Upon the death of parents, sons and unmarried daughters must observe a three-year mourning period, while married daughters observe one year.
With Lin Bosu’s passing, Lin Cui’e’s marriage plans had to be postponed. By the time the three-year mourning period ended, she would already be eighteen—considered an older age for marriage in this world, bordering on being a “leftover” woman.
Strangely, Lin Cui’e seemed relieved, showing no urgency. With her elder brother ill and unable to manage the family business, the burden fell entirely on her sister-in-law. Lin Cui’e devoted herself to assisting her, showing little concern for her own marriage.
Lin Cuiping, as a married daughter—though now divorced—only had to observe a one-year mourning period, during which remarriage was forbidden. Yet she appeared indifferent, focusing solely on tending to her flock of over a hundred goats. Every day, she worked alongside the servants—cutting grass, milking, and cleaning the pens. Her attire remained unchanged from usual, mostly gray or black, so she didn’t even need to adjust her wardrobe for mourning.
Having voluntarily moved to the village to raise goats, months of labor had drastically altered Lin Cuiping’s appearance. Her once delicate and smooth skin had darkened and roughened, and she now wore her hair simply, tied up with a wooden hairpin for practicality. It was clear she had accepted her current life.
When Yuan Li’s mother fell seriously ill, her parents were already elderly. As a teenager, she had shouldered the family’s burdens alone, which took a toll on her health. Even after two years of marriage, she had yet to conceive. The family physician, Tong Shi, had been working to restore her health, and only recently had she been deemed ready for pregnancy. But with Lin Bosu’s death, she and her husband, Liu Lang, had to abstain from intimacy. If they wanted a child, they would have to wait another four years—by which time Liu Lang would be twenty-seven.
Li Mingzhu’s delivery should have been a time of celebration, but fate willed it to coincide with her father-in-law’s passing. In her distress, she named the child Lin Mei (霉, meaning “mold” or “misfortune”), grieving over his inopportune arrival. When registering the name with the village official, the man found it amusing and convinced her to change the character to 槑, a variant of “plum” (梅). Since it was a boy, they settled on Lin Mei (梅), though the name sounded somewhat feminine, so they chose the variant character 槑 instead.
Lin Bosu’s death brought many inconveniences to his children, but Tong Shi was secretly delighted. Lin Zhongsu had only ten months left before retirement, but with his elder brother’s death, he now had to observe a year of mourning—effectively retiring early. From then on, he spent every day by his wife’s side.
As winter approached, Da Ping received a letter from Guo Jiayi in the capital, informing her that when supplies and southern fruits were sent back, Li Yinrong and her two sisters would be taken to the capital. Though the letter didn’t explicitly state the reason, those in the know understood: Da Ping intended to leverage Li Ziyi’s influence to secure advantageous marriages for her daughters in the capital.
Pan Shi disapproved of Da Ping’s plan. The Li family’s influence extended not just through Liangping Town but across the county and even the prefecture—enough to live comfortably as local elites. But in the capital, where nobility abounded, Li Ziyi’s modest rank as a third-grade general wouldn’t guarantee an easy life. The social circles there were incomparable to rural life—why chase after unattainable wealth?
Despite her reasoning, her granddaughters refused to listen. Li Yinrong was eager to go, believing one should strive for advancement. Li Yinhua simply found the capital mysterious and wanted to explore. Knowing that forcing them to stay would backfire, Pan Shi relented, silently praying they would suffer as little as possible.
When Li Ziyang went to fetch Li Yinwei from her eldest sister’s home and mentioned the plan, she refused to return with him. Instead, she followed Li Cuilan and her husband to Liangping Town to learn greenhouse farming.
Li Cuimei, concerned for her eldest sister’s well-being—rising early and returning late in the cold winter to deliver vegetables—had repeatedly urged Li Cuilan to buy land in Liangping Town. But like Tong Shi, Li Cuilan found the town too noisy and had always declined.
Later, upon receiving a letter from Zhang Xiangfa announcing that her daughter-in-law Xiaohua was pregnant, Li Cuilan visited her third sister to share the news. Seizing the opportunity, Li Cuimei again urged her to move to town—for the sake of her descendants, not to let the greenhouse vegetable skills go to waste. Being closer would also make it easier for the sisters to gather and visit their parents.
After careful consideration, Li Cuilan agreed. But winter was approaching, and suitable land was hard to find.
When Da Lang purchased Shi Liaoliang’s plot, he originally intended to build a fish-drying facility for convenience. He had already erected walls and dug foundations when, out of curiosity, he asked Li Cuilan about the requirements for greenhouse farming. Realizing his land was actually ideal—flat and with ample sunlight—he offered it to her and began searching for another plot.
Little did he know that before he could find new land, his father would disown him on his deathbed—and that wasn’t the end of it.
“Father, Mother fainted yesterday—could she be pregnant?”
Lin Bosu’s final act had left Da Lang devastated. Worried about her husband and son, Li Cuimei had been under immense strain. With Da Lang ill, all responsibilities fell on her. Though Tong Shi and Lin Cui’e helped, the burden was still too much. She collapsed outside the fishery walls but, upon waking, insisted no one tell Da Lang, fearing it would worsen his condition.
Lin Fang, unharmed, spent her days at Da Lang’s side and deliberately brought up her mother’s fainting spell. Having been reborn, she was determined to keep her family together and didn’t want her father to succumb to despair. She hoped this would spur him to recover.
Da Lang didn’t find it odd that a five-year-old would mention pregnancy. Instead, his heart ached. His father’s final rejection had crushed him—how could he have been intimate with his wife? How could she be pregnant?
Reflecting on his wife’s hardships, he realized that even when he was healthy, exhaustion after a long day left him unwilling to move at night. How much harder must it be for her, a delicate woman, to shoulder everything alone? Overcome with guilt, he fell silent.
Seeing this, Lin Fang added fuel: “Father, do you not like Fang’er because she’s ugly and useless? Is that why you won’t talk to her?”
“Is Fang’er ugly?”
Da Lang studied his daughter’s face, intending to comfort her, but noticed something astonishing—the blood tumor on her cheek seemed lighter, and her slightly misshapen mouth and nose appeared to have improved. Delighted, he asked, “Have you looked in a mirror lately?”
Lin Fang shook her head. “Every morning, Nanny Liu braids my hair and washes my face. I don’t need a mirror.”
She wasn’t saying this to cheer him up. Each day, her first thought was whether her father was well and if his condition had improved. She’d hurry through her morning routine to join her parents for breakfast, then stay by her father’s side, talking even when he remained silent.
Da Lang pressed, “Has Nanny Liu told you you’re getting prettier?”
“Yes, every day,” Lin Fang laughed. “But Fang’er knows—she’s just trying to make me happy.”
Sighing, Da Lang realized he, as her father, had paid less attention to her than a servant. Guilt-ridden, he called for an easel to paint her portrait. Lin Fang was overjoyed—even if she wasn’t model material, if this lifted her father’s spirits, it was worth it.
When Li Cuimei returned and saw them like this, she was delighted. Da Lang, heartbroken, didn’t mention her fainting but instead invited her to take his seat, handing her the brush while he stood beside her. Only then did Li Cuimei notice the changes in their daughter’s appearance and felt guilty for neglecting her children amid her busyness.
Before the portrait was finished, Lin Wu returned from school. After a hurried greeting, he rushed to his room—as if deliberately avoiding them.
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