When Li Cuilian hurriedly arrived to see Li Cuimei, there were two carriages parked outside the courtyard. Liu Ma, looking stern and speaking sharply, was reprimanding Li Cuimei’s personal maids and the elderly servant. These two maids and the elderly servant had been personally sent by Pan Shi after the incident of Gao Linglong forcibly staying over. Normally, Liu Ma assigned their tasks, and whenever Li Cuimei went out, they would accompany her closely.
Two guards from the inn district were also present, holding the horses on either side.
The maids and servants who had accompanied Tong Shi as part of her dowry were all skilled in martial arts. After being dismissed, they had maintained contact with Tong Shi. Upon hearing that Tong Shi had established such a large operation, some sent their children to serve as guards in the inn district. Others volunteered and were hired after passing assessments. They were now uniformly managed by Dalang and his wife.
Just as Li Cuilian was about to ask Liu Ma what was happening, Li Cuimei emerged from the courtyard holding Lin Fang, wearing a cloak. Lin Fang was tugging at the cloak’s hood, trying to put it on her mother’s head. It seemed they were preparing to go out, accompanied by a group of children. Bringing up the rear was Dalang, his face filled with worry.
“Mother, if you don’t take Fang’er with you, bring back some tasty treats when you return, and Fang’er won’t pester you anymore.”
“Haha, little glutton. Every time you make a request, it’s about food. Even when it’s about food, there’s always an extra condition.”
“There is—don’t make it too sweet. Too sweet is cloying.”
“Mother, Wu’er likes sweets,” little Lin Wu chimed in excitedly.
“Wu’er, Mother is going to visit her teacher. There won’t be time to buy too many things. Your sister is still young, and you’re the older brother.”
“Yes, Second Brother. Wu’er understands,” he replied dejectedly.
“Sister-in-law, be careful on the road. Cuie will help Liu Ma manage the household,” Lin Cuie said in a mature tone.
“Auntie, Juan’er will help too,” Lin Juan added earnestly, though she rarely spoke.
“Auntie, Auntie, Xia’er will also help! Xia’er will make sure Fifth Brother doesn’t misbehave and will teach our little sister to read.”
Lin Xia’s declaration even brought smiles to the faces of the two stern guards. Lin Xia herself was quite mischievous; if she didn’t cause trouble, it would already be a big help.
“Third Sister, are you going out?” Li Cuilian asked urgently, having rushed over early in the morning.
“Cuilian, you’ve come at an unfortunate time. I’m just about to leave for Yuncheng. The timing has been chosen carefully. Unless it’s urgent, let’s talk when I return.”
Before Cuilian could respond, Dalang interjected anxiously, “Cuimei, let me accompany you.”
Li Cuimei laughed. “If you come too, wouldn’t that cause chaos? Yuncheng isn’t far, and I’ll have maids and guards with me. You needn’t worry.”
“Third Sister, why are you going to Yuncheng?” Li Cuilian stepped closer, her face full of urgency.
Handing Lin Fang to Dalang, Li Cuimei replied, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Guo Siniang. She’s all alone, with no children. It’s truly pitiful. I’m going to visit her.”
Li Cuilian wanted to say something but hesitated. After a moment, she forced a smile and said, “Third Sister, be careful on the road. Have a safe journey.”
“Madam, it’s time to depart,” Liu Ma said, tightening Li Cuimei’s cloak and helping her toward the carriage. The others followed closely.
Li Cuimei entered the first carriage. Once she was seated, one of her personal maids joined her, while the other maid and the elderly servant boarded the second carriage.
As the carriages set off, the family called out their farewells. Li Cuilian, however, remained silent, lost in her own thoughts. Once the carriages were out of sight, Li Cuilian, Dalang, and the nieces and nephews exchanged greetings. Lin Xia, no longer as reserved as before, cheerfully called out to her “Fifth Aunt.” Dalang, preoccupied with concern for his wife, responded half-heartedly, while Li Cuilian seemed distracted.
Lin Fang found it strange. In the past, when Li Cuilian was in the Zhou household, it was understandable that she had no maids, as the Zhou family were simple farmers. But now that she was divorced and living with her parents, shouldn’t her sister-in-law have arranged for attendants to accompany her wherever she went? Why had she come alone today?
