After dealing with Lin Xia’s matter, Li Cuimei and her sister finally had time to talk. Glancing at her sleeping niece, Li Cuilan sat her younger sister down in front of the dressing table, loosened her easily tangled curls, took a comb, and gently smoothed her sister’s hair while chiding her, “You never change your stubborn ways. If you used hair oil, it wouldn’t be this messy. But you just refuse to.”
Li Cuimei had almost forgotten about the various hair oils her husband always collected for her during his travels. She disliked the scent, so she had stored them all away.
But hair oil wasn’t the pressing issue now. The most urgent matter was Zhang Xiangfa’s enlistment in the army.
“Sister, if Xiangfa really joins the army, will you be able to bear it?”
“How could I bear it? But children grow up and develop their own ideas. We can’t keep them tied to us forever. If he wants to go, let him.”
“But Xiangfa has been married for years and still has no children. If he leaves, who knows when he’ll return?”
“Haha, you’re such a worrier. Even I’m not anxious about it.”
“Sister,” Li Cuimei grabbed her sister’s hand as she combed her hair and said earnestly, “Xiangfa is your only son. If he doesn’t have children, who will take care of you in your old age? What will you do then?”
“Sit still and let me comb your hair. You’ve never been obedient, even as a mother of three.” Li Cuilan straightened her sister’s posture and sighed. “Children and grandchildren are a matter of fate. We can’t force it. That young Master Qi mentioned that Xiaohua could accompany him to the army. Let them go together. It’s not good for a couple to be apart for too long.”
“But—”
“No buts. A couple is called ‘husband and wife’ when young and ‘companions’ when old. Companions are meant to grow old together. As long as I have your brother-in-law, that’s enough for me. Tell me, if Wen’er wanted to pursue his dreams in the future, could you bear to hold him back?”
Li Cuimei fell silent. Though her heart ached for her sister, she couldn’t argue against her sister’s resolute and reasonable stance.
That night, Li Cuihong didn’t return to the village but stayed with Lin Xia. At first, Lin Xia refused to let her in, but after coaxing from the adults, she burst into tears and clung to Li Cuihong tightly.
The next day, Li Cuihong skipped work at the restaurant to spend the day with Lin Xia. In the evening, she took both Lin Xia and Lin Juan back to the village. From then on, she would drop the two girls off at Li Cuimei’s place in the morning and pick them up after work, much like a daycare arrangement. Gradually, Lin Xia regained her cheerful nature, playing wildly with Lin Wu in the courtyard every day.
While Lin Fang breathed a sigh of relief, she also found it exhausting. The revived Lin Xia, along with Lin Wu, mimicked her wobbly walk and sweet, childish speech, giggling and sometimes even teasing her. Though adorable, they could be quite a handful.
A month later, Li Cuimei received a reply from her brother, Li Ziyi. He assured her that Zhang Xiangfa could safely enlist in the army. As his nephew, he couldn’t openly favor him without risking accusations of nepotism. As for Qi Biao’s identity, he would reveal it at the appropriate time. For now, they should let things take their course.
After seeing off Zhang Xiangfa and Xiaohua, the busiest season for medicinal herb merchants arrived. Dalang and Li Cuimei became even more occupied.
Last winter, late-arriving merchants had regretted not being able to rent the inn’s courtyard rooms. This year, as autumn began, merchants sent representatives to secure rentals early. Soon, all of Dalang’s remaining courtyards were booked at a 20% higher rate than the previous year. At that time, Tong’s inn was still under construction, not yet fully completed. Dalang presented a simplified blueprint to assure merchants that rooms would be available by winter. To his surprise, the merchants reacted swiftly, with some even paying deposits in advance to reserve specific courtyards. Those who had stayed the previous year even suggested furniture styles and functionalities.
After discussing with Tong, Dalang deemed this approach feasible. He assigned Liulang to accompany the merchants, noting down their requests for improvements. However, he clarified that overly intricate furniture would incur higher rental fees, which the merchants readily accepted.
Seizing the momentum, Dalang also presented blueprints for buildings planned on the other sides of the town, set for construction the following spring and completion before the autumn provincial exams. Unexpectedly, merchants immediately reserved shopfronts, and later, more rooms were booked. Two guests even reserved entire small buildings.
Due to the upcoming provincial exams, rental prices in Shengcheng had already surged, making it difficult to secure accommodations. Although Liangping Town wasn’t very close to Shengcheng, it was within a day’s ride by horse, and the rent was less than half the price. As a result, all the courtyards were fully occupied as soon as they were completed, and most of the yet-to-be-built properties were also reserved.
