The old lady shook her head. "No, there have been so many people these past few days, I don't know why. And some people even come specifically to eat, ordering food every day and asking your fourth sister-in-law to cook, it's such a hassle. But it's good this way, when your fourth sister-in-law is busy, she doesn't worry about her fourth brother as much, and she falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow every night."
Hui Niang smiled gently and replied, "It's so good that you have a skill to rely on and can support yourself."
The old lady, fearing that she would wallow in self-pity, said, "You have a skill too. Your embroidery is exceptionally good. Once you've recovered, I'll go with you to the city to find an embroidery shop and get some work. Whether you make money or not isn't important; it'll just help you pass the time and prevent you from overthinking all day."
Hui Niang had this idea, and when she heard the old lady say it, she shook the old lady's hand and thanked her.
"Thank you, Auntie, for thinking so much for me."
The old lady patted her hand and laughed, "Don't think so highly of your aunt. I have my own selfish reasons too. I heard from Young Master Yan... no, from Li Yong, that you come from a respectable family? I was thinking that once you've recovered, you could teach our Fu Niu sometime, whether it's reading and writing, embroidery, or some etiquette. In short, help me take care of this child. It doesn't matter if we're family members, but this girl has the Marquis as her godfather, so we can't let anyone look down on her or make fun of her!"
"Don't worry, Auntie, this is easy. I will definitely teach Niu Niu everything I know."
Hui Niang readily agreed. She was extremely grateful to the Li family for taking her in, and she especially loved Fu Niu's cuteness and intelligence.
Even if we take a step back and say that she now relies on the Li family for her livelihood, she would have more confidence if she became Fu Niu's tutor.
At this point, Old Lady Li asked a few more questions, "Hui Niang, you were at the mine taking care of your father. Now that you're here, what will happen to him? And should we send a message to your family?"
Hui Niang smiled bitterly, "Auntie, my father's health was already poor. Even though I stayed by his side to take care of him, he was still a convict, and life was never as easy as it used to be. Last winter, when it was cold, my father's condition worsened, and he gradually became unwell."
“At that time, I had just made up my mind with my husband. He kept helping to find doctors to treat me, but they all said to prepare for my funeral. That’s when my husband asked my father for my hand in marriage, and my father agreed. We got married a few days later, and he passed away.”
The old lady was stunned. She had thought that Hui Niang and her husband were having an affair in secret, but now it seemed that it was perfectly legitimate, since they had Hui Niang's father's permission and had not broken any rules.
Jiayin was also engrossed in listening, and lay on her grandmother's lap, grabbing a handful of beans to play with.
Hui Niang saw the old lady's expression and sighed softly.
"As for my maternal family, as soon as my father had his accident, my mother took my two younger brothers back to my maternal grandparents' house. They've never sent anyone to visit or given us a single penny. So... I don't want to keep in touch with them!"
The old lady nodded. "Your mother is indeed too heartless and ungrateful. Even if she's angry that your father made a mistake and dragged the whole family down, you're still her own daughter, aren't you? Why isn't she worried about whether you'll be bullied in the mine?"
Hui Niang hesitated for a moment, then added, "My birth mother was my father's first wife, and my current mother is his second wife."
"No wonder!" The old lady grinned, her sympathy growing stronger. "You've really had a hard life, child!"
Hui Niang's eyes reddened, but she still smiled and said, "Auntie, I'm not suffering. On the contrary, I feel I'm very lucky to have married such a good husband. Although he acts impulsively and sometimes acts like a child, he's completely devoted to me. I'll wait patiently for him to come back!"
"Ah, that's right! You're such a smart girl, your aunt likes it, that's how it should be! We should always look on the bright side!"
Seeing that the old lady was happy, Hui Niang brought up another matter, "Auntie, are there any widowed or elderly women living alone in the village? I'm thinking of... moving out. Auntie has many children at home and is already very tired. If I stay here, I'll be adding to your and your sister-in-law's workload, and I feel bad about it."
Grandma Li didn't realize what was happening and was still trying to keep the person there.
Just then, Li Lao Er came in from outside and said loudly in the main room, "Mother, things are very busy in the valley. Fourth Sister-in-law said she can't come back, so she asked Mother to cook something simple for lunch."
"Okay, I understand!" Old Mrs. Li replied, and Li Lao Er immediately turned and left.
Old Mrs. Li looked at her son's back through the crack in the window and suddenly understood.
Hui Niang is trying to avoid suspicion!
Thinking about it carefully, the second son just lost his wife, and the eldest son should be back in two or three months.
It's really inconvenient for Hui Niang to live here and come and go as she pleases.
It's not good that everyone in the village knows it and no one gossips about it.
"Auntie understands, Huiniang. Don't worry, Auntie will find you a good place to stay in the next few days. Just take good care of yourself and don't think too much."
"Okay, Auntie." Hui Niang felt relieved and smiled even more gently.
Jiayin really liked this master, and started thinking about it while resting her head on her grandmother's lap.
Actually, Mrs. Cui's house next door has many rooms, so it would be best to stay in one of them.
But Madam Cui is usually not around, and Hui Niang is pregnant. If she were to get hurt or suffer any mishap, there would be no one by her side, and I would always be worried.
It was even worse with her godfather; he would attract even more gossip than with her own family.
After thinking it over, she actually came up with a good place: the village chief's house.
The village chief's house has three rooms; the elderly couple lives in one end, and the other is vacant.
Hui Niang moved in and spent her days keeping the old couple company. Even Doctor Zhang lived in the next courtyard, just a wall away. She felt incredibly safe.
While Hui Niang went to get a drink of water, she quickly whispered something in her grandmother's ear.
The old lady's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she tapped her granddaughter's forehead, saying, "You've really grown up to be so clever."
After dinner, the old lady went out for a stroll and ended up at the village chief's house. She chatted with the village chief's wife for a few minutes and returned with a beaming smile.
Jiayin could tell from the look of it that the matter had been settled, so she felt at ease and went to play in the west room with her brothers.
School has already started. The rascals had been playing wildly for almost a month during the Lunar New Year holiday, and as a result, most of them failed the first day's quiz.
So now, sitting at the kang table, being punished by writing large characters and reciting texts, each of them had a bitter face, scratching their ears and cheeks, like monkeys that had been tied up.
Jiayin held a fruit and munched on it, looking around and making a fuss, which made her brothers squeal and yell even more.
Tao Hongying finally heard the commotion and came over, rescuing her son and nephews. She picked up her daughter and playfully slapped her, saying, "What are you doing, disturbing your brothers' studies!"
Jiayin grinned, hugged her mother's neck, and made faces at her brothers, which annoyed the boys so much that they wanted to make a few faces back. As a result, they accidentally wrote big characters with their pens and had to rewrite the whole thing!
Tao Hongying carried her daughter into the east room, while Huiniang took out embroidery thread and teased Jiayin, teaching her how to tie knots.
Tao Hongying tore off a piece of soft cotton cloth and, with the help of the old lady, cut out several sets of clothes for the baby in Hui Niang's belly.
I estimate the baby will be born around September, when it will be a little chilly. I made clothes out of fine cotton cloth, which will be just right to wear indoors.
As she busied herself, she complained to her mother-in-law, "Mother, the valley is becoming more and more like a tavern. Lately, the customers seem to be coming for the food, not for the hot springs!"
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