Why not marry her?

Zhang Chunfeng couldn't understand it. No matter what, she was far away in the capital at the time. How could her brother's death be so directly related to her? The usually extremely intelligent woman suddenly couldn't figure it out.

The resentment in Lee Soo-man's eyes was so clear. For the first time in her life, Zhang Chunfeng felt afraid. She was afraid that after learning the truth, she would never be able to be with Lee Soo-man again.

She didn't ask, so Lee Soo-man didn't say anything either.

After Zhang Chuntian was buried, the monks would hold a 49-day Buddhist ceremony. During this time, Zhang Chunfeng would be busy repairing the house, sending people to keep an eye on where Li's coffin was, and meeting with the local officials, as well as those who had been kind to him, such as Teacher Li from Li's School and Zhou Zhengdu's parents.

Today she used the money to build her own house, tomorrow she will donate a large sum of money to the Li family school, and the day after tomorrow she will be inspecting Ancheng and participating in the development of her hometown.

The money involved was far more than the monthly allowance she received; it also involved various social interactions and clandestine dealings.

Taking advantage of the free time, Li Xiuman went to clean her mother Shen's grave. Zhang Chunfeng wanted to go with her, but Li Xiuman declined due to her status.

Previously, when he was in Lijia Village, he only came once every two or three months. In Jiangnan, there is a lot of rain and the vegetation is lush. Within two or three months, Shen's grave would be overgrown with weeds. Now that he is in Zhangjia Village, he has free time and comes to sweep the grave every ten days or half a month.

After sweeping the grave that day, he remembered his ancestral home and made a detour to visit it.

Before he even reached home, he saw Aunt Liu sweeping in the yard. Three years had passed, and Aunt Liu had aged considerably. Looking at her white hair, Li Xiuman suddenly realized that his previous belief that older people didn't show signs of aging was now completely overturned. Age was kindest to the young, but cruelest to the elderly; three or five years felt like a thousand cold knives scraping at the old.

Li Xiuman hurried over and snatched the broom from Aunt Liu's hand. "Auntie, why are you back? I haven't seen you in so long."

Aunt Liu's health had been slightly declining for the past three years. After he and Zhang Chunfeng returned to their parents' home, Aunt Liu often stayed at her daughter's house. Later, her son in the city learned that his mother was unwell and, disregarding Aunt Liu's wishes, insisted on taking her to live in the city. After that, Li Xiuman rarely saw her.

Aunt Liu was also delighted to see Li Xiuman.

“Man’er, it has been a long time since we last met. Don’t even mention it. I really don’t want to live in the city. The house I bought is so small. It’s not as comfortable as this courtyard in the village. I’ve been feeling much better these past few days, so I came back to stay at home for a while. I like peace and quiet.”

Li Xiuman bent down to sweep the floor. Aunt Liu went to make tea and told Li Xiuman to stop sweeping. Li Xiuman insisted on finishing sweeping the floor before sitting down with Aunt Liu.

"Man'er, why are you all alone? Where is your husband, Zhang Chunfeng?" Aunt Liu asked with a smile.

Li Xiuman's heart skipped a beat as she recalled the time when Li Xiuman accompanied him on his homecoming visit.

Aunt Liu didn't notice Li Xiuman's strange behavior and affectionately took Li Xiuman's hand. "I've heard that Zhang Chunfeng is now the Grand Secretary. I don't know how much the Grand Secretary's salary is a year, but Man'er, you've finally made it through your hard times. When you go to the capital with Chunfeng, you won't have to live such a hard life anymore."

Aunt Liu treated Li Xiuman almost like a son, her words filled with a mother's love. Li Xiuman didn't treat Aunt Liu like an outsider either. Since Shen's death, he clearly felt that having a mother who didn't love him was a completely different thing from not having a mother at all. Although Shen sometimes didn't love him, at least his mother was still there, and the two of them could sometimes have a few heart-to-heart talks, and when something happened, someone would always make a decision. With his mother dead, that possibility was gone forever.

Sometimes, in the dead of night, Li Xiuman would wake up crying in the middle of the night, thinking of her mother. Now, Aunt Liu's words were just like her mother's. Looking at Aunt Liu's white hair, which she couldn't hide, Li Xiuman's heart stirred, and she blurted out everything she had kept to herself in front of Aunt Liu.

“Auntie, I lied to you back then. Chunfeng is not my husband. I married the eldest son of the Zhang family, Zhang Chuntian.”

Aunt Liu tightened her grip on Li Xiuman's hand. "Zhang Chuntian? Isn't that the fool... no, he's a man, Man'er, you..."

Lee Soo-man smiled and said, "Auntie, there's no need to get agitated. Although Chun-chun is simple-minded, he's still a child at heart. Although I'm his male wife, something still happened between us, so I'm not aggrieved."

Aunt Liu's pale face flushed red with a sudden surge of anger.

