Now, let’s talk about Lin Fang following her parents back to the village. Her parents planned to visit Aunt Tong first before returning to their own home.
“Third Sister, Fourth Sister, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, you’re back! Second Aunt was just talking about you. This is truly serendipitous.”
As soon as they reached the courtyard gate, a woman emerged from inside, brimming with enthusiasm. Her manner of address was peculiar and out of order. Before Lin Fang could get a good look, the woman cheerfully said to her, “You must be Fang’er, right? I’m your Tenth Aunt. Do you recognize me?”
Tenth Aunt? Lin Fang had heard that Lin Shilang got married last year. Although her father, Sixth Uncle, Seventh Aunt, and Little Aunt had all attended the wedding, none of them were allowed past the courtyard gate. The entire event—from setting off outside the gate to stopping at the entrance—had become a laughingstock in the village. Even now, whenever someone mentioned it, people would shake their heads with a smile. Strange occurrences weren’t common, but the Lin family seemed to have more than their fair share.
This Tenth Aunt, whose maiden name was Li Mingzhu, was a year older than Lin Shilang. She was distantly related to Li Cuimei—though beyond the five degrees of mourning—and still under Li Qingyun’s authority. After marriage, she followed Li Cuihong’s example and didn’t change her way of addressing people, still calling Li Cuimei “Third Sister” and Li Cuihong “Fourth Sister.” Lin Fang found it odd: since Lin Boshi held no fondness for the Li family, why had he married another Li woman? Rumor had it that this Tenth Aunt was formidable, completely disregarding her father-in-law’s rules. The day after the wedding, she dragged Lin Shilang along like a chick, carrying gift boxes to visit Aunt Tong, then the households of Eldest Brother and Sixth Brother, rekindling ties between the brothers. She also maintained contact with Lin Cuiping and Lin Cui’e.
However, since others weren’t allowed inside, her visits were one-sided. By sheer coincidence, Lin Fang had never met her before.
“Fang’er,” Li Cuimei gently reminded her daughter when she noticed her staring silently at Tenth Aunt, “this is your Tenth Aunt.”
“Oh, hello, Tenth Aunt. I’m Fang’er. Do you have a baby in your belly?” In her past life, Lin Fang had always loved children and longed for her own. Whenever she saw a pregnant woman, she couldn’t help but observe their belly. Li Mingzhu was six months along, and though her dress was loose, the bump was still noticeable.
“Haha, Fang’er has sharp eyes! In a few months, there’ll be one more calling you Sixth Sister,” Li Mingzhu said, her face radiant with happiness.
Good heavens! Lin Shilang was only seventeen this year—barely high school age—and already about to become a father? Lin Fang couldn’t help but inwardly scoff. She knew that in this era, people married as early as fourteen or fifteen, and having children at sixteen was commonplace. But seeing it firsthand—a baby-faced pregnant woman suddenly appearing before her—was still hard to fathom.
Li Cuimei steadied Mingzhu and advised, “Mingzhu, you must be careful during pregnancy. Don’t stand too long; go rest.”
“Haha, it’s fine, Third Sister. Country folk aren’t that delicate. But you must be tired from the journey—go on inside. I’ll head back now. Shilang is already packing up, and we’ll head to the fields soon.” With that, Li Mingzhu hurried toward the front courtyard, occasionally breaking into a light jog. Lin Fang’s heart leapt with each step, her eyes glued to the space between the woman’s feet, half-expecting a baby to slip out any second.
Once Li Mingzhu turned the corner and disappeared, the group finally entered the courtyard.
Lin Cui’e came out to greet them, her gaze still flickering toward the gate. Li Cuihong patted her cheek and teased, “No need to keep looking—she’s gone and won’t be back to chatter anytime soon.”
“Whew—” Lin Cui’e exhaled deeply, then clung to Li Cuimei’s arm, cooing, “Eldest Sister-in-law—” in a tone dripping with affection.
Lin Fang grabbed Li Cuimei’s other hand, feigning jealousy. “Auntie, this is my mother, not yours.”
“Ha ha ha ha—”
The group burst into laughter at the girls’ antics. Lin Cui’e pinched Lin Fang’s nose, took her hand, and led the way inside with her brother and sister-in-law. The maids had already prepared tea, which was promptly served.
Before even entering the house, Li Cuihong called out in the courtyard, “Mother, your daughter-in-law has come to see you!”
