19
Does Aunt Want to Remarry?
Does Aunt want to remarry?
Uncle’s body was growing moldy and no one noticed. Grandma was probably busy with farm work and didn’t check on Uncle, but what about Liu Yao Zong? That’s his father!
He calls himself a scholar, yet he didn’t notice either. He’s either reading or writing all day, never even glancing at his own father.
Well, he doesn’t understand anything anyway. Let’s see how long it takes for them to discover it.
Soon, Liu Zhi returned home just before everyone else arrived. Only Liu Shuhuai was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
Liu Zhi went to the kitchen and said to Liu Shuhuai: “Hey, boil this egg for me. I’ll come get it later. Don’t tell anyone, or you’ll regret it.”
Liu Zhi placed the egg beside Liu Shuhuai, who acknowledged with a sound. Liu Zhi found this utterly boring.
He was just like a servant in this house, doing whatever he was told, always so lowly.
Looking at his appearance, he wasn’t even one ten-thousandth as good as her.
“Hide it in that jar later. Don’t even think about stealing it.” Watching Liu Shuhuai mechanically cooking like an old ox, she glanced once and left. She needed to embroider her wedding dress. The thought of marrying Wang Wen-Bin in a month filled her heart with sweetness.
She would marry gloriously and live a life of luxury.
“Hey, those two sons of Liu Yan’s family still haven’t recovered? It’s been several days already.”
“Not yet. I heard they need to rest for three months.”
“That wolf was too vicious,” someone lamented.
“Let me tell you, if you encounter a wolf and survive, that’s already great fortune.”
“That’s true. One should learn to be content with what one has.”
They watched the Liu family working hard up ahead, occasionally discussing them. That Song Xiao Lan kept slacking off.
This won’t do!
The most promising one is Liu Yao Zong. Who knows if he can pass the Tongsheng examination? We’ll see.
Song Xiao Lan looked at this vast field and felt like dying. Before, if she worked slowly, Liu Qing Yang would quickly finish his plot and come help her.
But now she had to labor alone miserably. All for that six catties of wild boar meat, three pheasants, three rabbits, and two taels of silver – and they had to work together to earn that much.
It should have been a joyous occasion, but coming back covered in injuries made those earnings insufficient, even costing them extra. Who knows if they’ll recover in three months? If they’re not better after three months, will they still get two taels per month?
That would be disastrous.
She wanted to rest but got glared at by her mother-in-law. Watching her sister-in-law, who usually relied on the second brother, suddenly become diligent.
By comparison, she was the one slacking off. Always thinking about eating.
“Song Xiao Lan, stop dawdling! If you don’t work faster, no dinner for you tonight.”
With Grandma Liu’s furious roar, Song Xiao Lan could only obediently hoe the field.
“Mother, I was up late taking care of Qing Zhu last night, so I’m not feeling very energetic now.”
Grandma Liu exposed her: “Do you think I don’t know when you went to sleep last night? Let me tell you, if you don’t work harder, how will we get the silver for Yao Zong’s studies? He’s counting on selling grain for silver. All you think about is your own comfort every day, never considering your own son.”
Song Xiao Lan had no response and could only work in silence.
She thought to herself: Would Father really not give Yao Zong silver? Her son was so scholarly – the whole family was counting on him.
Grandma Liu saw her silent and thought she had acquiesced. She didn’t scold her further, as she needed to focus on loosening the soil.
Her son was still bedridden, yet Song Xiao Lan showed little interest in earning money to cure her husband, always thinking of slacking off. Before becoming her daughter-in-law, she remembered Song Xiao Lan being very diligent—otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen her. What rotten luck to have picked this one.
As for the game from hunting, she kept only one pheasant to eat and sold the rest, totaling four taels and one hundred wen. If her son hadn’t been injured, obtaining such a sum would have been a blessing.
She heard it was because of a deer that they managed to get those two taels. But with him returning injured, it just didn’t seem worth it.
She found it strange why only her family had suffered injuries while others were fine. She went around asking and was told: the wolves had only chased her two sons, leaving everyone else untouched. When she asked why, no one knew. Perhaps her sons had provoked a wolf cub, and the parents came for revenge.
But she didn’t believe it and asked several more people, all giving the same answer. Helpless, she could only return home. The Village Chief had also visited, advising rest and recovery.
She questioned Liu Qing Yang and his brother, but they claimed ignorance as well, so the matter was dropped.
Now, she just hoped they would recover quickly.
Evening, at the Liu Family home.
The whole family was eating when Grandma Liu suddenly asked her daughters-in-law, “How are Qing Yang and Qing Zhu doing? Any changes?” She hadn’t had time to check on them lately.
Working in the fields was exhausting; she could only rely on their reports.
Yu Xiang replied, “My husband says his wound is a bit itchy. I didn’t dare let him scratch it, so I tied his hands for now.”
Song Xiao Lan’s eyes flickered slightly as she said, “Same with my husband—he says the wound itches. I won’t let him scratch it either, worried it might worsen.”
Grandma Liu didn’t notice her evasive look and simply instructed them to take good care of them, ensuring no complications.
However, Grandpa Liu had noticed. He didn’t bring it up during the meal.
That night, as they prepared for bed, he told Grandma Liu, “That eldest daughter-in-law doesn’t seem honest. Tomorrow after work, go check on our eldest son’s wound to set your mind at ease.”
Grandma Liu agreed to visit the next day.
When Song Xiao Lan returned to her room, she caught a whiff of a foul odor and felt irritated. Since Liu Qing Yang’s injury, Liu Yao Zong hadn’t visited once.
Liu Qing Yang had asked about it, and Song Xiao Lan could only say that Liu Yao Zong was too busy with exam preparations to come.
Liu Qing Yang had no choice but to drop it.
“You’re back? Hurry up and help me wipe down. Can’t you see? Ah, I stink!” Liu Qing Yang grew angrier as he spoke, his last words a shout.
Song Xiao Lan’s heart sank, afraid her mother-in-law would hear. She quickly said, “I’m here now, just wait a moment.”
She hadn’t even heated water yet. Seeing Liu Qing Yang’s dark expression frightened her—he had never treated her like this before.
“I’ll go heat water first.” With that, she left without looking back. Closing the door, she glanced toward Grandma Liu’s room—thankfully, no light was on. It had scared her to death.
Alone in the kitchen heating water, she considered calling for Liu Shuhuai but feared her voice might be too loud and alert her mother-in-law.
Liu Shuhuai, half-asleep, heard someone in the kitchen. Were they just now preparing medicine?
She hugged Brother He tighter and drifted back to sleep.
Ever since someone approached the kitchen, He Xunzhou had been on high alert, as the room was separated from the kitchen by only a wall.
He didn’t dare make any noise, only silently watching for movement from the kitchen.
Soon the kitchen door opened, then closed, and the sound of footsteps faded into the distance.
Looking up at Liu Shuhuai’s face – truly adorable.
Sweet dreams.
When He Xunzhou woke in the morning, he prepared to go sell his hunt. He had already discussed this with Liu Shuhuai yesterday. The meat buns were placed beside Liu Shuhuai.
He needed to earn money to build a proper house – otherwise, what difference was there between that dilapidated thatched hut Liu Shuhuai got after the family division and the kitchen?