《Do Not Offend A Reborn Wicked Wife》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Longyue looked silently at the handsome young man sitting opposite her. The light in the room was a little dim. Not far away was a lit oil lamp. The flame flickered gently and reflected the teenager¡¯s dark and bright eyes. He was arranging a bunch of messy threads with a serious expression. On the other side was a torn shirt. He was probably mending clothes. Longyue tapped her head. She was still a little disoriented. She tried to widen her eyes and look at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings. She felt like she was dreaming. The old man had said that if one had great aspirations before death, they could reincarnate. As she looked at her husband¡¯s youthful face under the candlelight, a tear involuntarily streaked across Longyue¡¯s face. It was salty. How nice. ¡°I¡¯m reborn!¡± she thought. The scene that flashed before her was of herself fighting with Madam Zhang Meihua next door and getting her clothes ripped a month after she married the third son of the Li family. At that time, her husband was meticulously mending her clothes just like now. In an instant, the grievance in her heart surged like tidewater, and Longyue almost cried. She was framed by her half-sister who spread the lie that she had an affair with someone. Her father felt that it was an insult to his family, so he arranged for her to be married to the third son of the Li family, the poorest family in his hometown in Qingshui Village! There was no bridal sedan chair, no ceremonial betrothal. Just like that, the daughter of the first wife of the Minister¡¯s family was forced to marry into the Li family, which was a poor family! There was hatred in her heart! She was very mean to the Li family and her husband. She often quarreled and fought with them. She did not have her parents to back her up, so she used her resentment as a defense mechanism. Unexpectedly, she was mocked by the villagers as the ¡®wicked woman of the Li family¡¯! However, never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that this poor husband of hers, whom she looked down on, would actually go from being a junior official to an illustrious deputy prime minister just a few years after they divorced! He was decisive in killing people. In front of her and her only, he had always been submissive! ¡°Pa!¡± Longyue slapped herself in anger. ¡°Why was I so blind in my previous life?¡± she berated herself. She had treated her evil sister like a treasure and the man who had treated her well like trash. This slap was very loud, startling Li Qingmu, who was busy working. He hurriedly put down the work in his hands and nervously held Longyue¡¯s hand. ¡°Wife, why did you hit yourself? Is there something wrong with me? Wife, if you are angry, you can hit me¡­¡± A pair of fair hands covered his mouth before he could finish talking. Longyue widened her almond-shaped eyes and glared at him. This man was always so weak when he was with her, and he even liked to pick on his own faults. ¡°This is really annoying!¡± she thought. ¡°A man should be assertive!¡± ¡°This has nothing to do with you. It was a mosquito that was annoying me!¡± Li Qingmu blinked and felt that her wife was a little different this morning. In the past, she would get angry at him even if he did not say much, but today, she seemed gentle. He was slightly stunned. Looking at him, Longyue said with displeasure, ¡°Why are you staring at me? Could it be that you want to see a flower?¡± ¡°My wife is beautiful like a flower.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Longyue giggled. She had never realized that this man had such a mischievous side. Yes, she must have detested him in her previous life. He lowered his head and said faintly, ¡°My wife is different from yesterday.¡± Longyue was secretly happy. How could she be the same after she was reborn? In her previous life, she had abandoned him like he was trash. In this life, she must hold on to him tightly. Then she thought of something which might be a thorn in their hearts¡ªthey had to remove it as soon as possible. So she pretended to be pitiful and said, ¡°I was framed by my younger sister and lost my chance at a good marriage. I was even chased out of the capital by my biological father to his hometown in the countryside. I have resentment in my heart. I know that it¡¯s wrong to vent my anger on you guys these past few days, but I¡¯m more worried that my husband will be biased against me because of those rumors¡­ So, do you mind those rumors?¡± After Longyue was forced to marry Li Qingmu, that ¡®good sister¡¯ brought some ¡®rumors¡¯ to the village. When she first got married, ugly rumors about her being an adulterous woman were circulating around the village. The Li family had not had any peace, and her own temper had also become very bad. In her previous life, she was still a virgin when she was with Li Qingmu. He treated her very well, but there was no intimate relationship between them. Now that she thought about it, this was definitely related to the rumors! Now that she was reborn, she had to remove this thorn first! As she spoke, she raised her head and secretly glanced at the man. Her petite and charming appearance was seductive. Li Qingmu felt his heart skip a beat. He felt that staring at her like that was a little too much. He quickly lowered his head to hide his awkwardness. ¡°My wife is the daughter of a Minister. It¡¯s my honor to be able to marry her. I only want to live happily with my wife. I don¡¯t dare to have any other thoughts.¡± Longyue glanced at him coldly. She had just realized that this stupid man was very cautious with his words. At first she thought that he was being considerate, but after mulling over it, she realized that he had deflected her question. Longyue knew that she was innocent, but others did not think so. ¡°Did his words imply that he minded the rumors?¡± she wondered. Looking at his calm expression, Longyue knew that this man was deep in thought. ¡°Hmph, interesting!¡± she thought. ¡°In my previous life, you showed me your weak side. In this life, I must tear apart that mask of yours to see what¡¯s inside!¡± ¡°Wife, why are you staring at me? Don¡¯t tell me you think that there¡¯s something wrong with my face?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Longyue realized that she had indeed been staring at him for a long time. He had said this to dodge her question. ¡°This person is petty and not kind at all!¡± she thought. However, this man had such a pleasing appearance. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that his family was too poor and he had a father who was on medication all year round, many girls in the village would have thrown themselves at him. ¡°Bang, bang, bang!¡± At this moment, there was a series of urgent knocks on the door, followed by a rough voice. ¡°People of the Li family, get out here quickly! Otherwise, I¡¯ll smash your door!¡± This voice was very loud, breaking the silence of the morning. The Li family did not stir. Longyue pouted. ¡°What a bunch of cowards.¡± Her husband was the third son and had two elder brothers, one younger brother, and one younger sister. Her mother-in-law was weak and was often reprimanded by her second daughter-in-law. After Longyue married into the family, she reprimanded her mother-in-law too. Her father-in-law was not very mobile and so did not care about anything. Whenever something happened to his eldest and second sons, he would be afraid. Her fourth brother-in-law was only a ten-year-old child. Longyue covered her face. In her previous life, she did not care about this family, so she did not do anything and even fanned the flames of trouble. However, in this life, she wanted to live happily with Li Qingmu, but she realized that this family was not up to par¡­ ¡°Hurry up, get the f*ck out here. A bunch of bastards. Useless cowards, useless trash. You don¡¯t dare to bear the consequences of your mistake. Pfft!¡± ¡°Bam! Bam!¡± The scolding was very unpleasant. The mother-in-law, Li Zhou, was afraid that the neighbors would hear it and she would be too ashamed to face them. So she said to the eldest son who had popped his head out, ¡°First Son, aren¡¯t you going out to take a look? What¡¯s going on? Why is there such a big commotion?¡± ¡°Mom, this has nothing to do with our Eldest branch!¡± The eldest daughter-in-law, Madam Wang, said. ¡°Mom, I don¡¯t know anything either!¡± Second Brother, Li Qinghai, quipped. Longyue looked at this family with disdain and was about to push open the door to step out when she realized she was a tad too late. Her man had already stepped out. Her eyes lit up. Only then did she remember that in her previous life, when something happened to the Li family, it was always her husband who intervened. He was the only person who took responsibility for the Li family, but it was not appropriate for him to interfere with such matters. Longyue chased after him without hesitation. She raised her almond-shaped eyes slightly and said in a mocking tone, ¡°Husband, why are you, a grown man, meddling in these women¡¯s affairs? At this time, it should be me¡ªthe wicked woman of the Li family¡ªwho should step in!¡± Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Li Qingmu was blocked by her and a hint of surprise flashed across his deep eyes. The two of them stepped out, one after the other. When she saw the door being slammed, Longyue pursed her lips in disdain. She stepped forward but did not walk towards the front. Instead, she walked to the side of the door and pretended to pull the bar. From the corner of her eye, she saw Li Qingmu nimbly stepping to the side. ¡°This¡­ This man is very crafty!¡± she thought. ¡°Cut!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± A figure charged straight in. ¡°Ouch!¡± Auntie Liu was bashing the door when she staggered in and rolled on the floor twice before coming to a stop. She held her forehead, which hurt from the fall, and was about to get up and swear when Longyue spoke first. ¡°Yo! Are these wild boars from the mountains running around the village? Look at how you have damaged my door. It¡¯s almost smashed. You¡¯re not allowed to leave until you pay up!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± A slight sneer sounded in her ears. Li Qingmu reached out and picked up his fourth brother, who was hiding among the straw. He narrowed his eyes and asked with a smile, ¡°Are you in trouble again?¡± ¡°Wuwuwu¡­¡± The little fellow covered his mouth and shook his head. Li Qingmu nodded. ¡°It has to be you.¡± ¡°¡­ Third Brother, I was wronged. I caught a wild rabbit with much effort. When I passed by her house, her son, Fat Tiger, tried to snatch it from me. We started fighting over it, and I injured him¡­¡± He muttered under his breath, but his voice was quickly drowned out by Auntie Liu¡¯s noise. ¡°Compensate my foot! I need you to compensate me. Little bitch, you¡¯re quite bold. You even dare to hit me?!¡± Auntie Liu had come here to look for the Li family to compensate them. It turned out that, before she could say anything, Longyue requested compensation for the door instead. She was so angry that she cursed and conveniently distorted the truth. At this moment, Madam Li Zhou, came out cautiously and asked timidly, ¡°Younger Sister Liu, what happened to you? If there¡¯s anything, let¡¯s talk nicely¡­¡± ¡°What else is there to say? Your fourth son beat up my Little Tiger, and just now, your little hussy beat me up. Do you still want me to speak properly? Cut the crap. Pay up immediately! The scratch on my son¡¯s arm and the wound on my forehead¡ªthat¡¯s a total of three taels of silver. Not a single copper coin less!¡± Li Zhou¡¯s heart trembled when she heard that. ¡°Three¡­ Three taels¡­ Sister Liu, you¡¯re asking too much¡­¡± ¡°What? Are you going back on your word? Are you forcing your old mom to use a kitchen knife to reason with you?¡± Hearing Auntie Liu refer to herself as an ¡®old mom¡¯ and being called a ¡®hussy,¡¯ Longyue could no longer tolerate her arrogance. She rushed over, grabbed her by the hair, and slammed her into the wall. ¡°Three taels of silver? I think you and your son will pay at most 30 copper coins for going to a medical center with such minor injuries! Come, let me help you. I¡¯ll smash your head and face until they crack. When I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll give you three taels!¡± Longyue was exceptionally strong. Auntie Liu was caught off guard and thrown against the limestone wall. She was scared out of her wits. ¡°Ah, ah¡ª¡ªDon¡¯t, don¡¯t! Li Zhou, you have to take care of your third daughter-in-law. Aiyo, this little shrew, the wicked woman of the Li family, the bully of Qingshui Village! Help¡ª¡± ¡°Ha, you already know that I¡¯m the wicked woman of the Li family, yet you still dare to come to me shamelessly. If I don¡¯t hit you, who should I hit?¡± Auntie Liu wailed miserably. Longyue sneered as she pressed her head against the wall. The force was so strong that her head hurt. It was so painful that she felt like dying. ¡°Who are you trying to scare by brandishing your claws? To put it bluntly, you¡¯re just a paper tiger!¡± In her previous life, she had been called the ¡®wicked woman of the Li family¡¯, but her only fault was that she had a bad temper. She did not deserve to be called wicked. Now that she was reborn, Longyue felt that it was necessary to live up to this nickname. Auntie Liu was so scared that her whole body was trembling. She looked at the wall that was just inches away from her and cried out to Madam Li Zhou, ¡°Madam Li, don¡¯t you control your daughter-in-law? She¡¯s trying to kill someone. Save me, villagers, save me¡­¡± ¡°Third branch, release her quickly. Don¡¯t go too far¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou looked left and right. When she saw that the neighbors were already approaching, she was so scared that her face turned pale. She hurriedly urged Longyue to stop. Longyue did not really intend to hurt Auntie Liu. She just wanted to scare her. ¡°Who knows that this person is so easily scared?¡± she thought. She let go of her and said coldly, ¡°Get lost! If you dare to behave atrociously at my house again, you can forget about getting your head back!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Auntie Liu held her head that was hurting so much that she thought she was about to die. She was so angry that she pointed at Longyue and scolded,¡± Little hussy, you¡¯re ruthless. I¡¯m not playing this game. Sooner or later, I¡¯ll make you suffer!¡± After scolding her, she was afraid that Longyue would hit her, so she quickly slipped away. The moment she left, Li Zhou panicked and was close to crying. ¡°This¡­ What should we do? The Liu family has many family members. If we really get into a fight¡­¡± Longyue frowned. Seeing her mother-in-law pull the corner of her blouse and twisting it made her feel frustrated and angry. ¡°The law of the jungle prevails in this world. If you aren¡¯t tough, others will oppress you until you can¡¯t take charge of your own life,¡± she thought. ¡°Mom, Auntie Liu was looking for trouble on purpose. It was Fat Tiger who was in the wrong first.¡± Her younger brother-in-law, Ah Qiu, poked his head out from behind Li Qingmu and said. She asked him,¡±Why didn¡¯t you speak up just now?¡± Li Qingqiu said weakly, ¡°Auntie Liu is strong, and I¡¯m not as strong as Longyue.¡± ¡°Okay, then eat more. When you¡¯re strong in the future, you can challenge her.¡± ¡°Third Brother, we don¡¯t have that much food at home.¡± Longyue knew that Li Qingmu said that to lighten the atmosphere and to calm Li Zhou¡¯s nerves. However, her younger brother-in-law did not give her face by telling the truth. This was awkward. Li Zhou was still anxiously twisting the corner of her blouse. Li Qingmu said, ¡°Mom, don¡¯t be afraid. They can look for me later.¡± Longyue looked at him and knew that he was supporting her. She was touched. She saw him enter the house and followed him. Inside, Li Qingmu laid out the Four Treasures of the Study¡ªthe brush, ink, paper, and ink stone. His usual source of income was painting and writing. He either sold them at an ornamental store or copied books for others. His paintings and writings were good. But because of his lowly status, the price he sold them for was not very high, but it was enough for this family to eke out a living. However, it was a little difficult to support his annual tuition and other fees for the imperial examination. Old Master Li had leg injuries. They would hurt during winter and when he was working in the field. His medical expenses were substantial. The eldest and second brothers did not own any land, so they could only be tenant farmers earning meager incomes. However, the second brother¡¯s wife, Madam Zhang, was a disloyal person who liked to channel the Li family¡¯s money to her maternal family. Madam Zhang had an older sister. In order to carry on the family line, she specially found a man who was willing to marry into her family. Two years ago, she gave birth to a big, fat kid and became the darling of the Zhang family. Madam Zhang visited her maternal home often and every time, she would bring along a lot of food items and a few taels. These expenses were all paid for through selling calligraphy and paintings by Longyue¡¯s husband. Longyue felt that she had to discuss this matter with her husband. He should hold on to his hard-earned money. She remembered that Li Qingmu participated in the county examination this year in her previous life. However, because he did not have enough money, he stumbled along, doing odd jobs for people and satiating his hunger with cold water. The day after the examination, the weather had become cold. He made it home in his thin clothes and after that, he fell seriously ill and almost lost his life. Even after he recovered, the damage to his health was done and he often coughed at night. In the words of the doctor, it was the cold air that seeped into his lungs. There was no cure, only nourishment, for him. At that time, Madam Zhang was obviously rich, but she refused to help out. To put it bluntly, she did not care about the Li family! When she thought about this, Longyue felt a sense of disgust for her second sister-in-law. Longyue watched the man painting conscientiously as she thought about how to earn money. The Li family lacked money! ¡°I¡¯m going to the county city to buy some fabric tomorrow.¡± Li Qingmu looked up and was stunned. ¡°Wife, what do you want it for?¡± ¡°Hmph, what else can we do? We can sell embroidery work for some money.¡± Longyue glared at him with dissatisfaction. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you think your wife is just waiting to die?¡± ¡­ ¡°Little cuties, please give us a five-star rating ~ Muah ~¡± Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Li Qingmu¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard that and he looked delighted. ¡°Wife, I¡¯m glad you feel this way. This means you want to live a good life with me!¡± ¡°Humph!¡± ¡°Knock knock, Longyue.¡± Her Qingqiu¡¯s anxious voice could be heard. Longyue got up to open the door. He popped his small head in and then pulled her outside. ¡°Kid, what are you doing?¡± ¡°Longyue¡­¡± The little guy stuck out his tongue mischievously. He was a little shy. Longyue laughed and rubbed his head. ¡°Tell me, why are you looking for Longyue ?¡± ¡°Longyue, can you accompany me to the mountains?¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Longyue, I want to pick mushrooms. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be bullied by Fat Tiger and the rest again. Longyue, those mushrooms are huge. They¡¯re¡­ They¡¯re this big!¡± He gestured with his hand. The mushroom was the size of a person¡¯s palm. Longyue felt that he was exaggerating and laughed. ¡°Just avoid him.¡± ¡°But I have to pass by his house no matter what. I¡¯ll definitely be seen¡­¡± As he spoke, he lowered his head and pouted, looking aggrieved. Longyue was speechless. ¡°This kid is too cowardly,¡± she thought. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go with you. Maybe we can catch some wild animals.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great. Longyue, you¡¯re a good person!¡± ¡°Good person?¡± Longyue laughed, feeling dazed. This term sounded really foreign. In her past life, she had been called a wicked woman. No one would have said that she was a good person. Longyue said something to Li Qingmu and left the house. She met her second sister-in-law, Madam Zhang, at the door. She was busy washing clothes. When she saw the two of them leave, she couldn¡¯t help but say sourly, ¡°This new wife who just entered the household, is always thinking of running outside. How shameless.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m shameless, but it¡¯s true that someone is living on us while helping others secretly.¡± After saying that, Longyue ignored Madam Zhang, whose face had turned blue, and went to the mountains with her younger brother-in-law. The two of them went up a curved path and walked for almost an hour before they arrived at the place where they could pick mushrooms, as Li Qingqiu had mentioned. ¡°Longyue, look over there. Wow, there are so many mushrooms!¡± Longyue looked in the direction that Li Qingqiu was pointing. Indeed, there was a patch of reddish brown, reddish purple, and dark purple ¡®mushrooms.¡¯ Longyue¡¯s eyes lit up when she saw the ¡®mushrooms.¡¯ She slapped his head happily. ¡°Kid, we¡¯re rich!¡± Longyue was overjoyed and almost cried in front of the little fellow. The thing that grew in a circle around the short trees was no mushroom. It was clearly a lingzhi! Lingzhi was an expensive Chinese medicine. It had a mild nature and could nourish the body. It was used to boost the brain, reduce inflammation, clear urine, nourish the kidney, and so on. In her previous life, after she parted ways with Li Qingmu, Longyue had helped someone copy prescriptions in the medicinal hall. She had filled prescriptions and seen many medicinal herbs. She also knew the approximate price of these herbs. This lingzhi was worth at least a few taels of silver! ¡°Longyue, why are you in a daze?¡± Li Qingqiu ran over to pick the mushrooms, but he didn¡¯t see any movement from Longyue. He hurriedly ran back and pulled her. Longyue came back to her senses and gently flicked his forehead. ¡°Silly kid, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s dazed. How is this a mushroom? It¡¯s a lingzhi. This thing is worth a lot of money. It can sell for a lot of money at the pharmacy!¡± ¡°What? Lingzhi?¡± Li Qingqiu¡¯s eyes widened. Although he did not know about lingzhi, he had heard of its value. Many medicines would become greatly effective with this, but he could not afford it. ¡°Right, lingzhi!¡± Longyue nodded seriously, her eyes shining. ¡°Pick the palm-sized ones!¡± The two of them quickly plucked a stack of lingzhi mushrooms, filling up one-third of the basket. ¡°This won¡¯t do!¡± Longyue looked at the basket and frowned slightly. It was filled with treasures. If they left the mountains like this and were seen by others, it would be troublesome. Having these treasures might bring them harm. ¡°Longyue, why not¡­¡± Li Qingqiu did not know what Longyue was thinking. She shouted and pulled him into another bush. ¡°Pick these up. We can sell them for some money.¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°Plantain! Cut the crap, quick!¡± Longyue got to work as she spoke, and Li Qingqiu didn¡¯t slack off either. After a while, the two of them picked half a basket of plantain. Longyue felt that it was not enough, so she picked some vegetables and filled the basket before stopping. ¡°Fourth Brother, let¡¯s make things clear beforehand. When we reach home, we¡¯ll share the vegetables. We¡¯ll go into the city to sell these plantain and lingzhi at the pharmacy tomorrow. We¡¯ll split the money evenly! You can deal with your portion. I¡¯ll have to save my portion for my husband¡¯s examination expenses. Don¡¯t you dare tell anyone! If Dad, Mom, and our brothers and their wives find out, I¡¯ll whip you!¡± Longyue said fiercely to her little brother-in-law. The little guy was so scared that he retracted his neck back. ¡°I know, Longyue. If Dad and Mom asked, I would say that was all we picked.¡± Longyue was satisfied. This kid was quite smart. The weather in June was still very hot. Longyue didn¡¯t want to tire herself out, so they left as soon as they were done. Along the way, they picked some wild fruits. During this time, Longyue even caught a big yellow chicken that was jumping up and down. The little fellow was overjoyed to see this chicken and refused to let go. Longyue smiled and gently tapped him on the head. The two of them were about to go back when a rustling sound came from behind them. A python as thick as a thigh broke through the dense forest and charged towards them! ¡°Qingqiu, be careful!¡± ¡°Mom!¡± The little fellow cried out and was so scared that he almost let go of the big yellow chicken. Longyue grabbed Qingqiu and pushed him back. At the same time, she picked up the sickle in the basket and charged at the snake. Her maternal grandfather was a general who guarded the borders in the southwest. Her family had served in the military for generations, and her mother was very good at combat. If not for the fact that her grandfather was dissatisfied with her mother for marrying her father¡ªwho was only a poor scholar back then¡ªand cut ties with her, no one would have dared to bully and humiliate them. Longyue had learned from her mother since she was young. Needless to say, her punches and kicks were good. ¡°Whoosh!¡± Suddenly, an arrow flew over them and pierced through the python¡¯s vitals. The python let out an ear-piercing quaver and rolled on the ground desperately. ¡°Young lady, don¡¯t be afraid!¡± A young man appeared with a bayonet in his hand. He stabbed the python ruthlessly, delivering it an instant and clean death. ¡°Lady, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s fine now!¡± He turned around and saw Longyue pulling back her sickle, her face filled with shock. ¡°Lady, you¡¯re actually quite brave.¡± ¡°Thanks for the compliment.¡± Longyue laughed. Suddenly, she saw that his hand was injured. After some thought, she took a lingzhi from her brother-in-law¡¯s basket and handed it to him. ¡°Thank you for your help today, Big Brother. This is a lingzhi that can replenish your vital energy.¡± One look and one could tell that he was an honest person. ¡°If we can be friends, so be it. He may be helpful,¡± Longyue thought. Chai Tieniu scratched his head and looked embarrassed. ¡°Young lady, don¡¯t be like this. This is what I should do¡­¡± ¡°Take it. We¡¯ve plucked a lot.¡± ¡°This¡­ Alright, thank you. I¡¯ll cook some snake meat later. Are you from the Li family?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m the third wife of the Li family. He¡¯s the Fourth Li.¡± Just as she finished speaking, a sharp, derisive laugh came from the side suddenly. ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t this the new third daughter-in-law of the Li family! Oh my, there¡¯s still the eldest son of the Chai family. A man and a woman hiding in the woods and secretly stuffing things into each other¡¯s hands? Tsk, isn¡¯t this shameless?¡± Longyue¡¯s eyes turned cold. She turned around and saw Auntie Liu. This person had also come up the mountain. There were two women beside her, both carrying baskets. They were probably here to pick vegetables too. ¡°Madam Liu, you¡¯re slandering me. There¡¯s nothing between me and the Li family¡¯s Third Madam!¡± When Chai Tieniu heard those unbearable words, he flushed and his voice trembled. ¡°Oh, nothing? Then why are you blushing?¡± ¡°I, I¡­¡± Chai Tieniu was an honest person. When had he ever fought with these shrews? He was speechless. Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Eldest Chai was easy to bully, but Longyue was not easy to deal with. ¡°It has only been four hours, but she has already forgotten that she has just been threatened by me. Does she think that she now has people beside her, so she can behave atrociously?¡± Longyue thought. ¡°Ha, she needs a beating indeed!¡± A vicious smile appeared on Longyue¡¯s face as she rushed forward. Before Auntie Liu could react, she slapped her hard, causing half of her face to swell. ¡°Ah, little bitch, you hit me?¡± Auntie Liu covered half of her face and said in a sharp voice. One of the women beside her frowned and said, ¡°Longyue of the Li family, you¡¯ve gone too far! Sister Liu merely spoke the truth. Why did you hit her?¡± ¡°The truth?¡± Longyue looked over at the woman coldly. A chill ran down her spine when she saw Longyue¡¯s gaze and she forgot what she wanted to say. Seeing her falter, Longyue smiled. This person was the second daughter-in-law of the Qian family. She was known to be a good person in the village. Her son attended the school in town and later became an official. As a result, she became arrogant, despotic, proud, and conceited, and even secretly helped her son to trip up her own husband. Hence, Longyue did not think well of her. ¡°That¡¯s right. Everyone knows that you had an affair with someone before you were chased out of your house. You¡¯re shameless¡­ Pa!¡± Auntie Liu, who did not realize how precarious her situation was, had covered half of her face and continued to curse. In the end, she received another slap from Longyue. ¡°Ah, you hit me again! I¡¯ll fight you to the death!¡± After two slaps, even a pig would get angry. Auntie Liu couldn¡¯t care less. She rushed forward to grab Longyue¡¯s hair. But how could she? With her lithe figure, Longyue slipped away like a fish. She grabbed Auntie Liu¡¯s hair and raised her arm, slapping her several times. After a while, Auntie Liu¡¯s face swelled up like a pig. ¡°Li family, let go of Sister Liu immediately. If you continue to beat her up, she is going to die. Believe it or not, we will bring the matter to the attention of the authorities.¡± Another woman spoke up, but she looked at Longyue a little evasively. Her tone was not as firm as Second Madam Qian¡¯s, and she was not scolding like Auntie Liu. This person was the daughter-in-law of the Zhang family. A while ago, she had gossiped about Longyue with someone under a tree. Longyue happened to pass by and heard it, so she was beaten up. Even now, her arms and back hurt, causing her to be afraid of Longyue. Longyue glanced at them disdainfully, then lowered her head to look at Auntie Liu, who looked like a pig. Without saying anything, she kicked her butt. ¡°Get lost!¡± She shouted coldly. Second Madam Qian wanted to say something else, but she was afraid of her. Together with the daughter-in-law of the Zhang family, they helped Auntie Liu down the mountain. ¡°Longyue is so amazing. The bad guys have all been chased away!¡± Li Qingqiu watched as the bad guys were chased away and danced with joy. Longyue only replied nonchalantly. They were just a few clowns, and she did not take them seriously. Chai Tieniu did not know what to say. The rumors had it that the Li family¡¯s Third Madam was shrewd and fierce. He had finally witnessed it today. He thought of the sickle that she had put away earlier. Chai Tieniu felt a little embarrassed. Could it be that the python was her intended prey? ¡°I¡­ I snatched her prey?¡± he wondered. The group of them went down the mountain. Longyue and Li Qingqiu brought the big yellow chicken and basket of harvests home. At the door, Madam Zhang was drying clothes. Her sharp eyes saw the big yellow chicken in Li Qingqiu¡¯s hand and she came over happily. ¡°Yo, Ah Qiu, you¡¯re amazing. You actually got a fat chicken. Cook it quickly so that I can give some to my elder sister to nourish her body.¡± As she spoke, her hands reached out for the chicken. Longyue was quick to react and slapped her hands away. She said coldly, ¡°If you want to eat chicken, go look for one in the bush. This is for my husband and parents to nourish their bodies. Your big sister has nothing to do with our family. Qingqiu, bring the chicken in!¡± ¡°Ah, alright!¡± Ah Qiu looked at Madam Zhang timidly and went in with the chicken. However, Madam Zhang threw a tantrum and shouted, ¡°Pfft, what are you talking about? She¡¯s my elder sister, I¡¯m the daughter-in-law of the Li family. My elder sister¡¯s body is weak, so she needs to nourish herself more. Why can¡¯t she eat? Ah Qiu, come over and give me the chicken!¡± Ah Qiu instinctively fled to Longyue¡¯s side. She sneered at Madam Zhang, ¡°You already say that you¡¯re the Li family¡¯s wife. A married daughter is like spilled water. I¡¯ve never seen a wife like you. Meihua, if you really care about your family, you can get out of the Li family! You haven¡¯t laid an egg after marrying into the Li family for three years. If I were mom, I wouldn¡¯t have allowed you to behave atrociously in the Li family.¡± ¡°Cough!¡± Madam Li Zhou happened to hear the commotion and came out. When she heard Longyue, she coughed awkwardly. Madam Zhang disliked Longyue to begin with. When she thought about how Longyue had already married into the family for a month but had yet to do any chores, she felt even more jealous. Now that she had been exposed by Longyue, she became violent. She grabbed a bamboo pole beside her and tried to stab Longyue. ¡°You bitch! I¡¯ll tear your mouth apart today!¡± Longyue was expressionless as she restrained the bamboo pole easily with one hand. Madam Zhang tried her best to push the bamboo pole into her body. Just as she was exerting all her strength, Longyue suddenly let go. ¡°Bang!¡± ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Madam Zhang crashed into the stone wall opposite her. A big bump appeared on her forehead, and she grimaced in pain. Fortunately, the bamboo pole helped her to deflect the force. Otherwise, this head would have been broken. When the Li family saw this, they were all speechless. All of them looked at Longyue in fear. There was also the dumbfounded Chai Tieniu standing outside the door. ¡°Third Madam Li is really skilled. I must have snatched her prey earlier!¡± he thought. But since he was already here, he could only bite the bullet and enter. ¡°Is it¡­ the Li family? Well¡­ Third Madam, this is snake meat. Thank you for your help earlier¡­¡± Longyue was worried that he would mention the lingzhi, so she quickly interrupted him with a chuckle. ¡°Brother Chai, thank you for the snake meat! Ah, we have a small matter at home, so we won¡¯t be entertaining you!¡± She politely sent Chai Tieniu out the door. When she returned, she saw Li Zhou and Madam Zhang¡¯s eyes light up as they stared at the snake meat. Longyue was just about to say that no one should covet this snake meat when Li Qingmu, who had not appeared until now, suddenly said gently, ¡°Wife, you must be tired from working so hard today. Go back to the room with your husband.¡± ¡°Hello¡­¡± Before Longyue could react, she was pulled into the room by Li Qingmu. She looked dumbfounded as she watched herself get pinned against the wall by this man. She was confused. ¡°What are you doing¡­ Uu¡­¡± Before Longyue could say anything, Li Qingmu suddenly bent down and kissed her aggressively. He began to bite her. ¡°Li Qingmu, uh, you¡­¡± She felt almost smothered. It was only for a short moment, but Longyue felt as if spring and autumn had passed. When she had the chance to breathe, she pushed him away and said irritably, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Li Qingmu lowered his eyes. There was a hint of panic in them after letting go, but it was immediately replaced by determination. His tone was still gentle. ¡°You are mine. No one can share you with me. If I run into that Eldest Chai again, I will not be civil.¡± Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°You¡­¡± Longyue covered her mouth and looked at the handsome man in disbelief, as if she had met him for the first time. In her past life, he had never made overtures like this. ¡°Is this man crazy?¡± she wondered. ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± she shouted angrily. ¡°Eldest Chai saved me and Qingqiu on the mountain. We encountered a python. Are you crazy?¡± ¡°Er¡­ I¡¯m sorry for scaring you. I¡¯m guilty.¡± He sounded guilty, but there was a flash of mischief in his eyes. ¡°Misunderstanding is just a ploy to take advantage of others!¡± she thought. ¡°Third Brother, Longyue, come out for dinner!¡± Li Qingqiu shouted happily, breaking the awkward atmosphere in the room. The Li family¡¯s house comprised dilapidated, tiled-roofed houses. They walked through the middle courtyard and arrived at the main hall for dinner. At this time, the parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law were already sitting down and waiting. Her seven-year-old sister-in-law, Qingxue, was sitting quietly on Madam Li Zhou¡¯s lap. ¡°Well, you guys are here. Have a seat, have a seat¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou was clearly afraid of Longyue. When she saw her, she almost stood up to greet her. She had witnessed this family¡¯s weakness and cowardice in her previous life. Longyue¡¯s face was expressionless as she glanced at the table. There was a plate of vegetables, 10 steamed buns made of coarse rice, and a big bowl of rice soup. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the plate of steamed snake meat. Longyue noticed that everyone at the table was looking at the plate of snake meat. Steamed snake meat was not something Longyue liked to eat. She said coldly, ¡°Where¡¯s that chicken? We agreed to nourish my husband¡¯s body. Where¡¯s the chicken?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Longyue, the chicken is still stewing in the pot¡­ Don¡¯t be anxious¡­¡± ¡°Alright, bring it to my house later.¡± As soon as Longyue finished speaking, Madam Zhang, who was at the side, held her forehead and complained, ¡°Mom, can¡¯t you see? This Longyue is too much! Why should we give them a whole chicken? They don¡¯t even know how to show filial piety to mom. Does this person even have filial piety?¡± When Madam Li Zhou heard this, her expression turned ugly. How could Longyue not tell what her second sister-in-law was thinking? ¡°She just wants to eat the chicken.¡± She sneered in her heart and said with a smile, ¡°Ah Qiu, give dad and mom a chicken leg later. You should have one too.¡± Li Qingqiu¡¯s eyes lit up as he said happily, ¡°Thank you, Longyue!¡± Her words infuriated Madam Zhang. Ignoring her second sister-in-law¡¯s angry gaze, Longyue picked up a big piece of snake meat and placed it in Li Qingmu¡¯s bowl. She said loudly, ¡°Dad, mom, brother, and second brother, what are you waiting for? Men should eat more. Eat it all. Don¡¯t leave any! Qingxue, you eat too!