In truth, Lin Fang was mistaken. Daping did indeed look down on this sister-in-law, but for the sake of appearances, she had provided Li Cuilian with food, clothing, and lodging according to her own standards, assigning her the same number of attendants as she had herself.
When Li Cuimei married, Daping and Ziyang were already engaged. Daping knew her future husband was the fourth son, so she would be the fourth wife. But after the wedding, she ended up as the sixth wife. Ziyang had always been close to his third sister and had addressed Li Cuihong and Li Cuilian as elder sisters. When the two suddenly went from being maids to sisters, and Daping’s rank dropped from fourth to sixth, she felt resentful, though Ziyang didn’t mind as much.
Li Cuihong, married in the same village, frequently visited the Li family. Her straightforward and easygoing nature meant she didn’t dwell on such matters. Over time, Daping came to appreciate this sister-in-law and let go of her prejudices, treating her sincerely. Their relationship became genuinely warm.
Li Cuilian, married into the Zhou family, rarely returned home. Each time she did, Pan Shi, pitying her for her in-laws’ poverty and considering that her mother-in-law was Dalang’s aunt, would give her many things to take back. Over time, Li Cuilian began to see this as her due and even started making demands. Daping’s initial indifference turned to disdain. In front of her parents-in-law and Li Cuimei, she treated Li Cuilian warmly, but behind their backs, she was cold.
Today, Li Cuilian had deliberately come alone to see Li Cuimei.
Every day after meals, Ziyang and his wife and their three daughters would spend time chatting with Li Qingyun and Pan Shi. Since Li Cuilian was staying with her parents, she naturally joined them. The previous evening, Ziyang mentioned that Third Sister planned to convert the village shop into a clothing workshop and was looking for skilled workers. Li Cuilian was struck by the idea. While her skills weren’t as good as Third Sister’s, they were still above average. If Third Sister let her manage the workshop, she wouldn’t have to idle away her days at home and could even earn some private savings.
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. But she didn’t dare bring it up in front of Li Qingyun and Pan Shi. If the elders knew her intentions, they would surely object. Li Qingyun and his wife had warned all their children: while siblings should help each other, deliberate interference was forbidden. Over the years, Ziyang had managed Third Sister’s dowry shops and land out of necessity. Once he handed them over to Dalang, apart from occasional advice, he no longer interfered. The relationship between Li Cuihong and Li Cuimei was different—they were practically family.
Li Cuilian had planned to discuss it with Third Sister first. If Third Sister agreed, she would then inform the elders. But now Third Sister was leaving to visit Guo Siniang, her embroidery teacher. Since Third Sister’s marriage, Guo Siniang had been supported by the Li family and hadn’t taken on any new students. If Third Sister was going to invite her out of retirement to teach and manage the shop, what hope was left for Li Cuilian?
Feeling dejected, Li Cuilian didn’t stay to play with her nieces and nephews as she usually did. Instead, she hastily took her leave without even entering the house.
After Li Cuimei left, Lin Wen went to school, and the younger children stayed in the courtyard, each occupied with their own tasks. But before half the day had passed, they all grew listless. Lin Wu said he missed his mother, Lin Xia said she missed her aunt, and even Lin Cuie lost interest in her work.
Lin Juan wrote a page of characters but then lost the will to continue. She glanced at her embroidery frame but felt no motivation. These past few days, her aunt had suddenly started urging her to practice writing, saying her embroidery could wait. Before leaving this morning, her aunt had assigned her homework, instructing her little aunt to supervise and warning that there would be consequences if it wasn’t done well. On top of that, her aunt had told her to help Liu Ma and her little aunt with household chores during breaks from writing. But with so little to do at home, Liu Ma could handle it alone. Even her little aunt’s help seemed unnecessary—why involve her too? Lin Juan couldn’t understand it.
Lin Fang also struggled with her mother’s absence. Since her rebirth, she and Li Cuimei had never been apart. After tormenting her doll for a while, Lin Fang climbed onto Dalang, who, unlike his usual self, hadn’t left the house today. She wrapped her arms around his neck and said plaintively, “Father, Fang’er misses Mother.”
Gently stroking his daughter’s back, Dalang smiled bitterly. *I miss your mother too.*
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