On a cold night with light snow, Madam Ma fell asleep and never woke up.

When Su Qingyu received the news, it was already past noon, and she thought she had heard wrongly. She did not bring the children with her and hurried to Yangwei Martial Arts School with Su Qingliu.

When she arrived, she saw that the whole area from the gate to the yard was covered in white. The whole yard was white, blending with the snow. The breeze blew the white cloth all over the yard, as if the beloved were saying a sad farewell.

Su Qingyu’s legs were so weak that she could hardly stand. She supported herself with Su Qingliu and staggered to the mourning hall.

A black lacquered nanmu coffin was placed in the middle of the mourning hall, and three incense sticks were burning in front of the spirit tablet. Master Ma knelt there with a cold and sad face, and he just buried his head and threw paper into the brazier. Everything around him did not seem to be in his eyes or heart, and he mechanically repeated the movements in his hands.

Cui Yuying, as a family member, cried and thanked. A disciple handed Su Qingyu and her sister a few incense sticks with red eyes.

Su Qingyu took it blankly, staring at the words “The spirit of my beloved wife, Ma Shen’s Li Niang” on the spirit tablet, and tears rolled down her face. Her voice, smile, and words were still in her ears, but she was gone.

Master Ma and his wife were not locals, and they had no relatives. Only some disciples came with their families to pay their respects. Cui Yuying took care of all this, and if Master Ma hadn’t been burning paper in the brazier, people would think he was in a trance, and he looked like his soul had been taken away.

When Qingyang was leaving school, Su Qingliu brought a few more children to pay their respects. When the children saw that their master’s wife, who loved them so much, was gone, they all cried like tearful men. Even the little Yaya knew that she was gone and would never come back, so she cried and hiccuped.

Old Man Xie also brought Xie Qiyou to add incense. Father Su and others, and some neighbors around the martial arts hall, also came.

Su Qingyu stayed in the martial arts hall, helping the disciples with small tasks until sunset.

She tossed and turned at night and cried every time she thought of Master Ma’s wife. Such a gentle and kind woman did not receive the love of God and left Master Ma alone early.

Su Qingyu could not take care of the business in the store and went to Yangwei Martial Arts Hall every day. It was not until the seventh day, on the eighth day, when Master Ma led a group of disciples to bury Madam Ma in an auspicious place, that Su Qingyu stopped going to Yangwei Martial Arts Hall.

Su Qingyu could not recover for many days afterwards.

The days passed slowly. In February, Lu Bozu was going to Pingchuan County to take the county exam. Wu Shi thought it was unlucky that Su Qingyu stayed in Yangwei Martial Arts Hall, and so she did not let Su Qingyu return to the Lu family. Su Qingyu simply lived in the shop.

It was not until Lu Shengcai and his wife took Lu Bozu to Pingchuan County that Su Qingyu got the news, but she didn’t take it seriously. At the end of February, Lu Bozu passed the county exam. Lu Shengcai happily set off a long string of firecrackers at the door of Lu’s house and went to the store with Wu Shi.

The couple’s faces were full of joy, and they couldn’t suppress it.

Wu Shi told Su Qingyu the news with a proud face, and Su Qingyu congratulated her. Lu Shengcai happily invited Father Su to drink and celebrate together. Father Su agreed with them, congratulated Lu Shengcai, praised Lu Bozu’s talent, and said that he was about to change his family.

Lu Shengcai and Wu Shi were very comfortable with the compliments of everyone, and they had already imagined their future life as old masters and respected lords.

Su Qingyu smiled and said a few polite words and gave ten taels of silver to express her support for her younger brother as the eldest brother and sister-in-law and encouraged him to continue to take the exam. Wu Shi glanced at the ten taels of silver and looked down at it.

Though she thought it was too little, it didn’t prevent her from taking it anyway. The couple came happily and were coaxed back happily by everyone.