¡± If there were leftovers, they would fall into Madam Zhang¡¯s hands. Longyue couldn¡¯t stand her greed. And not only did she eat the Li family¡¯s food, she often took some to her maternal family. Qingqiu and Qingxue were craving meat. When they heard their third sister-in-law¡¯s words, they immediately picked up some meat with their chopsticks. Li Zhou glared at the two children, but she could not control their hands. She quickly put three pieces of meat into her bowl and wolfed them down. The family immediately divided up the snake meat. Madam Zhang was slow and only managed to snatch a piece. She was so angry that she dropped her chopsticks. She glanced at her husband¡¯s bowl which contained a piece of snake meat. Without saying anything, she reached out with her chopsticks to take it, but Longyue stopped her with her chopsticks. Longyue said coldly, ¡°Both father and mother are here. Are you crazy? You actually want to steal your husband¡¯s food? Do you still have any sense of seniority? Have you forgotten a woman¡¯s propriety?¡± ¡°Pang Longyue, mind your own business!¡± ¡°Your husband is my second brother. This is a family matter. Why can¡¯t I interfere?¡± Old Master Li, who was beside them, did not want a disturbance. He said, ¡°Alright, cut it out.¡± Although he said that, Old Master Li looked at Madam Zhang with dissatisfaction. ¡°This daughter-in-law is not acceptable!¡± he thought. After dinner, Longyue went to the kitchen. She was relieved to see chicken stew in the pot. She was in no hurry to leave. Instead, she waited for the chicken to be cooked before carrying the pot to her house. After Madam Zhang finished eating, she also went to the kitchen in hopes of taking two bites when the chicken was cooked. But it turned out that Longyue was waiting there. Her plan was foiled. Her eyes turned green with envy as she choked on her tears and ran to Madam Li Zhou¡¯s house. ¡°Mom, Longyue took a pot of chicken to her own house and didn¡¯t even leave us a mouthful of soup. Isn¡¯t that too much? She just said that she wanted to give you guys some food. She¡¯s looking down on you, her mother-in-law!¡± Madam Li Zhou thought about how Longyue had indeed said that she wanted to feed them and instantly felt depressed. However, her timid personality made her unable to do anything about this matter. She spread out her hands and sighed. ¡°Sigh, don¡¯t take it personally. His family is different from ours. Qingmu will become an official in the future, and she will be an official¡¯s wife¡­ Well¡­ bear with it¡­¡± It would have been better if Madam Li Zhou had not said that. The moment she did, Madam Zhang became even angrier. She stomped her feet and went back to Li Qinghai. She raged, ¡°Useless trash. You only know how to watch your wife get bullied. Coward!¡± After she finished speaking, she even hit him. Li Qinghai was an honest and docile man. He just kept a straight face and did not utter a word. He turned around and fell asleep on the bed. Madam Zhang was so angry that she threw a pillow at him twice. On the other side, Longyue carried the chicken soup into the house. She saw her husband reading under the candlelight by the window. She went up and placed the chicken soup in front of him. ¡°Eat it!¡± She said with a cold expression. She looked fierce, but Li Qingmu was moved. ¡°There¡¯s too much chicken soup. Honey, come and have some.¡± ¡°Tch, I¡¯m not weak. You, on the other hand, spend all your time racking your brains over studying and painting. How can you not nourish yourself? Don¡¯t starve and ruin your health. I still have to take care of you! Eat, hurry up. If you don¡¯t, watch how I will deal with you!¡± Longyue widened her almond-shaped eyes and looked angry. In Li Qingmu¡¯s eyes, she looked cute and seductive. He chuckled softly and said casually, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll listen to you, Honey.¡± Li Qingmu ate a lot of chicken soup, but he had left two chicken legs intact. Longyue glared at him unhappily, but she knew that he was doing this for her good and to help her establish her prestige in the family. Without hesitation, she got up and delivered the two chicken legs to Madam Li Zhou and Qingqiu. Madam Li, who was hiding in her room and talking to her husband about her new daughter-in-law, had been hurt by Madam Zhang¡¯s words. Just then, Longyue came in with a chicken leg. Madam Li Zhou was so stunned that she trembled. She quickly stood up and said, ¡°Hai, Longyue, you¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou panicked a little as she had been caught talking about Longyue behind her back. ¡°Mom, this is a chicken leg for you. I always do what I say. Mom, don¡¯t listen to the slanderous talk.¡± ¡°Sigh, yes, yes¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou stuttered. She knew that Longyue had heard her just now and that she was giving her a reminder. She felt a little uncomfortable and was about to say something nice to ease the tension when Longyue turned around and left. Longyue gave her Qingqiu a chicken leg. When she returned, she saw that Li Qingmu had already made the bed. Today the room was a little different. Two dim yellow candles flickered with soft light. The man by the bed had already taken off his clothes. Looking at her, he revealed a smile that outshone the stars and said faintly, ¡°Honey, it¡¯s not early. We should go to bed¡­¡± Chapter 6 - This Man Has Become Bad Chapter 6: This Man Has Become Bad Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Wife, it¡¯s time to get up.¡± ¡°Wife, it¡¯s dawn. Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re going to the city today?¡± ¡°Wife, wife. ?¡± A deep, gentle voice with a hint of warmth sounded in her ear. Longyue felt as if a brush was gently brushing her earlobe, causing her to feel goosebumps all over. She opened her eyes quickly and was greeted with the sight of a handsome face. There was a satisfied smile and an indescribable gentleness on his face. Seeing that she had woken up, he smiled again, stood up, and spread his arms. He picked up a small green blouse at the side and said slowly, ¡°Wife, let your husband help you dress.¡± Longyue was silent. She glared at the man in front of her and gritted her teeth in anger. In her previous life, she was still a virgin when she parted ways with him, but last night¡­ This damn man casually set up two candles to create an atmosphere and said sweet things to her. After coaxing her several times, he actually succeeded in getting what he wanted and tormented her for more than two hours! ¡°What the f*ck! After I was reborn, could this man have also been reborn? Otherwise, why had his personality changed?¡± she wondered. ¡°Shameless!¡± she thought. She glanced at him sideways, her cheeks puffed up in anger, but she did not say anything. The man smiled. Apart from gentleness, there was also a hint of mischief in his eyes. He slowly helped her get dressed, and then carefully removed some bloodstains. ¡°Bastard!¡± As she watched him leave, Longyue cursed impatiently and punched the bed in frustration. However, the moment her feet touched the ground, her mind became clear. Yes, she had been reborn and wanted to have a good life with him, but those rumors about her were a thorn in their side. It was actually very easy to neutralize the thorn. ¡°I was silly.¡± She knocked her head gently and smiled charmingly. After a while, Li Qingmu came in with water and a towel for her to freshen up. He seemed to be even more energetic than usual today, as if he had eaten 10 multi-nourishment pills. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I collapse from a night of hard work?¡± he thought. Longyue had a confused expression as she let him help her freshen up. After everything was done, Li Qingmu smiled and said, ¡°Wife, you were tired last night. Let¡¯s go to the county city for a meal today, alright? The snacks there are very good. There¡¯s soup, pancakes, pan-fried dumplings, and¡­¡± ¡°I want to eat pork buns!¡± Longyue interrupted his rambling impatiently and went out to call her younger brother-in-law. She placed the lingzhi she picked yesterday in a small wicker basket. A coarse sack was placed on top. Longyue carried the basket. Her younger brother-in-law carried a small wicker basket of herbs. Li Qingmu carried a book basket and left the house. Madam Zhang leaned against the door frame and watched as the three of them walked away slowly. She opened her mouth and spat. Longyue and company were going to the county city, so they had to hitch a ride. Since Li Qingmu was a scholar, the villagers would give him some face. It was not difficult to get a ride in a cart. However, there were a lot of people going to the county city today. The ox cart was filled with people and it was a bit of a squeeze. Li Qingmu looked at the packed cart and frowned in displeasure. His wife was delicate and it was probably not appropriate for her to squeeze in an ox cart with so many people. Besides, he did not like it if his wife and a stranger touched each other. He did not know if he was crazy, but he accepted that he was petty. Coincidentally, Chai Tieniu arrived with an ox cart. Yesterday, he had hunted a giant python and stripped it of quite a bit of its value. Today, he would go to the city to sell its parts. Longyue thought that she could get a ride from him. However, Li Qingmu glanced at Chai Tieniu and said to her coldly, ¡°Later you¡¯ll sit on this side and I¡¯ll sit on that side.¡± Longyue was surprised. ¡°What is wrong with this man this morning? Why does he have to bother with the order of seating?¡± she thought. Before she could wrap her head around it, she realized that he had carried her onto the ox cart. Longyue was stunned. After seeing his shamelessness and savage behavior last night, Longyue was no longer surprised by his subsequent actions. All the way to the city, she sat in the cart expressionlessly while he helped her tidy her messy, wind-swept hair. Soon they entered the city. The group parted ways at the city gate and arranged to meet there before noon. ¡°Longyue, let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s go sell medicine!¡± The moment he got out of the ox cart, Li Qingqiu jumped up and down like a monkey. At the thought that he could buy candied haws with the money earned, he was overjoyed. Li Qingmu looked at his younger brother holding his wife¡¯s hand and went up to push his little hand away. He then took the basket from her and said, ¡°Turn left on the road in front. Wife, I¡¯m going to Drunken Ink Pavillion to sell calligraphy and paintings. It¡¯s on the way. Let¡¯s go together.¡± Longyue did not know that this man was being petty and jealous of his younger brother. Thinking that it would be easier for him to carry the basket for her, she agreed. Drunken Ink Pavillion was still quite a distance away. The first place they arrived at was a medical center-Ji Shi Hall. The moment they entered, a boy servant came up to greet them. He asked if they were looking for medical treatment or medicine. Longyue pointed at the basket that Li Qingmu was carrying. ¡°Selling medicine. Do you accept them?¡± ¡°Miss, we have a specialized supply of herbs here¡­¡± The boy servant glanced at the plantain and other herbs in the basket and felt a little awkward. Longyue did not say anything else. She pushed aside the top layer and revealed a stack of lingzhi. The boy servant¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. He smiled and said, ¡°Miss, please come this way.¡± The boy servant brought Longyue and the others into a room. A middle-aged man with a goatee sat inside. His hair was tied into a Daoist bun, and he wore a long robe with wide sleeves. If he had a horsetail whisk, he really would seem like an otherworldly expert. ¡°Miss, this is the shopkeeper, Qin. If you have anything you want to sell, you can talk to him.¡± ¡°Alright, greetings, Shopkeeper Qin.¡± Longyue smiled at him before taking Li Qingmu¡¯s basket and placing it on the table. ¡°I want to sell some lingzhi. Do you want them?¡± These words were just pleasantries. What really mattered was the bargaining process. Shopkeeper Qin got up and took a look at the lingzhi in the basket. His eyes immediately reddened. He craved them. He coughed. ¡°Are you selling these lingzhi mushrooms?¡± ¡°Right, would you accept them?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. As for the price.¡± He narrowed his eyes till they were tiny. Longyue smiled. ¡°What is the price?¡± ¡°Young lady, to be honest, these lingzhi of yours were freshly plucked. There¡¯s still moisture in them. If the weight is too heavy, our medical hall will pay 10 copper coins per liang?..¡± Just as he said this, Li Qingmu picked up the basket and dragged Longyue away. Longyue looked at him in surprise. Only now did she realize that her husband had always been very shrewd. In her previous life, she had felt that he was useless because she did not care about him. ¡°Sigh, Young Master, please wait. Miss, please don¡¯t leave. We can still negotiate the price. I¡¯m not done yet¡­¡± How could Shopkeeper Qin have imagined that this couple would be so direct? When the price did not match, they left without saying a word. He suddenly panicked and chased after them. Longyue sneered. ¡°This shopkeeper seems to be a good person, but he is actually a slippery one. Does he think that honest people are easy to bully? Does he think that we know nothing about the price of lingzhi?¡± she thought. In her previous life, she had worked in a medical center. She might not know about other herbs, but she was very familiar with things like lingzhi, ginseng, and antlers. When the shopkeeper saw that Longyue wanted to leave because of a disagreement, he immediately gave a lame excuse. He was quite good at reading people. Chapter 7 - Grievance and Trembling Chapter 7: Grievance and Trembling Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Then how much do you think is appropriate?¡± Shopkeeper Qin stroked his beard. This was a test. Even if the price they quote was low, he would still lower it. Longyue said, ¡°Shopkeeper, look at this lingzhi¡¯s umbrella flower. It¡¯s so big and has many annual patterns on it. This is obviously a precious, aged lingzhi. You might not even be able to buy it for 100 copper coins, let alone 10 copper coins! But you gave me 10 copper coins for one liang. You¡¯re not sincere in doing business!¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Shopkeeper Qin blushed and looked slightly embarrassed. He had wanted to swindle them, but he ended up meeting someone who knew the ins and outs of medicinal herbs. She even knew about perennial and annual lingzhi. Now he felt ashamed¡­ He said embarrassedly, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re right. I was being greedy previously. How about this, let¡¯s price it at 110 copper coins per liang?¡± ¡°Well¡± When Li Qingqiu heard that an entire 100 copper coins had been added at once, he was so excited that he almost bit his tongue off. He had weighed these lingzhi before coming here. They weighed at least two jin, and one jin was equivalent to 16 liang. In that case¡­ Heavens, the lingzhi would fetch at least three to four taels of silver. They had struck gold this time! Li Qingmu touched his brother¡¯s head and felt that this kid had lost his composure. He was a little exasperated. ¡°This family is too poor,¡± he thought. He felt that he had been a burden as the elder brother. If he passed the imperial examination in the future, he would definitely not let his family suffer anymore. Longyue ignored the emotions of her brother-in-law. She guessed that most medical centers would pay 120 to 130 copper coins per liang. Although this price was a little low, it was not too far off. ¡°Alright, go ahead!¡± After measuring, the total weight came up to two jin and five liang. There were also some plantain, honeysuckle, and other herbs. Shopkeeper Qin skillfully fiddled with an abacus and said with a smile, ¡°Miss, the lingzhi is a total of 4070 copper coins. The ordinary herbs here are a total of three jin and one liang. Let¡¯s round off to 4,600 copper coins. How about that?¡± ¡°Sure, the shopkeeper is kind.¡± ¡°Cough¡­¡± These words were a little frank. Shopkeeper Qin smiled dryly. ¡°Shopkeeper, help me split the silver and copper coins equally.¡± ¡°Okay, here you go, lady.¡± Longyue gave Li Qingqiu 2 taels and 300 copper coins, and the rest to Li Qingmu. Li Qingmu was stunned. ¡°Wife, what do you mean?¡± Longyue glared at him. ¡°I already said that I would save money for your imperial examination! It will take at least half a month to get to the provincial city. We can¡¯t go with you. If you don¡¯t have enough money along the way, the journey will be difficult.¡± Before Longyue could finish, he kissed her and chuckled. ¡°I know your intentions, my wife, but you should take care of this money.¡± Longyue was stunned. ¡°This bastard is always thinking of taking advantage of me!¡± she thought. The three of them walked out of the medical center. Li Qingqiu was deep in thought about the money in his hands. ¡°Give these 2 taels to Mom and let her buy some food for our family. She¡¯ll definitely be happy. These 300 copper coins¡­ Well, hehe, just take it as my pocket money. Longyue, I¡¯ll go buy a few skewers of candied haws!¡± The little fellow skipped away to buy candied haws. Longyue touched her rumbling stomach and was looking for a place to eat steamed pork buns when she saw Li Qingmu walk towards the entrance of a small alley. ¡°Wife, this way.¡± Longyue dragged her younger brother-in-law, who was eating candied haws, away. The three of them went to the hawker¡¯s stall and ate three steamed pork buns. When they turned around and walked out, they saw a fabric shop diagonally across from them. ¡°Let¡¯s go and buy a few pieces of cloth.¡± Longyue knew how to do embroidery, and her skills were excellent. She could make quite a bit of money by turning rags into embroidered handkerchiefs. The fabric shop was called ¡®Jinxiu¡¯. The boss was a young woman dressed in red. After the three of them entered, a shop assistant came up to greet them. Longyue explained her intentions, and he took some cloths from a corner. ¡°Madam, there are usually many ladies in my store who want these cloths for embroidery work. The prices of these cloths are all different. Look¡­¡± Longyue glanced at them and said, ¡°How much are they in total?¡± ¡°210 copper coins.¡± ¡°I want them all.¡± ¡°Alright, little madam. I¡¯ll pack them up now¡­¡± ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this Cousin? You¡¯re the eldest daughter of the Pang family in the capital. Why are you living in such a small place?¡± The shop assistant was interrupted by a gentle voice from behind. Longyue frowned as she looked over. Two women and a man were selecting fabric in the opposite corner of the fabric shop. One woman was wearing a light purple dress, and the other woman was wearing a pink dress. Beside them was a man dressed in blue who looked like a scholar. Longyue curled her lips into a cold smile. The girl in purple who had spoken was her distant cousin, Zhou Zhiqin. Her family background and appearance were far inferior to Longyue, so she had always felt inexplicably jealous of her. In her past life, whenever Zhou Zhiqin was down and out, she would run to Longyue¡¯s step-sister, Pang Shuangyue, to conspire against her. Now she was here to disgust her again. Longyue glanced at her calmly. She wanted to know what she had to say. ¡°Well, Cousin.¡± She walked forward quickly and bowed. ¡°I forgot. I heard from the people in the capital that Cousin seemed to have done something¡­ Oh, how you must have felt wronged.¡± After saying that, she deliberately glanced at Li Qingmu, who was beside Longyue. ¡°Ugh, she wants to dredge up the past rumors about my affair to repel us,¡± Longyue thought. ¡°Unfortunately, that thorn has just been removed not long ago.¡± She smiled and said, ¡°Thank you for your concern, Sister. I¡¯m living a very good life. Marrying my husband is my good fortune from my previous lives. I don¡¯t feel wronged.¡± The girl¡¯s expression immediately turned ugly. On the other hand, Li Qingmu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Yo, of course, you can¡¯t say that you¡¯ve been wronged. After all, don¡¯t you know what kind of person you are? Someone who is guilty of having an affair¡­ Aiyah! It¡¯s not easy to find someone to marry. Why would you ask for anything more?¡± A coquettish laugh could be heard. It was the girl in pink who had followed Zhou Zhiqin here. Her words were sharp and carried deep mockery and malice. On the other hand, the man in a green shirt beside her frowned. Longyue looked up and was just about to reprimand this indiscriminate young woman when Li Qingmu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly raised his head and asked with a blank expression, ¡°This young lady said that my wife was involved with someone else, but I, Li Qingmu, don¡¯t know what ¡®involved¡¯ means. Can you explain?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± The girl in pink found him funny and said to the man in green beside her, ¡°Young Master Xiang, listen to me. This person is a bookworm. Being involved¡­ Isn¡¯t that losing her chastity? Heh heh¡­¡± ¡°Eh? Losing chastity? Young Miss actually knows about this. Could it be that you¡¯ve experienced it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± The girl¡¯s expression froze immediately, and Longyuue giggled. ¡°This man actually knows how to play dumb and pretend to be innocent. Did he defeat his opponents like this in his previous life?¡± she wondered. ¡°Stop talking nonsense. I¡¯m innocent. How could I have lost my chastity?¡± ¡°Oh, then I apologize for my impoliteness. I just saw that you were beaming with joy when you mentioned this, so I thought that you were very experienced.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± The girl in pink had wanted to humiliate Longyue, but it did not work out. Instead she got herself into trouble and was so angry that she was trembling. However, this man¡¯s words were civil, and he looked respectful and humble. It was really hard to fight with him. Humiliated, the girl in pink turned to the man in blue beside her. ¡°Young Master Xiang, don¡¯t listen to his nonsense. There¡¯s no such thing!¡± Young Master Xiang frowned. ¡°Women should refrain from talking too much. Miss Lu¡¯s words were over the top.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± The girl in pink widened her eyes and looked at him in disbelief. Young Master Xiang had always treated her well. Even if she had disputes with other women, he would still side with her. ¡°But what the heck is going on today?¡± she wondered At this moment, Li Qingmu bowed to Young Master Xiang. ¡°Brother Xiang, I have something to do at home. I¡¯ll be taking my wife back first.¡± ¡°Brother Li, take care.¡± Both sides exchanged greetings before Li Qingmu and the other two left. When they were gone, the girl in pink was about to query him when she was stopped by Zhou Zhiqin. She looked at her in disdain, feeling that her companion was a little stupid. Then she asked slowly, ¡°Why was Young Master Xiang so polite to that person?¡± ¡°Polite? Ha, Miss Zhou, you¡¯re overthinking. I¡¯m just keeping a respectful distance from that person.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Young Master Xiang did not utter a word. His gaze turned distant as he clenched his fists tightly.. No one could see that his fists were trembling slightly¡­ Chapter 8 - Take It As A Story Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Do you know that Young Master Xiang?¡± On the way back, Longyue thought of Young Master Xiang and felt that there was something wrong with the way that person looked at her husband. Both parties addressed each other as brothers, but from their expressions, they seemed distant. Li Qingmu drummed gently on the wooden board beside him without saying a word. Seeing him like this, Longyue knew that he was hiding something from her. She said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t tell me. Hmph!¡± Li Qingmu lowered his head and looked intently at her. He said softly, ¡°I will talk to you tonight.¡± ¡°Why tonight?¡± She was a little baffled, but the other party smiled and did not say anything. It was already afternoon when they returned home. There was some leftover food at home, but Longyue and the others had already stuffed themselves with buns and were not hungry. They pecked at the leftovers. ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°Sigh, Qiu¡¯er¡¯, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Li Qingqiu picked up a mouthful of vegetables and jumped down from the chair that was made of bricks. He excitedly ran to Madam Li Zhou, who was cleaning the dishes, and held up two taels of silver in his hands. Madam Li Zhou looked at the white pieces of tael and stared blankly. ¡°Qiu¡¯er, you, you¡­¡± ¡°Mom, this is the money Ah Qiu and I earned from picking herbs in the mountains yesterday and selling them. It¡¯s all here. We want to give Mom some extra money for the family.¡± Longyue had obviously taken half the money, but she did not blush at all when she said this. Li Qingqiu stole a glance at her, only to be hit on the head. ¡°Mom, quickly, keep it. Don¡¯t let Second Sister-in-law see it.¡± Longyue shrewdly placed the taels in Madam Li Zhou¡¯s hands. Fortunately, her second sister-in-law had already gone back to her house to sleep. Otherwise, she would have caused trouble again. It was obvious that Li Zhou had yet to recover from the sudden windfall of two taels of silver. Li Qingqiu muttered softly, ¡°Mom, take the money and treat it like nothing happened. Don¡¯t let the family know, or else we¡¯ll have no peace at home again.¡± Thinking that her son was right, Li Zhou readily agreed. ¡°Wife, take it.¡± After entering their straw hut, Li Qingmu handed her the money that he earned selling calligraphy and paintings. Longyue glanced at his handsome face and realized that this man was a little chauvinistic. It would be embarrassing for him to give her money outside. ¡°Well, men and their egos,¡± she thought. She took the money and placed it on a piece of tile in front of her. Then she covered it with bricks and hay. ¡°All the money is kept here. We¡¯ll use it for the examination later.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With that, Longyue pulled out those cloths and began to measure them. She tried to make the most of them to minimize losses. Li Qingmu resumed his painting. Both parties minded their own business and did not disturb each other for the entire afternoon. In the evening, Ah Qiu came to call them for dinner. The food on the table had improved slightly, and there was an additional bowl of egg drop soup. ¡®The Li family would occasionally make egg drop soup. Second Sister-in-law, Madam Zhang, did not know that the Li family had an additional income, so their dinner was quite peaceful. After eating and drinking her fill, Longyue returned to wash up. By the time she was done, it was already dark outside. She sat on the bed and waited for him to come in. ¡°Uh, wife?¡± Li Qingmu was a little surprised to see Longyue sitting there with a serious expression. ¡°You made a promise during the day. You haven¡¯t forgotten?¡± ¡°How could I have forgotten?¡± He chuckled softly, came over, and held Longyue¡¯s slender waist as he pulled her under the blanket. He whispered into her ear, ¡°If you want me to tell you, then I¡¯ll tell you. I¡¯m just worried that you¡¯ll be afraid, so it¡¯s better to tell you in bed.¡± Longyue glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m timid?¡± ¡®The other party was silent. After a while, he said, ¡°Wife, just take it as a story.¡± ¡°Story?¡± ¡°Ghost story?¡± she wondered. ¡°When I¡¯m afraid, I¡¯ll nestle in your arms?¡± Longyue rolled her eyes at him. ¡°This man is really annoying,¡± she thought. ¡°He¡¯s always thinking about how to take advantage of me when he is talking about something.¡± She wondered why she did not know that he was so scheming in her previous life. ¡°Hurry up and say it. After you¡¯re done, go to bed!¡± ¡®The man chuckled softly and pulled the girl in his arms closer to him. He said slowly, ¡°That was in the autumn three years ago. Young Master Xiang¡¯s family was doing business. He was rich and outspoken. Some of his peers at our school had good relationships with him¡­¡± That autumn, Xiang Yin, the son of a wealthy businessman who was studying at the academy, became friends with a court official. That court official suggested going on a hunt in the mountains. All the students wanted to befriend this court official and agreed. Li Qingmu¡¯s father used to be a hunter, so he knew how to shoot arrows since he was young, Therefore, he went along with them. To their surprise, there was a sudden storm in the mountains. They had chased a deer deep into the mountains and were trapped there for a while. They had no choice but to find a cave to take shelter from the rain. However, at this moment, a group of bandits suddenly appeared and chased after them. Li Qingmu happened to be with Xiang Yin and the court official. At first, they thought that the bandits were doing this for money, so they threw all the valuables they had at them. However, the other party continued to pursue them. Only then did they realize that those people were here to kill someone. Seeing that they were forced into a comer, Li Qingmu was already prepared to die with them. However, the other party said that they only wanted to kill the court official. Upon hearing that, the court official¡¯s eyes darted around. He suddenly pointed at Li Qingmu and said, ¡°This is the person you¡¯re looking for.¡± Those bandits immediately surrounded Li Qingmu. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect him to be so despicable. I had wanted to protect him even at the risk of death, but I was wrong about him. It wasn¡¯t enough for him to point me out as the court official. He even urged the bandits to kill me quickly, afraid that I would in turn identify him.¡± ¡®When Li Qingmu said this, he suddenly laughed softly. His smile was cold and murderous. ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t identify him. If I did that, the other party would think that we were fickle and playing tricks on them. At that time, we¡¯d all die. So I fought for my life. I pretended to be weak and afraid, fooled the first two people, and killed them with a backhand blow. Then I fought another person¡­¡± Longyue listened to him quietly. Although he spoke very calmly as if he was talking about something unrelated to him, Longyue could imagine how fierce the battle must have been. The air seemed to be filled with the faint smell of blood. It was difficult for her to imagine what this man had experienced that night, but she knew that at this moment, they were completely sincere with each other. She snuggled into his chest and reached for his hand. Only then did she realize that he was clenching his fists so tightly that they were creaking. ¡°killed those three bandits. When the court official saw that it was safe, he actually tried to worm his way into being friends with me. Then¡­ he was killed by me too.¡± Aweak candle flame flickered, and the room was eerily silent. Longyue looked up at the handsome man beside her, as if this was the first time she had met him. In her previous life, after he became a deputy prime minister, the outside world had judged him to be decisive and ruthless. Now it seemed that what they said was true. She suddenly felt wonderful. She was the descendant of a general. Of course, she did not like men to be too weak. In her previous life, she had distanced herself from Li Qingmu and even hated him because she saw him as being submissive. ¡°Well killed!¡± She raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at him with much admiration. ¡°Such a despicable person should be killed! If it were me, killing him with one strike would be too easy for him!¡± Li Qingmu looked down at the little woman in his arms in surprise. He thought that after he told her about this painful past, she would despise him as much as before, but. Chapter 9 - Scumbag, Digging a Pit Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Under the flickering candlelight, Longyue lay quietly in Li Qingmu¡¯s arms. She was dazed by his handsome side profile. Recalling how she always felt that he was useless and weak in her past life, she really wanted to beat herself up. This man was obviously very assertive! Moreover, since he had told her these things, their relationship would only become more intimate! ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid, wife?¡± He seemed very curious, and there was something inscrutable in his eyes. ¡°What am I afraid of?¡± Longyue was glad that they had become closer. When she heard him under-estimating her, she gave him a disdainful look. ¡°Don¡¯t you know my family background?¡± ¡°Te heard a little. It seems that your dad is a high-ranking official in the capital.¡± ¡°Hmph! My dad is Pang Wenzheng, the minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel, a second-rank official in the capital. My maternal granddad is the Xiping General, Cao Yin, who guards the southwest border. My mother is the eldest daughter of his first wife. She was influenced by him since she was young to play with blades and had fought on battlefields. The things that are scary are bloody human remains and severed arms. Do you think that little bit of yours¡­ is enough to scare me?¡± Li Qingmu was stupefied. ¡°Oh, it seems that I am being despised¡­¡±he thought. Li Qingmu was a little disappointed, but immediately after that, he felt happy. They were sharing what was on their minds, which meant they had become confidants. His eyes drooped slightly as satisfaction flashed across his eyes. ¡°Wife, you¡¯re actually not afraid? That¡¯s great. It¡¯s already late at night. Let¡¯s. Longyue gently covered his mouth and raised her eyebrows. She raised his thin chin and said in high spirits, ¡°Li Qingmu, I don¡¯t care how ruthless and decisive you are when dealing with the outside world, how frightening you are, or how despicable you are! But you have to treat me and our future children well. Otherwise¡­ The Cao family¡¯s 18th class martial arts that your wife learned from her mother are not to be trifled with!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ won¡¯t we know soon whether I treat you well?¡± ¡°Soon?¡± Longyue was confused at first, but then she immediately understood and flew into a rage. ¡°Li Qingmu, not again! You scumbag!¡± She couldn¡¯t care less if he was a scumbag or not. She was so tired that she fell asleep instantly. When she woke up the next day, her back ached. She propped her waist as she walked out of her room and saw her younger brother-in-law, Ah Qiu, skipping towards her room. ¡°Longyue, should we go up the mountain?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m exhausted!¡± She did not know how long she had been tormented by him last night. In any case, she fell asleep in the end. Her body ached all over today, and she was in no mood to climb the mountain. ¡°Sigh, the lotus roots are ripe for harvest. Many people have gone to pick the lotus pods to get lotus roots. I want to eat glutinous rice and lotus roots¡­¡± As the little fellow spoke, he looked worried. Glutinous rice and lotus roots? Longyue liked this dish, but she wondered if it was what she was thinking. ¡°Do you mean stuffing the glutinous rice into the lotus root and steaming it with sugar?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s delicious. It¡¯s so sweet. It¡¯s soft, sticky, and fragrant.¡± Longyue narrowed her eyes. Ever since her younger sister framed her and she was chased out of the capital by her father, she had not eaten glutinous rice and lotus roots. Now she was eating so much plain rice in the Li family, she was about to throw up. It was time to expand her palate. Her mother was a Jiangnan girl who loved to eat sweet foods. So did she. Sweet and soft glutinous rice and lotus roots, sweet and sour fish, sticky silken tofu. Longyue licked her dry lips and patted Ah Qiu on the head. ¡°Speaking of which, Longyue is feeling a little peckish. Alright, let¡¯s go up the mountain!¡± Before setting off, she saw a certain someone walk out of the house and could not help spitting, ¡°Scumbag!¡± Longyue and her younger brother-in-law took a bamboo basket and a bucket and went to the mountains again. This time, they were going to the back of the mountain. There was a huge lotus pond there. The summer season was when the lotus pods bloomed and lotus roots ripened. There were also fish in the lotus pond. If they could get their hands on them, their meal today would be better. ¡°Ah Qiu, I remember that we don¡¯t have glutinous rice at home. We¡¯ll have to buy glutinous rice from the county city tomorrow.¡± Longyue was a little disappointed. Only now did she realize a serious problem. No glutinous rice! ¡°Longyue, you can borrow some from the Chen family at the entrance of the village. Their family owns a grain store in the county city. They have plenty of glutinous rice¡­¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t take them for free!¡± Longyue frowned. She thought that borrowing money or borrowing food was not good for the little fellow. He would develop the bad habit of not wanting to better himself. ¡°Then¡­ Then what should we do?¡± The little fellow felt that he had made a mistake. He drooped his head and asked listlessly. Longyue realized that she had been too fierce just now, so she softened her tone and said, ¡°Don¡¯t we have three old hens that lay eggs at home? Send some eggs over later and exchange them for rice.¡± ¡°But Meihua is feeding those chickens. She won¡¯t agree.¡± ¡°Hmph, she has no say in this family!¡± Longyue sounded very domineering. Ah Qiu was delighted, but after a while, he wilted and looked defeated. Longyue was infuriated when she saw him acting like a coward, and she said gloomily, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Longyue, I feel uncomfortable at the thought that we¡¯ll have to feed Madam Zhang the food that we¡¯ve worked so hard to get. To be honest, I rather hate my second sister-in-law. Before you came, she often snatched my food. I was about to starve to death¡­¡± Ah Qiu pursed his lips, his eyes looking shrewd. How could Longyue not tell what this kid was thinking? However, this was what she liked to hear. As long as someone in the family was dissatisfied with Madam Zhang, it would be easier for them to kick her out in the future. ¡°Pal¡± She slapped Ah Qiu so hard that he almost threw up blood. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll protect you from now on!¡± The little fellow¡¯s mood brightened at once as he cried out, ¡°Is Longyue serious?¡± ¡°Nonsense. Do you think your third sister-in-law would lie to a little kid like you?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± The little fellow smiled smugly and lowered his head as he muttered, ¡°Madam Zhang is too fierce. In the future, we¡¯ll find a good wife for Second Brother. She must be gentle and virtuous like Madam Wang. Yes, she must also know how to give birth¡­¡± Longyue was stunned. ¡®The two of them chatted and laughed along the way as they dug a pit for Madam Zhang. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the lotus pond. It was still early, but there were already many people around the pond. Longyue knew that time was tight. It would be even harder to pick them when there were more people later, so she asked Ah Qiu to hold her bamboo basket while she rolled up her pants and waded into the lotus pond to pick the lotus roots. Longyue was a missy from a wealthy family. Logically speaking, she would not know how to do this, but in her previous life, she was living a hard life. She had suffered all sorts of hardships, and plucking the lotus roots was a piece of cake. After a while, there were many lotus pods and lotus roots, and even a few carps in the bamboo basket and bucket. ¡°Wow, Longyue, you¡¯re amazing. It hasn¡¯t been long and you¡¯ve picked so many!¡± The little fellow¡¯s eyes lit up, and they were filled with adoration. Longyue simply smiled slightly. Sometimes, she found this kid¡¯s antics quite enjoyable. ¡°Heh, Third Madam Li, what are you doing here? Tsk, could it be that you missed me? Hahaha¡­¡± Suddenly, a frivolous and teasing voice sounded from behind. Longyue tured around and saw a wretched figure on the shore. He was looking at her with a malicious gaze.. Chapter 10 - She Pushed Me! Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°You are¡­ Qian Yi?¡± Longyue frowned. She had a negative first impression of this person. In addition, she hated this person deep down. She thought for a moment and finally remembered who he was. He was Second Madam Qian¡¯s son, Qian Duoduo, who later changed his name to Qian Yi after he started schooling. This person was a bastard who lusted after beauties. ¡®When Longyue married into the Li family, she had the bad reputation of being promiscuous. Qian Yi often came to tease her and even said frivolous things like letting her have a taste of what a real man was. Longyue remembered that on the ninth day after she married into the Li family, she had met Qian Yi by the river. He suggested that they have some fun together. Longyue had wanted to beat him up, but she happened to see Li Qingmu walk over. At that time, she hated Li Qingmu very much and could not wait for him to divorce her. So she flirted with Qian Yi. After the incident, Li Qingmu continued to act as if nothing had happened. He was as gentle and caring as before, causing Longyue to despise him even more. She felt that he was gutless. But after their heart-to-heart talk last night, she knew that he was definitely not gutless. ¡°Then what was he thinking back then? she wondered. Longyue felt like she still couldn¡¯t understand her husband. Her mood became agitated, and her tone was cold and impatient. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Qian Yi, who always felt good about himself, did not notice at all that Longyue was no longer the same person that he knew a while ago. He thought that she was acting coy again. He became smug instantly. ¡°Third Madam doesn¡¯t seem to be in a good mood? That¡¯s understandable. Such a beautiful and radiant beauty having to go down to the lotus pond to pick the lotus roots like those uncouth women. Tsk, tsk. It really makes my heart ache. That man of yours really doesn¡¯t know how to treat the fairer sex. I think you should quickly divorce him and live with me. Huh? Hahaha!¡± ¡°Qian Duoduo, shut up, you scoundrel! Third Brother treats Longyue very well. Who wants to live with you? Longyue, let¡¯s not listen to his nonsense!¡± The past two days had made Ah Qiu feel dependent on Longyue. She had just promised him that she would protect him from Madam Zhang. How could he let someone poach her now? Quite in contrast with his usual meek and timid ways, he pointed at Qian Duoduo while scolding him. ¡°Hey, rascal, who are you talking about? My name is Qian Yi. Qian Yi, do you hear me? You¡¯re deaf!¡± Qian Yi was furious when he heard that. Ever since he started schooling, he had hated his vulgar name which meant ¡®lots of money,¡¯ so he changed it. Now that someone had mentioned his childhood name, he was furious. However, Ah Qiu stood his ground and did not relent in the face of Qian Yi¡¯s anger. ¡°Hmph, you are Qian Duoduo. What¡¯s wrong with that? The whole village used to call you that. Don¡¯t think you can throw away your name just because you went to school.¡± ¡°L.. F*ck you. Little thing, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡± Qian Yi flew into a rage after being called by his childhood name so many times. He rolled up his sleeves and charged forward to hit Li Qingqiu. At this moment, Longyue¡¯s charming voice rang out. ¡°Brother Qian, he¡¯s just a child. He doesn¡¯t know his limits. Why are you scolding him?¡± Her sweet voice was really seductive. Qian Yi felt his blood surge. He turned around immediately, and his expression changed from anger to a smile. ¡°Hehe, Third Madam is right. What does a little kid know? My Third Madam is so considerate¡­¡± He chuckled as he spoke. When he saw Longyue get out of the pond with her rolled-up pants revealing her fair skin, his heart yearned for her. Without a word, he pounced on Longyue. ¡°Longyue! Dodge!¡± Ah Qiu called out urgently, afraid that Longyue would be taken advantage of, but she was very calm. She narrowed her eyes and smiled, waiting for him to pounce on her. Then she moved lightly and Qian Yi missed his target. Behind Longyue was the lotus pond. Qian Yi quickly halted, but how could Longyue let him off so easily? ¡°Young Master Qian, be careful!¡± ¡®As she spoke, she went up to pull him back. To onlookers, it seemed like she was pulling him back, but in reality, she was intentionally pushing him forward. ¡°Ah!¡± Qian Yi felt someone pat his back which caused him to lose his balance. With a cry, he fell into the lotus pond. ¡°Save¡­ my life¡­¡± The lotus pond was not deep¡ªit was only about half a meter by the shore. However, Qian Yi did not know how to swim. The crux was that he had almost drowned when he was young and had developed an instinctive fear of water. After he fell into the pond, he splashed about wildly and cried out for help. ¡®The water in the lotus pond was muddier than the water in the stream. After shouting a few times, he ingested quite a bit of the turbid water. He was so disgusted that he wanted to roll his eyes. ¡°Aiyah, Young Master Qian has fallen into the lotus pond. Someone, come quickly! Save him!¡± Longyue found Qian Yi¡¯s silly demeanor funny. Of course, she would not help him. There were many people around who had come to pick the lotus roots. She was happy to be a spectator among the crowd and shouted a few times. A middle-aged man nearby said, ¡°Young man, the water isn¡¯t deep. You can just step down and stand up!¡± ¡°Pfft, that¡¯s right. Look, we¡¯re all standing!¡± ¡®Then a woman smiled as she attempted to pull Qian Yi. ¡°What are you doing? Don¡¯t touch my son!¡± Second Madam Qian who had also come to pick the lotus roots had specially asked her son to come along to help. However, he disappeared the moment she turned around and she had been looking for her son everywhere. When she heard the commotion, she came over. The moment she came over, she saw her precious son struggling in the lotus pond and a woman reaching out to him. She wondered what the woman was going to do. She was so anxious that she rushed in and pushed the woman away. ¡°What are you doing? Are you trying to murder my son? My son is going to be an official in the future. Do you all want to die?¡± Qian Yi was Second Madam Qian¡¯s heir. He almost drowned when he was young and was most afraid of water, so when she saw him, she rushed into the pond to drag him up. ¡°Cough, cough, cough¡­ Eurgh¡­¡± Qian Yi stood in the mud and desperately threw up the muddy water into the pond. The mud-filled lotus pond water was disgusting. Qian Yi had all but vomited his food from the previous night. Second Madam Qian¡¯s heart ached when she saw this. She roared angrily and wanted to question the people around her, but the woman whom she had pushed away scolded angrily. ¡°Sister Qian, you¡¯re really biting the hand that feeds you. I helped your son out of goodwill, so why are you slandering me? I didn¡¯t push him in!¡± Second Madam Qian¡¯s anger was suppressed. She said dumbfoundedly, ¡°What, you didn¡¯t do it? Then who¡­¡± ¡°I saw him fall into the pond himself.¡± A little boy had just said that when his mother covered his mouth. ¡°Bullsh*t, I didn¡¯t fall into it myself. It was¡­ it was that b*tch. That b*tch did it. She pushed me!¡± Qian Yi¡¯s face was twisted from vomiting too much. He thought of the slap on his back and cursed Longyue in his heart! ¡°This damn little b*tch!¡±he thought. ¡°B*tch? Which b*tch?¡± Second Madam Qian looked around warily. ¡°It¡¯s her¡­¡± Qian Yi pointed at the spot where Longyue was standing on the bank just now. But in the blink of an eye, she had disappeared. Chapter 11 - Protection Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Mom, that b*tch ran away! She pushed me into the lotus pond and ran away. Damn it, I won¡¯t let her off!¡± Qian Yi was hopping mad. ¡°Son, who is this b*tch you¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°Hmph, who else could it be? It¡¯s that b*tch from the Li family, Third Madam Li!¡± Of course, Longyue wouldn¡¯t foolishly wait for mother and son to find trouble with her. After she made a fool of someone, she would vanish without a trace. However, since they had been in the lotus pond, their feet were covered in mud. Longyue brought Ah Qiu to a stream in the mountains to wash their legs. A portion of the area where her pants were rolled up was stained with mud, making it difficult to clean. Longyue looked at her pants, which had turned white from washing, and pondered. It was time to get new clothes. However, money was short at home. They had to put food on the table and there were also Li Qingmu¡¯s expenses for the imperial examination. Only after paying these expenses could she scrape together some money for new clothes. In her previous life, she had insisted that she wanted to make two new sets of clothes, and Li Qingmu had given her a portion of the money set aside for the examination. Those years had been hard on him¡­ When Longyue thought about this, she suddenly thought of her second sister-in-law, Madam Zhang. She was not frugal at all and her family was greedy. In her previous life, Li Qingmu became a local minor official after passing the imperial examination. The Zhang family relied on his official position to throw their weight around. Not only did they abuse their power, they even annexed the fields of the neighboring village. In the end, they hounded the son of a family to death. This matter had blown up and provoked public anger. Li Qingmu was implicated in this matter. He was demoted and sent to the southwest. The eldest son of the Zhang family, who forced the villager to death, was sentenced to prison for 10 years. He was immoral and had no heirs, and was disowned by Old Master Zhang. At that time, Longyue did not fancy Li Qingmu and did not want to accompany him to the southwest to suffer with him. Essentially, she felt that she had married a useless man and was too ashamed to face her grandfather, so she simply divorced him. Thinking about it now, that incident was the real test of their relationship. If she had pulled through back then, she might have been able to take revenge on that younger sister of hers. Longyue was deep in thought and did not realize that they were home. Ah Qiu opened the door and entered. When he saw that Longyue was silent, he thought that she was in a daze. He was about to call out when Longyue suddenly said, ¡°Ah Qiu!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ah Qiu was startled. When he looked up and saw her smiling at him, he was baffled. ¡°Longyue, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Come, let¡¯s go in and look for mom. Tell her that we brought back lotus roots and that we¡¯re going to take some eggs to the Chen family to exchange for glutinous rice.¡± ¡°Ah, you want me to go?¡± ¡°What else? Don¡¯t you think this is important?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡®Ah Qiu headed to Madam Li Zhou¡¯s house glumly. He was about to ask Longyue if she wanted to go in with him when he turned around and saw her sneaking into Li Qingmu¡¯s room. ¡°Well, her own husband is more important!¡± he thought. Li Qingmu was painting in the room when the door opened suddenly. His little wife rushed in. ¡°Wife¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, he was pushed against the wall by Longyue. He was a little stunned. Looking at the pretty face of the little woman who was just inches away from him, Li Qingmu felt his heart beat wildly. He said innocently, in a panic, ¡°Little Yue¡­ Wife, what are you doing¡­¡± ¡°Li Qingmu! Stop pretending to be a pitiful little rabbit!¡± Longyue¡¯s martial arts skills were quite good. She pressed him down and prevented him from moving. Then she asked with a cold expression, ¡°A few days ago, I met Qian Yi by the river and we flirted with each other. You saw everything back then, so why didn¡¯t you react at all when we came home? Tell me, what exactly were you thinking back then?¡± His own wife had flirted with another man and made him a cuckold. Yet there was no reaction at all from him. He continued to eat and sleep as usual and his attitude towards her did not seem cold. In the past, Longyue didn¡¯t care about him, and he didn¡¯t care about her either. However, things were different now. She had truly become his woman. If he didn¡¯t care about her, Longyue would definitely cut him off! Looking at the little woman¡¯s angry manner, even a dimwit would have understood, let alone a shrewd person like Li Qingmu. He chuckled softly, his eyes filled with tenderness and a little mischief that she had never seen before. He lowered his head and whispered into Longyue¡¯s ears, ¡°My wife was deliberately provoking me at that time. Why should I get angry?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Longyue¡¯s eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost. ¡°You knew?¡± Li Qingmu nodded seriously. Longyue was so angry that she wanted to punch him. So this guy had read her mind! ¡°Wife, why are you asking about this suddenly? Did you encounter some difficulty?¡± ¡°This person¡¯s sensitivity is astonishing.¡± Longyue glared at him. ¡°Nothing. I ran into Qian Duoduo today. How annoying!¡± Ahint of coldness flashed across Li Qingmu¡¯s dark eyes. He knew that Qian Yi had most likely said something that disgusted her. Then he recalled how that person used to tease Longyue ¡°This is not good!¡± he thought. ¡°Mom, Longyue and I went to the mountains to get some lotus roots and lotus pods today. We even caught some fish. I want to have glutinous rice with lotus roots. Can I take some eggs to the Chen family to exchange for glutinous rice?¡± Ah Qiu followed at the heels of Madam Li Zhou. His eldest sister-in-law, Madam Wang, was coming out to collect her laundry. When she heard this, she said happily, ¡°Glutinous rice with lotus roots. That¡¯s good. About this matter, Mom¡­¡± ¡®As she spoke, she licked her dry lips and looked pleadingly at her mother-in-law. Madam Li Zhou hesitated and did not say anything. Inside her house, Madam Zhang heard the discussion outside and rushed out. ¡°What? Why should we exchange eggs for glutinous rice? Why do we have to eat glutinous rice and lotus roots? Besides, didn¡¯t you catch some fish? Why don¡¯t you exchange fish for rice instead?¡± ¡°Meihua, fish are more expensive than eggs, right? We don¡¯t often eat fish and this time, we can have fresh fish. As for eggs¡­ Mom hasn¡¯t said anything. Why are you making a fuss? You don¡¯t have a say in this family!¡± Longyue walked out of her house and interrupted her. Longyue¡¯s words left Madam Zhang speechless. She stamped her feet in anger. ¡°I raised the chickens! I¡¯ve said I won¡¯t give the eggs to you!¡± ¡°What a joke. It was Mom who bought the chickens. If you don¡¯t raise them, others will. Besides¡­ Ha, who doesn¡¯t know that Meihua often helps herself to the eggs when others are not around?¡± ¡°Bang!¡± Having been jabbed by Longyue¡¯s words, Madam Zhang was so angry that she turned murderous. She threw a wooden basin filled with clothes at Longyue, who dodged it. ¡°Little hussy, how dare you slander me! See if I don¡¯t teach you a lesson!¡± She was indignant that her attack had missed its target. She bared her fangs and brandished her claws as she charged at Longyue, wanting to tear her hair. However, Li Qingmu was faster than her. After hearing the commotion, he rushed out and stood in front of Longyue, restraining Madam Zhang. ¡°Ah¡ªit hurts, it hurts! Let go, No. 3, let go of me. I¡¯m your sister-in-law¡­¡± ¡°Longyue is my wife!¡± With that, he made his position clear and pushed her to the ground! Chapter 12 - Splashing Soup, Getting Ruthless Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Ouch!¡± Madam Zhang¡¯s butt hurt from the fall. Angry and frustrated, she looked at her husband angrily. ¡°Li Qinghai, are you still a man?! Your own wife is being bullied. Don¡¯t you know how to give her a hand?! Oh, my life. Why is it so hard? Marrying such a useless person¡­¡± ¡°Enough! What kind of nonsense is this!¡± In the past, Madam Zhang often scolded her husband for no reason. Madam Li Zhou would tolerate it, but now that she was reprimanding her son in front of her, she really could not tolerate it anymore. ¡°God knows how she abuses No. 2 behind my back.¡± As his mother, Madam Li Zhou¡¯s heart ached so much. Madam Li Zhou disliked this daughter-in-law even more. She turned to look at Ah Qiu and asked, ¡°No. 4, how many eggs do you want to exchange for the glutinous rice?¡± ¡°Three. I want a bowl of glutinous rice from her. If I give her less, she won¡¯t be happy,¡± Longyue added. Li Zhou felt pinched about the eggs, but when she thought about how she had not eaten glutinous rice and lotus roots for many years, she felt hungry. She turned around and urged her eldest son to get them. ¡®The Chen family and the Li family had a good relationship. Soon they got the glutinous rice. Longyue looked calmly at the Li family members who were staring at the glutinous rice and lotus roots. She turned around and pulled Ah Qiu into the kitchen. ¡°Longyue¡­ you¡­¡± Ah Qiu watched in disbelief as Longyue washed the lotus roots. He wondered if he was imagining things. ¡°Longyue is actually cooking?¡± he thought. ¡°Is Longyue sick today¡± Li Qingmu came to the door of the kitchen and saw his little wife busying herself inside. His eyes were filled with tenderness. He did not go in because he knew nothing about cooking. Going in would only add to the trouble. ¡®When Longyue was down and out, she cooked for herself. Glutinous rice and lotus roots were her forte. If she wanted this dish to be soft and sweet, she would have to stew it for a while. So by night, the courtyard was filled with the rich fragrance of lotus roots and glutinous rice. The whole family poked their heads out of their houses and stared into the kitchen covetously. Soon a large plate of sliced glutinous rice lotus roots was placed on the table. The family sat together and stared at the lotus roots on the plate. Longyue looked at them and knew that there was a way to do what she was planning. When Madam Zhang was about to grab the food, she stopped her. Madam Zhang¡¯s expression immediately changed as she said angrily, ¡°What are you doing? It¡¯s time to eat. Why aren¡¯t you allowing me to eat? Do you want to take it all for yourself?¡± ¡®When Madam Li Zhou heard this, her face twitched slightly. Longyue took in all their expressions and sneered inwardly. Wearing a smile on her face, she said, ¡°Mom, it¡¯s rare for us to have a good meal at home, so we have to eat to our hearts¡¯ content. That¡¯s why I¡¯m planning to split this into fair portions for everyone.¡± ¡°split? How?¡± ¡®When Madam Zhang heard this, she sensed that something was not right and her eyes widened. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s based on seniority and headcount.¡± Longyue smiled mischievously. ¡°Dad and Mom are older, so you should eat more. Qinghai and Wang do more work, so you should eat more. And your children. They¡¯re still growing, so they should eat more. Oh, husband, let¡¯s each have one!¡± Li Qingmu narrowed his eyes. How could he not know what his little wife was thinking? Since she wants to torture Madam Zhang, let her torture her! he thought. ¡®As expected, Madam Zhang was dissatisfied, ¡°So I can only eat one?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m an adult. Won¡¯t I starve to death if I eat so little? Wang¡¯s two children are so small. Do they need to eat the whole thing? I think half will do!¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. Longyue said that the children are growing up and have to eat more. These lotus roots belong to us!¡± Although the eldest sister-in-law, Madam Wang, was weak, she became unyielding when it came to her children¡¯s interests. She quickly put away the lotus roots that Longyue had given her and let the children eat them. Madam Zhang looked left and right and saw that everyone was already eating. She had been hopping with excitement for half a day only to get one lotus root. When she thought about how she had suffered at Li Qingmu¡¯s hands just now, her butt still hurt! She was extremely pissed, and she also felt that her husband was useless. Instantly, evil intentions arose in her heart. She picked up a bowl of vegetable soup on the table and splashed it at Longyue. ¡°Yue¡¯er!¡± Longyue had not eaten glutinous rice and lotus roots for a long time, so she was only focused on eating and not paying attention to her surroundings. When she looked up, she saw Li Qingmu shielding her. ¡°Husband!¡± As she looked at the soup that had splattered all over the table, Longyue immediately realized what had happened. She stood up and looked at her man, examining him from head to toe. Fortunately, the soup had already cooled, and he was not injured but was ina sorry state. How could Longyue let her off so easily? She immediately grabbed her big bowl filled with glutinous rice and lotus root leftovers and charged at Madam Zhang. ¡°Sigh, No. 3 branch¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou wanted to stop her, but her actions were clearly not as fast as Longyue¡¯s. With a bang, Longyue¡¯s big bowl already landed on Madam Zhang¡¯s head. ¡°Ouch¡ª¡± Madam Zhang cried out miserably. She had wanted to see Longyue and Li Qingmu make a fool of themselves and thought that they would argue with her angrily. She had not expected Longyue to be so extreme as to return an eye for an eye. Moreover, she had done it so thoroughly. Madam Zhang was dumbfounded. Her head was still a little dizzy from the blow. Not long after, she fainted. ¡°Sigh, this¡­ What to do? Hurry¡­ Hurry up and call a doctor!¡± When Madam Li Zhou saw Longyue lift the big bowl, which was covered in blood, she was so scared that her face turned pale. She must have smashed someone¡¯s head! She trembled as she spoke, urging No. 2, Li Qinghai, to get a doctor quickly. ¡®The room was noisy. Longyue was in no mood to clean up the mess. She pulled Li Qingmu into the room. ¡°Go wash up and change quickly.¡± Longyue said, her heart aching, but her tone was not very nice. Li Qingmu knew that his wife was angry. He obediently went to a hut by the woodshed to take a shower. When he returned, she was holding a basin of warm water. He saw Longyue¡¯s slightly tired expression and felt his heart ache. He said softly, ¡°Yue¡¯er has been running up the mountain these past few days. You must be exhausted. Go wash up and rest quickly!¡± ¡®As he spoke, he gazed at Longyue, his eyes filled with love and affection. Unknowingly, he had used a term of endearment. Longyue nodded gently, her voice a little seductive. ¡°My feet hurt¡­¡± Li Qingmu immediately understood. He knelt down and carefully helped Longyue remove her shoes. Indeed, he saw that her fair and tender feet were covered with blisters. It hurt him just to look at them. His eyes darkened and he blamed himself. He was useless and had made his wife suffer. He removed a strand of hair and gently burst the blisters, squeezing out the pus before washing her feet with warm water. His movements were very gentle and practiced. In fact, Longyue did not feel any pain. ¡®Then he went to get two basins of clean water and helped Longyue wash up. After they were done, he got into bed and pulled her into his arms, his eyes filled with contentment. ¡°Well¡­¡± Longyue felt that it was about time to get down to business. However, he spoke first. ¡°You want to tell me about Meihua, right?¡± Longyue nodded. ¡°Right! You saw it for yourself today. You know what kind of personality Meihua has. She¡¯s calculative. She¡¯s just causing trouble in our house and messing up our lives! We must think of a way to get rid of this person. Do you agree? If you don¡¯t, why bother to live our lives!¡± Li Qingmu looked at this angry young wife and suddenly thought that she was very cute. He lowered his head, kissed her smooth forehead, and hugged her tightly. ¡°Yue¡¯er, don¡¯t be angry. Actually, I¡¯ve been unhappy with her for a long time. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s my second sister-in-law. As a younger brother, it¡¯s not appropriate to interfere in their relationship. But since she treated you so badly just now, we have our reasons to retaliate.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Luckily, that soup was cold. Otherwise, I would have torn her apart on the spot!¡± ¡®When she thought about how Li Qingmu was drenched in Madam Zhang¡¯s soup while trying to protect her, Longyue was both touched and heartbroken. Even though she had taught Madam Zhang a lesson, she still felt that it was not enough to allay her anger! Chapter 13 - Chai Qiaoer Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°We have to think about this matter at length. We don¡¯t have much money at home to let Qingyuan marry another wife. Meihua is bossy and crafty, but judging from Mom¡¯s intentions, she doesn¡¯t want to kick her out. Unless¡­¡± Li Qingmu paused suddenly with a strange expression. Longyue was quite smart and immediately guessed what he had not said. She raised her head and stared at him. ¡°Do you mind? I¡¯m taking over your place.¡± If Longyue wanted to drive Madam Zhang out of the Li family without any opposition, she would have to have the authority to run the Li family. But if she did that, what would become of her mother-in-law, Madam Li Zhou? His mother-in-law would definitely kick up a fuss and the Li family would speak in support of her. But what about Li Qingmu? As her son, what should he do? This matter would definitely put him in a dilemma. Li Qingmu was silent for a while before saying, ¡°Wife, it¡¯s for the good of the family. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Actually, Li Qingmu was secretly delighted. His wife actually cared about his feelings. She had never cared about him before. Ever since she woke up from a fight with Madam Zhang, his wife had changed. She had become someone that he did not know. However, he was delighted with the change he saw. He was so happy that he could not resist hugging Longyue tightly. Then The next morning, Longyue tapped on her sore waist. She looked at the seven or eight handkerchiefs that had been embroidered in her basket and wondered if she should go to the county city today and sell them for money. Then she could go to the medical center and get some medicine to nourish her body. She could not take all the torment from her husband with her small physique! ¡°Yue¡¯er, are we going to the county city?¡± His pleasant and refreshing voice sounded from outside. Longyue shivered. Her legs would go weak if she heard this man¡¯s particularly gentle voice! ¡°Going!¡± She gritted her teeth and got out of bed quickly. This time, they rode in Chai Tieniu¡¯s cart again. However, there was an unfamiliar young girl in the cart today. She looked to be about 15 or 16 years old. She had a round face and looked very sweet. ¡°This is my younger sister, Qiao¡¯er. Quickly, call Third Auntie.¡± ¡°Hello, Third Auntie!¡± Chai Qiao¡¯er and Longyue were about the same age, but because Longyue was married, she had to call her Auntie. ¡°Your sister is so obedient.¡± ¡°Hehe, of course. My sister is a good girl. My parents dote on her too¡­¡± ¡®When Chai Tieniu talked about his younger sister, he beamed with joy. One could tell that he was a very good elder brother. Longyue was thinking about earning money. In her previous life, she had been living a life of misery because of her younger sister. In the end, before she died, she came to a conclusion: To survive, one must have money and power. Money allowed people to befriend influential people and become powerful. Meanwhile, having power also depended on using money to establish connections and smooth the path. These two things complemented each other¡ªneither could be missing. In her previous life, Li Qingmu¡¯s real break in his career came more than a year later. At that time, Xiliang Kingdom had invaded the southwest on a large scale. War was raging in that area, and many officials wanted to resign and move to another place. Coincidentally, he had been demoted because of his second sister-in-law and had switched positions with an official who had some connections. Li Qingmu was forced to go to the border station to be a logistician. It was very dangerous for him to be at the front line. But under those circumstances, he actually made a contribution! A huge contribution! At that time, Longyue did not have access to information about him, so she did not know what he did at the border. However, one thing was certain¡ªhe had made a big contribution back then and defeated the 100 thousand-strong army of Xiliang Kingdom. ¡®The emperor was delighted and transferred him to the capital. Her husband was very capable, but it would take more than a year for him to achieve success. During this period, she could not sit back and do nothing. She wanted to earn money and earn a lot of it to help her husband pave his career path. Then she would return to the capital to settle scores with her ¡®white lotus¡¯ sister who looked pure and refined on the outside but was rotten on the inside! Li Qingmu saw that his little wife was lost in thought and her brows were furrowed. Although he did not know why she was like this, he reached out to pull her closer to him out of habit. ¡°Yes?¡± Longyue returned to her senses and looked up at the man. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± ¡°Tm thinking about making money.¡± She took the embroidered handkerchiefs from the basket and handed them to him. ¡°Look, if we can find two more sisters who can do embroidery, we can open an embroidery store ourselves and grow this business.¡± ¡°Auntie Li, I know how to embroider too¡­¡± Chai Qiao¡¯er muttered softly from the side, looking a little timid. Longyue¡¯s eyes lit up as she asked happily, ¡°You know how to do it too?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s just not good¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine. As long as you have the basic skills, you can learn anything else!¡± Ordinary families did not know much about embroidery. Girls from prestigious families like Longyue did, and their techniques were better than girls from ordinary families. However, the problem was that no lady from a wealthy family would be so bored as to sell her embroidery for money, unless she was in dire straits like Longyue. However, some people who had fallen from grace would still be unwilling to do such things. Longyue saw that there were some needle marks in Chai Qiao¡¯er¡¯s hand and knew that she was telling the truth. Chai Qiao¡¯er also turned her gaze to her. When she saw the exquisite handkerchiefs, she could not help but praise, ¡°Skillful. Madam Zhang¡¯s hands are really skillful. The embroidery is so beautiful! I won¡¯t be able to embroider like this even if I am beaten to death!¡± A hint of disappointment appeared in her eyes. Longyue smiled. ¡°Do you want to learn from Auntie?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Chai Qiao¡¯er looked up, her bright eyes filled with excitement. She bit her red lips and asked, ¡°Can I?¡± ¡°Sure, why not? As long as you¡¯re willing to learn diligently!¡± ¡°Oh, okay, well¡­ Brother¡­¡± Chai Qiao¡¯er looked at her brother timidly. Chai Tieniu scratched his head and said with an uneasy expression, ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t we be troubling Third Madam? This¡­ This isn¡¯t good¡­¡± ¡°What trouble is there? I liked Qiao¡¯er the moment I saw her. If she wants to learn, I¡¯l definitely teach her well!¡± Longyue only said that she would teach her well, not teach her everything, She could trust the eldest Chai¡¯s character, but she could not guarantee that his sister¡¯s character was good. If she taught her everything and ended up being betrayed, that would be a joke. How could Chai Tieniu understand the subtle meanings in Longyue¡¯s words? When he heard that she was going to teach his younger sister embroidery, he was overjoyed. Learning this kind of craftsmanship at those workshops would cost a lot of money. Ordinary people like his family could not afford to learn it! ¡°Thank you, Auntie Li.¡± Chai Qiao¡¯er smiled sweetly and obediently. ¡®When they arrived at the county city, the eldest Chai brought his sister to sell game and some melons and fruits that his family had planted. Longyue and Li Qingmu went to the studio to sell calligraphy. Then they came to Jinxiu fabric store. Not only did the fabric store sell cloths, but it also sold finished items such as handkerchiefs. Longyue entered and saw the woman in red. She was introducing a new batch of goods to two customers. When she saw Longyue enter, she instructed a boy servant to receive her. ¡°Twant to see your lady boss.¡± ¡°Aiyo, lady, our lady boss is busy. If you have anything to say, you can tell me¡­¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll wait for her!¡± Longyue shook her head and interrupted the boy servant¡¯s solicitous reception. She was confident in her embroidery skills, so she wanted to discuss business with the lady boss. ¡°Who¡¯s looking for me?¡± After a while, the woman in red came over. She had just closed a business deal and was feeling good. She had a smile on her face as she spoke.. Chapter 14 - Watch Your Step—A Threat? Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Boss, it¡¯s this lady.¡± The boy servant made the introduction and then tactfully left. ¡°Do you need something from me? What kind of fabric would you like to look at?¡± Lady Boss, Yun Niang, had a faint smile on her face. This was her usual way of treating customers. Longyue took a handkerchief from her basket and handed it over. ¡°Lady Boss, this is an embroidered handkerchief I made. Do you want it?¡± ¡°This embroidery¡­¡± The boss, Yun Niang, only took a quick look at it and knew that the embroidery work was very exquisite, not inferior to those from the embroidery workshops in the provincial capital. She was about to ask how much she planned to sell it for when she heard a sarcastic voice from the side. ¡°Yo, as the daughter of a rich family, she should be living a luxurious life. In the end, she had to show her face in public and sell embroidery. How regrettable!¡± Longyue frowned. She hated this sarcastic tone, and the voice sounded a little familiar. She looked over and saw a young girl in a pink dress standing not far away. She had a sharp chin and a proud, disdainful expression. ¡°Isn¡¯t she the Miss Lu I met last time she thought. At that time, she had mocked Longyue but she ended up being cornered by Li Qingmu and reprimanded by Young Master Xiang and losing face. So she was bearing a grudge. When she saw Longyue in dire straits, she couldn¡¯t wait to mock her. Longyue smiled and said calmly, ¡°So what if I show my face in public? Is it for you to care? Oh, or do you feel sorry for me because you think you¡¯re my daughter? Heh heh, then thank you very much!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Losing the verbal combat to Longyue, the petty Miss Lu gritted her teeth in anger. She glared at Li Qingmu and said, ¡°That¡¯s because your man is useless and has to rely on women to earn money. I¡­ I really think standing under the same roof as you guys is a form of humiliation. Hmph!¡± As she spoke, she took a few steps forward. Li Qingmu, who had his eyes lowered, looked up suddenly and said softly, ¡°Miss, watch your step.¡± ¡°Hmph, I don¡¯t need you to remind me. I can see!¡± As Miss Lu spoke, she took another step forward. As a result, she stepped on something and jumped forward. ¡°Ah¡± She cried out in pain and fell flat on her face. ¡°Ah, Miss!¡± ¡®When the servant girl who was carrying cloths saw Miss Lu rolling on the floor, she quickly went up to help her. Instinctively, as a businesswoman, Yun Niang quickly ordered the boy servant to help. ¡°Ttold you to be careful, but you just wouldn¡¯t listen. Sigh!¡± Li Qingmu said softly. Longyue¡¯s lips twitched. This person was really¡­ She would not have fallen down if she had been walking normally, but she was shouting and accidentally stepped on a small rock beside her, causing her to trip. ¡°Wife, we¡¯ve already done our part. She can¡¯t blame us for this. Let¡¯s continue with what we were doing!¡± As he spoke, he handed an embroidered handkerchief to the lady boss. Yun Niang was originally unhappy that her fabric store had become a battlefield for others. However, when she saw the embroidery, she was delighted and looked at it admiringly. ¡°Double-sided embroidery? Do you actually know how to do double-sided embroidery? We don¡¯t have any in our shop. Your embroidery work is so exquisite and well laid out. This is a superior embroidery piece¡­¡± She looked at Longyue in surprise. ¡°You really plan on selling these embroidery pieces to me?¡± ¡°Yes, if you like it, I¡¯ll make more in the future.¡± Longyue took out the rest of the embroidered handkerchiefs. ¡°It¡¯s all double-sided embroidery?¡± Yun Niang looked at them repeatedly and became more excited. Her tone was a little anxious. ¡°This is good stuff. In the past, such finished products could only be obtained from the embroidery workshops in the provincial city, but quite often, we could not get the goods. But you can make them yourself¡­ This is really great!¡± As she spoke, she quickly instructed the accountant to get the money. She turned around and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name? Are you willing to work in my store?¡± Longyue looked at the boss lady¡¯s reaction and knew that she had a direct personality with well-defined likes and dislikes, unlike the boss of the medical center who would hide his emotions and trick you. Both parties had a good impression of each other, so the rest of the matter was easily settled. Longyue gave eight embroidered handkerchiefs to Yun Niang in exchange for two taels. This price was close to what Longyue had expected, so she happily accepted it. ¡°Your embroidery skills are so good that they are wasted on odd bits of cloth and ordinary embroidery thread. Oh right, I have some superior silk threads and silk handkerchiefs. Take them and send them over after you¡¯re done with the embroidery.