Delicate Flower – Chapter 149

Chapter 149 – The Past

Yu Wen returned home late, and was very much inebriated.

Yu Tang, who was keeping an eye on her father’s whereabouts, came out when she heard the commotion. While helping Ah Cam support Yu Wen, who couldn’t even stand up properly, she asked, “Father, did you purchase the Li family’s land?”

She was reluctant for her father to buy the Li family’s land initially as she felt that the water supply to that land was heavily connected to the irrigation canals of the Li family and the Li family’s patriarchal house. Thus, if the water supply was cut off by the Li family, the fields would be ruined. It would be too tiresome to get entangled with the Li family further in the future.

Yu Wen laughed smugly, seemingly very proud of himself, as he stretched out three fingers towards Yu Tang, slurring his words, “It’s thirty acres, I bought thirty acres.” He then vigorously rubbed Yu Tang’s head, “It’s all yours, it’s all reserved for you.”

Yu Tang’s heart was touched, but this warm feeling was quickly replaced by uncertainty.

With great difficulty, she helped her father towards the courtyard and said, “Father, didn’t you decide that Master Wu would buy the larger portion and you would buy the smaller portion? Why suddenly the switch to buy thirty acres? Also, what about the irrigation channels for the 50 acres? Did you make a deal with the Li family before you signed the deed?”

“Don’t worry!” Yu Wen pushed away Ah Cam and Yu Tang and stumbled to go into the room on his own, “Third Master has all made arrangements for me, the Li family’s patriarchal house also agreed, and Master Wu only wanted twenty acres of land ……”

How did this matter involve PeiYan?

Yu Tang was stunned for a few moments and after coming to her senses, she wanted ask her father what happened. However, Yu Wen had already stumbled into the inner room, calling Madam Chen’s given maiden name in a loud voice, “I’m drunk, why aren’t you here yet to help me in.” This made Madam Chen blush, and she hid in the inner room, not wanting to come out.

YuTang had no choice but to return to her own room, intending to intercept YuWen at the entrance of the main room early next morning.

Unexpectedly, Yu Wen had already left house at the crack of dawn.

Yu Tang looked at barely rising sun in the sky and said in surprise, “So early?!”

Madam Chen looked exhausted and smiled helplessly, “He said he had an appointment with Master Wu to check on the Li family’s land.”

In that case, mother already knew that father bought Li Duan family’s thirty acres of paddy fields?

Yu Tang pressed further, “Did Father say anything else?”

“No.” Madam Chen said, “He was just being a silly drunk last night, what else could he have said?” After saying that, her ears turned red.

Yu Tang did not notice this as she stayed to accompany her mother to have breakfast.

Yu Wen returned brimming with excitement.

As he entered, he said eagerly to Yu Tang and Madam Chen, “This is great! Those thirty acres of paddy fields which can grow Bi Shi Rice are our family’s now. Third Master Pei didn’t personally intervene, but asked Chief Steward Pei to direct water supply from the Pei family’s side of the canals, so that the Pei family can keep an eye on the fields as well. Li Duan’s steward didn’t look too pleased with this.” After speaking, he rubbed his daughter’s forehead, saying, “I didn’t think that I would be able to enjoy the blessings of my family’s Ah-Tang so early!”

What is he saying?

Yu Tang glowered at her father.

Yu Wen was unperturbed, as he happily sat down next to Madam Chen, and explained while Old Aunty Chen left to get some congee from the kitchen. “Originally, I didn’t know that the paddy fields next door to the Li family were owned by the Pei family. I even went to ask Third master Pei to assist with the negotiations. Third Master reassured me saying that I should just buy the land with no worries, and if there was any issues, I can find him for help. I thought he was just going to advise the Li family not to make things difficult for us. But in fact, the Pei family dug an irrigation channel opening to connect to ours. This is much better than signing an agreement with the Li family. In future, in case the Li family regrets their decision, I can’t possibly take the deed to settle accounts with the Li family can I? However, I’m also a little regretful. Lin’an’s best two hundred acres of paddy fields were in the hands of the Li family and the Pei family owns the paddy fields next to the Li family, so if the Li family wants to sell the land, perhaps the Pei family also wanted to buy it. However, since things have worked out like this, it’s better to just leave it.”

