The girl was surprised to see Su WuLi, but she entered the courtyard and came closer, keeping a distance of a few meters. Seeing her, Su Jian felt some bitterness in his heart.
Che XuDan had also transmigrated?
"Are you my Su family gufu?"
Not knowing what to say, Su WuLi stood up silently and BaiBai bleated. Li BaoGui appeared through the kitchen door, preventing his husband-enemy from digesting anything.
"Dan'er has finally returned." He greeted normally, and the young woman smiled at him. "If I had known, I would have gone to meet you outside together with gege."
"Dad warned that we'd be back in a letter, didn't Shushu hear about it?"
"He had no idea. My illness hasn't improved in the last year, so I've spent a lot of time in bed."
"I hope shushu can get better soon." The cheap niece looked at Su WuLi once more.
"This Su WuLi... My husband." Li BaoGui faltered as he said it due to his embarrassment. "H-Husband, this is my elder brother's daughter, Li XuDan."
But Su Jian was happy. Not only Che XuDan had not transmigrated with them, he had a cheap niece who called him gufu and Li BaoGui had called him husband.
Li XuDan smiled at Su WuLi and bowed slightly to greet him.
"Your shushu, my wife, has prepared some cakes, join us for lunch. We'll introduce you to your little cousin." Su WuLi was pleased, so much so that he even made an unnecessary clarification.
"Go, go." Li BaoGui ordered his niece to go inside and she obeyed.
Once they were alone the distance between them was shortened, Su Jian leaned over to allow Li Yan to speak in his ear.
"Li BaoGui's elder brother left for another county with his wife and daughter quite some time ago, almost a year before Li BaoGui married Su WuLi. That's the reason the original didn't know her and neither did you."
Su Jian could feel Li Yan's breath in his ear, and he had to struggle very hard to manage to concentrate on the information.
"Although her name is XuDan, she is not my Che XuDan."
The family of three sat down to eat together with their guest. Li Huan was excited to meet another person from the Li family, one who was not as distant as the rest of them.
Within that residence, and that family, he did not feel very welcome, in fact, Su WuLi was greeted with a cold shoulder from the beginning; for that very reason, Li BaoGui had been isolated within his home, and he was never informed of the return of his brother and niece.
Li BaoGui was aware of this, but had clung to Su WuLi in the two years of their marriage. Things only got worse when she fell ill and maid Hua Zhang became the only person to visit that courtyard.
"Thank you shushu, your cooking is very good. Even better than I remember."
"Dan'er went away long ago, naturally, I've improved a little with my cooking skills." Li Yan considered the way the original Li BaoGui spoke, he didn't want to sound so different. "After getting married, one should get better at one's duties as a wife."
If Li Huan was an impetuous child he might have gone so far as to mention that the change was sudden, but he did not.
"Is shushu happy with his marriage?" The young woman questioned.
Li Yan felt in a difficult situation, but he was sincere.
"I am."
Su Jian felt like he could have vomited from happiness, until his brain made his joy wane by reminding him that this was something Li BaoGui 'should' say.
"Is that so? However, upon arriving and talking to the rest of the family, my father said that shushu marriage was like drawing the legs of a snake."
Ah, that was an aspect that Li Yan suddenly got from the memories, Li XuDan was the living example that disaster comes from careless conversation.
"It's not useless. They just don't agree."
"If shushu is happy and little cousin feels the same way, then it's fine with me." She smiled.
Despite her careless talk, Li XuDan proved to be a well-mannered and polite young lady; she lacked the impulsiveness and brashness of the Che XuDan that Li Yan knew from youth. That made him miss his friend a little, he really regretted leaving her alone.
A shichen later, that cheap niece finally left and Li Huan took to playing in the courtyard before the night fully came.
Su WuLi decided to rearrange everything that had been used and soiled, while Li BaoGui sat near the door drinking a cup of tea.
"It's going to be winter soon. I'm going to get some more warm clothes for Huan'er." he commented as he looked outside. "It's already started to get cold."
