Li Lai'er's Little Schemes
The next morning, Li Lai'er carefully washed and dressed herself, then walked briskly out the door carrying a box of chicken soup.
An Hongdou winked at Wu Linglong, and the two exchanged a knowing smile.
An Hongdou said to Li Haikuo, "Father, Linglong and I want to go to the market together today to see if there is a blacksmith who can fix that pot."
With sound reasoning, Li Haikuo readily agreed.
After leaving, the two did not rush on their way. Firstly, they knew Li Lai'er's destination and did not need to follow closely; secondly, most of the academy staff were familiar with the two, making things easier for them.
An Hongdou and Wu Linglong first bought some Xuan paper and candied fruit, which they planned to give to the two who were studying hard at the academy later.
Passing by a bookstore, they happened to see a batch of new storybooks going on sale, and the two couldn't resist joining the rush to buy them.
"Linglong, I managed to snag a copy of 'The Fox Spirit Falls in Love with the Handsome Scholar,' what about you?"
"I managed to snag two copies too! 'The Missing Little Smarty in the Jianghu' and 'After the Divorce, I Became the Richest Woman in the County'."
"Let's stay up all night watching it together tonight!"
Since her husband started staying at the school, the two of them tacitly moved in together to spend the night. Thinking of her husband, An Hongdou's shopping spree gradually subsided, and reason returned.
"Linglong, are we going to keep an eye on Li Lai'er delivering food today?"
"yes!"
"Now, it's probably, maybe, almost past lunchtime? Li Lai'er wouldn't have already gone home, would she?"
"Oh no! I got so caught up in the shopping frenzy that I forgot about the important matter."
The two jogged towards the academy.
It's better to be lucky than early, because the person on duty at the academy gate today was someone they knew. After exchanging pleasantries, the two learned that Li Lai'er hadn't come out yet after delivering the food, and they were relieved.
Following the gatekeeper's directions, the two arrived at the back hill of the academy. The scenery here was beautiful, but with so many students studying hard and competing with each other, few had the leisure to come here.
Across a bamboo grove, the two heard Li Lai'er's voice first.
An Hongdou shushed Wu Linglong, signaling her to crouch down. The two of them hid together and pricked up their ears to eavesdrop.
"Brother Xie, is the chicken soup to your liking today?" Li Lai'er asked in a soft voice.
Her soft, delicate voice was completely different from her voice at home, and the two of them couldn't help but shudder at the thought of her domineering image.
Wu Linglong made a funny face at An Hongdou, indicating that Li Lai'er was being too affected.
"Very good, thank you for your trouble." At this moment, a male voice rang out. It must be the other protagonist, Xie An.
The two fell silent instantly, holding their breath as they continued to listen.
"Thank you for liking it, brother. I'll make soup again next time. I just don't know when I'll have the time again."
"Your stepfather's family doesn't treat you well either?"
With a slightly choked voice, Li Lai'er said aggrievedly, "Compared to my previous home, my stepfather's home is still better. I was overjoyed when I heard that two sisters-in-law were going to marry into the family. I didn't expect that they would look down on me because my mother brought me in. Not only did they ignore my attempts to be nice, they also treated me like a servant."
“They’ve only been in the house for a few days, and they’ve already told my father that unmarried girls shouldn’t show their faces in public. They’ve forbidden me from going out so they can keep me at home to do chores for them. Yesterday, they even tricked me by washing my nice clothes until they were too small, and then sent them to Li Zeying as a gift to win her over.”
After saying that, she began to sob softly, as if she had truly suffered a great injustice at home.
Wu Linglong, with her fiery temper, stood up abruptly. An Hongdou pulled her back with a jolt, covered her mouth with her hand, and gestured for her to continue listening.
"I've heard about the Li family's happy occasion. The brides seem to be daughters of the academy's teachers. Why are they acting this way? Is there some misunderstanding?" Xie An asked hesitantly.
"Brother Xie doesn't believe me? Do you think I would lie? You know, influenced by my grandmother, my mother is extremely sexist. In my stepfather's house, not only did she not protect us, but she also wanted to marry me off to my sister-in-law's family for her son's sake. My sisters-in-law look down on me, and not only do they disagree, they also try to ruin my reputation so that I can't get married." Seeing that Xie An was not on her side, Li Lai'er said angrily.
"A woman's reputation is of utmost importance, why did they go to such lengths?"
"Brother Xie, have you received any letters recently?"
"Many, who are you referring to as the senders?"
"It was given by Wu Jigang, the younger brother of my second sister-in-law Wu Linglong."
"There was indeed one."
Upon hearing this, Li Lai'er said anxiously, "That letter is fake. They sent it to you to ruin my reputation. They don't want me to marry into the Wu family. Because my father is the vice-principal of the academy, he knows that I have some feelings for Brother Xie, so they forged the letter. If the contents of the letter are spread, they can use it to ruin my reputation by saying that I have an affair with someone else; if Brother Xie doesn't tell anyone, they can also use it to destroy our relationship."
Xie An chuckled and said, "Miss Li, you're overthinking it. The letter contains Wu Jigang's new article, and he's asking me to give him some pointers."
Li Lai'er was dumbfounded and speechless for a moment.
An Hongdou looked at Wu Linglong, who smiled smugly.
Wu Linglong certainly wouldn't let her younger brother hand over that incomplete and unsigned letter to Xie An, but she had a backup plan: she had her brother write a letter and deliver it to Xie An the next day. Unexpectedly, it came in handy today.
Perhaps Li Lai'er had come to her senses, for her voice rang out again: "Perhaps there really is a misunderstanding, but it is true that I will not be able to leave home easily in the future. This purse is embroidered by me, Brother Xie, please keep it as a memento. If one day my mother forces me to marry, I will never see Brother Xie again." After saying this, her voice trembled with a hint of sobs.
