡±


    ¡°How can you talk like that!¡± Wang Chunhua gave him a fierce p. ¡°Our little sister is already divorced once. The first guy didn¡¯t work out. When looking again, of course she has to be more discerning and really understand someone clearly, not just rush into another marriage blindly. If something else goes wrong, who will take responsibility?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t mean to suggest she gets married and divorced three or four times!¡±


    Dong Shan knew Wang Chunhua also had a point. But...


    His wife wasn¡¯t listening to him, so he conceded, ¡°Fine, fine. I won¡¯t interfere anymore. You ask her yourself.¡±


    But he still warned, ¡°In any case, dragging this kind of thing out for too long always ends up hurting the woman. And our little sister is already older than Schr Liu. Now he''s even carried her before. If they can settle it, they should hurry up. Once his fortunes change and he bes sessful, it''ll be easier for his heart to change too.¡±


    This was indeed true. There was no shortage of men in town who became awful aftering into money. Even those still dirt poor manage to be unfaithful. Who''s to say Liu Yizhu won''t make something of himself in a year or two? Things that could be tied down should be tied down early.


    After thinking it over briefly, Wang Chunhua walked over to Li Mingwei''s room. The doctor had said she should move around a little. At the moment she was lying on the bed, directing Dong Lei to help her organize things.


    ¡°Group simr items together.¡±


    Crouched on the floor, Dong Lei nodded. ¡°Got it, Auntie.¡±


    Wang Chunhua paid no mind to her son, sitting down next to Li Mingwei on the bed. ¡°Does your leg still hurt?¡±


    ¡°Much better. I¡¯ll just have to avoid walking too much for the next couple days before I can go back to the vige.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not urgent business anyway.¡± With her son still here, Wang Chunhua couldn¡¯t ask directly. She just watched him tidy up with Li Mingwei.


    Noticing both women looking back at him, Dong Lei pouted. He could let Auntie off the hook, but how could his own mother note help him? The two of them were just toozy.


    Sitting with her chin in hand, Li Mingwei clearly saw his little expressions and smiled, pointing to a box. ¡°Bring that over here for Auntie.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    She opened the box. Inside were two brushes. She took out the bigger one and handed it to Dong Lei. ¡°Put this one away for Auntie. What¡¯s left is yours.¡±


    ¡°Mine?¡±


    Dong Lei immediately hugged the box to himself when he saw the brush left inside, overjoyed to receive a gift even if he didn¡¯t understand how it was any different from the brush he already had.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree not to buy him anything else? And he already has brushes,¡± Wang Chunhua said politely.


    He did have them, but they weren¡¯t the same. Still, Li Mingwei didn¡¯t exin further, just smiling.


    Although Dong Lei would have preferred a toy, he was very happy about the brush. It motivated him to work hard and he finished tidying everything up neatly in no time.


    He dusted off his hands and stood at attention. ¡°Anything else you need, Auntie?¡±


    ¡°No, nothing else. You can go on out. Your ma and I need to talk.¡±


    Wang Chunhua shoved him out the door, ignoring his banging and yelling from outside as she grinned mischievously at Li Mingwei.


    ¡°Little Sis, you¡¯ve finally decided to heed the Jade Purity Perfected One¡¯s match and not defy the fates huh?¡±


    Li Mingwei knew what she was getting at. Big Brother Dong wouldn¡¯t hide anything from his wife.


    She sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Whaddya mean you don¡¯t know? Your brother-inw said Schr Liu picked you right up in front of all those people. Men and women are different after all. You two are already like that, so...¡±


    It would be hard to justify not formalizing the rtionship.


    Li Mingwei rolled around fretfully on the bed, taking Wang Chunhua¡¯s hand earnestly, ¡°Sis, you know what? Right now Liu Yizhu is like a bowl of mutton soup you made, sitting in front of me, beckoning and saying ¡®Come eat me,e eat me.¡¯ I admit the smell makes me drool a little. But that bowl of soup belongs to someone else! The old granny worked hard and suffered for so many years just to have that one bowl. She¡¯s still waiting for it to make more little bowls of mutton soup for her. It wouldn¡¯t be right for me to snatch it, would it?¡±


    Wang Chunhua knew she was talking about Granny Wang. Although Wang wasn¡¯t very agreeable, there was no denying she had lived a very difficult life alone all these years for her child¡¯s sake. It would be cruel to snatch this from her.

 Chapter 68

    Chapter 68


    Seeing his wifeing back from his sister-inw''s room and sighing all the time, Dong Shan also became worried. These two didn''t know what they were talking about.


    "You..."


    He was about to open his mouth when Wang Chunhua blocked his words: "Don''t ask. You don''t understand girls'' affairs."


    Well, he didn''t need to ask anymore.


    Wang Chunhua turned her back and sighed again: "You said our sister is such a good girl, how could she run into these messy things?"


    "I..."


    "Forget it, don''t talk anymore, just listening makes me angry." Wang Chunhua was irritated in her heart right now, and could only take it out on Dong Shan. She gave him two punches and drove him out: "Seeing you is annoying too. Don''t stand here and be an eyesore, go out, go out."


    Dong Shan...


    Who did he provoke? s, he silently got up, just about to go out, but was called back by Wang Chunhua again.


    "Was your sister buying a pen today?"


    In order to avoid being disliked again, Dong Shan was concise: "Yes."


    Wang Chunhua took out the money bag from under her pillow and said, "You guys spent so much money on your sister''s meal today. She just bought Xiao Lei a pen again. Do you remember how much it cost? We should pay her back."


    Usually Xiao Lei''s pens were bought at Mr. Jin''s ce, usually only a few dozen wen. Wang Chunhua instinctively took out some copper coins from her money bag.


    Dong Shan sat on the edge of the bed and stuffed the copper coins back into her bag: "Take it back. She only bought two pens, the bigger one was more than two liang, and the smaller one was more than one liang. What''s the use of your copper coins?"


    "What? More than two liang. Is the bookstore in the county seat robbing money?"


    Dong Shan looked at his wife with a shocked expression on her face, expressionlessly. When he heard the price reported by the bookstore owner, he had the same thought as her, but seeing Li Mingwei and Liu Yizhu were very calm, he didn''t dare to show it on the spot.


    Wang Chunhuained: "Our sister was so cheated, and you just watched with your eyes wide open. Couldn''t you stop her?"


    Dong Shan was speechless. What did this have to do with him? He exined, "That bookstore was taken to us by Schr Liu. He and the bookstore owner were acquaintances. He didn''t say it was expensive either."


    "Schr Liu wouldn''t cheat our sister, would he?"


    A scene emerged in Wang Chunhua''s mind - Liu Yizhu colluded with the bookstore owner to pull their sister in like a pig to the ughter, then stabbed her, and ate her up cleanly.


    "It shouldn''t be like that."


    Dong Shan still trusted Liu Yizhu''s character a little more. Not very familiar, but still a child who had watched him grow up. He shouldn''t do such a thing.


    "Then this money..."


    More than one or two liang, Wang Chunhua was still a little reluctant to take out, she looked at Dong Shan awkwardly, with a trace of shyness on her face.


    Seeing her clutching the money bag tightly, Dong Shan knew she was reluctant to take it out. He waved his hand: "Forget it. Just remember it first. We''ll talk about it again when we have more money."


    They had just taught Dong Lei for a while and paid back the two liangs they borrowed from Li Mingwei a few days ago. They didn''t have much cash left either.


    Money is really not meant to be spent. Li Mingwei was also counting money. She had spent a total of five or six liangs today. The gifts for the children were all small things, not too expensive. The main thing was those two pens and that meal.


    A live chicken only cost a few dozen wen. Their restaurant would cost seven to eight hundred wen for one meal. Fortunately, the two dishes she ordered were not expensive, otherwise this meal would cost no less than two or two silver without the hundred and dozens.


    She tidied up the gifts andy back on the bed: "After sending out all these things, hurry back to make money."


    Otherwise, Mr. Jin would really beat her.


    She had been away for more than ten days this time. The children of Xinghua Vige had been looking forward to her return, and they almost thought she wouldn''te back. So when they received the news, they all went to the Wang family to confirm.


    Li Mingwei stood at the door of the Wang family and knocked on the door to signal them to quiet down: "Auntie has taught you for so long. I want to see how much you''ve learned. Gather at the vige entrance tomorrow morning and I''ll test you guys. Those who do well will have gifts. You''d better read more books when you go back today."


    "Good!"


    The children, who were a little nervous when they heard about the exam, became active when they learned there were still gifts. They went home to review one after another.


    Xiao Gang looked for Li Mingwei with a sullen face, wanting to get the questions in advance. He was the oldest among the children, and had a small stove to open every day. If he didn''t get first ce, it would be too embarrassing.


    Li Mingwei looked at him sideways: "You''ve got some nerve asking me that."


    "Auntie." Xiao Gang pleaded: "Even if you don''t tell me the questions, at least give me a scope. I''ll go read it right away."


    "Don''t even think about it!"


    With just one book, how could she give him a scope? She called Wang Chunhua over and asked her to take Xiao Gang away to review, so as not to get in her way.


    She warned: "Don''t try to cheat. If I find out, you won''t get any gifts at all."


    Xiao Gang looked at the pile of things in the yard and pouted away.


    Following Li Mingwei''s requirements, Mrs. Wang cut the paper into small strips and showed them to her: "Is this big enough?"


    "Okay, cut some more. I''m going to need them tomorrow."


    Li Mingwei, on the other hand, ranked the gifts ording to price, with the most expensive gift being the first prize, the second most expensive being the second prize, and so on, so as not to disappoint everyone''s efforts over this period.


    Xiao Gang sneaked back and peered at the door for a while, but still couldn''t guess what his auntie would test. He could only go back honestly to read the book. Time was tight and the task heavy, he couldn''t dy any longer.


    Li Mingwei put the cut strips of paper into a basket, prepared pens and ink, and went to the vige entrance early to wait.


    The children quickly came over one after another. She counted them, and when everyone was there she started. As usual she picked up that familiar wooden stick and asked:


    "Where is this ce?"


    The children answered sporadically: "The vige entrance!"


    "Grasnd!"


    None were the answers she wanted. Li Mingwei shook her head: "No, this is Xinghua Vige. Does anyone know how Xinghua Vige is written?"


    "Me! I know!"


    "I know too!"


    Li Mingwei pointed to the first child who raised his hand and let hime out, handing him the wooden stick in her hand: "Come on, show Auntie how to write it."


    Although the child''s handwriting was a little crooked, the strokes and characters were correct. Li Mingwei let the other children apud for him, wrote down the three characters for Xinghua Vige with a writing brush on the paper strip, and handed it to him.


    "Keep this with you. If you write it right, you''ll get a slip of paper. The one with the most slips of paper at the end will be the first ce, and the first ce will get the best gift. You guys must actively raise your hands when you know how to write."


    The children were instantly excited and scrambled to answer the next question.


    Li Mingwei took them from the vige entrance to the hillside, and from the hillside to the farnd, without even sparing the vegetable garden at the vige chief¡¯s house.


    When they returned to the vige entrance, Wang Chunhua had already brought people to carry over tables and set out the gifts nicely.


    Li Mingwei recorded the number of slips of paper they each had, and distributed the gifts to them ording to the order sortedst night.


    "Thank you, auntie!"


    "You''re wee. Remember to continue reading when you go back. It''s easy to forget if you don''t review for too long."


    "We will!"


    Seeing a group of happy children, she couldn''t bring herself to say the farewell words she had prepared. She quietly retreated outside the lively crowd and quietly looked around the vige. Perhaps this was thest time she would set foot here in this life.

 Chapter 69

    Chapter 69


    As the day grew dark, the bustle died down, and Li Mingwei followed the little girl who stubbornly brought her eggs every day back home. The little girl''s grandmother stood at the door waiting for them.


    She smiled and weed them in. This old thatched cottage was very small. As soon as Li Mingwei stepped into the yard, she had already seen all of it.


    But even though it was small and shabby, the hosts had kept it very clean, and the various winnowing baskets and farming tools were also tidy and neat.


    The old grandmother took the basket full of eggs from the table in the yard and insisted on giving it to Li Mingwei, "Earlier, this girl brought them to you, and you said you didn''t eat them and didn''t take any, but I know you do eat them, you just don''t want to take ours."


    "You teach for free and give her so many things. I can see you''re about to leave, and I have nothing better to give you, so you must take this."


    "Grandmother, I..."


    The reason had already been seen through, and Li Mingwei couldn''t find a reason to refuse for a moment, so she sighed and epted it. She took out a small silver ingot from her purse.


    "Grandmother, take this."


    "That won''t do. These were supposed to be yours to begin with, so how could I take your money?"


    She refused, so Li Mingwei handed the eggs back, "If you don''t take it, I won''t take it either."


    The little girl hurriedly ran up to block the basket of eggs, anxiously said, "This is different, this..."


    After all, she was still young and didn''t know what to say for a moment. Her little face was full of panic.


    Li Mingwei stroked her head affectionately and took back the basket, stuffing the money into the old grandmother''s hand and turning to run away. The two chased her out the door.


    "Hey, girl!"


    "Auntie!"


    She looked back with a smile and said softly, "If you call any more, others might hear it. What if someone gets some crooked ideas..."


    Hearing the voices, quite a few people looked over. The old grandmother nced warily at them, squeezed the silver in her hand tightly, and hid it behind her back, not daring to speak loudly anymore. She could only watch her leave helplessly.


    When Li Mingwei returned to the Wang family, she saw the yard full of baskets, eggs and vegetables. Her eyes widened, "Don''t tell me these are for me too."


    Wang Chunhua was shelling melon seeds leisurely. She nced at the eggs in Li Mingwei¡¯s hand, "Of course they''re all for you. You bought so many things for the kids, they would feel bad not to give something back."


    "But we can''t finish all this."


    "Just take them back and eat them slowly," said Mrs. Wang,ing out from the back yard, bringing two sisters-inw to help pack things up, "We were going to pick some vegetables for you to take back too. Now it looks like we don''t need to."


    "Dazhuang, Dazhuang, push the cart out. You¡¯ll have to take big sister and Li Mingwei back tomorrow. We can¡¯t have them carry all this back themselves."


    "Sure!"


    Li Mingwei looked at the cart full of vegetables and felt a headacheing. But Wang Chunhua was excited, "Your teaching wasn''t in vain. We''ll go sell vegetables tomorrow and consider it your tuition."


    "Huh?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t want to go sell vegetables at all. She silently slipped away. Wang Chunhua grabbed her and said, "Xiao Gang ran off somewhere after getting scolded by Mrs. Wang."


    "Why did she scold him?"


    "Why else?"


    Of course it was because Xiao Gang only ranked third today. Mrs. Wang felt that even though Li Mingwei had to teach him extra every day after getting home, he still didn''tpare to the other kids, so she was unsatisfied and berated him a little.


    Li Mingwei defended him, "Sister-inw, you can''t me this all on Xiao Gang. The vige head''s little grandson who ranked first today already knew some words before ss. The vige head must have taught him. Xiao Gang losing to him isn''t unjust."


    "Well..." Mrs. Wang hmm-ed, "There was still someone who ranked second."


    "The second ce kid did have a good memory. If he could be sent to school, he would probably do well." Unfortunately he was a little girl. Not to mention whether her family was willing to spend money to send her, the academy wouldn''t ept her anyway.


    Things were like that, nothing to be done about it.


    But studying wasn''t just about memory. You also needed aptitude and talent to really excel, like Liu Yizhu who had lots of aptitude. His desire for knowledge was also strong, and he worked hard. All for the sake of mastering style, he really asked the teacher everywhere until his writing waspletely different from before.


    "Pah!"


    Li Mingwei gave herself a p. Why was she thinking about him again?


    Seeing her hit herself out of nowhere, Wang Chunhua was baffled, "What''s wrong with you?"


    "Nothing, nothing. Anyway, sometimes studying also depends on innate talent. If talent iscking, just work hard persistently and it will get better eventually. Don''t worry too much, sister-inw."


    Mrs. Wang smiled withoutmenting. She was a little disappointed inside. She had hoped that if Xiao Gang tested well, she could use the opportunity to bring up sending him to school. But now even a girl younger than him had surpassed him, how could she tactfully make the request?


    Now hearing Li Mingwei¡¯s words that her son trulycked the talent, she didn¡¯t dare to say anything.


    Wang Chunhua understood clearly, but didn''t stand up for her either. Xiao Gang was her nephew, and so were the other kids. She couldn''t favor him alone or her younger siblings would be unhappy.


    Plus the current situation at home was that they couldn''t afford to send the kids to school even if they wanted to. She felt it was better not to overreach.


    Li Mingwei didn''t notice their twists and turns. She went out to look for Xiao Gang, wanting tofort him, but unfortunately couldn''t find him and could only reluctantly go back to pack up.


    That night, Xiao Gang came as usual to bring her hot water. He sat dumbly at the edge of Li Mingwei''s bed, unusually serious, "Auntie, do you think I''m suited to studying?"


    This...


    Li Mingwei answered tactfully, "You can study, you just might need to put in more effort."


    Xiao Gang understood clearly. He lowered his head dejectedly, "Mother said if I had ranked first today, she could have tried persuading grandfather and grandmother to send me to school. But instead..."


    Only then did Li Mingwei understand what Mrs. Wang was unhappy about. Turned out she had high hopes for Xiao Gang.


    Sheforted him, "Third ce isn''t bad though."


    "But the first and second ce are both younger than me. I..." Xiao Gang suddenly felt useless. He grabbed his head and knocked himself several times. Li Mingwei hurriedly reached out to stop him.


    "Don''t do that. If you want to go to school then speak properly with your grandfather and grandmother. What''s hitting yourself going to do?"


    Xiao Gang looked back hopefully, "Auntie, can you help plead for me? If you say it, grandfather and grandmother will definitely listen."


    Li Mingwei hesitated.


    Wang Chunhua had been eavesdropping outside. She couldn''t stand it anymore and directly walked in, scolding, "What plead? You tested like this and still want your auntie to beg for you? If you were capable, you would have tested first ce yourself. Let''s see who would dare stop you from going to school then!"


    Xiao Gang was speechless, "I..."


    Seeing the child like this, Li Mingwei felt distressed. She stroked Xiao Gang''s head, "Sister, don''t say it like that. Xiao Gang is pretty smart, he just didn''t test well this time."


    Wang Chunhua looked at her sister speechlessly. When Xiao Gang couldn''t stand her gaze and left, she exined clearly, "Don''t you think this kid''s heart is a bit heavy?"


    "Huh?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t understand. What was wrong with a child wanting to study?


    "Yesterday when you didn''t help him cheat and I pulled him away, I kept staring at him. He didn''t look at his books and secretly watched you for a long time from outside the door. I''d reckon he was getting some crooked ideas."


    "And now he runs in front of you to act pitiful. How can you go to our parents to plead for him? We can barely scrape together twenty or thirty taels a year. If you open your mouth again they''ll think you should pay. He sees you have some money and a soft heart."


    Li Mingwei...


    She didn''t dare believe this was true. But it did seem traceable.

 Chapter 70

    Chapter 70


    Li Mingwei did not want to make such malicious guesses about Xiao Gang. After all, he was usually quite obedient and sensible, but Wang Chunhua''s words did make her feel some doubts.


    Seeing her looking so dejected, Wang Chunhua said directly: "Anyway, don''t worry about this. My father and mother are the ones in charge of the Wang family now, and they have everything to worry about. You don''t have much money now anyway and can''t manage so much."


    Money, she still had some, it''s just...


    Li Mingwei nced carefully at Wang Chunhua and decided not to continue. Sister was right, this was something the Wang family had to decide for themselves. There were a lot of people in the Wang family andplicated rtionships. She might not have considered everything thoroughly. If they really started fighting over this, how would she handle herself?


    As an outsider, she should not interfere in someone else¡¯s family affairs.


    Even so, when Xiao Gang came to deliver her the next morning, she still did not dare to meet his eyes. Wang Chunhua frowned. She¡¯d better not go soft-hearted againter, little sister. She urged:


    "No need to send us anymore. We have to hurry and go. The vegetables will wilt if we don''t sell them soon."


    "Alright, go ahead. Take care on the road."


    Wang Chunhua said she was going to sell vegetables, and she meant it. To avoid vigersing to send them off, they set off very early, before noon even after they arrived in town. They tied the vegetables into small bundles with grass from the roadside and started shouting out deals as they walked.


    ¡°Selling vegetables, selling vegetables, one coin per bundle. Eggs also one coin each. Just picked yesterday afternoon, nice and fresh."


    "Auntie, want a bundle?"


    "Picked just yesterday!"


    She was only selling this one time, and she wasn¡¯t afraid to offend anyone, so she purposefully tied them into bundles bigger than those sold at the market, and many acquaintances were happy toe take a look and grab a couple bundles.


    They didn¡¯t even go home first before pushing the cart straight to the vegetable market to grab a spot.


    ¡°Selling vegetables, selling eggs, all are one coin, all are one coin.¡±


    Li Mingwei¡¯s face was thin, and seeing all the familiar faces passing by, she really couldn¡¯t bring herself to call out. She silently cheered herself on, remembering that she had gotten through fighting before, so what was there to fear now? She boldly stood up behind the cart, continuing to squat down while covering her face.


    Wang Chunhuaughed heartily: ¡°What are you doing, girl?¡±


    "Sister~"


    "Alright, alright." Wang Chunhua tidied up a basket of vegetables and eggs and handed them over with a key: "Go back first. Send these vegetables and eggs to Aunt Meng, thanks her for watching over little Yan¡¯er these couple days."


    "Okay."


    She had just turned to leave when someone called out: "Teacher Li, you''re selling vegetables instead of teaching now?"


    Li Mingwei pulled up an awkward smile.


    Wang Chunhuaughed: "Still teaching! How could she stop teaching? This whole cart was the thanks she received. There''s too much for us to finish eating, so we''re selling it."


    "Oh my, so much! Teacher Li is still amazing."


    "Of course! Want to grab a bundle?"


    They were already at this point, of course the woman took a bundle. Her child used to study under Li Mingwei, so being polite was appropriate.


    "By the way, when is Teacher Li returning to the schoolhouse? My child has been missing you this past month."


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment: "Should be just these two days. I just got back and still have to tidy up."


    "Great! I''ll go back and tell my son. He''ll be thrilled."


    Li Mingwei suddenly felt burdened by the weight on her shoulders. She hesitated. If she went back for two or three months, then had to leave again, was that bad?


    Should she just finish teaching out the year before leaving? But the roads get closed for winter and if she left after New Year...


    No, no. Best to avoid Liu Yizhu and leave before the roads close. She could spend New Year in the county town and then decide where to go.


    Having roughly nned this out in her heart, Li Mingwei secretly nodded. She would work hard to earn travel funds these days. Best to rely on herself as much as possible.


    While Dong Shan was up in the mountains, Li Mingwei brought little Yan¡¯er back when she delivered the vegetables to Aunt Meng''s ce. She carried little Yan¡¯er to the kitchen to cook up some congee. By the time they came back from selling vegetables, there would be food to eat.


    She didn¡¯t know how to cook vegetables anyway.


    "Then what do we do?"


    Little Yan¡¯er blinked at her but could not provide an answer. She was still little and couldn¡¯t talk much yet.


    "Oh well. Why am I asking you? Big Brother Wang worked hard delivering us back today. We ought to treat him to some nice things, right?"


    Li Mingwei carried little Yan¡¯er on her back and grabbed some money before heading out to the restaurant.


    When Wang Chunhua and big brother came back from selling vegetables, they both fell silent seeing the table full of dishes. Right, today''s work was all wasted.


    "You..." Wang Chunhua couldn''t bring herself to yell and just threw the money purse to Li Mingwei with some frustration: "Count for yourself and see if we even earned back what you just spent on one meal."


    Li Mingwei...


    She weighed it and smiled ingratiatingly: "Enough, it''s enough. The boss gave me a discount."


    Wang Chunhua rolled her eyes: "Like that could be much of a discount!"


    "It was just a few dishes! Big brother worked hard bringing us back today, we have to treat him properly!"


    Wang Dazhuang did not want to be caught in the crossfire and quickly waved his hands: "No need, no need, too polite, too polite."


    Wang Chunhua nced at her big brother. He had worked hard with her all day without even a sip of water. Better food was the least they could do. She reluctantly agreed: "Eat then. Can''t return it anyway."


    Li Mingwei quietly sat down and silently picked up her small bowl, not daring to further stoke the mes.


    Seeing Wang Chunhua like this, Li Mingwei suddenly felt guilty. Her family background was good so she didn''t care about such petty money, but Wang Chunhua could not.


    Thinking her attitude before was not actually very good, Li Mingwei rummaged in her cab and took out an old tattered waistband from the very bottom. She used scissors to snip open the stitching and dug out a silver note folded up inside, then carefully restitched it.


    Holding the silver note, she gently knocked on Wang Chunhua''s door.


    Seeing her act all sneaky like a thief, Wang Chunhua also lowered her voice: "What is it?"


    Li Mingwei ushered her inside and closed the door before handing over the silver note: "Sister, for you."


    Wang Chunhua curiously unfolded the tiny folded note, eyes going wide when she properly opened it, recognizing what it was though she could not read. Voice trembling, she asked: "How much is this?"


    "One hundred taels." Li Mingwei apologized: "Sister, I don''t mean to disregard you. Mainly I still have some money and don''t see the need to budget so strictly. Keep this, just in case anythinges upter so you can use it. Don''t worry over saving so much day-to-day."


    "You..." Wang Chunhua felt like she was about to faint. "This is what you call having some money?"


    "Mm." Li Mingwei nodded: "I still have a few more notes."


    This time Wang Chunhua really did faint, and Li Mingwei was so startled she quickly steadied her: "Big brother, big brother,e quick! Something''s wrong with sister!"

 Chapter 71

    Chapter 71


    Li Mingwei did not really want Wang Dazhuang to see the silver ticket, so she reached out to take the silver ticket back and hide it. But even though Wang Chunhua had fainted, she was still clutching the money tightly and Li Mingwei could not pull it out for the moment.


    The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Li Mingwei had no choice but to use the quilt to cover Wang Chunhua''s lower body.


    "What''s wrong? What happened?"


    "It looks like she fainted."


    Li Mingwei''s voice carried some apology. She did not expect to make such a situation either.


    Wang Dazhuang went up to support Wang Chunhua and shook her, but did not wake her up. So he pinched her philtrum, "Sister, sister, wake up!"


    The repeated calls beside her ears gradually sobered up Wang Chunhua. She opened her eyes in confusion, "What''s wrong with me?"


    Wang Dazhuang looked at Li Mingwei. Wang Chunhua quickly realized it. She touched the silver ticket under the quilt to make sure it was real, and then exined it herself, "Maybe I''m a little tired from selling vegetables today. Brother, please go out first. I want to sleep some more."


    Just tired from selling vegetables for a while?


    This was still his big sister? Wang Dazhuang knocked his head. Was it because her brother-inw had pampered his big sister too much these years and made her so weak?


    After he went out, Wang Chunhua hurriedly sat up and took out the silver ticket, "Where did you get this from?"


    "My ex-husband gave it."


    "Compensation?" Wang Chunhua nodded approvingly. "Your ex-husband still has some conscience!"


    No, it was just monthly money. Murong Yu was very generous to her in other aspects. But Li Mingwei did not dare to exin too much. If she said how much monthly money she used to get, Wang Chunhua would faint again.


    "So your ex-husband''s family is so rich. Your family must be well-off too."


    Li Mingwei hesitated for a moment and briefly said, "It''s fine. My family mainly relies on my grandfather. My grandfather is a teacher with a lot of students."


    "Oh, no wonder you are so knowledgeable." Wang Chunhua thought she understood. Studying is so expensive these days. With more students, you can definitely earn a lot of money every year. It must be well-off.


    Seeing that she still wanted to ask, Li Mingwei quickly blocked her words, "Sister, we also have some money now. Xiao Ke does have some thoughts, but studying is never a bad thing. Why don''t we..."


    Wang Chunhua frowned and shook her head, "If I take the money home, how should I exin it? Should I say you gave it to me or that I picked it up?"


    "Also, if I use the money to support Xiao Ke''s studying, wouldn''t I have to support the other nephews too? This money may seem a lot to you, but for five children, at least twenty taels a year, it would be gone in four or five years. When the money is spent, I cannot afford it anymore. How can I tell my family?"


    Li Mingwei was speechless.


    "You should take the money back and keep it for yourself. As a woman alone, you will need money in many situations in the future."


    Wang Chunhua stuffed the silver ticket back into her hand and advised her earnestly, "Sister, don''t be too soft-hearted. Look, you feel sorry for this one and sorry for that one. Don''t you feel sorry for yourself? Has anyone ever cared about you?"


    Such a nice girl before, how much suffering she must have endured on the road.


    Li Mingwei stuffed the money back, "But sister cares about me."


    "s..."


    Wang Chunhua was silent for a moment and sighed, "Anyway, I don''t want it. I have already taken what I should. You should keep the rest for yourself."


    "I can''t use so much." Li Mingwei lowered her eyes and told Wang Chunhua her n, "I won''tck money when I go home either."


    Wang Chunhua was stunned for a moment, "You...want to leave?"


    "It''s still early. I just promised Mr. Jin to go back and teach. I will stay for a few more months and earn some travel expenses."


    "Youck that little travel expense?" Wang Chunhua''s heart sank. She didn''t know what to say for a moment. She knew that Li Mingwei would go back sooner orter, but when she said it, she still felt very ufortable.


    Still, she advised, "You don''tck money either. Hire a carriage when the timees. Don''t walk by yourself again, it''s too dangerous."


    "See."


    It was not that she would go back home immediately. It was just the direction. If she encountered good ces on the way, she might stop again, who knows?


    Wang Chunhua hesitated for a while and whispered, "What about schr Liu then?"


    "Yes." If she didn''t mention it, Li Mingwei had almost forgotten. She pleaded, "Sister, before I leave, leave some money for you again. Before your marriage next autumn, help me give it to him when there is a chance."


    "You..."


    "It''s okay, sister. If he can really pass the exam, it will owe me a favor, right?"


    Maybe they could meet again in the capital city. By then, she could ask him to pay her back.


    Wang Chunhua knew that what she wanted was not the non-existent favor, but she did not poke at it and nodded, "Alright, sister will remember."


    Since she said she was leaving, the atmosphere at home has been somewhat depressed. Li Mingwei couldn''t stand it, so she took the new brush and ran to Mr. Jin''s ce. She also ran out of paper.


    "You''ve run out of paper again?"


    Mr. Jin remembered that she had bought a lot of paper here not long ago.


    Li Mingwei grinned. She used it to cut small paper slips, and forgot to take back the leftovers, "Used it all up!"


    Mr. Jin turned around to get her some paper. Only then did he see the brush in her hand. He had good eyesight. With one nce, he knew this brush was no cheap product, "Are you practicing handwriting?"


    Buying such a good brush and using so much paper, she must be practicing handwriting.


    "No, I want to write something."


    Li Mingwei took the paper and went back to her seat. She bit the brush and thought for a moment before writing anything. Instead, she found some scrap paper to practice first.


    She had been away for too long. Some things were not remembered so urately and needed to be reconsidered.


    Mr. Jin had sses, so he did not have much time to bother with her. He let her mess around upstairs by herself. But several children took the opportunity to run to the stairs when ss was over, wanting to see if she really came back.


    Dong Lei pushed them away and ran straight upstairs, "Auntie, you are back!"


    With the first one taking the lead, the other children were not shy anymore and ran up around her, "Is teacher Li Mingweiing back to teach?"


    "She must be back. My handwriting got much worse without teacher Li Mingwei."


    Li Mingwei knocked on his head, "Then you must have beenzy!"


    She scanned the children and pretended to be stern, "What about you guys? Has your handwriting gotten worse?"


    No one wanted to get hit. They could only shake their heads repeatedly, "No, no."


    Some even pointed at the child who just spoke, "Only him got worse."


    It almost made that child blush. If she was not there, they would probably fight again.


    Li Mingwei smiled bitterly and quickly separated them, "Don''t just say it, my word is final. I will have ss in a couple of days. If I find anyone''s handwriting got worse, there will definitely be punishment. You still have time to practice. Go and work hard!"


    The children were threatened and scrambled away. Li Mingwei grabbed Dong Lei, "Remember to notify others."


    "I know, auntie."


    Before formally teaching, Li Mingwei also asked Mr. Jin about the six new enrolled children. They had just arrived not long ago and were still unfamiliar with the new environment. So they were quite obedient during the day and nothing special.


    So her returning to the ssroom went smoothly. Just likest year, she taught handwriting ss, which was not difficult. Mr. Jin wanted her to teach some other sses, but she refused.


    She did not tell Mr. Jin that she was going to leave soon, because Mr. Jin would definitely tell Liu Yizhu. So she randomly lied, "You know about the incidentst year that said I behaved improperly. Just watching them practice writing is fine, but I''m afraid I can''t teach sses. I don''t want to cause more trouble."


    Mr. Jin could only say disappointedly, "Well, what you said makes sense too. Then forget it."

 Chapter 72

    Chapter 72


    Li Mingwei came back, and Dong Lei''s days became even more miserable. In addition to Mr. Jin''s homework, he would receive extra assignments every day from his beloved aunt.


    Dong Shan came back carrying two still fluttering pheasants and heard his son being punished to copy a word one hundred times again. He felt bad for the money briefly and threw the pheasants into the kitchen, preparing to boil water to kill the chickens.


    "Why is little Lei so ipetent? He got punished again, so we''ll have to buy more paper, right?"


    They had bought paper two or three times these half a month. One or two sheets were not expensive, but it added up.


    Wang Chunhua also frowned, "Punished again? I didn''t even hear anything. This kid looks like he''s waiting for a beating. I''ll have to teach him a good lesson someday."


    When Liu Yizhu was not here, she would supervise Dong Lei on his homework every day, but she did not know specifically how he was doing. Seeing no problem with him, she thought he was learning well.


    As a result, as soon as the girl came back, her son would get punished frequently, much more thanst year. Only then did she realize howzy her son had been at the beginning of the school year.


    Children at six or seven are most mischievous with wandering thoughts. They really need someone to watch them.


    "We still need someone who knows how to teach to keep an eye on him." Unfortunately, the girl would leave in a few months. She and Dong Shan could only flounder afterwards. It''s troublesome. They could only ask Mr. Jinter to supervise him closely.


    "Alright, stop thinking about it. First boil some water to process the chickens."


    Dong Shan interrupted her thoughts. It was not early anymore. If they did not start cooking soon, it would be dark when they eat. Kerosene was also money.


    Only then did Wang Chunhua shift her gaze to the pheasants. Originally when they hunted such good pheasants, they would directly sell them, but she thought that Li Mingwei had been living with them for so long and did not get to eat any delicacies, so she specially kept some for Dong Shan to cook at home.


    "Cook both chickens together?"


    "Together. They are not big. Combined they still do notpare to one old hen at home."


    What he said was reasonable too. Wang Chunhua agreed and added water to another pot, letting Dong Shan ignite the fire.


    She walked to the window and looked outside, shouting: "We will eatte tonight, study slowly."


    Dong Lei''s little face instantly turned pitiful as he stopped writing and looked at his mother pitifully: "I''m hungry."


    "Bear with it. We will have chicken soup tonight, needs to be stewed for a while."


    Chicken soup!


    Dong Lei''s eyes lit up, "How much longer?"


    "The chicken has not been ughtered yet."


    Dong Lei became desperate. Liu Yizhu raised her eyebrows and tapped the table with a ruler: "There is still that much time, so hurry up and finish writing this. Let''s preview tomorrow''s lesson."


    Great, he felt even more desperate.


    Propping up his slightly trembling right hand, he swayed like a decrepit old man. Liu Yizhu frowned, displeased by the sight, and she said: "Why don''t we preview first before practicing writing?"


    "OK!"


    Dong Lei quickly gave up writing and flipped out tomorrow''s article to read aloud, reading was much easier than writing.


    Liu Yizhu leaned her head on a hand and watched him practice some concerns. This child stillcked patience. Her grandpa said practicing calligraphy tested endurance the most. Sotely she had him keep writing to suppress his restlessness, but it seemed to have no effect. Rather, it made him dislike writing.


    Maybe she should try another approach. She would have to discuss with Mr. Jinter.


    She stillcked experience in teaching.


    Recently, she had been writing things at school, so every day she would go with Dong Lei. After sending Dong Lei into the ssroom, she would trot upstairs where Mr. Jin must be preparing his lesson.


    "Mr. Jin~"


    Hearing the intive voice from the stairs, Mr. Jin could not helpughing, "What''s wrong?"


    "Humph!" Liu Yizhu came upstairs ready toin but saw someone already sitting across Mr. Jin. She paused and had heard he came back, but wasn''t the leave over? Why had he not left yet?


    "You, you haven''t gone back to the academy?"


    Liu Yizhu gently murmured yes, "I''m going back after Qingming to make an offering at my father''s grave."


    Li Mingwei grumbled softly: "Sozy. Not attending ss properly and taking leaves everyday."


    "You''re thezy one!" Mr. Jin rolled his eyes at her, "Where have you been hiding these two days? You haven''t finished that thing you''re writing, have you?"


    So he had told Liu Yizhu she woulde but when that person waited two days without seeing her, he felt wronged.


    "What do you mean hiding? I was at home looking after my child!" Speaking of this, Li Mingwei moved closer andined woefully, "Mr. Jin, I''ve realized I don''t know how to teach little Lei anymore. He has been especially annoyed at writingtely. Is it because I monitor him everyday and put too much pressure on him?"


    "Of course." Mr. Jin admonished, "Children at seven or eight, ying is in their nature. He already spends a whole day at school, and still has to take sses when he gets home. How could he not be annoyed? You have to leave him some free time to rest, let him run and jump around, to release his nature."


    "Fine."


    Li Mingwei slumped dejectedly back to her seat. Actuallyst year she was not so impatient. Now that she decided to leave, she wanted him to develop good habits early so when no one supervised himter, he would not bex.


    Now it seemed she had been too impatient, everyone had their own circumstances. She had demanded too much that instead caused him to lose interest.


    Mr. Jin nced at Liu Yizhu sitting calmly across from him and shook his head with a smile. After organizing the books, he stood up, "I''m going to teach ss."


    As soon as he left, Liu Yizhu brought over a small stool and sat down beside Li Mingwei, "How is your leg?"


    Li Mingwei did not turn her head, "It''s been so long, healed long ago."


    "Mr. Jin said you''re writing something?"


    "Just casually writing."


    Liu Yizhu lightly tapped the table, "Why do you keep turning away from me today? You can''t even look at me?"


    Li Mingwei faced him,ying her head on the table again: "I''m not."


    "You..." Liu Yizhu smiled helplessly, "Were you avoiding me thest two days?"


    Li Mingwei turned her face away again, voice a little guilty, "No."


    Seeing her stubborn little head, Liu Yizhu sighed, "Don''t lie to me."


    Li Mingwei did not say anything. She did not want to lie to him either.


    Seeing her reaction, Liu Yizhu understood. Somewhat hurt, he pulled her up to sit properly and said sadly, "I knew it."


    Seeing that she still refused to look at him, he gently turned her head to face him, "Why?"


    Li Mingwei pouted, "My sister said men and women should not be intimate. You can''t behave like this."


    "Then let''s get married." Liu Yizhu leaned forward, "Can I marry you?"


    Li Mingwei froze briefly, a trace of disdain at the corner of her lips, "Are you sure you can decide this yourself?"


    Thinking of his mother, Liu Yizhu stiffened, "Things you can''t aplish, do not say lightly." Li Mingwei taunted.


    "I will aplish it." Liu Yizhu grabbed her hand firmly, voice calm and determined, "I promise I will."


    Li Mingwei shook his hand off, "Talk to me after you''ve done it."


    Watching Liu Yizhu leave, Li Mingwei suddenly felt awful. She wanted to leave earlier, she could not wait until winter.

 Chapter 73

    Chapter 73


    Liu Yizhu was simply an annoying fellow who couldn''t be avoided!


    Li Mingwei harrumphed twice, smoothed out some paper and an inkstone, took out a brush, dipped it in water and ground some ink. She took out the unfinished article from her drawer. To her, only writing could best soothe her mood.


    Suddenly, footsteps sounded again. She turned back to see it was Liu Yizhu again. She hurriedly tidied up the article she was writing, knitted her brows and said, ¡°Why have youe back again?¡±


    So soon? It couldn¡¯t be done that quickly, could it? When did Old Lady Wang be so easily persuaded?


    Liu Yizhu held up a letter: ¡°Someone wrote you a letter. I happened to run into the person when I went out just now, so I brought it up to you.¡±


    ¡°A letter for me?¡± Li Mingwei pointed at her own nose, somewhat incredulous. Who would write her a letter?


    Had her family found her?


    Impossible. If her family had discovered her whereabouts, her mother would have definitely rushed over immediately to seize her back home. Why would they write a letter?


    Could it be...Lord Tang? Did something happen at home?


    When she thought of this possibility, Li Mingwei instantly became flustered. She anxiously ran toward Liu Yizhu, wanting to take the letter from his hand. But Liu Yizhu stretched out his arm and held up the letter high.


    ¡°What are you doing! Give it to me!¡±


    Li Mingwei jumped vigorously, but she only reached Liu Yizhu¡¯s shoulder with her height. Liu Yizhu extended his arm, and she absolutely couldn¡¯t even touch his fingertips.


    ¡°So anxious. Who is it? A man?¡±


    There were rather big differences between men¡¯s and women¡¯s handwriting. With one look at the three big characters ¡°Li Mingwei¡± on the envelope, Liu Yizhu knew it was a man¡¯s writing.


    When Li Mingwei heard it was from a man, she became even more anxious. That must be Lord Tang undoubtedly! Here, she only knew three literate men, and the other two were right by her side now, so they had no need to write any letters.


    ¡°Quickly, give it to me!¡±


    ¡°You tell me who it is first.¡±


    Li Mingwei was angry. She simply didn¡¯t jump for it anymore and gave him a kick instead. ¡°How would I know who it is if you don''t give it to me first?¡±


    Seeing that she didn''t seem to be lying, Liu Yizhu was half suspicious and half trusting as he handed the letter to her. Li Mingwei quickly tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter. With just one nce, she felt relieved and even somewhat delighted.


    She pushed away Liu Yizhu''s head that was peeking over and warned, ¡°Don¡¯t read it!¡±


    Then she sat back down in her spot and read it carefully.


    The letter wasn''t from anyone else - it was from Sister Yun. Or rather, it was written by Sister Yun''s husband on her behalf. She said that because there were outsiders around, there were many things Sister Yun couldn''t say directly. She only said that she was doing quite well, her parents-inw treated her very nicely, and told Li Mingwei not to worry. She also said Qingshan Vige was a beautiful ce and that Li Mingwei coulde visit if she had time.


    Li Mingwei smiled. This was just Sister Yun missing her and wanting her to go over to see her, right? She had promised her that earlier, so she would definitely fulfill Sister Yun¡¯s wish.


    After putting away the letter, Li Mingwei already had an initial n in mind to travel to Qingshan Vige.


    Sitting to the side, seeing that ever since opening the letter, the corners of her lips hadn¡¯t dropped down once, Liu Yizhu felt very awful inside. Just what kind of man was he that could make her so happy!


    He felt a sense of threat and suddenly felt an urgent need to quickly persuade his mother.


    One thing that she had been somewhat worried about finally had a resolution, and Li Mingwei was extremely delighted. Seeing Liu Yizhu''s face as dark as ink, she directly chased him away, ¡°Why aren''t you leaving yet?¡±


    ¡°Leaving, leaving right now!¡±


    Liu Yizhu left in a huff.


    Hmm, this guy really had quite the temper. Li Mingwei stuck out her tongue at his retreating figure. She flipped through the papers on the table and continued working hard.


    When Liu Yizhu was halfway down the stairs, he suddenly remembered his original purpose foring today - Li Mingwei had angered him so much that he almost forgot again! He turned back to head up, and suddenly recalled Li Mingwei¡¯s panicked motions to tidy up the papers when he brought the letter up earlier. He paused and lightened his footsteps.


    Li Mingwei was engrossed in her writing andpletely unaware that someone was quietly walking toward her.


    ¡°Ah!¡±


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    ¡°Teacher, they¡¯re fighting!¡±


    ¡°Teacher!¡±


    A shriek apanied by some moring sounds traveled up. Li Mingwei and Liu Yizhu simultaneously rushed to the window and collided right into each other.


    ¡°Ow!¡± Seeing who it was, Li Mingwei red, ¡°Why did youe back again?¡±


    Liu Yizhu didn''t answer. Instead, he frowned and looked downstairs, where two children were currently scuffling. He was just about to go break them up when Mr. Jin had already stepped forward and separated the two.


    Mr. Jin shouted loudly, ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    One child pointed grievously at his own face for Mr. Jin to see, ¡°Teacher, he smeared mud on my face.¡±


    He blinked his eyes rapidly, squeezing out a few translucent, glistening teardrops. They rolled down his grimy face and fell to the ground with a st.


    Mr. Jin also felt distressed seeing this. He hugged and coaxed the child gently, then fished out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the child¡¯s face. Seeing this, the other child dashed up two steps and clung onto Mr. Jin¡¯s hand, saying he had dirt on his face too and also wanted it wiped.


    Seeing the two childrenpeting for Mr. Jin¡¯s affection below, Li Mingwei couldn¡¯t help but smile. She slyly nced at Liu Yizhu, whose mouth was also upturned in a smile, when she suddenly had an idea.


    Sheughed, ¡°Children are so cute. Just now they were fighting but in the next second, they''ve already forgotten all about it.¡±


    Liu Yizhu also smiled. ¡°Yes, they are rather cute.¡±


    ¡°Do you like children then?¡±


    ¡°No, I don''t.¡±


    Hearing his decisive answer, Li Mingwei pursed her lips in obvious disbelief. ¡°Yet you wereughing just now, saying how cute they were.¡±


    The corners of Liu Yizhu''s lips quirked up as he looked at her. ¡°I was only smiling because I saw you smile, not because of them.¡±


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes hard upon hearing this. She patted Liu Yizhu on the shoulder, ¡°Save that kind of talk for the youngdies. This older sister doesn''t fall for your tricks anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡±


    Liu Yizhu''s gazended on the corners of her mouth that she couldn''t help perking up slightly. Some people just had hard mouths. She said she didn''t fall for his tricks but who knew what she was actually thinking inside.


    Feeling somewhat unnerved by his faintly smiling eyes, Li Mingwei withdrew her own gaze. Looking at the children frolicking wildly downstairs during this break, she heaved a long sigh.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Li Mingwei shook her head. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Even if she didn''t say it, Liu Yizhu knew what she must be worrying about in her heart. But for now, he still hadn''t persuaded his mother so he could only let her keep waiting a little longer.


    ¡°Why did youe back again?¡±


    ¡°To buy ink. I was practicing calligraphy this morning when I discovered there was no more ink at home. That''s why I came over to find Mr. Jin. I got sidetracked chatting with you for a bit that I almost forgot.¡±


    Liu Yizhu walked over to the shelves where Mr. Jin stored paper, inkstones, brushes and ink and took a ink block. He was just about to take out money to pay when Li Mingwei stopped him.


    ¡°How much were those medicinal wines you bought for mest time? I forgot to pay you back.¡±


    ¡°Not much, don''t need to pay me back.¡±


    Li Mingwei firmly rejected his offer. His family''s situation was already strained to begin with. Even if it was just a couple dozen wen, it was money that she owed him and she wouldn¡¯t feel at ease without repaying him.


    Liu Yizhu conceded helplessly, "There''s really no need. You don''t have to stand on such ceremony with me."


    ¡°I must pay you back!¡± Li Mingwei stubbornly barricaded the front of the desk to block Liu Yizhu¡¯s way.


    The two were at an impasse, one refusing to name a price and the other refusing to let him leave without telling her.


    Her actions clearly treated him as an outsider. Liu Yizhu''s brows were tightly knitted as he pulled out Mr. Jin''s chair and plopped right down on it. If she wanted to drag this out, he had all the time in the world to apany her.


    Li Mingwei was annoyed but could do nothing about it. She fished out some coins from her purse and put them on Mr. Jin¡¯s desk,promising, ¡°Consider the medicinal wine as your gift to me and the ink as my return gift.¡±


    Liu Yizhu gave her a deep look before getting up to leave.

 Chapter 74

    Chapter 74


    Knowing that Liu Yizhu still hadn''t left, Li Mingwei continued to y the turtle at home for a few more days. She knew that perhaps she would lose a person who truly cared for her, but sometimes she really didn''t know how to face him.


    She was a little tangled now, should she just leave directly, or give him some time?


    "Auntie, auntie."


    Dong Lei pulled at her sleeve, drawing her back from her thoughts, and said, "Aunt Meng is here. Mother told you to go to the main room and read Sister Yun''s letter to her."


    "Okay,ing right away."


    Li Mingwei hadn''t originally nned to tell Aunt Meng about this letter, because in it, Sister Yun hadn''t mentioned anyone from the Meng family at all. She had only asionally spoken to Wang Chunhua about the matter. Wang Chunhua felt it would still be best to let Aunt Meng know.


    Sister Yun had married out and hadn''te back since. Aunt Meng often reminisced about her, so since a letter had arrived, they still had to let her know, at least to make her aware her daughter was doing well, and put her mind at ease.


    Li Mingwei reluctantly agreed. Wang Chunhua then went to notify Aunt Meng.


    She took out Sister Yun''s letter. Wang Chunhua waited for her in the courtyard. When she approached, she whispered, "You know Aunt Meng can''t read. Later you should add a couple sentences and ask after her, don''t truly not mention anything, that would hurt her feelings too much."


    Li Mingwei certainly didn''t want to tamper with the contents of Sister Yun''s letter. But after she entered the room and saw Aunt Meng''s expectant eyes, her heart softened a little. In the end, she did add a sentence on the original letter''s basis, having her send regards to everyone at home.


    "Very good, very good, as long as she''s doing well." Aunt Meng''s eyes brimmed with tears as she grasped her hand tightly, "When you return, I''ll give you money to send a letter back to her, telling her everything at home is also good, and toe back with her son-inw when she has time, I''ll make fish for her to eat."


    Sister Yun loved to eat fish the most.


    Li Mingwei''s eyes turned a little red. She grasped Aunt Meng''s hand in return, "No need to send a letter back. I n to go see her sometime, I can ry it to her directly then."


    "Ah?" Aunt Meng was stunned, "That''s so far away, how will you get there?"


    Hearing her say this, Li Mingwei became unhappy again, "Just two days, how is that far?"


    For someone you want to see, even ten days of travel would be worth it. For someone you don''t want to see, two steps is an abyss.


    Aunt Meng, who had been deeply affectionate with her daughter just a moment ago, awkwardly retracted her hand and shut her mouth. Li Mingwei knew it would be this way. Seeing that Aunt Meng didn''t seem to miss Sister Yun''s appearance much, she gave a soft huff and stood up to return to her room.


    Wang Chunhua saw Aunt Meng out, then ran into Li Mingwei''s room, "Are you really going to see Sister Yun?"


    "Of course it''s real," Li Mingwei said sarcastically. "I''m not like some people, saying they want to go but unwilling to travel two days. If she said she wanted to go with me, I could even make her pay her own expenses."


    "You and that mouth," Wang Chunhua grabbed her mouth, not letting her continue chattering. She thought for a moment, and still nodded a little reluctantly, "Go on and go then. You said the letter was written by her husband. There must be some things she didn''t feel right saying directly. It''s good for you to go take a look, seeing is believing. We''ll feel at ease after you''ve seen for yourself."


    "I''ll have your brother-inw go with you then. That way, at least the vigers won''t casually bully you two."


    "Brother-inw has things to do, no need to dy him."


    Recently, Dong Shan went up the mountain to hunt every day. He always managed to get some game each day, going back and forth would waste four or five days, and cost him quite a bit of money.


    "What''s there to dy? Just that 100 taels of silver you gave him, he can''t earn back in a year. What''s it matter if he goes with you for four or five days?"


    Wang Chunhua certainly wouldn''t feel at ease with her going alone. The matchmaker from their vige had noticed her at first ncest time, saying there were several suitable families in their vige. If she went alone, they might force her to stay and certainly pick a husband for her.


    It would be best to have Dong Shan apany her, only then would she feel more at ease. If something really happened, he could also carry her sister and run.


    "Sis, you really think too much."


    Li Mingwei thought she looked decent enough, but not to the point where people would snatch her on sight! Her sister was really confident in her looks.


    Mr. Jin really couldn''t show a good face to Li Mingwei asking for more leave when she had just returned from an extended break a month and a half ago. He huffed grumpily and turned his head away, "No."


    "Mr. Jin~" Li Mingwei coaxed, "Just five days. Four days will be traveling back and forth. I''ll just rest one day in the middle, it''s quite rushed already."


    "Sir, you know Sister Yun too. She used toe with me to bring you soup before she married. She hasn''t been back since marrying out. I really can''t stop worrying about her."


    "Sir, please, I beg you."


    Mr. Jin sighed. He couldn''t stand Li Mingwei pleading with him like this. Gloomily, he knocked on his teacup lid.


    Li Mingwei immediately understood. She beamed brightly and lifted the teapot, "Sir, let me refill your tea."


    She poured a little, but only a tiny bit of water came out. Lifting the pot lid, she discovered there was hardly any water left.


    "Sir, there''s no water left. Let me go and add some more for you."


    She pushed open the door to the back yard and walked into the kitchen, calling out, "Granny Wang, is there any hot water? The master wants to brew tea."


    Granny Wang vaguely pointed her toward arge kettle on the stove. Li Mingwei set down the small teapot on the table, and casually tried to grab therge kettle with one hand, thinking it would be easy. But she couldn''t lift it up immediately, the kettle shook and scalding water sshed out from the spout.


    "Ah!"


    She cried out in shock and quickly took a step back to avoid it.


    Granny Wang rushed over in just a few steps. She looked at her worriedly, "What are you doing?"


    Li Mingwei pouted, "It''s a little heavy."


    Granny Wang sighed, and helped her fill up the small teapot. She truly didn''t know how her son could like this kind of woman who couldn''t lift a shoulder-pole or pick up a pot. Why marry her back home? To serve her like an ancestor?


    Though Granny Wang had helped her, Li Mingwei still thanked her politely. As she raised her head to look at Granny Wang, she noticed herplexion didn''t seem well, and her forehead had some fine sweat.


    "Granny Wang, are you not feeling well?"


    Granny Wang waved her hand, "Nothing, I''m fine. Just got a little hot cooking."


    Really?


    Li Mingwei was a little skeptical. She reached out and touched Granny Wang''s forehead, discovering it was extremely hot, "You have a fever."


    Granny Wang ufortably pushed her hand away, "No fever. I was just by the fire cooking, got heated up."


    Li Mingwei wasn''t a three year old child anymore, how could she possibly believe this kind of excuse? She said firmly, "You definitely have a fever."


    Granny Wang still wanted to say something, but Li Mingwei grabbed her arm, "Let''s go see the doctor."


    "No need, no need. I''ll finish cooking then go lie down for a while and I''ll be fine."


    "You..."


    Li Mingwei didn''t have as much strength as her. For now she really couldn''t drag her away, so she could only call Mr. Jin over. But who knew Granny Wang would be so stubborn, still insisting on cooking before going.


    "Mr. Jin, look at her."


    Even Mr. Jin was a little speechless, "You should still go see the doctor first. Yourplexion really doesn''t look well. I can find someone to rece you cooking for a day."


    "Mr. Jin, really no need. If you go find someone now, won''t that dy things? It''s almost noon already, how will the children eat if they''re hungry?"


    Seeing Granny Wang still declining, Li Mingwei was truly exasperated. Just what kind of mother raised a son like Liu Yizhu?


    A sh of inspiration hit her, "Will you go or not?"


    "If you don''t go, next time when Liu Yizhues back, I''ll go cling to him!"


    Granny Wang: Was that supposed to be a threat?


    Mr. Jin: Isn''t that good news for Yizhu?

 Chapter 75

    Chapter 75


    Old Lady Wang was finally threatened by her. Mr. Jin from the neighboring courtyard was invited toe and cook. After exining a few words, she went to the pharmacy with Li Mingwei.


    Seeing that she was a little unsteady on her feet, Li Mingwei went up to support her. Old Lady Wang waved her hand, just about to say she was fine, when she suddenly felt dizzy and almost copsed.


    "Are you alright?"


    "No..."


    Old Lady Wang stood still for a while before realizing that she was too ill to take another step. She grabbed Li Mingwei''s arm and shook it, her voice somewhat panicked and uneasy: "Why can''t I walk?"


    Seeing that her eyes were dazed and her pupils wandering, Li Mingwei didn''t dare dy any longer. She asked two sisters on the side of the road to take her back home, while she went ahead to the pharmacy to call for a doctor.


    When she and the doctor arrived, the gate of the Liu Family was wide open. A sister was waiting at the door and anxiously led the doctor into the room, "She fainted."


    The doctor immediately quickened his pace and rushed into the room to check her pulse.


    Li Mingwei followed behind and waited at the door. Standing here, she could smell the faint scent of wine from Old Lady Wang''s room, simr to the medicinal wine she had made in the county town. She wondered where Old Lady Wang had hurt herself.


    "It''s too hot."


    After taking her pulse, the doctor went to the table, took out some medicine from his box, nced at the three people in the room, and handed the medicine to Li Mingwei, "Boil this up, I''ll give her a few shots first to lower her temperature."


    "Yes."


    Li Mingwei turned to find the kitchen. This was her first time entering the Liu Family''s home. Usually she would only pass by when going to the embroidery workshop or the market.


    Although the Liu Family was a little shabby, it wasrger than the Dong Family and had a differentyout. Still, the kitchen was likely in the backyard, so she headed directly there.


    After washing a pot, Li Mingwei boiled up the medicine and her eyes fell on the lush vegetable garden in the backyard. She had grown some vegetables with Wang Chunhua before, but they were not nearly as thriving as this plot, clearly nted with great care.


    Unable to resist, she pulled up two very green leaves, smelled them, rinsed them off, then went to the kitchen to find some rice to make mung bean soup. Medicine should always be taken with some food.


    When the porridge was cooked, a sister came running from the front yard, "Sister, she''s awake now. Is the medicine ready?"


    "It should be, sister, take a look?"


    Li Mingwei had boiled medicine for her family before, just not often, so she didn''t have a good sense of the timing.


    The sister took a look, judged it to be done, wrapped it in a handkerchief,dled out a bowl, and brought it inside. Li Mingwei also wanted to go see, but didn''t dare leave the pot unattended.


    Shortly after, the other sister came as well. She said apologetically, "The doctor wants to leave, but none of us brought money."


    "Oh, then could you watch the pot for me? I''ll go take care of it now."


    "Sure, sure."


    The doctor was waiting in the front yard. Li Mingwei asked the price and paid him, then said, "Is this one prescription enough?"


    "Let''s try these two doses today. Her temperature is quite high. I just brought it down a little. Keep an eye on it tonight and see if it goes back up. If it does, call me and I''ll have to prescribe new medicine."


    "Alright, thank you, doctor."


    Li Mingwei felt a headacheing on. There was no way she could stay here to keep watch tonight.


    It was lunch time now. After waiting a while and seeing the doctor leave, the two sisters also took their leave to return home. As they left, Li Mingwei asked them to pass along a message to Wang Chunhua that she still had sses in the afternoon and couldn''t stay here.


    Shedled the cooked porridge into a bowl and brought a small portion to Old Lady Wang''s room, cing it at her bedside. She nced at the drowsy person lying in bed without disturbing her, and simply took away the empty medicine bowl.


    Old Lady Wangy quietly in bed, watching her movements. Suddenly she reached out and stopped her, speaking hazily, "I''m fine, leave the bowl here. I''ll get up and wash itter. You still have sses this afternoon, drink some porridge and hurry off."


    Li Mingwei stopped in her tracks, "The doctor said after these two doses of medicine, we''d have to keep watching in case your temperature goes back up. Then you''d need a new prescription. I already asked the sisters to help call Chunhua for me. Once she gets here I''ll leave."


    She hesitated, "Or, should I let Liu Yizhu know, see if he wants toe back..."


    "Don''t." Old Lady Wang struggled to prop herself up, trying to stop her, butcking strength she fell back into bed. She coughed lightly, "Absolutely do not tell Yizhu, he has to focus on studying, can''t be distracted. I''ll be fine after some rest."


    "But..."


    This was clearly not something that could be fixed with just some rest. Li Mingwei felt a little helpless. Why did old folks always insist on doing these willful things, not wanting their children to worry, yet hiding it until it got worse just led to more annoyance.


    Li Mingwei turned back, set down the bowl, helped Old Lady Wang lie back down, and tucked her in neatly. "Let''s see again after the medicine tonight. If it goes down, that''s good. But if not..."


    She would still have to let Liu Yizhue back and take a look. With Old Lady Wang home alone and this ill, with no one even to cook for her, Li Mingwei wondered if her family had any rtives who could help.


    Hearing her implication, Old Lady Wang hurriedly grabbed her hand, pleading earnestly, "Really, don''t bother. I''m much better already."


    "It''s useless for you to say it, only the doctor''s word counts."


    Seeing how stubborn she was, Li Mingwei didn''t want to argue further. Taking the bowl, she was about to leave when she noticed the memorial tablet on the altar in the room.


    Liu Hongsheng, likely Liu Yizhu''s father.


    Thinking of Old Lady Wang sleeping beside the memorial tablet every day, Li Mingwei suddenly felt uneasy.


    Even if it was meant tomemorate him, keeping it in the main hall or setting aside a separate room would be more respectful. The Liu residence was sizable, so why keep it insistently in the bedroom?


    Seeing where her gaze had stopped, Old Lady Wang spoke softly, her voice filled with tenderness and longing, "That''s Yizhu''s father."


    Li Mingwei gently hmm''ed, and asked the question on her mind, "Why keep it here? I''ve seen others..."


    "Because with him here, I''m not alone."


    After her husband passed away, she never once considered remarrying, wholeheartedly raising the children until they grew up. But as the kids matured, they slowly developed their own ideas and thoughts, sometimes even having trouble understanding her. The mother and child rtionship seemed to grow more distant by the day.


    She often felt lonely. In thete night when she startled awake, only the memorial tablet could give her a tiny sense of peace, as if he was always by her side, never having left.


    Old Lady Wang shrank under the covers, afraid to look at her, only apologizing, "I''m sorry, I know you''re a good child, but I..."


    She choked up, falling silent.


    "You don''t need to say any more, I understand."


    Li Mingwei smiled, took onest look at the memorial tablet, and walked out.


    Returning to the backyard, shedled water to wash the medicine bowl clean. Sitting under the eaves, she quietly awaited Wang Chunhua''s arrival.


    Her eyes swept over the nts here, and it seemed traces of Liu Yizhu''s life still lingered over them. As for her, this should be the only chance she''d ever get to sit in this spot.

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76


    Wang Chunhua received the message and quickly wolfed down two bites of rice. Carrying little Yan''er with her, she came over soon. Although the big gate of the Liu family was not closed, she still knocked on the door.


    "Anyone home? Sister!"


    When Li Mingwei heard the sound, she quickly got up to wee Wang Chunhua. Wang Chunhua put down little Yan''er to let her y in the yard by herself. She then followed Li Mingwei to the door to take a look at Old Lady Wang.


    "What''s wrong with her?"


    "She has a fever. She already took medicine. The doctor said to give her another dose tonight to see the effect. I still have to go to sster. Sister, please stay and help keep an eye on her. I''lle back after ss."


    "Or is there any rtive of their family that can be called over to help?"


    Wang Chunhua curled her lips and pulled Li Mingwei further away, "What rtives are you talking about? We stopped contacting each other long ago."


    In the early years, there were a few rtives. At that time, Old Lady Wang wanted to send Liu Yizhu to school, but money was tight. She wanted to borrow some money from them and intended to pay them back eventually.


    But after Liu''s Father passed away, they didn''t have a backbone in the family anymore. Those rtives felt that as a woman with a child, if Old Lady Wang borrowed money from them, she probably couldn''t pay it back. So they all refused to lend money.


    Old Lady Wang also had a stubborn temper. Since they were unwilling to lend money, she worked hard to earn it herself. It just dyed Liu Yizhu''s schooling for a few more years.


    "Master Liu started reading at the age of nine."


    The other children were usually sent to school around the ages of five or six. Among that group of students, he was the tallest and most conspicuous. So Mr. Jin paid more attention to him.


    "There is a saying, what was that again?" Something about rich and poor."


    "When rich, distant kin make visits; when poor, even your neighbors avoid you."


    "Right, that''s the one!" Wang Chunhua pped her hands, "It''s that line. Earlier when his mother was having such a hard time, no one paid attention. After Master Liu passed the county examination, those rtives came around again, saying they were willing to sponsor his studies. Old Lady Wang kicked them right out."


    "They already made it through the hardest days on their own. Who needs those rtives'' pretentious help? Anyway, it caused a scene, and since then no one dared toe to their door again."


    Li Mingwei tugged the corners of her mouth, "How realistic."


    "That''s just people." Wang Chunhua sighed. She didn''t keep talking to Li Mingwei about this. "Have you eaten?"


    "Not much appetite."


    "Still no appetite?" Wang Chunhua frowned with some concern. "You can''t keep doing this. We''re going out tomorrow too. Did you ask Mr. Jin for days off?"


    "I did. And we might not necessarily leave tomorrow either. Going a couple dayster is also fine."


    Anyway, she hadn''t told Sister Yun about this. She was worried Sister Yun would prepare on purpose just to set her mind at ease. She nned to take Sister Yun by surprise. Whether they left sooner orter didn''t matter much.


    After ss, Li Mingwei returned to the Liu family again. She and Wang Chunhua together heated medicine for Old Lady Wang. Seeing that the olddy looked a little morefortable, Li Mingwei left first, nning to go back and see her again tomorrow.


    Old Lady Wang actually didn''t want to tell her son. No one knew who went to pass along the message, but Liu Yizhu came back that next afternoon.


    When Wang Chunhua returned from the Liu family, she peeked through the window at Li Mingwei dozing off on the bed. She said, "You don''t need to go to the Liu familyter. Master Liu came back."


    "Oh? That was fast. Who told him?"


    How would Wang Chunhua know? Maybe he gave someone special instructions before he left. The county town was not exactly nearby either. Who would make a trip like that for no reason? Somehow the news made it to his ears.


    "What do you care who it was? Anyway, he''s back, so Old Lady Wang has someone to look after her now. You don''t need to go anymore."


    "Okay." Now that he was back, Li Mingwei really didn''t need to worry about them. She yawned. She didn''t sleep wellst night and felt exhausted today. She briskly took off her shoes andy down on the bed, intending to catch up on some sleep.


    "Oh right, sister. Tell brother-inw that we''re going to see Sister Yun tomorrow. Let me take a nap first, then I''ll get up and pack."


    Wang Chunhua agreed.


    It rained a few times earlier in the past days. Thest couple of days had nice weather. They should take advantage and set off early to get back early, in case they run into rain and muddy roads.


    Dong Shan nned out their route: "We''ll stop to rest in the county town at noon today and have a meal. Then head to Wanjia Town and spend the night there. Keep going and we should arrive at Qingshan Vige around tomorrow afternoon."


    "On the way back, we''ll stay overnight in the county town again and could be home by noon the next day."


    Li Mingwei had her backpack ready long ago. She nodded, "Sounds good. Let''s set off then."


    "Alright." Dong Shan took the luggage from Wang Chunhua''s hands and instructed, "Be careful while home alone. We''ll be back in four or five days."


    "I know. You take good care of my sister."


    It was still early with not many people on the road yet. Li Mingwei and Dong Shan walked one after the other in silence towards the county town. But before they even left the town entrance, a light drizzle started falling as the cool breeze blew.


    Li Mingwei held out her palm to catch some raindrops, "Brother-inw, it doesn''t seem that big. Should we keep going or..."


    It was just springtime now. A small rain like this would stop after a short while. Of course they''d keep going. But Dong Shan still decided to turn back for a couple umbres, just in case. He could handle getting wet but didn''t want the girl to get drenched.


    After leading Li Mingwei forward a few steps, Dong shan had her hide under the eaves at the academy gates, "Wait here a bit. I''ll grab the umbres ande right back."


    Mr. Jin probably wasn''t awake yet since the academy gates were still closed. Li Mingwei could only squat under the narrow eaves watching Dong Shan''s figure fade into the distance.


    When Liu Yizhu came to open the door, he seemed a little surprised to see her already waiting, "You''re here so early?"


    His gaze fell upon the small backpack on her, "Going somewhere?"


    "Mm-hm." Li Mingwei nodded. "I just got here when it started drizzling. Brother-inw went back to get umbres for me and told me to take shelter here."


    Liu Yizhu took out his keys and opened the door, gesturing for her to wait inside. But Li Mingwei declined since the rain wasn''t heavy. Dong Shan would be back soon anyway so there was no need to trouble him.


    Seeing Liu Yizhu also not going in, Li Mingwei gave him a little push, "You go inside! Weren''t you here so early for something? Go on, don''t mind me."


    Liu Yizhu leaned against the door without moving. "I just came to unlock the door. I''m free."


    The academy had examsing up recently. When Liu Yizhu rushed back, he didn''t bring any books with him. After his mother fell asleepst night, he came over to borrow books from Mr. Jin. On his way out, Mr. Jin had already gone to bed so Liu Yizhu didn''t want to disturb him. But he also didn''t want to leave the doors unlocked, so he locked it from the outside with the key.


    That basically locked Mr. Jin inside. Mr. Jin usually ate breakfast outside, so Liu Yizhu came extra early to open the door for him.


    "I see. Then hurry back. Isn''t your mother sick at home? Leave her alone for too long."


    "She''s still sleeping."


    The sky wasn''t fully bright yet at this hour and most people were still asleep.


    Li Mingwei nced at Liu Yizhu. She finally uncovered the secret to his being able to rank first - he really did rise earlier than the roosters and sleepter than the dogs!


    "Where are you and Brother Dong headed?"


    They were clearly prepared to stay a few nights with their luggage. Xinghua Vige?


    Li Mingwei stuck out her tongue mischievously, "Not telling you."


    Liu Yizhu pinched her cheek, applying a bit of force, "So disobedient."


    "Mm~"


    The pain caused Li Mingwei to open her mouth, wanting to bite him. Liu Yizhu swiftly dodged, "Still biting people huh, little puppy? Go on, where?"


    "Going home!" Li Mingwei said defiantly, "I told you I was leaving."


    Liu Yizhu''s heart tightened for a moment. He nearly forgot about this. He increased force, "Don''t talk nonsense."


    "I''m not talking nonsense!" She shoved Liu Yizhu aside and ran towards Dong Shan, peering back at him indignantly, "Never gonna see you again!"


    Liu Yizhu...

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77


    Dong Shan stood on a pile of rocks, looking into the distance at the fog swirling halfway up the mountain. Beside him came the ragged breathing of Li Mingwei as she struggled up the slope. He turned back, found a rtively clean rock for Li Mingwei to sit on.


    "Let''s rest a while. It''s pretty foggy up ahead - looks cold. You didn''t dress warmly enough today, we should wait until it gets warmer before going on."


    "Okay."


    Having learned from experiencest time, Li Mingwei didn''t dare act tough again. She sprawled on the ground to recover her strength. They were still early on their schedule, a short break wouldn''t hold them back.


    Dong Shan sat down beside her and closed his eyes to rest. They''d gotten up very early that morning, and both were somewhat sleepy.


    "Ahh..."


    An old man driving an oxcart saw them and realized they were tired. He stopped the cart and warmly called out, "Where are you headed? Let me give you a ride if I''m going the same way?"


    Dong Shan stood up and cupped his hands. "To the county seat, old uncle. Are you going that way?"


    "I am, I am! I''m also going to the county seat." The old manughed heartily and invited them onto his cart.


    Dong Shan sat next to him to help drive the ox, while Li Mingwei squeezed into the back. The cart was loaded with neatly stacked hay and two baskets of straw sandals - he seemed to be going into town to do business.


    "Is there room back there?"


    "Plenty of room, plenty of room."


    "Alright then, let''s be off." At the old man''s word, Dong Shan flicked the reins and the ox plodded forward.


    The old man looked at Dong Shan, then back at Li Mingwei. "You two are...?"


    Dong Shan smiled. "She''s my little sister."


    "Oh, I see the resemnce."


    Dong Shan nodded agreeably as they chatted about trivial things, passing the time on the long dull journey.


    Li Mingwei stifled augh. She didn''t see any resemnce between her and big brother Dong, but the old man''s eyesight clearly wasn''t good. She was more interested in the straw sandals he''d made. She studied them the whole way, and bought two pairs when they reached the county seat.


    Dong Shan held the shoes and looked them over before putting them in his pack. "Not bad. He didn''t even want cart fare, so we should at least buy some of his wares."


    He nced over the crowds entering the town. "Where should we go now? Into town, or directly on to Wanjia?"


    They''d arrived at the county seat much earlier than expected. It wasn''t even noon yet.


    Li Mingwei wanted to go into town first. "There might not be anywhere to eat on the road to Wanjia. We should go into town to buy some food to take with us."


    "Alright then." Dong Shan patted his money pouch happily. "I''ll treat you to a good meal today. Last time you didn''t get a single bite of that several hundred wen chicken."


    Dong Lei had eaten it all.


    "Was it tasty?"


    Dong Shan smacked his lips at the memory and nodded approvingly. "It really was quite good. Tavern chefs are a cut above your sister''s cooking, that''s for sure."


    Li Mingwei narrowed her eyes threateningly. "I''ll tell her you said that when I get home."


    "Hey, I''m offering to treat you to good food, and you''re tattling on me?"


    "Haha."


    Li Mingwei was joking of course. Since Dong Shan was paying, she didn''t choose anywhere too expensive. They randomly picked a mutton soup shop on the main street.


    "It''s not even winter, why are you eating mutton soup?"


    "Good sir, you mustn''t say that!" The waiter popped his head out beckoning them inside. "This mutton soup dispels coldness, strengthens the spleen and nourishes the spirit. It has many benefits beyond simply warming you up. If people only ate it in winter, we wouldn''t even be open!"


    "That''s right, that''s right." Li Mingwei nodded emphatically. The young man made a good argument!


    "Come on Master Dong. Weren''t you saying Sister Chunhua''s chicken is not as good as restaurants? I think her mutton soup is quite tasty. Let''s see how thispares."


    Seeing how much she wanted it, Dong Shan could hardly refuse. He sighed and followed her inside to find a table. He''d intended to treat her to something nicer, but she just had to choose this ce.


    The big bowls of mutton soup were 18 wen each, mutton offal soup was 20 wen. Li Mingwei only ordered one bowl. The portion was too big for her to finish alone, so shedled some into an empty bowl for herself and left the rest for Dong Shan.


    As usual, Dong Shan guzzled it down in big gulps. Li Mingwei sniffed it first to make sure there was no strange smell before carefully taking a sip.


    "Hmm, not bad. About the same as Sister Chunhua''s."


    Dong Shan agreed. "Right, it''s mostly broth that digests quickly. We should still buy a couple buns to take with us in case we get hungry on the road."


    After buying the buns, they continued on their way.


    There was nothing special about the scenery on the road to Wanjia, but it was early spring and nts were bursting with vitality everywhere. Verdant growth met the eye in all directions, lifting people''s spirits at the sight.


    Li Mingwei stood at the edge of a wheat field, looking at the tender green shoots. Feeling the soft breeze carrying the sweet scent of flowers, she couldn''t resist putting her hands to her mouth and shouting towards the distant mountains.


    The farmers working in the fields and travelers on the road looked over in surprise at the sound. Li Mingwei shyly covered her face and dashed away.


    Dong Shan also felt embarrassed. He kept his head down and hurried after her.


    When he caught up, he admonished her, "What are you yelling for, silly girl?"


    Li Mingwei beamed and continued walking without slowing, even lifting her skirt to twirl around once. "I just love spring so much!"


    "Pah! What''s so great about it?"


    Dong Shan''s family also farmed, so he''d grown up with scenes like this. He didn''t see anything special about the wheat field, it was the same every year. While he felt no excitement for spring, he did have some fondness for autumn, especially when the stalks were heavy with ripe wheat.


    The two happily continued on towards their destination, but the one watching them leave, Liu Yizhu, felt uneasy all day.


    He stayed home with his mother, monitoring her condition. After feeding her thest bowl of medicine for the day, he felt her forehead.


    Warm, much better than this morning. Reassured, he tucked her into bed. "Sleep now, Mother. I''m going to borrow some books from Mr. Jin."


    "Go, go. I''m fine, don''t worry."


    "Mm."


    Mr. Jin had just finished eating and was grading students'' assignments. Seeing Liu Yizhu''s dispirited state, he thought something had happened at home and quickly stood up. "Your mother?"


    "She''s asleep."


    Mr. Jin rxed with relief and sat back down.


    Liu Yizhu sat across from him and squeezed his temples. "Mr. Jin, do you know where Mingwei went? She didn''te to ss today, right?"


    "That girl!" Just speaking of her irritated Mr. Jin. "She just loves running around everywhere."


    "You..."


    Not because of that girl again! These two troublesome kids were always fighting every few days.


    "I saw her leaving with Dong Shan this morning, packs on their backs. Don''t know where they went."


    Liu Yizhu paused, somewhat gloomy. "She said she was going home."


    "Home?"


    Mr. Jin was puzzled. Weren''t they going to see Sister Yun? Why would she be going home? Seeing the distracted Liu Yizhu, he suddenly smiled and pointed at Li Mingwei''s desk drawer. "Go take a look."


    Apprehensively, Liu Yizhu pulled open the drawer and flipped through the neatly stacked papers inside. They were poems and essays in her handwriting, but he didn''t know who had authored the content.


    Mr. Jin stroked his beard. "She hasn''t finished yet, so what home is she going back to?"


    There was no doubt who the essays were meant for, with their focus on people''s livelihoods and socialmentary. Mr. Jin could tell, and of course so could Liu Yizhu.


    She''d written them for him, so why was she hiding from him? Liu Yizhu felt a stir of unease.

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78


    Yun Sister thought it was just an ordinary day. After having breakfast, she went to the fields with her inws. When it was almost time to go back, she said goodbye to her inws and headed home to prepare lunch.


    When she pushed open the yard gate and saw Li Mingwei and Dong Shan sitting in the yard, she was really frightened. She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn''t seeing things. She immediately rushed towards Li Mingwei and the two hugged each other happily.


    "Yun Sister!"


    "Mingwei!"


    A few tears welled up in Yun Sister''s eyes. The grievances she had suffered these days finally found an outlet and poured out all at once.


    Hearing her miserable cries, Yun Sister''s husband''s face darkened. If you didn''t know better, you''d think his family had mistreated her terribly.


    Seeing his expression, Dong Shan lightly coughed and went forward to separate the two women. He smiled and said, "I know you have a close rtionship, but there''s no need to cry like this after just being apart for a few months. It makes othersugh."


    Li Mingwei stopped crying and nced at Yun Sister''s husband. Seeing the gloom in his eyes, she couldn''t help but worry about Yun Sister''s situation.


    Yun Sister came to her senses and immediately wiped away her tears. She smiled apologetically at them, "I haven''t seen you for so long. I lost control for a moment."


    She went behind her husband and introduced, "This is my husband, you can call him Qing Yang. That''s Mingwei, my best friend before I got married. That''s Brother Dong, Mingwei''s brother-inw. They lived right next to my parents."


    She emphasized Mingwei''s position, making Qing Yang feel a little better. He smiled at the two guests and invited them to sit down, "You''vee a long way. Please forgive me for not weing you properly. Yun, go get your parents. We should entertain our guests."


    Li Mingwei stood up, "Let me go with you."


    Yun Sister looked at Qing Yang. Seeing that he didn''t object, she nodded and walked out with Li Mingwei holding her arm.


    After they had walked some distance, Li Mingwei asked, "What happened to his leg?"


    Today, she and Dong Shan had asked all the way to their door. They knocked for a long time but no one answered. They thought no one was home. Suddenly the door opened and Li Mingwei saw the man sitting in a wheelchair inside. She immediately had a bad feeling.


    If he was Yun Sister''s husband, that would exin why he didn''te for the wedding procession or to pick up the bride.


    Yun Sister sadly closed her eyes for a moment before saying, "He wasn''t like this before. I heard he fell on the mountain and injured his right foot, leaving himme. He walked with a limp and was afraid of beingughed at, so he simply stopped walking."


    It would be difficult to get along with such a stubborn person. Li Mingwei couldn''t help but feel worried.


    "How does he treat you?"


    "He''s quite good to me," Yun Sister nodded and added, "He just has a bad temper. As long as I don''t do anything he doesn''t like or make him angry, it''s fine."


    "But what if you do make him angry?" Li Mingwei frowned.


    "Nothing much. He just smashes things and vents his anger, but he doesn''t hit me." Seeing Li Mingwei''s expression getting worse, Yun Sister patted her hand to reassure her, "Really, it''s fine. You''ll see when you meet my inws. They''re quite easy to get along with."


    "Then how could they raise a son with such a bad temper?"


    Yun Sister said awkwardly, "He wasn''t born with a bad temper."


    Li Mingwei sighed. So it was due to inferiority. People with disabilities often have some inferiority, just like her. Although her body was healthy, sometimes she also felt inferior to others, inevitably generating some resentment.


    But she always dealt with it herself, never randomly venting her anger on loved ones like Qing Yang.


    She and Yun Sister looked at each other helplessly and went to the fields.


    As Yun Sister said, her inws were very nice. When she said she hade from Qingshi Town to see Yun Sister, they immediately threw down their hoes and warmly brought her home, wanting to kill a chicken for her to eat.


    "You didn''t let us know you wereing. We haven''t prepared anything. Today, let your uncle kill a chicken. Tomorrow we''ll go to the market to buy meat for you."


    "No need, no need." Li Mingwei looked cautiously at Yun Sister and lowered her voice, "We''re leaving tomorrow."


    "Why are you leaving so soon?" Yun Sister reluctantly grabbed Li Mingwei''s hand and pleaded, "Stay a few more days."


    Yun Sister''s mother-inw chimed in, "That''s right, stay a few more days. It''s rare for you toe. Spend more time with Yun Sister."


    "Auntie, it''s not that I don''t want to stay longer. The main thing is I still have work to do. Coming and going back already took four days, so..."


    She had originally nned to stay one more day, but Yun Sister''s husband''s attitude made her feel they shouldn''t stay longer. What if she identally made him angry and they just left with a p on the butt? He might take it out on Yun Sister.


    "Then we can''t dy your work."


    Yun Sister frowned. She didn''t believe Mr. Jin had given her four days off and still refused to give her one more day.


    At lunch, they ate chicken. In the afternoon, Yun Sister''s father-inw specially went to the market to buy meat for them. He also bought wine, enthusiastically making Dong Shan feel a little embarrassed. He drank a few more sses with the father and son.


    Yun Sister tidied two rooms for them, making the beds andying out the sheets and nkets, then went back to her own room. She carefully looked at Qing Yang.


    Qing Yang''s face was also a little flushed. He sat in his wheelchair with his head propped up on his hand. Seeing him like this, Yun Sister went to the kitchen to boil hot water and helped him wash up, then supported him into bed.


    She cowered apprehensively by the bedside and lowered her head, "Can I sleep with Mingwei tonight? She''s leaving early tomorrow. I want..."


    "I want to talk with her."


    Qing Yang said sarcastically, "Talk about how bad I treat you here?"


    "No..."


    "You want to deny it? You cried so miserably today, anyone would think I was abusing you. Is that what you mean when you say I''ve made you suffer after marrying into this family?"


    "No."


    Yun Sister lowered her eyes, knowing there was no chance of getting her wish today. She got up, washed up, blew out themp and went to bed to rest.


    As soon as shey down, Qing Yang immediately rolled over to pin her down. He reached to untie her clothes and nibbled her ear, warning her, "Don''t even think about leaving me for the rest of your life."


    Yun Sister closed her eyes and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder, "I never thought about it."


    Whether Qing Yang believed her or not, she really hadn''t thought about it.


    When she found out her parents knew about Qing Yang''s disability but still married her off for the high bride price without telling her, she was no longer a Meng.


    Other than this family, she had nowhere else to go. How could she think of leaving him when at least he gave her more than her own parents?

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79


    Yun Sister got up early in the morning to cook for them and baked some cakes for them to take with them on the road so they had something to eat if they got hungry along the way.


    She sent them to the vige entrance. Li Mingwei waved her hand and smiled at her, "Go back."


    Yun Sister went up and hugged Li Mingwei, whispering, "I''m really living very well, don''t worry about me."


    "Um, I believe you," Li Mingwei nodded seriously and tidied her hair, "Yun Sister, I''m only asking you one thing."


    She couldn''t sleepst night. She felt something was wrong the more she thought about it. The matchmaker was going to introduce someone to her sister, how could she not see what the person looked like? She must have known Qing Yang was disabled, so Uncle Meng and Aunt Meng probably knew too.


    They were just deceiving Yun Sister.


    Li Mingwei grabbed Yun Sister''s shoulders, stared into her eyes, and said word for word, "Do your parents know about this?"


    Yun Sister didn''t speak, but smiled sadly.


    Li Mingwei couldn''t help trembling all over. She hated that she couldn''t smash them. There were still such parents in the world, it really opened her eyes.


    Not wanting her to see her heartache, Yun Sister pushed her away, "You should go now, or you won''t get to the county seat by night."


    Li Mingwei stuffed the silver notes she had prepared in advance into Yun Sister''s arms and said in a low voice, "Leave if you''re unhappy."


    Before Yun Sister could react to what she had been stuffed with, she turned and strode away. Dong Shan hurried to catch up.


    Because of this, Li Mingwei''s good mood when she came waspletely gone. She and Dong Shan cursed the Meng family all the way. At noon, she even lost her appetite and squatted on the ground gnawing on the cold cakes Yun Sister had given her.


    Then they continued cursing. Cursing and cursing until they arrived at the county seat. The two looked at each other. They had made pretty good time today.


    But no matter how early they were, it was still not enough to get back to Qingshi Town, so they walked down the street, found an inn, asked for two adjacent rooms to put their things down, and prepared to go eat dinner.


    Dong Shan touched his belly. He didn''t feel it at noon, but now he was starving.


    "Let''s go eat next door then."


    When Li Mingwei went up just now, she happened to see the restaurant next door was still open. He was so hungry, looking for somewhere else would just waste time.


    "Okay, as long as we can eat."


    Whether it was because this restaurant wasn''t doing good business, or because people in the county seat had already eaten at this time, there were not many people inside. They chose the closest table downstairs and ordered some dishes.


    "Please hurry."


    "Don''t worry, honored guests, it''ll be quick this time."


    Li Mingwei nodded. With only a few tables, it shouldn''t be slow.


    Perhaps seeing that they were hungry, the waiter first brought over the rice. Dong Shan hurriedly ate two bowls to fill his stomach first while waiting for the dishes.


    "What a coincidence, isn''t this Brother Liu..."


    Li Mingwei looked in the direction of the voice. It was the three people who had eaten with Liu Yizhu at the restaurant that day. She politely nodded to them, and the three immediately came over.


    "My name is Tang Jue, this is Yang Jingyuan, and this is Zhong Liangyu. We are fellow students with Brother Liu. May I ask thedy and brother''s names?"


    Tang Jue, could he be Young Master Tang''s son? How is he so different from Tang the Elder, dressed a bit shy.


    Li Mingwei looked at Tang Jue a few more times, then introduced, "Just call me Mingwei. This is my brother-inw, Dong Shan."


    The three bowed together, "Brother Dong, Miss Mingwei."


    Dong Shan also returned the courtesy, "Are you three brothers also eating here?"


    "We just finished eating and were about to go back."


    Li Mingwei looked around at the small restaurant. For it to attract people who usually ate at restaurants toe eat here, there must be something special about it.


    She couldn''t help but ask, "Does this restaurant have any special features?"


    "I don''t know, it''s our first time here too." Tang Jue looked at the boss behind the counter, "Maybe we can ask the boss to introduce it."


    "No need, we''ve already ordered. I just saw youing from so far away to eat here, and thought there must be something special."


    Li Mingwei remembered that Honghe Academy was in the south of the county seat, while here was the east, quite far away indeed.


    "You don''t know?" Tang Jue blinked at her, then nced at the other two. Liu Yizhu''s mother was seeing a doctor at the clinic next door, so they hade to visit her and happened to eat here nearby.


    "Know what?"


    Li Mingwei lookedpletely confused. She really wasn''t familiar with the county seat.


    They had originally thought she knew too, but now she seemed to know nothing at all. Was it because Brother Liu didn''t want her to worry so he didn''t tell her?


    With this in mind, Zhong Liangyu tentatively asked, "Miss Mingwei, why are you and Brother Dong eating here today?"


    Dong Shan honestly replied, "We''re staying at the inn next door."


    Zhong Liangyu smiled. He remembered it only took a little over an hour from the county seat to Qingshi Town. "Did you get dyed sightseeing and couldn''t make it back?"


    "We went to visit rtives and just got back. We''re staying overnight in the county seat and will go back tomorrow."


    Zhong Liangyu nodded. It looked like the ce they went wasn''t close by. Liu Yizhu had only brought his mother to the county seat yesterday, so it was normal they didn''t know.


    The three nced at each other, wondering if they should tell them.


    Li Mingwei saw them unabashedlymunicating through eye signals in front of her, feeling quite speechless. If you have something to say, just say it, what''s with that?


    "Do you have something to say?"


    Seeing their hesitant appearance, Li Mingwei guessed, "About Liu Yizhu?"


    The three stopped. Li Mingwei understood. She had only been out with Brother Dong for two or three days. What could have happened? Liu Yizhu was still at home two days ago. Granny Wang...


    "Has Granny Wang''s illness worsened again?"


    Tang Jue looked at the other two, praising, "Miss Mingwei is so clever."


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes. "You just need to tell me where they are now."


    The three pointed her in the direction.


    "Brother-inw, I''ll go take a look. You can go back to sleep after you finish eating."


    Dong Shan stood up, "No, I''ll go with you."


    It was almost dark, not safe for a young girl to go alone.


    Li Mingwei looked at the dishes that had just been served. She pressed him back down, "Eat, Brother-inw, or it''ll go to waste. It''s not far,e find me after you eat."


    "What about you? You haven''t eaten much today either."


    "I''m not hungry."


    Leaving him with that, Li Mingwei strode quickly toward the clinic. Granny Wang''s fever had gone down so muchst time, how did it suddenly be severe again?


    She touched the money in her pocket, wondering if Liu Yizhu still had any money. The clinics in the county seat probably weren''t cheap. She''d give him all of this first.


    At this time of day, the clinic''s door was already half closed. Since there were inpatients staying overnight, thentern at the door was still lit, and there was still a medicine boy tidying things up at the counter.


    Seeing here in, the medicine boy said, "Seeing a doctor?"


    "I''m looking for someone."


    Following the medicine boy''s directions, Li Mingwei went upstairs. Small, individual rooms lined both sides of the stairs. She didn''t want to randomly lift people''s curtains, and had no other way, so she just stood there awkwardly.


    Just as she was wondering whether to go back and ask Tang Jue and the others, one of the curtains was lifted from the inside, and Liu Yizhu came out. Seeing her, he was also surprised for a moment.


    He strode forward and grabbed her hand, "Are you sick?"


    "No, I was eating dinner and ran into your schoolmates. They said you were here, so I came to take a look."


    Liu Yizhu breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing the coughing from the curtained room next door, he quickly pulled her upstairs to talk outside.

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80


    Liu Yizhu grabbed Li Mingwei''s wrist and took her out of the clinic. He looked left and right, couldn''t find anywhere suitable, so he pulled her into the alley beside them.


    Li Mingwei lowered her head, about to take out her purse, then remembered they had some unpleasantnessst time over medicine money. If she just gave it to him directly this time, he probably wouldn''t ept it. As she considered what to say, Liu Yizhu already spoke first.


    "Aren''t you going home?"


    Liu Yizhu stepped forward, backing her against the corner, looking down at her. His face didn''t look very good, almost pale.


    Li Mingwei raised her eyes to look at him and seemed to just remember. She nodded and said, "Yes, going home."


    She just meant back to the Dong residence. She was only teasing him the other day; she didn¡¯t think he actually believed it.


    Liu Yizhu''s eyes darkened. An unexined anger rose in his chest and he grabbed her hand, "Then why did youe to find me?"


    "I don''t see the connection between these two things." Li Mingwei tried to pull her hand away but he held on tighter. She stopped struggling in resignation. "How is your mother?"


    "She''s fine."


    The medicine the local doctor prescribed upset her stomach, and she kept having re ups, never quite shaking it off. Liu Yizhu had thought about taking her to a better doctor, one shouldn''t dy with treating illness.


    "Ahem." Li Mingwei cleared her throat, blinked at him innocently, and lowered her voice embarrassedly. "Isn''t treatment in the county city expensive? Do you have enough money? If you don''t, I have some..."


    Liu Yizhu didn''t want her to think that was why she''de. Angrily he said, "I don''t need it."


    "Fine, if you don''t need it, why are you angry? Petty miser!" Li Mingwei shook off his hand forcefully, offended. "If you don''t want it, I''ll leave!"


    "Where are you going thiste?"


    Now that it was dark, Liu Yizhu naturally wouldn''t let her wander off alone.


    "None of your business!" Li Mingwei shot him an angry re and headed straight for the inn. She didn''t need him interfering when he''d already rejected her help.


    Liu Yizhu kicked the wall in frustration, took a couple deep breaths to restrain his anger, and pulled her back into his embrace. Gently he exined, "I really don''t need it. It''s not serious illness. The clinic steward is an old ssmate and rtive, he gave us a discount, I have enough money. Don''t worry."


    He stroked the loose strands of her hair and saw the travel worn state of her clothes. "You came back from Qingshan vige already?"


    Li Mingwei was struck speechless. "Weren''t you just..."


    Liu Yizhu bent down,ing closer to her. "Who told you to trick mest time?"


    Although Jin Laoshi said she just went to see Jiejie and would be back in a few days, after reading what she wrote to him, he was still very anxious. Now that he saw she had returned, all his previous worries and fears welled up and he momentarily lost control of his emotions.


    Li Mingwei felt both angry and amused. She retorted, "You''re the one who pinched me, and it hurt a lot!"


    "Alright, I''m sorry I hurt you. I''ll be gentler next time."


    Li Mingwei gave him a kick in response. Liu Yizhu held her and wouldn''t let go. He mumbled, "Are you really nning on going home?"


    "Mm." She didn''t intend to hide it from him anymore since they''d already talked this far. She gently smoothed the tension from his back to reassure him. "I''ve been away for almost a year. I can''t not go back forever. My family is still waiting for me."


    "Don''t go." Liu Yizhu''s trembling voice contained a hint of resentment. He buried his head against Li Mingwei''s neck and pleaded aggrievedly, "I''m going with you."


    "Don''t make trouble."


    "I won''t!" Liu Yizhu used, "Why am I always the one abandoned?"


    "Can you honestly say you don''t like me at all?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t dare confirm it, so she stayed silent.


    "Then why do you refuse to ept me? I don''t care what others say, I don''t need children, I just want to be with you. I don''t want anything else!"


    Li Mingwei turned her head away, closed her eyes for a moment, leaning weakly against the wall.


    Liu Yizhu held her face in both hands, panicked. "Don''t ignore me, just give me an answer, okay? Don''t leave, okay?"


    He yelled until hoarse but didn''t get a hint of response. Gradually even his strength left him and his voice grew lower and lower.


    Sensing the person in her arms growing limp, Li Mingwei sighed helplessly. She reached out and stroked his facefortingly. "It¡¯s impossible for me to never go back. I can only promise I won''t leave soon, okay?"


    "Can you take me with you when you do leave?"


    "Mm."


    He was bound to go to the capital sooner orter anyway, it didn''t make a difference if she agreed or not.


    Finally Liu Yizhu felt a bit happier. He held the woman in his arms tightly. He buried his head in Li Mingwei''s neck again, and then...


    Then Li Mingwei felt the person on her grow heavier and heavier. She called his name softly a couple times but Liu Yizhu didn''t respond at all. His hand went limp at his side.


    Li Mingwei was shocked. She tried shifting him but couldn''t even take a step with his weight on her. She looked around desperately but the deserted alley waspletely empty. What should she do?


    Just then, four heads popped out from the mouth of the alley. Li Mingwei looked pleadingly toward them, but Tang Jue raised his fan to cover the others'' sight and hustled them away. "Inappropriate to look, let''s go, hurry."


    "Stop!"


    "Brother-inw!"


    Dong Shan froze and turned back. "What''s wrong?"


    Li Mingwei gestured at the person on her. "I think he fainted."


    "Huh?"


    The four were shocked. They quickly came over to support Liu Yizhu. Zhong Liangyu felt for his breath and sighed in relief, "Still alive!"


    They carried him into the clinic. There were no extra rooms so they squeezed him onto Old Lady Wang''s bed. Old Lady Wang crouched beside the bed anxiously. "Doctor, what''s wrong with my son?"


    The doctor shushed her and checked his pulse, pupils, nose and mouth, diagnosing firmly, "Nothing serious, just exhausted and fell asleep." He pointed at the dark circles under Liu Yizhu''s eyes. "Look how swollen his eyes are. He hasn''t slept well, if at all, for at least 2-3 days. Just let him rest more and he''ll be fine."


    Old Lady Wang''s eyes widened in surprise. She couldn''t help asking Zhong Liangyu and the others, "How did he not sleep well yesterday?"


    Zhong Liangyu and Yang Jingyuan exchanged a look. "We don''t know. He didn''te backst night."


    "Didn''te back? He said it was too crowded here so he was going back to the academy to rest. Why didn''t he go back?"


    The four of them were arranged to stay together at the academy. Only Tang Jue went home periodically since he lived nearby. These two were there every day and indeed didn''t see Liu Yizhu returnst night.


    Zhong Liangyu affirmed, "He really didn''te back."


    Old Lady Wang turned her gaze toward Li Mingwei again. Li Mingwei''s mouth twitched. What was she looking at her for? She certainly hadn''t been with Liu Yizhust night!


    She took a step back awkwardly. "My sister-inw and I went to see Jiejie in Qingshan vige yesterday and spent the night there."


    Seeing the odd looks from the others, Old Lady Wang quickly exined, "I didn''t mean it that way. I just wanted to ask if you knew anything."


    She probably also knew Li Mingwei wasn''t that kind of careless girl.


    Li Mingwei shook her head. She had only just ran into him earlier, how could she know where he was?


    "Then where was hest night?" Old Lady Wang sank into thought. Her son was keeping things from her again.


    "It''s fine." Seeing how worried she was, the doctorforted her, "He''s so young, he''ll be alright after some more rest. All of you leave so you don''t wake him."


    "Yes, thank you, doctor."

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81


    The small room in the medical clinic could only amodate a small bed and a set of small tables and chairs. Liu Yizhu upied the bed, leaving no ce for Old Lady Wang to stay. Li Mingwei had to invite her to rest in the room she had booked at the inn.


    "What about you?"


    "I''ll stay here and keep an eye on him. I can''t just leave him alone."


    Old Lady Wang initially wanted to stay, but Tang Jue and the others persuaded her, "You''re still not fully recovered from your illness. It''s better for you to rest. If your condition worsens and he wakes up, we won''t be able to exin it to him."


    "Miss Ming is younger after all. It''s just one night, nothing to worry about. You should go back and rest, ande back to switch with her tomorrow morning."


    Helpless, Old Lady Wang followed Dong Shan and left. These past few days, she had already spent quite a bit of money on medical expenses, and she was afraid of any further health issues that would burden her son.


    After they left, Li Mingwei quietly watched Liu Yizhu for a while. Seeing that he showed no signs of waking up, she ate the packed meal that Tang Jue and the others had prepared for her. Then she blew out themp and sat on the chair, preparing to rest for a while.


    She had been on the road all day and was indeed quite tired.


    Just as dawn broke, Old Lady Wang got up and, feeling her way, bought some breakfast from the street. She went to the medical clinic to relieve Li Mingwei. Li Mingwei immediately stood up when she lifted the curtain.


    The chair was too hard, and she only dozed off for a while, but her back and waist were already in pain. In thetter half of the night, she practically sat through it all, hardly getting any sleep and staying awake.


    "You''re up so early."


    Old Lady Wang ced the breakfast on the table and handed her a portion, lowering her voice, "Did Yizhu wake upst night?"


    "No."


    Old Lady Wang nodded and shooed her away, saying, "Alright, you should go back and rest. I''ll take care of things here."


    "Okay."


    Li Mingwei was extremely tired and didn''t dy any longer. She only instructed Old Lady Wang that if he slept too long, it would be best to call the doctor to check on him again.


    Old Lady Wang acknowledged.


    Back at the inn, Li Mingwei didn''t immediately fall asleep. Instead, she went to knock on Dong Shan''s door to see if he was leaving today or waiting for her to go together.


    Dong Shan was a bit torn, "When will you be able to go back?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head, uncertain herself. For now, Liu Yizhu hadn''t woken up yet, so they couldn''t be sure of his condition. Old Lady Wang was still taking medication as well.


    "I have to wait until Liu Yizhu wakes up before deciding."


    "Alright, he should wake up today. The doctor said yesterday that he didn''t have any major issues."


    "Yeah, he should be able to."


    "In that case, I''ll apany you for one more day. I originally told Chunhua that I''d be back in a maximum of five days. If I don''t go back tomorrow, she''ll worry."


    Li Mingwei nodded, went downstairs to extend their room for another day, and requested some hot water. After quickly freshening up in the room, she copsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.


    Old Lady Wang kept watch by the bedside, just as Liu Yizhu had done for her these past few days. Her rough hand brushed her son''s forehead, her mind in a haze. Even now, she couldn''t understand why she had trusted that woman with her sonst night.


    Perhaps, in her heart, her son''s happiness was more important than the prosperity of the Liu family.


    As soon as the possibility crossed her mind, Old Lady Wang''s heart trembled. Suddenly, she felt sorry for her own husband. Unconsciously, her grip tightened, causing Liu Yizhu pain, and he slowly regained consciousness.


    Old Lady Wang quickly withdrew her hand and looked at her son''s gradually opening eyes. Apologetically, she said, "Mother didn''t mean to wake you up. Would you like to go back to sleep for a while?"


    She looked at her son''s bloodshot eyes and anxiously grabbed his arm. "Go back to sleep for a while. The doctor said you need more rest."


    "No need." Liu Yizhu sat up, feeling a bit dizzy and with fragments of memory missing. He vividly remembered talking to Mingwei yesterday, and she promised not to leave. How did he end up sleeping here?


    He pinched himself to force himself to wake up a little. He helped Old Lady Wang sit on the bed and said, "Mother, you should rest. I upied your cest night, and you didn''t get much sleep."


    "I slept, I slept." Old Lady Wang pressed him back onto the bed, urging him to continue resting. "Yesterday, I slept at the inn outside. Mingwei stayed with you all night, and I came to relieve her."


    "Mingwei?"


    Old Lady Wang exined what happenedst night and worriedly said, "The doctor said you haven''t slept much for two or three days. Are you worried about Mother''s health, or is there something else bothering you?"


    "You lied to me the other day, saying you went back to the academy to sleep. Your ssmates said you didn''t go back at all. So, where did you sleep?"


    Liu Yizhu kept his head down and remained silent.


    Old Lady Wang was angry. "You''re grown up now, and Mother can''t control you anymore, right? If you go back, I''ll find you a wife, and she can take care of you!"


    "Mother~"


    "What''s wrong? Don''t tell me you don''t want to get married. Then tell me, where did you go the night before yesterday!"


    Ignoring her questions, Liu Yizhuy back on the bed and covered himself with the nket. "Mother, I need to sleep a little longer. Please don''t talk anymore. Wake me up around the time of the Snake hour."


    Snake hour was the time when he would go downstairs to fetch her medicine. Old Lady Wang naturally wouldn''t forget. Her son was in such a state, and she didn''t want to bother him anymore. She let out a sigh of relief and looked at his tightly closed eyes, deciding not to disturb him further.


    Li Mingwei was already awake. She pulled open the curtains and nced at the gloomy sky outside. For a moment, she couldn''t tell the exact time. After tidying up, she knocked on Dong Shan''s door.


    Dong Shan quickly opened the door and smiled. "You''re awake? When I went out to eat just now, I knocked on your door to see if you were up, but you didn''t respond, so I went ahead and had my meal."


    "Yeah, just woke up. What time is it now?"


    "It''s almost the Horse hour."


    "It''s gettingte." Li Mingwei stretched her body and eased her stiff muscles. She had been sitting on a chair all night, and her back was sore. "Shall we go eat? Does Brother-inw want to take a walk with me, or rest?"


    "Together, together." Dong Shan closed the door behind him and prepared to go out with her. He had been feeling restless in this small room and wanted to go out for a walk, but he was afraid she would wake up and not find him, so he hurriedly went out to eat and came back.


    The taste at the small restaurantst night wasn''t great, so the two of them walked a little farther and found arger one. The waiter led them to their seats and asked them to ce their orders.


    "Brother-inw, what did you have for lunch? Do you want to eat more?"


    Dong Shan waved his hand and said, "No need, no need. You eat your food. I had a full lunch."


    He didn''t want to say what he had eaten. Li Mingwei guessed that he probably had eaten steamed buns again, so she ordered their usual dishes and also packed a bowl of chicken soup.


    "Oh." Dong Shan, who was seen through, felt a little guilty. He thought that steamed buns would be enough to fill him up, but he didn''t know how to exin.


    Li Mingwei smiled and said, "It''s boring to eat alone. Brother-inw, just consider it as keeping mepany."


    Dong Shan muttered, "You''ve already ordered. If I don''t eat, it will go to waste."


    During the wait for the food, Dong Shan nced at Li Mingwei several times. Meeting her inquisitive gaze, he hesitated and said, "Girl, between you and Liu Yizhu, that chicken soup you ordered was for him, right?"


    "Hmm."


    "It''s not that I''m criticizing you, but you two... " Dong Shan didn''t know how to address this matter concerning a young girl, but he couldn''t help but say, "Last time was understandable. Your leg was hurting, and he helped you out. Butst night, what happened between you two...?"


    "What exactly do you want from us?"


    Dong Shan cared about her, and he was genuinely concerned. However, Li Mingwei couldn''t give him an answer right now. They hadn''t even discussed it yet before Liu Yizhu fainted. She was also helpless.


    "Brother-inw, let''s wait a bit longer and discuss it when he''s better."


    Dong Shan reluctantly nodded and reminded her, "Don''t dy too much! This matter can''t be dragged on."

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82


    When Li Mingwei carried the chicken soup to the medical hall, Tang Jue and the other two were also squeezing in there, chirping away, not knowing what they were talking about, but it looked like Liu Yizhu should have recovered. She took a look at the still hot soup in her hand, but still lifted the curtain.


    The room suddenly became quiet, and everyone looked over. Li Mingwei stopped, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.


    Liu Yizhu was stunned for a moment, and quickly flipped over from the bed and squeezed past the three toe to her, taking over the soup bowl in her hand, "You woke up?"


    He had wanted to go over and see her earlier, but was afraid of disturbing her rest.


    Li Mingwei made a soft hmm sound, exining, "Drink it while it''s hot, I''ll go back first."


    Then she walked straight away.


    Liu Yizhu only felt that she was unusually cold today, not knowing where he had offended her again. He handed the soup bowl to Yang Jingyuan behind him and chased after her.


    Li Mingwei walked very fast. Liu Yizhu only caught up with her at the stairs. He held her hand, "What''s wrong with you?"


    "Nothing."


    She nced at him carefully, not knowing why, but today she felt a little embarrassed when she saw him, and felt very ufortable all over.


    "Really?" Seeing her nod, Liu Yizhu led her downstairs, "You just live nearby, right? I''ll walk you back."


    "The soup..."


    "I''ll drink itter. There is a stove in the backyard. Heat it up again and it will be fine."


    Li Mingwei nodded. But she still let go of his hand. There were quite a few people in the medical hall now. She didn''t want to attract too much attention. Liu Yizhu didn''t say anything. He just obediently followed behind her.


    He sent Li Mingwei to the door of the room and reached out to stop the door she was about to close, "I want to talk to you for a while."


    Li Mingwei looked back at the empty room. When she was alone with Liu Yizhu, it seemed he had done some bad things to her. Would he...


    She was hesitating when Liu Yizhu had already pushed the door in by himself and closed the door behind him.


    The sound of the door closing startled Li Mingwei. She hurriedly took a few steps back to keep some distance from him and stuttered, "W-What do you want to say? Just say it."


    "What are you afraid of?" Liu Yizhu found it a little funny. He pulled Li Mingwei into his arms and assured, "Rest assured, I won''t do anything to you before we get married."


    "As if you haven''t done enough?" Li Mingwei said speechlessly and pushed him away, sitting on the edge of the bed, pretending to tidy up her clothes, "What do you want to say, hurry up. Your ssmates are still at the medical hall. They kindly came to see you, but you ran away instead."


    "Don''t mind them."


    Those three were just bored. They had just finished the exam this morning and the results were not bad either. They came over specially to show off to him, telling him who got the lowest score to be more respectful of them in the future, otherwise they wouldn''t y with him anymore.


    Liu Yizhu hugged Li Mingwei aggrievedly, "This is the first time I''ve rankedst in my life."


    "Did you take the exam?" Li Mingwei rolled her eyes at him, and suddenly remembered something. She twisted his ear, "Liu Yizhu, where did you sleep the night beforest?"


    Liu Yizhu suddenly didn''t want to talk to her anymore. He turned around to run away, but Li Mingwei pulled him back, "Be honest, don''t pretend to be stupid with me!"


    He thought hard for a while but couldn''t find a good excuse, so he had to answer honestly, "The bookstore."


    Li Mingwei doubted, "Bookstore? Don''t they close at night?"


    "I went to copy books, not to read books."


    Copying books was to earn money. He copied for a whole night. Li Mingwei guessed he probably didn''t have much money left. She pinched his arm hard and scolded, "Just this, and you still didn''t want my money."


    Liu Yizhu had his own stubbornness. He buried his head in her neck so that she couldn''t see the shame on his face, and said in a muffled voice, "I''m a man. It means nothing to spend your money."


    "Too proud to live, too poor to die." Li Mingwei tutted and twisted him again, warning, "If you dare not sleep again and go to work, see how I will deal with you."


    Liu Yizhu needed to defend himself on this, "I didn''t go to work without sleeping. I couldn''t fall asleep, so I wanted to find something to do."


    Anyway, staring at the ceiling until dawn was useless. It was better to make use of the time and do something worthwhile.


    Li Mingwei wrinkled her little nose, obviously not believing him. She unhooked the purse from her waist and raised her eyebrows at him.


    Liu Yizhu tried, "Can I not take it? I really have money."


    Li Mingwei smiled and nodded, gently saying, "Sure, feel free to try."


    Liu Yizhu sensed some danger in her smile and didn''t dare try. He had to take the purse and take out some money, "Enough, I''ll pay you back next month."


    Li Mingwei smiled, leaned in, and kissed the corner of his mouth, "Enough?"


    This...


    Didn''t seem enough.


    Liu Yizhu took out some more money from the purse. Li Mingwei kissed him again, "Enough?"


    It would never be enough in this lifetime.


    Liu Yizhu put all the money back into the purse and stuffed it into his arms, then pushed her down on the bed and dropped a kiss at the corner of her mouth, "Satisfied?"


    Li Mingwei''s back stiffened, "Barely."


    Seeing her timid appearance, Liu Yizhu couldn''t help smiling. She had taken the initiative just now. Why was she afraid again now?


    He kissed her forehead, got up, and pulled her up too, joking, "You scaredy cat. Do I have no credibility with you at all?"


    Li Mingwei snorted, "None!"


    Liu Yizhu rubbed her head and took out the purse again, "You gave me all of it, what about you?"


    "I still have some. If you''re fine, I''ll go back with my brother-inw tomorrow, so I won''t need it." Li Mingwei suddenly remembered that she only had silver notes left on her. She still had to keep some coins for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow.


    "Okay, enough for meals will do."


    Liu Yizhu weighed the remaining money, "Actually I don''t need so much. My mother has almost recovered. After taking medicine for one more day tomorrow, if there is no rpse, we can go back the day after tomorrow."


    "Then keep the rest to buy something else. Don''t copy books at night anymore. The Autumn Examination is next year. Study hard. It''s not worth wasting time on this."


    Speaking of the Autumn Examination, Li Mingwei was a little worried. She stroked Liu Yizhu''s cheek, "Let me put it this way, if you don''t get the top scorer, third-highest scorer, or second-highest scorer in the Spring Examination, it will be embarrassing."


    Her words were like a mountain, pressing down on Liu Yizhu''s shoulders. He slumped down a bit and said firmly, "I''ll try my best not to embarrass you."


    Li Mingwei spread her hands helplessly. There was no way. Her maternal grandfather and father were both top scorers. She had already lowered her standards for him by asking for top three.

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83


    Honghu Academy.


    After the hour of Shen, Tang Jue''s stomach started growling. He touched his stomach, took out his food box from the drawer, and stuffed thest snack into his mouth.


    Yang Jingyuan heard the sound of him sneaking food. He looked back at Tang Jue and raised his eyebrows, indicating that he also wanted one. Tang Jue showed him the empty food box. Yang Jingyuan was extremely disappointed and slumped in his chair.


    Tang Jue nced at Liu Yizhu who waspletely undisturbed by them. He whispered, "Let''s go eat. Don''t mind them."


    Yang Jingyuan looked far at the equally diligent Zhong Liangyu and shook his head. "Forget it. I''ll keep reading."


    "No!" Tang Jue tried hard to win him back and tempted, "I''ll treat you to wine and meat!"


    A few days ago, Liu Yizhu inexplicably went crazy, immersed in books and unable to get out. As expected, Zhong Liangyu soon fell into the trap as well. Now there was only Yang Jingyuan left as his good buddy. He couldn''t just watch him slip away too.


    In the end, Yang Jingyuan couldn''t resist the temptation of wine. He put away his books and followed Tang Jue out.


    When the two arrived at the restaurant, Tang Jue wanted to order a jar as usual, but Yang Jingyuan told the waiter that one pot would be enough.


    "One pot is enough?" This was no longer the Yang Jingyuan that Tang Jue knew. He was slightly surprised and ridiculed, "You''re so conscientious today, actually wanting to save me money."


    "Just drink two cups. I still want to read when I go back," Yang Jingyuan said.


    "You''ve gone crazy too?"


    Tang Jue covered his heart. The feeling of losing apanion was really too painful.


    "I''m not crazy," Yang Jingyuan said lightly. "Among the four of us, I was the worst to begin with. If I ck off more, I might have to just watch you guys move forward."


    Tang Jue tapped the table and said solemnly, "But in the eyes of the whole academy, you''re still an outstanding talent. Not seeding this year just means trying again next year. Why put yourself down like this?"


    Yang Jingyuan smiled wryly. It was just an academy. Even if he was an outstanding talent, so what? In the whole town and region, what was he?


    He picked up the wine cup, drank down all the wine in one gulp, and felt endless sadness in his heart.


    "You started learning early, and had private tutoring from teachers since you were young. At school, teachers pay special attention to you too. Even if you like to y around and asionally miss sses, they''ll still report it to your father to help you catch up. It''s hard for you to fall behind no matter what."


    "As for Yizhu, his foundation was a bit weaker, but he worked hard. I''d go to bed and he''d still be reading. When we first moved in together, I wondered every day if he was made of iron and didn''t need any sleep at all."


    "After ss every day, he''d either go find this teacher or that teacher. If he didn''t understand something, he''d make sure to figure it out. He really made up for things bit by bit all by himself. I don''t have that kind of perseverance and can''tpare with him."


    "As for Liangyu, his grandfather was a teacher too. He grew up in the ssroom since he was little, and genuinely enjoys reading. He ranked first in our town, but met Liu Yizhu aftering to the county. Bing second ce, he couldn''t swallow it and wanted to surpass Yizhu every day, never daring to rx."


    "As for me, you could say I have some talent, managed to be a xiucai without much effort, but then it stopped there. Can''t be too harsh on myself either, hovering high or low, it still feels pretty bad."


    Seeing how hard the top students worked, if he didn''t buck up, he might as well stop studying and go farm instead. At least he passed the xiucai exam, so he''d get some tax breaks for farming.


    Tang Jue listened silently to Yang Jingyuan''s pent-up feelings and was somewhat persuaded. After Yang Jingyuan finished, he respectfully toasted him and said, "Alright, let''s drink this cup and go all out these next two years to go to the capital together!"


    Yang Jingyuan smiled and clinked cups with him. "Good! Let''s take a look at the flowery world out there. When the timees, treat me to some of the wine in the capital too. I wonder what that tastes like."


    "You''re still trying to take advantage of me," Tang Jue looked at him with disgust for a moment and held up one finger. "Fine, fine, just one pot."


    "Hey! Stingy," Yang Jingyuan also looked disgusted and held up a finger. "One jar."


    "Alright, alright."


    Tang Jue agreed and drank thatst pot of wine with him, supporting each other as they went back to work hard.


    Seeing theme back so early without looking drunk, Zhong Liangyu couldn''t help but poke his head out from his book. "Did the sun rise from the west today, or did the moon rise from the west?"


    Liu Yizhu was also extremely surprised. "You walked back yourselves?"


    Yang Jingyuan said resentfully, "You two are really annoying."


    He put his arm around Tang Jue''s shoulder. "Our Tang Gongzi and I are also very studious! We only had two light cups and hurried back to study."


    "Is that so?"


    Neither of them really believed it. Yang Jingyuan and Tang Jue exchanged nces, hugging each other tightly and secretly vowing in their hearts to make them look at them with admiration!


    Seeing their encouraging manner, Liu Yizhu couldn''t help but smile. He put down his brush, twisted his somewhat stiff neck, and took out the purse Mingwei gave him to look at it. Instantly, he was full of motivation again.


    Zhong Liangyu scoffed and subconsciously felt his bosom too. Feeling wronged, he wanted to cry because there was nothing there.


    Yang Jingyuan pulled out his handkerchief from his sleeve and forcibly stuffed it into Zhong Liangyu¡¯s arms. ¡°Now you¡¯re touching it. Now there''s something.¡±


    ¡°Are you sick!¡± Zhong Liangyu forcefully pped Yang Jingyuan¡¯s sweaty handkerchief back at him and said speechlessly, ¡°Hers is a nice little purse that makes her think of her sweetheart. What¡¯s mine, a stinky sweat cloth? She¡¯s thinking of her love, who am I thinking of? You?¡±


    ¡°Why not? We haven''t seen each other for half a moment. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, isn¡¯t this worth several months?¡±


    He put his arm around Zhong Liangyu''s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve been friends for over ten years since we were kids. You don¡¯t miss me after not seeing me for a few months?¡±


    ¡°I want to throw up!¡± Zhong Liangyu yelled.


