Chapter 120: Bringing Back a Pile
A moment before noon, a cart stopped at the Cai Lian Lane Entrance. Li Xiaonan jumped off, waving her hand to signal Wan Jing not to get down, and ran straight into the house.
The courtyard was quiet.
Li Xiaonan’s shoulders drooped in disappointment. She walked to the Kitchen Door, poked her head in, “Mei Jie, I’m back.”
“Dinner is almost ready. I just brewed some tea. Go have a bowl and rest, we’ll eat soon.” Mei Jie was busy stir-frying.
“I’ll help you stoke the fire.”
“No, no!” Mei Jie waved her hand. “Go rest.”
Li Xiaonan turned and headed for the Main Hall.
Mei Jie had said before that her stoking the fire wasn’t helping but causing trouble. When Mei Jie was at her mother-in-law’s home, she always stoked the fire and cooked by herself.
After dinner, Li Xiaonan held a book, looking at it absentmindedly for the afternoon. As it was getting dark, Li Yin Zhu’s voice came from outside the Courtyard Gate, “Steps, steps! Be careful not to fall!”
Li Xiaonan threw down the book and jumped up, rushing out.
Outside the Courtyard Gate, Yin Zhu was laden with large bags, and the Old Woman beside her was also carrying large bags, like two slowly moving piles of parcels.
“Mei Jie, Mei Jie!” Li Xiaonan quickly called for Mei Jie.
Mei Jie rushed out from the Backyard. Together with Li Xiaonan, they ran back and forth, unloading the parcels from the two of them.
“You go back first and tell the Second Young Master that I’ll be back later. If he gets back early, he can wash up and go to bed by himself.” Li Yin Zhu patted her Clothing Placket and ordered the Old Woman with considerable authority.
The Old Woman agreed and walked out, brushing her Clothing Placket.
“Third Sister, you brought back so many things.” Li Xiaonan stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the large pile of various parcels in the Main Hall.
Li Yin Zhu carefully took off her dark blue jacket. Mei Jie quickly took it, “Third Sister, is this the Clothes for meeting guests? You’re home, you don’t need to wear such valuable Clothes. What if they snag and get dirty!”
“It wasn’t me who wanted to wear it, it was Erlang, he insisted I wear this set.” Li Yin Zhu said, while taking off her bright red Pomegranate Skirt.
“This pomegranate red is very delicate, and this Silk is so smooth. Third Sister, the lining you’re wearing is also Silk!” Mei Jie carefully held the Skirt, turning it around, unable to find a place to put the valuable Pomegranate Skirt. Her eyes fell on Li Yin Zhu’s peach-pink silk underskirt, and she exclaimed in surprise.
Li Xiaonan sat on a small Bamboo Chair, propping her chin, watching the two: one was introducing clothes, the other was exclaiming in amazement.
Li Yin Zhu put on a coarse cloth skirt belonging to Second Sister Li Yuzhu, and then a coarse cloth Long Gown from Eldest Sister, to protect the Silk underneath. She even took off her Shoes and put on a pair of Mei Jie’s old Shoes, finally sitting down.
Mei Jie hurried back to the Kitchen to add dishes and cook. Li Xiaonan and Li Yin Zhu sat and talked.
Li Xiaonan pointed to the pile of large and small parcels, “Third Sister, you brought too many things. I think Eldest Sister will definitely be unhappy.”
“Why would Eldest Sister be unhappy? Eldest Sister will definitely be overjoyed!
“A Nan, let me tell you, their Hong Family is very rich. They eat meat every meal. My Second Brother and I, for our meals, also have four or five dishes, two or three, or three or four meat dishes, chicken, fish, meat, and eggs all available! Even so, your Second Brother still complains there aren’t enough dishes!” Li Yin Zhu’s eyes sparkled.
“You didn’t eat until you were stuffed every meal, did you?” Li Xiaonan tugged at Li Yin Zhu’s Clothes.
“No! You told me that rich families have a lot of oil and heavy flavors, and you should only eat to eighty percent full. Eating more will cause problems. I remember.”
Li Yin Zhu paused, her eyes darting left and right. She leaned closer to Li Xiaonan, her voice lowered significantly.
“A Nan, what you said is really, that, it’s not like Mei Jie said, that, just, that.”
“You and Third Brother-in-law are doing well, very~ happy?” Li Xiaonan asked, drawing out the sound and changing the subject, understandingly.
