“Thank you, Qinglan.” Li Xianglian smiled at her. Thinking of Qinglan’s past life, she asked, “Are you alone at home again today?”
“My husband is home too. We just finished eating. I was standing at the entrance of our yard enjoying the cool air when I heard people up ahead talking about Chen Lang. So I went closer to listen.”
Li Xianglian held her hand. “How has your husband been lately?”
Qinglan thought for a moment. “He’s been alright, I suppose.”
Li Xianglian hesitated before asking, “He works in town, right?”
“Mm.”
“Town is good, but there are also many temptations.”
Li’s mother felt her daughter was asking too much, but wondered if she knew something. Qinglan looked surprised. “Xianglian, why do you say that? Do you know something?”
Li’s father also found it strange. Why suddenly ask about Qinglan’s husband?
Li Xianglian explained, “I don’t mean anything else. I just think there are many temptations in town, and I’m worried Liu Shun might go down the wrong path.”
“The wrong path?” Qinglan frowned, pondering her words, then smiled. “Alright, I understand. I’ll remind him. It’s getting late, I’ll head back now.”
Qinglan nodded, and Li’s mother walked her out.
Li’s father asked curiously, “Xianglian, do you know something?”
Li Xianglian sighed. “Qinglan is pitiful too. Liu Shun can be ruthless. I’m just worried he might take the wrong path—like getting tricked after having a bit of money. In the end, Qinglan would suffer.”
“Liu Shun treats Qinglan well. Don’t worry about it,” Li’s mother said with a smile.
Li Xianglian shook her head. “A few days ago, I had a dream. I dreamed Liu Shun owed fifty taels of silver to a gambling house, sold all their land, and even sold Qinglan. Later, when famine came, Qinglan was abused, became pregnant, and starved to death on the road while fleeing.”
Thinking of Qinglan’s tragic fate in her past life, Li Xianglian couldn’t help but tear up.
“Bah, bah, bah! How could you dream something like that? Qinglan is so kind, Liu Shun wouldn’t do that.” Li’s mother tapped her forehead. “Spit it out.”
Li Xianglian smiled. “Alright, alright—bah, bah, bah.”
“That’s better.” Li’s mother cleared the table. “Your father said something about a business name he didn’t recognize. Have you figured it out?”
At the mention of this, Li Xianglian felt a headache coming on. She shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Xianglian, I’ve been thinking. Intercepting the letter once won’t help much. Chen Lang can still send letters again. What if next time the recipient changes? Then they’ll reconnect.”
Li Xianglian naturally understood this. She smiled. “Don’t worry, Father. I have my own plans.”
As long as she could get the letter Chen Lang sent to the capital and know the exact address, everything would become much easier. So she instructed her father that in a couple of days, the courier station would need extra hands, and he should go apply to become a messenger.
Li’s father hesitated. “I could be a messenger, but then I won’t be able to take care of things at home.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’m here. I won’t let your daughter suffer.”
Li Xianglian nodded with a smile.
“Alright then, I’ll go check it out tomorrow.”
The next day, Li’s father went to the courier station as instructed. As expected, they were hiring.
Seeing that he was tall and sturdy, they asked, “Do you know how to ride a horse?”
Li’s father was puzzled. “Do I need to travel far?”
“They’ve introduced a new system. Messengers now deliver letters directly to people’s homes, so riding a horse is necessary.”
Li’s father didn’t know how, but he could learn. “I can learn. I’ll pick it up quickly.”
“Alright, you’re hired. Come on the first day of next month. Ten coins a month, with four days off. Can you accept that?”
Li’s father nodded happily. “Yes, yes. I’ll come back in two days.”
“Register here, then you can go. We’ll assign your delivery area based on your address.”
“Alright.”
Eager to return home and share the news with his wife and daughter, he passed by a crowded area. Seeing steamed buns, he touched the money in his pocket, hesitated, then walked toward the stall.
“Boss, give me four buns.”
“Sure. Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
Carrying the buns, he was full of joy. As he looked up, he saw Liu Shun coming out of a shop, looking dejected. He called out, but Liu Shun didn’t hear him and walked too fast to catch up.
Remembering what Li Xianglian had said, he turned to look at the shop. It had no signboard and was tightly covered. Curious, he went to a pancake stall across the street, bought one, and casually asked:
“Hey, what’s that shop across the street? No sign, and it’s so tightly covered.”
The owner glanced over and sneered. “What else could it be? Something shady.”
Li’s father turned back, shocked. “A brothel?”
The owner shook his head and lowered his voice. “A gambling den. Loan sharking too.”
Li’s father’s eyes widened. At the mention of loan sharking, his whole body trembled. Like Liu Shun, he was just a poor farmer. After the farming season, he would come to town for small jobs. Gambling dens were something they could never touch.
Realizing something was wrong, he took the pancake, thanked the owner, and hurried away.
At home, Li’s mother had already prepared the meal and was standing at the door, waiting for her husband to return.
Li Xianglian was finally able to stand up from her wheelchair today. Supporting herself, she slowly made her way to the doorway. Seeing her mother still waiting, she began to worry—he had been gone for so long. Could something have happened?
“He’s back, he’s back!” Li’s mother saw her husband in the distance and finally relaxed.
She happily went inside. “Xianglian, your father is back. I’ll bring the food.”
Li Xianglian nodded. As Li’s father pushed open the gate and walked in, before she could ask anything, he anxiously said:
“Xianglian, guess who I saw today?”
Li Xianglian thought for a moment. It probably wasn’t Chen Lang—they had all become numb to him and didn’t even want to mention his name.
But aside from him, she couldn’t think of anyone else. Could it be Wen Zhile?
Thinking of Wen Zhile, she realized it had been two days since she last saw him, yet his face kept appearing in her mind.
“Who was it?” she asked curiously.
Li’s father sat down and took a sip of water. As Li’s mother brought in the food, she asked, “Who was it?”
Li’s father said seriously, “Liu Shun—Qinglan’s husband!”
“Oh, I thought it was someone important. This town is small, it’s normal to run into people. What’s there to be so surprised about?” Li’s mother shook her head helplessly as she set out the chopsticks. “Go wash your hands. It’s time to eat.”