Xie An, who had initially refused her, accepted the purse after hearing this.
Seeing Li Lai'er take her leave, An Hongdou quickly pulled Wu Linglong away.
On the way back to the academy, Wu Linglong said cheerfully, "That's called backfiring. She failed to file a complaint and instead made herself suspicious. It's satisfying!"
An Hongdou said, "Yes! But judging from her behavior, I'm afraid she really likes Xie An."
“I don’t know if she likes him or not, I can only tell that she wants to marry into a higher social class. It’s a pity that she doesn’t know her own worth. Even if Xie An is infatuated with her and insists on marrying her, Xie An’s parents will not agree. These aristocratic families are very strict in choosing their daughters-in-law. Xie An is the eldest son in his family, and his future wife will be the eldest daughter-in-law, which is of great importance to the family. She must be a young lady from a family of equal social standing,” Wu Linglong replied.
Because of Li Lai'er's matter, they were delayed and classes had already started when they returned.
The two had no choice but to take the things they had prepared to the gatehouse and ask the guard on their behalf to pass them on.
The days that followed were relatively peaceful. Li Zeren and Li Zeli returned home for a day of rest every seven days. Qiu Yu and Dong Xue were diligent, and with Li Haikuo's help, Chen Zaoting didn't cause any more trouble. Li Lai'er had shot herself in the foot last time, and although her attitude was bad every time they met, the two sides managed to get along peacefully.
An Hongdou and Wu Linglong would sometimes take Li Zeying out with them, creating opportunities for her to get to know An Shunyuan and Wu Jigang.
Before they knew it, it was busy farming season. Grain was the foundation of the Li family's livelihood, and Li Haikuo went to the fields every day to inspect and supervise the work. His family members were responsible for logistical support, and they were also busy as well.
Every year at this time, not only the Li family is busy, but also the aunties and young wives from the nearby families who rent land from the Li family or come to work for them are also busy. Since each family has different conditions, in order to improve efficiency and finish the work as soon as possible, they all agree to come to the Li family. They provide manpower and labor, and the Li family provides water and meals.
During this crucial time of year, An Hongdou and Wu Linglong were also busy, working alongside Li Zeying day and night. Sometimes they had to go to the fields three times a day, leaving them so exhausted that they didn't even have the energy to read storybooks at night. Li Pan'er and Li Lai'er dared not slack off anymore. Although they still tended to avoid the hard work, they were always busy at work.
That day, An Hongdou and Wu Linglong returned from delivering water to the fields. As soon as they entered the house, they saw Li Zeying leading a group of people washing and preparing vegetables. Li Pan'er and Li Lai'er were nowhere to be seen.
"Where have these two sisters run off to find some peace and quiet again?" Wu Linglong asked in front of everyone.
Upon hearing this, Li Zeying quickly ran over and whispered, "Second sister-in-law, please keep your voice down. It's not good if outsiders hear us."
"What's wrong with that? If you dare to do it, don't be afraid of what others say!"
Seeing that Wu Linglong didn't care, Li Zeying stopped trying to persuade her and explained to the two of them, "The two sisters were preparing lunch with everyone, but then Sister Pan'er was called away by Mother and hasn't come back since. Sister Lai'er couldn't wait for Sister Pan'er to return, so she said she was going to check what was going on, and she hasn't come back since either."
An Hongdou asked, "How long have they been gone?"
Li Zeying thought for a moment and replied, "Sister Pan'er was called away when you had just arrived in the fields. Sister Lai'er just left not long ago."
An Hongdou thought to herself that the two sisters must have some ulterior motives, and they were probably after the three of them.
So An Hongdou said to the two of them, "Zeying, thank you for your hard work here. Linglong and I are afraid that we'll only make things worse by helping out in the kitchen. We'll go back to our room to tidy up first, and then come over to help deliver the meals later."
On the way back, An Hongdou pulled Wu Linglong and changed direction. The two tacitly headed towards the residence of the Li Pan'er sisters.
Perhaps thinking that everyone was busy in the front yard, Li Pan'er and her sister did not control the noise.
As the two approached the courtyard wall, they heard intermittent crying.
Wu Linglong asked in a low voice, "Could it be that the two of them had a fight?"
An Hongdou shook her head and listened carefully.
Li Lai'er's angry voice followed: "Cry, cry, cry! All you know how to do is cry! What's the use of crying in front of me? If you want to cry, go cry to your mother and see if you can cry out even a little bit of motherly affection for her!"
After he finished speaking, the crying stopped for a moment. Then the two people outside the courtyard heard even more sorrowful and desperate cries.
"You've known what kind of person your mother is for a long time, how can you still not see reality! If you don't think about yourself, who else can you rely on to stand up for you? Think about it carefully!" After saying that, the sound of Li Lai'er opening the door came from behind her.
An Hongdou quickly pulled Wu Linglong back a few steps and deliberately whispered, "We worked so hard to get to the fields, and it turns out someone at home is shirking their responsibilities. I can't stand it. Linglong, come with me to see if they've gone back inside."
Wu Linglong understood immediately and cooperated, saying, "What are you looking at? It must be! Let's go and call them out."
With a loud bang, Li Lai'er slammed the door shut.
As she walked out, she said, "Second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, don't make things up without evidence. What do you mean by 'slacking off'? We just came back to finish some urgent tasks that Mother asked us to do. Now that we're done, we're naturally going back to help. But you two, you weren't using coming to see me as an excuse to wander around, were you?"
An Hongdou was preoccupied with the reason why Li Pan'er was crying and didn't want to waste her breath arguing with her.
She pulled Wu Linglong around and said as they walked back, "We came here to find my sister anyway. Now that we've found her, let's go back to the front yard and help out!"
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