In a blink of an eye, it was the seventh day since the burial of Madam Ma. Su Qingyu and Su Qingliu took a few children to the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall to burn paper for her. Just like before, Cui Yuying said that Master Ma still locked himself in his and Master Ma’s bedroom and didn’t want to come out to see people. He even ignored the disciples and just let the older disciples lead the younger disciples.

Yangwei Martial Arts Hall looked lifeless.

Before leaving, Su Qingyu thought for a moment, walked to the door of the room, and said softly, “Master Ma, the dead cannot be resurrected, and the living still have to live their lives. If Madam saw you like this, she would be distressed. Please take care of yourself.”

After saying that, she stood at the door. Without getting a response, Su Qingyu sighed softly and turned to leave.

A couple who loved each other so much in the past suddenly separated forever. She was afraid it wasn’t easy to get over.

After the seventh day, Su Qingyu never went to Yangwei Martial Arts Hall again. Until one day at the end of March, Cui Yuying came to the store to find her.

Handed her two boxes.

“This box contains the thoughts that the young lady left for the children, all of which were carefully selected by the young lady.”

Su Qingyu looked at the things in the box, a jade rabbit, a jade cicada, and two jade toads, precious and inconspicuous, that can be used as ornaments or held in the palm of the hand to enjoy, which shows her care for the children.

“In this box are some pieces of jewelry that the young lady used in the past. The master said to leave them to you and your sisters as a keepsake. If you don’t mind, you can keep them.”

Su Qingyu wanted to refuse the jewelry because she saw that it looked quite valuable, but after she heard what she said, she accepted it.

“When the young lady was alive, she often said that she was very happy to meet you. Although we haven’t known each other for long, she and you are very similar. She often said that you didn’t feel annoyed at all when you listened to her say such old words. Although you are younger than her, you understand her. It’s as if she and you have known each other in a previous life…”

“The young lady followed the master to Fengting Town for these years. She didn’t talk to anyone and didn’t usually go out. It was only after she met you that she smiled again. With you two sisters to talk to her and several children sitting around her, the young lady smiled when she fell asleep. Since she met you, she seemed to be alive again. The master and I would like to thank you.”

“Don’t say that. My master’s wife is both my elder and my sister. I am very happy to know her. She taught me a lot. I liked listening to her talk. Her words were full of stories and life, which have benefited me a lot…”

Su Qingyu and Cui Yuying sat opposite each other. When they talked about Madam Ma, both of them had tears in their eyes.

After Qing Yang came back in the evening, Su Qingyu asked him to call Xie Qiyou and divide the gifts that Madam Ma had given them.

Several children held their gifts in their hands and cried as they looked at them.

Hand in hand, they turned around and went to the Yangwei Martial Arts Hall. But Master Ma did not see them. Cui Yuying received them, said a few words to them, and told them to study hard and listen to adults before sending them back.

At night, Su Qingliu only picked up two pieces of jewelry and let Su Qingyu keep the rest. The two sisters lay on the bed, crying every time they thought about her.

The days were dull and depressing. Even when the business in the shop was so good that Xu Shaoyan sent someone to send her last year’s goods and silver, Su Qingyu could not smile.

Because the day of delivery was approaching, everyone carefully protected her, took on all the things in the shop, and didn’t let her worry about it.

Su Qingyu was also taken back to Lu’s house. The baby should be born in Lu’s house. How could she give birth in the shop? Lu Shengcai would not let such a thing happen.

Su Qingyu obtained Aunt Zhou’s consent and pulled her daughter Hongxiu out of the store, asking her to come to Lu’s house to take care of her until she was out of confinement.

The store was short of two people, so Aunt Zhou’s mother-in-law introduced two skillful women from the town to come and help, just to fill the gap, so that Su Qingyu could prepare for the birth with peace of mind.

Back at Lu’s house, it was two days past the due date, but the baby was still not born, so Su Qingyu was a little anxious.

One day, Liu Juye came to Lu’s house to find her and brought her bad news.

(End of this chapter)