    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡±


    Tang Jueughed so hard he bent back and forth. Then he started feeling sad and held his waist, groaning twice, ¡°Can¡¯t stand it, can¡¯t stand it! Liu Yizhu,e help support me, my waist is going to break fromughter.¡±


    Liu Yizhu turned to look at him. Seeing Tang Jue¡¯s broad grinning face also showing a trace of pain, he quickly went over to support him. ¡°Where does it hurt?¡±


    Tang Jue pointed at his lower back. ¡°Here.¡±


    Yang Jingyuan and Zhong Liangyu were startled, and quickly stopped fooling around toe help. ¡°It really broke?¡±


    Liu Yizhu had them take Tang Jue to the bed. He massaged Tang Jue¡¯s lower back. Tang Jue grimaced in pain and cried out twice. Strangely, it felt better somehow.


    He praised, ¡°Brother Liu, you can even do this!¡±


    ¡°My mother¡¯s waist isn¡¯t good either.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no wonder.¡± Tang Juey back on the bed, relieved, and happily said, ¡°Luckily it¡¯s no big deal. Otherwise I wouldn¡¯t be able to watch the sunset with you all at Shaohua Mountain the day after tomorrow.¡±


    Yang Jingyuan thought...


    He was like this but still thinking about ying around. Was this teammate of his really reliable?

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84


    Li Mingwei found herself penniless after giving all her money to Liu Yizhu. She returned to the town and took up some embroidery work at a workshop to make ends meet. After attending sses, she no longer lingered in the school and instead went home to work hard and earn money.


    She held Dong Lei''s hand and walked out of the school gate, only to see Liu Yizhu waiting for them outside, smiling at her.


    She hesitated for a moment, crouched down and instructed Dong Lei, "Auntie forgot something just now and needs to take care of it. Can you go home by yourself today?"


    Dong Lei, trusting herpletely, nodded in agreement and happily waved at Liu Yizhu as he passed by.


    Once Dong Lei was far away, Li Mingwei went upstairs. She waited until everyone who came to pick up their children had left before going downstairs again.


    Liu Yizhu looked at her somewhat helplessly and approached her. "Did you really have something to do just now or were you afraid of being seen?"


    "What do you think?"


    "You don''t have to be like this. Even if someone sees us, what does it matter? We were originally..."


    "Enough." Li Mingwei interrupted his words. It didn''t matter if he stayed in the county town every day, but she didn''t want to hear gossip.


    She stared at Liu Yizhu with a cold gaze. "Today is not a holiday or a day off. Why did youe back?"


    Liu Yizhu took her hand and led her towards the outskirts of the town. "I''ll take you somewhere."


    Li Mingwei didn''t want to have any physical contact with him in town, so she pinched his palm to signal him to let go. Then she followed him from a distance. It wasn''t until they were far away from the town that she finally agreed to join Liu Yizhu and walk hand in hand.


    Liu Yizhu held her hand and suddenly felt a bit uneasy.


    Li Mingwei looked at him when he stopped walking and nced around. Seeing nothing, she shook his arm and asked, "Have we arrived?"


    "Not yet."


    Liu Yizhu regained his senses and continued to lead her forward. Li Mingwei became increasingly desperate as they walked. With her physical stamina, she was fine on t ground, but climbing a mountain was really difficult. Her legs grew weak after not going very far.


    Exhausted, she grabbed his sleeve. "Where are we going? It''s almost dark."


    "To the mountaintop."


    "What?" Li Mingwei eximed.


    Liu Yizhu looked at her flushed face with a touch of distress. He started to regret his decision today, but now that they were here, he couldn''t just give up.


    He took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the sweat off her forehead, squatting down. "Come on, I''ll carry you."


    Li Mingwei saw that there was no one around and without hesitation, she threw herself onto his back. She really couldn''t walk anymore. It served her right for not discussing with her before bringing her here to climb a mountain.


    Liu Yizhu, afraid of wasting time, walked quickly. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to catch up, he couldn''t. He ced Li Mingwei on arge rock and helped her sit down, looking somewhat dejected as he gazed at the horizon.


    Li Mingwei followed his gaze, but it seemed like there was nothing there. "So, why did you bring me all the way here? It''s getting dark."


    Liu Yizhu lowered his head, his disappointment evident in his expression. "A few days ago, during our day off, the teacher took us to Shao Hua Mountain to watch the sunset. At that time, I was thinking, it would have been nice if you were there too."


    Li Mingwei leaned against him, resting her chin on his shoulder, and gazed into the distance. "Was it beautiful?"


    "It''s beautiful! The sky is filled with colorful clouds," he thought she would definitely like it, so he wanted to bring her here to have a look, but...


    His voice carried a hint of resentment: "We arrivedte today, the sun has already set."


    "It seems that I have no fate with the sunset."


    Liu Yizhu embraced her from behind and held her close,forting her, "As long as we have fate with each other, it''s enough."


    Li Mingwei smiled. Yes, she and he could indeed be considered fated. Two people who were originally thousands of miles apart unexpectedly managed toe together.


    However, she was still a bit angry. "So you took leave just for this? Last time, you said you would try your best, but you dared to bezy after only a few days."


    Liu Yizhu was truly aggrieved. He looked at Li Mingwei with pleading eyes, "I''ve been studying diligently every day. It''s just this one time, I really missed you."


    Now he finally understood the feeling of longing thates from not seeing someone for a day, as if it were three autumns apart.


    He leaned in and gently kissed Li Mingwei on the lips. Seeing that she didn''t resist, he became even more audacious. As his hand was about to slip inside her clothes, Li Mingwei held him back and gently bit his tongue.


    Liu Yizhu felt the pain and withdrew, then he rubbed his face against hers in an attempt to please her. Li Mingwei stepped back and pushed his big face away. "Do you still have any credibility with me?"


    "No," he admitted his fault, suppressed his desires, and sincerely apologized, "I couldn''t resist for a moment."


    Thinking about the future where there might be more such moments, when they can see but not touch, the silent mountaintop was filled with his deep sigh.


    After a while, he regained his senses. "Let''s go back."


    Since they couldn''t see the sunset anymore, it wouldn''t be good to keep her on the mountaintop where the wind was blowing. It was also getting dark, and the mountain path wasn''t easy to walk on.


    Li Mingwei rubbed against him in his embrace, raised her gaze to look at him, and Liu Yizhu lowered his head, meeting her eyes that resembled those of a small kitten. He leaned down and kissed the corner of her eye. "What about it? Don''t you want to go back?"


    "Piggyback."


    "Alright."


    Liu Yizhu supported her as they stood on a rock. When she jumped onto his back, Li Mingwei buried her head in his back and swung her legs lightly, indicating that he could set off.


    The mountain path was winding and mostly covered by trees, making it difficult to walk. Li Mingwei only let him carry her for a short while before she got down and they held hands, supporting each other as they descended the mountain.


    Going downhill was faster than going uphill. Before it gotpletely dark, they finally reached the foot of the mountain, making the remaining path much easier to walk.


    Upon reaching the entrance of the town, Li Mingwei still wanted to free herself from Liu Yizhu''s grasp, but this time he held on tightly, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t shake him off. She looked at him in confusion, "What are you doing? Let go!"


    Liu Yizhu held her hand firmly and his voice carried a hint of sorrow, "When can I openly hold your hand in town?"


    Li Mingwei stared at him, her gaze profound. "So what? What do you want to say?"


    "Let''s get married," Liu Yizhu said, embracing her shoulders and looking at her expectantly. "Shall we get married? I can''t wait any longer. I promise I''ll do my best to fulfill what I''ve promised you."


    Li Mingwei pinched his chest and asked, "Where can''t you wait for so long?"


    Liu Yizhu...


    "I can''t wait anywhere."


    Li Mingwei estimated the situation and brought Liu Yizhu home, introducing him as her fianc¨¦. She informed her family that she had secretly married outside and wondered how likely they were to be angry enough to kill her. Her face crinkled up with worry.


    "But what about my family if we get married?"


    Liu Yizhu confidently replied, "If we''re getting married, of course I have to go and propose to your family."


    "In that case, you won''t be able to marry me."


    Hearing her resolute response, Liu Yizhu couldn''t help but feel a bit dejected. "Do you think your parents see me as such a disgrace?"


    "It''s not like that."


    Her mother might actually give him a chance, evaluate him, and if he passed the assessment, allow him to marry into the family. Liu Yizhu was an only child after all. Sigh, now it didn''t matter whether he was an only child or not.


    Li Mingwei felt a headacheing on and pondered for a moment. Since she was so conflicted about returning to the capital, why not just marry someone outside?


    By the time she returned to the capital, things would already be like this. Her mother probably wouldn''t make such demands anymore, right?


    Should she take a gamble?


    She didn''t dare.


    She looked at the anxious Liu Yizhu and said, "Let me think about it some more."


    "Okay."

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85


    Because she had a father who married into the family, Li Mingwei deeply understood the hardships of a son-inw. In Beijing, the most frequent thing she heard others say about her father was ¡°What would Zhang Dexi be without the Li family?¡±


    In her eyes, although her father was not born into a good family, he was a talented and capable man. It was normal for him to reach his current position. But because he was the Li family¡¯s son-inw, his brilliance waspletely obscured. It was as if during the more than ten years he spent studying, it wasn¡¯t him doing the reading but his father-inw helping him.


    When she was younger, she would often argue with others about this. Later her father told her that they weren¡¯t really wrong. Without her maternal grandfather, he probably would have frozen to death on a winter day. How could he have met her mother then?


    He always said that being able to be with her mother was the luckiest thing in his life, and nothing else mattered. But Li Mingwei still couldn¡¯t help feeling distressed for him.


    She didn¡¯t want Liu Yizhu to end up like this either. He was still young with much of the future unknown. Oncebeled as being attached to the Li family, all his future aplishments would be reliant on the Li family. No matter how sessful he became in the future, he would always be tinged with ayer of gray.


    Such was human nature.


    Therefore, Li Mingwei didn¡¯t want to bring him before the public eye before he had a chance to shine. But he...


    Li Mingwei rolled around in bed, utterly perplexed. Wang Chunhua hurried in from outside. Seeing her still in this state, she angrily pped her several times. "Stillzing around here? People have arrived already. Hurry up and get ready!"


    "People? What people?"


    "Who else could it be? Your future mother-inw hase with a matchmaker to propose marriage!" Wang Chunhua said excitedly. "Schr Liu is here too. Why aren''t you getting ready toe out and greet them?"


    "Huh?"


    She hadn''t even decided yet. What was Liu Yizhu doing?


    Bewildered, Wang Chunhua was thrilled. Earlier, Dong Shan hade back saying her younger sister and Schr Liu were discussing marriage. She hadn''t believed it, but it turned out to be true after all. Some things destined by fate simply can¡¯t be stopped by anyone, not even Old Lady Wang.


    She urged Li Mingwei to hurry up, then happily went back to the main hall to receive the guests.


    Li Mingwei quickly washed up and rushed over to assess the situation. She stood in the yard and peeked inside. There were four people in the room. Wang Chunhua was happily chatting with the only person she didn¡¯t recognize, who should be the matchmaker.


    When Liu Yizhu saw her, he signaled to her with his eyes and made an excuse toe out.


    She grabbed him and med, "Didn''t we agree I would think about it some more? Why are you moving so fast?"


    "It wasn''t me!"


    Liu Yizhu felt wronged. Last night after returning home, he had given his mother advance notice that he wanted to get married.


    Old Lady Wang had just nodded and said she knew, without much reaction. Seeing her expression was not very happy, Liu Yizhu hadn''t said anything more.


    Unexpectedly, early this morning, she had gone out to invite a matchmaker and even bought gifts before bringing him over to propose marriage. At the time, Liu Yizhu''s mind went nk and he didn''t react.


    "I hadn''t seen this matchmaker my mother invited before today. I really didn''t know she was a matchmaker."


    His mother had only told him one thing - let''s go. He had thought they were going to visit rtives. Only after hearing their conversation on the way did he realize something was wrong.


    In fact, this matchmaker had just started in the businessst year. After Chen Matchmaker had lost face badly at the Dong family, no one trusted her anymore. With Chen out of favor, naturally someone wanted to rece her.


    Old Lady Wang knew they weren''t on good terms with Chen Matchmaker, so today she had deliberately invited this new matchmaker.


    Li Mingwei looked at Liu Yizhu in disbelief and shook her head. "Your mother is not your mother anymore."


    She didn''t understand. How could Old Lady Wang approve of her so quickly?


    Didn''t she dislike the idea of no heir to continue the Liu family line?


    Liu Yizhu also felt his mother had changed drastically, and he was caught off guard and got Li Mingwei in trouble. "What should we do now?"


    "What else can we do?"


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment, then still went into the main hall to greet the matchmaker and chat for a while. She expressed that she needed more time to consider.


    The matchmaker red. She still needed to consider this?


    Old Lady Wang looked at her son. Seeing him nod, she left with the matchmaker and Wang Chunhua. After going out, she immediately pped her son. "You''re still single and she hasn''t agreed to marry you yet!"


    "Daydreaming again!"


    Liu Yizhuined, "I''m not daydreaming anymore."


    Matchmaker: ???


    Wang Chunhua now had an expression simr to the matchmaker''s. She saw the guests out and hurried back to check on her younger sister. "What else do you need to consider? You didn''t already settle this?"


    Li Mingwei was rather troubled and leaned her head on her hand. "No, we didn''t."


    "Then what now..."


    "Old Lady Wang invited the matchmaker. He didn''t know."


    Old Lady Wang changed personalities?


    Wang Chunhua looked up at the sky, wanting to see which direction the sun had risen from today, but only saw the roof.


    "So now you two are...?"


    Li Mingwei said she didn''t know either. "I have to tell my family if I''m getting married, right?"


    But if she brought Liu Yizhu home, she was afraid her mother would insist he marry into their family. If they argued, she would never be able to escape her mother''s clutches again. Liu Yizhu had no family or friends in Beijing. If he offended her mother, where could he go?


    If she fell back into her mother''s hands, her mother might arrange another marriage for her and adopt a child to be the heir. It would be really annoying.


    When she had run away, it was to escape Murong Yu, but also to avoid the oue of returning to the Li family home for now, and temporarily avoid her mother''s coercion.


    She had gotten used to her days of freedom and definitely would not submit if forced to return and be controlled again. She was determined not to give in.


    She made up her mind. "Sis, please call Liu Yizhu over."


    "Oh, wait a moment."


    Wang Chunhua trotted quickly to the Liu house. Liu Yizhu hadn''t returned home yet when she chased him back.


    He sat down opposite Li Mingwei and saw her frowning, seeming uneasy. Hesitantly, he asked, "What''s the matter?"


    "I''ve decided. Let''s get married first before going home."


    "Huh?" Liu Yizhu was somewhat hesitant. "Isn''t that too rude? Marriage is a major event after all. We should at least inform our elders, right?"


    Li Mingwei hit him with a teacup. Go be a son-inw in someone else''s home then, and you might not even seed!


    Liu Yizhu caught the teacup. "I will try my best to please your parents and get them to marry you to me."


    Humph!


    "What can you use to please them? You''ve only managed to charm me. My mother is on a level you can''t reach."


    What kind of men hadn''t her mother seen? Rich businessmen, noble scions, poor schrs, lower gentry. From south to north of the city, she could choose whoever she wanted. Her father had only taken advantage of proximity.


    Having a mother who was too outstanding was actually very distressing. Lacking her mother''s talents, she had always been inferior since childhood and was often scolded and punished for making mistakes. It was only because her maternal grandfather didn''t dislike her and felt everyone had their own fortune that her mother was persuaded not to demand perfection from her.


    Liu Yizhu saw the sadness on Li Mingwei''s face and conceded helplessly, "Is there really no other way?"


    "There is." Li Mingwei nodded. "We don''t get married and just trick them into thinking I already married you."


    "What''s the difference?"


    "There is a difference!"


    The former would be a real marriage and they could consummate as husband and wife.

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86


    Liu Yizhu decisively chose the former option. He could tell that Li Mingwei was somewhat guilty about making this decision, so heforted her by patting her back and said, "If you''re feeling ufortable about it, we can think of other solutions and wait a bit longer."


    "Wait? You''ll be taking the Autumn Imperial Examination next year, and if all goes well, you can participate in the Spring Imperial Examination the following year. That''s almost two more years. I''ve been away from home for a year already, I can''t really wait another two years to go back. What if you don''t pass the exam?"


    "We''ll wait a few more years then. If you don''t pass, I won''t go back home either."


    The thought was terrifying. Besides, whether you pass or fail the exam doesn''t make much of a difference. Look at your father, who was a top schr, but it''s all the same.


    "Yes, it has been quite a while." Liu Yizhu suggested, "If you miss home, you can go back first, and I''lle to find youter."


    Li Mingwei smiled, "If I go back home, my mother will start looking for suitors for me. Believe it or not, by the time youe to find me, I might already be married."


    "Don''t worry about that!" Li Mingwei pinched his cheek and shook his head, emptying his mind of any unnecessary thoughts, "Listen to me, nobody knows my mother better than I do. This is the best solution I can think of, which is most beneficial to us."


    "Don''t be afraid. A daughter-inw, no matter how unattractive, still has to meet her inws. Even if you don''t pass the exam, they will have an idea of your knowledge. Besides, you''re still young, so don''t worry too much about it."


    Liu Yizhu didn''t feelforted. He felt even more nervous than he did about the Imperial Examination. Going back meant he would have to spend more time studying.


    Li Mingwei looked at him nkly and pushed him, "What are you daydreaming about?"


    "Nothing, I just feel like you''re afraid of your mother."


    "Did you ever make mistakes when you were a child?"


    Liu Yizhu nodded.


    "How did your mother punish you?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head, "My mother never punished me. She would just scold me a bit."


    "Let me tell you, I''ve been punished almost every day since I was a child."


    "Was it all your mother''s doing?"


    Li Mingwei nodded.


    Liu Yizhu suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for her. How could her future mother-inw be so heartless? No wonder she was so afraid of her.


    He embraced Li Mingwei and gently rubbed her face tofort her. Li Mingwei held onto his arm and whispered, "If my mother says something unpleasant, don''t take it to heart. Just let it go in one ear and out the other. Don''t argue with her, she hates people talking back to her."


    "She values etiquette a lot. No matter what kind of etiquette you practice, it must be done properly, sitting upright. Especially, you can''t slouch on the desk like I do, or you''ll get punished."


    Liu Yizhu paused for a moment and felt sorry for her. "So, you really like to lean on the desk, don''t you?"


    Li Mingwei blushed and said in a pitiful tone, "Yes, it makes me feelfortable."


    But her mother never cared if she wasfortable or not. She only worried that she wouldn''t understand the rules and would bring shame upon the Li family.


    "And also, you have to practice ying the zither..."


    Li Mingwei continued, but halfway through, she choked up and couldn''t speak. As she spoke, she started to doubt herself. Did she really want to escape from Murong Yu, or did she want to escape from her mother?


    She didn''t want Liu Yizhu to be a burden. Was she genuinely concerned about his future, or was she afraid of living under the same roof as her mother again?


    She threw herself into Liu Yizhu''s arms, crying uncontrobly. "I''m sorry, I''m so sorry."


    "You have nothing to apologize for," Liu Yizhu looked at her in this state, how could he not feel heartbroken? He held her tightly, whispering softly, "It''s alright, it''s all in the past. When you marry me, you can lean on any table in our house."


    "Mmm."


    With their marriage ns set, Old Lady Wang and Wang Chunhua began making preparations. Old Lady Wang quickly obtained Li Mingwei''s birthdate and went to Yuqing Temple, as designated by Wang Chunhua, to find an auspicious wedding date.


    During the break between months, Liu Yizhu specially brought the options to her. "This is a good date calcted by the Daoist at Yuqing Temple. My mother told me that the Daoist said our birthdates arepatible."


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes. Well, isn''t this embarrassing? It''s like pping the Daoist in the face. Wang Chunhua''s little scheming is truly something.


    "On the 18th of June, how about that? I''ve checked, it''ll take us about ten days by carriage to return home. We''ll leave at the end of July or the beginning of August, and we''ll be back in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival, a big holiday. We''ll be newlyweds, so my mother won''t bother us."


    "By carriage?"


    "Yes, by carriage. I''ll inform Tang Daren in advance, and he''ll naturally arrange for a carriage to take us back. Oh, I haven''t told him yet, but I know Tang Daren, Li Mingwei blinked and found a reason.


    "It''s too far. We can''t just walk back. Your mother is not young anymore. Let''s rent a carriage and make it faster. I have the money."


    "Alright, it''s up to you."


    After seeing him off, Li Mingwei went to the embroidery workshop and ordered a piece of red fabric. She also wanted to make her own wedding dress like Yunjie. There was still over a month until the divorce period, so there was plenty of time.


    Yu Xiu smiled and said, "Congrattions! Remember to invite me to the wedding."


    "When the invitations are ready, I''lle and invite you."


    "Okay, I''ll be waiting. I''ll definitely bring you a big gift."


    After Li Mingwei left, news of her uing marriage with Liu Yizhu spread throughout Qingshi Town through Yu Xiu.


    Tang Jue received the wedding invitation, opened it, and quickly covered his chest, his fingertips trembling slightly. "So soon? Isn''t it too rushed?"


    "It''s fine, she chose the date."


    "It seems your sister-inw can''t wait to marry you." Tang Jue clicked his tongue twice, looking at the two people who were holding the invitations but couldn''t speak. "Look at them, always ahead of everyone,ing in first in exams and getting married first. You two just can''t catch up."


    Yang Jingyuan gnashed his teeth, "Don''t act like you''ve caught up!"


    "Getting married, you can''t catch up, but other things, who knows." Tang Jue raised an eyebrow at Yang Jingyuan, patted his shoulder mockingly, and said, "Still a fledgling, huh?"


    Yang Jingyuan choked, angrily rebuking him, "You shameless!"


    Tang Jue gave him a disdainful look, smiled, and went home. Tang Shan was sitting in the main hall drinking tea with the attendant. Tang Jue passed by and pped the wedding invitation on the table.


    "Dad, my ssmate is getting married. How much money would be appropriate as a gift?"


    He usually went to drink with his parents and never bothered about gifts or anything. This time, Liu Yizhu invited him alone, and he had no idea why, so he had to ask.


    Tang Shan put down his teacup and picked up the invitation card casually, "Who''s the ssmate?"


    "Liu Yizhu."


    Tang Shan was familiar with the several children who often yed with his son. "Is he the one who always ranks first in exams?"


    "Yes."


    "I remember his family background isn''t very good. Around one or two taels should be enough, not too much or too little. If you think it''s too little, you can prepare a more valuable gift."


    Just as Tang Jue was about to scold his stingy dad, he swallowed the words that were about toe out.


    "You, cough, cough, cough!"


    Tang Shan was about to use this opportunity to educate his son when he opened the invitation and saw the name Ming Wei. He coughed violently. Could this be the Ming Wei he was thinking of?


    His voice trembled, "This Ming Wei?"


    "Yes, the bride."


    "Is your ssmate from Qingshi Town?"


    "Yeah, Dad, how did you know?"


    Tang Shan felt like he was about to vomit blood. He left his son behind and hurried into the study to write a letter, ordering the attendant to deliver it to Qingshi Town as soon as possible.


    What on earth was his little brat doing? How could she be getting married? Did they know about it in the capital city?


    No, he had to stop it!

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87


    Wang Chunhua asked Li Mingwei to think about whether there were any guests she wanted to invite. Speaking of which, she had been in town for so long yet barely had any friends, only able to add Mr. Jin, Yun Sister, and female embroiderer Yu so far.


    She was pondering whether to include Chen Jie when a child came running up excitedly: "Teacher Li, there''s someone outside looking for you!"


    "Looking for me? Who is it?"


    "Don''t know him, it''s an old man."


    Li Mingwei didn''t know any old men, but still went out to take a look.


    Private advisor bowed with sped hands: "Miss Li Mingwei, I am the private advisor from the county government."


    So he was Lord Tang''s man! Li Mingwei nced at the children ying in the yard and led him to a secluded ce: "May I ask why my schoolmate is looking for me?"


    Private advisor respectfully handed her Lord Tang''s letter. Li Mingwei read it quickly - he mainly asked if her engagement to Liu Yizhu was known in the capital, and if not, whether she would reconsider.


    "Please tell Lord Tang that I will take them back to the capital after getting married, so I don''t want my family knowing about this beforehand."


    "At that time, I''ll have to trouble my schoolmate to prepare carriages and horses for me."


    Private advisor kept bowing: "It''s nothing, just let me know the date when Miss decides it."


    Li Mingwei saluted: "Then I''ll have to trouble you, please convey my thanks to my schoolmate."


    Upon receiving the news brought back by Private advisor, Lord Tang was so anxious that his hair was almost falling out. She had specifically said not to tell the capital side, so he really couldn''t directly disobey.


    He paced irritably in the study, suddenly looking at Private advisor below: "What kind of person is that Liu Yizhu? Have you investigated clearly?"


    "Yes, My Lord. I''ve investigated everything about him clearly - his parents, teacher, and even some little things about his interactions with Miss Li." Since Lord Tang had always stationed people in Qingshi Town to protect Li Mingwei, news came back very quickly.


    "What do I feed those people for!" Lord Tang was furious. If they had noticed earlier, why didn''t they report back sooner? The wedding invitations had reached his son before he even knew she was getting married!


    "They were only ordered to protect Miss Li, and didn''t know they needed to inquire about her marriage."


    Lord Tang red - so he was implying that he hadn''t exined clearly enough?


    He held on to the chair back, huffing angrily. Good for nothing, stupid fools!


    Seeing his raging anger, Private advisor quickly stepped forward tofort him: "I think although that Liu schr''s family background iscking, he''s handsome and extraordinary, with excellent learning. If he can pass the imperial exams in the future and be an official, it wouldn''t be considered an embarrassment for Miss Li''s sincere affection either."


    Lord Tang snorted and shook his hand off: "Whether it''s embarrassing or not isn''t for us to say."


    "But Mr. Li has never cared about background. As long as Liu''s learning isn''tcking, and he isn''t extremely radical, Mr. Li wouldn''t make things too difficult for him either. With Mr. Li''s capabilities, Liu definitely has prospects in the future!"


    Why didn''t his stupid son have such good luck? If he had managed to pair up with the Li family, would he still be worrying about his son''s exams next year?


    Sigh, everything was fated!


    Lord Tang clenched the chair tightly. For now, he still had to get his son to befriend Liu Yizhu. After all they were ssmates - if his son encountered any difficulties after entering court in the future, Liu would definitely lend a hand, naturally bringing in the Li family as well.


    He couldn''t let his son miss such a good opportunity.


    Li Mingwei of course didn''t know about Lord Tang''s thoughts, she just wanted to make things easier for herself. With the county government providing carriages and horses, at least safety wouldn''t be a concern for the journey. As for the human rtionships problem, she''d leave that for her family to handle when the time came.


    She leisurely walked back to the school, and was grabbed by Aunt Cui: "Hurry, Liu Mother is fighting with someone!"


    "What?"


    "Nevermind, you''ll see when you get there. I think it''s a rtive from Liu''s side, something about borrowing money. Liu schr isn''t around and you''ll be marrying in soon, so you should take a look."


    Li Mingwei nodded and quickly followed her. She remembered from Sister Chunhua that Liu Family had cut ties with several rtives over borrowed money issues.


    The Liu who came today was Older Fourth Liu, the son of Liu Hongsheng''s uncle. He was Liu''s cousin, and hadn''t visited for a long time, only asionally bumping into and exchanging a few words with his wife. Liu Mother didn''t know what he hade for but still let him in.


    Unexpectedly, the first thing this guy did was pick an argument, demanding that Liu Mother call off the engagement, saying that marrying Yizhu to Li Mingwei was her cutting off the roots of the Liu Family!


    Liu Mother''s face fell and she grabbed a broom from the yard and started beating him out: "Cutting off your Liu Family''s roots? Is my family''s Liu the same as your Liu?"


    "Don''t think I don''t know your daughter-inw has long wanted to marry your daughter into my family. Take a look in the mirror, with your daughter''s looks like yours, what makes her worthy of my son!"


    She beat Older Fourth Liu steadily with the broom: "Get lost! Don''t evere again, or I''ll beat you every time I see you!"


    Older Fourth Liu was confused by the beating and roared: "You shrew!"


    "Even if my family''s Liu isn''t your Liu, Liu Hongsheng was still my cousin. You wanting to cut off my cousin''s roots means no deal! You want to make my cousin unable to rest in peace!"


    "Whether it goes through is not for you to say! When I die, I''ll naturally find him in the afterlife - it''s none of your damn business toe ordering people around here!"


    Liu Mother scoffed. "As I see it, not many in your Liu Family have good hearts, and you''re the most malicious of the bunch. If you really want me to spell it out, was I the one who borrowed money from you back then?"


    "Your cousin died suddenly and had lent you money before his death without requiring an IOU since you were so trustworthy, only for you to deny it after he died!"


    Older Fourth Liu''s heart skipped a beat and he looked around at the onlookers, straightening his neck: "What evidence do you have? Don''t frame me, I don''t acknowledge it!"


    "You don''t acknowledge it, so be it! I don''t have evidence and can''t take it back, might as well have fed it to the dogs! Only you know if you have no conscience, when we die, we''ll see who dares meet your cousin without shame!"


    She raised the broom again to beat him. Older Fourth Liu quickly retreated a few steps but was blocked by someone - Dong Shan grabbed his cor: "What nonsense were you spouting about my sister out there just now?"


    Older Fourth Liu shook his head and pointed at Liu Mother: "No, I didn''t say anything about your sister, I was talking about that old hag!"


    "Who are you calling an old hag? She''s my damn mother-inw, not someone you can insult casually!"


    Dong Shan threw him onto the ground. "I''m letting you go just this once since you''re older and it''s my brother-inw''s big day today - I don''t want any bad omens. Come cause trouble again, and I''ll really take action then!"


    Wang Chunhua also stepped forward and spat: "Anyone who dares nder my sister again, let''s see whose mouth is tougher - yours or my man''s fist!"


    She red threateningly at everyone before turning to help Liu Mother up: "Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine."


    Wang Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief. The wedding date had been set already, she couldn''t afford any bad luck.


    When Aunt Cui brought Li Mingwei over, almost everyone had dispersed. Only a broom remained at Liu''s door.


    Aunt Cui sighed disappointedly: "Who knows where you disappeared to earlier. We looked for half a day without seeing anything happen."

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88


    Li Mingwei went forward and propped up the broom, peered inside, heard a voice, and went in with Aunt Cui.


    Old Lady Wang was inside wiping away tears as she told Wang Chunhua about the time she had gone to Liu''s house to ask for money and been chased away: "I didn''t even know how he could say it. Hongsheng gave him the money right in front of me, and said we were all brothers, and money was nothing. "


    "After Liu Yizhu passed the county exam, he came to my door with gifts, with his nose in the air. I chased him out too. He knew I didn''t like him, so he had his wifee talk to me instead. She was honest, so I didn''t want to be too harsh on her."


    Old Lady Wang sighed. Other than leaving all these useless, vexing rtives, her husband hadn''t left anything for her. And before, she had hurt her son''s heart for his sake. Thinking back now, he wasn''t worth it at all!


    She stroked her hand. "Let''s not talk about it anymore. It''s embarrassing."


    Wang Chunhua took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to her: "What''s there to be embarrassed about? Every family has some troubles."


    Old Lady Wang used the handkerchief to wipe her face and nodded with a smile. Looking down, she could see the embroidered pattern on the handkerchief, and gently stroked it, knowing it was done by Li Mingwei.


    She often took odd jobs around town, so she was quite knowledgeable about things.


    "Sister, brother-inw, you''re here too?"


    Hearing her sister''s voice, Wang Chunhua hurriedly looked outside to see Li Mingwei walking in from the yard: "Oh, I came with your brother-inw to visit. Aunt Cui?"


    Aunt Cui was embarrassed to say she hade to watch the excitement, so she just tugged Li Mingwei''s sleeve. Li Mingwei smiled and said, "I heard there was amotion here, so Aunt Cui came with me to take a look."


    "It''s fine now. They were just bored and making trouble. Your brother-inw has chased them off already."


    Old Lady Wang stood up: "School''s out?"


    Li Mingwei nodded: "Yes, it let out a while ago."


    "Then I''ll go make dinner. Brother Dong helped so much today, you should stay and eat before heading back."


    Li Mingwei was about to decline, but Wang Chunhua jumped in first with a smile: "It wasn''t that big of a deal. How could we impose? You have children waiting at home."


    "What''s there to impose about? We''ll be one family soon. I haven''t even started cooking yet. Brother Dong can go bring the kids over, there''s time."


    After speaking, Old Lady Wang headed to the kitchen when she saw Wang Chunhua didn''t seem to object. Li Mingwei tried to stop her, but Wang Chunhua pped her hand away.


    Sheined: "Sister~"


    With an outsider present, Wang Chunhua didn''t want to speak inly. She just red at Li Mingwei. Aunt Cui also understood it was time to tactfully take her leave. She wasn''t helping anyway, and wasn''t part of their family. How could she stay? She asked Wang Chunhua to convey her regards to Old Lady Wang before leaving on her own.


    After she left, Wang Chunhua told Dong Shan to go back and bring Dong Lei and Xiao Yan over, then started lecturing Li Mingwei: "What''s wrong with staying for a meal? Think about how few days a year schr Liu gets to spend at home. It''s boring for her to be home alone. Having a meal and chatting would be nice for her."


    "After you marry over, when schr Liu is away studying, it''ll just be the two of you at home. You wouldn''t go a whole day without saying a word to each other, right?"


    Li Mingwei stayed silent. What would she have to chat about with Old Lady Wang?


    "Give it some good thought yourself."


    Leaving her with those words, Wang Chunhua went to help Old Lady Wang in the back.


    Old Lady Wang didn''t need her help at all. She cooked for over twenty children every day, and her hands worked deftly. Wang Chunhua only managed to snatch the task of tending the fire.


    With rice cooking in the pot, Wang Chunhua added two sticks of firewood to the stove to keep the fire going, then went to the yard to help Old Lady Wang wash vegetables.


    Li Mingwei stuck her head out from the main hall: "Need any help?"


    "No, no! Other than causing trouble, what else can you do!" Wang Chunhua shooed her back inside to sit. Then she smiled at Old Lady Wang, "My sister has her good points, but she''s hopeless in the kitchen. Don''t let her go in, she''ll just make a mess."


    She stared into Old Lady Wang''s eyes, "You see how skinny she is, and she has to work every day. We have to make sure she eats her fill, right?"


    Old Lady Wang didn''t like how much Wang Chunhua doted on Li Mingwei, even remembering exactly how much she ate per meal. Hearing Wang Chunhua ask her that, she quickly nodded in agreement.


    Seeing her attitude was still good, Wang Chunhua nodded satisfactorily and thought for a moment before continuing, "Also, she doesn''t have much strength and can''t lift heavy things. In winter when she washes clothes, she''ll probably need your help. That''s all, you can boss her around however you like."


    Can''t even lift clothes, what else could Old Lady Wang expect her to do?


    She forced a smile. "It''s so cold in winter, how could I let her wash clothes herself? When schr Liu is home in winter, he can do the washing."


    Wang Chunhua was even more satisfied. Still, she politely said, "Schr Liu is a schr, he has to use his hands to write. Being chilled wouldn''t be good, would it?"


    So your meaning is, since I don''t write, I should be the one to help out?


    Barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, Old Lady Wang seethed with injustice. Let him insist on marrying an ancestor. She wouldn''t wait on her, he coulde back and do it himself!


    After this whole exchange, Wang Chunhua was rtively satisfied with Old Lady Wang''s attitude, while Old Lady Wang had been angered though she had to restrain herself for now.


    With their divergent thoughts, the two finished making the meal. They set the dishes on the table and ate happily, as if they truly were one family.


    On the way back, Li Mingwei couldn''t help ncing several more times at Wang Chunhua, having no idea when she had gotten so close with Old Lady Wang. They had chatted andughed the whole time at dinner.


    Wang Chunhua red at her. "Why do you keep looking at me?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head without answering. She just hooked arms with her and smiled. Wang Chunhua patted her arm, a hint of mncholy on her face. "After you marry over there, at least she''ll havepany. I''ll just have little Xiao Yan left again."


    "Sister..."


    "Hm?"


    "Do you not have legs, or do I not have legs?"


    Wang Chunhua immediately understood her meaning andughed, patting her again. "You girl, you just don''t know how to speak properly. If you keep this up after marrying over, see if your mother-inw doesn''t teach you a lesson."


    "She wouldn''t dare! My family has so many people." Li Mingwei huffed. She didn''t believe Old Lady Wang would dare bully her once in the capital.


    Only then did Wang Chunhua remember that after her sister married, she would be bringing her mother back home. She asked, "How long will you be gone when you go back?"


    "Not sure yet."


    It would depend on whether Mother was satisfied with Liu Yizhu. If things didn''t go too terribly, she probably wouldn''te back.


    Thinking of going back, Li Mingwei felt a bit gloomy. She actually preferred life in Qingshi Town. If she could, she would happily stay here forever, but she couldn''t leave her grandfather.


    He was so old. She couldn''t make him travel so far. If something happened along the way, she would feel guilty forever. She had to go back.


    Li Mingwei hugged Wang Chunhua tightly. Once she left, who knew if the sisters would ever see each other again in this life?

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89


    On the eighteenth day of the sixth month, a lucky day on the Chinese calendar suitable for travel, moving house, and getting married.


    Early in the morning, Li Mingwei had already changed into the red wedding dress she had sewn herself and was sitting in Dong Lei¡¯s room, as the cluttered shed she lived in was too narrow and shabby. Wang Chunhua felt it would be inauspicious for her to get married there, so she had cleared out Dong Lei¡¯s room instead.


    The only other person in the room was Yun Sister, who hade back specially to attend her. She was looking out the window and reporting what she saw to Li Mingwei.


    ¡°I think the groom¡¯s party is here. They¡¯re setting off the first string of firecrackers.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯reing in, they¡¯reing in! What are they saying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that matchmaker before.¡±


    Li Mingwei lifted her bridal veil to squeeze next to her and look outside. ¡°Let me see. Oh, Sister Chunhua said she only started working as a matchmaker this year. No wonder you haven¡¯t met her.¡±


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing!¡± Yun Sister pressed her back onto the bed. ¡°Put your veil back down! It¡¯s bad luck to lift it yourself!¡±


    ¡°What bad luck.¡±


    Everything had gone smoothlyst time she got married, and look how that had turned out.


    She held the veil in her hands and twirled it. It almost slipped from her fingers. Yun Sister gasped and lunged to catch it. ¡°What are you trying to do, jinx yourself?¡±


    Li Mingweiughed. ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but I¡¯m not nervous at all today. Maybe since I¡¯ve done this before, I know what to expect.¡±


    Not only was she not nervous, she felt light and carefree for no reason.


    ¡°Not nervous at all?¡± Yun Sister clearly didn¡¯t believe her. She had been so anxious on her own wedding day, terrified that something might go wrong and people wouldugh at her.


    Seeing Li Mingwei nod, Yun Sister curled her lip skeptically. ¡°I suppose. You two already know each other so well. No need to worry if he¡¯s ugly, unhealthy or might mistreat you. No need to worry if his parents will be difficult.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it doesn¡¯t hurt to worry a little about thatst part.¡±


    Considering Wang the shrew, Yun Sister nodded sagely. ¡°True.¡±


    ¡°Mingwei.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Yun Sister bowed her head, her brows knitted. ¡°Have you thought about what your life will be like after this? I¡¯ve been wonderingtely, if Qing Yang insists on being like this forever, what should I do? Am I really expected to obey him unconditionally?¡±


    She sighed. ¡°I know he¡¯s hurting inside and I want to amodate him, but if he keeps this up forever I¡¯ll be exhausted.¡±


    Li Mingwei stroked her cheek, smoothing out her furrowed brow. ¡°Then tell him directly if you¡¯re tired, if you¡¯re unhappy with how he acts. If he cares for you he¡¯ll change. If he doesn¡¯t then don¡¯t waste your effort, just leave.¡±


    Yun Sister jabbed her arm. ¡°You¡¯d like that, wouldn¡¯t you! Just to make me leave!¡±


    ¡°Well how else will you stop being miserable?¡± Li Mingwei jabbed her back. ¡°I never realized before, you¡¯re a bit of a masochist, willing to tolerate a husband with such an awful temper.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Still unwilling to hear Qing Yang criticized, Yun Sister sniped back ¡°At least your husband is so even-tempered!¡±


    ¡°You¨C¡±


    Impossible to reason with!


    The two women exchanged a nce then attacked at the same time, tickling mercilessly. Knowing Yun Sister¡¯s weakness, Li Mingwei aimed straight for her armpits. Yun Sister shrieked withughter and surrendered immediately.


    It was then the door burst open to reveal a livid Wang Chunhua. Li Mingwei hastily straightened up and covered herself again as Yun Sister jumped to her feet, smoothing any creases in her dress and bedsheets.


    ¡°Honestly! The manners of you two!¡±


    After berating them in a fierce whisper, Wang Chunhua inspected them for any impropriety then flung the door wide open for Wang Dazhuang to carry Li Mingwei out.


    In the hall, with matchmaker Liu Yizhu directing, the couples paid respects to the elders Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan before serving them tea.


    Li Mingwei discreetly squeezed the red envelope she had been given. Sister Chunhua was being exceptionally generous today for someone usually indifferent about money. She must be in good spirits.


    Handing temporary custody of the envelope to Yun Sister, Li Mingwei bid her sister and brother-inw goodbye before Wang Dazhuang hoisted her into the bridal sedan chair.


    Afterpleting the ceremony in the Liu household, receiving another red envelope and being supported by Yun Sister into the bridal chamber, Li Mingwei stealthily lifted the corner of her veil and peeked at the furnishings.


    Liu Yizhu¡¯s room was spacious and austere, containing just a bed, wardrobe, dresser, desk and chair. As it would be inappropriate for Yun Sister to sit on their marital bed, she simply pulled over a chair to sit quietly beside Li Mingwei.


    Before long, Li Mingwei wriggled her toes in boredom. Yun Sister immediately asked ¡°Hungry?¡±


    ¡°No, bored.¡±


    ¡°It is dull. My ceremony onlysted an afternoon but you married sote yours will drag on overnight.¡±


    Li Mingwei pulled a face. The day passed from dawn til dusk before Yun Sister was finally summoned away, leaving her alone in the darkening room.


    Hearing the door open and close again invigorated her slightly. Finally, freedom was imminent! But that oaf Liu Yizhu simply stood mute before her for endless minutes,cking even the daring to lift her veil. Li Mingwei was on the verge of seizing the initiative herself!


    Liu Yizhu took a deep breath to brace himself then fumblingly nudged the veil. Almost instantly he froze again.


    Her patience exhausted, Li Mingwei grabbed his hand and flung the veil back herself with an irritated ¡°Do you have any idea how long I¡¯ve been sitting here? What are you wasting time for!¡±


    The flickering candlelight sculpted contours on her side-turned face, interying shadow and luminosity to striking effect. She was pale at the best of times; paired with the scarlet bridal clothes and rouged lips the contrast became even more dramatic. Vivid and dazzlingly beautiful.


    My wife really is gorgeous, Liu Yizhu mused. Though her gaze could stand to gentle somewhat.


    He smiled catingly, caressing her cheek. ¡°Red suits you.¡±


    Unappeased in the slightest, Li Mingwei retorted ¡°And what color doesn¡¯t suit me?¡±


    ¡°They all do, all of them.¡± Liu Yizhu swiftly backpedaled, grabbing two cups of wine and taking the seat beside her.


    ¡°Wife¨C¡±


    Exchanging ritual sips, Li Mingwei pointedly did not call him in turn. Liu Yizhu sidled closer reproachfully. ¡°Has my wife forgotten something?¡±


    ¡°Not that I can think of.¡±


    Knowing she was being difficult on purpose, Liu Yizhu had no recourse but to entreat in a low voice ¡°You forgot to call me. Just say it, please?¡±


    ¡°Liu Yizhu.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Amused by his flustered expression long enough to regain equilibrium, Li Mingwei leaned to his ear and cooed softly ¡°Husband~¡±


    Tingles raced down Liu Yizhu¡¯s side and he sped her hand tightly, murmuring ¡°Wife¡± before brushing his mouth over hers. With pleasantries concluded, his hands began wandering in earnest.


    Li Mingwei pushed him back, waggling her feet. She gestured at her made-up face; Liu Yizhu understood at once, hurrying to fetch hot water for her ablutions.


    As she leisurely divested herself of hairpins before the mirror, Liu Yizhu returned to make the bed only to spot a white handkerchief hidden below the nkets. Clenching his fist around it, he swiftly tucked it into his sleeve.


    Finished with her preparations, Li Mingwei approached the bed then halted, noticing his darkened expression. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    The smile Liu Yizhu turned on her was dazzling as he cradled her face, promising ¡°Wait for me.¡±


    Then he also headed off to wash up.

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90


    Even though Liu Yizhu had a tiring night, he woke up early out of habit. He admired Li Mingwei''s sleeping face for a while, his lips curled up into a smile. After nting a gentle kiss on her forehead, he carefully got up.


    He dressed himself, tidying up the mess by the bed as light as a feather. asionally, he nced at Li Mingwei, still sleeping peacefully, and quietly left the room.


    Old Lady Wang was already awake, cleaning the dishes and utensils from the previous night in the backyard. Liu Yizhu put his dirty clothes in a wooden basin and took out a white handkerchief he had hidden away.


    "Mother, who made the bed yesterday morning?"


    Old Lady Wang snatched the handkerchief and examined it, not understanding what was going on. Due to being widowed early in life, she couldn''t enter the new room or make the bed herself. She left those tasks to others, never expecting someone to y such a mean trick.


    "It was Zhang''s sixth grandmother," Old Lady Wang tucked the handkerchief into her bosom. "Don''t worry about it. I''ll talk to herter. How dare she mess with me."


    She nced at the room and signaled to Liu Yizhu with her eyes, "Are you not angry?"


    "She didn''t see it."


    Old Lady Wang nodded. "Alright, pretend you don''t know. It''s not suitable for a man like you to meddle in such matters."


    Liu Yizhu understood that too; otherwise, he wouldn''t have entrusted her with handling the situation.


    He helped his mother tidy up the dishes and washed and hung up the clothes, then returned to the room to find Li Mingwei still asleep. He quietly approached the desk and picked up a book to read.


    Old Lady Wang prepared breakfast and knocked on their door. Liu Yizhu was startled and quickly opened it slightly. "Mother, please keep your voice down."


    "She''s not awake yet? Let''s eat."


    Liu Yizhu nced back, but in the end, he couldn''t bear to wake her up. He and his mother had to eat first. After breakfast, Old Lady Wang was going to buy groceries and then prepare lunch for the children at the school; there was no time to waste.


    Old Lady Wang looked up at the already bright sky, her voice tinged with someint. "How can she sleep so much?"


    In other families, daughters-inw woke up early to cook for their mothers-inw, but in their family, well, their daughter-inw couldn''t even get up to eat a meal they had prepared.


    Liu Yizhu lightly coughed, exining, "She slepttest night."


    Old Lady Wang, being experienced, understood everything. She raised her hand and lightly tapped him twice, scolding, "You be more considerate! Be more considerate!"


    "Her waist is broader, she can''t handle your tossing and turning!"


    Liu Yizhu rarely showed embarrassment in front of his mother. He sheepishly said, "Mother~"


    Old Lady Wang sighed, keeping her mouth shut. It was also his father''s fault for passing away early; there were many things he hadn''t had a chance to teach him. Even if she wanted to teach him, men and women were different, and she couldn''t bring herself to discuss certain matters.


    Headache!


    When Li Mingwei slowly woke up, the sunlight was already a bit dazzling. She squinted her eyes, trying to roll over to a shady spot, but with that movement, her waist ached. She held onto her waist, pressing it, and with determination, she stood up, only to find her legs a bit weak.


    She plopped back onto the edge of the bed, feeling extremely frustrated.


    Liu Yizhu helped his mother bring the groceries to the school and hurried back. He found Li Mingwei sitting by the bed, looking unhappy. He quickly approached her and embraced her, concerned. "What''s wrong?"


    Li Mingwei red at him, wondering how he had the audacity to ask her what was wrong.


    "Are you hungry? There''s congee in the pot. Shall I bring it to you? Or do you want to freshen up first?" Seeing that Li Mingwei still ignored him, Liu Yizhu pondered for a moment and quickly apologized, "It''s my fault. I shouldn''t have left you alone at home. I went to help my mother with grocery shopping, and I''ll be right back, I promise."


    After he had been talking for a while without getting to the point, Li Mingwei was slightly exasperated and directly expressed herself, "My back hurts."


    "Huh? Oh, then lie down, and I''ll give you a massage. Where does it hurt?" Liu Yizhu snapped out of his thoughts, helped her lie down, and gently rubbed her back, assuring her, "I''ll be gentle tonight."


    He med himself for hisck of experiencest night and being too rough. Today would definitely be much better.


    Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Li Mingwei said, "Just go away. I don''t want to see you recently."


    Liu Yizhu quickly rolled away, but soon he returned with hot water and congee. He found a clean set of clothes for her from the small box that the Dong family sent yesterday.


    Li Mingwei sat on the chair, spooning the congee one mouthful at a time, feeling that itcked vor, so she put it down.


    Seeing that there was still a lot of congee left in the bowl, Liu Yizhu frowned and asked, "Is it not tasty, or are you full?"


    "No appetite."


    Liu Yizhu sighed helplessly, squatting in front of her, pinching her small face. "No appetite, no appetite. You have no appetite every day. How can you gain weight like this? Chunhua mentioned it yesterday. She asked me to make sure you eat more. If you get even thinner, I''ll have to do something about it."


    Suddenly, he remembered there were a few eggs in the basket he saw in the morning, so he asked, "If you don''t want congee, how about having eggs? Fried eggs, steamed eggs, or omelette? I can make them all. Which one would you like?"


    Li Mingwei raised an eyebrow, "You can cook?"


    Liu Yizhu modestly said, "Just a little bit. It''s not particrly good, but it''s edible."


    "Huh," Li Mingwei coldly snorted, grabbing both of his ears and said angrily, "You said you would cook for me, and then you said your cooking is bad. What''s the meaning of this? You''re making it difficult for me to retreat!"


    "No," Liu Yizhu instantly backtracked, "I was just being modest earlier. My cooking is actually really good, I promise. You''ll know once you try it."


    "Is that so?" Li Mingwei blinked her eyes, a trace of slyness flickering in her eyes, "How about a boiled egg then?"


    "Mydy."


    "Mhmm."


    "If you don''t believe me, just say it directly. There''s no need to beat around the bush." Liu Yizhu''s eyes were filled with helplessness. He knew she was teasing him, but he couldn''t do anything about it. He tidied her hair by her temple and said, "Really not eating? It''s still a long time until noon."


    Li Mingwei held onto his neck, shaking her head earnestly.


    Liu Yizhu had no choice but to go out and bring in peanuts and red dates that were left from yesterday. He quickly stored her belongings in the cab and then took her to the school.


    Liu Yizhu went into the kitchen and asked, "Mother, is there anything to fill the stomach? Weiwei only had a few bites in the morning and said she has no appetite."


    There was something indeed. Old Lady Wang wanted to make it up to them, so she bought a chicken this morning for stew. She lifted the lid of the y pot and took a nce, saying, "Do you want some chicken soup? It hasn''t been stewed for long, but it''s almost ready to drink."


    "Sure, I''ll have a bowl."


    "Alright, go wash a bowl, and I''ll add some salt."


    Old Lady Wang watched as her son carried the soup out, wiped her hands on her apron, and couldn''t help but peek, seeing the two of them happily feeding each other the soup. Suddenly, she remembered when she first got married.


    This child is just like his father. Back then, his father wouldn''t let her do anything, afraid that she would get tired or hungry. Unfortunately, her luck wasn''t good. The good dayssted only a few years, and when his father passed away, all the dirty, smelly, and tiring things fell on her.


    The sweetness in the beginning was followed by bitterness.


    "Ah!" Old Lady Wang lightly pped herself. They were doing well, so why think about these unhappy things? She pushed aside the sadness in her heart, turned around, and continued with her work.

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91


    In just over a month, the three of them would embark on their journey. Liu Yizhu wasn''t sure how much time they would spend on the road, and she didn''t want to neglect her studies. After taking a two-day break, she reluctantly returned to the academy.


    "I''m leaving now, and I''ll be back at the end of the month. Is there anything you want me to bring? We should prepare the gifts in advance before we return, or should we buy them in your hometown?"


    "Let''s buy them in my hometown. There doesn''t seem to be much to bring from here, and it would be a waste if they got damaged on the bumpy road."


    "Alright, then I''m off."


    Liu Yizhu looked at Old Lady Wang, who had nothing special to tell her, and waved her hand. "Goodbye, goodbye."


    Li Mingwei also waved at her, and as she watched him walk away, she breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally left.


    She smiled at Old Lady Wang beside her and asked, "Mother, are you going to buy groceries? I''ll go with you."


    Old Lady Wang''s gaze fell on Li Mingwei''s hands, and she remembered what Wang Chunhua had said about her being too weak to carry things. She didn''t want her to make the trip in vain.


    But then she thought that at least there would be someone apanying her, so she agreed, "Alright, let''s go."


    She closed the courtyard gate behind her and led Li Mingwei out.


    Li Mingwei used to apany Wang Chunhua to buy groceries frequently. She thought she was good at bargaining, but now, seeing how effortlessly Old Lady Wang interacted with the vendors and stall owners, she realized how shallow her skills were in the past.


    After buying vegetables from one stall, the two of them walked a few steps forward when suddenly Old Lady Wang sighed, "Next time, we shouldn''t buy from his family anymore. Let''s go to another one. She used to want to marry her daughter into my family and always gave me a discount, but recently she hasn''t been willing."


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes. Your son is already married, so it''s strange that they still want to give you a discount.


    She silently followed Old Lady Wang, and when they arrived at the school, Old Lady Wang told her not to apany her anymore. "You can''t help with cooking, so you can go back first. Come over for lunchter or stay in the school and read for a while."


    Since there was no one at home, Li Mingwei didn''t want to go back, so she went to the second floor of the school to read.


    After finishing a ss, Mr. Jin came up to rest and noticed that she didn''t seem to be in high spirits. He thought she was missing Liu Yizhu and teased her, "You''re like this right after he left. In a few days, you might not even be able to attend sses."


    "Huh?" Li Mingwei frowned, and when she understood his meaning, she helplessly replied, "Mr. Jin, what are you thinking?"


    "Aren''t you thinking about Yizhu?"


    "No." Li Mingwei tilted her chin slightly and then said, "I''m thinking about my mother-inw."


    "Hmm?"


    "I just realized today that my mother-inw is quite remarkable. When I went grocery shopping with her, it seemed like she knew everyone."


    It was understandable that she was familiar with the vegetable vendors since they often interacted, but she also seemed to be on good terms with the shopkeepers and owners along the road. She would stop and greet almost everyone she encountered.


    For example, the small inn where she stayed on her first day here. Logically speaking, she didn''t need to stay at an inn, and they weren''t rtives, so their interaction should have been minimal. However, she seemed to be very close with the innkeeper.


    Upon hearing her question, Mr. Jin sighed with a wry smile and said after a long pause, "That''s because your mother-inw has worked for them before."


    "She is not as skilled and literate as you, and her strength is not as strong as a man''s. How do you think she managed to raise Yizhu all by herself?"


    In the beginning, his school only had a few students, all from the town, so there was no need to hire someone to cook. The children would go home to eat and thene back, with enough time to spare.


    In the past two years, because of Liu Yizhu, his reputation has grown, and some people from nearby viges have started sending their children to him. They couldn''t go home for lunch, and eating at restaurants every day was expensive, so Mr. Jin hired Old Lady Wang to set up a canteen.


    Before this, Old Lady Wang used to do odd jobs and chores for the shop owners outside, so everyone knew her.


    "The small inn you mentioned used to be her only stable source of ie. She would change the bedsheets and pillowcases there for seven or eight years. Later, when Yizhu became a schr, he started earning a little money each month, and the first thing he did was ask her to quit that job."


    Initially, Old Lady Wang didn''t want to quit, but it was Mr. Jin who gave her this cooking job, and she reluctantly epted it.


    Li Mingwei bit her finger. She had heard Sister Chunhua mention before that Old Lady Wang had a difficult life, but she didn''t expect it to be this hard. It would be fine in the summer, but the water was so cold in the winter, and she endured it like that.


    Mr. Jin recalled those past events with a touch of sadness and said softly, "Winter is hard to endure, especially when you spend an hour or two soaking in cold water. Her hands have never been good. They are full of cracks, and when it gets severe, they even bleed. Yizhu was young at that time, and she scared him so much that he didn''t want to study."


    "He came to apologize to me, saying that he wanted to quit school and help his mother wash clothes to earn money. At that time, my situation wasn''t good either, and I couldn''t help them. I could only watch him walk away with a small bundle."


    "I don''t know what they said afterwards, but the next day, with red eyes, he was sent back."


    The day before, feeling helpless in his inability to assist, Mr. Jin spent a sleepless night full of guilt. From that day on, his concern for Liu Yizhu increased by a considerable margin. It might have been unfair to the other children, but at that moment, he was genuinely grateful for his return and the opportunity to give him another chance.


    Li Mingwei wiped away her tears and sat in her own seat, feeling deste in her heart.


    Although life in Qingshi Town was poor, she had arrogantly believed that she could support herself even without her family''s help and live a decent life. Unfortunately, she forgot that everything she relied on for survival was given by her family.


    She learned to read and write from her grandfather, and embroidery was taught by an embroiderer hired by her family. Even though she left home, she couldn''t escape from it.


    If she didn''t know anything and had no money, what kind of life could she live? She couldn''t even earn money by washing clothes. Perhaps she would starve to death in some unknown ce.


    She had always yearned for a life without rules and social conventions, but if she had truly been born in such a poor town or vige, as an ordinary peasant child, free from those constraints since childhood, could she really be as happy as she is today?


    She thought she had achieved everything by herself, only to realize that it was all illusion. The shackles of the capital city were something she could never escape from.


    Li Mingwei chuckled self-deprecatingly, feeling like a fool.


    Suddenly, she didn''t want to go back. She had been too eager, only thinking about how to contend with her mother before.


    Liu Yizhu had never experienced these things before. If she took him back now and he made the slightest mistake, the rumors in the capital would spread like a flood, devouring him. It wouldn''t just be her who would beughed at, but the entire Li family would be aughingstock.


    And then there was her mother-inw. She had never learned the proper etiquette and would be subject to ridicule by others.


    Every single thing that made her want to escape, every use and condition, would be their burden.


    She should wait a little longer. Perhaps if Liu Yizhu passed the autumn examination sessfully and became a jinshi next year, she could bring him back without causing too much shame to her family.


    At least he had achieved this based on his own abilities. Considering his family background and age, it was not easy to be a jinshi. It wouldn''t mean she had poor judgment if he became the top scorer, it would prove her discerning eye and justify her status as a daughter of the Li family, just like her grandfather who had great foresight.


    Of course, this was the best possible oue. But if, by any chance...


    There won''t be any "by any chance"!


    Biting her lip, Li Mingwei prepared paper and pen and wrote a letter to encourage Liu Yizhu in his studies, also telling him not toe back for now.


    After sealing the letter, she drew up a manual of etiquette for her mother-inw, intending to show it to her and help her learn during her free time.


    Sneaking out secretly, she was determined to return with her head held high and her chest puffed out.

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92


    Li Mingwei made a small booklet of the etiquette guide she had finished drawing, and hesitated for a long time before giving it to Old Lady Wang. She had just entered the door not long ago, and giving someone this would make them think she was dissatisfied with them. Moreover, Old Lady Wang was her elder, so Li Mingwei decided to forget it. One can''t learn etiquette overnight, so there was no rush for one or two days. She would wait until Liu Yizhu came back and let him take the offense.


    She put the small booklet in the drawer and got up to go out. Old Lady Wang was carrying a bowl of noodles and greeted her, "You''re awake?"


    "Yes, mother, we''re having noodles today?"


    "Oh, noodles. Didn''t Yizhu say you don''t like drinking porridge?" Old Lady Wang put down the half-eaten bowl of noodles and added more firewood to the stove. After the water boiled, she poured the sliced noodles on the chopping board into it and asked, "Do you want vegetables?"


    Li Mingwei peered from the door, "Yes."


    Old Lady Wang ate two mouthfuls from the noodle bowl. Seeing the fire was right, she threw some vegetables in for her and told Li Mingwei toe in when it was almost done, "Get a bowl for yourself."


    "Okay."


    Just as Li Mingwei finished transferring all the noodles into her bowl, Old Lady Wang finished hers in three mouthfuls.


    She put her bowl on the stove and instructed, "Wash the bowls after you finish eating. I''m going out first. Come back at noon to eat."


    Li Mingwei nodded silently. Over the past few days, she had been following Old Lady Wang around, eating and drinking in the school. She was already used to it.


    A person who could satisfy so many children''s tastes must be a good cook. Li Mingwei had to admit that Old Lady Wang''s cooking was much better than Chunhua''s. That''s why she had been eating more than before after getting married.


    She gulped down a wholerge bowl of noodles and patted her bloated tummy. After spacing out for a while, she got up to rinse the pot and bowls with water.


    The weather today was nice and it looked like the sun was about toe out. Li Mingwei went to the bathroom to get her dirty clothes fromst night, nning to wash them after her bath. However, when she opened the bathroom door, there was nothing inside.


    She looked up and realized her clothes had been washed and hung on the clothesline. Li Mingwei knitted her brows. Next time after bathing she must remember to take her dirty clothes back to her room. She was old enough and shouldn''t need the elderly to wash clothes for her.


    Now whenever she thought of Old Lady Wang washing bed sheets in the cold winter, she felt bad.


    "s..."


    She sighed and tidied up before closing the door, nning to go to the school and help with cooking. She didn''t know how to stir fry dishes but could manage the fire. Doing a little was better than nothing.


    By the time Li Mingwei arrived, Old Lady Wang was already washing vegetables. She drained the water from the washed greens in a bamboo basket then sliced and put them in a wooden basin ording to the order they would be added to the wok, so as to avoid panicter.


    The school had one meat, one vegetable, and one soup dish for every meal. Only when Mr. Jin asionally wanted to eat something else would Old Lady Wang make one or two extra dishes for him.


    After the noon bell rang, the children rushed to the backyard with their own bowls and chopsticks. Mr. Jin followed behind them and sat next to Li Mingwei.


    The dishes on the table had all beenid out, they were just waiting for Old Lady Wang to serve the food before eating.


    Looking at the line of children with simr ages but different heights and builds, Li Mingwei asked, "Teacher, why do so many children from town also eat at the school? Can''t they go home to eat thene back?"


    Mr. Jin thought for a moment then asked her, "When you lived at the Dongs, how often did they eat meat?"


    "Every three to five days."


    It was even longer when she first arrived. Later, she would give half of her earnings to Chunhua. So Chunhua became more generous and they ate meat about every three to five days. That included when her cravings got the better of her and she used her own money to buy meat for Chunhua to cook.


    Mr. Jin nodded. That was pretty good. He exined, "Most families in this town are probably simr to the Dongs. But studying takes a lot of brain and heart power, and the children are still growing. Eating meat only every three to five days is not enough."


    "People always say one has to eat fully in order to grow well, and grow well in order to think quickly. They''ve already spent so much money to send their kids here to study. No one wants to cut corners there."


    "If the school provides a meat dish every day, how much would they have to spend to cook meat for their child at home daily?"


    "Even a small family would have three to five mouths to feed. They can''t just cook for one person. The adults might be able to endure it and let the child have the meat, but what about the other young children at home? Wouldn''t they feel the parents are ying favorites and cause trouble? It''d be better to pay the school to let the child eat there, saving some money and headache."


    "That makes sense."


    Li Mingwei looked over the group of children whose ages were close but builds varied greatly, clearly from differences in inheritance and diet.


    Judging from the chubby ones wearing nicer clothes, they probably didn''tck good food at home either.


    Of course, there were also exceptions where parents deliberately bought some nice clothes for their child to keep up appearances at school, like her sister Chunhua. So she could only make generalizations, not definitive conclusions.


    "It''s a pity the hearts of parents in this world."


    "Who isn''t one?"


    Old Lady Wang came back after serving the dishes. Seeing Li Mingwei and Mr. Jin staring at the children, she also looked for a while but didn''t notice anything unusual. She put the steamed eggs she was holding closest to Li Mingwei and urged, "Teacher, let''s eat."


    Seeing her little gesture, Mr. Jin shook his head smilingly and picked up his chopsticks. "Let''s eat!"


    He still didn''t understand why she had changed her attitude so quickly. In the past, she would re whenever he so much as looked at Li Mingwei twice, calling her a vixen. But now she was even putting eggs in front of her.


    In fact, the reason was simple. Her son was Old Lady Wang''s only kin in this world. His pain was her pain, and his joy was her joy. Li Mingwei made her son happy, so even if Old Lady Wang was somewhat dissatisfied with her, she endured it for his happiness.


    As the saying goes, love me, love my dog.


    Li Mingwei scooped a spoonful of silky egg into her mouth and immediately closed her eyes in enjoyment, "So delicious!"


    Seeing her love for it, Old Lady Wang scooped a few more spoonfuls for her, "Eat up if you like it."


    She didn''t forget Mr. Jin either and gave him a spoonful as well, "Have some too, Teacher."


    Mr. Jin politely declined, "That''s alright, I''ll serve myself. You should eat too."


    "I''m eating," Old Lady Wang took two bites of rice when she suddenly recalled something and instructed Li Mingwei, "I have something to do this afternoon and will leave after cleaning the kitchen. Go home yourselfter."


    Li Mingwei looked up from her bowl, "What is it?"


    "I saw some people harvesting wheat these two days. I''m going to check if our field is ready for harvest too and see how the output is, so I''ll know what''s going on and avoid getting tricked by them again."


    "We have farnd?"


    Li Mingwei widened her eyes slightly. She had never heard Liu Yizhu mention it before or seen them going to farm.


    "Yes, just outside the town entrance, southward. We sold a few acres when we were short on money previously, not much left. They''ve always been rented out to others to farm, and we collect some grain annually as rent. With just a few acres, even if the entire harvest were sold, it wouldn''t make much money. When the weather turns bad it could even result in no yield. So I just rent it to others to farm and collect a bit of grain every year while spending my time doing odd jobs that earn more money."


    Li Mingwei nodded in understanding.

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93


    Old Lady Wang went to take a look, then sat in the tenant farmer''s house for a while, learned about this year''s harvest, and went back home to the attic to dig out the remaining bag of wheat.


    Li Mingwei saw it and hurriedly came over to help her hold thedder: "Mom, what are you doing?"


    "Moving wheat." The remaining wheat was still a lot, she estimated that she couldn''t hold it either, so she climbed onto the attic, checked the firmness of the bag, pushed it to the side, and let it roll down thedder.


    "Get out of the way!"


    Li Mingwei took a few steps back, and then the bag fell to the ground with a p.


    Old Lady Wang also climbed down, untied the bag, grabbed a handful and showed it to her: "This is the wheat they sent overst year. Yizhu likes to eat rice instead of noodles. By this time, he still hasn''t finished eating it!"


    Li Mingwei snorted twice. She said, howe when Liu Yizhu was here, he always drank porridge, and when he left, he cooked noodles for her to eat. That''s how it is.


    "I asked today that they will also harvest wheat in the next two days. After drying, they will send it over. I will take out the old one to dry it, then take it to the mill to grind it into flour, and keep it for you to cook noodles.¡± she said, ¡°This way we avoid mixing it with the new one when ites."


    Humph! She''s only worth eating old wheat, right?


    Old Lady Wang didn''t get a response. She looked up at her angry look and didn''t understand: ¡°What''s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Li Mingwei lowered her head, pinched the wheat in her hand, and murmured, ¡°It will take until when to eat so much. Don''t eat it all up and the new wheat will be old again.¡±


    "Don''t worry, the two of us, cooking noodles in the morning, making noodle soup, frying cakes when we have nothing to do, we''ll finish it very quickly."


    "Oh."


    Li Mingwei nodded. She thought she would have to eat noodles all the time. If she changed the way she did it, it would be fine.


    At this time, the sun was about to set, and Old Lady Wang had just taken out the wheat to take a look. As long as it hadn''t got wet or moldy, it could still be eaten. She left it there and waited for the sun toe out tomorrow before pouring it out to dry.


    Swish~ Swish~


    Li Mingwei, who was immersed in her sleep, was awakened by the sweeping sound outside. She yawned, pushed open the window and looked out. Old Lady Wang was sweeping the dam in front of the yard.


    The mother-inw was working, so she didn''t feel good about sleeping anymore. She tidied up properly and hurried out to help. She picked up the rake in the yard and looked at it curiously, "What''s this?"


    "A rake."


    Old Lady Wang looked at her helplessly, poured out the wheat from the bag, demonstrated to her how to use it, and then let her tten the wheat pile and turned to make breakfast.


    Recently, many families have been busy harvesting wheat, so Wang Chunhua was bored. After eating breakfast, she carried Xiao Yan toe over to y with her sister. When she arrived, Li Mingwei was wearing a small straw hat and digging in the yard.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Sister, you are here. I''m drying wheat."


    "You..." Wang Chunhua put Xiao Yan down, said displeasedly, "Did your mother-inw ask you to do it?"


    "Yes, she went to work, if I don''t do it, who will?" Li Mingwei didn''t mind this at all. She thought it was quite fun, just turning it over and chasing away the small birds that came to steal food.


    Wang Chunhua hmmmed, "I never let you do this kind of work before."


    "Did sister''s family have wheat to dry?"


    They always directly bought flour, right?


    "You girl! I''m trying to speak for you, yet you talk back."


    Seeing Wang Chunhua''s anger, Li Mingwei hurriedly threw away the rake and led her and Xiao Yan into the room, "Oh,e in,e in, I''ll pour water for you."


    She touched Xiao Yan''s head, "You''ve grown taller in just a few days."


    Xiao Yan smiled sweetly, "Um!"


    Wang Chunhua saw her indulgent look but didn''t say anything. She let them y and sat on the doorstep to watch the birds with her.


    She stared nkly at the wheat on the ground for a while, then turned sideways and leaned against the door, "Sister, do you think I should ask your brother to buy somend?"


    Seeing others have grain harvests, she somehow felt itchy, maybe because she had money in her pocket, she wanted to buy a little, enough for her family of four to eat, just to get by. Her husband Dong Shan went out early and returnedte every day. She was alone at home with nothing to do except taking care of the child and cooking. She was really bored.


    Li Mingwei smiled, "Sister, if you want to buy, then buy it. The money was given to you so it''s yours. You don''t need to ask me."


    "Alright, then I''ll think about it more."


    The fields were still nted with grains at others¡¯ homes now. No one was willing to sell.


    The more Li Mingwei looked at Wang Chunhua, the stranger she felt. She felt that the momentum she had today was gone, and her whole body felt depressed. She put Xiao Yan on the ground to y by herself, and also sat on the doorstep.


    She held Wang Chunhua''s hand and said softly, "Sister, what''s wrong? You don''t seem to be in a good mood today. Is something wrong at home?"


    Wang Chunhua''s eyes reddened and she couldn''t hold back at once. Sheined, "I had a fight with your brother-inw."


    "Ah?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t quite believe it. She felt that even if she had a fight with Liu Yizhu, her brother-inw wouldn''t fight with her sister. She confirmed, "You had a fight with brother-inw, or did you two have a fight?"


    Wang Chunhua...


    "We, we, we!" Wang Chunhua confirmed repeatedly, "Your brother-inw ignores me now."


    "Impossible."


    Seeing her so categorical, Wang Chunhua became anxious, "Girl, why don''t you believe me."


    Seeing that she didn''t seem to be lying, Li Mingwei frowned and patted herfortingly, "What happened?"


    "That day I saw blood on his clothes, so I asked about it. He said it was identally stained."


    After being with Dong Shan for so many years, she was no stranger to seeing blood either. She didn''t know why, but this time she just felt something was wrong and couldn''t get over it.


    "When we went to bed, I tore open his clothes, and saw a long cut on his left arm. So I asked him why he didn''t tell me."


    There was no need to ask this at all. Li Mingwei blurted out, "He must be afraid to worry you."


    Wang Chunhua lowered her head, somewhat helpless, "I know that too. Then I asked him if we should buy somend with the money you gave, instead of going to the mountains."


    "But he insisted it wouldn''t work, and said that even if we boughtnd, we still had to go to the mountains."


    The annual ie from going to the mountains was there after all. Dong Shan certainly wouldn''t give it up easily. Besides, they hadn''t farmed for more than ten years. Whether they could farm well was another matter. What if the harvest failed?


    He couldn''t put all his energy into such an uncertain thing.


    Li Mingwei embarrassedly said, "What brother-inw said makes sense too."


    Wang Chunhua certainly knew what he said made sense, but she was afraid that if one day...


    Today it was just a small cut, tomorrow it could be a big cut, and someday he could lose his life. How would she and her child manage?


    "Didn''t you worry before?"


    Wang Chunhua deted, "I didn''t see him get hurt before."


    Seeing the cut this time, she became afraid.

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94


    Sometimes, certain things need to be brutallyid out in front of you before you can grasp their full significance. Wang Chunhua had never worried when Dong Shan went up the mountain every day and returned safely. But when she peeled back his clothes to reveal that still-bleeding wound, the stark reality hit her hard. Her heart tightened at the sight, fearing not only for his current injury but also for the possibility of future harm elsewhere.


    Seeing her usually carefree sister with a hint of fear on her face, Li Mingwei couldn''t help but feel sorry for her. She reached out and embraced Wang Chunhua. "Is your husband ignoring you?" she asked.


    "Mm." Wang Chunhua pouted. "He hasn''t spoken to me for days, just goes up the mountain every morning."


    "Is he healed?" Li Mingwei inquired.


    Wang Chunhua shook her head. The wound still looked deep, indicating that recovery wouldn''t be easy.


    Li Mingwei felt increasingly anxious. Going up the mountain with an injury was even more dangerous. She couldn''t help but scold Wang Chunhua, "Sis, why didn''t you try to stop him? If something happens to your husband again, what will you do?"


    Wang Chunhua felt the urgency too, but since he wasn''t paying her any attention, she couldn''t muster the courage to confront him.


    Li Mingwei felt exhausted dealing with these two stubborn individuals. If only they could channel their stubbornness in the right direction.


    After finding out the mountain peak Dong Shan frequented, Li Mingwei waited for him at the intersection after sses. She hoped to mediate between them.


    As the evening darkened and Dong Shan was nowhere to be seen, Li Mingwei thought he might have chosen a different path that day. Just as she was about to leave, Dong Shan called out to her.


    "Sis, what are you doing out here sote?" he asked.


    "I was waiting for you," Li Mingwei replied, her gaze falling on Dong Shan''s left hand. Not noticing anything unusual, she asked, "Did my sister say you were injured?"


    Dong Shan instinctively touched his arm and then shook his head. Reluctantly, he rolled up his sleeve to show her.


    Though the wound had begun to scab over, it still looked severe and Li Mingwei couldn''t help but gasp. No wonder Wang Chunhua had been so terrified; what she had seen must have been even more gruesome.


    "How did you get hurt like this?" Li Mingwei asked.


    "It was from a tree branch," Dong Shan replied casually. "It''s fine now, nothing serious. If I were afraid of this, I wouldn''t be a hunter."


    "But you chose to be a hunter because you didn''t have any other options," Li Mingwei pointed out.


    With nond, no family, and no education, all he had was his rtively strong physique. Compared to being aborer, being a hunter was riskier but more profitable.


    Dong Shan smiled. "Are you here to convince me not to go up the mountain again?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. "I''m not. Your decisions are your own. I just hope you two can sit down and talk calmly. This deadlock serves no purpose other than wasting time."


    Dong Shan felt frustrated too. "Your sister ignores me, what can I do?"


    "Huh? My sister says it''s you who ignores her."


    "I don''t know what''s wrong with her. Every time I try to talk to her, she just snorts and turns away. Lately, she''s been sleeping in Lei''s room. How can I deal with her?"


    Dong Shan felt unfairly treated!


    Li Mingwei clenched her fists. Just as she thought, how could her brother-inw ignore her sister for so long? She shouldn''t have believed her nonsense.


    After calming down a bit, she asked, "So, what does my brother-inw think about this?"


    "I still want to go up to the mountains," Dong Shan affirmed. Leaning against a nearby tree, his originally rough voice softened slightly. "I''ve had enough of being poor. I just want to earn more money. There are many expenses at home now, and I can''t afford to quit this job."


    When Dong Shan''s father was sick, he went door to door borrowing money. Who knows how many disdainful nces he endured just to gather enough money, only for his father to pass away anyway. The doctor said they arrived toote.


    As long as one is human, who can guarantee they won''t fall ill? He didn''t want anyone else in his family to get sick in the future, unable to afford even medicine.


    "Although farming can bring some profit, it''s still notparable to hunting. Hunting is risky, yes, but farming also faces the risks of droughts and floods. If you can''t nt crops this year, where will Lei''s school feese from next year?"


    Li Mingwei nodded in understanding. Whatever one does, there''s always a chance of sess or failure. Sometimes, everyone is just gambling. If it works out, everyone is happy; if not, they cry together.


    "But the problem now is that your sister worries about you, afraid that something might happen to you. Let''s not talk about the worst-case scenario, but what if, what if you end up like Yun Sister''s husband, unable to do heavy work anymore? What will your sister and the children do?"


    "I''m not asking you to make a choice right now. I just want to tell you that you have your worries, and your sister has hers. Your worries contradict each other right now, so you should sit down and discuss if you can find a solution that both of you can ept."


    Dong Shan slouched his shoulders, closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed deeply and nodded. "Alright, I''ll go back today and talk to your sister properly."


    "Okay, but brother-inw, please don''t do this kind of thing again, going up to the mountains in anger with injuries."


    "Okay, okay."


    Dong Shan scratched his head. Even at his age, he still felt a bit embarrassed to be scolded by his younger sister.


    After they finished talking, it was already dark. Dong Shan was worried about her safety alone, so he escorted Li Mingwei back to the Liu Family''s house first before turning back home to discuss with Wang Chunhua.


    The couple had a heartfelt conversationte into the night. Although they didn''te up with a solution immediately, they reconciled. Wang Chunhua also felt relieved, and her mood improved a lot.


    Thinking that this matter shouldn''t be dyed, she decided to go to the Liu Family''s house to find Li Mingwei and brainstorm some ideas.


    "Chunhua, Chunhua, where are you going?"


    A woman caught up with her from behind and tapped her shoulder.


    Wang Chunhua turned around. "Aunt Lin, I''m going to see my sister. Where are you going?"


    "Sister? You mean that sister who married into the Liu Family?"


    "Yes."


    Aunt Lin frowned. "You''d better not go to her. I don''t think she''s a good person."


    Wang Chunhua immediately wore a displeased expression and retorted, "Aunt Lin, my sister hasn''t done anything wrong. How can you say such things about her?"


    If it weren''t for the fact that Aunt Lin usually had a good rtionship with her and had helped her a lot, she would have been scolding her by now.


    "Aunt Lin wouldn''t deceive you!"


    Seeing Wang Chunhua''s expression, Aunt Lin nced around and pulled her into an alley, saying, "I''m doing this for your own good. Do you know what your sister has been up to behind your back?"


    "She''s trying to get involved with your man!"


    "Impossible!"


    Wang Chunhua absolutely refused to believe this. Her sister was not that kind of person.


    "I''m telling you, I saw it with my own eyes. Yesterday evening, when your man came homete, your sister cornered him near the town entrance. They whispered for who knows how long, and in the end, your man even escorted her back."


    "No!" Wang Chunhua realized there was a misunderstanding and quickly exined, "Yesterday, I had a disagreement with Dong Shan. When my sister heard about it, she went to help me talk to him. That''s what happened."


    "Is that so?" Aunt Lin scrutinized her for a moment, skeptical. "You and Dong Shan actually had a disagreement?"


    "Aunt Lin, in married life, there are always ups and downs. We had an argument, and my sister helped me talk to him. We''ve already reconciled now."


    "Fine." Aunt Lin reluctantly believed her but added, "Make sure you know what''s really going on in your heart."


    Wang Chunhua...


    What a colossal misunderstanding!

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95


    One morning, Wang Chunhua looked at her with apologetic eyes. Li Mingwei couldn''t figure out what her sister had done to apologize to her.


    "Sis!"


    "Sigh~"


    Wang Chunhua sighed, feeling guilty for tarnishing her sister''s reputation again. Her sister was married now, and having a bad reputation wouldn''t do her any favors.


    Li Mingwei grew impatient with the silence. "Sis, what''s wrong? Just tell me if something''s bothering you."


    Wang Chunhua couldn''t bring herself to say it out loud, so she found a way around it. "I just need your advice on something."


    It was about whether to buynd and whether Dong Shan should continue going up the mountain.


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment and said seriously, "It''s probably impossible to stop your husband from going up the mountain. You should prepare yourself for that."


    Dong Shan had told her the same thingst night, so Wang Chunhua already had an idea. "I know, my husband told me."


    "But I think buyingnd is a good idea. Don''t worry about making money from it. Just grow enough food for your family, nt some grains and vegetables, be self-sufficient, and you won''t have to rely on your family for gifts every year."


    "Yes," Wang Chunhua agreed wholeheartedly. She felt awkward receiving gifts from her family, especially since they had many mouths to feed.


    "My husband said you haven''t cultivatednd for a long time. I''m worried you''ll be too tiredter on and won''t be able to handle it. Maybe start with a small plot."


    "Okay, I''ll follow your advice." It had been seven or eight years since she married into Dong''s family, and she hadn''t cultivatednd since then. She remembered how exhausting it was back home.


    Li Mingwei agreed and told them to discuss it further with her. Since her mother-inw knew many people, she could ask around the town or nearby viges if anyone was sellingnd, as long as it wasn''t too far away.


    With money in hand, Dong Shan didn''t refuse the idea of buyingnd. Even if they only grew vegetables, it would be beneficial, as seeds were much cheaper than buying vegetables.


    Once he agreed, Li Mingwei immediately asked Old Lady Wang, "Do you know if anyone nearby is sellingnd?"


    "Sellingnd?" Old Lady Wang pondered for a moment. She hadn''t heard of anyone doing so but said, "I''ll ask around when I go to buy groceries tomorrow. What kind ofnd do you need?"


    "Land for growing vegetables," Li Mingwei replied.


    Old Lady Wang took a deep breath and patiently exined, "There are different types ofnd for growing vegetables¡ªsome are poor, some are thin, and some are fertile. The things you can grow and the prices vary."


    Li Mingwei felt that fertilend would be better and said, "We want fertilend, preferably closer to town."


    Old Lady Wang rolled her eyes. "Even more fertile? Are you buying meat?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t say much about it, but the next day, she went to inquire about thend. Surprisingly, she found a piece close to the town, although not fertile, rather thin. With a bit of fertilizing with manure, nting vegetables would surely work.


    Although it wasn''t the most fertile, finding a piece so quickly impressed Li Mingwei. She decided to take Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan to have a look.


    It was indeed close, just a hundred meters from the eastern town entrance, across a field, square and quiterge. Having recently harvested wheat, there were still stubbles. Wang Chunhua was satisfied.


    However, she didn''t make an immediate purchase. Wang Chunhua examined thend and raised some concerns, saying they would think about it and decideter.


    Li Mingwei wasn''t familiar withnd prices and asked, "Is it expensive?"


    "A bit. If it were more fertile, the price would be reasonable. But for this less fertilend, it''s overpriced. He''s confident because the plot is square, that''s why he''s asking for a high price."


    Li Mingwei was puzzled, "What''s the use of it being square? It needs to be fertile to be useful, right?"


    "It just looks pleasing. Imagine, a vast piece all belonging to me. It''s a joyful thought!"


    Wang Chunhua was overjoyed as if she already owned thend. Li Mingwei couldn''t grasp her happiness, quietly turning away to observe Dong Shan negotiating with the seller in the distance.


    Wang Chunhua noticed and mockingly called out to Dong Shan, "What are you still doing there? Aren''t you going back?"


    The seller saw Dong Shan responding to her and was about to leave. Eventually, theypromised, agreeing to a slightly lower price. Despite not meeting Wang Chunhua''s expectations, they settled on a deal. Dong Shan went back to get a string and a three-foot ruler. They measured the length, calcted the area, andpared it with the simple description in thend deed. The measurements were close enough, and they agreed to meet tomorrow in town with Mr. Liu as a witness.


    Li Mingwei didn''t want Mr. Liu to be involved in this, apart from writing couplets.


    Wang Chunhua insisted, "Mr. Liu is the town mayor elected by the public. If he doesn''t do it, who will?"


    "I''ve never heard you mention him before."


    "He prefers us to call him Mr. Liu."


    Fine, she preferred the mayor; it sounded more formidable.


    Leading the way, Li Mingwei crossed the field back to the main road. She noticed a person standing in the distance, looking in their direction. She tiptoed, finding him somewhat familiar, and walked a few steps forward.


    Isn''t that Liu Yizhu?


    Wasn''t he supposed to return tomorrow?


    Li Mingwei rushed towards him, and Liu Yizhu took a few steps forward to meet her, lifting her and teasing, "Not bad, a bit heavier than before."


    "Really? But I''ve been eating moretely. Your mom cooks really well."


    Liu Yizhu raised an eyebrow, "Not your mom?"


    "Why are you always so nitpicky?" Li Mingwei nced back at her sister and brother-inw, still a bit far away, then took out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the sweat from his forehead, saying, "Tired?"


    "I''m not tired." He smiled at Li Mingwei, reaching out to tidy up her disheveled hair. "What were you up to just now? Your hair is all over the ce."


    ncing at the thread and ruler in Dong Shan''s hand, he asked, "Taking measurements?"


    "Yes, my sister just bought a piece ofnd," Li Mingwei said, linking her arm with his. "She''s so happy, she even said she''d treat me to dinner."


    "You go ahead. I need to go back and freshen up first. I''ll pick you upter."


    Li Mingwei nced at the damp patches on his clothes and called out to Wang Chunhua, hurrying to take him back to change. Being sticky was too ufortable.


    "It''s so hot this afternoon. Why note back tomorrow morning instead?"


    "It''s all the same."


    Old Lady Wang was surprised to see her son back so soon, but when she nced at his daughter-inw next to him, she wasn''t surprised anymore.


    She greeted him, "Why are you back so soon?"


    "I finished ss early."


    Old Lady Wang nodded, whether she believed it or not was uncertain. She boiled water for Liu Yizhu to wash up and prepared two more dishes.


    Li Mingwei called him in for dinner, only to find him holding the etiquette manual she had drawn herself. She felt a bit guilty and hurriedly went up to cover it.


    Liu Yizhu wasughing at the chubby, rosy-cheeked dolls with lotus arm and winter melon belly depicted on it when she snatched the booklet away.


    "Why did you think of making this? nning to teach it at the school for children?"


    A group of children would probably love it.


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips. "It''s for Mother."


    Liu Yizhu: ???

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96


    Li Mingwei hazily half-opened her eyes. It was still dark in front of her. She thought it was still early and was about to go back to sleep. But she found that the other side of the bed was already empty, and when she reached out, that half of the bed was cold, indicating that he had been up for a while.


    She struggled to stretch her body and rolled over twice in bed, rolling to the edge of the bed. She lifted the bed curtain a small gap, and it was already bright outside. She squinted slightly and looked at Liu Yizhu sitting at the desk.


    "It''s sote?"


    "It''s still early. The sun is high today."


    One look told her it was another sunny day. Liu Yizhu retracted his gaze and poured a cup of hot water to sit on the edge of the bed. He had just heard Li Mingwei''s voice was a little hoarse and wanted her to moisten her throat.


    Li Mingwei took a few sips and cleared her throat, resting her head on hisp, "You got up so early just to read my etiquette book for kids?"


    "You drew it veryprehensively."


    Chang Li had probably studied it too, but Li Mingwei''s booklet even had what rituals to perform for sacrificial offerings and praying for rain. It did broaden his horizons.


    Seeing her eyes closed again, seemingly not fully awake, Liu Yizhu gently ced his hand on her arm, "Do you want to sleep a little longer? I''ll call you when it''s time to eat."


    Speaking of eating, Li Mingwei''s eyes popped wide open immediately. She pouted and said unhappily, "Let me make a bet with you."


    Liu Yizhu frowned slightly, "Bet on what?"


    "Bet on whether we''re having porridge or noodles for breakfast today. I bet it''s porridge. If you lose, you have to buy me candy."


    Liu Yizhu directly announced the result, "You win."


    Li Mingwei pinched him, "We haven''t bet yet! How did I win?"


    Liu Yizhu said helplessly, "We always have porridge at home in the morning."


    There was no need to bet at all. She had already won for sure.


    Li Mingwei said indignantly, "We ate noodles after you left!"


    Finally Liu Yizhu realized what she was betting with him. He had never liked noodles, so they were rarely made at home. His mother had probably changed to noodles for her after he told his mother that she didn''t seem to like drinking porridge.


    But now he had returned.


    Liu Yizhu suddenly felt amused. He stroked Li Mingwei''s hair, "Then even if you win, you lose."


    Li Mingwei let out a dissatisfied huff. Just then, a knock sounded from outside, followed by Old Lady Wang''s voice, "Son, is your daughter-inw awake yet? It''s time to eat!"


    Liu Yizhu responded, "Alright, mother. What are we eating today?"


    "Porridge!"


    "Okay."


    Liu Yizhu turned his head and met Li Mingwei''s aggrieved gaze. She fiercely pinched Liu Yizhu''s thigh. She just knew, "I win!"


    "Yes, you win."


    Liu Yizhu let go of her and went to the desk. He took out a paper package and handed it to Li Mingwei. When she opened it, it turned out to be candy.


    "When did you buy this?"


    "A few days ago."


    On their wedding day, he saw that all the dates and red dates in the room were untouched, except for a few candy wrappers on the desk, so he figured she liked them. When he saw some being sold on the street, he bought some on a whim.


    Li Mingwei looked at him for a moment, but didn''t say that most of the candy wrappers were left by Sister Yun who had eaten them. She had just boredly eaten one herself.


    She smiled and hooked his neck to stand up, rubbing against him, "Alright, time to get up."


    After the meal, Liu Yizhu was going to apany his mother to buy groceries. He gestured to Li Mingwei to bring her etiquette book.


    Old Lady Wang saw her son still reading while helping her start the fire and hurriedly shooed him upstairs to the school or into the yard. She could do it herself.


    "No need." Liu Yizhu turned a page and showed it to her, "It''s just a picture book for kids, just casually looking."


    "Picture book?" Old Lady Wang walked over to him. Indeed, it was full of little cartoon kids. She was puzzled, "You''re a grown up, why are you still looking at picture books?"


    "It''s for learning etiquette, not just looking at the pictures." Liu Yizhu closed the book casually and handed it to Old Lady Wang, "Read itter, mother."


    "Me? I can''t read!"


    "Learn some etiquette. In the future if I be an official and take you out, if you don''t bow or bow incorrectly when we meet superiors, who knows what they''ll think."


    "You''re right!" She was free anyway, mustn''t dy her son. Old Lady Wang wiped her hands on her apron and hurriedly took the book, "Mother will learn right away."


    "When I''m not home, go find Mingwei if you can''t understand something." He paused and tentatively said, "You and Mingwei are getting along fine, right?"


    "It''s fine, don''t worry, I haven''t forgotten anything you told me."


    "Is that so?"


    Although they both said they were getting along fine, Liu Yizhu was still somewhat skeptical because his mother''s attitude towards Mingwei had been quite unfriendly before. But at lunch, when he saw his mother reach across him and put the steamed egg directly in front of Li Mingwei, he finally believed a little.


    It seemed they really were getting along well. Liu Yizhu felt very gratified.


    Old Lady Wang nced at her daughter-inw, then at her son. Oh no, she was used to it and forgot her son was here today. Embarrassed, she withdrew her hand. It would be inappropriate to move it now, so she could only hastily scoop severalrge spoonfuls into Liu Yizhu''s bowl.


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes. She knew it!


    She stretched her chopsticks to take another dish, then said, "Sister Chunhua came this morning and asked us to go eat dinner at their home tonight."


    Earlier today, the couple had gone to find Mr. Liu to sign the contract and retrieve the deed. After many years, the Dong family finally hadnd again, so Dong Shan also wanted to celebrate a little and invited their whole family over for dinner tonight.


    Since it was Old Lady Wang who had asked someone about the seller of thend, they should also thank her.


    When they said they were going to the Dong family, Mr. Jin put down his chopsticks and looked at Li Mingwei, "Dong Lei''s homework has been a bit ck recently. You used to supervise him doing it, right?"


    "Yes."


    Not since marrying into the Liu family.


    Mr. Jin suggested, "Then this afternoon you can go take a look."


    She didn''t even need the afternoon. After eating, Li Mingwei went upstairs and took out all of Dong Lei''s homework from the past few days. Hisprehension was stuttering but still normal for learning, but she couldn''t stand his handwriting.


    In ss he wrote so neatly, but as soon as he got home it became a mess, with the strokes all disorganized. This child probably just wanted to hurry up and finish so he could go out and y.


    Li Mingwei was angry.


    Good! It seemed he couldn''t do it without supervision after all.


    Li Mingwei collected all his homework and blocked Dong Lei at the door after ss, "Going home?"


    "Yeah." For some reason, Dong Lei seemed a little guilty meeting her gaze. He lowered his head, "Auntie, you''re not going home?"


    "I am. Auntie ising over for dinner at your home today. Let''s go together."


    "Great!"


    Dong Lei happily jumped up and held her little hand as they walked home,pletely oblivious to what he would suffer next.


    Li Mingwei nced at the unaware child, gripping the papers in her other hand tighter. Still so happy, let''s see if he''ll still be happyter. He really needed to be dealt with.

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97


    Li Mingwei was still angry, but she still had some sanity left. She was a married woman now, so when she went home for dinner, she should still bring some gifts. So she took Dong Lei to the shop to buy some snacks.


    Chen Jie weed them enthusiastically as usual. After they had chosen, he packed them up one by one for them. His eyes fell on Dong Lei, "There''s still one more day of ss tomorrow, then you''ll have seven days off to go crazy and have fun again."


    Dong Lei grinned, showing all his white teeth.


    Every year, apart from going to County Town to buy stationery, Mr. Jin would probably only leave Qingshi Town on the anniversary of his parents'' deaths. In a few days would be the anniversary of his father''s death, so he had to go back to his hometown to pay respects, taking up the children''s month off, which would be given altogether at the end.


    When his son had just told him about this, he had also smiled crookedly just like Dong Lei.


    Li Mingwei patted Dong Lei''s head and told him to restrain himself a little. This was not a happy asion. Dong Lei put away his smile and pursed his lips, pleasingly taking the snacks from her to help carry them.


    The two of them returned to the Dong family. Wang Chunhua came out to meet them. Seeing only Li Mingwei alone, she asked, "Where are Liu Schr and your mother-inw?"


    "They haven''te yet?" Li Mingwei unconsciously nced back and exined, "After they ate, they went to the mill to grind flour. They probably haven''t finished yet."


    "It''s alright, it''s still early now." She took the snacks from Dong Lei''s hands, rather unhappy, "You''re still so polite with me."


    Li Mingwei just smiled slightly, not answering her. Wang Chunhua took out all the snacks and put them on tes, so that they could eat someter when the others arrived.


    "If it''s still early, let''s go and do homework first."


    Dong Lei obligingly went to the backyard to set out the paper and writing brush, and also carried over a stool for her to sit on and watch him.


    Li Mingwei took a turn around the backyard, randomly picking up a small stick. Seeing that he was still quite well-behaved writing, she sat down beside, but did not take out his homework from the past few days. Today she just wanted to see if there was any difference when she was present or not with this child.


    Liu Yizhu came in from outside. Seeing them having ss, he did not want to disturb them. He talked with Dong Shan in the main hall for a while. Only when he heard Dong Lei happily say that he had finished writing did he go into the yard to take a look.


    He walked behind Li Mingwei and keenly sensed a hint of danger in her mood. His eyes fell onto Dong Lei''s homework in her hands. These words were clearly taught by her, not bad.


    "It looks fine to me. How can Mr. Jin say he was being negligent?"


    After all, Dong Lei had only been studying for more than a year. There must be inadequacies. Were Mr. Jin''s requirements so high now?


    Li Mingwei gave a coldugh. She went to the main hall to take out his homework from the past few days and pped it on the table. She gestured for Dong Lei to open it, then spread out his homework from today beside.


    She tapped the table with the small stick and angrily said, "Come, tell me yourself, what''s the difference!"


    Dong Lei shuddered, not daring to speak.


    Wang Chunhua ran out from the kitchen very quickly, "What''s the matter? What''s the matter?"


    Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she looked towards Dong Shan by instinct. Dong Shan met her gaze and exined, "Teacher Jin said Lei''er has been rather negligent recently. My sister-inw..."


    "What!" Wang Chunhua shouted loudly and rushed up to tug at her son''s clothes, "What''s going on with you, how did you get negligent?"


    Dong Lei was even more afraid. He knew very clearly in his heart about what he had done, but he just bit his lips and did not dare admit it.


    Liu Yizhupared the pieces of homework and already understood in his heart. He gently patted Li Mingwei to calm her down a little, and made an excuse for the shivering Dong Lei, "Alright, it''s normal for him to asionally be unable to concentrate at this age. I was about the same when I was studying."


    He moved next to her ear and lowered his voice, "You can scold him againter. Don''t anger your sister."


    Only then did Li Mingwei raise her head to look at Wang Chunhua. Seeing that her face was already pale, she knew that her sister had always valued the children''s studies. She softened her mood and joked, "Sister, it''s nothing. I was just trying to scare him to make him more obedient. Why did you run over so quickly?"


    Wang Chunhua was a little suspicious. "But Teacher Jin said..."


    "It''s not that serious either. They''ve just started learning this. asionally not being able to do some questions is normal. When I''m home, if he can''t do it, I''ll exin it to him. Of course it won''t be as good as before since I haven''t been around these past few days."


    When she said this, Wang Chunhua immediately believed it. It was true that Li Mingwei taught Dong Lei questions every day in the past. Although these days she would also apany Dong Lei to do homework, she was just apanying him and couldn''t help him at all.


    Wang Chunhua twisted her apron, embarrassed as she looked at Li Mingwei. Li Mingwei understood and said to Dong Lei, "From now on, juste upstairs first after school and finish your homework before going home."


    Dong Lei nervously picked at his fingers, silently nced at his mother, and nodded.


    Li Mingwei bent down and stroked his head, gently saying, "Also, during this seven day vacation, bring your paper and writing brush to me. Redo all the homework from the past few days. If you don''t finish, then don''t even think about going out to y."


    "Ah?" Dong Lei made a bitter face. His eyes reddened and he almost cried out in grief, "Auntie~"


    "What is with that shout!" Dong Shan pped him hard on the back, ring at him, "I paid such expensive tuition for you, and you didn''t shout that loudly. What''s the big deal about some homework?"


    He pinched Dong Lei''s face and seeing that his eyes were still red, he got even angrier, "Are you even a man? Writing some words makes you want to cry!"


    Dong Lei uncertainly wiped his face. It was dry. He stubbornly shook his head, "I didn''t cry!"


    "You still dare to talk back!"


    Dong Shan picked him up and carried him to the front yard.


    Li Mingwei sat in the main hall, eating snacks while enjoying the sight of Dong Lei doing a horse stance. She even provocatively raised her eyebrows at him. Her meaning was very obvious - let you skimp on your studies, you deserve this!


    Dong Lei was just about to lose his bnce. He wanted to ask for help, but seeing her treat him this way instead, he got so angry that he directly turned around and squatted facing the other direction.


    "Did I tell you to move?" Dong Shan strode over and picked him up, "No need to squat anymore."


    Dong Lei was overjoyed.


    "You love moving so much, then jump around the yard tenps. Hurry up!"


    Li Mingweiughed loudly as she watched Dong Lei continuously hopping around the yard. Laughing, she asked Liu Yizhu, "Don''t you think Lei''er looks just like a little frog?"


    A slow, fat little frog!


    Liu Yizhu helplessly nodded, "Yes, like one."


    He reached out and wiped away the leftover crumbs from the corner of Li Mingwei''s mouth, saying, "That angry?"


    Li Mingwei let out a breath and pped away the snack crumbs in her hand. She lowered her eyes without saying anything.


    How could she not be angry? Ever since she came to the Dong familyst year, Dong Lei''s writing had always been taught by her, except for that one month plus when she went to Xinghua Vige. It had been almost half a year where she would always find time to apany him in practicing writing. She was not saying it was tiring, but she had sincerely wanted to teach him well.


    But looking at his recent homework, in just two or three days after she left, he had already started goofing off, clearly able to write well but insisted on being a bitzy. She really wasted so much of her efforts!


    Just you wait, there''s more suffering waiting for him!

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98


    Dong Lei held hispleted homework in his palms and respectfully handed it to Li Mingwei. This was hisst assignment to make up, and soon he could finally go out to y.


    Li Mingwei turned her head and met his eager, shining gaze, hmphed, then took the paper from him, carefully inspected it, found no ws, and set it aside.


    Dong Lei asked eagerly, "Auntie, how is it?"


    "It''s alright."


    "Auntie, can I go out to y now?"


    He had already made ns with his friends on where to go, but this make-up work had taken several days, and his hand was sore from all the copying.


    "Yes, Auntie will take you out to y."


    Although he didn''t really want to y with Auntie, at least he could go out. Dong Lei nodded, agreeing, "Okay."


    Li Mingwei got up, went to the courtyard to bid farewell to Old Lady Wang, then left. The two, one big and one small, left the town and soon arrived at thend recently bought by Dong''s family.


    Old Lady Wang had cultivated some radish seedlings in the backyard and wanted to move some over to nt. These days, Dong Shan had been plowing thend, and now there was a small patch ready. They estimated it was enough, so today they decided to bring over some seedlings to give it a try.


    Actually, the weather wasn''t very suitable for nting vegetables now, but they had bought thendte and had no choice. They couldn''t just wait until next year to nt, so they decided to nt some casually to see how it would go.


    Dong Shan fetched water from the nearby stream, pouring it onto the ground in buckets. He nned to wait for thend to soak up the water before digging holes to nt the vegetables.


    Wang Chunhua was sorting out the seedlings in the shade of a tree. When she saw theming, she quickly called them over to sit down.


    "Why are you two here?" She looked at Dong Lei, pulled him over, and asked sternly, "Is your homework done?"


    "Sis, it''s done. I came over to see if there''s anything I can help with."


    "What help could you possibly offer!"


    Wang Chunhua found a few leaves, spread them on the ground for Li Mingwei to sit on. Dong Lei felt hot and wanted to go y by the water, and since it wasn''t very deep, and his dad was there, Wang Chunhua didn''t refuse, letting him go.


    Li Mingwei watched her sort the seedlings and couldn''t help but lend a hand, only to be pushed away, "It''s all muddy."


    "Just wash it off."


    Li Mingwei wasn''t too concerned about this, so she helped sort the seedlings while watching Dong Shan pour water. "It''s so hot. Will these vegetables survive?"


    "Let''s give it a try." Wang Chunhua pointed to the patch of ground at Dong Shan''s feet and drew a circle. "I''ve seen it. Your brother-inw plowed this small piece ofnd. It gets some sun in the morning, but once it''s noon, the sun is blocked by the bamboo forest behind, so it won''t get too hot."


    "I have nothing else to do anyway. When it gets too hot, I''ll quickly pick some leaves from here to cover them. It should be fine. We''ll still get some harvest."


    For the sake of nting these vegetables, Wang Chunhua had squatted here for many days. If they seeded, that would be great; if not, at least they would gain some experience for next year. It had been many years since she and Dong Shan had nted anything, so they didn''t expect it to be perfect on the first try.


    "By the way, aren''t you here to help?" Wang Chunhua pointed to the nearby grove of trees. "I''ll nt the vegetables in a while, and you and Xiao Lei can help me pick some leaves to shield them. Since they were just nted, the roots are not stable yet, so we need to be careful."


    "Alright."


    Li Mingwei agreed, calling back Dong Lei, who was ying with water, to join them in picking tree leaves. It wasn''t a random selection; they had to specifically findrger pieces.


    Dong Lei, uninterested in this activity, spread his small hands andined, "Auntie, there aren''t that many big leaves. I only found a few."


    "Yeah."


    Li Mingwei looked around and set her gaze on a cluster of banana trees on the other side of the stream. She went back, fetched a sickle, and cut a few leaves. After slicing them into smaller pieces, she arranged them neatly on the seedbed.


    Though it was just cutting leaves, in the hot weather, Li Mingwei still broke a sweat. Wang Chunhua finished digging the seedbed and returned to find Li Mingwei''s forehead damp, her face flushed. Wang Chunhua quickly took a leaf and fanned her, helping her up from the ground and directing her to sit on the side.


    "Your brother-inw is going to fertilize; you should go a bit farther."


    "Fertilize again?"


    "Yeah, we have to. We don''t have any at home, so we buy it from the family across the way."


    Li Mingwei sniffed the indescribable odor in the air and walked further away. She still wanted to eat dinner tonight.


    While Wang Chunhua nted vegetables, Dong Shan fertilized, and Dong Lei covered leaves. The family of three worked together, quickly finishing this small piece ofnd. Dong Shan wanted to take Dong Lei to swim by the stream, while Wang Chunhua packed up her tools and went over to sit with Li Mingwei.


    She sat down on the ground with a sigh. "I need a break too."


    Li Mingwei wiped the sweat off her face and used a leaf to fan herself. Wang Chunhua smiled as she looked at her. "You worked hard today."


    "I didn''t do much. It''s boring at home, soing out for a walk is good."


    Wang Chunhua thought about it and agreed. Liu Yizhu wasn''t around, and the school was on break, so she spent the day with Old Lady Wang. Probably not much conversation happening there.


    Wang Chunhua nudged Li Mingwei. "Liu Sucai onlyes back once a month. Don''t you miss him?"


    "Why would I miss him?"


    "You''re just being stubborn."


    Dong Shan was with her every day. Except for when he went away for about ten days during the spring and autumn harvests, she would miss him then. They were newlyweds, seeing each other only once a month was quite frustrating.


    Li Mingwei hugged Wang Chunhua''s arm, leaning on her. Suddenly, she sighed, "There''s nothing I can do. He has to study. It''s nice being with my mother-inw every day now. Besides work, she cooks for me every day and sometimes even insists on doing myundry, making me feel a bit embarrassed."


    Wang Chunhua couldn''t believe it. "Wow, Old Lady Wang is that good?"


    Not only couldn''t she cook, but when she was at Dong''s house, Li Mingwei used to wash her clothes herself. Wang Chunhua only asionally helped when she was busy.


    "You don''t believe it either. She used to dislike me a lot, but now I said I wanted to learn how to cook from her, and she tly refused, saying I''d be a burden and hinder her."


    "Her mouth is still the same."


    Wang Chunhua had never really interacted with her mother-inw, but she had encountered quite a few neighbors. Some treated her like their own daughter, while others seemed to be sworn enemies. ording to her sister, Old Lady Wang was rtively decent.


    "Pay no mind to what she says. Actions speak louder than words."


    Seeing her sister looking a bit unhappy, Wang Chunhuaforted her, "Just be patient. I heard Old Lady Wang say he''s well-educated. Once he establishes himself, you''ll be secure."


    "Sigh."


    Wang Chunhuaughed at her sister''s expression, "Weren''t you just arguing with a tough front? Now you''re sighing."


    Li Mingwei snorted, "It''s not for him. He''s only been gone for a few days. I''m heading to the county town in a few days, and I''ll see him then."


    "Going to the county town? Just to see him?"


    "No." Li Mingwei nced at Wang Chunhua, making a request, "I told you, don''t tell Aunt Meng."


    With that remark, Wang Chunhua knew it had something to do with Yun Sister. However, ever since they returned and Aunt Meng found out about the man''s disability but still married Yun Sister off, Wang Chunhua distanced herself from Aunt Meng. Today, Xiao Yan was even sent to Aunt Lin''s house.


    Wang Chunhua, free from any burden, gleefully eximed, "Spill the beans, spill the beans."


    "Yun Sister asked me to apany her to a medical appointment."

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99


    Wang Chunhua had known Yun Sister longer than Li Mingwei. When she heard that Yun Sister was sick, she immediately became worried. She tightly grasped Li Mingwei''s arm, "What''s wrong with her?"


    "She didn''t say what illness she has, just mentioned feeling unwell. I''m afraid it might be something serious. She asked me to apany her and said she would find a chance toe out and let me wait for her in the county town."


    Li Mingwei was also somewhat worried when she received the letter because the handwriting wasn''t Qing Yang''s. She was either hiding it from Qing Yang or from her family who wrote her the letter. Not specifying the difort and being so secretive about it made her wonder.


    "When did she tell you?"


    "A few days ago. She made a date with me for the tenth. She left early in the morning, estimating that I should wait for her at the city gate."


    Today was the sixth, still four days to go.


    "This is not good." Wang Chunhua''s heart sank. It would have been better if they knew what illness it was. Just saying she''s sick out of the blue without any exnation would make anyone worry.


    Wang Chunhua couldn''t shake off her concerns. Early on the eleventh, she went to the Liu family''s house to apany Li Mingwei to the county town to see Yun Sister. Li Mingwei hesitated for a moment but still brought her along. Even though Yun Sister didn''t ask her to tell anyone, Wang Chunhua wasn''t one to talk much.


    The two arrived in the county town ahead of Yun Sister. Li Mingwei still booked two rooms in the inn next to the clinic they visitedst time. Yun Sister wouldn''t be able to return today after seeing the doctor.


    It was hot at noon, and they didn''t feel like wandering around after lunch. They went back to their rooms to rest. Wang Chunhua asionally peeked through the curtains, "Isn''t it almost time for the school to dismiss? Are you going to see your brother-inw?"


    "Not today."


    The school was a bit far from here, and Yun Sister would probably arrive around the same time. Besides, Li Mingwei wasn''t in the mood now. They should wait until they were sure Yun Sister was okay.


    The two watched the time and went to the city gate. They only waited for a short while before Yun Sister arrived, seeming to have left very early.


    As soon as Yun Sister saw them, she rushed over, and the three hugged tightly.


    Wang Chunhua was anxious, "What''s going on with you?"


    Li Mingwei looked around at the passing crowd, slightly calmer, "Let''s go back and talk."


    "Yes, let''s go back."


    Yun Sister kept her head down all the way and didn''t say a word until the three of them returned to the inn. Li Mingwei and Wang Chunhua nked her, and she started sobbing softly.


    "What''s wrong with you?"


    "I, I..." Tears kept flowing from Yun Sister''s eyes, her voice choked up, unable to say anything for a moment.


    Li Mingwei looked at therge bundle behind her, feeling a bit suspicious. Was such a big bundle necessary for a simple doctor''s visit? She stepped back a bit, covering her mouth, "You didn''t really listen to me and run away, did you? You said he still hasn''t changed?"


    Yun Sister looked up, her teary eyes pleading, "Yes, I couldn''t stay in that house any longer."


    She wiped her tears and threw herself into Li Mingwei''s arms, "I just wanted to say goodbye to you, I..."


    Wang Chunhua couldn''t bear to see her crying like this, taking forever to get to the point. Unable to resist, he pulled her, "So, what''s wrong with you?"


    "I''m not sick!"


    It wasn''t her who was sick; it was Qing Yang.


    Since Yun Sister married into the Wan family, she knew her inws cared a lot about having children. Just a month after she entered, her mother-inw took her to see a doctor. The doctor said there was nothing major, just prescribed some medicine for conditioning. She saw her mother-inw visibly relieved at that time.


    In fact, she could understand. Qing Yang was already like that, and they were hoping for a grandchild. Both of them were getting old, and with the substantial Wan family business, someone had to take over when they were gone.


    But several months passed, and Yun Sister''s belly showed no sign of life. Her mother-inw, unable to bear it, took her to see the doctor again. Still, no issues were found. They began to suspect Qing Yang, so they invited a doctor home under the pretext of checking his legs.


    "The doctor said he drinks too much, damaging..." Qing Yang had developed a bad habit of excessive drinking since his leg injury. Over the years, he would get drunk every now and then, unknowingly harming his body, making it difficult to conceive.


    Li Mingwei frowned, "This is his problem. What does it have to do with you? Do you despise him for being unable to have children?"


    "No, I don''t despise him. He doesn''t know about this yet."


    Her inws were afraid that he wouldn''t be able to cope if he found out, so they kept it from him.


    "What about you?"


    Yun Sister gritted her teeth, her whole body trembling slightly, and said with hatred, "They want me to bear a child for them."


    In Yun Sister''s heart, there was only Qing Yang. Naturally, she couldn''t conceive a child with another man behind his back.


    Wang Chunhua jumped up and cursed, "How could there be such a shameless family! Shameless!"


    The three of them squeezed into one room, one crying, one cursing, and one coldly silent, all the way until it was dark.


    The people next door, who were initially enjoying themotion, couldn''t bear it anymore.


    "What are you doing, arguing and crying? You won''t let others sleep! You''ve been noisy all afternoon. Keep it up, and I''ll report you to the authorities!"


    Wang Chunhua instantly covered her mouth. She didn''t want anyone outside to hear her. It was embarrassing. She looked at Li Mingwei.


    Li Mingwei was uncertain, "It''s fine; he didn''t see your face."


    Even if he did, nobody knows anyone. There''s nothing to worry about.


    She looked at Yun Sister, who had calmed down a bit, and asked in a low voice, "Are you nning to leave now? Have you thought about where to go, and do you have enough money?"


    "I haven''t decided yet." Yun Sister didn''t want to stay in the Wan family, but she was afraid that her inws might resort to some sinister trick to force her to do that thing. She was alone and weak, probably unable to resist. So, she took advantage of her mother''s birthday to run away.


    "I just thought of leaving that cursed ce first. As for the rest, I''ll take it one step at a time. Anyway, I can''t go back home. If they don''t see me back in a couple of days, they''ll definitely go to my house looking for me."


    Li Mingwei nodded in agreement with her thoughts. She couldn''t help but think, if someone could deceive her son, what else were they capable of? Yun Sister staying might end up causing her losses.


    "Have you considered telling Qing Yang about this?"


    Yun Sister shook her head. Qing Yang''s temperament was such that if he found out about this, he might react just as their inws feared and end up dying.


    She had heard that when he first injured his leg, he had also contemted suicide.


    "Why does he have such bad luck?" Yun Sister couldn''t help but feel sorry for him. "He was doing so well in his studies, about to take the imperial examination. His teacher said he had a good chance of passing. But then, while helping his father carry firewood up the hill, he identally fell and became disabled."


    "Now, this kind of thing is happening to him again. How can I tell him? It''s like asking him to die."


    Li Mingwei and Wang Chunhua exchanged a nce, knowing that Yun Sister couldn''t let go of Qing Yang. Seeing her like this, they guessed she wouldn''t go far, so they''d better find a ce to settle her first.

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100


    Letting Wang Chunhua apany Yun Sister to sleep, Li Mingwei went downstairs to the front desk to renew the room for two more days, spent money to buy paper and wrote a letter, and asked the buddy to find someone to send it to Qingshan Vige.


    Qing Yang came faster than she had imagined. He hired a car and appeared at the inn gate shortly after noon on the third day. He didn''t sit in a wheelchair today, but leaned on crutches. Li Mingwei asked the buddy to help him into the room.


    Qing Yang nced at the empty room and still went in. Li Mingwei was just a woman and certainly wouldn''t do anything to him.


    He found a stool to sit on and said directly, "Where is Yun Niang? Didn''t you say she was sick?"


    Li Mingwei sat down opposite him and nodded. "She is sick, lovesick."


    "Lovesick?" Qing Yang frowned slightly, stared at Li Mingwei''s eyes, and hooked the corners of his mouth. "Are you trying to say that I made her sick?"


    "No, it''s your parents." Li Mingwei stood up and looked down at him. She was about to say something, but her gaze fell on his crutch. She realized that she was as worried about him as Yun Sister was.


    "My parents?"


    Qing Yang''s eyebrows wrinkled tightly. His parents had always treated her extremely well. How could they suddenly make her sick? He pondered for a moment, but he remembered that his mother had taken her to see a doctorst month. But they said she was fine when they came back.


    After a long pause without figuring out why, he had to look up at Li Mingwei, "Did you ask me toe here just to talk in riddles? If you have something to say, just say it directly."


    Li Mingwei was going to tell him directly. Seeing his attitude, if he chose to stand with his parents and wanted Yun Sister to do that, she would let Yun Sister leave him and find another woman to borrow seed to have children.


    If he stood with Yun Sister, she would go back and discuss with his parents to see if they should simply not want children in the future, or adopt a child, and then pick up Yun Sister to go back.


    But now, Li Mingwei walked to the window and looked down. It was the second floor. Jumping down probably wouldn¡¯t kill her. She took a deep breath and plucked up the courage. As she passed Qing Yang, she said, "Wait here."


    She knocked on the door of the next room, and Wang Chunhua let her in. "Where did you go?"


    "I..." She went to Yun Sister''s side and took her hand apologetically. "I saw that you were a little reluctant to part with Qing Yang, but also felt that this matter of yours couldn''t be dyed, so I took the liberty to call him here. He''s next door now."


    Yun Sister was shocked and gripped her hand tighter. "You didn''t tell him, did you?"


    "No." She chickened out a little.


    Li Mingwei told Yun Sister the two solutions she hade up with and let her make a choice herself. Yun Sister hesitated for a long time.


    "Or do you really want to run away? I see you''ve been staying here these two days and don''t seem to want to leave at all." She was going to leave at once when she made the decision. She immediately started nning. But Yun Sister was dragging her feet here. She could even sleep with them these two nights. At a nce, she was a little fake.


    Yun Sister was exposed. She was a little embarrassed. She wanted to get away from Wan Family and not be restricted by her parents-inw. She did think about going that far away. Qing Yang was still at home.


    "Oh! What should I do now? If I tell him..."


    "Then you just leave like that. He doesn''t know why. He may think you despise him for beingme too and run away. Maybe he won''t be able to bear it either." The possibility urred to her and Yun Sister covered her mouth. Then she would be even more guilty.


    "So, it''s the same. What''s bound to happen can''t be avoided."


    Li Mingwei took out a piece of candy from her arms and put it in her palm. "Go on. If you want to say something, then say it. If you don''t want to say it, you can say goodbye. Otherwise, you will never be able to leave."


    "Don''t worry. We are here. Call us if anything happens."


    Yun Sister gripped the candy tightly in her palm, took a deep breath, met Li Mingwei''s encouraging gaze, got up and walked out.


    Wang Chunhua, who had been silent all this time, went to the door and couldn''t help but eavesdrop on the voices next door. She sighed. "Just let her go over by herself? What if she gets caught and dragged back forcibly?"


    "You didn''t say anything just now. She''s already gone in." Li Mingwei rolled her eyes. Howe her sister was still nagging?


    "I thought you made perfect sense just now. After all, this Qing Yang is her husband. They must discuss anything thates up. So I didn''t say anything." But when she saw Yun Sister''s small, thin back as she walked out, she was afraid that if the two didn''t agree, although Qing Yang''s legs wereme, his hands were fine. Yun Sister definitely couldn''t beat him if he got violent.


    She couldn''t let Yun Sister suffer a loss.