After saying this, Yu Wen heaved a sigh and lamented, “The Pei family is really generous and kind.”

Yu Tang, however, asked, “Is it because of this that Master Wu only bought twenty acres of land? And those twenty acres are in the middle of our family’s and the Pei family’s?”

“How do you know?” Yu Wen was astounded.

Yu Tang rolled her eyes internally. But just as her father said, things had already turned out like this, it was useless to dwell on it.

Yu Wen also shared news that was very different from what she heard in her previous life. “I heard Master Wu say that the Li family might move to Hangzhou City after the tenth month.”

Yu Tang and Madam Chen were startled.

It wasn’t easy to leave one’s hometown.

Madam Chen asked sharply, “Who said this? Why did the Li family want to move to Hangzhou City?”

Yu Wen replied, “Master Wu heard it from the Li family’s steward. The steward also said that the Li family had already bought a place in Hangzhou City before and quietly transported some household goods there. They are just waiting for the first day of the tenth month to offer their ancestors incense, and then they will be moving out. Li Duan is also going to study in the capital with Minister Li. Isn’t he a provincial scholar? Next year will be the examinations, it’s only right for him to go to the capital early. This news shouldn’t be untrue.”

The imperial scholar examination takes place once every three years, and counting the days, it should be coming soon.

Madam Chen nodded her head as she then discussed with Yu Wen about how to cultivate that newly purchased thirty acres of land.

Yu Tang’s thoughts, however, were drifting off.

In her previous life, Li Duan didn’t join the imperial examinations at this time, but once he did, he succeeded on his first try and became one of the top imperial scholars. Pei family’s eldest young master Pei Tong and a son from the secondary branch house called Pei Chan also became an imperial scholar at the same time with Li Duan.

Lin’an produced three imperial scholars in the same period, which shook up the Suzhou and Zhejiang regions.

Now that the situation is changing, if Li Duan goes for the examination early, I wonder if he would still be able to pass the imperial scholar examination in one sitting? If he went to the capital to study, it would definitely be difficult for her to meet him again in the future, let alone talk about retaliation, so should she just let Li Duan leave Lin’an like this?

Will Liu Xiaoshan’s death be left at that?

Yu Tang was unwilling.

She felt that a person like Li Duan did not deserve to be an official, and was not worthy of making a mark as an imperial scholar at all.

Previously, she felt that she still had time, but now thinking about it, everything should be arranged as soon as possible.

Yu Tang frowned. In officialdom, not mentioning her, even if her father stepped in, it was impossible to do anything to Li Duan.

The marriage between the Li and the Gu family was over.

Although the Li family was selling their land, it had nothing to do with her, and the Li family was only temporarily short of money, as long as Li Yi remains an official, the Li family will soon be able to get through the hard times.

Unless the Li Family stops working as officials.

As thoughts flashed across her mind, Yu Tang remembered something.

In her previous life, Li Yi had an accident five years later, that is, the second year after Li Duan passed the entrance examination and was chosen as an imperial scholar.

When he served as governor of Rizhao, he handled a case of an adulterous affair between a widowed sister-in-law and her younger brother-in-law. Li Yi sentenced the sister-in-law to death and the brother-in-law to exile. The brother-in-law was physically weak and died on the road. Five years after the incident, the son of the sister-in-law grew up and raised his grievances by sounding the drums at the entrance of the Da Li Temple. He was even willing to undergo 50 lashes of the whip as long as he could appeal to the court to report Li Yi. He insisted that the sister-in-law did not have an affair with the brother-in-law at all. Rather it was the widow of a master of a prominent family surnamed Li in Rizhao, who was beaten by the said brother-in-law. She harboured a grudge against him and falsely accused him of committing adultery with his sister-in-law. It was a wrongful conviction.

When word got out, Li Yi’s reputation was severely damaged.

The Gu family stepped in to save the situation, and in the end, Li Yi was punished with a light three-month salary deduction.

