Chapter Thirty-Five [V] Someone Proposes Marriage

Han Yue drove his mother-in-law to a nearby clinic to have her wounds bandaged, accompanied by two constables.

The old doctor at the clinic saw that the burns on her hands had blistered, and just looking at them made him feel extremely painful. He couldn't help but shake his head: "How did you get hurt like this... How did this happen?"

Yue was in so much pain that she was about to faint and had no strength to speak, so Li Jiaojiao answered for her: "My mother accidentally touched the fire tongs and burned her hand on the stove."

"Sigh." The old doctor sighed and shook his head. "How could you be so careless? How could you get burned like this by the hot tongs? If this wound isn't treated properly, this hand could be ruined."

Upon hearing how serious the situation was, Yue's tears, which she had just stopped, began to flow again.

Li Jiaojiao felt very sorry for her mother, and her eyes also reddened. She said, "Doctor, my mother can't lose her hand. You must cure her properly. No matter how much money it costs, we can afford it."

Li Shangping now panics at the mere mention of the word "money." Ever since moving to the city, everything has cost money. He's already exhausted every day, yet the money he earns is barely enough to cover his family's expenses.

If we add anything else, we won't have enough money.

He wanted to ask how much money it would cost, but seeing that his daughter and son-in-law were both there, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to ask.

Fortunately, the old doctor said it wouldn't cost much, and Li Shangping breathed a sigh of relief.

"Luckily, it was brought in in time and treated promptly. And since it's not hot today, it won't get inflamed or suppurate." He then carefully explained, "You need to take good care of this injury when you get home. At least for this winter, you can't go into the water or do any heavy work. It's best not to do any needlework either. Just take good care of it so that it can be fully healed by next spring."

Hearing that the baby could be cured, Yue felt a little happier.

After the old doctor wrote a prescription and filled the medicine, the group left.

Han Yue was unwilling to go to the county government office, so he said goodbye at the entrance of the clinic: "I have to go to the county school early tomorrow morning, so I won't accompany my father-in-law and mother-in-law."

Now, their scholar son-in-law was the pillar of their relationship; with him around, they felt more secure. Hearing that he wasn't going, they immediately panicked.

Madam Yue said, “Sanlang, you have to go. If you don’t go, how will your father and I deal with those demons? Second Mother has changed. She’s become a very ruthless and formidable character. She’s taken me to court now, and she definitely has many other tricks up her sleeve. If you don’t go, I’m afraid I won’t be able to leave the yamen today.”

Han Yue was also quite troubled at the moment. The recent troubles involving the Li family had left him physically and mentally exhausted.

Originally, after marrying Jiaojiao, he cherished her and was willing to help her family. But now, he increasingly felt that the Li family had too many problems, and if he continued to help them, he feared there would be countless troubles in the future.

Therefore, Han Yue's originally enthusiastic heart gradually cooled down.

He definitely wouldn't go to the yamen today. For someone of his status to get involved in such a case for no reason would damage his reputation.

Although the matter was indeed unrelated to him, once he went to court and got involved, things would become unclear in the future.

Therefore, Han Yue was adamant, saying, "It's not that I don't want to go, it's just that I really can't get away." He added, "Magistrate Hong is a good official, he will definitely enforce the law impartially and will not want to wrong any innocent person." After saying this, he suddenly realized that his mother-in-law was the one who committed the crime.

Han Yue found it laughable, a barely perceptible sneer flashing across his lips before he quickly suppressed it.

"I'm so sorry, your son-in-law apologizes to you both." After saying that, he looked at his wife beside him and reached out his hand to her, "Jiaojiao, let's go back first."

Li Jiaojiao was extremely anxious, but she could also tell that her husband was tired of things at home.

She longed to accompany her mother to the county government office, but she also felt a little flustered. She could sense that her husband didn't want her to go with him.

And that was the moment for her to make a decision.

The choice is between the mother and the husband.

Li Jiaojiao was in great pain; she didn't want to make a choice. But she had no choice but to. If she didn't make a choice, she feared her husband would just leave in a huff, just like he had done at her stepmother's house, abandoning her as well.

If I don't go with my mother, I can just try to please her more later. She won't really be angry with me, will she? But if I don't go home with my husband, and he gets angry, it will be difficult to get his help if my family needs it in the future.

So, after hesitating for a moment, Li Jiaojiao took the initiative to put her hand in Han Yue's hand this time, and said to her mother, "Mother, Father will go with you. I'll go home with my husband first. If anything happens, you can come to us anytime."

"Jiaojiao." Madam Yue was almost in tears.

Over there, the two yamen runners, seeing that they had been delayed for too long, urged, "The magistrate is still waiting in the courtroom, Li Yue Shi, come with me quickly."

Left with no other option, Yue had to go with the constables.

In fact, Li Shangping also had the idea of ​​backing out, but he was afraid of upsetting his stepdaughter, so he dared not say he wouldn't go.

Now, there's no hope for Erniang, and Zong'er is still young. The only person he can rely on is Da Niang.

"Don't worry, I will take good care of your mother." Li Shangping said nice things to his daughter and son-in-law.

