Family misfortune
"When did this happen?" Wu Linglong asked in shock.
"I've only heard people talking about this, but I don't know the specifics."
Seeing that Dongxue didn't know any more information, An Hongdou quickly comforted Wu Linglong: "Don't panic, we still don't know what happened! Second Brother is flexible and adaptable, so he probably won't cause any trouble. It must be a misunderstanding. We'll ask him when Zeli is done with his work."
Then, she said to Dongxue, "Next time, don't panic if you haven't found out the details!"
Dongxue hunched her shoulders and agreed.
But Wu Linglong couldn't sit still any longer; she just wanted to find out the whole story as soon as possible.
Upon hearing the news of Li Zeli's return, she quickly pulled An Hongdou to greet him.
An Hongdou explained the whole story and asked Li Zeli for the reason.
"Second sister-in-law, there's no need to worry. Second brother is safe and sound." Upon hearing Li Zeli's words, Wu Linglong's tense heart was put at ease.
“However, there’s something going on at home that my second brother has to rush back to deal with, so he probably won’t be back for a while,” Li Zeli continued.
"What happened at home? We have no idea," An Hongdou asked.
"It's not good news, so it's inconvenient to send letters."
It turned out that after Li Lai'er married into the Xie family, she gave birth to a baby boy. She believed that she could use this to become the official wife, so she began to act as the young mistress in the mansion.
Unexpectedly, the Xie family had been arranging a marriage for Xie An and had already betrothed a young lady from a collateral branch of the Feng family.
The Xie family's initial agreement to let Li Lai'er into the family was merely a stopgap measure. Their true objective was to preserve Xie An's reputation and ensure the marriage alliance between the Feng and Xie families remained intact.
The Feng, Xie, Wang, and Qiao families of the current dynasty are all centuries-old families, and even the young ladies from their collateral branches are not comparable to Li Lai'er.
With the wedding of the Xie and Feng families approaching, the Xie family plans to send Li Lai'er and her child to a remote villa to hide them away.
Li Lai'er learned of this unexpectedly and, unwilling to accept the Xie family's arrangement, took the child back to the Li family ahead of schedule.
Unexpectedly, instead of the Xie family bowing down to take her back, she heard unfavorable rumors.
Rumors circulated that she was immoral, had an affair with a servant in the Xie household, and that her child was not of Xie family blood. She claimed that she had returned home this time because she was ashamed to face the situation after the affair was exposed.
Later, the Xie family sent Li Lai'er's daily necessities and also conveyed a message that Li Lai'er had no further connection with the Xie family.
The Xie family also said that if Li Lai'er continued to pester them, they would send her to the authorities for adultery.
Li Lai'er, having failed in her endeavors, was naturally relentless and threatened the child's life.
Unexpectedly, the Xie family servants said that it was not of Xie family blood at all, and that Li Lai'er could do whatever she wanted with it and bear the consequences herself.
With such a major incident at home, Li's father was at a loss as to what to do, and Li Zeren needed to rush back.
An Hongdou and Wu Linglong were shocked after hearing this.
"Li Lai'er got what he deserved, but the Xie family doesn't seem to be any better!" Wu Linglong remarked.
“They only see the wealth and status of the rich and powerful, but they never thought that those who can maintain their wealth must have some extraordinary means,” An Hongdou sighed.
"I just wonder if Li Lai'er's outburst will affect Ze Ying's marriage."
“Zeying and Li Lai’er are not born of the same mother. What does Li Lai’er’s behavior have to do with Zeying? Besides, my father and brother are not old-fashioned. If the engagement is really called off because of this, I will be the first to disagree!” Wu Linglong guaranteed.
After a while, Wu Linglong asked, "Zeli, I believe what you say. Although I know Zeren is safe and sound, I'm still curious about what happened before and how he was taken away by the government!"
Li Zeli explained, "Don't worry, Second Brother wasn't taken away; he came to us willingly."
"My second brother wants to open a security escort agency, but he can't travel smoothly without connections in every county or prefecture. It's currently the flood season, and supplies are scarce everywhere. My second brother is raising supplies himself, which has attracted officials along the way to come and find him."
"Oh, I get it! He wants to get to know people first, so it'll be easier to get things done once he's familiar with them. This guy's got a sharp mind when he's not studying!" Wu Linglong suddenly realized.
"Madam, Master Shen said it's getting late and inconvenient to talk today, so he's taking Miss Shen home first. He'll come back tomorrow to express his gratitude and discuss Miss Shen's matter," Feng Nian relayed.
The next morning, Mr. Shen arrived with gifts.
Accompanying them was Shen Fanghua, who was carrying a package.
"Last night, my daughter explained the whole story of why she left home. I misunderstood you before, Madam, so I apologize to you here!" After saying this, Master Shen stood up to bow.
An Hongdou quickly gestured for Qiu Yu to interrupt.
"Madam, please don't stop me, otherwise I won't have the nerve to ask you to take my daughter into your apprenticeship class," Master Shen said sincerely.
"What did Master Shen say about Miss Shen enrolling in the apprenticeship program?" An Hongdou took over the conversation.
“If Madam is willing to accept it, it would be my daughter’s honor. However, my previous visit here to look for my daughter has become the talk of the town, which must have caused Madam a lot of trouble,” said Master Shen.
“It’s understandable that Master Shen is eager to find his daughter. As for the rumors in the city, they will become clear once Miss Shen officially joins the apprenticeship class,” An Hongdou reassured the two.
"Madam is kind and forgiving, and I admire her for not holding grudges! However, I did not bring my daughter back that day, and I don't know how to explain her disappearance for so many days," Master Shen said worriedly.
