Chapter 76 Survival
Midnight, the British Duke's Mansion.
The servant Wuwei stood aside and watched by candlelight as Xu Jingzhen returned from the teahouse, bathed and cleansed himself, then meditated for half an hour, and then recited the Kaiyuan Daozang for half an hour. Only then did Xu Jingzhen very respectfully take out the tortoise shell containing six copper coins.
Xu Jingzhen muttered something to himself, then tossed the coins across the table.
As a result, Xu Jingzhen silently observed the divination for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
The Qian hexagram, Qian represents Heaven, with Qian above and Qian below.
This was an auspicious divination, but Xu Jingzhen cast the divination to divine his marriage with Li Sanniang.
In terms of marriage, this divination indicates that both parties are strong-willed individuals, making marriage difficult.
As a Taoist who was sent to Wudang Mountain to study Taoism from a young age because of his destiny, he could definitely understand this divination at a glance.
But for a man who has lived for twenty-nine years and is experiencing this for the first time a woman he likes, is interested in, and wants to get to know her better, ideally marry her, it is truly hard to believe that he would encounter such an unfavorable divination.
So, after observing for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xu Jingzhen collected all the copper coins and put them back in the tortoise shell, deciding to get up early the next morning, bathe in the morning sun, and divine again.
The next day, Li San Niang was awakened by the sound of music. She closed her eyes and listened carefully, and it seemed to be funeral music being played.
Indeed, weddings at this time were held at dusk, while funerals were conducted during the day.
In other words, Li San Niang had such sharp ears that she could hear the passing musicians even through the gate of the neighborhood.
Li San Niang woke up early today because of the noise, so she got up and kissed Lu Zhu'er, who was sleeping so cutely on the bed, before quietly getting out of bed and carefully closing the door.
In the kitchen, Li San Niang saw that Li Da Sao, who had gotten up early, was making pancakes. Every time she saw Li Da Sao getting up early to cook for the family, Li San Niang felt sorry for her. She had suggested that they simply order breakfast from the street, which would make things easier for Li Da Sao.
When Li's mother heard this, she also felt that Li Ersao had been taking care of Xiao Wulang for almost a year, and Li Sanniang was someone who didn't know anything about cooking. She could manage to light a fire, but if she were to actually cook, it would be a waste of food.
Before Li's mother could even agree, Li's sister-in-law said, "It's not worth it, just to sleep for an extra half hour. Mother, if I go to bed early at night, it will be easier for me to get up early in the morning to cook some food for my eldest son's father."
Mother Li gave Li San Niang a reproachful look. Li San Niang stuck out her tongue. She had indeed forgotten that her eldest brother, Li, who worked at the Jinwu Guard, was a man who left early and returned late.
However, Li San Niang thought to herself that she had still taken advantage of Li Da Sao and made Li Da Sao work hard. She decided to gradually adjust her time to get up earlier so that she could help Li Da Sao with chores such as cooking, washing, chopping and doing other odd jobs.
"Sister-in-law, that's all for now. I got up early today. I'll go to the street and order some mutton soup later. It's getting cold, so it'll be good for Dalang and the others to have something hot to eat before going to school."
Sister-in-law Li knew that this was Li San Niang's way of being considerate of her. She knew that Li San Niang would definitely spend her own money to order mutton soup later. However, Sister-in-law Li thought about the gold ingots she had received earlier, and she accepted Li San Niang's thoughtfulness.
The further Li San Niang walked into the street, the clearer she could hear the funeral music.
We entered the most authentic mutton soup restaurant on the street, which was known for its generous use of pepper. We first ordered two small pots of mutton soup from the woman who was rolling out steamed buns with a headscarf on, and added two jin of pork belly. Thinking about the number of flatbreads that Sister Li had made, we then ordered ten more steamed buns.
After paying, while waiting, Li San Niang overheard the other diners gossiping. After listening for a while, she realized that the funeral music that had woken her up was indeed related to her.
The eldest wife of the Duke of Liang's mansion fell seriously ill and passed away yesterday night.
The Duke's mansion is known for its efficient and methodical approach to things; the funeral is being held today, and the body will simply be laid to rest at home for one night.
Li San Niang listened to the two young men beside her as if she had witnessed it herself. They said that he had contracted an acute illness that was contagious, which was why the body was only kept in state for one night before the funeral.
The Duke's mansion is very wealthy. They came out at dawn, just as the city gates opened, and have already circled the Duke's mansion once. After this last lap, they will head towards Mingde Gate to be buried in the mausoleum.
This mutton soup restaurant is very popular because of its delicious taste and generous portions. However, the soup base is already prepared in advance. But after listening to some gossip, everything that Li San Niang wanted was prepared.
She spent another five coins to ask the young man from that family to help her take it back, since the woman was too old to carry it all by herself.
When they arrived at the Li family's house, they returned the small pot to the family with their own basin. The rest of the Li family members also got up one after another, and even Little Dewdrop had her hair tied up and was sitting on a stool waiting.
The mutton soup with pepper is so flavorful. A few sips of this soup will warm you up from the inside out. Pair it with flatbread or steamed buns, and add a few pieces of tender, juicy pork belly. It's absolutely delicious.
If it weren't for the fear of bloating from drinking too much, Li San Niang could have drunk another bowl!
The little dewdrop happily buried itself in its rice.
Even the bones, devoid of meat, were dug out of marrow by Brother Li with a small knife. Just a tiny bit was enough to divide between Xiao Silang and Luzhu'er.
If Xiao Huang weren't still so young, he could have gotten a few bones to gnaw on.
At first, Koshiro declined, saying that he was the older brother, but the way he was swallowing his saliva with longing showed that he really didn't want to eat.
After a delicious breakfast, the Li family members went to school, to their clinics, or to the pharmacy. Li's mother, who had been asked to help with the delivery, also went out with her basket.
After playing with Lu Zhu'er for a while, Li San Niang prepared to go back and work on her second lecture for the next alliance assessment.
After entrusting the dewdrop to Sister-in-law Li, Li San Niang headed towards the main hall, only to be met by Shen Qiu Niang, who had a shy smile on her face.
Li Sanniang pulled Shen Qiuniang to sit down in the main hall. She thought that Shen Qiuniang had probably come to talk about her marriage. Sure enough, although Shen Qiuniang blushed, she still clearly said that she had accepted Tuva's marriage proposal and that the two planned to get married the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Li San Niang could only offer her blessings, wishing Shen Qiu Niang to break free from the past and embrace a new life.
"Why did you choose the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival? If it were after the Mid-Autumn Festival, it would be better for you to stay home and celebrate the festival with us."
Shen Qiuniang was a reserved person. Hearing Li Sanniang's question, her face turned even redder, but she still said word by word, "I am a poor woman. I have no relatives now. Tuva has experienced war and he is the only one left in his family. We thought that since this is the case, we should get married as soon as possible so that we can celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together."
With her parents still alive and well, and her precious Luzhu by her side, Li San Niang's elder brother, sister-in-law, and nephew all cared for her and her daughter. Except for the three years she was married into the Wang family, she spent every Mid-Autumn Festival with her family, so naturally she didn't have an excessive longing for this reunion festival.
But Li San Niang also understood Shen Qiu Niang and Tuva's thoughts.
“That’s great. She can be married off from home and then they can visit each other as relatives from her own family.”
“I, Chen Qiuniang, will forever remember your great kindness, Third Sister. I am so grateful to you for taking me in these past two months. If you ever need my help, I will do anything, even risk my life.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com