Chapter 19: Who Hit You?

Looking at the pastries and candied fruit on the table, Song Yuntang took them to Liu Shi’s door.

She knocked.  Seeing Liu Shi look over, she didn’t enter but placed the things on the table outside the door.

“For you.”

Then, she returned to her room, wrote detailed instructions, and put them in the blank envelope, planning to have Zhuzi and Zhuangzi take them to Xu Qingye tomorrow.

Liu Shi looked at the two packages with surprise.

She had said such harsh words this morning, yet her younger sister-in-law was sending her food.  She couldn’t understand her younger sister-in-law’s intentions.

Liu Shi took a package and opened it—candied fruit.

Her family wasn’t wealthy, and she wasn’t a favored daughter.  She had only seen candied fruit before, never eaten it.

Her younger sister-in-law had given her the whole bag.

Liu Xiangyun carefully took a piece and put it in her mouth. The candied fruit was sweet with a hint of tartness—delicious!

The candied fruit melted away any remaining resentment she felt towards Song Yuntang.

The candied fruit was precious; she didn’t dare eat too much. After eating two pieces, she took the hand warmer she had made yesterday and went to Song Yuntang’s room.

“Tang’er, I saw you cut your hand on the mountain yesterday, so I made you a hand warmer. Try it. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll alter it.”

Song Yuntang touched her nose, somewhat embarrassedly accepting the hand warmer.

“Let’s call them gloves; hand warmers sound strange.”

Liu Shi smiled. “Either is fine. Gloves it is.”

Song Yuntang put on the gloves. The palm area seemed to be double-layered, thicker than the back, and the size was perfect.  She wouldn’t have to worry about cutting her hands while working in the mountains.

“They fit perfectly. Thank you.”

Liu Shi quickly waved her hand. “What’s the need for thanks among family?  Use this pair for now. I’ll make you another pair when we have thicker fabric.”

Song Yuntang nodded.

“Okay.”

…

When dinner was served, the men were surprised.

“Where did the meat come from?”

Zhao Qiao’e served each person a bowl of vegetable and pork soup, adding several pieces of meat to each bowl. “Thanks to Tang’er. She treated Mr. Xu, and he sent this over this afternoon, along with news that the Huang family matter is resolved.”

“The Huang family matter is resolved, yet we accepted a gift from Mr. Xu?  Isn’t that inappropriate?” Song Jinbao said, looking at Song Yuntang.

She looked indifferent.

“It’s fine. I received the gift; you don’t need to worry.”

Hearing this, Song Jinbao didn’t say anything more, picked up his chopsticks, and looked at everyone.

“Let’s eat.”

With the head of the family’s permission, everyone started eating.

Having not eaten meat for a long time, the family ate silently, extremely satisfied.

…

The next day, after breakfast, Song Yuntang gave the blank envelope to Zhuzi and Zhuangzi to take to the private school, then put on her gloves and went to the mountain with Zhao Qiao’e to pick vegetables, leaving Liu Xianglan at home.

After yesterday’s incident with Tian Shi, Liu Xiangyun had learned her lesson. She closed her door and quietly sewed in the main room, pretending no one was home.

Song Yuntang and Zhao Qiao’e went deep into the mountain.  Song Yuntang looked around, marveling at how clean the mountain was.

She had climbed many mountains in her previous life while researching herbs, but none were as clean as this one.  There were few shrubs.

All the edible leaves had been picked.

Fortunately, Song Yuntang knew herbs and collected several common, though not particularly valuable, herbs, avoiding returning empty-handed.

“Auntie, Zhaozhao is back!”

As they were about to continue, a voice called from the foot of the mountain.

Zhao Qiao’e and Song Yuntang turned around. It was Song Changbai, their youngest cousin, born in the same year as Song Yuntang, three months older.

When Lin Zhaozhao was in Rongshu Village, they had a good relationship.

“Xiaobai, what did you say? Zhaozhao is back?” Zhao Qiao’e thought she had misheard and asked uncertainly.

“Yes,” Song Changbai panted. “Zhaozhao just arrived.  My sister-in-law asked me to come and tell Auntie.”

“Okay, I’ll go back.”

Zhao Qiao’e, accustomed to this, started down the mountain with her basket.  After a few steps, she realized Song Yuntang was behind and turned back, looking troubled.

“Tang’er, let’s stop here today? Zhaozhao rarely comes back.  She’s a guest; we should go back and keep her company.”

Although her tone was conciliatory, she was eager to leave.

After all, she had raised her daughter for thirteen years.

Song Yuntang’s expression was calm. “Let’s go.”

…

Returning home, they saw an empty carriage at the gate. The driver was a stranger, so they didn’t let him into the courtyard. He was sitting at the gate, drinking water.

He merely nodded when he saw Zhao Qiao’e, Song Yuntang, and Song Changbai return.

The gate was open. Lin Zhaozhao sat in the main room, a maid standing respectfully behind her.

On the table in front of her were pastries and candied fruit—what Song Yuntang had given Liu Shi yesterday.

Liu Shi was busy preparing feed for Lin Zhaozhao’s horse outside the pigsty.

Having a pregnant woman feed an unfamiliar horse was dangerous if the horse misbehaved.

So, as Zhao Qiao’e and Song Changbai went to the main room, Song Yuntang went to Liu Shi.

“Sister-in-law, who told you to feed the horse?”

Liu Shi looked at Song Yuntang and lowered her head.

“Miss Lin said her horse was hungry, and the driver couldn’t enter the courtyard, so I brought it in to feed it.”

Liu Shi lowered her head quickly, but Song Yuntang noticed the red marks on her face and the hurt in her eyes. Her smooth brow furrowed.

“What happened? Who hit you?”

The distance from Cile Town to Rongshu Village was short.  The horse getting hungry before even completing a round trip was suspicious.

Liu Shi had been enduring it, but hearing Song Yuntang’s concern, she couldn’t help but shed a tear.

“It’s nothing. I was careless.”

Song Yuntang didn’t believe her. “Did Lin Zhaozhao hit you?”

Liu Xiangyun didn’t speak.  Her younger sister-in-law was fierce but not bad. Lin Zhaozhao seemed innocent and gentle but was actually scheming.

Lin Zhaozhao had the Lin family backing her.  Given Tang’er’s feelings for the Lin family, she would definitely lose if they clashed.

Liu Xiangyun didn’t want to make a fuss.