Discovering her sister-in-law's wishful thinking
"No, absolutely no!" Back in her own courtyard, An Hongdou pulled Wu Linglong aside to vent her emotions.
“Red Bean, it seems you’re not really stupid after all!” Wu Linglong said, looking at Red Bean, whose attitude was quite clear.
"Linglong, you're only a little over a month older than me, or forty-five days to be precise. Don't underestimate me," An Hongdou said, dissatisfied.
“Hongdou, although you are the eldest daughter in the family, you are indeed lacking in social skills. I always want to protect you more.” Wu Linglong explained, “You saw it today too. Our stepmother-in-law is indeed a troublemaker. Even the two daughters she brought into the family have their own thoughts.”
Their methods weren't particularly sophisticated, but relationships are fickle and people's hearts are unpredictable. If An Hongdou and Wu Linglong truly harbored some competitive thoughts, it would be difficult for them not to clash over time, especially with the instigation of those with ulterior motives.
“But they don’t know that our relationship started back in our grandfather’s generation!” An Hongdou said.
Grandpa An was a clerk in the yamen (government office), an unofficial position, but he was the official's personal assistant and highly trusted. Grandpa Wu was a constable in the yamen. The two initially met through work and later became friends due to shared interests.
An's father and Wu's father were classmates at the academy and friends for many years. Both were equally talented, but An's father was slightly less fortunate, failing the exams several times and only managing to become a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations). On his teacher's recommendation, he returned to the academy as a tutor. Wu's father, on the other hand, barely passed the provincial examinations, becoming a Juren (a scholar who passed the second level of the imperial examinations). Knowing he could not improve further and recognizing that without powerful connections, he would find it difficult to achieve success in officialdom, he decided to return home after several years of wandering and join his friend, working alongside An's father at the academy.
The two mothers became close friends. When they were pregnant with their twins, they were both enamored with the works of the talented poet Wen Tingyun, particularly the line, "The exquisite dice are inlaid with red beans; do you know the longing that pierces to the bone?" This line impressed them greatly, and they even co-wrote a short love story, which they sold to storytellers and received some positive reviews. Seeing this, An's mother seized the opportunity to have her family launch a product named "Longing," making a quick profit. Because of this experience, their mothers arranged for them to become sworn siblings at birth, and their names were also taken from the same line of poetry.
However, these past events were unknown to outsiders, and the Li sisters misjudged the relationship between the two, stirring up trouble in vain.
"However, Chen Zaoting's last move was quite vicious. If those two troublemaking sisters were to marry into our family, we'd probably never have a peaceful day again," Wu Linglong sighed.
“No, we need to discuss this with our families before we go back to our parents’ home tomorrow,” An Hongdou reminded them.
"Don't worry, we should choose a virtuous wife. Our fathers are good at finding wives for themselves, and they won't lose their minds over their sons," Wu Linglong reassured her. "Besides, I'm not sure about Li Lai'er, and I think Li Pan'er is ambitious. She might not be willing to marry into our family."
As the two were talking, Li Zeli knocked on the door.
"My wife, my second sister-in-law, my eldest sister has something she wants to say to you before she leaves. Is now a convenient time?"
“It’s convenient, please let my elder sister in,” An Hongdou replied.
Li Zehan was ten years old when her biological mother, Cheng Le, passed away. Perhaps foreseeing the difficulties her daughter would face after her stepmother's marriage, she arranged a good marriage for her daughter before her death.
Nowadays, people value the social hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, but personal feelings are more important than appearances when it comes to living a good life. Cheng Le chose a family of winemakers in the city for Li Zehan, one of the wealthiest families in the area.
Although it was a marriage downgrade, her mother-in-law was not one to meddle in other people's affairs. Not long after Li Zehan entered the family, she gave birth to a son, and life was harmonious.
"Second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, I'm sorry to bother you." Li Zehan was very approachable and friendly.
"I heard that my eldest sister is leaving. Since she's rarely home, why not stay a few more days?" An Hongdou said in a friendly greeting.
"No, I'm relieved to see that you're not being manipulated. After all, I'm a married woman, and staying any longer would only invite gossip." Li Zehan sighed helplessly.
