Mrs. Tong stood up to leave the room but was immediately pulled back by Li Cuihong. “Mother, let my husband scold him a few words first.”
“Li Ziyang, though my family may not be as prestigious as yours, where servants announce visitors at the door, it doesn’t mean you can barge in as you please. You entered without even greeting me, your brother-in-law, and went straight to asking about your elder sister-in-law. If word of this spreads, do you even care about her reputation?”
Inside the room, Mrs. Tong nearly burst out laughing. Ziyang was impulsive, but her son was no pushover either. Though a rough man by nature, he could still put on a convincing act when he tried. She glanced at her daughter-in-law and chuckled—proximity to ink turns one black, and near vermilion, one turns red. Clearly, her son had been influenced by this lively young woman. But it wasn’t a bad thing; life would never be dull this way.
“Oh, Fourth Brother-in-law, I was just in a hurry! I heard Third Sister was seriously ill, that you carried her all the way to Dr. Wang’s and back. Knowing Fourth Sister’s temper, I figured she wouldn’t send her back to the front courtyard, so I came straight here. Fine, I was wrong. I apologize, I’ll bow to you. Just tell me first if Third Sister is here, then you can scold me all you want.”
*Pfft.* Lin Fang couldn’t hold back a laugh. This must be the little uncle her mother often mentioned. He didn’t seem like a rigid, pedantic type.
“Oh, Mother, Fang’er spit up!”
Mrs. Tong wiped Lin Fang’s mouth with a cloth and urged Li Cuihong, “Enough. You and Erlang aren’t the type to stand on ceremony, yet you’re putting on this act to give Ziyang a hard time. Go bring him in already—don’t overdo it.”
Li Cuihong curtsied playfully. “Yes, Mother-in-law.”
Mrs. Tong shook her head in amusement. This girl was already a mother of three, yet she still loved to tease.
*Pfft.* Lin Fang spit up again. Once she got better, she’d have to visit Second Grandmother’s house more often—it was clearly livelier than her own home.
“Ziyang, keep your voice down. Third Sister is finally asleep—don’t wake her.”
After Li Cuihong’s warning, the courtyard fell silent. Lin Fang strained her ears and soon heard soft, cautious footsteps entering the room. Then came Ziyang’s hushed plea: “Aunt, Ziyang pays his respects. May I go in to see Third Sister? I heard she’s unwell.”
“Go ahead. But your Third Sister is weak and sleeping soundly now—don’t disturb her.”
“Yes, thank you, Aunt.”
The footsteps faded as Ziyang tiptoed into the inner room.
Lin Fang wanted to keep listening, but exhaustion overtook her, and she drifted off to dreamland.
When she woke again, it was already evening. She was cradled in her mother’s arms while little scholar Lin Wen was asking after her: “Mother, how are you feeling?”
“Wen’er, your mother is fine. Come eat quickly—you only had a few bites of vegetable pancakes at noon. A growing child can’t go hungry. Aunt Hong made you two boiled eggs and braised pork. Mm, smells delicious—come eat.”
Li Cuihong really was a straightforward woman. Compared to her own arrogant and rude Seventh Aunt, Lin Fang found Aunt Hong far more likable. She decided then to keep her distance from Seventh Aunt and stick closer to Aunt Hong.
“Aunt Hong, I should eat in the main hall. This is the bedroom—it’d be bad if I made a mess.”
“Oh, just eat already! If you keep fussing, the food will get cold.”
“Alright, thank you, Aunt Hong. Mother, I’ll eat first, then come back to talk with you.”
“Mm, go ahead.”
“Mother, what’s that smell? It’s so good!”
“Heh, little glutton. You slept soundly all afternoon, but the moment dinner’s ready, you wake up sniffing the air. Come wash your face—Aunt Hong saved some for you.”
“Oh, thank you, Aunt Hong! You’re the best!”
“Ah, you sweet-talker.”
“Third Sister, Mother’s brewing medicine. She says I’m too impatient and might ruin the potency, so you’ll have to wait a bit longer.”
“Thank you, Cuihong.”
“Ah, don’t thank me. If you hadn’t insisted on marrying me and Honglian off back then, you wouldn’t be struggling like this. Born a lady, yet living worse than a maid like me.”
“If your Third Sister hadn’t insisted on marrying you off, your greedy father-in-law would’ve sold you long ago. You wouldn’t have gone from master and servant to sisters-in-law, spending every day together. Cuimei, come drink your medicine.”
Mrs. Tong walked in with the medicine bowl just in time to hear her daughter-in-law’s words and launched into a scolding. Setting the bowl down, she took Lin Fang from Li Cuimei’s arms. “Drink your medicine first. This Dr. Wang really doesn’t know his craft—Fang’er is still nursing, yet he prescribed such strong medicine. It’s fine for healthy children, but Fang’er can’t handle it. I’ve written a new prescription—take this from now on.”
“Thank you, Aunt.”
“Thank you, Second Grandmother.”
“Thank you, Second Grandmother.”
“Enough, you two. Eat your dinner already. If you keep thanking me, I’ll send you all home. I can’t stand this formality among family. Cuimei, I’ll feed Fang’er some goat’s milk later. I noticed she ate more today, and your milk isn’t enough. Save what you have for tonight. Sigh, it’s lucky Fang’er doesn’t eat much—otherwise, your milk wouldn’t have lasted this long. Stay in my room to recover. I’ll help boost your supply. Maybe Fang’er’s appetite will grow, and she’ll get better in a few days.”
*Hmm?* Lin Fang’s little mind buzzed with excitement. Second Grandmother could prescribe medicine too? *Learn. Must learn.* In her past life, poor health had rendered her practically useless. Now, given a second chance, she was still frail. But she’d vowed to live well this time—and mastering medicine would at least ensure her survival.
“Goodness, the more the baby eats, the more she pees! The diaper’s soaked through—it’s all over my hands.”
Lin Fang had been too excited to notice she’d wet herself, but Second Grandmother didn’t sound angry. Relieved, Lin Fang giggled inwardly. *Future teacher, this is virgin boy’s urine—no, virgin girl’s urine! Harmless, even beneficial!*
(Note: The terms “童子尿” and “童女尿” are culturally specific concepts in Chinese, referring to the urine of virgin boys and girls, respectively, which are traditionally believed to have medicinal properties. They are often retained in pinyin in translations to preserve cultural context.)
“Mother, the goat’s milk is ready.”
“Bring it in, Erlang. Your sister-in-law is family, and everyone here is close—no need for formalities.”
*Huh?* Weren’t gentlemen supposed to stay out of the kitchen? Yet her Second Uncle had prepared the milk himself. *Haha, maybe my luck isn’t so bad after all.* Her paternal grandparents and uncles might be unreliable, but Second Grandmother’s family seemed decent. Well, Little Aunt wasn’t too bad, and Sixth Uncle often stood up for them. They’d remain under observation.
As sweet goat’s milk filled her mouth, Lin Fang stopped overthinking. *Hungry. Must eat first—that’s what matters.*
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