Everyone on the streets said that it was the Li family that harboured evil intentions, cursing that the Li family deserved to die.

However, the Li family forbade the discussion of this incident.

Yu Tang inadvertently overheard Gu Xi’s accompanying maids and matrons quieting complaining about Madam Lin’s harsh treatment of Gu Xi. They imitated Gu Xi’s tone of voice to ridicule Li Yi, saying “Poor insight and superficial judgement. After hearing a few words of flattery from others, they believed themselves to be superior, coveting silver without proper understanding of its weight”.

At that time, she assumed that the women were just trying to defend Gu Xi, but now looking back and thinking about it, these words have a deeper significance.

Mrs Tang was only a scholar’s wife, but in order to flatter the Tang governor, she too was eagerly trying to become in-laws with the Tang governor. Rizhao’s prominent Li family and Li Yi share the same surname, and so, perhaps like Mrs. Tang, they secretly formed a relationship with Li Yi. If the prominent Li family wanted to frame the widowed sister-in-law and her brother-in-law, they couldn’t have done it without Li Yi’s help. “Coveting silver without proper understanding of its weight” might be a reference to Li Yi’s acceptance of bribes from the Li family.

Unfortunately, at that time, she was too focused on Madam Lin’s likes and dislikes, and as Madam Lin did not allow others to discuss this matter, she too didn’t inquire about this matter at all.

Calculating the time, the widowed sister-in-law and brother-in-law’s case ought to have been settled when Li Yi was leaving Rizhao.

Perhaps the rumour that people in Lin’an city spread about Li Yi letting Li Jun bring back carts of rotten silver…… might actually have something to do with this?

Thinking of this, Yu Tang smacked her head.

This was all wild speculation.

If Li Yi had such a large sum of silver in his hands, why would he sell the fifty acres of field that could produce Bi Shi rice?

Something is not right!

Yu Tang’s heart thumped erratically.

In her previous life, the Li family did not sell those fifty acres of paddy fields.

However, when Gu Xi married in, Madam Lin went around telling others how generous Gu Xi’s dowry was and how much the Li family had benefited.

Did Gu Xi really bring in that much dowry in the first place?

Yu Tang tried hard to recall those details of Gu Xi’s life.

Gu Xi had quite refined tastes, she dressed in a plain but dignified and appropriate manner befitted her station. Although she bought new clothes and jewellery every year, she only wore them when she attended social gatherings, and at home she usually wore semi-new clothes and a few pieces of jewellery that she personally liked. To outsiders, her clothes were never the same and she was always radiant and beautiful every time she showed up, which not only made people compliment her, but she also had many people follow her style and imitate her dressing. In the eyes of the Li Family’s servants, Gu Xi was understated, generous, diligent and prudent; she was never stingy with the money she should spend, but she was also unwilling to spend more money than she should. In the words of Gu Xi, this was her principle, her bottom line.

Yu Tang laughed coldly.

Previously, she was oblivious and thought that this was how the rich and powerful lived their lives.

However, look at Grand Madam Pei.

As Grand Madam Pei was observing the mourning period, it was inappropriate for her to wear brightly coloured clothes. Therefore, she directed her attention and funds to dress and grooming her family’s juniors instead, and even outsiders like her, benefited from following along……. What kind of wealthy and noble family was Gu Xi? Obviously, her funds were limited, yet she tried to make herself look like she was rich and powerful. It was nothing but a poor facade.

As her thinking changed, Yu Tang made a new discovery.

In her previous life, although Madam Lin didn’t have anything nice to say about Gu Xi, but she was generous in terms of silver. Especially after the Li and the Lin family made a fortune in the maritime business, and knowing that Gu Xi found out about Li Duan’s sordid intentions towards her(YuTang), she often called the master of the gold house to come over and make some jewellery for Gu Xi. She also bought several shops in Hangzhou and the capital and listed them under Gu Xi’s name.

She thought that Madam Lin was compensating Gu Xi for the faults of her son, but at this moment, she felt that it may not necessarily be the case.

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