"Pah! That Li woman is truly disgusting! If she's Zhang Chuntian, why did she ask for Zhang Chunfeng in the first place? Isn't that a lie? She bought you as a male wife for twenty copper coins! Even if nothing happened, how will you ever get married in the future?" As Aunt Liu spoke, she seemed to understand something, and immediately slapped her knee hard. "That wicked woman Li, how cunning! She made you spend your whole life taking care of a fool for twenty copper coins!"

Li Xiuman was afraid that her aunt would get upset and harm her health, so she quickly brought over some tea. "Aunt, don't be angry, and don't say such things. Whether it's Li Shi or Chuntian, they are both dead now. Let the dead rest in peace. Why bother with such things?"

Aunt Liu was shocked again, "Both of them are dead?"

When asked about his painful past, Lee Soo-man only briefly mentioned that both of them had died.

To everyone's surprise, Aunt Liu clapped her hands and cheered, "Good riddance! This vicious woman left you alone to take care of the mentally challenged child while she went to the capital with her daughter to enjoy a life of luxury! She was truly the epitome of selfishness."

Li Xiuman was stunned. Just as he was about to defend himself, Aunt Liu clapped her hands and rebuked him.

“Man’er, don’t rush to say it! Death is death, what can’t be said? My old man has been dead for hundreds of years. When you reach my age, you’ll know that dying young doesn’t necessarily mean suffering, maybe it means enjoying happiness. Take Zhang Chuntian for example, living like a fool and being laughed at. It would be better if he died early and was reincarnated. You should be happy for him and happy for yourself. Why do you look so gloomy?”

Aunt Liu was still not satisfied after saying that, so she slapped Li Xiuman's knee hard again.

"This is truly disgusting! To actually marry you off to Zhang Chuntian! Man'er, have you ever thought about what your plans will be afterward?"

Lee Soo-man was stumped by the question. He had been so busy with funeral arrangements these past few days that he hadn't really thought about it.

“I found a child and have been raising him for a year. From now on, I will live with the child on my own.”

"Still here? Still living such a miserable life? Do you think Chunfeng will agree to this? You are her sister-in-law, and she should have no relatives now. As the current prime minister, how can you leave your widowed sister-in-law in a remote and impoverished place? What will outsiders think of her?" After all, Aunt Liu had been a matchmaker for many years, and she could clearly calculate the gains and losses of all parties involved.

Lee Soo-man choked again. In fact, he knew that Zhang Chunfeng would probably take him to the capital when he returned. But what identity would he have in the capital?

"I... I don't really want to go to the capital." Lee Soo-man hesitated, unable to explain why he didn't want to go. Was it because he was afraid? He had never been to such a bustling place before. Or was it because he felt his status was improper? After all, it was under the emperor's nose, and if people found out that he and his sister-in-law were having an affair, his life would be in danger.

Aunt Liu sighed, "I'm not asking about that. I'm asking how you can live the rest of your life alone. Let me tell you frankly, you're thirty now. You can only raise your child to seven or eight years old before you need to watch over him every day. The nights ahead will be very long! You really can't endure it alone. You should find someone else to marry."

Remarry? Li Xiuman shook his head without even thinking. If Zhang Chunfeng knew he had such thoughts, wouldn't he go crazy?

“I have never thought about this, and I would never do it.”

Aunt Liu was about to offer further advice when she suddenly noticed a faint red mark on Li Xiuman's neck, hidden under her collar. It looked like a mosquito bite, or perhaps she had scratched herself, but it also looked like...

Aunt Liu was extremely knowledgeable about matters between men and women, and she immediately began to ponder in her mind who had left this mark on Li Xiuman.

"You won't remarry, is it for Chunfeng?" she asked tentatively.

Lee Soo-man's heart skipped a beat, and he dared not respond.

Aunt Liu immediately beamed with joy, "Silly child, I really thought you were stupid. Now look what's happened! No one is as good as Zhang Chunfeng. I could tell when you two went back to your parents' home together that she had feelings for you, and you had feelings for her too. Since you've already done it, you might as well marry her!"

Li Xiuman was stunned again; he truly hadn't expected his aunt to say such a thing.

"Auntie, what are you saying? I... I'm her sister-in-law. How could I, as her sister-in-law, marry her?"

Aunt Liu scoffed, "Man'er, what kind of sister-in-law are you! That idiot is dead, are you going to stay with him for the rest of your life? You were never touched by him, so there's no question of you being chaste. Now that he's dead, you're no longer his wife. If you can remarry, why can't you remarry Zhang Chunfeng?"

Li Xiuman turned slightly pale from Liu's words.

Aunt Liu was always gentle. In the past, when he was insulted by Madam Shen, Aunt Liu would always comfort him in a soft voice. I never expected her to say such things today.

"Auntie, I... I can't. Spring died to save me."

