Li Mingzhu was exceptionally capable. Despite being a woman, she had been a skilled hand both inside and outside the home since childhood. She had a gentle temperament, was filial to her parents, cared for her brothers, and was well-liked by the neighbors. Such a woman would have been an ideal daughter-in-law for a farming family, but she had a congenital defect: her left eye had a “radish flower,” and her right eye was covered with a white film, commonly known as “radish eye,” which made her appearance frightful and impaired her vision, causing some difficulties in daily life.
Though not a medical professional, Lin Fang, who worked in a hospital, understood that the so-called “radish flower eye” was caused by white opacities in the aqueous humor between the lens and cornea, affecting both vision and appearance. Like the white film on her right eye, it was likely a developmental error in the womb. In Lin Fang’s previous life, a minor ophthalmic surgery could have fixed it, but here, such eyes would accompany her for life.
With this defect, marriage prospects were naturally bleak. By seventeen, no one showed interest in her. Meanwhile, Shilang had mobility issues, and the villagers knew he had been mischievous since childhood. Lin Boshi and Dong Shi had a poor reputation outside, so when Shilang reached marriageable age, no matchmakers came knocking. Lin Boshi had to arrange things himself. He was self-aware enough to know his youngest son couldn’t marry an ordinary good woman. Though Li Mingzhu was unattractive, she was capable in all aspects and a suitable match for his son, so he personally proposed to the Li family.
The Li family wasn’t entirely satisfied with Shilang, but Li Mingzhu was getting older, and a girl couldn’t afford to wait. Besides, the Lin family was relatively well-off. Their eldest daughter-in-law was the daughter of the Li clan leader and the sister of a general, while the second daughter-in-law was the clan leader’s adopted daughter. If handled carefully, this marriage could benefit them and even help their son Li Mingxiao succeed. After weighing the pros and cons, they agreed.
Lin Boshi never imagined that the woman he personally chose and proposed to would become his nemesis. On their wedding night, Li Mingzhu overpowered Lin Shilang with sheer strength, and from then on, Shilang became a complete henpecked husband, meek and obedient in front of his wife, even sidelining his own father.
From the second day of marriage, the young daughter-in-law not only befriended the second daughter-in-law but also maintained ties with Dalang and Liulang, who had been disowned. She was affectionate toward Lin Shuzhen, calling her “aunt” warmly. Though she showed respect to Lin Boshi and Dong Shi as her in-laws, she rarely obeyed them, sometimes outright ignoring their words.
Lin Boshi finally lost his patience when Li Mingzhu once again took Shilang out without permission to visit those he had cut ties with. He barred the gate, declaring that anyone who left would no longer be part of the Lin family. To his surprise, Li Mingzhu claimed the gate was broken, borrowed a ladder from a neighbor, and climbed back in. Lin Boshi and Dong Shi tried to stop her but were no match for her strength, forced to watch helplessly as she came and went as she pleased.
In desperation, Lin Boshi summoned the village head to discuss dividing the household. Li Mingzhu cheerfully saw the village head out, then pulled Shilang along to apologize, saying that since the elderly couple only had one son left, splitting the family would leave them isolated in their old age. If they fell ill or even died at home, no one would know. Thus, the family couldn’t be divided. The village head found it amusing and told them to settle the matter among themselves before calling him again.
Lin Boshi flew into a rage, accusing Li Mingzhu of disobedience and ordering Shilang to write a divorce letter. Shilang hid in his room, refusing to come out. Enraged, Lin Boshi wrote the letter himself and threw it at Li Mingzhu. Unfazed, she picked it up, tore it to pieces, and laughed.
If he truly wanted to divorce her, there was another way: filing a lawsuit. But Lin Boshi, though seemingly ruthless, was only tough at home. He lacked the courage to take it to court and could only glare at his son and daughter-in-law daily. Li Mingzhu, patient as ever, maintained proper decorum toward her in-laws while doing as she pleased. Even when her mother-in-law cursed her viciously, she rarely retorted, occasionally saying, “Since I married into the Lin family, I am one of you. Mother-in-law should think carefully before speaking such malice, lest it rebound and bring you a bad end.”