¡± Yun Niang enthusiastically took a basket of silk handkerchiefs and embroidery threads and handed them to Longyue. Longyue didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. She took it and said, ¡°When I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll bring the handkerchiefs over. Then you can deduct the money for these threads and cloths.¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s cash on delivery then.¡± Both parties were businesswomen, and knew it was not a bad idea to stick to business and settle the accounts without ambiguity. That way, neither party would lose out. ¡°Oh right, I want to buy two sets of clothes. Does the lady boss have ready-made clothes?¡± Longyue was just about to step out of Jinxiu fabric shop when she suddenly remembered that she was wearing clothes made from rough fabric that had white and yellow stains from washing and starching. She wanted to get new sets of clothes. Yun Niang nodded. ¡°Yes, I just made some. It¡¯s in the inner room. Do you want to go in and take a look?¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a look!¡± Longyue entered and chose a set of light blue and a set of light pink clothes. Each set consisted of a blouse and a skirt. They were made of ordinary rough cotton, so they were not expensive. Two sets only cost 300 copper coins. Longyue picked up a new set of clothes and tried them on eagerly. She stood in front of a large bronze mirror and turned around. In the mirror, she looked young and beautiful, and full of vitality. Longyue smiled happily. This smile made her appear even more charming. Coupled with her new clothes, she looked like a fairy that had walked out of a painting. Li Qingmu stood at the side and could not help but be stunned. Meanwhile Miss Lu had recovered from her fall with the help of the servant girl. When she thought about how she suddenly fell while walking, she felt that this adulterous couple was behind it. She was so angry that she started scolding them. ¡°B*tch, no matter how you dress up, you¡¯re still a featherless phoenix. You¡¯re worse than a chicken! Hmph!¡± ¡°although a phoenix is down and out, it¡¯s still a phoenix. One day, a phoenix will undergo nirvana and soar through the nine heavens again. As for you, you¡¯re just a chicken. You¡¯ll never be a phoenix!¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡®Miss Lu was defeated in her several confrontations with Longyue. It made her so angry that she was going berserk. She wanted to rush up and rip that little b*tch, Longyue¡¯s mouth apart! But when she looked up at Li Qingmu, who was beside Longyue, a hint of coldness flashed across his deep eyes. She caught his look and felt a chill run down her spine. Only then did she remember that Young Master Xiang had said that he wanted to keep a respectful distance from this person and that he did not want to offend him. Then she recalled how Young Master Xiang suddenly went crazy after he went home that day. He held a kitchen knife and chased after someone at his residence. She herself had a fall right after Li Qingmu called her name. She thought, ¡°You demon, was it you who caused Young Master Xiang to go crazy? That¡¯s right, it must be you.. I want to report this to the officials and get them to arrest a demon like you and get rid of evil for the people!¡± Chapter 15 - Explanation Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Has Young Master Xiang gone crazy?¡± This news was very shocking, but Longyue did not have the time to deal with this matter. Miss Lu wanted to sue Li Qingmu for being a demon, and he was about to participate in the imperial examination. He could not afford to get into trouble. Logically speaking, under such circumstances, Longyue should have said something softer so everyone could take a step back. However, she did the opposite and sneered, ¡°Go! Miss Lu, just go! When the court can¡¯t produce any evidence, I¡¯ll sue you for slander! My husband is, after all, a candidate of the county level imperial examination. He is a talent nurtured by the Emperor of Great Zhou. Whose dignity are you challenging by making false accusations? ¡± To Lu Qiangian was dumbfounded. She just wanted to scare Longyue. Why would she think so much? Lu Qiangian¡¯s family was involved in small business and was richer than the average family. However, they could not compare to those rich young ladies. Naturally, she had not studied much and did not know much about calligraphy. How would she know about these twists and turns? Most importantly, Longyue had mentioned the Emperor of Great Zhou to scare her. Lu Qiangian looked at Longyue¡¯s calm demeanor. She felt intimidated by her superior aura and panicked. ¡°I, L¡­¡± She squeaked, then stomped her feet and said with a vexed expression, ¡°I¡¯ll go find evidence now and sue you later, hmph! ¡± She was trying to find a way out for herself, but when she left, she almost fell again. She looked really pathetic! ¡°Liar!¡± Longyue snorted and gave Lu Qiangian an assessment. She turned around and saw Li Qingmu smiling at her. It was a charming smile. She could not help but roll her eyes at him. ¡°Why did that Young Master Xiang go crazy?¡± she asked Longyue felt that this matter must have something to do with Li Qingmu. Li Qingmu felt a little guilty under her sharp gaze and said innocently, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Longyue looked at him coldly. ¡°He¡¯s asking for a beating by putting on this aggrieved expression,¡± she thought. ¡°Needless to say, this matter is related to him!¡± She felt that he must have been hiding something from her! Longyue was a little angry, but it was not appropriate to flare up here, so she kept her anger under control. She took the taels and clothes and walked out of the shop. ¡°Go sell the calligraphy piece.¡± Longyue¡¯s tone was very calm. Li Qingmu knew that he had provoked his little wife, so he obediently went to the calligraphy shop next door to sell his calligraphy piece. When he came out, he gave Longyue a tael. Longyue took the money and walked away. Li Qingmu followed closely behind. He knew why his little wife was angry, but there was nothing he could do. It was better for her not to know about this dark history. ¡°Wife, I¡¯ll tell you slowly when we get back.¡± He gave in as he caught up with Longyue. He pulled her into his arms and whispered into her ear. Longyue didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t use the same tactic on me a second time,¡± she thought. She said coldly, ¡°Tell me. If you refuse, then get lost!¡± Li Qingmu had no choice but to say, ¡°At that time, I was seriously injured and needed someone to take care of me. So I forced him to help me find water and herbs. Otherwise, I would kill him. That was all. If it was something that could make him crazy, it was just¡­ Well, there was nothing to eat at that time, so¡­ I let him cut out those killers¡¯ flesh and roast¡­¡± Longyue stared at him with widened eyes. Li Qingmu felt that his image was probably ruined now. ¡°She doesn¡¯t think I¡¯m a devil, does she¡± he thought. He was a little nervous as he explained softly. ¡°That court official was the nephew of the capital¡¯s Magistrate. To be able to send assassins to kill him, the status of the mastermind must be extraordinary. If he returned alive, the mastermind would think that we protected him. None of us would be allowed to live, so I had to kill the court official. As for that¡­ I did it to survive¡­¡± As he spoke, he glanced furtively at Longyue. Seeing that she didn¡¯t show any disgust, he heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Why are you so nervous?¡± Longyue glanced at him angrily. She didn¡¯t like the way this man acted obsequiously in front of her. ¡°No matter what, your wife is a descendant of half a general. She¡¯s not as pedantic as you think!¡± Li Qingmu looked at her in surprise. The little woman¡¯s exquisite face was filled with confidence. She raised her chin slightly with a hint of arrogance, making her look naive, sweet, and cute. His heart fluttered slightly, and his gaze deepened. He said faintly, ¡°Wife, I was wrong.¡± ¡°What did you do wrong?¡± Longyue wanted to hit him. ¡°You admit your wrongdoing at the drop of a hat. How many times have you done wrong? Don¡¯t say that again!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not knowing you well, wife.¡± Li Qingmu lowered his eyes and said with a faint smile. It baffled her that he found it amusing. Longyue could not be bothered to pay him any attention. She went to the market to buy some pastries before returning. As for buying rice and noodles, she decided against it after giving some thought to it. Before Madam Zhang left the Li family, Longyue would not be willing to spend half a copper coin! As before, they rode in Chai Tieniu¡¯s cart on their return trip. After Chai Qiao¡¯er got on, she could not wait to discuss embroidery with Longyue. This little girl was quite keen to learn. She asked very basic questions, and Longyue answered them one by one. The group chatted and laughed as they returned to the village. They parted ways at the entrance of the village as Longyue and Li Qingmu walked towards the Li family residence. Just as they were about to reach home, they saw many people around the area. Villagers were gathered in twos and threes at the entrance of the Li family¡¯s home. Occasional rumblings could be heard as they chatted and gestured with their fingers. ¡°This Li family has gone too far. How can they treat their daughter-in-law like this? Is this even humane?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It boggles my mind. What grudge do they have? This Li family is too mean!¡± ¡°Theard that it was that vicious woman from the Li family who did it. She¡¯s really a vicious woman. Look after your child carefully. Don¡¯t get beaten up by her. There¡¯s no place for reasoning.¡± The rumblings, carrying mockery and sarcasm, persisted. At this moment, someone saw Longyue walking over and hurriedly poked the person beside him, hinting for her to stop talking. However, that person was none other than the auntie from the Liu Clan. She had suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of Longyue a few times, and she was too angry to back down. She immediately spoke even louder. ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? You dare to do it but don¡¯t want others to talk about it? What¡¯s with this Li family? Unfortunate family! Tsk tsk, one of the wives doesn¡¯t know how to lay eggs, and the other is a wicked woman. Aiyo, the Li family¡¯s ancestral grave must have been dug up by someone¡­¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± A ball of mud fell from the sky and landed in Auntie Liu¡¯s mouth. Auntie Liu was talking excitedly and did not expect someone to throw something into her mouth. When the thing fell into her mouth, she instinctively shut her mouth. Then. ¡°Retch¡ª¡± Aunty Liu vomited violently as the putrid smell hit her. ¡°aiya, Auntie Liu, what¡¯s going on? Your mouth is full of¡­ What¡¯s that?¡± Longyue¡¯s charming voice could be heard as she gloated. She had heard Auntie Liu badmouthing her from afar, so she grabbed a ball of mud and threw it at her. Auntie Liu was in trouble. The mud was dark yellow, so when she spat it out, it turned into¡­ Her whole mouth was full of it! ¡°Pfft!¡± Someone in the crowd was laughing. After all, they were just here to watch the fun. Who wouldn¡¯t enjoy the fun? Auntie Liu had come to embarrass Longyue, but she ended up embarrassing herself. She was so angry that she spat out the mud in her mouth, picked up a rock by the side of the road, and threw it at Longyue.. Chapter 16 - Zhang Family, Come If Youre Capable Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Longyue narrowed her eyes. ¡°This woman has a really short memory,¡± she thought. ¡°She still hasn¡¯t learned after being taught a lesson by me a few times. Does she want to be beaten up again But looking at so many people ¡°Husband!¡± Longyue¡¯s bright eyes darted around as she suddenly changed her attitude. She threw herself into Li Qingmu¡¯s arms like a frightened little white rabbit. Her coy manner was really pitiful, making people think that she was a victim. Li Qingmu was stunned, then a smile flashed across his eyes. ¡°Since when did this little woman become so pretentious he wondered. ¡°She actually knows how to play dirty!¡± But he preferred her like this! ¡°What are you doing?¡± Without hesitation, he stood in front of Longyue like a pine tree and reached out to grab Auntie Liu¡¯s rock. He wanted to play along with Longyue or he would definitely have pushed Auntie Liu to the ground. He frowned and said coldly, ¡°As an elder, is this how you bully a junior?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Auntie Liu spat again and this time, she aimed it at Li Qingmu. ¡°Who¡¯s bullying who? The neighbors are all looking on. It was clearly you all who attacked first!¡± ¡°Auntie Liu, we have to speak with a conscience. Don¡¯t you know what kind of nonsense you¡¯re saying? You¡¯ve scolded our ancestors and even want to dig up their graves. As the daughter-in-law of the Li family, what¡¯s wrong with using mud to seal your mouth? This not only protects our ancestors but also shuts you up. Speaking of which, you still have to thank me!¡± ¡°You, I¡­¡± Longyue¡¯s words were clear and well-founded. Auntie Liu had spoken so loudly that the villagers nearby had heard her. At first, they didn¡¯t think much of it, but now what Longyue said seemed to make sense. ¡°Family members should not be implicated in one¡¯s troubles!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if you scold people, but why are you scolding their ancestors?¡± Now, even if she was reasonable, she was not. ¡°L.. Pui!¡± Auntie Liu wsa choked with anger. ¡°She wants me to thank her for throwing mud into my mouth? What kind of twisted logic is that?¡± She was so angry that she spat the mud at Li Qingmu again. Previously, Li Qingmu did not dodge because the spit could not have reached him. But this time, the other party exerted all her strength. He could not stand there stupidly and let her spit at him. He pulled Longyue and they dodged. ¡°Swish!¡± A lump of saliva mixed with sand brushed past them and landed on the face of a woman standing behind them. Coincidentally, that woman was Second Madam Qian. Even though she had suffered at Longyue¡¯s hands, she was certainly not someone to be trifled with. Longyue was known as the ¡®wicked woman of the Li family¡¯ while she was called the ¡®shrew of the Qian family.¡¯ So when Auntie Liu spat on her face, she flew into a rage. ¡°Woman of the Liu family, are you blind? Look where you¡¯re spitting!¡± She stopped addressing Auntie Liu as her younger sister. Instead, she rushed forward, grabbed her sleeve, and wiped her own face with it. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? What are you doing? Second Madam Qian, are you crazy!? I just made this set of new clothes last year. Stop it!¡± ¡°F*ck you, Stinky Mouth Liu. You can insult anyone you want, but you¡¯re scolding me? Do you know how dirty and smelly your saliva is?¡± Because Auntie Liu had bad breath, she was nicknamed ¡®Stinky Mouth Liu.¡¯ However, she had always been crafty and bossy, and she was also overweight. If anyone dared to say this to her, she would definitely give the person a good beating. Therefore, the villagers used that nickname amongst themselves. Although Second Madam Qian and Auntie Liu had a good relationship in the past, it was only a facade as they could not stand each other deep down and would badmouth the other party behind her back. As a result, Second Madam Qian slipped up and blurted her nickname, ¡®Stinky Mouth.¡¯ Instantly ¡°Madam Qian, you old b*tch, I¡¯ll rip your mouth apart!!!¡± Auntie Liu roared and took advantage of the time when Second Madam Qian was grabbing her sleeve to pull the other party¡¯s hair. Second Madam Qian refused to back down. She could not stand being pointed at and called ¡®old b*tch¡¯ in public. ¡°The fault lies with you. You spat at me, so why can¡¯t I use your clothes to wipe my face?¡± ¡°Pal¡± Auntie Liu grabbed Second Madam Qian¡¯s hair. She cried out in pain and gave her a slap on the ear. ¡°Aiyo, you dare to hit me? I¡¯m not done with you, b*tch!¡± Recently, Auntie Liu had been getting slapped all the time, so she had also become ruthless. With a short heated exchange, the two old women got into a fight and ended up rolling on the ground. An open fight broke out just like that! ¡°Stop fighting, both of you. Stop fighting. Take it easy!¡± Someone beside them tried to mediate the fight, but he did not try to stop them. He had no intention of helping them. There was nothing he could do. After all, these two were famous gossipmongers in the village. Who hadn¡¯t been criticized by them? They were the ones who gave Longyue the nickname ¡®Li family¡¯s wicked wife.¡¯ ¡°Now that the two of them are fighting, why does it feel so great¡± he thought. Li Qingmu was not interested in watching these shrews curse and fight on the street. In fact, he felt a little impatient. He wanted to take Longyue in to see what was going on at home, but when he looked down, he saw that his little wife was laughing secretly. ¡®That smile was as delicate and beautiful as a flower in March, causing his heart to palpitate involuntarily. Her clear eyes gradually darkened, and there were indescribable emotions swirling in them. He just stared at her blankly. The noise around him seemed to have vanished until someone from the Li family came. ¡°Longyue, Longyue! You¡¯re finally back. Save me!¡± Ah Qiu had heard the commotion outside and knew that Longyue had returned. He ran out anxiously, his face filled with panic and fear. ¡°Ah Qiu, don¡¯t be afraid. Tell me slowly.¡± Li Qingmu grabbed Ah Qiu with one hand and consoled him softly. ¡®Ah Qiu gulped and looked up at his third brother and third sister-in-law. He pointed at their house and said, ¡°They¡¯re here. The Zhang family is here!¡± ¡°Zhang family?¡± Longyue had come over when she heard Ah Qiu. She frowned slightly. She wondered why so many villagers had surrounded the entrance of the Li residence. It turned out that the Zhang family had come to cause trouble. ¡°Bang!¡± Almost at the same time, a bowl came flying through the door towards Longyue. What followed was cursing and swearing. ¡°Li family, you must give me an explanation today! My sister was fine until she was tormented to this state by you all! Aiyo, look at her head. What happened to her? If you don¡¯t give me an explanation, I¡¯ll go to the authorities. We might as well lose face together!¡± ¡°Bang!¡± The bowl hit the ground and shattered into countless pieces. ¡°Sigh, don¡¯t get me wrong. There¡¯s nothing wrong with this. It¡¯s just that¡­ I accidentally touched it. Didn¡¯t I get a doctor to take a look at it?¡± ¡°Hmph, what misunderstanding? Accident? Did you accidentally hit her head? Nice try.¡± Curses and excuses kept coming from the room. Longyue frowned. ¡°Is Meihua¡¯s older sister here?¡± ¡°Yes, yes, and her mom!¡± Ah Qiu nodded like a chicken pecking at grain. He looked up at Longyue. ¡°Longyue, they said that they are here to be the judge today. If we can¡¯t give an explanation, they will go to the authorities to cause trouble¡­ Longyue, what should we do?¡± ¡°What could we do?! We¡¯ll deal with whatever comes our way.. If they want to cause trouble, then do it!¡± Chapter 17 - Sharpness Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Where¡¯s that b*tch from the Pang family? Is she back? That little hussy beat up my sister. I¡¯ll teach her a lesson today!¡± With a bang, the door to the Li family¡¯s residence was kicked open. Madam Zhang¡¯s older sister, Zhang Guihua, rushed out with a stove poker in her hand. ¡°Longyue, her sister¡­¡± ¡®Ah Qiu looked at the woman who had rushed out. His face was pale as he nervously grabbed Longyue. ¡°What are you afraid of?¡± Longyue walked forward and looked at her coldly. ¡°What do you want?¡± Zhang Guihua¡¯s forward momentum was stopped. She paused for a moment, then sized up Longyue. Seeing that she was a petite woman who looked easy to bully, she became even bolder. She asked with a dark expression, ¡°You¡¯re from the Pangs, the one who hit my sister?¡± ¡°Right, it¡¯s me!¡± ¡°Ha, sure! I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡± Zhang Guihua laughed evilly, then waved the poker in her hand at Longyue. However, before the poker could land, she felt her body become a little unstable and fell forward. ¡°Ouch!¡± She fell to the ground hard, and her mouth was full of mud. Longyue turned to look at her with a disdainful smile on her face. ¡°She thought that with her mediocre skills, she would be able to hurt me?¡± she thought. Before the poker could hit her, she had extended her leg and tripped her. Stupid! Zhang Guihua fell quite hard this time and felt a sharp pain around her waist. She got up with difficulty, spat on the ground, and cursed her bad luck. Then she grabbed the poker to hit Longyue. Li Qingmu quickly went forward to stop her. ¡°Get lost, No. 3. Get out of my way. This little hussy hit my sister. I must beat the sh*t out of her today, or I won¡¯t let her off!¡± ¡°Longyue is my wife. If you want to hit her, step over my dead body!¡± Li Qingmu said with a dark expression, his eyes flashing with anger. At this moment, Longyue could sense coldness and murderous intent from him. She had never experienced such a feeling in her previous life! ¡°Yo, do you have to protect this little hussy? Alright, alright, I¡¯ll fight you both!¡± ¡®As she spoke, she rushed up again. However, Li Qingmu was tall and strong like a wall. How could Zhang Guihua get past him? In addition, he had some fighting skills. Zhang Guihua struggled before she was restrained by Li Qingmu. At this moment, Longyue said, ¡°Meihua, you brought people to our house to cause trouble today. You said that I injured your younger sister, but do you know why I hit her?¡± ¡°Hmph, what reason could there be? You¡¯re a wicked woman, a wicked woman who will die a horrible death! You hit my sister because you don¡¯t like her¡­¡± ¡°pal¡± As Zhang Guihua spoke, she was slapped by Longyue. She was so angry that her eyes turned red. ¡°Watch your mouth. If your sister didn¡¯t throw soup at my husband, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to teach her a lesson! Luckily, the soup was cold that day. If it was hot, I would have killed her. Don¡¯t doubt me!¡± ¡°Aiyo, just for a bowl of soup? Villagers, look at how evil this person is. My sister just spilled a bowl of soup and she wants to split her head open. Isn¡¯t she afraid of divine retribution for doing such a wicked thing?¡± ¡°Divine retribution? What is divine retribution? Women should abide by the three principles and four virtues. A woman should obey her father at home, her husband when she is married, and her son when her husband dies! My husband is my one and only, my world. Your younger sister actually dared to bully my husband. If I don¡¯t teach her a lesson, how can I live up to the expectations of women?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhang Guihua had wanted to throw a tantrum and shout a few times to gain the support of the villagers. This way, she could put pressure on the Li family. When the time came, she could obtain some benefits. Everything had been planned, but Longyue¡¯s words planted doubts in everyone¡¯s minds. ¡°That¡¯s right. The man in a family is the sky and the ground. Aren¡¯t women relying on men to live? If anyone dares to bully her man, she should absolutely not relent!¡± ¡°This¡­ I think Third Madam Li did nothing wrong. If it were me, I would absolutely use a kitchen knife to fight someone who bullies my husband!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Even if they¡¯re relatives, they shouldn¡¯t bully their own man. I wouldn¡¯t tolerate it either.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zhang Guihua was speechless. Longyue looked at everyone¡¯s reactions and smiled as if it was only right for her to do so. Obedience was a woman¡¯s basic virtue. If anyone dared to doubt her words, they would be crossing the line. They might even be criticized. ¡°Who¡­ Who bullied your man?¡± Zhang Guihua had come to the Li family to cause trouble because she wanted to embarrass the Li family and gain some benefits. However, with just a few words from Longyue, her situation had deteriorated. When she thought of her younger sister¡¯s temper, she felt a little guilty. ¡°If splashing soup on my man is not considered bullying, shall I go to your house later and try splashing soup on your man too? Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll definitely not be cold soup!¡± If it was not cold soup, it had to be hot soup. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Li Qingmu knew that his little wife had to pretend to be a lady and a little pitiful. Otherwise, she would not have thrown herself at him just now. But now, she had reverted to her original self with just two sentences. This was really awkward. ¡°Twas compelled to do it!¡± Longyue turned around and tried to smooth things over. She grabbed Li Qingmu¡¯s hand and rubbed her eyes, pretending to be pitiful. ¡°Lalso want to be a good daughter-in-law, gentle and virtuous, loved by my parents, and praised by my neighbors. But this second sister-in-law of mine keeps going against me! It¡¯s fine if she bullies me, but my husband was almost hurt by her in trying to protect me! Given the situation, was I not allowed to be rough and assertive? Was I wrong to do this?¡± ¡°She was not wrong, but she was a little ruthless¡­¡± One of the villagers muttered. Longyue immediately replied, ¡°If I didn¡¯t do this, Meihua would never learn!¡± ¡°Tl teach you a lesson, you b*tch! I¡¯ll fight you to the death!¡± As soon as Longyue finished speaking, the sound of Madam Zhang¡ªcursing like a lunatic¡ªcould be heard from behind. She turned around and saw her head wrapped up like a dumpling as she charged at her with bared fangs and brandished claws! ¡°Hey, villagers, look! This is my second sister-in-law. She¡¯s very fierce!¡± As Longyue spoke, she scuttled behind Li Qingmu and hid there like a little lamb. ¡°Little hussy, why are you pretending? Don¡¯t dodge. I¡¯ll teach you a lesson today!¡± Madam Zhang rushed forward to fight Longyue, while the villagers watched on with relish. ¡°Sigh, sister, that¡¯s enough. Stop quickly!¡± Zhang Guihua felt that something was not right. They were here to reason with the Li family for benefits, but now, in front of the whole village, they were messing around with their sister-in-law. They were supposed to be the victims, but according to the way her younger sister was fighting, it looked as though they were the ones who were making things difficult for Longyue. As the saying went, the older, the wiser. Having thought it through, Zhang Guihua immediately restrained Zhang Meihua. Then Madam Li Zhou rushed out and said, ¡°You children, these are all family affairs. Why are you making a din? Hurry up and come inside. Let¡¯s talk slowly¡­ Our in-law is still inside!¡± Chapter 18 - Defeated Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Mother Zhang sat comfortably inside the house. Next to her was Madam Wang who was serving tea. She found Mother Zhang¡¯s crossed legs a little unpleasant, but she did not dare to say it. She could only mutter inwardly. ¡°The Li family is really unlucky to have such in-laws!¡± she lamented to herself. Not only was Mother Zhang lazy, but she would often drop in at their house to get gifts or money from them. The main issue was that this person was also very bossy and arrogant. Every time this in-law came, she had to serve her tea. It was as if she owed this person from her previous life. As Madam Wang was feeling depressed, Madam Li Zhou dragged Longyue and the rest into the house. ¡°Mm-law, well¡­ the younger generation had a little conflict. Don¡¯t mind them too much. I know that Huahua has been suffering these past two days. I¡¯ll get her some good food to nourish her body¡­ Look at this¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou put on a fawning smile as she looked at Mother Zhang. This was considered a plea. Mother Zhang had heard the commotion outside, but she did not go out. Why would an elder like her go out and cause trouble with her juniors? She sat calmly and looked at Longyue and her husband. ¡°So this is the wife of your No. 3? Ha, one look and you can tell that she¡¯s not a good person. She has an oval-shaped face and big almond-shaped eyes. That means she¡¯s sly and treacherous. Having such a person marry into your family, no wonder you guys have no peace at home! Look at how badly she has hurt my precious daughter. In-law, if you say that this matter should be settled, that¡¯s impossible. No matter what¡­¡± ¡°No matter what, we should pay some compensation, right?¡± Longyue was enraged by her words. She sneered and said aloud what Mother Zhang was about to hint at. Mother Zhang could not suppress her anger. A woman¡¯s maternal family asking her husband¡¯s family for money was already a despicable thing in a society where men were considered superior to women. If she were to put it bluntly, it would look bad on her. Ordinary families would not have done such a thing. The Zhang family was very odd. Mother Zhang had originally planned for everyone to be civil to each other, then take the money and leave. However, Longyue had directly exposed her plan and put her in a difficult position. She wondered if she should respond. Her eyes darted around like a thief as she said, ¡°If your Li family wants to compensate me with some money, that¡¯s fine too. Look at how badly my daughter is injured. As her mother, I¡¯ll definitely give her something to eat. Well¡­ The money can cover my ox cart expenses and food, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°ph, this¡­¡± ¡®When Madam Li Zhou heard that they had to pay compensation, her eyes reddened. She thought of the two taels of silver she had just received. She had just had them, and now. ¡°Mother Zhang, you¡¯ve seen the situation in our Li family. We don¡¯t have much money, and I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t pay the compensation you mentioned. As for your worry that your daughter will be wronged in our family, that¡¯s fine. You can take her back first and come back after her injuries are healed.¡± Madam Li Zhou was feeling distressed over the compensation. Longyue¡¯s words made her happy. She was not willing to pay compensation, but as her in-law, she really couldn¡¯t be the bad guy. Now that she had someone else sticking her neck out, that was great! Just as she was feeling delighted, she saw Mother Zhang¡¯s expression darken. She said angrily, ¡°What? Take her back to her parental family? A married daughter is like spilled water. How can your Li family¡¯s daughter-in-law go back to her parental family?¡± Mother Zhang had come to ask for money from her in-laws. ¡°Why would I burden my own family by taking my daughter back?¡± she thought. Longyue immediately laughed. ¡°Since Mother Zhang said that the daughter she married off was like spilled water, then why did your family come to our Li family to cause trouble? She¡¯s the Li family¡¯s daughter-in-law. Our Li family should be the one to decide what to do with her!¡± Lo Having been rebuked, Mother Zhang¡¯s burning resentment welled up inside her. She glared fiercely at Longyue and cursed her for being so sharp-tongued. She would pounce on every word that could be used against her and not let go. ¡°Was this person born in the year of the dog¡± she wondered. Seeing that Mother Zhang was subdued by her words, Longyue continued, ¡°So what does Mother Zhang mean? If you treat Second Sister-in-law as a daughter of the Zhang family, then why don¡¯t you take her back to recuperate? If you treat her like water that has been poured out, then your coming to our Li family today to cause trouble is unreasonable!¡± Her words were spoken very loudly. Both Mother Zhang and Zhang Guihua were stunned for a moment. The two of them looked at each other. ¡°pangshi, you b*tch. How can you talk to my mom in this manner? She¡¯s an elder. Do you know that?¡± ¡®When Second Sister-in-law, Madam Zhang, saw that her family was on the losing end, she scolded Longyue vehemently. Longyue replied coldly, ¡°Then what do you think is appropriate to say? To be a yes-person and wag my tail like a puppy? Your mom is your mom, not mine. Do I need to smile when I talk to her? Do you think your mom is some high-ranking official?¡± ¡°You!!!¡± Zhang Meihua was so angry that she fell backwards. She really hated herself for not being able to throw such good punches like Longyue. Otherwise, she would definitely have beaten the shit out of her! ¡°This little slut!¡± she thought. After saying that, Longyue couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with Zhang Meihua¡¯s fiery gaze. She turned around and said, ¡°So, Mother Zhang, what is your choice? Are you going to leave your daughter here or take her home?¡± ¡®When Mother Zhang saw that Longyue had given her an ultimatum, she knew that this matter would not work out. She said, ¡°Alright, are you not giving us room to negotiate? Then let¡¯s go to the courts and get a judge to resolve the matter!¡± ¡®This was a threat. After saying that, she felt very pleased with herself. Her Zhang family were all ruthless people who were not afraid of being criticized by others. If they wanted to go to the courts, they would go. However, the Li family loved to save face and would definitely give in! ¡®As expected, the moment Madam Li Zhou heard that they were going to the courts to resolve the matter, she panicked. She rubbed the corner of her blouse with both hands and then loosened her grip. ¡°Well, in-law, do you think this will do¡­¡± ¡°Mom, if she wants to go, then let¡¯s go. What¡¯s there to be afraid of? Her daughter almost injured my husband. If I smash her here, the government officials will at most give each side a flogging of 50 strokes. It¡¯s said that an honest official can¡¯t resolve domestic affairs. If Second Sister-in-law isn¡¯t our Li family¡¯s daughter-in-law, that¡¯s reasonable. But she¡¯s a member of our Li family. This is a domestic affair. The county magistrate won¡¯t do anything!¡± Longyue said confidently, which was very comforting. Madam Li Zhou heaved a sigh of relief. She then heard her say, ¡°Right, I almost forgot to say that my husband is a scholar. In the future, he will definitely become an official. Second Sister-in-law attacked my husband. What kind of behavior is that? Oh, contempt for an official? Second Sister-in-law, how many strokes do you think should be given for this crime?¡± ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡± The more Mother Zhang and her daughters listened, the worse their expressions became. They had forgotten that Li Qingmu was a scholar. He was going to take part in the imperial examination this year. If he became an official after getting a good ranking, then causing a ruckus now would be digging a grave for themselves! Mother Zhang smiled cunningly¡ªa rare smile on her face. ¡°Well¡­ Third Madam, what you said makes sense. It¡¯s a family affair. Isn¡¯t fighting with each other hurting our relationship? Everyone is in the wrong here.. Why don¡¯t we each take a step back?¡± Chapter 19 - Personal Money Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Sigh, yes, yes, yes. Everyone, take a step back. If the family lives in harmony, all affairs will prosper. I¡¯ll definitely make more food for Little Hua later and let her recuperate.¡± ¡®When she heard that there was no need to pay compensation, Madam Li Zhou was overjoyed. Then she said something nice. Mother Zhang smiled and agreed. The two families had finally reconciled. It was noon. Mother Zhang and Zhang Guihua even had a meal at the Li residence before they returned happily. Zhang Meihua sent them off. ¡°Mom, should we just let this matter go? Your daughter¡¯s head was hit for nothing?¡± Zhang Meihua tugged at her mother¡¯s hand and complained, feeling extremely wronged. ¡°Sister, it¡¯s not that we don¡¯t want to settle scores with the Li family. You heard it just now. Her husband is going to take the imperial examination in a few months. If he hits the jackpot, he will become a county-level official. We won¡¯t have to become enemies with him, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, daughter. If he becomes an official, we will have a backer. When the time comes, we can also hold our heads high and get some benefits¡­¡± ¡°Tch, who knows if he can pass the examination? Is it that easy to become a county official? There weren¡¯t many from our villages who took the examination in more than a decade. Even if they take the examination, how many will pass? That little b*tch is just bluffing!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wait and see. If he doesn¡¯t pass later, we can settle the scores again!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, younger sister. Bear with it a little longer¡­¡± ¡°Bear with what? How long have I been bearing with it? Besides, if he passes in the future, I¡¯ll have to put up with their smug faces. I¡­ The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable it is for me.¡± Madam Zhang was depressed to death, but Longyue was feeling very happy. Li Qingmu was helping Longyue comb her hair that had been messed up by the wind along the way. He said gently, ¡°My wife¡¯s words were incisive. I saw it today. To have such a thoughtful wife as my companion for life, I have no more regrets.¡± Longyue smiled faintly and said nothing. ¡°Meihua¡¯s family is arrogant. Now they¡¯ve stopped, only because they think that I¡¯m going to take the imperial examination soon. If I pass, it will be beneficial to them. But the more this is the case, the more uneasy I am.¡± ¡®As Li Qingmu spoke, his eyes darkened slightly. Such a family was most unacceptable. They would add unnecessary trouble and even ruin things. His little wife¡¯s plan was not wrong. They could not have in-laws like the Zhang family! In the next few days, Madam Zhang did not cause any more trouble. Madam Li Zhou cared about her reputation and had previously said that she wanted to treat her well. So these past few days, she cooked an egg for her every day. Longyue seized the opportunity to do her embroidery work. ¡°Longyue, the young lady from the Chai family is here.¡± Ah Qiu called out from outside. When she turned around, a petite figure appeared at the door. Chai Qiao¡¯er obediently bowed to Longyue and stated her purpose for coming. ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming. Come, come in quickly.¡± Longyue welcomed her warmly. Qiao¡¯er held a small basket filled with fabric and threads. She took an embroidered handkerchief and showed it to Longyue, who nodded. ¡°The workmanship is not bad. It¡¯s very exquisite, but the embroidery technique is a little basic. What a coincidence, I know many embroidery techniques. Just learn well from me.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Third Auntie!