After arriving at the courtroom, Yue knelt down and said, "This humble woman, Li Yue, greets Your Excellency, the County Magistrate."

As soon as Yue entered, Li Yan noticed the bandaged wound on her hand. She paid special attention and saw that it was on her left hand, right where the small red mole was. She thought to herself, "Oh no."

Li Yan had already guessed that Yue Shi must have found out the truth, so she took drastic measures against herself first and removed the mole.

It seems she was truly terrified; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so ruthless to herself.

However, even if she escapes this predicament by removing the mark, the fact that the mole was injured in the very spot would likely arouse suspicion in the magistrate's mind.

Magistrate Hong interrogated Yue, asking her why she was so late. Yue told the truth, saying that she had injured her hand and had gone to the clinic to have her wound bandaged.

Magistrate Hong looked at her hand again and saw that it was her left hand, so he frowned.

"The throne belongs to the Wei family," said the magistrate of Hong County.

When the magistrate of Hong County sent someone to summon Yue, he also sent someone to summon Wei.

At this moment, Madam Wei was waiting outside the courtroom.

Upon hearing the magistrate's summons, Madam Wei immediately bowed her head and entered the courtroom: "This humble woman greets Your Honor."

Magistrate Hong asked, "Look at the woman beside you. Is she the one who wore a cloak and instigated you to poison Li's drink that night?"

"Yes, sir." Madam Wei stood up and looked at Madam Yue beside her.

Feeling guilty, Yue was somewhat hesitant to face Wei. However, she feared that her lack of openness might arouse suspicion. So, after giving way slightly, she pretended to be calm and looked directly at Wei, who was scrutinizing her.

All of her subtle movements were observed by Magistrate Hong.

After staring at Yue for a while, Wei slowly said, "I think they look alike. Their height and build are about the same." She then looked at Yue and said, "Say a few words so I can hear your voice."

Yue spoke a few words in a high-pitched voice.

Wei said, "This voice doesn't quite sound like it..."

Hearing her say that, Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

Magistrate Hong gently tapped the gavel, indicating that he had asked Madam Yue a few questions, which Madam Yue answered one by one.

Then, Magistrate Hong looked at Madam Wei and asked, "Does the voice sound the same this time?"

Mrs. Wei nodded: "It's her! It's that voice."

Seeing this, Magistrate Hong slammed his gavel down loudly and angrily said, "Woman Yue, what else do you have to say? I advise you to confess the truth immediately. If there is even half a lie, I will punish you severely."

Yue was so frightened that her knees buckled and she immediately knelt down.

At this moment, Magistrate Hong said again, "If anyone dares to utter even the slightest lie before me, I will not let them off lightly."

Seeing this, Yue dared not deny it any longer, and cried, "I was wrong, please forgive me, sir. I was bewitched for a moment and did such a foolish thing. I have learned my lesson and will never dare to do it again."

Seeing that she had confessed, Magistrate Hong then asked, "Why did you want to harm Li?"

Not daring to conceal anything, Yue truthfully explained her relationship with Li Yan and the events at Xiaochun Academy.

To everyone's surprise, Magistrate Hong became even angrier after hearing this.

"For this reason alone, you actually dared to poison other people's food? I thought there was some deep-seated grudge!" Magistrate Hong said sternly, his anger evident.

Madam Yue was terrified, completely disregarding her injured hand. She kept kowtowing to Magistrate Hong, saying, "I know I was wrong, please forgive me, Your Honor. I will never dare to do it again, please be lenient." She then knelt down and kowtowed to Li Yan, "Second Aunt, for the sake of your father and your brother Zong'er, please forgive your aunt this time. Look at me..." She held out her tightly bandaged injured hand to Li Yan, "Second Aunt, you see, I have suffered greatly because of this, I really know I was wrong."

Li Yan stepped aside to avoid making her kneel before her.

"Now that the case has been solved, the magistrate will uphold justice. What I wanted was the truth. Now that the truth is out, my reputation and standing are safe. I am not a heartless person."

Li Yan knew the principle of not "driving a dog into a dead end" and that one should always leave room for maneuver and not push people into a corner.

Therefore, as long as she confessed, she protected the customers and reputation she had worked so hard to build, and she didn't care about anything else.

Oh no, she paid for the diners' medical expenses first, and she also had to compensate her for the milk that was thrown away that day.

So Li Yan said again, "My lord, what I want is the truth. Now that we know who harmed me, I am willing to show leniency and spare her from imprisonment because she is my stepmother. However, I have lost a lot of money because of this, and she must compensate me for it."

In truth, Li Yan was thinking that those people just had stomach problems; with some medicine and a few days of rest, they would be fully recovered. She had also confessed in court and her attitude was sincere. Therefore, she figured she probably wouldn't end up in jail.

Since that's the case, she might as well be more generous and say these kind words.

I don't expect her or the people behind her to be grateful to me, but at least they should try to avoid causing me trouble in the future.

Li Yan didn't want to fight with anyone; she just wanted to run her business well and live her life peacefully.