After Tong purchased large plots of land along the main roads on the east, south, and north sides of the town, land prices on the west side skyrocketed. Seeing Dalang’s profitable courtyard business, envious individuals reluctantly bought the remaining land at high prices and built similar inns. However, due to fragmented management and fierce competition, disputes over customers became rampant. Some even resorted to underhanded tactics to secure more business, leading to frequent complaints, cancellations, and even retaliation from merchants. The area descended into chaos.
Regardless of others’ struggles, Dalang’s business thrived.
Farmers from surrounding villages who had signed contracts the previous year began delivering goods to the cloth shop on their own, saving Dalang the trouble of daily trips. Come spring, cloth from other regions would also flow in steadily. Li Cuimei managed the cloth shop with enthusiasm, occasionally helping her husband with accounts when she had time.
Guicheng, once a nameless drifter, now had a wife, daughter, and a complete family. Overflowing with happiness, he took charge of the fishery with boundless energy, requiring little oversight from Dalang.
Dalang focused entirely on managing the inn courtyards, occasionally treating the local constables to meals and offering small bribes to maintain good relations with officials, ensuring peace in his domain.
After a busy day, as they prepared for bed, Li Cuimei hesitated before finally mustering the courage to speak. “Husband, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Ah—” Dalang pulled his wife into his arms and sighed. “Cuimei, why do you still refuse to call me by my name? We’re husband and wife, bound for life. The formalities are for outsiders. If we maintain such distance in private, what’s the point of being married?”
Li Cuimei stiffened slightly. “I… I still feel uneasy.”
“It’s my fault. If I’d been with you sooner, you wouldn’t feel this way.” He gently loosened her curls and stroked her hair. “What did you want to say?”
“It’s—” She hesitated, turning her back to him and lowering her voice. “After the family division last year, I mentioned I had a piece of land not listed in my dowry. Actually, it’s not just the land. There are also two shops, managed by Ziyang all this time.”
Dalang hugged her tightly from behind and exhaled deeply. “Cuimei, you’ve finally brought this up. I already knew.”
Li Cuimei froze. “How did you know?”
Turning her to face him, Dalang cupped her cheek. “Given how protective your parents were, how could they only give you silver, fabric, paintings, and porcelain as dowry?”
“Then you—” Li Cuimei trailed off.
“Would I mind? Would I be angry?” Dalang held her tighter. “How could I be angry? I know my father too well. If you’d listed the shops and land in your dowry, they’d have disappeared just like the family servants.”
When Dalang felt Li Cuimei’s hesitant arms wrap around his waist, he nearly lost his mind with joy. Had his wife finally begun to open her heart to him?
Lin Fang now slept with Liu Ma, having insisted on separating from her parents. Even with a child’s deep sleep, she occasionally overheard her parents’ private moments. Avoiding the situation entirely seemed best, allowing their relationship to deepen. She could sense her mother hadn’t fully let her guard down around her father.
The next morning, Dalang ignored his family’s puzzled looks and left the house in high spirits to attend to business. Lin Fang glanced between the gate and her mother before whispering, “Mother, why is Father wearing a bright red robe? Is he becoming a groom?”
Li Cuimei’s face flushed. She pinched her daughter’s nose and scolded playfully, “You little imp! Where did you hear such nonsense?”
“Mother, Wu’er has seen grooms before—riding horses in bright red robes, parading through the streets.” Lin Fang blinked. *Fifth Brother, your ears are too sharp!*
“What if your father brings home another bride?” The words slipped out before Li Cuimei could stop them, and her heart clenched with inexplicable pain.
“No! No! Wu’er only wants Mother!” Lin Wu’s sudden shout made Lin Fang’s heart tremble.
“Third Young Lady, you—” Liu Ma paled, reverting unconsciously to her old way of addressing Li Cuimei.
“Mother, is it true? Is Father really taking another bride?”
Lin Wen, about to leave for school, turned back with a cold voice and a face full of hatred.
Outside the gate, Dalang’s face turned ashen. What had he missed? Why did a simple joke provoke such strong reactions from his sons? Before he could ponder further, alarmed cries from the courtyard sent him rushing inside.
“Fang’er! Fang’er—!”
“Sixth Young Lady—!”
“Little Sister—!”
“Mother, what’s wrong with Sister?!”
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