¡± Chai Qiao¡¯er was impressed with Longyue¡¯s magnanimity. She had been worried that she would not be taught well, but now that she thought about it, she felt a little ashamed. Naturally, the matter of Longyue teaching Chai Qiao¡¯er embroidery could not be hidden from the neighboring household and Madam Li Zhou. Madam Wang came to the door and looked around before going into Madam Li Zhou¡¯s room. ¡°Mom, do you know that a little girl came to our house?¡± In the room, Madam Li Zhou was sewing clothes. The weather would turn cold in a few months, and they would need these winter clothes to make up for worn out ones. ¡®When she heard her eldest daughter-in-law¡¯s question, she nodded and said, ¡°I saw her. She¡¯s the younger sister of the hunter, Chai Tieniu. He was the one who delivered the snake meat last time. Looks like we have become friends. Why?¡± ¡°Mom, Longyue is teaching her embroidery work!¡± Madam Wang muttered softly. ¡°Look at those who know how to do embroidery work. They all know how to make some embroidery and sell them at the county city¡¯s embroidery workshop for money. Look, didn¡¯t she just come back wearing a new set of clothes yesterday? How could she have the money to buy clothes? This was definitely money earned from doing embroidery!¡± ¡®When Madam Li Zhou heard this, her eyelids twitched and she almost pricked her finger with the needle in her hand. She said dejectedly, ¡°That Longyue used to be a well-bred young lady. Isn¡¯t it normal for her to know how to embroider?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but mom, don¡¯t we all hand over the money we earn to you? Now she¡¯s hiding her personal money!¡± She could only buy clothes by stashing away money for herself. Li Zhou looked at the old winter coat in her hands and felt upset. She thought, ¡°Why is this daughter-in-law so insensible? She doesn¡¯t even know how to hand over the money to an elder when she makes money. How can she compare to my son, Ah Qiu, who is so obedient? Sigh!¡± Madam Li Zhou sighed inwardly. She wanted to ask Longyue for the money, but she was afraid of her. Then she looked at Madam Wang, who was staring at her with a hopeful expression. She felt that as her mother-in-law, she shouldn¡¯t lose face. She said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask her later.¡± ¡°Sigh!¡± At dinner, Longyue noticed that her sister-in-law and mother-in-law were staring at her. She knew that they were probably wondering about her new set of clothes. ¡®There were so many things that happened yesterday that they did not notice the clothes. Now that they were free, they were looking for trouble again. ¡°Human nature!¡± Longyue thought. Longyue sneered inwardly and put down her chopsticks. ¡°Dad, Mom, I¡¯m done eating.¡± With that, she stood up and left. Seeing that the mood was not right, Madam Wang said hastily, ¡°Hey, Longyue, your new clothes look really nice!¡± ¡®With the Wang family taking the lead, Madam Li Zhou quickly added, ¡°That¡¯s right. Look at this color. It¡¯s so proper. This outfit costs quite a bit, right?¡± How could Longyue not know that they were targeting her personal stash of money? She smiled and said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t cost that much. Two days ago, I made some embroidery and sold them in the county city. After making some money, I bought two new sets of clothes. Do Mom and Sister-in-law like them? If you want, I can get two more sets when I go to the county city.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou and Madam Wang were stumped. ¡°Is the third branch crazy today? She¡¯s actually talking about getting new clothes for us?¡± they thought. ¡°Well¡­ are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes, really!¡± Madam Wang was delighted and beamed with joy. She said, ¡°I want to wear light red clothes!¡± ¡°Cough, cough¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou felt that her eldest daughter-in-law was too¡­ so she coughed. Only then did Madam Wang realize that she had made a fool of herself. She stopped smiling and said, ¡°Well, we¡¯ll let Mom speak!¡± Madam Li Zhou was torn between wanting to ask Longyue for money or clothes. In the end, she thought that she definitely wouldn¡¯t give her money, so she asked for clothes. Li Qingmu sat by the side and ate his food silently. He knew that his little wife was planning her next move¡ªto seize power! If she wanted to have the authority to manage the Li household, she had to give the Li family some benefits first. For example¡­ new clothes. To be honest, he could not stand the way some of the people in the family did things.. Since his little wife wanted to cause trouble, he would let her! Chapter 20 - Scheme Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Cough, cough. What about me?¡± Zhang Meihua, whose head was bandaged like a dumpling, coughed and said sarcastically. Longyue flashed a rare smile. ¡°As long as Zhang knows her place, you will definitely have a share.¡± Zhang Meihua hated Longyue¡¯s pretentious demeanor, but when she thought about how she could get new clothes for nothing, she quickly said, ¡°Of course. No one likes to argue all day, right?¡± ¡°Ha, what a load of bullsh*t.¡± Longyue pursed her lips. This was how shameless people became invincible! At night, Longyue was embroidering under the light of an oil lamp. After Li Qingmu came in, he wanted to switch off all the lamps. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Wife, it¡¯s late. It¡¯s time to rest. It¡¯s dark and bad for the eyes.¡± He said this very gently. Longyue thought it made sense. In addition, she had been embroidering for the entire day and was indeed very tired. She put down the embroidery in her hands and rested. Li Qingmu hugged her and they rolled into bed happily. The next morning, Longyue, who had sewn up to 20 handkerchiefs, was going to the county city again. She was riding in Chai Tieniu¡¯s ox cart, and his sister, Qiao¡¯er, was also going. ¡°When we have money in the future, we must buy a cost-efficient carriage!¡± The ox cart was too bumpy and her butt hurt from sitting on it. It could not be as spacious and comfortable as a carriage. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Third Auntie, there¡¯s a piece of fox skin here. Why don¡¯t you sit on it? It might be more comfortable.¡± Qiao¡¯er obediently took a cushion from under the board. She smiled and said, ¡°The first time I sat in my brother¡¯s ox cart, I also felt that it was bumpy. So he specially made this piece of leather cushion for me.¡± Longyue caressed the large clump of fox fur and felt that it was comfortable and soft. She couldn¡¯t help but think of how she had inexhaustible furs¡ªfox furs, mink furs, and deer hide boots¡ªback in her parents¡¯ residence¡­ She had everything she needed, but now, she didn¡¯t even have decent fur! It was all because of that ¡®good sister¡¯ that she was in such dire straits! Great hatred suddenly welled up in her heart. Longyue clenched her fists and muttered, ¡°I will teach her a lesson!¡± ¡°Wife, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Li Qingmu could sense the coldness from his wife and could not help but be stunned. ¡°Nothing, I just remembered something bad. Husband, don¡¯t worry.¡± Seeing that she was unwilling to tell him, Li Qingmu tactfully didn¡¯t ask further. Soon they arrived at the county city. Chai Qiao¡¯er, Longyue, and the others went to Jinxiu fabric shop and sold the silk handkerchiefs. This time they did not run into that Miss Lu again. They got their money very smoothly and then Longyue bought a set of navy blue clothes for her mother-in-law, Madam Li Zhou. On the way back, Li Qingmu looked at the new clothes in her hand and smiled. ¡°Wife, this is a good plan.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Take things one step at a time. Let¡¯s start with Mom, then Wang, then Meihua. Let them be filled with anticipation and eagerness. Once they get more benefits, you will be indispensable to them in the future¡­¡± ¡®When Li Qingmu said this, his eyes turned dark. These words were for Longyue, but they were also for himself. He would probably never be able to leave her again. They returned home. As soon as Longyue stepped in, Madam Zhang Meihua immediately fixed her lantern-like eyes on them. She looked at Longyue¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Where are the clothes?¡± Longyue gave Li Qingmu a look. He immediately took out a set of navy blue clothes. ¡°This color looks too old. I don¡¯t want it Zhang Meihua pursed her lips. She raised her head and actually picked it up. Longyue laughed and said, ¡°Meihua, don¡¯t misunderstand. This set isn¡¯t for you. It¡¯s for our Mom!¡± Madam Li Zhou had heard the commotion outside earlier, but she did not step out as she was afraid of Longyue. Hearing her say this, she quickly rushed out. ¡°Huh? New clothes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Mom. Look, this is what I bought for you. This color isn¡¯t as heavy as black, and it suits your age. It looks the best to me.¡± Madam Li Zhou did not care about colors. It was fine as long as she had new clothes to wear. She rushed over and took the clothes, afraid that Longyue would go back on her word. Seeing that Madam Li Zhou had taken the new clothes, Zhang Meihua said unhappily, ¡°What about me? Damn it, Mom has them. What about me? Why don¡¯t I see mine?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Longyue. Why did you bring only one set back?¡± Madam Wang had also come out. She looked around and realized that there was nothing else. She was depressed. ¡°So they are only buying clothes for Mom? We won¡¯t get a share¡± She immediately pulled a long face and said in a bitter tone, ¡°Longyue, you can¡¯t go back on your word!¡± Longyue took in their awful behavior and looked down on them in her heart. She smiled and said, ¡°Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, don¡¯t be anxious! We didn¡¯t sell much today, so we could only buy some clothes for Mom. I¡¯ll buy some for you guys another day.¡± ¡°What? I saw you go with a basket of embroidered handkerchiefs early in the morning. Why did you only buy one set of clothing? Didn¡¯t you buy two sets previously?¡± Zhang Meihua¡¯s eyes widened as she screamed. ¡°That¡¯s right. That was the money I¡¯d saved up for many days. If Second Sister-in-law has any doubts, why don¡¯t you make a few and try to sell them?¡± Zhang Meihua naturally couldn¡¯t do such fine embroidery work. She was rebuffed and felt a little depressed. However, it wasn¡¯t advantageous for her to fall out with Longyue now. She smiled apologetically and said, ¡°Alright, Longyue. Second Sister-in-law was anxious. Don¡¯t mind me. Um¡­ Don¡¯t forget me later!¡± She did not forget to stare at Longyue. Longyue smiled and agreed. This matter was over. Longyue and Li Qingmu returned to their house. Zhang Meihua had to recuperate and also left. Only Madam Wang and Madam Li Zhou were left. Madam Wang looked at the new clothes in Madam Li Zhou¡¯s hands with envy. When she thought about how much money those embroidered clothes could sell for, her heart itched. She looked around, and after confirming that no one else was around, she quickly pulled Li Zhou to a corner and muttered, ¡°Mom, is embroidery so profitable? Why don¡¯t you let my Xiangxiang lear from her? When she learns it in the future, won¡¯t she be able to provide our family with more income?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou hesitated. She was a little moved by what Madam Wang had mentioned. However, she thought about Longyue¡¯s temper. ¡°This is not very nice, right¡­ After all, it¡¯s her livelihood¡­¡± ¡°Hey, mom, what¡¯s wrong with that? This means of earning money should be shared with our family. Won¡¯t everyone¡¯s lives be better if we have more money? Besides, isn¡¯t she teaching that girl from the Chai family embroidery? She¡¯s teaching an outsider, so why can¡¯t she teach her own family? Mom, this matter doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± Initially Madam Li Zhou was hesitant, but after hearing what Madam Wang said, she felt that it made sense. Even outsiders could take a share of the profits, so why not make money for their own family? She was afraid of Longyue, but when she thought of the silver taels. She made up her mind and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll talk to her later!¡± ¡°Hey, Mom, you don¡¯t have to! Why don¡¯t you let my Xiangxiang tell her herself!¡± ¡°Will¡­ Will this work?¡± ¡°Why not? How could she not comply with a child throwing a tantrum? I¡¯m telling you this because I want to let you know. You¡¯ll know in your heart later, right?¡± As Madam Wang spoke, there was a flash of shrewdness in her eyes.. Chapter 21 - Youngest Sister-in-Law, Eldest Niece Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Longyue returned to her room and was just sitting down to drink a cup of tea when someone knocked on her door. The Li family¡¯s houses were all straw huts and the doors were quite flimsy. After several knocks, the door became slightly ajar. Longyue saw her eldest niece, Li Xiangxiang, popping her head in. She was her eldest sister-in-law¡¯s daughter. Her sister-in-law had a pair of twins, and they were both 12 years old this year. She reckoned that in a few years, one would take a wife and the other would be married off. It would be very lively. ¡°Xiangxiang, is anything the matter?¡± Longyue saw that she wanted to say something but hesitated. She knew that she was here to discuss something. Li Xiangxiang sniffled. Thinking of her mother¡¯s orders, she mustered her courage and came in. She cut to the chase. ¡°Third Auntie, can I learn embroidery from you with Sister Qiao¡¯er from the Chai family?¡± ¡®The young woman blinked her large, round eyes and looked at Longyue expectantly. Longyue looked at her and recalled that in her previous life, after Li Qingmu became a powerful official, this little girl had married a man from a wealthy family. Unfortunately, he was not a good person. In fact, he was just a dandy. Not only did he have more than 10 concubines, he treated her badly after she was married to him. One time, he got drunk and beat her up, causing her to suffer a miscarriage and almost lose her life! Li Qingmu then sent people to beat him up and castrate him. The entire Imperial Censor Court accused that rich man of being arrogant and demanded severe punishment for him. Finally, the emperor sent him to Qiong Prefecture, under the pretext of recuperation Qiong Prefecture was the southernmost part of the country¡ªa god-forsaken place. People would probably die on the way there. Thereafter, rumors started swirling that the country was in imminent danger because the emperor only doted on wicked people. There was even the allegation that that rich man was the emperor¡¯s illegitimate son. This matter caused a big uproar in the capital at that time. The rumors even reached Longyue, who had been separated from Li Qingmu for many years. It¡¯s never a good thing to be maligned as an evil person, Longyue thought. Longyue knew that her husband was protective of his family, but outsiders did not share the same perspective. They would stand on their moral high ground and judge him, but when the same things happened to them, they would be even more vindictive than Li Qingmu. Longyue regained her train of thought and looked at her eldest niece. This girl was quite easy-going, but she listened to her mother too much. ¡®The Wang family was cowardly, but they were scheming people deep down. Madam Wang was the one who arranged the marriage for her daughter. It was not enough to have Li Qingmu¡¯s backing¡ªshe wanted to cling to those influential families Longyue believed that it was definitely Madam Wang¡¯s idea that Li Xiangxiang learn embroidery work from her. Ha, you sure know how to wheel and deal! she thought. Longyue¡¯s smile did not reach her eyes. She said calmly, ¡°Xiangxiang, do you really want to learn?¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t learn embroidery in a day or two. It¡¯s not as simple as you think. You might even puncture your fingers. They¡¯ll bleed and hurt. Are you sure you want to learn?¡± ¡°L¡­¡± Li Xiangxiang hesitated, but she recalled her mother, Madam Wang¡¯s words. She said that learning embroidery meant having a skill to rely on. In the future, her net worth would increase, and she might be able to marry into a good family. Who wouldn¡¯t want to marry into a good family? Li Xiangxiang was tempted, so she gritted her teeth. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright, Third Auntie will teach you! But you¡¯d never touched embroidery in the past, so you can only start with threading. How about this? Come to my place every day to thread. Once you¡¯re familiar with threading, we¡¯ll start officially.¡± ¡°Huh? Threading?¡± Li Xiangxiang was dumbfounded. She thought that she would be able to learn embroidery soon, but it turned out to be threading? Everyone knows how to do this, right? ¡°Why? Are you unwilling?¡± ¡°ah, oh, I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Threading was a boring job, but it could test a person¡¯s character. If one did not even have this bit of patience, learning embroidery would be a joke and a waste of energy. Afterward Li Xiangxiang took a needle and thread and went to Longyue¡¯s house. Li Qingxue watched Li Xiangxiang enter Longyue¡¯s house. She turned around and ran into her mother¡¯s house. The moment she entered, she shouted, ¡°Mom, Mom, I want to learn embroidery too!¡± Madam Li Zhou was still mending winter clothes when her daughter shouted so loudly that she almost pricked her finger. ¡°Why are you shouting? How old are you? You want to learn embroidery? It¡¯s still early!¡± ¡°Mom, it¡¯s not early anymore. I¡¯ll be nine years old in the new year. I¡¯ll be getting married in another five or six years!¡± Awoman could get married at the age of 13 when she reached puberty. Li Qingxue felt that time was of the essence. ¡°Why do you want to learn embroidery? I¡¯ve prepared all your dowry. You don¡¯t have to worry!¡± ¡°Mom, what¡¯s that dowry worth? If I want to marry into a good family, I have to have some skills, right? I don¡¯t know how to read, but if I know how to embroider, my husband¡¯s family will look up to me, right?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou was stunned. She had never thought about this before. Now that she heard her daughter say this, she felt that it made sense. ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll have a word with No. 3 branch.¡± ¡°Mom, can you ask Longyue to teach me embroidery? I think she¡¯s been letting Xiangxiang do threading. That is so boring. It¡¯s just threading a needle. What¡¯s so difficult about it? Do we still have to practice?¡± Her sister-in-law, Li Qingxue, pursed her lips with displeasure. ¡®Then Longyue was called over by Madam Li Zhou. ¡°No. 3 branch¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou was a little uncomfortable. When she saw Longyue, she lowered her voice a little, but when she thought about her daughter¡¯s future, she said stubbornly, ¡°Well, since you are teaching one or two people, why don¡¯t you teach Ah Xue too?¡± Longyue smiled. One person after another wanted a piece of the pie after seeing her make money with embroidery. However, all this came as no surprise. She said, ¡°Alright, Mom. Let Qingxue join us later.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Madam Li Zhou paused for a moment before saying, ¡°Can you show Qingxue how to embroider right away? Threading is not that challenging! ¡± ¡°Oh, Mom, did you specially call me over to talk about this?¡± ¡®There was a glint in Longyue¡¯s eyes as she smiled and asked. ¡°Yeah, you know too. My Ah Xue doesn¡¯t have much patience¡­¡± ¡°Mom, embroidery is exquisite work. You have to be patient. Otherwise, you might as well not learn it. Since Ah Xue wants to learn from me, she has to follow my rules!¡± Longyue¡¯s expression became a little more serious and her smile disappeared. This is establishing dominance and rules. Asking me to do something? That¡¯s alright but everything must go according to my wishes. Don¡¯t think of causing trouble! Madam Li Zhou was affronted by what Longyue said, but she could not show her displeasure since she was asking a favor. She forced a smile. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s¡­ Let¡¯s do as you say.¡± Longyue smiled when she saw her admit defeat. This was a good start. There is a first time for everything, she thought. One by one, they were begging her to do things, and then they would follow the rules she set. As time passed, her prestige in the family would rise. Then when the time was ripe, the family would be under her control. It was not that she was too greedy for power. To be honest, wielding power in the Li household did not mean much to her. As the daughter of the first wife of a minister, she did not care about such things. The reason why she wanted power in this family was that she did not want them to cause trouble for her. If anyone dared to break the family rules later, she would beat them up! Chapter 22 - Li Qingmu, Ill Kill You! Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios After Longyue left Madam Li Zhou¡¯s room, she went to rest. When she woke up in the morning, the ground was wet. A thin layer of moss had grown out of the cracks in the stones. There was a slight chill in the fresh air. Longyue realized that summer was here. ¡°The examination is drawing near.¡± Longyue muttered. She was living in an era known as the Great Zhou Dynasty. The emperor was known as Emperor Zhou. The Great Zhou imperial examination was held in August of the lunar calendar, around the time of the Mid-Autumn Festival. So Li Qingmu could not spend the Mid-Autumn Festival at home. Longyue thought about how they would be spending the first festival after their marriage apart and felt bad. She looked at the empty bed beside her. She guessed that the fellow had already gone to the county city to sell calligraphy and paintings. She got out of bed and washed up. After breakfast, Qiao¡¯er came over, followed by Li Xiangxiang and Li Qingxue. Longyue had arranged for the two of them to thread needles. Li Xiangxiang did not say anything, but Li Qingxue was a little resentful and insisted on learning embroidery. ¡°If you can¡¯t tolerate it, you can choose not to learn!¡± Longyue immediately shut Li Qingxue up. She looked at Longyue with some resentment, but because she was the wicked woman of the Li family and she had a favor to ask of her, she didn¡¯t dare to cause trouble. The day passed peacefully. In the evening, Li Qingmu returned from the city. ¡°Wife, I met my classmates in the county city today. They said that Teacher is planning revision classes for us in the next few days. After that, they will probably hurry us to the provincial city¡­ Hmm, wife?¡± Li Qingmu started talking as soon as he entered the house. Then he saw his little wife sitting in a daze by the window. He quickly shouted to her. Longyue was thinking that it would be difficult to earn much money just relying on embroidery, so she wanted to find something else to do. As a result, her mind wandered. Only when she heard his shout did she return to her senses. ¡°Yes, alright!¡± Immediately Li Qingmu looked at her a little resentfully. ¡°Wife, the school is too far from home. I will only come home once every few days. Will you miss me?¡± Longyue glanced at him coldly. She did not understand when he had become so arrogant. Why did he have to talk so much nonsense when he was just attending school? The Li family lived in the southernmost, rural part of the county city. The school was in the northernmost part. The commute spanned the entire county city and it would take more than four hours back and forth. Therefore, while attending school, Li Qingmu would come home every five or six days. That was why he asked her if she would miss him. Longyue said angrily, ¡°No!¡± Li Qingmu looked hurt. ¡°My wife doesn¡¯t have her husband in her heart!¡± Longyue wanted to give him a good beating when she saw his aggrieved manner. She cried out in anger, ¡°You torture me every day. I will only miss you if my brain is smoked!¡±c Immediately he said faintly, ¡°Only at night, not during the day.¡± Longyue almost spat out a mouthful of blood. What a bastard! At this moment, he suddenly drew closer to her and pulled her into his arms. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. ¡°Alright, I understand. These few days, I¡¯ll recuperate at home and nourish my body more. If the horse wants to run fast, it needs to eat some grass, eh?¡± He then touched the tip of her nose lightly. Horse? Longyue glared at him and kicked him rudely. However, he had anticipated this and grabbed her hand easily. ¡°Wife, we¡¯ll be separated for a few days. Well¡­ Tonight¡­ Can you let me¡­¡± ¡°Get lost!!!¡± ¡°Caw! Caw!¡± A flock of crows got so startled that they flew into the air. The next day, Longyue and Li Qingmu went to the county city together. He went to school while Longyue went to the fabric shop. As they parted ways, he gave Longyue a peck on the forehead. Longyue looked at him in disdain but she didn¡¯t forget to remind him, ¡°Don¡¯t get tricked by Qian Duoduo later.¡± Qian Duoduo was Qian Yi. A few days ago, he had wanted to molest Longyue by the lotus pond, so it would be fine if she didn¡¯t mention him. Once she did, a hint of coldness flashed across Li Qingmu¡¯s eyes. He said softly, ¡°Wife, are you worried about your husband?¡± ¡°No, I really hope that he will beat you up till you turn into a pig¡¯s head!¡± Li Qingmu was stupefied. Ignoring his slightly darkened expression, Longyue strode away. ¡°Brother Li A voice came from behind. Li Qingmu turned around and saw Xiang Yin. He asked, ¡°Has Brother Xiang recovered?¡± Xiang Yin¡¯s face instantly turned pale. Then he smiled bitterly. ¡°I¡¯m alright, ¡®m much better now. This person is a devil, Xiang Yin thought. A devil that sucks human blood, eats human flesh, and is hated by the world! Ever since that time, Xiang Yin had been afraid of Li Qingmu from the bottom of his heart. Therefore, every time he saw Li Qingmu argue with someone, he was afraid that he would go crazy and do something immoral. That day, Miss Lu had asked him out and so he accompanied her. Unexpectedly, they ran into this devil at a fabric shop. However, that idiot, Lu Qianqian, got into a fight with him. At that time, he saw a flash of anger in Li Qingmu¡¯s eyes and was scared out of his wits. Then he went home As Xiang Yin thought about this, he broke out in a cold sweat. At this moment, Li Qingmu stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Brother Xiang, some things are over. Don¡¯t take them to heart. Most of the time, we don¡¯t do something deliberately but because we¡¯re forced by circumstances, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Xiang Yin grunted in response, but he was drenched in cold sweat. Li Qingmu looked at him and knew that he was scared out of his wits. If he wanted to comfort Xiang Yin now, he would probably think that he was threatening him. He might as well not say anything. Xiang Yin followed him to the school in a daze and noticed that there were already many people there. However, the moment he entered, he heard a shout. ¡°Li Qingmu, you bastard, you¡¯re finally here. I¡¯ll destroy you!¡± Inan instant, a brush dipped in ink came flying at him. Li Qingmu swiftly dodged it. However, Xiang Yin, who was behind him, was slower and was hit in the face by the brush. Instantly, his face turned ugly. He looked over at the man with a dumbfounded expression and saw that he was one of the top pricks in the school, Qian Duoduo. ¡°Qian Duoduo¡­. Qian Yi, what are you doing?¡± After being slapped in the face by the inked brush, Xiang Yin was not as afraid as before. He even had the illusion that Li Qingmu would not harm him again after he had taken a hit for him. He was angry that Qian Yi was playing with fire. Not only would he get himself into trouble, he would also get them into trouble. ¡°Cut out the crap! What else can I do? I want to kill Li Qingmu, that bastard. That slut from his family almost killed me!¡± Qian Yi was so angry that he was jumping up and down as he was swearing. Ahint of darkness flashed across Li Qingmu¡¯s eyes as he said coldly, ¡°Qian Yi, what did my wife do to you?¡± He was a little angry. [ haven¡¯t even settled scores with you for harassing my little wife, and you¡¯re coming at me?he thought. Li Qingmu had asked Longyue about it. Qian Yi had inexplicably fallen into the water. He knew that it must have been his little wife¡¯s doing, but he definitely would not admit to it! Seeing Li Qingmu¡¯s unwillingness to admit it, Qian Yi was even angrier. He roared, ¡°Li Qingmu, that b*tch of yours pushed me into the water and almost drowned me! We¡¯re not done with this!¡± Chapter 23 - Depressed Qian Yi Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios There were quite a number of people in the school who looked astonished when they heard Qian Yi¡¯s roar. Someone muttered softly, ¡°That wife of his is said to be a missy from the capital. She was sent to the countryside after committing a crime. Furthermore, I heard that she is a very fierce and overbearing woman. It¡¯s said that she is also very ugly¡­¡± The rumblings went on and on. Li Qingmu suppressed the anger in his heart and said coldly, ¡°Qian Yi, you said that my wife almost killed you. Where¡¯s the evidence? Without evidence, it¡¯s slander!¡± ¡°You!¡± Qian Yi held his breath in his chest as he stared at Li Qingmu, wanting to kill him. This fellow is actually so shameless as to ask me for evidence? How the f*ck could I have evidence! ¡°If there is, I will directly send your wife to the authorities!¡± Li Qingmu naturally knew that he had no evidence. He was about to go berserk with hatred when a strange look flashed across his eyes. Suddenly, he pointed at Qian Yi and said angrily, ¡°Qian Yi, that day you took liberties with my wife in public. I haven¡¯t settled the score with you, but you actually slandered me. What are your motives? Or are you guilty and afraid that I¡¯ll hold you accountable, so you want to strike first?¡± ¡°Oh¡± The students in the school jeered again, watching with interest as the two fought. Women loved to gossip, and men were no different! The students looked at both of them and rubbed their fists together, waiting for them to start a fight. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Qian Yi was so angry that he stomped his feet. At the same time, his face flushed from his guilty conscience. He had indeed teased Longyue that day. Many people had witnessed this. ¡°Tm spouting nonsense?¡± Li Qingmu sneered with an angry expression. ¡°Many people witnessed it. Any random villager who went to the lotus pond in the back mountains of Qingshui Village that day could testify! Do you still want to deny it?¡± The more he talked, the more panicked Qian Yi became. He was really afraid that Li Qingmu would pull those villagers over to testify. But he must not show weakness now. Otherwise, he would really look guilty. ¡°Pfft, Li Qingmu, you bastard. You actually dare to slander me! How good do you think that b*tch of yours is? Who the f*ck wants her?¡± ¡°At that time, you spoke frivolously and pounced on my wife. Fortunately, she had a sharp reaction and dodged your evil claws. And because you accidentally fell into the water, you¡¯re slandering my wife here without evidence, and you even said such vulgar and vicious words. It¡¯s so obvious that you must have been full of dirty talk!¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Li Qingmu had told the entire story. Qian Yi was speechless. In his frustration, he became ruthless. He picked up an inkstone on the table and threw it at him. ¡°Go to hell!¡± ¡°Whew¡ª¡± There was a crisp and clear sound as the inkstone flew through the air! Li Qingmu had anticipated it. He dodged the spinning inkstone. And Xiang Yin, having learned his lesson, did not dare to stand behind Li Qingmu. There was no one behind him, but coincidentally, when the inkstone flew over, a thin figure happened to walk out from the corner. ¡°Ah¡­ Be careful!¡± Someone in the crowd cried out in surprise. The figure instinctively looked up and saw a black shadow flying towards him. It was getting bigger and bigger, and it was too late to dodge! ¡°Pfft!¡± The inkstone fell and blood splattered! ¡°Ah¡­ Not good. Someone died. Someone was killed!¡± The students in the school turned pale with fear. When they saw who was injured, they were dumbfounded. ¡°Teacher, it¡¯s Teacher. Qian Yi, you smashed Teacher to death!¡± That person shouted in panic, not knowing what to do for a moment. Li Qingmu was stunned when he saw the bloody scene behind him. He had only wanted to provoke Qian Yi into doing something irrational, but who would have thought that Teacher Xu would become his victim? Fortunately, he came to his senses immediately and shouted to Xiang Yin beside him, ¡°Quickly, go get a doctor. Hurry up!¡± Xiang Yin nodded and rushed off. Li Qingmu suddenly pointed at the dumbfounded Qian Yi and said, ¡°What are you waiting for? Catch this murderer!¡± ¡°Arrest him!¡± Teacher Xu treated his students quite well. Before the examination, he made it a point to hold revision classes, so this time, Qian Yi had angered everyone. The students who were watching the show immediately pounced on him. ¡°It¡¯s not me! I didn¡¯t! Don¡¯t arrest me!¡± Qian Yi cried out in surprise, followed by nervousness and panic. ¡°I really did not kill anyone! That inkstone did not hit Teacher Xu¡­¡± But no one would listen to his explanation now. ¡°Send him to the authorities to be punished!¡± Someone shouted. Qian Yi felt a chill down his spine and his hair stood on end. He did not want to be arrested and sent to the authorities. Otherwise, his life would be ruined! Coincidentally, he was next to the window. He jumped out the window and escaped. ¡°Catch him, don¡¯t let him get away!¡± Li Qingmu shouted and was the first to chase after him. Then other students also gave chase. Following that, the whole roomful of students rushed out to capture him. ¡°Stop, don¡¯t you dare run!¡± ¡°Catch up with him!¡± ¡®The students gave chase. In a panic, Qian Yi ran blindly and dashed into the crowded downtown area, shaking off his pursuers several times. At last, Qian Yi ran into a brothel. ¡°Brother Li, he went into a brothel! Are we still chasing after him?¡± A student pointed at the brothel. Li Qingmu replied coldly, ¡°Chase! A few of you will wait at this door. You, and the rest of you, let¡¯s go to the back and ambush him!¡± The group of students split up and surrounded the brothel. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? What are you scholars doing? Are you disrupting our business?¡± ¡®An old procuress swayed her hips affectedly and swore in displeasure. Immediately someone among the students said, ¡°A murderer had run in!¡± ¡°Ah¡ªsave me! Hurry up and arrest him!¡± ¡®The old procuress screamed. Then the place descended into chaos. Qian Yi darted into the brothel and bumped into two ladies in a panic. The two ladies actually knew him and called out ¡°Young Master Qian, Young Master Qian.¡± If it was in the past, Qian Yi would definitely have pounced on them immediately. But now, he did not have the time for that. He just wanted to escape quickly. Fortunately, he had been to this brothel more than once. He was familiar with the place and ran all the way to the backyard. ¡®There was a back door there that he could escape from. Presumably, those people would not be able to catch him! Pfft, a bunch of fools wanting to arrest me? Qian Yi wiped the corner of his mouth and revealed a sinister smile. After a few turns, he arrived at the back door. He rushed over and was about to open the back door to escape when a familiar voice came from outside. ¡°He¡¯ll definitely go through the back door. We¡¯ll just wait for him here!¡± ¡°Brother Li, you¡¯re really amazing. You actually know that the back door to this brothel is here!¡± ¡°Xiang Yin mentioned it to me before, so I remembered.¡± ¡®When Qian Yi heard the commotion outside, his face tuned liver-colored.. At that moment, he really wanted to curse¡ªLi Qingmu, f*ck you! Chapter 24 - Really Fallen into a Pit? Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Li Qingmu, f*ck you! Qian Yi held his panting chest and cursed fiercely in his heart. He wanted to cry but the tears wouldn¡¯t come. His escape route was blocked. What should he do? ¡°I saw Young Master Qian just now. He went that way. He was probably going to the toilet.¡± ¡°Thank you, lady!¡± A few voices could be heard from afar. Qian Yi trembled. His heart was racing. Damn it, I¡¯m surrounded on all sides! He quickly looked at the back door. There was no way to get there. Some people were approaching. Where should he go? Then he saw a toilet not far away. He rolled his eyes, made up his mind, and rushed into the toilet. Then two students approached. ¡°Strange, the backyard is empty. No one is around.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Could Li Qingmu have guessed wrongly?¡± The two students muttered to each other. At this moment, someone pointed in the direction of the toilet. ¡°Could he be hiding in the toilet?¡± ¡°Who cares? Let¡¯s go in and take a look.¡± A few students rushed into the toilet. Qian Yi had thought that these people would not come looking for him in the toilet because of the stinky smell. In the end, he had underestimated this group of people¡¯s bottom line. Feeling helpless, he assumed a squatting position over the toilet pit. He stepped on the stepping board carefully. Then he tried to lower his head and body to avoid being seen. The toilet was very smelly. When he entered, he had pinched his nose and mustered his courage. As he hid in the toilet, the stench rushed to his head and made him want to throw up. ¡°No one¡­ Eurgh¡­¡± ¡°Oh, it stinks. It stinks to death. Who would be crazy to hide here? Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go. I can¡¯t take it anymore. Let¡¯s go quickly!¡± The group of students took only one quick look before they were defeated by the stench. They then looked for Qian Yi on the other side. Qian Yi heaved a sigh of relief and thought that he had probably escaped. As long as he was not arrested by the authorities immediately, he would find a way to get away. Besides, the inkstone was thrown at Li Qingmu at that time. In the end, Teacher Xu was hit. Li Qingmu should be responsible, right? Why didn¡¯t he block it? With this in mind, Qian Yi felt relieved. Having survived a disaster made him feel relaxed. Once he relaxed, he felt a little smug. He spat and cursed, ¡°Li Qingmu, you bastard.¡± Then he prepared to make a move. ¡°Gah!¡± Acrisp sound came from under his feet, like the sound of something being crushed. Qian Yi¡¯s heart sank as he felt that something bad was about to happen. He quickly tried to get up, but he exerted some force on his feet and ¡°Kacha!