    Li Mingwei saw that she was already stered to their door. She had a bad headache and quickly pulled her back. Listening was fine, but don''t be so tant. This was an inn. There were still people walking around outside.


    Wang Chunhua had no choice but to go back into the room and listen by the wall.


    Li Mingwei sat in the ce closest to the door with her arms folded, watching her gecko sister. If there was any sign of trouble, she was also ready to rush out.


    Time slowly passed. Wang Chunhua, who had listened till numbness, finally couldn''t stand it. She looked back and asked, "How long has it been?"


    "Half an hour."


    "That long?" Wang Chunhua twisted her neck, shook her arms and legs to get rid of the numb feeling in her body, and sat down beside Li Mingwei suspiciously. "Could they have fallen asleep?"


    Li Mingwei spread her little hand. "How would I know? I don''t have X-ray vision."


    But it really had been a long time. She opened the door and went to the door of the next room to listen like Wang Chunhua had. There was no movement at all. "Shall we knock?"


    Wang Chunhua directly reached out and knocked, then quickly hid back into the next room.


    Li Mingwei was stunned. She couldn''t believe that her sister, who loved and cherished her, had just done that. She was about to run back when the door opened.


    She could only awkwardly meet Yun Sister''s red-rimmed eyes and stutter, "I, I just wanted to see if you needed anything."


    Yun Sister shook her head, nced back at Qing Yang, closed the door, and pulled Li Mingwei back to their room.


    Wang Chunhua immediately came up to them. "What did he say?"


    Li Mingwei pushed her away angrily. "Sis, what were you doing just now, leaving me behind to run by yourself?"


    "Oh!" Wang Chunhua said embarrassedly, "Sis just went with the flow. Let''s not talk about this first. Let''s first ask Yun Sister what her husband said."


    Yun Sister lowered her head, but there was some smile on her face. "He said he would go back and discuss with his parents early tomorrow morning, thene back to pick me up and let me hang out with you for a few days first."


    Li Mingwei pouted.


    Wang Chunhua pped her. "What, are you still not satisfied? It was your idea."


    "A little. A question just urred to me."


    Previously she had only thought about how reluctant Yun Sister was to part from Qing Yang and forgot about her parents-inw.


    "Yun Sister, how will you get along with your parents-inw when you go back, after all, they..."


    Yun Sister smiled. "Don''t worry about this. He already has resentment in his heart. I have even more."


    "When he goes back, he will look for a house. We will move out to live alone then. It''s just that his parents are getting old and he''s the only child. His legs are inconvenient too. In case anything happens, so we won''t move too far. But I think it''s good enough. At least we don''t have to live under the same roof with them."


    Looking at her smiling face, Li Mingwei shut her mouth and swallowed all the words back.

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101


    No matter what, as long as she herself could ept it, Li Mingwei hadn''t really slept well these past few days because of her business, and since she and her husband had already discussed it, she also felt a little more at ease. She yawned andy down on the bed.


    Yun Sister went up and leaned against her. Seeing this, Wang Chunhua also squeezed over. The three crowded onto one bed, both tired and rxed.


    Wang Chunhua turned her head and looked into Yun Sister''s little red eyes, clicking her tongue twice, "Look at your little eyes, red as a rabbit''s."


    "Is that so?" Yun Sister reflexively rubbed her eyes. Without a mirror, she couldn''t see what she looked like.


    Li Mingwei grabbed her hand, "Don''t rub them, the more you rub the redder they''ll get. Close your eyes and rest for a bit."


    Yun Sister nodded. She didn''t want Qing Yang to see her like this either, so she took a pillow, turned over, andy down, intending to rest for a while.


    Wang Chunhua looked at her for a while, then suddenly leaned in close to Li Mingwei''s ear and said slowly, "Who knows why she''s so obsessed with that cripple next door who loves drinking too much. In our town, Qing, when he gets drunk, beats his wife. His wife couldn''t stand it either, so she ran away. Now no one is willing to marry him anymore, just an old bachelor."


    "He''s never hit me," Yun Sister opened her eyes, turned over to face Wang Chunhua, and spoke up for Qing Yang, "Even when he was drunk, he never hit me."


    Wang Chunhua saw that she hadn''t moved at all earlier, thinking she had fallen asleep. Now she was caught talking badly about her husband, she could onlyugh awkwardly, "Not bad, not bad. It seems he still cares about you in his heart."


    "I''m not trying to say that. I just feel he''s been getting better and better."


    From the initial avoidance to now finally being able to take a step outside, Yun Sister saw hope in him. No matter how he used to be, as long as he kept moving forward, she was willing to be with him.


    Li Mingwei nodded, "As long as you''re happy."


    Yun Sister reached out and tickled her. Li Mingwei dodged, "What are you doing? Isn''t what I said right?"


    "You''re right, but your tone isn''t!"


    Yun Sister pounced on her and they quickly tangled together. Li Mingwei was pinned under her, trembling as she reached out her little hand, "Sister, save me!"


    Wang Chunhua looked at Li Mingwei, who, although pinned below, could still tickle Yun Sister until sheughed and cried. She didn''t feel like she needed saving. She reached into her bag, groping around for some sunflower seeds, but there were none. She could only resignedly watch the show.


    Li Mingwei whimpered, "What sin did Imit to deserve this? I traveled so far toe help you, busy front and back taking care of things for you, and now I haven''t even found time to go see Liu Yizhu even once. And you treat me like this!"


    "Ungrateful!"


    Hearing herints, Yun Sister immediately let her go and got up, ncing out the window to check the time, "Do you want to go now? I''m fine now."


    Li Mingwei peered through the curtain Yun Sister had lifted up and saw how dark it was outside, "It''s sote, what''s there to do now? Let''s talk about it tomorrow."


    Liu Yizhu must have gotten off ss a while ago and was probably eating dinner in the dorms and reading now. If she went early tomorrow morning, she could even have a meal with him.


    Anyway, they weren''t in a hurry to go back right now. Even if Qing Yang went back tomorrow and was able to make arrangements, it would be at least the day after tomorrow before he came to pick her up. If the arrangements didn''t work out, or if they had to look for a house, it would probably be even longer. They couldn''t just abandon Yun Sister here alone.


    Gurgle~


    Wang Chunhua''s stomach rumbled very timely, and Li Mingwei and Yun Sister looked at her simultaneously.


    "Shall we go eat?" Seeing Wang Chunhua nod, Li Mingwei looked again at Yun Sister, "Should we call your husband toe along?"


    Yun Sister nodded and walked out the door. Wang Chunhua hurriedly climbed off the bed to stop her, anxiously saying, "Is there anything I should be careful of when talkingter? Anything about his leg I shouldn''t bring up? I''m worried my mouth will identally offend him."


    Everyone was still feeling a little unhappy right now, and this was the first time the two of them were meeting. Wang Chunhua really didn''t want to say the wrong thing and make everyone feel worse.


    Yun Sister reassured her, "It''ll be fine. He''s very easy to talk to, just ask Li Mingwei if you don''t believe me."


    Li Mingwei choked a little, her face showing an awkward smile, "Yup, yup, he''s pretty good."


    Wang Chunhua didn''t detect anything off and took her words at face value, the corners of her mouth turning up in a smile, "Then that''s good, that''s good. I haven''t met your husband yet. Would be bad, bad, to offend him right off the bat."


    As she spoke, she was even starting to look forward to it, "What does your husband look like? Is he good looking?"


    "I think he''s quite handsome," a touch of shyness appeared on Yun Sister''s face.


    On the trip to marry him, she had wondered what he would look like¡ªbig face, egg head, fat pig¡ªshe had imagined the worst possibilities, so she was even a little pleasantly surprised when the veil was lifted at the wedding and Qing Yang''s delicate features appeared before her eyes.


    It''s said that love makes even an ugly woman beautiful, seeing her shy little expression, Wang Chunhua didn''t want to take her word for it. She turned and blinked at Li Mingwei, "Is that so?"


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment and gave an objective evaluation, "He''s pretty decent, very fair-skinned."


    Not normal fair, but a sickly white, giving a somewhat weak impression from afar, though his temperament and looks were vastly different.


    If both girls said he was decent, then naturally he must be decent. Wang Chunhua looked at Yun Sister knowingly, "So you were captivated by his good looks, that''s why you''re so devoted, huh?"


    Yun Sister turned away, somewhat ufortable. It was true she had endured his temper at first because of his face. Butter, after more time together, it wasn''t only because of that anymore.


    Her face flushed red and she looked unhappily at the grinning Li Mingwei, "And what about you? You didn''t fall for looks either!"


    Li Mingwei shook her head again and again, "Nope, actually that wasn''t it at all, though there was a tiny bit."


    "Then what? That he''s well-educated and has prospects?"


    "No no no, neither of those."


    Seeing her profound and unfathomable manner, Wang Chunhua and Yun Sister''s interest was piqued. They didn''t hurry off to eat and instead came up on either side of her, hooking her arms, "Then what was it?"


    "Tell us, tell us."


    Wang Chunhua pinched her, "You used to always say you didn''t like him. I don''t even know when you changed. Come clean!"


    Li Mingwei was swayed left and right by them. Helpless, she nodded, "I''ll tell, I''ll tell."


    She smirked, "Will you believe me if I say I like that he''s silly?"


    The two immediately let go of her hands and tutted. They''d have to see a ghost before believing that.

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102


    Li Mingwei knew that even if she told them, they wouldn''t believe her. She impatiently looked at the two disapproving faces in front of her and said, "Believe it or not, I''m going to eat now."


    As she was about to get up, both hands reached out and pulled her back. With some force, Li Mingwei was thrown onto the bed. She opened her eyes wide, unable to believe what she was seeing, and shouted, "What do you want!"


    The two quickly helped her up, apologizing, "Sorry, sorry, I didn''t see that Chunhua Sister (Yun Sister) was also pulling you. We used too much force, hope you''re not hurt."


    She wasn''t hurt from the fall. The inn''s bed, though not very soft, had a nket to cushion the impact. Besides being a little startled from falling back, Li Mingwei felt fine.


    She sat up, adjusted her clothes, and nced at the two, "You two are quite in sync."


    Wang Chunhua and Yun Sister smiled at each other, unable to contain their curiosity.


    Li Mingwei realized that women were all like this, just like her mother-inw, who insisted on going out early in the morning to buy groceries and chat with everyone she met.


    When she returned, she would share everything she learned that day and have a conversation with her. She might even know more about the happenings in Qingshi Town than Wang Chunhua.


    After being stared at by the two for a while, Li Mingwei felt a bit embarrassed and had to confess, "Actually, it''s nothing much. It''s just that before the New Year, I taught him the qin for about half a month."


    "On the first day, he asked me how long he could practice every day, and I told him to let me know if his hands hurt."


    Li Mingwei had been ying the qin for over ten years, and even she asionally felt ufortable after ying for a long time. She thought that as a beginner like Liu Yizhu, even if he had tougher skin, he couldn''t endure for too long. There was no need to force him to practice for too long; if his hands hurt, he could take a break.


    After all, mastering the qin was not something that could be achieved in just a day or two.


    "I saw that his fingertips were red, so I asked if it hurt. He insisted that it didn''t. I don''t know if he really likes ying the qin so much, or..."


    Or if he was just enduring it to spend more time with her.


    Only when she showed signs of fatigue or exhaustion would he admit that his hands hurt.


    Then the day''s lesson woulde to an end.


    She thought he was a bit foolish.


    Wang Chunhua recalled that during that time, the girl would leave after lunch and return quitete, taking one or two hours. She touched her own fingertips, "Liu Schr really worked hard! ying for so long in a day, his hands must be very sore."


    "No, I did let him rest in between. Otherwise, his hands would have been ruined long ago."


    Yun Sister teased, "So, you were already feeling sorry for him back then?"


    "I wasn''t, I didn''t," Li Mingwei raised her head proudly, and was the first to walk out of the room. She knocked on the next door, and Yun Sister immediately stopped teasing her, rushing to the door to greet Qing Yang.


    She linked arms with Qing Yang, gently inviting him, "We''re going to eat, would you like to join us?"


    Qing Yang nced at the cold-faced Li Mingwei and the slightly excited Wang Chunhua, silently nodding his head.


    Yun Sister immediately smiled even more happily. She carefully supported Qing Yang as they walked ahead, while Li Mingwei closed the door behind them. She turned to see Wang Chunhua still motionless, lightly nudging her, "Let''s go."


    Wang Chunhua snapped out of it, also linking arms with her, whispering, "Look at Yun Sister''s helpless appearance."


    "You don''t need to worry about her, she''s happy."


    But eating was the priority, and she was starting to feel a bit hungry now.


    Qing Yang paid for two more days of their room rent, then they left the inn together. It was dinner time, with peopleing and going on the street. He only took a few steps before someone looked at him.


    Yun Sister, seeing his bad expression, felt a bit concerned. She directly pointed to the nearest restaurant, "Let''s eat there."


    "I''ve eaten there before, it''s not good," Li Mingwei blurted out, only then noticing Qing Yang''s difort. She paused, forced a smile, and changed her tune, "It''s also fine, in case you guys like it."


    Yun Sister hesitated for a moment, but Qing Yang shook his head directly, "Our tastes should be simr, let''s try another ce."


    "But you..." Yun Sister wanted to persuade him, but Qing Yang held her hand, she frowned, closed her mouth helplessly, and said no more.


    Considering that he might really be ufortable, Li Mingwei didn''t take them too far, and randomly chose a clean-looking storefront nearby to enter.


    At the dinner table, Wang Chunhua saw Yun Sister constantly serving Qing Yang food, but he didn''t respond. She felt annoyed, thinking that this guy looked good, but why was he so clueless. She lightly kicked Li Mingwei and gave her a few meaningful nces.


    Li Mingwei misunderstood, immediately warmly serving her some food too, "Sis, you should eat more."


    Wang Chunhua''s face instantly darkened, how could even her sister not understand her.


    After dinner, she pulled Li Mingwei ahead, walking quite a distance before whispering to her, "Am I missing your food that much? I''m just upset that Qing Yang doesn''t seem to care about Yun Sister. She served him so many times, but he never responded."


    "Sis, serving food doesn''t necessarily mean caring, right?"


    Li Mingwei argued, "He hasn''t been out for so long, I sent him a letter saying Yun Sister was sick, and he came right away. It shows he cares about Yun Sister too."


    "Today he was willing toe out to eat with us, which is quite rare. Look at the people passing by, who doesn''t nce at him. If he minds, it''s normal to feel a bit ufortable. Don''t overthink it."


    "If he really treats Yun Sister poorly, could she bear to leave him like this?"


    Such matters are like drinking water, one knows best whether it''s cold or warm. They don''t know the full picture, so it''s not right to judge.


    Wang Chunhua grumbled, "Your husband would never act like this."


    "Husband is husband, Qing Yang is Qing Yang, they''re different."


    Li Mingwei chuckled and embraced Wang Chunhua, "Sis, not everyone is as lucky as you to meet someone who clicks right from the start. Let things progress naturally, let them adjust slowly."


    Wang Chunhua''s gaze shifted past Li Mingwei to Yun Sister, who was slowly approaching them with Qing Yang''s support. She couldn''t deny that Li Mingwei had a point, but she couldn''t help but feel a bit sorry for Yun Sister.


    Before getting married, she had to take care of her younger siblings at home. Finally getting married, she now had to look after her disabled husband, and it was truly exhausting.


    Despite her worries, when Yun Sister reached her, Wang Chunhua immediately put on a smile and greeted her.


    Yun Sister returned the smile and then turned to Li Mingwei, who was still standing in ce, staring into the distance, looking puzzled. "Why are you standing here and staring at nothing?"


    "The clinic." Li Mingwei pointed to the location of the clinic at the intersection and continued, "The clinics in the city are different. They are open all night, with doctors on duty every evening. Inside, there are separate little rooms, so you don''t have to worry about others seeing you."


    "It''s different in our town, just one big room where the doctor sits in the lobby to diagnose..."


    As Li Mingweiined, she pulled Wang Chunhua along without looking back, indicating that the hint had been given, and whether to go or not was up to them.

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103


    On the fourth day since arriving in the County Town, Li Mingwei finally found time to visit Liu Yizhu. Calcting the timing, she arrived at the academy''s entrance just before his ss ended. Since the academy didn''t allow outsiders, she had to ask the gatekeeper uncle for assistance.


    Hiding behind arge red pir at the academy''s entrance, Li Mingwei peeked out, and as soon as Liu Yizhu emerged, he spotted her.


    He smirked, strolling over to the pir, teasing, "Am I seeing things, or did the pir grow a head today?"


    Caught in the act, Li Mingwei found it rather dull and walked out, greeting him, "Long time no see, fool."


    Liu Yizhu remained unruffled, "Indeed, long time no see, madam."


    ncing at the gatekeeper uncle behind him, he led her to a nearby alley to talk.


    Having not seen each other for over ten days, Liu Yizhu had missed her a bit. He pulled Li Mingwei into his arms, holding her tightly for a while before releasing her hand.


    He reached out to tidy up her disheveled hair, then asked, "Why are you here? Missed me?"


    "And by the way, when did I be a fool again?"


    Li Mingwei chuckled, "Guess, if you''re clever, you''ll figure it out."


    "Alright, fool it is," Liu Yizhupromised. Unable to guess, he asked again, "Why are you here? Missed me?"


    Li Mingwei pouted, "Missed you? You''re thinking too much. I came to shop, happened to have some time, so I generously dropped by to see you."


    Amused by her words, Liu Yizhu pinched her shameless little face, "You truly are a living bodhisattva."


    He withdrew his hand, speaking seriously, "Honestly, whye to the County Town? Any family matters?"


    "None."


    Yun Sister''s affairs were tooplicated; Li Mingwei didn''t want to divulge too much. She simply told him she made ns with Yun Sister and Older Sister Chunhua to hang out.


    Hearing this, Liu Yizhu nodded knowingly, "No wonder."


    Li Mingwei hesitated, "No wonder what?"


    "No wonder I''ve be a fool again. You three must have whispered some bad things about me."


    "None," Li Mingwei denied emphatically, trying to please him as she leaned against him. She raised three fingers, saying, "I swear, didn''t say anything bad about you."


    "You''re trying to deceive me, but I was raised by my mother."


    When he was young, Old Lady Wang took him wherever she went. He heard more gossip than he had salt to eat. Married women gathered, either cursing their husbands, mother-inws, or asionally scolding children¡ªnothing good was ever said.


    He snorted lightly, "You three huddled together, didn''t you discuss me and Old Brother Dong?"


    Li Mingwei pouted, wanting to skip this topic, "I''m hungry."


    Helpless, Liu Yizhu didn''t press further, "What do you want to eat?"


    "How aboutmb soup?"


    It had been a while since Li Mingwei hadmb soup, and she still had a faint longing for its taste.


    Lamb soup in this weather?


    Although a bit out of season, Li Mingwei still nodded, "Alright, but I''m not sure where we can find it nearby. We might have to look around."


    "Okay, let''s go then."


    Li Mingwei''s hand slid down his arm, interlocking her fingers with his, pulling him as they turned to walk out of the alley.


    Liu Yizhu didn''t move, pulling her back. Li Mingwei looked at him bewilderedly, "What''s wrong?"


    "I suddenly remembered something." Liu Yizhu lowered his head, meeting her gaze, "Did Older Sister Chunhua once call me ''mutton soup''? Was that your doing?"


    If Li Mingwei hadn''t mentioned mutton soup today, he probably wouldn''t have remembered this incident.


    It was a few months ago when he met Wang Chunhua on the street. He was about to bow when Wang Chunhua waved her hand and greeted him with "mutton soup." At that time, he was still wondering about mutton soup, and then she changed to calling him Liu Xiaocai.


    Li Mingwei thought for a long time before vaguely recalling that she might have described him like that to Older Sister Chunhua. She tightened her grip on Liu Yizhu''s clothes,ughing uncontrobly in his arms.


    What was her Older Sister Chunhua up to? Why was she still calling out random things?


    Seeing her like this, Liu Yizhu knew she had done something mischievous again. He pretended to frown, "I knew it. When you gather together, who knows what you''re talking about? One moment it''s silly, the next it''s mutton soup."


    "So, what does mutton soup mean?"


    Li Mingwei suppressed herughter, her head bumping against his chest, "Why would I want to eat mutton soup?"


    "Because it''s delicious?"


    "So, am I delicious?" Liu Yizhu felt something odd about that.


    Li Mingwei looked at him disdainfully, "So, you''re silly. Of course, it''s because I like you that I would drink it!"


    "So, you do like me?"


    Had she liked him even back then?


    Liu Yizhu''s lips curled up slightly. He caught up with Li Mingwei, who had quietly run away, and held her hand, taking her to search for mutton soup all over the street.


    After circling around, they found that there wasn''t any near the academy, and the previous ce was too far away. Li Mingwei didn''t want to go, suggesting trying somewhere else.


    Liu Yizhu looked at her eagerly, "Are you trying to rece me?"


    Li Mingwei raised her hand and pped him, "Yes, rece you, change your name."


    She pointed to the nearby restaurant, "From now on, you''ll be called Full vor Residence."


    Liu Yizhu nced at the sign and thought it wasn''t bad. He led her inside, saying as they walked, "Let''s taste it first before changing. If you don''t like it, I''ll still call it mutton soup."


    There was no mutton soup at Full vor Residence, which disappointed Liu Yizhu a bit. But since they were already there, they ordered some random dishes. Tomorrow was their day off, and they had plenty of time to eat mutton soup.


    After dinner, Liu Yizhu went back to the academy to get some books and returned to the inn with Li Mingwei. Wang Chunhua, understandingly, grabbed her little bundle and was about to sleep next door to Yun Sister.


    Liu Yizhu talked to her for a few words and learned that they had been staying in the county town for several days. He squinted at Li Mingwei, feeling quite magnanimous!


    It took them four days just to spare him a nce!


    Li Mingwei felt a bit guilty and followed Wang Chunhua next door to avoid disaster.


    Yun Sister chuckled, "Why did youe over here instead of staying with Schr Liu for a while?"


    "It''s all because of Sister Chunhua, she let it slip right away." Li Mingwei lightly scolded Wang Chunhua, leaning in next to Yun Sister, "I couldn''t tell him about your situation, I just said we came to stroll around, but ended up wandering for four days before I went to find him. I just came here to hide and wait for him to kill me."


    Wang Chunhua finally realized she misspoke, "I didn''t mean to imply that you didn''t tell him."


    Yun Sister smiled and replied nonchntly, "It''s okay, you should tell him. Schr Liu is not someone who talks recklessly, don''t let misunderstandings arise between you."


    "It''s not a big deal, just a misunderstanding."


    Li Mingwei looked at Wang Chunhua, "Sister, do you n to wait with me for Qing Yang to pick up Yun Sister before heading back together? You''ve been out for four days."


    Wang Chunhua shrugged, "It''s been four days, a couple more won''t hurt. I had someone bring a message to your brother-inw, so he can stay home and look after the kids, instead of going up the mountain in this scorching weather."


    She lifted Li Mingwei off the bed and pushed her out the door, "Take care of yourself, stop worrying about me. Come on, get out, don''t hog my half of the bed. If you want to lie down, do it back where you came from."


    Li Mingwei pouted, "Sister, you don''t care about me anymore, you just want me to go back and die."


    "If I don''t care about you, someone else will, now go!"

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104


    Li Mingwei was driven out and had nowhere to go. She cautiously knocked on the door, the faint knocking sound echoing her humble heart. Liu Yizhu heard the almost imperceptible sound and set down his book, uncertainly opening the door to take a look.


    He gave her a quick nce, then turned and walked inside. Li Mingwei closed the door and followed him, asking, "Are you angry?"


    Liu Yizhu picked up his book again without looking at her, his tone devoid of emotion, "No, what''s the use of being angry? Will being angry make you tell me everything you''ve been hiding from me?"


    Li Mingwei felt a surge of resentment. She took the book from his hands, sat on hisp, pinched his face, and exined, "It''s about the little girl''s matters, it''s not something I can easily tell you. I came to see you right after I finished my tasks."


    Liu Yizhu pushed her forward slightly to make her sit morefortably before asking, "I''m not interested in the little girl''s matters. I just want to know why you suddenly decided not to go back."


    Li Mingwei didn''t want to tell him about this. She leaned down, kissed him on the lips, smiled at him in a coquettish manner, but seeing his still displeased expression, she bit him yfully.


    Liu Yizhu grabbed her arm and pushed her away, coldly saying, "That trick doesn''t work on me anymore!"


    Li Mingwei rarely teased him like this, so she broke free from his grasp and pounced on him. Liu Yizhu caught her wandering hands, endured for a moment, and finally admitted that what he said earlier was nonsense, then picked her up and threw her onto the bed.


    He pressed down on her, and Li Mingwei rolled around to avoid him, giggling, "My trick never fails."


    Liu Yizhu clenched his teeth, pulled her back, and firmly held her, not giving her a chance to escape again.


    Looking at the sleeping figure in his arms, Liu Yizhu tucked her in with the nket, sighed deeply, realizing that she didn''t want to tell him, but he would eventually find out.


    As for Yun Sister''s matters, even Wang Chunhua couldn''t resist asking, so it must be quite serious. Li Mingwei didn''t want to talk about it, and he didn''t ask, only reminding them to stay safe, as they were three women alone.


    He lifted her up as usual, gauging her weight, and advised, "Eat more when you go back. Next time Ie, you should be heavier than today."


    Li Mingwei nodded, watching him enter the academy before leaving with Wang Chunhua and Yun Sister.


    Back at the inn, they continued to wait for Qing Yang. Yun Sister spent her days peering out the window, Li Mingwei paid the room fee day by day, and when Wang Chunhua couldn''t wait any longer and wanted to return first, Qing Yang finally arrived.


    He apologized, "Finding a house in the vige wasn''t easy. The good ones are all upied, so I found a slightly inferior one and had it repaired, which took some time and dyed me a few days."


    "It''s okay," Li Mingwei nced at Wang Chunhua, who had already packed up, and said, "Since you''re here, let''s go back."


    "Sister, wait for me, I''ll pack up my things and go with you in a moment."


    Yun Sister quickly stepped forward to help her tidy up, feeling extremely reluctant: "Thank you so much this time. If it weren''t for you all apanying me, I wouldn''t know what to do. When we part this time, I don''t know when we will meet again."


    Wang Chunhua patted her: "Don''t be so polite with us. Juste back to visit us whenever you miss us. If not, write us a letter, and we''ll meet in the county town."


    Yun Sister looked back at Qing Yang standing outside the door. Qing Yang nodded at her, and she smiled: "Alright, I''ll have Qing Yang write you a letter when the timees."


    Li Mingwei didn''t have much stuff, and she quickly finished packing. She declined Yun Sister''s offer to apany them to the city gate, bid farewell to the two, and hurried home.


    They had been out for quite some time, not knowing how things were at home. Wang Chunhua was worried about the children, and Li Mingwei was also concerned about Old Lady Wang.


    The door of the Liu family was not closed tightly. Li Mingwei gently pushed it open and peeked inside. She saw Old Lady Wang crouching in the main hall like a toad. She called out softly, "Mother, what are you doing?"


    Old Lady Wang was startled, quickly got up from the ground, patted the dust off her and greeted her: "You''re back. I was practicing etiquette."


    Li Mingwei''s gaze fell on the etiquette manual on the ground. She didn''t know what Liu Yizhu had given her, but since he leftst time, Old Lady Wang had been pulling her to learn etiquette every day. She didn''t expect her to be so diligent when alone at home.


    "Oh, you''re learning well."


    Old Lady Wang picked up the book from the ground, with a smile on her face: "Right, I also think I''m learning well. I kneel just like it says in the book."


    She patted the book, put it back in her arms, and took the bundle from Li Mingwei''s back: "Are you hungry? Is there any dirty clothes in the bag?"


    "Not hungry, just a bit hot."


    "Then I''ll boil some water for you to wash up?"


    Seeing her nod, Old Lady Wang went to the backyard to fetch firewood to boil water.


    Li Mingwei found a clean set of clothes, took the dirty clothes from the bundle, and carried them into the bathroom to prevent Old Lady Wang from washing them againter.


    After washing up and hanging the clothes, she leaned against the kitchen door, watching Old Lady Wang kneading dough. She should be cooking noodles for her. "Need any help?"


    "No, no, you go out. It''s hot in the kitchen. You''ll wash upter, wasting water."


    Li Mingwei was already used to her way of speaking. Even though the intention was good, she always had to add thatst sentence. She pulled a chair and sat under the eaves, picked up a fan next to the stove, fanning away the heat.


    Then she conversed with Old Lady Wang inside the house: "Mother, I went to see Liu Yizhu a few days ago. He said he topped the exam again a few days ago and asked how you were at home."


    "Topped the exam again." Old Lady Wang smiled, her hands moving faster. Her son was really promising. Sheughed, "What can I do at home? Just tell him to focus on his studies."


    "That''s what I told him."


    "That''s good."


    Old Lady Wang quickly cooked a bowl of noodle soup for Li Mingwei, urging her to eat while she headed out with a fan in hand.


    Li Mingwei knew she was off to brag to the group of olddies outside about her son''stest achievement, ranking first in something. Without paying much attention to her, Li Mingwei finished her meal and took advantage of the cooler evening to visit the academy.


    Having skipped sses for quite some time, she knew she owed Mr. Jin an apology. He looked at her disapprovingly and said, "You promised to return after a day or two, then it became every other day, and now it''s been so many days."


    Frustrated, he mmed the table, "You have the audacity toe back!"


    Realizing her mistake, Li Mingwei humbly apologized, "I''m sorry, sir. There were unforeseen circumstances. If you don''t believe me, ask Sister Chunhua."


    "Sister Chunhua returned with me. She has a child, and if everything was fine, would she leave her child for so long?" Mr. Jin retorted.


    Although Mr. Jin had heard from Dong Lei that Li Mingwei''s mother hadn''t been hometely, he remained skeptical. He stood up, took out several books from behind him, and ced them in front of her, saying, "These are the books they''ll be studying next year. Since you don''t like the cold of winter, make good use of this warm weather and catch up."


    Li Mingwei widened her eyes, wondering how long it would take to copy all of these!

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105


    Carrying a stack of paper home, Li Mingwei was thrown into the nightmare of copying books again. She estimated that with her speed, it would take no less than a month to finish. Just thinking about it made her hands go weak.


    Right then, the female embroiderer Yu came to the door. Since Li Mingwei was not going to the embroidery workshop to get work, she directly brought the work to her door.


    Li Mingwei stared with wide eyes. These two were really afraid she could not earn money. Did they know she went to the county and had little cash left?


    Wang Chunhua came looking for her several times, either to see her embroidering or copying books, thinking she was short on money and desperately trying to earn more. When she went home, she brought some over to Li Mingwei.


    "Sister, why are you giving me money?"


    "You covered my stay in the county for so long. I should share the burden since I also stayed there."


    Li Mingwei pushed the money back to her, "No need. Don''t stand on ceremony with me. You know I still have money."


    Only then did Wang Chunhua recall this. How could her sister be short of money? She put the money back in her bosom and looked at Li Mingwei''s busy hands, "Then why are you hurrying to copy books and embroider every day? You don''tck money. Isn''t this tiring?"


    It was a bit tiring, but with work piled up, Li Mingwei felt ufortable not doing it. She wanted to finish it quickly.


    She wiped the sweat from her forehead, put down the pen and took out a letter from the drawer, "Sister Yun wrote that the Wan Family over there wants to adopt a child for them. She doesn''t know if she should ept it. Qing Yang said to ask her."


    She had no experience in this. Her mother said she was unwilling to adopt a child. She didn''t want to raise another''s child. But she and Sister Yun were different. So she decided to ask Wang Chunhua.


    "Which family is the child from? Are they close rtives? Why are they willing to let the child be adopted? Did she exin everything clearly?"


    Wang Chunhua fired questions rapidly, leaving Li Mingwei dazed. She looked over the letter again and answered Wang Chunhua''s questions one by one.


    "The rtionship is quite close. The child is also surnamed Wan from their vige. Their family is not as wealthy as the Wan Family. But they have several sons and said they could give the youngest to them for adoption."


    "How young is the child?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. She didn''t know. The letter didn''t say.


    "It would be fine if the child is around one year old. After raising the child for a while, they would be familiar. But if the child is three or four years old, he would have memories. No matter who raised him, he would remember. Since they are from the same vige, if he runs into his birth parents every day, wouldn''t he be raised for others?"


    No matter how big, a vige was still limited in size. Who wouldn''t know about such a big matter? When the child grew up and understood things, hearing gossip about his birth parents, what if he went back to them?


    Wang Chunhua had given birth to and raised two children. She was clear what children did at each age. She asked Li Mingwei to reply to them that they must adopt a young one, the further away the better.


    Li Mingwei held the pen, unable to write. "They want to adopt so the child will have the Wan Family bloodline. Adopting one from far away would not have the Wan surname."


    "Adopted or not, what''s it matter if he''s surnamed Wan? Bring one back and change his name, then he''ll be surnamed Wan."


    Wang Chunhua urged her to quickly write and tell Sister Yun not to adopt from so close, where the family was not wealthy. What if the child''s birth parents whispered in his ear when he grew up to send money back home? It would be better to adopt one from far away who could not send anything back even if he wanted to.


    Li Mingwei stared at Wang Chunhua for a long time before following her words to write the reply, adding at the end that it was Sister Chunhua''s opinion.


    After finishing the letter, she put it in an envelope, sealed it and Wang Chunhua left, not wanting to disturb her further. She took the letter to find someone to deliver it.


    Just as she wanted to pick up the pen to copy more books, she felt a trace of fatigue. Putting down the pen, shey on the bed and stared nkly at the canopy above.


    Old Lady Wang came back from outside and saw Li Mingwei lying asleep on the bed. Just as she wanted to close the door for her, Li Mingwei turned her head and called out, "Mother."


    "You''re not asleep?" Old Lady Wang walked in quietly and saw the books and writing materials on the desk. She figured Li Mingwei was tired and advised, "Money can''t be earned in a day or two. Our family is not wealthy but not so poor we urgently need money. Don''t take so many jobs if you''re tired."


    Li Mingwei didn''t know how to exin that this was both a job and a punishment. Whether she wanted to take it was not the question. Mr. Jin was angry so she had to bear it.


    She sighed and pointed to the embroidery basket next to the desk, "Mother, I embroidered a handkerchief for you too. Go take a look if you like it."


    "What''s the need for you to make me things at my age? Where would I use such stuff!" Old Lady Wang said so but her feet kept moving towards it. She took out a handkerchief from the basket and looked at the bright yellow flowers on it, hesitating, "What flower is this?"


    "Chrysanthemum."


    Meaning longevity.


    "How''s this different from the ones I saw on the mountain? The yellow is the same but the ones on the mountain were so small. Yours is huge!"


    Old Lady Wang kept murmuring with the handkerchief. Li Mingwei turned to look and saw her smiling, knowing she liked it. Shey back down and gradually fell asleep amidst Old Lady Wang''s fussing sounds.


    Not getting a response for so long, Old Lady Wang looked up to find Li Mingwei had fallen asleep. She tucked the handkerchief into her bosom, gently covered Li Mingwei with a quilt and left.


    Then for several days after, there was an extra fried egg in Li Mingwei''s bowl.


    When Liu Yizhu came back on break and saw the egg in her bowl, he subconsciously nced at his own bowl which had none. Thinking his mother had served the wrong bowl, he was about tough when Li Mingwei said, "I told you, this one is mine. Mother''s already been bought over by a handkerchief from me."


    Liu Yizhu was still doubtful when Old Lady Wang hurriedly came out with a small bowl. She put the fried egg from the small bowl into Liu Yizhu''s bowl, "Mother forgot you were back. I just fried one for Mingwei. Here, this is yours."


    Seeing him in a daze, Old Lady Wang urged, "Don''t just stand there, eat while it''s hot."


    Liu Yizhu nodded.


    Li Mingwei saw Old Lady Wang return to the kitchen. She picked up the egg in her bowl and took a bite, happily swinging her head, "I told you this one is mine."


    This was the first time Liu Yizhu was forgotten by his own mother. Looking at the egg and noodles in his bowl, he had mixed feelings. His mother not only forgot he was back, she even forgot he didn''t like noodles anymore.


    But he was still more happy that they were getting along so well. He smiled, "My wife is so capable to have won over Mother so quickly."


    Li Mingwei proudly lifted her chin, "Of course. Mother is learning etiquette from me every day now. I''m half a gentleman to her."


    Liu Yizhu guffawed and pinched her chubby cheeks, deferentially saying, "Yes, yes, Mr. Li."


    When Li Mingwei recalled their first meeting, she nearly choked.

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106


    <Liu Yizhu> did not expect that when he came backst month, <Li Mingwei> was copying books, and when he came back this month, she was still copying books. He went forward and took the pen from <Li Mingwei>''s hand, "Let me do it."


    "No."


    <Li Mingwei> quickly snatched the pen back. If it was done in <Liu Yizhu>''s handwriting, Mr. Jin would recognize it at a nce. He would get unhappy again and make her copy even more books. She was just about to finish copying them.


    <Liu Yizhu> did not want to snatch it from her forcibly either, so he could only pull up a stool and sit next to her to fan her, as it was still a bit hot even though it was almost autumn.


    He observed <Li Mingwei>''s speed, which was much faster than before. She copied every day, but still hadn''t finished copying after more than a month. That shouldn''t be right. Was she dyed by doing embroidery work?


    Soon he realized why. Because as <Li Mingwei> was copying, she went to copy on the bed. She yawned, pulled the quilt, and fell asleep very quickly before <Liu Yizhu> could even react.


    "This..." <Liu Yizhu> looked outside. It was almost noon now, but it shouldn''t be time to take a nap this early, right? She copied books tootest night and didn''t sleep enough?


    Old Lady Wang finished cooking lunch and poked her head in from outside. Seeing <Li Mingwei> lying on the bed again, she was already used to it and directly ignored her, calling her son out to eat.


    "Son, let''s eat first."


    <Liu Yizhu> hesitated for a moment before going out. Old Lady Wang had already skillfully served rice and dishes for him, keeping them warm in the pot.


    He was a little worried, "Mother, has <Li Mingwei> been like this recently?"


    "Ah, I check on her from time to time, and she falls asleep. I told her not to copy anymore, but she wouldn''t listen. asionally she also takes some embroidery work. How is she not tired? When she finishes copying these books, she will probably be fine."


    Old Lady Wang had already asked Mr. Jin. There would be no more copying after she finishes these books.


    "Mr. Jin said that she is also afraid of the cold in winter, so it''s better to let her finish copying now to avoid her feeling worse in winter."


    <Liu Yizhu> thought about how she did spend most of the timest winter warming herself by Mr. Jin''s stove. After the meal, he went and bought some charcoal and brought it back to prepare for her. Since she is so afraid of the cold, these things still need to be prepared for her.


    <Li Mingwei> has no strength, and his mother is old, so he should do what he can with physicalbor.


    Carrying the charcoal back, <Li Mingwei> had woken up and was eating. After putting down the things, he washed his hands before finally having time to ask her.


    "Besides being sleepy asionally, do you have any other difort?"


    <Li Mingwei> shook her head, "No difort, just a little tired from copying books for too long. I''ll be fine after sleeping for a while."


    She stood up and hopped around, "Look at me, I can eat and sleep well, lively as a flea."


    <Liu Yizhu> hugged her and weighed her. Compared tost month, there seemed to be no difference. He frowned, "You didn''t grow at all in a month, but you can still eat a lot."


    "Really?" <Li Mingwei> touched her belly. It was still very t. It seemed that she didn''t gain weight. She pouted, "But I can eat a lot, howe I''m not growing?"


    She shouted to the kitchen, "Mother, don''t I eat a lot?"


    Old Lady Wang stuck her head out of the window, "Eat a lot? When have you ever been able to eat a lot? Tell me when you can eat half as much as me, then I''ll say you can eat a lot."


    <Li Mingwei> pouted and silently lowered her head to eat her food.


    Old Lady Wang took out two broken bamboo baskets from the kitchen, put the charcoal brought back by <Liu Yizhu> in them, and put them in the utility room forter use.


    As she walked out of the utility room, she picked up the carrying basket that <Liu Yizhu> had used and red at him, "My nice basket, you took it to carry coal, now it''s all ck and dusty, I have to wash it again."


    <Liu Yizhu> stopped chopping firewood, "Let me wash it for you."


    "I want you to wash it for me!"


    Old Lady Wang humphed twice and went to wash it herself.


    <Li Mingwei>ughed at <Liu Yizhu>. He also had a day of being scolded by his mother, haha!


    Seeing herugh so happily, <Liu Yizhu> couldn''t help but re at her to make her behave. <Li Mingwei> immediately raised her little hands, "I''ll help you chop firewood!"


    "<Liu Yizhu> mimicked Old Lady Wang''s tone, "I want you to help me chop!" <Li Mingwei> was amused beyond words. How cute he is!


    This made Old Lady Wang even more angry. She looked everywhere for a stick. It had been too long since this boy was disciplined. <Liu Yizhu> threw down the axe and ran over to pull <Li Mingwei>''s hand, "Run quickly, be careful of coteral damageter."


    <Li Mingwei> ran into the room with him and closed the door,ughing at him, "You''re still afraid of getting hit at your age."


    <Liu Yizhu> pinched her little nose, "You''re thinking too much. My mother has never hit me before. She just waves the stick to scare me."


    He walked to the desk, raised his eyebrows and said, "Let me copy for you for a while?"


    <Li Mingwei> kind of wanted him to copy, but was also afraid of being scolded by Mr. Jin, so her face was hesitant.


    "It''s fine, I''ll tell Mr. Jin before I leave tomorrow. He won''t say anything about you."


    "Okay then."


    Since he said it like this, <Li Mingwei> certainly went to rest without hesitation.


    <Liu Yizhu>''s copying speed was much faster than hers. Because he had copied these books so many times, he knew them backwards already. He didn''t need to look at the books and could just write directly. In just one afternoon, he finished copying what she had left.


    However, it was alreadyte, so they sorted everything and took it to Mr. Jin the next morning.


    <Liu Yizhu> went ahead and handed the things to Mr. Jin. Mr. Jin flipped through them and did not say anything, just took them. Only then did <Li Mingwei>e out from behind him.


    Mr. Jin smiled immediately, "What are you afraid of?"


    <Li Mingwei> stuck out her neck, "I''m not afraid!"


    Mr. Jin saw through but didn''t say it. He asked them to sit down and poured them tea, inquiring about <Liu Yizhu>''s recent situation at the academy.


    Then he said, "One of your fellow students is the son of the county magistrate, right?"


    "Yes, what''s the matter?"


    "If you are still on good terms, could you please help me ask him what the process would be if I don''t want to teach here anymore? Will they recruit new people to take over from me? Or do I need to find someone to rece me myself?"


    "Mr. Jin..." <Li Mingwei> was stunned for a moment and asked, "Are you leaving?"


    Mr. Jin shook his head and stroked his beard. "It''s not that I want to leave. It''s just that at my age, there are more and more children at the school, and my energy is no longer enough."


    "After all, I was recruited by the county government. I''m thinking of asking the county government first, and then consider other options. Even if they first recruit someone toe and share the workload with me, that would work too."


    There are new childrening every year who have to start over from the beginning. There are too many sses to teach every day and the schedule can''t be arranged properly either.


    Maybe if he were younger, he could still push himself harder. But now he is old and should also consider retiring to rest.


    Seeing the streaks of white in his hair, <Li Mingwei> sighed. He is already this old. He really shouldn''t work so hard.


    <Liu Yizhu> agreed and went to find <Tang Jue> at the Tang family with <Yang Jingyuan> after returning to the academy in the afternoon. <Tang Jue> was also surprised when the servant led him in.


    "Brother <Liu Yizhu> is also here to drink with me?"


    "No, I''m here to ask you a favor."


    <Liu Yizhu> conveyed Mr. Jin''s request. <Tang Jue> did not dy and immediately went to ask his father after finding out where he was.


    Soon <Tang Jue> came back, followed by his father. <Liu Yizhu> and <Yang Jingyuan> stood up to salute <Tang Shan>.


    "Magistrate Tang."


    <Tang Shan> waved for them to dispense with the proprieties. He looked them up and down carefully, and soon identified his target. "You are <Liu Yizhu>?"


    <Liu Yizhu> didn''t understand why, but still bowed and saluted, "Yes."

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107


    Mr. Jin had been working so hard these days that after sses, Li Mingwei would stay at the school to help him make booklets. After finishing his homework, Dong Lei pushed open the back window and saw they were still busy, so he didn''t want to disturb them. He just propped up his head and waited for them.


    Li Mingwei happened to nce up and saw him looking at them from the window. She raised her eyebrows: "Are you done?"


    Dong Lei admitted honestly: "No, there are two questions I don''t really understand."


    So he didn''t dare put brush to paper.


    Li Mingwei nodded, tidied up the things in her hands and handed them to Mr. Jin. Then she went upstairs to help Dong Lei with the questions.


    After finishing, Dong Lei directly put his homework on Mr. Jin''s desk, packed up his bag: "Auntie, are you walking home with me?"


    Li Mingwei went to the window and took a look. Mr. Jin had finished his work and was tidying up the ssroom. So she bid him farewell and left with Dong Lei. The two of them walked to an intersection when Dong Lei suddenly stopped and scratched Li Mingwei''s palm while holding her hand.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Dong Lei didn''t speak, just looked a little embarrassed.


    Li Mingwei looked around and suddenly remembered that going from that intersection led to a snack shop. She nced at Dong Lei - this little brat''s thoughts were quiteplex.


    "What, your mother doesn''t buy you snacks anymore?"


    Dong Lei pouted grievously: "Ever since our family boughtnd, they stopped buying them. Auntie, I, I''m craving snacks now."


    After they boughtnd? Li Mingwei calcted - that must have been two months already. Sister Chunhua was too frugal, how could this child not be hungry for snacks.


    Li Mingwei pulled him by the hand towards the snack shop. Dong Lei grinned happily, his steps more brisk.


    "Go pick what you want."


    She let go of Dong Lei''s hand. Dong Lei rushed to the counter, his gaze drifting among the various snacks, as if he wanted to try them all.


    Chen Jie watched him with a smile, not disturbing him. He turned and greeted Li Mingwei: "Mingwei, haven''t seen you in a long time!"


    "I''ve been busy recently." A whole month copying books. Other than going to the embroidery workshop to deliver work, she really hadn''t gone out much.


    She took two steps forward, approaching Chen Jie to see what he was fiddling with in his hands. Unable to restrain her curiosity, she leaned in for a closer look. Chen Jie smiled and handed her one: "Want to try?"


    Li Mingwei epted it and inspected it. It looked like a plum, so she popped it into her mouth.


    Mm~


    "A little sour!"


    Chen Jie probably knew of her situation too, so he didn''t say this was what pregnant women liked to eat. Instead he said, "They''re sour plums, of course they''re sour."


    Sour plums?


    Weren''t those what pregnant women ate? Li Mingwei did know that much. But since she had already tasted it, it would be impolite not to buy some. So she had Chen Jie bag some for her.


    Chen Jie didn''t say anything, packing a bit less for her and handing her the bag: "You can handle sour huh."


    "It''s alright."


    Li Mingwei patted Dong Lei''s head, urging him: "Have you picked yet? If we don''t head back soon your mother will worry."


    Seeing she had made her selection, Dong Lei didn''t dare dy. He picked his two favorites and had Chen Jie weigh and bag them. Then he followed Li Mingwei home.


    Carrying his snacks, he contemted how to avoid being scolded by Mother when he got home. He turned and saw Li Mingwei''s mouth constantly moving, so he held out his hand: "Auntie, what are you eating? Can I have one?"


    Li Mingwei directly put one in his mouth. Dong Lei chewed, then spat it out, yelling loudly: "Auntie, what is this, so sour!"


    Clutching his snacks, he ran forward, grumbling to himself. How could anyone like eating this stuff?


    Li Mingwei was stunned. Really sour?


    Kids'' senses must be more sensitive.


    She sent Dong Lei to his door. As expected, Wang Chunhua was already waiting at the door. With one nce she spotted the snacks in her son''s hands. Striding forward, she grabbed his ear. She knew it - how could he be sote getting home. Turns out he was pestering his auntie to buy him snacks!


    Li Mingwei walked up and saw her angry sister. She held out the bag of plums catingly: "Sister, want some plums?"


    Plums?


    Wang Chunhua looked down at the empty bag. What plums?


    Seeing her sister just staring at her motionless, Li Mingwei took back the bag, only just realizing she had finished all the sour plums on the way here.


    Thinking of something, her nose suddenly soured. Her body shivered and she almost lost her footing. She grabbed Wang Chunhua''s arm to steady herself. Her voice choked up a little: "Sister, I''ve been especially tiredtely, always wanting to sleep. And, craving sour plums..."


    Wang Chunhua still hadn''t reacted. She shed through the words "sour plum" in her mind, also trembling slightly. Hesitantly she said: "You can''t be..."


    "I know!"


    That''s what the doctors had said! Two imperial doctors, plus an outside doctor, had all said the same - that she couldn''t conceive. But what was going on with her now?


    Wang Chunhua reacted swiftly, removing her apron and tossing it onto Dong Lei. Supporting Li Mingwei, she headed straight for the pharmacy to see a doctor, while Dong Lei yanked the apron off his head and watched them leaving. Was he off the hook already? That was too easy!


    On the way to the pharmacy, Li Mingwei''s mind was a chaotic mess. What exactly was going on with her? Could she really be pregnant or was it just her imagination...


    Li Mingwei crouched outside the pharmacy door, too afraid to enter. Wang Chunhua couldn''t tug her along either, so she crouched beside her, arm around her shoulders, persuading: "Sister, it''ll hurt whether you stick your neck out or hide it. Let''s just go in."


    "But, I''m scared~"


    "What''s there to be scared of? At worst you''re not pregnant. Schr Li knew about this when he married you, and so did your mother-inw. They didn''t expect you to bear them a child. What do you have to fear?"


    Although Wang Chunhua spoke the truth, Li Mingwei''s heart still ached. She looked grievously at Wang Chunhua, then steeled herself and went in.


    She carefully ced her wrist on the doctor''s pulse-taking pillow. The doctor nced at her and put his hand over hers: "What''s the problem?"


    Wang Chunhua stood at her side, arm around her shoulders, answering for her: "She''s tired every day, and craves sour foods."


    The doctor looked at Li Mingwei, examining her even more attentively. Hadn''t outsiders said she couldn''t conceive?


    He narrowed his eyes, calmed himself, and carefully sensed her pulse. His brow furrowed deeper and deeper: "This fetus is weak!"


    Li Mingwei''s heart tightened: "So I really am pregnant?"


    The doctor was about to reply when Wang Chunhua rushed over, nearly knocking him off his chair: "What do you mean weak? My sister finally conceived after so long, how can you say it''s weak?"


    She grabbed the doctor''s clothes: "Speak doctor, what''s weak about it?"


    "You, get off!" The doctor shoved her forcefully away, took a deep breath, and rapped the table heavily twice. Seeing Wang Chunhua calm down a little, he sat back steadily and tidied his clothes.


    Seeing his anger, Wang Chunhua lowered her voice: "So doctor, what''s weak about it?"


    The doctor impatiently said: "Look how thin your sister is. How could it not be weak!"

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108


    Coming out of the pharmacy, it was already dusk. Li Mingwei leaned against the old willow tree at the door of the pharmacy, gazing into the distance at the faint purple clouds, gently caressing her belly. This was her first year in Qingshi Town. She had gotten married and was now unexpectedly pregnant.


    She had thought she was unlucky and would never have the fortune of having a child in this lifetime. But now it seemed like someone was ying tricks.


    Wang Chunhua stood nearby, carefully supporting her. A thought suddenly urred to her and she pped her thigh, ¡°Could it be that your ex-husband was impotent and conspired with the doctor to lie to you?¡±


    ¡°No, he already has children.¡±


    When Li Mingwei had left, Cheng Ruoruo was slightly showing. By now, she was probably several months postpartum. Cheng Ruoruo didn¡¯t have the audacity to pass off someone else¡¯s child to Murong Yu.


    As for conspiring with doctors to trick her, that was more likely.


    She went through the three doctors who had treated her in her mind. She didn¡¯t need to mention the first imperial physician who was brought by Murong Yu. He was Murong Yu¡¯s man, so it was normal for him to help deceive her.


    But the second, Imperial Physician Liu, was a longtime friend of her family elders. It was because her mother was worried about the first imperial physician that she had personally invited Liu to examine her. It was only after he had spoken that her mother felt she had no hope and wanted to marry her off as a second wife.


    The third was a folk doctor she had secretly gone to see out of desperation.


    All three of them had given her the same conclusion, saying she would be unlikely to ever bear children in her life. But why was she pregnant now? Was she just incredibly lucky? Or was there nothing actually wrong with her body in the first ce?


    It was easy to exin the first and the third, but could it be that Imperial Physician Liu had also been bought over by Murong Yu? Her grandfather''s health had always been overseen by Imperial Physician Liu. If he had gone over to Murong Yu¡¯s side, wouldn¡¯t her grandfather be in danger?


    No, she couldn¡¯t let this happen. She couldn¡¯t hand her trusting grandfather over to someone untrustworthy.


    Seeing Li Mingwei¡¯s increasingly tight brow, Wang Chunhua also grew concerned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Li Mingwei grabbed Wang Chunhua¡¯s hand, ¡°Sister, I want to go to the county town tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Wang Chunhua hesitated. ¡°But you¡¯re only two months along. The doctor said you need to rest well. The county town is so far...¡±


    ¡°I have to go.¡±


    Seeing her insistence, Wang Chunhua didn¡¯t try to dissuade her further. She nodded, ¡°Alright, alright. Going to the county town to find a good doctor to take another look is not bad. You can take this opportunity to share the good news with Liu Yizhu too. He¡¯ll definitely be happy!¡±


    Li Mingwei had no intention of looking for Liu Yizhu. She wanted to go to the County Government Office to find Tang Shan.


    Wang Chunhua sent her back home. Li Mingwei made a ¡°shh¡± gesture, indicating for her to not tell Old Lady Wang about this for the time being.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°No particr reason, let¡¯s wait until after the trip to the county town before we say anything.¡±


    Wang Chunhua figured she was feeling emotionally unstable and worried the pharmacy doctor had made a mistake in his diagnosis. She didn¡¯t want Old Lady Wang to be excited over nothing, so she kept to Li Mingwei¡¯s wishes and said nothing.


    ¡°Alright, you go back and be careful. I¡¯ll ask my brother-inw toe with a cart to pick you up tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sister.¡±


    Wang Chunhua smiled and patted her, gesturing for her to go in first before she headed back to ry Dong Shan the message. Dong Shan was also shocked. Wasn¡¯t she...


    ¡°Tomorrow she wants to go to the county town again to get checked out. Go keep herpany with the cart. The doctor said her pregnancy is unstable and she can¡¯t walk that long of a distance.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Wang Chunhua had worried over it the entire night but still felt somewhat uneasy. Afraid that Dong Shan alone wouldn''t be able to properly care for her, she brought Xiao Yan along the next morning when she headed to the Li residence.


    ¡°Old Lady Wang, my sister-inw and I are going to the county town. Please help look after my daughter.¡±


    Old Lady Wang took Xiao Yan into her arms, ¡°What are you going there for?¡±


    Li Mingwei hastily exined, ¡°To buy some things. Is there anything mother wants me to bring back for you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, nothing.¡± Old Lady Wang took a nce at Dong Shan¡¯s cart and figured they were going to purchase somerge items. Letting Mingwei tag along to take a look made sense. She waved them off, ¡°Be careful on the road!¡±


    ¡°We will! Goodbye.¡±


    Wang Chunhua waved them off as Dong Shan helped Li Mingwei onto the cart. Out of consideration for Li Mingwei¡¯s condition, Dong Shan travelled very slowly. By the time they reached the county town, it was almost noon.


    Dong Shan brought Li Mingwei straight to the clinic. The doctor at the clinic gave an almost identical diagnosis to the town doctor.


    ¡°About two months along. It¡¯s a little unstable. I¡¯ll prescribe some medication to stabilize the fetus. Go back and take it while resting in bed for a month beforeing back for another checkup. You¡¯re a little underweight, so do remember to nourish yourself when you get back. But don¡¯t overdo it after the fourth month. You have a petite frame and overfeeding the fetus will make the delivery difficult.¡±


    Seeing that her face still looked somewhat sallow, the doctor further instructed, ¡°You must rest well when you return and get adequate sleep. Don¡¯t overtire yourself physically or mentally. Here is the prescription. Come back for another look after finishing the medication.¡±


    Dong Shan went to collect her medications while Wang Chunhua supported Li Mingwei outside to wait. The medicinal smells inside the clinic were too strong for her liking.


    Li Mingwei recalled the directions to the County Government Office. Once Dong Shan had picked up all her medications, she suggested treating them to lunch, ¡°Thank you both for amodating me today. Thest time Liu Yizhu brought me here, we discovered a very tasty restaurant. Why don¡¯t we go there for our meal?¡±


    Since she was a pregnant woman, the two naturally catered to her tastes and pushed her cart in the direction she pointed.


    Near the County Government Office gates, she randomly picked a bigger restaurant and told Dong Shan to stop, iming this was it.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be too expensive?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be.¡±


    Li Mingwei brought them inside and ordered arge table full of dishes. After just a few bites, she lied about having poor appetite and needing some fresh air, telling them to continue their meal and not let the food go to waste.


    Unsuspecting, Wang Chunhua only allowed her to go, having intended to apany her. But seeing the spread on the table, she was reluctant to leave it.


    Li Mingwei reassured, ¡°Sister, go ahead and eat. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll just be downstairs walking around. It¡¯s not far and I¡¯ll be careful. I¡¯lle back to find you guyster.¡±


    Then she headed alone to the back door of the County Government Office. As soon as she took out her gold hairpin, the guard ushered her in, so Tang Shan must have left instructions.


    She had only sat in the rear hall for a short while before Tang Shan hurriedly entered. Li Mingwei stood and bowed to him, ¡°Tang brother.¡±


    ¡°Please, there¡¯s no need for such courtesies. Have a seat, have a seat.¡± Tang Shan steadied her into her seat before sitting down beside her, ¡°You previously said you were returning to the capital but shortly after sent word that you weren¡¯t going back anymore. Are you returning this time?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Li Mingwei shook her head and took out a letter from her clothes, handing it to Tang Shan, ¡°I¡¯d like to trouble brother Tang to help quickly deliver this letter back to the capital city. Swiftness is imperative!¡±


    ¡°This is... ¡± Tang Shan¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. ¡°Has something urgente up? If this letter is sent back, the Li family will surely trace it here. Why don¡¯t you just return yourself?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not being sent back to the Li family residence. Just deliver it to my handmaiden, Ah Xiu. Tell her it is a letter from her hometown in Nanjiang. She will know what to do once she reads it.¡±


    Li Mingwei leaned lightly against the backrest and slowly exined, ¡°I am already with child and the fetus¡¯ condition does not seem optimistic. I fear I cannot risk long distance travel.¡±


    ¡°You, you can¡¯t be...¡±


    After Li Mingwei¡¯s first visit, he had tasked his friends back in the capital to investigate the whole story. Wasn¡¯t it said that she was passed to the King of Qin because she couldn¡¯t bear children?


    Now that the King of Qin already had an heir, it obviously couldn¡¯t be an issue on his end.


    If her body was also fine, just who was behind this?


    Li Mingwei gently caressed her belly. ¡°The current situation in the capital is still unclear. I do not know the intentions of those behind the scenes. Before he is safely born, it is impossible for me to return.¡±


    Tang Shan went to his writing desk, jotted down Ah Xiu¡¯s name on the envelope, and immediately dispatched someone to deliver it.

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109


    Seeing the servant leave, Tang Shan narrowed his eyes slightly. Who was targeting the Li family? Or was it targeting the Prince''s manor? Li Mingwei was just a sacrificial piece.


    He had been away from the capital for many years and usually only relied on letters from friends to get some news. He didn''t know the current situation in the capital city very well. Besides, peopleing and going in the court were all for their own interests and changed too quickly to grasp. After thinking for a while, he gained nothing and could only go back to the rear hall.


    He nodded lightly to Li Mingwei, indicating that he had made proper arrangements, and his gaze swept over her belly, "Since your pregnancy is unstable, why don''t you stay in the city to recuperate? I have another residence that can be used for your rest."


    "Thank you for your kind offer, schoolmate Tang, but I prefer more tranquility. The city is too noisy. It''s better for me to go home. My mother-inw is at home to take good care of me, so schoolmate doesn''t need to worry."


    Since she was unwilling, Tang Shan did not force her. He suddenly remembered his first meeting with Liu Yizhu, and he smiled, "I met your husband once a few days ago. He looked quite talented."


    Li Mingwei was surprised and raised her eyebrows. Tang Shan had specially gone to the academy to see him. I hope he didn''t expose her.


    "Don''t overthink," Tang Shan exined, "That day he came to my manor to look for Tang Jue and asked me about the school. So I took the chance to examine him. I think he has a solid foundation and shouldn''t have any problem passing the imperial examination next autumn."


    He calcted the months in his mind, "By then, the child in your belly would have been born, and you can return to the capital with him."


    Li Mingwei just smiled without answering. She didn''t n it that way. She wanted to wait until he passed the spring imperial examination before considering it. Next year in August or September, the child would only be three or four months old. It wouldn''t be good to travel such a long distance even with carriages and horses.


    Although she knew her sister and brother-inw were probably waiting for her, she still chatted with Tang Shan for a few more sentences. She had just asked him for help and shouldn''t pretend not to know him.


    Since Tang Shan praised Liu Yizhu, she talked about Tang Jue, "I''ve also met your son a few times. He is graceful and resembles you, schoolmate Tang."


    Except a bit shy.


    "No...no way. My son..." Tang Shan was at a loss for words and sighed. Being graceful and handsome didn''t attract you. What''s the use?


    "Why? I heard he is quite outstanding in the academy. Schoolmate, don''t be too modest."


    "Just average."


    Tang Shan waved his hand, unwilling to mention his unfortunate son further.


    While the two were chatting leisurely, Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan had been waiting at the door of the restaurant for a long time. Wang Chunhua was worried and walked around the restaurant twice, but didn''t see anyone. She was getting quite anxious.


    When she finally saw Li Mingwei in the crowd, she let out a sigh of relief and hurried up to her, ¡°Where have you been?¡±


    Li Mingwei shook the paper bag in her hand, ¡°I went to buy desserts and sour plums. The dessert shop was a bit far away. I didn''t dare walk too fast either, so it took a little longer. Did I keep sister and brother-inw waiting for long?¡±


    ¡°Not too long.¡± Wang Chunhua looked her up and down and saw she was fine. She supported Li Mingwei to the carriage, ¡°Shall we go straight home or stop by the academy to let Student Liu know?¡±


    Li Mingwei looked towards the academy. It was quite far away. She said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home first. Don''t tell him yet. Wait until the pregnancy has stabilized before informing him.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    It was just early September now. He wouldn¡¯t be back for over twenty days. By then, the medicine sister-inw had been taking would be finished. They coulde to the county town together again.


    Wang Chunhua helped Li Mingwei onto the carriage. The three of them set off for home.


    Old Lady Wang heard the rolling sound of the wheels outside. She hurriedly got up from the ground, dusted off the booklet in her arms and put it inside her clothes. Then she nimbly opened the door.


    ¡°You¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Li Mingwei¡¯s gaze fell on the dust on her pant legs. Sheughed, ¡°Mother, you¡¯re studying etiquette at home again?¡±


    Old Lady Wang looked down and quickly dusted off her legs, ¡°Oh, I had nothing else to do anyway, so I was just studying a bit.¡±


    She looked up at Wang Chunhua and pointed inside, ¡°Little Yan is sleeping inside.¡±


    Wang Chunhua handed the desserts and medicines to Li Mingwei, intending to go inside with Old Lady Wang to carry the child. But Old Lady Wang was surprised to see the medicine pack in Li Mingwei''s hand. She had thought it was Wang Chunhua''s medicine. Howe it was hers?


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± She looked Li Mingwei up and down but didn''t see anything missing from her. She hadn''t heard herin of pain before either. Since when did she start taking medicine?


    Wang Chunhua came over and pulled her hand anxiously, ¡°Don¡¯t examine her. She is precious now and shouldn¡¯t be touched or bumped into.¡±


    ¡°If you keep examining her, do you still want to be a grandmother?!¡±


    What?


    Grandmother?


    Old Lady Wang narrowed her cloudy old eyes, lookingpletely confused. What had she just heard?!


    Wang Chunhuaughed heartily. Wasn¡¯t she also shocked yesterday? She grabbed Old Lady Wang''s hand and said loudly, "Your daughter-inw is pregnant. You''re going to be a grandmother!"


    Old Lady Wang turned and grabbed Li Mingwei''s arm with her shaky hands, "You''re pregnant! Weren''t you unable to conceive? How did you get pregnant?"


    She had been prepared to redeem her son''s disappointment in her even after her death. What was going on now? Did her Liu family have an heir again?


    "Yes, mother. I¡¯m pregnant."


    Wang Chunhua pulled her over and exined, "Her pregnancy is a little unstable. The doctor let her rest more and prescribed her medicine. Remember to cook it for her."


    "Alright, alright. I''ll cook it right away." Old Lady Wang grabbed the medicine pack and headed to the backyard. Halfway there, she came back again, "Why don''t you all stay and eat here today? I¡¯ll go cook the medicine. Brother-inw, please help kill a chicken for me."


    Dong Shan looked at Wang Chunhua and pushed the carriage into the yard to catch a chicken.


    Wang Chunhua supported Li Mingwei back to the room to lie down. After checking on little Yan who was still sleeping, she also wanted to help in the kitchen. But Li Mingwei held her back, ¡°Where is Xiao Lei? Why don¡¯t you go get him?¡±


    ¡°No need. I already told him this morning that if the door is closed when he gets home, he should go to the Liu family¡¯s ce to find Xiao Yan. He must still be doing homework at the academy now. If he doesn¡¯t show upter, I¡¯ll go check.¡±


    Hearing this, Li Mingwei felt at ease. She took a pillow from the cab to prop herself up in bed. After watching little Yan for a while, she felt bored and took out one of Liu Yizhu¡¯s old books from the desk to casually flip through.


    Unfortunately she really couldn''t focus on reading it. Hearing the clucking of chickens outside and some bustling sounds, she felt restless and had an urge to go out and watch the lively scene, but didn''t dare take the risk.


    She heaved a long sigh. She still had a month of such days to endure. How was she going to get through it?


    Old Lady Wang sat on the stove watching over the medicine pot. The small fan in her hand kept fanning the fire. She fell into deep thoughts. What had she argued fiercely about with her son all those years for? She had offended him for so long over nothing.


    Wang Chunhua nced at her a few times and went over, ¡°Stop fanning, it¡¯s cooked. Let¡¯s start cooking. Where¡¯s the rice?¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh, let me do it.¡± Old Lady Wang hurriedly collected herself to go cook.


    That night, she still couldn¡¯t fall asleep. She couldn''t help but take out herte husband''s memorial tablet to wipe it clean, hugged it and shed some tears. She had thought she would fail her son even after death. But now everything was fine.


    Her hand brushed over the carved name, "If you have any spiritual powers in heaven, you must bless our daughter-inw to safely give birth to the child!"

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110


    Every day in bed, Li Mingwei counted the days on her fingers. Other than taking medicine, eating, and sleeping, Old Lady Wang didn''t allow her to do anything else.


    Old Lady Wang even asked Mr. Jin to suspend Li Mingwei''s sses, so every afternoon when she went to the school to cook, she would bring the meals back to Li Mingwei.


    Li Mingwei was a little worried that it would be too much work for Mr. Jin, since he had just said recently that hecked energy and could barely keep up. She couldn''t help but secretly sneak over to take a look. When Old Lady Wang saw her appear in the school''s backyard, her face immediately soured.


    "Mother, can you let me sit somewhere else for a while? Being home alone is so stuffy," she said after alreadying over, so what else could Old Lady Wang do? She could only bring over a chair and tell Li Mingwei to sit without moving around.


    After ss, Mr. Jin came to the backyard to eat his meal and unexpectedly saw her there too. "Why did youe? You''re not feeling well physically so you should be lying downfortably at home."


    "I came to see how you were doing," Li Mingwei pulled over a stool for Mr. Jin to sit on. "How have you been recently? You''re not too overwhelmed managing things alone right? I probably won''t be able to teach for more than ten days or so."


    "Oh, same as always," Mr Jin. sighed, seeming somewhat worried. "I wonder if the county office can find suitable people or not."


    Ever since Liu Yizhu asked, the county had already sent people to understand the circumstances at the school. They said a recement teacher would be dispatched after returning, and asked Mr. Jin to stay until the handover wasplete. But it had already been a month and there was not even a shadow of anyone yet.


    "I wonder if there is anyone from Qingshi Town willing toe," mused Li Mingwei.


    In addition to the distance, Qingshi Town was poor. With just over twenty students, only bachelors like Mr. Jin could endure it. Anyone with a family or children to feed would find the ie inadequate.


    Seeing her fall silent, what could Mr. Jin notprehend? But he couldn''t just abandon these children and leave either, he still had to wait.


    Dong Lei finished his meal and immediately shoveled a big mouthful in, just about to go back to the front yard to eat. But seeing them hanging their heads in worry, he ran over carrying his rice bowl.


    "Auntie, Teacher, what''s the matter with you two?"


    ncing over their empty table behind them, Dong Lei lifted his bowl of rice to Li Mingwei''s mouth. "Auntie, do you not have food? You can have mine."


    Mr. Jin objected with some dissatisfaction. "What about Teacher? Doesn''t Teacher not have food either? Howe you don''t offer yours to Teacher?"


    Dong Lei was bewildered for a moment before answering carefully, "Next time, okay? I¡¯ll give it to Teacher next time. My mom said I have to take good care of Auntie now because she has my little brother or sister in her belly."


    Li Mingweiughed and ruffled his hair. "Auntie already ate, go eat your food. Since there¡¯s no ss tomorrow, do you want toe y at Auntie¡¯s ce?" She had been extremely bored home alone, ying with a kid would liven things up.


    But Dong Lei shook his head.


    Surprised at being rejected, Li Mingwei continued to entice him. "Auntie has snacks at home too."


    After some hesitation, Dong Lei still shook his head, eyes filled with longing. "Can I pull some radishes first before going to Auntie¡¯s for snacks?"


    "Pull radishes?"


    "Yeah, my mom asked me to help her pull radishes tomorrow since I promised her already. A man can''t go back on his word."


    As he spoke, Dong Lei''s voice grew louder and he stood taller, seeming rather impressive.


    Mr. Jin praised, "Very good, very good. Our little Lei keeps his promises and is an obedient child." He nced at Li Mingwei meaningfully. "Unmoved by external enticements, very good."


    Li Mingwei pouted. How did Sister Chunhua have such a good opportunity to pull radishes without telling her? She was going to be bored to illness at home. Why couldn''t she go pull some radishes too?


    Just as she was grumbling to herself, a child ran in carrying a rice bowl. "Teacher! Teacher! Someone is looking for you outside!"


    Mr. Jin promptly got up and followed him out, unsure of who hade.


    After Old Lady Wang finished preparing the dishes for the children, she brought them out, intending to eat. But Mr. Jin was nowhere to be seen. She was about to go to the front yard to take a look when Mr. Jin returned with someone in tow.


    "Who''s this?"


    Hearing her speak, Li Mingwei looked back to see Mr. Jin followed by a tall man with hunched shoulders walking timidly, appearing to be in his early twenties. But his dull yellow clothes made him seem older than his years.


    Mr. Jin looked back and beckoned him forward politely. The man dipped his head slightly and pulled his lips back in a silly grin.


    They came forward and Mr. Jin nodded at Old Lady Wang, asking, "Is there still extra rice and dishes left?"


    Sizing up the man behind Mr. Jin, Old Lady Wang nodded. She went to the kitchen to scrape up the leftovers from the children''s bowls into arge serving bowl and brought out another set of chopsticks and bowl.


    Mr. Jin pulled over a stool for the man and had him sit at the table before introducing him to Li Mingwei. "This is the new teacher sent by the county office, called Hu Jin."


    "Oh no, not at all." Hu Jin waved his hands in denial. "I didn''te to be the teacher. I''m just here to help out temporarily. The officials said they would keep looking for someone to rece Teacher, but asked me to assist in some matters first before that."


    Mr. Jin nodded. Having someone share the burden before a suitable long-term candidate could be found would be good too. Hu Jin had passed the county exam so teaching new students shouldn''t pose an issue.


    "That works too. Let me show you around this afternoon first. We can discuss the specifics tomorrow on our day off."


    "Thank you, Teacher." Hu Jin bowed deeply and opened his mouth as if to say something more but then closed it again. His fingers twisted together anxiously before finally asking, "May I ask...how much is the monthly pay to work under you, Teacher?"


    Mr Jin. was taken aback andughed. "What did the officials tell you?"


    "They said at minimum 300 wen a month," Hu Jin snuck a peek at Mr. Jin and said softly. "It can''t go any lower or else I''ll have to find other work. I only came because teaching allows me to read at the same time. That¡¯s convenient for me."


    "Read what?"


    Hu Jin lowered his eyes, his voice tinged with helplessness. "Just random things. I n to go to the provincial capital to take the autumn exam next year. I want to earn some travel money."


    Old Lady Wang was astonished. "You want to take the autumn exam too? Doesn''t that mean you passed the county exam?"


    Seeing Hu Jin nod, Old Lady Wang''s eyes popped even wider. She had gone with Liu Yizhu to visit the academy before where all the schrs studied. But none were like him at all.


    Li Mingwei lightly coughed. "Mother."


    Old Lady Wang promptly smoothed her expression and smiled. "Very good, very good. My son ns to go next year too so you can keep each otherpany."


    Pleasantly surprised to meet a fellow candidate here, Hu Jin eagerly asked, "Where is Young Master now? Can I have the honor of meeting him?"


    Old Lady Wang shook her head. "You can''t now. He''s studying in the county seat but I¡¯ll have hime see you when he returns next month off. Fellow schrs must have much to discuss."


    "The county seat?"


    "Yes, Honghu Academy."


    Hu Jin smiled but did not reply, only rubbed his hands and nced at the table.


    Li Mingwei saw the envy in his eyes. Considering his attire, she understood his circumstances. Even a year''s tuition at Honghu Academy was expensive. He didn''t even have travel funds for the autumn exam...


    Wait, something was off, Li Mingwei suddenly recalled. Didn''t passed schrs get 2 taels of silver per month? If he was a little frugal and saved up for 2-3 months, wouldn''t that be enough for the travel fees?


    But that was his private business so Li Mingwei didn''t feel right prying in case his family had other urgent expenses.


    As Mr. Jin noticed Hu Jin''s awkwardness, he picked up his chopsticks and urged, "Alright, let''s eat first before continuing our discussion."


    "Yes."

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111


    Old Lady Wang cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, and was about to take Li Mingwei back home. Li Mingwei went to say goodbye to Mr. Jin, and saw that he and Hu Jin were talking to each other spiritedly. She hesitated for a moment without disturbing them, and directly followed Old Lady Wang away.


    Now Mr. Jin finally had someone to help him, so she didn''t need to worry too much either.


    On the way back, Old Lady Wang was carefully supporting her all along, making Li Mingwei somewhat worried. How could she go pull radish like this tomorrow?


    Sure enough, the next day when she said she wanted to go out, she was sternly rejected. Li Mingwei touched her belly. Actually she felt that her condition had been quite good recently without much difort. Going out for a walk wouldn''t be a problem.


    "Mother, can I just go out and take a look?"


    "No!"


    Li Mingweinguidly returned to the room andy slumped over the desk looking out the window, wondering if Wang Chunhua would suddenly remember her ande to take her to pull radishes. After all, she had also put effort into nting those radishes.


    She waited from morning until afternoon when Wang Chunhua finally appeared at the Liu family''s door carrying a basket of radishes. Li Mingwei excitedly stood up and stuck her head out the window, "Sister, what are you here for?"


    Wang Chunhua showed her the radishes in the basket, "To bring you radishes. Aren''t these radishes the fruits of yourbor too?"


    Dong Lei walked behind carrying a few bones, "Auntie, mother said she''s stewing bone broth for you!"


    Bone broth, how could bone broth be as fragrant as pulling fresh radishes. Li Mingwei disappointedly sat down,pletely unhappy.


    After Wang Chunhua delivered the radishes to the backyard, she came into the room to see her. Li Mingwei heavily snorted at her, then turned her back.


    "What''s with you, girl? You were perfectly happy just now. As soon as I walked in you changed your attitude. Did I offend you somehow?"


    Li Mingwei ignored her.


    Wang Chunhua waspletely confused. She walked over and gently coaxed, "Don''t be unhappy. Sister is stewing bone broth for you today. Don''t you want to drink it?"


    "Sister," Li Mingweiined aggrievedly, "Why didn''t you ask me to go pull radishes with you!"


    "You can''t go out now, can you?"


    "But I want to pull radishes!"


    "You girl!" Wang Chunhua looked at her stubborn face and raised her hand wanting to hit her, but felt she shouldn''t beat her now. Instead she pinched her cheek, "Now that you''re pregnant you''ve be a child yourself,pletely disobedient!"


    She ran out grumbling, fussed around for a bit, then yelled into the room: "Come on, pull radishes!"


    Li Mingwei''s spirits were instantly lifted and she quickly walked out.


    Wang Chunhua had set up a stool for her to sit on, and ced two baskets in front of her, "Come on, didn''t you want to pull radishes? Take the radishes from this basket and put them in the other."


    Li Mingwei was angry, "How is this considered pulling radishes? What''s the difference?"


    "There is a difference," Wang Chunhua said matter-of-factly. She pointed at the basket she brought, "This is my family''s basket. That one is your family''s basket. I''ll take it back once you empty it."


    She urged, "Stop dillydallying. You said you wanted to do it, hurry up!"


    Under Wang Chunhua''s pressing gaze, Li Mingwei was on the verge of tears. She silently started "pulling" radishes, her heart aching with each tug. Why did no one understand her? She genuinely wanted to pull radishes. She only wanted to go out for a walk and move around a bit.


    Li Mingwei suddenly started missing Ah Xiu. If there was only one person in the world who understood her, it must be Ah Xiu!


    She stopped her hand that was "pulling" radishes, calcted the time, the letter should have arrived in the capital by now. She wondered if Ah Xiu had received her letter.


    Not only had Ah Xiu received it, she had followed her instructions in the letter, and gotten caught for it. Right now she was still kneeling being punished in the study.


    The story started from a day ago. Ah Xiu was in Li Mingwei''s empty yard, listlessly swinging on a swing while looking at the gradually yellowing grass and trees in the yard, and started missing her young mistress again.


    "s, it''s been so long without a letter. I don''t even know if young mistress is dead or alive."


    "Pooh!" She pped her own mouth. What ominous words was she saying! It should be whether the young mistress was still there or not...no, that didn''t seem right either. Alive or not?


    Hmm...even more incorrect.


    Oh well, she couldn''t figure it out so she stopped thinking about it.


    She turned her head, grasped the swing ropes, and recalled past happy times together with her young mistress. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she loudly called out in her heart: Young mistress oh young mistress, if you''re still alive at least send me a letter. If, if you''ve passed away, then send me a dream tonight at least.


    And then the living Li Mingwei wrote her a letter, which arrived.


    A maid knocked on the door and walked in from outside, handing her the letter, "Sister Ah Xiu, a letter for you."


    "For me?"


    "Yes, I just brought it over from the gatekeeper. He said it was from your hometown Nanjiang."


    Ah Xiu frowned. She didn''t have any family left in her hometown...


    She nced at the unfamiliar handwriting on the envelope and had the young maid withdraw before opening the letter. The writing inside was extremely familiar. She covered her mouth in pleasant surprise. The young mistress really was still alive!


    Ah Xiu was excited for a while before carefully reading the letter''s contents.


    "Hm? Surely the young mistress hasn''t had a child with some wild man out there?"


    Why else would she ask her to investigate those doctors who had said she couldn''t get pregnant. She must have gotten pregnant and discovered something was wrong!


    She also wondered what this wild man looked like, if their child would be cute. Hehe, she was going to help the young mistress raise her child!


    Ah Xiu read on eagerly. She got to the end but there was not a single ce name. The corners of her raised mouth drooped bit by bit. Why didn''t the young mistress tell her where she was? She could have run there too!


    Wah~


    Although extremely aggrieved in her heart, Ah Xiu still followed Li Mingwei''s instructions. She wrote a note warning against Imperial Physician Liu in crooked left-handed writing. Taking advantage when Elder Master was at the academy, she sneaked into his study and stuffed the note into the most obvious book on his desk.


    Unfortunately they had miscalcted. When Li Yi returned to the study and flipped open the book, seeing this note, his first reaction was not to investigate Imperial Physician Liu, but to have people surround the entire yard where the study was located.


    He wanted to see just who was so bold that they could make it pastyers of guards to stuff a note into his book, or which family member had been bought over.


    Within a day, all the servants who had entered this yard were seized and made to kneel in the yard. To avoid implicating others, Ah Xiu could only stand out and admit it.


    Li Yi deeply nced at her, then turned and entered the study. Ah Xiu quickly followed.


    She shivered kneeling inside the study. Li Yi sat at the desk reading, ignoring her. This maid had truly been spoiled rotten by Mingwei, daring to ransack anywhere!


    Li Yi froze for a second. Aside from Mingwei''s orders, this maid wouldn''t listen to anyone else. So who had instructed her to do this was self-evident.


    He set his book down, braced his hands on the table and stood up. His icy gaze looked to Ah Xiu kneeling below as he stated firmly and powerfully, "Mingwei contacted you."


    Ah Xiu curled into a ball with her head buried in her chest, not daring to betray the young mistress.


    Li Yi sighed with a headache and sat back down, "She wants to investigate Imperial Physician Liu, there must be a reason."


    Ah Xiu thought for a bit, "Imperial Physician Liu said the young miss couldn''t have children."


    "So?"


    "So I feel the young miss had a child outside somewhere. What Imperial Physician Liu said was nonsense. He must have some issue!"


    Li Yi...

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112


    Li Mingwei gradually whiled away the time, her heart filled with unspeakable mncholy. She longed for the stars, the moon, and finally, her beloved Liu Yizhu returned, the one who could speak.


    Lying on the bed with slightly reddened eyes, Li Mingwei gazed at Liu Yizhu and startled him. He dropped his bundle and rushed towards her, kneeling by the bed, grasping her hand. "What''s wrong? What happened?"


    Choking back her tears, Li Mingwei said, "I want to go out for a walk."


    "Walk? If you want to, then let''s go."


    Liu Yizhu paused for a moment, then reached out to touch her leg, wanting to confirm if it was intact. Li Mingwei understood his intention and extended her leg from under the nket, wiggling her toes to indicate that she was fine.


    He grabbed her restless toes and pushed them back under the covers, reproachfully saying, "Why aren''t you wearing socks? Your feet are so cold. I''ll go heat some water for you."


    Li Mingwei held his hand, preventing him from leaving. "No need. You rest for a while first, and then we''ll go out for a walk. My feet will warm up."


    "After heating your feet, we can still go out."


    "So, are you promising to apany me for a walk?"


    Looking at her smiling face and her sparkling eyes, Liu Yizhu suddenly hesitated. Why did he need to promise to go out for a walk? Something felt a little off.


    Seeing that he still hadn''t nodded, Li Mingwei couldn''t help but feel anxious. She bounced on the bed a few times, hummed lightly, and red at him sideways.


    As soon as she did that, Liu Yizhu felt even more uncertain. He was about to leave, avoiding this predicament, but Li Mingwei moved closer to his lips, coquettishly saying, "Darling~"


    Liu Yizhu...


    Liu Yizhu leaned down and kissed her, helplessly nodding. "Fine, fine, fine. I promise you."


    Old Lady Wang, witnessing this scene, became furious and stormed into the room, giving Liu Yizhu two ps. She angrily eximed, "Are you itching for trouble? Why are you doing that to her?"


    "I didn''t know I couldn''t touch her now!"


    Liu Yizhu was clueless, even a little bewildered. Was his mother hitting him for kissing his wife?


    Could someone please tell him why!


    Li Mingwei smiled as she watched him. Regardless, she had achieved her goal. She didn''t care. She had originally wanted to roll a few times, avoiding the war zone, but she was immediately held down by Old Lady Wang. "Don''t roll, don''t roll. Press on your belly."


    Li Mingweiy t, pressed down on her clothes, and disyed her t abdomen for Old Lady Wang to see. "Mother, no belly yet."


    "It wille soon, it wille soon." Old Lady Wang helped her cover the nket and gave her son, who looked like a big silly goose, a shove, sending him out. "Go do whatever you need to do. Don''t touch her anymore."


    She pondered for a moment. "I''ll clean up the empty room next doorter. You can sleep there tonight, so you won''t be squeezing next to her."


    Liu Yizhu paid no attention to her words, only holding Li Mingwei''s hand and asking, "What do you mean it wille soon?"


    Li Mingwei smiled. "Almost three months now. Mother said I''ll start showing at four months."


    Liu Yizhu still found it hard to believe. "You''re pregnant?"


    Old Lady Wang was also dumbfounded. "You didn''t know? Last time when Xiaowei went to the county for a medical check-up, didn''t she tell you?"


    "What kind of illness did she have?"


    Old Lady Wang looked at her foolish son, who still seemed clueless. She confirmed that he knew nothing and exined, "Mingwei''s fetal image is a bit unstable. She went to the county town a few days ago to have it checked and brought back some medicine. She''s almost finished taking it, and I thought she had told you when she went to see the doctor."


    Li Mingwei met Liu Yizhu''s dangerous gaze and shook her head yfully. "I don''t care. You promised to apany me for a walk."


    Old Lady Wang was displeased. "Why go for a walk? It''s only a few more days. Wait until you''ve been to the county town and the doctor says you''re well, then I''ll apany you."


    Li Mingwei pouted.


    She didn''t want her to apany her. She...


    Her pleading gaze fell on Liu Yizhu, who looked at her for a while before cing his hand on her lower abdomen and said in a deep voice, "Nearly three months?"


    "Yes."


    That meant it was early July, and they had just been married for a little over ten days.


    He cleared his throat and met Li Mingwei''s puzzled gaze. "Was your ex-husband unable?"


    Li Mingwei looked at his suppressed mouth and fell into deep silence. Did she really have to exin this to everyone?


    She sighed and caressed Liu Yizhu''s cheek. "Don''t think about it. Other people''s children are already several months old."


    "What about you two?"


    Li Mingwei nced at Old Lady Wang and squeezed the words out through her teeth, "Are you sure you want to discuss my life after marrying my ex-husband in front of my mother?"


    Who wanted to discuss that kind of thing? Whether his mother was present or not, he didn''t want to discuss it!


    Not at all!


    Liu Yizhu snorted and let go of Li Mingwei''s hand, turning around to boil water for her. The resentment in his heart burned like mes in a furnace, growing stronger. It was such an important matter, and she had already gone to the county town, but she didn''t tell him.


    Even if she couldn''t move around too much, she could have someone send him a message. When she saw the doctor, he should have been with her. What if something happened? She shouldn''t have to handle it alone.


    ncing at his mother, who had been staring at him all this time, he exhaled lightly and calmed his mood, smiling at her. "Is Mother doing well at home recently?"


    Old Lady Wang tightened her grip and sensed that he was unhappy. She cautiously replied, "Everything''s fine, just fine."


    "What about Weiwei? Is she just lying there and not moving?"


    "Not exactly. She can asionally take a walk in the yard. She can''t stand being inside all the time and wants to go out. I''m afraid there will be too many people outside, and it wouldn''t be good if she bumped into them, so I only let her walk around at home."


    Liu Yizhu figured she must have been really fed up. She was originally an active person, but she had been confined to the house for over twenty days. How could she endure it?


    He prepared a basin of water, tested the temperature, and carried it over to her.


    Li Mingwei watched as Liu Yizhu silently rolled up her trousers and washed her feet. She sensed something was off and wiggled her toes, rubbing them against his palm. When he didn''t react, she quickly rubbed them again.


    "What''s wrong with you?"


    Liu Yizhu paused for a second, smiled, raised his head to look at her, and spoke in a slower voice, "What''s wrong with what?"


    "Why aren''t you talking?"


    "Do I have to speak when I''m washing your feet?" He smiled. "What should I say?"


    Li Mingwei''s face slowly sank, his smile looked fake, and he still wanted to deceive her. She pulled her foot out of his hand and moved to the edge of the wooden basin.


    Avoiding the sshes of water, Liu Yizhu caught her foot again and whispered, "Stop being difficult. After washing up, I''ll take you out for a walk."


    Li Mingwei wiped her feet dry with a towel,y back in bed, and covered herself with the nket, turning her back to him. "I don''t want to go."


    Liu Yizhu moved the wooden basin aside and sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned over and gently stroked her back. Seeing that she still had a stubborn little face, he reached out and pinched it.


    "Don''t be like this."


    Li Mingwei red at him. "You were the one who started it."


    Liu Yizhu lowered his gaze, pondered for a moment, and leaned closer to her. "I just don''t want to argue with you."


    "Mingwei, do you really think it''s better if I know nothing when you''re sick?"


    His voice was low and carried a hint of pleading. "I know you''re afraid of worrying me, but please don''t do this in the future. I already don''t have much time to be with you, and I don''t want to be unable to be by your side even when you''re sick."


    Li Mingwei remained silent, gripping his sleeve tightly, and nodded gently.

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113


    Old Lady Wang walked over and saw that the two of them were pressed close together again. She was exasperated that her son was so disobedient and lightly coughed to separate them. She ordered Liu Yizhu, "Go kill a chicken."


    Then she turned and pushed open the door of the unupied small room nearby. The dust and moldy smell that assailed her made her swiftly cover her mouth and nose. Forcing down her difort, she hurried inside and pushed open the window as well to try to dispel the smell first. She nned to tidy up after they ate lunch.


    She certainly wouldn''t allow her son to cling to his daughter-inw again tonight. It would be best to clean it out earlier so their future child could live there too after it was born.


    Their intimacy having been interrupted, Liu Yizhu straightened up and looked back to see his mother had left. He leaned down again to kiss Li Mingwei lightly on the forehead and patted her reassuringly. "I''m going out now. Rest for a bit and I''ll take you for a walk this afternoon."


    He carried the wooden basin outside. Li Mingwei couldn''t keep lying down either and got up to tidy her clothes before following him out to the yard.


    Liu Yizhu stood outside the chicken coop holding a cleaver. Looking at the currently sparse number of chickens inside, he felt a bit sympathetic. "Your time''s almost up too, huh?"


    "What do you mean almost up? Those few still have plenty of time left!" Old Lady Wang ran over to direct things when she saw he hadn''t moved for a while. She pointed to a hen with brownish feathers, "Catch that one. We have to leave the others toy eggs. We can kill her next year after she finishes brooding."


    She counted the number of chickens. "It''s not enough. I''ll have to go buy some moreter."


    Liu Yizhu nodded and crawled into the chicken coop while Old Lady Wang added more firewood to the kitchen stove to boil water for scalding the chicken feathers. Seeing her son had already caught a chicken, she took a small bowl to collect the blood.


    After plucking some feathers from the chicken''s neck, just as Liu Yizhu was about to ughter it, he saw Li Mingwei sitting to the side unable to help covering her eyes. He turned his back to block her line of sight. "Go back inside if you''re scared."


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips and stood up to walk back into the house, muttering under her breath. "Poor thing."


    Half a sichenter, she drank down the entire bowl of chicken soup in one gulp. "Delicious!"


    Old Lady Wang smiled and refilled another bowl for her.


    After eating her fill, Li Mingwei only rested for a while before she couldn''t sit still anymore. She pestered Liu Yizhu to take her for a walk to aid her digestion. Considering her son was there, Old Lady Wang didn''t refuse too much. She only asked them to keep an eye on her.


    Liu Yizhu put his right arm around Li Mingwei''s waist and gripped her left arm with his other hand, lightly raising his chin to indicate she should walk forward.


    Li Mingwei gave him a look. "No need to make such a big fuss about it. Just save that for when I''m seven or eight months pregnant and my stomach has grown huge, okay?"


    Liu Yizhu looked at her.


    "Mother said not to spread news about my pregnancy to outsiders in the first three months. Other than Sister and Mr. Jin, no one else knows I''m pregnant yet. If you support me walking out like this, won''t the whole town realize it?"


    Liu Yizhu was persuaded. He withdrew his arm and just lightly supported one of her arms. "Then walk slowly."


    Li Mingwei had originally wanted to take a stroll outside town but the Liu family lived fairly centrally in town. Liu Yizhu felt that was too far and told her to pick another ce.


    "Let''s go to the school then. The county yamen found an assistant for Mr. Jin. He''s a xiucai too and also ns to take the Autumn Examination next year. I heard he wants to get acquainted with you since you''re taking it too."


    "Alright."


    Mr. Jin and the others were also taking today off. After eating lunch outside, the two men had started a game of chess in the courtyard. Hu Jin was a bit stunned to see Liu Yizhu walk in. He quickly stood up to greet them.


    "Liu Yizhu, it really is you!"


    "Hu Jin, you..."


    Hu Jin smiled and stepped forward to grab his hand, still feeling some joy at their reunion after a long separation. "I kept hearing Mr. Jin say ''Yizhu, Yizhu'' and felt it sounded a bit like you but didn''t dare confirm since you and the others were from Shuang''an Town too."


    "Yang Jingyuan and Zhong Liangyu are also from Shuang''an Town."


    "Oh, oh, I remembered wrong then."


    Hu Jin scratched his head, embarrassed. He looked towards Li Mingwei. "So the one who usually cooks at the school is your mother. And this must be your wife, Mingwei?"


    "Yes." Liu Yizhu pulled Li Mingwei forward a step. "She is my wife indeed. Mingwei, this is Elder Brother Hu Jin. He also previously studied at Honghu Academy."


    The two had met in the academy''s dining hall. At that time, Liu Yizhu had just entered the academy and felt there was a huge gap between himself and the other students after the entrance exam. He would always stayte in the ssroom after lectures finished everyday and went to eat veryte. Hu Jin was the same way.


    After observing him for a few days, seeing that he was always alone and his clothing wasn''t the best, Hu Jin assumed he was also being ostracized. Wanting to make friends, Hu Jin shamelessly went to sit at the same table as him. As they interacted more and more, the two became familiar with each other. However...


    "For several days, I didn''t see you in the dining hall anymore. After asking around, I found out you had withdrawn from school. You left so suddenly without even saying goodbye to me?"


    Hu Jin sighed heavily and lowered his head silently.


    An awkward atmosphere descended on them. Mr. Jin realized what was happening and quickly stood up to smooth things over. He brought over stools for them and gave his chair to Li Mingwei.


    "Have a seat, have a seat." He extended an invitation to Li Mingwei. "Would you like to y chess? Being cooped up so long must have been stifling."


    "It has been a bit stifling but let''s wait until Mr. Jin and Elder Brother Hu finish this round first."


    Hu Jin forced a smile and sat back down but no longer had any interest left in the chess game. Although he hadn''t known Liu Yizhu for long, they hadmiserated in their simr circumstances. Seeing him now brought back those memories again and he truly couldn''t calm down.


    Mr. Jin noticed and said with augh, "Forget it. Why don''t you y instead? I can see he''s a bit tired."


    The corner of Hu Jin''s mouth twitched as he stood up to give Li Mingwei his seat.


    He sat down next to Liu Yizhu and patted his hand. After half a beat, he finally exined, "It''s not that I didn''t want to say farewell to you but there truly wasn''t enough time."


    "Do you still remember Teacher Qi''s son?"


    "Qi Liwu?" Liu Yizhu''s brows furrowed. This guy was not easy to get along with. He most enjoyed bullying others and causing trouble. But since he was the teacher''s son, most students didn''t dare offend him.


    He especially remembered the first time he saw Qi Liwu. He and Hu Jin were eating together when Qi Liwu brought a fewckeys in from outside. Seeing them, he had started making snide insinuations, saying things like of course the destitute make friends with each other and wondering how trash like them even got admitted. At the time, Hu Jin had gotten really angry.


    Insulting him was one thing but why did he have to drag Liu Yizhu into it too?


    Hu Jin had endured it at first before losing control of his temper. Just as he was about to retort, Tang Jue happened toe in and sat down next to Liu Yizhu. He set his tray of food on the table and draped an arm over Liu Yizhu''s shoulders, raising an eyebrow at Qi Liwu. "Say that again?"


    Of course Qi Liwu didn''t dare to when faced with the county magistrate''s son. He awkwardly led hisckeys away to avoid them.


    Tang Jue coldly snorted. "Bullying my roommate huh."


    And that was how Liu Yizhu and Tang Jue became friends.


    With Tang Jue''s protection, Liu Yizhu was fine. But Hu Jin had no one so Qi Liwu''s retaliation against him became even more ruthless.

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114


    Hu Jin only realized at the very end that Qi Liwu disliked him because of the entrance exam results. Hu Jin ranked one ce higher than Qi Liwu, and when Hu Jin stood up first to introduce himself wearing what he thought were his best clothes, Qi Liwu felt a hint of humiliation.


    When Qi Liwu returned home, his father even pped his exam papers in his face and yelled at him loudly: ¡°Take a look at what you got in the exam, I, a teacher, raised a son like you. Do you think it¡¯s shameful? Tell me!¡±


    He pointed at Qi Liwu and said: ¡°You can¡¯t even score higher than someone from a vige. How will the other teachers in the academy see me? They must be secretlyughing at me behind my back for raising such a good son!¡±


    His father¡¯s words were like needles, piercing Qi Liwu¡¯s heart. His eyes turned red as he kept picturing that country bumpkin who stood up before him. His resentment deepened and finally turned into hatred.


    Hu Jin smiled self-deprecatingly, ¡°I¡¯m also quite unlucky. If I had scored a little lower, perhaps things wouldn¡¯t have turned out this way.¡±


    Liu Yizhu frowned, ¡°This has nothing to do with you. Don¡¯t me yourself for others¡¯ faults. He disliked you over this, and he can certainly dislike you over something else another day. It makes no difference.¡±


    Those inferior should reflect on themselves, study hard, and strive to surpass him one day, just like he surpassed Qi Liwu back then, and like how Zhong Liangyu surpasses him now. Who goes around trying to drag others into the mud?


    Hu Jin stared nkly into the distance with confusion shing across his eyes.


    Seeing him like this, Liu Yizhu¡¯s expression also darkened. He asked carefully, ¡°Did you quit school because you couldn¡¯t stand him?¡±


    ¡°I guess so. He was always like that and I really couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so I fought with him and identally hurt him. My family isn¡¯t well-off and can¡¯t afford to pay that much inpensation...¡± said Hu Jin, not small in size and used to farm work at home, so he was quite strong. Qi Liwu truly couldn¡¯t beat him. Also, Hu Jin had umted resentment for a long time and didn¡¯t hold back at all when he struck, injuring Qi Liwu severely.


    Qi Liwu had repeatedly bullied Hu Jin in the beginning. Hu Jin¡¯s actions were in self-defense. Not only did some students at the academy know this, but Teacher Qi also knew about it. If this matter grew bigger, not only his son but he himself might get implicated too. In order to smooth things over, he waived Hu Jin¡¯spensation and only asked him to voluntarily withdraw from the academy.


    Hu Jin couldn¡¯t take out that much money, so he could only listen to Teacher Qi¡¯s words and packed up his things to return home overnight.


    Upon hearing that there was still such a teacher, Li Mingwei frowned, ¡°Which Teacher Qi is it?¡±


    Liu Yizhu shook his head, ¡°He never taught me before, I¡¯ve only heard of him. I didn¡¯t actually know he was this kind of person.¡±


    Right, someone like him still calls himself a teacher? What a joke! Li Mingwei secretly criticized in her heart, making a mental note to ask Lord Tang to investigate clearlyter and definitely bring Teacher Qi down. People like him shouldn¡¯t sully the reputation of teachers! If her maternal grandfather was here, he would have twisted Teacher Qi¡¯s head off!


    Seeing that Li Mingwei stopped talking, Liu Yizhu withdrew his gaze and turned to ask Hu Jin instead, ¡°There is more than one academy in the county seat. Why didn¡¯t you go study at another one?¡±


    Hu Jin said helplessly, ¡°My family already exhausted all their means to send me to Honghu Academy. But in less than a few months, I...¡±


    ¡°They were not willing to spend money on me again, and alsocked the ability to pay that sum again.¡±


    After painstakingly saving for over ten years, their son had finally passed the county-level imperial examination and made something of himself, which made Hu Jin¡¯s parents overjoyed. In order to smooth his future path, they specifically went to inquire in the county seat, pooled their money together and sent him to study at Honghu Academy, even taking on debt to do so.


    But after just a few months, he was expelled from the academy for fighting. How could Hu Jin¡¯s parents stand it? They almost severed ties with him in anger.


    At first they wanted to take him to apologize to Qi Liwu, to see if he could be reinstated. But after enduring so much humiliation, how could Hu Jin possibly apologize? Left with no choice, he ran away from home in exasperation.


    ¡°I¡¯ve alreadye out here, it¡¯s not good to just return like this. I just want to earn some travel expenses now. I n to participate in the Autumn Examination next year. If I seed, I will go back. If not, I¡¯ll wait another three years. I can¡¯t just return empty-handed.¡±


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips, looking somewhat like she wanted to cry. She raised her eyes to meet Mr. Jin¡¯s also rather sympathetic gaze. He knew Hu Jin was not well off, but didn¡¯t realize his situation was so dire.


    The two looked at each other for a moment and both sighed.


    Seeing this, Liu Yizhu also felt extremely distressed. Hu Jin patted him on the shoulder tofort him instead, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m doing quite well now. It¡¯s quite convenient to work and read books here. And isn¡¯t it about time for you to take the Autumn Examination next year too? Let¡¯s take it together.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it together.¡± Liu Yizhu nodded lightly and patted Hu Jin back, then asked, ¡°What books are you reading now? I have some extras you can borrow if you want.¡±


    Unable to name many off the top of his head, Hu Jin brought Liu Yizhu to his room to take a look. The two stayed inside for a very long time.


    Li Mingwei covered her eyes,menting, ¡°His life is so miserable.¡±


    Mr. Jin said with a smile, ¡°You really are different now that you¡¯re going to be a mother, your heart has softened.¡±


    Li Mingwei looked at him usingly, ¡°Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s pitiful, Teacher?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, pitiful, satisfied?¡± Mr Jin replied.


    But when in life has suffering ever paused? He had lost both parents before thirty. Doesn¡¯t Li Mingwei think that¡¯s miserable too? This little girl has truly experienced and seen too little in life!


    Mr. Jin cast her a meaningful look, signaling for her to concentrate, ¡°If you keep getting distracted like this, you¡¯re going to lose.¡±


    Only then did Li Mingwei lower her head to earnestly look at the chessboard, still feeling utterly indignant inside. She was determined to write to Lord Tang about this when she returned.


    After taking a look at the books Hu Jin currently had, Liu Yizhu gained an understanding in his mind. He discussed academics with Hu Jin briefly before leaving to grab some books for him from home.


    He invited, ¡°Mr. Jin,e back with us too. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen Elder Brother Hu. We can have dinner tonight and chat.¡±


    Since Mr. Jin was bored by himself, he agreed with a nod and left together with them.


    He put away the chess set and returned it to the room, then walked out with them.


    Not forgetting to carefully support the quick, indignant steps of Li Mingwei forward, Liu Yizhu gently said, ¡°Slow down a bit.¡±


    Hu Jin only thought they were affectionate with each other and felt rather envious in his heart.


    But when they reached the intersection outside the dessert shop, Li Mingwei refused to walk any further. She demanded, ¡°I want sour plums.¡±


    How could Liu Yizhu not oblige? He quickly brought her to buy some. Only then did Hu Jine back to his senses, looking towards Mr. Jin, ¡°Is my younger sister pregnant?¡±


    Mr. Jin nodded, ¡°Not even three months yet. She said we can¡¯t tell others for now.¡±


    Although Hu Jin didn¡¯t know why, he had heard this saying before too and didn¡¯t ask further. He and Mr. Jin caught up to Liu Yizhu and Li Mingwei.


    Because they were going home for dinner, Li Mingwei also bought a lot of desserts to bring over, getting Chen Jie to wrap them up together.


    Seeing the pile of sour plums she bought the most of, and Liu Yizhu¡¯s delicate care toward her, Chen Jie seemed to suddenly understand something.

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115


    Because they were going to drink alcohol, Old Lady Wang didn''t want Li Mingwei to smell the alcohol, so she neatly packed her food and had her eat in her room.


    After she had collected the bowls and chopsticks, she said, "If you''re tired, go to sleep first. I''ve already tidied up his room for him to sleep in himself tonight."


    Li Mingwei blinked her eyes. Thinking that he had drunk alcohol today, his body must have the smell of alcohol too. She nodded in agreement and obediently closed the door.


    In the middle of the night, Liu Yizhu, who was not drunk, tossed and turned in the small bed that smelled a little moldy, unable to fall asleep. Why did he have to sleep alone in an empty room when he only came back once a month?


    In the next eight or nine months, would he have to sleep alone every time he came back? He suddenly felt that having a child might not be so good.


    The unborn baby in Li Mingwei''s belly had already suffered contempt from its father before it was even born.


    The next day, the still not fully awake Li Mingwei was startled awake by the sound of talking outside. She pricked up her ears to listen. It sounded like Aunt Cui''s voice. Why did Aunt Cuie so early?


    She was a little doubtful as she got up, got dressed,bed her hair, and opened the door. She was met with Aunt Cui''s big smile, which scared her into taking a step back.


    Her tone also contained some resentment, "Aunt Cui, so early in the morning, what are you doing here!"


    "Oh, what else could I be doing!" Aunt Cui had an expression on her face that said she already knew everything. She grabbed her hand and patted it, "I came to see you and brought you some eggs."


    Bring eggs?


    Why bring eggs? Li Mingwei looked at Old Lady Wang puzzled, "We have eggs at home. Mother, why did you buy more from Aunt Cui?"


    "I didn''t buy them, she brought them as a gift." Aunt Cui could tell that she didn''t know about this custom, so she leaned in and whispered, "You''re expecting now, right? Your family doesn''t have many nice things, so I brought some eggs for you to nourish yourself."


    "Ah? How do you know about that, Auntie?"


    Li Mingwei looked at Old Lady Wang, thinking she must have said something, but Old Lady Wang shook her head indicating it wasn''t her.


    "Huh?" Aunt Cui was also stunned, "Everyone outside already knows! And it''s not just me. I reckon all the children you used to teach wille overter too. We were just talking earlier, wondering why you haven''t gone to teach ss for so long."


    She said softly, "Didn''t you say you had that thing happen to you before? At first we didn''t dare think it was this."


    Li Mingwei racked her brains but couldn''t figure out where things had gone wrong. Her mother-inw hadn''t said anything, it couldn''t have been Mr. Jin, and she had warned Spring Flower sister many times, so it probably wasn''t her either. It must have been little Lei.


    That makes sense. Little Lei was still young and might let something slip to the other kids at school by ident, and then the kids would have gone home and told the adults.


    In the end, thinking that the most likely culprit for letting the secret out was Dong Lei, Li Mingweipletely forgot about therge bag of pickled plums that she had bought yesterday.


    Since Aunt Cui had brought gifts, Old Lady Wang naturally asked her to stay for a meal. She quickly fried a few eggs for Li Mingwei before hurrying off to the market to buy groceries.


    As Li Mingwei ate her eggs, she raised her head and met Aunt Cui''s somewhat distressed gaze. She said in a daze, "Auntie, what''s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"


    Aunt Cui smiled and gently stroked her hair, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief, "You''re luckier than me."


    It took Aunt Cui twenty years of pleading before she finally got what she desired, while Li Mingwei obtained it as soon as she married into the Liu family.


    Earlier, Aunt Cui had still been worried that Li Mingwei might not be able to have children and would suffer grievances after marrying into the Liu family. Although Schr Liu wouldn''t mind, Old Lady Wang was not so easygoing. Aunt Cui was afraid that Old Lady Wang would bully her when Schr Liu was away.


    She didn''t expect that it had barely even been that long before she heard about Li Mingwei''s situation. She rushed over first thing in the morning, and from Old Lady Wang''s reaction, she knew it was true. This girl really was lucky.


    Li Mingwei recalled what Aunt Cui had told her about the grievances she had suffered when she was young, and understood what was going on. She bit her lip and held Aunt Cui''s hand, "Auntie, you have good fortune too. Gui is a very nice and sensible child."


    Aunt Cui only had this one piece of meat in her heart. Hearing someone praise him so highly made her extremely happy, to the point where her face almost couldn''t contain her smile.


    Soon, more people arrived.


    "Anyone home?"


    "Yes!" Hearing the sound outside, Aunt Cui immediately responded loudly and gestured for Li Mingwei to keep sitting as she went out, "I''ll get it. I reckon it''s theming. They''re all people we know, don''t worry."


    Since Aunt Cui was closest with Li Mingwei, the other families all asked her toe first to test the waters. Seeing that she had been inside for so long, they understood the situation and went back to fetch gifts.


    Although Aunt Cui told her not to worry, as the mistress of the house, Li Mingwei still had to go take a look. She watched the steady stream of people walking into the yard and gradually became somewhat stunned.


    There were way too many people!


    Although most were familiar faces, did they really need to make such a big fuss just because she was pregnant? And have so many peoplee over?


    When the group approached her, they congratted in session, "Schr Liu is so fortunate! It''s only been a short while, and you''re already expecting!"


    "Quickly sit down! Don''t tire yourself out at this time."


    "Is it just you at home? Where is Old Lady Wang?"


    "She went grocery shopping." Aunt Cui took the gifts from them one by one and guided the women to sit down, then introduced most of them to Li Mingwei. She had seen many of them at the school, with only a few that she may have encountered asionally but didn''t know by name.


    "This is the third daughter of the Ye family that lives by the east gate. Her name is Ye Hui and she''s Ye Dong''s older sister. She only just returned, so you probably haven''t met her before." Aunt Cui thought for a moment, uncertainly asking, "Little Hui is eighteen this year, right?"


    Ye Hui nodded. Aunt Cui then said, "Then just call her little sister."


    Li Mingwei responded, "Sister Ye."


    Ye Hui also smiled, "Sister Li."


    After the two women exchanged greetings, Aunt Cui brought over another girl to introduce, "This is my niece''s eldest daughter, Cui Ying. She''s only sixteen. Why did they send you today?"


    Cui Ying exined, "The family''s busy harvesting peanuts these days, so they asked me toe. I also brought Sister some of the ones we dug up yesterday. They''re still fresh. Try themter, Sister."


    Li Mingwei nodded, "Thank you, little sister."


    Cui Ying gave a sweet smile, revealing two dimples in her round little face, "You''re wee."


    Next was, "This is Liu Cuicui. Your families are also somewhat rted."


    Aunt Cui looked at Liu Cuicui and asked, "What was that form of address again?"


    Liu Cuicuiughed, "Sister-inw."


    Li Mingwei was a bit embarrassed that she didn''t even recognize her own rtive. She smiled and said, "Younger sister."


    "Sister-inw, just call me Cuicui or Little Seven like they do."


    "Alright."


    After following Aunt Cui to meet everyone, Li Mingwei''s face was all flushed. She gave a brief apology to them for herck of hospitality and told them to make themselves at home. Then she went to the backyard and kicked Liu Yizhu''s door, scolding him for still not being up when it was sote already!


    Having only fallen asleep at dawn, Liu Yizhu slowly opened the door. Seeing Li Mingwei''s face, he immediately put on a smile and pulled her into his embrace, burying his head in her shoulder with slight grievance in his tone, "Darling, I can''t fall asleep without you."


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes in disbelief. As if he didn''t stay upte reading books back at the academy!


    "Stop fooling around. Hurry up and get up, we have guests."


    Guests?


    Liu Yizhu raised his head to look behind her and silently buried his face in her neck again. Why didn''t you say so earlier!


    Aunt Cui pushed the few others who had followed her to the backyard back out to the front yard, "Don''t look! Don''t look! It''s a young couple''s private affairs. What''s there to see!"


    Only then did Li Mingwei look back and see so many people behind her. She quickly pushed the barely clothed Liu Yizhu back into the room.

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116


    Li Mingwei pushed Liu Yizhu into the room and quickly closed the door behind them. She keenly sensed the smell in the air and understood why Liu Yizhu had said he couldn''t sleep wellst night. She covered her nose and hurried to open the window to air out the room.


    "With such a strong smell, why didn''t you juste back and sleep here?"


    Liu Yizhu hugged her from behind, his face drooping: "You think I didn''t want toe back? You locked the door, I couldn''t get it open."


    Li Mingwei thought he was being a bit silly. "Why didn''t you just knock on the door?!"


    If he had knocked on the door he would have woken her up.


    Li Mingwei pinched him and scolded him for being foolish, telling him to hurry up and change his clothes since so many people were waiting outside. They still needed to go to the market to find his mother and have her buy more vegetables.


    After Liu Yizhu had changed his clothes and gone outside, he was also surprised to see so many people still in the front yard. He greeted everyone, counted heads, and realized there was no time for breakfast that morning before hurrying out the door.


    Auntie Cui brought Li Mingwei''s half-eaten breakfast back to her, telling her to keep eating. "You can''t go hungry right now. Hurry up and eat this, is it cold? Should I heat it up for you?"


    Li Mingwei tried it and saw that it was still warm, so she shook her head. "No need."


    She looked over at Liu Cuicui, who was weing the guests on her behalf, and felt a little embarrassed. Carrying her bowl, she slipped back into the kitchen. She didn''t want to be watched while eating.


    After refilling everyone''s water, Liu Cuicui came back still carrying the kettle. Seeing Li Mingwei sneakily eating in the kitchen, sheughed and said, "Sister-inw, why don''t you eat outside?"


    Li Mingwei waved her hand dismissively. "I''m almost done, I can wash the dishes right here when I''m finished."


    "Alright."


    Liu Cuicui nodded and added more cool water to the kettle, nning to boil another batch since it was still early. They would need to replenish the hot water several more times before lunch.


    Seeing Liu Cuicui''s familiarity with the kitchen, Li Mingwei guessed that she must have visited before. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "I''m not too clear on the customs here - why are so many peopleing just because I''m pregnant?"


    "It''s not always like this," Liu Cuicui exined. "Usually it''s just close family friends whoe. But most who came today have kids studying in the academy. No one wants you to y favorites, right?"


    Li Mingwei was speechless. Did they really think she was that kind of person?


    "And some who came don''t have any children yet."


    "Hmm?"


    Seeing Li Mingwei''s confused expression, Liu Cuicuiughed and squatted down next to her, whispering: "Wasn''t it said before that sister-inw couldn''t have children? But you got pregnant so soon. They want toe see if you have any special remedy they can take home and try for themselves."


    "Since they aren''t familiar with you, they won''t directly ask. But when Auntiees back, they''ll definitely go question her."


    Liu Cuicui gave her a knowing look, gesturing towards the few young women talking by the vegetable garden up front. She singled one out, "Look at Ye Hui over there. She got married two years ago but still hasn''t had a child, so her inws gave her some money and sent her back."


    Li Mingwei didn''t believe it. "It''s only been two years, that''s not very long."


    "I know, but the others who married into the family at the same time already have kids, and she doesn''t."


    The more Li Mingwei listened, the more confused she felt. What on earth? She was having a little trouble understanding.


    "Just wait and see, sister-inw. She''lle looking for youter."


    Looking for me? What good will that do? I don''t even know why I was able to get pregnant myself!


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips in displeasure. She finished eating the egg, washed the dishes, and hurried back out to the hall to chat with the guests.


    On his way home after buying vegetables, Liu Yizhu bumped into his mother carrying vegetables back as well. His gaze fell on the amount of vegetables in her hands, and he decisively turned her around.


    "This isn''t enough vegetables. We need to buy more."


    His mother Wang held up the vegetables in her hands for him to see. "This is plenty. Even if a few more people show up, it''ll be enough. I''ve been cooking for this family for years, don''t you think I know better?"


    "Mother, all the families in town with kids studying havee, not to mention our rtives and a few close neighbors. There are over twenty people!"


    "What?!"


    Wang''s head instantly swelled. What was wrong with these people, did they have nothing better to do than all show up here? This wasn''t a full month celebration or anything like that.


    With two drawn out sighs, she handed the vegetables to Liu Yizhu and told him to take them home first. "I''ll go buy more vegetables myself. Go next door and borrow two more tables. We don''t have enough seats at home for this many people."


    "Can you manage by yourself?"


    "I''ll take someone with me then."


    Liu Yizhu looked back. "Sister Chunhua, you''re going to buy vegetables too?"


    Wang Chunhua nodded and came forward. "Ah yes, I''ll apany your mother and then go lend a handter. You should go get your brother-inw to help carry over the tables and stools."


    "Alright, thanks for your help then."


    Li Mingwei sat in the main hall, her face stiff from forcing smiles for so long. It wasn''t until Wang came back with Wang Chunhua that the crowd finally shifted their attention away from her. Seeing how lively their discussion was, Li Mingwei quietly snuck back to the bedroom. Looking in the mirror, she massaged her sore cheeks. This was too taxing. Though she was quite the chatterbox herself, she still couldn''t handle this many mouths to entertain. Thank goodness for Auntie Cui''s presence.


    Liu Yizhu pushed the door open and came in to see herpletely wilted. His heart ached and he gently asked, "Tired? Do you want to lie down on the bed and rest for a bit?"


    "I''m fine, I''ll be good after sitting for a while."


    But there were still so many people outside, she''d have to go back out after resting briefly.


    "Then how about sitting on the bed?"


    "No need, I''m not tired."


    "It''s not that." Liu Yizhu gave an embarrassed, cating smile. "There aren''t enough stools outside."


    Li Mingwei''s expression soured. She had thought he was concerned about her. Turns out she was thinking too much! Hmph!


    She moved out of the way and let Liu Yizhu carry the stool from their room along with the chair from his desk outside. He made a quick escape.


    After sitting on the bed for a while, when Li Mingwei went back out she realized she was no longer the center of attention. She looked towards the front and saw that Hu Jin and Mr. Jin had arrived as well. Everyone''s focus had shifted to them.


    A few young girls were peering out the back door. "Is that the new teacher Hu?" one whispered excitedly.


    Seeing Li Mingweie over, one asked her, "That Teacher Hu looks quite young, is he a good teacher?"


    "I don''t know," Li Mingwei shook her head. She hadn''t gone back to the academy since Hu Jin arrived, so how could she know if he was a good teacher or not? "You''d have to ask Mr. Jin. I haven''t attended ss for a while now."


    "I heard he also passed the county exams?"


    "That''s right. He''s even taking the provincial exam next year."


    "So isn''t he the same as Teacher Liu?"


    "Yes."


    Li Mingwei suddenly noticed a gleam of interest in Ye Hui''s eyes.

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117


    Li Mingwei was somewhat perplexed by her gaze. When she looked up at Ye Hui again, Ye Hui had already put away her expression, her eyes settling elsewhere.


    Cui Yingshang went forward and looped her arm around Li Mingwei''s, just smiling at her without saying anything. She pulled Li Mingwei towards the courtyard, and when they had walked far away, estimating that the people behind could no longer hear, she whispered: "Sister, don''t bother with her."