The front courtyard of the Lin household was always lively. At first, villagers gathered to watch, but eventually, they grew accustomed and ignored it.
Truth be told, Lin Boshi was aging, Dong Shi couldn’t handle heavy labor, and Shilang, with his mobility issues and frail frame, left all the work to Li Mingzhu. Even while pregnant, she never rested. Though she rarely argued back during their scolding, if it ever came to a public debate, the outcome was obvious. Yet, despite all her virtues, Lin Boshi remained dissatisfied, publicly declaring he had a shrew for a daughter-in-law.
Li Cuihong looked as if she’d just enjoyed a good show: “Haha, I never knew the front courtyard was so entertaining every day. What a pity I missed it.”
No sooner had she spoken than she noticed her mother-in-law shaking her head at her, and her third sister signaling with her eyes. Erlang tugged her sleeve and subtly pointed in one direction, where Dalang stood with a solemn, thoughtful expression. Li Cuihong scoffed and turned away—she hadn’t forgotten the suffering her third sister endured.
“Aunt, Mingzhu has a request. Is Big Brother here?” The distinct raspy voice of Li Mingzhu came from outside the courtyard.
Lin Cui’e, who had been leaning against Li Cuimei coquettishly, immediately paled and retreated into the inner room, her two maids following closely.
“Qian’er, go greet the Tenth Madam. Xian’er, fetch her a cup of water.”
As soon as they entered the village, Liu Ma and the two granddaughters-in-law were sent off by Li Cuimei to reunite with their families. Apart from Qian’er and Xian’er, who stayed to protect Lin Fang, no other servants were brought. Tong Shi still refused to have attendants, so now there wasn’t even anyone to relay messages or serve tea. Li Mingzhu, with her grating voice and her designs on Lin Cui’e, was already unpopular. Being the youngest among the brothers, no one in the house responded to her. Lin Fang had no choice but to order her own maids to help. Truthfully, she found Li Mingzhu quite endearing.
Before Qian’er could step out, Li Mingzhu had already reached the doorway, nearly colliding with her—clearly, she had rushed in, startling everyone inside. Tong Shi scolded, “Mingzhu, you’re pregnant! How can you be so reckless? What if you fall?”
Qian’er brought a chair for Li Mingzhu and helped her sit.
“Don’t scold me, Aunt. Big Brother is always busy, and I finally caught him today. I have a favor to ask.” Li Mingzhu took a deep breath. “A few days ago, I discussed with Shilang—his legs make farmwork hard for him, so learning a trade would be good. After thinking it over, we decided cotton fluffing would suit him, and he agreed. Big Brother is well-traveled, so I came to ask if he knows any cotton fluffers who might take Shilang as an apprentice.”
Dalang asked, “Why cotton fluffing and not another trade?”
Li Mingzhu accepted the cup of water from Xian’er, drank it all in one go, and said, “Many households in our town grow cotton, but there’s no local cotton fluffer. If anyone wants a quilt made, they have to wait for someone to come or go to another town. If Shilang learns this trade, it’ll be a monopoly—he’s sure to make money.”
“Hmph,” Li Cuihong sneered. “Shilang’s always been lazy. Learning a trade means hard work—can he handle it? Even if he learns it, running a business is complicated. Does he have the patience?”
Li Mingzhu smiled. “Second Sister-in-law, Shilang isn’t the same as before. If he says he’ll do it, he will.”
“Fine, I’ll take your word for it,” Dalang said thoughtfully. “I do know a couple of cotton fluffers, but I’m not sure if they’d take an apprentice. Let me write to them and get back to you.”
“Thank you, Big Brother.” Li Mingzhu stood to bow, but Li Cuimei stopped her—with her large belly, they worried she might strain herself.
With the matter settled, Li Mingzhu prepared to leave, about to dash off again when Tong Shi snapped, “You’re just going to the fields—it’s not an emergency. If you run into trouble, don’t come crying to me.”
“Yes, Aunt. I’ll walk carefully.”
But once she left the courtyard, who could say what she’d do?
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