“Don’t think like that. Even if you get married, we’ll still consider you our sister. This will always be your home, and you’re welcome to come back anytime. If you’re unhappy in your husband’s family, we’ll definitely support you,” Wu Linglong added.
Li Zehan came home to support the two of them, and the two of them understood this.
Li Zehan smiled with satisfaction: "My two younger brothers are so lucky to have married such sensible brides like you. Their future will surely be prosperous. It's a pity that among the four of us, our youngest sister Zeying is still unmarried."
Upon hearing this, An Hongdou understood that Li Zeying was probably the purpose of her elder sister's conversation.
Li Zehan continued, "I was fourteen when my stepmother came into the family. She tried to control me but had no reason to. I was worried about my younger brother and sister, so I waited until I was seventeen to get married. At that time, Zeren was sixteen and Zeli was fourteen, and my stepmother no longer dared to treat them harshly. It's just a pity that my little sister was only eleven, and she was inferior to Li Pan'er and Li Lai'er in everything. If she had suffered some grievances at home, it would have been fine, but my grandmother was old and powerless, and my father didn't care about family affairs. I'm afraid that my stepmother will decide my little sister's marriage for the rest of her life."
An Hongdou and the other girl understood that Li Zehan had come to entrust his younger sister to someone else.
The world today is harsh on women. Men have countless paths to success, but women's future is limited to marriage.
“Even if my elder sister doesn’t speak up, if my mother-in-law really goes too far, we, as women, will not stand idly by,” An Hongdou promised.
Li Zehan nodded and handed over two gold bracelets, saying they were a gift for meeting.
As the group was pushing and pulling, Li Zeli knocked on the door again, "Big sister, the car is ready, I'm waiting for you at the door."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Zehan threw down the bracelet and ran towards the door, saying, "I'm leaving now, Zeli, let's go together."
An Hongdou looked at Wu Linglong, who nodded and said, "Since it's from your kind heart, let's accept it. We can return the favor when your family has a happy occasion in the future."
An Hongdou took a bite and exclaimed, "Exquisite! It looks like pure gold. Big sister is truly wealthy!"
Looking at the beaming Hongdou, Wu Linglong rolled her eyes: "You spineless coward, giving gold and silver in this situation is worse than not giving anything at all."
An Hongdou chuckled, "You know, my family values simplicity and elegance. Our jewelry is mostly silver and silk flowers, and even the gold pieces are small and exquisite. But I'm a common person, and I just like this big gold bracelet; it's so practical."
Wu Linglong agreed, saying, "Scholars all like to indulge in refined pursuits, and I'm even more proud of this real money."
Li Zeli went to see his elder sister off, while Li Zeren busied himself with preparations for his homecoming the next day. The two of them decided to go and get acquainted with Li Zeying.
They didn't encounter any servants from the Li family when they went out, and Qiuyu and Dongxue were busy packing their dowries. After asking for directions, they set off together.
This year, Li Pan'er is fifteen, Li Lai'er is fourteen, and Li Zeying is thirteen. They are all of marriageable age.
The three lived in the same courtyard. When An Hongdou and Wu Linglong arrived, they were hesitating about which door to knock on when they suddenly heard the Li sisters talking.
The two, as if on the same wavelength, tiptoed and crouched under the window to eavesdrop.
"Sister, do you think Mother would really let us marry into two poor schoolteacher families?" Li Lai'er asked anxiously. "I know she's always favored my brother, but wouldn't our marriages also be a boost for him in the future?"
"Why are you panicking? I'm afraid that even if you want to marry into the family, your second and third sisters-in-law won't agree," Li Pan'er comforted her.
“Look how well Li Zehan married. Every time she comes back, she’s adorned with gold and silver, and she casually slips silver notes to her second and third brothers,” Li Lai’er said enviously.
“Second sister-in-law and third sister-in-law’s homes may not be bad places. I see that the two sisters-in-law are confident and composed, which shows that the atmosphere at home is good. If their husbands are successful, they can live a decent life.” Li Pan’er’s voice came.
“I don’t care. I want to marry someone better than Li Zehan, so that those sisters will have to fawn over me for the rest of their lives,” Li Lai’er said.