    "None of us like ying with her, yet she insists on horning in. My mother said that kind of person, who thinks highly of themselves despite not being much, I should stay away from her."


    Li Mingwei did not know if Ye Hui thought highly of herself or not, but Liu Cuicui and Cui Ying''s words contained quite a bit of malice towards her. She was probably not well-liked.


    She nced over at Ye Hui in the distance. She could be considered a beauty, with an oval face, a pointy chin, slender brows and eyes, and a little mole on the tip of her nose. She was quite attractive.


    At least among the youngdies present today, she was one of the more outstanding ones.


    However, Li Mingwei prefered Cui Ying''s looks, chubby and round, truly adorable. If the child in her belly was a girl, growing up to look like this would not be bad either.


    She could not resist the temptation and pinched Cui Ying''s cheek. It really was tender, simr to little Lei''s.


    Cui Ying pouted: "Sister Ming, you''re the same as my mother, always pinching my cheeks."


    "Haha." Li Mingweiughed out loud, a little embarrassed. She could feel Cui Ying''s mother''s joy. She praised: "Sister thinks you''re cute. If I have a daughter like you, that would be wonderful."


    "Really?"


    "Mm!"


    Cui Ying felt that this was high praise indeed. She was a little happy and felt closer to Li Mingwei: "Sister is also very beautiful. In the future if I have a child, it would be good if they look like sister too."


    Li Mingwei pinched her again: "Have you gotten engaged?"


    "Not yet." Cui Ying looked somewhat dejected, her mouth moved: "My mother is looking, but I don''t want to get engaged yet."


    "Don''t want to? You''re this old already and still don''t want to?"


    Aunt Cui walked over from afar and pped Cui Ying on the head. She handed her the basket and vegetables in her hands: "Go pick the vegetables for me!"


    Cui Ying obediently nodded and took the vegetables. Li Mingwei hurried to snatch them: "Let me do it. You go y with them."


    It would be unreasonable for the host to let guests help while they were free.


    Aunt Cui held onto Li Mingwei''s hand and led her inside: "Alright, don''t stay outside anymore. Too crowded out here is not good for you."


    She had just overheard Wang Chunhua asking Old Lady Wang if Li Mingwei had finished her medicine, and when they would go to the county town again. Only then did she know about her unstable pregnancy and did not dare let her stay outside anymore.


    She was also too happy upon hearing the news that she did not ask clearly beforeing over.


    Aunt Cui looked around and saw there were no stools inside, so she supported Li Mingwei over to sit on the bed: "You just stay here at ease. We''ll take care of things outside. Don''te back out. If anything happens to you, it would be my fault."


    After settling her down, Aunt Cui turned around and went back out. Li Mingwei let out a long sigh.


    "Ah~"


    She could let it go for others, but she still wanted to chat with the pretty youngdies she had just met today.


    Now she could only lie on the bed again.


    Too boring.


    Knock knock~


    There was a knock on the door. Li Mingwei perked up, wondering if someone hade to chat. She scurried to open the door, but it was Liu Yizhu.


    She was a little disappointed. "Why is it you?"


    Liu Yizhu closed the door behind him and pinched her cheek: "What''s wrong with me? Who were you expecting instead that makes you look not too happy to see me?"


    Li Mingwei huffed: "None of your business! There are no more stools left in the room for you anyway. Are you thinking of taking out this bed too?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head and walked to the cab to pack up. Only then did Li Mingwei remember that he was leaving today. She felt even more unhappy.


    With so many guests suddenly today, there were not many things prepared at home. Dinner would probably be a bitte after it was ready. Liu Yizhu and Dong Shan moved all the tables, chairs, stools, and benches, thinking to pack up first so they could leave with luggage in hand after eating.


    Having lived at the academy for years, what they needed had already been brought over. There were not many things left to pack now - just some clothes and books. He finished packing swiftly and ced them on the table. Only when he turned back did he see Li Mingwei with a very unhappy expression.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Li Mingwei looked at him aggrievedly, not saying a word. But soon mist rose in her eyes.


    Liu Yizhu hugged her distressfully. How he wished to apany her more too. But the provincial examination was less than a year away now. He could not afford to dy. If he did not even pass the provincial exam, what face would he have to ask her not to embarrass him when it came to the imperial exam. He had promised to do his utmost.


    He held the person in his arms tighter, and could only say sorry.


    "You have nothing to be sorry to me about."


    Li Mingwei was just feeling the sorrow of parting temporarily. She did not mean to me him at all. It would be letting her down if he did not study diligently instead.


    She pushed him. "Go on out. I''m fine."


    "Really?" Liu Yizhu held her hand, seeing that she still did not look too good. He stroked her cheek lightly and hugged her again: "I won''t go out. Just now you were reluctant to part with me, now I am reluctant to part with you. I want you to apany me a bit more, alright?"


    Li Mingweiined: "But there are still guests outside~"


    "I don''t care!"


    No matter what she said now, Liu Yizhu would not let go again. Left with no alternative, Li Mingwei could only let him be.


    The two leaned against each other, greedily soaking up each other''s warmth to withstand the separation for the next month.


    Liu Yizhu reluctantly exhorted again and again: "If there''s anything you want to eat or want while at home, you can tell mother or send me a letter. Don''t endure it if you''re ufortable, go see the doctor early. Don''t hide it from me again."


    "Let me know once you''ve decided on a date and I''ll apply for leave early to pick you up. On the road, still have to trouble Sister Chunhua and the others to take care of you. I''ll have to prepare some gifts for themter."


    "I know all that. I''m not a child anymore."


    Liu Yizhuughed and rubbed her face he was holding: "I don''t feel there''s any difference."


    Li Mingwei''s gaze turned even more resentful. She retorted: "You''re younger than me, little brother."


    Alright, now it was the other person''s turn to be unhappy.


    Liu Yizhu suddenly did not feel like entertaining her anymore. He got up to go help out.


    After eating, he bid farewell to everyone with his luggage, heading to the county town alone. With him taking the lead to leave, the other guests also gradually took their leave and went home.


    Ye Hui was thest to remain. Li Mingwei saw her slowly walking towards herself and still felt a little nervous. Was she going to ask, was she going to question? How should she answer? Would saying it was just good luck lead to a beating?


    But when Ye Hui reached her, she only lightly took her hand: "Sister Ming, I heard that you embroider very well. I also know a little. May I ask you for some guidance if it''s convenient on another day?"


    Not hearing the expected questions, Li Mingwei was startled for a moment. She quickly nodded: "Yes, yes, pleasee anytime."


    "Then thank you, sister."


    Ye Hui smiled and bid Old Lady Wang farewell before leaving.


    Cui Ying wrinkled her nose and let out a quiet huff towards her back. She got red at by Aunt Cui and could only obediently lower her head.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118


    After everyone had left, Old Lady Wang carried tworge wooden basins, filled them with clear water, piled the used bowls and chopsticks to the side, and started washing them with Wang Chunhua, one washing while the other rinsing. Li Mingwei brought over two small stools for them and sat at the edge, watching them.


    Her gaze fell upon therge pile of bowls and chopsticks. She carefully opened her mouth, "Are you sure you don''t need my help?"


    "No, no." Wang Chunhua was busy cleaning the bowls without even lifting her head to respond directly, "Youing over will only make things more chaotic."


    After Liu Cuicui finished tidying up the kitchen, she also carried over a stool and sat next to them, "Sister-inw, take a break. I''lle over to help."


    Old Lady Wang lifted her head, smiled at Liu Cuicui, and handed her the towel in her hand. She took another towel from the window sill and extended an invitation, "Little Seven, stay for dinner tonight. Thank you for your help today."


    Liu Cuicui epted.


    Following mother-inw''s instructions, Li Mingwei went to clear up the gifts they had received today. They were mostly eggs and pastries. The most special one was the basket of fresh peanuts that Cui Ying had brought over.


    She took one out and tried it. It was quite sweet. So she brought them over to the yard table for the others to eat. Dong Lei didn''t like eating these. He just stared longingly at the pastries. The desire in his eyes was almost overflowing.


    When Wang Chunhua came over after cleaning up and saw this, she pped him upside the head again.


    Dong Lei yelped in pain, covering his head. Li Mingwei quickly went over to check that he was alright. Fortunately, it was nothing serious.


    She helplessly said, "Sis, if he wants to eat them, just let him have a pack. There are still quite a few left. I haven''t felt like eating sweets recently anyway, it would be a waste if they went bad."


    "I''m telling you, you can''t spoil children like this," Wang Chunhua sat next to her and patiently taught, "You''re going to have your own child soon. Giving birth is not easy, bringing up children is even harder."


    "I know I indulge him quite a bit at home normally. But we''re outside right now. If he develops this habit of eyeing other people''s treats longingly while we''re at your ce, when he goes to other people''s houses in the future, at best others will say your child is greedy, at worst they''ll say your child has no manners and wants everything in sight."


    Her reasoning made sense. But still...


    Li Mingwei''s gaze fell upon the somewhat aggrieved Dong Lei. She couldn''t go against her mother-inw openly to stick up for him. She could only put the pastries away and have him eat peanuts instead.


    She personally peeled and fed him a few, "Peanuts are very sweet too, just as sweet as pastries."


    Wang Chunhua didn''t want to bother with her anymore. She definitely can''t let her be the one to bring up children in the future, too indulgent.


    Liu Cuicui also grabbed a few peanuts to eat, thenughed and said, "They really are quite sweet this year, same sweetness as previous years. The sandy soil over where Little Ying''s family lives is great for growing peanuts. They can harvest a lot every year and sell them for good money."


    Li Mingwei noticed her way of addressing Cui Ying, and felt that they must have a pretty good rtionship. She quietly asked, "Are you very close with Cui Ying?"


    Old Lady Wang nodded, "They''re neighbors after all. How could they not be close?"


    I see.


    Li Mingwei looked at Liu Cuicui a few more times. She suddenly felt a bit gossipy but wasn''t sure if she should ask outright. She nced around. Everyone in the yard were people she considered family. In the end, she couldn''t resist.


    She found a reasonable excuse for herself, "Cuicui, I noticed Cui Ying doesn''t seem to like Ye Hui very much. Do you happen to know why? They both said they''lle find me to hang out over the next few days. I''m a little worried about saying something wrong."


    Liu Cuicui looked at her staring over and thought there was something else. Sheughed, "It''s not that big of a deal. Auntie knows about it too, right?"


    "Pah!" How could Old Lady Wang not know? She disdainfully said, "It''s just that little thing. And Cui Ying still remembers it clearly. As for Ye Hui, hasn''t she gotten her retribution, driven back home again? What does Cui Ying still have to be upset about?"


    "Cui Ying has an older brother..."


    Called Cui Jian. He used to be interested in Ye Hui. The two were about to get engaged when the Du Family, the ones who chased Ye Hui back, came to propose. After weighing both options, Ye Hui chose to marry into the county seat as a concubine instead.


    Later, there were rumors outside that Cui Jian was spurned. Ye Hui would rather marry someone else as a lesser wife than marry him. People mocked how little she must think of him.


    With the girl he liked about to marry someone else, and these insulting rumors, Cui Jian temporarily couldn''t take the blow and got into a fight with the rumormonger. In the end, Cui Jian''s parents still had to offer gifts and money to smooth things over.


    And so the families of Ye Hui and Cui Ying became enemies.


    Li Mingwei thought back to Cui Ying''s clothing and essories. The Cui family didn''t seemcking at all either. Why did Ye Hui have to stubbornly be a concubine instead of a proper wife? Was it just to give birth to a son for the Du family in exchange for a big house?


    "How much money does it take to buy a house in the county seat?"


    Everyone shook their heads, "Don''t know."


    "Then how much are the houses here in our town worth? Like our home and Sis'' home?" Li Mingwei''s gaze drifted between Old Lady Wang and Wang Chunhua.


    Old Lady Wang hesitated for a bit, "Ours has been passed down through generations. I''m not too clear on the exact amount."


    "Mine was bought by my grandfather. It cost over thirty taels back then," Dong Shan estimated.


    The Dong home had a front yard and back yard, a main hall, a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a storage room. It was considered very small, yet it still cost over thirty taels in a rural town like Qingshi. Houses in the county seat were probably double the price, around sixty to seventy taels.


    So the grand house the Du Family promised was likely worth several hundred taels. For money-loving people, it was pretty tempting.


    "Sister-inw, you still shouldn''t get too close with her. She doesn''t have a good reputation now."


    Li Mingwei pouted. It wasn''t like her own reputation was ster before. Aside from Sis Yun, barely anyone wanted to y with her. And now look who''s being all discriminatory.


    But everyone present didn''t think highly of Ye Hui either, so she didn''t bring it up again. Instead, she turned to look at Liu Cuicui, "Why does everyone call you Little Seven?"


    "Because I''m the seventh child in my family."


    Seven? Seven children?


    That did seem like a bit much. Li Mingwei initially thought so too, but she also felt it was unrealistic. She awkwardly said, "Your parents sure have a loving rtionship."


    To raise seven children, they must be exhausted!


    Li Mingwei shuddered. She didn''t have that kind of courage. As long as this child was good-looking, one would be enough. If not, she''d consider whether to have a second one.


    It was like Wang Chunhua could read her thoughts. She immediatelyughed and asked, "You and brother-inw also have a loving rtionship, no? How many kids are you nning?"


    "One or two is enough," Li Mingwei looked at Liu Cuicui and tentatively asked, "Wouldn''t too many be very tiring?"


    "I wouldn''t know. I''m the youngest at home and haven''t raised kids before. Though, my mother only managed to raise four children to adulthood."


    So of the seven children, three died prematurely?


    Li Mingwei bit her lip and quickly apologized, "I''m so sorry, I didn''t know... I..."


    "It''s nothing. Everyone knows about it," Liu Cuicui said.


    "I..."


    Li Mingwei still wanted to say something more, but Old Lady Wang was the first to stand up and end the conversation, "I think it''s gettingte. I''ll go heat up the dishes and we can eat earlier. It gets very cold in the yard at night."


    "Alright."


    Seeing them leave, Li Mingwei felt a little dejected for prying too much. She turned and met Dong Lei''s gaze. Dong Lei held out the peanut kernels in his little hand toward her.


    She was in no mood for it, "You can eat them yourself."

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119


    Today what Old Lady Wang and them said also was known all over town, it can''t be considered anything big. But Old Lady Wang thought about it, felt that daughter-inw didn''t really understand her own rtives, which still wasn''t good. That night she knocked on her door.


    "Mother, what''s the matter?"


    "Sit down." Old Lady Wang helped her sit down, then pulled up a stool and sat next to her, said: "Mother just wants to talk to you about the few rtives we still have dealings with."


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips: "It was me who spoke wrongly today."


    Old Lady Wang shook her head: "Can''t be considered that either."


    In fact in this town most families, there were more or less children who had died prematurely, it was just that in their family there had been three, so they were more sensitive about it.


    "This matter originally wasn''t anything major, but in front of Little Seven you still shouldn''t mention it, because the three older brothers and sisters she doesn''t have all died from illness before age ten. People outside worry she will be like her mother, children born to her will also have this problem, so no one dares toe asking for marriage."


    You asionally having one wasn''t much, but having one, two, three like this, it really made people outside afraid.


    And children so young, those who had been fathers and mothers, even seeing other people''s children get sick or hurt made hearts ache, let alone happening to your own child, that would make people cry themselves to death, who would be willing to take that risk?


    "But Little Seven is doing pretty well, she''s grown up this big and hasn''t had any problems, and her three older brothers and sisters didn''t have problems either."


    "Seven born and four living, that''s still almost half that died isn''t it."


    Li Mingwei bit her finger: "Then did they not go see doctors?"


    "In this town, and the county town, they went everywhere, not one doctor could say why, people outside all felt there was something unclean in their family."


    So people outside didn''t love interacting with their family. It was just Old Lady Wang, she who even dared to put memorial tablets next to where people slept, also wasn''t too avoidant of these kinds of things.


    And also their family was quite poor, mutual suffering, so they had never broken off dealings.


    "What about the others, is there anything else that can''t be said or asked?"


    Old Lady Wang thought it over carefully: "The other families are fine, nothing that can''t be said. It''s just the Zhao widow next door, after she was widowed she never remarried, has always been alone, don''t ask about the people in her family."


    "And there''s also that..."


    That night, Li Mingwei heard the olddy tell her many things she didn''t know, and also felt sorrow for the fate of countless people. There is no most miserable, only more miserable, each one was so helpless and heartbreaking. She seemed to finally get a sense of what a real quagmire was like.


    Finally shey in bed nkly, and even felt a bit numb.


    Because she felt stifled in her heart, Li Mingwei slept veryte. When she woke up Old Lady Wang had already gone out to buy vegetables.


    She found her own breakfast cooked in the pot, egg soup again. She nced at the full basket of eggs next to her, her heart felt even more blocked. It looked like for at least half a month going forward she could only eat this.


    Not able to stay home, she decided to go out for a walk. It just so happened the winter clothes she had madest year wouldn''t fit anymore once her stomach got bigger, so she could only go to the embroidery shop to have them remade. She went back to her room and got one of Liu Yizhu''s outfits, and also went to Old Lady Wang''s room to get one. She bundled them up and went to the embroidery shop.


    At this time was the busiest time at the vegetable market. She nced at the crowded, moring people and didn''t really want to squeeze in. She turned and took a long way around. She had just walked a short distance when she heard someone calling her.


    "Sister Li!"


    "Sister Li!"


    She turned around a couple times but didn''t see who it was with so many people around. Until Cui Ying patted her shoulder from behind and took her arm.


    "Sister Li, I called you so many times, how could you not respond?"


    Li Mingwei said embarrassed: "There are so many people I didn''t hear clearly."


    "So many people and you came to buy vegetables alone?"


    "No." Li Mingwei showed her the bundle in her hand and exined: "I''m going to the embroidery shop."


    "To make winter clothes?"


    "Mm."


    Cui Ying immediately smiled, turning back to wave over a woman in her forties: "Mom, Sister Li is also going to the embroidery shop to have winter clothes made. I''ll go with her, you don''t need toe. Go buy vegetables, I''ll go back myselfter."


    The woman red at her slightly, then smiled at Li Mingwei.


    Li Mingwei also smiled back: "Auntie."


    "Mm." She took out a little purse from her pocket for Cui Ying to put away, and said to Li Mingwei: "I see you also go to the embroidery shop frequently,ter also help her choose and take a look. This child just doesn''t know how to pick things."


    Cui Yingined: "Mom!"


    "It''s fine, auntie don''t worry. I''ll help her take a lookter."


    "Oh, help her pick a nicer one. I just found a matchmaker, she might have to be taken to meet someone soon."


    Upon hearing this, Cui Ying immediately became unhappy. She turned and started to walk away, but her mother grabbed her: "What are you running for, you can''t not marry your whole life. Go with Sister Li, and take her home beforeing back."


    She put Cui Ying''s hand in Li Mingwei''s: "Sorry to trouble you."


    "No trouble, no trouble."


    Seeing she was still pouting, Li Mingwei gave her a look and led her away.


    "You don''t even want to just look?"


    Cui Ying gave her an aggrieved nce, then lightly nodded.


    "So you don''t want to marry?"


    Seeing Cui Ying didn''t answer, Li Mingwei knew in her heart, andughed: "Is it that your heart''s desire doesn''t match your mother''s eyes?"


    Having her thoughts seen through, Cui Ying''s face showed some embarrassment and annoyance. She shook Li Mingwei''s arm and grumbled twice.


    Li Mingwei surrendered: "Fine, I won''t ask, won''t ask, okay?"


    The two slowly arrived at the embroidery shop. female embroiderer Yu also hadn''t seen her in a long time, and immediately came up to take a chair from behind the counter for her: "Rare guest."


    Li Mingwei said helplessly: "It''s only been a month since seeing youst, how can that be rarely seen?"


    female embroiderer Yuughed: "A month is still pretty long."


    She looked at the bundle in Li Mingwei''s hand, and didn''t remember her having any unfinished work: "You came today to?"


    "Make some winter clothes." Li Mingwei untied the bundle and asked: "Can I get measured without the people here?"


    female embroiderer Yu looked them over and roughly knew they were her husband''s and mother-inw''s. She nodded: "It''s fine as long as they fit well when worn."


    Li Mingwei pulled Cui Ying forward: "Sister Cui Ying also wants to make winter clothes, could you measure her as well?"


    "Sure."


    female embroiderer Yu took the bundles and led Cui Ying inside. Li Mingwei sat waiting in front. A teenage boy walked in, saw her and paused for a moment, peeking inside.


    "Is Old Lady Yu not here?"


    "She''s here, she''s just measuring, very quick."


    The boy nodded, standing there obediently, seeming a bit ill at ease.


    Li Mingwei looked the boy over. She realized she actually hadn''t seen him before. This Qingshi Town, though seemingly not very big, was quiterge it seemed!


    She asked: "What did youe for?"


    The boy hesitated for a moment: "I, I had Old Lady Yu embroider a handkerchief. I''vee to get it."


    Li Mingwei raised her eyebrows. This was prepared to give to a girl it seemed.


    She went behind the counter, took out a tray from below. Customers who had special requests would usually be ced here. She indicated for the boy toe closer: "What did you have embroidered on the handkerchief?"


    "Lotus flower." The boy paused for a moment, then added: "And words."


    Li Mingwei looked through them for a while and found a handkerchief embroidered with lotus and the two characters for "Little Seven." She looked up at the boy in front of her.


    Little Seven?


    It seemed she had discovered something big.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120


    Li Mingwei had just heard her mother-inw say yesterday that no one dared marry Little Seven, but today someone had already ordered a handkerchief with her name embroidered on it. She was a little curious and wanted to ask about it since she was Cui Cui''s sister-inw after all, but she did not actually recognize this young man.


    Just as she was hesitating, the youth had already taken the handkerchief and left, so she could only watch silently as he walked away. Perhaps she could ask Cui Cui about it when she got home to see if Cui Cui recognized him.


    The boy looked quite decent, seeming honest and reliable as well, a good match for Cui Cui.


    After measuring the fabric for Lady Liu, the female embroiderer Yu led Cui Ying out. Seeing Li Mingwei standing in a daze inside the counter, she stretched out her hand and waved it in front of Li Mingwei¡¯s eyes, ¡°What are you looking at?¡±


    Li Mingwei came back to her senses and pushed the tray towards her, ¡°Someone just came to collect a custom-made handkerchief. You collected the money, right?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    For custom-made goods, if she did not collect the money in advance and the customer did not want the item after she finished making it, her effort and materials would be wasted. She would not do something so foolish.


    Since she had collected the money, Li Mingwei put the tray back under the counter and started selecting fabric for Cui Ying, choosing a few brighter colors based on what Cui Ying¡¯s mother had told her.


    Cui Ying was somewhat dissatisfied. She was afraid her mother would really make her wear it for the matchmaking session, which would be bad. So she pointed at a few darker colors, ¡°I like these.¡±


    Li Mingwei felt a headacheing. What girl would like those kinds of colors? She had guessed Cui Ying¡¯s thoughts already and said with a smile, ¡°I don''t know if the person you are meeting will like you in those colors, but I reckon the one you¡¯re trying to impress probably won¡¯t like them too much.¡±


    Cui Ying fidgeted with her fingernails, struggled for a while, and finally selected one of the colors Li Mingwei had suggested.


    Lady Yuughed lightly and shook her head, noting it down for her.


    After selecting fabric for her mother-inw and Lady Liu, Li Mingwei touched her own belly and looked to Lady Yu for help, ¡°What about me? I can¡¯t get measured right now since the belly keeps growing.¡±


    If she directly made it oversized, she would only be able to wear it this one time if she didn¡¯t have another child in the future. That would be such a waste.


    Lady Yu counted for a moment and figured at eight months along currently, her belly would still be quiterge next February. She looked at Old Lady Wang¡¯s measurements¡ªshe was also quite slender, not really suitable as a reference. Otherwise, she could make it ording to her own mother-inw¡¯s size and pass it down to her mother-inw after Li Mingwei did not need it anymore next year.


    ¡°None of your family members are fat.¡±


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment, well, Chunhua was quite plump, but would it be improper to pass on used clothes?


    ¡°Then just bring me what you worest year. I can alter it for you, and we¡¯ll make new ones again next year.¡±


    ¡°You can alter clothes?¡±


    It made sense to adjustrger clothes to be smaller, but how do you make small clothes bigger? Just adding some fabric patches?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Lady Yu spoke with certainty. Li Mingwei believed her and paid the money for the others. She woulde back another day after gathering her own clothes.


    After Cui Ying paid, she followed Li Mingwei out the door to escort her home per her mother¡¯s orders.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t need to walk me back. Your home is probably closer to here than mine. It¡¯s out of your way.¡±


    Li Mingwei remembered Aunt Cui¡¯s family was in North Town so her niece should not live too far either. It would be extra walking for Cui Ying toe back again after sending her off.


    Cui Ying did not say anything and pulled Li Mingwei along towards their destination. Li Mingwei could only acquiesce.


    Not long into their walk, Cui Ying suddenly stopped and mumbled softly, ¡°The market should still be quite crowded around this time, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably. We weren''t in the shop for too long.¡±


    Cui Ying suggested: ¡°Then sister Li, let me take you along that other road over there with fewer people, to avoid bumping into you.¡±


    Without thinking too hard, Li Mingwei nodded and agreed. Cui Ying immediately seemed happier and changed direction, pulling Li Mingwei into a small alley and through a couple morenes onto a main street.


    Another road that Li Mingwei had never traveled before. Most buildings lining the two sides were residences with sparse shops scattered around. Her sharp eyes spotted that same young man from the morning in one of the stores.


    He was currently drenched in sweat, stir frying something in a huge wok set up in the store. Li Mingwei could not resist going closer for a look but was held back by the person beside her. Turning around, she noticed Cui Ying seemed a bit embarrassed.


    She asked curiously: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°They sell dried fruit and snacks like roasted peanuts, red dates. Are you allowed to eat those while pregnant?¡± Cui Ying struggled then asked.


    ¡°Red dates should be fine.¡±


    Although Li Mingwei did not like eating them herself, she could not control her urge to go take a look and hopefully get acquainted with that young man.


    While the two women hesitated at the entrance, the young man had already nced over. He used the towel around his neck to wipe the sweat off his face and called out, ¡°What would youdies like to buy?¡±


    Li Mingwei nodded and pulled Cui Ying inside with her.


    She walked right up to the wok and peered in, ¡°What are you stir frying?¡±


    ¡°Melon seeds.¡± The youth smiled then shifted his gaze to Cui Ying behind Li Mingwei, his voice gentler, ¡°You¡¯re still upset? Just standing outside the entrance noting in.¡±


    Cui Ying fidgeted anxiously with her sleeves, stuttering, ¡°I¡¯m n-not...¡±


    Li Mingwei sensed something amiss, ¡°You two know each other?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Cui Ying replied softly, ¡°He is Ye Hui¡¯s second brother, Ye Cheng. This store belongs to their family.¡±


    ¡°Ye Dong¡¯s older brother?¡±


    Li Mingwei had heard Ye Dong mention an older brother before but had never met him until now. So he was the one. No wonder Cui Ying did not want toe inside. Yesterday her mother had said something about grievances between their two families.


    Ye Cheng¡¯s lips twitched into a forced smile, still emanating awkwardness, ¡°That¡¯s right. My younger brother talks about you often.¡±


    Li Mingwei red. So you deliberately pretended not to recognize me at the embroidery shop earlier!


    Hmm?


    Since Ye Cheng knew who she was, he must also be aware she was Cui Cui¡¯s sister-inw. How dare he take a handkerchief from her? What exactly was he trying to imply? Wanted her help to set him up with ¡°Little Seven¡± instead of Cui Cui?


    Looking rather guilty from Li Mingwei¡¯s stare, Ye Cheng gripped the wok shovel tightly and gathered his courage to stutter, ¡°Sis-sister-inw, feel f-free to look around.¡±


    Sister-inw?


    Li Mingwei smiled. Thed was quite proactive; she liked that. Hahaha.


    ncing around, she peeked towards the backyard. Indeed the Ye Family was decently well-off, much better than Cui Cui¡¯s at least. Ye Cheng seemed like an okay kid too. She decided to give him a hand and have Cui Cuie overter to say a few good words about him.


    Though Cui Cui also disliked Ye Hui, and Ye Hui had been home all this time. Not sure if she would mind.


    Li Mingwei randomly picked some things then pulled Cui Ying along to head back home. The obedient Cui Ying followed her out of the store but kept frequently turning her head to look back at the street.


    Puzzled, Li Mingwei asked, ¡°Who are you looking for? Did you run into an acquaintance?¡±


    Cui Ying pouted, ¡°No one.¡±


    She was cute enough normally, but the pout just made her cuter. Li Mingwei could not resist pinching her cheek again. Seeing no resistance from Cui Ying but rather a somewhat dejected expression, Li Mingwei¡¯s mind exploded at once.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me your crush is Ye Cheng?¡±


    Blushing, Cui Ying scurried away without answering, leaving the dumbfounded Li Mingwei behind.

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121


    Although Li Mingwei had only known these two younger sisters for less than two days, she still liked them very much. Cui Cui was diligent and sensible, while Cui Ying was very cute and a little mischievous. They were both very nice girls.


    But Ye Cheng was alone, what should be done?


    Li Mingwei looked at Cui Ying in front who was shyly looking back at her, and decided to keep it from her for the time being and ask Cui Cui for her opinion another day. If she and Ye Cheng had feelings for each other, she would have to remind Cui Ying.


    She went up and held Cui Ying''s hand, "Let''s go, I won''t ask you anymore."


    Cui Ying''s face softened a little as she hooked her arm and went back to the Liu house with her.


    Perhaps still a little embarrassed, she sent Li Mingwei to the door and was about to leave. Li Mingwei had wanted to invite her in to sit for a while, but she shook her head and ran away directly.


    As Li Mingwei stepped into the yard, she saw Mother-inw Wang staring at her unpleasantly. Seeing the table was already set with dishes, she realized it was thiste.


    Old Lady Wang said in a rather displeased tone, "Where have you been again? Didn''t I tell you to be more careful and not go out alone?"


    Li Mingwei put the package and dried goods on the table and sat next to Old Lady Wang, "I just went to the embroidery workshop and asked Older Sister Yu to make two winter clothes. I met Little Sister Cui Ying on the way, and she apanied me all the time. She just left and didn''t want toe in when I asked her to."


    "Alright."


    Hearing that she had someone with her, Old Lady Wang felt more at ease. She picked up her chopsticks to signal Li Mingwei to eat first, otherwise the dishes would get cold after a while.


    She nced at Li Mingwei''s belly, "When are you nning to go to the county town to get checked? Let me prepare some things in advance and ask your uncle and aunt for help again."


    While Old Lady Wang could go to the county town by herself, she would need Dong Shan''s help to take Li Mingwei along.


    Li Mingwei calcted the days in her mind, "How about the day after tomorrow or the day after that? Let me ask if Brother-inw is avable."


    Old Lady Wang agreed. After the meal, she selected some snacks from the gifts received yesterday, added some other things, and went to the Dong family.


    This time going to the county town, Li Mingwei didn''t dare to hide it from Liu Yizhu again. Before leaving, Old Lady Wang specifically exhorted her to be sure to send Liu Yizhu a message when she arrived. Last time she didn''t tell him, and he was upset for quite a while.


    Today they specifically looked for the same doctor asst time. After taking Li Mingwei''s pulse, the doctor nodded and asked about her appetite, then exhorted, "The fetus still seems quite stable, but you still need to eat a little more when you go back. Still, don''t over-supplement."


    Knowing the doctor was worried that over-supplementing would make the baby too big andplicate delivery, Li Mingwei looked at her waist and carefully asked, "How big is normal?"


    The doctor shook his head, "It''s hard to say clearly. Some people are naturally fatter so their bellies look bigger, but whether the baby inside is big or small is hard to tell. Your belly hasn''t grown much yet. When you are six or seven months along, find a midwife to feel it and you''ll know."


    Li Mingwei made a mental note.


    Since she didn''t have any issues, the doctor didn''t prescribe medicine. After the four of them ate lunch together, they got ready to go back. Liu Yizhu sent them to the city gate, gave some instructions, and saw them off.


    Wang Chunhua still walked beside the cart, gently supporting her. She smiled and said, "Now we can rest assured."


    "Mm."


    In fact, Li Mingwei had felt nothing wrong for quite some days already. Last month, she was probably tired from copying books for too long. After resting for a month, she was no longer as fatigued and felt better.


    She stretchedzily. Finally she didn''t have to lie in bed every day but could go out and move around, howfortable!


    The first thing she did after getting back to town was to resume calligraphy lessons with Mr. Jin. This way she could go out regrly every day instead of troubling Mother-inw to speciallye deliver lunch.


    As soon as the bell rang at the end of ss, the children hurried out with their schoolbags, to avoid collisions. Li Mingwei stood behind the desk and waited for them all to leave before slowly walking out herself.


    Dong Lei went up and took her hand, "Auntie, are we going upstairs to do homework today?"


    Because Wang Chunhua didn''t allow Dong Lei to bother her during her rest, Li Mingwei hadn''t supervised his homework for almost a month. Now that she was better, she would certainly resume it.


    Her previous spot upstairs was now upied by Hu Jin. She went upstairs and saw Hu Jin studying diligently, so she didn''t want to disturb him. She quietly sat in Mr. Jin''s spot and took out Dong Lei''s previous homework, then led him back home.


    As soon as she stepped out of the school yard with Dong Lei, she saw Ye Hui. She had just been pushed away by Ye Dong and nearly fell. Her face was a mix of shame and anger as she nced at the onlookers. She grabbed Ye Dong''s hand again, "I kindly came to pick you up, yet you do this!"


    She threatened in a low voice, "If you keep this up, I won''t care about you anymore!"


    Ye Dong shook her hand off and cried shrilly, "I don''t need you to care! I want Mother to pick me up, go away!"


    Ye Hui''s eyebrows knitted as she clenched her fist so hard her nails nearly pierced her flesh. She struggled to restrain her anger, "It was Mother who asked me to pick you up! Hurry up ande, don''t make me use force!"


    "Nonsense!" Ye Dong yelled back, "Mother originally said she woulde get me herself. It was you who insisted oning!"


    "What''s wrong with me helping out since Mother is getting old? You''re so grown up yet still need picking up, aren''t you ashamed!"


    Ye Dong was angered by her words. He pushed Ye Hui repeatedly, "Then you didn''t have toe! It''s not like I asked you to!"


    He looked small but was quite strong. Ye Hui didn''t dare retaliate and could only retreat step by step until her back hit the wall and she stabilized herself.


    Sensing he couldn''t push her anymore, Ye Dong still hadn''t vented his anger. He pped her a few more times.


    Li Mingwei couldn''t stand watching anymore and admonished, "Little Dong! How can you hit your sister?"


    Ye Dong instantly pulled back his hand and lowered his head guiltily, calling out, "Teacher Li."


    Li Mingwei walked up to him and lifted his head to make him look at her, "You''re usually so good in school. Why act this way toward your sister today?"


    Ye Dong pursed his lips silently.


    "She kindly came to pick you up. If you didn''t want your sister to pick you up but your mother instead, you could have told your mother when you got home. How could you use force?"


    "I..."


    Ye Dong red at Ye Hui and defended himself, "I already said it these past few days that I didn''t want hering, yet she still came every day. Mother''s words don''t count."


    Clearly yesterday his mother had promised him that she would definitelye get him herself today, yet when he came out, it was his sister again. Pent-up grievances these past few days led him to lose his temper.


    Li Mingwei frowned at Ye Hui, suddenly recalling her delighted expression when looking at Hu Jin that day. She suspected Ye Hui had set her sights on Hu Jin again and that was why she came to the school every day.


    Not wanting to say more in front of the child, she just patted Ye Dong''s shoulder consolingly, "Since your sister hase today, you should go back with her first. You can talk to your mother once you''re home. You mustn''t use force on your sister again."


    Ye Dong pouted aggrievedly and bid her farewell, then directly walked away. Ye Hui smiled at Li Mingwei before quickly catching up.

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122


    Mingwei Li had been paying attention these past few days, and found that Hui Ye hadn''t shown up again after losing face that day. Jin Hu had been staying at the school all day, never going out unless necessary, so it would be hard to run into her if she didn''te to school.


    Could she have thought wrong?


    "Sister."


    Mingwei Li turned around. Jin Hu walked over to her carrying a few books and stopped in front of her, handing the books to her, "These are the books Yizhu Liu lent me before, I''ve finished reading them, please help return them."


    "Okay."


    After stuffing the books into Lei Dong''s schoolbag, Mingwei Li bid farewell to Jin Hu and led Lei Dong back to the Dong family residence, where she had been watching Lei Dong finish his homework before heading home these past few days.


    Chunhua Wang had specially brewed her sugared water, afraid she might get thirsty, but Mingwei Li didn''t actually like sweets that much, though somehow everyone seemed to think she did.


    She sighed, deciding not to stand on ceremony with her sister any longer, andid her cards on the table, "Sister, I don''t like sweets, let Yan drink the sugared water."


    "Huh?" Chunhua Wang stopped in her tracks holding the sugared water, thinking Mingwei Li was just being polite, "Don''t worry and drink up, I know sugar is expensive, it''s just a bit of sugared water that doesn''t cost much, you don''t have to save it for me."


    "Sister, you don''t believe me, it''s not about expensive or not, I really don''t like sweets."


    Chunhua Wang was still somewhat skeptical, "But that time Yizhu Liu bought you so much candy..."


    If she didn''t like it, why did he buy it?


    Mingwei Li didn''t know how to exin it. It was true that she hadn''t made it clear to Yizhu Liu at the time, leading him to mistakenly think she liked them, she would have to rify it with himter.


    "I forgot to tell him, my tastes have changed recently, I like sour stuff more now."


    Only then did Chunhua Wang recall that her sister had been eating sour plums these past couple months, of course she wouldn''t like sweets.


    She had just picked up the bowl intending to look for her young daughter, when Lei Dong sneakily crept up to her side and guzzled down half the bowl in a few gulps.


    Satisfied, he licked his lips and grinned, "Auntie doesn''t like sweets, I do."


    Seeing his greedy cat-like appearance, Chunhua Wang instantly twisted his ear, applying a bit of force and making Lei Dong yell ow-ow twice in pain.


    "Still eating, haven''t you been eating enough recently?"


    Mingwei Li had married out and still came back every day to tutor Lei Dong, the sugar was specially bought by Chunhua Wang to treat her, kept in the kitchen, somehow seen and stealthily eaten by Lei Dongte at night when he got the midnight munchies.


    Back then, she and Shan Dong had heard rustling noises from the kitchen, thinking it was rats, so Chunhua Wang had no choice but to lift the warm nket and go catch them, only to discover it was this little rascal sneakily eating sugar.


    That''s why she realized the sugar seemed less than the day before, turns out there was a little thief.


    Chunhua Wang closed the kitchen door and picked up a stick from under the stove, intending to punish this little thief. The originally trembling Lei Dong knew he couldn''t escape anyway, so he simply grabbed another handful and stuffed it in his mouth, determined to die a full ghost.


    Unexpectedly her son would still dare to be so brazen right in front of her, Chunhua Wang rushed forward with the stick, and Shan Dong hearing the cries from the kitchen immediately got up and knocked on the door, rescuing Lei Dong.


    Because of this incident, Chunhua Wang didn''t want Lei Dong drinking a single drop of this sugared water today, but in the end he had sneakily drunk nearly half of it again!


    "Hahahaha."


    Mingwei Li''s gaze fell upon Lei Dong''s bottom and she burst outughing, no wonder Mr. Jin had said the past couple days Lei Dong was having trouble sitting still in ss and had been punished several times already, telling her to ask what was going on and straighten out any crooked thoughts as soon as possible.


    Now she could see there was no straightening out to be done, only waiting for him to recover.


    She pinched Lei Dong''s little nose, "Look at you, so greedy for food you even learned to steal things, do today''s homework twice."


    "Auntie!"


    Seeing Lei Dong''s aggrieved expression, Mingwei Li showed no mercy, continuing, "And practice writing another essay, no talking, go do it properly, next time you sneak around again, it won''t be so simple."


    "That''s right, go do as your auntie says!"


    Held captive by two people, Lei Dong had no recourse but to droop his head and sit down at the table.


    Chunhua Wang gave the remaining sugared water to Yan to drink, washed the bowls, and seeing Mingwei Li quietly watching Lei Dong practice writing, didn''t say anything more, just went up and pulled her to go speak inside.


    "What''s the matter?" Seeing Chunhua Wang''s hesitant demeanor, Mingwei Liughed, "Sister, no need to stand on ceremony with me, just say whatever you want to say."


    Chunhua Wang wasn''t trying to be courteous, she knew Mingwei Li didn''t like the neighboring Meng family, so was hesitating for a moment. She anxiously rubbed her hands, then pped her thigh, what was there to make such a fuss over.


    "Yun''s younger brother is getting married, Aunt Meng came over to ask me if you''re still writing letters to Yun, if so could you let her know and see if she wants toe back for the wedding banquet."


    Eat, eat, eat, eat a big ghost!


    Mingwei Li gritted her teeth, "She should know in her heart whether it''s convenient for them toe back or not. She didn''t even want to pay the pennies for postage but still wants me to help ask, where''s her shame!"


    Moreover, why make Yune back, to watch the new daughter-inw bought with money from selling her, or eat wedding dishes prepared with money from selling her.


    Just thinking about it made Mingwei Li furious, of course she was unwilling to pass on any message.


    "It''s not convenient, not convenient, there, is that good enough?"


    Chunhua Wang helplessly epted there was no point in asking this.


    She suddenly recalled Yun seemed to have written back asking about their adoption situation, and didn''t seem to have told them the final decision yet.


    "Did she send any letters after that? What did she say about adopting Qingyang?"


    Mingwei Li nodded, she had written back long ago but forgot to inform Chunhua Wang. "After hearing your advice, Yun didn''t adopt that rtive''s child."


    "Then is she nning to adopt a more distant one?"


    "No, they decided to try on their own. Qingyang quit drinking and is taking medicine now."


    That night in the county town, after listening to Mingwei Li''s advice, they had gone to see a doctor who said while Qingyang did have fertility issues, he didn''t say there was no hope. Yun had taken it to heart.


    After returning, Qingyang''s parents had busied themselves with adoption arrangements. Yun hadn''t been very willing to begin with, and after Chunhua Wang''s advice directly refused.


    She hired a cart again and brought Qingyang back to the county town, visiting nearly every clinic until finding one she was satisfied with. The doctor prescribed them medicine, saying sess wasn''t guaranteed but they were still young. Try taking it for now, and if after a few years there was still no progress, they could reconsider then.


    Chunhua Wang nodded, "It''s worth trying, you might get as lucky as Mingwei. Qingyang is only twenty-two this year, waiting another four or five years isn''t an issue."


    "That''s right, Yun is only eighteen this year too."


    "Still young." Chunhua Wang smiled, then grasped Mingwei Li''s hand again, "Whether shees back or not, do tell her about this, after all it''s her younger brother."


    "I refuse!" Mingwei Li rejected, "Paper and postage don''t cost money, and I''m not the only literate one in town, if she cares she can handle it herself, trying to take advantage of everything."


    Chunhua Wang knitted her brows, she hadn''t considered this angle, this Aunt Meng...

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123


    Originally, I wanted to find some time to talk to Cuicui about Cheng''s matters, but when I went to the embroidery shop to alter the winter clothes, Aunt Yu gave me some more work to do. Mingwei thought about it and decided to just take it slowly with the embroidery, so she epted the job.


    By epting it, she had things to do at home in the morning. If Cuicui hadn''te over, she might have forgotten about itpletely.


    Cuicui came over to return a basket. Her mother was ill so Old Lady Wang had visited her the day before, and forgotten the basket at their home.


    "Is your mother seriously ill?"


    "No, she just caught a chill."


    Such a minor illness really didn''t warrant a visit. My home has too many eggs and I eat them every day without finishing them. I''m even a bit tired of eating them. Old Lady Wang just wanted to repay the favor quickly, so she went.


    Cuicui put the basket in the kitchen, and seeing me embroidering, came into the room to watch for a while.


    "Sister-inw embroiders very well."


    Mingwei looked up. "You don''t know how?"


    I remember hearing from mother-inw that Cuicui was very good at making clothes. I could buy fabric in the future for her to make some and earn a bit of money. Making clothes also requires needles and thread for sewing and mending. How could she not know at least basic embroidery?


    Cuicui modestly said, "I know a little, but not as good as sister-inw."


    "Oh, then bring your needles and threads over another day. We can learn from each other. Also, there''s Ying. She wanted to learn earlier too. You live next door to each other and are quite close. You coulde together."


    "Okay, in a few days."


    Her mother has been taking medicine every day recently, so her body smells of it. Today she deliberately sat farther from Mingwei.


    As for Ying, Cuicui gave Mingwei a meaningful look and lightly coughed. "Little Ying has wanted toe over for a while now. She saw Hui enter your home and turned back."


    Hui?


    It''s true Hui came over twice, just as she saidst time to embroider and learn from Mingwei. She didn''t say anything else.


    "That girl!"


    Mingwei smiled helplessly, "They have affinity for each other it seems. What a coincidence to run into each other."


    Cuicui also covered herugh. "Sister-inw, don''t let Little Ying hear you say that. She''d vomit to death."


    She dislikes Hui so much, yet likes her younger brother. Howplicated...


    Thinking of this, Mingwei carefully nced at Cuicui, put down her embroidery hoop and needle, and motioned her to sit closer.


    Cuicui shook her head. "Just tell me what you want to say, sister-inw. I smell of medicine and shouldn''t get too close."


    "Then I''ll just ask. I..."


    Mingwei hesitated for a moment before deciding to be more subtle, "Does Cuicui have someone she likes?"


    Perhaps she wasn''t subtle enough. Cuicui was clearly startled for a moment, then smiled and nodded.


    Since she was so direct, Mingwei became hesitant instead. What if it''s Cheng she likes? How would she exin things to Ying? And if it''s someone else, won''t things get even moreplicated?


    Just as she was debating, Cuicui already spoke first.


    "But he''s married now." Although still smiling, Cuicui looked quite calm. "Sister-inw just wanted to ask me, and also propose a match for me? My mother has wanted me married for a while. If sister-inw knows someone suitable, please rmend him."


    "But sister-inw should know of my family circumstances now. You still have to ask if the other party would mind."


    In the past, hearing rumors from outside, Cuicui hadn''t wanted to marry. She was afraid she would really give birth to sick children. But her mother feared she would be too old to marry easily as she got older, and had pressed hard. She didn''t want to disobey too much so could only resign to her fate.


    Hearing her words and seeing her smile, Mingwei suddenly felt sour inside. But she wasn''t a doctor and also not very knowledgeable about illnesses. She couldn''t providefort regarding this.


    Mingwei quickly responded, "I happen to know someone who likes you, but his family doesn''t know yet. Let me ask them first."


    If the children say yes first but the families make a scene, it would look bad and Cuicui would feel wronged too.


    Cuicui had heard of her sister-inw before marriage. First it was the Dong family and school. After marrying, it became the Dong family, school, Liu family, embroidery shop, and dessert shop. At most there was also the peanut shop run by the Cui family.


    Someone liking her and also needing parental approval, probably wasn''t too far apart in age from her. Where could sister-inw meet such a person? From school? A student''s family?


    "Is the person sister-inw mentioned Cheng?"


    Mingwei blinked. "You know already?"


    Cuicui nodded. "He told me before, but Little Ying likes him so I rejected him."


    You rejected him, but he doesn''t n on giving up. He even called you sister-inw!


    Mingwei pouted. How embarrassing, failed on her first matchmaking attempt. It seems teaching still suits her best.


    No, how could she give up so easily!


    Mingwei struggled hard, "But he still likes you. He even..."


    "He told sister-inw?" Cuicui frowned. No way. Cheng stutters when speaking to girls he doesn''t know well. How could he possibly tell sister-inw these things? Sister-inw must have just guessed.


    Mingwei exined, "He didn''t say anything. But at the embroidery shop, he ordered a handkerchief embroidered with ''Little Seven'', which I guessed was you. Later when I met him, he called me sister-inw."


    Cuicui smiled. Not bad, Cheng has be bolder.


    When talking about Cheng, there wasn''t any disgust on Cuicui''s face. She kept a smile, almost doting. Mingwei suddenly felt strange.


    "I feel you two are quite close. Is that right?"


    "Yes." Cuicui nodded lightly then sighed, her gaze falling outside the window as if reminiscing about something. "Not just Cheng, but also my fourth brother, Little Ying, Hui, Brother Jian. We grew up together since young."


    The Ye family also lived near them in the past. Later when they started their dried goods business, they moved to get a storefront.


    Before that move, they yed together almost every day in the same alley. Of course, even after the Ye family moved, they kept in contact since Qingshi Town was so small. Just a bit more walking and they''d arrive.


    Additionally, the Cui family grew very good peanuts. Every year, the Ye family would buy some to make fried peanuts, peanut brittle, etc. so both families had frequent dealings.


    That was why Ying disliked Hui so much. Hui didn''t just betray Ying and Jian''s rtionship built over a decade, but also over a decade of sisterly affection between Ying and Hui.


    Cuicui said helplessly, "Little Ying was still young then and called her sister-inw every day. Hui acknowledged it too."


    Who knew Hui would deny itter and instead marry someone else as a concubine.


    "I really..."


    Mingwei felt a headacheing. She pressed her temple, still not understanding what Hui was doing. If Ying called her sister-inw and she agreed to it, didn''t that mean she still liked Jian?


    Hmm?


    Jian!


    Mingwei stared into Cuicui''s eyes, "So is Jian married now?"


    Cuicui nodded.


    Seeing her open her mouth, Cuicui seemed to know what Mingwei wanted to ask and nodded again.


    Mingwei''s mind exploded once more. She hugged her still t belly, "Sister-inw is pregnant now. Don''t shock me like this."


    Seeing her pitiful state, Cuicuiughed heartily, "Does sister-inw usually talk to brother-inw like this too?"


    No wonder brother-inw...


    "No!"


    "Okay, no it is." Cuicui''sughter stopped and she said seriously, "Brother Jian is married. I don''t like him anymore. Please introduce me to someone else, sister-inw."


    Hope reignited in Mingwei''s eyes...


    "Except Cheng."


    The light extinguished.

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124


    Originally, being liked by someone could also be a "mistake." Li Mingwei now felt that Ye Cheng was so wronged. He didn''t do anything but was rejected.


    Cuicui was a girl with her own opinions, and it was not easy to persuade her otherwise.


    Li Mingwei looked at the time. It was about time to go to the academy for lunch. She tidied up the things on the table and stood up, "Alright, I''m going to the academy for lunch now. Go back and have your meal too."


    "Okay."


    Liu Cuicui put away the stool and followed Li Mingwei out of the room. She bid her goodbye after watching her close the door.


    "Goodbye, sister-inw."


    "Mm."


    Li Mingwei nodded. As Cuicui turned to leave, she couldn''t help calling her back, "Cuicui, do you think with the current situation between the Ye family and the Cui family, the Cui family would marry Ying to them?"


    "No."


    "So no matter if anything happened between you and Ye Cheng, Ying''s wish won''te true anyway."


    How could Cuicui not know this? But she just didn''t want Ying to be saddened, nor to have anything to do with her sadness.


    "Hmm?"


    The two were silent for a while. Sensing the chill in the air, Li Mingwei looked up at the sky. Flurries of snowkes were mixed in the wind. It was snowing!


    First snow!


    "Cuicui!"


    "Yes, sister-inw?"


    Cuicui was baffled. Her sister-inw was looking somewhat mncholic just now, but suddenly became ted.


    "Let''s go buy mutton!"


    Li Mingwei grabbed Cuicui''s hand and ran towards the market. Who knew if there would be any mutton left at this hour? If not, there would be no mutton soup to drink today, and the winter would not feel as warm.


    Cuicui didn''t understand but seeing her sister-inw running so fast, she hurried to catch up and supported her. If her sister-inw were to fall or bump into anything, she wouldn''t be able to bear the responsibility.


    As they ran, Cuicui also noticed something amiss. Her face felt cool and when she paused to look closely at the tiny snowkes, she finally understood their significance.


    "My sister-inw, please slow down. It''s just mutton soup, after all."


    Whether they had it or not, it wouldn''t make much difference. They had lived well without it before too. More clothes and firewood were what really kept the cold away.


    But Li Mingwei persisted. She must have the soup and wanted to send some to the Dong family for Older Sister Chunhua to stew for her. Though, she didn''t know how good her mother-inw''s mutton soup was yet. It shouldn''t be too bad, right? Or should she try it first?


    Mumbling to herself, she arrived at the market. Her little face instantly dropped.


    Quite a number of people living near the market had alsoe. She and Cuicui had to be quicker. Li Mingwei could only bring Cuicui to queue behind while counting the number of people ahead. She also peered at the mutton on the meat stall, wondering if there would be any left when her turn came.


    "Oh!"


    More than whether she could buy mutton, Cuicui was worried about her health, "Sister-inw, are you alright after running so fast just now?"


    "It''s nothing, don''t worry," Li Mingwei brushed her off.


    Her eyes were fixed on the mutton now, unable to look elsewhere. Where was the time to care about anything else?


    The older women ahead were still picking and choosing. The queue moved painfully slowly, and Li Mingwei was agonizingly impatient. She was nearly huffing in frustration.


    Cuicui leaned in and whispered, "Sister-inw, it''s just mutton. There''s no need to get so worked up."


    "There is!" Li Mingwei sounded a little aggrieved, "I just want to eat it, or I won''t feel well."


    Cuicui scratched her head in puzzlement. Were pregnant women all like this?


    She remembered her mother saying she had to eat whatever she craved when pregnant, morning or night. If her father didn''t buy it for her, they would quarrel, especially when carrying her. Her appetite was particrly voracious then.


    But she was already the seventh child, not as precious anymore. Often her father was unwilling to buy what her mother wanted. The two quarreled far more in those months than the ten years prior.


    By the time it was their turn, there was hardly any good meat left. Li Mingwei was disappointed, her voice dropping, "Old Brother Su, only these are left?"


    "That''s right. No one expected it to snow today. You should''vee earlier too."


    There was nothing Old Boss Su could do. He had only ughtered one sheep today, so there was still some to buy.


    "Did Older Sister Chunhuae by?"


    "Didn''t see her."


    So the Dong family had none either.


    There were still people behind, so Li Mingwei couldn''t dwell on it too long. Just as she pointed at a piece of meat to speak, Old Boss Su''s son came running over with a freshly ughtered sheep slung over his shoulder.


    He flung the sheep onto the chopping board, "Dad, mom said business would surely be good today, so she told me to bring another ughtered sheep over."


    Li Mingwei''s face brightened instantly.


    Satisfied, she squeezed out from the crowd with a few bones and two pieces of meat, passing the slightly smaller piece to Cuicui for her to bring home.


    "Sister-inw, I..."


    Cuicui was about to decline but Li Mingwei shoved the meat knot into her hand, then called out, "Ye Cheng."


    Cuicui was taken aback for a moment before turning to look behind her. Seizing the chance while she was searching earnestly, Li Mingwei wanted to slip away. But just as she turned, she heard Ye Cheng''s voice.


    He stood in the queue scratching his head while peering in the direction Li Mingwei had pointed, "Sister-inw, I''m here. Who were you pointing to just now?"


    Cuicui red at him, "Who''s your sister-inw!"


    Ye Cheng lowered his head.


    Li Mingwei was surprised by the coincidence but most families would probablye this way now. Bumping into each other wasn''t too strange.


    She smiled, "It''s alright, call me whatever you like."


    "Sister-inw~"


    "Oh!" Li Mingwei stopped Cuicui''s words, "You grew up together since you were young. It''s nothing that he calls you that."


    With people around, their matter was still unsettled. Li Mingwei didn''t want to discuss it in front of outsiders. She nodded at Ye Cheng and walked out of the crowd with the meat.


    Carrying the meat, Cuicui chased after her. She saw Li Mingwei turn a corner and vanish, so she could only ept her kindness.


    "Don''t know if Older Sister Chunhua bought mutton. I''ll go ask after lunch," Li Mingwei mumbled to herself as she headed straight for the academy. It was muchter today, her mother-inw must be anxious.


    Reaching the street corner, she saw a man and woman conversing up ahead. Out of instinct, she retreated a few steps and hid behind the wall, peeping out at them.


    They were quite far, so Li Mingwei couldn''t really make out what they were saying. But Ye Hui suddenly covered her mouth andughed after chatting for a while. Hu Jin also pulled up the corners of his lips, seeming to converse delightfully.


    Hu Jin bent slightly with his hand pointing at the road ahead. Ye Hui nodded in understanding and bowed to him. Hu Jin cupped his fist and strode towards this direction.


    Seeing this, Li Mingwei shifted towards the center of the road to meet him, "Where are you going, Old Brother Hu?"


    Staring at Ye Hui''s retreating back, she asked knowingly, "Who were you talking to just now?"


    Seeing her, Hu Jin''s smile became more genuine. He quickly came forward to take the things from her hands, "Looking for you. I didn''t see youe for lunch after waiting a while, auntie went back to find you too. Mr. Jin was worried so he sent me to take a look as well."


    In case something happened, he was stronger too.


    Swinging up the meat in his hand to look, he turned his head in the direction Li Mingwei was gazing. Somewhat puzzled, he asked, "Younger sister doesn''t recognize her? She said she often embroiders flowers with you and that you''ve mentioned me to her before."


    What did she mean by often?


    Just twice, and when did she ever mention Hu Jin to her? Ye Hui was an aplished liar!


    Squinting, Li Mingwei said, "The back looks vaguely familiar but I can''t remember clearly. Not very acquainted."


    Then why would she say...


    Hu Jin didn''t really understand but he didn''t think much about it either. Perhaps she was just being polite.

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125


    Mr. Jin looked at the table full of food and could not eat any more either. He put down his chopsticks and could not help but look towards the school gate, and was relieved to see Li Mingwei walking slowly over.


    "Where have you run off to, you girl?"


    Li Mingwei held out her hand to catch some snowkes in the wind and showed them to Mr. Jin: "Did you not see that it is snowing, Sir? I went to buymb and we can havemb soup together tonight."


    With such light snow, it would melt as soon as it touched her hand. How could Mr. Jin see it? Heughed and shook his head, leading Li Mingwei into the room to sit down. Today was windy with snow, so they had moved the table into the kitchen.


    Hedled her a bowl of soup and told her to drink some first to warm up. Only then did he ask about Hu Jin: "Did hee looking for you? Did you run into him on the road?"


    "I met him. Big brother Hu helped me carry themb home and also let my mother know so she would not keep looking for me."


    "Mm, then they should be back soon."


    Mr. Jin sat in his ce, watching Li Mingwei cradling her bowl and sipping the soup in small mouthfuls. He smiled, "If you''re hungry, eat first. There''s no need to wait."


    Li Mingwei shook her head. With everyone else waiting for her, it would not be right for her to start eating as soon as she arrived.


    Mr. Jin knew her temperament well. He figured she would not agree but still had to say it, worried that she was hungry.


    "Are they cold?"


    "Hmm?"


    Mr. Jin looked out towards the yard. A few children were squeezed around the washbasin washing dishes. Their little hands looked somewhat red from the cold. No matter how you looked at it, they seemed cold.


    Li Mingwei got up and walked over to the stove, picking up the kettle. There was hot water inside. Catching her nce, Mr. Jin took out the kettle and poured some into their wash basin to mix with the water. Though it was not very warm, at least it was no longer cool.


    He refilled the kettle fully and put it back on the stove. Peering out, he looked at the woodpile in the yard, "It''s gotten cold again. Starting tomorrow, I¡¯ll have to boil them extra water to wash dishes every day. Firewood and coal are running low too, I¡¯ll need to order more in the next few days.¡±


    ¡°Do you have enough money, Sir?¡±


    He did not earn much to begin with. Now, aside from paying for her writing lessons, he also had to give Hu Jin 300 wen each month. Adding it all up, it seemed there was not much left.


    Mr. Jin stroked his beard and joked, "What, if there''s not enough, you don''t want your share anymore?"


    Li Mingwei earned far more money at the embroidery workshop than teaching at the school. Whether she did copywork or just attended ss, giving up her ie probably meant the difference of amb soup dinner.


    While the amount was meager, she worked for it, so Mr. Jin could not possibly not pay her. He shook his head, "Enough, don''t worry."


    "I¡¯m already quite old and live alone, with not much in daily expenses. Saving up thesest two years, I have put some away. It is enough for my retirement."


    Li Mingwei¡¯s eyebrows creased in a frown, "Where does Sir n to retire?"


    This house belonged to the school for the teacher to live in. If Mr. Jin stopped teaching, he would certainly have to move out. His family home had been empty since his parents passed away. It was probably long dpidated by now. Where could he go?


    "I''ll go back to my hometown."


    For leaves to return to their roots; after he died, he still wished to be buried in his hometown. His parents were also there. When the time came, he could have someone bury him alongside them.


    "Where will you live when you go back?" Li Mingwei pressed on for details, "Will anyone cook for you? If you fall ill or have trouble moving about, who will take care of you?"


    "Do you still have rtives or old friends back home? I''ve been here over a year and it doesn''t seem like anyone hase looking for you. When you went back to pay respects to your parents, whose home did you stay at?"


    Mr. Jin slowed his breathing.


    He gave a helplessugh, "I paid money to stay at a rtive''s home."


    Because his parents fell ill and passed away in quick session without many years between them, the vigers gossiped about it being inauspicious. This was why Mr. Jin came to teach in a ce so far from home, keeping away from such idle chatter and finding some peace and quiet.


    Now, over ten years had swiftly gone by. Thetalk died down; along with his bonds of friendship and kinship, apparently. Of course, it would be taking too much advantage to freely lodge in another''s home.


    Seeing he only answered one question and kept mum about the rest, Li Mingwei understood everything unsaid.


    She pursed her lips and grumbled softly, "Sir has nothing to go back to his hometown for. It''d be better to just stay here, or even live at our home."


    If he truly wished to have his leaves return to their roots, he could buy a plot ofnd early, build a good grave, and send himself back a hundred yearster. That would work too.


    "Don''t speak nonsense." Mr. Jin admonished seriously, "Yizhu and I share some teacher-student affinity but have no family ties by blood. As for your stepmother..."


    She was a widow. It would seem improper for an unrted man like him to suddenly live there. It was bound to stir up gossip.


    "Sir is worried about that?" Li Mingwei understood his misgivings but did not think there was anything worth worrying over, because they were moving away in a year or two. With the Liu family¡¯s old house empty, it would just fall into disrepair. It was good for Mr. Jin to live there.


    Mr. Jin had been in Qingshi Town for many years and rarely shed with anyone. Many locals had studied under him before. If he took ill or felt pain, there would be ample people to care for him, far better than back in his hometown.


    Perhaps...


    "Would Sir like toe home with me?"


    Mr. Jin decisively rejected, "I don''t wish to."


    Staying in Qingshi Town was fine. Hiring a carriage, the trip back home would only take a day or two. But going with her to the south? He was not sure he could make it back. His old bones would crumble along the way.


    Li Mingwei huffed, unwilling to humor him anymore.


    Old Lady Wang came in with Hu Jin. Seeing the cooled dishes with none of them having picked up their chopsticks yet, she started the fire again to reheat the food.


    "Why buy so much when you only wantedmb soup?" As Old Lady Wang stir-fried the dishes, she nagged Li Mingwei. Her tone was somewhat unhappy. Lamb was not cheap, yet Li Mingwei bought so much all at once. How could they finish it?


    Li Mingwei exined, "I asked Old Brother Su when I went to buy it. Big Sister Chunhua had not gone to buy theirs yet so I got more. I''ll ask when ss endster if their family bought any. If not, let''s eat together tonight."


    "And Mr. Jin and Big Brother Hu. Big Sister Chunhua said you have to eatmb on the first snowfall or you won''t stay warm all winter. Mr. Jin is so old, how can he bear the cold?"


    With that calction, the amount of meat she bought was not excessive at all. Adding radish to stew with the soup, it was just right for a meal. The main objective was drinking the soup anyway.


    Old Lady Wang looked at her once over but did not argue whether her reasoning was true or false. She had never boughtmb herself in previous years, even with deep snow cover, as long as her son was not home. Yet they always turned out fine.


    However, the situation was different now. She was fussy with food and pregnant to boot. Best to satisfy her when possible. Having livelypany at home asionally was nice too, since it had been quiettely.


    She brought the dishes to the table. "Alright, let''s eat first. It''s gottente today. After the meal, Sir can barely rest for long before ss starts again."


    Li Mingwei pouted. She had not dallied on purpose. Just seeing the snow and thought ofmb soup got her a little excited.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126


    Wang Chunhua had bought somemb, just not very much since she had ge. She was thinking of going over to ask Old Lady Wang if she had bought any - if not, she would give her some of theirs. Li Mingwei came back with Dong Lei.


    After discussing it, they brought the child and the meat and went straight to Liu''s house, since they were all going to eat together anyway - they could just stew it all in one pot.


    Li Mingwei told Dong Lei to go do his homework in his room, and toe get her if he needed help or go out front to ask Mr. Jin and Hu Jin. She herself went to the kitchen to help with the cooking.


    Old Lady Wang looked over the bones she had bought and praised them - "These bones are pretty good, the meat too. Did you go early?"


    "No, when it was my turn they had just brought a newly ughteredmb."


    "You really got lucky!" When Old Lady Wang had gone, there hadn''t been much meat left, she had just picked up some leftovers people didn''t want. She had gone toote.


    Li Mingwei threw some firewood in the stove; the mes were still going strong. She looked up, "Sis, don''t you think Xiao Yan seems listless today?"


    Xiao Yan could call people "Auntie" now. If you walked away she would grab your leg and call you Auntie. But today she was sleeping - she was still lying in Dong Shan''s arms.


    Wang Chunhua was unconcerned. "She has a bit of a cough. I went to the pharmacy this morning and got her some medicine. I simmered it at noon, but she didn''t like the smell and wouldn''t drink it, threw a fit about it. So I got her settled down and she cried herself to sleep. That''s why I was sote going to market."


    That was the reason she had been sote going to market today.


    Old Lady Wang''s hands paused in washing radishes. "With this cough, can she not drinkmb soup? Should we make her something else?"


    Wang Chunhua didn''t know about that, but Old Lady Wang was quite a bit older than her, so it made sense she would know more. If Xiao Yan couldn''t havemb soup...


    "Then should we steam her an egg?"


    It was simple and easy, and children loved eggs.


    "Sure." Old Lady Wang pointed to the cab behind Wang Chunhua. "Take a look, see how many you want to steam. We''re only having the one pot of soup tonight. If not, I can stir-fry some cabbageter."


    It was already after the first snow, almost winter. There weren''t many leafy greens left now, just cabbage with the old outer leaves peeled off, still edible if you washed it. Cabbage beaten by the snow was even sweeter.


    Wang Chunhua nodded and took two eggs, then hesitated and looked back at Li Mingwei. "Sis, do you want one? If so I''ll steam more."


    Li Mingwei waved her off in disgust.


    Old Lady Wangughed. "Don''t mind her, she''s sick of eggs."


    They had so many eggs at home. She had cooked them every possible way for Li Mingwei - boiled, fried, in soup - she was long tired of them.


    Since Li Mingwei didn''t want one, Wang Chunhua just took the two. Themb had just gone into the pot, she was in no rush to steam them. She put the eggs in a small bowl and set it on the stove, then went out to the yard and pulled up a cabbage to wash.


    Old Lady Wang cut the washed radishes into chunks with a cleaver and set them aside. With nothing else to do, the two women stood in front of the stove to warm themselves.


    Wang Chunhua sat down next to Li Mingwei and asked her customary question. "How is little Lei doing in school recently?"


    "He''s well-behaved in my ss, and doing his homework properly. For the rest you can go ask Mr. Jin and Brother Hu. My brother-inw is out there talking to them too, isn''t he?"


    The two teachers were right in front of them. Wang Chunhua naturally wouldn''t pass up this chance. Making an excuse of adding fuel to Mr. Jin''s brazier, she went out and exchanged a few words.


    Seeing here back smiling, Li Mingwei knew the teacher''s answer had satisfied her.


    Wang Chunhua patted her chest in relief. "Our Xiao Lei is finally learning to behave."


    As long as he studied hard, whether he seeded in the future or not, this money was well spent.


    She peeked outside - no one else around. Lowering her voice she said, "I see Brother Hu is getting on in years, but I hear he still isn''t married?"


    Old Lady Wang waved her hand. "No, he''s not."


    Besides Mr. Jin, only Old Lady Wang really knew Hu Jin''s situation now. His parents weren''t around. Who would arrange a marriage for him?


    He didn''t know if his parents at home had forgiven him yet, and didn''t dare go back empty-handed. He spent his days studying in the academy, waiting to try his luck in next year''s exams.


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment. "22 isn''t that old though, is it? It''s normal for students."


    If you studied for a long time, it was normal not to marry until this age.


    "It''s plenty old," Wang Chunhua retorted. "When your brother-inw was 22, Xiao Lei was already two!"


    "That''s different, you can''tpare them," Li Mingwei said with augh. "What, are you trying to arrange a marriage for Brother Hu?"


    "Forget it," Old Lady Wang immediately shut her down. "Someone''s already trying to introduce girls to him, and he''s refused them all, saying he wants to get a government position first."


    Hu Jin was a bit rough-looking, not seeming like a schr, but he had passed the county exam. His current job was decent, and he still had ambition to try again. Of course people had noticed him.


    Not just matchmakers, but the mothers and grandmothers of students at the academy would find excuses to ask about him, trying to introduce girls to him. He could barely escape them all - as soon as ss ended he would run upstairs.


    "How long does that mean waiting?" Wang Chunhua gave Li Mingwei a significant look. "What do you think of his academic skills?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t know. Hu Jin''s recent studying had been self-guided, with no ranking at the academy for her to see. She hadn''t looked at any of his exam papers either, so she wasn''t very familiar with his abilities in various areas.


    All she could say was, "He passed the county exam, so he shouldn''t be too bad."


    "That''s not what I''m asking," Wang Chunhua said.


    She wanted to know if he could pass the provincial exam next fall. If he could, waiting another year would be fine. But if not, and he still insisted on trying for three more years...


    The girl from the Lin family was already 17 this year. They couldn''t afford to wait too long. She didn''t dare push the girl''s family to take the risk.


    Old Lady Wang thought for a moment. "The 17-year-old daughter of the Lin family?"


    Wang Chunhua nodded.


    "You''d better give up that idea," Old Lady Wang said. "Hu Jin has rejected prettier, younger girls. I don''t think she has much chance."


    Wang Chunhua stared wide-eyed. "Hu Jin''s standards are so high?"


    "Not exactly. He really doesn''t have the intention. All the previous girls he directly refused, without even meeting them. Only that one girl was brought to him, so he reluctantly met her once."


    But still refused her.


    "Who was it?"


    Li Mingwei had seen the Lin family sister - she wasn''t outstanding, but decent enough. She was a little curious who Old Lady Wang thought prettier.


    "Cui Ying. You know her quite well."


    Li Mingwei: ???


    Brother Hu, what taste! My sister Cui Ying is so cute!

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127


    Cui Ying had feelings for Ye Cheng in her heart. Even if Hu Jin took a fancy to her, she would not be willing. So Hu Jin''s rejection was very good, at least not putting her in an awkward position in front of her mother.


    Li Mingwei saw that Hu Jin''s attitude was quite firm, and figured that Ye Hui probably had no chance either. She originally did not have any malice towards Ye Hui. Although Li Mingwei was greedy, she only pitted herself, but it was not good for her to forcibly bring up Ye Hui just to strike up a conversation with Hu Jin.


    It would be better not to talk to her much next time, in case she went to Hu Jin again to say something out of line.


    Withdrawing her gaze from Ye Hui, Li Mingwei scanned the ssroom and found that Ye Dong was not sitting very steadily. She reckoned that he also saw his sistering to pick him up again today and was unhappy in his heart.


    Li Mingwei got up and walked behind Ye Dong. Ye Dong immediately stiffened his spine. She reached out and grasped Ye Dong''s hand holding the brush, and said gently, "You need to calm your heart when writing characters. What are you looking around for?"


    "Yes."


    Ye Dong responded in a low voice and did not dare to look out the window again.


    When Li Mingwei looked up, she no longer saw Ye Hui in the yard. She did not know if Ye Hui had gone out to wait. Everyone else was in groups of three or four, five or six, talking in low voices. Ye Hui was alone, and people kept looking at her from time to time, making her probably very ufortable.


    Li Mingwei did not pay much attention. She wandered leisurely around the ssroom.


    "Ah!"


    Suddenly, a shrill cry broke the tranquility of the school. Li Mingwei¡¯s sharp ears could tell it was Ye Hui¡¯s voice. She ran out instinctively to take a look, and those who were faster than her were the people in the yard.


    She found a gap and squeezed in. Ye Hui had copsed on the ground. It had snowed again today, and her hands and clothes were stained with gray snow, and her hair was also disheveled, looking extremely embarrassed.


    "Are you alright?"


    Seeing no one went to help her up, Li Mingwei could only walk over herself and pulled Ye Hui up. Ye Hui lowered her head without speaking, and wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. Only then did Li Mingwei see that her face was also injured.


    Across from them, a man also pushed the woman beside him to the ground, "What¡¯s wrong with you, I already said I just greeted her when I bumped into her. What gives you the right to attack?"


    "Cui Jian!" The woman who fell to the ground shouted angrily. She resolutely climbed up from the ground with red eyes, "You fought with me for her sake?"


    "Don''t forget, you got married. I am your wife. Just for this kind of woman, you fought with me?"


    Cui Jian did not speak, just looked at her gloomily.


    Her eyes shifted between Ye Hui and Cui Jian. The corners of her mouth lifted in a bleak smile, "I knew you still had her in your heart!"


    "Today, today I will fight it out with you!"


    The woman rushed forward with a shout and pounced on Ye Hui. Her actions were too fast. The people around simply could not react in time. Li Mingwei, who was supporting Ye Hui, was also knocked back by the force and almost fell, but was caught by several people behind her.


    "Mr. Li, Mr. Li, are you alright?"


    "I''m fine, I''m fine."


    Li Mingwei steadied herself and rubbed her belly. Fortunately, fortunately, there was no movement.


    Cui Jian strode forward, pulled his wife from Ye Hui, and pushed her away. He helped Ye Hui up, "Go home and pack up. Get out of my sight. I will go to Mr. Jin to write a divorce letter right away. There is no ce for a shrew like you in the Cui family!"


    "Good, good! Divorce me. It works out just right. After divorcing me, you can take her into the household!"


    The woman grabbed a handful of snow and mud from the ground and threw it at Cui Jian, then turned and ran away. Two or three women exined something to the people around them, then hurriedly chased after her.


    Another woman pulled Cui Jian away from Ye Hui and dragged him to apologize to his wife. Cui Jian dodged her hand and walked straight into the school.


    Immediately, discussions broke out among the crowd, "Is he really divorcing his wife?"


    "Looks like it."


    Someone could not help but spit at Ye Hui, "What a vixen."


    "She obstinately refused to marry back then and wanted to be someone else¡¯s concubine. Now that she has been driven back, she goes to seduce other people''s husbands shamelessly."


    Ye Hui red with anger, "Who seduced him? I said we just happened to bump into each other. Aren''t you ashamed of gossiping maliciously behind my back?"


    The woman was about to refute when someone pulled her back. Seeing Li Mingwei¡¯s unpleasant expression, she shut her mouth.


    "This is a school. The children are still in ss. If you want to argue, find another ce."


    Li Mingwei looked at the filthy Ye Hui standing there and sighed, telling her to go to the kitchen in the backyard to wash herself.


    Ye Hui nced at her and went inside.


    "Mr. Li, why are you helping her? She knew Cui Jian was married and still talked to him. She''s asking for it."


    Li Mingwei felt a little headacheing, "It''s not that I want to help her, but I can¡¯t just let her go back home like this. The Ye house is very far."


    If she went back like this, who knows how many eyes she would attract. After all, she was a youngdy. Moreover, Li Mingwei knew that her goal ining to the school was Hu Jin. Her encounter with Cui Jian was most likely a coincidence, not what they said about her seducing a married man.


    Li Mingwei did not want to exin more to them. She went back to ask Hu Jin to help watch the ss for half a period, then went to the backyard to find Ye Hui.


    Ye Hui was not washing herself, but hiding in the kitchen crying. Hearing Li Mingweie in, she turned her head to look, then choked out, "Since I came back, I have never looked for him. It was just a coincidence today. But she insisted that we had a date."


    Li Mingwei gently hmm-ed, found a small basin to pour some hot water for her: "Wash first."


    Ye Hui did not move, but stared at her, "Do you believe me?"


    Li Mingwei smiled. "Why wouldn''t I believe you?"


    She sat down on the stool and looked calmly at Ye Hui, "To be exact, we¡¯ve only talked properly twice, I think. As far as I can remember, I have never mentioned Hu Jin to you, but Big Brother Hu told me that you said we were close friends and mentioned him many times."


    Ye Hui was a little embarrassed that Li Mingwei was so direct. She was silent for a moment before exining, "It was just some polite remarks."


    Li Mingwei curled her lips in a mocking smile, "You know clearly yourself whether it was polite or not. If I hear him say that again next time, I will expose you directly."


    So she believed her because she saw that she was interested in Hu Jin?


    Ye Hui clenched her fingers and nodded. She couldn¡¯t make ideas from her. There must be other ways.


    She looked up at Li Mingwei somewhat puzzled, "So why did you help me today?"


    From her words, it was obvious she did not like her.


    "I didn''t really help you much either. I was afraid you would argue too unpleasantly for the children to hear and learn badly from it."


    Especially little Dong. If something happened to Ye Hui at the school gate, he would be ridiculed by the other children again when he went back.


    Ye Hui smiled helplessly. She got up and washed the mud off her hands, then dampened a handkerchief to slowly wipe away the stains on her clothes bit by bit.


    After finishing, she did not leave immediately, but sat down opposite Li Mingwei.


    Li Mingwei raised her brows, "Anything else?"


    "Some questions I''d like to ask your advice on."


    Ask for advice?


    Li Mingwei hesitated. Ye Hui was much more capable than her. What would she need her advice for?

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128


    Anyway, someone was giving her a lesson, so she was in no hurry. She could just listen to what Ye Hui had to say, Li Mingwei thought to herself as she rested her chin in her hand, giving Ye Hui a look to signal her to start.


    "After I came back, I heard some rumors about you and schr Liu, and I wanted to ask how you managed to make schr Liu fall for you back then."


    Li Mingwei felt a little offended.


    Seeing her expression change, Ye Hui exined, "Don''t get me wrong. As you can see, I''m trying to marry Hu Jin now. I feel like my situation is simr to yours back then, so I wanted to ask you for some advice."


    Li Mingwei thought she was crazy.


    "How do you think our situations are at all simr? Just because they were both schrs?"


    Ye Hui nodded and added, "And we both remarried."


    Humph!


    "But my first marriage was as a proper wife. What about you?" Now Li Mingwei had no intention of being polite with her. Mockingly she said, "I could never bring myself to abandon my childhoodpanion for money like you did."


    "With your greed and betrayal, I''m nothing like you at all."


    Ye Hui was long used to hearing such words and her expression didn''t change. She just said in a low voice, "Say what you want. You just need to tell me what you did. Even if the situations aren''t the same, there must be somemon ground."


    Li Mingwei gave augh of anger. How could there be someone so shameless!


    "Why do you insist on this? Cui Jian just came in a moment ago looking for Mr. Jin to write a divorce letter didn''t he? I don''t know if he''s finished or if he''s still here."


    Ye Hui''s face finally betrayed some emotion as she knitted her brows. "Don''t mention him!"


    "It''s got nothing to do with him. There''s no possibility between us."


    She had already chosen something else and no longer had any rtionship with him.


    "I can''t help you," Li Mingwei said coldly, looking at her disdainfully. "It''s because you spent two years living in the big house, used to fighting with people. You think everyone schemes like you do? I''m telling you I don''t need to."


    "If you insist there''s some trick, then let me ask how you schemed to make Cui Jian so devoted to you after you abandoned him."


    Ye Hui''s heart clenched as she trembled slightly, gritting her teeth as she shook her head. "I didn''t..."


    "Well neither did I."


    Ye Hui didn''t answer anymore. Seeing that she hadn''t spoken for a while, Li Mingwei thought she was finished and got up to leave. But then she saw Ye Hui cover her face and start crying again.


    Ye Hui had just wet her handkerchief. Li Mingwei could only take out her own to give to her. "Just now you were still acting tough. Now crying like this, who are you putting on a show for?"


    Ye Hui leaned over the table, using Li Mingwei''s handkerchief to cover her eyes, sobbing, "I wronged him."


    "Then go tell him. What''s the point in telling me?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t know if Cui Jian had finished writing his divorce letter with Mr. Jin or if he was still there.


    With pursed lips she said, "To be honest, Cui Jian''s not much either. Making a show of being unable to get over you while taking another wife. And now making a fuss about divorcing the woman, leaving her to return to her maiden home after wasting a year or two of her youth. It''s not just ruining her reputation, but her future prospects too."


    It had just urred to her that the woman didn''t seem very old either. Dragged into their mess, wasting her best years for nothing.


    Ye Hui lifted her head. "I''m going..."


    "What are you going for? To tell Cui Jian not to divorce her? Even if Cui Jian listens to you, do you think she could swallow that insult? You''d best stay out of it. Don''t make trouble or next time she gives you two more ps."


    Seeing her swollen face and the cut at the corner of her mouth, Li Mingwei felt a headacheing on. How was she going to show her face to people like this?


    "Why don''t you wait here a bit longer? I''ll go find someone to take Ye Dong home."


    But Ye Hui held her back. "Don''t go. Let him go home himself. I was washing clothes by the river by myself when I was eight. He can''t even find his way home. Useless."


    She walked over to stand in front of Li Mingwei, closing the kitchen door and leaning against it. Head lowered, she continued on her own, "The thing I heard most growing up was my dad saying I was useless for being born a daughter."


    No matter how much she took on, doing theundry, cooking, cleaning, never shirking work, just because she was female her father never appreciated anything she did for him. In his eyes she would always just be someone who freeloaded for over a decade only to get married off as vebor.


    Until the day the matchmaker Chen came knocking, everything changed.


    "That was the first time my dad looked at me with delight in his eyes. Maybe it never urred to him before that his useless daughter could gain him a county town mansion just by giving birth to a son."


    On the night she agreed to the marriage, her father gave her money for the first time, telling her to get some nice clothes made and buy some jewelry and rouge, to dress up and look good so she could gain favor with the Du Lord she was marrying.


    Almost every month after she married, her father woulde to the county town to take her to see a doctor, to check her physical condition for signs of pregnancy, watching over his mansion deal.


    That was the only concern Ye Hui ever received from her father.


    She gave a sigh, smiling wryly, "Too bad I''m still his useless daughter."


    She wouldn''t ept it. If this wouldn''t work she would find another. Aside from Liu Yiju who was already married, Hu Jin seemed to have the most prospects in this small town, so she quickly set her sights on him.


    "Your dad..."


    Li Mingwei couldn''t find the words, she just felt it was tragic.


    "I have no other choice. I can only find a powerful backer if I want to gain status in the family." Ye Hui was somewhat agitated as she pointed outside to meet Li Mingwei''s eyes. "You saw it just now. How does Ye Dong treat me? Does he even see me as his older sister?"


    He dared to hit her in broad daylight on the main street in front of so many people. Yet she didn''t dare retaliate, only allowing him to humiliate her. If she hadn''t been driven out by the Du Lord, her father would never have allowed him to treat her like that.


    Or if she had married a schr, her father would have spoken up for her.


    Li Mingwei nodded. Ye Dong''s behavior really couldn''t be called respect towards Ye Hui.


    Having seemingly gained Li Mingwei''s understanding, Ye Hui looked a little happier. She grabbed her hand, "You see, even an eight year old child can push me around. What standing do I have in this family?"


    "I can only find a way to change this."


    Now, regarding her choices, Li Mingwei couldn''t definitively say they were right or wrong. People hold onto different things.


    But if she were in her shoes...


    Li Mingwei gripped her hand back, patting it to soothe her emotions. Apologetically she said, "I''m sorry, I can''t help you with this."


    She had no ties with the Ye family and wasn''t very familiar with Ye Hui either, so she couldn''t just casually go using people on her behalf. And she didn''t think she could change anything anyway.


    "Ye Hui, if I were you, I might choose to be that useless daughter my father sees me as, and live happily with someone who loves me, rather than constantly struggling with someone who never valued me."


    "Of course that''s just what I would think. As for how you choose, that''s up to you."


    Li Mingwei didn''t have her life experience and couldn''t truly empathize, so she couldn''t make decisions for her.

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129


    From that day on, Li Mingwei hadn''t seen Ye Hui for a long time. Just when she thought Ye Hui hade to her senses, she saw her appear at the school entrance again, dressed appropriately. Li Mingwei sighed. It''s not easy to persuade someone who has been oppressed since childhood and now wants to stand up.


    She didn''t say anything more, just smiled at her as she walked past her and then led Dong Lei home.


    Xiao Yan had taken medicine for several days and wasn''t coughing anymore. She just harbored some resentment towards her mother who forced her to drink medicine every day.


    She snuggled up against Li Mingwei''s leg pitifully, "Auntie, let''s go~"


    "Go?"


    Li Mingwei picked her up, "Auntie just got here, and you want to drive your auntie away? Or do you want to leave with auntie?"


    Xiao Yan didn''t understand, she just stubbornly kept saying "go."


    Wang Chunhua, who was standing on the side, was so angry her face turned dark. What an ungrateful little brat. She didn''t want to be home after being taken care of and fed medicine for days.


    "Alright, alright."


    Li Mingwei was helpless against her and could only put Dong Lei down to carry Xiao Yan out.


    Wang Chunhua called them, "Put her down to walk by herself. She''s got quite some strength in her legs. Be careful or she''ll kick you."


    Li Mingwei led her out for a walk, bought her some snacks, and coaxed her into a good mood before bringing her back. Then she watched over Dong Lei as he did his homework.


    Wang Chunhua poured her a cup of hot water and told her to warm her hands. Then she said in a low voice, "The neighbors are holding a celebration tomorrow. Are youing over to drink?"


    She said when she went out earlier, she saw many rednterns hung outside the neighbor''s house. Turns out they were preparing for a celebration. Li Mingwei didn''t feel like going. Looking at the deliberately decorated yard, she was reminded of Sister Yun''s flustered look when she got married, and lost her appetite.


    "I''ll just ask my mom to pay them a visit and give a gift tomorrow morning."


    Liu Cuicui and Cui Ying wereing to y with her. She was busy and didn''t have time.


    Knowing she was going to eat at school at noon, the two girls came early in the morning. They also brought along several young girls they knew and made a lively ruckus standing in her yard.


    When Li Mingwei opened the door, Cui Ying walked in and rubbed her hands, "It''s snowing again. So cold!"


    The other girls dusted the snow off themselves before entering the room.


    Liu Cuicui helped bring the stove from the kitchen and put it in the middle of the main room. She closed the front door, leaving just a small gap in the window, then everyone sat around the stove together.


    Cui Ying introduced the few girls to her, then said, "It''s winter now, they don''t have much to do, so we all came to hang out."


    Seeing they had all brought sewing kits, Li Mingwei asked them to sit and took out her sewing basket to sew with them, asionally exchanging pointers.


    With so many people around, Li Mingwei worked up her courage after holding it in for a while before asking Cui Ying, "Where''s your sister-inw?"


    "Don''t mention her. She''s not my sister-inw anymore." Cui Ying''s expression was indifferent. The other girls had known about it for a while and nodded along.


    On that day, Mr. Jin didn''t agree to write a divorce certificate for Cui Jian and told him to think it through carefully and not make rash decisions in anger. But Cui Jian had already made up his mind. He took money to the town to find a familiar shop owner and asked him to write a divorce certificate.


    Cui Ying said, "My brother gave the divorce certificate to my sister-inw and told her to leave. My mother couldn''t stop her."


    "So your brother really wants to marry Ye..."


    "No." Cui Ying shook her head. Perhaps he still had feelings for her, but he couldn''t possibly marry her. Mother would never agree.


    She sighed, "It''s not totally my sister-inw''s fault in this matter. That day, my aunt wasn''t paying attention, slipped on the snow and fell. That''s why my brother went to pick up Guier. But my sister-inw insisted he went to secretly meet with Ye Hui."


    Li Mingwei was anxious, "Aunt Cui fell? Haven''t heard about that."


    Cui Ying pressed her to sit down, "She didn''t fall. Auntie is so healthy, her clothes just got dirty and wet. She didn''t want to embarrass Guier."


    Li Mingwei breathed a sigh of relief and said, she must be fine. Otherwise, mother-inw would at least have brought her some eggs even if she had to crawl over.


    "You don''t know, sister Li. Ever since Ye Hui came back, my former sister-inw started worrying. She picks fights with my brother over her all day long whether there is anything or not. My brother hasn''t gone looking for Ye Hui at all, yet she insists on making something out of nothing. My brother really can''t stand her anymore."


    Even without the incident at school, Cui Ying felt that they couldn''t havested much longer.


    One young girl nodded in agreement, "I ran into them at the market before. Ye Hui didn''t say anything and just walked past them, yet my former sister-inw pinched Brother Cui right away and asked if he went to the market with her just to see Ye Hui."


    Liu Cuicui found it hard to believe, "She made a fuss over that too?"


    "Sure did. My former sister-inw was so fierce then, like she wanted to eat Ye Hui up. I didn''t even dare go greet Brother Cui."


    In case she said something wrong and let former sister-inw think she had ideas about Brother Cui too, that would spell trouble.


    Li Mingwei shook her head gently, "Since your sister-inw is so distrusting of your brother, it shows your brother has never cared much about her to begin with."


    Because she couldn''t feel his affection, she easily believed she would be abandoned and felt insecure, wanting to make trouble to prove her standing.


    Too bad she indeed had no standing. All the trouble she stirred up only destroyed whatever little affection was left between them.


    Cui Ying didn''t disagree. She nodded, "My brother never liked her in the first ce. If not for my mother holding a knife to his neck and forcing him, my brother would never have married her."


    Back then, because Ye Hui got married, brother was depressed all day long, wandering around like a soulless ghost and even got into fights. So mother wanted to quickly find him a wife to keep watch over him and make him rein in his heart. Brother was unwilling, so mother lost her temper impulsively...


    And that was how brother ended up forced into marrying this sister-inw.


    Cui Ying moved closer to Li Mingwei''s ear, her voice tinged with some fear, "My mother looked so scary holding that knife."


    She also got scared herself. That was why she kept lying that she couldn''t bear to leave home and didn''t want to get married.


    With brother causing such a ruckus, mother hated Ye Hui and Ye family to death.


    Li Mingwei couldn''t help being somewhat contemptuous. "Your mother and Ye Hui''s dad are really..."


    At a loss for words.


    "Ye Hui''s dad? What about her dad?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. She didn''t want to talk about Ye Hui''s matters. She just told Cui Ying to focus on embroidering the flowers.


    Cui Ying wasn''t willing to remain ignorant about anything regarding Ye Hui. She pestered Li Mingwei to tell her, insisting she must listen.


    She coaxed, "Tell me, tell me~"


    Li Mingwei rejected her act, "Can''t tell."


    "Humph!" Cui Ying''s little face drooped as she harrumphed softly. Not sure what she was thinking of again, a mischievous smile appeared on her face as she hugged Li Mingwei.


    "Weiwei, if you don''t tell, I won''t be able to sleep!"


    Everyone was taken aback for a moment beforeughing loudly. Only Li Mingwei remained confused. Why did this sound familiar?


    Liu Cuicui lightly coughed to remind her, "Weiwei, I can''t sleep without you~"


    Li Mingwei instantly recalled that this was what Liu Yizhu had saidst time...


    Who was it? Don''t just repeat it to everyone!


    She nced at everyone''s faces and saw themughing. "So you all knew?"


    They covered their mouths, "Not just us. At least half the people in town know about it already."


    Liu Cuicui said in a low voice, "Sister-inw, don''t be intimate with Brother in the future unless you''re sure Granny Zhao from next door won''t see. She loves to gossip the most."


    Li Mingwei covered her face. What was happening!

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130


    Cui Ying saw that Li Mingwei''s face was blushing red, and she became even more energetic, hugging her and calling her "Weiwei" over and over again. Li Mingwei was furious with embarrassment and turned around to hug Cui Ying, tickling her armpits. Cui Ying wanted to fight back but was stopped by Liu Cuicui.


    "My sister-inw is pregnant, so be careful with her."


    "Oh, that''s right!" Cui Ying suddenly remembered this and didn''t dare move her anymore. She could only suffer the tickles helplessly while Li Mingwei became more arrogant seeing that Cui Ying didn''t dare to move.


    "Sister Ming, Sister Ming, I''m wrong!"


    Cui Ying couldn''t stand being tickled any more than Liu Cuicui and fled from her stool to escape. Liu Cuicui helped Li Mingwei to catch her. Cui Ying had nowhere to hide so she could only flee outside.


    As soon as the door opened, the wind and snow rushed in. Everyone shrank back at the sight of the vast whiteness outside. They strode to the door.


    "It started snowing so heavily in such a short time!"


    "Yes, it''s so cold!"


    Li Mingwei looked at the swirling snowkes in the air and stretched out her hand to catch them. Cui Ying had already made a small snowball and threw it at Liu Cuicui. "That''s for bullying me, humph!"


    Liu Cuicui was angry. Braving the continuous snowballs thrown by Cui Ying, she quickly made an extrarge one and threw it at Cui Ying. Therge snowball exploded on Cui Ying, affecting quite a few people. They quickly started a snowball fight.


    Li Mingwei''s face was also smeared with snow, but she didn''t dare participate. She could only stand on the edge, squeezing a few small balls and sneakily throwing them at Cui Ying.


    Seeing this, Cui Ying didn''t keep count with her but threw them all back at Liu Cuicui. After all, they were family.


    "Let''s stop, let''s stop." Liu Cuicui exerted all her strength and waved her hand as she sat down on the doorstep. "I''m so tired. I can''t throw anymore."


    She wasn''t the only one who was tired. Seeing her stop, the others also went back and sat down, panting heavily. Li Mingwei let them into the room and poured each of them a cup of hot water to warm their hands.


    Cui Ying picked up the half-embroidered flower she was working on and nced at it dejectedly before tossing it back on the table. "My hands are weak. I can''t embroider anymore."


    "Just do it another day. Winter is long. There''s no rush," said Li Mingwei.


    "Mm."


    Cui Ying took the cup from Li Mingwei''s hand, blew on it, took a careful sip, found it a little hot, and was about to put it down when she heard shouts from outside. Her hand shook and the scalding water spilled over her hand.


    Li Mingwei quickly wiped her hand but Cui Ying didn''t care about the pain. She ran outside where Liu Cuicui had already rushed out ahead of her.


    "Why are they running so fast?"


    The others followed them out to see Cui Ying and Liu Cuicui standing in front of several teenage boys. Li Mingwei''s sharp eyes spotted Ye Cheng sitting on a rock at the roadside with another boy.


    Cui Ying didn''t say anything, just stared tensely at Ye Cheng. Liu Cuicui stood with hands on hips and reprimanded them directly, "What are you doing falling down while walking on the road?"


    The boy standing there took a step back. "These two were horsing around while walking and fell down."


    Li Mingwei squeezed to the front to take a look at Ye Cheng. "What happened to you?"


    Ye Cheng was already ufortable being surrounded by so many young girls. He was even more ufortable now. He forced out an awkwardugh. "Sis...Sister-inw, I''m fine."


    The boy sitting next to him also quickly said, "Sister-inw, I''m also fine."


    Liu Cuicui, knowing that Li Mingwei didn''t recognize the boy, pointed at him and said, "This is my uncle''s seventh son, Liu Xiaowu."


    "Oh, I see."


    Since he was a rtive she hadn''t met before, Li Mingwei still smiled at the boy.


    Then she assumed her sister-inw stance. "With snow this heavy, the road is slippery. You should walk carefully. Did you hurt anywhere from the fall?"


    Liu Xiaowu was fine because he had jumped onto Ye Cheng''s back and made him carry him. When Ye Cheng lost his bnce, they fell straight to the ground. Although both fell down, at least there was a cushion.


    Ye Cheng was a bit more seriously hurt with scraped knees from knocking them on the ground. He couldn''t stand up straight.


    "Then help him up. Let''s go to the pharmacy and take a look?"


    Afraid they didn''t have money, Li Mingwei asked several girls to go back and help watch the house. She went with Liu Cuicui to apany them to the clinic.


    Cui Ying was worried so she went along too.


    Seeing her cousin was fine, Liu Cuicui started to scold him dissatisfied, "You''re so old already yet fooling around like this. If anything really happened to Ye Cheng, your parents would beat you to death."


    Liu Xiaowu didn''t dare to talk back. He knew the medical fees would definitely fall on him to pay. He felt his pocket where there was only the gift money from his mother.


    "Little sister seven, do you have money?" He showed her the copper coins, indicating this was all he had.


    Liu Cuicui frowned. "Where did you get so much money?"


    "It''s the gift money my mother gave me. We''re going to eat at a wedding banquet at the Meng''s. Ye Cheng was busy so I waited half a day for him."


    They had dyed until now and even fell down on the road, so they probably wouldn''t make it to the good lunch banquet. They could only go again at night.


    "It''s fine. I have money here. Let''s go take a look first," said Li Mingwei.


    Liu Xiaowu was overjoyed and scurried after her.


    In the winter clothing, it took Ye Cheng great effort to roll up his trouser legs. Luckily the pants were thick so his knees weren''t seriously injured, just some abrasions. The doctor applied some medicinal wine.


    "Ow!" Ye Cheng felt the stinging and immediately started grimacing in pain.


    Originally waiting outside with their backs turned, too shy to watch, Liu Cuicui and Cui Ying couldn''t help but turn their heads back and stealthily take a peek upon hearing his pained cry.


    The doctor was a man and wasn''t very meticulous. Seeing the medicinal wine flow towards Ye Cheng''s shoes, Liu Cuicui took out her handkerchief and quickly stepped forward to pad Ye Cheng''s ankles so the wine wouldn''t get into his winter shoes which were hard to wash.


    Seeing it was the handkerchief he had gifted her, Ye Cheng forgot the pain and grinned. "You''re carrying it with you."


    Liu Cuicui rolled her eyes at him and walked out.


    Li Mingwei also recognized it. She clicked her tongue twice. Some people were obviously infatuated but refused to admit it.


    Now they could only wait until Cui Ying formally proposed marriage. Only then could they deal with Liu Cuicui and Ye Cheng''s rtionship.


    Seeing Cui Ying staring fixedly at the handkerchief with knitted brows, Li Mingwei stepped forward to block her line of sight andughed. "What are you looking at?"


    Cui Ying shook her head and looked away from the handkerchief and Liu Cuicui waiting at the door. In the end, she didn''t say anything.


    Ye Cheng wasn''t seriously injured. The money Liu Xiaowu had was enough so Li Mingwei didn''t need to help pay. They supported Ye Cheng and went to send him home.


    Watching the three of them walk into the distance, Li Mingwei also took the two girls home. The others were still at her house keeping watch.


    "Thank you all today. I''m going to school now. Come find me to y another day."


    "Okay, we''ll go back first then."


    Liu Cuicui helped Li Mingwei tidy up then also prepared to leave. Seeing Cui Ying still showed no intention of leaving, she was somewhat puzzled. "You''re not going?"


    "No," Cui Ying shook her head. "I''m afraid Sister Ming might slip and fall on the road to school so I''ll send her over then go back home."


    Liu Cuicui thought about it and that made sense. She nodded. "Then you go back. I can send her."


    Cui Ying ignored her and only looked at Li Mingwei. "I''ll send you."


    Li Mingwei resigned herself and agreed. "Alright, you send me. Cuicui, go back first. I''ll trouble you next time."


    Liu Cuicui felt something was off but couldn''t pinpoint what. She left, looking back every three steps.

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131


    Cui Ying''s little face was somewhat gloomy, and she hadn''t made a peep. Li Mingwei guessed she had realized something. With a sigh, she sat down beside her.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Does Sister Mingwei know who gave Cuicui her handkerchief?"


    Li Mingwei still wanted to cover for Cuicui. If Cui Ying was upset knowing about it, Cuicui wouldn''t be happy either. She hesitated, "Can''t it be one she embroidered herself or bought?"


    "Impossible."


    They grew up together since childhood. She was very clear about what kind of material Cuicui usually used for her handkerchiefs. That one was obviously embroidered by a shop''s craftsmanship. Cuicui wouldn''t spend that kind of money.


    "You know her quite well."


    "Of course." Over a decade of friendship, how could she not know everything about the other person?


    "Then why ask me? Just ask yourself. For example, who gave her the handkerchief. She wants to hide it from you."


    Who else could it be but Ye Cheng?


    Cui Ying''s heart confirmed the answer. Her little mouth pursed as tears streamed down her face. She was heartbroken that the person she had liked for so long already had someone in her heart. Anyone would feel awful.


    She threw herself into Li Mingwei''s arms and bawled loudly.


    Li Mingwei heaved a long sigh, gently stroking her hair. She couldn''t offer anyforting words. It was only a matter of time before she suffered this blow. Letting her vent was for the best.


    She just didn''t know if their decade-long friendship would be estranged because of this.


    The crying in her arms gradually quieted. Cui Ying leaned weakly against her, aggrieved. "Sister Mingwei, I know Mother won''t let me marry into the Ye family, but I''m still so upset. What should I do?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. "I don''t know. I feel a little upset now too."


    Cui Ying''s grieving mood was suddenly interrupted. "Why?"


    Because she had just recalled something frightening.


    Li Mingwei''s voice trembled slightly. "Ye Cheng''s father is Ye Hui''s father!"


    "That''s right, they''re blood siblings."


    With a father-inw like that, eek, how awful!


    Li Mingwei suddenly didn''t want Cuicui to marry into that family either. She had met Ye Cheng twice and he seemed well-behaved and obedient. She couldn''t connect him at all with a father like that. If Cuicui gave birth to a daughter in the future, who knew how she might be treated!


    And with a sister-inw like Ye Hui...


    No, she took it back. Whoever married into the Ye family was doomed for bad luck in this and the next eight lifetimes.


    Cui Ying thought about it too. Ye Cheng seemed to be the only good person in the Ye family.


    She was too anxious to feel heartbroken anymore. "Then what about Cuicui? Does she like Ye Cheng?"


    "Looks like she does a little..."


    They exchanged a look, both wearing difficult expressions. What should they do?


    The front gate creaked open and Liu Yizhu met two pairs of round eyes. He stopped in his tracks. "You two..."


    Cui Ying wiped the tear stains from her face a couple times. She stood up respectfully. "Master Liu."


    Li Mingwei calcted the time. It wasn''t his day off today.


    She went up to him. "Why are you back?"


    Liu Yizhu nced at Cui Ying and didn''t answer. He smiled and asked, "What''s wrong? You two don''t look very happy."


    Cui Ying was a little embarrassed. She lowered her head obediently to gather her things and took her leave first to go home.


    Liu Yizhu closed the yard gate and turned around to hug Li Mingwei. "What were you talking about? Hurry up and go eat."


    "I''ll go soon. Why did youe back?"


    "To get money." Liu Yizhu led her toward the room, exining, "The shop owner at the bookstore said a new book from Beijing arrived on the Jianghuai side. He happens to be going there soon and asked if I want him to bring it back for me."


    There was no harm in reading more books. Liu Yizhu wouldn''t miss the opportunity. It was just that the book was quite expensive and he didn''t have that much money on him. He could onlye back to get it.


    "How much?"


    Liu Yizhu felt a little pain. "Over two taels."


    Li Mingwei thought it was normal, but it was indeed not cheap for him. Sheughed. "You''re willing to spend that much?"


    "No choice."


    If others could read it and he couldn''t, he would fall behind.


    Seeing him head straight for the bedside, Li Mingwei followed right behind his butt. Today she was going to see for herself just how much private money he had.


    Liu Yizhu took out the box where he kept money. He opened it and looked inside, feeling some heartache as he counted out three taels of silver and stuffed it into his clothes. Li Mingwei crowded over to peek at what he had left. Surprisingly, there were still a few silver pieces. She was astonished.


    "You''re pretty wealthy."


    Liu Yizhu raised a brow. "Haven''t you seen it before?"


    "I only found out today you hide money here. When could I have seen it!"


    "I told you about it already."


    Li Mingwei thought back but had no such memory. Sheined angrily, "When did you tell me!"


    Liu Yizhu blinked innocently. "I told you on our wedding night."


    He had told her to take it herself if she was out of money. She had agreed at the time.


    Li Mingwei gritted her teeth. "You should have told me at a time when I was more clear-headed!"


    Was she not clear-headed at the time?


    Liu Yizhu raised his eyes to ponder for a moment. She did seem a little unclear.


    He smiled awkwardly and presented the box to her. "You''re clear-headed now, right? Feel free to look."


    Li Mingwei closed his little box with a snap. She had already seen enough. She calcted her own private funds, then sidled up to him. "Do you want to see my private money?"


    Liu Yizhu drew her into his arms and pinched her little nose. "You have private funds? The money you earn is barely enough to feed you, little glutton."


    Buying snacks one day, meat the next, asionally some paper and ink, and it was pretty much gone.


    Li Mingwei huffed but didn''t n on telling him about it. How annoying.


    She wriggled out of his arms and tidied her clothes. "Let''s go, it''s time to eat. Mother will get anxious again soon. When are you leaving?"


    "It''s fine. I already went to the academy beforeing back. Mother knows I came back to take care of something. Leaving a bitter is no problem."


    The road already had umted snow and it was difficult to walk. He arrived in town around noon and went straight to the academy. Seeing she still hadn''te over, he came back first to get money and to bring her along since the roads were slippery from the snow.


    Because she had seemed a little upsetst time he left, Liu Yizhu held her hand and carefully observed her expression, speaking softly, "I''ll probably have to leave after eating."


    He had taken the day off just toe back for money. He still had sses to teach tomorrow.


    Li Mingwei pouted her lips and dragged him along. "Let''s go eat."


    Liu Yizhu quietly watched her for a while but didn''t notice anything off. He put away the box and led her toward the academy.


    As they walked, Li Mingwei suddenly stomped on his foot. Liu Yizhu knew she was throwing a tantrum but didn''t dare cry out. He could only helplessly grip her hand tighter.


    Seeing he had no reaction, Li Mingwei slyly nced at hispletely calm face.


    Hmm, quite tolerant!


    She stomped on his foot again.


    "Wife~"


    Li Mingwei turned her innocent big eyes to look at him. "Yes?"


    "Let''s switch feet."


    The academy was still quite a distance. If she kept targeting the same foot, he really might not make it to the county seat today.

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132


    Liu Yizhu noticed that she wasn''t stepping on his feet anymore and had fallen silent, wearing a sullen expression. He gently stroked her back and whispered, "Don''t be angry. I''ll be back in a few days."


    Li Mingwei nodded. "I know."


    However, for some reason, she felt a sense of unease. It was only now that Liu Yizhu mentioned the difficulties of traveling in the snow-covered roads. What if the roads were blocked due to heavy snow? What would she do if she had an emergency? While she couldn''t say she distrusted the doctor in town, she also couldn''t say she fully trusted him. There were more doctors in the county town, and if one didn''t work out, she could always find another.


    She wasn''t sure if her body was genuinely fine or if she had just been lucky, but she didn''t want to take any risks with this child.


    And then there was the news from the capital. Although Lord Tang had always assured her that everything was fine at home, she couldn''t guarantee that nothing would go wrong in the next month or two. Especially with the uncertainty surrounding Imperial Physician Liu, she didn''t want to endure the same agony as she didst year.


    "Liu Yizhu."


    "Yes?" Liu Yizhu looked at her with a somewhat serious expression, his smile fading.


    "I want you to find a house in the county today. I think I should temporarily move there in case the roads get blocked by heavy snow..."


    Li Mingwei''s hand gently caressed her belly, conveying her unspoken intention.


    "Alright." He had been genuinely worried about her, even though he tried to hide it. Since she had brought it up, he naturally had to agree.


    He let go of Li Mingwei''s hand. "Wait for me. I''ll go back and get some money."


    "Let''s go together."


    Li Mingwei wasn''t quite sure about the housing prices in the county town, so she decided to give him some money. After all, she needed afortable ce to stay during her pregnancy. If it weren''t for her concerns...


    She could just go and live in Lord Tang''s yard.


    She reminded him softly, "You don''t know much about this. It''s better to bring your ssmate along. That Tang Jue is Lord Tang''s son, so no one should dare to deceive him."


    "That''s true. I''ll call him and ask him toe along."


    Li Mingwei nodded in satisfaction. If Tang Jue knew, then Lord Tang would probably know as well.


    Liu Yizhu returned to the room and took out his small box from beside the bed, while Li Mingwei rummaged through her suitcase for her small belt. They each went about their tasks, with Liu Yizhu''s actions being straightforward. He quickly had the money in his hand.


    Seeing that Li Mingwei was still busy with the scissors, he hurriedly went over to help.


    A momentter, he looked at the silver bills he had picked out from the belt, his expression turning solemn.


    Li Mingwei put the rest back, used needle and thread to sew it up, and then hid it away. She gestured to him, "Keep it hidden and let''s go. It''s gettingte."


    "Mingwei, you seem to have quite a lot of secret money."


    "It''s not much." She had already given one to Wang Chunhua and one to Yun Sister. There wasn''t much left. She patted the suitcase. "This can''t be touched anymore. Take it out when you go to the capital."


    Liu Yizhu didn''t expect her to have nned everything, and he felt a bit uneasy for some reason.


    "I..."


    "What''s the matter?" Li Mingwei saw through his thoughts with just one nce. "You don''t want to use my money?"


    "You''re silly. If someone gives you money, you should spend it. With that little box of yours, if you had told me earlier, I would have spent it all for you."


    Liu Yizhu couldn''t believe her. She just wanted to ease his worries.


    He pushed the money back into her arms and held her face, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We''re only renting a house for a few months. I have enough money on me, so you can keep your money for now."


    Li Mingwei was about to say something, but her mouth was sealed by a kiss. She bit Liu Yizhu''s lip, forcing him to let go. "You..."


    "Alright," Liu Yizhu rubbed against her and stopped her from speaking, saying softly, "Let''s spend all this loose change of mine first before making any decisions."


    Li Mingwei lifted her foot and stepped on the one he hadn''t been stepped on today. "Do as you wish. Enough already."


    Men and their pride!


    As soon as Liu Yizhu arrived in the county in the afternoon, he went to a dental clinic to check the rental prices. After confirming that he had enough money, he went to the bookstore to pay for his books and picked up some odd jobs along the way.


    When he returned to the dormitory, Tang Jue was nowhere to be found, so he asked, "Did Tang Jue go back today?"


    Tang Jue pushed the door open and walked in. "No, I went next door for a bit. Do you need something?"


    "Yeah, I''m thinking of renting a house, but I''m not sure about the prices."


    "Oh?" Tang Jue and Yang Jingyuan exchanged mischievous nces and crowded around him, squeezing him in the middle. "It''s getting cold. Finally, you can''t bear the loneliness of the night and want to bring your sister-inw over to live with you?"


    "Then we won''t be able to see you at night anymore. How heartbroken he must be!"


    "Not just at night, I guess you won''t even see each other after ss."


    "That''s really miserable!" Yang Jingyuan reached out to Zhong Liangyu and said generously, "Don''t worry, I''m here for you. In this long winter, my broad chest belongs to you!"


    Zhong Liangyu threw a book at his broad chest, grinding her teeth. "You guys are truly sick!"


    Liu Yizhu also felt a headacheing on. "The road from the county to our town bes impassable when it snows heavily. You both know that she''s pregnant. If anything happens, it''s better to have the county doctor nearby."


    "Oh, right, that makes sense. Last month, my sister-inw came to see the doctor. Moving to the county would be more secure."


    Tang Jue stopped joking and asked about Liu Yizhu''s requirements. The next day, he sent a message through a servant to inquire about it at home.


    When Tang Shan heard about it, he immediately instructed the staff to clean up the courtyard that Li Mingwei had mentioned before and had the steward lead them to see it.


    The steward bowed and said, "Young Master, how about this courtyard?"


    "Isn''t it a bit too big?" Tang Jue looked around but didn''t recognize it as his own house. The family''s properties were managed by his father and the ountant, so he wasn''t very familiar with them.


    The steward cautiously said, "It''s not considered big. This house belonged to one of Master''s old friends. After they moved out, it has been taken care of by the family. It has been empty most of the time. Master said that since you''re his ssmate and will only stay for a few months, there''s no need to collect rent."


    Liu Yizhu declined, "That won''t do."


    This house was not small, and its location was good. Renting it would definitely not be cheap.


    "I think it''s fine!" Tang Jue made the final decision, pping his hands. "We''ll live here. Prepare another courtyard for me too. I''ll join in the funter."


    Liu Yizhu wanted to give him a couple of punches. "Your sister-inw is pregnant, what kind of excitement are you looking for?"


    "Well, can''t I join in the fun?" Tang Jue shrugged. "When I moved here, my mother had to send me maidservants and cooks. With someone apanying and taking care of my sister-inw, what if something happens when you''re at school and she''s alone at home?"


    "With such a big courtyard, it''s impossible to rely on the heavens or the earth. There must be someone to take care of things."


    The steward silently gave a thumbs up in his mind to his young master. The master wanted to send some people over but didn''t dare to until now. This time, the reasons were justified.


    He was afraid that Liu Yizhu would refuse, so he quickly nodded and agreed, "I''ll make the arrangements right away."


    Then he slipped away as if he had oil on the soles of his feet.


    Liu Yizhu called after him a few times from behind, but he pretended not to hear.


    Liu Yizhu frowned slightly, feeling hesitant. This old steward had poor hearing, but he was quite agile on his feet.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133


    ording to the n, Liu Yizhu woulde back to pick her up during his month off, so Li Mingwei started packing up her things when she was free - no more than a few pieces of clothes and socks were needed, arger package would be enough.


    "Mother, are you really noting with me?"


    Old Lady Wang tied Li Mingwei''s package and shook her head. There was still more than a month before the academy''s winter break ended, she couldn''t leave the little bit of work she had, there were still many ces at home that needed money, the more she could earn the better.


    "I''m nning to stay until next year. If you''re home alone, what will you do during the new year?"


    Although rejected, Li Mingwei still wanted to persuade her again. This trip would take a long time, it would be hard to contact each other in between. It would still be better to live together.


    Old Lady Wang said indifferently, "What''s wrong with being alone? You didn''t marry in yet, wasn''t I alone before that?"


    When her son was gone for a month, or even a year or two, she had long been used to it. When she was free, she would go next door to chat with the Zhao family, walk around outside, and time would pass quickly.


    Seeing Li Mingwei unhappy, she took her hand, "You guys go ahead, don''t worry about me. I''m not without people to talk to. During the new year I''ll still spend it with Mr. Jin and them, Brother Hu can''t cook either, I can''t just let them go without food during the holidays."


    "Mr. Jin has taken care of us all these years. If I just leave like this, he has to find someone new to cook. That would be too troublesome. If I stay home, I can also go eat with them when I''m free. Brother Hu isn''t well-off, Mr. Jin also needs to save up money for retirement. I should help however I can."


    "Mr. Jin is getting old, he has no children to take care of him. I''d worry if no one looks after him."


    Li Mingwei mumbled softly, "But you''re not young anymore either, we worry about you too."


    Next to Brother Hu there was still Mr. Jin. She would tell her sisterter, and ask her and brother-inw to go check in on her asionally.


    "Hey!" Old Lady Wang red at her with narrowed eyes and pped Li Mingwei''s hand, "What are you talking about, your mother is only in her forties, Mr. Jin is almost sixty. Who do you think needs more care?"


    Judging by age, it should be Mr. Jin.


    Seeing she couldn''t persuade her, Li Mingwei thought she could only wait until Liu Yizhu came back. He always understood his mother-inw better than her, it would be easier for him to persuade her.


    Unexpectedly, she was so stubborn this time that even Liu Yizhu couldn''t persuade her. She quietly pulled Liu Yizhu into the room and stuffed a money bag into his hands, "The manor in the county seat can''t be cheap right? Do you have enough money? Mother has some here."


    "No need, I don''t need money." Liu Yizhu gave it back to her and exined, "My ssmate Tang Jue, you met him at this weddingst time. It''s his family friend''s manor that''s been vacant. He said we could borrow it and live there, having more people would liven it up."


    Old Lady Wang held the money bag, a little hesitant, "That doesn''t seem right."


    Even real brothers have clear ounts, how could they just live in someone else''s manor for free?


    "I felt it wasn''t right either. But his family has already sent people to clean it up, just waiting for us to move in. If we refuse again..."


    It would seem they were being ungracious.


    "Then..."


    "It''s fine, don''t worry Mother," Liu Yizhuforted her, "Mingwei said it wouldn''t be good to just give them money now. She''ll prepare a more valuable giftter to repay them for this favor. Then it won''t count as freeloading."


    Old Lady Wang sighed in slight relief, "Alright, as long as you know what you''re doing."


    But she still had Liu Yizhu take the money bag, "I don''t know how much money you still have, but you''ll be staying for so long, there will definitely be food and lodging costs. Take this money for now, use it if you need it, if not then don''t. Just in case."


    Once the mountain road closes off, if they''ve spent all their travel money, she would have no way of helping them.


    Liu Yizhu frowned, "Mother, you really won''te with us?"


    "I''m not going, I''m not going!" Old Lady Wang let go of his hand and took a few steps back, keeping some distance from him, "I told Mingwei, I still have work to do here. I can''t get away."


    Liu Yizhu put the money bag on a nearby cab, helplessly said, "Mother, you don''t need to worry about money. I..."


    He was about to say he had enough money. With rent saved now too, he had more than enough. But Old Lady Wang had already pushed him out the door.


    "Hey, Mother~"


    The door mmed shut. Liu Yizhu almost got clipped but quickly got out of the way. He touched his nose to make sure he was fine, then knocked on the door again but didn''t get any response.


    Squatting next to him, Li Mingwei met his helpless gaze and shrugged - she had persuaded Old Lady Wang for days without sess either. She thought he would have a way. Who knew he still got kicked out.


    Liu Yizhu felt a little headacheing on, "What should we do now?"


    Li Mingwei tentatively asked, "Why don''t you stay and apany Mother? I can go by myself..."


    "What are you thinking!" Liu Yizhu poked her forehead. He didn''t want Mother to be alone, and he couldn''t leave his pregnant wife alone either.


    Li Mingwei pouted. What was wrong with her going alone? Once he leaves, Lord Tang would arrange several maids and servants for her. Her days would be even better than now.


    She said earnestly, "Really, think about it. Tang Jue''s family is sending maids and servants over there too. I won''t be alone."


    Seeing Liu Yizhu staring at her with a cold expression, Li Mingwei reached out and gently stroked his cheek, "What''s wrong?"