“Calling others chatterboxes, yet you’re the loud one. I knew you were back even without you announcing it,” Aunt Tong retorted as she emerged from the western courtyard, carrying a bulging bundle in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, her tone playful.
“Second Grandmother, Fang’er has come to see you!” Lin Fang immediately piped up, eager to please.
“Good, good. Our Fang’er is so well-behaved,” Aunt Tong praised, handing her things to Second Brother and removing her leather apron to pass to Eldest Brother before scooping Lin Fang into her arms.
Turning to Li Cuimei, she added, “I finally had time to shear the sheep today, but barely made a few cuts before Tenth Brother’s wife came for a pulse reading. She prattled on for ages—so annoying! She’d just left when you all returned, making such a racket and disturbing my peace. At this rate, getting wool spun will be impossible. Since it’s so troublesome, this old lady has a condition: if the wool can truly be woven into fitted clothing, I want the first set. Ha ha!”
Li Cuimei smiled. Her aunt was becoming more childlike by the day. She nodded. “Even if you hadn’t mentioned it, Aunt, the first set would have been yours.”
*Mwah!* Lin Fang planted a kiss on Aunt Tong’s cheek, unfazed by the lingering smell of sheep or the stray wool clinging to her. Hmm, her skin was still so smooth and elastic. Lin Fang pretended to wipe away her saliva but was really just indulging her urge to touch.
Li Cuihong pretended to pout. “Mother, you’re too biased! We both spoke, yet I’m ‘loud’ while Fang’er is ‘well-behaved.'”
“Ha! If you were twenty years younger, you’d be well-behaved too,” the mother-in-law openly admitted to playing favorites.
Amid laughter, the family entered the house. Aunt Tong went to freshen up while Li Cuimei casually asked Lin Cui’e, “What did your Tenth Sister-in-law come for?”
At the mention of Li Mingzhu, Lin Cui’e scowled. “She came for a pulse reading.”
Li Cuihong, curious, asked, “Just a pulse reading? Why that look?”
Lin Cui’e frowned. “The reading itself wasn’t the problem. But she’s a chatterbox with a booming voice—shameless, saying whatever comes to mind. It’s infuriating.”
“Ha!” Li Cuihong found another opportunity to tease. “Don’t tell me she came to propose a match for you?”
“Second Sister-in-law, you’re the worst!” Lin Cui’e flushed and spat, “Just as noisy and shameless as Tenth Sister-in-law!”
Aunt Tong returned just in time to hear this exchange and chuckled. “Cuihong isn’t wrong. Our Cui’e is beautiful and talented—loved by all, adored by flowers. Countless suitors have come, and now Tenth Brother’s wife wants a piece of the action.”
Lin Fang stifled a laugh. This Second Grandmother was mischievous, even mimicking her phrases—”loved by all, adored by flowers” was something she’d shamelessly coined for self-praise.
Eldest Brother frowned. “She proposed a match? With whom?”
Lin Fang was surprised by her father’s tone. Did he have a grudge against Tenth Aunt?
Aunt Tong scoffed. “Who else? Her own younger brother, Li Mingxiao.”
“Dream on!” Eldest Brother snapped. “That Li Mingxiao is a good-for-nothing ruffian. How dare he even think of Cui’e! What did you say, Aunt?”
Aunt Tong shook her head. “What could I say? I told her plainly never to bring it up again.”
The Lin family dynamics were indeed peculiar. Lin Boshi had many children, yet all except Lin Shilang had been kicked out. Lin Cuiping hadn’t been expelled—she’d been properly married off—but Lin Boshi treated her like his sons, forbidding her from returning home. Her strained relationship with her siblings meant that despite their numbers, her in-laws felt free to mistreat her. Had it not been for Old Lady Zhong’s request to Li Cuimei forcing a reunion, Lin Cuiping might have suffered indefinitely.
All the exiled children remained close to Aunt Tong. Initially, only Eldest Brother and Li Cuimei called her “Aunt,” while the others used “Second Aunt.” Now, everyone addressed her as “Aunt,” with Lin Cui’e even living in her home. Suitors bypassed Lin Boshi in the front courtyard entirely, seeking Aunt Tong’s approval instead—as if she were the siblings’ birth mother. Though bemused, Aunt Tong took on the role without complaint, making decisions for Lin Cui’e.
As they chatted about Li Mingzhu, Lin Fang couldn’t help but marvel. Truly, there was always a match for everything. For all Lin Boshi’s venom, he’d ended up with a fierce daughter-in-law who infuriated him daily.
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