Two years ago, Li Cuilian married a merchant surnamed Fang from another region, who was ten years her senior. He claimed his wife had passed away, leaving no concubines, and that his two sons and two daughters were all grown and independent, no longer living with him. Li Cuilian was to enter his household as the mistress. However, the merchant did not take her with him when he left, citing the need to observe a three-year mourning period for his late wife. He argued that if Li Cuilian entered his home during this time, she would face criticism, and he couldn’t bear to subject his new wife to such hardship, urging her to be patient for a while.
Why mention the mourning period only after the marriage? Clearly, this man was unreliable. Yet, as a remarried woman, the choice was hers alone, and others could only sigh in private. After he left, he never returned. For the past two years, Li Cuilian, bearing the title of “Madam Fang,” relied on Li Cuimei and Li Cuihong to open a clothing shop and a restaurant in Liangping Town. Sympathizing with her plight, Li Cuimei supplied her with goods, only collecting payment after the items were sold. Li Cuihong prepared meals and delivered them to her restaurant, operating much like a modern fast-food service, charging based on portion sizes with balanced meat and vegetable dishes—a method suggested by Lin Fang and relayed by Huiyuan. Li Cuihong only charged for the cost of ingredients and labor.
Both shops were rented from the Lin family’s properties. After the construction of the Tong family’s rental area was completed, it was entirely entrusted to Dalang for management.
Since last year, Li Cuilian had occasionally asked Li Cuimei to provide her with a team of skilled tailors to make on-the-spot alterations based on customer requests, but Li Cuimei refused. She then approached Li Cuihong, complaining that the delivered meals were either cold or lacked the freshness and flavor of freshly prepared dishes, which displeased customers. She suggested sending a chef to cook on-site to preserve the reputation of Cuiji Restaurant. Li Cuihong found the idea reasonable and sent Erya over. Others felt uneasy about this arrangement, but given the close relationship between Li Cuihong and Li Cuilian, no one intervened.
Typically cautious, Li Cuilian lost her composure this time due to Lin Fang’s sharp rebuke and Lin Wu’s unintentional provocation. She likely regretted her actions, but with Li Cuimei issuing a series of commands, she had no chance to make amends.
“Xiaoqin’s wife.”
“Yes, Madam.” The eldest daughter-in-law of Nanny Liu responded from outside the door.
“Go inform the gatekeeper that from now on, neither Fifth Aunt nor any of her household members are allowed entry without my permission.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Xiaoqin’s wife and Xiaogeng’s wife were two maids sent by the Li family to serve Li Cuimei. Last year, at Nanny Liu’s suggestion, Li Cuimei arranged their marriages to Nanny Liu’s two grandsons. After marriage, they continued to work in the household. The elderly maid who had accompanied them was sent to Shengcheng to care for Lin Wen after he was admitted to the Shengcheng Academy.
Qi Biao, who was inseparable from Lin Wen, also went to Shengcheng. Instead of attending the same academy as Lin Wen, he enrolled in the military academy with Lin Meng. However, on rest days, Qi Biao would return with Lin Wen, and his relationship with Lin Meng had improved somewhat.
Lin Fang couldn’t understand why Qi Biao, whose family was not poor, insisted on renting their small courtyard instead of buying his own. Over the years, the accumulated rent would have been enough to purchase a small courtyard.
Lin Wu, now eight years old, had grown more composed after two years at school. He calmly accompanied his younger sister while their mother handled affairs. After his mother finished giving orders, he asked, “Mother, you often tell me that being accommodating to others is being accommodating to oneself. But what you’re doing now cuts off Fifth Aunt’s livelihood. I don’t quite understand.”
“Good question, Wu’er,” Li Cuimei replied solemnly. “The principle of being accommodating is correct, but if the other party exploits your kindness, grows greedy, or even turns against you, then you must act decisively. Hesitation leads to trouble. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Wu’er will remember.”
“Remember” rather than “understand.” Li Cuimei wasn’t worried. Her youngest son, though bright and sensible, was only eight. Having been sheltered by the family, he wasn’t as mature as his elder brother. With time and experience, he would come to understand.
Zhou Erxiao walked along, telling everyone about Li Cuilian intentionally injuring Lin Fang. Some kind-hearted individuals, impatient with her slow pace, rushed ahead to the fishery to report the incident. By the time Dalang hurried home in a panic, Zhou Erxiao was still halfway there.
“Fang’er, Fang’er, let Daddy see how badly you’re hurt.”
Trained in martial arts, Dalang was skilled in massage and healing. Hearing of his daughter’s injury, he rode home in a frenzy. Entering the courtyard, he dashed straight to the main room, only to find his wife and children playing happily. Lin Fang, though lying down, was teasing Lin Wu, who was extremely ticklish. Lin Wu held her little hands to her sides while guarding against their mother’s sneak attacks from behind. The three of them laughed and tussled together.
“Whew—” Seeing she was fine, Dalang relaxed, his face breaking into a smile as he approached the bed. He picked up his daughter and examined her carefully.
Lin Fang obediently let her father check her, reassuring him, “Daddy, Fang’er’s foot doesn’t hurt anymore. Don’t worry.”
“Hmm, just a slight sprain. Nothing serious. Fang’er, were you walking too much again?” Dalang sighed inwardly. Despite her young age, his daughter had always been strong-willed. Once she decided on something, she persisted relentlessly. Even when her feet blistered from walking, unlike other children who would cry, she remained determined, insisting she didn’t want to be a burden.
His heart ached as he reapplied the medicinal ointment. Cradling his daughter in his arms, he gently patted her back. *Ah, Fang’er, even if you were a burden, would your parents ever reject you? All three of you are the treasures of our hearts, no matter what.*
Lin Fang had been exhausted earlier, forcing herself to stay awake and play with her mother and brother just to wait for her father’s return and reassure him she was fine. Now, lulled by her father’s soothing pats, she quickly drifted off to sleep. Before slipping into dreams, she resolved to be more careful in the future, avoiding potential dangers.
In her past life, Lin Fang had been overly protected, leaving her naive. In this life, she was determined to learn self-preservation. Observing people’s expressions and deciphering their thoughts had already yielded some results.
Her mother had let Zhou Erxiao leave to spread the word, ensuring people knew their family wasn’t heartless—it was Li Cuilian who had crossed the line. Despite receiving much help from the Lin family, she showed no gratitude and even bullied a five-year-old child. Zhou Erxiao hadn’t witnessed the incident herself and would stammer when questioned. Everyone knew Zhou Erxiao couldn’t lie, and the ambiguity would fuel speculation.
After carrying his daughter back to her room and instructing Qian’er and Xian’er to watch over her, Dalang returned to the main room to ask his wife what had happened. Why had Li Cuilian hurt their daughter?
“Hmph, utterly ungrateful. Once she repays the goods’ cost, we’ll take back the shops. The two-year lease is up, and she’s only paid for one. To avoid further entanglement, we’ll waive the remaining year’s rent. That’s as far as your kindness extends, Cuimei.” Dalang was even harsher—this was a complete severance.
Li Cuihong and Yuan Li were at the original Lin family’s Cuiji Home-style Restaurant, brainstorming new dishes when they heard about Lin Fang’s injury and rushed over together.
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