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± The board broke and he fell into the pit. ¡°Save¡­¡± He only shouted one word before closing his mouth. He could not let them catch him. Boohoo Li Qingmu waited for a long time at the back door, but he did not see Qian Yi come out. He could not help but frown. Had he made a mistake? Someone beside him muttered, ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting here for half a day. Where is he? We don¡¯t see him. Could he have run away?¡± ¡°He definitely didn¡¯t run away. He just hid somewhere. Didn¡¯t you guys find him? This brothel isn¡¯t big. Where can he hide? Search again!¡± Li Qingmu¡¯s expression was calm. He did not panic at all. When he saw everyone showing their impatience, he immediately said, ¡°Let¡¯s retreat first¡­ Let¡¯s go to the teahouse across the street. My treat!¡± The students were pleased that they could have tea for free and chat about the entrance examination. They followed Li QIngmu. Everyone enjoyed the tea and snacks. Meanwhile, Xiang Yin brought two constables with him. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°He must be in the brothel. He is hiding well.¡± Li Qingmu answered the two constables who were waiting impatiently. After saying that, he discovered that the back door of the brothel had opened. A man who was covered in filth walked out with disheveled hair. ¡°Achoo¡ª¡± ¡®As he sneezed, he sent a string of dirt flying from his nose. Li Qingmu looked at the familiar robe and the corners of his mouth twitched. It was said that he could be found. Could it be that this person¡­ was hiding in a pit? ¡°That toilet¡­ How could you hide in that place?¡± The muscles on his face twitched slightly as he signaled the two constables. The two of them saw a dirty and smelly person walking out from the back door of the brothel. ¡°Aiyah, f*ck! Why did this fellow hide in the toilet?¡± One of the constables shouted, and then a student muttered, ¡°Could he have accidentally fallen into the toilet when he was hiding?¡± Everyone looked at him and gave him a look that said, ¡°You¡¯re great.¡± ¡°What?¡± Longyue glared at Auntie Liu, who was leaning against a big tree and talking to the other villagers happily. She wondered if she had heard wrongly. ¡°Let me tell you, Second Madam Qian¡¯s son had an argument with the third son of the Li family, so he used an inkstone to smash him. In the end, that fellow from the Li family dodged quickly and he injured Teacher Xu, who walked in from behind. It is said that he is still unconscious! Later, the authorities went to arrest him. Qian Yi ran all the way to a brothel. Unable to resist the arrest of the students and constables, he hid himself¡­ Haha, in a feces pit. When he came out, he was covered in stinky clothes, hahaha¡­¡± ¡®Two days ago, Auntie Liu and Second Madam Qian had an argument and even fought each other. They now hated each other. Now that Madam Qian¡¯s family was in trouble, she immediately spread the news like a recital. One of the villagers hooted. ¡°Hide in the toilet? Has water entered this person¡¯s brain? Who would hide in a manure pit? I think he ran too fast and slipped!¡± ¡°Right, he fell into a trap, hahaha!¡± Laughter rang out from under the tree. Longyue found the gossip hard to believe, but she didn¡¯t think it was fake. She thought of her husband¡¯s temper. He was very petty. If Qian Yi got into an argument with him, that would be courting death. She felt that this troublesome matter was probably related to Li Qingmu. This man is really low! she thought. She pouted and returned home in a good mood. ¡°No. 3 branch, where have you been all day? Are you still going to teach them embroidery?¡± When Madam Li Zhou saw that Longyue had finally returned, she quickly smiled apologetically and mentioned teaching embroidery. Longyue knew that this was just a casual question. What Madam Li Zhou wanted to know was where she had gone the entire day instead of spending her time on money-making embroidery work. Where could I go to hang out? She just took advantage of the fact that it was almost autumn and went to the back mountains to gather some spores of herbs. When the time came, she would plant them at the back of her house. That¡¯s right, ¡®m going to grow herbs! She remembered very well that she died in her previous life because of a huge plague. She was ill and froze to death in the cold weather! That plague had spread across more than half of the Great Zhou Dynasty and killed many people. The reason why it was so devastating was because there were not enough medicinal herbs. Many people clearly had prescriptions to prevent illnesses, but they could not get the medicinal herbs! Now that she was reborn, Longyue had to take precautions. Chapter 25 - Do I Treat You Well? Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios With this in mind, she put away the basket in her hand and smiled. ¡°Mom, I went to the mountains to get some seeds. I¡¯ll see what I can grow later.¡± ¡°Ah? Seeds? Well¡­ we don¡¯t have any land. Why would we need these seeds?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a two-acre plot of barren land at the back of the house? We can reclaim it later.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t grow anything even if the land is tilled!¡± ¡®The land at the back of the house was very poor. Even if they cultivated some crops, they could not harvest much. Therefore, the two mu¡¯ of land had always been abandoned. A few years ago, the Li family wanted to sell the land for money, but no one wanted it. They went to ask the landlords nearby. Those people felt that the land was too poor and uneven, and not suitable for building houses. So this matter was put on hold. However, Longyue felt that tilling the soil would make it suitable for growing medicinal herbs. She did not say much to Madam Li Zhou. In any case, when she became the head of the household in the future, she would be the one to decide what to do with the land. So she smiled at her plan. At this moment, Madam Wang ran out with a shrewd expression. She looked at Longyue and said in surprise, ¡°Longyue is back?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°You went to the county city with No. 3 early in the morning, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°What good things did you bring back?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± After the short exchange, Madam Wang¡¯s face immediately darkened. ¡°Longyue, you¡¯re not being honest!¡± ¡°What about me?¡± How could Longyue not know why she was doing this? But still she pretended to be innocent, which made Madam Wang feel like she was asking to be beaten up. Madam Wang stomped her feet and shouted angrily, ¡°You broke your promise!¡± Longyue blinked and said, ¡°Oh, are you talking about clothes? Don¡¯t be anxious. I don¡¯t know what color you like. I¡¯m planning to go to the county city in a few days to pick something for you.¡± Madam Wang was pissed off at first, but her anger disappeared instantly when she heard that. She beamed. ¡°Longyue, is that true?¡± ¡°What? Longyue is taking you to the county city to buy new clothes? I want to go too!¡± ¡®Wang¡¯s voice was a little shrill as she cut Zhang Meihua off. Longyue looked at her pair of ¡®lantern¡¯ eyes and smiled diligently. ¡°Meihua, don¡¯t be anxious. We have to do this one at a time. I don¡¯t have much money on hand. Aren¡¯t I saving up to buy new clothes for you?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Well, it¡¯s taking too long to reach my turn!¡± Zhang Meihua looked unhappy. ¡°Meihua, haste makes waste. Let¡¯s take it slow, alright?¡± ¡°Then¡­ that¡¯s fine!¡± After appeasing Madam Wang and Madam Zhang, Longyue went in to eat before returning to her room. Li Qingmu would only be returning home in a few days. Longyue looked at the empty bed and suddenly felt a void in her heart. She had got used to having him around and felt his sudden absence keenly. She was losing her appetite and sleep over it. Scumbag! Longyue spat and went to bed to rest. The next morning, she and Madam Wang got onto Chai Tieniu¡¯s ox cart and headed for the county city. ¡°Wang, where¡¯s that fabric shop?¡± It was rare for Madam Wang to make a trip into the city, so she was feeling very happy. She looked around and asked Longyue for two copper coins to buy two meat buns. Longyue pointed at a fabric shop ahead and said, ¡°That way.¡± When Madam Wang saw the shop, she could not help but be delighted, and her eyes lit up. ¡°This fabric shop looks very good. The fabrics on display outside are excellent!¡± Longyue smiled and brought her in. The moment they entered the embroidery shop, Madam Wang was dazzled by the array of fabrics inside. She felt like she was seeing stars, and she touched fabric after fabric. ¡°Tsk, tsk. This fabric is smooth, right?¡± ¡°This is silk brocade. Although it¡¯s not local, it¡¯s not bad.¡± Yun Niang came up to introduce herself and communicated silently with Longyue with visual cues. Madam Wang¡¯s mind was focused on that silk brocade and did not notice the two people behind her looking at each other knowingly. She touched it and refused to let it go. ¡°Longyue, why don¡¯t you buy me this silk brocade? Tsk tsk, this light pink is really pleasing!¡± ¡°Little Sister, this brocade costs one tael per foot. I¡¯m afraid it¡¯ll cost a few taels of silver for each piece,¡± Yun Niang reminded her. Madam Wang was stunned and a little reluctant to let go of the silk brocade. Then she gazed at Longyue and said, ¡°Do you have the money?¡± Longyue spread her hands innocently and said, ¡°Wang, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to buy it for you, but I don¡¯t have that much money. Every time I sell embroidery, I only earn a few hundred copper coins. I can only buy clothes made of cotton!¡± ¡°What? Only a few hundred copper coins?¡± Madam Wang widened her eyes in disbelief. Longyue pouted and felt a little wronged. ¡°That¡¯s right. If you don¡¯t believe me, ask this lady boss. I always come to her place to sell embroidery.¡± Madam Wang tured around and asked, ¡°Lady Boss, are our embroidery pieces so worthless?¡± Yun Niang glanced at Lady Wang and saw her scheming and shrewd expression. She knew that this person was not a good person. Thinking about how Longyue had complained about her yesterday, she had helped her come up with an idea. Naturally, she would not undermine her. She said, ¡°That¡¯s right. There are too many people here selling embroidery. I¡¯m not increasing the pric ¡°You¡¯re not bluffing?¡± ¡°How can that be? If you don¡¯t believe me, you can go to the embroidery workshop nearby to ask around.¡± Ordinary embroideries were not expensive, but Longyue¡¯s was different. Not only were her designs exquisite and delicate, but her embroidery techniques were also creative. Every piece was unique. Previously, she had bought a batch from Longyue, and in just a day, all of them had been snatched up by rich women, So when she said that the price was not high, she meant it. It was just that these words should not be used on Longyue¡¯s embroideries. Seeing how confident she was, Madam Wang felt depressed. They really could not earn much money. She wondered if it was worthwhile letting her daughter learn embroidery. ¡°Wang, don¡¯t be disheartened. We can¡¯t buy expensive clothes, but this is fine. Look at this dress. Doesn¡¯t it look good? It¡¯s also comfortable. The price isn¡¯t high. It¡¯s only 200 copper coins.¡± Longyue went to the side to get a dress for her to try on. Madam Wang¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. That¡¯s right, who cares? It¡¯s good enough to have new clothes to wear! As for embroidery, it did not matter if it could earn money. In any case, Chai Qiao¡¯er and Li Qingxue were both learning. If her daughter did not learn, she would lose out even more! So Madam Wang bluntly asked for the light red dress. Longyue paid the bill and they left. Once they left, the lady boss, Yun Niang, frowned and sighed. A boy servant who was tidying up beside her asked, ¡°Lady Boss, is something troubling you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just thought about those horrible relatives of mine¡­ Back then, I couldn¡¯t stand the unscrupulous ways of my husband¡¯s relatives, which was why I left him. Now that I¡¯m seeing someone who¡¯s in a similar situation as me, I can¡¯t help but sigh.¡± The boy servant was stunned and consoled her, ¡°Lady Boss, don¡¯t be sad. This is all fate¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s all fate!¡± Longyue did not know that the lady boss, Yun Niang, would feel so sad about her situation. At this moment, she was sitting in the ox cart and talking to her sister-in-law, Madam Wang. ¡°Wang, are you satisfied with this dress?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m very satisfied!¡± ¡°Wang, do you think I treat you well? I didn¡¯t even buy my husband new clothes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. In this family, you¡¯re the one who treats me the best!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Longyue smiled assiduously as she responded, slowly luring Madam Wang into a trap. Chapter 26 - Authority Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Hehe, Third Madam is a kind person!¡± Chai Tieniu, who was driving the carriage, heard this and laughed in response. Longyue¡¯s expression darkened. Fortunately, this person had made a sound, or she would have almost forgotten about him. She quickly lowered her voice and muttered, ¡°Wang, I want to treat you guys better.¡± Madam Wang was shrewd. She immediately realized that some words should not be heard by others. She also lowered her voice. ¡°That¡¯s good. Why?¡± ¡°Look, Xiangxiang is learning embroidery from me. What about your Baichuan? We can¡¯t let him stay idle, right? What future will he have?¡± Baichuan was the son of Madam Wang. He was the same age as Li Xiangxiang. At this age, he seemed to be squandering his life idling at home or having fun all day long. Madam Wang was aware of this. Thinking that her son did not have any future, she could not help but be anxious. ¡°That¡¯s right. I asked Mom several times to let Baichuan go to school, but Mom said that he was not cut out for that. Besides, our family can¡¯t afford tuition for two people¡­¡± As she spoke, tears fell from Madam Wang¡¯s eyes. Longyue looked at her calmly. It didn¡¯t matter if Madam Wang was sincere or not. After all, as a mother, how could she not think of her own children? Especially her son. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± She sighed faintly and said, ¡°Actually, I can think of a way to pool some money to let Baichuan go to school. Regardless of whether he¡¯s cut out for studying, being able to read some words and having some knowledge is better than not knowing anything, right? We¡¯re not expecting him to be full of wisdom, but we don¡¯t want him to be labeled as a bumpkin in the future, right?¡± ¡°Aiyo, Longyue, you really hit the nail on the head! Why are you so nice? If Mom is half as nice as you, I¡¯d call her my biological mom!¡± Longyue puckered her lips and smiled without saying anything. ¡°Longyue, you said that we can pool money for Baichuan to study? Is that true? Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± ¡°How could I be lying?¡± Longyue felt that she had lured her enough, so she started to get straight to the point. ¡°Sister-in-law, saving money for Baichuan to study is possible, but I don¡¯t have the right to do that. If mom finds out later, she¡¯ll definitely be unhappy. She¡¯s the mistress of the household. Logically speaking, money can only be distributed by her, right?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Madam Wang instantly wilted and felt a little resentful. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ But let¡¯s stash away some personal money and¡­¡± ¡°Should we ask Baichuan to study secretly like a thief?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Madam Wang was dumbfounded. That¡¯s right, studying secretly is not right at all! ¡°Wang, Mom is the one who calls the shots in our family. There are some things that I can help with a little more, but there are some things that I really can¡¯t help even if I want to. Mom should have a lot of savings. If it were me, I¡¯d definitely let everyone have a few more good meals. But our family is not like that.¡± ¡°Hmph, we don¡¯t see much meat every year!¡± When Madam Wang thought of this, she got angry. She said angrily, ¡°She has to save up that money for No. 4 and No. 5. Moreover, I heard her say last time that she wanted to give Qingxue a dowry of 10 taels! 10 taels! How much meat can we eat with that money? Didn¡¯t she dig up all this money from us?¡± ¡®The more Madam Wang spoke, the angrier she got. In the end, she hit the door of the cart. ¡°She¡¯s biased!¡± Longyue didn¡¯t say anything. She just blinked. ¡°Longyue!¡± After venting her anger, Madam Wang turned to Longyue and wailed, ¡°Tell me, why is my life so hard? That child of mine is her grandson. Why doesn¡¯t it hurt her to see him like this?¡± ¡°Our ten fingers have unequal lengths, what more the human heart?¡± Longyue reached out and carefully examined her slender fingers. She had done some rough work recently, and a callus had formed in her palm. I should take care of it, she thought. Otherwise, itd be difficult to do exquisite embroidery with rough hands. Her words were like a fire that ignited Madam Wang. She was so angry that she stomped her feet and scolded, ¡°She¡¯s biased. She hadn¡¯t liked my man since he was young. Who she dotes on the most are Second Brother and Fifth Sister!¡± Oh, no wonder Madam Zhang could be so arrogant! Longyue pouted and said faintly, ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Love the house and its crow. Look at Meihua. Even with that demeanor, Mom didn¡¯t look down on her. Sigh¡­ If I were head of this family, I would definitely treat everyone equally!¡± ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± ¡®Madam Wang slipped up and paused. Then she looked shocked. ¡°Well, No. 3¡¯s branch, you¡ª¡± ¡°Wang, this is off the cuff. You don¡¯t have to take it seriously.¡± As Longyue spoke, she looked around. Seeing that they had already entered the village and were about to reach home, she didn¡¯t say anything more. She could not rush this matter. She could not be anxious at all. Otherwise, Madam Wang would take the opportunity to make some outrageous requests. She had plenty of time, but what about Madam Wang? Her son was already 12 years old and would marry a wife in three years. How could she not be anxious? ¡°When the time comes, we¡¯ll be desperate. Yes¡­¡± Longyue flashed a satisfied smile. After they returned home, Longyue noticed that Madam Wang seemed unhappy with Madam Li Zhou. All the oppression and grievances Madam Wang had suffered over the years had exploded under her instigation with just a few words. That resentment was not small at all. It would be magnified infinitely. And once an argument broke out between the two sides, there would be cracks in the relationship between the in-laws, and those cracks would only grow larger. At lunch, Madam Wang did not disappoint Longyue. She threw down her chopsticks. ¡°Do you want to let us live? Mom, we¡¯re eating plain food every day. Our Baichuan is about to starve to death. Are you going to let us live?¡± Madam Li Zhou was dumbfounded. Since when did this weak and cowardly daughter-in-law dare to talk back to her? Her head was throbbing! ¡°What are you making a fuss for? Our family doesn¡¯t have the money to eat meat. If you have the ability, earn money and buy some for yourself!¡± ¡°Mom, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re biting off more than you can chew? Everyone knows that you have a stash of personal money! Oh, you don¡¯t have the money to pay for my Baichuan¡¯s education, but you have money for other things. You¡¯re really biased. Baichuan is your biological grandson, after all!¡± ¡°Eldest branch, how can you talk to Mom like that?¡± Zhang Meihua smiled assiduously as she spoke. She enjoyed fanning the flames by the side. She usually fawned over her mother-in-law, so now that she and Madam Wang were actually getting into a fight, she reveled in the showdown! ¡°I¡¯m talking to Mom. Don¡¯t interfere!¡± It was rare for Madam Wang to be so unyielding. She retorted Madam Zhang. Seeing that Longyue was backing her, Madam Zhang did not make a fuss. She only pouted and snorted. Madam Li Zhou was a little annoyed that Madam Wang would talk to her like this. She said with a cold expression, ¡°Nonsense, which eye of yours sees that Mom is rich?¡± ¡°Lheard that you wanted to give Qingxue 10 taels of silver as her dowry! If this is not being partial, then what is it? Mom, I don¡¯t want anything from you. Just send our Baichuan to school. He¡¯s already 12 years old. He can¡¯t possibly remain illiterate, right?¡± ¡°Nonsense. How can there be 10 taels of silver?¡± ¡®When Madam Li Zhou was exposed, she immediately felt guilty. So she raised her voice and shouted angrily. She might seem cowardly beside Longyue but she was known to be a hard person. In short, she bullied the weak and feared the strong! ¡°[heard it with my own ears!¡± ¡°Shut up! That¡¯s not true. Stop making a fuss. If you want to eat, eat quickly. If not, go back! As for Baichuan, if he needs to learn how to read, just ask No. 3 to teach him. Why waste money sending him to school?¡± ¡°Mom!¡± ¡®When Madam Wang heard that, her heart turned cold! Chapter 27 - Are You Willing? Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Longyue returned to her house after lunch. She was planning on taking an afternoon nap before getting up to do her embroidery work. However, as soon as she fell asleep, Madam Wang knocked on her door. ¡°Longyue¡­ it¡¯s me!¡± Longyue knew that she would come looking for her, but she didn¡¯t expect it to be so soon. She smiled, stretched, and said lazily, ¡°Come in!¡± ¡°Longyue, sob, sob!¡± Madam Wang came in, practically crying. Longyue did not know if she was really crying or faking it. In any case, she took it that she was crying and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I was about to take a nap.¡± ¡°Longyue, you saw it just now. What kind of attitude does Mom have? She is not taking me and Baichuan seriously. People talk about intergenerational parenting, but what about her? She¡¯s like a stepmother! How can we live like this! Boohoo¡­¡± Madam Wang started wailing, but she did not dare to shout too loudly to avoid being heard. Longyue sighed and consoled her. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. It won¡¯t be good if Mom and Meihua hear about it later. We can only think things through. After all, she¡¯s our Mom and head of this family. Doesn¡¯t she have the final say?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Longyue, it¡¯s easier for you to talk to Mom. Why don¡¯t you help me?¡± ¡°You think too highly of me. If this was my son, I would definitely have it out with her. But after all, this¡­ You know, right?¡± Lo Madam Wang choked and was extremely depressed. She saw Longyue yawning and looking tired, but she knew that this young woman definitely had something up her sleeve! She recalled what she had casually mentioned on the way back and asked tentatively, ¡°Longyue, if you¡¯re the head of this family, can you let my son study?¡± Longyue blinked, then smiled and said, ¡°What are you talking about? I was just saying¡­¡± ¡°Sigh, how could you say that casually? You damn girl, aren¡¯t you whetting my appetite? Tell me, if you¡¯re in charge, can you let my son go to school?¡± Longyue yawned again and said, ¡°Hey, how should I put this? Your Baichuan and my husband are about the same age. In the future, when my husband becomes an official, won¡¯t it be good if he has a helper?¡± Helper? ¡®There was no promise in Longyue¡¯s words, but when she said ¡®helper,¡¯ Madam Wang¡¯s eyes reddened. ¡°Isn¡¯t being a helper equivalent to being an official? Which official has not gone to school? This son will become an official in the future¡­¡± Madam Wang¡¯s breathing became rapid and she was a little breathless. Become an official! Madam Wang gasped. As the saying goes, when a man achieves his Dao, all his chickens and dogs will rise to Heaven with him. If my son becomes an official, we can all ride on his success. I¡¯d be the mother of an official¡­ Those gossipy women in this village, those who farm or hunt, will have to kowtow to me every time they see me. Just thinking about it made her all excited! Madam Wang¡¯s face reddened slightly. She stared at Longyue for a long time, then suddenly made up her mind and said, ¡°Longyue, you have to remember what you said! In the future, if you become the head of our Li family, you can¡¯t treat my son badly!¡± Longyue blinked and lowered her eyes. ¡°What are you talking about? Regardless of whether I become the head of the household, I will definitely treat you well.¡± Madam Wang nodded. Longyue¡¯s words reassured her. She knew that she had been used by the other party as a scapegoat, but so what? If she could get her son to study at the academy and make a name for himself in the future, then everything she did today would be worth it! In addition, her mother-in-law did not treat her family very well. So she might as well let Longyue be the head of the family. At least she had given her a new set of clothes. At the thought of this, she felt better. She stood up and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Longyue, leave this matter to me. You¡¯ll definitely be the head of the Li family!¡± Longyue smiled and sent her to the door. She said a few comforting words before returning to her room. Everything that happened today was part of her plan. She was very satisfied. As for Madam Wang¡¯s request to entrust this matter to her¡­ Longyue did not hold out much hope. She still had other plans, but if Madam Wang could exhibit combat strength, that would be better. Never underestimate the power of a mother! Two days later, Longyue had a new batch of embroidery. So she brought Zhang Meihua to the county city, to the same fabric shop. Like Madam Wang, Zhang Meihua also picked a set of clothes made of brocade at the start. However, because the price was too expensive, she couldn¡¯t afford it. Unlike Madam Wang, however, Madam Zhang actually suggested that Longyue put it on credit! Yun Niang flatly rejected her suggestion. Zhang Meihua then shouted that she wanted to go to another shop to take a look. Yun Niang simply said that the shops there did not allow credit and that she could go and ask around. Zhang Meihua angrily went to the store by the side to ask and it really did not allow credit. In the end, she had no choice but to buy a blue dress for 250 copper coins. Judging from this small matter, this second sister-in-law was really greedy! On the way back, Longyue repeated her old trick. With her eldest sister-in-law, she started with her son, so with this second sister-in-law, she naturally had to start with her parental family. However, Longyue had revealed her dissatisfaction with her parental family several times, so it was hard to start. She could only entice her to bring it up herself. ¡°We only have two daughters in my family. Big Sister is different from me. She was raised as a son. The son she gave birth to will inherit the Zhang family¡¯s legacy. When the time comes, he will have to study and marry a wife. That costs money. As an aunt, I can¡¯t just do nothing, right?¡± ¡°That makes some sense.¡± ¡°Just some sense? It¡¯s completely reasonable! But Mom¡­ how should I put it? She¡¯s too stingy. Asking her for some money is like pulling out her feathers. It¡¯s difficult!¡± ¡°Meihua does a lot of work at home, right?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that so? Aren¡¯t I the one who handles everything here? I even have a share of my man¡¯s land!¡± The Li family did not own their own land. Their eldest son, Li Qingyuan, and second son, Li Qinghai, were both tenant farmers. They relied on leasing land from the landowners to work and earn some labor fees. Li Qinghai had a severe cold previously and could not do any work, so Madam Zhang took over for two days. Then she often brought up this matter and pestered Madam Li Zhou for money. Longyue frowned. Actually, if Madam Zhang could behave herself and do her work, it was only right for her to get some labor fees. However, what she hated the most was that she talked about it over and over again. She kept asking for money, which made her look bad. But Longyue didn¡¯t retort. She just smiled and asked, ¡°Meihua, if I have a job for you and give you money, are you willing to do it?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡®Madam Zhang was stunned and looked at her in disbelief, ¡°You want to give me money?¡± ¡°No, I am just casually saying. I have a business deal here, but¡­ Cough cough, Mom probably won¡¯t agree. Sigh, after all, Mom calls the shots here.¡± Longyue sighed, looking helpless. Madam Zhang didn¡¯t care if Madam Li Zhou agreed or not. When she heard the mention of money, her eyes immediately widened. ¡°Longyue, don¡¯t worry about Mom for now.. Tell me, what kind of work is it?¡± Chapter 28 - Can You Reject It? Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Third Madam, we¡¯re here!¡± ¡®The ox cart had already arrived at the entrance of the house. Longyue and Zhang Meihua quickly got out of the cart. Chai Tieniu looked at the clothes in their hands and laughed. ¡°Third Madam is a kind person. She buys food and clothes for her family. She will definitely become a virtuous matriarch in the future!¡± How could Chai Tieniu know about Longyue¡¯s scheme? She had only slipped up for a moment and he hit the nail on the head. Longyue felt very happy when she heard this. She turned around and said, ¡°Brother Chai, we ride in your cart every day. Come over to our house for lunch later!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Moo¡ª¡± As soon as the old bull carried Chai Tieniu away, Madam Zhang said impatiently, ¡°Longyue, you didn¡¯t answer me just now. What kind of money-making business are you planning?¡± These past few days, Madam Zhang had been green with envy. Not to mention Qingxue and Xiangxiang, even outsiders came to her place to learn embroidery. In the future, they would all be able to earn money. She also wanted to learn, but seeing those tedious patterns woven by the stitches gave her a headache. She had felt uncomfortable about this matter. She finally found an opportunity to talk about it today. Longyue thought for a moment and said, ¡°I passed by a medicinal store these past few days and saw a lot of people coming and going. All of them were shouting about how expensive the medicine was. I was wondering if I could grow some herbs and sell them at the medicinal store. Wouldn¡¯t that make a lot of money?¡± ¡°Grow medicinal herbs?¡± Madam Zhang glared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t those things grow in the mountains? How can you plant them yourself?¡± ¡°Of course we can. The ancient people discovered these herbs in the land deep in the mountains and forests and grew them. Meihua, don¡¯t you see, there¡¯s an empty plot of land behind our house. We can just cultivate it and use it.¡± ¡°Cultivate land? You want me to do this? How tiring is that? I don¡¯t want to do it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just you. Big Brother and Second Brother will be doing it too. Look, we can¡¯t earn much by working for others. We might as well work on our own!¡± ¡°Work on our own?¡± Madam Zhang rolled her eyes and thought that this might really work, but could those medicinal herbs really make money? When Longyue saw that Madam Zhang didn¡¯t say anything and looked like she was thinking about something, she knew that she was moved. She quickly added, ¡°Meihua, if you have time, you can go to the medical center to take a look. Wouldn¡¯t you know? Wasn¡¯t it the same case when we picked medicinal herbs previously? After gathering various medicinal herbs, we made at least one and a half taels.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. The medical fees for treating Dad¡¯s leg injury are so expensive that it makes my heart ache. If such herbs can make money, I¡¯d definitely do it!¡± ¡°It¡¯ll definitely earn money! However¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡®When Madam Zhang saw Longyue¡¯s troubled expression, she immediately became nervous. She wondered if she would suddenly go back on her word. ¡°It¡¯s just that those two plots of land belong to the Li family. The authority of the Li family is in Mom¡¯s hands. When the time comes, she will definitely handle everything. I¡¯m afraid the money earned will not fall into our hands.¡± ¡°Aiyo, now that you mention it, it¡¯s true. Mom keeps a close eye on the money. If we really want the money we earn, what if she doesn¡¯t give it to us?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do. After all, she¡¯s the one in charge of this family.¡± Longyue pursed her lips and entered the house. Zhang Meihua felt unhappy. Longyue had told her about earning money, but then she turned around and ignored the accounts. ¡°No. 3 branch, how could you do this!¡± Zhang Meihua howled in anger. Madam Li Zhou ran out to take a look and said in surprise, ¡°No. 2 branch, what are you doing? Messing around with No. 3 branch again?¡± ¡°Nothing!¡± Zhang Meihua recalled what Longyue had said before, and her expression turned cold. She replied impatiently and followed them into the house. Madam Li Zhou was dumbfounded. Why are all of them giving me looks? Who have I offended this time? she wondered. ¡°Husband!¡± In the evening, Li Qingyuan returned from outside. He was panting heavily and did not even have time to take a sip of hot tea before he was called into the house by Madam Wang. ¡°What are you doing? I¡¯m exhausted and don¡¯t have time to listen to you!¡± Li Qingyuan was a little impatient with Madam Wang. He thought that she would definitely want to talk about their son again. His mother had already said this more than once. What else could he do but give it to her? He did not have money! How could Madam Wang not know? But it was different this time. Ever since Longyue told her about that matter two days ago, she had not been able to sleep. She was actually very hesitant and even afraid, but for the sake of her child, she would risk everything. ¡°Longyue said that we can pool money to send our son to school!¡± ¡°Are you crazy? You want your child to go to school? Only a fool will let our Baichuan go to school. That will cost a lot of money, alright?¡± Li Qingyuan felt that his wife was crazy. He said angrily, ¡°Who is she? She¡¯s a rich missy from the capital. Why would she fancy us mountain people? How many words of hers can you believe? Let me tell you, don¡¯t believe a word that these rich missies say! It¡¯s all a bluff!¡± ¡°Why are you so fierce? Aren¡¯t I doing this for our child? Besides, didn¡¯t she give me all the clothes she promised me? You even praised me for looking good in those clothes that day!¡± Madam Wang felt wronged and she was so angry that her voice became choked. Li Qingyuan realized that he had gone too far, so he said gently, ¡°Alright, even if she really said that, would she be so kind? She must have offered conditions, right? What did she want you to help her with?¡± It had to be said that although the eldest son of the Li family had a weak personality, he was smart. Actually, being weak did not mean that he was really weak. He was just more thoughtful than ordinary people. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s nothing. I just want our Li family¡¯s¡­ Well, the power of the family¡­¡± ¡®As Madam Wang spoke obsequiously, she saw that her husband was angry and was about to reach out to slap her face. Fortunately, he was only pretending and did not really hit her. ¡°are you looking for a beating, you stinky old woman! She wants the power of our Li family. She¡¯s trying to control all of our lives. You actually want to be her accomplice? I¡­ I really want to give you a good beating!¡± ¡°Why would I care so much? Our Baichuan is already so old¡ª12 years old. If he doesn¡¯t go to school to learn, will he become a farmer like you? He¡¯s my flesh and blood. Am I wrong to look out for him as his mother? Boohoo¡­¡± These past two days, Madam Wang had been having a lot of anxieties. She had not been sleeping well to begin with, and now that her husband provoked her, she started wailing. Li Qingyuan was annoyed by her crying, but he also felt sad. Yes, it¡¯s all for the child He thought of his mother, who had lost her care and concern for him since his Second Brother was born. When No. 2 came of age, she no longer valued him as her eldest son. She became more like his stepmother. He sniffled, feeling sour inside. ¡°Is No. 3¡¯s wife bluffing you?¡± After calming down, Li Qingyuan began to consider his small family. Mom, since you don¡¯t value me as your son, don¡¯t blame me for turning hostile! ¡°She promised me that she would definitely let our son go to school! She also said¡­ that if Baichuan becomes successful in the future, he can work by No. 3¡¯s side¡­ Third Brother has always excelled academically, and he will definitely become an official in the future.. Do you think I can reject the idea of our son becoming an official?¡± Chapter 29 - Troublesome Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Well, I¡ª¡± The room fell into silence, but one could hear the distinct sound of breathing. Li Qingyuan¡¯s breathing became hurried. Official! Who wouldn¡¯t want their child to walk the official path? That was a meteoric rise for a person! He gritted his teeth and slammed the table. The old table, which had been there for many years, almost fell apart. ¡°F*ck, let¡¯s give it a try! This is our son¡¯s future!¡± When Madam Wang heard that her husband had made the decision, she was instantly overjoyed. ¡°Son¡¯s father, you¡¯re finally brave for once. Cough, cough, cough¡­¡± Li Qingyuan¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Don¡¯t you think your man is heroic?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Longyue happened to be going to the toilet. She passed by their house and eavesdropped. She thought that their conversation was funny, but then she was delighted. It seemed that her sister-in-law had succeeded. She had also planted a seed of dissatisfaction in her second sister-in-law. She just needed to slowly nurture it. When the time came, she would reel it in. She really did not value the power of running the household. What she valued was that she could use this power to control the overall situation and properly manage her husband and her future. The next morning, Longyue rode Chai Tieniu¡¯s ox cart to the county city. As they passed by the village entrance, Auntie Liu was leaning against a tree, munching melon seeds. When she saw the two of them walking together, she immediately became sarcastic. ¡°Tsk, tsk. It¡¯s so comfortable to not have your own man at home. You can meet your lover privately every day. Aiyo¡­¡± ¡°Stinky Liu, is your face itching again?