“Now that you’re in the apprenticeship class, you’re one of us. Don’t worry, Mr. Shen, we will definitely not tarnish Miss Shen’s reputation,” An Hongdou reassured her.
“We can say this to outsiders: Miss Shen originally wanted to enroll in the apprenticeship program, but her family disagreed. She was afraid that if she was found and brought back, she would lose her chance, so she went to hide at a friend’s house for a few days,” An Hongdou suggested.
"Later, Miss Shen sent a message home and learned that her family agreed to support her, so she went home to prepare for the registration." After An Hongdou finished speaking, she looked at Master Shen: "In that case, would Master Shen accept it?"
"Excellent, excellent! Thank you, Madam, for protecting my daughter's reputation. Otherwise, my daughter's life would have been ruined by that heartless scholar!" Master Shen was overjoyed.
"Since Mr. Shen is relieved, let Miss Shen stay! The apprenticeship includes room and board, and Miss Shen will be allowed to return home to reunite with her family during her rest period."
After Mr. Shen left, the two began to arrange work for Shen Fanghua.
"Miss Shen, you're considered the first disciple of our apprenticeship program! As the senior disciple, I have an urgent task for you. Please complete it!" Wu Linglong said in a serious tone.
Shen Fanghua was a little flustered, but she still nodded.
"Pfft!" Seeing her reaction, Wu Linglong laughed. "Don't be so nervous. This mission isn't that difficult, but it can't be done without you."
"The task is that starting tomorrow, you will begin recruiting students as the first apprentice of the apprenticeship class. This will both legitimize the apprenticeship class and ensure that all students are recruited as soon as possible so that classes can begin," Wu Linglong explained.
“If you encounter any difficulties, you can seek help from Fengnian,” An Hongdou added.
After everyone else left, Wu Linglong spoke up: "Hongdou, do you want to leave Fengnian behind?"
"It's just reserving a spot for her in the apprenticeship program; the rest is up to her to choose."
“I bet she’d rather stay! Her mother’s waiting to marry her off, how could she dare go back?” Wu Linglong sighed.
“In this world, women lack economic resources to support themselves and make a living, so they can only be manipulated by others. We are just lucky to have been born into a more enlightened family,” An Hongdou said helplessly.
“Hongdou, to be honest, although Li Lai’er is not a kind person, I still feel sorry for her. If she had a chance to make a living, she probably wouldn’t be in this situation now,” Wu Linglong said.
"So, I hope our apprenticeship program can be successfully launched and run well, giving the girls some opportunities to choose," An Hongdou said.
“I believe it will definitely happen! By the way, where do you plan to start your teaching?” Wu Linglong asked.
"When the students come in, we'll first check their basic skills. If they don't know any of these, we'll start with them learning to trace patterns, recognize materials, and learn basic needlework techniques, little by little."
“My father often says that teaching should be tailored to individual students. I think we can teach them separately based on their different paces. You teach one part, I teach another part, and then they teach each other. Those who learn quickly teach those who learn slowly. This way, we can save time to do other things,” Wu Linglong analyzed.
“That’s feasible! Learning embroidery is only the first step; the goal is to be able to make embroidered items and sell them to earn money. Once they’ve learned it, we’ll need to discuss what kind of embroidery will sell well,” An Hongdou agreed.
“When it comes to selling embroidery, Li Zeren definitely has a way. Let’s ask him to help when he gets back,” Wu Linglong said.
The topic suddenly shifted to Li Zeren, and An Hongdou could see Wu Linglong's longing for him.
But she didn't point it out. Wu Linglong was very concerned about her reputation, and even if she did, she probably wouldn't admit it.
An Hongdou tried to change the subject: "Zeying and your brother's wedding, I wonder what's on the agenda? We'll have to go back and support them!"
"I don't know either! The letters from home haven't mentioned it yet. I'll write back and ask. But with Li Lai'er's incident, we definitely need to lay low for now."
“There’s no time like the present. Let’s not wait any longer. I haven’t sent a letter to my parents’ home in a long time. Why don’t we write a letter together?” An Hongdou suggested.
“Alright. I’ll write another letter to Li Pan’er, firstly to see if she’s doing well, and secondly to find out if there’s anything else going on with Li Lai’er,” Wu Linglong said.
"Then ask her what embroidery patterns are popular around her lately. We've been away from home for so long, I wonder how much has changed at home."
Originally intending to learn about the market for embroidery products, An Hongdou found herself feeling homesick after the conversation.
“Red Bean, let’s go home and visit after the flood season! I’m also a little homesick! This is the first time I’ve been away from home for so long, but thankfully you’re here with me.” Wu Linglong said, her voice low.
“Linglong, this is the first time I’ve been away from home for so long. I miss my mother. I’ve dreamed about her several times these days!” An Hongdou’s eyes reddened.
"Hey! Don't cry! If you cry, I'll want to cry too." Wu Linglong said, her voice trembling with tears.
As soon as Li Zeli entered the room, he saw the two of them hugging and crying.
This scene was rare, or rather, the first time he had ever seen it. He took a step back and closed the door, then knocked after a moment and said, "Madam, Second Sister-in-law, I'm coming in!"
When they opened the door, their eyes were still red.
Li Zeli tentatively inquired, "I wonder what happened?"
"Linglong and I are a little homesick!" An Hongdou sniffed and explained.
Li Zeli breathed a sigh of relief; it wasn't caused by his two brothers, so it wasn't a big problem.
“When my second brother returns, he will take you back. I will be away for a while due to official business, and I will feel more at ease if you go home,” Li Zeli said.
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