    Liu Yizhu turned his head to avoid her hand and stood up, "Nothing. I''ll take you to the county city first. Have you finished packing? Brother Wang should be here soon."


    Wang Chunhua knew she was going to the county city. Afraid Liu Yizhu couldn''t handle the luggage and take care of her alone, she still wanted to go with them and see her off. They had agreed to set off early this morning.


    Not long after Liu Yizhu opened the door, they arrived as expected.


    Hearing them move things, Old Lady Wang hiding in the room hurried out to help and gave them a few parting reminders before sending them off.


    Seeing she hadn''t packed anything, Wang Chunhua knew she still refused to go. After walking some distance away, she asked Li Mingwei, "Still no use persuading her?"


    Li Mingwei nodded.


    Seeing the young couple both seemed unhappy, Wang Chunhua politely coughed and smiled, "Old folks are all like this. My parents are the same - I asked them toe stay at my house for a few days, not once did theye, afraid of being a bother."


    Liu Yizhu forced a smile and nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134


    Li Mingwei was not from far away, but it was still rare for her to visit. Since today was originally Tang Jue''s day off, he invited Yang Jingyuan and Zhong Liangyu over, and had the kitchen make a table full of good food to wee her.


    It hadn''t snowed much these past two days, so the roads weren''t too thickly covered. But since Li Mingwei was with them, they still didn''t dare walk too fast. By the time they reached the county town, it was around noon.


    Liu Yizhu led them the whole way to the small courtyard. He had originally nned to put their things down first before going out to eat, but as soon as they entered, they saw three smiling faces.


    "Sister-inw!"


    "Brother Dong and Sister Chunhua came too. Come in and sit,e in and sit."


    They had all seen each other at Liu Yizhu¡¯s wedding, so they were familiar and didn¡¯t stand on ceremony.


    Tang Jue had the servants take their luggage away and led them directly to the dining room, "The food is already prepared, just waiting for you all."


    Seeing the dishes on the table, Dong Shanughed. "Isn''t this too polite, Brother Tang?"


    Tang Jue familiarly put his arm around Dong Shan''s shoulder as if they were close brothers. "This is how it should be!"


    He ushered everyone to sit. "Hurry and sit!"


    Zhong Liangyu sat on Liu Yizhu''s other side and whispered, "What''s wrong?"


    From the moment they entered, he could tell something was off. After greeting them, he hadn''t said another word.


    ncing at the simrly silent Li Mingwei, he tentatively asked, "Did you and sister-inw have a fight?"


    Liu Yizhu didn''t want to answer this question. Picking up his chopsticks, he said, "Let''s eat."


    Zhong Liangyu didn''t really understand marital matters either. Seeing that Liu Yizhu didn''t want to talk about it, he stopped asking and silently ate.


    Li Mingwei didn''t have much of an appetite. She ate a little and sat with them for a short while before going to the back to tidy up. Wang Chunhua hurried to follow her.


    After traveling together for so long, even a blind person could see something was wrong.


    As she helped Li Mingwei organize things, she nagged her, "What''s going on with you two? Did you fight?"


    "No."


    "You think I''ll believe that!" Wang Chunhua red at her lightly. These two hadn''t exchanged a single word the whole way. Even if they didn''t fight, they were at least sulking.


    Li Mingwei made a face at her. She hugged Wang Chunhua''s waist and snuggled against her back as she gradually fell asleep.


    Wang Chunhua had been talking but didn''t get a response. Only then did she turn back to see Li Mingwei had closed her eyes. Carefully removing her arms, she went to the bed to grab a nket and covered her before quietly leaving.


    After eating, Liu Yizhu told Tang Jue he was going out and went alone to send Dong Shan and the others to the city gate.


    "Please go see my mother when you have time, Sister Chunhua. She''s home alone and we''re worried about her."


    "Alright, don''t worry." Wang Chunhua hesitated for a moment before continuing carefully, "Your sister-inw and I will help look after things at home. You two should reconcile and stop sulking. You came to recuperate after all. Don''t let it affect your health."


    "She''s a bit older than you but has a childish temperament. If she said something you didn''t like hearing, don''t take it to heart."


    "She didn''t..."


    Wang Chunhua raised her hand to stop him. "That''s enough. She told me everything already. You don''t need to cover for her. It''s gettingte, we should go first. You should head back soon too."


    "Yes."


    Liu Yizhu bowed to bid them farewell. Dong Shan patted him on the shoulder and turned to follow Wang Chunhua.


    When Li Mingwei hazily awoke, she asked the maid outside and learned she was home alone. After washing her face with warm water to wake herself up, she wandered around the yard for a bit.


    The residence wasn''t very big, only three sections with a small garden. Now in winter, there wasn''t much of a view, just two recently pruned little willow trees with some green left.


    She sat in the pavilion in the garden for a while. Just as she was about to call out to two passing maids to chat, they walked right by as if they didn''t see her.


    Li Mingwei red. Were the servants here really so ill-mannered? Even if she was dressed more simply, she was still a guest. Did they not even need to greet her?


    With a sigh, she thought, where did Liu Yizhu go? She asked someone before finding him in the garden. Seeing her sitting on the stone bench resting her cheek in her palm, spacing out, he frowned and strode over.


    "Aren''t you cold? It''s windy in the garden."


    Hearing his voice, Li Mingwei looked back at him. "You''re back. Did Sister and the others leave?"


    "Mm. I sent them to the city gate." Liu Yizhu helped her stand. "Let''s go back to the room."


    "Okay."


    The winter days were cold and the sky darkened early. After dinner, Liu Yizhu washed up and lit two candles. Sitting on the bed, he started reading again. He always sleptte while Li Mingwei didn''t wait for him and fell asleep on her own.


    In the middle of the night, Li Mingwei gently rolled over and reached out only to touch the still icy bedding beside her. Drawing back her hand, it took her a moment before struggling to open her eyes. The candle me was half blocked by Liu Yizhu''s figure, flickering with the movements of his writing brush.


    She couldn''t tell what time it was now. In a hoarse voice she softly called out, "Aren''t you sleeping yet?"


    Liu Yizhu looked back to see her squinting at him. Putting down his brush on the inkstone, he moved the candle stand slightly. "Was I disturbing you with my writing? Or was the candlelight bothering you?"


    "Neither."


    "Then why did you wake up?"


    Li Mingwei scooted further into the bed and lifted the quilt, softly urging, "Sleep, it¡¯s veryte."


    Liu Yizhu nced at his unfinished essay and shook his head, refusing, "You sleep first. I still have some more to write. I¡¯ll be quieter and won¡¯t disturb you."


    "Can''t you write tomorrow instead?"


    "I can but..."


    He didn''t urgently need to hand this assignment in. He was just in the habit ofpleting his schoolwork first before having time to do anything else.


    "Thene sleep."


    Li Mingwei directly flipped open the quilt, revealing half of her body. Liu Yizhu hurriedly covered her back up, "Alright, sleep. Let me tidy up the desk first. You wrap yourself tightly in the quilt."


    After putting everything away, he blew out the candles and got into bed. Li Mingwei instantly burrowed into his embrace but he gently pushed her away, "Wait a moment, I¡¯m still cold."


    "Hugging will make you warm."


    "You..." With the bed so small, he had nowhere to dodge her persistent hold. Helpless, he embraced her tightly and tucked the quilt around her. "Sleep."


    "You''re not mad anymore?"


    Her muffled voice came from under the quilt. Liu Yizhu paused. "I wasn''t mad."


    "Liar!"


    "Really." After hesitating a bit, he said, "I just feel like you don''t need me that much."


    As long as someone was with her, it seemed not to matter much whether it was him or not.


    "I..."


    She wanted him to apany her too, it wasn''t that she didn''t. If her adoptive father was still here or if there was someone else at home, then she wouldn''t need to worry about her mother-inw either.


    In the county town, she had Master Tang looking after her. Nothing would happen.

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135


    Li Mingwei did not understand her mother-inw before, and even disliked her a little. But after getting along for a few months, she felt that her mother-inw was quite pitiful.


    Several times, she heard her talking to others and thought someone hade home. When she went out to see, there was nothing. She slowly realized that her mother-inw had a habit of talking to her deceased father-inw''s memorial tablet. No matter what happened to the chickens or vegetables at home, she would tell everything to her father-inw.


    Although she could not get any response, she persisted.


    At first, Li Mingwei did not understand and even felt a little creeped out. It was not until she had to stay at home for a month due to her unstable pregnancy that she realized when there was no one to talk to, she would asionally talk to herself.


    She did not need a reply, she just wanted to express herself simply.


    Then she began to understand her mother-inw. Before she married into the family, her mother-inw had to go home every day after finishing work, facing this empty old house alone. Perhaps chatting with her deceased father-inw was her way of getting through those long days when Liu Yizhu was not around.


    Whenever she thought of her mother-inw being alone at home and only able to talk to the memorial tablet, she felt a little sad.


    She did not want to take risks with her own body and baby, but could not persuade her mother-inw. It was really annoying that Liu Yizhu was whispering these things to her here, which was even more annoying.


    She pinched Liu Yizhu''s waist fiercely and said unhappily, "Then what do you want me to do?"


    "Ow!"


    Liu Yizhu cried out in pain. His face was twisted from the pain. He covered the pinched spot with his hand and gently rubbed it, but it became even more painful.


    He took a deep breath and tried his best to hold in his voice from crying out again. But Li Mingwei soon felt his restlessness in his arms. She reached out and touched the spot she had pinched: "Does it hurt a lot?"


    Liu Yizhu pushed her hand away from the wound and squeezed out two words from between his teeth: "It''s fine."


    Li Mingwei touched her fingernails and realized she had been too harsh just now, immediately losing confidence.


    "Is it really okay?"


    "It''s fine."


    It sobered him up in an instant. He felt like he could still get up and write two more articles.


    After a while, Liu Yizhu hugged Li Mingwei tightly again. He sighed, "It''s my fault for making it difficult for you."


    Li Mingwei didn''t want to say more. She just yawned, turned her back to him, and closed her eyes: "What''s so difficult for me, it''s difficult for you. I''m going to sleep."


    Hmm, it was quite difficult indeed.


    Liu Yizhu hugged her from behind and asked softly, "Mother asked me to apany you, but you want me to go back and apany Mother. Should I listen to you or listen to Mother?"


    "Mother asked you to apany me? She is not reluctant to part with you."


    Before they left, Old Lady Wang had specifically pulled him aside and talked to him for a long time.


    Liu Yizhu smiled, "Do you think Mother would still be reluctant to part with me now?"


    What Old Lady Wang cared about more now was her little grandson and granddaughter. Last time when she was sick, the doctor in town had not cured her for several days. Now she did not quite trust his skills anymore. She was fully supportive of Li Mingwei moving to the county seat to nurture the fetus.


    The reason she pulled Liu Yizhu aside to talk was just to warn him that he must take good care of Li Mingwei and the child in her belly. If anything happened to them, she would deal with him when he came back.


    Even if he went back now, he would still be driven out.


    "But Mother is alone..."


    "Don''t worry. I asked my sister and brother-inw to go home regrly to check on her, as well as Elder Brother Tong and Sister-inw Tong next door."


    Since he went to study in the county seat, the Tong couple had been helping to keep an eye on Old Lady Wang. They knew what to do now after doing it for two to three years.


    As Li Mingwei said, that was why when Mother was sick before, he was able toe back. Someone must have sent him the news.


    Liu Yizhu said helplessly, "I know Mother''s temper. She would never tell me about any difficulties. I can only find other ways."


    He snorted softly and poked Li Mingwei''s lower back, "You''re just like Mother, not wanting to tell me anything. I only found out from people outside that you had pregnancyplicationsst time, otherwise I would have known the next day too."


    Li Mingwei said insincerely, "You''re so capable!"


    "Mm," Liu Yizhu murmured, nuzzling the back of her neck, "So can you turn back now?"


    "Turn back to do what?"


    "Hurry up!"


    Li Mingwei turned over to face him. Liu Yizhu groped for and stroked her face, pecking at the corner of her mouth. The words that came to his lips, he hesitated for a long time without speaking. He only said, "It''ste, go to sleep."


    Not everything could go as they wished in this world. He could not do everything perfectly but would try his best to make proper arrangements to spare her some worries.


    In the morning, when Li Mingwei woke up, the person beside her was gone. She called out twice but got no response, knowing it was not early anymore and he must have gone to the academy.


    Perhaps hearing her voice, a young maid hurried over from outside and stuck her head in to ask, "Mistress Liu, are you awake?"


    "Mm."


    "Then I''ll go draw water for you." The young maid had just taken two steps when she turned back, "What would you like to eat this morning? I''ll have the kitchen prepare it."


    "Anything is fine."


    Li Mingwei watched her walk away and waited in the room after getting dressed. After washing up and eating breakfast, she asked the time. She instructed the young maid to brew a pot of tea before going to the pavilion in the small garden they were in yesterday.


    Not long after, Tang Shan was led over by a servant.


    He sat down across from Li Mingwei and reached out to take the tea she poured for him, "I''vee at just the right time. The tea is freshly brewed."


    "Mm, just brewed. I guessed Senior Brother Tang woulde around this time too."


    Tang Shan chuckled softly and brought the teacup to his mouth to take a small sip. His gaze swept around the small garden, "How''s this residence?"


    Li Mingwei nodded, "It''s pretty good, thanks for your trouble."


    Although it was by the street, their main courtyard was deep inside, so it was not noisy.


    "It''s only right." Tang Shan put down his teacup and beckoned to a woman standing outside the pavilion. "This is Aunt Qin from my residence. With you pregnant, you can''t be strained. Let her manage the misceneous affairs in this yard. Just tell her if you need anything done."


    Aunt Qin bowed to her, "Mistress Liu."


    Li Mingwei waved away her courtesy. Aunt Qin bent slightly at the waist and retreated behind the two of them.


    Not bad, this Aunt Qin was quite polite.


    Praising Aunt Qin in her heart, Li Mingwei pointed to the young maid who had brought her water and food this morning, "Other than her, take the rest back. I don''t need so many people here."


    The young maid kneeling on the ground was shocked. What kind of person was this Mistress Liu to make Master so angry?


    If she didn''t serve her well, what would be of her!

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136


    The manor quickly got a new batch of maidservants. With Auntie Qin keeping them in line and the previous incident as a warning, the maidservants were all very obedient and respectful towards Li Mingwei. She didn''t need to worry about anything every day except for eating, sleeping, strolling in the garden, and watching her belly grow bigger day by day.


    When she was over six months along, Tang Shan came to see her. Seeing her belly already protruding somewhat under her winter clothes, when he went back he found a midwife for her. Every day after Liu Yizhu went to the academy, the midwife woulde and feel her belly.


    He also invited the doctor toe examine her pulse every few days, to ensure her and the baby''s wellbeing.


    Seeing the doctor nod, Li Mingwei retracted her wrist and gently caressed her belly, "My fellow student, now you can rest assured, right? I''m fine, you''re too worried. You even came specially to see."


    Tang Shan smiled. It was just a trivial effort.


    After the steward had seen the doctor out, he sat down beside Li Mingwei, "There''s news from Beijing."


    Li Mingwei tensed up, "From my family?"


    With her big belly now, it wouldn''t be easy to rush back.


    "No." Tang Shan shook his head. "From the Prince Jin''s manor. The prince has had another son."


    Li Mingwei wasn''t very interested in this, but she still counted the days in her head. "Cheng Ruoruo conceived again so soon?"


    The Cheng family had cut ties with her, yet she could get pregnant again so quickly, so Murong Yu still favored her a lot?


    "No, it''s by one of the prince''s concubines. After you left, the Prince Jin''s manor has added five or six new concubines."


    Li Mingweiughed. "What does that have to do with me?"


    Tang Shan raised a brow, his tone full of mockery. "The position of princess consort is still vacant, I wonder who he''s keeping it open for."


    Who cares who he''s keeping it for, she can''t see it anyway.


    "Any news from my family?"


    "No. Master Li still goes to the academy to teach every day. He looks quite healthy and energetic."


    Li Mingwei felt relieved.


    Seeing her seeming to rx, Tang Shan tentatively asked, "When do you n to go back?"


    "Probably next spring when it gets warmer. A child less than one year old probably can''t endure long distance travel, can they?" Li Mingwei looked down at her belly, somewhat hesitant.


    Tang Shan pondered for a while. "It depends on the child''s health. If they''re still well, I can arrange more people to escort you and go slowly. But you''ll have to set out earlier, otherwise if you get dyed too much on the road, you might miss the spring exam."


    "No, I won''t go with him. If he makes it through the autumn exam smoothly this year, I want him to go to the capital right away."


    The capital was tooplicated. Liu Yizhu''s growing environment was still rtively simple. She wanted him to go get used to it earlier. Also, some books were only avable in the capital. Once he was there, she would definitely find a way for him to see them.


    There were also some new poems, essays and articles that couldn''t be published in books, only circting in towns. Collecting and appreciating them would be beneficial.


    Most importantly, he needed to go understand the preferences of the examiners, and find more of the texts they normally read. Perhaps he could even guess the essay topics.


    They didn''t know yet which senior officials would be setting the topics next year.


    Li Mingwei sighed. Without being in the capital, information was just not timely enough. She looked at the silent Tang Shan, "What''s wrong, my fellow student?"


    Tang Shan was worried. "I also don''t know if that rebellious son of mine can make it in."


    "Why do you need to worry so much? Tang Jue is notcking."


    Shouldn''t he be more worried about her right now? Whether Liu Yizhu could make it next year?


    They both had worried looks on their faces and sighed in unison, "s!"


    The two involved were still frolicking in the academy, unaware. As soon as ss ended, Liu Yizhu packed up his books, wanting to hurry home. Tang Jue asked him out for drinks, but he declined. Tang Jue then grabbed his arm and refused to let go.


    Liu Yizhu pried open his arm. "Let go!"


    Tang Jue didn''t have his strength. Unable to overpower him, he could only change tactics and usinglyined, "Ever since Sister-inw came, we haven''t had dinner together, all four of us, for a long time. How can you neglect friends for the sake of a woman like this? Are we still sworn brothers?"


    Liu Yizhu didn''t fall for this. "We still have lunch together every day."


    Tang Jue waved his hand. "No, I don''t mean eating meals. I mean drinking wine. How long has it been since we drank a cup together? Come on, a little drinking brings joy and eases the fatigue of recent days."


    Liu Yizhu didn''t need that. He only needed to go home and see that his wife and child were well to ease his fatigue.


    He turned to leave. "Looks to me like you don''t treat me as a brother either."


    "Hey!" Tang Jue grabbed him. "How can you say I don''t treat you as a brother!"


    "Just now you wanted to get me drunk. I''d have to sleep on the floor after drinking. It''s still cold now!"


    Liu Yizhu shook off his hand and directly walked away. Tang Jue blinked, dumbfounded. Couldn''t he sleep in another room?


    He slowly caught his implication and clicked his tongue. Looking at Yang Jingyuan, he said, "Shall we still drink?"


    Seeing Zhong Liangyu had already left, Yang Jingyuan slumped in his chair. "What''s there to drink?"


    He heaved a sigh and grabbed Tang Jue''s hand. "Brother Tang, Master Tang, why don''t you find me a wife too?"


    Tang Jue stared at him. "I don''t even have a wife myself. Where am I going to find you a wife? Go ask your parents."


    "Don''t you know any nice youngdies around you?"


    "There are some." Tang Jue stroked his chin and raised a brow at him. "How about Miss Zhong?"


    Yang Jingyuan''s brows knitted tight. He nced up at Tang Jue and dropped his joking look. "Don''t talk nonsense."


    Tang Jue hooked his lips in a faint smile and patted Yang Jingyuan''s shoulder before leaving.


    Liu Yizhu hurried back to where he was staying. Li Mingwei had just seen Tang Shan off and was still sitting in the main hall. Entering, he saw there were still two teacups on the table and was somewhat puzzled. "Was there a guest?"


    Did they know any other acquaintances in the county besides Tang Jue and the others?


    Or was it someone from home?


    Li Mingwei lightly nodded. "Mm, Master Tang."


    "Master Tang?"


    She made up, "Master Tang happened to finish up some official business and was passing by from outside, so he dropped in for a bit."


    During the New Year period, they didn''t have any rtives or friends visiting either. They just bought gifts and paid a visit to the Tang family before Liu Yizhu grew suspicious.


    "Did Master Tang say anything?"


    "We chatted for a bit. Master Tang heard I only have a few months before giving birth and told us to stay longer until the child is born before going back."


    Liu Yizhu hesitated a little. He had just sent someone to ask and the road home was already passable. He had been thinking of going back for a visit sometime.


    He looked up at Li Mingwei, "What do you think?"


    "I agreed. Master Tang even said he knows a doctor he can invite toe take a look at me. He was very enthusiastic, I felt bad rejecting him."


    Liu Yizhu nodded. "Alright then. I''ll look for a time to go back for a bit anyway, to let my family know. Mother must want toe see you."


    Li Mingwei assented.


    He crouched in front of Li Mingwei and pressed his ear to her belly. "Did he move today?"


    Li Mingwei sensed it. "He moved, but he seems to be still now. Maybe he''s sleeping."


    "I see."


    Liu Yizhu stood up somewhat disappointedly and reached out a hand to help support her to the dining room for a meal.


    Li Mingwei looked at him amusedly and ced her hand in his palm, gently coaxing, "There, when he movester I''ll call you."


    Liu Yizhu secretly nced at her. His face brightened a little.

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137


    Liu Yizhu was still thinking that when Xuexiu came back, Old Lady Wang couldn¡¯t wait anymore. As soon as she heard the road was open, she hurriedly took off her apron and went to the Dong¡¯s house.


    Wang Chunhua had also just heard about this and wanted to find her. She bumped into Old Lady Wang on the road after walking out of her home for a little while. They eagerly held each other¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I heard the road is open?¡±


    ¡°I heard it too!¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go take a look in the county town!¡±


    ¡°I was just going to find you to talk about this.¡±


    The two women hit it off immediately, walked hand in hand strolling around town for a bit, bought some things for Li Mingwei, then each went back home to prepare and came to the county town early next morning.


    Dong Shan only vaguely remembered where they had livedst time, and after so long, he lingered at the intersection for quite a while. Wang Chunhua was so anxious she kept pping him, ¡°Do you still remember or not!¡±


    Dong Shan ignored her ps and kept peering around, ¡°I remember, I remember, didn''t I already lead you here? I just can¡¯t be sure if we should go through here, or that street over there.¡±


    ¡°Then what should we do!¡±


    ¡°You two wait here and I¡¯ll go take a look?¡±


    Wang Chunhua waved her hand impatiently, ¡°Go on, go take a look, hurry up. What kind of memory is that!¡±


    Dong Shan nced at her. If she had such a good memory she should have led the way instead of nagging here about his bad memory!


    Seeing his petty gaze, Wang Chunhua was about to give him a kick, but held back because Old Lady Wang was still next to them. She could only restrain herself for the moment, nning to settle scores when they returned.


    Because they had wasted time wandering around, by the time they arrived, Li Mingwei was already eating lunch. When the gateman came to report, she immediately threw down her chopsticks and went outside. The little maid quickly caught up to support her.


    ¡°Sister!¡±


    ¡°Sis!¡±


    Wang Chunhua shoved what was in her hands to Dong Shan and trotted up, hugging her tightly. Then she felt something hard and let her go, ¡°Oh dear, sorry, I forgot. Your belly has grown big already, can¡¯t hug you like that or it¡¯ll press on the baby.¡±


    Old Lady Wang also stepped up quickly, touching her abdomen a little excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s this big already!¡±


    ¡°No, I wore thick clothes. Without them it¡¯s not that big. But I¡¯ve had the midwife check and it¡¯s normal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, as long as it¡¯s normal, that¡¯s good.¡± Old Lady Wang¡¯s face was all smiles as she kept nodding, ¡°As long as it¡¯s normal, that¡¯s good.¡±


    Li Mingwei smiled and nodded at Dong Shan, who was standing aside, not able to step up but also looking happy. Then she asked, ¡°Why did Mother and Sister and Brother-inw alle together?¡±


    ¡°Well the road reopened, so we came to see how you were.¡± Wang Chunhua looked at her and saw no problems. After the joy, she pointed to the bag in Dong Shan¡¯s hands, ¡°I brought radish for you. We¡¯ll go buy somembter to stew for you to eat at night.¡±


    She looked up at the sky to estimate the time andined, ¡°It¡¯s all because of your forgetful brother-inw. We wanted toe early to cook lunch for you, then eat and head back easily after. But he took so long finding his way that we arrived thiste. Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°I was just eating.¡± Li Mingwei turned her head to instruct the little maid, ¡°Tell the kitchen to add a few more dishes.¡±


    The little maid responded and left.


    Seeing her walk away, only then did Wang Chunhua tut-tut twice, ¡°You¡¯re so well off, with people cooking for you and maids waiting on you.¡±


    Li Mingwei smiled and shook her arm, ¡°Let¡¯s eat first then go buy themb. It¡¯ll be good stewed and ready to eat at night. Just stay one night here.¡±


    She looked at Old Lady Wang, ¡°Mother wouldn¡¯t leave without waiting for Liu Yizhu toe back, right.¡±


    Old Lady Wang twisted her clothes without speaking, but that was true. Although she mainly came to see her daughter-inw and grandchild, she couldn¡¯t just leave without even seeing her son.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything else to do.¡±


    Mr. Jin knew she didn''t go back. He would go find thatss outside the school gate to help cook for her, referring to the Dong couple. So Wang Chunhua asked, ¡°What about your kids at home then?¡±


    Wang Chunhua was also worried about this. She had left Xiao Yan at Aunt Lin¡¯s ce, only telling Dong Lei before leaving to go back home first after ss if they hadn¡¯t returned yet. She didn¡¯t say anything else.


    If they didn''t go back...


    But seeing Li Mingwei¡¯s hopeful gaze, Wang Chunhua didn¡¯t have the heart to reject her either. She turned back to meet Dong Shan¡¯s eyes. Dong Shan knew she wanted to stay, so he said, ¡°Then after eating I¡¯ll go back first. You and Mother can head back together tomorrow, that works right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    After eating they had to go buy groceries. Li Mingwei wanted to follow but was refused. She could only watch them leave dejectedly.


    The little maid held her up and whispered, ¡°The room has been cleaned already.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you all can rest then. We¡¯ll cook ourselves for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    The number of people Judge Tang sent over was really too many for Li Mingwei alone. She picked out and kept only two little maids, one cook, and one gateman. Aunt Qin sent away all the rest.


    They all lived in the back residence. Knowing that the family was going to chat, they didn¡¯t daree out to disturb them. With no outsiders around, Wang Chunhua could finally rx more, half leaning against the chair to catch her breath.


    ¡°This county town marketce is quite big. I¡¯m a bit tired from walking around.¡±


    Li Mingwei poured her a cup of water, ¡°Go take a rest then?¡±


    ¡°What rest, I¡¯ll be fine after sitting a while. Haven¡¯t seen you for so long, we¡¯ve got to chat for a bit.¡±


    Wang Chunhua opened her mouth, still not knowing where to start. Li Mingwei sat next to her and smiled, ¡°How has Dong Lei been?¡±


    ¡°That rascal, before New Year¡¯s he secretly followed your brother-inw to go fishing by the frozen river. Stepped right into an ice hole. Your brother-inw dragged him back and gave him a good beating. I didn¡¯t try to stop it at all. His butt was almost beaten off.¡±


    Li Mingwei shuddered. Brother-inw doesn¡¯t hit lightly. When he does, it¡¯s serious business. Little Dong Lei sure suffered miserably!


    She was still angry recalling this matter now. Rubbing her forehead sheined, ¡°Who knows why he¡¯s so disobedient. I told him not to go yet he sneaked off to trail behind your brother-inw without being found out. Luckily only one leg fell in, or else...¡±


    Otherwise they really wouldn¡¯t have been able to save him back.


    Dong Shan said at that time he vaguely heard his son¡¯s cries. When he turned back to check he saw the boy stuck at that ice hole bawling away. Scared him out of his wits so he quickly pulled him out and brought him home.


    Old Lady Wang silently took note to never let her grandson or granddaughter go near the river!


    Li Mingwei suggested, ¡°Next time if he still doesn¡¯t learn his lesson, make Mr. Jin punish him. He¡¯s got tough skin, not afraid of beatings. Just hates doing homework, copying texts or reciting lessons. Keeping him busy so he has no time for mischief is good.¡±


    ¡°Excellent idea!¡±


    A child¡¯s flesh is tender. Hitting too hard would still distress them. But copying books doesn¡¯t hurt much, at worst the hand gets tired. It really is perfect.


    The few were chatting merrily in the front hall, having temporarily forgotten the time. So when Liu Yizhu came back and saw them, he was startled too but just about to speak.


    Old Lady Wang saw him and immediately bounced up with a p of her thigh, ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time to stew themb soup!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes! It¡¯s sote already!¡±


    Wang Chunhua also quickly got up and walked with her towards the back kitchen. Li Mingwei trotted after them in little steps.


    Liu Yizhu...


    Was nobody going to greet him?

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138


    When he heard that they said they wouldn''t go back for the time being, Old Lady Wang took Liu Yizhu out to talk, and the two of them whispered about something unknown. Wang Chunhua nced at them, then sat down next to Li Mingwei who was making the fire.


    "What are those twodies talking about?"


    Li Mingwei looked outside, she didn''t know much lipnguage, she could only shake her head: "Don''t know, forget it."


    She sniffed the scent ofmb soup bubbling out of the pot, happily shook her head: "It''s been a long time since I drank sister''s stewedmb soup, it must be delicious."


    "Then drink moreter."


    "Ok!"


    Wang Chunhua looked at the well-behaved Li Mingwei, and patted her head affectionately, then helped her add some firewood: "You didn''t fight with your brother-inw, did you?"


    "Sister, that was a long time ago."


    The quarrels between her and Liu Yizhu usually didn''tst the night.


    "That''s good. Young couples should say what they want to say, don''t keep it in your heart, otherwise it will be a knot that is not easy to untie after a long time."


    Looking at Wang Chunhua preaching to her, Li Mingwei smiled and didn''t know who was the one who quarreled with her brother-inwst time and was upset for several days until she persuaded her to make up.


    "Don''tugh!"


    Wang Chunhua red at her, then looked around the spacious kitchen and sighed, "How much do you think such a big house would cost?"


    She had just walked around when she first came in, with three sections and a small garden. It''s really big and beautiful too. It would be great if her family had such a big house too.


    Li Mingwei didn''t know exactly, maybe a few hundred taels?


    If she wanted to know, she could ask Mr. Tangter.


    Wang Chunhua''s eyes revealed a trace of envy, but her face still looked worried. Li Mingwei nudged her, "What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing much, just Xiao Yan."


    Xiao Yan used to sleep with them before, and now she is slowly growing up, and it is time for her to sleep alone. But there is only the storeroom where Li Mingwei used to live left in the house.


    It''s not that the storeroom can''t be slept in, Li Mingwei lived there for more than half a year. Although there was only one bed at the beginning, a lot of things were still addedter. It''s just a little shabby.


    "Xiao Yan doesn''t understand this now, so let her live there first. But in a few more years, when she sees her brother''s room is bigger and better than hers, I''m afraid she will feel ufortable in her heart."


    What if she feels that her parents only like her brother and don''t like her, so they let her live in a broken room? This will hurt her feelings. But there really aren''t any extra rooms at home.


    If they let Xiao Lei, who lived there for years, move out and give the room to his sister, he probably won''t feel good either.


    It''s difficult for Wang Chunhua. You can''t make one happy without making the other unhappy.


    "Does sister want to move to a bigger house?"


    Wang Chunhua shook her head: "Moving house is too expensive, I didn''t dare to think about it. I just thought about demolishing the storeroom and building a new one for her."


    "That''s a good idea, so why does sister still look unhappy?"


    It shouldn''t cost much to build a room.


    "I''m not unhappy, I''m a little worried." Wang Chunhua moved closer to Li Mingwei''s ear and whispered, "I heard people next door arguing just now, arguing very fiercely, over the room."


    The Meng family''s house is adjacent to the Dong family''s, and the sizes andyouts are simr, with just three rooms. Usually the old couple live in one room, Yun Sister and her little sister live in one room, and the two brothers live in one room.


    Now that the eldest son has married, the second son has nowhere to live. The old couple put a small bed in the main room and let their young daughter move in with them, leaving the room for their second son. He''s got to get a daughter-inw too, so he can''t be without a room.


    But the second son of their family is still not satisfied, because the room where the two sisters lived before was the smallest, and while he himself is fine, if he marries a daughter-inw, they definitely can''t squeeze in that small room.


    So he made a fuss at home.


    After listening to the wall, Wang Chunhua soon worried about Dong Lei. Their house is so small, what if Dong Lei gets married and has more children in the future, how can they fit?


    Li Mingwei didn''t understand: "Sister, Xiao Lei is not even eight years old yet, don''t you think you''re thinking too far?"


    "You can get married at sixteen, it''s only a few years away."


    Uh~


    Eight years is not eight months or eight days. Li Mingwei really felt her sister was thinking too much.


    "Sister, let''s live well for now, who knows what it will look like in eight years. You''re worrying too early."


    Wang Chunhua was not understood. She stood up and patted her butt, humming: "When you be a mother, you''ll know. If you don''t prepare more for your child, what will you do when he wants something but doesn''t have it."


    "For example, if he wants to marry a daughter-inw in the future, but the family can''t afford the bride price, won''t he feel bad? It''s good to think more and prepare in advance. We should dig the trenches while the sun is shining, so the fields won''t flood when it rains, and the vegetable roots won''t rot."


    Li Mingwei reluctantly nodded. The reasoning makes sense, it''s just that her sister is thinking too far ahead.


    Wang Chunhua lifted the pot lid, waved her hand to dissipate the billowing steam, and used a spat to check it: "It''s done."


    She added some salt to the pot, tasted it, and then instructed Li Mingwei: "Put out the fire, bring two big bowls, and give some to the little maids who take care of you every day. A satisfied mouth speaks well, if they drink our soup, they will take better care of you."


    Li Mingwei didn''t feel like they would dare to be negligent, but still smiled and nodded, turning around to fetch tworge bowls to rinse.


    Liu Yizhu came in from outside and took the bowls from her hands: "Let me do it, what do you need them for?"


    "To wash."


    "Okay."


    Li Mingwei saw her mother-inw talking to her sister in front of the stove, and moved closer to Liu Yizhu to ask in a low voice, "What were you talking to mother about for so long?"


    "Just making arrangements for the next few months."


    Li Mingwei has someone to take care of her now, but Old Lady Wang still wants toe personally when she gives birth, after all, those two little maids are not very old either, and they don''t look like they''ve had children.


    "Mother said..."


    Just as Liu Yizhu was about to speak, Tang Jue rushed in and interrupted him.


    He bumped Liu Yizhu, "Good, you really don''t treat me as a brother anymore. You eat delicious food and don''t call me, it''s a good thing I came to check on sister-inw, otherwise I wouldn''t have stumbled upon this."


    Liu Yizhu said helplessly, "I just found out my sister came when I got back."


    Tang Jue was a little incredulous, with a suspicious look on his face.


    Old Lady Wang immediately exined: "Really, really, we came around noon, he didn''t go to ss with you, how would he know."


    "That makes more sense."


    Satisfied, Tang Jue greeted Wang Chunhua again.


    He looked around and frowned, "Where is the family cook? Why is sister cooking by herself?"


    "I let them rest." Wang Chunhua smiled and pointed to Li Mingwei, "This girl loves themb soup I stew, so I made it instead of them."


    "Then sister''s cooking must be very good. I''ll take advantage and have a tasteter."


    "Enough with the pleasantries." Wang Chunhua directly scooped him a bowl from the pot and handed it to him, "Drink up, drink more, don''t stand on ceremony."


    Li Mingwei pouted, "Sister, what about me!"


    She was stillpeting with a guest. Wang Chunhua red at her lightly, but still scooped her a bowl. Liu Yizhu came over to take it, "It''s hot, I''ll carry it to the table for you to drink."


    Tang Jue touched the scalding bowl, full of grief and indignation.

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139


    Old Lady Wang did not know that Tang Shan had hired a midwife for Li Mingwei, and thought she only had those two little maids apanying her. Afraid they did not have experience with childbirth, she went to ask for leave from Doctor Jin early on, and found someone to rece her for a month or two.


    Then she went up the mountain to burn paper for her husband, asking him to protect her daughter-inw and grandchild''s safe delivery.


    On the day she set off, she got up early to pack her things, and took some eggs to knock on the neighboring door.


    "Granny Zhao, Granny Zhao."


    The door opened quickly. Granny Zhao saw what was in her hands, and guessed half of it. After all, she had told her several months ago, "You''re going to the county town to take care of your daughter-inw, right?"


    Old Lady Wang nodded and handed over the basket and keys to her, "Yes, when brother-inw and sister-inw arrive, we will leave. The eggs are for you, here are the keys. Remember to help me open the door and take a look when you have time!"


    "Got it. I''ll just water your yard every day. That should be fine, right?"


    Hearing the clucking of chickens, Granny Zhao poked her head out to take a look, only to find that there were more than a dozen chickens tied at the Liu Family''s door. She eximed, "You''ve emptied the whole chicken coop!"


    "There''s no one to look after them anyway. I''ll take them to supplement her diet. When I get back, I''ll buy some chicks to raise."


    "Okay." Granny Zhao saw Dong Shan pushing a cart from afar. She pointed to him, "Your brother-inw is here. Hurry up and go."


    "Alright. Thanks for your trouble."


    Old Lady Wang ran back to her door and beckoned Dong Shan to grab the chickens onto the cart. Wang Chunhua saw this and hesitated. Should she also buy some chickens for her sister-inw? Her mother-inw was so willing to give, if she as the older sister didn''t buy anything, it would seem inappropriate.


    In addition to eating eggs and drinking chicken soup during the confinement period, what else was there? Fish soup. She would go back to the county town to buy some fish for her, keep them in a vat. They probably wouldn''t die, right?


    Having made up her mind, after the three ate lunch in the county town, Wang Chunhua asked Dong Shan to find a vat to fill with water, while she herself went out to buy fish.


    There was no chicken coop in this house. Li Mingwei was just worrying about the chickens in the yard. And now there was also a vat of fish.


    "Sister, you bought so many too? How can I finish them?"


    "It''s not for you to eat in one day. There''s still a long time." Wang Chunhua propped up the vat and looked at the fish that were still swimming around. She nodded with satisfaction. The boss didn''t lie to her. They really were quite lively.


    Still, she instructed the kitchen maid, "Keep an eye on them when you have time. If any don''t look good, cook them early. Dead fish won''t taste good."


    The kitchen maid smiled and agreed, "Okay, I''ll remember that."


    She wasn''t worried about the fish, just what to do with more than a dozen chickens. Letting them run loose in the yard, they could fill the ce with chicken droppings overnight. This was the kitchen, after all. It would be so annoying to look at.


    In the end, Dong Shan borrowed a knife from the gatekeeper and chopped some bamboo in the small garden to make some simple fences, and penned the chickens inside.


    After finishing up, looking at the sun, they felt it was still early. They could probably get to town before dark, so they hurriedly bid farewell to Li Mingwei.


    "Sister~"


    Wang Chunhua loosened Li Mingwei''s hand that was holding hers, and patted it reassuringly, "When sister has time, I''lle see you. Childbirth is unpredictable. Pay more attention, and when you give birth, have someone send me a message, and my husband and I wille right away."


    "Okay."


    After taking a look at Li Mingwei''s belly, Wang Chunhua finally turned around and left with Dong Shan. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to stay a few more days, just that they had boughtndst year, and it was the busy spring nting season right now.


    She woulde after all the nting at home was done.


    Li Mingwei was having a hard time bearing the more than nine month belly. After walking a bit, she had to rest. Her legs and feet were also swollen beyond recognition. None of her old shoes could fit anymore.


    Old Lady Wangpared her current feet and bought two pairs of insoles for her, starting to make new shoes for her.


    Li Mingwei was somewhat horrified, "Mother, why are you making me shoes now? Won''t my feet get smaller after I give birth?"


    "They''ll get smaller." Old Lady Wang assured her not to worry. Shortly after she gave birth to Liu Yizhu, her feet were no longer swollen. Only her belly was still a bit big, and slowly shrank after doing more workter on.


    "Ah?" Li Mingwei was even more afraid. She touched her own belly, "How much bigger? Doesn''t it disappear after giving birth?"


    Would she be a fatso after giving birth?


    Old Lady Wang nced at her face and shook her head, "It''s not too bad. It should slim down again quickly."


    That still meant she had gotten fatter.


    Li Mingwei beckoned, and the little maid immediately came over to support her, "Mistress, what''s the matter?"


    "Let''s walk around some more."


    The midwife had also said that more activity would be beneficial for childbirth. Old Lady Wang did not refuse either. She just asionally nced up from her work to look at her.


    Li Mingwei did not go far, just walked around the yard twice. Then her lower abdomen began to ache again.


    Seeing her clutching her belly with a pained expression, the little maid panicked, "What''s wrong, Mistress?"


    "It''s nothing. The bone is pressed again. Help me sit for a while and it''ll be fine."


    The first time the bone below her belly ached, she thought it was a sign of prematurebor, and anxiously had the maid fetch the doctor, even rming Master Tang. It turned out to be a false rm.


    Now she could still distinguish between belly ache and bone ache below.


    Hearing it was bone ache, the little maid also breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly helped her walk to the pavilion, and advised in a low voice, "Mistress, shouldn''t you move around less? Why does your bone keep hurting?"


    She thought about it and felt it wasn''t right. This was somewhat different from what the midwife had said. It hurt when walking, and not walking was not good for childbirth either. There was no winning.


    "Giving birth is so painful. I might as well not get married in the future and just stay in the manor for the rest of my life."


    Li Mingwei smiled at her, "You''re still young. Better save those words until you''re older."


    The little maid was unconvinced and muttered softly, "I''m fourteen already. I''m not that young."


    Fourteen, such a flower-like age!


    Li Mingwei sighed feelingly, and thought of Ah Xiu. She should also be eighteen this year, right? Had her family found her a husband yet? Probably not. Ah Xiu would definitely wait for her toe back and choose for her.


    She still had to send her a letter, telling her to marry whoever she liked. Eighteen was not young anymore. Don''t dy any longer, otherwise she''d get too old to marry off.


    She also had to prepare dowry for her. Might as well let her take whatever she wanted from the storeroom herself. Pick whatever you like, no need to bother choosing for her.


    Li Mingwei sat back in the pavilion and gently pounded the painful spot for a while.


    Old Lady Wang put down her needlework and asked with concern, "Hurting again?"


    "Mm." Li Mingwei''s spirit was somewhat depressed. She had also heard people say giving birth was extremely painful, but did not expect the process to be so agonizing, especially thesest few months. She almost could not stand it anymore.


    She gently caressed her belly, but her mouth was vicious, "You''d better look quite good, and be even more obedient. Your mother doesn''t want a second one!"


    "Don''t think about disobeying or you''ll get a beating. Hurry up and make a final effort. Grow your eyes a bit bigger and rounder, nose a bit straighter, mouth is fine as is, don''t make it too big. If you''re a girl, remember to grow your hair nicer, thick and jet ck, so it''ll look good with hairpins when you''re older."


    Old Lady Wang???


    Weren''t the daughter-inw''s demands a bit too much?

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140


    Liu Yizhu took the wooden basin from the little maid¡¯s hands and ced it at Li Mingwei¡¯s feet, testing the temperature first to make sure it was just right before taking off her shoes and rolling up her trousers.


    ¡°Mother said you went for a walk today and were feeling unwell again?¡±


    Li Mingwei pouted and nodded: ¡°A little.¡±


    ¡°Just a little?¡± Liu Yizhu didn¡¯t believe her. He squeezed her plump little feet with a sigh. He had watched them swell up day after day, now they were so soft that with the slightest press his fingers sank right in.


    They were just like freshly steamed buns.


    ¡°From now on, let¡¯s call him Steamed Bun, okay?¡± Li Mingwei was getting more and more excited. ¡°Bun Liu, Dumpling Liu, Cake Liu, Pancake Liu, hahahaha!¡±


    Liu Yizhu¡¯s face was getting uglier by the second. Did his wife even read books? What kind of nonsense names was sheing up with!


    But Li Mingwei wasughing harder and harder, until her stomach started cramping. With an ¡°ow!¡±, she quickly wrapped her arms around her belly and surrendered, ¡°I won¡¯tugh anymore, I won¡¯t, don¡¯t move!¡±


    ¡°Did he move?¡±


    Liu Yizhu¡¯s hands were wet. He could only lean in close to listen. Right then he received a kick.


    ¡°You see, he doesn¡¯t even like the names you picked. He kicked you!¡±


    Li Mingwei felt the names she came up with were wonderful. They sounded delicious. She patted her stomach, ¡°Steamed Bun Liu, kick again to show your dad you actually like the names!¡±


    Steamed Bun Liu did not budge. His dad was very smug about it. His mother was not so happy.


    Li Mingwei patted her belly again and tried, ¡°Bun Liu, kick once?¡±


    Bun Liu also did not move. His dad became even more full of himself.


    Liu Yizhu straightened his back arrogantly. He stroked his child through her belly, ¡°See, I told you none of the names you picked appeal to the child. You should listen to me.¡±


    Li Mingwei got angry, ¡°Oh yeah? Then you think of something!¡±


    ¡°I, I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡±


    ¡°As if!¡± Li Mingwei pointed at the small square table by the bed. ¡°I saw it already. The left drawer, two pages full of names!¡±


    One page for boy names, one for girl names. Packed densely full that her head started hurting just looking at them. So many options, yet he hadn¡¯t been able to pick one?


    Liu Yizhu was a bit embarrassed, ¡°There were just too many good ones. I couldn¡¯t decide which was better.¡±


    This was his first time bing a father. Hecked experience, but he knew he had to pick a name with good meaning for the child. So he had flipped through many books, and was left with too many good choices, which only made it harder.


    ¡°Oh is that so. What a dilemma.¡±


    Seeing his conflicted expression, Li Mingwei¡¯s lips curled up slightly. She put on a troubled face too and sighed, ¡°However shall we resolve this?¡±


    Then suddenly she raised her voice excitedly, ¡°Since it¡¯s so hard for you to decide, let¡¯s just pick between Steamed Bun Liu and Bun Liu. You said they both sound bad anyway, so it makes no difference which terrible name we end up with!¡±


    Liu Yizhu¡¯s face turned even uglier. He used a towel to quickly wipe Li Mingwei¡¯s feet dry and shooed her off to bed, ¡°Go sleep!¡±


    He couldn¡¯t expect her to be helpful. He¡¯d have to figure this out himself!


    Under his re, Li Mingwei obediently shifted to her side. Liu Yizhu stuffed pillows between her legs for her to squeeze. He also gave her one to hug. Once she nodded, he pulled the nket over her.


    With her big belly now, her current sleeping position took up almost the entire bed. At night after Liu Yizhu finished reading, he¡¯d go straight to the couch to sleep.


    The night was quiet. The distance wasn¡¯t far. He could hear clearly every time she tossed and turned. Unsure if she was sleeping and moving unconsciously, or if she had woken up, he carefully approached the bed to take a look.


    In the weak moonlight from the window, Liu Yizhu saw her open eyes. He went back to light the candle before returning to her side.


    ¡°Can¡¯t sleep? Ufortable position or...?¡±


    Li Mingwei did not speak. She blinked bashfully at him. Liu Yizhu understood instantly. He brought over the chamber pot. Now with her bigger belly, her peeing frequency had increased both day and night.


    The doctor said it was normal.


    Liu Yizhu set down the pot by the bed and gently helped prop her up. Li Mingwei had just gotten to her feet when she felt an ominous premonition.


    There was the clear sound of dripping by her ear. Liu Yizhu looked down to see her thighs were soaked. He paused quietly for a bit, then met Li Mingwei¡¯s wooden face and gave a light cough, reassuring her, ¡°It¡¯s okay. The doctor said sometimes you just can¡¯t control it. That¡¯s very normal too.¡±


    ¡°I was too slow. Let me fetch some water to wipe you clean and get you a change of clothes.¡±


    He supported her back into a seat, then turned to leave, only to be grabbed by Li Mingwei. He looked back to give her aforting expression, squeezing her hand, ¡°Don¡¯t be embarrassed. I¡¯ll be discreet. I won¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°You should tell them though.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Liu Yizhu wondered if he had misheard. But Li Mingwei repeated heavily, ¡°Go, hurry!¡±


    ¡°Call for mother! And have Aunt Qin fetch the midwife and doctor!¡±


    Finally Liu Yizhu understood. He raced out the door, only to run straight into Old Lady Wang who had opened her door, already dressed.


    ¡°What were you hollering just now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I bumped into the table.¡± Still somewhat dazed, Liu Yizhu''s first reaction was to answer Old Lady Wang¡¯s question. Then he stammered, ¡°Mother, Mingwei, I think Mingwei is going intobor!¡±


    ¡°Labor?!¡±


    Old Lady Wang jumped alertly and grabbed his arm, ¡°Did the pain start?!¡±


    ¡°No, I think her water broke.¡±


    So she really was going intobor! As Old Lady Wang dressed, she raced towards their room, ordering Liu Yizhu at the same time, ¡°Go find someone to fetch the midwife. Have the kitchen start boiling hot water!¡±


    Liu Yizhu raced to carry out his tasks. More and more lights in the residence came on as people converged towards the main room. He helped the kitchen maid boil water and brought it outside, where Old Lady Wang took over the hot water but shut him outside.


    ¡°Hey, mother, I¡ª¡±


    I haven¡¯t even gone in yet!


    He knocked at the door. Old Lady Wang threw it open and tossed his clothes at him, ¡°Stay outside. Don¡¯te in and get in the way!¡±


    Liu Yizhu deted with a sigh but had no words. He wore his clothing dejectedly and slumped onto the front steps, listening to the moans growing louder inside. His heart twisted into knots.


    The midwife hurried in with the gatekeeper soon after. Passing by him as he stood, she headed straight into the room.


    Once again Liu Yizhu was denied entry.


    As the sole man left in the residence besides Liu Yizhu, the gatekeeper stopped him, ¡°Master Liu, men are forbidden from the birthing room. Please wait outside.¡±


    ¡°I just want to take a look inside.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t look, can¡¯t look.¡± The gatekeeper was also at a loss on how to exin to him. All he could do was lead Liu Yizhu to the side so as not to block the maids.


    But listening to the voices within, Liu Yizhu was like a porcupine, unable to keep still. His legs kept carrying him towards the room.


    The gatekeeper was worn out intercepting him, and could only watch resignedly as he paced back and forth by the door.


    From time to time Liu Yizhu couldn¡¯t refrain from knocking, ¡°Mother, how is Mingwei?¡±


    ¡°Mingwei, are you okay?¡±


    Right now Li Mingwei had no time to respond to him. It was Old Lady Wang who got annoyed by the badgering. She whipped the door open and scolded, ¡°Quiet down! Enough! Annoying! Can¡¯t you just stay put?!¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± The door shut crisply on his face again. Although feeling wronged, Liu Yizhu knew better than to talk back now. He returned to sit on the steps, emanating resentment from his entire body.

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141


    A faint light shimmered on the horizon as the rooster in the backyard, awaiting its fate, stretched its neck and let out a resounding crow. Liu Yizhu snapped out of his daze, his neck stiff from the long wait of the night.


    Wasn''t it said that once the water broke, the birth would follow?


    How could she have eaten a bowl of scrambled eggs and even taken a nap in the meantime? It left him a bit bewildered.


    He stood up and knocked on the door again. "Mother, are you hungry? I''ll go to the kitchen and see what we have to eat."


    Old Lady Wang opened the door, her face showing signs of weariness. She nodded and said, "Go ahead. The midwife and those two little maidservants have been keeping watch. Bring back plenty."


    Liu Yizhu nced back at the gatekeeper who had fallen asleep against the pir, then turned and headed for the kitchen. The cook, who had been waiting in the kitchen, was also exhausted and dozing off on the table.


    He didn''t want to disturb her rest, so he quietly lifted the lid of the pot. Seeing that there was nothing inside, he went to the courtyard to fetch water, intending to cook some porridge with rice.


    The sound of water startled the cook, who patted her chest and rushed forward, snatching the bucket from his hands. "Master Liu, let me do it. Let me do it. How is everything going?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head. "She hasn''t given birth yet." Looking at the cook, who was not young anymore, he asked, "Does giving birth usually take this long?"


    "Some are quick, some are slow. If the midwife hasn''t said anything, there''s no need to worry."


    But how could he not worry?


    Liu Yizhu had a headache as he helped the cook start boiling the porridge. He carried a bowl and headed to the front, where he saw a little maidservant running towards him with joy on her face. "She''s given birth! She''s given birth! Madam has given birth to a son!"


    Liu Yizhu''s spirits lifted, and he handed the bowl of porridge to her, quickly making his way to the courtyard.


    Li Mingweiy weakly on the bed. Suddenly, something hit the bed with a thud, causing even the bed to shake. She fluttered her eyshes and slowly opened her eyes, meeting Liu Yizhu''s concerned gaze. She tugged at the corner of her mouth and said, "Be gentle. It doesn''t hurt."


    The moment she spoke, Liu Yizhu felt even more heartache. No wonder there had been no sound in thetter half of the night; her voice had gone hoarse from shouting.


    He reached out and tidied Li Mingwei''s hair, damp with sweat, and leaned by her side, choked up but determined. "This is our only child."


    He didn''t want to see her suffer like this anymore.


    Li Mingwei felt a slight dampness on her arm and used her other hand to yfully touch his face. Despite her weakened state, she found it amusing. How could a grown man be crying? Did she cry yesterday? She couldn''t quite remember. If she did cry, let''s just pretend she didn''t mention it.


    She squinted at the crib, where the midwife was examining the baby. Old Lady Wang stood anxiously nearby, asking, "How is it?"


    The midwife checked the baby, feeling his arms and legs. "I don''t see any major issues. He was a bit stuck, given that the mother''s pelvis is a bit small, but the baby is of a good size. We just had a bit of a struggle."


    She wrapped the baby up and handed him to Old Lady Wang, then turned to ask the maidservant, "Where''s the hot water?"


    The child hadn''t taken a bath yet.


    "Someone has already gone to fetch it, it will be here soon."


    The young maid replied and went out of the room to take a look.


    Li Mingwei shifted her arm, and Liu Yizhu looked up, then lowered his gaze. He casually wiped his eyes a couple of times before asking, "What''s wrong?"


    "Child, the child," Li Mingwei cleared her throat, trying to find her voice, "I want to see. If the child is good-looking, we won''t give birth."


    Since she became pregnant, Li Mingwei had said this sentence many times, and Liu Yizhu didn''t understand why she cared so much about appearance. After all, wasn''t the child theirs?


    Just as he was about to get up, Old Lady Wang had already walked over, carrying the child in her arms. She bent over and ced the child by Li Mingwei''s pillow, so she could see clearly. "Good-looking, good-looking, rest assured, the child looks exactly like Yizhu did when he was young."


    Li Mingwei looked at the chubby baby in front of her and trembled. How could this be considered good-looking? Was the olddy blind?


    She pointed at the dirty stuff on the child''s face and asked, "What''s that?"


    "Oh, that''s nothing. It''s brought out from the belly. It''ll be gone after washing."


    "Really?"


    Old Lady Wang nodded confidently.


    Li Mingwei breathed a sigh of relief, but inexplicably tears welled up in her eyes. Liu Yizhu reached out to wipe them away, but she cried even harder, with tears streaming down.


    Old Lady Wang hurriedly took the child a little further away, so Li Mingwei wouldn''t see.


    Liu Yizhu also panicked and asked, "What''s wrong? Why are you crying?"


    Li Mingwei choked back her tears and couldn''t speak.


    Old Lady Wang advised, "You can''t cry during your confinement. Please don''t. Sigh~ The child just came into the world, they''ll be beautiful as they grow up. Really, look at Yizhu, this child really resembles Yizhu when he was young."


    But Liu Yizhu wasn''t particrly good-looking at the moment. He hadn''t slept all night, just cried, his eyes were bloodshot, hisplexion wasn''t good, and his hair was disheveled.


    Li Mingwei looked at him and felt even more heartbroken. She sniffled, about to cry again, but Old Lady Wang quickly stopped her, "I promise you, after you finish your confinement, he''ll definitely be good-looking. Just wait for another month, just one month."


    Li Mingwei reluctantly nodded.


    The maidservant came in with hot water, and Old Lady Wang carried the child to give them a bath. The doctor had also arrived and was waiting in the next room, so they took the child there.


    Liu Yizhu dabbed some hot water and wiped Li Mingwei''s face. Helplessly, he asked, "Do you care so much about the child''s appearance?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head, "No, I''m afraid that the child will be too ugly, and others will suspect that the child is not ours."


    "Is that really important?"


    Li Mingwei pondered for a moment, shaking her head and then nodding. It wasn''t important here, but it would be important when they returned home.


    She pushed Liu Yizhu, who looked exhausted, "Go and rest for a while. Later, you''ll have to ask the gatekeeper to request leave for you at the academy."


    Only then did Liu Yizhu remember that he was supposed to attend sses today. He went out to find the gatekeeper and returned when the two maidservants were already changing Li Mingwei''s clothes and tidying up the bed.


    Li Mingwei red at him and he obediently closed the door and stepped back.


    He sat in the corridor, listening to the cries of the baby next door, his mind nk. He was a father now?


    This feeling was truly strange.


    It wasn''t that he wasn''t happy, but there was also a tinge of sadness and worry. The emotions inside were tooplex, and he couldn''t sort them out for a while.


    After all the maidservants had left, he gently pushed the door open and went in. He tucked Li Mingwei in, watching her for a while before holding her hand. "My child''s mother, do we really have to name the baby Baozi or Pancake?"


    He got up and fetched the paper filled with boy''s names, bringing it to Li Mingwei''s attention. "Could you consider these?"


    Li Mingwei looked at it, her eyes spinning, and turned her head away with disdain.

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142


    The gatekeeper was originally a servant of the Tang family. He was ordered to go to the academy to ask for leave on behalf of Liu Yizhu, but he had only been gone for a short while when Tang Jue caught him. They simply did not believe that Liu Yizhu would bete.


    After greeting the teacher, they decided to go and check on the situation. They happened to meet the gatekeeper chatting with the gatekeeper elder at the entrance.


    The gatekeeper was delighted and waved to Tang Jue, "Young master, young master, Mrs. Liu has given birth. I can''t go in, please..."


    "What!"


    Before the gatekeeper could finish, all three of them were startled and rushed over, surrounding him. "Sister-inw has already given birth? Isn''t it more than ten days before her due date?"


    "It''s the sixteenth today."


    "The sixteenth!"


    "I...I..." The gatekeeper didn''t dare resist as his young master tugged at his clothes. He simply stepped back and let out a breath. "I don''t know either. Her water brokest night, and she gave birth early this morning."


    The three nced at each other and hurried towards the small courtyard, leaving the gatekeeper and the gatekeeper elder looking at each other in bewilderment.


    The gatekeeper elder stepped forward and shouted after their backs, "Hey, you three, you''re supposed to be in ss. Where are you running off to? Did you ask the teacher for leave? Hey!"


    The gatekeeper cautiously replied, "Why don''t you ask the teacher if they''ve taken leave? And while you''re at it, help me ask for leave for my master Liu as well. The four of them have the same teacher."


    The gatekeeper elder frowned and tossed out a reply, "You wait right here." Then he headed towards the academy.


    Zhong Liangyu was the shortest of the three and always walked the slowest. He suddenly stopped in his tracks behind the other two.


    "Tang Jue, Jingyuan, isn''t it inappropriate for us to go empty-handed?"


    Tang Jue and Yang Jingyuan also stopped, turned to look at him, and realized he was right. For the first time visiting a newborn, how could they not bring gifts?


    "Should we go buy something?"


    "Like what? Longevity locks, silver bracelets, nes."


    Tang Jue looked at Yang Jingyuan, "You seem quite knowledgeable!"


    "Heh!" Yang Jingyuan pointed at Zhong Liangyu and exined, "When he was young and sickly, his family was afraid something might happen to him, so they had him wear all sorts of auspicious items, no matter how minor the symbolism. See the red string around his neck? His mother got it blessed at the temple for his protection, and he''s worn it for years."


    Zhong Liangyu red at him and tucked the red string further into his clothes.


    Tang Jueughed lightly, "We can''t make it to the temple now. Let''s check the silver shop."


    Silver items were sold by weight, and a child''s essories wouldn''t be too heavy, perhaps just an ounce or two, which Zhong Liangyu and Yang Jingyuan could afford. They agreed.


    The three pairs of eyes scanned the arrays of silver ornaments, unsure of how to choose.


    "We forgot to ask if it''s a boy or a girl."


    Tang Jue immediately called over an attendant, who helped them select suitable gifts. On their way, they stopped by a pharmacy to buy some postnatal supplements for Li Mingwei. Only then did they finally make their way to the residence.


    When they arrived, Liu Yizhu was still dejectedly holding a sheet of paper in the courtyard, lost in thought.


    Seeing his dejected state, Tang Jue felt a pang of concern. He handed the gifts to a maid and carefully sat down beside Liu Yizhu, asking anxiously, "Brother Liu, how are your wife and child?"


    "Hm?" Liu Yizhu came to his senses, ncing at the three of them. "Why are you all here?"


    "You didn''te to ss today, so we thought we''de check on you. The gatekeeper said your wife has given birth, right?"


    Liu Yizhu nodded.


    "So where are your wife and child?"


    Liu Yizhu turned to look at the closed door. "In there."


    Just now, his mother had taken the child inside to nurse. He had been chased out by his mother-inw, and there had been no sound since, so he didn''t know what was happening.


    The three breathed a sigh of relief, their faces breaking into smiles as they leaned in eagerly, one question after another.


    "Is it a boy or a girl?"


    "Is your wife doing alright?"


    "What does it feel like to be a father?"


    "Your child with Sister-inw must be very good-looking, right?"


    Liu Yizhu took a deep breath and pushed their faces away. "A boy. She''s fine. No particr feeling. My sister-inw says he''s not good-looking, but my mother says he looks just like me when I was young, so he''ll be good-looking when he grows up."


    "So your sister-inw thinks you were an ugly child!"


    Tang Jue burst outughing and patted Yang Jingyuan''s shoulder. "What an excellent summary!"


    Yang Jingyuan met Liu Yizhu''s unfriendly gaze and quietly took a step back.


    Zhong Liangyu came forward and picked up the paper beside Liu Yizhu, changing the subject. "What are you doing here? Choosing a name for the child."


    "Perfect timing!" Liu Yizhu spread the paper out in front of them, asking them to choose one. "I''m going to wash up. When Ie back, you three give me an answer."


    If he still couldn''te up with a good name, his son would truly end up with some oundish name.


    Tang Jue nced over it and couldn''t help but feel dizzy from the sheer number of names, scoffing, "Where did he find so many names?"


    Yang Jingyuanmented, "He said being a father doesn''t feel any particr way, but look at this list!"


    Just this one page must have taken a long time to prepare.


    Idle chatter aside, the three of them seriously discussed which name was best, but unfortunately could not reach a consensus. When Liu Yizhu returned from washing up, they had already gotten into a scuffle.


    Tang Jue and Yang Jingyuan were grabbing each other''s cors, shouting, "Mine is better!"


    "No, mine is better!"


    They both turned to the crouching Zhong Liangyu, hoping he would act as the impartial judge. "Whose name is better?"


    Zhong Liangyu lowered his head silently. "I think mine is better."


    "You...!"


    Liu Yizhu felt a headacheing on. He went over and separated the two, and they immediately vied to show him their chosen names, asking him to pick one.


    Their choices were quite different from his original ideas, so Liu Yizhu circled all three of their names, as well as the two he had picked. "I''ll let your sister-inw choose. Whichever one she says, that''s the one."


    "Alright, but don''t tell her which ones you picked."


    Liu Yizhu nodded, gently knocked on the door, and was shushed by the midwife, who let him in while she went to entertain Tang Jue and the others.


    Li Mingwei had just been wrapped in a headscarf by the midwife and was still adjusting to it, constantly tugging and pulling at it.


    Liu Yizhu caught her hand. "Don''t move it. Mother said you can''t let any wind in during the confinement period, or you''ll get headachester."


    "Alright." She took the paper with the five circled names from Liu Yizhu. "Have you decided?"


    "Yes, they each chose one name, and I chose two. You pick one."


    "They?"


    "Tang Jue and the others came."


    Li Mingwei nodded, pondering for a moment before looking up at Liu Yizhu with a smile. "Aren''t you going to give me a hint?"


    What if she picked one chosen by someone else?


    Liu Yizhu shook his head.


    Li Mingwei''s fingertip traced over each circled name, pausing for a moment on each one as she nced at Liu Yizhu''s reaction.


    Finally, she tapped on the name "Si Mo". "This one."


    Liu Yizhu couldn''t help but smile, and Li Mingwei knew instantly that it was his choice.


    Her gaze fell on the sleeping child beside the pillow. She hoped he would study diligently in the future and be a person like his grandfather.

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143


    With the autumn exams just a few months away, Liu Yizhu couldn''t afford to waste even half a minute. He went to the study hall for lessons as usual every day, but his steps quickened a little on his way back.


    As soon as he entered the courtyard, Li Mingwei greeted him with a delighted expression, excitedly waving at him: "Quick,e and help change your son''s diaper. He''s messed himself again."


    Liu Yizhu''s footsteps faltered, and the smile on his face faded a little. He knew it, whenever his wife had that look on her face, it couldn''t be anything good.


    He ced his books on the kang bed tform and took the baby from Li Mingwei''s arms, gently patting him. The little maid had prepared some hot water on the table, about to take the baby from him.


    "Master, let me do it."


    "No need, I''ll do it myself."


    Liu Yizhu shook his head, declining her offer. The maid handed him a cloth and conscientiously stepped outside.


    Liu Simo was a good boy; before he turned a month old, his face had already rounded up and be fairer. ording to his mother, he had grown enough to be presentable.


    Liu Yizhu ced him on the kang and gently stroked his chubby cheeks, then skillfully untied his swaddling clothes and changed his diaper.


    Li Mingwei leaned back on the bed, peering at him with admiration: "Not bad, looks like Mother taught you well before she left."


    As the first child of the Liu family''s grandchild generation, Old Lady Wang naturally wanted to celebrate the full moon ceremony. A few days ago, she had already returned home to prepare the feast, only waiting for Li Mingwei''s confinement period to end before bringing the baby back to the town for everyone to see.


    "Have you requested leave?" she asked. "My sister and brother-inw should being to pick us up tomorrow, and we''ll head back early the day after."


    They had been staying in Lord Tang''s residence for over half a year now. Since they had to go back for the full moon ceremony, they might as well move back at the same time.


    "Yes, just two days off," Liu Yizhu replied, carefully wrapping the cleaned baby and cing him back on the bed. He couldn''t help but caress him with a hint of reluctance: "After you go back, you won''t being back here, will you?"


    Which meant he could only see them once every half a month or a month from then on.


    Li Mingwei tucked the nket around the baby and turned to him with a displeased look, teasing: "Can''t decide if you''ll miss me or the baby more?"


    Liu Yizhu leaned against her gently, looking up at her: "What do you think?"


    Seeing her fall silent, Liu Yizhu nudged her chin with his forehead: "Why so quiet all of a sudden?"


    Li Mingwei leaned down and kissed him, caressing his eyes. They still had many more days of separation ahead. How would they get through the months apart?


    After the autumn exams, she would arrange for him to go to the capital. If all went well, she wouldn''t be able to return to the capital until after the following spring. Just thinking about being separated for so long made her uneasy. Liu Yizhu couldn''t afford any mistakes in the capital... her mother...


    She sighed, keeping her worries to herself, and said instead: "It''s nothing. When are you nning to set out for Chengzhou?"


    "Late July."


    Although Chengzhou wasn''t far, with the horses and carriages arranged by Lord Tang, it would only take a day or two to get there. However, Lord Tang had some old friends in Chengzhou, so they could visit them if they went earlier. Besides, the county examssted three sessions, three days each. It would be better for them to arrive early and rest before the exams began.


    "Mmm." Li Mingwei was always well-informed about such matters and had no doubts about Lord Tang''s arrangements. She pinched Liu Yizhu''s cheek: "Just over two months left. Focus on your studies and bring me some glory."


    After a moment''s thought, she discussed with Liu Yizhu: "Mother has been out of confinement for almost two months now. I''m not at ease leaving the family home, but she won''t be at ease with the baby either. I''ll take the baby back and stay for a few days first. Send me a message before you set out, and I''ll bring the baby to spend a few days with you."


    Liu Yizhu dejectedly rested his head on her shoulder and nodded reluctantly.


    Li Mingwei gazed at the soundly sleeping Liu Simo bundled up in the nket and gently tapped his little face: "Look at our little bun, so unperturbed by life''s storms. He doesn''t even wake up for a diaper change, not like his big bun of a father here."


    Liu Yizhu straightened up, handing the baby to the maid outside and instructing her to take him to the adjacent room where he slept. They couldn''t let the baby stay with his mother any longer, or he might start addressing him as "big bun" and "little bun"ter on.


    He sat back down on the bed and sternly reminded her: "Don''t call the baby those names after we go back. If the aunts and grannies in town hear it, they''ll start calling him that too."


    Then he''d be stuck with the name "Big Bun" for life.


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips and brushed it off: "I know, I know."


    She huffed a couple of times. It was her mother who wanted to give the baby a simple nickname, the simpler the better for raising him. Wouldn''t it be great if he could just eat buns to grow up?


    Liu Yizhu sighed and adjusted her headscarf: "You''ll be out of confinement tomorrow, right?"


    "Mmm-hmm!"


    Li Mingwei perked up at the mention of it, her smile stretching from ear to ear. Finally, she could take a bath and wash her hair: "Aunt Qin has already made preparations."


    Although it was already May, Aunt Qin was still worried Li Mingwei might catch a chill, so she deliberately chose the noon hour. She had the kitchen maid boil arge pot of water with mugwort and some herbs, then poured it into the bathtub to cool down gradually.


    Aunt Qin checked the temperature from time to time. Once it felt right, she instructed the maids to help Li Mingwei into the bathroom.


    "Madam, please check the water temperature."


    Li Mingwei dipped her hand in and nodded with a smile. The maids then helped her undress and stepped into the tub, leaning against the edge. As long as she could bathe, she didn''t mind the herbal scent.


    Aunt Qin untied her headscarf and gentlybed through her hair, carefully unknotting any tangles. Since Li Mingwei would be leaving soon, Aunt Qin wanted to make sure everything went smoothly on thisst day.


    Li Mingwei had nned to savor the bath a little longer, but Aunt Qin gently advised: "The water is cooling down now, Madam. You should get out soon. If you catch a chill, you''ll have to take medicine, and that won''t be good for nursing the baby."


    Thinking of her ravenous little one at home, Li Mingwei reluctantly agreed.


    She walked out of the bathroom, basking in the warmth of the sun, and stretchedzily. Just this one bath made her feel revitalized and refreshed.


    She turned to Aunt Qin, who had followed her out, and asked: "No one hase yet?"


    Aunt Qin bowed: "No message from the gatehouse yet."


    Li Mingwei looked up, squinting at the sky. It was well past noon now. Why hadn''t her sister and brother-inw arrived yet? Had something happened on the road?


    That shouldn''t be the case. If they could travel snowy paths, a regr road shouldn''t pose any problems.


    Or had they gotten lost again? They''d been here four or five times already, so that seemed unlikely too.


    Oh well, Li Mingwei didn''t dwell on it any further and instructed: "Have the gatehouse send someone to look around the city gates. It''s gettingte, but they shouldn''t be this dyed."


    "Yes, Madam."


    Aunt Qin went to carry out the order while Li Mingwei returned to her room with the maids. Another maid had made her bed and organized some clothes for her.


    Her sharp eyes noticed some new outfits that didn''t belong to her, and she picked one up to examine it: "What are these?"


    "They''re from the young master..." The maid paused, then continued, "From the master of the manor."


    "My brother-inw?" Li Mingwei rified, referring to Lord Tang.


    The maid nodded immediately: "Yes, the master said your old clothes wouldn''t be suitable anymore, so he had these new ones made for you. He assured you that the fabric isn''t too fine, so you won''t stand out too much when you wear them back in town."


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips wryly. While the fabric wasn''t too fancy, there were just too many outfits. If she changed into a new one every few days after returning, people would surely gossip behind her back, wondering if she had stumbled upon a fortune in the county town during these months.

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144


    Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan were not in any trouble, nor had they gotten lost. Old Lady Wang had simply asked them to buy too many things, so they had wandered around from the city gate and ended up going quite far.


    The gatekeeper had waited for them at the city gate for a while, but seeing no one, he returned to report their absence. It was only then that he saw them arrive and begin sorting through their purchases in the courtyard.


    Wang Chunhua snatched the baby from Li Mingwei''s arms and sat down to y with him, leaving Dong Shan to handle the rest alone.


    "Put the pastries, candies, and food items on top," she instructed, "and the fabrics and anything that won''t get crushed on the bottom."


    They had hurriedly loaded everything onto the cart when making their purchases, so it was best to reorganize now before their long journey the next day.


    Li Mingwei and two young maids joined in to help. As Li Mingwei rummaged through the items, she pulled out a mosquito. "Why did Mother buy this? We already haves for all three beds at home."


    "Ah, your mother-inw said that with the ancestral tablets enshrined in her room, the baby wouldn''t sleep well. She originally nned to move the tablets, but when she entered, the room still smelled of medicinal alcohol. So she decided to move to the small adjoining room next to yours instead, as it would be more convenient for feeding the baby at night."


    Wang Chunhua stepped forward and motioned for Li Mingwei to take out the fabrics underneath. "The old bedding is worn and torn. We''ll discard all of it. These new sheets and covers are made of fine material¡ªvery expensive. Once we switch them out, sleep will be sofortable!"


    Li Mingwei felt the fabric; it was indeed soft and luxurious, though she had no rtion to it.


    She tapped Liu Simo''s tiny nose. "Your grandmother now only has you on her mind."


    After a lifetime of frugality, she was willing to spend any amount on him, even forsaking her own husband.


    Wang Chunhuaughed, "They say grandchildren take precedence over one''s own children. It''s only natural. With our Xiao Le and Xiao Yan, their grandparents haven''t even seen them once."


    In fact, she herself had never met her inws¡ªshe didn''t know what the elderly couple even looked like.


    Li Mingwei noticed Dong Shan fall silent for a moment and quickly nudged her sister from behind. Wang Chunhua nced at her, then walked away with the baby in her arms.


    "Brother-inw, take a rest. We can handle the rest."


    Dong Shan shook his head with a smile, his hands never stopping. "No need. Take out your luggage, and I''ll bundle everything together. We have to leave early tomorrow and will be busy upon our return."


    "Will there be many guests?"


    "I expect even more than at your wedding banquet."


    Li Mingwei was surprised. How could that be? Surely no one would skip such an important event as a wedding but attend a mere celebratory banquet instead.


    Dong Shan cleared his throat lightly. "Your mother-inw is feeling rather pleased with herself these days. Remember when she mentioned your... situation before? She''s invited all those people who gossiped about you, even going so far as to visit Older Fourth Liu''s household to issue invitations herself. So naturally, the guest list has grown quite long."


    Li Mingwei held her head in her hands. She hadn''t realized her mother-inw harbored such apetitive streak.


    "No need to worry about it. Your mother-inw has already hired people to cook and serve at the banquet. Just take the baby to greet the guests when you return."


    "Ah, yes!" Wang Chunhua, hearing their conversation, rushed over with the baby. "Your mother-inw said to dress the baby well tomorrow and have him wear all the longevity locks and gifts people sent. She wants to spite those rude, uncouth folks who spoke ill of you."


    When her mother-inw had initially sought out a matchmaker, Li Mingwei had thought she didn''t care about such matters anymore.


    Yet nearly a year had passed, and she still held grudges over those past insults.


    Since her mother-inw now had an opportunity to address those slights, Li Mingwei saw no reason to deny her that. Early the next morning, she dressed in the new clothes Marquis Tang had prepared for her, adorned the baby in his finest attire as well, bid farewell to the maids who had attended her, and returned home.


    The small cart was piled high with their purchases. Li Mingwei could not ride it, but having just given birth, her legs felt weary, and she moved somewhat slowly. Once they passed through the city gate, Liu Yizhu handed the baby to Wang Chunhua and crouched down with his back to Li Mingwei.


    "Get on. No one''s really watching now."


    "Really?" Li Mingwei nced around cautiously. Seeing only a few scattered passersby, she climbed onto his back. "Let me know if you get tired, and I can walk for a bit."


    Liu Yizhuughed. "I thought you were already well acquainted with my stamina. Has it been too long, so you''ve forgotten?"


    Li Mingwei''s face reddened as she tugged on his ear. "Hush, you!"


    She stole a nce at her sister and brother-inw walking ahead. Seeing no reaction from them, she rxed a little, relieved they hadn''t overheard.


    To tease Liu Yizhu further, she swung her legs, adding to the burden on his back.


    Liu Yizhu struggled to keep her still, warning in a low voice, "Stop moving your legs, or if someone asks, I''ll just say you''reme."


    "You''re theme one!" Li Mingwei swung her legs more vigorously, huffing, "If I''mme, then you have to carry me. I''ll exhaust you, exhaust you!"


    Liu Yizhu held his head, regretting having provoked her in the first ce.


    But Li Mingwei only swung her legs a couple more times before settling down obediently on his back. It was still a long way to go¡ªno sense tiring him out too quickly.


    This way, she could also avoid walking for a while longer. Hehehe.


    It wasn''t that Li Mingwei doubted Liu Yizhu''s stamina. She had simply gained a bit of weight recently, quite unlike her slender figure from the previous year. Her formerly t stomach now had a softness to it when pinched.


    She wondered how long it would take to slim down again, as her mother-inw had promised.


    "Ahhh..."


    Hearing the long sigh from behind him, Liu Yizhu''s brow furrowed. "What''s wrong?"


    Li Mingwei tentatively ventured, "Have I... gotten heavier?"


    "Compared tost year?" Liu Yizhu shifted her weight on his back, nodding. "A bit heavier, yes."


    In truth, it was more than just a bit¡ªbut knowing she was self-conscious about it, Liu Yizhu didn''t want to say. Li Mingwei likely had some awareness of her weight gain herself; otherwise, why would Marquis Tang have prepared new clothes for her?


    She pursed her lips and called out to Wang Chunhua, "Sister, did you gain weight after giving birth?"


    "I did gain weight," Wang Chunhua replied, ncing uncertainly at Dong Shan. "Didn''t I gain a lot of weight?"


    Dong Shan shook his head. "It didn''t seem like much. I''ve forgotten."


    Don''t ask him¡ªif he said she''d gained weight, he''d get an earful when they returned. He had learned from experience.


    But Wang Chunhua grew irritated regardless. "I went through all that pain to have your child, and you''ve forgotten whether I gained weight or not? Have you no shame?"


    "I..."


    Dong Shan faltered, at a loss. Telling the truth was unwise, but iming to have forgotten was equally uneptable. What could he do besides lie?


    He looked pleadingly towards Liu Yizhu for help.


    Liu Yizhu averted his gaze. Why was he asking him? He didn''t remember what Wang Chunhua had looked like before¡ªhow would he know if she''d gained weight?


    Though her husband didn''t speak, Li Mingwei understood. She patted Liu Yizhu''s shoulder. "Let me down."


    Suddenly, she could walk on her own!

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145


    Li Mingwei walked strongly on her own for a while, but then grew tired and had to climb onto Liu Yizhu''s back again. As they approached the town, she saw people from afar at the entrance and quickly slid off his back.


    "What''s wrong? We''re almost there."


    Li Mingwei squinted her eyes towards the front: "It looks like there are a lot of people ahead."


    Dong Shan had the sharpest eyesight and nodded after ncing over: "Yeah, quite a crowd."


    The one leading seemed to be Old Lady Wang.


    They walked a few more steps, and the people waiting at the town entrance hade to meet them. Li Mingwei hurriedly hid behind Liu Yizhu, straightening her clothes that had be crumpled from leaning on his back.


    Aunt Cui rushed over and pulled her out: "Hey! You little girl are finally back, why are you still hiding? It''s been months since west saw you!"


    Li Mingwei called out shyly, "Aunt Cui."


    "What''s wrong, have you changed after bing a mother? Acting all bashful!"


    It wasn''t that Li Mingwei was being bashful. After being gone for months, seeing so many people made her feel tense, worried that something might happen and spread through the whole town again.


    "Sister-inw."


    Liu Cuicui couldn''t squeeze through the crowd surrounding the child, so she came to greet Li Mingwei instead. Seeing the married woman''s hairstyle, Li Mingwei froze for a moment, her heart skipping a beat.


    "Who did you marry?"


    "Who else could it be? Didn''t my sister-inw already know?"


    Aunt Cui chimed in: "That second son from the Ye family."


    Ye Cheng?


    Li Mingwei quickly grabbed Liu Cuicui''s hand, asking anxiously, "Does your father-inw treat you well?"


    Liu Cuicui didn''t quite understand why she was asking about Ye Cheng treating her well. She hesitated before nodding: "I...I guess so."


    Her father-inw mainly handled business matters. Apart from sharing meals at the same table, they didn''t interact much.


    "And what about Ye Hui, does she treat you well?"


    This time, Liu Cuicui hesitated. She tugged Li Mingwei''s arm, signaling her to look elsewhere. Ye Hui was among the crowd surrounding the child. She leaned in and whispered, "Let''s talk about itter."


    Li Mingwei nodded. When she turned around, Liu Yizhu had already gone ahead with Dong Shan, pushing the cart. Just as she was about to catch up, she was held back by those who had seen the child and finally remembered to pay attention to her.


    "You must have just finished your confinement period. Aren''t you tired from walking so far?"


    "Of course she''s tired!"


    "Let''s go back first. The child shouldn''t be out in the wind like this."


    Those who came to wee her back were either particrly fond of crowds or had a good rtionship with her. They surrounded her as they walked towards the Liu family home, asking her questions along the way.


    "We heard from your mother-inw that the residence you stayed at in the county town was huge. And you didn''t have to pay for it?"


    "They said it was the county magistrate''s residence. His son was a schoolmate of Liu Yizhu''s."


    "The county magistrate is so kind."


    Li Mingwei smiled and nodded: "He''s very kind."


    She hoped Tang Juexin would pass the provincial examination smoothly. Otherwise, she wouldn''t know how to repay him for all his help.


    "What does the name you gave the child, Simuo, mean?"


    "It expresses our hope that he will study well in the future."


    "With his father being such a great schr, how could the son not excel in studying? He must be an excellent student!"


    "Exactly, I think that child is destined for good luck. He''s so good-looking, just like Liu Yizhu when he was young."


    When her mother-inw said that before, Li Mingwei thought she was just trying tofort her. But now, hearing someone else say it, she turned to the woman who spoke: "Really?"


    "Really, really, they look exactly the same."


    Aunt Cui, who had supported Li Mingwei on their way back after seeing the child, also nodded but was more cautious: "He does resemble Liu Yizhu quite a bit, but not exactly the same. I think those little ears look more like yours."


    Li Mingwei chuckled wryly. So it seemed that after carrying the child for ten months, the only part that resembled her was the ears? Sheined, "But I think his brows and eyes look quite like mine."


    Aunt Cui stopped in her tracks, scrutinized Li Mingwei carefully, then waved her hand decisively: "You''re mistaken!"


    Seeing her disappointed expression, another woman quickly chimed in: "Well, if we''re talking about resemnce to you, the mouth does have a bit of simrity, doesn''t it?"


    "Yes, yes, it does!"


    "Now that you mention it, the more I look, the more I see the resemnce!"


    ncing at their insincere faces, Li Mingwei forced a smile, not wanting to press them further on the topic.


    She choked back a sob. She should have looked in the mirror more often during her pregnancy instead of constantly gazing at Liu Yizhu. No wonder the child ended up favoring him.


    Before she could fully recover from her disappointment, she was stunned by the sight of tables set up outside the Liu family home, with people seated and standing around. It seemed even more crowded than their wedding.


    Led by a few others, Old Lady Wang approached and was immediately surrounded by a noisy,ughing crowd doing who knows what. But the child''s grandmother still cared deeply for him and, after briefly ncing at the others, took him inside.


    Fearing she might be the next target, Li Mingwei tugged Aunt Cui and hurried to hide behind Liu Yizhu, who was unloading items with Dong Shan.


    Startled by her, Liu Yizhu turned around but then continued his work upon seeing it was her.


    Li Mingwei shook Aunt Cui''s arm and pleaded, "Auntie, I''m tired. I want to go inside and rest. I don''t feel like talking to them."


    Aunt Cui gave her a helpless look, tossed a "wait here," and hurried into the courtyard.


    Liu Yizhu smiled at her: "I''ve noticed you seem closer to Aunt Cui than your own mother. When did you two be so familiar?"


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment, then snorted: "The day you performed the formal farewell ritual, before you were about to leave me."


    Recalling that incident, Liu Yizhu red at her. She was the one who said those hurtful words first, leaving him heartbroken for a long time. Now she was acting as if it was his fault!


    "What attitude is that!"


    Li Mingwei kicked him, but Aunt Cui, who had rushed back out, grabbed her hand.


    Pulling Li Mingwei towards the house, Aunt Cui called out loudly: "The child is crying, I think he must be hungry. You should go check on him."


    Sure enough, those who had wanted to approach and talk saw her enter and retreated, not wishing to disturb further.


    Li Mingwei covered her face, embarrassed. The goal was achieved, but not exactly the way she had wanted.


    Old Lady Wang handed the still-sleeping child to her: "After such a long journey, he must be tired too. If you don''t want to go out, just rest here. I need to keep an eye on the kitchen, and Aunt Cui, you should go and help entertain the guests."


    "Alright!" Aunt Cui nodded in agreement, giving Li Mingwei a meaningful look: "You rest well."


    "Okay, you two go ahead."


    Old Lady Wang and Aunt Cui left, closing the door behind them. Li Mingwei finally rxed.


    So many people made her feel quite intimidated. It wasn''t that she had never seenrge crowds before, but those were usually more formal asions where unfamiliar people rarely dared to approach and talk to her. Here, everyone seemed eager toe over and say a few words.


    Sometimes she didn''t even know how to respond.


    *Knock knock*


    Hearing someone at the window, Li Mingwei put down the child in her arms and opened a small crack. Liu Yizhu passed her some snacks and candies, whispering: "There are too many children today, probably not enough to go around. Take these first."


    Li Mingwei lowered her voice too: "Okay."


    After she had securely taken the items, Liu Yizhu winked at her and closed the window to continue his work.


    Li Mingwei looked down at the food in her hands and shook her head with a smile.

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146


    Unwrapping the candy wrapper, Li Mingwei popped the candy into her mouth, hearing voices outside calling people into the courtyard, saying they were going to set off firecrackers. She hurried to the bedside, intending to cover the child''s ears, only to find that he was already awake.


    Li Mingwei smiled as she grasped his tiny hand, shaking it gently. "Awake now?"


    About to check if the baby''s diaper was wet, she noticed him smacking his lips, okay, he was hungry.


    "Sister-inw."


    Liu Cuicui''s voice came from outside, and Li Mingwei quickly set the child down, got dressed, and opened the door.


    Liu Cuicui came in carrying a tray and set the food on the table for her. "Sister-inw, time for lunch."


    Turning her head to the sound of the baby humming on the bed, Li Mingwei couldn''t help but approach and take a look. "What''s wrong with him, about to cry?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head with a smile. "Nothing, he rarely cries."


    It was just a minor interruption to his feeding, nothing worth shedding tears over.


    "Is lunch ready outside?"


    "Almost, Aunt asked me to bring you some first. Otherwise, once the meal starts outside, we won''t have time to attend to you."


    Seeing her anxious to go out and help, Li Mingwei couldn''t keep her questions and had to swallow her curiosity, escorting her out and continuing to dutifully nurse the child. Only when he was full would she have time to eat her own meal.


    Today''s dishes were quite varied, and the taste was good too. Sure enough, they had hired a chef. Mother-inw was really generous, paying for the chef and the helpers, not to mention how much money was spent on all these dishes and meat.


    They did spend quite a bit, but they also received a lot of gifts today, mostly in copper coins. A few tens of coins added up nicely.


    After lunch, Old Lady Wang sneaked in with a bag of money and stuffed it into the corner, instructing her to keep an eye on it since no one was in the other rooms at the moment.


    Li Mingwei nodded and felt a little itchy in her hand. "Mother, how about I count it for you?"


    "Up to you, it''s all yours anyway." Old Lady Wang leaned over the bed to dote on her grandson, whispering, "I just weighed it, I reckon Yizhu will have enough money to get by in Chengzhou this time."


    Today, the gifts given by Liu Laosi and his friends were quite substantial, almost double what others gave. It wasn''t in vain for her to make that trip, but it was a pity for her son, still there drinking and boasting with them.


    Li Mingwei chuckled, covering her mouth. "It''s okay, all the money is for him to spend, he has to pay some price after all."


    Indeed.


    As soon as Mother-inw took the child out, Li Mingwei''s gaze fell on the bag of copper coins. Not wanting to dirty the bed, sheid a cloth on the desk, lifted the bag, and emptied it out. The copper coins spilled out in an instant.


    "Wow~"


    "So much money!"


    asionally, some coins rolled off the table with a crisp sound echoing around. Li Mingwei panicked for a moment and hurriedly bent down to pick them up.


    Liu Yizhu, having drunk a bit too much, pushed the door open to rest for a while, only to see a pile of money on the table. She buried her head in the ground, rummaging through it non-stop.


    He closed the door behind him with a flick of his hand. "What are you doing?"


    Li Mingwei lifted her head abruptly, hitting the table directly. Liu Yizhu winced at the sound of the impact, then swiftly walked over and pulled her out from under the table, her head in her hands. "Where did it hit? Does it hurt?"


    "It hurts!" Li Mingwei grimaced, rubbing the sore spot on her head with one hand while cing the coins she had picked up back into the pile with the other. She couldn''t help but smile; it did hurt, but she was happy nheless.


    It was aplicated mix of emotions.


    Liu Yizhu''s already throbbing head pounded even more. She could have easily grabbed half a banknote from her secret stash¡ªheck, even just taking a single one would be more than the meager amount of coins here. Why act like such a money-lover?


    Li Mingwei hugged the copper coins, giving him a sideways nce. "You wouldn''t understand."


    Squeezing onto a chair together, Liu Yizhu nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, I don''t understand. What now?"


    Catching a whiff of alcohol from him, Li Mingwei wrinkled her nose and sat on the edge of the chair, picking up a coin and cing it between them. "Let''s count the money you earned from keeping the guestspany."


    Liu Yizhu''s face darkened, and she walked away abruptly. "You can count on your own. My head hurts; I need to rest for a while."


    Li Mingwei hmphed twice, ignoring her. Grinding some ink, she drew a tally mark on the paper every hundred coins. By her calction, there were over four thousand copper coins, roughly equivalent to four taels of silver.


    She muttered to herself, "I wonder how much Mother spent on the banquet."


    You have to deduct the costs.


    "About two taels," Liu Yizhu guessed.


    Li Mingwei jumped in surprise, turning to see Liu Yizhu propped up on one side, looking at her. She patted her chest. "You weren''t sleeping!"


    Liu Yizhu shook her head, quirking her lips. "Besides copying books, it''s rare to see you so serious."


    Watching her, Li Mingwei suddenly didn''t feel like sleeping anymore.


    Rolling her eyes, she tied the money bag shut again and sat down at the edge of the bed. "Mother said..."


    Liu Yizhu reached out and cupped the back of her head, nting a soft kiss on her lips, pressing tightly against her cheek. It was a while before she reluctantly let go, her voice a little hoarse. "What did Mother say?"


    "Mother..." Li Mingwei twisted away from her, annoyed. She was talking business; what was with the kiss?


    She pouted. "Mother said to give you this money to use in Chengzhou. Do you think it''s enough?"


    Liu Yizhu wasn''t sure about this. She furrowed her brow, staring at Li Mingwei. "I haven''t been to Chengzhou. What do you think?"


    Li Mingwei pointed at her nose. "I haven''t been to Chengzhou either!"


    She deliberately avoided going to big cities when she ran away. However, she was still familiar with the prices in the capital city, and Chengzhou wasn''t particrlyrge. Maybe half would do?


    "Are youing back after the exam results are out, or after you finish the exam?"


    "I don''t know, Tang Jue wants to wait until the exam results are announced. Lord Tang has already asked a friend in Chengzhou to find us a courtyard."


    Tang Jue didn''t think his father couldn''t even rent a courtyard for him, so he wasn''t in a hurry toe back. It''s just that Liu Yizhu felt like it would be around the end of August before they could return, another month, too long.


    Li Mingwei was uncertain: "Renting a courtyard at this time won''t be cheap."


    Exactly when there are many people, doubling the price is considered modest. Every year when the exam results are announced in various provincial capitals, the prices of inns and courtyards in the capital increase by at least three or four times. Originally not cheap, this increase makes it difficult for many impoverished students to afford.


    Many can only stay in temples and Taoist temples outside the city, and the more unfortunate ones can only squeeze withborers in dormitories with more than ten people, extremely noisy, making it difficult to even fall asleep, let alone study.


    "Never mind, it''s still early now. Let''s wait for Lord Tang to rent the house, ask about the price, and then tell him. Also, Hu Big Brother, have you told Tang Jue?"


    "I have." Liu Yizhu rubbed his forehead. "I still need to discuss with Big Brother Huter. If he goes with us, at least we can save some money on transportation. Let''s also ask about living together."


    Li Mingwei nodded. Hu Jin had already sent the money issued by the county back home to his parents, and he only had the monthly three hundred plus coins given by Mr. Jin. Even if the rent for the courtyard is shared among several people, he may not be able to afford it.


    But he may not be able to find another ce either, so it''s better to ask.

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147


    Today Hu Jin was also eating at home. Many people invited him to drink, but he had no room to go, so he could only lean on the table to rest. Mr. Jin, holding the child, intentionally kept a few seats away from him.


    Liu Yizhu pushed him and heard his low snoring sound, helplessly withdrawing his hand.


    Mr. Jin smiled and said, "If you have something to say, I''ll ask him to find you after he wakes up."


    It was nothing big, no need to hide it from Mr. Jin. Liu Yizhu said, "It''s about the autumn exam. My ssmates and I n to rent a courtyard together. I wonder if Hu Jin wants to join us."


    Decades ago, Mr. Jin had been to Chengzhou many times, but that was as far as he went. He immediately understood what Liu Yizhu meant and sighed, "It must be expensive!"


    "I don''t know yet. How much did you spend each time you went to Chengzhou, Sir?"


    It had been a long time ago. Mr. Jin squinted his eyes, recalling for a while before saying, "You''ll need to prepare about ten taels."


    Transportation, amodation, three meals a day, plus some stationery - that''s about how much it would cost. After all, everything gets more expensive during that time.


    If you save a bit, you might be able to reduce it a little more.


    Old Lady Wang came over from afar, covering her mouth in shock, "That much!"


    The money in her bag was far from enough.


    Mr. Jin shook his head, "This is not much at all. After Liu Yizhu passes the autumn exam and goes to the Capital City, it will cost even more. I once heard others say that someone brought dozens of taels to the Capital City, but spent it all after the exam. He had to stay in a temple for a few months doing odd jobs to save up enough money for the trip back home."


    Upon hearing this, Old Lady Wang almost fainted. How could this be? How could this be? She originally thought she had saved quite a bit, but now it seemed far from enough. Where could she find so much money to send her child to the Capital City?


    She slumped onto a stool, clutching her chest in grief, "What kind of thing requires spending so much money?"


    Mr. Jin lowered his head and sighed, "To get from here to the Capital City by foot would take two or three months. You''d have to find transportation, either joining a caravan or hiring your own carriage. Add the food and lodging along the way, and seven or eight taels would be gone just like that."


    "I heard that things in the Capital City are much more expensive than here. You can find affordable food if you look carefully, but inns are different - even a modest one would cost over a hundred wen per night. More importantly, there are so many books in the bookstores that he has never seen before. He wants to buy them all once heys eyes on them."


    "That''s where most of his dozens of taels went - buying books, just like how Liu Yizhu was willing to spend an extra two taels to buy a book back then. He''s afraid of missing out if others have read books that he hasn''t."


    Mr. Jin''s words drew more people to listen. The previously lively scene fell silent. Going to the Capital City once could buy a whole estate in this town. What could the Liu family do?


    Everyone instinctively looked at the old courtyard, estimating its price in their hearts.


    Old Lady Wang was also constantly calcting in her mind. If it came down to it, she would have to sell the estate. They hade this far, she couldn''t give up now.


    Liu Yizhu also fell silent, finally understanding why Li Mingwei had left him so much money.


    No one knew when Hu Jin had woken up. He dejectedly knocked his forehead on the table edge. He didn''t even have the money to go to Chengzhou, let alone the Capital City.


    The silence outside made Li Mingwei feel ufortable. She pushed open the door and saw everyone surrounding Mr. Jin without saying a word. She squeezed in, patting Liu Yizhu on the shoulder, "What are you all doing? Why is no one talking?"


    Liu Yizhu looked up at her, silent for a moment before saying, "We''re talking about how much it costs to go to the Capital City."


    Old Lady Wang''s eyes were reddened, "Mr. Jin said it takes dozens of taels, and that''s still not enough."


    Of course, that''s not absolute. If you make it to the Capital City smoothly and are willing to stay in a crowded hostel and eat poorly, it''s still possible.


    But she couldn''t let Liu Yizhu suffer like that. Thest time she wrote back urging Azhao to get married, she had already instructed Azhao to vacate her small courtyard, just waiting for Liu Yizhu to do well on the autumn exam.


    Li Mingwei nced at the silent Liu Yizhu, winked at him, and leaned close to his ear, "What are you worried about? You still have me."


    She didn''t want to reveal how much money she had, but she spoke loudly to reassure Old Lady Wang and let others hear, "Ma, what are you worried about? When the timees, he can just take Tang Jue''s carriage and go. He can stay with us too. We only need to prepare money for his meals."


    Old Lady Wang felt much relieved, patting her chest and forgetting about the matter. She said with a hint of modesty, "But it''s always troubling others like this."


    "It''s no trouble at all. Liu Yizhu passing the exams will bring glory to Anhuai County. Tang Jue is more than willing to help."


    When Tang Jue goes to the Capital City, he''ll have to stay at her ce anyway. It''s only fair for Liu Yizhu to hitch a ride!


    However...


    Li Mingwei leaned closer to Liu Yizhu, "Do you think Tang Jue can pass the autumn exam smoothly?"


    Liu Yizhu frowned, thinking for a moment before asking, "Do you think I can pass the autumn exam smoothly?"


    Li Mingwei fell silent. How could she say for sure? She didn''t know the level of other candidates in Chengzhou.


    With his question, Li Mingwei became anxious. Her courtyard wasn''t small, and it usually cost twenty or thirty taels per month. During the spring exam period, the price could double. She had vacated it so early, what if Liu Yizhu didn''t pass? Wouldn''t she lose out?


    She stepped hard on Liu Yizhu''s foot, ring at him fiercely, "If you don''t pass, I''ll send you to do hardbor!"


    Not until he made enough to cover the few hundred taels she would lose would she bring him back.


    In front of so many people, Liu Yizhu didn''t dare cry out. He coughed lightly, feigning calmness as he pleaded softly, "Don''t be so cruel!"


    It really hurt!


    Li Mingwei snorted and withdrew her foot.


    Others couldn''t see it, but the leaning Hu Jin clearly saw the exchange under the table. He gasped, thinking that although the brother and sister looked gentle, she was so ruthless. It was good that he didn''t marry a wife!


    As he was feeling sorry for Liu Yizhu, he got kicked again. He could only awkwardly force a smile, sit up straight, and pretend to have just woken up, ncing around at everyone, "What''s going on here...?"


    "Nothing, nothing. Were we being too loud?"


    "Why don''t you go into the room and sleep?"


    "We were just talking about going to Chengzhou. Does Schr Hu n to join Liu Yizhu?"


    Taking advantage of everyone''s attention being drawn to the awakened Hu Jin, Li Mingwei slipped out of the circle, and Old Lady Wang quickly followed her into the room.


    "Did you count how much you have earlier?"


    Li Mingwei showed her the record on the paper, "Over four thousand copper coins, about four taels of silver."


    Old Lady Wang couldn''t read it. After calcting the cost of hiring people and buying groceries, she said, "Not counting others, you''ve only made a little over one tael."


    She felt the money bag, her face falling, "This is not even enough for Liu Yizhu to go to Chengzhou. How much more do you have? After they leave, I''ll bring some more money to add to it. We have to get him at least ten taels, no matter what."


    A poor family produces a glorious path. He''s going out to do great things, we can''t let him fall short.


    "If he really gets to go to the Capital City, I''ll think of another way. Otherwise, this estate..."


    "Hey!" Li Mingwei stopped her, "It won''te to that!"


    After all, this was the ancestral estate of the Liu family. That idea wasn''t very good.

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148


    Unable to convince Old Lady Wang not to worry, Li Mingwei looked pleadingly toward Liu Yizhu, who had just entered the room. He paused, then closed the door tightly behind him.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Li Mingwei said urgently, "Mother is worried you won''t have enough money and wants to sell the house."


    Old Lady Wang held Liu Yizhu''s hand mournfully, grieving, "We''ve worked so hard all these years, and it''s only just now that everything has fallen into ce. But to disappoint yourte father and the ancestors of the Liu family, and to let you down as well ¨C that I cannot do."


    Liu Yizhu gave Li Mingwei a subtle look, and she shook her head vigorously. Older Sister Chunhua had already fainted once; she didn''t want to see Old Lady Wang faint as well.


    He could only fabricate, "Mother, you really don''t need to worry so much. Lord Tang has already arranged everything for us. He said it doesn''t matter if it''s one person or two or three, it''s all the same ¨C he won''t charge us."


    Old Lady Wang''s eyes brimmed with tears. "Lord Tang is so kind!"


    Liu Yizhu said sincerely, "Yes, Lord Tang is wonderful. You can rest assured."


    "Rest assured, rest assured. To have a great magistrate like Lord Tang looking out for us is truly a blessing!"


    "Yes, yes, of course."


    Liu Yizhu agreed, ring at Li Mingwei, who was struggling not tough behind Old Lady Wang''s back.


    Li Mingwei suppressed herughter. If Lord Tang heard all this, he would certainly be very pleased!


    "Mingwei~"


    Catching Liu Yizhu''s pleading look, Li Mingwei exhaled slowly twice, then took Old Lady Wang''s hand and patted it soothingly. "All right, Mother, you don''t need to worry about the money anymore."


    "That''s right, Cui Cui just asked me toe in and see if you wanted to start preparing dinner. Why don''t you go check on that?"


    Only then did Old Lady Wange to her senses. They had so many guests waiting for dinner; what were they doing hiding in this room?


    She was about to leave when Li Mingwei pulled her back. "Mother, why didn''t you tell me about Cui Cui''s wedding?"


    Even if Li Mingwei''s pregnancy prevented her froming back, they could have at least held a ceremony.


    Old Lady Wang waved her hand dismissively and said in a low voice, "They didn''t invite anyone, just had a simple family meal."


    "Why not?"


    Li Mingwei was astonished. It was unheard of not to hold a celebration for a wedding, and the Ye family was notcking in funds.


    Old Lady Wang sighed, "Well, it''s not really the Ye family''s fault. It''s just that their astrological signs were not verypatible."


    When Ye Cheng told his family he wanted to marry Cui Cui, they initially refused because of the rumors surrounding her. Later, when Ye Cheng kicked up a huge fuss, Yu''s Mother took Cui Cui''s astrological signs to the temple to ask for a reading, and it turned out the two were indeed quite ipatible.


    The Ye family then adamantly opposed the marriage.


    Old Lady Wang sighed again. "At the time, Cui Cui felt terrible and, worried about upsetting her mother, she came over and cried in my kitchen. That''s when Older Sister Chunhua saw her."


    "Older Sister Chunhua?"


    "Yes, since you were all in the county town, my daughter-inw came to see me every day, sometimes even bringing the grandchildren to y. When she saw Cui Cui crying, she asked what had happened and told them to go to the Yuqing Temple for another astrological reading."


    Li Mingwei nced at Liu Yizhu, suddenly feeling uneasy.


    As expected, Old Lady Wang went on, "My daughter-inw said that you had gone to the Yuqing Temple for a reading before, and that you and Liu Yizhu were destined to be childless, called a ''blessed infertile union''. But now that you have a child, she told them to go back and get another reading. If even the Yuqing Temple said it wouldn''t work out, then it truly wouldn''t."


    Of course Liu Yizhu knew what a "blessed infertile union" meant. The corner of his mouth curved up slightly as he raised an eyebrow at her. "When did you go for that reading?"


    Li Mingwei cleared her throat and pushed him aside, taking Old Lady Wang''s hand. "And then what happened?"


    "Then they went."


    Their astrological signs were a bit ipatible, but the monk saw their sincerity and chose an auspicious date for them, telling them to keep a low profile, live well without quarreling or making a fuss, and not disturb the heavens.


    Since the young couple was willing, the elders had no choice but to grant their wish. But the wedding could not be celebrated extravagantly, so they simply went through the formalities with a simple ceremony that no one was invited to.


    Li Mingwei didn''t know whether this was good or bad, but seeing Cui Cui''s rosyplexion today, she seemed to be doing alright. As long as Cui Cui was content, that was what mattered.


    Seeing her dazed expression, Liu Yizhu ushered his mother out of the room, then turned and embraced Li Mingwei. "Mingwei, when did you go for that reading that said we were a ''blessed infertile union''? Howe I don''t know anything about it?"


    "Hmm?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t want to tell him. Back then, she thought he would bring her misfortune, so she brushed it off, "It was a long time ago, I don''t even remember."


    Liu Yizhu narrowed his eyes, backing her up step by step until she was pressed against the bed, then he leaned over her menacingly. "Don''t lie to me."


    They hadn''t known each other for that long. It couldn''t have been so long ago that she''d already forgotten something from just a couple of years prior, could it? Her memory couldn''t be that bad.


    "Oh!" Li Mingwei turned her head away, giving in. "It was the winter beforest."


    "Hmm?"


    That was earlier than Liu Yizhu had expected. Back then, they had only just met, hadn''t they? Could it be that she had also...


    Seeing the smile on his face, Li Mingwei knew what he was thinking and pped him. "Don''t get any ideas! Back then, I was determined to defy fate!"


    Liu Yizhu looked at her pitifully. If she wanted to defy fate, why did she bother getting a reading about their marriage prospects?


    She gave him a kick. "Get off me!"


    "No!" Liu Yizhu pressed down on her even harder, grumbling, "In the end, you didn''t manage to defy fate, did you?"


    Li Mingwei sighed and rubbed her forehead. It wasn''t that she hadn''t defied fate ¨C she just hadn''t managed to defy him.


    "Get off now! There are so many people waiting outside. Go do some work instead ofzing around in here."


    Liu Yizhu pouted, then leaned in close again. "Well, can Ize around tonight then?"


    "No, the doctor said another month or two at least."


    "No way!"


    Liu Yizhu wailed. He had already abstained for so long. At this rate, he might as well just shave his head and be a monk.


    He rolled off Li Mingwei,menting, "Mingwei, let''s go to the Yuqing Temple tomorrow."


    Li Mingwei sat up, straightening her clothes and hair. "What for?"


    "To be a monk~"


    "Get out of here!"


    "No, really." Liu Yizhu said seriously, "I think the Yuqing Temple is quite efficacious. Why don''t we get another reading?"


    Li Mingwei smiled and patted his face teasingly. "Are you getting cold feet now?"


    It wasn''t that he was getting cold feet, but...


    Liu Yizhu looked at her deeply. When it came to schrly pursuits, he was no longer as carefree as before. It wouldn''t hurt to go seek some reassurance.


    After a long gaze, Li Mingwei finally nodded. If he wanted to go, they would go. It wouldn''t dy anything.


    It was May, and the roadside vegetation was lush with new growth, brimming with vitality ¨C her favorite time of spring, when even the breeze felt pleasant.


    Seeing her joyful expression, Liu Yizhu felt a little better too. He had never been to the Yuqing Temple before. Li Mingwei led him to kneel down, just as Older Sister Chunhua had guided her previously, and handed him a wooden divination slip. "Go ahead, tell the monk what you want to ask about."


    When he shook his head, Li Mingwei frowned slightly. "Why not?"


    Liu Yizhu handed the slip back to her. "I have too many wishes, you do it instead."


    This person...


    Did she not have many wishes too?


    But for now, the most important thing was him. Li Mingwei closed her eyes and silently made her wish, then tossed the slip onto the ground, her heart fluttering with the motion.


    Once the dust had settled, she exhaled softly in relief. The monk was truly kind to her!


    When she got back, she would have to make a generous donation, heh heh.

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149


    Lord Tang quickly received a letter from his friend, who had already rented a courtyard for them. Liu Yizhu inquired about the price and passed the information to Hu Jin, asking if he wanted to join them.


    Seeing Hu Jin''s hesitation, Mr. Jin took the letter, calcted his ie and expenses in his mind, and said dully, "If you all split the cost, it''s not too much. How much money do you have left? If it''s not enough, I can provide some for you to use first."


    "No need. For these two months, I''ll just stop sending money home."


    Since Hu Jin started teaching here, he had already troubled Mr. Jin enough. It was fine to mooch some meals, but taking his money would be too shameless.


    Fromst year, he had been sending money home every month. His parents should still have ample funds, and with the family''snd, he could get by for now. He would just skip sending money for two months.


    After making his decision, he replied to Liu Yizhu.


    The county exam wouldst nine days, so resting well was important. Moreover, a few of his fellow students were also knowledgeable. Perhaps they could exchange insights on the way and gain unexpected gains.


    Li Mingwei was going to take the children to the county town to apany Liu Yizhu for a few days. She invited Hu Jin to join them on their journey to the county town.


    She packed her belongings, put her child in Dong Shan''s stroller, seating him next to Little Yan. Seeing Old Lady Wang''s reluctant gaze, she said, "Mother, if you wish to go, then go."


    Old Lady Wang stubbornly said, "I don''t want to go. I... I just can''t bear to part with the children. If they stayed home, I wouldn''t care about you all!"


    "Shall we leave, then?"


    "Go, go!"


    After walking a few steps with Wang Chunhua, Li Mingwei turned back and said, "They''ll depart early on the 28th. If you want to see them off, Mother, you cane on the 27th evening. We''ll stay at the same courtyard as before."


    Old Lady Wang tightened her apron around her waist and silently nodded.


    Wang Chunhua was perplexed, "Why isn''t your mother-inw going to see them off?"


    "She''s afraid."


    Ever since Liu Yizhu''s departure date for Chengzhou was set, Li Mingwei noticed her mother-inw was often absent-minded, dropping her chopsticks one moment and breaking bowls the next. When asked, she wouldn''t say anything, only repeatedly asking what day it was.


    This was Liu Yizhu''s first time traveling far away, to a ce Old Lady Wang had never been. She was clueless about Chengzhou, so she felt uneasy and couldn''t sleep night after night.


    She feared that going to the county town in her state would affect Liu Yizhu''s mood, so she dared not apany him.


    Wang Chunhua thought of Dong Lei and instantly understood Old Lady Wang''s feelings. If he had to take on such a significant task in the future, she probably wouldn''t be able to sleep either.


    She bumped into Li Mingwei, "Aren''t you worried?"


    To be honest, she and Dong Shan had been preupied with this matter these past few days.


    Li Mingwei sighed deeply. Of course, she was worried ¨C more worried than anyone else, guaranteed. But what was the point of worrying? It would only add to his burden, which was already heavy enough.


    The group called for Hu Jin at the academy gate. After Hu Jin bid farewell to Mr. Jin and loaded his luggage onto the cart, he helped Dong Shan push it towards the county town.


    Upon arriving at the small courtyard, Dong Shan went ahead to knock on the gate. Li Mingwei took a couple of deep breaths, and her weary expression instantly brightened into a smile, surprising Wang Chunhua ¨C her face changed that quickly!


    She carried the child inside, and Liu Yizhu soon came out to greet them. They hadn''t attended sses for the past few days, upied with preparing their belongings.


    Seeing her smile, Liu Yizhu inexplicably felt relieved. Li Mingwei caressed his slightly dark eye circles and teased, "Couldn''t sleep without me, could you?"


    "Didn''t I tell you? But you didn''t believe me."


    He took the child, greeted everyone, grabbed Li Mingwei''s luggage, and led her back to their room, leaving the others to the maids.


    Following behind him, Li Mingwei nced at the slightly quiet courtyard and asked, "Where are Tang Jue and the others?"


    "They''ve returned home. Zhong Liangyu''s grandfather is elderly, so it''s inconvenient for him toe and see him off. Yang Jingyuan apanied him back to see the old man and bid farewell to their families. They should be back tomorrow."


    "Oh." Li Mingwei nodded, then poked his back. "Were you really unable to sleepst night, or did you stay up reading?"


    Liu Yizhu hesitated, "I stayed up reading, I suppose."


    "What do you mean, ''I suppose''?"


    He couldn''t sleep, so he got up and started reading again.


    Li Mingwei was somewhat worried. "You can''t keep doing this, not sleeping properly."


    Liu Yizhu affirmed, "I''ll be able to sleep tonight."


    "Why?"


    "Because I''ll be tired after finishing my tasks. When I''m tired, I usually sleep deeply."


    "You!" If she wasn''t carrying the child, Li Mingwei would have kicked him. Annoyed, she brushed past him, snatched her luggage, and entered the room first, her gaze immediately falling on the two burnt-down candles on the small table.


    He really hadn''t slept all night.


    Li Mingwei had a headache. If he kept burning the candle at both ends like this, he would copse before even reaching the exam.


    The bed was messy. Liu Yizhu could only set the child down, then quickly cleared away the used candles fromst night that he had neglected earlier due to his hurry.


    He exined, "These two candles have actually been used for several days now."


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips. If she believed him, she''d be a fool!


    Wang Chunhua finished putting down her belongings and came in, hesitating when she saw the two of them ring at each other.


    Noticing her presence, Li Mingwei restrained her anger and turned to smile at Wang Chunhua, "Sister, what''s the matter?"


    "Brother Tang sent someone with a message. Once Brother Yang and the others return tomorrow, we''ll go to his home for a meal. Lord Tang wants to host a farewell gathering for your husband and the others."


    How could they refuse Lord Tang''s banquet invitation? Li Mingwei nodded, noticing her sister''s hesitant expression. She set down her luggage, took her aside, and asked, "Is there something else?"


    Wang Chunhua smiled sheepishly and tugged at her clothes. "Brother Tang invited us as well, but look at how I''m dressed. It would be embarrassing for the County Magistrate to see me like this."


    "And your brother-inw too. We didn''t bring any proper attire. Why don''t you tell Brother Tang that my brother-inw and I won''t be attending?"


    After spending so much time together, Li Mingwei could easily tell whether Wang Chunhua truly didn''t want to go or was just pretending. She took out some money and pulled Wang Chunhua outside.


    "Where are we going?"


    Li Mingwei said matter-of-factly, "To buy clothes!"


    "But..." Wang Chunhua hesitated, "It''s just a meal. Wouldn''t buying new outfits be too wasteful?"


    "Then shall we not go?"


    "No, no, Brother Tang has invited us. Wouldn''t it be rude not to attend?"


    Li Mingwei couldn''t stand her sister''s dithering. She dragged her along, saying, "Whether we attend the meal or not doesn''t matter. But the County Magistrate isn''t someone we can meet easily."


    "Sister, you can''t miss this great opportunity!"


    "That''s true!"


    Convinced by Li Mingwei, Wang Chunhua quickened her pace, even pulling her sister along. "Hurry up, little sister. We need to choose carefully so the County Magistrate won''tugh at us."


    Li Mingwei...

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150


    As scheduled, Yang Jingyuan and Zhong Liangyu returned. It wasn''t their first time visiting the Tang residence, so they didn''t think too much about it. After settling their luggage, they turned to leave with the others.


    Along the way, Wang Chunhua kept fiddling with her clothes, tugging it left and right. She would asionally tug at Dong Shan too, much to his annoyance. He brushed her hand away, "Stop fidgeting. How many times have you done that already?"


    "I..." Wang Chunhua was at a loss for words, turning to cling onto Li Mingwei with a displeased look.


    Li Mingwei could only reassure her again, "It''s alright, Lord Tang is very amiable."


    Seeing her still unpleased, Li Mingwei had no choice but to point discreetly at Yang Jingyuan and the others,paring, "Sister, you look much more poised than them. If they''re not afraid, what are you afraid of?"


    Wang Chunhua thought about it and realized she was right. She had dressed up carefully today, so she should appear moreposed than those who had just traveled.


    Yang Jingyuan patted his own face, feeling he looked alright, and pointed at Zhong Liangyu, "Did you hear that? Sister-inw said you don''t look poised."


    Zhong Liangyu nced at him disdainfully, "Do you even know who she was referring to as sister-inw?"


    Li Mingwei felt awkward. She thought she had spoken softly enough, but these two did seem rather haggard. Perhaps they had stayed up reading?


    Yang Jingyuan turned to ask her to judge, "Sister-inw, who looks less poised?"


    Without hesitation, Li Mingwei betrayed her own husband, pointing at Liu Yizhu, "Him, he looks the worst!"


    Liu Yizhu opened his mouth to protest, but remembering he had offended her just yesterday, he could only nod reluctantly, "Yes, I look the worst."


    Yang Jingyuan leaned on Zhong Liangyu''s shoulder,ughing, only to be red at fiercely by Liu Yizhu. He red back unapologetically - it wasn''t him who said it, why should he be bullied?


    Tang Jue stood at the entrance, waving at them from afar before leading them inside, where Lord Tang and Lady Tang were already waiting.


    Aside from Lord Tang''s words of encouragement, it was just an ordinary meal. Li Mingwei noticed Wang Chunhua kept peeking behind the screen where Lord Tang was talking, unable to hold back herughter and shaking her head.


    Lady Tang, seated at the head of the table, smiled gently, "What''s so funny?"


    Wang Chunhua immediately gripped her clothes tightly and stammered, "Lady Tang, please excuse me. This... This is my first time meeting the County Lord."


    "No need to worry. Once he finishes speaking, he wille over to greet you all."


    Lady Tang''s gaze fell on Li Mingwei as she raised her wine cup.


    Li Mingwei understood and politely declined, "Please excuse me, Lady Tang. I cannot drink wine recently."


    It was only then that Lady Tang remembered Li Mingwei was still nursing a child. She quickly had a maid rece it with in water and apologized, "My apologies, I was forgetful."


    Li Mingwei smiled and shook her head. Wang Chunhua hurriedly raised her own wine cup, "Then I shall toast Lady Tang."


    "Very well."


    The three were not well acquainted, and with Wang Chunhua present, Lady Tang did not wish to pry into anything and inadvertently reveal her identity. The atmosphere was rather awkward, especiallypared to the liveliness nearby.


    Until the end, Wang Chunhua stillined, saying there was a dish in front of Lady Tang that looked delicious, but she couldn''t get up and serve herself. She worried that since Lady Tang hadn''t touched it, it might be thrown away eventually.