¡± She keeps slandering me. Is she asking for a beating? Longyue thought. Longyue asked Chai Tieniu to stop the cart. She was prepared to give her another beating if things went wrong. In this era where men were superior and women were inferior, arguments between women were just the laughing stock of the commoners during mealtimes. It was not a big deal. Therefore, as long as no lives were lost, it could not be escalated to the authorities. Longyue was fearless! ¡°B*tch? Who are you talking about?¡± Auntie Liu recalled the slaps she received previously and panicked. However, she would not give in and so she shouted. Longyue smiled and said, ¡°Slut, I was talking about you!¡± ¡°L.. You little slut! You dare to scold me? I¡¯ll strangle you to death!¡± ¡®As she spoke, she smashed the melon seeds in her hand and pounced on Longyue. Longyue sighed in exasperation. This person really didn¡¯t learn her lesson. After being beaten up by me several times, she still wants to charge at me. She¡¯s really amazing! ¡°Pal¡± ¡®As expected, Longyue gave her another slap. This slap was very hard. Half of Auntie Liu¡¯s face was unrecognizable. It was red and swollen, no different from a pig¡¯s head. Longyue glanced at her in disdain and said calmly, ¡°Brother Chai, let¡¯s go.¡± She was from a prestigious family, so why would she take these unimportant people seriously? If not for this person jumping up and down, she would not even bother to look at her. Actually, Li Qingyuan was right about one thing. With Longyue¡¯s background, it would be strange if she thought highly of them. Fortunately, in this life, Longyue, who had suffered miserably in her previous life, was much better. She had seen too much of the fickleness of the world and the fickleness of human nature, and she had mellowed as a result. Take a hunter like Chai Tieniu, for example. In her previous life, she would not even look him in the eye. But now, she could chat and laugh with him like they were big brother and little sister. ¡®The ox cart gradually disappeared into the distance. Auntie Liu covered half of her face and stared viciously at Longyue¡¯s back. She cursed, ¡°Little slut, you¡¯re ruthless! Just you wait. I won¡¯t let you have it easy!¡± Longyue had no time to bother about Auntie Liu¡¯s thoughts. After arriving at the county city, she went to the market right away to buy some food. Three jin of lean pig meat, one jin of streaky pork, a bag of flour, a bag of white rice, and various condiments for vegetables, fruits, and fruits¡ªa total of 112 copper coins. One really doesn¡¯t know how expensive daily necessities are. These things actually cost so much money. She frowned and felt that there were probably not many ordinary families who could afford to spend their days like this. No wonder they could only eat these on New Year¡¯s Day. ¡°Wife!¡± Asickeningly sweet voice sounded from behind her. Longyue tured around and said in surprise, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Li Qingmu was tired but he looked very energetic. Looking at his little wife¡¯s lovable and cute appearance, his eyes became a little different. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, giving her a peck. ¡°I came to visit Teacher. I didn¡¯t expect to meet my wife here. It¡¯s really fate bestowed by heaven!¡± ¡°Ha, pretentious!¡± ¡°T¡¯m just being coy with Yue¡¯er.¡± ¡®The man¡¯s deep voice was very nice to listen to, but his words were a little superfluous, making her sick of him. Longyue pushed him away angrily and muttered, ¡°We¡¯re on the streets, with everyone watching. Are you sure you¡¯re not crazy?¡± Immediately he said seriously, ¡°You¡¯re my wife. Isn¡¯t it normal for a husband and wife to be close?¡± ¡°Where are your manners as a scholar? Have you fed them to the dogs?¡± Longyue felt that if she said something unpleasant, he would probably be angry. However, this fellow still had a smile on his face as he said in a low voice, ¡°Etiquette is for the woman you don¡¯t love. If you love her¡­ how could you care so much?¡± Longyue rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Get lost. All you know is sweet talk! Oh right, you said that you went to visit your teacher. Did something really happen at your school?¡± She looked at him strangely as if he was a thief. Li Qingmu immediately said, ¡°This has nothing to do with me!¡± Great, this is a confession, she thought. It must have something to do with him! ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter, wife. I¡¯m innocent!¡± Li Qingmu was very aggrieved. He wanted to teach Qian Yia lesson, but he did not expect the matter to blow up so much that someone almost died. Longyue held her forehead. Her own man was really worrisome. He actually caused such a big commotion over her. ¡°Well¡­ Where¡¯s Qian Yi? I heard that he fell into the toilet? What happened after that?¡± Longyue held in her laughter as she thought about how that idiot must have felt deeply resentful at being defeated by her and her husband in succession. Especially this time, Li Qingmu had actually forced him to fall into a pit¡­ Pfft, hahaha! Looking at the smile his little wife was suppressing, Li Qingmu was delighted. He reached out and touched the tip of her little nose. ¡°Laugh if you want to!¡± ¡°Hahaha!¡± Longyue laughed for a while until her tears were about to fall. Fortunately, she had very good self-control and restrained herself. She asked, ¡°Where is he now? Someone almost died. He should have been sent to the authorities, right?¡± ¡°Yes, when he came out, the two constables could not bear to go forward. They chased him to the riverside to wash up before escorting him away. But¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± Seeing the hint of worry in his eyes, Longyue suddenly realized that something had probably happened. After Qian Yi was detained in a cell, he was supposed to be interrogated, but for some reason, he was taken away by a mysterious person. The authorities did not mention anything about this matter. I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s something going on¡­¡± Longyue frowned. A bad feeling came over her. She seemed to have caught on to something, but it disappeared in a flash. ¡°Has he returned to the village?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s said that Second Madam Qian has been busy with his affairs these past few days. He probably hasn¡¯t returned yet.¡± ¡°Then this matter is not simple.¡± Chapter 30 - I Cant? Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s not think about this. Since Yue¡¯er is here, let¡¯s go back together later.¡± Since his teacher was seriously injured and could not do revision with the students, he might as well go home. Longyue nodded and asked, ¡°What have you been doing these past few days?¡± ¡°Taking care of Teacher. He had been suffering from a high fever for the past few days. The doctor said that his life is in danger. Teacher used to be very helpful to me at the academy. In addition, about this matter¡­ Cough cough, logically, I should help. Longyue nodded. From this, it could be seen that her husband wasn¡¯t a heartless person. Her mood suddenly improved. ¡°How is Teacher doing now?¡± ¡°His fever went down this morning and he regained consciousness, so even if you haven¡¯t come over, I will still go back.¡± He paused for a moment before adding, ¡°I miss my wife¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, don¡¯t flatter yourself. I¡¯m here to buy food!¡± With that, she headed to the next place. She thought this man was full of nonsense. She could not accept it! Li Qingmu looked at his wife¡¯s swaying back and chuckled softly before quickly following her. ¡®There were people coming and going in the noisy bazaar. In a comer, two people walked out, one after another, without attracting attention. ¡°You¡¯re really lucky. That noble just happens to need someone who knows how to do things to help out. As for me, I recommended you. Don¡¯t you think you should thank me?¡± The woman turned around and looked at the slightly wretched-looking man behind her with a scheming smile. ¡°Twill never forget Miss Zhou¡¯s great kindness. What does that noble want me to do? I will definitely do my best even if I die 10,000 times!¡± ¡°Alright, it¡¯s useless saying these nice things. I won¡¯t be conveying what you said and the noble won¡¯t listen anyway. He won¡¯t restrain you, but when something is assigned, you have to do it, even if you die. Understand?¡± ¡°Tunderstand, I understand! That¡­¡± The man grinned and revealed a cunning smile.¡± Miss Zhou, look, this slut actually bought so much food. She¡¯s been living quite a good life these past few days. Should I go and mess around?¡± ¡°You just came out of jail, so it¡¯s not good to make an appearance. Besides, how rich can a rundown Li family be even if they earn some money? The most important thing is her husband¡¯s imperial examination¡­¡± ¡®When she said this, a resentful expression appeared in the woman¡¯s eyes. It would have been fine if this man had a bad relationship with Longyue, but looking at the two of them, it was obvious that they were affectionate and loving. If this man made a name for himself in the future, it would naturally benefit Longyue! ¡°A husband¡¯s glory is his wife¡¯s honor. I¡¯m afraid that the noble is worried about this, right? But¡­ heh heh, he¡¯s just a little poor scholar. We can just cut off his future and let this adulterous couple fall into the dust forever, becoming dirt that everyone tramples on!¡± As the woman spoke, her eyes seemed to be full of malice. At the thought that her elder cousin, who had been superior since she was young, was about to become dust, she felt extremely good. Even her words felt light. ¡°Miss Zhou is right. What kind of status does a noble have? And what are these two¡¯s identities? One is heaven and the other is earth, one is a phoenix from the nine heavens, and the other is an ant that anyone can trample on. Hehehe, can they be compared? The noble only needs to move a finger to crush them!¡± ¡°Alright, you should lie low for the next few days. When the esteemed one gives his orders, someone will naturally look for you!¡± ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± If Longyue was here, she would naturally know these two people. One was Qian Yi, who had been let out of jail, and the other was her distant cousin, Zhou Zhigin. The two of them were only two months apart in age, but it was precisely because they were the same age that Zhou Zhigin constantly compared herself to Longyue. Then she realized that she was inferior to her in every way, and gradually, she felt jealous and resentful. Previously, when she met Longyue, she thought that she could easily manipulate her when she was down and out, so she made a few sarcastic remarks. Who would have known that the husband beside her was not a kind person and almost made a fool of her? This made her harbor a grudge! She wanted to take revenge, but could not find an opportunity. It was not until two days ago that two people from the capital suddenly came to look for her and told her about the intention of that noble. Zhou Zhigin knew that she was going to climb up the ladder and decisively agreed to work for him. However, she could not do dirty work. Only then did she look for Qian Yi. ¡°B*tch, your good days are over. Hahaha!¡± With that, she laughed and left. ¡°Achoo!¡± After Longyue and Li Qingmu finished buying things, they returned in Chai Tieniu¡¯s ox cart. However, perhaps because the weather was gradually turning cold, Longyue inexplicably sneezed. She sniffled and looked at him smiling beside her with slight resentment. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± ¡°Wife, I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯d offended a vile person and got stabbed in the back by someone.¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± This man was too much to curse her like this! But she felt that this matter was not that simple. Qian Yi had actually been taken away by a mysterious person, and the authorities had chosen to remain silent. This meant that the background of the person who took him away was not simple! It was as if there was a tangled web in her mind that made her dizzy. ¡°Wife, don¡¯t worry. I will definitely protect you!¡± Li Qingmu suddenly had a serious expression as he tightened his grip on Longyue¡¯s hand. ¡®These words warmed her heart. Longyue glanced at him and said, ¡°We are husband and wife. We should support each other.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡®When the ox cart arrived at the entrance of the village, there was a group of people gathered under a big pagoda tree in front of the iconic building of Qingshui Village. They were all surrounding a woman and listening to her sputter. ¡°Tm not afraid to tell you guys. I just watched the two of them get intimate in the cart. Aiyo, this is really against morals. I went up to say a few words to remind them not to be so loose. Guess what happened? She gave me a slap. Look, look at how badly she slapped me!¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, so swollen. How ruthless!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! That woman goes around hooking up with strong and healthy men outside. He he! I wonder if she¡¯s too starved and if that man of hers can¡¯t¡­ Tsk, no¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± ¡®When Longyue and Li Qingmu arrived at the village entrance, they heard Auntie Liu talking to the villagers. Longyue didn¡¯t think much of it, but she saw that her husband¡¯s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. ¡°Cough, hubby, she¡¯s spouting nonsense!¡± It was really nonsense. She had nothing to do with Eldest Chai! She was a little worried. After all, her reputation was not good in the past. Could her man have lost his mind and believed her nonsense? She was about to say it more clearly when the man opposite her gritted his teeth and said word by word, ¡°She said, ¡®I can¡¯t¡¯?¡± Cough¡­ Longyue was slightly embarrassed. The corners of her mouth even twitched.. ¡°Husband, aren¡¯t our focus different?¡± Chapter 31 - Memory? Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Hahaha, that fellow looks gentle and weak. I know he can¡¯t do it¡­¡± ¡°Who can¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°Gah!¡± A burst of bold and teasing laughter came from under the large pagoda tree, followed by a cold question. Then the laughter stopped. Everyone looked over and saw Li Qingmu walking over with a dark expression. He was staring coldly at Auntie Liu who was spouting nonsense and a middle-aged man beside her. ¡°Ha, you¡¯re singing to each other¡¯s tunes?¡± He looked over sharply at Auntie Liu. ¡°Can Auntie Liu¡¯s man do it?¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Everyone under the large pagoda tree fell silent. No man would tolerate being said to be impotent, but they were laughing so loudly and were caught red-handed. How awkward! It served them right that Li Qingmu was getting angry! The corners of Auntie Liu¡¯s mouth twitched. In Great Zhou, insulting men could become a serious matter requiring a verdict in court. She was so pleased with herself that she did not notice that Li Qingmu was actually beside her. She was momentarily dumbfounded. She instinctively replied, ¡°He can!¡± ¡°Since your husband is capable, why are you flirting with this person?¡± Li Qingmu suddenly pointed at the middle-aged man. Auntie Liu said angrily, ¡°Who is flirting with him? Don¡¯t slander us with empty words!¡± ¡°Is that so? Since you¡¯re not flirting, why is he singing to your tune?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Auntie Liu was dumbfounded by the question and said casually,¡± What¡¯s wrong with that? Is it against the law for neighbors to talk to each other?¡± ¡°Then my wife just came to the county city in Chai Tieniu¡¯s ox cart to pick me up. What was wrong with that? How could you say that she was involved with someone? Auntie Liu, shall we go to court to get a verdict on your slander?¡± Li Qingmu¡¯s words were clear and his aura was aggressive. Auntie Liu looked silently at Longyue, who was gradually approaching from behind him, and then at the angry Chai Tieniu. She felt uncomfortable. This¡­ This little hussy is actually bringing her husband home? She had previously told everyone that Longyue had hooked up with Chai Tieniu, but now it seemed like she had to eat her own words. How can this be? she wondered. She knew that she was in the wrong, but she could not admit her mistake in public. She could not bear to lose face. So she made up her mind and said simply, ¡°Can you blame me? Your wife has a past record. Everyone will think along that line!¡± ¡°So Auntie Liu likes to pass judgment?¡± Huh? What the hell was that? Auntie Liu did not understand but her expression changed when she heard the rest of the sentence. Li Qingmu said, ¡°Well, previously, I saw Auntie Liu put her arms around a man¡¯s shoulder and enter a residence in the county city. What should I say? Or could it be that Auntie Liu also likes to do business with the door half-closed, the kind that loses money instead of getting paid?¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Some of the villagers laughed scornfully and looked at Auntie Liu with meaningful gazes. Having the door half-closed referred to women engaging in sexual activities in the home at certain times, unlike women at the brothels, who were available at any time. Li Qingmu¡¯s words were incisive. Auntie Liu¡¯s face turned blue. ¡®This happened last year. That person was drunk and wanted a woman. He even said that he would give 10 taels of silver as compensation. Auntie Liu happened to pass by at that time and heard his offer, so she agreed. She thought that this matter was a secret and would not be discovered by anyone. She had rationalized that she only had to do it once to earn 10 taels of silver. But Li Qingmu had actually witnessed the incident. How did this happen? she wondered. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re talking nonsense!¡± Auntie Liu¡¯s voice was sharp, revealing her guilty conscience. Li Qingmu looked at her as she was about to go berserk. Suddenly he laughed and said calmly, ¡°Since Auntie Liu is unwilling to admit it, why don¡¯t we go to that house again? I still remember the location clearly. It¡¯s in the northern part of the county city, the Wang residence¡­¡± ¡°Ahhh, No. 3 from the Li family, you little bastard, shut up! Shut up! How dare you slander me? I¡¯ll rip you apart and strangle you!¡± Li Qingmu barely finished his sentence when he saw Auntie Liu charging at him in a frenzy. She looked like she wanted to skin him alive! ¡°Stop her quickly! This person wants to commit murder in public!¡± Longyue saw the commotion and shouted quickly. Immediately a villager grabbed Auntie Liu. Now everyone knew that there was something wrong with Auntie Liu. ¡°Tsk, she actually hooked up with someone but kept slandering Longyue. This person is really¡­ wicked!¡± Longyue pouted her lips and said unhappily, ¡°Husband, I was wondering why this person always thought of people in that way. It turns out that she herself isn¡¯t a good person! There¡¯s a saying in Buddhism¡ªLooks come from the heart.¡¯ It seems like because she does this herself, she thinks others are doing the same! Hmph, how shameless!¡± ¡°Yeah, shameless!¡± Someone muttered. It was a woman¡¯s voice. Perhaps this person had been slandered by Auntie Liu before. Now that she had an opportunity, she wanted to add fuel to the fire. ¡°Hubby, let¡¯s ignore such uncouth people. Let¡¯s go home!¡± Longyue hooked her arm around Li Qingmu¡¯s waist and said coyly. She was being flirtatious and showing off her affections for him to the people of Qingshui Village. ¡°These two are so loving. Didn¡¯t they say that she had an affair with someone else, causing her to be betrothed to the poor No. 3 of the Li family, who couldn¡¯t get a wife?¡± ¡°That¡¯s hard to say. If she was not a virgin on the wedding night, which man would dote on her and love her so much? Unless that man is a spineless coward! No. 3 of the Li family, he¡­¡± Everyone looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions. They had all seen Li Qingmu¡¯s strong side just now. He had rendered Auntie Liu speechless. He did not look like a coward! In addition, when they thought about how he was the one dealing with all the matters of the Li family, the rumors about Longyue¡¯s adultery were naturally quelled. Longyue put her arm around Li Qingmu¡¯s waist as they walked. When they were out of sight, she let go of him. Li Qingmu touched the spot where she had held him and felt a longing for her. He said, ¡°Wife, that felt pretty good just now.¡± ¡°Good for you but not good for me!¡± Longyue glared at him unhappily and said, ¡°You actually followed an old woman all the way to that man¡¯s house. Tell me, do you have some secret, strange hobby? Like being a stalker or something?¡± ¡­¡± Li Qingmu looked like he wanted to die. ¡°Wife, I¡¯m innocent! I really happened to pass by that day and saw them enter that house¡­¡± ¡°Then why did you remember the address so clearly? And do you dare say that you had no other intentions?¡± Longyue gasped. Li Qingmu felt that life seemed so gloomy. He said gloomily, ¡°Wife, you don¡¯t know, but I have a photographic memory.¡± Hmm¡­ This man has a good memory. She had known this in her previous life, but he had a photographic memory¡­ If he had not said it himself, she would not have known it! ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, do you want to test me later?¡± he said faintly. His tone sounded very resentful.. Chapter 32 - Madam Li Zhou Cries Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Alright, I understand! No need to test!¡± Longyue couldn¡¯t stand the way this man was throwing tantrums at her. She turned around and walked towards the Li residence. ¡°Wang, you¡¯re back? Oh, what good food did you bring?¡± Madam Wang was sorting clean laundry at the entrance. When she saw Longyue carrying a heavy basket, her eyes lit up. ¡°Some food!¡± Longyue smiled assiduously and called Li Qingmu to take the items inside. ¡®When Madam Wang saw Li Qingmu carrying two bags of noodles in one hand and a bunch of meat that seemed to weigh several jin in the other, she was overjoyed. ¡°Aiyo, is this for our family?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. What else could it be?¡± Longyue smiled in response. Madam Wang was overjoyed. ¡°This is a good relationship. Son, come over and give your Third Auntie a hand!¡± This person must not be smug or she would start slurring. Li Baichuan answered and came out. He probably knew that his future was in her hands now, so he was particularly obedient and well-mannered. He called out to Longyue, ¡°Third Auntie, let me help you!¡± ¡®The basket was filled with some scraps of condiments. It was not heavy, but since he was helping her carry it, she was happy to let him. She instructed, ¡°Take it to the kitchen. I¡¯ll cook later.¡± Longyue had led a hard life in her previous life and learned to do things like washing and stir-frying. When Li Qingmu heard this, he frowned and stepped forward to hold her soft little hand. ¡°Wife, this is all menial work. You¡­¡± He looked a little pained and self-reproachful. Longyue wanted to laugh when she saw his silly expression, so she gently nudged his chest and said coyly, ¡°A woman dolls herself up for the person she likes. What¡¯s wrong with cooking for you?¡± With that, she withdrew his hand and walked away. Li Qingmu raised his hand and caressed the spot on his chest that she had nudged. He felt a heart-wrenching sweetness and his heart thumped rapidly. ¡°Third Auntie is cooking today. There¡¯s good food again!¡± Li Baichuan had already sat at the big, round table with his younger sister, Li Xiangxiang, beside him. The girl said happily, ¡°The glutinous rice and lotus roots that Third Auntie made last time were really delicious. I still pine for them!¡± ¡°Today it¡¯s red braised pork!¡± ¡°There¡¯s meat? The sun rose from the west today? Our family is actually eating meat?¡± ¡®These past two days, Madam Zhang had been recuperating from her head injury and idling around. At this moment, she heard the commotion in the main room and ran out quickly. Madam Li Zhou was still mending winter clothes. She didn¡¯t have a choice. The Li family was too poor. They had been wearing the same clothes for more than a decade. Their worn out clothes had three layers of patches on them. ¡®When she heard that there was red braised pork, her hand that was holding the needle trembled. Then she quickly put aside her sewing and rushed out. Over at the kitchen, Longyue was preparing food. Gradually, the strong aroma of meat filled the air. Is¡­ Is she making red braised pork? Madam Li Zhou sniffed. The fragrance made her drool. She first went to the main room to take a look and then to the kitchen. She saw Longyue putting a large plate of meat into the pot. She immediately felt pinched. ¡°No. 3 branch, why did you put so much meat in?!¡± Longyue was so shocked by her shouting that she almost dropped the trowel in her hand. When she heard this, she said unhappily, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m busy. Why are you shouting?¡± ¡°Hey, child, don¡¯t you know how to be frugal? That¡¯s enough meat for several meals. If we eat all of it at once, what do we eat next? Also, why did you add so many condiments? Can¡¯t you just add some salt? Do you know how expensive food is?¡± Longyue¡¯s expression was cold. She wondered if others thought she was a pushover because she had been too nice. She¡¯s overstepping her boundaries, she thought. She said coldly, ¡°Mom, I bought these myself!¡± It would have been better if she had not said that. Now that she did, the twitching on Madam Li Zhou¡¯s face became even more intense. ¡°Hey, you¡­ are a prodigal!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of buying so many condiments? Why don¡¯t you save the money for me?¡± ¡°Mom! Longyue bought meat for us and even cooked for us personally. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t say ¡®thank you,¡¯ but why are you complaining? If she has money, why can¡¯t she spend it? Does she have to be like Mom, saving money for someone¡¯s future?¡± She was talking about Li Qingxue¡¯s dowry. When Madam Wang saw Madam Li Zhou berating Longyue, she rushed over to help. ¡°Shut up! How can you talk to Mom like that?¡± Madam Li Zhou was afraid of Longyue, but not Madam Wang, who was a woman of few words. She was used to bossing this daughter-in-law of hers around. But today, Madam Wang flew into a rage. She stamped her feet and said angrily, ¡°Mom, I¡¯m telling the truth. Ever since I married into the Li family, the number of times I¡¯ve eaten meat can be counted with one hand! I have nothing to say about how badly you treat our family. Don¡¯t you have a crooked heart? Now, Longyue wants to make us something to eat, but you¡¯re stopping her. If word gets out, you¡¯d definitely be labeled as a mean mother-in-law!¡± ¡°You!¡± Madam Li Zhou had never been scolded by her eldest daughter-in-law in such a manner. She was so angry that she almost choked. It just so happened that Li Qingyuan came back from outside. When Madam Li Zhou saw him, she said, ¡°Ah Yuan, look at your wife. She dares to talk to your mom like this. Are there any house rules left? Deal with her later. If she makes a fuss again, she¡¯ll be chased out of the house!¡± Li Qingyuan did not know what was going on. He looked in silence at his wife and mother who were fighting with flushed faces. Zhang Meihua quickly put her hands on her waist and said, ¡°Big Brother, Longyue bought some meat. Mom refused to let us have it, so she argued with her. Aren¡¯t you going to advise her?¡± Li Qingyuan instantly understood and said angrily, ¡°Mom, you¡¯re not kind!¡± ¡°Hey, you damn child, who are you calling unkind? I¡­ I¡¯ll beat you to death today!¡± ¡®As she spoke, she picked up a feather duster and waved it at Li Qingyuan. The people trying to stop the fight became rowdy, and the courtyard instantly fell into chaos. ¡°That¡¯s enough! That¡¯s enough!¡± Li Qingmu came out with a dark look. This family often fought tooth and nail over food. In the past, they were poor and could not afford to eat. Now that they had food to eat, it was still the same! What a waste of time! he thought. He grabbed Longyue¡¯s hand and said tenderly, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to do this in the future!¡± Longyue said aggrievedly, ¡°Got it, husband. This is the last time. I won¡¯t do it again!¡± Madam Li Zhou came back to her senses and felt that something was wrong. If she could not have the money, it would be better to eat the food. Sigh, I was blinded by greed just now! She quickly said, ¡°Well, No. 3 branch, Mom just casually said a few words. Why are you making things difficult?¡± ¡°Mom, aren¡¯t you forcing me to do this? She puts her heart and soul into this family, but her sincerity is wasted on an ungrateful person. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t do it anymore!¡± ¡°Wang Cuihua! Who are you calling an ungrateful person? Try saying that again!¡± ¡°Am I wrong? Mom, you¡¯re an ungrateful person! Our family hasn¡¯t had a good life since you became the head of the household. Why don¡¯t you let Longyue be the head? At least we can have meat to eat¡­¡± ¡°Pal¡± Unable to tolerate it any longer, Madam Li Zhou slapped her. Then she sat down on the ground and wailed.. ¡°Child¡¯s father, we can¡¯t live like this anymore!¡± Chapter 33 - Let Go of Them Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Having had her authority seized by her daughter-in-law, she really could not live her life anymore. And looking at the situation, no one would speak up for her. She felt so alone! Logically speaking, Father Li should have come out to take charge of the situation, but his voice was like a stone thrown into the ocean. He did not make a move. He was ignoring her. Longyue had seen Father Li¡¯s nonchalant personality in her previous life. Everything that was happening now was quite expected. The only thing that surprised her was that Madam Wang¡¯s ruckus was brilliant. She used to think that she was a yes-person, but in the blink of an eye, she was jumping around. Indeed, humans were all motivated by gain. When they saw benefits, they would bite like a pack of starving wolves. Madam Li Zhou looked around. No one came forward to speak up for her. Even her younger daughter, Li Qingxue, who she usually doted on the most, chose to remain silent. This girl was heavy-hearted. She hoped to cling to the rich and powerful when she grew up. And it had not been easy for her to convince Longyue to teach her how to embroider. Now if she dared to help Madam Li Zhou, her hopes would be dashed. Her mother was old. She was almost 50 years old, but how old was she? She had her future ahead of her, and she didn¡¯t want to offend Longyue at this time. Madam Li Zhou looked left and right and saw that no one was helping her. Her heart turned cold. She suddenly straightened up and charged at the wall. ¡°You bunch of unfilial children. I don¡¯t want to live anymore. You¡¯re forcing me to death!¡± ¡°Hey, Mom! Don¡¯t!¡± At this, her two sons went up to pull her away. Finally she got their attention. Longyue sat calmly and watched them argue. Now that she had seen enough, she slowly said, ¡°Alright, Mom. She was just talking casually. Don¡¯t take it to heart. You¡¯re the one who calls the shots in this family. In the future, I¡¯ll be like dad and not get involved in anything. You¡¯re not angry anymore, are you?¡± Madam Li Zhou had no issue with these words. Only then did she stop talking. However, Madam Wang was anxious. She was making a scene here, but why had the fire died down? She gave Longyue a look but she merely smiled and shook her head. ¡®The sumptuous dinner was supposed to be eaten with relish, but after what happened just now, it was a little tedious. It was very quiet at the dining table. Father Li only cared about himself as he ate his food. After eating, he walked unsteadily into the house with his crutch. Then the others dispersed. ¡®The moment Longyue entered the room, Madam Wang followed her in. She closed the door quickly, then turned around and said dejectedly, ¡°Longyue, what are you doing? I paved the way for you. Why didn¡¯t you just throw a few more tantrums? Why are you pulling back?¡± Longyue smiled and replied, ¡°You saw what happened just now. Mom was looking for death. If we continue to force her, what if she really dies?¡± ¡°Tch, Longyue, you don¡¯t know that. Our mom loves herself the most. How could she bear to do that? It¡¯s just a show for you guys. Why would you really¡­¡± ¡°Alright, don¡¯t be anxious! Isn¡¯t this just the start?¡± Longyue gently caressed her smooth, black hair and smiled assiduously. This power grab made her feel uneasy. Everything had to be done slowly! ¡°As the saying goes, a melon that is twisted forcefully will not taste sweet. We¡¯d better let her hand it over herself. Otherwise, even if we get it, we will be backstabbed.¡± ¡°T know, but this isn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, you can go back first. Thank you for your help this time!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± After sending her sister-in-law, Madam Wang, away, Li Qingmu came in. With a smile in his eyes, he came forward to help her undress. ¡°Let your husband serve his wife in bed. ¡°Go away, I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± Longyue saw his bright, lustful eyes and shivered. She quickly pushed him away. What is this man trying to do? Li Qingmu looked at his sweet and pleasant wife who was unwilling to let him have her, and felt a little depressed. ¡°Wife, I haven¡¯t been back for a long time¡­¡± ¡°Forget it. You¡¯ve only been away for a few days.¡± ¡°But what Auntie Liu said was not nice. Don¡¯t you think you should prove yourself?¡± Longyue was silent. Pfft, scumbag! ¡®The weather was gradually turning cold as autumn approached. Longyue estimated that in another three to five days, Li Qingmu would set off for the provincial capital for his examination. She counted the money she had saved¡ªa total of 15 taels. It was enough for his travel expenses. ¡°That much?¡± ¡®When Li Qingmu saw the taels, he was a little surprised. Longyue bundled up the taels in her hands and said, ¡°One never worries about having too much. It will be cold when you come back after your exams. At that time, you will have use for these taels.¡± Li Qingmu felt his wife¡¯s care for him and smiled softly. ¡°Alright, I will definitely not treat myself badly.¡± ¡°Oh right, your clothes are too shabby. You need to make two new sets. Your appearance is very important. People will look down on you if you wear shabby clothes!¡± Longyue saw that he had something to say and immediately stopped him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t have to care about this. There are many snobbish people in this world. If you are shabby, even the gatekeepers will look down on you!¡± ¡®What she said was right. It was not appropriate for Li Qingmu to reject her, so he nodded and agreed. Then the two of them set off to the county city to buy new clothes. ¡®When Li Qingxue saw them leave, she hurriedly chased after them. ¡°Third Brother, Longyue, are you guys going out?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m getting two sets of new clothes for my husband.¡± Longyue smiled in response. When Li Qingxue heard about the new clothes, her eyes reddened. She recalled that her mother, eldest sister-in-law, and second sister-in-law had gotten new clothes. She hated herself for not asking her third sister-in-law for it back then. ¡°Longyue, I want it too¡­¡± Longyue shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t have much money left.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Longyue hasn¡¯t taught us how to embroider these two days!¡± Longyue raised her eyebrows slightly. This girl was thoughtful. Buying new clothes was not that important. More importantly, she was going to teach her how to embroider. Longyue shook her head with a guilty expression and said, ¡°Ah Xue, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to teach you, but¡­ you saw how bad the commotion was the other day? I only wanted my family to have a better life, but. Sigh, how should I put this? Sometimes, when you do too many things, you make many mistakes. That day, I was innocent of wrongdoing but got implicated. Forget it, I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, and I don¡¯t want to put Mom in a spot. I won¡¯t interfere with family matters for a while, or else she will say I have bribed people to side with me. So regarding the embroidery matter¡­ I will have to let you down!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Li Qingxue was dumbfounded. Was Longyue planning to drop all pretense? ¡°Longyue, you can¡¯t do this!¡± At the thought that her plan was going to fail, tears began to stream down Li Qingxue¡¯s face. Unfortunately, why would Longyue care about her? She left with Li Qingmu. Li Qingxue was indignant. She shouted as she turned around and rushed into Madam Li Zhou¡¯s house. She said with a sobbing tone, ¡°Mom! Longyue is not going to teach me how to embroider. It¡¯s all your fault, all your fault! If I don¡¯t learn some skills, how can I marry into a good family in the future? What¡¯s the use of being in charge? If she wants the authority, give it to her. Why compete with her?¡± ¡°Damn girl, what are you talking about? If I lose my power as the head of the household, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t even have a copper coin in the future, let alone 10 taels of dowry!¡± Chapter 34 - Power in Hand! Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Madam Li Zhou was furious. She wondered what was wrong with each and every one of them. Not Just her Qinghai and Meihua, but now even her daughter. She almost gave this unfilial daughter a slap! ¡°No, I don¡¯t want any dowry! If I can¡¯t marry into a good family, my life will be over!¡± ¡°You¡­ You damn girl, why don¡¯t you understand? The dowry is yours, and the man¡¯s assets have nothing to do with you. If our daughter doesn¡¯t have any dowry, it¡¯ll be difficult for her to live with her in-laws. You¡­ really want to anger Mom to death!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care. I want to learn embroidery. Longyue used to be a daughter from an influential family. She will definitely know how to play the lute and sing. In the future, I will ask her to teach me! Mom, you dote on me the most. Can you help me?¡± ¡°You¡­ Sigh, this is really sinful!¡± Longyue could not hear Madam Li Zhou¡¯s wailing. She and Li Qingmu were selecting clothes at Jinxiu fabric shop. Yun Niang looked at the couple trying on clothes and could not help but say enviously, ¡°You¡¯ve really married a good husband! At a glance, he has handsome features. He¡¯ll definitely be outstanding in the future!¡± ¡°Thank you for the compliment, Lady Boss. I also think that my husband can make a name for himself.¡± ¡°Aiyo, you¡¯re such a forthright young lady. If it were anyone else, they would probably be modest.¡± ¡®As Longyue and Yun Niang chatted, Li Qingmu had already tried on the clothes. Longyue looked at them and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take these two sets¡ªink blue and dark purple.