"By the way, sister. Does Mother really want to marry Li Zeying to our brother?" Li Lai'er suddenly asked.
“That’s what Mother said. But Tianci is only ten years old this year, so I’m afraid my second and third brothers won’t agree,” Li Pan’er replied.
"Marriage is a major event that parents should decide, and it's not up to my second and third brothers to decide. I think it's a good idea to marry Li Zeying off to the family. That way, the Li family will belong to our younger brother Tianci and Zexin." Li Lai'er's tone was full of schadenfreude: "It'll be a good opportunity for Li Zeying to experience the kind of life we used to live."
Li Pan'er sighed, and then the conversation inside the room ceased.
An Hongdou tugged at Wu Linglong's sleeve, and the two of them crouched down and took a few steps before running back to their residence in a flash.
"Pah, that Li Lai'er is really no good," Wu Linglong couldn't help but curse.
“Yes, it’s a good thing we went today, otherwise we wouldn’t have known what they were up to,” An Hongdou agreed.
Just then, Li Zeli and Li Zeren returned together.
An Hongdou happily went to greet her, said goodbye to Wu Linglong, and returned to her room with Li Zeli.
"Hey, you're such a heartbreaker!" Wu Linglong wanted to say something to An Hongdou, but Li Zeren grabbed her outstretched hand.
"My wife, I think you should forget your friends when you see other women. How about you spend some time with me now?" After saying that, Wu Linglong was led back to the room by him.
Inside the room, An Hongdou and Li Zeli recounted what they had seen and heard that day.
Li Zeli listened quietly, his eyes tenderly fixed on An Hongdou, who was narrating with great emotion.
Suddenly, An Hongdou stopped, waving her fair hand in front of his eyes. "Hey, are you listening?"
Li Zeli took her hand, pulled her into his arms, and whispered in her ear, "What my wife says, I'm listening to."
His deep voice made An Hongdou blush unconsciously.
She pushed Li Zeli away from his embrace and said, "I have something important to tell you! Li Lai'er said her mother-in-law wants to marry Li Zeying to Tianci. What should we do?"
Li Zeli gazed at her and slowly replied, "There is an order of seniority. If Li Pan'er and Li Lai'er don't marry, it's not Li Zeying's turn yet. Alright, my wife, this matter is not urgent. I will find a way."
An Hongdou looked at Li Zeli and felt his gaze was burning hot.
"So, what should we do now?" An Hongdou asked, trying to divert his attention.
"We're going back to our parents' home tomorrow, why don't we get some rest?" Li Zeli reached out and ruffled An Hongdou's hair.
An Hongdou obediently replied, "Yes, my husband. But it's still early, and I'm not sleepy at all. How about you tell me a bedtime story to help me fall asleep?"
What do you want to hear?
"Let me think, can you tell a story about a chivalrous knight-errant who travels the world with a sword?"
“If you want to hear it, I will tell you.”
Meanwhile, in Wu Linglong's room on the other side.
"In short, Chen Zaoting has ill intentions towards Li Zeying!"
"My wife, it's so touching to see you standing up for justice."
"Li Zeren, can't you be serious? I'm talking to you about something important!"
"My wife, if you can tell me, Hongdou will naturally tell Third Brother as well. Third Brother is better at this kind of thing—manipulating people's hearts—so why should we worry about it?"
"Can't you use your brain, you older brother?!"
“You don’t need to use two brains for one thing. My wife, I was drunk last night. How about tonight? Ouch!” Before he could finish speaking, Li Zeren sat down on the ground, looking at Wu Linglong, who had kicked him down.
"If you keep thinking about such inappropriate things, I'm going to go find Red Bean!"
"My wife, I won't dare to do it again! Please let me go back; the ground is cold and hard."
The next day, before dawn.
A spacious carriage was already parked in front of the Li family's gate. Horses were valuable, and at that time, ordinary people usually traveled by donkey cart or oxcart. This carriage was specially rented by the Li family to show their respect for the two of them for today's homecoming.
Touched by the Li brothers' thoughtfulness, An Hongdou and Wu Linglong boarded the carriage one after the other. Little did they know that the Li sisters had already prepared return gifts for them at their parents' home.
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