    She grumbled, "These wealthy households, always wasting food. It would be great if I could eat it."


    Li Mingwei understood her implication, "Sister, you didn''t eat your fill, did you?"


    Wang Chunhua touched her belly sheepishly andughed, "A little bit, yes."


    She didn''t feel right continuing to eat after they had all put down their chopsticks.


    Li Mingwei sighed and fell behind with her for a few steps. After drinking for a while, there weren''t many shops still open, so they casually found a small stall and bought her two buns to fill her stomach.


    The two women were biting into their buns on their way home when they saw Liu Yizhu and Dong Shan standing at the alley entrance like door gods, arms crossed and looking displeased at them.


    "Where did you two go?"


    Li Mingwei held up the bun, shielding her face, "Sister didn''t eat her fill, so I bought her a bun."


    Liu Yizhu snatched it from her, "Then what''s that one in your hand?"


    "Also a bun." She thought it looked rather tasty, so she bought one for herself too.


    "You..."


    Liu Yizhu and Dong Shan exchanged a nce before dragging their respective wives back home.


    Li Mingwei scurried to the next room, hoping to use her son as a shield against any potential scolding. However, Liu Yizhu scooped her up and tossed her back into their room, closing the door behind him.


    "Where are you running off to?"


    "To see our son. I haven''t seen him all afternoon and I missed him."


    Li Mingwei backed away a few steps, feeling uneasy. Liu Yizhu had been drinking today, and she didn''t want to provoke him, so she tried to avoid him.


    Catching a faint whiff of alcohol in the air, she put down the bun and inched towards the door, "You reek of wine. Let me fetch some hot water from the kitchen so you can wash up."


    "I didn''t drink that much. I''ll go, do you want me to get some for you too?"


    "Yes, please."


    Liu Yizhu left, and Li Mingwei gathered her change of clothes and headed to the washroom. When he still hadn''t returned, she went to the kitchen too.


    Seeing him boiling water himself, Li Mingwei sat beside him and frowned, "Did the kitchen maid retire so early? We just got back and haven''t even washed up yet."


    Liu Yizhu exined, "No, I just wanted to sit alone for a bit, so I let her leave."


    He was used to doing things himself and didn''t find it inappropriate, unlike Li Mingwei who had grown up with a horde of maids and servants attending to her every need. He didn''t know how they were supposed to behave and simply acted ording to his own preferences.


    "Then I''ll leave too, so you can sit alone."


    Sensing her displeasure in her tone, Liu Yizhu quickly held her back, "What''s wrong?"


    "Didn''t you want to sit alone for a while? I don''t want to disturb you."


    "You''re different from them." Liu Yizhu carefully pulled her back beside him and studied her expression, "Are you upset now?"


    "No, I''m not." Li Mingwei leaned against his arm and puckered her lips at him to show she wasn''t angry.


    He hadn''t yet grasped the concept of master and servant. What was the point of holding it against him?


    Liu Yizhu tilted his head to look at her, "You don''t mind the smell of wine on me now?"


    "I do mind, but I can tolerate it."


    Li Mingwei saw his still reddened eyes and spoke softly, "Husband..."


    "Hmm?"


    "Will you listen to me?"


    "Have I ever not listened?"


    "When you go to Chengzhou, you must get enough rest, understand? Even if you can''t sleep, at least lie in bed and rest. Don''t stay up all night reading - it''ll damage your eyes." Li Mingwei pinched him in warning, "If you go blind, I won''t want you anymore."


    Liu Yizhu looked crestfallen, "You''d abandon your husband and child?"


    "I won''t abandon our child, he hasn''t wronged me. But I''ll abandon you."


    "Alright." Liu Yizhu pursed his lips, pondering for a moment before asking, "Mingwei, if I don''t perform well in the imperial examinations this time, will you not want me anymore?"


    Li Mingwei inwardly cursed - she had hit his sore spot again. Trying to sound nonchnt, she said, "No, I won''t. Only if you disobey me."


    "Really?"


    "Really, really." Li Mingwei took his hand and intertwined their fingers, softly reassuring him, "Don''t overthink it. Just do your best."


    "I''ll wait for you to return."


    No matter how you return, it''s fine.

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151


    Atst, Old Lady Wang couldn''t bear it any longer. On the day before they set off, she knocked on the gate of the small courtyard as dusk approached. Liu Yizhu went out to greet her, while Li Mingwei didn''t disturb them, allowing mother and son to spend some quiet time together.


    Since they had already said what needed to be said and made the necessary arrangements the previous night, the two remained silent as they looked at each other at the western city gate the next morning.


    During these few days, quite a few people had departed from the county town for Chengzhou. Tang Shan watched the other carriages and horses that had already set off, patted Tang Jue''s shoulder, and waved: "Off you go, off you go. The road ahead is still long."


    Turning around, he instructed his steward: "Take good care of the young master, and don''t let him misbehave."


    "Dad~" Tang Jue''s face flushed with embarrassment. He was already grown up, how could he misbehave!


    Li Mingwei chuckled softly and patted Liu Yizhu''s shoulder, mimicking Tang Shan''s gesture as she waved: "Off you go, and don''t misbehave."


    The group burst intoughter, dispelling some of the sadness of parting.


    Liu Yizhu looked at her helplessly, sighing lightly. He caressed the little face of the child in his mother''s arms, bowed to everyone, and boarded the carriage without turning back.


    "Go!"


    Once they were seated, the coachman cracked his whip, and the carriage gradually disappeared from their sight as it traveled farther away.


    Old Lady Wang stepped forward holding the child, repeatedly bowing to Tang Shan to thank him for helping to arrange the carriage and rent the courtyard. Li Mingwei frantically signaled to Tang Shan with her eyes, as her mother-inw didn''t know they had given him their share of the money.


    Tang Shan caught her gaze and nodded with a smile: "It''s only right, it''s only right."


    In truth, Tang Shan didn''tck those ten or twenty taels of silver. However, none of them wanted to take advantage, and since they had agreed to pay, he couldn''t refuse.


    He gazed into the distance: "I wonder how their journey will unfold."


    Old Lady Wang naturally spoke words of encouragement: "Of course, it will be smooth sailing. They''ll go happily and return happily."


    Wang Chunhua chimed in: "The best oue would be for all five of them to return happily."


    Li Mingweiughed and shook her head. How could that be possible? Did they really think the provincial examination was that simple?


    Tang Shan noticed this and approached her, speaking softly: "How many do you think will return happily?"


    "It''s hard to say. I''m not too familiar with the officials in Chengzhou."


    Although she had her own assessment, she didn''t want to voice it in front of Tang Shan. She felt that with their current level of knowledge, at most two or three of the five would likely be listed among the sessful candidates, with Tang Jue being the third most likely.


    "Indeed," Tang Shan lowered his gaze. Having served as an official in Anhui for many years, he had some understanding of the officials in Chengzhou, but even he couldn''t be certain. How could she possibly know?


    Seeing the rising sun on the horizon, Li Mingwei took her leave from Tang Shan. They still needed to return home that day, or else the heat would be too intense if they dyed further.


    "Very well, I''ll send someone to inform you if there''s any news."


    "Thank you, Sir Tang."


    Tang Shan smiled and watched them depart, then headed back to the county yamen with his attendants.


    The days of waiting turned out to be more agonizing than expected. Li Mingwei had initially thought it wouldn''t be much different from usual, but her heart constantly felt an emptiness that she couldn''t express.


    "Crash~"


    She sighed as another bowl shattered. If Liu Yizhu didn''t return soon, Old Lady Wang would have broken all the bowls in the house. It seemed she really wanted to go to the capital, as she no longer cared for the bowls at home.


    Although she understood what was happening, Li Mingwei still went out to check: "Mother, are you hurt?"


    "No, no." Old Lady Wang dropped the broom and deftly raised her hands, showing Li Mingwei her palms and the backs of her hands to prove there were no injuries. She smiled sheepishly: "I just didn''t hold it steady."


    Li Mingwei stepped forward and picked up the broom: "Then you''d better hold it steady next time."


    Old Lady Wang tried to snatch it back, but Li Mingwei dodged her: "Let me do it. I''m afraid you might not hold the broom steady again."


    She swept up the broken pieces of the bowl, then noticed her mother-inw sitting on the edge, propping her chin up and staring nkly, her mood somber once more. Li Mingwei turned and went back inside.


    "Sigh~" Li Mingweiy on the bed and grasped her son''s little hand, sorrowfully saying: "Little Bun! Your mother is heartbroken, yet you''re still able to sleep so soundly. Quickly get up and cheer me up, or else when you grow up, I won''t let you marry a wife."


    Three-month-old Liu Simei couldn''t respond to her, but she didn''t need a response. She was just trying to find someone to vent her bitterness.


    She wasn''t the only one feeling bitter. Tang Jue considered himself a carefree person, but he was also extremely restless during the waiting period before the results were announced. Originally, he had nned to stay and experience the sights of Chengzhou after the examination, but he ended up not even setting foot outside the courtyard for several days.


    This wouldn''t do!


    He knocked on the doors of the other four candidates one by one, leaning against the doorframes with a smile: "Shall we visit the brothels?"


    "m!"


    "No."


    "No, no, no, Tang, you should find someone else to apany you."


    "Yes, why not!"


    After being rejected by three people, Tang Jue''s heart was shattered into pieces. Thankfully, there was still one person who shared his enthusiasm.


    Heined: "Those few people have such vulgar minds. Visiting a brothel doesn''t necessarily mean doing that kind of thing. Just listening to music and watching dances would be great too. With so many beauties to admire, it would be truly delightful for the heart."


    "Just listening to music? In that case, I won''t go either."


    Tang Jue kicked the door that mmed shut with a "m," angrily eximing: "It turns out you''re the most vulgar one!"


    With no one willing to apany him, Tang Jue''s gaze fell on the approaching steward: "Would you like to join me?"


    "Young Master, the results will be announced tomorrow. Can''t you just wait patiently for one more day?"


    The steward was drenched in sweat at the moment. The teahouses along the street near the Imperial Examination Hall were almost fully booked. After searching for a long time, he had finally secured a table further inside at a high price, ensuring they had a ce to wait for the results.


    Seeing the steward''s breathless state, Tang Jue waved his hand, allowing him to go and rest, before knocking on the next door.


    "What do you want now?"


    "I just want to chat. Is that not allowed?"


    Yang Jingyuan stepped aside to let him in, then closed the door again, trying to keep the scorching sun outside.


    He tugged at his cor: "It''s really hot in Chengzhou!"


    Tang Jue waved his fan with a smile: "What''s there to be afraid of? It''ll be cooler tomorrow."


    Yang Jingyuan gritted his teeth. Why did he let this infuriating person in to ruin his mood and appetite?


    The next day, the steward sent servants to secure spots in the front rows even before the rooster crowed. Then he gathered all five of them and led them to the teahouse, where they squeezed into the crowd, their restlessness growing as they listened to the discussions around them.


    Who had the heart to drink tea at a time like this? Tang Jue tightly gripped his teacup, repeatedly asking: "How much longer?"


    "How much longer?"


    The steward could only keep replying: "Soon, soon."


    "How much longer?"


    He asked again, but no one answered him this time, as the sound of gongs resonated from outside. Everyone knew what that meant.


    The crowd fell silent for a moment, holding their breaths. Then, following a loud cry from afar, countless people began pushing towards the windows to catch a glimpse.

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152


    Despite the tea house being more than a hundred meters away from the standings board, out of sight, people still kept crowding by the windows. Tang Jue was at the front, craning his neck and scanning the crowd downstairs in search of a small servant who had gone out early to secure a spot.


    Unfortunately, there were too many people downstairs and he could only see the tops of their heads, unable to make out anything else.


    The small servant had spotted him, though, and after reading the standings, he headed straight in this direction. s, his short stature meant he was swallowed up by the crowd - the old house steward had chosen him for his small and agile build, never imagining this would be an issue.


    He waved repeatedly in an attempt to catch Tang Jue''s attention, but to no avail, so he could only hop about while shouting, "Young Master! Young Master, I''m over here!"


    Tang Jue heard the familiar voice and scanned even more carefully until finally spotting him. He quickly waved back, asking, "How did it go?"


    The small servant excitedly replied, "You made the list! You made the list! Ranked 103rd!"


    Though the ranking was not great, at least he had made the cut, which meant Old Master would surely reward them upon return.


    Tang Jue''s face lit up with joy. "Truly!"


    "Absolutely true, I saw it with my own eyes," the small servant eximed. "And Old Master Liu, he''s the top scorer! First ce!"


    That was the first name he had noticed.


    Tang Jue gripped the windowsill, nearly tumbling out. "Are you certain?"


    "Absolutely certain! I checked the name, age, and origin - it all matches!"


    Tang Jue turned to go back and share the good news, but the small servant called out again, "Young Master! Young Master! And Master Zhong ranked 64th!"


    The small servant tried to push through the crowd toe up and ry the details, but was blocked by a constant stream of people exiting the tea house.


    Tang Jue turned back, his joyful expression freezing on his lips as he saw the two who had failed to make the list.


    The old house steward, too old to jostle his way through the younger crowd, could only wait outside and approach Tang Jue as he emerged, cing a hand on his shoulder. "Young Master, how did it go?"


    Tang Jue gave a restrained nod.


    The old steward let out a huge sigh of relief - thank the heavens, thank the heavens. "I''ll have someone send word to the Old Master right away, express delivery. He''ll know the good news by tomorrow morning."


    He hurried downstairs, leaving Tang Jue alone to face the gazes of the other four.


    He returned to his seat, unsure of how to break the news. He furtively raised one finger towards Liu Yizhu, squinting and wiggling his eyebrows.


    Liu Yizhu exhaled in relief - at least he had notpletely failed her expectations.


    Yang Jingyuan had struggled with the exam and expected a poor oue, remaining gloomy throughout without even joining Tang Jue in going to watch the standings. Seeing Tang Jue''s secretive gestures, he scoffed, "Why all the secrecy? Just spit it out."


    "Brother Liu and..." Tang Jue cleared his throat, ncing at Zhong Liangyu.


    Zhong Liangyu''s tense nerves immediately rxed as he asked expectantly, "What ranking?"


    "Sixty-fourth."


    Not too bad, then.


    He shot a nce at Liu Yizhu before signaling to Tang Jue with his eyes. Tang Jue raised one finger again.


    Zhong Liangyu stared nkly. Normally he and Liu Yizhu were neck-and-neck, ranked first or second with little difference between them. How had the gap widened so drastically? He gazed at Liu Yizhu in bewilderment. Had he been studying with other tutors behind his back? Or taking some kind of enhancing drugs?


    Yang Jingyuan stuttered in disbelief, "Top scorer?"


    "Top scorer?"


    "Who''s the top scorer?"


    Those with keen ears overheard their conversation and immediately swarmed over. "Which young master is the top scorer?"


    Inexperienced, Tang Jue simply pointed at Liu Yizhu, who was then besieged by the crowd.


    "This young master is so talented and handsome. May I ask where he is from? I have a daughter of marriageable age, with a beautiful countenance like a flower. I wonder if the young master would consider..."


    "I too have a daughter, as graceful as a swan alighting on water, putting flowers to shame. Perhaps the young master would be interested?"


    The first elder who had approached suddenly grew incensed. "I was here first!"


    "So what? I don''t care!"


    The two immediately began bickering as others seized the opportunity to approach Liu Yizhu. "I also have a daughter..."


    Liu Yizhu stood and tried to leave, repeatedly declining. "I''m already married, there''s no need, no need."


    "Already married?"


    "Taking a concubine would work too! At least take a look, Young Master."


    Take a concubine?


    Liu Yizhu turned and fled, having just attained the top score with no desire to invite death so soon.


    Tang Jue held back those who wanted to chase after Liu Yizhu, rmending himself instead. "What about me? I also made the list and am still unmarried."


    He pulled over Zhong Liangyu, who had been about to follow Liu Yizhu''s escape. "He''s also on the list and unmarried."


    The crowd then surrounded them instead. "What were your rankings?"


    "My daughter is so beautiful!"


    "Is that so? Then I must see for myself!"


    Tang Jue was single-mindedly focused on finding a bride here, with no intention of leaving. With no other choice, Yang Jingyuan could only shield Zhong Liangyu and push their way out. Liu Yizhu and Hu Jin had already exited and were waiting for them around the corner.


    "Where''s Tang Jue?"


    "Setting up times to meet potential brides."


    Liu Yizhu frowned before gesturing for Zhong Liangyu to straighten his disheveled clothes. "Shall we head back?"


    Zhong Liangyu shook off Yang Jingyuan''s attempts to help with his clothes, taking two steps towards Liu Yizhu. "I don''t understand how the gap between us widened so much."


    Liu Yizhu replied calmly, "You weren''t that far behind me."


    "Then why...?"


    "Instead of asking me, you should ask the exam graders."


    Zhong Liangyu nodded dejectedly. He and Liu Yizhu had always had somewhat differing writing styles, so perhaps he had made some mistake somewhere.


    He sighed, "Very well, but congrattions nheless, Brother Liu. You''ve been worrying about this for so long, and now the dust has settled."


    "Congrattions to you as well."


    Liu Yizhu smiled faintly. Had the dust truly settled? He couldn''t help but feel that this was only the beginning.


    The next morning, Tang Shan received the news from Chengzhou and was overjoyed, helping the kneeling messenger back to his feet. "Get up, get up. You''ve worked hard overnight. Someone, send him to rest."


    He called out loudly, "I''ll reward you all properly when the Young Master returns."


    "Thank you, Old Master!"


    "No need for such formalities." Tang Jue waved off their bows and turned to head back inside to share the good news with Madam Tang. As he passed the tutor, he paused and smacked his forehead. "Send someone to Qingshi Town - her son outscored our Jue''er by a wide margin!"


    "Yes!"


    The tutor acknowledged and departed. By noon, Li Mingwei had received the news.


    Old Lady Wang was puzzled. "What does ''Yuanji'' mean?"


    "It means first ce."


    "Really!" Old Lady Wang was stunned that her son could be so impressive, gripping the table as she felt a wave of dizziness. Was this real?


    She pped her own face - it stung!


    It was real!


    "But why hasn''t anyonee to share the celebration? When he became a xiucai, people came with a big red flower, just like a wedding."


    "Mother," Li Mingwei helped her sit down. "The list just came out yesterday. It''s probably too soon. This little messenger is from the Tang residence."


    "The Tang residence!" Old Lady Wang stood and grasped the messenger''s hand. "How did the Tang family''s son fare? Did he also..."


    "Please don''t trouble yourself, Old Lady. Our Young Master also made the list!"


    "Then he''ll be going to the capital next year along with Yizhu?"


    "Yes, yes!"


    Old Lady Wang beamed, relieved of having to pay for the travel costs.

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153


    Receiving the message, before Liu Yizhu returned, Li Mingwei began preparing. She packed the letter she had written earlier, gathered a few clothes, and was about to take the carriage from the Tang family to the county town.


    The servant of the Tang family smiled, "The old master guessed that you would go to the manor, so he sent me here with the carriage."


    Li Mingwei smiled, handed her bundle to him to load onto the carriage, then took the child from Old Lady Wang.


    "What are you going to do?"


    "To discuss with Lord Tang the matter of Yizhu and Tang Jue going to the Capital City together."


    This was a proper matter, so Old Lady Wang did not dare disturb her and quickly helped her onto the carriage.


    Tang Shan, who had already shared his joy with his wife, came out to wee her personally. He took the child from her arms and looked at it, smiling, "He does resemble his father a bit more."


    "I''ve heard that many times already, Brother Tang, you don''t need to tease me again."


    Tang Shan roared withughter, then handed the child to Lady Tang behind him, "I need to say a few words to Mingwei."


    Lady Tang took the child and left tactfully.


    Li Mingwei sat down and did not stand on ceremony. She handed Tang Shan the two envelopes, one thin and one thick, "These are for Sister Xiu."


    "Good."


    Tang Shan went to the desk, wrote the name on the envelopes, and sealed them, "I''ll have the household steward deliver them in personter."


    The Tang family would certainly send a steward ahead to make preparations when Tang Jue went to the Capital City.


    Li Mingwei nodded, "Mm."


    After putting the letters in the drawer, Tang Shan sat back down beside Li Mingwei and asked, "When do you think they should set off?"


    "When will they return?"


    Tang Shan smiled, "You still don''t understand your husband? He''s probably on the road by now."


    At thetest, he would arrive tomorrow if he left yesterday afternoon. Perhaps he would even arrive tonight.


    "In a few days. I still need to prepare some things for him."


    "What things? Let me prepare them."


    Li Mingwei felt a bit embarrassed, "Clothes, shoes, socks, and such. With this trip..."


    Tang Shan shook his head with a wryugh, "This trip, he might just run into your family, right?"


    He remembered that Sister Lang Yue ced great importance on propriety and appearance.


    "Enough, I''ll help you prepare. Do you have his measurements?"


    "No need." Li Mingwei declined politely, "I understand my mother''s preferences better."


    Tang Shan nodded and instructed the head maid to apany her to the Embroidery Workshop. With his support, the workshop would certainly not dare to dy.


    Li Mingwei patted her plump purse confidently as she entered thergest Embroidery Workshop in the county town. Today, she had brought plenty of money.


    The attendant at the counter smirked and went straight to greet the head maid from the Tang family, ignoring Li Mingwei. This was a distinguished regr customer not to be trifled with.


    The head maid cleared her throat lightly, indicating for him to look at Li Mingwei in front. The attendant immediately stepped back and greeted her with a bow, "What would the customer like to see? We have a new batch of fine fabrics in various new colors."


    Li Mingwei looked around but did not see what she wanted, puckering her lips in disappointment.


    The head maid immediately said, "Lady Liu wishes to have some winter clothes and spring outfits made for the lord of the house. Please select some good materials and bring them up to the second floor for us to wait."


    "Yes!"


    The attendant hurried off, and another quickly ushered them upstairs to be seated, even serving tea and snacks.


    Soon, several people came upstairs carrying bolts of fabric and introduced each one to them. Li Mingwei waved her hand, "No ck, no deep blue. Something iner, but with a striking color that catches the eye."


    The attendant carefully selected a bolt of silver-gray fabric and respectfully asked, "How about this one for thedy?"


    The color was eptable. Li Mingwei felt the fabric, "Make a set of spring outfits with this."


    "Yes."


    The attendant handed the fabric to his colleague to record, then brought another bolt to present. After fussing for an entire afternoon, Li Mingwei paid, and the head maid stepped forward to instruct, "Ourdy needs this urgently, so the sooner the better."


    "Yes, rest assured, mydy."


    After leaving the Embroidery Workshop, Li Mingwei patted her ttened purse and nced back at their signboard. She had remembered it well - she would nevere here again!


    As she was alone, she did not need to stay in the small courtyard. Lady Tang had prepared a room for her in the manor. Li Mingwei held the whimpering child and apologized, "Sorry, I truly did not mean to forget about you. Are you hungry? Just wait a bit more, we''re almost to the room."


    The little maid leading the way turned and smiled, "One of the neighboring manors recently weed a little lord. Thedy has invited their wet nurse over to feed him."


    "Then why is he crying?"


    She had thought he was hungry from not eating all afternoon.


    "Perhaps he misses you?"


    Oh,e on, it hasn''t been that long. If anything, he should miss his grandmother.


    Knowing she was tired, Tang Shan directly instructed the servants to send her dinner to her room. After feeding the child, Li Mingwei also received a bowl of nourishing postnatal soup.


    Lady Tang was so considerate!


    Tang Shan was in a good mood today. After finishing one bowl, he wanted another, but Lady Tang only added half a bowl when she took his empty one, "Eat a bit less for dinner."


    "Alright." Tang Shan nodded reluctantly, remarking, "I just feel that the dishes tonight taste particrly good."


    Lady Tang covered her mouth and chuckled softly. It was the same chef as always - how could there be any difference? It was just that his good mood made everything seem pleasant.


    "Jue has finally done somethingmendable this time." Lady Tang nced around the dining hall, seeing no outsiders, then said, "Are you really going to send Jue to the Capital City so early?"


    "Mm."


    Although with Tang Jue''s current ranking, he would likely be eliminated next year, Lord Tang had his own considerations, "Mingwei has already made a reading list, including some from Minister Li''s private collection. If Jue follows Liu Yizhu, he can take a look at those books as well."


    "If he fails the Spring Examination next year, with our current rtionship, after Mingwei returns to the Capital City, I''m sure she can easily get him admitted to Minister Li''s academy for further studies. That would save me a lot of trouble, wouldn''t it?"


    The academies only epted a limited number of students each year. He had been away from the Capital City for many years, and some of his connections had grown distant. With his current position as a county magistrate, it would be difficult for him to get someone admitted. But Mingwei only needed to say the word, so why not take advantage of it?


    That way, his care for her over the past year or two would not be in vain.


    Lady Tang nodded slightly, indicating her understanding.


    At their age, Lady Tang had a decent grasp of the ways of the world. As an only son, she was reluctant to send him away so early, but she was willing to make the sacrifice for his future.


    Of course, Li Mingwei was no fool either. No one would be so kind to another person without reason. She was the one who had initially asked for a favor, so she naturally owed Tang Shan a debt of gratitude that she would repay.


    Tang Shan knew this, which was why he felt at ease letting Tang Jue go to the Capital City with Liu Yizhu. He put down his chopsticks and gestured to Lady Tang with a slight nod, "You should also start preparing for Jue. They might set off any day now."


    Lady Tang acknowledged, "I understand."

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154


    It was September, and the weather was gradually cooling down. After finishing his meal, Tang Shan strolled around the courtyard to help digest the food. Just as he was about to return to his room, he heard the hurried footsteps of a servant.


    "What''s the matter?"


    "Master, the young master has returned."


    Tang Shan hurried out to greet him. Ah, his good son had returned so quickly.


    Actually, Tang Jue didn''t want toe back. He hadn''t even met those youngdies yet, but since Liu Yizhu wanted to return, and he was now the eldest son, Tang Jue dared not act recklessly and had to abandon those unseen youngdies.


    "Son!"


    "Father~"


    Compared to Tang Shan''s broad smile, Tang Jue looked a bit sad and aggrieved. He pointed at Liu Yizhu and used, "Father, it''s all his fault. If not for him, I wouldn''t have just brought this good news back to you."


    "I could have brought a daughter-inw back as well."


    Tang Shan directly pped him on the head: "What are you thinking? Is it time for you to get married?"


    "It''s time for you to study!"


    He couldn''t let his children indulge in romance and neglect their important matters.


    After reprimanding his son, Tang Shan turned to greet the others and patted Liu Yizhu''s shoulder: "Not bad, we should call you Liu Jie Yuan now. Perhaps next year we can be officials together."


    Liu Yizhu bowed in return: "Your kindness is appreciated, my lord."


    Tang Shan was about to say that Li Mingwei was staying at the mansion when he suddenly had an idea. He instructed a servant, "Go and prepare rooms for our guests."


    He whispered something to the servant, and shortly after, a maid came and escorted Liu Yizhu to Li Mingwei''s room.


    The maid only brought him to the door and said softly, "Lord Liu, please enter. This servant will fetch water for you to freshen up."


    Liu Yizhu saw a light inside and thought it was left by someone cleaning the room, so he directly pushed the door open.


    Li Mingwei blinked her eyes: "You''re back?"


    She was startled, and thedle in her hand almost fell.


    Liu Yizhu was pleasantly surprised. He put down his luggage and sat beside her, his hand unconsciously caressing her face: "Why are you here?"


    "To buy you some things." Li Mingwei pointed to the cradle where Liu Simo was sleeping: "Your son."


    Liu Yizhu nced over and said, "Oh." He continued, "What did you buy for me?"


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes, exasperated: "Clothes."


    "Didn''t we just have new ones madest year?"


    His frugal nature was just like his mother-inw''s. Li Mingwei was already used to it. She noticed the leftover food on the table and remembered to ask, "Have you eaten?"


    "No, but I had ate lunch, so I''m not hungry."


    Although they said they weren''t hungry, Lady Tang still had the kitchen staff send them food. It was toote today, and they would have a proper weing meal for them tomorrow.


    After Liu Yizhu had eaten and washed up, he sat beside Li Mingwei, who was counting money on the bed: "Why are you counting money again?"


    She wasn''t counting money; she was feeling the pain. Well, Li Mingwei stuffed the money into her purse all at once. Out of sight, out of mind.


    She hooked her arm around Liu Yizhu''s neck, nced at the bed, and Liu Yizhu got the hint and carried her onto the bed. Then he turned and extinguished the candle before slipping under the covers.


    Just as he was about to proceed further, he heard the person in his arms let out a long sigh.


    "What''s wrong? Not happy?" He held her tighter and leaned down to kiss her forehead. He was the top scorer in the examination, but she didn''t even mention it and was sighing instead.


    Li Mingwei grumbled: "I didn''t see you being particrly happy either."


    Liu Yizhu did want to be happy, but he didn''t have the qualifications yet.


    However, he could still celebrate a little now. He untied Li Mingwei''s robe and pressed her beneath him. Li Mingwei embraced him and slowly called out, "Liu Yizhu~"


    Liu Yizhu paused: "What is it?"


    "Nothing~"


    Liu Yizhu''s expression darkened. If there was nothing, don''t disturb him at this moment. He leaned down again, applying more force than before.


    Li Mingwei didn''t have anything else on her mind. She was just nervous about him having to go to the Capital City. Her father-inw always paid close attention to the schrs taking the examination there. What if Liu Yizhu didn''t understand the proper etiquette and did something wrong?


    There were too many high-ranking officials and nobles in the Capital City. With hisck of connections and background, he might be bullied. Tang Jue and Lord Tang''s meager official ranks were hardly enough protection. Everything depended on Ah Xiu.


    Could Ah Xiu secretly look after him? That girl was quite boisterous. She might let the whole Capital City know about it before she returned.


    How worrying!


    Li Mingwei tossed and turned, preventing Liu Yizhu from falling asleep. He silently watched her, noticing the troubled look on her face since his return, but he didn''t know the reason.


    Li Mingwei sighed again and turned over, meeting Liu Yizhu''s wide-open eyes. She was startled and scooted back a bit, clutching her chest: "Why aren''t you sleeping?"


    "I should ask you the same."


    He wanted to ask her instead.


    "Did I disturb you?"


    "No." Liu Yizhu shook his head. "Mingwei, if there''s something on your mind, just tell me. This is the first time I''ve seen you unable to sleep."


    Usually, she would have been sound asleep by now.


    Li Mingwei hesitated for a moment before inching closer and saying, "You''ve read through the etiquette handbook I drew, right?"


    "I''ve read it all and memorized it."


    "That''s good." Li Mingwei breathed a sigh of relief and reminded him, "You mustn''t be rude when you go to the Capital City. It''s fine to be casual at home, but you must follow the rules when you''re out."


    Liu Yizhu frowned: "Going to the Capital City? You''re worrying about something that won''t happen until next year."


    Oh.


    She forgot to tell him that he would be sent to the Capital City in a few days.


    Li Mingwei smiled sheepishly and nuzzled his cheek affectionately: "I forgot to tell you. Lord Tang said he would send Tang Jue to the Capital City in a few days, and I asked him to take you along to save on travel expenses."


    Liu Yizhu''s voice deepened: "Mingwei, do you know what month it is now?"


    It was early September. The Spring Examination wasn''t until next February, which was still half a year away.


    "I know."


    There wasn''t much time left, and the journey alone would take half a month. If they dyed any further, he wouldn''t even be able to finish the reading list she had prepared for him.


    "What about you?"


    "I''ll stay home. The child is still young, and we''lle find you next spring."


    Liu Yizhu smiled: "Next spring, or after I get news about the Spring Examination?"


    "Ah, well..."


    Of course, it would be after he received news about the examination results.


    That would be after mid-April. By the time they reached the Capital City, it would be May, meaning they would be separated for another half a year.


    "Mingwei, why do we have to go so early?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t want to exin: "Don''t worry about it. Just go when you''re told. I won''t harm you, but if you don''t listen, I won''t want you anymore."


    What choice did Liu Yizhu have but to return home and prepare to leave?


    When Old Lady Wang heard they would be leaving so early, she wasn''t pleased. The Capital City was so far away, and he... this...


    But Liu Yizhu said he was going to study, so she couldn''t refuse. If he went alone next year, the travel expenses would be considerable.


    She wiped her eyes and looked at Li Mingwei: "Why don''t you apany him? You''ve studied before and are sensible. It would be good for you two to go together and look after each other."


    Li Mingwei widened her eyes and waved her hands repeatedly: "I''m not going. How can I bring the child along? It would be so inconvenient on the road."


    "But..."


    But what should they do?

 Chapter 155

    Chapter 155


    Tang Jue and Zhong Liangyu also decided to embark on the journey with them. The three were ssmates and had always been on excellent terms. Tang Shan had no reason to refuse them, and Zhong Liangyu seemed even more promising than his own son.


    Li Mingwei received a letter from Tang Shan. The clothes she made for Liu Yizhu had been sent to the mansion. She knew it was time to see him off.


    Before leaving, Old Lady Wang specially bought paper money and took him to the mountain to visit his father''s grave. This trip, he didn''t know when he would be able to return and see his father again.


    After the officials came with the good news, the people in town were still waiting to attend the celebratory banquet, but who would have thought he would be leaving? Many came to the town entrance to see him off.


    "The Capital City is so far away, be careful on the road."


    "I heard it takes more than half a month by carriage!"


    "Indeed."


    Some wealthier ones even gave him money: "It''s not much, just a token. Take it and buy some food on the road."


    Liu Yizhu thanked them one by one, then declined. Seeing his mother''s eyes welling up with tears again, he bowed to the crowd, quickly pulled Li Mingwei away. If they lingered any longer, he wouldn''t be able to bear it either.


    Li Mingwei fetched the clothes from the Tang Mansion, had him try them on ¨C they all fit perfectly ¨C and packed them into a trunk for him, instructing the Tang servants to load it onto the carriage and tie it down.


    Though there were only three of them, they would be gone for a long time, so they had quite a bit of luggage, especially Tang Jue. Tang Shan arranged two carriages for them, one horse-drawn and one mule-drawn.


    Li Mingwei handed him a purse: "Here''s some money, keep it safe."


    Liu Yizhu silently epted it.


    He hadn''t argued with her today, which surprised Li Mingwei: "So obedient today?"


    "Did you want me to talk?"


    "If you want to talk, then talk."


    Li Mingwei was a bit puzzled. Why did he need to ask her about saying something?


    Liu Yizhu fiddled with the purse, staring into her eyes, and said in a low voice: "Is your family in the Capital City?"


    "Better keep your mouth shut."


    He should have known.


    Liu Yizhu pursed his lips. She had taught him etiquette for so long, made such nice clothes for him, prepared so many socks and shoes, even cloaks ¨C things he had never used before in his life. She must be afraid he would embarrass her in the Capital City.


    Seeing that Li Mingwei ignored him, he looked down at his clothes and sighed. It''s better if he doesn''t go out much in the Capital City, just focus on studying.


    This time, even more people came to see them off, blocking the entire road. But with Tang Shan present, no guards dared to drive them away.


    Li Mingwei straightened Liu Yizhu''s clothes, disdainfully watching the foolish Yang Jingyuan clinging to Tang Jue and Zhong Liangyu, crying like a baby.


    "Wait for me in the Capital City, I''lle find you in two years!"


    "Okay, okay!" Tang Jue brushed him off. "I can''t say if they''ll wait for you, but I''ll definitely wait."


    Yang Jingyuan sadly looked at Zhong Liangyu: "Liangyu!"


    "Get lost!" Zhong Liangyu gave him a kick and boarded the carriage.


    "Isn''t he exaggerating?" Li Mingwei eximed.


    Liu Yizhu snorted twice. Li Mingwei looked at him, a bit displeased. She hesitated: "Should I go back and cry in my room? It would be so embarrassing to cry here."


    "You..." Liu Yizhu choked up. "Never mind, don''t cry."


    If she cried, he would be at a loss...


    "I''m leaving."


    "Go on, then."


    Li Mingwei squeezed his hand. "When the flowers bloom next year, I''lle find you."


    "Okay."


    Liu Yizhu kept turning back to look at her as he walked to the carriage. Li Mingwei smiled and waved at him. He bit his lip, boarded the carriage, and drew the curtain without looking back again.


    Li Mingwei turned away and let out a soft sigh. Her lips quivered as she finally couldn''t hold back her tears. Lady Tang handed her a handkerchief with reddened eyes andforted her with a hug. In her youth, she too had been separated from Tang Shan for many years and understood the bitterness and heartache well.


    Tang Jue peeked out of the carriage to take onest look at his mother, witnessing this scene. He nced at the sullen, red-eyed Liu Yizhu, and wisely said nothing, only loudly instructing the driver: "Let''s go."


    "Yes, young master."


    As the carriage moved forward, Tang Jue rxed a little. It''s a good thing he didn''t find a wife yet.


    They had only been traveling for a few days when the manager Tang Shan had arranged for them arrived in the Capital City first. He found an inn with his attendants, then followed the instructions to visit the back gate of the Li Family mansion and deliver the letter.


    Ah Xiu received the letter with the familiar handwriting from the gatekeeper and guessed what it was about. The rankings from various prefectures must be out by now. It seemed her young master had made it onto the list.


    She opened the letter, went to fetch a key, and headed to the back gate.


    The gatekeeper respectfully greeted her: "Sister Ah Xiu, where are you going?"


    Ah Xiu showed him the key. "To make some money for our youngdy."


    The gatekeeper immediatelyughed: "Ah, I see. With exam candidates from all over arriving in the capital now, renting out the residence can fetch several times the usual price."


    Ah Xiu gave a light snort. She would love to collect the money, but did she dare?


    She stepped outside and sized up the rather young manager from the Tang Family waiting at the gate. She raised her chin: "So you''re the one looking to rent?"


    The Tang manager immediately bowed: "Yes, that''s right."


    Ah Xiu nced at the carriage behind him. "Come, I''ll show you around."


    She approached the carriage and turned back: "Is this your family''s carriage?"


    "Yes, yes!" The Tang manager nodded vigorously and went to lift the curtain. "After you, miss. After you."


    The gatekeeper frowned and called out loudly: "Sister Ah Xiu, should I find someone to apany you?"


    Ah Xiu waved her hand and looked at the Tang manager. She had some things to ask him, better not to bring someone else along.


    The Tang manager didn''t dare get into the carriage. He just stood beside the driver, lifted the curtain to ask for directions, and instructed the driver to proceed.


    The gatekeeper saw that he seemed decent enough and said no more.


    After the carriage had gone some distance, Ah Xiu lifted the curtain and said in a low voice: "Come in."


    The Tang manager shuddered slightly, then slowly climbed aboard to face the stern gaze of Ah Xiu. He couldn''t help thinking to himself, the youngdy seemed so amiable, but her personal maid is so intimidating.


    Suddenly remembering he had another letter, he quickly handed it to Ah Xiu.


    Ah Xiu held the thick envelope, her head starting to spin. What did the youngdy want her to do this time? Please don''t let it be another kneeling punishment.


    She cautiously opened it and scanned it briefly. Oh no, she was doomed to kneel!


    Her mood soured as she stared at the Tang manager for a moment, then casually asked: "Are the youngdy and child doing well?"


    "Yes, they''re both well," he replied.


    Ah Xiu restrained the urge to p him. Just as she''d told the old master, the youngdy did have a child! Look, look, she was right, wasn''t she?


    After quietly gloating for a bit, she continued in a nonchnt tone: "I haven''t seen our young master. Is he handsome?"


    The Tang manager had seen Liu Simo at home, so he nodded and smiled: "Very handsome, looks just like his father."


    Hehe!


    It''s a boy!


    Ah Xiu studied the slightly foolish-looking Tang manager, forcibly suppressing herughter, and continued her probing.


    The Tang manager saw the thick envelope and thought she knew everything, so he tried to get on her good side by chatting with her a bit more.


    However, Ah Xiu only realized at the end: "You''re not from our young master''s family?"


    "No, my young master and your young master were ssmates. They''re traveling to the Capital City together this time."


    Oh!


    It seems the young master''s family isn''t very well-off if they don''t even have a servant to prepare in advance.


    No matter, the youngdy has money to support him.

 Chapter 156

    Chapter 156


    The carriage came to a gradual halt. The coachman gently tapped on the door, interrupting the conversation between the two upants. He had driven to the alley that Ah Xiu had mentioned, though he was unsure which residence it was. Ah Xiu poked her head out and gestured to guide him.


    The small courtyard had been vacant for several months. Ah Xiu pushed open the gate and noticed dried leaves and dust scattered on the ground. She nced sideways at Tang Housekeeper and said, "We''ll have to make do with this for today. There''s no time to arrange for cleaning."


    Tang Housekeeper bowed respectfully. "That should be our responsibility. I''ll arrange for someone toe over shortly."


    "How many of you are there?"


    "I only brought four or five people with me. We haven''t finalized arrangements on the young master''s side yet." Tang Housekeeper contemted for a moment, then added, "In addition to our young master and your esteemed brother-inw, there''s also Young Master Zhong who needs to travel to the capital with us."


    Ah Xiu nodded and led him toward the back. "It''s fine, there''s enough space."


    The small courtyard consisted of threepounds, plus a garden area. Tang Housekeeper followed Ah Xiu as she toured each courtyard, eventually arriving at the garden with arge pond beside the rockery. The lotus flowers in the pond were partially withered, but the serene waters reflected the overhanging eaves, creating a pleasant scene.


    "How much would it cost to restore this?"


    He voiced his thoughts out loud. Ah Xiu shook her head. "I''m not sure. This was a gift from the old master to the youngdy on hering-of-age ceremony. The youngdy loves water, so the old master specifically chose a residence with a pond."


    Perhaps due to the youngdy''s fondness for water, the mistress had dispatched search parties to the Jiangnan region to look for her. However, judging from Tang Housekeeper''s ent, he seemed more likely to be from the northern regions.


    The mistress had made a miscalction!


    Ah Xiu peered at the pond water with disdain. "The water in this pond is a bit dirty. You should have it cleaned when you arrange for the cleaning crew."


    "Understood, I''ll make a note of it."


    Tang Housekeeper had been consistently respectful. Ah Xiu was satisfied with his demeanor, and her tone softened. "We''ve more or less seen the entire residence. Do you have any other questions?"


    "None, none at all."


    "Very well." Ah Xiu tossed him the keys. "Then you can make the arrangements yourself. And draft a lease agreement for me as well, so I can report back."


    Not having brought any writing materials, Tang Housekeeper could only suggest, "May I deliver it to your residence tomorrow?"


    "Sure."


    This location was not close to the Li Family residence. After seeing Ah Xiu off at the entrance, Tang Housekeeper instructed the coachman to take her back first before returning to fetch him. He nned to explore the premises further and consider the arrangements.


    As Ah Xiu settled into the carriage, she suddenly remembered something and poked her head out again to remind him, "The mainpound must be reserved for our esteemed brother-inw. Hurry and have the study room in the mainpound cleaned up. I''ll being over in the next day or two to deliver items for our brother-inw."


    "And this matter should remain undisclosed to our brother-inw for the time being, as you''re aware."


    Tang Housekeeper nodded, as the old master had already instructed him about this beforehand. But how could he bypass the young master and arrange for the old master to stay in the mainpound?


    On the surface, the residence appeared to be rented by the Tang Family, so the young master should reside in the mainpound. However, the young master was unaware of the true circumstances, and the old master had always been courteous. How could he concoct an exnation that would satisfy them both?


    It would be challenging...


    More challenging still was the predicament facing Ah Xiu. After returning to the residence, she finally took out the letter and carefully re-read it. The youngdy was certainly making things difficult for her. How could she discreetly retrieve the books listed from the old master''s study room?


    Thest time she left a note, she got caught.


    Ah Xiu unfolded the long book list and sighed. First, she went to Li Mingwei''s study room next door and gathered the books from the list that were avable, marking them before taking them back to her room.


    As for the remaining books...


    She fretted all night but couldn''te up with a good n. Not wanting to dy further and mindful of Li Yi''s expected return, she waited outside his courtyard.


    Upon returning, Li Yi immediately noticed Ah Xiu standing at the entrance to his courtyard, her timid demeanor suggesting she hadmitted some wrongdoing and was seeking his pardon. He shook his head wearily and motioned for her to follow.


    He entered the study room and had just set down the book in his hand when he heard a thud. Turning around, he saw Ah Xiu kneeling on the floor. This girl, had shemitted some serious transgression?


    He signaled for the attending housekeeper to leave and close the door behind him. Only then did he take a seat and address Ah Xiu, "Get up. Did you do something wrong again, prompting punishment from the mistress?"


    Worried about rming the old master by revealing news of Lang Yue''s circumstances, Ah Xiu hesitated, unsure how to begin. She remained silent for a moment.


    Observing her demeanor, Li Yi assumed it must be a grave matter, massaging his temples in distress. "Go ahead and speak. Whatever it is, I''ll have a word with Lang Yue to prevent her from punishing you."


    "I..." Ah Xiu''s throat tightened, and she mumbled softly, "I haven''t provoked the mistress''s angertely."


    "Then who have you offended?"


    Could it be De Zhi? This thought immediately crossed his mind, only to be dismissed. De Zhi had always been the one pleading on Ah Xiu''s behalf, so how could it be her?


    Ah Xiu''s eyes darted around restlessly. She cautiously lifted her gaze to meet Li Yi''s, then quickly lowered it, repeating this a few times.


    Li Yi understood her implication. He scanned the study room but found nothing amiss, instinctively checking the books on the desk for any hidden notes but found none. Sighing, he said, "Did your youngdy instruct you to carry out some mischief again?"


    Observing Ah Xiu''s demure manner, Li Yi rose to his feet. "Perhaps I should step outside for a moment?"


    "No, no need." Ah Xiu shook her head vigorously. Since she didn''t know the whereabouts of a few books, it wouldn''t do for the old master to leave.


    Reassured by the old master''s cooperation, Ah Xiu''s apprehension dissipated. She exined sheepishly, "It''s nothing serious, just wanting to borrow some books."


    "Borrow books? What books?"


    Ah Xiu produced the book list from her sleeve, stating matter-of-factly, "Of course, books that can help one be a top schr!"


    Li Yi chuckled. "If I had books that could guarantee bing a top schr, I''d have little thieves like you visiting every day."


    He epted the lengthy book list from Ah Xiu and scanned the familiar handwriting, his heart suddenly aching. It had been so long since he had seen her, and he wondered how she was faring now.


    Li Yi perused the list from top to bottom, his brow furrowing. This little girl intended to clear out his entire study room!


    Having surmised her intentions, Li Yi didn''t hesitate further. He entered the inner chamber, retrieved a few books, and ced them on the desk. "Look for the others on the bookshelves. Take what''s avable, and figure out the rest on your own."


    Ah Xiu immediately beamed, retrieving arge square cloth from her waist and spreading it on the floor. With the book list in hand, she headed for the bookshelves.


    Li Yi couldn''t bear to watch any longer and strode out.


    The housekeeper waiting outside immediately followed, casting a puzzled nce at the closed door. Why hadn''t Ah Xiu emerged?


    Li Yi settled in the courtyard, epting a cup of tea from the housekeeper while gazing pensively at the study room door. "What has Ah Xiu been up to these past few days?"


    The housekeeper pondered for a moment before replying softly, "She has remained within the courtyard as usual. Only yesterday did she venture out to show someone the residence at Ji''an Alley, iming it had been rented out."


    "Send someone to investigate who the new tenant is."


    "Understood."


    As the housekeeper turned to leave, Li Yi called out to him again, "Don''t let Lang Yue know about this yet."


    "I understand."

 Chapter 157

    Chapter 157


    As Liu Yizhu, Tang Jue, and Zhong Liangyu arrived in the Capital City, everything had already been arranged. Tang Housekeeper went to the city gate to receive them and led them directly to Ji''an Alley in a horse carriage.


    After days of jostling on the road, the three of them felt a bit weary. However, at the moment they caught sight of the bustling streets of the Capital City, their joy outweighed their fatigue.


    Tang Jue lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the busy streets outside, eximing, "Indeed, it''s so vibrant here!"


    ording to his mother, he had visited the Capital City when he was a child, but he was only two or three years old at that time and couldn''t remember anything. Now, it could be considered his first time in the Capital City.


    "I wonder how the girls in the Capital City sing their tunes," he pondered aloud.


    Zhong Liangyu nced at him sideways and said, "Are you also curious about the local wine in the Capital City?"


    "You understand me, my friend!" Tang Jue grinned widely, sidling up to him and yfully kicking Liu Yizhu, who had been staring out of the carriage window. "After the long journey, how about we have a drink to relieve our weariness tonight?"


    His words went unnoticed for a while, and Tang Jue felt a bit disappointed. Without Yang Jingyuan, he couldn''t even enjoy a drink properly. He regretteding to the Capital City with them and wished he had waited for Yang Jingyuan instead.


    Zhong Liangyu''s gaze fell on Liu Yizhu, following his line of sight as he looked outside. They had already left the bustling market behind, and there were no shops or pedestrians on the road. Zhong Liangyu wondered what Liu Yizhu was looking at.


    "What''s wrong?" he asked.


    Liu Yizhu shook his head, remaining silent as he continued to gaze outside.


    Tang Jue smirked and said, "What else could be on his mind? He must be thinking about his sister-inw."


    He patted Zhong Liangyu''s shoulder, sighed, and added, "You wouldn''t understand."


    Their bond as a married couple was so deep. His sister-inw cried so much that day, and it was truly heart-wrenching.


    Tang Housekeeper called out to the coachman to stop the carriage and lowered the carriage stool, opening the curtain. "Young Master, we''ve arrived. Please alight."


    Tang Jue was the first to jump down and walked a few steps forward. He peered through the wide-open mansion gate and thought, "This house looks pretty good."


    Liu Yizhu followed behind Zhong Liangyu and stood at the entrance, looking up at the nk que above. Was this the ce where they would stay for the next half year?


    He wondered where Wei''s house was.


    Just as he had some concerns, Ah Xiu, who had been hiding on the side of the carriage, became excited. "This is it, this is it!"


    "Are you sure?" A man dressed as a servant who apanied her nced at Tang Jue and Zhong Liangyu and asked in confusion, "Why can''t it be those two?"


    Ah Xiu turned around and pped him, disdainfully saying, "Whether you understand Miss or not, I do. I said it''s this one, so it''s this one."


    "Alright, if you say so. He looks decent, though a bit poor," the man remarked.


    Ah Xiu nodded, pouted, and bumped into the person next to her. "Gou Cai, do you think I should make some better clothes for Young Master? It wouldn''t look good if he meets Madam dressed like this."


    "Forget it, you''ll end up exposing Miss," Gou Cai replied.


    "Fine then."


    Ah Xiu reluctantly agreed and watched as they entered the house. She had made all the arrangements for him, hoping that he would make good use of them.


    After the Tang Housekeeper finished tidying up the small courtyard and settled in, he became familiar with theyout of the house. He led the three of them to the area under the corridor bridge and gave them a brief introduction.


    Tang Jue raised an eyebrow and said, "It''s quite spacious. Must be expensive."


    Liu Yizhu and Zhong Liangyu exchanged nces and said, "We don''t know the rent, so we''ll pay for our share ourselves."


    "Well..." The Tang Housekeeper couldn''t tell them that it didn''t cost them anything. He bowed and said, "This was arranged by the master. I can''t make decisions. I hope you won''t make it difficult for me."


    "That''s right, that''s right." Tang Jue slung his arm around their shoulders andughed. "Why are you being so polite to me?"


    Both of them felt uneasy, but seeing how nervous the Tang Housekeeper was, sweating on his forehead, they didn''t want to make it more difficult for him.


    The Tang Housekeeper breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to lead them to their living quarters. When they reached the main courtyard gate, Tang Jue naturally walked inside but was stopped.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Master Liu lives in the main courtyard, and you, young master, will live in the back."


    Liu Yizhu frowned. "Why is that?"


    Why? Because this is your family''s house!


    The Tang Housekeeper''s forehead became even more sweaty, and he didn''t dare to look at his young master. He made up a story and said, "The master instructed before he came. The young master doesn''t understand things, so he asked me to consult with Master Liu about everything. That''s why..."


    What does this have to do with the house he''s living in?


    Tang Jue was a bit puzzled and thought for a while. He assumed that his father believed Liu Yizhu would be an official next year, so he wanted to please him by arranging it this way. He didn''t argue and followed the servants to the back.


    The Tang Housekeeper didn''t dare to lift his head. ording to Ah Xiu''s instructions, he first took Liu Yizhu to the study in the main courtyard and said, "These are the books left by the master. As long as you handle them with care, you can read them freely."


    Liu Yizhu randomly picked a few books that he hadn''t read before and looked up at the almost full bookshelf, his face showing great joy.


    He chose one and was about to read it when his gaze fell on the neatly arranged paper, ink, brush, and inkstone on the desk. He reached out and touched the brush, which was brand new.


    Even the most naive person could sense that something was wrong. He smiled and looked at the Tang Housekeeper. "Did the master leave these as well?"


    These things don''t look cheap at all. Were they just bought and then discarded after moving?


    "No, I prepared them."


    "Is that so?" Liu Yizhu didn''t believe it and took out his purse. "Then, Tang Housekeeper, how much did you spend? I''ll reimburse you."


    The Tang Housekeeper was taken aback. He didn''t know how much money was spent!


    He wasn''t familiar with the prices in the capital city and didn''t dare to say anything casually for a moment. He could only refuse, "No need, no need."


    Liu Yizhu''s expression turned cold. "Tang Housekeeper, if you keep acting like this, I''ll find another ce to live."


    The Tang Housekeeper was drenched in cold sweat. If he had known, he wouldn''t have taken on this job. He only agreed because he thought his father was getting old and it wouldn''t be good for him to travel long distances. He never expected it to be so difficult.


    He cast a deep gaze at Liu Yizhu, bowed in a formal gesture, and then exited the room, deciding to seek the young master''s assistance.


    Once he had left, Liu Yizhu closed the door and immediately began searching the study. Every word and action of Tang Housekeeper conveyed to him that something was definitely amiss.


    Sure enough, he quickly found a small box hidden beneath the bookshelf. Inside, along with several books, was a purse and a piece of paper.


    The paper bore a few bold words: "These books are not to be shown to anyone else, or else you''ll be punished!"


    Liu Yizhu found the handwriting strangely familiar, reminiscent of Li Mingwei''s, yet different at the same time.


    He didn''t quite understand the concept of a personal maid, but he wondered, "Didn''t Wei mention that there was a younger sister in the family?"


    Then who could this be?


    Regardless of her identity, Tang Housekeeper''s peculiar arrangements had given him a clue.


    Feeling disheartened, he slumped into a chair and absentmindedly opened the purse, finding a stack of silver bills inside. Their family was certainly wealthy.


    "Sigh~"


    Meanwhile, Li Mingwei, who was thousands of miles away, remained unaware that her repeated pleas and instructions to keep a certain matter hidden from Lord Tang had been inadvertently revealed by the overzealous maid, Ah Xiu, and subsequently sold out.

 Chapter 158

    Chapter 158


    The three were unaware that from the moment they entered, they had been watched, stripped naked, and sent directly to Li Yi''s hands.


    The steward approached the study door and saw Li Yi still practicing calligraphy. Unsure whether to disturb him, Li Yi nced at him, and the steward immediately bent forward.


    "My lord, I have investigated the matter you instructed earlier."


    Li Yi made an acknowledging sound, his brush unceasing. The steward continued, "There are three schrs residing in thepound, all from Anhuai County in Chengzhou, here to take the imperial examinations."


    "One is Young Master Tang Jue, the only son of County Magistrate Tang Shan of Anhuai County. His schrship is somewhat weak, scoring only 103rd inst year''s autumn examinations."


    "The most schrly of the three is Liu Yizhu from Qingshi Town in Anhuai County, ranking first. Then there is Zhong Liangyu from Shuangan Town, ranking sixty-fourth."


    Li Yi put down his brush and leaned back in his chair, smiling as he asked, "Where do you suppose Mingwei is now?"


    The steward did not hesitate, "Qingshi Town. Of the three, only Liu Yizhu is already married."


    "Married?"


    "Yes." The steward carefully observed Li Yi''s expression and, seeing no significant change, hesitated, "My lord, do you recall what Ah Xiu said? Perhaps the youngdy truly has a child now."


    "How so?"


    "I''ve heard that Liu Yizhu has a son, and a few days ago, Ah Xiu bought a rattle and a pair of tiger-head baby shoes on the street."


    Li Yi frowned, his expression somewhat cold. Could there have been an issue with Imperial Physician Liu?


    He tapped the desk lightly, "Go and re-investigate Imperial Physician Liu, the one who examined Mingwei, and all those who attended to her at the Wangfu before. I need to know where the problem lies."


    Seeing his lord''s anger, the steward hurriedly acknowledged and left.


    "Wait!"


    "What are your further instructions, my lord?"


    "Send a few trustworthy people to Chengzhou. There''s no need to disturb her, just observe what she''s doing. For now, keep this from Lord Lang Yue."


    "Understood."


    Li Yi watched the steward leave, then leaned back with closed eyes. Was it Murong Yu or someone else?


    Meanwhile, Li Mingwei, helping Wang Chunhua pull radishes in the fields, was unaware of the wave of people already dispatched by her grandfather to find her.


    Seeing sweat on Mingwei''s brow, Wang Chunhua hurried to wipe it with a handkerchief, "Rest a while if you''re tired."


    "I''m not tired."


    She had only pulled a few radishes. Last year, she hadn''t seeded in pulling any, so this year, she was determined to pull more to make up for it.


    Unable to persuade her, Wang Chunhua directly pulled Mingwei to sit on the ridge, "The radishes won''t run away. It''s still early, so take a break."


    Mingwei sat abruptly, looking at Wang Chunhua with slight grievance, "Sister, you pulled too hard."


    "Did you get hurt?"


    "No, just that one pull."


    Wang Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief and sat beside her, her forehead also beaded with sweat. Mingwei wiped her face clean with a handkerchief and noticed her paleplexion and bloodless lips, causing concern.


    "Sister, are you very tired?"


    "A little." Wang Chunhua smiled and nodded. She felt Mingwei must be even more tired than her, so she had forcibly pulled her to rest.


    "Aside from being tired, do you feel unwell anywhere else?"


    "Elsewhere?" Wang Chunhua looked at her in puzzlement. It was just pulling radishes - what else could be wrong? She carefully assessed herself, "I feel fine, just a bit of difort in my stomach."


    "Your stomach?" Mingwei ced her hand on Wang Chunhua''s abdomen, her face etched with more worry. She quickly gathered the pulled radishes into a basket, then said, "If you''re unwell, let''s go back first."


    But Wang Chunhua didn''t want to this time, grabbing Mingwei''s arm, "We''ve only pulled this little, and you want to go back now?"


    "We''ve only pulled this little, but you''re already tired and have a stomach ache. Don''t you think there''s a problem, Sister?"


    A problem?


    It did seem like there might be a problem. Given her physical condition, she shouldn''t be this tired.


    Wang Chunhua ced her hand on her stomach, her face brightening. Could she be pregnant again? Grabbing Mingwei''s hand, she hurried home, carefully protecting her abdomen, not daring to bump or jostle it.


    After putting the radishes away, the two went to the pharmacy. Slightly embarrassed, Wang Chunhua extended her hand to the doctor. She already had a daughter, so what if she had another?


    "Where is the difort?"


    Mingwei urgently said, "After just a little work, she''s already tired and has a stomachache. Could she be pregnant?"


    The doctor nodded in understanding, carefully feeling Wang Chunhua''s pulse. Shaking his head, he said, "It''s not a ''slippery pulse.'' It seems more like an upset stomach. What have you eaten these past two days?"


    Wang Chunhua felt a tinge of disappointment but nevertheless recounted her ordinary meals of rice and vegetables. The doctor found nothing unusual and, since her stomachache wasn''t severe, advised her to rest at home.


    Mingwei had her lie down and boiled some hot water, bringing it to the bedside for her to drink and warm her stomach.


    "s..."


    "Does it hurt a lot?"


    Wang Chunhua shook her head.


    "Then why the sigh, Sister?"


    "I thought I might be pregnant again." Wang Chunhua stroked her belly, disappointed. Now that Little Yan was grown, she could manage another child.


    "So Sister still wants another child."


    Mingwei didn''t even want one child, let alone Wang Chunhua wanting a second with one son and one daughter already.


    "Never mind." Wang Chunhua shook her head, "It''s not easy supporting Little Mei''s education. Another child would be too much. I''ll stop at this."


    When Liu Yizhu left earlier, who knows how much money her sister-inw had given him? The Capital City was so far away, taking half a year for just one trip. If Little Mei were to follow that path in the future, she didn''t know if their family could afford it.


    She calcted the days, "Brother-inw should have reached the Capital City by now, right?"


    "If there were no dys, he should have arrived two or three days ago. Lord Tang will inform me if they send a letter back."


    But letters wouldn''t arrive so quickly, taking at least ten days or more. She didn''t know if he had adjusted to life in the Capital City yet.


    Seeing the concern on Mingwei''s face, Wang Chunhua took her hand, "Don''t worry. Lord Tang is an official after all. No one would dare rob them on the road. He''s definitely fine."


    Mingwei smiled. That wasn''t what she was worried about. In their group of over ten grown men, only a woman bandit leader would dare to rob them and take them as ''mountain husbands,'' hahaha.


    "Why are youughing now?"


    "Nothing." Mingwei waved her hand dismissively. She had just read too many fiction novels. When Liu Yizhu left earlier, Lady Tang feared she would be overly saddened, so she had gifted several novels to amuse her.


    Mingwei had already read them all by candlelight in the past few days. She patted Wang Chunhua''s hand, "Sister, you rest well. I''ll read to youter."


    "Alright!"

 Chapter 159

    Chapter 159


    Dong Shan had gone home to help with the autumn harvest, leaving Wang Chunhua alone with nothing to do. So she took her two children to the Liu Family to listen to stories. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she smelled a delicious aroma and wondered what delicacies her family must be eating. Dong Lei immediately rushed towards the back.


    He saw Li Mingwei holding a small fan, tending to the stove fire. "Auntie, what are you cooking?"


    "Why are you here? Have you finished your homework?"


    Wang Chunhua set down little Xiao Yan and smiled, nodding. "All done, I did itst night bymp light so I could y these next two days."


    She peered at the y pot on the stove, inhaling the fragrant scent wafting through the courtyard. "Not bad at all. You''re simmering a soup. When did you learn this from your mother-inw?"


    Li Mingwei looked embarrassed. "My mother-inw made it. She went out and told me to watch the fire."


    She said it needed to simmer longer to be tender and soft.


    Wang Chunhua lifted the lid for a peek. It was simmering pigs'' feet. She didn''t need to ask about its effects, immediately eyeing Li Mingwei''s chest. "Not enough milk?"


    A hint of bashfulness crossed Li Mingwei''s face as she silently nodded. Others nursed for a year or two, but she was only six months in, and her milk supply was dwindling. The baby was no longer getting enough to eat.


    Her mother-inw had simmered many milk replenishment soups for her, but to no avail. Little Bingbing''s appetite only grewrger, and she had to find another solution to feed him.


    "Sister, little Bingbing is over six months old now. Besides milk, what else can he eat?"


    Wang Chunhua had never faced this problem, so she scratched her head. "What did your mother-inw say? She should know better than me."


    "Mm, Mother said he might be able to have rice porridge. She took some rice to the mill to grind into flour and see if that works."


    "Try it first. If not, we''ll figure something else out. Or see who else is nursing and if they have enough, we can pay them to feed little Bingbing too. It''s doable."


    After all, this was a crucial growth period. They couldn''t let the child go hungry.


    Li Mingwei agreed, continuing to tend the fire while Wang Chunhua pulled her up, handing the fan to Dong Lei. "You help your auntie watch the fire. Your mother and I need to talk."


    Before Dong Lei could react, the two had already gone inside, closing the door with a bang.


    Wang Chunhua seemed to remember something and opened the door again, shouting loudly, "And watch your sister too!"


    Then she mmed the door shut once more.


    Dong Lei grunted, muttering, "It''s just a story book, what''s there to talk about? Why all the secrecy?"


    He waved for Xiao Yan to sit beside him and handed her the fan. "You fan."


    "Okay!"


    Xiao Yan examined the fan, finding it amusing, and started fanning vigorously.


    Li Mingwei peeked out, a tad worried. "Maybe I should do it. Don''t want them getting burned."


    Wang Chunhua dragged a stool over to the desk and sat down, gesturing for Li Mingwei to join her. "No need to worry. Dong Lei is over eight years old. He can handle a simple stove. With his father away, I have him help me with the fire every day. He''s quite skilled at it."


    "Don''t fret. He''ll call us if anything happens." She pulled out a storybook, looking excited. "Where did we leave offst time?"


    Li Mingwei pondered, then got up to open the door before returning to sit beside Wang Chunhua, lowering her voice. "Not that book, the other one."


    "We were at the part about this girl named Liu Qiqi who did embroidery every day, nearly going blind, to earn money for a poor schr to take the imperial examinations in the Capital City. Then the schr became a top graduate and married an official''s daughter, leaving her behind."


    Wang Chunhua nodded repeatedly. "Right, right, that''s where we were. Then what happened?"


    Li Mingwei flipped ahead a couple of pages, scanned them, and continued, "Liu Qiqi stayed home, counting the days, waiting for the schr to return. But when she heard he had taken an official post in the Capital City and wouldn''t being back, she scraped together some money to go find him. She endured many hardships along the way. Finally arriving in the Capital City, she discovered he was already married, leaving her utterly devastated."


    Wang Chunhua pped the table angrily. "That ungrateful dog of a man, he can''t be let off so easily!"


    "Mm, so Liu Qiqi went to file aint against him at the officials'' residences."


    "And then? And then? Was the schr arrested?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. "No, officials protect their own. The poor schr''s father-inw was a high official, so others dared not offend him. He quietly informed the schr, who imed he and Liu Qiqi were never officially married. He had only borrowed some money from her before going to the capital and had already sent someone to repay her."


    Wang Chunhua squinted, deep in thought. "But it didn''t mention Liu Qiqi receiving any money earlier."


    "Right, the father-inw investigated and found it was true he had sent money, but Liu Qiqi never received it. The person delivering saw her poor eyesight and destitution so he kept the money for himself. Then the schr gave her another sum and told her to return home."


    "So she couldn''t file aint against him?"


    "They were never officially married, just a verbal agreement with no proof. The officials only go by evidence."


    Wang Chunhua was unconvinced. "So the poor schr just gets away with it like that?"


    After waiting so long and ruining her eyesight, all she got was a sum of money.


    "No, Liu Qiqi wrote a blood oath and killed herself in front of the schr''s residence. The whole Capital City was abuzz, even catching the Emperor''s attention. Though there was no evidence to convict him, the schr lost his reputation and any future prospects."


    "Served him right, the heartless bastard! Got what he deserved!" Wang Chunhua seethed, tears welling in her eyes as shemented, "Women must be more discerning when choosing men, or they''ll end up just as miserable."


    Li Mingwei looked awkward, offering her a handkerchief to wipe her tears. "Sister, it''s just a storybook. No need to take it so seriously."


    Wang Chunhua swatted her hand away, grasping her arm to scrutinize her eyes. "Little sister, your eyes are fine, right? Avoid taking too much embroidery work from now on, understand?"


    "Sister~" Li Mingwei sighed helplessly, blinking her eyes. "I''m fine, I only embroider during the day."


    "Good, that''s good." Wang Chunhua stared at her vacantly for a while, her heart growing inexplicably heavy as tears threatened to spill again.


    "Sister, what''s wrong?"


    Wang Chunhua choked back sobs, gripping Li Mingwei''s hand tightly. "Little sister, if... if your husband were to also..."


    "You mustn''t ever think of doing anything rash! We''re both so good-looking. You can just find another man. An unfaithful scoundrel like that isn''t worth it!"


    "But the child... the child would be without a father, and couldn''t lose his mother too!"


    Li Mingwei''s lips twitched. Her sister was overthinking this.


    How could she tell her sister that she was the official''s daughter, and if Liu Yizhu dared try anything, he would be the one dead?

 Chapter 160

    Chapter 160


    Old Lady Wang returned carrying a child and a cloth bag of rice noodles, and overheard them saying the child had no father or mother, which greatly saddened her. Her heart sank with the thought, "Oh no, has something happened to my son out there?"


    Her legs went weak for a moment as the cloth bag slipped from her hands and fell to the ground. She rushed to their doorway and peeked inside, seeing the two women huddled over something on the desk. Wang Chunhua''s eyes were reddened as if she had been crying inconsbly.


    Old Lady Wang''s voice trembled, "Has Yizhu sent a letter?"


    "No," Li Mingwei replied, puzzled. She stood up and approached her, "Mother, what''s wrong?"


    "What were you two looking at just now? Why is sister-inw crying?"


    "Oh." Li Mingwei nced at Wang Chunhua, who was wiping her tears, and guessed she had misunderstood something. She chuckled, "We were reading a story book. Sister was feeling sorry for the characters."


    Old Lady Wang breathed a sigh of relief. She set the child down and handed him to Li Mingwei, "Alright, you two keep reading. I''ll go cook some porridge and see if little Bingbing wants to eat."


    She looked down and noticed the cloth bag filled with rice noodles was missing. She nced around hurriedly.


    Dong Lei picked up the bag from the ground, dusted it off, and said, "Here it is."


    "Oh dear!" Old Lady Wang smacked her own forehead. She really was getting forgetful in her old age. She took the cloth bag from Dong Lei and patted his head, "Little Donglei is so thoughtful. Stay for lunch today, we''re cooking braised pig''s trotters!"


    Dong Lei''s eyes lit up as he eximed, "Great!"


    Wang Chunhua took the child from Li Mingwei''s arms and eyed her unimpressive son, "It''s just pig''s trotters, and look how eager he is."


    She turned to Li Mingwei with a puzzled look, "Don''t they serve meat at the school every day?"


    They had paid the fees on the promise that the school would provide a meat dish daily, but she hadn''t checked on thattely.


    "Yes, but I don''t eat at the school every day," Li Mingwei smiled. "Are you worried my mother-inw has been withholding their food, sister?"


    "No, not at all," Wang Chunhua nced toward the kitchen and lowered her voice. "Your mother-inw may be a bit stingy in other areas, but she treats the children well. She wouldn''t go that far."


    "Then what do you mean?"


    "I just wanted to ask how much Little Donglei eats at school every day. He''s been looking a bit thintely."


    But he ate about the same amount at home, so she worried that perhaps the school''s food didn''t agree with his appetite, causing him to eat less and not gain weight.


    Li Mingwei made a circr shape with her hands, "About this big of a serving, one scoop of a meat dish, one scoop of a vegetable dish, plus rice. And they can have an extra bowl of soup after finishing."


    Wang Chunhua''s expression immediately soured, "He eats that much at school?"


    Then why did he only eat one bowl of rice at home?


    Li Mingwei bit her lip, "Well, this is probably..."


    "Sister, it''s just that children tend to eat more as they grow older, right?"


    So he must have been eating less at home, which was why he looked thinner!


    Wang Chunhua angrily handed the child back to Li Mingwei and stomped toward the kitchen.


    "Sister, what are you doing?"


    Was Little Donglei about to get beaten again?


    "What else? I''m going to see how your mother-inw cooks!"


    Li Mingweiughed softly. Her sister''s cooking wasn''t bad, but her mother-inw''s skills were better. Since Dong Lei had tasted the better food for lunch, it was only natural that he would eat less of her sister''s cooking when he returned home andpared the two.


    "Is Mrs. Liu here?"


    Li Mingwei was about to return inside carrying the child when a familiar voice called out - it was a page boy from the Tong household delivering a message. She hurried out, "Yes, she is!"


    Although the Liu family''s gate was open, the page boy didn''t enter until he saw here out. He handed her the letter, "A message has arrived from the Capital City. Would you like me to escort you back? The master also needs to send a reply to the Capital."


    "Sure, pleasee in and have a seat for a while."


    "Alright!"


    The page boy sat down in the hall while Li Mingwei poured him a cup of water. She then opened the letter.


    Old Lady Wang and Wang Chunhua heard themotion and came out, extinguishing the fire in the kitchen to crowd around her and peer at the letter. "Is it from Yizhu?"


    "What did your brother-inw write?"


    Li Mingwei skimmed the letter, her face darkening slightly. She omitted thest part and simply said, "He says he has settled into the residence in the Capital City, and everything is fine. He''s asking about the situation at home and how Mother and the child are doing."


    Wang Chunhua pursed her lips, "He didn''t ask how you were doing, did he?"


    Li Mingwei gave her a helpless look. Of course he had asked, but she had omitted that part.


    "Oh, oh, oh!" Wang Chunhua understood, nodding and chuckling. It must have been something improper to mention.


    Old Lady Wang also smiled wryly, "Good, good, as long as he''s doing well, we''re all good."


    "Alright, I''ll go to my room and write him a reply."


    "Yes, just tell him everything at home is fine and to focus on his studies."


    Old Lady Wang saw Li Mingwei head inside and turned to the page boy, inviting him to stay for a meal before returning since it was still early, and he had a carriage anyway.


    Li Mingwei returned to her room, prepared the paper and ink, and began grinding the ink stick. However, her gaze kept falling upon the final part of the letter, where Liu Yizhu had asked if she had a younger sister, saying it seemed her sister didn''t like him very much. He didn''t know what he had done to offend her.


    Li Mingwei didn''t need to think too hard to know he must be referring to Ah Xiu.


    What did he mean by "didn''t like him"?


    Had he already noticed Ah Xiu''s behavior? Was Ah Xiu constantly watching him or something?


    She would have to send a letter to Ah Xiu, telling her to stay away from Liu Yizhu, or else her mother would surely notice something amiss.


    When Ah Xiu received the letter, she felt a bit wronged. How dare her brother-inw tattle on her? She should be the oneining about him! She wanted to write back in her defense, but Young Miss had forbidden her from going to Ji''an Alley, so she didn''t know where to send the letter. She could only bottle up her frustrations for now and wait until Young Miss returned before speaking out.


    She must make sure Young Miss punished that wicked brother-inw for tattling first!


    Cai brought in some pastries from outside and noticed Ah Xiu''s indignant expression. He immediately sat down beside her, "What''s wrong? Who upset you?"


    "None of your business!" Ah Xiu snapped.


    "Alright, I won''t pry." Cai sighed and offered her the pastries, "Here, eat these. I just bought them, and they''re still warm."


    Ah Xiu cradled the pastries, stuffing one into her mouth. Her mood improved slightly, and seeing no one else around, she exined in a wronged tone, "The other day, I went to the courtyard and happened to see your grandfather give Old Master some new books from the bookstore that had just arrived."


    Li Yi had to take a look at every new book. Whenever the bookstore received new titles, the shopkeeper would send him a copy without fail.


    "I thought your brother-inw probably hadn''t read them, so I bought some copies with good intentions to send to him." Ah Xiu unfolded the letter to show Cai. "But then he told Young Miss that I don''t like him!"


    "So what did you do to make your brother-inw think you don''t like him?" Cai asked suspiciously.


    Ah Xiu grew angry, "You stupid Cai! You don''t believe me!"


    It was clearly her brother-inw who spoke to the youngdy first, which was why she had hit him.


    Cai was stunned, "You hit your brother-inw?"


    "Just..." Ah Xiu pouted, "Just a light tap, that''s all."


    Recalling the usual force behind Ah Xiu''s "taps" when she hit him, Cai highly doubted it had been a light tap at all.

 Chapter 161

    Chapter 161


    Since arriving in the capital, Liu Yizhu had been feeling uneasy. When reading, he would be distracted, and Zhong Liangyu noticed that his brow was constantly furrowed, which made her rather worried as he had never been like this before.


    "Are you tired?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head.


    Zhong Liangyu sighed and turned to Tang Jue, "Ask the steward Tang if there''s any good ce nearby for us to go out and take a stroll, to freshen our minds."


    Tang Jue widened his eyes, "You want to go out? A few days ago when I suggested going out, you said you wanted to read. Now you''re telling me you want to go out again. I''m not going!"


    "You..." Zhong Liangyu pinched the bridge of her nose. Couldn''t he see that Liu Yizhu was out of sorts?


    She sighed patiently, "Reading is important, but we still have a long time ahead, and continuously reading like this is dull."


    She said this for Tang Jue to hear, but also for Liu Yizhu.


    Whether Tang Jue took it in or not was unknown, but Liu Yizhu understood. He stood up, indicating he wanted to go out for a walk. For this, he even returned to his room and changed into the clothes Li Mingwei had prepared for him. At home it didn''t matter, but he couldn''t embarrass her by going out looking disheveled.


    When he reached the main gate, he found the gatekeeper was absent. He looked around and didn''t know which way to go, thinking he should go to a lively area where he could ask for directions.


    Liu Yizhu hesitated for a moment and noticed a carriage stopped diagonally opposite with a coachman seated on it. He was about to approach and ask, when a young woman came from the side, carrying groceries and appearing to be a local resident. He quickly approached and greeted her politely.


    "Excuse me, Miss, do you know if there are any families with the surname Ming living nearby?"


    The youngdy nced at the well-dressed Liu Yizhu, lowered her head shyly, and said softly, "Surname Ming?"


    "Yes."


    She pondered for a moment and shook her head, "I live just ahead, and I haven''t heard of any Ming families around here. You should ask elsewhere, Sir."


    Liu Yizhu was disappointed. He was about to ask if there were any teahouses or taverns with many people around where he could inquire when something flew and struck his back. He was hit so suddenly that he staggered for a moment and lost his bnce.


    After steadying himself, he turned and caught a glimpse of a hand pulling down the carriage curtain, the color of the arm and clothes indicating it was a woman.


    The coachman looked at him sympathetically before promptly leaving with the carriage.


    Liu Yizhu picked up the bundle from the ground and opened it to find a few volumes of literary works. He instantly recalled the youngdy in the box who had left a message threatening to hit him.


    He thought to himself, "Oh no."


    Based on her attitude, she clearly disliked him now. He had just arrived and already offended someone from Li Mingwei''s family. How could this happen?


    The steward Tang and the gatekeeper came rushing out looking for Ah Xiu, but only saw Liu Yizhu standing at the gate.


    "Master Liu, what happened?"


    "Nothing."


    Liu Yizhu rubbed his still aching back and decided not to go out anymore, returning to his room in frustration.


    Ah Xiu in the carriage was also indignant. She had just praised him for looking presentable enough for their youngdy, and he immediately went to flirt with another young woman. She couldn''t let him off!


    Liu Yizhu hadn''t thought of it that way at all. He was just asking for directions.


    He returned to the courtyard, and Zhong Liangyu peeked out, "You''re back so soon?"


    "I bought some books. Are there any bookstores nearby?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head, looked down at his clothes, and said with a headache, "Is there something wrong with my attire? Is something not right?"


    Tang Jue nodded and stroked his chin, "It''s not quite right."


    "Really?" Liu Yizhu hurriedly straightened his clothes and asked, "What''s wrong with it?"


    He must have worn it incorrectly.


    "Next time you go out, don''t wear this outfit again, especially when you''re going out with me."


    Liu Yizhu''s heart sank. So he had worn it improperly and embarrassed himself.


    Tang Jue said solemnly, "You''re too attention-grabbing in this outfit. I haven''t even married yet, and you''re going to steal all the youngdies'' attentions from me."


    Liu Yizhu...


    So there was nothing wrong with his clothes, but how had he managed to offend someone just by going out? It seemed he should refrain from going out altogether, as that was where he made mistakes.


    "Liangyu."


    "Yes?"


    "Come in and take a look at my back."


    Liu Yizhu went inside, and Zhong Liangyu followed closely. He removed his clothes and exposed his back to her, "How is it?"


    "This..." Zhong Liangyu saw a red patch on his back and touched it gently, "There''s a bit of broken skin here, and some swelling."


    "Broken skin?"


    "Just a little, no bleeding, so that''s good."


    Nevertheless, she called for Tang Jue to fetch the steward Tang and bring some medicine. Then she asked Liu Yizhu, "You were only out for a short while. How did you get injured?"


    And on the back, like he had fallen backward?


    Liu Yizhu shook his head, not wanting to talk about it.


    They must be from the same family, to hit him so viciously.


    However, when he wrote the letter, he didn''t tell Li Mingwei about his injury, only that he didn''t know what he had done wrong to offend someone, and wanted to ask her if she knew the reason so he could make amends the next time they met.


    Unfortunately, Li Mingwei''s reply didn''t mention it at all, not even the youngdy, leaving Liu Yizhu disappointed as he folded the letter and put it back in the drawer.


    She still didn''t want to tell him anything.


    His gaze fell on the books nearby. Perhaps he could only learn the truth after passing the imperial examination next spring.


    He sighed and looked out at the darkening sky, lighting a candle. He might as well focus on reading.


    Li Mingwei awoke from her sleep in a daze, her head feeling groggy. She dressed and sat at her desk, watching the snowkes fluttering outside the window, a chill running through her heart.


    Old Lady Wang knocked and entered, calling her to eat. Seeing the sweat on her forehead, she frowned, "What''s wrong with you?"


    To be sweating on such a cold day.


    "Nothing, just a dream."


    "What dream?" Old Lady Wang grew concerned. "Don''t tell me you dreamed something happened to Liu Yizhu!"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. It was and it wasn''t. She had dreamed that Ah Xiu went to Ji''an Alley every day, and her mother found out. Her mother gathered people to surround the estate and did something to Liu Yizhu...


    She shuddered, not wanting to recall further. Her mother might get angry, but she wouldn''t go that far. Her grandfather wouldn''t allow it either. She was just being paranoid.


    "It''s nothing. Let me eat," Old Lady Wang said as she started to leave, but Li Mingwei called out to her.


    "Mother."


    "Yes?"


    "Mother, how long after giving birth can a woman have another child?"


    Old Lady Wang pondered, "After the first month, I think. Cui Cui''s mother got pregnant with her second child just two months after giving birth to her first. I apanied her to see the doctor then, and he said it was too soon, not good for her health, but she didn''t want to terminate it, so she went ahead with it."


    Seeing Li Mingwei remain silent, sheughed, "What''s the matter? Don''t tell me you don''t want to have children anymore. You can''t even get pregnant right now with Liu Yizhu away."


    "Mother..." Li Mingwei''s face darkened. "Haven''t you noticed I''ve been feeling sleepy again recently?"


    "Ah?" Old Lady Wang''s heart raced. Her son had been gone for nearly two months, and this was happening?!

 Chapter 162

    Chapter 162


    Old Lady Wang didn''t care about dinner anymore. She carried the child on her back and led Li Mingwei to the pharmacy. She felt uneasy along the way, wondering if Li Mingwei was really pregnant again. If so, it had been almost two months, butst month she was still pulling radishes every day.


    "Mom, can you slow down?"


    "Oh oh oh." Old Lady Wang slowed her pace and gently supported Li Mingwei, exining, "I''m just afraid the pharmacy will close."


    Li Mingwei was actually a bit reluctant to go. She really didn''t want to face this reality, but as her physical reactions became more and more obvious, it seemed pointless to keep avoiding it.


    The doctor saw Li Mingwei''s sullen expression and gently checked her pulse. "What''s the matter?"


    Old Lady Wang said anxiously, "Check if she''s pregnant again."


    "Your eldest is only seven months old, right?"


    "Yes, seven months and more."


    Over the past two months, Li Mingwei''s sluggish pulse was quite noticeable. It didn''t take long for the doctor to nod, "It''s been over two months."


    Old Lady Wang calcted and realized that Liu Yizhu returned in early September, and left for the Capital City on the 12th. So the conception must have happened around that time.


    Li Mingwei''s face turned even sourer. No... That scoundrel Liu Yizhu, he couldn''t even leave her in peace from such a distance.


    She frowned and asked, "Is it bad if the pregnancies are too close?"


    The doctor calcted, "It''s been over four months, right? It''s better if it''s after half a year, but it''s not too far off. Did your body recover well after giving birth to your eldest?"


    "How do you define recovering well?"


    "Any difort down there? Have you been resting properly? Do you suddenly feel fatigued sometimes?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. She didn''t feel any difort, and she rested decently. At night, the child always slept with her mother-inw, so she wasn''t disturbed unless the child was hungry.


    "I do feel a bit tiredtely, and have started feeling drowsy again."


    "If it''s only recently, then it''s because you''re pregnant again," the doctor observed herplexion carefully, asked a few more questions, and since her condition seemed fine, he said, "You can keep it for now, but be extra careful."


    Li Mingwei had a headache. If she kept the child, wouldn''t that mean she couldn''t return to the Capital City next year?


    She decided to go to the county town for a second opinion first.


    Liu Yizhu had no idea that due to his mistake, his chance to see his wife would be dyed again. Every day he remained immersed in his studies, not daring to go out.


    Only after the new year did he asionally take a stroll in the garden to see if any flowers were about to bloom.


    Li Mingwei didn''t tell him about her pregnancy. When she received his letter, she cursed him in her heart. Look at what he had done! He even hoped spring woulde early so he could see her soon. Let him dream his spring and autumn dreams!


    She wrote a letter, asking Tang Housekeeper to keep it until after Liu Yizhu''s spring examination. As soon as it was over, he should give Liu Yizhu the letter, telling him he had to wait another year. That would kill him!


    Tang Housekeeper didn''t know the contents of the letter. He simply followed Tang Shan''s instructions and kept it safe, then went to prepare the things needed for the trio''s Metropolitan Exam. It was only February, so the weather was still cold, requiring thicker clothes and shoes.


    The Metropolitan Exam was no different from the County Exam, with three sections. After finishing thest section, the trio had just sat down at home when Tang Housekeeper came smiling and presented Li Mingwei''s letter to Liu Yizhu.


    "Master Liu, this is a letter your wife wrote earlier for you. She asked me to give it to you after the exam. Please take a look."


    Liu Yizhu was delighted. Tang Jue and Zhong Liangyu felt a bit envious, thinking how considerate Liu Yizhu''s wife was.


    The two tried to peek, but Liu Yizhu avoided them. They could only watch from the side. But soon they realized something was amiss, because Liu Yizhu''s expression wasn''t good at all, and he even slumped down.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "No..." Liu Yizhu looked dazed. They had agreed not to have more children, but he...


    Why?! Did he not handle it properly?


    He calcted the dates. If she was only five months along now, the child would be born in July, meaning she couldn''te to the Capital City until next July.


    "I want to go home..."


    "Did something happen at home?"


    His father didn''t tell him, afraid it would affect their exams?


    Seeing how dejected he looked, Tang Jue couldn''t hold back anymore. He snatched the letter from Liu Yizhu''s hand, read it, and burst outughing, "Congrattions! Congrattions, Brother Liu, you''re going to be a father again!"


    Liu Yizhu snatched the letter back. What was there to be happy about? Li Mingwei had suffered so much pain giving birth to their eldest. Who knew if this pregnancy would go well?


    This method didn''t seem very effective. He would have to try something else. What a headache! He should consult a doctor about it another day.


    "Tang Housekeeper, I want to write a letter. Please help me find someone to deliver it back hometer."


    Tang Housekeeper bowed, "Yes."


    Though Liu Yizhu wanted to go home, he also understood he couldn''t leave yet. So he could only pour his worries onto paper and send them back.


    Though he knew he didn''t have much hope, Tang Jue still got up eagerly on the day the examination results were announced, wanting to join the crowd outside the Imperial Examination Hall. He had just reached the front courtyard when he saw Liu Yizhu and Zhong Liangyu already dressed and waiting for him.


    "You guys are so fast!"


    It was barely dawn. He went over and looked at their puffy eyes. They must not have slept at all.


    Liu Yizhu pushed him aside. "Let''s go. Soon there won''t even be standing room left."


    Tang Housekeeper had already secured their spots, either at exorbitant prices or by not finding any at all. That''s why they had to get up so early to try and get a spot in the front row.


    The three took a carriage towards the Imperial Examination Hall, but they only made it halfway before getting stuck in traffic. The carriage driver jumped down, walked a few steps ahead to try and urge the vehicles in front to move, only to see the long line of carriages ahead.


    He opened his mouth, found his voice, and knocked on the carriage door. "Young masters, the road ahead ispletely blocked. I don''t think we''ll be able to get through anytime soon."


    Tang Jue looked at the sky and felt anxious. If they waited any longer, the results would be announced. The three nced at each other, jumped out of the carriage, and walked towards the Imperial Examination Hall.


    The crowd only grew thicker as they went. The three were startled - how could there be so many people here so early?


    They finally reached the entrance of the Imperial Examination Hall but couldn''t squeeze inside, watching people celebrating the results all around. Tang Jue shook his head in disappointment, "We''re toote."


    "You don''t need to say it," Zhong Liangyu looked up at the sky. "We woke up even earlier than when we were in Chengzhou, yet there are so many people."


    "The Capital City is big with lots of people."


    Liu Yizhu was asionally bumped into, feeling ufortable. He pulled the other two towards the side of the road. "Enough, let''s wait over there. We can go closer once the crowd disperses. It''s just not seeing the results being announced. The list won''t run away."


    The three squeezed into an empty alleyway and silently watched the surging crowd outside.


    Compared to Tang Jue''s calmness, Zhong Liangyu felt uneasy. He hadn''t performed well in the County Exam, and he didn''t know how he had done this time either.


    Liu Yizhu leaned against the wall and patted Zhong Liangyu''s shoulder reassuringly. "Don''t worry. You''re still young. It''s fine if you don''t make the list."


    Zhong Liangyu knew Liu Yizhu was right, but he couldn''t help feeling anxious. He nced at the equally anxious Liu Yizhu. "I''m talking about me, but you don''t need to panic!"


    Liu Yizhu smiled wryly. If it weren''t for Li Mingwei, he could ept any result calmly. At worst, he would try again in a few years. But now, he had no choice but to feel anxious.

 Chapter 163

    Chapter 163


    Three people could only hide in a corner and wait for the crowd to disperse. However, Li Yi had secured the best viewing spot early in the morning. Although he still couldn''t see the list clearly, there were people up there working for him.


    "Master, the second ce, the top examinee, is Zeng Kang from our academy."


    Li Yi nodded, "Hmm, not bad."


    With his background, as long as his performance wasn''t too poor, he had a great advantage in the pce examination. There shouldn''t be any problem with him bing a sessful candidate in the imperial examination. In that case, Mingwei''s child could safelye back, right?


    Oh, but they still have to wait for another year to return.


    The pedestrians outside took a long time to disperse. Even after receiving the news, Li Yi didn''t leave. The child had been studying at home all along, and he hadn''t seen him yet. Today, he should take a look.


    The steward understood what he was thinking and stood by the window, looking outside. It took a while for him to spot the three people slowly approaching and he smiled, "They don''t seem to be in a hurry at all."


    Upon hearing this, Li Yi stood up abruptly and squinted his eyes to look outside, "Which one is it?"


    The steward pointed at the tallest one among the three and said, "That one."


    Liu Yizhu stood under the list, staring at his name for a long time. He repeatedly checked the information written above, let out a sigh of relief, and then stared at the person in front of him for a while.


    Tang Jue chuckled and put his arm around him, "With that look in your eyes, it seems like you want to devour him."


    Liu Yizhu snapped back to his senses and red at him. Seeing Zhong Liangyu still looking at the list, he nudged Tang Jue, "How about Liangyu?"


    Tang Jue shook his head. He hadn''t even finished reading half of it, and his eyes were already tired. He didn''t feel like looking anymore. Well, it didn''t matter anyway, his name wouldn''t be on it.


    Liu Yizhu turned around and looked around. He happened to meet the gaze of two pairs of eyes staring at him from the opposite second-floor window. After hesitating for a moment, he bowed respectfully to the two.


    Li Yi smiled and withdrew his gaze, sitting back in the private room, "I heard the child looks a lot like him."


    "Yes."


    As long as he was sensible, Langyue shouldn''t make things too difficult for him.


    Tang Jue looked at Liu Yizhu bowing to someone but didn''t see anyone, "Who did you bow to?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head, "I don''t know."


    If it was someone from the Wei Wei family, judging by their age, it should be her long-awaited grandfather.


    If not, it didn''t matter to bow, after all, he was an elder.


    Zhong Liangyu ran over with a smile, excitedly saying, "I made it on the list!"


    "What''s your ranking?"


    "One hundred and thirty-four."


    Tang Jue held back augh, and Liu Yizhu nudged him. Even if he was thest one, it was still better than Tang Jue, who didn''t make the list at all.


    "Congrattions, congrattions."


    Zhong Liangyu grinned, "Congrattions to you too."


    The two of them left hand in hand, leaving Tang Jue disgruntled in ce. He was sure that after another three years of study, he would definitely make the list. Hmph!


    Tang Shan received the news but wasn''t too disappointed. He instructed his servants to prepare the carriage and headed to another residence.


    Li Mingwei gently stroked her already showing belly and saw him walk in with a smile. She thought Tang Jue had gotten lucky.


    "Where''s your mother-inw?"


    "She''s in the room. Why are you so happy? Did Tang Jue make it on the list?"


    "That prodigal son, how is it possible?" Tang Shan said disdainfully, handing the letter in his hand to Li Mingwei. "It''s your family member, the one from the Zhong family, who also passed."


    Li Mingwei quickly read the letter and nodded in approval. She calcted the dates and figured that the pce examination should have already taken ce a few days ago. If he could secure a top three position, she would be satisfied.


    Tang Shan sat across from her, his tone filled with envy. "You just have to wait for good news."


    He sighed. "I wonder what our Jue''er will do."


    Li Mingwei shook her head and chuckled. Both of them were astute individuals, so there was no need for pretense in front of her.


    Tang Jue soon received a letter from Shuhua Academy, instructing him to report there soon. He looked at Tang Guanshi in astonishment. "This is... Shuhua Academy, the one in the suburbs of the capital, the Shuhua Academy of the Li family?"


    Tang Guanshi couldn''t conceal his joy on his face and repeatedly nodded. "Yes, it''s that Shuhua Academy."


    Tang Jue held his chest, impressed by his father''s capabilities. He wondered if his father had spent a hefty sum to secure his admission.


    Today, he could finally hold his head up high before the two famous individuals. With an air of superiority, he entered the room and threw the letter onto the chessboard in front of them. He crossed his arms and never once lowered his head.


    The two individuals, whose chess game was disrupted, were somewhat annoyed. Nevertheless, they reluctantly opened the letter to take a look. Zhong Liangyu raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Tang seems to have quite a widework in the capital."


    Liu Yizhu nced briefly, thinking that it must be the help of Weiwei.


    Since the pce examination results were announced, many people had inquired about Tang Jue''s ce of residence and sent letters of congrattion. Some of them came from well-connected families, and he had managed to gather all the information. Former King''s concubine, huh~


    Liu Yizhu was about to explode. He, the top scorer, was useless. He was only fit for knocking on the Li family''s back door.


    Tang Jue gazed at him after a long silence, and then nced at his despondent face as he slumped in the chair. He couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow. "Sir Top Scorer, what''s wrong? Are you going to cry?"


    Of course, he wanted to cry!


    Unfortunately, at this moment, he couldn''t find a ce to cry.


    Zhong Liangyu shook her head helplessly. "He''s been like thistely, locking himself in his room and noting out. Today, I managed to persuade him toe out and y a round of chess."


    Tang Jue touched his forehead and then his own. "Is he running a fever or something?"


    "Look at his eyes. He''s so excited about his top scorer title that he can''t sleep."


    Liu Yizhu opened Tang Jue''s hand. What''s there to be excited about? Right now, he felt like dying.


    He hade to the capital with high hopes, thinking that as long as he made it onto the imperial examination list, he wouldn''t disgrace her and could return home in glory. But what happened? After half a year of bitter struggle, he still wasn''t worthy.


    Some things seemed unchangeable no matter how hard he tried.


    Seeing his bloodshot eyes, Tang Jue furrowed his brow and looked at the letter from Shuhua Academy. He murmured softly, "Is your sister-inw surnamed Li?"


    Liu Yizhu nced at him numbly.


    Tang Jue chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I knew it. Why is my father so good to my sister-inw? It turns out it''s for my sake."


    Zhong Liangyu was puzzled. "What do you mean? What''s wrong with the surname Li?"


    "Do you know who established Shuhua Academy?"


    "Yes, it was Minister Li. I heard he was extremely knowledgeable and had taught the previous emperor and the current one. Later, for reasons unknown, he resigned from his official position and opened an academy. Students from Da Chu are scrambling to attend his sses."


    Zhong Liangyu smiled and said, "I heard that Minister Li is also deeply devoted. After his wife passed away, he never remarried or took any concubines. He single-handedly raised his daughter. The academy was even named after histe wife."


    "Really?" Tang Jue nodded with a mischievous grin and then said, "So, your sister-inw''s surname is Li."


    Li?


    "Don''t tell me it''s the same Li as Minister Li."


    "Hey!" Tang Jue pped his hands and put his arm around Zhong Liangyu''s shoulder. "I''ve been thinking about the same thing. Do you think they are the same person?"


    Suddenly, Zhong Liangyu understood why Liu Yizhu looked so desperate.


    He probed, "Yizhu, your sister-inw didn''t tell you before, did she?"


    Liu Yizhu didn''t want to speak.


    "Tsk~" Tang Jue shook his head with a tinge of heartache. "Look at his suicidal appearance. Does he seem to know?"


    He turned around and called Tang''s steward, "Go and fetch a doctor."


    The top schr, who had only held his title for a few days, had already disappeared. It was truly an unexpected turn of events.

 Chapter 164

    Chapter 164


    Zhong Liangyu took the medicine bowl from the cook and sat by the bedside, looking at the slightly dazed Liu Yizhu. He stirred the bowl to dissipate the heat and brought it to Liu Yizhu''s lips.


    "I''ll do it myself," said Liu Yizhu, taking the bowl and draining the bitter medicine in one gulp before handing the empty bowl back.


    "You..." Zhong Liangyu wanted to stop him but didn''t know how to persuade him. After all, it wasn''t him going through this. He sighed, wishing Wei were here - she always knew how to handle Liu Yizhu.


    "Tang Housekeeper went to the Hanlin Academy early this morning to plead for leniency on your behalf. They said they could dy it for a few days, but he ran into the runner-up and the examiner when he got there. You should go once you''ve recovered, don''t fall behind from the start."


    Liu Yizhu coughed lightly, touched his forehead, and retreated back under the nket.


    Zhong Liangyu felt his forehead too and nodded, "Seems better than yesterday. Let''s see how you feel after today''s medicine."


    "Better?" Tang Jue burst in excitedly, bending over Liu Yizhu''s bed with a smile. "Feeling better?"


    Seeing him drenched in sweat with disheveled robes, as if he had just run, Zhong Liangyu asked with a smile, "Where have you been so early that got you in this state?"


    Tang Jue grinned, "Prince Jian''s mansion."


    Zhong Liangyu doubted, "You got in?"


    "What are you thinking?" How could he get in? By knocking and saying his father was the magistrate of Anhuai County, wanting to visit Prince Jian? Was that enough?


    "I just waited outside and caught a glimpse of Prince Jian," said Tang Jue, nudging Liu Yizhu. "To be honest, Prince Jian is quite handsome and distinguished. Rumor has it he was bestowed the title ''Jian'' by the Previous Emperor for his remarkable talents and virtues. He was even a strong contender for the throne."


    Zhong Liangyu nced outside, seeing only Tang Housekeeper, and rxed before warning, "Watch your mouth, this isn''t something we should be discussing."


    "I was just repeating what I heard," Tang Jue shrugged before turning to Liu Yizhu with a raised brow. "How did Wei end up with you after being married to him?"


    Liu Yizhu turned away, replying tly, "Beats me."


    Seeing Liu Yizhu''s foul mood, Tang Jue, who had only meant to tease him, felt awkward and looked to Zhong Liangyu for help.


    Zhong Liangyu pped his back unsympathetically. "Are you sick? You think he hasn''t been through enough trauma?"


    "I..."


    Tang Jue was at a loss for words. Liu Yizhu, unwilling to listen to their bickering, turned over with his back to them, dismissing them, "I want to rest."


    "Don''t be like that," Tang Jue hurried to make amends, seeing Liu Yizhu''s spirits sinking further. "Actually, you''re not inferior to Prince Jian in every way. I''d say he''s quite a bit older than you; at least you''re young and vigorous. Wei was married to him for three years without a child, but she had two with you in three years, right?"


    Tang Jue lowered his voice, "He even got another woman pregnant behind Wei''s back. You would never do something like that, so that''s why Wei likes you."


    Liu Yizhu found nofort in this. Regardless of Prince Jian''s merits, he and Wei were divorced. His biggest problem now was the Li family - he had nothing to offer them.


    Sigh.


    Seeing Liu Yizhu''s dejected sigh, Tang Jue spread his hands, "The situation is what it is, what can you do but ept it? Write a letter home, tell Wei you''re not good enough for her, to divorce you. There, you''ll feel better right away!"


    Liu Yizhu red at him.


    "See, you can''t bear to do that," Tang Jue snorted. "Well, since I''m the one who got you to marry Wei, I''ll go kneel at the Li family''s door. Father-inw, mother-inw, I''m your son-inw, the father of your great-grandchild, I just passed the top imperial exam and will be joining the Hanlin Academy. Please keep an eye on me, father-inw."


    Zhong Liangyu kicked the daydreaming Tang Jue, asking, "What about the Li family?"


    He''d been out all this time, just squatting outside Prince Jian''s mansion, he didn''t stop by the Li family?


    "Oh, oh, right!" Tang Jue had inquired about the Li family too. He reassured Liu Yizhu, "Don''t worry, your father-inw was in a worse position than you before. He didn''t be a top schr until twenty-five, but he had ate start..."


    Li Yi had found Zhang Dezhi starving on the road during a famine in his hometown when Zhang was twelve and illiterate. Li Yi rescued him, took him to the capital, and personally tutored him letter by letter, word by word, after losing all his family.


    "Brother Liu, some people are just luckier by nature, we can''tpare, but we can''t give up because of that, can we? At least you''re already a sixth-rank editor, while I''m still amoner. We''ll take it slow."


    Zhong Liangyu nodded approvingly, "For once, you said something sensible."


    Tang Jue rolled his eyes - he''d said plenty of sensible things before.


    Liu Yizhu gave a muffled "Mmm" from under the covers.


    Zhong Liangyu and Tang Jue exchanged a look and fell silent. Zhong Liangyu nced towards the door, signaling for Tang Jue to leave with him and let Liu Yizhu rest alone for a while.


    A servant slipped in quietly and handed Tang Housekeeper a letter, whispering, "From the Liu residence."


    Recognizing the handwriting on the envelope, Tang Housekeeper hurried over and said softly, "Master Liu, a letter from your wife."


    Liu Yizhu bolted upright, causing a wave of dizziness. He clutched his forehead and asked anxiously, "You didn''t tell Wei I was ill, did you?"


    Tang Jue looked at him like he was an idiot. "You''ve only been sick for two days, how could a letter have arrived so quickly even if we had told her?"


    "Oh," Liu Yizhu sank back down, extending his hand for the letter to Tang Housekeeper.


    Seeing Liu Yizhu''s slightly dazed state, Zhong Liangyu snatched the letter first, "Let me."


    After a moment''s thought, Liu Yizhu nodded. Li Mingwei''s letters were never as rambling as his.


    Tang Jue leaned in to read over Zhong Liangyu''s shoulder, "Wei says everyone at home is well, her belly is growing, she can''t look after Si Mo anymore..."


    "Who''s Si Mo?"


    Liu Yizhu let out a resigned breath, "My son."


    Tang Jue suppressed augh.


    "Oh," Zhong Liangyu continued, "Auntie has quit her job cooking at the school and is staying with her in the county town."


    "She says her feet are swollen again, and she just wants to lie down all day. The midwife insists she move around more. Since the baby is due in two months, she wants you to decide on a name instead of procrastinating. If she doesn''t receive a letter from you by the full moon, she''ll name the baby Bun."


    "Bun," Tang Jue chuckled, giving half-hearted praise, "No surprise there from the family running a school - Wei really has a way with names."


    Zhong Liangyu cleared his throat and went on, "Wei says you''ve made your own bed, so lie in it."


    Liu Yizhu took the letter, stuffed it into his robe, turned over, and muttered, "Alright, I''ll wait, take it slow."

 Chapter 165

    Chapter 165


    In July, Li Mingwei sessfully gave birth to a daughter. As she looked at her daughter, who was as rosy as her son when he was born, she couldn''t help but think of how her son looked when he was about a month old. She held back her tears because this child had to be better looking than her brother.


    Old Lady Wang hesitated as she held the child. "Should we still celebrate the full moon banquet for the reunion?"


    They had been living in the county town for almost half a year now. Except for when Liu Yizhu, the top schr, was announced, Li Mingwei hadn''t gone back home since then.


    Old Lady Wang was always concerned about their home and thought that they should go back for the reunion and then stay there, no longer troubling Lord Tang.


    "Forget it," Li Mingwei said wearily, leaning against the stool. Tuanyuan was not like her brother; she was very fussy at night, and Li Mingwei couldn''t get a good night''s sleep. How could she have the energy to organize a banquet?


    Old Lady Wang felt a bit uneasy. It was so lively when they celebrated Xiao Bing''s full moon banquet. It didn''t make sense that they wouldn''t celebrate the reunion.


    "Let''s skip the full moon banquet for now. We can make it up when she''s a hundred days old or on her first birthday," Li Mingwei suggested.


    Li Mingwei looked up at her hesitant mother-inw and smiled. "If you want to go back, then go back. Anyway, we won''t be staying here for much longer. When we leave next year, we probably won''te back for a long time."


    "Do I really have to go with you to the capital city?" Old Lady Wang asked, even though Li Mingwei had told her many times. She had spent most of her life in this town, and the county town was the biggest ce she had ever been to, let alone the wealthy capital city.


    "I don''t know anything. I hope I won''t be a burden to Yizhu," she said, afraid.


    "If you don''t go," Li Mingwei said, raising an eyebrow and no longer trying to persuade her, "you won''t be able to see the child."


    Old Lady Wang held her little granddaughter tightly. "Fine, I''ll go. I''ll go and pack up. Please ask Lord Tang to send us back home. There are still many things to take care of at home. When we leave, Yizhu''s father won''t be able to visit his grave, so we''ll have to hire someone to go and check on it from time to time."


    Li Mingwei shook her head andughed. She knew her mother-inw couldn''t bear to be away from the child. After all, she was her heart and soul.


    "Lady," a young maidservant gently knocked on the door and entered. "There''s a guest."


    A guest? Besides Lord Tang and Lady Tang, who else could it be? Li Mingwei knew them, and her sister and brother-inw were also familiar with the servants.


    "Let''s go and see," Li Mingwei said, getting up from her seat. The maidservant hurriedly supported her and they went to the front hall.


    When she saw the visitor, she was slightly surprised. "You''re back?"


    Zhong Liangyu stood up and bowed. "Sister-inw, I came back to take a look before I go to my new post."


    Li Mingwei smiled. "Congrattions, Lord Zhong."


    "You''re too kind," he replied.


    Li Mingwei shook her head and asked him to sit down. She sent the maidservant to Old Lady Wang to bring the child over.


    Knowing Li Mingwei''s identity, Zhong Liangyu felt a bit awkward sitting across from her. He opened his mouth but didn''t know what to say.


    Li Mingwei noticed that Zhong Liangyu seemed a bit gloomy and smiled as she asked, "What''s wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?"


    Zhong Liangyu shook his head slightly and nced at her before lowering his gaze.


    Although they hadn''t spent much time together, Li Mingwei knew that this wasn''t his usual demeanor. She gently set down her teacup and casually asked, "Is Yizhu not doing well in the capital city?"


    "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie, sister-inw?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t need to ask further; she was certain that things weren''t going well. She sighed softly, "The capital city can be a challenging ce."


    "Indeed."


    Zhong Liangyu nodded. At first nce, he had thought it was bustling and vibrant, and he had high expectations for that lofty ce. But as time went on, he realized that the more prosperous a ce was, the more impurities it harbored. It wasn''t a suitable ce for ordinary people like them to stay.


    Old Lady Wang hurriedly arrived with a child, and Zhong Liangyu immediately changed his tone, saying, "It''s all good, everything is fine and safe."


    "That''s good." Old Lady Wang was relieved and handed the child to him, asking him to stay for dinner.


    "No need to trouble yourself. I have ns with someone else tonight."


    Li Mingwei guessed that he had made ns with Yang Jingyuan, so she didn''t keep him for long and saw him off.


    However, because of his words, Li Mingwei decided not to wait until Yizhu turned one year old before going to the capital city. It had only been a few months, and Yizhu was already in poor health. If she dyed her visit, she couldn''t guarantee his safety.


    She made up her mind to set off in the spring of theing year. She could take it slow on the journey, stopping and resting for a day or two every few days. It wouldn''t be too hard on the child.


    Old Lady Wang naturally agreed with her decision and began preparing. Once news of thend being sold spread, many people came knocking on their door.


    It wasn''t so much about asking for the price of thend but rather questioning why they were selling it all.


    Old Lady Wang maintained a bit of dignity and said, "It''s nothing much. My daughter-inw will take me to the capital city next year. There''s no one to cultivate thisnd, so it''s better to sell it and save up for travel expenses."


    "Yizhu is already an official. Does he still need your travel expenses?"


    "Hmph!" Old Lady Wang didn''t like hearing those words and retorted, "He has only been an official for a few months. Where would he get so much money? I''ve told him that if he wants to be an official, he should be a good one. No need to extort money from themon people."


    "That''s true. Yizhu''s personality doesn''t seem like that of a corrupt official."


    Granny Zhao held her hand and said, "Now you can enjoy a good life!"


    "Yes, the capital city, such a wealthy ce. Your son will hire a few maids to serve you every day. I guarantee you''ll live longer!"


    Old Lady Wang smiled and declined. She was still young and active. Who needed maids? Her son''s job as apiler didn''t pay a high sry, so she preferred to save money to raise her child.


    Some people came just to gossip, while others were genuinely interested in buying thend. Old Lady Wang listened to their intentions and took them to see thend. It was currently leased to someone else for cultivation this year, so they would have to wait until next year to sign the contract. They could at least take a look and see if thend was suitable for growing good crops.


    Just as Old Lady Wang left with the visitors, Wang Chunhua arrived.


    "I heard you''re selling thend?"


    "Yes." Li Mingwei turned around to look at her. "Do you want to buy, sister?"


    Wang Chunhua nced outside and said, "My mother-inw just took some people to the field to have a look. Do you want to catch up and see together?"


    "That''s not what I meant." Wang Chunhua grabbed her arm anxiously and asked, "If you''re going to the capital city, why are you selling thend? Does that mean you''re noting back?"


    "It''s unlikely that I''lle back." Li Mingwei looked at Wang Chunhua''s downcast face and exined, "I haven''t told my sister yet, but my family is in the capital city. I''m going there to find him, to go back home, so..."


    "What?!"


    Wang Chunhua covered her mouth in shock. No wonder this girl was so wealthy. It turned out she came from that kind of ce.


    She trembled and asked, "So, what does your family do exactly?"


    "We''re educators. I''ve told you before."


    They simply run a private academy at their own home, and that''s all.

 Chapter 166

    Chapter 166


    Wang Chunhua knew Li Mingwei would leave next year, and she could hardly bear to be apart from her. Whenever she had free time, she would bring along Xiao Yan to keep Li Mingweipany for a chat.


    Li Mingwei smiled, "Sister, why don''t you juste with me if you can''t bear to part with me?"


    "That won''t do."


    They had no special skills, so how would they make a living in the Capital City? Even if her family was well-off, she couldn''t always rely on others to support her. Besides, she still had her parents - the elderly couple wasn''t that young anymore. She couldn''t go to such a faraway ce.


    "I''m not asking you to stay in the Capital City. You cane visit for some fun when you''re free."


    She didn''t want to linger in the Capital City for too long. How could she put Wang Chunhua in such a difficult position? But it wouldn''t be bad to go there asionally to see the bustling scene.


    s~


    If she could, she would prefer to stay in Qingshi Town for her whole life.


    Seeing her somewhat saddened, Wang Chunhua quickly consoled her, "Go ahead, and I''ll visit you when Xiao Yan is a bit older."


    Xiao Yan didn''t have much memory at the moment. It would be a pity to visit a great ce only to forget everything after returning.


    "Then it''s settled!"


    "Yes!"


    The snow in Qingshi Town was still heavy, and the eaves in the distance were all covered. Wang Chunhua couldn''t see clearly, only knowing that after the snow melted, those who were leaving would have to depart.


    Before they left, she specially stewed some mutton soup for Li Mingwei, who politely drank two big bowls, just like the first winter when she arrived.


    In the blink of an eye, Li Mingwei had been in Qingshi Town for over three years. It was indeed time for her to return. Some things had to be faced eventually, especially since he was still waiting for her.


    After pondering, Li Mingwei handed the keys to the Liu Family''s house to Mr. Jin, "If you''re free, please help us check on the ce from time to time."


    Mr. Jin smiled and shook his head, "I''m at this age, yet you''re still giving me tasks."


    She insisted on putting the keys in his hand, "Oh, you''re still full of vigor, Mr. Jin."


    He might not be able to return to his hometown, so he should have a ce to spend his retirement. Giving him the keys would provide him with another option.


    Hu Jin, standing by, patted his chest, "Sister-inw, rest assured, I''ll take good care of Mr. Jin."


    The previous failure didn''t defeat Hu Jin. He was still at the school, studying while earning money, waiting for the next County Exam.


    Li Mingwei lent him all the books Liu Yizhu had left at home,ughing, "We''ll wait for Big Brother Hu to return them."


    Hu Jin scratched his head shyly and nodded heavily.


    Lord Tang knew it would be inconvenient for them to travel with two children, so he specially sent servants from the mansion to fetch them by carriage. Their belongings weren''t many, and they were soon packed.


    Old Lady Wang was a bit unhappy by the side. She had packed everything neatly, but Li Mingwei said they wouldn''t need it and threw it all away.


    Li Mingwei had no choice. Old Lady Wang even wanted to bring bowls, chopsticks, and jars. With the jolting on the road, it was uncertain whether they could arrive at the county town intact.


    "Madam Liu, everything is packed."


    "Good."


    The servant helped Old Lady Wang onto the carriage and Li Mingwei passed the children to her. Turning around, she hugged Wang Chunhua, "Sister, if you want to visit me, just go to the county town and tell Lord Tang. He''ll make arrangements for you."


    Wang Chunhua pushed her away, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, and urged, "Alright, hurry up now, or you''ll bete."


    "Yes."


    Li Mingwei choked back her sobs, hugged Aunt Cui beside her, and boarded the carriage with reddened eyes.


    The servant lowered the carriage curtain. Hearing the faint sobbing inside, he smiled and nodded at everyone before quickly driving the carriage away.


    Wang Chunhua watched the carriage disappear from sight, finally unable to hold back as she copsed into Dong Shan''s embrace, crying inconsbly, "How will Sister get to drink the mutton soup I stewed for her in the future?"


    Dong Shan''s eyes reddened as he gently stroked her back, speechless.


    Li Mingwei didn''t depart immediately. She stayed at the Tang Mansion, bringing Old Lady Wang back to the Embroidery Workshop she had said she wouldn''t enter again.


    Now that she was returning to the Capital City, she might have to take them to her family''s home soon. It would be better to prepare some new clothes in advance, in case there wasn''t enough timeter.


    Besides Old Lady Wang, she couldn''t neglect her two children either. She carefully selected good quality items for them. As for herself, besides clothes, Li Mingwei indulgently bought some jewelry and makeup for her return home.


    She didn''t have much money left, but she had to maintain a proper appearance.


    Watching Li Mingwei take out handfuls of silver from her pockets, Old Lady Wang looked at her differently, "Where did you get so much money?"


    "It''s my own."


    Old Lady Wang stammered, "You... you can earn so much money?"


    "My family gave it to me before."


    "Oh, oh..." Old Lady Wang had heard from others that Li Mingwei''s parents used to be in business but went bankrupt. They gave Li Mingwei a dowry and ran away after marrying her off to a businessman.


    Perhaps they had left her some money, as she was their own daughter after all.


    Still, Old Lady Wang felt pained. She went forward and hugged the silver on the counter, embarrassed, "Let''s not make those clothes for me. It''s too expensive. Just make them for you all."


    "Mother, your son is now an official ranked sixth grade. If you don''t dress well, wouldn''t that be a disgrace to him?"


    Old Lady Wang looked down at her old clothes and tested, "Then when we get to the Capital City, I just won''t go out. If no one sees me, it won''t be a disgrace, right?"


    Li Mingwei...


    "Mother!"


    "You can''t stay indoors forever, can you?"


    Before Old Lady Wang could say more, Li Mingwei was toozy to argue with her and directly pried her hands off to pay the shopkeeper.


    During the few days of waiting for the clothes to be made, Li Mingwei took the two children to a pharmacy to have a doctor examine their health and prescribe some emergency medicines. She then slowly prepared for their departure.


    Dong Shan saw them off at the city gate, bowing, "I''ll have to trouble you to help take care of Jue."


    Li Mingwei quickly supported him, "ssmate, there''s no need to be so courteous."


    "It''s only proper." What he had done for her was merely repaying the debt of her sending Tang Jue to school. When she returned, her status would be vastly different. He should show her more respect if he needed to trouble her.


    Old Lady Wang watched wide-eyed by the side, not understanding what Lord Tang was doing or what he meant by "ssmate."


    Before they left, Dong Shan had already sent word to the Capital City. Tang Housekeeper calcted the days and arranged for people to wait for them at the city gate. However, considering the children, Li Mingwei often had to stop and rest whenever they had walked for a while, so they arrived muchter than he had expected.


    They were all servants from the Tang Family who knew each other. Seeing their fellow servants from afar, the servant rushed over and jumped onto the carriage, whispering, "Madam Liu, shall we return now? The family has been eagerly awaiting you all for so long."


    Old Lady Wang lifted the carriage curtain, peeking out. She would soon see her son and grew happier by the day on their journey. However, Li Mingwei became more dejected with each passing day. Seeing the city gate ahead, she almost fainted from suffocation.


    She was unwilling to look any further, retreating back into the carriage. But Old Lady Wang was overjoyed, "So this is the Capital City? This city gate is much bigger than the one in our county town!"


    The driverughed in reply, "Yes, much bigger."


    "How much did it cost to build this?"


    The driver didn''t know and could only shake his head. Li Mingwei pulled Old Lady Wang back inside and lowered the carriage curtain, "Let''s hurry. They must be having their dinner by now."


    The distance to her residence wasn''t far from here.

 Chapter 167

    Chapter 167


    The servant waiting at the city gate directed the carriage drivers, heading towards the residence where they were staying. As soon as they arrived, before the carriage even stopped, he jumped down and knocked on the door. The gatekeeper opened it, and after a quick nce inside, immediately ran into the courtyard.


    Li Mingwei, who had just stepped off the carriage, was puzzled by their excitement and wondered why they were running so quickly, cautioning them not to fall.


    She turned around, picked up her daughter Xiao Bing who had crawled out, and ced her on herp. "Stay still and don''t run around."


    It was unclear if Xiao Bing understood, but she clung to Li Mingwei''s leg and wouldn''t let go.