"How can you think like that? Li abandoned him for three years, and you've been taking care of him the whole time. If you hadn't taken care of him, he would have died long ago. What do you owe him? Even if you do, you can pay him back in the next life. Who would really use their whole life's good fortune to compensate a mentally challenged child?" Aunt Liu was still not satisfied after saying that.

“Man’er, you are truly honest, but sometimes your aunt doesn’t like this honesty. People live their lives to make a living for themselves, but you never think about yourself! When your mother was dying, she asked you to go find her own son, Yaozu, and you actually went! Didn’t you ever think about how you were the one by her side when she was seriously ill? Your mother was ungrateful and didn’t appreciate your kindness at all, insisting on finding that beast Yaozu! If I were you, I would never have gone, or at least I would have gone through the motions. Unlike you, who actually gave that beast your money and begged him to meet with Shen Shi! If you hadn’t given your money to Yaozu, how could you not have the money to bury Shen Shi?”

“You didn’t have money to bury your mother. Your aunt told you that I would help you raise the money, but you insisted on taking on the burden yourself and even found a matchmaker to sell yourself! You’ve sacrificed your entire life to become a male wife for twenty taels of silver. How will you ever get married in the future?”

"You finally got together with Zhang Chunfeng. Not only are you mutually in love, but she can also guarantee you a worry-free life. How could you give up such a wonderful future and choose to be a widow for a fool!"

Aunt Liu sighed more and more as she spoke, and she even unconsciously patted Li Xiuman on the shoulder.

“Man’er, Man’er, when will you ever think about yourself? You lost your father when you were little, and your mother doesn’t love you when you grow up. You’ve lived a life of bitterness and depression, never enjoying any happiness. Why do you have to suffer like this? Why not learn from Li Shi? Even if you enjoyed three years of happiness, that was still happiness.”

Li Xiuman was so struck by these words that he bent over. At first, he tried to defend himself, trying to explain that Shen was actually his biological mother, and that he couldn't refuse her request. He tried to explain that neither Zhang Chuntian nor Li had treated him badly, and that he had betrayed Zhang Chuntian first. He tried to explain that Zhang Chuntian died for him, and that her death was truly tragic, so much so that he couldn't sleep all night just thinking about it.

Any attempts to defend themselves were refuted one by one by Aunt Liu's words.

He was like a demon in a storyteller's tale, stripped back to his original form, his innermost feelings pierced by Aunt Liu's words.

He didn't know what to do either.

Aunt Liu is right. Why give up a promising future to wait for spring?

"I... I didn't wait for spring," Li Xiuman stubbornly defended himself. In the past few days, every night, Zhang Chunfeng stopped forcing him and just rubbed against him like a kitten, whispering in Li Xiuman's ear, "Sister-in-law, I feel bad, I feel so bad." If Li Xiuman pretended not to pay attention, Zhang Chunfeng would start to talk about her life alone in the palace with teary eyes.

She recounted how she went to court before dawn and didn't return home until dark. This woman, who loved to sleep in, slept for less than four hours at a time after receiving her official position. She also described how she walked on thin ice, constantly on edge, in court. Furthermore, she said she slept alone, ate alone, and sat alone by her books all day long, enduring the cold wind and rain.

On that day, Li Xiuman finally undressed himself, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, and lay down on Zhang Chunfeng's chopping board, letting himself be butchered and dismembered.

This trick always worked. When Li Xiuman was really uncomfortable, seeing Zhang Chunfeng's teary eyes, he closed his eyes and opened his mouth several times, letting Zhang Chunfeng put it on his tongue.

He felt conflicted, thinking he shouldn't have acted this way with Zhang Chunfeng and that he had let her down. But seeing Zhang Chunfeng's tears, he also felt guilty towards her, for he had promised to be with her, yet he had left her so pitiful and helpless.

Just as Aunt Liu said, he clearly did his best in everything, to satisfy both his mother and Li Shi, but in the end, no one was satisfied with him despite his suffering.

The mother's own son never visited her, which made Li hate him. Zhang Chuntian lost his life because of her, and Zhang Chunfeng lived a lonely life.

Lee Soo-man truly had no idea where the problem lay.

Aunt Liu smiled slightly upon hearing this, "Man'er, what I'm saying is right. You can marry Zhang Chunfeng and go to the capital with her."

Lee Soo-man fell silent again. Although Aunt Liu's words were absolutely correct, Lee Soo-man still felt something was amiss.

"I... I am, after all, her sister-in-law. If the world knew, I'm afraid..."

Aunt Liu shook her head. "The capital is far away. Besides, Chunfeng is so clever, she should be able to find a way. As long as you're willing, it's not a problem."

Lee Soo-man remained silent, a sense of melancholy still lingering in his heart.

Aunt Liu didn't ask any more questions. She kept Li Xiuman with her, and the two of them killed a chicken and cooked a meal together. Aunt Liu then asked Li Xiuman about finding the child, and only then did Li Xiuman leave.

At the end of this month, Li's coffin finally returned home.