Chapter 247: Asking Directly
Gu Yan had to rush back to Linhai Town to attend to ongoing silk orders. After lunch, Li Xiaonan and Wan Jing left in the same carriage. By the time they returned home to Pingjiang City, the courtyard was filled with large and small bamboo baskets that hadn’t been tidied up yet.
Li Xiaonan dragged a small chair over herself and sat under the corridor, watching the bustle in the courtyard. After a moment, she called out, “Where is Second Sister?”
“She went to the workshop. They’re starting tomorrow, and your Second Sister is worried, so she went to check,” Mei Jie replied loudly.
An indescribable feeling welled up in Li Xiaonan’s heart as she propped her chin in her hand and pondered.
In their family, Third Sister was the easiest to get information from, while Second Sister was quiet and cunning, the hardest to pry anything out of. And she was so busy, it was difficult to even find an opportunity to talk.
This matter couldn’t wait, alas, it seemed she had to ask directly.
How should she ask?
Even if she found out the truth about this matter privately, if anything were to be done, Eldest Sister would definitely have to agree first. So, it would be better to tell Eldest Sister first and let Eldest Sister ask Second Sister.
Third Sister had said that Eldest Sister and Second Sister told each other everything.
Li Xiaonan made up her mind and walked over to Eldest Sister, Li Jinzhu, who was hanging strings of sausage one by one from a bamboo basket.
“Eldest Sister, I have something to tell you.”
“Go ahead,” Li Jinzhu said, bending down to take out another string of sausage.
“It needs to be said quietly,” Li Xiaonan lowered her voice.
“Hmm?” Li Jinzhu turned to look at Li Xiaonan, who had a smile on her face. She finished hanging the sausage in her hand, wiped her oily hands on some dried vegetables, and asked Li Xiaonan, “Where should we talk?”
“Here, here, this is fine,” Li Xiaonan pushed her Eldest Sister to sit under the corridor, nudged her small bamboo chair closer, and sat near her Eldest Sister.
“Eldest Sister, listen to me, don’t make a sound, and keep a straight face.”
Li Jinzhu responded with a speechless “Mm.”
“At first, my ink stick went missing,” Li Xiaonan started with the ink stick.
Li Jinzhu nodded; she knew about this.
“…And that’s how the ink stick was found,” Li Xiaonan explained the matter of the ink stick as simply as possible.
“You asked the Young Lord to investigate a few ink sticks for such a small matter?” Li Jinzhu looked at Li Xiaonan in disbelief.
“Huh?” Li Xiaonan was stunned. Her Eldest Sister’s train of thought was wrong, it had veered off course!
“Eldest Sister, Second Sister took the ink stick. When I asked her, she just stayed silent. Eldest Sister, do you know what’s going on?” Li Xiaonan tried to steer her Eldest Sister back on track.
“You and the Young Lord…”
“Eldest Sister, let’s talk about Second Sister first. Second Sister’s matter is urgent…”
“You and your Second Sister worry about you the most!”
“Let’s talk about Second Sister first. You’ll know after you listen. I’m much better off than Second Sister,” Li Xiaonan pulled the topic back forcefully.
“Speak!”
“I went to see that Ni Rush today. Eldest Sister, please listen to me first! Don’t glare, stay calm!”
Li Jinzhu took a deep breath. “Speak!”
“That Ni Rush is very good-looking, only a little less so than the Young Lord. The Young Lord said he’s smart, has willpower, and can endure hardship; he’s quite talented. You should ask Second Sister if she’s taken a liking to this Ni Rush. If she has, then that.”
Li Xiaonan looked at her Eldest Sister with a forced smile. “See, it’s still Second Sister’s… that, right?”
The next day, when Li Xiaonan woke up, Second Sister had already left. Eldest Sister was sitting under the corridor, sewing shoe soles, waiting for Li Xiaonan to wake up.
After Li Xiaonan washed up, Mei Jie brought her the two small buns she had saved, a bowl of porridge, and a dish of steamed sausage. Li Jinzhu picked up a comb and sat behind Li Xiaonan, talking while combing her hair.
“I asked your Second Sister. She said there’s nothing to it; she just saw that Ni Daniang and her son were having a hard time, similar to how we were back then, and thought you didn’t need those ink sticks, so she gave them to them.”
“Then why did Second Sister say nothing?” Li Xiaonan asked, turning her head.
“Don’t move around,” Li Jinzhu tapped Li Xiaonan with the comb, paused, and then continued:
“I saw what your Second Sister meant. Alas, your Second Sister said: Ni Dalang is talented and ambitious. She said Ni Daniang told her about a matchmaker coming to propose marriage. Ni Dalang said that if they got married and had children within a year or two, he would have to focus on earning money to support the family and wouldn’t be able to concentrate on studying and examinations.
“Ni Dalang said he would study until he was thirty. If he couldn’t enter the academy by then, he would give up. He would marry whoever he could, earn money to support his family, and live a good life.
“Your Second Sister said that if Ni Dalang didn’t pass by thirty, perhaps this marriage could be considered. But she felt Ni Dalang would definitely pass. If Ni Dalang became a Xiucai Scholar, she wouldn’t be worthy, and neither would our family. Your Second Sister said she never dared to think too much about it.”
Li Xiaonan gave a vague “Mm.”
Second Sister wasn’t just not thinking about it; she had thought through every possibility.
“Does Eldest Sister want to go see that Ni Dalang? Ni Dalang is truly incredibly handsome, very tall, upright, and spirited,” Li Xiaonan asked with a smile, turning her head.
“Don’t move around. What do you mean by that? Why would I look at him?” Li Jinzhu lightly patted Li Xiaonan’s head.
“The Young Lord thinks he’s quite good,” Li Xiaonan said with a smile.
“Yu Ting said the Young Lord treats you very well?” Li Jinzhu subconsciously lowered her voice.
Li Xiaonan remained silent.
“Yu Ting said A Wu always thought the Young Lord took her in for a great purpose. She said last winter, they ran into Master Shi Gunshi Ye, who is by the Young Lord’s side, and A Wu asked Master Shi about it, and he said.”
Li Jinzhu paused.
“He said Master Shi said the Young Lord took A Wu in because she’s a girl and it would be convenient for her to be by your side.”
Li Xiaonan gave a soft “Mm.”
“Can’t you say a few more words to Eldest Sister?” Li Jinzhu frowned and tapped Li Xiaonan on the head.
“He’s a good friend he can talk to. People like the Young Lord value being able to converse. For a noble like him, finding someone to talk to is extremely difficult,” Li Xiaonan said, lowering her eyes.
“A Nan, your Second Sister really didn’t think too much about it. Our family is doing better than ever right now. Don’t you overthink things. If you sacrifice yourself for the family, your Second Sister wouldn’t be happy even if she married the Erlang God,” Li Jinzhu said solemnly, word by word.
“Don’t worry, Eldest Sister. Don’t you know me? I never sacrifice myself,” Li Xiaonan said with a quick smile.
“Your hair is done. I’m going to Huating County with Yu Ting to collect the fabric. If you need to go out, have A Wu accompany you. Don’t ride a horse; walk if it’s close, and call for a carriage if it’s far.”
After Li Jinzhu finished combing Li Xiaonan’s hair, she chattered a few more instructions, picked up the cloth bag containing their provisions, and left with Yu Ting.
Li Xiaonan walked around the courtyard a few times and decided to go to Guo Lane Town to see her Weaving School.