    Old Lady Wang handed Li Mingwei a bundle, then helped the carriage driver unload the other items from the carriage.


    "Mingwei~"


    "Sister-inw!"


    Li Mingwei turned around, immediately frowning. Liu Yizhu had grown thinner! He had lost weight, while she had gained some. What did this mean?


    As soon as Liu Yizhu came out and met her disdainful gaze, he looked a little bewildered. He pulled her into an embrace, then looked up at Old Lady Wang, who was still on the carriage. "Mother, let me help you down."


    Tang Jue tactfully went to assist Old Lady Wang off the carriage, asking solicitously, "Aunty, were you tired from the journey?"


    Old Lady Wang smiled and shook her head. "No, not at all."


    Liu Yizhu lowered his gaze to the girl in Li Mingwei''s arms. "Is this Panpan? She''s grown so big."


    Li Mingwei freed one hand and pushed him away, then presented Xiao Bing, who was tightly clinging to her leg. "And there''s an even bigger one here."


    She looked down at Xiao Bing. "Call for your father."


    Xiao Bing looked up at Liu Yizhu but didn''t say anything. Li Mingwei was a little puzzled. "Didn''t I teach you?"


    Liu Yizhu crouched down and silently observed Xiao Bing for a moment. He reached out and patted her head, saying dejectedly, "Simiao doesn''t even remember me anymore."


    Old Lady Wang picked up her grandson, unconcerned. "The child is so young, and it''s been such a long time since west saw each other. It''s normal for him not to remember. He''ll be fine in a few days."


    "Yeah, let''s go inside first."


    Tang Jue led the way. "Yes, yes, let''s go in first. The kitchen is preparing the meal. Aunty and sister-inw must be tired from the journey. Go and rest first."


    Li Mingwei didn''t need his guidance; she looked down at the daughter still sleeping in her arms and headed straight for the main courtyard. She was getting tired from carrying her and would put her back in the room to sleep.


    Tang Jue scratched his head, thinking that his sister-inw seemed even more familiar with this courtyard than he was.


    When Li Mingwei reached the door of the main courtyard, she paused and nced at Liu Yizhu, who had been apanying her. "Will you be staying here or in the back?"


    "Here."


    Liu Yizhu opened the door, revealing that he had prepared a cradle. Li Mingwei carefully ced her daughter in it, worried that the child would wake up and start crying, giving her a headache.


    "Mingwei~"


    "Hmm?"


    Li Mingwei turned around and hugged Liu Yizhu, who had closed the door and approached her. She pinched his face. "Doesn''t Liu have enough monthly sry to afford food? You''ve lost so much weight."


    Liu Yizhu didn''t want to talk to her at the moment. He leaned down and kissed her lips, picking her up and carrying her towards the bed. Li Mingwei hurriedly clung to his arms, her dangling feet swaying in the air as she tried to struggle free, but he simply threw her onto the bed.


    With Liu Yizhu pinning her down, she was even more immobile, unable to resist as his hands roamed over her body.


    "Mmm~"


    "Liu Yizhu~"


    "I haven''t bathed for two or three days!"


    Liu Yizhu didn''t intend to stop. He said in a low voice, "I''ll draw you a bath after we''re done."


    Li Mingwei sighed and pushed away his head, which was nuzzling her neck, using her hand to cover his mouth. "No, I want to go out and see people tomorrow."


    If she let him continue nibbling like that, she wouldn''t be able to go home the next day.


    Liu Yizhu paused, realizing that she probably wanted to return to the Li family home the next day. He pulled her hand away and moved on to other areas.


    Old Lady Wang followed Tang Jue to her room and found it satisfactory. With servants there to help unload her belongings, she didn''t need to worry, so she carried her grandson to the main courtyard, hoping for the father and son to bond.


    She stood at the door and exchanged a nce with the maid who had led her there, whispering, "Perhaps we should leave."


    The maid nodded, and they quietly left.


    Liu Yizhu heard the voices and paused. "Sounds like Mother."


    Li Mingwei pulled up the nket, wrapping herself in it, and blinked her eyes rapidly. How could she go out now?


    Liu Yizhu tugged the nket away from her, smiling. "What are you afraid of? Let''s go."


    He leaned over, pressing down on her, but Li Mingwei dodged him. "That''s enough. I have something to do tomorrow."


    She was already quite tired and needed to conserve some energy to face her mother when she returned home.


    Seeing that she only mentioned having something to do without telling him what it was, Liu Yizhu let out a light snort and turned away, lying on the bed with his back to her.


    Li Mingwei thought he was unsatisfied with her refusal, so she kicked him. "Well, well, Lord Liu, you''re learning to sulk at me now."


    "How dare I?"


    Li Mingwei rolled over and pinned him down, patting his cheek. "Liu Yizhu, don''t act so petnt with me."


    Liu Yizhu nced at her sideways, then pped her back.


    He could no longer bear it and pushed Li Mingwei down, his eyes filled with resentment. "What do you have to do tomorrow?"


    "Well..." Li Mingwei smiled sheepishly, unsure how to exin it to him. She wasn''t certain about her mother''s attitude yet and thought it best to wait a little longer.


    Liu Yizhu looked directly at her. "I''ll apany you!"


    "No need!" Li Mingwei pushed him away, retreating to the corner and waving her hands repeatedly. "No need, no need. I''ll go by myself."


    Liu Yizhu felt dejected, realizing that in her heart, he wasn''t worthy of entering the Li family''s door. He got up, put on his clothes, and went to the kitchen to draw water, his shattered little heart weighing heavily.


    Li Mingwei tugged her own clothes back on, her brow tightly furrowed. Had he already found out about her situation? It shouldn''t be considered a small matter, so it wouldn''t be surprising if he had heard about it.


    Oh no, she had unintentionally pricked his tender heart again.


    She would have to exin it to himter.


    "Aigh~"


    Li Mingwei let out a long sigh and copsed onto the bed. She had only returned to the Capital City for less than an hour, and she was already feeling exhausted again.


    Liu Yizhu knocked on the door. "The water is ready."


    "Mmm."


    "Your clothes are outside."


    "Oh." Li Mingwei pped her forehead, realizing why there were no clothes in the wardrobe ¨C her luggage hadn''t been unpacked yet. The Capital City really did drain her energy; she had be absent-minded as soon as she returned.


    She wasn''t sure if there was a Yuqing Temple in the Capital City, but she might as well go and pay her respects there before returning home.


    After bathing, night had already fallen.


    Liu Yizhu had brought her meal to the room. He took the towel from Li Mingwei and gently dried her damp hair. "Washing your hair sote, it won''t dry for a while. It''ll give you a headacheter."


    "I won''t have time to wash it tomorrow morning."


    Li Mingwei took a few bites of the dishes, then cautiously nced at him before biting her lip and mumbling, "I''m going home tomorrow."


    Liu Yizhu didn''t hear her clearly and leaned closer. "What did you just say?"


    "I... I''m going home tomorrow."


    She looked up at Liu Yizhu, who didn''t seem to react, and pursed her lips. He must have already known, and perhaps had known for a long time.


    "Liu Yizhu~"


    "Hmm?"


    Li Mingwei coughed lightly and consulted with him. "Would it be alright if I take you back with me next time?"


    This time, she would return and settle things with her mother first. Otherwise, what if her mother mistreated him? He wouldn''t be able to retaliate.


    Liu Yizhu could hardly believe what he had just heard. She was actually willing to take him back home! He moved behind her and hugged her. "What did you just say?"


    "I said, would it be alright if I take you back with me next time?" She didn''t want him to see her being punished; it would be so embarrassing. She was already the mother of two children, yet she still had to be disciplined. Tsk~


    Liu Yizhu studied her expression, which didn''t seem to be deceiving him. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he nodded in agreement.

 Chapter 168

    Chapter 168


    Li Mingwei spent the entire night restless, unable to sleep much. Just after the hour of the tiger (3-5 AM), she got up and took out the clothes she had prepared earlier,ying them on her dressing table. She stared nkly at her reflection in the copper mirror.


    How could she exin when she returned home?


    Liu Yizhuy on the bed, propping his head up as he watched her sit there for a while, her hair still unbrushed. "What''s the use of getting up so early? You''ll still bete after you finish getting ready," he urged.


    "Mingwei, hurry up. Didn''t you sayst night that you wanted to go home early?"


    Li Mingwei snapped out of her daze, seeing that the sky was almost bright. She hurriedly sped up, needing to return before her grandfather went out. Otherwise, who would plead her case?


    And Father! She had to make sure he stayed!


    She turned to Liu Yizhu, "You don''t have a court session today, right?"


    "If I did, would I still be here talking to you?"


    He had left early, and the court session must have started by now.


    Then Father would definitely still be home. Heh heh, Li Mingwei felt delighted. She quickly changed her clothes, did her makeup, and had Liu Yizhu get their daughter ready, then went to her mother-inw''s to bring their son over too.


    Today, she would rely on these two siblings to shield her from disaster.


    "Ow!"


    "What''s wrong?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. It had been so long since she wore earrings that her piercings had closed up without her realizing. She nced in the mirror and wiped away the blood bead, looking at her made-up face with a sigh. She still needed Ah Xiu''s help ¨C her hands were clumsy.


    Oh well!


    Not wanting to waste any more time, Li Mingwei washed her face clean, took the child from Liu Yizhu, and hurriedly boarded the carriage.


    Watching her leave, Liu Yizhu couldn''t help but worry. A servant urged him, "Lord Liu, you''ll bete too."


    Li Mingwei urged the driver on, rushing until they were able to block her father''s path in the small alley behind the gate ¨C the back gate of the Li residence was closer to the Imperial City, which was the route her father took every morning.


    The carriage obstructed the way, forcing the Li family''s driver to pull the reins hard and bring the horses to an abrupt halt, jolting the carriage. Thinking the old master was inside, the driver''s temper red. "How dare you drive like that!"


    Zhang Dezhi furrowed his brow slightly and said softly through the carriage curtain, "Let them move aside."


    The driver swallowed his anger and responded, ring impatiently at the other driver until he moved his carriage.


    Li Mingwei pulled aside the curtain and poked her head out. "Father!"


    The Li family''s driver was startled, rubbing his eyes. "Young Miss!"


    Zhang Dezhi was also taken aback, quickly pulling the curtain open. Li Mingwei jumped down from the carriage and hurried to his side. "Father, don''t go."


    "Mingwei!" Zhang Dezhi grabbed her arm, his hand trembling slightly as the corners of his eyes grew moist. "You... you''vee back."


    Li Mingwei clung to his arm, choking back tears. "Father, don''t go, or I might not have the strength to face Mother tonight."


    Zhang Dezhi tenderly wiped away her tears, speaking gently, "Don''t make up stories about your mother. She misses you. Just go back and sincerely apologize."


    "Really?"


    "Yes, just be more humble when you go back. Your mother won''t me you."


    Li Mingwei released his hand, went back to the carriage, and carried down two children, facing her father. "What about this, then? Would Mother still not me me?"


    Zhang Dezhi had just stepped down from the carriage and was a bit unsteady on his feet. He hurriedly steadied himself with the help of a servant, his voice trembling, "This... this is?"


    "Your grandchildren. I''ve married again."


    "You..." Zhang Dezhi was stunned, taking two steps forward to hold the children while ncing down at the one on the ground, hesitating for a moment. "Your own?"


    "Ah!" Li Mingwei cupped her face, showing her father how plump her cheeks were. "Look how much fatter I''ve be after giving birth."


    Zhang Dezhi''s frown deepened, his head pounding fiercely. He instructed the driver to go to the Ministry of Personnel and request leave for him, then had no choice but to lead Li Mingwei back home.


    The gatekeepers were shocked, stepping back a few paces. "Y-Young Miss!"


    "Go inform the Lady."


    "Yes!"


    The gatekeeper hurried inside, but Zhang Dezhi called him back. "Inform the Old Master first, then the Lady."


    Li Mingwei led her son by the hand, following behind her father with a slight smile.


    Li Yi already knew she had arrived in the capital yesterday, but didn''t expect her to return so soon. Unaware of her son-inw''s presence, he could only hurry ahead, hoping to reach her first.


    "Grandfather!"


    "Mingwei!"


    Li Mingwei rushed over and knelt before him. Li Yi quickly helped her up,ughing, "Why have youe back so early?"


    Shouldn''t she have rested for a couple of days after the journey?


    Li Mingwei smiled, saying nothing, and handed him the child from her father''s arms. "Your great-granddaughter."


    "Good, good!" Li Yi stroked the sleeping child''s face, not wanting to disturb her too much. He then looked towards the great-grandson standing nearby and beckoned him over with a wave. "Youe here too, let me see."


    Li Mingwei promptly sent her son over. "Call him Great-Grandfather."


    Little Bingbing didn''t say anything, only burying his head in her neck.


    "What are you doing? Being shy?" Li Mingwei inwardly sighed ¨C he was just like his father, always nuzzling her neck. Did he think there was food there?


    Well, there was, but he couldn''t eat it.


    Zhang Dezhi stepped forward and took Little Bingbing, gently coaxing him with a smile. "He''s never met me before, so he''s a little scared. How old is he?"


    "Almost two years old."


    Then she had remarried not even a year after leaving the capital, huh?


    "And the younger one?"


    "Almost nine months old."


    Zhang Dezhi''s brow furrowed ¨C that was quite soon after the first child. He looked his daughter up and down. She did seem plumper than before, so her body seemed fine at least.


    The main question was, why had his daughter gotten pregnant so quickly after leaving the capital?


    Li Yi returned the children to Li Mingwei, smiling, "Let''s go back in..."


    "Go back where!" A furious shout rang out. Li Mingwei instinctively flinched, turning to see her mother striding over, hair and clothes disheveled, clearly having rushed over halfway through her makeup routine.


    "Li Mingwei! You dare return!" Li Langyue stormed up and raised her hand to strike.


    Li Mingwei quickly knelt, holding her daughter up high to block her mother''s p. "What is this?!" Li Langyue paused her hand when she saw it was a child, growing even angrier. "You even brought a child back with you!"


    She turned and noticed the other child in her husband''s arms, raging, "You brought two!"


    "You really do outdo your father!"


    Her father adopted one child, so she adopted two!


    Li Mingwei lowered her daughter slightly, peering up at her mother cautiously. "I gave birth to them."


    "You..." Li Langyue faltered, her voice low. "What nonsense are you spouting!"


    Li Mingwei raised her eyes timidly to meet her mother''s gaze. "It''s true, they''re my own children."


    "Both of them?"


    "Mm!"


    Li Langyue clenched her fists tightly. One child might be chance, but two was harder to exin ¨C those imperial physicians must be mocking her.


    Enraged, she started, "Father, that physician Liu..."


    "Enough, let''s discuss this inside!" Zhang Dezhi nced at the growing crowd of servants and cut her off, ring at Li Mingwei. "Why are you still kneeling? Get up and go inside."


    "Oh."


    Ah Xiu, who had been waiting nearby, quickly went over to help Li Mingwei up, whispering in her ear, "Miss, you didn''t tell me you wereing back. Let me assess the situation first."


    "It doesn''t matter, it''ll be the same either way."

 Chapter 169

    Chapter 169


    Li Langyue returned to her room and had her maid redo her makeup and hair before heading to the main hall. She paused when she saw her Auntie nearby.


    The Auntie understood and did not follow Li Langyue, instead going outside after Li Langyue left.


    Li Mingwei heard the servants announce that her mother had arrived. She immediately slipped away from her grandfather and knelt in the middle of the main hall, pretending to look sorrowful with her head bowed.


    Li Langyue was used to her daughter''s antics and let out a soft snort. She walked over and sat down next to her husband Li Yi, taking a sip of tea. "Well, well, why are you kneeling? Weren''t you quite capable when you ran away from home?"


    Li Mingwei scratched her fingernails, pretending not to hear.


    Receiving no response, Li Langyue nced at the two children being held by her father and husband, then lifted the lid of the teacup beside her and mmed it back down with a loud smack.


    "Li Mingwei, don''t tell me you gave birth to these two children all by yourself."


    Li Mingwei shuddered, not daring to look up. "No, no I didn''t."


    "Well then, where is he?" Li Langyue mocked. "You daremit the act but not take responsibility?"


    "He was going toe, but I told him not to."


    "He was going toe? He dares to show up? Who gave him the audacity toe after what he did?"


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips. "So do you want him toe or not?"


    Li Langyue mmed her fist on the table. "Come then! Let hime! When he does, I''ll have him bound and sent to the officials!"


    She would have him sentenced to 180 years!


    "It''s no use sending him away!" Li Mingwei caught her mother''s meaning and scoffed. "We''re already married."


    "You..." Li Langyue hurled the teacup beside her, sshing Li Mingwei''s skirt with tea. Li Mingwei brushed off the leaves and shifted back, remaining kneeled.


    "Well, well, you''ve grown quite bold!" Li Langyue gritted her teeth, pointing at Li Mingwei. "Married, where are the matchmakers? The marriage documents? I didn''t see any, so I don''t acknowledge it!"


    Li Mingwei muttered softly, "You may not have seen it, but I did. It''s at home. I''ll bring it next time. We have everything required, even if you don''t ept it. The children just won''t call you grandmother in the future."


    "Li Mingwei!"


    Li Langyue red at her husband Zhang Dezhi, who was stillforting the children. "Zhang Dezhi! Aren''t you going to discipline your daughter?"


    Zhang Dezhi didn''t want the fire to spread to him so soon. He sighed and reprimanded Li Mingwei, "How dare you speak to your mother like that!"


    Li Mingwei obediently lowered her head. "I was wrong."


    "Don''t let it happen again!"


    "I understand, it won''t happen again."


    Zhang Dezhi nodded slightly, satisfied. "You acknowledge your mistakes, so you''re still a good child."


    Seeing that he had finished speaking, Li Langyue stared at him in disbelief. Was that it? They were treating this ce like a stage!


    She was so furious she could hardly breathe. She turned to Li Yi, "Father~"


    "Langyue!" Li Yi looked back at her, his brow furrowed. "Mingwei has been gone for over three years. Haven''t you figured it out yet?"


    If it weren''t for her temperament, the child wouldn''t have been too scared toe back. She had to manage everything, losing her temper and wanting to punish at the slightest disagreement. Even rabbits would bite when pushed to desperation!


    "Do you want her to leave for another three years? Or maybe just wait until I die beforeing back, is that better?"


    "Father~"


    Li Yi mmed the table. "Enough! She''s the child I raised. If there are any faults, it''s because I didn''t teach her well enough. Don''t take it out on me!"


    Naturally, Li Langyue didn''t dare.


    She leaned back in her chair, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She grabbed a vase from the small table and smashed it on the floor, her tone tinged with sadness. "So in this family, I''m the only viin, is that it?"


    Ah Xiu was startled and rushed over, pulling Li Mingwei up and picking shards of the vase off her clothes. She cupped Li Mingwei''s face, checking for injuries. "Miss, your face isn''t hurt, is it?"


    It wouldn''t be good if she had scars on her face.


    "No~" Li Mingwei was startled, her body still trembling slightly. Ah Xiu hurriedly shielded her, the Madam was truly hateful.


    Li Yi took two deep breaths, about to re up when the child in his arms started wailing. Li Mingwei hurried over and took the child, gently patting its back.


    "Miss, watch your step!" Ah Xiu avoided the shards on the floor, ncing at the child. "What''s wrong with the young Miss? She must have gotten scared."


    Li Mingwei nodded. The noise must have woken and frightened the child. She turned to see Liu Simo not crying, but staring at her mother with round eyes. He didn''t seem scared, so she just carried Liu Panpan to the inner room.


    Li Yi heard the child''s cries from inside continue unabated. He scolded, "The children are still young. Why are you causing such a scene in front of them? You''ve frightened them."


    "Langyue~" Li Yi spoke earnestly. "You can''t expect Mingwei to be just like you. You''re very aplished, I know. But I think Mingwei is good too. Don''t always pressure her. As long as she returns safely, it''s alright however she is!"


    Li Langyue opened her mouth, but caught Zhang Dezhi''s displeased gaze and swallowed her words. She turned to look at the child in his arms who was staring at her intently.


    The more she looked, the more familiar the child seemed. Unable to resist, she stood up, grasped the child''s chin, and tilted his little head from side to side for inspection.


    Surely this child wasn''t surnamed Liu?


    She asked in a low voice, "What''s your name?"


    "Xiao Bing."


    Li Langyue heard clearly but had doubts. "What did you say your name was?"


    "Xiao Bing."


    "Li Mingwei!" Li Langyue raged again. "What kind of name did you give this child!"


    "Come out, don''t pretend you can''t hear me!"


    Li Mingwei trembled as she peeked out from behind the screen, handing the child to Ah Xiu. "Si Mo, Si Mo. Xiao Bing is just a nickname."


    "Even a nickname is uneptable!" Li Langyue stared her down with certainty in her tone. "Liu Simo?"


    Li Mingwei gulped. It''s over, Liu Yizhu has been exposed so quickly. When has he ever met her mother? Why didn''t he tell her?


    Seeing her reaction, Li Langyue understood. She nced inside. "Then what about that one?"


    "Liu... Liu Panpan."


    A son and a daughter, how fitting.


    Li Langyue smiled. "I think Li Simo and Li Panpan sound better. What do you think?"


    Li Mingwei''s face fell. She shook her head firmly. "I don''t think so."


    Mother and daughter silently faced off. Li Langyue was surprised to see her suddenly be so stubborn. But the next second, Li Mingwei blinked, tears streaming down her face.


    She averted her gaze from her mother, hugging the child from her father''s arms. "Xiao Bing, let''s go home."


    "Mother~"


    Xiao Bing snuggled into her embrace, not understanding why she was crying. He reached out and touched her cheek, causing Li Mingwei to cry even harder.


    She called out to Ah Xiu, who hurried over carrying the other child, standing beside her. "Miss, what''s wrong?"


    "Let''s go."


    "Ah?" Ah Xiu looked at the unpleasant expressions on everyone''s faces, hesitating. Leave now?


    If they left now, it might be difficult to return. Li Mingwei didn''t have any money on her, and her brother-inw was so poor. If they left just like that, how would they eat or get by in the future?


    "That''s enough." Zhang Dezhi spoke calmly. "I think Liu Simo and Liu Panpan are both good names."


    His voice softened as he addressed Li Mingwei, "You''ve only just returned after so long. Why don''t you stay and spend more time with your grandfather before leaving?"


    Li Mingwei nced at her silent mother with some grievance. Staying with her father was indeed the right decision. When her father was angry, even her mother didn''t dare provoke him.

 Chapter 170

    Chapter 170


    Zhang Dezhi stood at the end of the bridge, gazing silently at the shimmering waves of theke below. His expression was cold and aloof. Li Langyue dismissed her maids and servants behind the screen, and walked softly to stand behind him.


    As the footsteps stopped near his ear, Zhang Dezhi nced back at her, then shifted his gaze to the distance. "You went too far today. Father was there, and you threw cups and bottles. What did that mean?"


    "I..." Li Langyue wanted to say something but could find no excuse. She had indeed lost herposure today, all because of that girl Mingwei, who was truly infuriating.


    "Mingwei was being willful this time, and it''s only fair that you scolded or punished her. But have you noticed Father''s expression? He has never liked it when you discipline Mingwei. Today, in front of him, did you consider the things you said?"


    "As soon as that teacup left your hand, Father''s face darkened. Yet you still threw that bottle. If you had missed and hurt Mingwei, have you thought about how Father would have reacted?"


    Li Langyue gripped her sleeves tightly, recalling her father''s angry face. He was getting old and couldn''t handle such anger; if this continued, they might have to call the imperial physician again.


    She lowered her eyes, admitting she hadn''t considered the consequences of her actions today.


    "Mingwei has been punished enough for this incident. Let''s not mention it again. If you still harbor resentment, speak to her privately another day, but do not punish her further."


    "Then..." Li Langyue hesitated. "Are you really going to let her marry that Liu schr from the Hanlin Academy?"


    "Liu Yizhu," Zhang Dezhi supplied the name.


    Li Langyue suddenly recalled that although she had only met Liu Yizhu a few times at poetry gatherings, she could see the child''s resemnce to him. Her husband must have noticed long ago, yet said nothing.


    "You knew about this already, didn''t you?"


    Zhang Dezhi shook his head. "I merely suspected it when I saw the child''s appearance at the doorway. Since she didn''t bring him home, she probably didn''t want us to know. So I didn''t ask."


    Li Langyue snapped angrily, "Mingwei has been terribly spoiled by all of you."


    "Why does Father dote on Mingwei so? Can I not ask you that?"


    When Mingwei was just a little girl, Li Langyue insisted on starting her education in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. If Mingwei didn''t learn well or waszy, she would be punished. But she was just a young child who couldn''t endure such harsh treatment.


    Unable to bear it, Mingwei would run to her Maternal Grandfather with her big eyes brimming with tears, looking at him mournfully. Li Yi only had this one little granddaughter, so he doted on her endlessly for over twenty years.


    Zhang Dezhi sighed, rubbing his temples. "It was my fault too."


    "What did you do wrong? It had nothing to do with you."


    "I failed in my duties as a father."


    Back then, he was working away from the capital and could only return once every year or two. Li Yi didn''t want to let Mingwei go, so Zhang Dezhi missed out on a significant part of her upbringing.


    Later, when he was promoted and transferred back to the capital city, he realized his father and wife had developed a major conflict over Mingwei''s education. He often wondered if he had been present to mediate between them, could things have been better?


    Langyue was too headstrong. As the daughter, she had heard countless suggestions that Li Yi should remarry and have a son to carry on the family line. From a young age, she felt she had to prove herself better than any son, to justify her father''s choice. Whatever she did, she strove to be the best.


    She pushed herself harshly, but then applied the same approach to her daughter. Unfortunately, Mingwei was tenderhearted and couldn''t withstand such pressure. Li Langyue deemed her incapable and became increasingly strict, determined to mold her into an aplished woman.


    To Zhang Dezhi and Li Yi, their child''s happiness and well-being were paramount. If Mingwei was unwilling, they didn''t want to force her. This caused conflicts within the family.


    "Enough, enough. Just remember not to scold her in front of Father again. Her leaving home - Father mes half on Mu Rongyu, and half on you. Haven''t you noticed these past few years, Father has never smiled at you? The only reason he summoned you today was because Ah Xiu pleaded for you."


    Li Langyue sighed deeply, her posture slumping.


    Zhang Dezhi turned and gently patted her back. "Try to improve your temper. Mingwei has finally returned; can''t you let Father be happy for a few days?"


    Li Langyue clutched Zhang Dezhi''s sleeve, leaning into his embrace as she sighed quietly.


    Li Yi sat on the terrace, with Mingwei leaning against his feet. She picked up a stray tea leaf from her clothes and angrily tossed it away, muttering, "Mother''s temper is getting worse and worse."


    "It''s because you provoked her," Li Yi chuckled.


    "Well, I was gone for over three years. No wonder she bottled it all up and exploded at me," Mingwei retorted.


    "You brat," Li Yi patted her head affectionately. "But you forgot about Ah Xiu."


    "Hmph!" Mingwei snorted. Poor Ah Xiu would have to take her back this afternoon.


    Ah Xiu rushed in. "Miss, I found you some clothes. Would you like to try them on?"


    Meeting Mingwei''s sympathetic gaze, Ah Xiu scratched her head in confusion. "What''s wrong?"


    Mingwei stood up and eyed the clothes, turning around. "Do you really think I can still fit into those?"


    Ah Xiu held up the clothes against Mingwei''s frame, realizing they wouldn''t fit. "Miss, how did you get so plump?"


    Li Yiughed. "It''s fine, she looks healthier this way."


    Mingwei had been too thin before, frail as a flower.


    Ah Xiu felt the fabric, asking sincerely, "Miss, have you run out of money?"


    Mingwei faltered. Was her poverty that obvious? This was one of her nicer outfits.


    She cleared her throat. "Ah Xiu..."


    "Yes?"


    "Do we still have money?"


    "Of course!" Ah Xiu nodded confidently. They still had plenty of money - their shops were doing well, and several vacant properties were still rented out. She patted Mingwei''s shoulder reassuringly. "Don''t worry, Miss. Even if you never work a day in your life, you won''t starve."


    Mingwei breathed a sigh of relief. "That''s good then. Go pack some things. Tonight..."


    Ah Xiu immediately understood her mistress''s intentions and went to gather money from thepound.


    "Hey!" Mingwei sat back down next to Li Yi. "That girl is too quick. I didn''t even ask if she was married yet."


    "She''s not. She''s waiting for you to return and preside over her wedding ceremony."


    "With who?"


    Li Yi nced at the steward waiting outside. "Ah Cai."


    "Ah, Li Babu''s grandson?" Mingwei recalled.


    The steward bowed. "Yes."


    "Well then, Uncle Li should start making preparations. They''re not getting any younger, no need to dy further."


    The steward looked to Li Yi, who waved his hand dismissively. The steward bowed and withdrew.


    "And what about you two?" Li Yi asked.


    Mingwei seemed confused. "What do you mean?"


    Given Liu Yizhu''s prestigious family, their wedding probably wasn''t very grand. Li Yi exined, "Would you like to hold another ceremony?"


    "No need," Mingwei grasped Li Yi''s hand. "Our wedding in Qingshi Town was quite nice actually. Even the county magistrate''s son, Tang Jue, attended to watch Liu Yizhu."


    "Tang Jue, was it?"


    "Yes, Tang Jue..." Mingwei began recounting the events from Qingshi Town to her Maternal Grandfather, though he was already familiar with most of it. But he was still happy to listen to her tell the stories again.

 Chapter 171

    Chapter 171


    Li Yi had not seen Li Mingwei for some time, so Li Mingwei was in a great mood and told him about her experiences away from home at length. She told Li Yi almost everything about the people she had met and the things she had done, except for some rather private matters.


    "In a town with only two or three hundred households, there are only a dozen or so households with children attending school, and a few others are sent from nearby viges."


    Li Yi sighed, "It seems that what I did back then was still not enough."


    He had only achieved halfway through before the border wars broke out, and the court urgently needed military resources, so he had no choice but to stop. Now, it was even more impossible to bring it up again. Not to mention that he had already resigned from his official post, and the rtionship between the current Emperor and the previous Emperor and himself was vastly different.


    "s..."


    Li Mingwei looked up at him, "Grandfather, do you think he doesn''t want Li Mingwei to have descendants, or he doesn''t want the Prince Jian''s Consort to have descendants?"


    "Silly child," Li Yi gently stroked her hair. "He doesn''t want the Prince Jian''s Consort to have descendants."


    After she sent word back for him to be wary of Imperial Physician Liu, he had already investigated. Imperial Physician Liu had no dealings with Murong Yu, so he naturally wouldn''t cover for him.


    He asked himself, who could make physicians from different factions give a unified ount? The answer was only one person - the man who held their lives and the honor of their families in his hands.


    Initially, Li Mingwei had also suspected Murong Yu, but then she thought, wouldn''t Murong Yu also want a child of their own to solidify his rtionship with the Li family?


    If it wasn''t him, then it had to be the other one.


    "How is Murong Yu doing now?"


    "Much worse than before. After you left the capital, there have been many rumors among the people, using him of sabotaging you to marry a daughter from the Cheng family. The Emperor has reprimanded him several times and also used people on our side to suppress him."


    "Shortly after ascending the throne, the Emperor had already cleared out his people, and now with thistest incident, he hardly has any capable people left by his side."


    However, a skinny camel is still bigger than a horse. He is still a prince, so as long as those matters are not brought to the surface, the Emperor cannot do anything to him. Moreover, he still has some tricks up his sleeve, and the court still needs him for now.


    Li Mingwei was a bit worried, "Actually, me marrying Liu Yizhu would affect him, wouldn''t it?"


    "Yes."


    The Emperor had only been on the throne for six or seven years, and the transition of power between the new and old factions in the court was still ongoing. This was precisely the time for him to nurture his own forces. When Liu Yizhu won the imperial examination and was appointed as the top schr over Zeng Kang, his advantagey in his clean family background.


    Zeng Kang was sent by Shu Hua, their man. There was no need to mention the entanglements involved. The Zeng family was also a powerful n, and Zeng Kang''s achievements were due in part to his family''s grooming, so it was impossible for him to have no personal interests and bepletely aligned with the Emperor.


    Liu Yizhu, on the other hand, had no influential forces behind him, which made it easier for the Emperor to cultivate him wholeheartedly for his own purposes.


    However, now that Liu Yizhu was tied to the Li family, once the news spread, many doors might open for him, but the Emperor''s door, given his attitude towards obstructing Li Mingwei, might close.


    "How has his attitude towards Liu Yizhu been this past year?"


    Li Yi had been keeping an eye on Liu Yizhu, and he nodded, "He seems to regard him highly."


    "Having gained the Emperor''s favor, he has risen quite rapidly in the capital this past year. You have no idea how many families are waiting to see his..." Li Yi paused, unsure of how to put it, "Well, they''re all waiting to see you."


    "To see me, to see how uncultured and clumsy this vige woman is, so they can mock me and wait for him to be disenchanted with me, giving them a chance." She had read more romance novels in this past year than they had eaten rice.


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips, "So what do we do now? If his future prospects are affected because of me, I..."


    "You don''t need to worry about that."


    How could she not worry? He had just started out.


    "Don''t worry, you have me and your father."


    Li Mingwei nodded helplessly. After having dinner with her grandfather at the Li residence, she said she wanted to return home.


    "I only arrived in the capital yesterday evening, and I haven''t unpacked my things yet. I''ll take a day or two to rest, and then I''lle back in a couple of days."


    "Alright."


    As she was already at the door of her home, and there would be opportunities to see each other again soon, Li Yi didn''t insist that she stay.


    Following her maid, she went to the rear courtyard to greet Xiao Bing, only to find him squatting in her little flower garden under Li Langyue''s guidance, plucking and trampling the flowers. She took a deep breath, watching the scattered flower stems on the ground, and clenched her fists.


    These flowers were all nted by her own hands, and they were her favorites!


    Xiao Bing!


    Her dear son!


    Li Mingwei had suffered some internal injuries, but she slowly approached and gently said, "Xiao Bing, what are you doing?"


    Xiao Bing smiled at her, happily plucking a rose from the vines and stumbling over to her, handing it to her and saying sweetly, "Mother, flower!"


    Li Langyueughed, "Look at Xiao Bing, so filial, not at all like his mother."


    Ha!


    How filial, destroying his mother''s years of hard work in just one afternoon. So filial indeed.


    Li Mingwei suppressed the urge to cough up blood, epted the flower from his hand, pped for him, and agreed, "You''re right, Mother."


    She bent down, "Xiao Bing, let''s go home now, ande back to y another day, okay?"


    Xiao Bing reluctantly looked at the few remaining flower buds on the stems, then silently nodded and hugged her legs.


    Li Mingwei picked him up and looked around, not seeing Ah Xiu anywhere.


    "No need to look for her, she went to move our things."


    "Move what things?" Weren''t they just told to bring some money? Did they have so much money that they needed to move it all?


    Heavens!


    Could it be that Ah Xiu was a business genius?


    In just three years, had she expanded their assets to such an extent? She had truly wasted her talents before. She should have sent her to do business in Jiangnan earlier.


    "Miss, are you leaving now?"


    "Ah Xiu!" Li Mingwei rushed over, eyeing therge bundles behind her, and asked politely, "Why are you carrying so much?"


    It must be money, right? It must be money!


    "My clothes. I''m going to live with you now, so I have to move all my things over."


    Li Mingwei felt a bit disappointed. Oh well, she was just dreaming.


    "Let''s go."


    Seeing the disappointed look on her young mistress, Ah Xiu scratched her head, puzzled at what was wrong.


    As Li Mingwei reached the back gate, she saw the bulging carriage and the helpless coachman from the Tang family. She turned and stared at Ah Xiu, "You have so much stuff?"


    Ah Xiu looked perplexed, "Too much?"


    It was definitely too much, more than Li Mingwei had brought with her when she went to the capital.


    Li Mingwei tugged at the corner of her mouth, "Could you leave some behind? We can''t sit on the roof of the carriage, can we?"


    "Alright." Li Langyue nced at the other carriage waiting nearby, turned and walked back, "She''s always so slow in doing things."


    "Mother, I''m leaving now. I''ll be back in a couple of days."


    Li Langyue turned back and gave her a warning look, "Don''t forget what I told you."


    "I know."


    Li Mingwei watched her mother go back inside, then got into the carriage, took the child from the maid, while Ah Xiu loaded her belongings onto the Tang family''s carriage. She then grabbed a small box and joined Li Mingwei in the carriage.


    After traveling some distance, Ah Xiu gave Li Mingwei a meaningful look, opened the box, and Li Mingwei leaned over and asked in a low voice, "What''s this?"


    "The keys to the storehouses, the deeds to the estates outside the city, and the shop deeds," Ah Xiu showed them to her one by one, then counted the silver notes in her hand, "This is all the cash we have now, but it''s enough to make you some new clothes. I''ll have the people from Jinxiu Pavilione over tomorrow."


    "I''ve also brought your jewelry, but the styles are a bit outdated. Take a lookter and we can exchange the ones you don''t like for new ones."


    Ah Xiu disdainfully pulled out the silver hairpin from Li Mingwei''s hair, "This is so ugly, you''d be better off not wearing it."


    Li Mingwei...

 Chapter 172

    Chapter 172


    Ah Xiu carefully put down the small box, stole a nce at Li Mingwei who was resting with her eyes closed, and hesitated whether to tell her mistress about her brother-inw flirting with a youngdy right after arriving in the capital.


    She opened her mouth, then closed it again.


    With the sudden quietness, Li Mingwei felt a bit unustomed. She half-opened her eyes and looked at the wavering Ah Xiu, raising her eyebrows.


    "What''s the matter? When did you start hiding things from me?"


    "Nothing." Ah Xiu pouted, but still reported the incident, though she added, "It was just that one time. I haven''t seen him go to ces like the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion after that. I''ve been keeping an eye on him for you, mistress."


    She secretly said, "But that Tang Jue has been there a few times."


    Li Mingwei smiled lightly. So Liu Yizhu flirted with a youngdy? Did he recite romantic poetry?


    "What did they say?"


    Ah Xiu shook her head. "I didn''t hear, but I saw that the youngdy''s face turned red, so there must have been something fishy going on. That''s when I just flung the book in my hand at him, to let him know someone was watching. You see, after that he didn''t dare do it again."


    "You..." Li Mingwei felt a headache. "You hit him without even hearing what was said?"


    Perhaps he was just saying that her sister seemed to dislike him.


    Ah Xiu widened her eyes innocently. Wasn''t that allowed?


    "Never mind." Li Mingwei waved her hand. It''s done, what more could she say? He was tough, it probably didn''t hurt him much.


    Sigh...


    "Mistress, we''ve arrived."


    Ah Xiu jumped down first, ced the footstool, and had just taken the child when Liu Yizhu came out. He reached out to support Li Mingwei. "I thought you weren''ting back."


    "Then why were you waiting here?"


    Liu Yizhu didn''t respond. Ah Xiu, holding the child and unable to bow, just nodded and said, "Good day, brother-inw."


    "Who''s this?"


    "Ah Xiu, my personal maid."


    Liu Yizhu nodded in understanding. So this was the one who hit him.


    He had inquired about it already. Li Mingwei was an only child with no sisters. Today she only brought Ah Xiu back, so she must be different. If there was anything before, it must have been arranged by her.


    Ah Xiu handed the child to Liu Yizhu. "Mistress, you go in first. I have too many things to carry. I''lle find you after getting settled."


    "Alright." Li Mingwei turned to the gatekeeper who came to help. "Have Tang Housekeeper arrange a ce for her."


    "Yes, ma''am."


    Ever since she returned, Liu Yizhu sensed a hint of gloom from her. Seeing them carrying so many things, he felt uneasy. Had she argued with her family again?


    But if they had argued, shouldn''t she havee back sooner? How could she have stayed out the whole day?


    Or perhaps she had only argued with her mother?


    Liu Yizhu sent the two children to his mother, speaking softly, "Mingwei is a bit tired today. Could you please look after the children for a while, Mother?"


    "It''s no trouble at all." Old Lady Wang was now also a servant. With two more children, she could still manage. She asked, "She was out the whole day with the children. What was she doing?"


    "Nothing much." Liu Yizhu didn''t know how to exin to his mother. This matter was a bitplicated. If she knew, she might not be able to take it. So he kept it to himself for now, intending to see the Li family''s stance first before saying anything.


    Li Mingwei leaned against the kang bed, looking up as he entered the room. "Did you send them over?"


    "Yes." Liu Yizhu sat beside her, caressing her face. "Don''t worry. Tang Housekeeper has arranged for a maid to assist Mother, she''s not alone."


    "Mmm."


    Liu Yizhu noticed her dazed expression. Thinking she was just tired, he wanted to fetch a quilt to cover her. But as he lowered his gaze, he noticed faint tea stains on her dress, only on her knees and above. The area below was clean, so she must have been kneeling.


    He moved closer to Li Mingwei, concerned. "Did your mother punish you?"


    "Hmm?" Li Mingwei saw where his hand was, and shook her head. "No, I just knelt for a while."


    She stroked Liu Yizhu''s worried face and smiled. "I did it myself, to show remorse. You have to disy the right attitude, don''t you?"


    "Then what about the tea?"


    Li Mingwei didn''t want to exin further, merely saying, "It''s nothing."


    Liu Yizhu was about to speak when she covered his mouth. "Don''t ask, it''s nothing if I say it''s nothing."


    "You..." Liu Yizhu''s expression fell as he pretended to bite her fingers, forcing her to let go.


    Li Mingwei quickly withdrew her hand and grabbed his clothes, feeling embarrassed. "It''s just that Mother made a request, and she needs your cooperation."


    "What is it?"


    "Mother wants me to have another child bearing the Li surname."


    This request was not unreasonable, since the Li family had no heir. Liu Yizhu could understand. He scooped up Li Mingwei and carried her towards the bed, enthusiastically saying, "Then let''s get started."


    "Hey!"


    "I haven''t washed up yet!"


    Liu Yizhu put her down and went to the kitchen to wash up. Starting after that would be fine too, he wasn''t in a hurry.


    Ah Xiu knocked on the door and, after being allowed in, peeked inside. She nced at Li Mingwei, who had changed clothes. "Mistress, you''ve washed up already? I was going to ask if you needed any water."


    "No need. Are you all settled?"


    "Yes, I''ll be staying right behind your room. Call me if you need anything." Ah Xiu sat beside her and handed her the small box. "You should keep this, mistress. Think about where you want to hide it."


    She scanned the room. "The wardrobe or the dressing table?"


    Not receiving a response for a while, Ah Xiu turned to find Li Mingwei dazed. "Mistress, what are you thinking about? Why aren''t you saying anything?"


    Li Mingwei looked at Ah Xiu for a long while before speaking. "Ah Xiu, will you always follow me?"


    "Does the mistress want to chase me away?"


    "No." Li Mingwei shook her head. "I''ve already told Uncle Li to prepare for your and Cai''s wedding. If you follow me, won''t you have to separate from Cai?"


    Their families have served the Lis for generations as bestowed-surname servants. Uncle Li has been attending to my grandfather since he was young, he can''t leave Grandfather. Cai is supposed to take over his duties. If Ah Xiu stays with the Li family, it might be better for you two as husband and wife."


    "What do you think?"


    Ah Xiu muttered softly, "But I want to follow the mistress."


    Li Mingwei sighed. "Stay with me for now. When you have time, go back and discuss it with him, see what he thinks."


    "You''re not young anymore. It''s time to consider your future."


    "Alright."


    Liu Yizhu returned to the room, just in time to see Ah Xiu leaving dejectedly. He sat beside Li Mingwei and raised his eyebrows. "What''s wrong with her?"


    "Nothing." Li Mingwei looked at him, suddenly remembering something. She pretended to be angry and grabbed his ear. "Liu Yizhu, I heard you were flirting with youngdies right after arriving in the capital."


    "Ah?"


    Did that happen?


    No, it didn''t, right?


    "Don''t say it didn''t happen. Ah Xiu saw it herself."


    Liu Yizhu thought back. He had only gone out once after arriving in the capital. As soon as he reached the gate, she hit him with something. That day, he had just... "Oh, I was just asking for directions that day, and she hit me."


    "Where did she hit you?"


    Liu Yizhu frowned slightly, his voice lowering. "Didn''t you see it yesterday?"


    "See what?"


    "My back..."


    Li Mingwei sat up hurriedly and tried to pull off his clothes, worried there might be a scar left. Ah Xiu was so vicious!


    She removed his clothes and examined his back for a while. "Where is it?"


    Liu Yizhu curved his lips, hearing the concern in her voice. He smiled, "My wife is so anxious."


    Then let''s start over.


    He turned and pressed her down on the kang bed, nuzzling her neck. "Going out tomorrow?"


    "Huh? No, not going out."


    Li Mingwei was a bit confused. Weren''t they just talking about the scar on his back? What did that have to do with going out?


    "You..."


    "Liu Yizhu!"


    "You''re a dog!"

 Chapter 173

    Chapter 173


    Ah Xiu sat at the entrance of the main courtyard, yawning idly and unable toprehend why Lady Li Mingwei was still so bored even after returning home.


    She leaned her ear against the room door and listened for a while, hearing no sound. ncing up at the high sun in the sky, she wondered if the youngdy was still asleep.


    A maid poked her head in, "Miss Ah Xiu, the old madame has summoned you for lunch."


    "Alright."


    Ah Xiu rose, patting her bottom, and followed the maid to the dining room.


    Li Mingwei, hearing the fading footsteps, let out a sigh of relief. She had actually been awake for a while but felt too shy to go out. She touched her belly and nced at the reddish marks on her neck in the bronze mirror. To eat or not to eat? Such a difficult choice!


    After a moment of hesitation, she trembled as she stood up and carefully peeked out the door, only to be caught red-handed by Ah Xiu, who had hurriedly taken a couple of bites before rushing back to stand guard.


    "Mydy, you''re finally awake!"


    Ah Xiu leaned in close. "Are you hungry? Let me get you some food. What happened to your neck?"


    She pulled open Li Mingwei''s cor, suddenly understood, and covered it back up, clearing her throat. "I''ll go get you some food. You wait in the room."


    Li Mingwei urged, "Hurry up~"


    She was indeed a bit hungry.


    Ah Xiu soon returned with two tes of pastries. "The old madame said she''ll cook something else for you, so you''ll have to wait a little."


    "It''s fine, no problem." Li Mingwei shook her head and took another bite. "It''s quite delicious."


    It had been so long since shest tasted such pastries that she felt like crying.


    "Knock, knock~"


    At the sound of knocking, Li Mingwei, thinking it was the olddy bringing her food, called out loudly, "Come in."


    Li Langyue pushed open the door to see her daughter reclining on the couch, feet propped up as she ate pastries from a te. Anger surged within her once more as she scolded, "Li Mingwei, have you no manners? Look at yourself right now."


    "Mother!"


    Li Mingwei jolted upright but immediately felt a stab of pain, causing her to copse back down.


    Li Langyue''s brows furrowed as she stepped closer. "What''s wrong with you? You were perfectly finest night."


    "It''s nothing." If only you knew your son-inw''s enthusiasm forpleting his task was a bit too high.


    Li Langyue''s gaze fell upon her daughter''s neck, and upon seeing the marks, she immediately turned and shooed everyone out. "Out, out."


    The maids and attendants who had entered with her scattered at once.


    Li Mingwei slowly straightened herself and carefully finished the pastry in her mouth before speaking, "Mother, why have youe?"


    Li Langyue waved her hand. "Just lie down, lie down."


    "Oh."


    Li Mingwei obedientlyid down, not daring to prop up her feet again. Ah Xiu held the te and offered another pastry to her mouth. "More?"


    "Yes~"


    Li Langyue sat nearby, frowning as she watched her daughter. Seeing her behave more properly now, her expression softened slightly. A single trip out and she had forgotten everything.


    Under her mother''s scrutinizing gaze, Li Mingwei''s appetite waned, and after finishing the pastry in her hand, she didn''t want any more. Ah Xiu set the te on the table and brought her tea to rinse her mouth before wiping her hands. Only then did Li Langyue speak.


    "I''ve sent some people over. Since the Tang family''s servants manage this residence, now that you''ve returned, you should take over. The signboard outside is still nk, so you should rest up and prepare yourself. You''ve managed a household before, so I don''t need to teach you such trivial matters."


    Li Mingwei shook her head. "No need."


    She had just arrived and hadn''t had a chance yet.


    Sigh~


    Coming back to the capital city meant more troubles and annoyances. She longed to return to Qingshi Town.


    Seeing her dejected expression, Li Langyue couldn''t help but admonish her. "Take care of your body and don''t be too indulgent. You two are still young, and you have a long life ahead of you."


    Li Mingwei''s face darkened, not wanting to speak.


    "Oh! So many people!"


    Old Lady Wang entered, carrying a bowl of tangyuan. Seeing the crowded courtyard, she paused, noticed the open room door, and headed straight inside.


    The people outside, seeing her attire and the food she carried, assumed she was a kitchen maid and let her pass without greeting.


    "Mingwei, what are all these people doing out there?" Old Lady Wang entered the room and nced back outside before cing the bowl in front of Li Mingwei.


    "Mother."


    Li Langyue was momentarily stunned, realizing her daughter wasn''t addressing her. She looked at the Old Lady Wang whom Ah Xiu had called the old madame. This must be Liu Yizhu''s mother.


    "Eat up. I even added an egg yolk for you."


    Li Mingwei took the bowl while Old Lady Wang finally noticed Li Langyue. Observing her borate headdress, she was inwardly amazed ¨C this was a distinguished guest!


    Her smile widened as she slightly bent her waist. "We have a guest! Have you eaten, dear guest? Let me get you a bowl as well."


    Li Langyue rose and returned a curtsy. "No need, you''re too kind."


    "It''s no trouble at all, no trouble. It''s only right."


    Li Mingwei spoke faintly, "Mother, that is my mother."


    "What?"


    Old Lady Wang took a step back, skeptical. "Wasn''t your mother the one who abandoned you after going bankrupt?"


    Looking at her attire, it seemed her business had picked up again!


    Li Langyue''s expression darkened as she gritted her teeth, ring at Li Mingwei. When had she ever abandoned her? When had she ever imed that?


    Li Mingwei choked, literally choked. Ah Xiu hurried over and patted her back. "Mydy, are you alright?"


    "I''m... fine..."


    Oh no, she had forgotten to exin to the olddy, who still thought she was Older Sister Chunhua''s sister.


    She turned to Old Lady Wang. "Mother, wait until Liu Yizhu returns and let him exin. My mother didn''t abandon me; that was just a rumor back then."


    "Oh, oh, oh." Old Lady Wang turned and excitedly grasped Li Langyue''s hand. "Mother-inw! This is our first meeting. Wait here, let me get you some tangyuan."


    "No need, no need. I''ve already eaten."


    "I''ll give you a small portion, just a taste. Do you like sugar? If you do, I''ll add some brown sugar. We have plenty of good brown sugar at home. That little girl Mingwei doesn''t like it sweet, so I didn''t add any for her."


    Li Langyue forced a smile. "I''m fine with either."


    "Excellent, excellent. Ah Xiu, do you like sugar?"


    Ah Xiu nodded and stepped forward to support her. "Let me go with you."


    Seeing them leave, Li Langyue let out a soft exhale. This mother-inw was a bit too enthusiastic, almost more than she could handle.


    "Hahaha."


    "You''re stillughing!" Li Langyue red at her daughter and strode over, swatting her. "How could you let your mother-inw do such things? Don''t we have servants at home? If her son sees thister, won''t he me you?"


    "me me for what?" Li Mingwei spread her hands. "If his mother wasn''t here, he''d have to cook for me anyway since I can''t."


    Well, now she could cook porridge!


    Li Langyue paused, recalling that the Liu family wasn''t very well-off before. They probably couldn''t afford to hire help, so did her daughter have to do everything herself back then?

 Chapter 174

    Chapter 174


    Li Mingwei arranged for the people her mother had brought over, so the Tangs didn''t have too much to deal with. Except for the maids and servants who personally attended to Tang Jue, Tang Jue had dismissed the rest and sent them back to Anhuai County.


    Tang Jue was busy with his studies and came back veryte every day. There were no changes in the people around him, so he didn''t notice anything at first. It was only when he saw the signboard of the Liu family''s residence erected at the main gate that he clicked his tongue, thinking, "My sister-inw is really rich to be able to buy such a big property just like that."


    He walked to the back garden and saw Li Mingwei sitting there. He couldn''t help but ask, "Sister-inw, did you buy this property?"


    Li Mingwei gave a lightugh and poured him a cup of tea. "It was mine to begin with."


    "Huh?" Tang Jue turned back and saw the smiling face of the steward, realizing that the reason they didn''t let him stay in the main house was because of this. He had been so ignorant before.


    He took a sip of the tea and saw some potted flowers on the ground. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed a small child squatting behind the flower pots, ying in the mud with his back turned to them.


    "Sister-inw, why are you letting Xiao Bing y in the mud? That''s so dirty."


    "He''s not ying in the mud! He''s nting flowers!" Li Mingwei said, unable to hold back.


    If she didn''t let him nt some flowers, he wouldn''t know the hardship of growing flowers that his mother had. She wanted to see if he''d still dare to ruin her flowers next time.


    Li Mingwei nced at Xiao Bing, who was still digging in the dirt, and couldn''t help but urge him, "Hurry up, you''ve been at it for half a day and haven''t even dug a hole yet. When you ruined my flowersst time, your hands were so quick!"


    Xiao Bing looked up at her, seeming to sense her displeased tone, and continued to dig into the soil diligently.


    Tang Jue felt a bit bad for Xiao Bing, but there was nothing he could do.


    Li Mingwei examined Tang Jue''s clothes and noticed that since she came to the capital, he had started dressing much more simply, unlike before. "Your fashion sense has changed sinceing to the capital city?"


    Tang Jue let out a long sigh, his brow furrowed with an indescribable bitterness. "It''s not that I want to, but the other students at the academy all dress very inly, and I stand out too much in the ssroom. The teacher has called on me like eight out of ten times."


    He had just started there not long ago and was still adjusting. He often couldn''t answer the questions, which was very embarrassing. So he had quickly made a batch of in clothes to hide himself.


    Li Mingwei lowered her gaze, understanding that they were just catering to Granduncle''s preferences.


    Tang Jue said helplessly, "The teacher even called on me once. I couldn''t answer, and I was so embarrassed that I was sick for several days after."


    Li Mingweiforted him, "It''s okay, I''ll talk to Granduncle to call on you more often. Do you have any topics you''re particrly good at? I''ll ask him to specifically quiz you on those."


    Tang Jue spat out his tea, thinking, "Can you really do that?"


    However, he couldn''t help but start reminiscing about his strongest subjects, feeling a bit pleased at the thought of having a backdoor like that.


    Li Mingwei noticed his serious contemtion and secretly smiled, thinking that Tang Jue was still as straightforward as ever.


    Thinking about it, Tang Jue started to feel sleepy. He yawned and his gaze became a little hazy. "I''m feeling sleepy. I''ll think about it another day."


    He leaned tiredly on the table. "Steward, go to the kitchen and get me something to eat. I''ll eat, wash up, and then go to sleep early."


    Li Mingwei looked up at the sky. "You''re feeling sleepy so early? Didn''t you sleep wellst night?"


    Since he left the academy at the hour of the Ox, he had only chatted for a bit, so how could he be this tired already, not even past the hour of the Rooster.


    Tang Jue said pitifully, "It''s not that I didn''t sleep wellst night. Ever since I entered your family''s academy, except for the monthly break, I haven''t slept well at all."


    "Those people at the academy are just like Ah Xiu."


    Even though sses ended at the hour of the Ox, when he had packed up and was ready to leave, he would look around and not a single person had moved, they were all still reading books. He had waited for a while, then stood up, and they all gave him strange looks, making him too afraid to leave. He had pretended to go to the restroom and then hesitantly returned to the ssroom.


    He had been ced there, so he didn''t dare to stand out too much and just had to "do as the Romans do."


    Every day, he had to wait for at least one or two people to leave before he could set off, so he always got back veryte. Today, he was just so tired that he hurriedly made an excuse about a family matter and rushed back.


    Li Mingwei teased, "Then why don''t you go to the girls'' school? I used to leave right after ss."


    Tang Jue looked at her pitifully. He would love to, but he was afraid of getting beaten up.


    Just then, a maid hurried in and called, "Miss... I mean, Madam, the Old Master has arrived and is heading this way."


    "Granduncle?" Li Mingwei stood up and quickly walked out, but before she had gone more than a few steps, Li Yi came down the side path.


    "Granduncle, what brings you here?"


    "I was justing back from the academy and thought I''de see you. You said you''de back in a few days, but it''s been longer than that."


    Li Mingwei linked her arm with his andined, "It''s all because of Mother. She sent so many people the next day, and I''ve just finished arranging them."


    She helped Li Yi sit down and poured him a cup of tea, then nced up and saw the now fully alert Tang Jue standing politely to the side. She couldn''t help but chuckle.


    "What are you doing?"


    Tang Jue obediently greeted, "Greetings, Master Li."


    "Ah, Tang Jue, right?" Li Yi smiled. "I remember you. Come, have a seat."


    Remember what, that he couldn''t answer the question? Tang Jue''s heart skipped a beat, and he had to suppress the urge to cry as he bowed and said, "Yes, thank you, Master."


    Li Mingwei saw how stiffly he sat,pletely different from his earlier fatigue, and his hands clenched tightly under the table. She tried to put him at ease, saying, "You don''t need to be so formal here. This is home, not the academy."


    Tang Jue smiled, but he still didn''t rx much.


    The students at the academy usually acted this way around him, and Li Yi was already used to it. His gaze fell on Xiao Bing, who was still ying in the mud, and he smiled, "Xiao Bing, are you ying in the mud?"


    "No, he''s nting flowers," Li Mingwei huffed. She tattled, "Last time when my mother brought him, he pulled out all the flowers in my little garden. Now he has to nt them back to make up for it."


    "You..." Li Yi couldn''t help but scold her a little. "Fighting with your mother and taking it out on the child, do you have the nerve to make your motherpensate you?"


    "I don''t have the nerve." Li Mingwei admitted.


    Since her flowers got ruined, she had to bepensated, and she couldn''t control her mother, so she couldn''t control her son either.


    Li Yi saw that Xiao Bing''s clothes were covered in mud and felt a bit sorry for him. "There are still many flowers blooming nicely in the garden. You can just go take a look, and if that''s not enough, I''ll have someone transnt a couple more for your little garden. He''s still so young, how could he know how to nt flowers?"


    "Ah Xiu is helping him, it''s not like I''m letting him do it himself," Li Mingwei said smugly.


    Li Yi could only nod reluctantly and let her be.


    Li Mingwei called out, "Xiao Bing."


    Xiao Bing stopped working and looked back at her.


    She spoke softly, "Are you enjoying nting the flowers?"


    "Mm-hmm!" Xiao Bing smiled at her and then continued digging the holes with Ah Xiu''s help.


    Li Mingwei turned to Li Yi proudly, shaking her head. "See, he''s doing it willingly."


    Li Yi could only nod half-heartedly and let it go.

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175


    Li Yi returned to the Residence of the Liu family after dinner. Tang Jue had kept himpany the entire time, inevitably subjecting him to a thorough interrogation. After seeing Li Yi off, Tang Jue was left feeling a bit disoriented. He leaned against the doorframe with his eyes closed.


    If only he had note back so early. He should have just stayed at the academy and continued reading.


    Liu Yizhu stepped out of the carriage and saw his condition. Approaching him, she asked, "Have your studies been particrly demandingtely? You look so tired."


    "Why did youe back sote?" Tang Jue tightly gripped Liu Yizhu''s arm and scolded him. "It''s already dark out, and you haven''t returned home yet. Your sister-inw is going to scold you when you get back."


    If only he hade back earlier, then it would have been Tang Jue who was interrogated instead.


    Feeling that he had taken the me for Liu Yizhu, Tang Jue insisted on treating him to a good meal. But Liu Yizhu, with a splitting headache, had no desire to entertain him and simply went back inside, leaving Tang Jue at the door.


    Li Mingwei had just finished her evening routine and was putting her young daughter to bed when Liu Yizhu wearily walked in. She couldn''t help but ask, "Why are you back sote?"


    Liu Yizhu took off his official hat and outer robe, sat down at the table, and poured himself a cup of water. "The governor of Yunzhou has submitted a memorial, stating that Yunzhou is experiencing a severe drought. No rain has fallen sincest year, and thend is cracked and parched, making it impossible to plow the fields in the spring. Now the disaster victims are scattered everywhere, and he is asking the court for aid."


    So, they need money for disaster relief.


    "Doesn''t the court have money?"


    Liu Yizhu exined tactfully, "They have already sent a batch, but just recently at the end ofst year, they had to provide new uniforms for the soldiers in the Northern Desert, so the imperial treasury is not very well-stocked. They may not have enough."


    Li Mingwei sighed. The Great Luo iscking in capable generals, and this war has been dragging on for year after year.


    "The drought situation in Yunzhou is dire and cannot be dyed. Princess Yayue, in order to alleviate the burden on the Emperor, has personally organized a spring banquet at Tai''an Lake, inviting many distinguished guests to try and raise some funds."


    He took an invitation out of his pocket. "Will you go?"


    Li Mingwei ced their daughter in the cradle, then took the invitation and looked it over, chuckling. "How exactly are they nning to raise the funds? Are they going to have the twenty-odd courtesans that the Princess keeps perform dances for us?"


    "How did you know?"


    "I''ve seen the Princess''s courtesans many times before. I don''t know if there are any new ones thesest couple of years." Li Mingwei mused, still a bit excited. Princess Yayue has good taste, raising such handsome and talented young men. She had even asked Li Mingwei before if she wanted one.


    Li Mingwei had declined, as most of the men in the Princess''s retinue were rather effeminate, not really to her liking. Of course, her family would never allow her to engage in such unconventional activities.


    Liu Yizhu''s face darkened. "Mingwei, why do I sense a hint of anticipation from you?"


    "Ah, the desire for beauty is universal, is it not?" Moreover, a group of handsome men would surely lift her spirits, which she had not experienced in a long time.


    Li Mingwei turned and retrieved her small box. "How much should we donate?"


    Disaster relief, so it wouldn''t do to give too little.


    "Eh! Did the Princess say how much money you''d have to contribute to be allowed to pick one to showcase their talents?"


    Liu Yizhu held back his anger as much as he could, then abruptly set down his water cup, gritting his teeth. "No, I think it''s best if you don''t go. Just have Ah Xiu deliver the donation."


    "Stingy!" Li Mingwei gave him a disdainful look, then after some consideration, put the box back. "I''ll have Ah Xiu go to the Princess''s residence tomorrow to inquire about the appropriate donation amount. There''s no rush."


    Ah Xiu brought Liu Yizhu''s dinner, and seeing his master''s gloomy expression, gently set down the food and cautiously nced at her mistress, opening her mouth but not uttering a word. "What''s wrong with the Master?"


    Li Mingwei gave Liu Yizhu a sidelong nce and handed the invitation to Ah Xiu, instructing her, "Find time to go inquire about the appropriate donation amount."


    "Okay." Ah Xiu opened the invitation and took a look, immediately bing excited. "Is there going to be a dance performance again? I heard the Princess has a new performer who is exceptionally skilled at drumming and dancing. He''s the most favored one now."


    Li Mingwei raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then go ask how much it would cost. I''ll give you some money."


    Ah Xiu was reluctant to spend the money, as she had just spent arge sum on clothes and jewelry the other day. She pouted, "Miss, since you''re on such good terms with the Princess, surely she''ll cut you some ck, right? You don''t have to pay the full amount."


    "Ah Xiu, the money is for disaster relief."


    "Oh, I see." Ah Xiu relented, "I''ll go ask tomorrow."


    Li Mingwei nodded, gesturing for her to leave. She then excitedly rubbed her hands together - drum and dance performances, she had never seen one before. It must be quite magnificent.


    Liu Yizhu looked at her with a resentful gaze. "Mingwei~"


    "Eat your dinner!" Li Mingwei shoved the chopsticks into his hand, huffing. "I''m sure you''ve attended pce banquets before. The court dancers there wear even less than the Princess''s courtesans."


    Especially the ones from the Western Regions, with their sinuous waists - she quite enjoyed watching them.


    Li Mingwei''s talents in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were all presentable, but when it came to dance, she was utterly clueless. She had tried learning in the past, but just couldn''t get the hang of it. All she could do now was just watch.


    She propped her head on her hand, turning to look at Liu Yizhu, who still hadn''t picked up his chopsticks. "Hurry and eat, or I won''t be able to watch either."


    "You can''t expect me to keep my eyes closed the entire time, can you?"


    Liu Yizhu forcefully took a few bites of his food. The capital really is not a good ce.


    This was the first time Li Mingwei had gone out since returning to the capital. Of course, she couldn''t afford to make any mistakes. And just in time, the clothes Ah Xiu had brought her had arrived. She had spent her free afternoon trying them all on.


    "How do you think this one looks?"


    Ah Xiu ttered, "I think you look beautiful in anything, Miss."


    "Be honest, will you?"


    "I am being honest."


    Li Mingwei pouted, then asked what gown Princess Yayue nned to wear, choosing one that wouldplement her.


    Now that she thought about it, she hadn''t seen Ya Yin in a long time.


    In the past, Ya Yin was often by the former Emperor''s side. Whenever she and Murong Yu went to the pce to pay their respects, they would see her there. After the former Emperor''s passing, Ya Yin would also frequently invite her to the Princess''s residence to chat about all sorts of things.


    It had been three years since theyst saw each other. She wondered how Ya Yin was doing now.


    Ah Xiu spread out the jewelry in front of Li Mingwei, allowing her to select. Seeing her silent and pensive, she scratched her head. "Do you not like any of them?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. "No, I''m just thinking about how Ya Yin is doing."


    "The Princess is surely doing well. She was already quite favored by the former Emperor, and she''s a few years older than the current Emperor, who has always been lenient with her. That''s why she''s able to strategize for the Emperor now."


    "That''s true." With Ya Yin''sfortable circumstances, there was no need for Li Mingwei to worry about her.


    Excited to see her old friend, Li Mingwei rose early on the day of the banquet to carefully groom and dress herself. Liu Yizhu, thinking she was so eager because of the courtesans, also freshened up and joined her.


    "What are you doing?"


    Liu Yizhu stated matter-of-factly, "Going with you. I haven''t seen a drum and dance performance either."


    "You today..."


    "I''m on leave today."


    As many people as possible participating in the fundraising effort was preferred, so they had specifically chosen a day off.


    "You should have said so earlier."


    She hadn''t prepared anything for him. Oh well, Li Mingwei narrowed her eyes, he''ll have to make do.


    "Let''s go, let''s go."


    Tai''an Lake was outside the city, quite a distance away.

 Chapter 176

    Chapter 176


    The carriage slowly came to a stop on the outskirts of Tai''an Lake. The coachman gently knocked on the door, "The front is all filled with carriages, I''m afraid the master and madam will have to walk from here."


    "Okay."


    Ah Xiu pulled back the curtain, but as soon as she stepped out, she quickly drew it back down, giving Li Mingwei a signal.


    "Who''s up front? Murong Yu?"


    "Who else could it be?" Ah Xiu hummed, "Meeting an ominous star, not auspicious, not auspicious."


    "Why be afraid of him?" Li Mingwei pulled the curtain and walked out directly. Unless they wanted to turn back, they would have to run into him sooner orter.


    She nced forward and saw that Murong Yu had already entered with his entourage. She was puzzled, "Why is he alone? Didn''t he bring Cheng Ruoruo?"


    "Cheng Ruoruo has given birth to a son, so she''s no longer the concubine. The Cheng family has abandoned her, so being a concubine is useless. That man has never taken her out with him. I heard that a while ago, he used one of the maids of poisoning someone and sent her to a nunnery for atonement, she probably won''t being back."


    Tsk.


    The three handed over their invitations, and the steward, after a quick inspection, immediately bowed and invited them in. A maid came forward to lead them to their respective ces.


    Li Mingwei nced back at Liu Yizhu, "Do you have any acquaintances here?"


    Liu Yizhu nodded, "I''ve been in the capital for over a year now, not close friends, but I can still chat with a few people, and I sometimes run into your ex-husband in the pce."


    Hmph!


    Li Mingwei led Ah Xiu with confidence, following the maid to the area where the female guests gathered. The first thing they did upon entering was to pay their respects to the hostess.


    Ya Yin was seated in the high position of the pavilion on theke. Seeing Li Mingwei approaching across the bridge, she was somewhat disbelieving. She turned her head and nced at the maid beside her.


    The maid took a few steps forward, leaning out from the pavilion to take a look, and reported back, "It''s Miss Li."


    Ya Yin sat up a little straighter, waiting for Li Mingwei toe greet her.


    "Mingwei pays respects to the Princess."


    "I see, so the Li family has been busy with celebrationstely. Turns out it''s because you''ve returned."


    She didn''t have the maid bring an extra chair, just shifted over a bit, gesturing for Li Mingwei to sit beside her.


    Li Mingwei smiled as she stepped forward, exining, "The celebrations at home are not for me, but for my son, who is about to turn two."


    Also to wee Liu Yizhu and Lady Wang.


    "Your son?" Ya Yin paused for a moment.


    "Yes, after I left the capital, all the doctors said my health was excellent, and now I have a son and a daughter." Li Mingwei sighed, "I don''t know how those two ipetent doctors became imperial physicians. Princess, you must be careful not to use them in the future."


    Ya Yin furrowed her brow, looking at her helplessly, and lowered her voice, "Don''t you put me on the spot, I can''t offend that man."


    "Since when did you two be so close? Can''t even talk about it." Li Mingwei pouted.


    "It''s not for his sake?" Ya Yin said irritably, "It''s for my own..."


    She cleared her throat lightly, "Whenever they''re short on money, someone wille use me. They say the court is in a time of crisis, and as a princess, I''m not setting an example by wasting money on all these maids. It''s so annoying. As soon as news of the disaster came, I immediately went to the pce just to shut their mouths."


    After this, let''s see them say her maids are useless.


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes. She knew it, when has Ya Yin ever cared so much about state affairs? Even when raising funds, it''s still the Empress and the others who do the work.


    The two conversed quietly up above, the ones below couldn''t hear clearly and didn''t dare to interrupt. The atmosphere became quiet for a moment.


    Ya Yin nced at them, smiling, "You all just continue your conversation, I''m just catching up with Mingwei."


    "I heard you were talking quite animatedly when I arrived. What were you discussing?" Li Mingwei looked up at Ya Yin, smiling, "I haven''t been back to the capital for a long time, so I don''t know what''s new."


    "Nothing much." Ya Yin cast a nce at the youngdy to her right, telling Li Mingwei, "This is Yue Rong from the Lin family. Do you remember her?"


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment, not quite recalling, but still said, "I''ve seen her a few times before, but she was still young back then."


    "That''s right." Yue Rong stood up and greeted, "Yue Rong pays respects to Sister Li."


    "No need for formalities."


    "Okay."


    Ya Yin waved her hand, signaling for Yue Rong to sit back down, sighing, "This girl has taken a fancy tost year''s new imperial schr, but I heard his wife has already arrived in the capital. She''s still refusing to give up, and the other day she begged me to send her an invitation, I don''t know if she''ll be able toe."


    Li Mingwei choked a bit, taking another look at Yue Rong.


    Seeing that she didn''t say anything, Ya Yin thought she must not have heard about it since she just returned, and continued, "You know I never get involved with married men, but I have a bit of a connection with her brother, so I couldn''t really reject her."


    Li Mingwei''s eyes widened, "How old is her brother? You have a ''connection'' with him?"


    This Yue Rong looks only sixteen or seventeen, and Ya Yin is eight years older than her.


    "Ah!" Ya Yin lightly patted Li Mingwei''s shoulder, still maintaining an air of restraint, "Since when do I care about age?"


    No need to say more, he''s probably not much younger. Suddenly, Li Mingwei felt a pang in her heart. This woman really knows no bounds.


    But then again, if someonees knocking on your door, it''s not necessarily your fault.


    The two chatted for a while, and it was almost time for the banquet to begin. Yue Rong was getting anxious, frequently ncing towards Ya Yin. Ya Yin could only instruct the maid beside her, "Go check in front, see if Liu-daren has arrived, and if he''s brought his wife."


    Li Mingwei put down her teacup, stopping her, "No need to check, he''s here."


    "You ran into him on your way here?"


    "I came with him."


    Ya Yin blinked her eyes, taking a moment toprehend her meaning, "The Lady Liu?"


    "That''s me!"


    "You, I..." Ya Yin was at a loss for words, sympathetically ncing at Yue Rong, her chances were gone.


    Knowing that she was Lady Liu, Ya Yin suddenly became interested. Murong Yu and Liu Yizhu should both be out front by now, I wonder if they''ll get into a fight?


    Ah, she just found out, Murong Yu probably doesn''t know about this yet.


    "How many people know about your return?"


    "By the time today is over, the whole capital will know."


    Ya Yin gestured to the maid, pulling Li Mingwei along as she headed to the front. She hadn''t seen any excitement in a long time.


    Li Mingwei was tugged by the wrist, meeting Ya Yin''s mischievous gaze. She gently pushed her hand away, quietly reminding her, "Princess, mind your manners."


    Ya Yin gave a slight nod, straightening her posture, and walked in front, though she couldn''t help but quicken her pace a bit.


    She specifically had the maid ce a small table next to her main seat, so that Murong Yu would be able to see Li Mingwei as soon as he entered.


    Li Mingwei held back, whispering, "You really aren''t afraid of trouble."


    "He''s been pestering metely, don''t hold back with him."


    Sure enough, as soon as Murong Yu walked in, his gazended on Li Mingwei. He paused for a moment, then strode forward, his voice slightly trembling, "Weiwei, you..."


    Li Mingwei avoided his line of sight, she had no desire to talk to him.


    Ya Yin raised her hand gracefully, "Take your seats, it''s about to start."


    Murong Yu came to his senses, "Yes, Sister."


    His seat was just below Ya Yin''s, so he would be able to see Li Mingwei by just lifting his eyes. Li Mingwei felt his gaze on her, and gritted her teeth, she was going to kill Ya Yin.

 Chapter 177

    Chapter 177


    The banquet was not even halfway through when Murong Yu quietly slipped away from the back. Li Mingwei noticed it, frowned slightly, and waited for a moment, then someone bowed and approached her, greeting her respectfully, as if he would keep kneeling if she did not rise.


    Li Mingwei hesitated for a moment, did not let Ah Xiu follow, and walked out. Ya Yin immediately searched for Liu Yizhu''s figure and saw him also get up and go out, causing her to feel anxious - she really wanted to follow him, but what should she do?


    Damn Murong Yu, couldn''t he have waited until the end of the banquet to say whatever he wanted to say? Why did he have to choose this time, making it clear that he was opposing her.


    A maid from Prince Jian''s residence led Li Mingwei all the way to thekeside. When they arrived, she stopped and bowed: "Princess, the Prince is waiting for you in the pavilion."


    Li Mingwei spoke tly: "You addressed the wrong person."


    The maid paused, then bowed again: "My apologies..."


    "That''s enough." Li Mingwei did not want to hear her speak, and walked towards the pavilion, leaving her behind.


    Murong Yu stood by theke, and as soon as he heard the footsteps, he turned around and stepped forward: "Weiwei~"


    Li Mingwei did not respond to him, but only greeted him: "Greetings, Prince Jian."


    "Weiwei, even though we have divorced, you don''t have to be so distant from me," Murong Yu said with a slightly bitter smile, as if he was very sad. He spoke softly, "In my heart, you and I have never..."


    "Prince Jian, be careful with your words!" Li Mingwei interrupted him sternly. "Do you have any objections to the will of the Previous Emperor?"


    "I..." Murong Yu dared not be unfilial, so he could onlyply helplessly, "No."


    "Prince Jian, please say what you need to say quickly. I am now a married woman, and it is improper for me to have a private conversation with you. If someone sees us, there will be more unfounded criticism."


    "You''re married?"


    Li Mingwei nodded slightly, meeting his doubtful gaze. "Perhaps Prince Jian can address me as Lady Liu."


    Murong Yu took a step back, his brows furrowed, then suddenly smiled: "Liu Yizhu?"


    He just said, no wonder he felt some hostility towards him the first time they met, even though they were strangers.


    "Do you have a child together?"


    "Yes."


    Murong Yu turned his back and walked to the pavilion, looking out at the green mountains across the water, and slowly said, "So, you were able to have a child after leaving the Prince''s residence."


    "Not long after you left, I realized something was wrong. The cook who was responsible for your meals resigned and returned to her hometown, and then suddenly died. I had my people investigate, but they found nothing."


    He had his suspicions, but knew there were people watching him, so he did not dare to investigate too openly. He just quietly had his subordinates check, but they got nothing.


    Now there was no need to investigate further, if it was kept so secret, he knew exactly who was behind it.


    Li Mingwei impatiently said, "So?"


    "Don''t you resent him? He harmed you..."


    "What''s the use of resenting it?" Li Mingwei found it somewhat amusing. "What can I do?"


    To announce this to the world, saying that the Emperor had someone frame her and drug her food so she could not have children - did she have any evidence? Even if she did, the person was the most powerful in thend, who could stand up for her?


    Murong Yu furrowed his brows, and after a long pause, said, "We can..."


    "We?" Li Mingwei snorted coldly. "Who is ''we''? You are you, I am me. He might have done something to me, but you are no better, going around getting other women pregnant behind my back, and nowing back to put on an act with me, and now you say ''we''?"


    "Weiwei, about that matter..."


    "Don''t call me that, and don''t exin. I saw it with my own eyes, no matter how you try to make excuses, it''s useless."


    Li Mingwei was tired of arguing with him, and said exasperatedly, "Murong Yu, wake up. Even now, you still don''t understand the situation, and you think you still have a few people supporting you. Do you really think you can win?"


    "If you want to die, don''t drag the Li family into it. We are not going to be your cannon fodder."


    The things the Emperor did, she was not angry about it, her family was not angry about it either, but they could only suppress it, because they knew they could not defeat him.


    Moreover, she now had a son and a daughter, she could not possibly take such a risky action, let alone to help Murong Yu, who was no better than the Emperor.


    Murong Yu clenched his fists, knowing that what she said was true, but he still felt resentful. Even until now, he still did not understand why his father the Emperor had ultimately chosen that person, when he had always entrusted him with important tasks.


    After more than a decade of knowing each other and three years of living together, Li Mingwei understood him well, and did not say anything more, turning and leaving.


    "Weiwei~"


    "Prince Jian!" Li Mingwei stopped, turned around and looked at him unhappily for a long time, and when he lowered his eyes, she bowed and said, "Mingwei takes her leave."


    Murong Yu did not speak again, and she did not linger either, quickening her pace back. It was already thiste, and she was just wondering if Ah Xiu''s dance had started yet. She had spent so much money, it would be a shame if she missed it.


    As she approached the banquet hall, she heard the distant drumbeats slowly fading, and soon other music started ying. That''s it, it''s over.


    Her money was wasted, and she didn''t know if Ya Yin would let Ah Xiu perform for her again, considering their long acquaintance.


    Ah!


    Ah Xiu was right, meeting a disaster star on the way, it''s not auspicious at all.


    Liu Yizhu removed her hand from her chest, his face gloomy. "What''s with that look?"


    "You''re out too!"


    Oh no, now Li Mingwei felt even more sorry for him. He didn''t get to see it either, and it ended up benefiting Ah Xiu.


    "Shouldn''t I be out?" Liu Yizhu pinched her face. They walked out one after the other, not knowing where they were going, but he had toe out to check, in case his wife ran off.


    She had left first, and he had followed right away, but still couldn''t catch up. He looked around, but there was no one in sight, so he could only wait here.


    He said angrily, "What were you two talking about for so long? Did you have that much to say to him?"


    Li Mingwei felt bad for him, and pried his hand off. She didn''t want to talk to him.


    Seeing her remain silent, Liu Yizhu gritted his teeth and turned to leave, no longer wanting to talk to her.


    Li Mingwei was stunned for a moment, then hurried to grab him. "Are you really angry?"


    "It''s nothing, just some old matters that you don''t know about. But now I have a child, so I''ve put that aside, no need to bring it up again."


    "Dear~"


    "You walked too fast, I couldn''t keep up~"


    "Where are you going? Let''s just go home. Since we missed the dance, we can go see the other performances. Ya Yin''s dancers are probably all good."


    "You!" Liu Yizhu could hardly believe it, he was in this mood, and she was still thinking about those dancers.


    Li Mingwei knew this would get a reaction from him. She hugged his waist and looked up at him. "Really, I just told him he can call me Lady Liu."


    Liu Yizhu snorted, but his expression softened a bit.


    "Dear~"


    "I won''t go see the dancers anymore, I''ll just look at you."


    "Do you think I''ll believe you!" Liu Yizhu''s temper red up again. "Just now, you were sitting up there, staring at those dancing girls, your face lit up with smiles. Did you even look at me once?"


    "Ah?"


    Li Mingwei felt a bit embarrassed. Had she really been that obvious? She knew he was watching from below, so she had tried to restrain herself a little, but apparently it was not enough.

 Chapter 178

    Chapter 178


    Liu Yizhu and Li Mingwei had a bit of an unpleasant dispute, but they had to maintain a smiling facade in public. After the banquet ended, they bid farewell to Ya Yin and returned to the carriage, and Liu Yizhu''s expression immediately fell.


    Li Mingwei squeezed next to Ah Xiu and whispered, "I just saw them dancing, they seemed to be having a great time, didn''t they?"


    Ah Xiu shook her head. She was standing behind Li Mingwei, so she could only see the back of her head and couldn''t tell if she was really happy. But Ah Xiu herself was having a great time watching the dance.


    She excitedly said, "Miss, that lead dancer was truly amazing! It''s a pity you didn''t get to see it. What could you have been discussing with Murong Yu for so long? What a waste of money!"


    Liu Yizhu also wanted to ask this question, silently staring at Li Mingwei.


    "What could I possibly have to discuss with him?" Li Mingwei gave Ah Xiu a meaningful nce. "It''s about that matter."


    Ah Xiu understood in an instant, nodding and disdainfully saying, "He has no shame, still daring to bring it up. He just wants to take advantage of us. We shouldn''t even bother with him."


    "There''s no way I would bother with him."


    "Of course, our Miss is no longer so naive."


    Li Mingwei slowly turned her head and red at Ah Xiu. "What do you mean by that?"


    "No, no, I misspoke." Ah Xiu hurriedly waved her hands. "I meant that Miss, you''ve be more sensible now."


    "Is there a difference?"


    Ah Xiu sheepishly said, "Is there a difference?"


    Li Mingwei gave Ah Xiu a hard punch, then sat back down next to Liu Yizhu, clinging to his arm with a disgruntled expression, ring at Ah Xiu. She was truly the most lowly of all the youngdies!


    Ah Xiu was at a loss, but knowing she was in the wrong, she pulled the carriage curtain and hid outside.


    Seeing that Liu Yizhu was still silent, Li Mingwei nudged him. "Husband~"


    Liu Yizhu ignored her.


    Li Mingwei let go of his arm and said glumly, "Can''t you be like this? I''m only in the Capital City for a few days, and you''re getting angry more often than in previous years."


    Back when she was in the Capital City before, her days were dull, so she had to find some entertainment from time to time.


    "I was just looking, I didn''t do anything."


    "Then what do you want to do?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head. "Nothing, before, Ya Yin let me pick whomever I wanted, but I didn''t take anyone."


    Liu Yizhu furrowed his brow. He, with his still somewhat naive nature after only being in the Capital City for a year, did not understand their behavior.


    "They, you all..."


    He didn''t know how to ask, but he felt it was a bit strange. The Princess didn''t like them, so why did she keep them in the manor? How could she just casually give them away to others?


    "Ya Yin doesn''t have that big of a heart. She doesn''t really like that many people, she just thinks they dance well and wants to keep them around."


    As for the rest, she didn''t really care, as long as they could continue dancing.


    Li Mingwei sighed. "The only one Ya Yin truly cares about in this world is perhaps just one person."


    That was a dance teacher from her father''s manor. Li Mingwei didn''t know how they came together, she only heard that the man waster executed for seducing the Princess.


    Perhaps to help her forget that dance teacher quickly, her father sent her from the estate to the Capital City, entrusting her to the Empress Dowager for upbringing.


    Somehow, after entering the pce, she gained the favor of the previous Emperor. After the Empress Dowager passed away, the Emperor, knowing she didn''t want to return, granted her the Princess Manor and allowed her to remain unmarried in the Capital City.


    Then she began collecting various dance teachers, keeping them in the manor. If someone had a request for her, they would specially find a skilled dancer to send to her. But she didn''t take in just anyone, only those who caught her eye.


    They were all a form of contempt and insult towards her father. Yet the previous Emperor tolerated her, so her father could only ept having such a daughter.


    Li Mingwei became acquainted with her because she once wanted to send a dancer to the Shuhua Academy, perhaps hoping the young man would agree to be her dancer in exchange.


    "This..." Liu Yizhu''s face showed some difficulty in expressing himself. "Your grandfather probably wouldn''t agree, right?"


    "Isn''t he your grandfather too?"


    Before Liu Yizhu could respond, Li Mingwei muttered to herself, "Oh right, I just called you ''husband'', but you didn''t respond, looks like you don''t want to be with me anymore. Then your grandfather is naturally no longer mine either."


    "I..."


    "It''s okay." Li Mingwei moved a bit further away from him. "Just say it, I''m not the first to be divorced. As for the child, what should we do? Shall we each take one? I''ll just go back and change her surname, that way I don''t have to have any more."


    "You!"


    "No!" Li Mingwei shook her head on her own, contradicting her previous words. "You should go ask Sister Yuerong first, see if she minds you having a child. If she minds, I''ll take both of them away. After all, you two are still young, you can have more children."


    "Li Mingwei!"


    "What?"


    Liu Yizhu tightly gripped her wrist, gritting his teeth as he said, "Do you know what you''re saying?"


    "What did I say?"


    Seeing her innocent eyes, Liu Yizhu let go of her hand and turned his back to her. "Forget it, you''re infuriating me!"


    "Why are you getting angry? Sister Chunhua said before that widows have a lot of troubles, I don''t want to be a widow." Li Mingwei lightly kicked him. "Husband~"


    Liu Yizhu turned back, reluctantly responding.


    "Don''t you dare not answer me next time."


    "You!" Liu Yizhu pulled her into his embrace, tightening his hold a bit. "Don''t you ever say those things to me again."


    "Say what?"


    "Don''t y dumb!" Liu Yizhu had long since seen through her. "Your heart is as clear as a mirror."


    "Okay, I know." Li Mingwei gently stroked his slightly angry face. "I''m sorry, let''s make up, okay? I promise I won''t talk nonsense anymore, just calm down."


    "So, are you still going to see the dancer?"


    "No more, no more, never again."


    "And you still have so much to say with your ex-husband?"


    "No more, I''ve said everything today."


    Seeing her attitude was still somewhat sincere, Liu Yizhu reluctantly forgave her. "You''d better keep your word."


    "Don''t worry." Li Mingwei obediently nodded, then nced at him. "Aren''t you going to ask me who Yuerong is?"


    "I know, she''s surnamed Lin, right?" Liu Yizhu pinched her little face. "Don''t listen to their nonsense, I''ve only seen her at the poetry gathering a couple of times."


    "Only twice and you still remember her?"


    "My memory is good, has nothing to do with whether it''s her or not." Liu Yizhu raised an eyebrow. "I not only remember her, I also remember your mother. What you said ispletely different, I''m even a bit doubtful if you''re really surnamed Li."


    Li Mingwei chuckled. "Coincidentally, my mother also remembers you."


    Liu Yizhu paused. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"


    "You''ll know when you go see her."

 Chapter 179

    Chapter 179


    Li Mingwei was lying on the bed, quietly admiring Liu Yizhu as he dressed in front of the mirror. This was the fifth outfit he had tried on. Liu Yizhu turned to look at her, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.


    Unfortunately, the only response he received was a big yawn from Li Mingwei. She pulled the nket over herself and slowly closed her eyes. He had woken her up early just to have her help him pick out an outfit? This was simply cruel.


    "My dear..." Liu Yizhu sat on the edge of the bed and gently nudged her. "Please, can you take a look at it one more time?"


    Today was his first time visiting the Li family, and he couldn''t afford to make any mistakes. If he could win over his mother-inw, that would be even better.


    "Whatever." Li Mingwei could barely keep her eyes open, her voice tinged with drowsiness. "It''s not like we''re in a rush. Let me sleep a little more, okay?"


    "But..."


    Seeing the disappointment on his face, Li Mingwei reluctantly propped herself up and carefully examined his outfit. "I think the third one looks the best."


    "Alright, I''ll change back to that one then."


    Li Mingwei pulled him into an embrace, and they both copsed back onto the bed. She tiredly rested her head on his chest. "Once you''ve chosen, let''s sleep a little more. It''s still early, and you''ve already met my grandparents and parents. There''s nothing to be afraid of."


    Liu Yizhu gently brushed a strand of her hair, unable to stop himself from caressing it. He had met them before, but the situation was different now. He felt more nervous than he did during the Spring Examination.


    What if...


    He didn''t dare to think about it.


    Feeling Li Mingwei''s breath slowly stabilize, he didn''t dare to move, closing his eyes to rest as well. He had gotten up a bit too early today, causing his anxiousness.


    Knock, knock, knock!


    "You two still haven''t gotten up? Don''t you know what you need to do today!"


    The knocking and Old Lady Wang''s urgent calls woke Liu Yizhu up. He covered Li Mingwei''s ears, shifted her position, and then opened the door to find his mother, dressed up in a floral and brocade fashion.


    "Mother, you''re..."


    "What''s wrong with you? You''re usually not like this." Old Lady Wang was about to scold him, but when she saw that he was already dressed, she held back, sounding displeased. "You''ve gotten up, but you''re still noting out to eat. Hurry up and get ready, we need to leave soon!"


    Liu Yizhu gathered his thoughts and carefully examined his mother''s makeup. He couldn''t help but suppress a smile. "Mother, your face, what''s that?"


    Old Lady Wang touched her cheek, slightly embarrassed. "It''s Ah Xiu''s doing. She came early this morning and insisted on dressing me up. I think it looks a bit strange, but she said it looks good."


    Looking into her eyes, Liu Yizhu couldn''t help but nod. "It does look nice."


    It''s just that...


    Perhaps he wasn''t used to seeing his mother dressed up this way. Ah Xiu must have followed Li Mingwei''s instructions. If she said it looked good, then it must be true.


    Old Lady Wang''s face lit up with a satisfied smile. She yed with her hair, pulling out a hairpin to show him. "See, it''s golden. She said it was a gift for me. Do you know how much it''s worth?"


    She peeked into the room, then gently pulled Liu Yizhu a few steps outside. With a sigh, her brow furrowed. "You''d better not stray too far from me. If I do something wrong, you''ll need to remind me."


    "Mother, there''s no need to worry. You''ve already met Mingwei''s grandparents and parents. Her father is quite approachable."


    "Approachable or not," Old Lady Wang said, "I still feel a bit..."


    Her worries were not eased by Liu Yizhu''s reassurance. She was nervous, but she couldn''t afford to stay behind. As the mother, she couldn''t let othersugh at her for not attending such an important event.


    "s..."


    She released Liu Yizhu''s hand. "Go get ready ande have breakfast. I''ll go tidy up the gifts in the front."


    "Alright."


    Liu Yizhu returned to the room, finding Li Mingwei leaning against the bed, still looking drowsy. He went over and gently rubbed her face to wake her up. "I''m going to change. You should get ready too. Dressing up takes you a while."


    Li Mingwei knew he was referring to the morning of the Spring Banquet. She exined, "It won''t take that long. I''m just going home, not going out."


    Since it was just a small gathering for her sister''s birthday, they didn''t invite any other guests, so there was no need to be too formal.


    However, it was still her sister''s birthday, so Li Mingwei had made a simple effort to dress up, rather than going back homepletely bare-faced, or she would be scolded.


    As Li Mingwei walked out, she encountered the maids carrying the gifts. She raised an eyebrow. "Mother has a lot of money, buying so many things."


    "Is that a lot?" Liu Yizhu asked.


    "Isn''t it? We didn''t even receive this many gifts when we got married."


    Liu Yizhu shook his head. By rights, there should have been even more, but this was all he could afford with his first year''s sry as an official. He could only promise to make up for itter.


    "I''ll make it up to you in the future when I''ve earned more."


    Li Mingwei smiled and nodded. She didn''t really need the extra gifts, but his thoughtfulness meant a lot to her.


    After breakfast, Old Lady Wang hurried them to leave. She handed the child to Liu Yizhu and went to sit in the other carriage with the maids.


    "Mother, you''re..."


    Liu Yizhu looked back, seeing the carriage was quite empty. Why was she rushing to sit somewhere else?


    "Don''t call me. Your mother is hiding from you."


    "Hiding from me? Why?"


    "Who knows."


    Ever since Liu Yizhu had told his mother about Li Mingwei''s situation, she had been somewhat distant. Previously, she would bring food herself, but now she always had the maids deliver it. Whenever they encountered each other in the garden, she would quickly turn and leave, iming to be tired and needing to rest.


    Liu Yizhu guessed his mother must be feeling a bit guilty, so he didn''t call out to her again, just letting the driver depart.


    This time, Li Mingwei''s return home was different. The carriage stopped directly in front of the main entrance. Li Mingwei, supported by Liu Yizhu, waited as Ah Xiu escorted Old Lady Wang to the front, then she followed behind.


    Li Yi soon came out to wee them, and Old Lady Wang greeted him, then sped Li Langyue''s hands.


    "Mother-inw!"


    Li Langyue was ustomed to her warmth and kindly received her. She introduced the man beside her as Li Mingwei''s father, Zhang Dezhi.


    Old Lady Wang was about to kneel down, startling everyone. Zhang Dezhi hurried forward to support her, this wouldn''t do at all.


    "You''re too polite."


    Liu Yizhu stepped forward to hold his mother, whispering, "Mother, what are you doing?"


    Old Lady Wang''s face flushed slightly, unable to speak. Li Yi smiled and invited them to the front hall.


    She deliberately fell back a few steps, pretending to hug the child, and quietly asked Li Mingwei, "Didn''t the book say we''re supposed to kneel before a high official? Did I kneel incorrectly just now?"


    Li Mingwei held back herughter. "Mother, if the official is your son-inw''s father, you don''t need to kneel."


    "Oh, I see." Old Lady Wang inwardly scolded herself for forgetting that detail.


    While she didn''t need to kneel, Liu Yizhu did. Once they were seated in the front hall, he knelt in the center, and Ah Xiu presented him with three red envelopes. Liu Yizhu then formally greeted the three elders, fulfilling the betrothal rituals.


    He returned to his seat next to Li Mingwei and secretly passed the envelopes to her.


    "Why are you giving these to me?"


    "To let you squeeze them, just like you did on our wedding day when you refused to let go."


    Li Mingwei red at him, realizing he had witnessed that.

 Chapter 180

    Chapter 180


    The two families gathered together. Though their backgrounds differed, they found plenty to discuss as they focused on the two children, avoiding any awkwardness.


    As midday approached, a maid came to invite them to the meal. Li Yi held little Xiao Bing and sat at the head of the table, taking the first bite and feeding it to him. Xiao Bing chewed it thoughtfully, his eyes brightening as he looked at the dishes on the table: "More!"


    "Okay, your great-grandfather will serve you. What do you want?"


    "Meat! Meat!"


    Old Lady Wang smiled: "This child loves meat just like his mother."


    Li Langyue looked at Li Mingwei, somewhat disbelieving. She knew her daughter''s tastes well, how could they have changed so much after just a trip away?


    Poor Li Mingwei! Before, she had only eaten meat a few times in three or five days, her stomach filled mostly with in broth. After marrying into the Liu family, she could have meat every day when she went to school, which is why she seemed to have developed a fondness for it.


    Li Yi smiled and nced at Ah Xiu behind them, saying, "Good things have been happening in our familytely."


    Li Mingwei saw her grandfather''s gaze turn to her, so she asked, "What good things?"


    Li Yi looked to the steward standing by, and the steward immediately stepped forward, "Miss, a few days ago I went to the temple and obtained some auspicious dates, and I was nning to bring them to you today."


    "I see." Li Mingwei turned and looked at the bewildered Ah Xiu, smiling, "I''m here today, so you can give them to me now."


    The steward went to fetch the documents, and when they had finished their meal and were chatting, he brought the documents over.


    Li Mingwei looked them over - six dates in total, with one circled in red. "What does this mean?"


    The steward bowed, "This is the date the master said is most auspicious for them, that is..."


    It was at the end of September, and it was only April now, still several months away. Ah Xiu had already been waiting for years for Li Mingwei to return, and now they were both getting on in years. Li Mingwei understood the steward''s concern and wanted to help them get married sooner.


    She hesitated, "What do you think?"


    Ah Xiu stole a nce at Cai waiting outside the door, scratching her head, looking perplexed. She didn''t really understand this.


    She crouched down next to Li Mingwei and whispered, "Is this one good? Are the others not good?"


    "They''re all good. If they weren''t, they wouldn''t be written down." The one circled was just the most auspicious.


    Li Mingwei looked into her restless eyes, knowing she wanted that most auspicious date, but was worried Cai might not want to wait that long. So she let Ah Xiu go out and discuss it with Cai, and they could choose whichever they liked.


    Ah Xiu came back soon, pointing to the date circled in red.


    Li Mingwei and the steward exchanged a nce, nodding, and she closed the documents. She''d have to start preparing Ah Xiu''s dowry when she got back.


    She nced at the floral patterns on the documents, suddenly remembering something, and called out to the steward who was just about to leave, "How much does it cost to donate a gilded statue?"


    The steward thought for a moment, hesitating, "It likely depends on the size of the Buddha statue, maybe a few hundred or a few thousand taels."


    "A few hundred taels? In silver or gold?"


    "Silver."


    Li Mingwei felt the steward was teasing her - when had gold be so worthless?


    The steward read her expression and exined, "Miss, donating a gilded statue usually just means gilding the surface with gold powder. Unless you want to have a solid gold statue made..."


    "No, no." She didn''t want that, she didn''t have that kind of money now. Just gilding with powder would be fine.


    She recalled the jade statue of Master Yuqing at Yuqing Temple, which was about the same size as Liu Yizhu, so it should be considered quite small. She instructed Ah Xiu to prepare some money to send to Lord Tang, asking him for a favor.


    Hearing her casually mention hundreds of taels, Old Lady Wang felt a twinge of pain, "Which temple''s statue are you donating a gilded body to?"


    How could she be so willing to spend like that.


    "Not a Buddha statue, it''s for Master Yuqing."


    Liu Yizhu immediately understood, "Yuqing Temple?"


    Seeing her nod, he asked, "What vow did you make there?"


    Li Mingwei rolled her eyes, "What vow could I make when I took you with me!"


    Old Lady Wang didn''t say anything more. She knew clearly in her heart when they had gone there and their wish had been granted, so they should go make an offering to express their gratitude, otherwise the Master might resent them and stop blessing them.


    This daughter of hers, whenever she opened her mouth it was about donating gold statues, oh my, that''s a lot of silver!


    Li Yi was curious, "Why didn''t you mention this ce when you came back?"


    Li Mingwei nodded. "I''ve only been there twice."


    To donate a gilded statue after just two visits, it seems their wish must have been fulfilled.


    Li Mingwei pursed her lips - she had only made one vow, the other was a gift from the Master on her first visit.


    Liu Yizhu didn''t understand her expression this time, nudging her. Li Mingwei ignored him, ncing at her son still chewing on a pork knuckle, disdainfully saying, "Xiao Bing! Eat less."


    Li Langyue''s face darkened. "Call him Si Mo."


    She had reluctantly epted Liu Yizhu, so Si Mo was her grandson too. How could she let her grandson be called Xiao Bing?


    Li Mingwei pouted, nodding obediently, "He doesn''t respond when I call him Si Mo."


    "Doesn''t respond?" Li Langyue snorted lightly, "You keep calling him for two years, let''s see if he doesn''t respond."


    Li Mingwei closed her mouth.


    Liu Yizhu felt relieved - finally someone was on his side. If he couldn''t get through to her, with his mother-inw personally speaking up, Mingwei surely wouldn''t dare to object.


    Seeing his smile, Li Mingwei kicked him, then went back to her courtyard to rest. Ah Xiu attended to her, and when she fell asleep, she called another maid to watch over her and went to the back to eat.


    Li Langyue led Old Lady Wang and the well-fed child into the garden to stroll. Liu Yizhu hesitated for a moment, then went to find his father-inw.


    Zhang Dezhi took a basin of fish food from a servant''s hands, throwing some into the lotus pond. The golden fish immediately swarmed over,peting for the food.


    Liu Yizhu stepped forward and greeted him, "Master Zhang."


    Zhang Dezhi smiled, "It seems I didn''t give you enough in red envelopes."


    Just enough to call him "father-inw" once.


    Liu Yizhu''s forehead broke out in a light sweat as he re-bowed, correcting himself, "Father-inw."


    In the past when he saw his father-inw at the court, Zhang Dezhi was always solemn and serious, very different from his rxed manner now. As he approached from the distance, seeing Zhang Dezhi''s calm demeanor, he had instinctively called him "Master Zhang".


    "Mm." Zhang Dezhi nodded, reminding him, "You should still keep home and outside separate."


    Although all of the capital now knew he was Li''s son-inw, he still needed to avoid this in public.


    "Your son-inw understands."


    "Is the Hanlin Academy still busy?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head, "Not too busy, just minor matters. It''s you, Father-inw, who bears more responsibilities."


    "I wouldn''t call it a burden." Zhang Dezhi looked back at Liu Yizhu''s somewhat stiff manner, shaking his head with a wry smile, "I''m getting old, I won''t be able to handle these matters for much longer. They''ll eventually fall to you."


    He recalled, "When I was apiling editor, I was about twenty-five, and it''s taken me over twenty years to get to where I am now. Let''s see if you can oust me."


    Liu Yizhu bowed, "Your son-inw..."


    Zhang Dezhi put the fish food in his hand, cutting off his words, "Young man, don''t sell yourself short. Your path ahead is still long."

 Chapter 181

    Chapter 181


    Although Liu Yizhu understood that Father-in-Law''s words were likely meant tofort him, he still felt overwhelmed. A Minister of Civil Affairs? How could he possibly do that?


    Seeing that he seemed gloomy even after returning home, Li Mingwei raised an eyebrow. "My mother still has some authority, doesn''t she?"


    "No, your mother is quite gentle."


    Li Mingweiughed, knowing that it was only because her grandfather was present that her mother didn''t dare to be overbearing.


    "Then what''s troubling you?"


    Liu Yizhu shook his head and frowned as he glimpsed a group of servants passing by carryingrge and small boxes.


    "That''s my dowry."


    Since she didn''t have anything with her, Liu Yizhu''s mother-inw had simply sent some things over for Ah Xiu''s wedding trousseau.


    Watching the endless stream of servants, Liu Yizhu''s brow furrowed deeper. He had still wanted to give her an additional betrothal gift, but with his meager monthly sry, when would he be able to afford that?


    "Ah Mingwei, isn''t your dowry a bit excessive?"


    "Excessive?" Li Mingwei nced outside, then called Ah Xiu over. "What did you tell my mother? I meant that you didn''t need to bring everything, the storerooms here are small and can''t fit it all."


    "I know, I only brought one storeroom''s worth."


    Liu Yizhu let out a bitterugh. "And how many storerooms are there in total?"


    Ah Xiu held up three fingers, then shook her head and held up four.


    Li Mingwei was delighted. "When did a fourth one appear?"


    "A new one was added." The previous three storerooms were things she had brought back from the Prince''s Residence, but this new one was freshly prepared by the family for her second marriage.


    Li Mingwei was quite pleased. "I''m getting richer and richer."


    Ah Xiu said casually, "They''re just household items, piled up without any use. When the young master gets married and the young miss gets married, then they''lle in handy."


    Hmph.


    "I''ll just hold onto them for now, and in the future they''ll all be theirs." Li Mingwei made a face, then looked at the cradle holding her daughter, boasting, "See how good your mother is, the baby can''t even talk yet and I''ve already prepared her dowry."


    Ah Xiu disdainfully eyed Li Mingwei. "Miss, your shamelessness just keeps increasing."


    That was her own preparation, after all!


    Liu Yizhu couldn''t help but let out a chuckle.


    Li Mingwei red at Ah Xiu, then stared sternly at Liu Yizhu. "What are youughing at?"


    "Nothing!" Liu Yizhu suppressed his expression, daring not tough again. "You have the thinnest skin."


    Just as Li Mingwei was about to get angry, Old Lady Wang suddenly burst in from outside, her face full of shock. "Your family is so wealthy!"


    "I don''t know."


    Li Mingwei looked at Ah Xiu, who shook her head. The young miss didn''t know, so how would she know? But then Ah Xiu thought for a moment and said, "It''s an ancestral inheritance, and we''ve also earned some ourselves. In the future, it will be passed down."


    She nced at Li Mingwei''s belly and smiled. "When the young miss is pregnant, the child in her belly will be the wealthiest of the Li family. In the end, everything of the Li family will be passed down to him."


    Li Mingwei gently stroked her belly, then quietly patted Liu Yizhu''s shoulder. "You better work hard."


    That way, they could also bask in the child''s wealth and splurge a bit.


    Old Lady Wang sucked in a breath. That manor, it must have cost a fortune! She cast a pitying look at Liu Yizhu, realizing that besides that old manor, his family had left him with nothing.


    Liu Yizhu rubbed his forehead. Wasn''t he working hard every day?


    "My lord!"


    Liu Yizhu stood up, looking towards the door. The gatekeeper, forgoing propriety, rushed in. "People from the pce havee, they request your immediate presence. I will ready the carriage for you."


    "Very well."


    Ah Xiu promptly stepped forward and helped Liu Yizhu change into his official robes. Li Mingwei also stood up, looking somewhat worried as she watched him leave.


    The matter hade up so suddenly that Li Mingwei thought he might be busyte into the night. After dinner, she went to bed first, leaving amp lit.


    Liu Yizhu gently pushed open the door when he returned.


    "That was fast?"


    "Mm, go to sleep, I''ll be quiet."


    Liu Yizhu took off his official robes and began packing. rmed, Li Mingwei got up to help him. "What''s happening?"


    "Ah Mingwei, I have to go to Yunzhou."


    "Yunzhou? Didn''t Ya Yin already raise a substantial donation for disaster relief? Isn''t that enough?"


    "Yes, but I''m going with Lord Xu to deliver the relief funds to Yunzhou."


    Hearing Lord Xu''s name, Li Mingwei knew something was amiss, and sure enough, Liu Yizhu exined, "The Yunzhou Administrator has reported that the first batch of funds sent had some issues. The disaster victims in Yunzhou have been waiting a long time without receiving any aid, and have started a few riots, which were suppressed. But..."


    Those disaster victims were only seeking some life-saving provisions, and their violent outbursts could further inme the situation.


    The Emperor was angered and no longer trusted the officials in Yunzhou, so he has appointed them to go, not only to pacify the victims, but also to thoroughly investigate the problem.


    Li Mingwei frowned as she took his clothes out of the luggage.


    Liu Yizhu stopped her. "Ah Mingwei, this is the Emperor''s order."


    "You!" Li Mingwei thought he was an idiot, not knowing that one cannot disobey the Emperor''smand. She put down one of the garments. "Are you going to wear this to appease the disaster victims?"


    "You''re trying to provoke them to death!"


    Li Mingwei left only two nice sets for him to wear when meeting Yunzhou officials, recing the rest with his old clothes. She also prepared some money for him.


    "Hide it well, don''t take it out easily, or it might get robbed again."


    "I understand."


    Liu Yizhu packed up the bundle, then gently pulled Li Mingwei into his embrace. "Ah Mingwei, I might not be back for one or two months."


    Li Mingwei sighed softly. At least if he could return in one or two months, that would be good. She murmured, "When you go to Yunzhou, remember to stay low-key and discreet."


    "Okay."


    Liu Yizhu nodded, thinking that being cautious wouldn''t hurt.


    As Li Mingwei had foreseen, Liu Yizhu was gone for three months and still had not returned, only asionally sending letters saying that everything was going well and that he was doing fine.


    Not only Li Mingwei, even Old Lady Wang didn''t believe it. Things couldn''t be going that well if he hadn''te back for so long, there must be some big matter. But at least he was still alive, since he was writing letters.


    Li Mingwei leaned back in her chair, noticing that the lotus flowers in the pond were blooming nicely. She thought about how the flowers in the academy must be even more beautiful, and that they could go take a look during their next monthly leave.


    "Miss." Ah Xiu walked in from outside, hesitating for a while before speaking softly, "Your husband..."


    Li Mingwei hurriedly sat up, and Ah Xiu quickly supported her. "No, it''s not bad news!"


    "You!" Li Mingweiid back down, irritated by Ah Xiu''s heavy tone.


    Ah Xiu sheepishly said, "Your husband has been promoted to the position of Administrator of Yunzhou. He may not be able to return for some time."


    "Oh, that''s wonderful, he''s now a sixth-rank official. Yunzhou is in the Central Region, after all."


    Li Mingwei smiled at Ah Xiu. "Come on, a promotion is a good thing, be happy!"


    "But..."


    The shortest term for an imperial appointment was three years. Unless he aplished some great deeds, her husband would likely not return for at least three years.


    Ah Xiu felt a bit dejected, and was about to speak when Li Langyue interrupted, "I was justing to console you, but you seem to be taking it quite well."


    "Mother." Li Mingwei looked back at her and smiled. "No need for constion, Father was like this before too."


    She and her grandfather had already guessed that the Emperor probably wouldn''t keep him by his side anymore, they just didn''t expect it to happen so soon.


    Li Langyue frowned at Li Mingwei''sck of a proper greeting.


    Li Mingwei blinked innocently. "Mother, for the next seven or eight months, I don''t feel like greeting you."


    "You!" Li Langyue nced at Li Mingwei''s hand on her belly, then asked, "How many months?"


    "What do you think, over three months of course."

 Chapter 182

    Chapter 182


    The sweltering summer day was hot and muggy. Wang Chunhua wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead and looked distressingly at the wilted greens in the field. She would have to water them once the sun set.


    She took shelter under a tree, seizing the brief moment when the clouds obscured the sun before hurrying home. The fields radiated heat all around, and staying any longer risked sumbing to heatstroke.


    As she approached the town, she saw a few women walking hand in hand, carrying baskets and whispering about some "golden body."


    "What are you talking about?" Wang Chunhua rushed to catch up with an acquaintance. "Out and about in this dreadful heat?"


    "Nothing much. We heard someone donated a golden body to Master Yuqing at the Yuqing Temple. We''re going to take a look and pray for some rain. It''s too dry - we won''t harvest a single grain at this rate."


    "A golden body?" Wang Chunhua eximed. "That must cost a fortune!"


    "How would we know? They say it was donated by some youngdy from the Capital City. The County Magistrate himself sent people to oversee the work. It''s supposed to be marvelous. You should go see for yourself."


    Wang Chunhua froze. The Capital City...could it be her sister-inw? She did mention she was from the Capital before leaving. Besides her, Wang Chunhua couldn''t think of anyone else with connections there.


    She would have to go take a look when she had the chance.


    Dong Shan had returned from inspecting another field. Seeing Wang Chunhua''s dy, he couldn''t help but peer outside, prompting her to usher him back in.


    "What are you doing out there? This sun will kill you!"


    "Why are you back sote?" Dong Shan asked as he handed her a bowl of water. "Was that field in bad shape?"


    Wang Chunhua gulped down the water, went to the courtyard to draw well water and ssh her face, finally feeling refreshed. They retreated into the house together.


    "It wasn''t great. I don''t know why it''s so hot this year. How was yours?"


    Dong Shan shook his head, his face etched with worry.


    Wang Chunhua nced anxiously into the courtyard. The intense sunlight stoked the mes of vexation within her. Justst year, others had bountiful harvests. Why were they so unlucky this time?


    "It has nothing to do with thend. It''s just the will of Heaven," Dong Shan consoled. "It''s not this hot every year. If not this year, we''ll try again next."


    "I know." Wang Chunhua nodded reluctantly. Back home, they had experienced it all - droughts, floods, gales. It was always up to the Heavens.


    But watching their crops deteriorate day by day, knowing their meager harvest was a foregone conclusion while helpless to change it - it was too much to bear. They had toiled so hard when sowing in spring.


    After brooding a while, she mentioned the golden body to Dong Shan.


    He nodded. "Go if you want. Juste back early."


    "Mm." Wang Chunhua propped her chin, a tinge of mncholy in her voice. "I wonder how my sister-inw is doing now."


    "Didn''t a lettere saying she''s doing well? Her husband''s an official now, and their family is wealthy enough to donate a golden body. Who would dare bully her?"


    "You''re right."


    Her grandfather had been a teacher, so she knew of the respect the locals had for Li Yi. With her status, Li Mingwei was unlikely to face any trouble.


    Remembering this, Wang Chunhua turned hesitantly to Dong Shan. "Remember I told you my sister-inw said we could send Dong Lei to study in the Capital City for free? Have you thought it over?"


    Dong Shan knew of the books Li Mingwei had sent back through Yang Jing''yuan and Hu Jin. They said those books were very difficult, unavable even in the county town, much less their humble vige.


    The prospect of their son receiving an education in the Capital City was tempting. But...


    "Have you thought this through? Once he''s gone, we might only see him once every year or two. Can you bear that?"


    Wang Chunhua could barely stand the thought, but she also yearned for her son''s sess.


    Gritting her teeth, she replied, "It''ll be fine. As long as he''s doing well, I''ll have to bear it. When your brother-inw studied in the county, didn''t he onlye home once a month? It''s about the same. If Dong Lei can''te back, we''ll visit him after the autumn harvest, using the money saved on tuition fees."


    Seeing her resolve, Dong Shan nodded silently. They were still strong and able-bodied; a bit of hardship was nothing.


    "Tonight, let''s go see Mr. Li and write to your sister-inw about the Capital''s schools. I can tell you miss her too, so you can see her while you''re at it."


    Wang Chunhua smiled bashfully. She had grown ustomed to chatting andughing with her sister-inw. Now that Li Mingwei had left, she did miss her, as well as her two children whom she hadn''t seen growing up.


    Li Mingwei soon received Wang Chunhua''s letter inquiring about the Capital City''s schools. After some thought, she decided to consult her grandfather.


    "Grandfather hasn''t returned yet?"


    Ah Xiu shook her head. ncing at the sky, she said, "He''ster than usual. Maybe something held him up. Should I send someone to check?"


    "No need, I''m back." Li Yi strode in carrying some books. He took a seat beside Li Mingwei. "How are you feeling today?"


    "Fine."


    Ever since learning of Li Mingwei''s pregnancy, Li Yi had moved into the Residence of the Liu family. He had missed her previous childbirths and refused to miss this one.


    Originally, with Liu Yizhu away, Li Yi had wanted Li Mingwei to move back home. But she didn''t want to live with her mother-inw, so he had to relocate instead.


    Li Mingwei patted her belly, drawing Li Yi''s disapproving gaze before stopping. "Why are you back sote today, Grandfather?"


    Li Yi ced the books on the table. "Not thatte. I just went home to grab some things."


    With so many books in his study, he couldn''t possibly move them all. And he disliked others entering his study, so whenever he needed something, he had to fetch it himself. Since moving in, he had to return every couple of days.


    "Grabbing things again?" Li Mingwei frowned. "So troublesome. I should''ve just moved back."


    Her gaze fell on the leisurely figure of Li Langyue lounging in the pavilion, more rxed than she was. There was no point in not returning home.


    Li Yiughed heartily. "It''s not toote to change your mind."


    "No!" Li Mingwei defied resolutely. How could she concede so easily? At least by residing here, she was thedy of the house. Though still under scrutiny, her heart felt freer.


    "Suit yourself." Li Yi''s eyesnded on the letter in her hand. "A letter from Yizhu?"


    "No, it''s from Sister Wang Chunhua, asking about the schools here."


    "Oh, she wants to send Dong Lei to study in the Capital City?"


    Li Mingwei nodded.


    But Li Yi shook his head. "Isn''t the boy only around ten? It''s a bit early for him to enter the academy. He should first attend a regr school for a few more years."


    "I know."


    Most academy students were thirteen or fourteen and older. Dong Lei was indeed too young. But the Capital''s schools were superior to those in the viges. Sending him early would prevent him from falling behind once he entered the academy.


    Li Mingwei wrote a reply and had Ah Xiu send it out. Just then, Zhang Dezhi entered from outside.


    "Father, you''re here too?"


    Zhang Dezhi sighed. "With no one at home, what''s the point of going back?"


    Li Mingwei wrinkled her nose. Moving or not, it made no difference now.

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183


    In addition to letters, Li Mingwei also prepared some gifts for them. As soon as Lord Tang received them, he immediately sent someone to deliver them. The servant delivered Mr. Jin''s and Hu Jin''s things to the school, and Dong Lei went home with him.


    He pushed open the courtyard gate excitedly and rushed in, "Dad, Mom, Auntie sent a letter, and she also sent us a lot of things."


    Wang Chunhua frowned. Why send more things? Didn''t they say a letter would do? There''s nothingcking at home. She went out to greet them and saw there were guests, so she hurriedly took off her apron to entertain them.


    Dong Shan helped the servant carry the things into the house, then sat down, "What did she write?"


    Dong Lei opened the letter, read it once, then said, "Auntie asked when we''re going to the capital..."


    "Mom!" He was a bit excited for a moment, almost jumping up, "Are we going to the capital to see Auntie?"


    Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan exchanged a nce, smiling, "Your Auntie''s grandfather teaches there. She''s sending you to study at her ce."


    "Ah?"


    Dong Lei pointed at himself. He''s going to the capital to study? This isn''t a dream, right?


    He realized and stared at his parents intently, "Am I going alone?"


    "No, we''ll apany you along with your sister. After you start sses, we''lle back." Wang Chunhua saw he was a bit unhappy and pulled him to her side, "There are things at home we need to take care of. We can''t stay with you all the time, but we''ll visit you when we can. You should listen to your Auntie then."


    "And your Auntie''s husband, Granny Wang, they''ll be there too."


    The servant cleared his throat and interjected, "Lord Liu has been transferred to Yunzhou to serve as chief advisor and is no longer in the capital."


    "Chief advisor?"


    "What''s that official position?"


    "Well..." The servant thought for a moment, then exined, "A chief advisor assists the Governor. Yunzhou is in the Central Region. Lord Liu is now a sixth-ranking official, even higher than our lord here."


    Dong Shan and Wang Chunhua''s jaws dropped. Their brother-inw is so capable that after just one or two years in the capital, his rank surpasses even that of the Tang County Magistrate!


    The couple''s gaze fell on Dong Lei, strengthening their determination to send him to the capital.


    "It''s fine. Brother-inw isn''t here, but your sister is." The more Wang Chunhua said, the more uncertain she felt. Shouldn''t Dong Lei''s sister go to Yunzhou with her husband? After they finally reunited, they couldn''t be separated again.


    "She''s here. Lady Liu is pregnant now and can''t travel long distances, so she''s been staying in the capital."