Li Yin Zhu nodded continuously. After a moment, she frowned, “A Nan, how did you know? This matter…”
“Haven’t you heard that saying? A Xiucai Scholar doesn’t leave his home but knows everything under heaven. Of course, I know about this kind of thing too!” Li Xiaonan said righteously.
“Exactly, Father often said this when he was alive. Then! Is your brother like that?” Li Yin Zhu’s eyes darted left and right again. Before finishing, she tilted her chin towards Li Xiaonan.
“I don’t think he knows. He’s not a real Xiucai Scholar.” Li Xiaonan said bluntly.
“Exactly!” Li Yin Zhu slapped the Table and breathed a sigh of relief. “A Nan, let me tell you…”
“Yin Zhu is back?”
Li Yuzhu’s surprised voice came from the Courtyard Entrance.
“I’m back! Second Sister, Eldest Sister!”
Li Yin Zhu sprang up to greet them.
“Why are you dressed like this?” Li Yuzhu exclaimed, looking at Li Yin Zhu in her coarse cloth clothes.
“No, no, these are the clothes I wore back! Mei Jie was afraid they’d get dirty, so she changed me into these.” Li Yin Zhu quickly explained.
Li Xiaonan dragged her small Bamboo Chair to a corner, watching her three Sisters. Two asked, one answered. Before the three of them finished talking, Li Xuedong also rushed back. The three of them surrounded Li Yin Zhu, chattering even louder.
Mei Jie had set out the dishes, but the four of them hadn’t finished talking.
“Let’s eat first!” Li Yuzhu pushed Li Yin Zhu.
“Those are all things Third Sister brought back.” Li Xiaonan pointed.
Li Jinzhu, Li Yuzhu, and Li Xuedong finally saw the pile of parcels on the ground.
“So many! What is all this? How did you bring it? How could you carry it all?” Li Yuzhu exclaimed, her eyes wide.
Li Jinzhu frowned. “What is all this? Why did you bring so many things back?”
“These are pastries for us to eat on the road, given by Old Master. Not a single piece was touched, I brought it all back. This pea cake is delicious.”
Li Yin Zhu untied one package and held it up for everyone to see, then set it aside and untied the second. “Look at this! We’ve never used this before! This is pearl cream, you put it on your face, it’s smooth and very comfortable! This is for hands, Eldest Sister can put a little on every day, and your hands won’t crack in winter. This is for brushing teeth…”
“Did you empty out the Small Courtyard you share with Erlang?” Li Jinzhu asked sternly.
“No, there’s still a lot. Their Hong Family is very rich, their family…”
“Their family is rich, so you just bring back bags and bags to your maiden home?” Li Jinzhu interrupted Li Yin Zhu. “What did Sister-in-law Hou from our village used to say about her? They called her a broom spirit. How did her husband and mother-in-law beat her? Didn’t you see?”
“No, Erlang knows about these things. Some of the packages of Writing Brush and Ink were packed by Erlang for me…”
“Erlang treats you well, you should think of him even more, think of the Hong Family. You are now a wife of the Hong Family, not a daughter of the Li Family. Tell me, how many wives go back to their maiden homes and bring back such a pile of things like you? Have you seen any? Which family? Which one! Have you?”
Li Jinzhu spoke sternly.
Seeing that Li Yin Zhu was about to explain, Li Yuzhu slapped her hard. “Yin Zhu, quickly say you won’t dare next time!”
“N-next time I won’t dare.” Li Yin Zhu was extremely wronged, her throat choked.
“There won’t be a next time, this time is unacceptable! Xuedong, go outside and call a cart to take these things back to her.” Li Jinzhu said sternly.
Li Xuedong said “Ayi” and quickly ran out.
“Eldest Sister, Third Sister is back, please calm down, no matter what…” Mei Jie timidly persuaded a few words. Seeing Li Jinzhu’s stern face and silence, she dared not say more.
“A Nan, you persuade her.” Li Yuzhu nudged Li Xiaonan.
Li Xiaonan gave a dry laugh. “Eldest Sister is really angry, not pretending to be angry. Third Sister, you haven’t changed your Clothes yet.”
The cart arrived quickly. Mei Jie and Li Xuedong took turns, piling all the large collection of things onto the cart. Li Yuzhu helped Li Yin Zhu change her Clothes and, pushing the crying Li Yin Zhu, sent her onto the cart.