¡± Longyue felt that dark clothes were more suitable for her man. After all, this person was so scheming and thoughtful. Moreover, wearing such dark-colored clothes made him look taller and more energetic. He would not be underestimated by people outside. After the two of them paid the bill, they walked out of Jinxiu fabric shop. Following that, a woman walked in with her maidservant. ¡°Lady Boss.¡± ¡°Miss Zhou, do you have any orders?¡± ¡®The person who came in was Longyue¡¯s distant cousin, Zhou Zhiqin. The Zhou family was quite well-known locally. Yun Niang quickly went up to greet her. ¡°The woman who just stepped out often sells embroidery here?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Yun Niang answered carefully, really worried that this person would make some outrageous requests. This lady boss had seen the conflict between her and Longyue the last time. Fortunately, Zhou Zhiqin only nodded and said with a smile, ¡°Then show me the embroidery she made!¡± Yun Niang quickly took out Longyue¡¯s new batch of embroidery. ¡°Tsk!¡± Zhou Zhiqin casually picked up a double-sided embroidered handkerchief and looked around. She said in a sharp voice, ¡°What a pity. A dignified heiress is actually down and out, having to sell her skills to survive. If I were her, I¡¯d rather end my own life than live like this!¡± Yun Niang lowered her head, not knowing what to say. ¡°Wrap these two pieces up for me!¡± Yun Niang did as she was told. Zhou Zhiqin took the embroidered handkerchiefs and left. After she stepped out of the shop, she said to the maidservant beside her, ¡°Take this to the capital. This piece¡­ hehe, which ruffian in Qingtian County is the most lustful? Give it to the most lustful one, and then. you¡­¡± After giving some instructions, there was a gleam of ruthlessness and smugness in Zhou Zhiqin¡¯s eyes. In the following days, Longyue really did as she said. She turned a blind eye to everything. She either accompanied her husband out to buy things that he needed or stayed in her room to embroider. Sometimes when she was annoyed with Li Qingxue, she would take refuge at the Chai residence. When Chai Qiao¡¯er heard Longyue¡¯s complaint, she shook her head and said, ¡°Your mother-in-law is really¡­¡± How should she put it? It was not appropriate for her to discuss other people¡¯s family affairs, so she just shook her head helplessly. However, this was rather revealing of her thoughts. ¡°Since she thinks that I¡¯m challenging her authority, I might as well move out for the next few days!¡± Longyue pouted and grumbled, but Chai Qiao¡¯er shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s not appropriate, right? Besides, as a housewife, it is not safe for you to live outside. ¡°That¡¯s true. How about this? I¡¯ll come over to your place during the day and do some embroidery work with you. I¡¯ll go home at night, alright?¡± ¡°Great, that¡¯s great! I happen to have a lot of things I don¡¯t understand, Auntie!¡± So for the next two days, Longyue stayed with Chai Qiao¡¯er during the day. However, she couldn¡¯t live with her for free, so she bought her a bunch of meat. Zhang Meihua had seen her carrying a basket of meat to the Chai residence with her own eyes. She was so jealous that her eyes turned red. She ran straight to Madam Li Zhou¡¯s house to kick up a fuss. ¡°Mom, why don¡¯t you hurry up and call her back! Such a big bunch of meat is going to go to the Chai family? Mom, I really don¡¯t know what is wrong with your brain. Won¡¯t it be good to let Longyue manage this household? There will be food, and most importantly, there will be money in the future Longyue has discussed reclaiming the land behind our house and using it to grow medicinal herbs. Look, then Dad¡¯s medicine will be taken care of.¡± Zhang Meihua was so loud that Father Li naturally heard her. He touched his leg. It was rare for someone who usually did not care to speak up. ¡°Old partner, we¡¯re already old. How many more years of happiness can we enjoy? Stop arguing with young people. Just let go of what you can!¡± His words did not sound forceful, but those with discerning eyes understood that since the real boss had spoken, Madam Li Zhou had no choice but to hand over her authority. In the evening, Longyue saw Madam Wang smiling assiduously as she invited her to her place. Her obsequious manner reminded her of how those subordinates of hers had treated her at her parents¡¯ residence. Shaking her head, she dismissed these random thoughts and followed Madam Wang. Everyone was there at Madam Wang¡¯s home. Madam Li Zhou¡¯s face was blue and the veins on the back of her hands were twitching. She did not look good. Father Li sat by the side smoking tobacco. It was like he was invisible. The eldest and second households were all staring at Madam Li Zhou who handed the house and land title deeds and other things to Longyue uneasily. ¡°Mom, I remember that you still have a lot of taels, right?¡± Madam Li Zhou¡¯s eyelids twitched violently as she became agitated. ¡°You¡­ Why are you asking about this?¡± ¡°Mom, I won¡¯t take anything else, but you have to give Ah Xue¡¯s 10 taels of silver to her for her own safekeeping.¡± ¡°How can we do that? If we let her manage it herself, can she manage it well? What if she squanders it someday?¡± ¡®When Madam Li saw that Longyue did not intend to take the money, she heaved a sigh of relief. However, when she heard that she wanted to give it to Ah Xue to manage it, she was depressed. ¡°Mom, I can manage.¡± Li Qingxue¡¯s eyes lit up. Actually, she had wanted to ask her mother for this sum of money for a long time, but she could not bring herself to do so. She was really riding on Longyue¡¯s glory today! ¡°Mom, you¡¯re wrong. Ah Xue has always been an obedient girl and knows her limits. She will definitely keep this money well and not use it indiscriminately. Am I right, Ah Xue?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, Mom, give it to me!¡± Madam Li Zhou was unwilling, but since the matter had come to this, it was not appropriate to reject her. She had no choice but to give 10 taels of silver to Li Qingxue. ¡®Then Longyue said with a serious expression, ¡°Everyone says that new officials play dirty tricks. I can¡¯t neglect my work. There¡¯s something I need to tell everyone..¡± Chapter 35 - Giving Husband a Sendoff Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The people from the Li family were a little agitated after handing over the power of the family head to Longyue. However, Longyue¡¯s words suppressed their resentment. They all looked up at her. ¡°There are two mu of land at the back of our house. They¡¯re all barren and uneven. We can¡¯t grow food or build houses, but we can¡¯t just leave them abandoned, right? So I plan to cultivate them to grow herbs.¡± It was absolutely possible to grow medicinal herbs. In her previous life, she had helped people till medicinal fields. If not for the fact that the boss had offended someone he should not have offended, those medicinal fields would definitely have produced a lot of medicinal herbs, and that plague would not have been so vicious. In her previous life, Longyue had wasted her life in a daze. Now that she was reborn, she felt that these things were too much of a coincidence. She had just found a stable job and was about to live a good life. How did she end up with problems halfway through? There was a ghost! ¡°Longyue, there are two mu of land there. It¡¯s not easy to cultivate and the soil quality is not good¡­¡± Ah Qiu looked up at her curiously. Over the past few days, there had been a lot of trouble at home because of the handover of power in the family. As Madam Li¡¯s son, he was really conflicted. He could not help anyone. His Longyue treated him well and even cooked for him, but his mother was his biological mother. So for the past few days, he had been pretending to be dead. He did not express his views or take sides. Now that the dust had settled, this little fellow was starting to bounce around again. Longyue said, ¡°That¡¯s simple. Big Brother and Second Brother have been working for others all along. Not to mention being tired, we also have to be dependent on others. The main point is that the salary isn¡¯t high. Instead of doing this, why don¡¯t we work for ourselves? In the future, these two plots of land will be handed over to Big Brother and Second Brother.¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t have money¡­¡± Li Qingyuan frowned. He still did not know how valuable the herbs were when grown. He felt uncomfortable thinking that he would not have any income. ¡°Brother, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll pay the salary later.¡± Longyue smiled very innocently. If her older brother had not mentioned this, she would have given him a bonus when the herbs were harvested in the future. But since he had suggested this, could she give him the salary now? Li Qinghai must have been told to not mention the salary by Madam Wang. He only said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, we¡¯re all family. Isn¡¯t talking about money hurting our relationship? Third Madam, I¡¯ll resign from my current job. Let¡¯s go to the back and open a new place!¡± Farming on two mu of land could be quite a lot of work. Longyue did not have many seeds on hand, so she could only take it slow and grow a few herbs at a time. ¡°Ah Qiu, let¡¯s go around the mountains tomorrow and see if we can get some medicinal herbs and seeds.¡± Longyue actually wanted to take home a stack of lingzhi. After all, she didn¡¯t have much money left. In the afternoon, Longyue asked them to dig a huge pit near the wasteland. Then she threw all sorts of animal excrement, straw, and tassels into the pit. She also instructed them to turn it over for a while before putting the lid over the pit. The people from the Li family were puzzled. They did not know what she wanted to do this time. ¡°This is fertilizer! If we just water these excretions, the effect will be average. But if we mix them together for a while, the effect will be doubled!¡± ¡°Oh? There¡¯s such a thing?¡± The people from the Li family were puzzled, especially the two brothers who had been farming for others. They had worked on the landowners¡¯ fields for more than 10 years but had never seen such an operation. ¡°Of course!¡± Longyue said confidently. This was a method taught to her by the boss of the medicinal field in her previous life. After the fertilizer was processed this way, the effect was quite good. However, when those herbs were harvested, they tasted a little unsavory, Fortunately, she did not have to do these things personally, so she did not feel burdened. Everyone looked at each other. Only Li Qingmu had a look of surprise. ¡°Wife, you actually know this?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Longyue wanted to brag a little, but she realized that with her previous identity, if she bragged too much, she might arouse his suspicion. This fellow was very shrewd! She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°An old butler from my residence said that when he was young, he was a farmer at home. He thought that the food at home was not good, so he used this method.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± His reservations were dispelled. ¡®When Longyue explained, Madam Li Zhou immediately said, ¡°Then this must be something good. Later, all of you should keep your mouths shut. If anyone tells anyone, I¡¯l skin you alive!¡± Madam Li Zhou was feeling depressed now that she had lost her power as head of the household. She was looking for an unlucky person to vent her frustrations on, so no one was willing to get into trouble. Naturally, everyone agreed. Moreover, this was a good way to earn money. People were all like this¡ªthey did not like to share good things with others. Rather than saying that the Li family was timid and afraid of trouble, it was more correct to say that they were selfish. They would not interfere unless things got in their way, so. naturally, they would not share good things. Longyue, on the other hand, was quite open-minded about this. The family could live a good life with good harvests and would not get in her way. However, since Madam Li Zhou had said this, she did not bother to interfere. The next day, Longyue and Li Qingqiu went to the mountains again to pluck the rest of the lingzhi, leaving behind only a few young heads. Then they scoured half the mountain gathering all the medicinal herbs and seeds they could find. When they returned, Longyue was so tired that she wanted to sleep. ¡°Wife, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Looking at his little wife sleeping soundly on the bed, Li Qingmu kissed her and said softly. He knew that his little wife was doing this for him. His heart was filled with satisfaction and joy, but at the same time, he felt that the burden on his shoulders had become heavier. ¡®What he was shouldering now was not only his future, but also his little wife¡¯s future Li Qingmu was ready to head to the provincial city for the entrance examination, but he stayed two more days. He watched as his elder brother and second brother reclaimed the piece of barren land, planted seeds, irrigated the land, and applied a new fertilizer. Only then did he set off in satisfaction. The family sent him to the village entrance, and Longyue sent him all the way to the city gate before stopping. ¡°After leaving Qingtian County, you¡¯ll head north, past two cities and an old forest. After another city is the provincial city, Lin¡¯an. There¡¯s nothing wrong with the city, but that old forest¡­ You have to be careful. Bandits and thieves often appear in that kind of place. You¡¯d better travel together with others.¡± Longyue held a cloak in her hands. She had bought this cloak three years ago, but termites bored a hole in it when she placed it in a box. Longyue had embroidered a lily on it to cover the hole. The lily matched the black cloak, giving it a dreamlike feel. She gently draped the cloak over his shoulders and reminded him repeatedly to take good care of himself and not get sick. Li Qingmu felt the warmth from her body and grabbed her little hand. He smiled softly and said, ¡°Wife, don¡¯t worry. I will take good care of myself¡­ Wife, a beautiful future awaits you¡­¡± Longyue glared at him and pursed her lips. ¡°I don¡¯t care about that.. Don¡¯t make yourself suffer, and don¡¯t put too much pressure on yourself¡­ What I care about is that you make it home in one piece!¡± Chapter 36 - Do You Want to See Her? Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Longyue felt that her words were a little ambiguous and quickly added, ¡°You men don¡¯t know how to take care of yourselves when you¡¯re away from home. You really make me worry!¡± ¡°Pfft!¡± Li Qingmu could not help but laugh. Once again, he felt his young wife¡¯s love for him. Only after a good round of coaxing did she feel more at ease. ¡°Alright, wife, let¡¯s part ways here!¡± Longyue also understood she could not send him all the way. Although she was reluctant, she agreed. ¡°Yue¡¯er, go back!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll wait until you¡¯ve disappeared from my sight before heading back.¡± Li Qingmu had no choice but to agree. He turned around and gave her one last look before urging his horse to move on. He had leased the horse from the courier station. There was a small town in front of Qingtian County. After he arrived at the destination, the horse would run back by itself. Originally, Li Qingmu did not plan on leasing a horse. Leasing one for 20 copper coins was a little expensive, but Longyue insisted. Because it could go fast, he could reach his destination before nightfall. When he arrived, he could find an inn to rest early. How good would that be? The morning dew was a little heavy. She watched as her man¡¯s back view gradually became distant. Suddenly, hot tears fell silently. In my previous life, I could not watch the picturesque sceneries of this world with you. In this lifetime, I want to follow you and travel to every corner of this world! She reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Only when his figure had completely shrunk to a dot and disappeared did she turn to leave. Not long after she left, another man led a horse and a woman to the city gate. ¡°Qian Yi, you don¡¯t have to be too nervous when you go to the entrance examination this time. You can relax a little. Regardless of whether you pass the entrance examination or not, they have arranged a job for you. In addition, your main goal for going there this time is to keep a close eye on Li Qingmu. If this person¡¯s name falls from the sky, then trample on his dignity to the death and make him never think about the entrance examination again. If he passes¡­ then kill him!¡± Zhou Zhiqin¡¯s eyes were full of viciousness as she gritted her teeth and said. Qian Yi nodded repeatedly and smiled obsequiously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Miss Zhou. Well, I¡¯ll definitely keep a close eye on him. However¡­ Sigh, please forgive me for being direct. With that noble¡¯s status in the capital, wouldn¡¯t it be easy to get him, a poor scholar, by doing something about the imperial examination?¡± ¡°shut up!¡± Zhou Zhigin glared at him coldly and said, ¡°The current emperor values the imperial examination the most. No one dares to mess with it. Otherwise, if they are found out, they will be punished severely. Who does Li Qingmu think he is? Why would a noble put his life at risk? Besides, nobody Imows if he can even pass the examination!¡± ¡°Yes, Miss Zhou is right!¡± Qian Yi wanted to remind her that that fellow, Li Qingmu, had always been the best student at the academy. If he could not pass, no one else could. However, he thought about it and decided not to say anything. As she had said, it did not matter if he could pass or not. He just had to kill him on his way back from the examination! The smile on his face widened at the thought. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get going quickly. Go to the provincial city and find this person!¡± Zhou Zhigin seemed a little impatient. After stuffing a piece of paper into Qian Yi¡¯s hand, she urged him to hurry up. Qian Yi chuckled and said goodbye before leaving. Longyue returned home. For some reason, after parting ways with Li Qingmu, she felt a little uneasy. She thought of how miserable this man had been when he came back in her previous life, how sick he was. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt sorry for him. At that time, this man had brought along five taels of silver with him. Now that he had brought along fifteen taels, he should not make the same mistake again, right? She felt that her man was very smart. On the way there, she had reminded him many times not to travel at night and not to walk into the dense forest. She also told him to put on more clothes when the weather turned cold and not to go to crowded places in the city in case there were pickpockets. After this education, she felt that he would not run into robbers and return home in a pathetic state. With this in mind, Longyue felt a little more at ease. Then she went to the two plots of land and saw her elder brother and second brother working on the land. She nodded in satisfaction. These two brothers were quick tempered, but they were hardworking and serious when it came to work. If they were a bunch of lazy men, she would have split with them and worked alone. ¡°Longyue, how long will it take for these seeds to mature? Don¡¯t tell me we won¡¯t see a single copper coin after working hard for a year?¡± ¡°Brother, don¡¯t be anxious! Some of the herbs take half a year, and some take a year to mature. Some take even longer. However, what we¡¯re planting now are the ones that will take half a year and a year. This hyssop and marigold take half a year, and this Chinese bellflower can only be harvested after a year. Also, this honeysuckle can be harvested between May to October next year¡­ Brother, Second Brother, don¡¯t worry. These herbs will be ready for harvest in half a year. I definitely won¡¯t let you work for nothing!¡± ¡°Cough, Longyue, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± ¡°Yes, yes, I understand!¡± Since Longyue had already said this, it would be a little too much for them to talk about money. They might as well shut their mouths. However, Zhang Meihua shouted, ¡°Longyue, we won¡¯t see results until half a year later. We can¡¯t starve for half a year, right?¡± ¡°Meihua, you must be joking. My embroidery will be able to support everyone in the next six months, right?¡± ¡®When Zhang Meihua heard that, she did not know what to say. After Li Qingmu left, Longyue felt that the days were really boring. The only thing she could do was embroider. The patterns that she embroidered were all different. On each piece she would sew some words in a corner that matched the design. Some were derived from her readings while others were poems. This kind of embroidered handkerchief, which had a literary and artistic hint, was very popular among the young ladies from good family backgrounds. They would even compete for these exquisite things. ¡°When two people meet, they win countless battles¡­ Tsk, this sentence is really good, really wonderful. What kind of amazing person would embroider such a poem on a handkerchief? Ah? Hahaha!¡± Ina dark alley, a man with disheveled hair and a dirty face was curled up in a narrow and cramped space. He held an embroidered handkerchief in his hand and kept sighing with emotion. As he spoke, he did not forget to lean in and smell it. It seemed to carry the sweet scent of a woman. This person was the son of a rich family. Because he was addicted to gambling and had evil intentions, not only did he lose all his family¡¯s savings, but he also angered his parents to death, causing his family to be destroyed. Now he passed his days in a rundown and dirty place. Logically speaking, this person should have come to his senses, but he continued to do as he pleased. He even secretly stole some money and went to gamble. It could be said that he was unrepentant. Two days ago, he accidentally got hold of this embroidered handkerchief and was instantly captivated by the words on it. He really wished he could find the person associated with it and have a one-night stand with her. ¡°Do you want to see her?¡± Suddenly, a light voice came from behind. The young man¡¯s body trembled and he immediately nodded. ¡°I want to see her so much. I really want to see her immediately!¡± ¡°Hehe, she¡¯s right here. Go find her yourself!¡± With that, he dropped a note and disappeared. ¡°Qingshui Village, Li family?¡± The man picked up the note and took a look at it.. He gradually narrowed his eyes, a dirty look appearing in them, and he chuckled Chapter 37 - Pei Jinheng Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Third Auntie, this is an embroidery I made recently. Can you help me take a look?¡± In the Chai residence, Longyue received the embroidery from Chai Qiao¡¯er. After carefully examining it, she nodded and said, ¡°Not bad, you¡¯ve improved. Compared to before, it looks like it was made by two different people!¡± ¡°Really? Thank you, Auntie! This is all thanks to your help!¡± Qiao¡¯er smiled good-naturedly as she spoke, and even her greeting became much more affectionate. ¡°Oh right, Auntie. Brother will be making a trip to the county city soon after he¡¯s done with the hunting. Should we go?¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s on the way, let¡¯s go there and sell this batch of embroidery.¡± Longyue had a few dozen embroideries on hand that could be sold for quite a bit of money. It was not a bad idea to go out and take a walk. Later, Chai Tieniu came in, took a few packages, and brought the two of them to the county city. The old bull mooed and shouted as the cart drove slowly, leaving two uneven trails on the muddy little path. A black shadow suddenly appeared behind them and looked at the distant ox cart with a silly smile. Young lady, tsk tsk, what a wonderful person. Her figure is graceful and her appearance is outstanding. Hiss, she makes my heart itch just looking at her. ¡®The man stared ahead, his eyes almost popping out as he drooled In the city, Jinxiu fabric shop. Yun Niang received an honored guest from the capital yesterday. Be it his appearance or manner of speech, he was noble beyond words, making her shudder in fear. She had thought that she could rest today, but who knew that he would come again! ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s cold here. I don¡¯t have good tea. Please forgive me!¡± Yun Niang held a cup of tea that was of moderate temperature and carefully served it to the young man sitting on the exquisite rattan chair. Usually, she could not bear to sit on this chair, but the other party just laid on his side casually. ¡°If two people have been in love with each other for a long time, why should they care about being together day and night¡­ Yue¡¯er, since you had feelings for me, why did you let me down?¡± The man held a silk handkerchief with exquisite embroidery in his hand. His thumb gently caressed the embroidery on it as he stared at the words on it and muttered to himself. In terms of conceptual style and workmanship, this handkerchief was a shadow of the woman he could not forget. He held the handkerchief to his nose and sniffed it gently. He seemed to be able to smell the faint lotus fragrance unique to her. She was untainted, pure, and not seductive. He had always thought that his Yue¡¯er was such a noble, elegant, beautiful, and refined woman. But why did he witness such an unbearable scene? Why was that? He was angry and sad, but he refused to be resigned. So in a fit of anger, he broke off the engagement between the two families back then. Meanwhile, the Pang family also felt that she had disgraced their family name. Not only were they not angry at his actions, they even sent people to give him compensation. But why would he want compensation? What he wanted was Yue¡¯er from the beginning! So when he found out that she had been chased out of the house by Minister Pang and was forced to marry a poor family from his hometown, his heart ached and he was upset. He wanted to look for her, but at this time, the current emperor actually granted him and Second Miss Pang a marriage! If he left the capital, rumors would spread¡ªthe emperor had just conferred a marriage for the eldest son of the Pei family but he had gone to meet his old love If the emperor lost face, his future would be destroyed! He took a deep breath and suppressed the grief in his heart. He said slowly, ¡°When will the person who embroidered this handkerchief come?¡± ¡°Young Master, it is hard to say. Sometimes it¡¯s three to five days, sometimes it¡¯s ten days or half a month. Recently, she hasn¡¯t come here for five days. I¡¯m afraid¡­ She¡¯ll be coming soon, right? That¡­ Young Master wants to see her?¡± ¡°No, this handkerchief is exquisitely made. I¡¯m just curious.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Yun Niang was a woman in her thirties and had seen a lot of things. How could she not tell that this man was not telling the truth? But she could not say anything. She could only pray in her heart that Longyue would not be in any trouble. After the young master left, Yun Niang heaved a sigh of relief. She saw Longyue walk in with Qiao¡¯er. Yun Niang clenched her fists and hurriedly greeted them warmly, ¡°Hey, you two are finally here. These past few days, many people have come to ask me if I have any new embroidery here. I almost couldn¡¯t handle it!¡± This was a polite greeting, but it was also the truth. Longyue¡¯s embroideries were exquisite, and many wealthy ladies and daughters would fight over them. Longyue smiled and replied, ¡°Something happened at home these past few days, so I haven¡¯t been here often. It¡¯s making the lady boss anxious!¡± After she finished speaking, she realized that there was something wrong with Yun Niang. The weather was cold, but why was her forehead covered in sweat? ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lady Boss? Are you sick?¡± ¡°Ah, no¡­ I just received a customer. I¡¯ma little busy¡­¡± Yun Niang was a businesswoman. She knew that those influential people or court officials could kill merchants like her as easily as crushing an ant, so she did not dare to offend that nobleman. She didn¡¯t dare say anything about him, but she felt bad hiding it from Longyue. As a result, she began to sweat even more. Longyue looked at her extremely nervous expression and realized that something was not right. She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid Lady Boss is really not feeling well. How about this? Let¡¯s settle the bill quickly so you can rest.¡± ¡°alright, alright!¡± Yun Niang responded repeatedly and then did a count. However, she was a little flustered. If not for Longyue¡¯s reminder, she would have given them an additional 10 taels by mistake. After receiving the 20 taels for this batch of goods, Longyue gave Qiao¡¯er eight taels that belonged to her. She put the remaining 12 taels in her purse and they left the shop. As they walked out of Jinxiu fabric shop, Qiao¡¯er curiously asked, ¡°Longyue, that lady boss doesn¡¯t look right today.¡± ¡°There¡¯s indeed something wrong, but this has nothing to do with us. We¡¯re done here!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to the market to see if there¡¯s anything to buy!¡± ¡°alright!¡± ¡®The two of them gradually walked away. A tall figure appeared in the alley behind Jinxiu fabric shop. He looked at Longyue¡¯s graceful back view and frowned slightly. It was not appropriate to meet her with someone accompanying her. He had to find a chance to be alone with her. ¡°Young Master Pei!¡± A sweet voice suddenly appeared from behind him. Pei Jinheng frowned and looked over. He saw a young girl in a light green dress and asked, ¡°Do you know me? Who are you?¡± ¡°Sigh, has Young Master Pei forgotten me? My surname is Zhou and my name is Zhigin. I¡¯m Sister Yue¡¯s distant cousin. When I was young, I went to play with Sister Yue. Young Master Pei should have met me!¡± Zhou Zhiqin said obsequiously, trying her best to show the charm and inexperience of a young girl. Pei Jinheng nodded. ¡°I have some recollection now. Is there anything you need from me, Miss Zhou?¡± ¡°Oh, I saw Young Master Pei staring at my cousin just now. Is there something you want to see her about?¡± Pei Jinheng said, ¡°There¡¯s something.¡± ¡°Then, Young Master Pei¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not convenient¡ªshe has someone by her side!¡± Pei Jinheng frowned and said. Since he was recognized, he could only tell the truth. ¡°Oh, you want to meet my cousin alone? That¡¯s easy. I¡¯ll ask her out later, and you can meet her alone, right?¡± Pei Jinheng had just arrived at a small place like this and was not very familiar with it. Since someone was willing to help him, he nodded and said, ¡°Alright, thank you, Miss Zhou!¡± ¡°Young Master, you¡¯re too polite!¡± Zhou Zhigin said with a smile, her eyes flashing with imperceptible malice.. Chapter 38 - Suffer From Your Own Scheme Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios In the afternoon, Longyue returned home. When she came back, she had already eaten a bowl of plain noodles in broth outside. Her stomach was already full, but her family still left some food for her. She had no choice¡ªshe was the one who was supporting this family now. Madam Wang was still begging her to let her son go to school, so she could only smile. ¡°We should start planning in the spring. Let¡¯s send him to school next spring.¡± After Longyue finished speaking, she saw an anxious and disappointed expression on Madam Wang¡¯s face. She added, ¡°Have you forgotten? There¡¯s only one school in Qingtian County. That Teacher Xu was injured by Qian Yi a while ago and is still recuperating at home. How could he have time to teach?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Only then did Madam Wang remember this. When she thought about how she had almost misunderstood Longyue just now, she felt a little embarrassed. Fortunately, she did not say unpleasant words, so there were no major problems. ¡°By the way, I think Xiangxiang and Ah Xue are almost done with threading. Come to my place to learn embroidery tomorrow. Let¡¯s start with plain embroidery!¡± Li Xiangxiang and Li Qingxue¡¯s eyes lit up when they heard that they could learn embroidery. They said happily, ¡°Thank you, Longyue!¡± Then Longyue went to the fields to look at the herbs in the ground. Her main purpose was to see whether the soil had been turned over and the weeds by the side cleared. In addition, she asked her elder brother and second brother to catch some earthworms and put them in the fields. Li Qinghai stared at the fat earthworms and said suddenly, ¡°Actually, you can also eat them after you wash and fry them!¡± Longyue felt an itch in her throat and almost vomited. She held it in and said, ¡°These things are very useful for the fields. Don¡¯t mess around!¡± ¡®With that, she went straight home. When she returned to her residence, she threw up violently until she vomited everything she had eaten for lunch. Pang Shuangyue! I will definitely repay the sufferings I endured to you a thousandfold! Longyue recalled those years when she was wandering around without anyone to rely on. She was lucky to have met a kind old granny who took her in. She was very grateful. The two of them were like mother and daughter. However, that younger sister of hers could not tolerate having her as her elder sister. When Longyue¡¯s life was slightly better, she tormented them, and the old granny almost died because of her! In order to save the granny, Longyue was forced by Pang Shuangyue to eat an entire plate of earthworms. After that, she vomited for three days and three nights. She even vomited bile. She also had a high fever for seven days and almost lost her life! Ever since then, her health had deteriorated. Then a plague that engulfed more than half of the Great Zhou Dynasty raged, and she fell gravely ill, with no one to rely on! The suffering in her previous life was all because of her ¡®good sister!¡± ¡°Hal¡± She chuckled and slowly looked at the pale little face in the bronze mirror, which had turned pale from vomiting so much. This little face was feminine but not seductive. She was delicate but not soft. Her skin was whiter than snow and translucent. She had beautiful eyebrows that were perfectly slanted. She also had big, bright eyes that were expressive. This was definitely an outstanding beauty. No one could compare to her beauty. In the capital, even the royal princes drooled over her. With such looks, it¡¯s really a pity not to be a temptress that wreaks havoc in a country. She laughed softly and looked out the window. From afar, a familiar and detestable figure was approaching the Li residence! You¡¯re finally here! She sneered and took a box of rouge that she had bought a few days ago out of the drawer. She applied it gently to hide the paleness of her face before walking out slowly. ¡°Knock, knock, knock¡­¡± There were several knocks on the door. ¡°Who is it?¡± Madam Wang was drying clothes in the courtyard. When she heard the noise, she went to open the door. Then she was stunned. A well-dressed girl stood at the door with a reserved smile on her lips. Her eyes were slightly raised, giving people the impression that she was aloof. ¡°You¡­ You are¡­¡± Madam Wang was intimidated by her arrogant demeanor, and her voice trembled as she spoke. She quickly looked towards the house. She seemed to be asking who would receive this big shot. ¡°Is this the Li family?¡± Zhou Zhiqin tried her best to appear gentle. To be honest, she didn¡¯t care about these country bumpkins at all. But how should she put it? She was here to set a trap for Longyue, so her attitude couldn¡¯t be too bad. ¡°Yes, this is the Li family. May I know who you are¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m here to look for Cousin. Is she at home?¡± ¡°Cousin? Which cousin¡­¡± Madam Wang asked with a dumbfounded expression, but she was interrupted by Longyue, who came from behind. ¡°Why are you here? Ha, the weasel paying respects to the chicken? You have ill intentions, right?¡± Longyue had an angry look on her face, but judging from her ruddy complexion, Zhou Zhiqin knew that her days in the Li family were not bad. Zhou Zhigin felt jealous for a moment, but the smile on her face became even wider. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood me. We¡¯re relatives no matter what. I was like a younger sister to you before, right? I was reprimanded by Dad when I got home. Now I¡¯ve come specially to apologize!¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? Then aren¡¯t you very sincere in compensating me? How long has it been? I¡¯ve almost forgotten!¡± The comers of Zhou Zhiqin¡¯s mouth twitched slightly, but she immediately smiled and said, ¡°What are you saying? Those few days, I was worried that you were angry, so I didn¡¯t dare to come over. I wanted to wait for your anger to subside before coming over to apologize! ¡°Gosh we¡¯re sisters. We were just bickering. Why should we take it to heart? I¡¯ve come over personally to invite you for a good meal. Firstly, to apologize. Secondly, we¡¯ve not seen each other for many years. It¡¯s time for us to chat over a meal!¡± Longyue smiled calmly at her lowly, harmless facade and said, ¡°What you say makes sense. However, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t afford to buy you a meal now that I¡¯m down and out.¡± ¡°So what? What¡¯s yours is mine, what¡¯s mine is yours. You just need to come with me!¡± ¡°This¡­ Alright then!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Please, be my guest!¡± ¡°Um¡­ Do I need to change?¡± ¡°Your clothes look very good on you. You don¡¯t have to change!¡± In any case, she¡¯s going to embarrass herself, so it does not matter whether she changes her clothes or not! Zhou Zhiqin thought viciously. Little did she know that Longyue understood what was going on. This scene had happened in her previous lifetime. Because she and Li Qingmu went to Jinxiu fabric shop to buy clothes together in this lifetime, she got to know Zhou Zhiqin sooner. In her past life, Zhou Zhiqin paid her a visit out of the blue. She told Longyue that she missed her very much and wanted to have a meal with her to catch up. Longyue ended up falling into her trap. She was drugged and after the drug took effect, someone came to harass her. At that moment, her ex-fianc¨¦, Pei Jinheng, came in. ¡®When he saw her hanging out with a sloppy man, her clothes in a disheveled state and her face flushed, he was so angry that he splashed wine on her and scolded her for being shameless. In her previous life, she was in love with Pei Jinheng, so when she saw him, all the effects of the drug disappeared. Then she sobbed her heart out! After that night, she felt as if she had lost her soul.. She became muddleheaded and constantly fell into the various other traps that her younger sister had meticulously set for her.