    "Pregnant again?" Wang Chunhua was somewhat surprised. "How many months?"


    The servant calcted, "About four or five months, I don''t know much. We''ll have to ask the lord."


    "Alright, alright." Wang Chunhua agreed, letting Dong Lei continue reading the letter.


    With the letter''s back and forth, it was already autumn by now. Naturally, they couldn''t set off immediately. They agreed on next year, which would also be around the time Li Mingwei was due to give birth. It would be good to visit the child then.


    The servant only asked them to leave a few days before departure to inform the county office, and they agreed, seeing him off at the door.


    "Next year isn''t far off," Wang Chunhua said, running her hand over the fabric Li Mingwei had given her on the table, her gaze shifting to Dong Lei. "Let''s start preparing. I''ll take this fabric to the embroidery workshop tomorrow and have everything made."


    And Dong Lei''s shoes and socks¡ªonce he''s gone, he won''t be back, so we need to prepare more for him. Our little sister doesn''t have much money left, and we can''t let her spend it on these small things.


    "Alright."


    Dong Shan didn''t refuse. He just let her do as she pleased, while he started going up the mountain more frequently. They still weren''t sure if they had enough money for the journey, and they needed to set aside a year''s expenses for Dong Lei.


    Before setting off, Wang Chunhua left some money with Aunt Lin, asking her to asionally check on the house. They''d be gone for a month round trip, and they might not be able to return for a while if something unexpected happened.


    Before leaving, Dong Lei specifically went to bid farewell to Mr. Jin. Since he was six years old, Mr. Jin had been his teacher. Now he was getting a new teacher, and Dong Lei felt a twinge of reluctance.


    "Mr. Jin~"


    Mr. Jin smiled and waved his hand. "Go on, go on. I''m just a mere schr. The schrs in the capital are much more knowledgeable than me. Study hard, and you''ll surely excel in the future."


    "But..." Dong Lei''s eyes grew slightly red as he looked at the gray-haired Mr. Jin. He was already in his teens and understood some aspects of life and death. He didn''t know when he would return from this journey, and where would Mr. Jin be then?


    He didn''t want to dwell on it any longer. He simply knelt down and respectfully kowtowed to Mr. Jin.


    Mr. Jin epted his gesture, helped him up, and waved him off.


    Wang Chunhua watched Mr. Jin''s departing figure, sighing. She called out to Dong Lei, "Let''s go. Study hard, and Dad and I will take good care of Mr. Jin when we return."


    Dong Lei agreed and followed them as they headed to the county town.


    This wasn''t their first time at the county yamen, so they knew the way well enough. They met Lord Tang, exined their reasons, and he let them stay for the night, arranging for servants to prepare the carriage and horses for their departure the next morning.


    "Thank you, Lord Tang."


    Tang Shan waved them off with a smile. "It''s nothing. Besides, I have something I want Jue''er to deliver. When you see him, tell him to send home a letter more often. We don''t know what he''s busy with day after day."


    Wang Chunhua had always been fond of Lord Tang, immediatelyplimenting, "What else could he be busy with? Of course, studying. Maybe next year, Lord Tang might be the top schr''s father."


    Although she felt it was unlikely, Tang Shan''s face still lit up with a smile. "I hope so."


    Before the family of four set off, Tang Shan still sent a letter to the capital city as usual. Li Mingwei was in her postpartum period, just counting the days, so Tang had someone wait at the city gate for Jue''er.


    It was a coincidence that Wang Chunhua and her family arrived just in time for the celebration of their third son''s full moon. Following the servant who hade to pick them up, they arrived at Li''s doorstep, gazing at the bustling crowd ahead, feeling a bit bewildered.


    "What''s going on?"


    The servant led them inside, exining, "Today, the mansion is hosting a banquet, so there are more people than usual. Master Dong and Madam Dong, please go in quickly. Madam Liu has been waiting for you for a long time."


    Dong Lei raised his head, furrowing his brows. "Why is it the Li Residence?"


    "Oh." The servant pped his forehead, realizing he forgot to mention to them, "Madam Liu, originally named Li Mingwei, this is Madam Liu''s maiden family."


    Mingwei, Li Mingwei, the names rang a bell in Wang Chunhua''s mind, but she didn''t think much of it. She just stared at the gate of the Li family, feeling a bit shaky, instinctively reaching out to Dong Shan for support.


    Her smile seemed somewhat insincere. "Teaching in the capital, is it that profitable?"


    Is this mansion a bit too grand?


    The servant chuckled, saying no more, simply gesturing to the gatekeeper of the Li family and leading them inside.


    Ah Xiu quickly came out to greet them, guiding them to Li Mingwei''s courtyard. "Miss, Madam is not feeling well at the moment. How about you and Sir go inside to talk?"


    Wang Chunhua became worried. "Hasn''t she recovered from childbirth yet? Why can''t shee out?"


    "She received guests in the morning, and she''s a bit tired now."


    Today, with the announcement of the Li family''s heir, there were too many guests. Li Mingwei was overwhelmed, so she went back to rest after lunch.


    They arrivedte, so Li Mingwei had the kitchen set up another table in the courtyard and forced herself to stay alert, waiting for them to sit down.

 Chapter 184

    Chapter 184


    Wang Chunhua followed Ah Xiu deeper inside, growing increasingly rmed. She gripped Dong Shan''s hand tighter, astonished by the size of her sister''s house - the garden, theke... her heart ached a little.


    "There are fish in theke!" She tugged Dong Shan to the bridge, peering down. "The red and yellow ones, what kind of fish are they? They look so beautiful."


    Dong Shan gave her hand a light squeeze and cleared his throat, smiling apologetically at Ah Xiu. "We should get going, your sister is waiting for us."


    Wang Chunhua''s cheeks flushed slightly as she averted her gaze.


    Ah Xiu smiled. "They''re just ordinary goldfish. Madam Dong cane take a closer look after lunch, if you''d like."


    "Okay, okay."


    The family of four followed Ah Xiu into Li Mingwei''s courtyard. Wang Chunhua immediately spotted Li Mingwei sitting at the table, her expression a bit troubled. She walked up to her quickly.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "Aunt!"


    Li Mingwei looked up, rising to her feet. "Sister, brother-inw!"


    She reached out to pat the excited Dong Lei, then gently ruffled little Xiao Yan''s hair.


    "Oh!" Wang Chunhua guided Li Mingwei back to her seat. Her eyes were slightly reddened. "You shouldn''t be sitting here being so formal with us. You need to rest."


    "Sister, I''m fine." It was just that too many people hade today, each wanting a word with her, and it was so tiring.


    "Xiao Lei, Xiao Yan, you must be hungry. Hurry and sit down, we''ll talk after you''ve eaten."


    It was well past noon, and they had rushed into the city without having lunch, so they were indeed hungry. With no one else in the courtyard, they began eating freely.


    Li Mingwei picked up a dumpling for Xiao Yan. "It''s sweet and sour. Try it, do you like it?"


    "Mm-hm!"


    Dong Lei gave her a disgruntled look, and Li Mingwei immediately picked one up for him too, asking Ah Xiu to bring it over. She smiled, "You''re so grown up now, still fighting with your little sister over these things."


    "I''m not." Dong Lei stubbornly insisted, "I just couldn''t reach them."


    Wang Chunhua nodded in agreement. The table in her sister''s house was indeed toorge, and she couldn''t reach the dishes on the other side either. She nced at Dong Shan, but he didn''t seem inclined to get up, since they weren''t at their own home.


    Li Mingwei noticed, and discreetly signaled to Ah Xiu to help serve the dishes.


    Old Lady Wang heard they had arrived and hurried over, calling out loudly, "Big brother-inw, big sister-inw!"


    She immediately realized her mistake and nced nervously at Li Mingwei.


    "It''s fine, just call us that."


    Old Lady Wang sighed in relief and sat down at the table, greeting them warmly. She hadn''t seen anyone from her hometown sinceing to the Capital City, and seeing them now, she was overjoyed.


    Wang Chunhua looked at Old Lady Wang''s attire, so different from before, and smiled. "Are you doing well in the Capital City? You look much healthier."


    "Very well, very well." She was eating well, dressing well, and had no other needs.


    "I heard your son-inw got another promotion?"


    "Yes, yes, yes!" Old Lady Wang''s face broke into a wide smile, and her posture straightened. "He got promotedst year, but he''s been stationed outside the city, so he didn''t evene back for New Year''s. The third child is already born, but he hasn''t evene to see him."


    "Is the third child a boy or a girl?"


    "A boy, a boy!" Old Lady Wang beamed at Li Mingwei. "A boy is good, so Mingwei doesn''t have to keep having children."


    "Huh?"


    "Mingwei is an only child, so the third child will take her surname."


    Seeing Old Lady Wang''s amiable smile, Wang Chunhua''s expression didn''t change, but she was inwardly astonished. When did she be so easygoing?


    She exchanged a knowing nce with Li Mingwei, who exined discreetly, "This estate has to have an heir, you see."


    Wang Chunhua immediately understood. If taking the Li surname meant inheriting such arge property, she would be willing to change her own name. Old Lady Wang, with her grandson as the heir, was even more eager.


    Li Mingwei smiled, then remembered. "Ah Xiu, didn''t Yizhu send something back for the third child? Where is it?"


    "In the room." Of course Ah Xiu had kept the young master''s gift separate from the others. She said, "Does the young miss want to look at it now?"


    "Yes."


    Ah Xiu went inside and brought out a small gift box, handing it to Li Mingwei. Li Mingwei opened it and looked at the contents for a while before pulling out the bracelet inside, double-checking that there was nothing else.


    However...


    This bracelet was sorge, for a baby boy?


    And the third child was indeed a boy!


    Wang Chunhua quickly slipped the bracelet onto Li Mingwei''s wrist, smiling. "It''s lovely, it fits you perfectly. Your son-inw has good taste."


    Li Mingwei puffed out her cheeks a little, admiring the bracelet. "Well, it''s alright, I guess."


    "Sister, when are you going back? I''ll go with you."


    "Go back? Why?"


    "No, I''m going to Yunzhou. I can apany you part of the way, or you coulde to Yunzhou for a visit?"


    Ah Xiu frowned slightly, advising, "Miss, you just had your confinement. It''s better to wait a few more months before traveling."


    "That''s right, yourplexion is still a bit pale."


    "But a few months from now!" Li Mingwei insisted matter-of-factly. "Sister, brother-inw, surely you won''t juste and leave right away? You have to stay for a few months to help Xiao Lei adjust, and then you can go."


    "Well..."


    "I''ve already found a school for him. Tomorrow, or the day after, take him to have a look, since the others have already started. We can''t fall behind."


    Wang Chunhua had just been about to speak when Li Mingwei cut her off. Hearing that the other children had already begun their studies, she dared not dy. "Tomorrow, then. Tomorrow we''ll go, we can''t miss any more lessons."


    The school Li Mingwei had found for Dong Lei was near the Liu Family Residence, since she would be moving back there soon, making it more convenient to supervise him.


    Since they were going tomorrow, after dinner Li Mingwei had Ah Xiu take them to the Liu Family Residence to rest. She instructed, "In addition to the school, also take them to see the academy outside the city. As the ones bringing their child, they''ll want to be reassured."


    Ah Xiu acknowledged the request.


    Parting ways with Li Mingwei, Wang Chunhua''s expression became somewhat troubled. She had always thought her grandfather was just a teacher, not the owner of such arge academy. She took a deep breath, nearly fainting.


    "Sister, what''s wrong?"


    "Nothing." Wang Chunhua sat down beside Li Mingwei, blinking at her. "How many students does your academy enroll each year?"


    "A few hundred, I suppose."


    "And how much do you charge per student?"


    "Not much, just twenty taels."


    "Twenty taels..." That wasn''t much?


    Wang Chunhua narrowed her eyes, trying to calcte, but the figure was beyond her capabilities, so after a long silence, she looked at Li Mingwei dejectedly.


    "You''re charging as much as a renowned schr teaching ten students."


    "Mm, but it''s not the same."


    With the family''s prestige in the Capital City, their tuition was already quite affordable.


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment and said, "Sister, you have to understand that my grandfather passed the imperial examination as a top schr. He''s produced many such schrs himself."


    Top schr!


    Wang Chunhua''s eyes lit up. Her son was going to make it big!

 Chapter 185

    Chapter 185


    After meeting Li Yi, Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan felt more at ease. This old gentleman, with books all over the house, was clearly a man of culture, and must be a formidable teacher.


    They had no objections to Li Mingwei''s arrangement, and they settled down at the Liu Manor, waiting for Dong Lei and the teachers and ssmates at the academy to be more familiar before returning home, and also waiting for Li Mingwei to recover.


    Come to think of it, they hadn''t seen Liu Yizhu for many years, and it would be a rare opportunity to make a detour and visit him.


    Li Mingwei instructed, "Ah Xiu, take the sister and brother-inw out for a stroll these days. They rarelye, they shouldn''t be cooped up in the manor all the time."


    She still needed to rest and recover, so there was no need to dy them.


    "Yes."


    Ah Xiu had always been a lively person, and she got along well with Wang Chunhua. The two of them became quite close, and went out to y almost every day, returning veryte, which Li Mingwei didn''t even know about, as there were so many ces to explore in the Capital City.


    She called out to the group who had just returned, "Where did you go today? Have you had your meal?"


    "We''ve had it, we''ve had it!" Wang Chunhua eagerly approached, "Today we went to see the dancing, it was so beautiful, the girls were prettier and prettier, and the music was lovely too."


    Li Mingwei''s face darkened. Where had Ah Xiu taken them!


    Ah Xiu quickly exined, "The music bureau, the music bureau."


    Seeing Li Mingwei''s expression rx, Ah Xiu guiltily patted her chest. Sister Chunhua''s words were a bit misleading, with Elder Brother Dong still here, how could she dare take them to such a ce.


    Tao Jue covered his mouth nearby, he had also misunderstood at first.


    Wang Chunhua suddenly pped her forehead, "Brother Tao, your father asked us to pass on a message to you before he came, asking what you''ve been busy with and why you haven''t sent a letter home."


    "I did write one." Tao Jue looked at the Tang Housekeeper, could it be that they had lost it on the way and it didn''t reach his father''s hands?


    The Tang Housekeeper bowed, "Young Master, every time we send a letter back, the Master always replies."


    It must have been received then.


    Tao Jue scratched his head, he had written too few letters, and his father was not satisfied. He looked at Li Mingwei, "Sister-inw, how often does Yizhu send a letter?"


    Li Mingwei thought for a moment, "About ten days?"


    It took eight or nine days to travel from the Capital City to Yunzhou, and with the time to receive and reply to the letter, it would be around ten days.


    "Oh." Tao Jue felt embarrassed, he only wrote one every two or three months, which was a bit too little.


    "It''s alright, Brother Tao, write a few more when we return, and we''ll bring them for you."


    "No need, no need." Tao Jue politely declined, "One is enough."


    Where would he have so much to say to his father? Normally he just chatted nonsense with his mother in the letters.


    The group would soon be setting off for Yunzhou, and Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan wouldn''t go out either, spending the day preparing things for Dong Lei, and keeping himpany in the evenings.


    "How''s it going at the academy? Is anyone bullying you?"


    Dong Lei shook his head, "No, the teacher is quite caring. It''s just that what we learned before is a bit different, and I''m having trouble keeping up. Aunt said she''ll ask the teacher to stay after ss and give me some extra tutoring."


    "Okay, the Capital City is different from our hometown, and your parents don''t understand, so you just listen to your Aunt."


    Wang Chunhua patted his head and sighed, "Even if you don''t get along well with people, don''t get into fights and cause trouble for your Aunt.


    "You''re not a child anymore, there are some things you should know. If you make a mistake out there, your Aunt will definitely help you. Her family has an official, a high-ranking one, and if it spreads, people might think we''re abusing our power and it won''t be good for their reputation."


    This Capital City was unlike their hometown, with wealthy families everywhere. If they ran into someone even more powerful than the Li family, it would be a big problem.


    Wang Chunhua spoke with tears in her eyes. She had some regrets, the child was still young and didn''t understand, if something happened, they wouldn''t be able to get there in time.


    Seeing his wife in this state, Dong Shan became a little displeased, "When we sent him back to study, wasn''t it so he could go out? Now that he''s out, why are you like this? He''s been studying for so many years, we can''t just let him stay home."


    Wang Chunhua wiped her tears, she had just hoped the child could pass the civil service exam and go to the county, never imagining he''d go this far.


    Even if Dong Lei was a bit slow, he could sense something was off. He put down his chopsticks and looked up at them, "Dad, Mom, are you going to take Sister back home?"


    "We..."


    Dong Shan didn''t want to hide it from him, and nodded directly, "We''re going to Yunzhou with your Aunt to see your Uncle, and we''ll leave in a few days, then go back home from Yunzhou, it won''t be until after autumn that wee back again."


    Dong Lei lowered his head without saying a word, but the tears dripped down one by one, soaking his clothes.


    Wang Chunhua was even more heartbroken at this sight. She hugged Dong Lei and looked at Dong Shan, "Should we go back first, and send him again when he''s older?"


    Dong Shan furrowed his brows, but before he could speak, Dong Lei firmly refused, choking back sobs, "Mom, I don''t want to go back, I want to stay in the Capital City to study."


    The teacher here was much more knowledgeable than Mr. Jin''s, and could teach him much more. Although he was having some trouble keeping up with his ssmates, he still wanted to stay. He would eventually catch up.


    "You..." Wang Chunhua didn''t expect him to refuse, she bit her lip, since he had this desire, she could only indulge it. "Okay, you stay then, just be sure to listen to your Aunt."


    "Yes, these days you just listen to Sister Ah Xiu. Your Aunt is going to Yunzhou with us for a while, and will be back soon."


    Dong Lei agreed.


    Li Mingwei only nned to go to Yunzhou to apany Liu Yizhu for a month or so, and there wasn''t much to prepare. She gathered all the children together and painted a small portrait for them to take to him. When she went to Yunzhou, she would also paint one to bring back and hang up, as he had been away for nearly half a year, and the children might not recognize him when he returned.


    Old Lady Wang gently soothed the Third Child, and peeked at the portrait Li Mingwei had just finished, praising, "It''s quite a good likeness."


    "Good, so Yizhu can see what the children look like."


    Li Mingwei heard her leisurely tone and smiled, "Mother, are youing with me?"


    "I''m not going." Old Lady Wang shook her head, hugging the child and not letting go. "I still have to take care of the children. Miss Simo is quite tired from teaching Xiao Bing, I''d better stay and help her."


    Well, the mother-inw had turned against her too.


    Li Mingwei snorted lightly, "Alright then, step over here and I''ll paint you in as well."


    "Me?" Old Lady Wang hesitated for a moment, but still stepped beside her grandchildren.


    Liu Simo was starting to have trouble standing, leaning against her mother''s feet. "Mother, how much longer? I''m a bit tired."


    "You''re tired already, and it''s only been a while?" Li Mingwei looked up at him listlessly, unable to help but nce at the nanny beside him.


    The nanny attending to him quickly stepped forward and bowed, exining, "Miss, the young master started reading early this morning, so he may be a bit sleepy."


    "Early this morning? How early?" Li Mingwei frowned, she had said the child could be educated, but shouldn''t be pushed too hard.

 Chapter 186

    Chapter 186


    In Yunzhou, the Chief Advisor was quite an important official. Li Mingwei sent her servants to inquire about the location of the Chief Advisor''s Mansion, and the entourage headed straight there.


    The people around Liu Yizhu were mostly from the Li family, and they all recognized her. They opened the door and weed her in, then sent someone to summon the Governor back.


    Li Mingwei took out the portrait she had painted and was wondering where to hang it when Liu Yizhu entered the room: "Mingwei, why didn''t you tell me you wereing?"


    He stepped forward and supported Li Mingwei: "Have you recovered your health?"


    "It''s been two months since I gave birth, I''ve long recovered." Li Mingwei pushed his hand away and ced the scroll on his desk, unrolling it: "Look, where do you think would be a good ce to hang this?"


    Liu Yizhu gently stroked the painting paper and chuckled: "Your mother has grown quite plump."


    "Third brother..."


    "She looks like me, like me!" Li Mingwei said eagerly, for he was the only one of the three children who resembled her.


    "Yes, she does look like you." Liu Yizhu soothed her, with a helpless smile, reaching out to caress her cheek and examining her closely: "Why didn''t you have yourself painted as well?"


    "Aren''t I right here in front of you?"


    Liu Yizhu chuckled softly and leaned down to kiss the corner of her lips: "Did youe alone? Where are the children?"


    "The eldest sister and brother-inw took little Lai to the capital for his studies, they came to see you and then went back." Li Mingwei exined: "I don''t n to stay long, didn''t want to trouble them."


    "Not staying long?" Liu Yizhu''s expression soured a bit, his tone low: "How long is ''not long''?"


    Li Mingwei tentatively replied: "A month?"


    Liu Yizhu reluctantly nodded: "Alright."


    "Ah!" Li Mingwei wrapped her arms around him, snuggling against him, then looked up and smiled at him: "The children are still young, how about I go back and stay for a few months, thene back to keep youpany?"


    "No need."


    "Huh?" Li Mingwei blinked, he refused her? He must have someone else on the side!


    She pushed Liu Yizhu away and turned her back, letting out a huff.


    "What''s wrong?" Liu Yizhu hugged her from behind, furrowing his brow, gently exining: "You go back and stay well, I''ll be back soon."


    Li Mingwei quickly turned around, this wasn''t something he could just decide, unless...


    Liu Yizhu didn''t exin further, taking her to see Wang Chunhua and Dong Shan, having dinner with them, and telling them to rest early, and he would have someone take them out for a walk the next day.


    Worn out from the journey, Li Mingwei was also a bit tired. Shey in bed but couldn''t fall asleep. She got up and put on a robe, wandering outside, where a servant was quietly reporting something to Liu Yizhu.


    Liu Yizhu noticed her gaze, gestured for the servant to leave first, and beckoned her over, pointing to the sky: "The moonlight is quite nice tonight, would you like toe out and take a look?"


    Li Mingwei approached, and Liu Yizhu patted hisp, and she sat down in his embrace.


    Liu Yizhu adjusted her clothes: "Are you cold?"


    "No." Li Mingwei looked up at the sky, the moonlight was indeed nice, with stars filling the sky, but she had no heart for appreciating the scenery now. "Why?"


    Without her needing to finish, Liu Yizhu knew what she wanted to ask. He smiled and said, "Can''t you guess?"


    "He agreed to it."


    "Mm." Liu Yizhu nodded: "When the Emperor originally sent me to Yunzhou, it wasn''t just to be the Chief Advisor, once the matters here are settled, I can go back."


    "What matters?"


    "Do you want to know?" Liu Yizhu looked at her with a smile: "It has to do with your ex-husband, do you still want to know?"


    Li Mingwei decisively shook her head, she had no interest in anything rted to Murong Yu.


    Liu Yizhu stared at her for a while, then reached out and gently stroked her hair, his voice slightly mncholic: "Mingwei, I heard you''ve known the Crown Prince for a long time?"


    "Yes, we''ve known each other since we were young, but we weren''t that close,ter on..." Li Mingwei cut off her words, quickly pinching his face: "Just say what you want to ask directly."


    "If, he were to die because of me, would you resent me?"


    They had known each other, and been husband and wife for three years, although there were some conflicts, there was still some affection between them. Liu Yizhu often worried that she might hold a grudge.


    "Why would I resent you." Li Mingwei shook her head: "You don''t have that capability."


    She turned her head and looked steadily at Liu Yizhu, unable to imagine why the Emperor would trust him so much to entrust him with this matter.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    "I''m just surprised the Emperor trusts you so much."


    "Why wouldn''t the Emperor trust me?" Liu Yizhu suddenly smiled, pinching her little cheek: "Mingwei, I''m not a three-year-old child, you don''t always have to worry about me so much."


    He knew well what he should and shouldn''t do.


    Li Mingwei stared at him for a while, dazed. Right, he was someone who had passed the imperial examinations, not a fool, how could he just be manipted by others? It seems her previous worries were unnecessary.


    She carefully went over the events in Yunzhou in her mind, and there were only two problematic things: the first batch of disaster relief funds, Murong Yu didn''tck this bit of money, there was no need; the second was the few suppressed riots.


    If Murong Yu had incited them, the intention was not hard to see.


    Or perhaps both matters were his doing.


    Liu Yizhu noticed her furrowed brow and said unhappily: "What, you''re still worried about him?"


    Li Mingwei clenched her hands, not answering, pondering for a while before shaking her head: "I''ve already advised him, if he doesn''t listen, he''s just seeking his own death, there''s nothing to worry about."


    Liu Yizhu wasn''t sure if he believed it or not, but he hugged her and went back to the room.


    In just a few months, after returning to the capital, Li Mingwei heard that Murong Yu had been summoned to the pce and hadn''te out for a whole night. She closed her eyes briefly, Liu Yizhu should be back soon.


    "Ah Xiu."


    Ah Xiu waited for her orders, but didn''t hear her speak for a long time, so she could only ask: "Miss, is there something you need?"


    "I..." Li Mingwei shook her head: "Never mind, let''s not get involved."


    She looked up at the sky that was almostpletely dark, and silently went back to her room andy down.


    Liu Yizhu returned two dayster, Murong Yu had already been confined in the pce for three days, and most of the officials had received the news, Li Mingwei was no exception.


    "You''re back."


    "Mm." Liu Yizhu sat down next to her, observing herplexion: "Are you alright?"


    "Do I not look alright?"


    "No, you look fine." Liu Yizhu shook his head, pulling her into his embrace and chuckling: "In a few days, the Emperor will issue an edict to recall me back, this time I should be able to spend more time with you at home."


    "Good."


    "Mingwei~"


    "Hm?"


    Liu Yizhu''s expression was indecipherable, his voice slightly lowered: "He''s done too many things, aside from Yunzhou..."


    He didn''t want to exin further, just saying: "Tonight, the Emperor will give him a dignified end."


    Li Mingwei let out a sigh, leaning against him and nodding, he had brought it upon himself, there was nothing to say.


    She looked up at Liu Yizhu, Liu Yizhu lowered his head to meet her gaze, and she warned: "You better not do anything bad, I don''t want to be a widow."


    "Am I that kind of person?"


    Li Mingwei hummed nomittally: "Who knows."


    Liu Yizhu opened his mouth and bit her, "I''ll give you one more chance."


    "You beast!" Li Mingwei got angry, biting him back, but her strength was too weak, trapped in his embrace, unable to resist, she could only raise the white g.


    "Ah, I lost, I lost."


    "So am I not that kind of person?"


    "No, no, how could you possibly do anything bad? In the future you''ll definitely be an official praised by all, and I''ll bask in your reflected glory."


    Liu Yizhu smiled, hoping he would be able to.

 Chapter 187

    Chapter 187


    In just over ten years, Liu Yizhu''s fame had risen significantly. Just like Zhang Dezhi and Li Yi before him, they resigned from their official positions to make way for him, and then retired in peace.


    It took him twenty-seven years to rise from editor to Shang Shu (Senior Civil Servant), while Liu Yizhu achieved the same in only twenty-three years. However, he only held the position for less than ten years before resigning due to illness and returning to his hometown.


    Li Mingwei carried a chicken, pushed open the gate to the Liu family''s courtyard, and searched around the yard, but could not find Liu Yizhu anywhere. She threw the chicken on the ground, dusted off her hands, and said unhappily, "Where is he? Where has he gone off to again?"


    "I''m up here," Liu Yizhu chuckled lightly, gesturing for her to look up. "Up there!"


    Li Mingwei looked up and saw him sitting on the roof. She red at him and said, "Come down quickly, the tiles will get damaged and the young ones won''t be able to fix it properly. Don''t try to show off, you might fall and get hurt!"


    "I''m not that old yet."


    Liu Yizhu climbed down thedder, and Li Mingwei hurried over to steady thedder. Once he was on solid ground, she gave him a couple of ps as a reprimand.


    She turned and went to the kitchen, "I''ll go boil some water, you ughter the chicken."


    "Where did this chickene from?"


    "Someone gave it to us," Li Mingwei smiled, "Master Liu has such prestige that people won''t even ept our money."


    She muttered, "I originally wanted to catch one from my sister''s ce, as she definitely wouldn''t take our money, but ended up getting it from someone else who not only didn''t want payment, but also gave us two more."


    Liu Yizhu followed her, scooping a fewdles of water into the pot and putting the lid on. He took the firewood from her hand, "Let me do it, when will you start the fire?"


    Li Mingwei pouted and pulled out a letter from her pocket, opening it for a quick nce. "Your son has written."


    "Not our son?"


    "Don''t twist my words!"


    "You used to twist my words too."


    "You!" Li Mingwei couldn''t win an argument with someone who had been an Imperial Censor for many years, so she just stepped on his foot, then let go when she saw the pained expression on his face.


    "Ouch..."


    Liu Yizhu moved his foot around a bit, looking at her with a reproachful gaze. "After all these decades, you''re still using this trick."


    "Who says I''m not improving? Now I''ve learned to twist, pinch, squeeze, pull, and hit too." Li Mingwei waved her hand grandly. "Next time, you can just pick whichever one you want."


    Liu Yizhu didn''t want any of those, and quietly added more firewood.


    "Your son says the books you wanted are on their way and should arrive soon. The school renovations are almost done, so the books can be delivered straight there when they arrive," Li Mingwei calcted, then looked at Liu Yizhu. "He asked when we''ll be going back, and is sending someone to pick us up."


    "What do you think?"


    Li Mingwei shook her head, "Don''t want to go back." She''d had enough of staying in the capital.


    Liu Yizhu nodded, "Since we don''t want to go back, Little Lai has already set out to pick up your brother and sister-inw. After they leave, and the books for the school arrive, we''ll think about where to go next."


    "Alright, the water is nearly ready. You go ughter the chicken, and then we can buy some paper money to go offer at your parents'' graves."


    After Grandma Wang''s passing, they had buried her ording to her wishes, alongside Liu Yizhu''ste father in Qingshi Town. They would be leaving in a few days, so they should go and tend to the graves.


    Liu Yizhu put the whole chicken into the pot to simmer, then chopped off arge chicken leg to use as an offering. After the meal, he boiled some medicine for Li Mingwei to drink, then they went to buy the paper money and headed up the mountain.


    Liu Yizhu pulled Li Mingwei''s coat tighter around her, "Wear more, it''s windy up the mountain, don''t catch a chill again."


    "I know, I know, you nagging old man!"


    The path was fine at first, but got a bit rough and uneven as they climbed up the mountain. Liu Yizhu grew concerned, "Can you manage on your own?"


    Li Mingwei steadily climbed step-by-step, smiling, "If I can''t, can you still carry me?"


    "I can certainly try."


    "Forget it, I don''t want to strain your old back."


    Seeing her determination, Liu Yizhu didn''t say more, just closely supported her. Li Mingwei rolled her eyes, "I''m only two years older than you, it''s not that bad."


    "Let''s go, we don''t want to bete."


    They tidied the graves, burned the paper money, and said a few words to the departed elders. By the time they headed back down, the sun was almost setting.


    Li Mingwei found a rock to sit on. Liu Yizhu frowned, "Tired?"


    "No." Li Mingwei pointed to a mountain, "You used to take me up there to watch the sunset, but we went toote and missed it."


    Liu Yizhu sat down next to her, recalling the memory. "Want to see the sunset? We can go to Shaohua Mountain in the county city next time."


    "Okay." Li Mingwei leaned on his shoulder, gazing at the distant setting sun. "I wonder what the sunsets by the sea are like?"


    "We''ll go see for ourselves." After a moment of contemtion, Liu Yizhu suggested, "How about visiting Zhong Liangyu?"


    He remembered that Zhong''s post was by the seaside. Thest time Yang Jingyuan visited him, he said they watched the sunset by the sea, felt the salty breeze, and collected many seashells, even sending some back.


    Hearing about the seaside, Liu Yizhu could tell Li Mingwei was captivated by the idea.


    Li Mingwei readily agreed, already imagining the briny sea breeze.


    Seeing her cheerful expression, Liu Yizhu sighed, his gaze resting on the strands of white in her hair. He put his arm around her, "In these past few years, I''ve taken you to everywhere you wanted to go."


    "Mm-hmm!"


    "When there are no more ces you want to go, let''s return to the capital."


    At least the doctors there were the best, and Liu Yizhu didn''t want to risk her health.


    Li Mingwei looked back at him with understanding, then turned to silently pray towards the Yuqing Temple, hoping she would always find another ce to go.


    (This book is about done. There was a time when I really wanted to give up, but back then the female lead hadn''t returned to the capital yet, so an abrupt ending wouldn''t have felt quite right, so I persisted until now.


    Many dear readers supported my first book, which no one read at the time, and I wrote it happily. This one has more readers, but they also gave me a lot of negative feedback.


    I previously heard a reader named Feng¡« went back and revised it a few times, but the effect was so-so, and it was indeed an issue with my own writing. This time I''ll take it as a lesson.


    I mostly don''t want to read thements anymore, so I may not have responded to some of you, sorry about that. It''s because I really don''t want to be too influenced, as writing this book made me lose eight or nine pounds in a month. These past couple days I''ve been indulging in some BBQ to make up for it, but...


    I think I''ll be avoiding BBQ for the next few years, it''s been a bit tough. Anyway, don''t overeat or drink too much, my dear readers!


    I''ve been criticized less than I expected, my tolerance is a bit low. I really need to adjust my mindset, so that''s it. Thank you all for keeping mepany this month, muah~)

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188


    The red veil was lowered, and Yun Sister''s vision waspletely obscured. She lowered her eyes and tightly gripped the sleeves of her dress as the carriage rocked back and forth, moving farther away.


    The journey from Qingshi Town to Qingshan Vige, which normally took a day and a half, was now going to take three days due to a blocked road. Yun Sister heard the people and the driver whispering that the snowy path would be difficult to traverse.


    It was almostpletely dark by the time they reached their lodging. The matchmaker helped Yun Sister into the room, and as soon as they entered, she removed the veil from Yun Sister''s face. With a solemn expression, the matchmaker said, "The veil is supposed to be removed by the groom."


    Yun Sister furrowed her brow, "But I can''t sleep with the veil on, and there are still two more days to go."


    The matchmaker thought that it would be unpleasant for Yun Sister to be confined with the veil on at night, and since there was no one else in the room, it didn''t matter if she took it off for a while.


    "Then you just stay in the room and don''t go out where anyone can see you."


    Yun Sister nodded, "Understood, don''t worry."


    She then sat down on the bed. Although she had been sitting in the carriage the whole time, she couldn''t move around much, and her waist, back, and feet were a bit numb. She gently massaged them, waiting to wash up and then lie down to rest.


    Knock, knock, knock...


    The sound of knocking at the door came, and the matchmaker thought it was the hot water that had been requested, so she hurriedly went to open the door. However, she saw Qing Song, the young man from the Wan family, standing outside. She quickly turned back and saw Yun Sister hastily covering her face with the veil again, letting out a sigh of relief.


    "Auntie, this is the dinner for you and the sister-inw."


    "Okay, okay, okay." The matchmaker took the tray and shooed him away, then closed the door and called Yun Sister over to eat.


    Yun Sister picked up the bowl and softly asked, "Who was that?"


    "It''s Qing Yang''s cousin, named Qing Song. He lives next door to your future inws. You''ll get to know him once you''ve moved in."


    "Oh." Yun Sister nodded, not wanting to raise the matchmaker''s suspicions by asking too many questions. In her mind, the image of the tall figure kept shing by. As his cousin, he should resemble Qing Yang to some degree, and he seemed a bit better than she had imagined.


    Before, she had heard from Chen Matchmaker that Qing Yang was quite good-looking and had received an education. Now, after seeing Qing Song, she couldn''t help but feel a little hopeful. Perhaps Qing Yang''s absence was just due to an unexpected illness.


    Sighing, Yun Sister''s spirits lifted a bit. They had arrived a littlete, and the banquet hall was already full of people, waiting only for her toe and pay her respects before the meal could begin.


    Weaving through the noisy crowd, she reached the main hall. A person handed her a red silk scarf, and they walked forward together to perform the rituals.


    "First, bow to Heaven and Earth!"


    "Second, bow to the elders!"


    "Third, the bride and groom bow to each other!"


    Yun Sister bent down, only able to see two pairs of legs. It seemed he was being supported, as he had some difficulty turning around. No wonder he couldn''te - he must be quite ill.


    After the ceremony, the matchmaker brought Yun Sister into the room and had her sit and wait. Soon, a woman came in, gently guiding Yun Sister to the table, and with a soft voice said, "You must be hungry, have a bite to eat. There''s still a while to go."


    "Okay."


    Hearing the woman leave and close the door, Yun Sister lifted the veil and looked at the sumptuous meal in front of her, a slight smile on her lips. The person who had brought the food and the one who had given her the red envelope in the main hall had the same voice - it must be her mother-inw, without a doubt.


    She seems like a gentle person, and they should be able to get along well.


    Yun Sister heaved a sigh of relief and happily ate her meal, quietly waiting in the room until the light outside gradually faded, and then sounds came from the doorway again.


    Yun Sister quickly straightened her back, and the footsteps drew nearer and nearer, making her increasingly nervous. Her hands were sped tightly together.


    But in addition to the footsteps, there also seemed to be the sound of a wooden cane tapping on the floor. Was he ill and unable to walk steadily?


    Just as she was puzzled, the person arrived in front of her, and the veil was abruptly lifted. She looked up, meeting his stern gaze, and her heart began to race a little faster.


    Is this her husband-to-be?


    Her face flushed slightly, and she shyly lowered her head. Seeing him leaning on a cane, she hurriedly stood up, wanting to help him sit down. "You''re not ill, please, sit down."


    "Ill?" Qing Yang was puzzled, looking down at his own legs. If this could be considered an illness, then he was indeed ill.


    Yun Sister tried to pull him, but he wouldn''t budge. She hesitantly withdrew her hand, her gaze falling on the wheelchair in the corner. She took a step forward, running her fingers over the backrest. It didn''t look like it was newly made.


    She quickly turned her head, staring at Qing Yang''s feet, and forced a smile. "Is your leg injured?"


    Qing Yang''s gaze coldened as he watched her actions. Guessing a few things, he tapped his cane and called out, "Mother."


    Wan''s Mother, not wanting her son to be inconvenienced, had been waiting nearby, and quickly entered the room upon his call.


    Qing Yang reproached her in an unhappy tone, "Didn''t I say I wanted to exin the situation clearly to her?"


    "I did exin it clearly!" Wan''s Mother was a bit confused. She had told the matchmaker everything clearly.


    Wan''s Mother pped her thigh in annoyance. "Twenty taels, didn''t I tell the matchmaker that? That''s enough to marry three good daughters-inw, or even four for a lower price!"


    Qing Yang''s expression softened a bit as he turned to look at Yun Sister. Could it be that the matchmaker had concealed this from her?


    Wan''s Mother quickly stepped forward and pulled Yun Sister aside, whispering, "You didn''t know?"


    Yun Sister''s expression darkened, and she bit her lip without speaking. At the moment, her head was spinning, unable to tell if it was the matchmaker who had failed to exin properly, or if the family had known but hadn''t told her.


    Seeing Yun Sister''s reaction, Wan''s Mother understood the situation. She nced back at her displeased son, thinking, "Oh, this is not good at all."


    "You..." She said angrily, "I''ll go settle the score with that matchmaker!"


    Yun Sister held her back, "It''s alright."


    The matchmaker had concealed this fact, but that''s only because she didn''t want to ruin her own reputation. The problem probably lies with Yun Sister''s own family.


    "Then what about you?"


    "Since I''ve alreadye here as the daughter-inw, I''m a part of the Wan family now. The rest..." Yun Sister''s gaze fell on Qing Yang. At this point, she really didn''t have much choice. Even if the Wan family was willing to send her back, would her own parents honestly return the betrothal gifts?


    Wan''s Mother''s face lit up with joy. "You really mean it?"


    "Yes." Yun Sister forced a smile and called out, "Mother."


    "Oh!" Wan''s Mother''s smile widened as sheforted Yun Sister, guiding her to sit on the bed, then turned and whispered to Qing Yang.


    "She says she''s willing. You just go ahead. The family has spent so much money, even if you don''t like her, you still need to leave an heir for the family."


    "Mother!"


    Wan''s Mother turned and left, the door mming shut behind her. Qing Yang stood in ce for a while before approaching Yun Sister.


    His voice was a bit low, "If you''re not willing..."


    Yun Sister slightly lowered her head, interrupting him, "I am willing."


    Qing Yang was silent for a moment, then tossed aside his cane and removed his outer garment. Limping towards her, he grasped her chin and tilted her face up, staring down at her from above. "Are you sure?"


    He used a bit too much force, and Yun Sister turned her head ufortably. "Yes!"


    "Hmph."


    Qing Yang took it as her resistance. He sneered and leaned in, pressing her down onto the bed. Bringing his mouth close to her ear, he said in a dark tone, "You can still change your mind now."


    "I won''t regret it."

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189


    Wan''s Mother had not gone far, but was quietly standing guard outside the house. She heard the gradually rising moans from inside the room, and finally put down the heart that she had been holding. She pped her hands together, "It''s done!"


    Wan''s Wife smiled and went back to her room. As for Wan''s Father, it was clear that he understood, and he nodded slightly. This time, he finally felt at ease, and he just waited to hold his grandchild.


    Thinking about this, he quickly asked, "How is that girl''s health?"


    "She seems to be fine." Wan''s Mother paused for a moment and said in a low voice, "Maybe I should take her to see the doctor?"


    "I think that''s a good idea!" There was no shortage of money in the family, and this would put their hearts at ease.


    Wan''s Mother agreed, but said with some concern, "That girl doesn''t know about Qing Yang''sme leg."


    "What?" Wan''s Father was startled. Didn''t they say the match was good?


    "The matchmaker is our acquaintance, and he''s not the type to hide things. I guess it''s because of that girl''s family..." Wan''s Mother spected, "I heard her family is not that good, and they have two sons waiting to get married. Twenty taels isn''t enough for anything."


    "Are you saying her family tricked her intoing here?" Seeing his wife nodding, Wan''s Father was silent for a moment, then pped the table and reminded, "Then you''d better keep an eye on her, or it''ll be a disaster if she runs away."


    "I didn''t know about this."


    The family had spent so much money, and it was finally able to get a daughter-inw. Of course, she needed to be closely watched.


    Yun Sister had a very good impression of her mother-inw from the day she got married. She followed the mother-inw every day without much resistance, thinking the mother-inw was just concerned for her and afraid she wouldn''t adapt.


    Because the inws were so good to her, Yun Sister also didn''t strongly object to the mother-inw taking her to see the doctor. It was normal for the elders to want a grandchild, and with Qing Yang''s condition, they would naturally be more anxious.


    The doctor checked her pulse and said she had no health problems. Wan''s Mother''s anxious expression instantly turned into a smile. She tightly gripped Yun Sister''s hand and even had the doctor prescribe her some tonics.


    She smiled and said, "Mother will go home and have your father ughter a chicken to make soup for you."


    "Okay."


    Yun Sister felt warmth in her heart. Even her own parents had never specially cooked chicken soup for her.


    If the inws didn''t know about Qing Yang''s infertility and didn''t desperately beg her to have a child to continue the family line, she would have truly thought she was extremely lucky to have found the best inws.


    Qing Yang walked into the courtyard and saw Yun Sister lying on the bed, silently crying. He stood up from the wheelchair and went to the bedside. "Yun''er, what''s wrong?"


    Yun Sister looked up at him, her sadness deepening. She pushed his hand away, wiped her tears, and got up to go outside.


    "I''m going to cook."


    Qing Yang''s brow furrowed. This was the first time Yun Sister had been so cold to him. He stood there dumbfounded, thinking for a moment, wondering if he had done anything to make her angry recently.


    He decided to go ask about the reason.


    He rolled his wheelchair to the back courtyard, but saw his younger brother Qing Song holding Yun Sister''s hand. Anger instantly surged in his heart. "What are you two doing!"


    Yun Sister instinctively took a step back, and the water bowl in her hands fell to the ground and shattered. She hurriedly squatted down to pick up the broken ceramic shards.


    Qing Song also quickly squatted down, smiling as he exined, "Sister-inw was just handing me a bowl of water, brother startled her."


    Qing Yang frowned. These two, did they think he was blind?


    Facing Qing Song''s sudden confession, Yun Sister was a little at a loss, not noticing Qing Yang''s emotions. She just moved a little farther away from Qing Song, feeling uneasy. If Qing Song had the inws'' permission to do this, she would bepletely powerless to resist.


    Yun Sister secretly took out the money Li Mingwei gave her and had someone write a letter to send out, then asked to go home for a few days to celebrate her mother''s birthday.


    Wan''s Father and Wan''s Mother were a little hesitant, after all, they had just had an unpleasant incident. If she went back and told her family about this, the Wan family''s reputation would be greatly damaged.


    In the end, it was Qing Yang who nodded and agreed to let her go. He silently watched Yun Sister pack her bags, then looked down at his useless leg and bitterly smiled.


    If it weren''t for Li Mingwei''s letter, he would still be lost in the fantasy of Yun Sister eloping with his cousin.


    "Sick?"


    She was fine when she left...


    Qing Yang took a deep breath and, on the pretext of a ssmate inviting him to visit, had his parents help him call a car. The next day, he arrived in the county town.


    Because of Li Mingwei''s words, his mood was a little turbulent, until Yun Sister pushed the door open and their eyes met. Qing Yang suddenly felt an indescribable heartache.


    "Yun''er, what''s wrong with you?"


    Yun Sister slowly approached him, squatting in front of him, tears unconsciously flowing from her eyes. After a while, she choked out, "I told you, you can''t..."


    "Can''t..."


    She couldn''t say the words mit suicide," just lying on his legs, dejected, "Why is the heaven so unfair!"


    Qing Yang wiped the tears from her face, anxiously asking, "Don''t cry, just tell me."


    If she had suffered some injustice, he would definitely avenge her. But he never thought the problem would be with himself.


    After hearing Yun Sister''s ount, Qing Yang''s body began to tremble. He clenched his fists, the blue veins on the back of his hands clearly visible.


    Sensing his anger, Yun Sister hurriedly hugged him, gentlyforting him, "Don''t be like this, no matter what, I will never leave you."


    How could Qing Yang not be angry? That was his own parents! He leaned back in the chair with a cold smile on his lips, "It''s because I''m useless, I''m useless!"


    Seeing his eyes red and a few tears in the corner of his eyes, though he was still smiling, Yun Sister''s heart pounded with unease as she threw herself at him, "If you die, I won''t live either!"


    "Yun''er~" Qing Yang cried out in grief, tightly hugging her. After a while, he suppressed the despair in his heart. With a wife like this, how could he be worthy?


    These days, he had thought she had feelings for his cousin, and had quietly let her leave. He never imagined she was going through this.


    After returning home, Qing Yang directly confronted his parents and said he would move out with Yun Sister.


    The old couple''s faces looked grim, but they had to agree.


    Qing Yang found a quiet ce on the outskirts of the vige, had someone renovate it, and then went back to the county town to pick up Yun Sister.


    Leaning on a crutch, he pushed open the courtyard gate and looked at the cold courtyard. "Time was tight, so this is the only option for now. You can just bear with it for a while."


    Yun Sister went in and looked around, not feeling anything was wrong, and smiled, "It''s quite nice."


    "You don''t have tofort me." Qing Yang said.


    "I''m notforting you." Yun Sister hugged his arm and said in a low voice, "As long as I''m with you, anywhere is good."


    Qing Yang shook his head helplessly and led her in to unpack their belongings.


    The two of them lived in this old courtyard for five years, until Yun Sister became pregnant. Qing Yang had no experience and was afraid he couldn''t take good care of her, so he brought up having his mothere to take care of her.


    "If you don''t want to, I can find another sister-inw from the vige to take care of you. With my leg and foot, I''m afraid if something happens to you, I..."


    After all, this ce was still a bit far from the vige. With his speed, the food might be cold by the time he got back and forth.


    "It''s fine, let Mothere."


    In these few years, the inws would asionallye over to check on them and bring some things, without disturbing them much. Yun Sister''s resentment had also dissipated somewhat. And this child was the result of Qing Yang taking medicine for several years.


    He had longed for this for so long. As long as the child could be born safely, she was willing to try to ept the inws again.

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190


    Xinghua Vige was nestled in a mountain valley, with most of the households bearing the surname Wang. The vige had only about fifty to sixty households, and the Wang family was considered one of the more prosperous ones.


    Wang Chunhua was the only daughter in the family, with an elder brother and two younger brothers. She was quite pampered at home. At the moment, she stood at the doorway, smugly bidding farewell to her two brothers.


    "Hehe, father only wants to take me and not you two. What can you do about it?"


    Wang Erzhuang and Wang Sanzhuang red at her, their eyes fixed on their father. Wang''s Father didn''t even nce at them, just pulled Wang Chunhua and walked away.


    "Chunhua, let''s go. We''ll bete."


    "Okay, father."


    Wang Dazhuang, carrying a backpack, also ignored his two brothers and followed closely behind. The three of them were going to the town to buy items for an uing celebration. Having the two younger ones would only cause trouble.


    The journey from their vige to the town involved crossing a few mountains, which was no easy feat. Even the physically fit Wang Chunhua started panting after a while. Seeing this, Wang''s Father quickly found a clean rock for her to rest.


    Wang Chunhua refused, "Father, let''s keep going. We''ll bete otherwise."


    After making the purchases, they still had to walk back. Wasting time would make the return journey even more treacherous in the dark.


    "Can you manage?" Wang''s Father asked, and when Wang Chunhua nodded resolutely, he pressed on, with her clinging to his arm.


    Wang''s Father nced at her, slightly displeased, "I told you not toe, but you insisted. If it were just some snacks or candies, I could have bought them for you to eat back home."


    "I wanted to explore the town," Wang Chunhua murmured softly. "It''s boring in the vige, with nothing but mountains on both sides."


    They crossed another mountain, and seeing that she could barely walk anymore, Wang''s Father again suggested she take a break. He pointed ahead, "It''s t from there on, we''ll reach soon. There''s still time, so rest a bit."


    Wang Chunhua stood on her tiptoes, trying to peer ahead, but saw nothing. Having been to the town only a few times, she couldn''t remember the way and didn''t know if her father was being truthful.


    However, Wang Dazhuang had already sat down, patting the slope next to him, "Come, sit for a bit. I''m tired too, can''t walk anymore."


    Wang''s Father gave his son an approving nce and sat down beside him. Wang Chunhua had no choice but to follow suit.


    They had been resting for a while when suddenly, a sound of sliding soil and rocks came from behind them. Wang Dazhuang quickly pulled his sister up and took a few steps forward. Looking up, they saw a tall man sliding down the slope, holding some wild chickens.


    Wang Chunhua stared intently at the chickens, unable to take her eyes off them.


    "Wow~ Are those wild chickens? Their feathers are so beautiful!"


    Dong Shan ran a few steps to steady himself, then turned around and saw Wang Chunhua staring at him. He scratched his head sheepishly, his gaze falling on the wild chickens.


    He plucked a couple of the nice tail feathers and offered them to her, "Here, take these."


    Wang''s Father was about to refuse, but Wang Chunhua had already taken the feathers from Dong Shan''s hands, smiling, "Thank you!"


    Dong Shan shook his head, "It''s nothing," and hurried off to the inn with the chickens.


    After he left, Wang''s Father scolded, "You girl, we don''t even know that person. How could you just ept his things?"


    "They''re just a couple of tail feathers." Wang Chunhua examined them with delight. "They''re so beautiful."


    The feathers were lovely, and the man looked nice too.


    "Ah, you..."


    Wang''s Father couldn''t bring himself to say more, and led them to continue the journey.


    Although the family didn''t visit the town often, Wang''s Father, being an old man, had been there many times and was familiar with it. He directly took them to a pastry shop.


    He bowed slightly, smiling, "Shopkeeper, may your business prosper!"


    "Thank you, thank you." The shopkeeper gestured for them toe in. "What would the elder brother like?"


    "We need to prepare for a celebration at home. Shopkeeper, what pastries would you rmend?"


    The shopkeeper understood and took them to make selections. The town''s pastries were limited, but for a celebration, the shop could provide some decorated with auspicious "wedding" characters for them to take home and disy.


    Just as Wang Dazhuang was about to join themotion, he spotted a sickly-looking young man passing by on the street. He quickly pulled Wang Chunhua into a corner.


    "Bad omen!"


    Wang Chunhua peeked out, "Who is it?"


    "Who else could it be?" He sighed. "That family who tried to arrange a match with you."


    Wang Chunhua resembled her father more, being tall and sturdy. That family''s son, however, was sickly and frail. They had wanted a strong daughter-inw to bnce him out, but the match never happened since Wang''s family wouldn''t let their only daughter marry such a "sick ghost."


    In the end, it didn''t matter, but that family had spoken quite rudely, looking down on the Wangs. Wang Chunhua had a fiery temper and ended up arguing with them, causing quite an unpleasant scene.


    Her reputation as a hot-headed girl had spread throughout the vige.


    Wang Chunhua scrunched up her nose, "Bad omen indeed!"


    The siblings hid for a while, and only when the young man was no longer in sight did Wang Chunhua breathe a sigh of relief. She had been scolded many times by her mother over this incident, and she didn''t dare cause any more trouble.


    Dong Shan came out of the inn, intending to buy some food, when he noticed Wang Chunhua standing stealthily by the pastry shop. He couldn''t help but pause in his steps, wondering what she was up to.


    Wang Chunhua turned and saw him, immediately standing upright and putting on a bright smile.


    Caught in the act of peeking, Dong Shan wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants and smiled awkwardly before continuing on his way.


    Wang Chunhua''s gaze followed Dong Shan as he disappeared around the corner. Once he was out of sight, she turned her attention back.


    If she had to marry, she would rather marry someone like him, she thought to herself, and decided to tell her mother about it when she got home.


    Wang''s Mother red at her, annoyed that her daughter hade back from the town with a new love interest.


    That night, the elderly coupley in bed, discussing their daughter''s marriage.


    "Chunhua said she''s interested in that young man. Let''s see if he''s already betrothed or not."


    Wang''s Father recalled Dong Shan''s appearance and made a clicking sound with his tongue. "He doesn''t look bad, sturdy like a farmer."


    "Shall we go find a matchmaker to inquire about him?"


    "We can try." Wang''s Father sighed lightly. "I was originally thinking of finding her a match in the nearby viges, but I don''t know where this young man is from."


    "Let''s just make some inquiries first. If he''s too far, we can always tell our daughter no."


    Wang''s Father nodded. "Leave those matters to you then."


    "Alright, you can count on me."

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191


    Dong Shan was someone they had encountered not far from Qingshi Town, and Wang''s Mother had instinctively gone to the town to seek out a matchmaker, who had previously visited their home and was somewhat familiar.


    She poured Wang''s Mother a cup of water and smiled, "As a matter of fact, someone just came to me earlier, and from his description, he does sound a bit like your daughter. Should we introduce them to each other?"


    Without further ado, the two were simply matched by the tails of a pair of wild chickens.


    The matchmaker briefly exined Dong Shan''s family background, and Wang''s Mother''s brow furrowed.


    "Is he the only one left in his family now?"


    "Yes," the matchmaker sighed. "The boy is a good one, it''s just that his life has been a bit hard. But he''s quite capable now, hunting in the nearby mountains, earning quite a bit to support his family."


    She said, "Since he''s the only one, your daughter won''t have to take care of any inws when she marries him. And you''re not too far away, so it''ll be convenient for you toe visit them from time to time."


    Wang''s Mother didn''t think it was too far, but she was worried that her husband might feel it was, so she didn''t agree to it right away, saying she needed to go back and discuss it.


    When she went back and told him about it, Wang''s Father indeed disapproved. It wasn''t because of the distance, which was just half a day''s journey, no big deal.


    He disapproved because Dong Shan didn''t have anynd, and being a hunter, while the ie was decent, it wasn''t an easy job. What if he encountered wild boars, wolves, or tigers in the mountains, things that could harm or even kill him? Then what would happen to his daughter?


    There was no way he''d let her spend her life with a disabled man.


    Wang Chunhua red at her father angrily, "Father, can''t you think of something good for me? He can earn so much, maybe I''ll be able to eat and drink well if I marry him."


    "Don''t be ridiculous!"


    Wang''s Mother also agreed, "It is quite dangerous. Chunhua, should we look for someone else?"


    She tentatively suggested, "If you like this kind of person, I can ask the matchmaker to find you someone simr. How about that?"


    Wang Dazhuang nodded and whispered to his sister, "I think Tiechu is quite strong, and his family has a lot ofnd. Maybe we can have Mother talk to you about him."


    "I don''t want to! If you don''t let me marry him, then I won''t marry anyone!"


    Seeing that no one approved of this, Wang Chunhua got angry and kicked her brother Wang Dazhuang, then stormed off to her room.


    Wang Dazhuang hugged his leg and looked at his parents helplessly, "What are we going to do? Our big sister has a stubborn temper, she''s hard to persuade."


    Wang''s Mother knew her daughter''s temperament, and couldn''t help but feel troubled. Wang''s Father mmed the table and stood up, ordering his wife, "Go cook some rice, and kill a chicken, make a few more dishes."


    Wang''s Mother frowned, "What are you doing?"


    It''s not like it''s thest meal.


    "Just do as I say!"


    Although she didn''t understand the reason, Wang''s Mother still followed the instructions. That night, when Wang Chunhua saw the abundant feast, she thought her parents had made it to appease her, and her appetite immediately opened up, eating three bowls of rice.


    Seeing her put down her bowl and rub her belly contentedly, Wang''s Father knew she was full, and asked with a smile, "Chunhua, is the rice good?"


    "Mm-hmm, delicious!"


    "Do you want to eat more?"


    "Yes!"


    "Then forget about marrying into the Dong family."


    Wang Chunhua was a bit taken aback by how quickly her father changed his mind, and angrily retorted, "Father, what are you saying?"


    "What am I saying?" Wang''s Father snorted, pointing to the pile of chicken bones by her bowl, "Just look at how much you can eat in one meal. The Dong family doesn''t even have anynd, if you marry there, do you want to starve to death?"


    "I..." Wang Chunhua couldn''t refute it, looking at the clean bowl in front of her, but she felt aggrieved and lowered her head.


    After a while, she softly said, "If I marry into their family, I can eat less, just one bowl would be enough."


    And that''s exactly what she did in the following days, only eating one bowl of rice per meal, enduring the hunger. Her parents were at a loss, and could only agree to it.


    Wang Chunhua never told Dong Shan about this, and whenever she thought about it, she couldn''t help but want tough. She didn''t even know where her courage came from, having only met him twice.


    Perhaps it was because she had heard from her mother that he had also inquired about her with the matchmaker.


    "Don''t forget that," Wang Chunhua pointed to the two feathers still hanging on the wall, reminding him, "That was the first thing you ever gave me."


    Dong Shan smiled and nodded, "I know, I''ll never forget."


    He reached up to take down the feathers and put them in a box.


    Wang Chunhua had been ill recently, and Dong Lei was worried, insisting that they all live together. They had already packed up their belongings, waiting for Dong Lei toe pick them up to set off.


    "Anything else?"


    "I think that''s it," Wang Chunhua said, though she still went around the courtyard one more time to make sure, then nodded, "That''s it."


    She sat down on the bed, feeling the quilt, and sighed regretfully, "They were all in such good condition, but we''re not taking them."


    "Oh, but your son-inw has already instructed, the bedsheets, quilts, and other old things, we don''t need to bring them, Qianqian has prepared new ones for us."


    Dong Shan said helplessly, "Your son is an official now, he wants you to live well, you shouldn''t have any trouble with that."


    Wang Chunhua pouted, "Of course I can live well. Who can''t live a good life these days?"


    She sighed, "I''m just worried I won''t get along with Qianqian."


    "How won''t you get along? Qianqian is well-educated, polite, and sensible. She''s been sending us things every once in a while. What''s not to like?"


    "I guess so."


    If the daughter-inw wasn''t to her liking, she wouldn''t have agreed to let her in.


    It''s just that Qianqian''s temperament wasn''t quite to Wang Chunhua''s taste, always so slow and sluggish. Wang Chunhua was an impatient person, sometimes when she tried to talk to her or ask her something, it always took so much effort, they could never quite see eye to eye.


    But since her son liked her, she could ept it. In the past, they only saw each other a few times a year, which was fine. Now that they were going to live together, she couldn''t help but worry.


    Dong Lei was stationed in Tongjiang, and Tongjiang to Anhuai was only a two-day journey. He had specifically taken the time toe back and pick up his parents.


    Dong Shan and Wang Chunhua didn''t want to dy his official duties, so they were going to set off with him the next day. Li Mingwei and Liu Yizhu came to see them off.


    "Sister, when are you leaving?"


    "Soon, in the next few days."


    Wang Chunhua invited, "Why don''t you twoe with us and stay in Tongjiang for a few days?"


    "No, thanks." Li Mingwei nced at Liu Yizhu and smiled, "We still have some matters to attend to at the academy, and we''re also nning to go to Shaohua Mountain to watch the sunset."


    Dong Lei clicked his tongue, "Aunt and Uncle are really leisurely, aren''t they?"


    Li Mingwei sniffed, "How bitter!"


    Liu Yizhu chuckled and patted his shoulder encouragingly, "If you work hard for another ten years, you can be like us too."


    Ten years?


    Dong Lei shook his head, ten years probably wouldn''t be enough.


    Li Mingwei gave him a shove, "Stop dwelling on it, hurry up and go, you''re wasting time."


    "Okay!"


    The three got on the carriage and headed to Tongjiang. Li Mingwei watched them leave, then turned to Liu Yizhu, "With the sister gone, we can start packing up too."


    "Alright."

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192


    The gatekeeper came to report that someone was looking for him. Yang Jingyuan lifted his head from the book he was engrossed in, furrowing his brow slightly. Who could be looking for him at this hour?


    Concerned that there might be something wrong at home, he quickly followed the gatekeeper to the academy gate. He asked casually, "Who is it?"


    "The one who used to apany you all the time, the short and thin one."


    Yang Jingyuan''s eyes lit up. So it was Zhong Liangyu! He ran, leaving the gatekeeper far behind.


    "Liangyu!"


    "Jingyuan!"


    "It is you!" Yang Jingyuan eximed joyfully, embracing Zhong Liangyu''s shoulder. His smile was unstoppable. "When did youe back?"


    "I..." Zhong Liangyu paused, ncing at the bustling street outside. He patted Yang Jingyuan''s hand. "Let''s find a different ce to talk."


    He smiled, "How about I treat you to some drinks?"


    "Great!" Yang Jingyuan linked arms with him and headed to their usual spot, remarking, "Ever since Jue left, no one has kept mepany to drink. I haven''t indulged in a while."


    The two went to the tavern, where it was the height of the dinner rush, with the upper and lower floors full of people. Zhong Liangyu was not quite satisfied with the remaining seats, so he boldly reserved a private room.


    Yang Jingyuan raised an eyebrow, "Did youe into some money?"


    "Do you think I''m poor?"


    "No, not at all."


    Shuangan Town was muchrger than Qingshi Town, with more children attending the academy. Zhong''s grandfather also earned a decent ie each year, and as Zhong''s only grandson, he had always been given free rein. Zhong Liangyu had just been particrly frugal.


    Today, he was unusually generous, so Yang Jingyuan did not hesitate, ordering several appetizers and a fine jar of wine.


    The server quickly brought the wine, and Yang Jingyuan poured a cup for himself and one for Zhong Liangyu. "You''re back with a name on the list. What brings you back?"


    Zhong Liangyu was silent for a moment. "Just to visit, and then I''ll be going to Wuping County in Zhuzhou."


    "Wuping County?" Yang Jingyuan looked at him nkly. "Where is that?"


    "In the south."


    "Is it far?"


    Zhong Liangyu estimated, "If going through Anhuai, it would be about a month''s journey."


    With fast transport, it would take over 20 days without dys.


    Yang Jingyuan''s hand holding the cup stiffened slightly. He ran his finger along the rim and said in a low voice, "That''s quite far away."


    "I, I was actually hoping to work hard ande find you all in the Capital City in a couple of years."


    "Go ahead. Yizhu and Jue are both in the Capital City now. Usually, only the top three students get to stay in the Hanlin Academy to study for a few years before being sent out to gain experience. By the time you get there, Jue might be the only one left."


    Zhong Liangyu smiled, "Perfect, then you and Jue can drink together again."


    Yang Jingyuan wanted to say it wouldn''t be the same, but he didn''t know how to put it into words.


    "So, this time you''re going..."


    "I won''t be back for at least three years."


    That was the best-case scenario. If he didn''t achieve any noteworthy results, it might even be extended for another three years.


    Yang Jingyuan nodded, draining his cup and refilling it, downing it again.


    Zhong Liangyu frowned, "Slow down on the drinking."


    "Hah!" Yang Jingyuan brushed his hand away, smiling, "You''re an official now, I''m just happy for you."


    He raised his cup, "Here''s to you!"


    Zhong Liangyu reluctantly clinked cups with him, taking a small sip, as he had never been good with alcohol.


    Yang Jingyuan watched Zhong Liangyu''s profile quietly, chuckling softly, "You''re still the same as before?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "Actually, I can see you''re much healthier than before. You could even handle a big gulp of that."


    Zhong Liangyu shook his head. His mother had reminded him to take care of his health, and it was better to avoid things like alcohol.


    Yang Jingyuan knew this well from their childhood. He still remembered the first time he saw the thin and small Zhong Liangyu, who was a year younger but a head shorter.


    Back then, he had asked, "Did your family not feed you enough?"


    Zhong Liangyu had simply turned and walked away without responding.


    Later, Yang Jingyuan learned that Zhong Liangyu was Mr. Zhong''s grandson, and his family was not short on money. Zhong Liangyu''s frailty was due to being born prematurely, with some congenital weaknesses.


    At the academy, almost all the children had been warned not to bully Zhong Liangyu, and Yang Jingyuan was no exception. He kept it in mind and generally didn''t provoke him.


    That was one summer when the rain was pouring heavily. After the rain stopped, a group of children stood on the veranda, eager to step into the puddle that had formed in the courtyard. Yang Jingyuan was the first to rush out, running and jumping heavily into the water. The other mischievous children quickly followed, sshing water all over the passing Zhong Liangyu.


    Zhong Liangyu was somewhat annoyed but couldn''t find the words to scold them. He turned and went home to change, and that night he developed a fever that didn''t subside. Mr. Zhong stayed by his side all night, worried, and Zhong Liangyu had to miss the next day of sses.


    Still just a child, Yang Jingyuan felt uneasy. He secretly went to the Zhong household to check on Zhong Liangyu, seeing the open gate and quietly entering. He saw Mrs. Zhong kneeling devoutly before the household Buddha, not daring to disturb her. He peeked through the window and saw Zhong Liangyu bundled in nkets, with Mr. Zhong by his bedside looking exhausted, the physician not having left.


    "So hot..."


    "Grandpa..."


    Mr. Zhong quickly helped him up, turning to the physician, "What can we do?"


    The physician sighed, "The medicine will be ready soon, let''s see how he is after he drinks it."


    Yang Jingyuan looked at the flushed and weakened Zhong Liangyu in Mr. Zhong''s arms, his heart aching with guilt.


    Fortunately, Zhong Liangyu recovered from that ordeal, giving Yang Jingyuan a chance to make amends. In the following years, he stuck close to Zhong Liangyu, ensuring he wouldn''t be harmed again, and their rtionship grew closer.


    "Liangyu..."


    Seeing the now flushed Yang Jingyuan who had finished an entire jar of wine alone, Zhong Liangyu''s brow remained furrowed. He sighed and went to support him, "You''ve had too much to drink. Let me take you back."


    "No need!" Yang Jingyuan shook his head slowly, "I''m afraid you''ll drop me."


    "You..."


    Zhong Liangyu sighed again and paid a server to help him escort Yang Jingyuan back to the academy. They couldn''t go in, so they had the gatekeeper take him the rest of the way.


    As Zhong Liangyu was leaving, Yang Jingyuan suddenly grabbed his hand, softly calling, "Liangyu."


    His voice was a bit hoarse, "We..."


    Zhong Liangyu turned back, holding his hand and smiling, "We won''t necessarily have to go so long without seeing each other. My mother is already arranging a match for me. You muste when I get married."


    "Work hard, and you''ll catch up to Yizhu, who already has two children. We can''t fall too far behind."


    Yang Jingyuan forced a smile, "Okay, I''ll work hard."


    Zhong Liangyu released his hand, letting the gatekeeper take him inside. He turned away, his smile gradually fading. Some things were simply not meant to be epted by society. He hoped Yang Jingyuan could move on.

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193


    Tang Jue''s whole life, besides his mother, he only cared about two things: drinking alcohol and drinking flower wine. He loved his mother because of his father, and also because of the second, and the third.


    When Tang Shan passed the imperial examination, he studied in the Capital City for several years, took the exam three times before bing a sessful candidate, a total of nine years, the bitterness of which only he knew, so he was determined not to let his son follow in his footsteps.


    At the age of three, Tang Jue had the best teacher in the countye to enlighten him, teaching him one-on-one every day, almost without a break throughout the year, which was too much for a child of his age.


    When Li Mingwei was tired, she would go to her grandfather, while Tang Jue would go to his mother when he was tired. Lady Tang was always gentle and kind, and with only one child, she naturally indulged him.


    Tang Shan was displeased: "If you don''t work hard when you''re young, you''ll regret it when you''re old. I''m doing this for his own good."


    "But Jue is just a child now. Look around, how many children his age spend all day studying like him?"


    Lady Tang sighed, "Husband, too much of anything is not good. You''ll only make him resentful of studying."


    Tang Shan looked at his son, who was hiding behind Lady Tang, his little face tense and nodding like a garlic crusher. In the end, he relented, allowing him to go out and y for a while as long as hepleted his homework properly. If not, they would discuss itter.


    In any case, Tang Jue had nevercked the teacher''s cane or his father''s discipline from childhood to adulthood.


    As the son of the county magistrate, Tang Jue often attended banquets and feasts. Prompted by others, he tasted alcohol early on and initially found the taste tolerable.


    But when he discovered that after getting drunk anding home, he wouldn''t have to study or face punishment, but could happily copse into bed and sleep soundly, he fell in love with drinkingpletely.


    Whenever he felt tired or bored and needed to rest, he would invite three or five good friends to drink, or go to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion and share a cup with a confidant, pouring out his heart.


    On the way to the Capital City, Tang Jue began to worry. He wondered if he would find like-minded drinkingpanions in the city.


    He was frustrated: "Why can''t Yang Jingyuan just give in a little!"


    Zhong Liangyu knew exactly what he was thinking and looked at him disdainfully, "You worry more than his own parents."


    "Do you think I want to? If you two are willing to drink with me, I wouldn''t think about him."


    He looked hopefully at the two of them, but received no response, and his head drooped instantly.


    After they arrived in the Capital City, Tang Jue continued his previous habits. Liu Yizhu and Zhong Liangyu ignored him, so most of the time he went to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion.


    The Pavilion was filled with music and dancers, among whom was a talented musician who yed the zither exceptionally well, capturing Tang Jue''s heart. In fact, more than her skill, Tang Jue enjoyed the soft, gentle sound of her voice, like fluffy white clouds in the sky, soothing him inside out.


    As he frequented the ce, there was no need for words. The attendants at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion weed him into the room, and he went to find Qiu Rou.


    Qiu Rou entered the room and greeted him. Seeing him sitting by the window in silence, she knew his mood was not very good. She quietly walked to his side and gently massaged his shoulders.


    "Are you tired from studying, Sir Tang?"


    Tang Jue shook his head.


    She continued softly, "Then, what kind of music would Sir like to listen to today?"


    "I don''t want to listen to anything." Tang Jue held her hand, making her sit beside him. "Just apany me and talk to me."


    Qiu Rou agreed and gently stroked Tang Jue''s slightly furrowed brow, her eyes full of tenderness as she asked, "What''s wrong with you today, Sir? You look so gloomy. Did something troubling happen?"


    "Nothing."


    She lowered her eyes, ming herself, "It''s Qiu Niang''s ipetence. I can''t help Sir, so Sir doesn''t want to tell Qiu Niang anything."


    Seeing her despondent look, Tang Jue couldn''t help but soften a bit and exined, "That''s not what I meant."


    Qiu Rou threw herself into his arms, tugging at his clothes, lightly biting her thin lips, "Then what do you mean, Sir?"


    Tang Jue embraced her, her soft voice in his ear, her delicate and fragile body in his arms. He felt a stir in his heart, but he restrained himself.


    He leaned back a bit, whispering, "It''s nothing, just some worries about the imperial examination."


    ording to his father''s habit, if he doesn''t pass next year, he will have to stay in the capital for another three years. In these past two years, he has been very tired every day. If he really has to endure another three years, he might as well die.


    Qiu Rou held his hand, leaning against his chest, gently smiling, "It won''t happen."


    "What won''t happen?"


    "You won''t have to endure another three years." She sat up, looking into Tang Jue''s eyes, her tone gentle yet firm. "Sir will definitely make a name for himself. Qiu Niang has seen your hard work in these past two years, Qiu Niang believes in Sir, you can do it."


    Although he knew she was saying good things, Tang Jue felt a bit better. He also felt that he had really worked hard in these past two years.


    He tugged at the corner of his mouth, "I hope so."


    Li Mingwei and Liu Yizhu had dinner and were digesting in the garden. Seeing himing backte again, with a hint of blush on his face, Li Mingwei shook her head, "Went to see Qiu Rou again?"


    Tang Jue nodded, leaning against the rockery,ughing, "You two can be lovey-dovey all day, but I can''t go see a girl to vent my feelings?"


    "I can''t control you, go if you want." Li Mingwei crossed her arms, looking at him suspiciously, "Do you really like that Qiu Rou?"


    She looked a bit worried, "It would be difficult to convince Brother and Sister-inw to let her in."


    "Sister-inw, what are you thinking!"


    "Am I going to marry her?" Tang Jue pointed to himself,ughing helplessly, "Why would I marry her? When I go to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, it''s just to pay her to y a tune for me, to apany me in conversation."


    So, marrying her would mean that those who have been her clients in bed should marry her even more.


    "Her voice just suits my taste, everything she says sounds good."


    Tang Housekeeper stood behind him, scratching his head, cautiously asking, "Does young master like a pleasant voice?"


    Tang Jue turned his head to look at him, "What''s the matter?"


    "Nothing..." Tang Housekeeper bowed, "Today, the old master sent a letter, saying that the family has arranged a marriage for you, asking you to prepare, and get married after next year''s spring exams."


    He didn''t know what the future Mrs. Tang''s voice would be like.


    "Do I have to wait until the exam results are out to decide?" Tang Jue frowned, there''s a big difference between being on the list and not being on it.


    "I don''t know, the letter only mentioned that it''s the daughter of the chief advisor of Chengzhou. This chief advisor and the old master were ssmates, and now he is highly valued by the Governor."


    Tang Jue waved his hand, "Okay, I got it."


    Li Mingwei clicked her tongue twice, "You''re agreeing just like that, without even asking if she''s pretty or if her voice sounds nice?"


    "Tsk!" Tang Jue shrugged, "As long as my dad thinks she''s useful, it''s fine. Who cares what she''s like."


    "You''re quite sensible, aren''t you?"


    "I''ve always been sensible."


    He''s now a schr, being able to marry the chief advisor''s daughter is already good enough. Her official position is even higher than his father''s, although he might not necessarily work in Chengzhou in the future, and may not need this connection. But his father will definitely have a better time in Anhuai.


    If there''s something to gain, why not go for it?


    Of course, if the girl from his family is pretty, that would be the best, and if she can handle a little bit of alcohol, even better!

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194


    Father was often not in the capital, and Mother didn''t like to take care of things. The three siblings of the Li Family practically grew up in the Li Family, raised by Li Yi and Li Langyue.


    Liu Simo admired his great-grandfather very much and aspired to be a schr like him from a young age. Of course, it all had to start with the imperial examinations.


    Hearing that the Hanlin Academy had a vast collection of books, Liu Simo, who loved reading since childhood, aimed for the top three positions, as only the top three were qualified to stay and work in the Hanlin Academy.


    When the exam came that year, Liu Yizhu was on an inspection tour, and the Emperor, in recognition of his hard work and to ease his mind, graciously appointed Liu Simo as the top scorer.


    However, after a few days, Liu Simo couldn''t help but go to the Liu Family toin to his mother: "I thought I could go in to read books, but it turns out I have to attend court with the Emperor every day."


    Li Mingwei shrugged, "What can I do? Go find your father."


    "Mother~"


    Liu Simo was exasperated. If his father were here, he would have gone to find him long ago. There was no need to waste time here.


    "Don''t call me." Li Mingwei looked at him disdainfully, "I''m so smart, how did I give birth to such a fool like you? Do you really think that by reading a lot of books, you can be a schr like your great-grandfather?"


    She asked, "Why was your great-grandfather famous?"


    "Because he had good knowledge and produced many outstanding students."


    "Wrong!" Li Mingwei didn''t expect him to be so naive, so she grabbed his ear, "You''ve read yourself silly!"


    "Your great-grandfather did have good knowledge, but his fame came from teaching the previous Emperor, the current one, and countless princes and grandsons. You, a mere top scorer, if you don''t seize the opportunity to climb higher, let others see you, and stillin here, is your brain not working properly?"


    Liu Simo quickly realized his mistake. He had never cared about these things before. He looked up at his mother quietly and suddenly realized that she wasn''t foolish today.


    Didn''t Grandma always say that Mother was the dumbest, not knowing anything?


    "Why are you looking at your mother like that?" Li Mingwei kicked him and directly drove him away, saying, "Go on, don''te back for the next few months. I''m going to find your father."


    "Going to find Father again?"


    "What do you mean, ''again''? I haven''t seen your father in a long time!"


    Well~


    Liu Simo calcted. From his Spring Examination until now, it had been at most three months. His mother was the most active in leaving the capital. But at least she still cared about him. She came back from afar just to apany him for the exam. Although she didn''t help much, her spirit wasmendable and worthy of praise.


    "Take care on your journey, rest a bit more. It''s not good to always be rushing around like this."


    "I know." Li Mingwei nodded, smiling at him, "By the way, your grandmother brought over a few picture albums today, saying she wanted you to take a look. I picked the most beautiful one for you. See if you like it when you go backter."


    "I don''t like it. There is an old saying, ''When choosing a wife, choose a virtuous one.'' Mother, you can''t just focus on appearances."


    Li Mingwei clicked her tongue, "Pretending to be righteous!"


    But she added, "As long as you are not narrow-minded, fond of arguing, or greedy for power and influence, your father and I have no objections."


    Liu Simo fell silent, does he have such poor judgment?


    After returning to the Li Family, not long after, Li Langyue brought a picture album to his study, asking him to see if there was anyone he liked.


    "Which one did Mother choose?"


    Li Langyue pointed to the top book, "This one, the second daughter of the Minister of Rites, who is currently studying at our academy. She appears polite and gentle in daily life."


    Liu Simo nced at the other albums and found that she was not the most beautiful as described by his mother. He chuckled lightly and remarked, "Mother, how can you be so superficial?"


    "Just her."


    Li Langyue nodded, "I will arrange a meeting. If you both get along well, we can discuss further."


    "Alright."


    The girls who sent the picture albums were all interested in marrying Liu Simo. Li Langyue set a time and sent invitations to inform them.


    Upon hearing that the Li Family had sent an invitation, Yan Yan hurried to the front hall. After reading the invitation, she asked, "Besides our family, did the Li Family send invitations to anyone else?"


    The servant bowed, "Miss, no, only our family."


    "Really!"


    Seeing her daughter''s excitement, Yan''s Mother couldn''t help but pour cold water on her enthusiasm, "The Li Family just wants you to meet first. If it doesn''t work out, they will look for other families."


    Yan Yan was not too concerned, at least she was the first one, after all.


    Yan''s parents exchanged a nce, shaking their heads helplessly. They wouldn''t have agreed to this marriage if it weren''t for her genuine interest. It wasn''t that Liu Simo was not good, but they had heard that the Queen''s niece, Lin Fu, also had her eyes on him, and their family was weaker. They couldn''t afford to offend the Lin Family.


    But since things hade to this, Yan''s father could only advise, "Be cautious."


    "Understood, Father."


    Both girls were studying at the academy, and Yan Yan knew who Lin Fu was very well. But she had finally gotten this opportunity and couldn''t just let it slip away.


    Li Langyue arranged for the two to meet at Tai''an Lake next to the academy. After ss, Yan Yan took her maid to thekeside. She saw Liu Simo waiting in the pavilion and turned to her maid.


    "Do I look alright today?"


    "You look great. Miss, go ahead. Don''t keep Master Liu waiting. I''ll wait here."


    Yan Yan smiled at her and went to the pavilion alone. Liu Simo heard footsteps and turned to see her, a bit surprised by her somewhat intense gaze. He tentatively asked, "Have we met before?"


    Yan Yan nodded gently, they had met many times.


    "Oh!"


    "Help!"


    Before Liu Simo could respond, he heard screams and a ssh. He quickly stood up and looked outside, only to see Lin Fu and her people standing by theke. Yan Yan recognized the person who fell into the water and turned pale, "It''s my maid."


    As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Simo rushed out and jumped into the water, rescuing the struggling maid.


    Lin Fu didn''t want him to get into trouble, so she had someonee forward to help. Liu Simo shook off the Lin family''s servants and stared at Lin Fu, "Miss Lin, do you know the consequences of harming someone''s life?"


    "I..."


    "Miss Lin, there''s no need to say more. I will report this matter tomorrow, and the Emperor will make the decision."


    In just one night, usations of improper upbringing in the Lin family and allowing a Lin family woman tomit murder in public piled up on the Emperor''s desk. The Emperor was furious, even the Empress was reprimanded.


    A young eunuch handed over a tea cup and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Lin family has sent Miss Lin to Jing''an Temple to reflect on her actions."


    "Send her there then, leaving her in the capital will only be a nuisance." The Emperor took the tea cup, took a sip, and looked at the report on Liu Simo, "Yizhu should be returning to the capital next year, right?"


    "Yes, if all goes well, Mr. Liu will be able to return to the capital in June next year."


    The Emperor closed his eyes and whispered, "As for the Yan family, they are fine. Send some gifts to soothe their hearts."


    "As youmand."


    Once the imperial gifts arrived, both families knew that the Emperor approved of this marriage. The two families discussed and decided to have the betrothal first, and the wedding date would be set after Liu Yizhu and Li Mingwei returned.


    Liu Simo, who had only exchanged three sentences with Yan Yan...

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195


    Compared to her brothers, Liu Panpan has always been more favored. After all, rare things are precious, and she looks more like Liu Yizhu but has a personality more like Li Mingwei, not fond of constraints.


    At eighteen, she still doesn''t want to get married, but Li Mingwei doesn''t care.


    While on an inspection trip, Liu Yizhu once received a letter from his mother-inw, asking him to educate Li Mingwei properly and not spoil the child, as Panpan would be an old maid if left alone.


    After arranging his son''s wedding in Beijing, Liu Yizhu was approached by someone asking to marry Panpan. He couldn''t make the decision himself, so he went back to ask Li Mingwei.


    Li Mingwei directly refused: "Panpan said she doesn''t like anyone in Beijing, so she won''t marry."


    "Then where does she want to go to get married?"


    "You ask her yourself."


    Following Li Mingwei''s gaze outside, Liu Yizhu saw Panpan running towards them, with no trace of a daughter''s demeanor.


    "Dad! Mom!"


    "Why are you all sweaty?" Li Mingwei took out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her off. "What are you here for?"


    "Grandma asked me to go for a matchmaking meeting, but I didn''t want to, so I came back."


    Frowning, Liu Yizhu was about to say she shouldn''t go back on her word, but she added, "Mom, can I go to Jiangnan to find a husband? I heard Jiangnan is prosperous and has many beauties..."


    "Beauties?" Li Mingwei nced cautiously at Liu Yizhu and pinched Panpan. "As a youngdy, why are you looking for beauties?"


    "I''m not looking for beauties, I''m looking for the son of a beauty," Panpan said. "Mom, since you''re beautiful, your child shouldn''t be bad-looking either, right?"


    Rubbing his forehead, Liu Yizhu sighed, "There are many good-looking people in Beijing too..."


    "Nope," Panpan interrupted her father pitifully, "The most handsome man in Beijing is the musician from Aunt Yayin''s family, who came from Jiangnan."


    Li Mingwei finally understood why she wanted to go to Jiangnan. The musician from Aunt Yayin''s family was indeed handsome, but...


    "Mom thinks that the grandson of Lord Xu''s family is even more handsome."


    "He''s only twelve."


    "Yes, but he''s already so handsome at twelve, imagine when he grows up."


    Noticing her father''s darkening face, Panpan quickly nced at her mother and then said, "I really want to go."


    "Alright."


    Panpan''s eyes lit up, and she turned and ran off, saying, "I''m going to ask Uncle Cai for money!"


    Hearing the joy in her voice, Li Mingwei clicked her tongue, "This child, just like her mother, always happy when ites to money."


    Liu Yizhu knew she was referring to Old Lady Wang, and he chuckled, "Just like you, right?"


    "Not at all!"


    "If you say so, then it''s not."


    Li Mingwei pouted, realizing she really wasn''t interested in material things before, but it was only during those years in Qingshi Town, spending every day with Older Sister Chunhua, that she was influenced. It''s all Chunhua''s fault!


    With her mother''s approval, Panpan went to the ounting room to get money, packed her bags, and set off early the next day. If her grandmother found out, she wouldn''t be able to leave.


    Leaving the capital city, they headed straight to the hometown of the musician. The young maid lifted the carriage curtain, gazing at the tworge characters on the city gate, Lingzhou, and asked, "Miss, we have arrived. Where to next?"


    "Just a moment!" Liu Panpan withdrew her gaze, flipping through a book she took out from her side bag, "First, find a ce to stay and freshen up."


    The maid nodded.


    "Then, find a embroidery shop and buy a set of men''s clothing."


    "Men''s clothing?"


    "Yes, once we put them on, we can go visit the brothel!"


    The maid snatched the book from her hand, eyes widened, "Miss! This is a book of improper stories!"


    Furrowing her brows, Liu Panpan said, "If Madam finds out you went to such a ce, she will surely scold us to death!"


    Startled by the maid''s scolding, Liu Panpan pulled her arm, "Alright, alright, we won''t go to the brothel. How about we go to the music hall instead?"


    Perhaps they could meet a handsome musician there and bring him home like Aunt Yayin did.


    Seeing her take a step back, the maid reluctantly agreed.


    In the bustling crowd at the entrance of the music hall, Liu Panpan almost stumbled, but the maid caught her and had a few servants escort her into a private room.


    She sighed in relief, adjusting her clothes, "So many people!"


    "Yes," the maid wiped the sweat off her forehead, sighing softly, "There''s a celebritying today."


    She opened the window, "Look below, it''s already packed."


    Liu Panpan stood by the window, observing the crowd below. Their box seat wasn''t the best, so she peeked her head out to see a musician setting up instruments on the stage.


    The musicians and dancers from the Princess''s Manor were always top-notch. Liu Panpan was used to the best, so none of the performers caught her attention until the maid mentioned there was one who looked decent. That''s when she took a look.


    The maid stood by the window, "Miss, herees the main act."


    Liu Panpan stepped forward and saw a woman in a veil, dressed in white, with a hint of coldness, slowly approaching the stage. She delicately ced her hand on the strings of the instrument, instantly quieting the audience.


    Creak~


    Finally, the window of the adjacent box was opened. Liu Panpan looked up to see three handsome men standing by the window. The one in the middle leaned against the window, and as soon as the music started, he tossed a pearl the size of a fingernail onto the stage.


    The string holding the pearl wasn''t strong enough and broke mid-air, scattering on the ground. The people below scrambled to pick them up.


    The man beside him pped loudly, eximing, "Great! Great!"


    Another man kept tossing colorful items outside.


    Listening to the slightly halted music, Liu Panpan couldn''t tell if they were being supportive or causing trouble.


    "I think I''ve seen you somewhere before. Have we met?" the man who tossed the pearl asked.


    Liu Panpan looked up, it was the man who threw the pearl. She stared at him for a moment, shook her head, never seen him before, but he was so handsome, so wealthy, she wanted to get to know him!


    "Really?" The man looked puzzled, genuinely feeling like he recognized her from somewhere.


    "Yes, it''s my first time in Lingzhou."


    "Give it up." The man beside him nudged him and teased, "You must be familiar with pretty girls."


    Liu Panpan pouted, realizing he was a big flirt, and suddenly he didn''t seem as good-looking. She mmed the window shut and sat back in the private room.


    "Miss, not listening?"


    "All this noise, what''s there to listen to?"


    "Well..."


    Knock knock~


    The maid''s words were interrupted as she opened the door to the private room, and Liu Panpan nced over to see the man from earlier.


    "What''s up?"


    "I heard it''s Miss''s first time in Lingzhou. There''s a lotus flower festival at Moon Lake tomorrow, would you like to go see it?"


    Liu Panpan looked at the maid, as if she had mentioned it before, but said, "We didn''t rent a boat, right?"


    The maid nodded, "We arrivedte."


    The man invited, "Perfect, join us?"


    Seeing Liu Panpan hesitate, the man added, "I''m Xiao Yun. My father is the governor of Lingzhou, I would never break thew, Miss can rest assured."


    "Xiao?" The maid frowned, "If I remember correctly, the governor of Lingzhou is surnamed Ying, right?"


    "I take my mother''s surname."


    Liu Panpan didn''t find it strange, her own brother also took her mother''s surname. Since he was an official''s son, she believed him to a certain extent and agreed to the invitation.


    She looked at the "Xiao" marks on the other boats, blinked, "Are they all from your family?"


    Xiao Yun raised an eyebrow, "Yes."


    Hmm, suddenly he seemed handsome again.


    Later, apanying Liu Panpan to explore Jiangnan and then following her back to the capital, Xiao Yun finally met her father, and finally understood why he had found her familiar back then.

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196


    The birth of Li Shi''an relieved Li Langyue''s long-standing worries. Since he was three years old, Li Langyue had devoted most of his energy to him.


    Unfortunately, Li Shi''an was just like his mother, not very capable, which frustrated Li Langyue to no end. Several times, she even considered changing his surname with Liu Simo, but was strongly opposed by Li Mingwei.


    ording to her, it was fate!


    Watching her son kneeling on the ground, Li Mingwei coldly popped a grape into her mouth. Li Shi''an saw it and scooted over, opening his mouth.


    Li Mingwei also popped a grape into his mouth: "What''s wrong with you? Did you get punished or scolded by your grandmother?"


    "No," Li Shi''an patted his arm. "I have thick skin and can handle being scolded. No need to bother my mother for such a trivial matter."


    "Then why are you bothering me?"


    Li Shi''an pouted, "Mother, studying is boring. I want to go out and y."


    "No."


    ¡°Why!¡± He turned his head in displeasure andined, ¡°Even my sister can go out.¡±


    Li Mingwei said seriously, "Your sister has something to do."


    Li Shi''an looked disdainful. What kind of important thing is it to travel, admire handsome men, and enjoy the scenery!


    He protested, "I have something important to do too."


    "Is that so?" Li Mingwei motioned for him to continue.


    "I want to go on a study tour. Great-great-grandfather traveled for nearly ten years. I want to learn from him, travel to different ces, experience the warmth and coldness of the people, and broaden my horizons."


    Seeing her son''s passionate expression, Li Mingwei smiled, "Are you sure?"


    "Yes."


    "Alright, go down, I''ll prepare for you."


    Li Shi''an''s face lit up, and he obediently went down to rest, preparing for the uing days of travel.


    Li Mingwei beckoned to a maid, whispered a few words, and a faintly eerie smile appeared on her lips.


    The next morning, Li Shi''an, who was still asleep, was awakened. He changed into Liu Yizhu''s old clothes, and under the escort of the servants, he arrived at the back door in a daze.


    Li Mingwei handed him a money pouch and put a package on his back, encouragingly patting his shoulder, "Go, this is all your mother can do for you."


    "Huh?"


    "Aren''t you going to experience the warmth and coldness of people?" Li Mingwei pointed to the road ahead. "Off you go."


    She took the rope from the gatekeeper''s hand and walked in without hesitation.


    Watching the door m shut, Li Shi''an turned back and met eyes with the mount Li Mingwei had prepared for him. He banged on the door in frustration, "Mother!"


    "Why does my sister get a carriage while I get a donkey!"


    No one in the courtyard paid attention to him. Feeling sorry for himself for a moment, he could only lead the donkey and set off.


    The servant who was leaning on thedder on the wall, watching Li Shi''an walk away, quietly reported, "Young Master has left."


    Li Mingwei snorted, "Experiencing the warmth and coldness of people, he''ll be back within ten days."


    This kid, he has never experienced any hardship since he was young and doesn''t have the endurance for it. If he can endure ande back in ten days, she might have to look at him in a different light.


    After all, he was his mother''s own son, Li Shi''an did not disappoint his mother in the slightest. He was already tired from leading the small donkey out of the city, so he found a secluded ce, took out the money bag in his arms, and counted it.


    Soon, a cry came from the bushes: "Mom wants to starve me to death!"


    He touched the money in his hand, shook it, only five taels, just five taels?


    After a moment of silence, Li Shi''an wiped away imaginary tears, stood up bravely, bought two steamed buns on the side of the road, and officially set off.


    He had only been to the capital once, and that was by carriage. He had no idea where to go, so he closed his eyes and chose a direction at each intersection. After walking for two days, he finally arrived at a slightly decent small town.


    Li Shi''an habitually chose a good restaurant, ate and drank heartily, then asked for a room. The next day, when it was time to settle the bill, he was thrown out, and even the small donkey was taken as payment.


    "Can''t you see where you are? You dare toe in without money!"


    "A good-looking person like you is doing this kind of thing."


    "If our boss wasn''t kind-hearted, we would have sent you to the authorities, believe it or not!"


    "Get lost, get lost!"


    Listening to the curses around him, and more and more people gathering, Li Shi''an''s face turned red. He got up from the ground and ran, forgetting to ask the price yesterday, and was mistaken for a ruffian.


    He turned into a small alley, holding the discarded package, and squatted on the ground breathing heavily. How embarrassing!


    "You''re really amazing!"


    "Who?"


    He turned to the end of the alley, where a dirty little child was walking towards him, looking at him enviously. "I also want to have a full meal, even if I get beaten afterwards."


    The child looked down at his clothes. "Unfortunately, I was chased out before I even entered because of how I''m dressed."


    "You..."


    Li Shi''an looked at the somewhat dejected child and handed him the package. "Here, it''s for you."


    The child was taken aback, opened it, and found several good clothes inside. "You''re giving it to me, what will you wear?"


    "I still have clothes on me." Li Shi''an lowered his head, with no money left, no donkey left. Since he wasn''t far from the capital, he decided to go back, just two days, he could manage without changing clothes.


    The child wanted the clothes but hesitated. "I can''t fit into them, maybe..."


    Li Shi''an blinked. "Are you alone?"


    If he took a little brother back, would it be less embarrassing?


    "No." The child led him to the back of the alley, turned right, and there were several people sitting or lying down, dressed simrly to him.


    "Baby, who is this?"


    "Sir, this big brother gave me some clothes, can you guys wear them?"


    The people stood up instantly, thanked him, and started trying on the clothes.


    Li Shi''an looked at the mostly elderly people and asked them about their situation, only to find out that they had suffered a disaster and were fleeing.


    "Why isn''t the county government helping you?"


    "Help?" An elderly person sighed. "If someone was helping, we wouldn''t be in this situation."


    Another person added, "The adults here are kind, they gave us some porridge for a few days."


    "Where are you originally from?"


    "Xinzhou Dong county."


    Li Shi''an had never heard of this ce, but he made a mental note to remember it and return...


    "Uh..." Baby suddenly grabbed his neck, copsed, and the people around him panicked and rushed forward, but they also began to feel ufortable, experiencing pain.


    "You all!"


    An old man seemed to sense something, called Li Shi''an over, handed him a piece of paper, and whispered in his ear: "Xinzhou, the Prefect of Xinzhou, is corrupt..."


    Li Shi''an unfolded the paper and saw that it was aint, using the Prefect of Xinzhou.


    He shook with determination, decided to take a gamble, stood up and ran out of the alley, shouting, "Help! Help!"


    In a moment, the guards hiding in the shadows ran forward one after another, "Young Master, what''s wrong?"


    "Find a doctor, find a doctor, I want everyone in the alley to survive."


    "Yes!"


    He grabbed the nearest guard, "Prepare the horses, I''m going back to the capital immediately!"


    Liu Yizhu rode his horse in the imperial city, was caught by the imperial guards, and brought back. Thinking that he had done something right, he did not punish him, turned around, packed his things, and left.


    Li Shi''any weakly on the bed, "Mother, is Father going to Xinzhou?"


    "Yes."


    "Can I go too?"


    Li Mingwei refused, they only had aint, no evidence, it was difficult to deal with in the past, letting a child go would only cause trouble.


    Li Shi''an felt a little discouraged, thinking about the old men and children lying on the ground, not knowing if they were alive or dead, a wave of anger surged in his chest, "Once I enter the Imperial Censorate, I will arrest all the corrupt officials in the world!"


    "Okay." Li Mingwei smiled and reassured him, "You can do it."


    "Yes!"

 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197


    Zhang Dezhi felt the unrealistic warmth on his body, he moved his fingers slightly, rubbed the nket, slowly opened his eyes, stared at the bed curtain for a while beforeing back to his senses.


    He, was still alive.


    "Are you awake?"


    Zhang Dezhi turned his stiff neck and looked at the man walking towards him from the doorway.


    He opened his mouth to say something, but found himself unable to speak. Li Yi had the steward help him sit up, gave him some warm water to drink, and moistened his throat.


    "Feeling better?"


    Zhang Dezhi wanted to answer, but his throat rolled and only made a half sound. He moved his numb body and gestured with his hand.


    Li Yi couldn''t understand the meaning, and met his anxious gaze, guessing, "Did youe alone or with your family?"


    He hesitated, "I only saved you."


    Just as he raised his hand to show a five, Zhang Dezhi froze for a moment, his hand fell weakly, and tears silently flowed down his cheeks.


    Was he the only one left now?


    Seeing Zhang Dezhi''s grieving appearance, Li Yi sighed. After the snow had melted a bit, he sent people to search a few times, but to no avail.


    Zhang Dezhi''s sense of hope was worn away time and time again, until he finally epted this fact.


    A snow disaster had caused him, at a young age, to lose all his family. Li Yi took pity on him and brought the helpless boy back to the Capital City.


    Upon arriving at the Li Family, Zhang Dezhi, standing behind Li Yi, couldn''t help but look around. Suddenly, a bright and lively shade of green caught his eye, and he watched as she ran closer and threw herself into Li Yi''s arms.


    "Dad!"


    "Langyue." Li Yi caught her, seeing her slightly unhappy expression, he asked with a smile, "What''s wrong?"


    "I want to read, Aunt keeps bothering me." Li Langyue pouted, "She keeps asking me what kind of mother I like."


    Comfortingly patting his daughter''s head, Li Yi''s displeased gaze fell on his sister Li Xi, who was approaching slowly.


    Li Xi awkwardly said, "Big brother~"


    Li Yi''s face darkened, "I''ve already said it."


    "I..."


    "No need to say anymore." Li Yi waved his hand and had the servant send her back home directly.


    Li Langyue smirked, raised her eyebrows at her aunt, and thought about finding a stepmother for her, but the nanny had warned her that a stepmother would bully her, so she didn''t want one.


    She stepped aside to clear the way, and when she turned her head, she met Zhang Dezhi''s eyes. After a moment of recollection, she realized she hadn''t seen this person before and asked, "Who are you?"


    "I''m Zhang Dezhi."


    "And then?"


    The steward stepped forward, blocking Zhang Dezhi behind him, and exined his background to Li Langyue in a low voice. Li Langyue nced sympathetically at him and said nothing more.


    Zhang Dezhi was assigned to work by Li Yi''s side. When he entered the study, he was stunned by the rows of bookshelves in front of him, there were even more books than in a bookstore.


    Li Langyue came over to discuss homework, and seeing him standing motionless at the door blocking the way, she pushed him, "What are you daydreaming about?"


    Zhang Dezhi snapped out of it, quickly bowed, "Miss, I, I..."


    "You you you, you''re stuttering!"


    "Langyue~" Li Yi nced lightly at his daughter, handing the book in his hand to Zhang Dezhi: "Do you want to read?"


    "Can, can I?"


    "Of course."


    Zhang Dezhi''s heart couldn''t help but beat faster, wiping the sweat from his palms on his clothes, he respectfully took the book from Li Yi''s hand.


    In fact, at first, Li Yi just wanted to teach him to recognize some characters, but gradually found that he had an excellent memory and good understanding. If he could be cultivated, it would be good, so he spent more effort on him.


    Seeing his father paying more attention to the young man he picked up, Li Langyue, who had been deprived of love and attention, felt a slow rise of dissatisfaction in her heart. She found fault with him left and right, wanting topete with him on everything.


    She snatched the article that Zhang Dezhi had just been praised for by his father,pared it with her own, and found that his writing was not as good as hers!


    "Dad, you''re biased!"


    Li Yi rubbed his forehead: "You''ve been studying for a few years, Dezhi has been studying for a few years, how do you want topare."


    Li Langyue was speechless.


    After Li Yi left, she red at Zhang Dezhi, picked up the ink block on the table, and threw it at him.


    Zhang Dezhi skillfully caught it, tidied up his desk, walked up to her, put the ink block back on the table, and walked out directly.


    "You!"


    Zhang Dezhi turned around, bowed, and said calmly, "Miss, do you have any other orders."


    Li Langyue hated his current appearance, not as cute as when he used to stutter. She gritted her teeth, pushed him aside, and rushed out ahead of him. Zhang Dezhi helplessly turned back to tidy up her desk.


    Li Yi stepped into the front hall, looking at the table full of scrolls, frowned: "What is this?"


    The steward immediately approached: "These are portraits of eligible young men from various families prepared by the olddy, for the youngdy to choose from."


    Li Yi casually unfolded one: "This one''s family background is a bit low."


    "They''re all not high." The steward lowered his eyes: "The old master''s intention is that the Li family''s lineage must not be broken. If the youngdy doesn''t choose a son-inw, you will have to remarry."


    "Prepare the carriage, I..."


    "Dad, don''t go, just listen to grandpa." Li Langyue stepped in, looking at the steward: "Which one does grandpa like the most?"


    The steward picked out three portraits, and Li Langyue chose the one that looked best to her: "Make arrangements."


    Li Yi frowned: "Langyue~"


    "Dad!" Li Langyue cut off her father''s words: "Grandpa is not feeling well, don''t upset him."


    She turned around, met Zhang Dezhi''s still calm face outside the hall, furrowed her brows briefly, ignored him, and went back to her room.


    On the day of the meeting, Li Langyue dressed up carefully, passing by Zhang Dezhi''s side, and went out straight until evening before returning.


    She entered the study room, greeted Li Yi: "Dad."


    Li Yi looked up at her: "How was it?"


    "Pretty good, good-looking, good at writing, a bit lower family background but it''s fine."


    "Do you want to give them an answer?"


    Li Langyue nced at Zhang Dezhi sitting upright next to her, reading seriously, and said loudly, "Yes!"


    Watching his daughter''s annoyed figure and Zhang Dezhi''s stiff sitting posture, Li Yi sighed and shook his head at the steward.


    Late at night, Zhang Dezhi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He turned over and heard faint footsteps outside the door. He got up, put on his clothes, lit amp, and opened the door, only to see Li Langyue squatting outside in thin clothing, looking pitiful.


    "Miss!" He hurriedly took off his own clothes and draped them over her, his tone carrying a hint of reproach. "What are you doing?"


    Li Langyue remained silent, just staring at him.


    Zhang Dezhi dared not meet her gaze and turned away. "Miss, it''s cold at night. Let me escort you back."


    He cautiously reached out to help her up, but she pushed him away. He frowned. "Miss, you''ll catch a cold."


    With her head buried in her knees, Li Langyue asked softly, "Do you have to call me that way?"


    Hearing the sadness in her voice, Zhang Dezhi was shocked. He lifted her head, and the flickering candlelight illuminated her slightly damp cheeks.


    His heart ached, and after a moment of silence, he finally said, "I am not worthy of you, Miss."


    Grabbing his arm, Li Langyue threw herself into his arms. "But I like you."


    Caught off guard by her sudden action, Zhang Dezhi staggered but managed to steady himself. He looked helplessly at the person in his arms, while Li Langyue clutched his clothes, her eyes pleading.


    The two of them stood there in a stalemate. After a moment, a long sigh broke the silence of the night. He embraced Li Langyue. "I... I like you too."


    Li Langyue lifted her head triumphantly. "I knew it!"


    Zhang Dezhi wiped away the tears on her face, shook his head with a smile, wondering why she was still crying.

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198


    A carriage slowly entered Qingshi Town. The coachman asked a passerby about the location of the academy and drove the carriage there. Li Mingwei and Liu Yizhu were waiting for him at the academy gate.


    The coachman saw them from a distance and waved happily, "Master, Lady."


    Li Mingwei waved back, "Xiao Lin, over here!"


    Xiao Lin stopped the carriage and jumped down, bowing to them. He then lifted the carriage curtain, revealing neatly stacked books inside. "All the books on the list. Shall I bring them in?"


    Liu Yizhu nodded, and together they carried the books upstairs. Li Mingwei ced the books on the shelves one by one, then inspected the ce.


    After their renovations, the academy looked much different than before. The desks, chairs, and stools were new, and even the walls had been repainted, looking beautiful.


    Li Mingwei pped her hands, "Done!"


    They could leave with peace of mind. A few months ago, when Wang Chunhua fell ill, she and Liu Yizhu had returned here. Now that Wang Chunhua had recovered and left with Dong Lei, they had no reason to stay any longer.


    Liu Yizhu walked to her side, putting his arm around her shoulders, and gazed at the courtyard outside. "The first time I saw you, you were standing here, walking around the courtyard aimlessly."


    Li Mingwei shook her head, unable to recall that from so long ago.


    "Tsk, we''ve really grown old."


    "You!" Li Mingwei red at him. "You make it sound like you''re young."


    "But my memory is better than yours."


    "Then what was I wearing that day?"


    Liu Yizhu smiled confidently, "Clothes."


    Li Mingwei kicked him lightly. Of course she wouldn''t be wandering the courtyard without clothes.


    "You''re such a tease," Liu Yizhu rubbed the spot she kicked andmented, "A yellow dress that didn''t seem to fit you very well."


    "That was Sister Chunhua''s."


    Back then, Li Mingwei didn''t have many clothes or money, so Wang Chunhua had given her a dress she wore before giving birth. It was a bit big for Li Mingwei.


    "I figured as much," Liu Yizhu said.


    Li Mingwei sarcastically praised him, "How clever you are."


    "Thank you for thepliment."


    Shameless as always, Li Mingwei ignored him and stretched her arms. "Shall we leave tomorrow?"


    "Sure."


    Xiao Lin didn''t expect things to go so smoothly. He hadn''t even mentioned going back to the capital yet, but the master anddy had already brought it up. He eagerly helped pack their luggage, only to find out they nned to go to Shaohua Mountain to watch the sunset.


    Watching the sunset was fine, but they still wanted to go to the seaside after that. Finally, Xiao Lin couldn''t hold back any longer.


    "Master, Lady, let''s return to the capital first."


    Seeing his anxious look, Li Mingwei smiled, "What''s wrong? Did Simo ask you to take us back?"


    "No." Xiao Lin scratched his head. "It''s Young Master Yancheng. He asked me to bring you both back to be on his side."


    "What''s wrong with him again?"


    "Young Master Yancheng has taken a liking to the Fu family''s daughter, but the Madam won''t agree and is forcing him to consider other girls."


    Li Mingwei hesitated, "The Fu family?"


    "The one from the Ministry of Revenue?" Liu Yizhu understood why the daughter-inw wouldn''t agree once Xiao Lin nodded.


    He sighed, "The Fu family has a marital connection with the Lin family."


    "Lin Fu?"


    Li Mingwei burst outughing. What an odd connection! She had heard that Lin Fu had liked Liu Simo before and even had a dispute with Yan Yan, causing Yan Yan''s maid to fall into ake. Now Yancheng was interested in Lin Fu''s daughter?


    "Well..." Li Mingwei looked at Liu Yizhu. "Whose side should we take if we go back?"


    They couldn''t choose between the daughter-inw or the grandson. It was better not to go back at all.


    Liu Yizhu saw through her thoughts. "We should still go back and have a look, lest they hold a grudge against each other."


    He remembered the Fu family''s child was decent. He just didn''t know about the daughter''s temperament. If she was well-behaved, unlike her headstrong mother, it might not be a bad idea to let the two young ones marry.


    Li Mingwei had no choice but to agree to return.


    The seaside trip was postponed, and she grumbled all the way home,ining about that troublesome grandson. When they arrived, she coldly pushed away Liu Yancheng as he rushed over.


    "Grandma~"


    "Don''t call me that!"


    Liu Yancheng was startled. Could it be that Grandma also disapproved of him and Fu Xiang? He looked sad, head drooping like a puppy denied a bone.


    "Grandma doesn''t love me anymore."


    "How could I not love you!" Liu Yancheng was the youngest grandchild and thus the most spoiled. Whenever things didn''t go his way, he would make a big fuss.


    Li Mingwei tugged his ear. "Where''s your mother?"


    Yan Yan didn''t want her inws to return so soon and hurried to wee them. Seeing her youngest son kneeling before them, she felt a surge of anger. The little brat ran fast!


    Suppressing her anger, she greeted them, "Father, Mother."


    "Hmm." Li Mingwei waved for Liu Yancheng to get up before asking, "What happened?"


    "The other day, there was a Hundred Flowers Banquet held in the pce to select consorts for the Fifth Princess. You know of her virtuous reputation, Mother, so I had hopes for our third son."


    The third son had never amounted to much, and since they had the eldest and second sons to rely on, Yan Yan thought it might be good for him to try his luck. If he were chosen, he could live an easy life as a prince''s consort.


    "Little did I know, he took a fancy to Fu Xiang instead." Yan Yan sighed. "I have some old grievances with Lin Fu, so I really don''t want to be family with them."


    "How is Fu Xiang?"


    Liu Yancheng poked his head out from the doorway. "Great, she''s really great."


    Yan Yan red at him, and he obediently retracted his head.


    She continued helplessly, "She''s alright, I suppose. Lin Fu went to Jing''an Temple for two years to reflect after that incident and became more reserved when she returned. Her daughter''s upbringing is decent enough, but..."


    Li Mingwei smiled, "But you still feel ufortable about it?"


    "Mother~"


    Yan Yan indeed felt ufortable. It was well known in the capital that Lin Fu had once fancied Liu Simo. If they became inws, there would be inevitable interactions, and Yan Yan didn''t want her husband to have too much contact with Lin Fu.


    From outside the door, Liu Yancheng muttered, "If we get married, can we move out and live separately?"


    "Get married?" Li Mingwei nced at him. "Have you asked the girl yet before talking about marriage?"


    "Heh heh."


    Liu Yancheng took out a small pouch from his pocket and waved it at the doorway. Seeing this, Li Mingwei sighed, "Since they share mutual affections, you should bless their union."


    "I have a small vi in the suburbs. We can let them move there, and you can just turn a blind eye to it."


    With the inws'' approval, Yan Yan had no choice but to ept this marriage. She went back and instructed the servants to send an invitation to the Fu family to discuss the wedding details.


    The Fu family quickly responded with a date. Yan Yan nced at it, snorted softly, and passed it to Liu Simo.


    He looked it over and smiled, "Coincidentally, it''s during my time off from teaching. I can pretend to have other matters."


    Yan Yan felt a glimmer of joy but shook her head, "No need. Let''s go together."


    This meeting couldn''t be avoided. It was better to be open about it.

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199


    The two of them helped with the arrangements for their grandson''s wedding. It was already autumn, and Zhuzhou was far away. Liu Yizhu didn''t want her to catch a cold on the road, so they decided to stay a few more days in the capital city.


    The following year, as spring approached, he had a royal physician examine her to ensure that she was fit for travel before setting off with her once again.


    Zhong Liangyu hosted a banquet at the renowned Guanhai Pavilion in the city to wee them and offer them some respite. Li Mingwei stood on the high tform, gazing at the endless blue sea in the distance, unable to suppress a sigh of amazement.


    The sea breeze blew fiercely, causing her hair to quickly be disheveled and her stance to waver. Liu Yizhu hurriedly shielded her: "The wind is too strong, let''s go inside first."


    "Alright."


    Li Mingwei reluctantly entered the house, feeling slightly better as she looked at the sumptuous meal on the table.


    "These are all seafood dishes. Sister-inw, see if they suit your taste. If not, we can change them."


    "Okay."


    Just as she picked up her chopsticks, Yang Jingyuan walked in from outside, surprising her for a moment: "What are you doing here?"


    Yang Jingyuan plopped down on a chair, panting heavily: "I came to see you all."


    Zhong Liangyu exined: "He resigned from his official position and ns to return to his hometown with his family. He came to bid farewell to me a few days ago and had just left not long ago. When you sent the letter saying you were arriving soon, I passed it to him, asking if he wanted to meet you all before leaving."


    Receiving the letter, Yang Jingyuan settled his family, then rushed back alone, arriving just now.


    He slumped back in the chair: "I''m getting old, tired after two days on the road."


    "You''ve been on the road for half a month, it''s normal to be tired." Zhong Liangyu poured him a cup of hot tea and advised him to drink it and take a break.


    Liu Yizhu stared at hisrge belly and joked, "Wasn''t life in Xuzhou quitefortable? Why return to Shuangan Town?"


    "The new provincial governor in Xuzhou is a bit radical, I couldn''t handle it."


    "How radical?" asked Liu Yizhu.


    "Why do you care?" Yang Jingyuan nced at him sideways. "You''ve resigned, it''s none of your business."


    Liu Yizhu raised an eyebrow, "It''s not my business, but my son can handle it."


    Rolling his eyes, Yang Jingyuan said, "I get it, your son is capable, enough said."


    Nevertheless, it wasn''t a big deal. New officials oftene in with a lot of energy, wanting to make some achievements. If sessful, it might not be a bad thing.


    Differences in political views among officials weremon, so Yang Jingyuan wasn''t too concerned. He had heard that Liu Yizhu had resigned from his post, and he was somewhat eager himself. Now, it was just a matter of seizing the opportunity.


    He toyed with the teacup, "Going back is also good, I can still go to Chengzhou asionally to have a drink with Tang Jue."


    Zhong Liangyu frowned, "You two never stop when you get together. At your age, you should drink less."


    "I know, I know, why are you more nagging than my olddy at home?"


    "You!"


    Li Mingwei covered her mouth and chuckled, while Liu Yizhu reached out and pinched the back of her neck. She obediently lowered her head and focused on eating her food.


    Liu Yizhu looked at Zhong Liangyu, "What about you, will you also return to Shuangan Town in the future?"


    "I won''t go back." His family business and connections are mostly in Zhuzhou, and his wife is also from a prominent local family, so staying behind would be better for the future development of the Zhong family.


    Li Mingwei nodded, indicating her understanding.


    It had been a long time since they had seen each other, and perhaps after this parting, they may never meet again. During this rare reunion, they cherished each other''spany, even though the food had gone cold and they couldn''t stop talking.


    Li Mingwei had already finished eating. She sat quietly in her chair, listening to them pour out their hearts, but her mind drifted away, the sound of the sea being whipped by the wind, hitting the rocks over and over again, so clear in her ears.


    She hesitated for a moment, then quietly slipped out and had a servant take her to a nearby beach.


    Liu Yizhu nced at her, thinking she had just gone to the restroom, and didn''t pay much attention. But when she didn''t return after a long wait, he went out to inquire, only to find out that she had already left. He quickly informed the other two and went after her.


    Li Mingwei imitated the fishermen on the beach, took off her shoes, rolled up her pants, and stepped on the wet sand, leaving behind a trail of happy footprints.


    "Mingwei!"


    When Liu Yizhu arrived, he saw her barefoot in the water, his face immediately darkening. He quickly went up to her, wrapped her in a cloak, and brought her back to the shore.


    He sat her on a rock, touched her cold feet, used a handkerchief to wipe them, helped her put on her shoes and socks, and said displeasedly, "Do you want to drink medicine again? I''ll find a doctor for youter."


    "I don''t want to, medicine doesn''t taste good."


    "Then why were you stepping in the water? It''s still cold out, the wind is strong, and your health isn''t that great. You might get sick if you''re not careful."


    Li Mingwei smiled at him, handed him the seashells she had just picked up, and said, "Here, these are for you."


    "I don''t want them!"


    "Oh~" Li Mingwei pouted, "You''re so stingy."


    She blew the sand off the seashells, put them back in her arms, and since he didn''t want them, she wouldn''t force it. She had only picked up these two, and she would feel reluctant to give them away.


    "Let''s go." Liu Yizhu helped her stand up. "Let''s go back."


    Li Mingwei refused to get up from the ground. "Don''t go, you promised to take me to the beach to watch the sunset, why are we going back already?"


    "We can still see it from up there."


    "The wind is too strong up there."


    Liu Yizhu carefully felt the strength of the wind here, reluctantly sat down beside her, hugged her, and quietly waited with her.


    The sun gradually sank in the west, the sky was filled with the glow of the sunset, and the sea was also dyed orange-red. Li Mingwei leaned on Liu Yizhu''s shoulder, watching the sun slowly disappear below the horizon, gently biting her lip.


    "Liu Yizhu."


    "Yes?"


    "In the future, I want to be the one to die first, okay?"


    Liu Yizhu frowned, hugged her tighter, and said, "Don''t talk nonsense."


    "I mean it."


    People will eventually die, unable to escape, but she couldn''t ept that one day, he would slowly lose his breath by her side, just like this setting sun.


    She whispered, "I will feel very sad, you wouldn''t want me to be so sad, right?"


    "Then would you want me to be sad?"


    Li Mingwei straightened up boldly, "If I''m already dead, you won''t see me being sad anyway."


    Liu Yizhu covered her mouth with his hand: "Stop being so stubborn."


    He didn''t want to hear her say these things.


    "Wu wu~"


    Li Mingwei struggled to push away his hand covering her mouth, trying to make him let go, but Liu Yizhu stood firm and carried her back when she stopped struggling.


    If he ever agreed to take her to see the sunset again, he would be a fool!


    "Get up early tomorrow, I''ll take you to see the sunrise."


    Li Mingwei...


    In the early morning, as the first rays of sunlight spilled down, everything around gradually became brighter, the sea shimmered with dazzling waves, exceptionally bright, but no matter how beautiful the sunrise was, it eventually set.


    Over the years, Liu Yizhu apanied Li Mingwei to travel through the rivers and mountains of the great Chu, until she became less mobile, and they returned to the capital.


    They lived next to Shuhua Academy, listening to the sound of students reading next door every day, theughter of young men and women ying, feeling content in their hearts.


    Although Li Mingwei found the capital boring, with children and grandchildren around, it was still enjoyable. With thepany of many descendants, they passed through thest stage of their lives together...


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