Finally, Magistrate Hong ordered Yue to pay Li Yanwen a total of six taels and two mace of silver. He added that, considering she had already suffered physical pain and the plaintiff was not pursuing the matter further, she was exempted from the caning. Magistrate Hong ordered her to go home and reflect on her actions, and the case was closed.

As for the Wei family... the two taels of silver they received for nothing had to be confiscated. Furthermore, the stall they had rented from the yamen was also taken back by the yamen ahead of schedule.

After leaving the county government office, Li Yan headed towards the stalls on West Fu Street. Seeing her mother-in-law still busy, Li Yan smiled and walked over.

When her neighbors and customers who came to buy milk tea saw her, they all asked her about the case.

After Li Yan truthfully recounted the details, she said, "The magistrate of Hong County ordered Yue to compensate me with six taels and two mace. After deducting the medical expenses from that day, I still have about three taels left." Li Yan did not intend to keep all of this silver. Those diners who got sick from the food had indeed suffered, and it was not enough to just compensate them for their medical expenses. She had to buy something else and visit them.

The next morning, Li Yan went out to shop.

About twenty people got food poisoning, and she bought more than twenty servings of pastries. Afterward, she took the pastries and delivered them to the customers who lived nearby. In the following days, she made time to deliver the rest one by one.

It was soon mid-month, and the weather was getting colder and colder. Especially after the rain these past two days, as the saying goes, "one autumn rain brings one chill," and the weather became even colder after the rain.

Especially in the early morning, the roadside weeds are covered with a layer of frost.

Winter is just around the corner.

Because of the rain these past two days, Li Yan hasn't been able to go out to her stall. It's perfect timing; she can stay home and help Aunt Xue, the two of them mending down quilts together.

Aunt Xue became happier and happier as she sewed the quilt, because it felt so soft to the touch, even softer and warmer than cotton quilts.

"We won't have to worry about this winter. The two children will definitely not get cold when they sleep under these blankets at night."

After collecting enough duck down to make a quilt, Li Yan continued to collect more. She thought that while she had the quilt, she still needed to make warm winter clothes.

A light rain was still falling outside, while the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law sat side by side by the window, chatting as they worked.

Aunt Xue mentioned some things about her youngest son in the past. Now, she has gradually come to accept the fact that her youngest son also died on the battlefield.

Fortunately, the eldest son left behind an heir, so the Xue family line wouldn't die out.

Now, Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er are her only support. As long as the two siblings can grow up well, Aunt Xue has no complaints.

However, her daughter-in-law's future became a source of worry for her.

The youngest daughter-in-law is not only good at earning money, but she is also becoming more and more beautiful.

A couple of days ago, a neighbor came over to inquire about the situation. They asked about the family and Yan Niang's circumstances, implying that they wanted to arrange a marriage for Yan Niang.

But her daughter-in-law was decisive; she made all the decisions in the family, big and small, especially regarding her own marriage. She didn't dare to agree easily or make any promises, so she could only say that she would ask Yan Niang later to see what she thought.

At this opportune moment, Aunt Xue brought it up: "Before, I wanted to marry you to bring good luck to Erlang. But Erlang still passed away. You are our Xue family's daughter-in-law, but you've never even met Erlang. You're still young, and I can't keep you tied down in the Xue family for the rest of your life. Yanniang, to be honest, someone wants to arrange a marriage for you. Do you have any thoughts about it?"

Li Yan wasn't surprised, because her neighbor, Aunt Hua, had also hinted at it in her words.

However, since they didn't say it explicitly, she pretended not to understand.

But now that Aunt Xue had brought it up, Li Yan didn't shy away from it, and just smiled and said, "Let's see how things go. I won't force it, nor will I avoid it."

She's not really interested in dating right now, but she doesn't rule out the possibility of meeting someone in the future.

She'll leave it to fate. If she meets someone like that in the future, she feels she can try getting to know them. If not, she won't enter into marriage just for the sake of marriage.

She can accept living life with someone, or she can accept living happily and freely on her own.

Seeing that she was quite enthusiastic about the matter, Aunt Xue was somewhat surprised. However, she still said, "If you're interested, I'll talk to your Aunt Hua and ask her to keep an eye out for you."

Li Yan shook her head and said, "I mean, if I really meet a good match in the future, I wouldn't rule out marriage. But for now, I don't have that in mind." After all, this body's current identity is that of a widow, and there's no requirement to get married just because she's reached a certain age.

She heard that in this era, men and women who reach a certain age and do not get married are fined, and the fines are quite substantial.

In this light, her current status as a widow is actually quite good.

Before Aunt Xue could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door.

"I'll go open the door." Li Yan put down what she was holding and nimbly headed for the door.

It was much colder outside than inside, and Li Yan, who had plunged into the cold wind, couldn't help but hug her arms tightly.

Outside the door stood a young woman, quite attractive. Her hair was styled in a bun, and her clothes were brightly colored, indicating she came from a wealthy family.

"Who are you looking for?" Li Yan asked.

The girl looked at Li Yan and said, "I'm looking for you."

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Author's Note: Today's update~~~

The plot is unfolding!

Their relationship is progressing quickly~