"Buy winter clothes for yourself too. I'll put a thick quilt on your bed, and burn coal during the winter nights. You still need to recover."
"Thank you. Although the medicine tastes bitter now, I feel better than the original Li BaoGui did. "
As Li Yan spoke, multiple drops of water fell on the ground outside. Li Huan did not wait to be called by his parents, and ran to take shelter under the roof that covered the kitchen surroundings a bit. BaiBai followed him and lay down next to him.
"This is the Qiufen and I'll have to get some work done before it starts snowing, I'm going to be out tomorrow." Having finished with the kitchen arrangement, Su WuLi sat down on the floor in front of Li BaoGui. "Maybe you should ask Che XuDan to keep you company."
"I'll be fine by myself. I'll wake up early and prepare takeout for you. "
"Don't forget to make your medicine at the appointed time. "
"I won't forget, it's an important matter." Li BaoGui assured.
"When we were kids, you used to forget. I was the one who checked the clock every 5 minutes waiting for the indicated time."
"Back then I didn't take it seriously, now I've grown up. I'm taller and better looking." Setting the teacup aside, Li BaoGui repeated the words Che XuDan once told him.
"That I can see." Su Jian said without thinking.
Once again, there was silence between the two.
The sound of rain patting on the roof adorned the background of the scene, and an icy breeze came to caress Li BaoGui's pleasant face. For Su WuLi, that was a gratifying sight.
"You asked me if I wanted a divorce, and the truth is, I wouldn't like it. I think it's... fine if we stay together."
After an awkward silence, Li BaoGui replied:
"You're right. It's better if we go through this together, since we both come from very different lives."
That was not what Su Jian meant, it did not represent any of the emotions he wanted to express. However, it was not a foolish decision.
"Yes, that's just what I meant." he said with resignation.
Li Huan walked quietly into the kitchen due to the cold outside. He didn't want to interrupt his parents and planned to sit in a far corner, but Li BaoGui beckoned him closer with a wave of his hand.
When he was close, Li Yan picked him up and sat him on his lap. He held his cheap son's small hands between his own, seeking to bring him some warmth. It was an unexpected scene for Li Huan, who was really afraid to be alone wandering the streets again.
Li BaoGui held him warmly, and his cheap son's eyes became moist with tears. Although Li Huan was happy enough to cry, he didn't want to, and sought Su WuLi's gaze.
"Yifu..."
It was not a good idea, because his father's eyes were also filled with water. The sight of his husband and son together was too much for Su Jian's heart.
"Don't worry, Huan'er, this father of yours is just sweating."
"How can you sweat when it's so cold, have you gotten sick too?" Li BaoGui tried to bring one of his hands to the other's forehead, but Su WuLi avoided him.
"I'm fine."
"I've been inconsiderate to let you sleep elsewhere, perhaps it's better if you sleep in our bedroom."
Su Jian's mind immediately wandered; it was his biggest dream to sleep next to Li Yan, it would be an amazing experience. It would be even better if the distance between the two of them was close, and if there were no clothes in between.
A million improper images filled his mind, and soon his gaze darkened. He got up like a spring and left the kitchen, leaving only a brief explanation:
"I need cold water."
Su WuLi did not sleep with Li BaoGui, and awoke early the next day. The rain had stopped during the night, but had returned at dawn as a drizzle.
The sky was gray and the cold breeze pushed the lanterns hanging in the eaves. Li BaoGui handed the paper umbrella to his enemy-husband, then hugged himself for some warmth.
Su WuLi raised the umbrella over his head and took a few steps until he left the protection of the roof, turned around before leaving and looked at Li BaoGui silently not knowing what to say. It had been a long time since his grandfather had last sent him away, and he had been living alone ever since.
"Take care of yourself." Li Yan, for his part, used the words his mother always used.
Su WuLi nodded and walked toward the exit. Li BaoGui watched him walk away, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat, for he still had doubts.
However, Li Yan knew the life story of that nemesis of his; he knew the loneliness that Su Jian faced in his childhood, adolescence and that seemed to follow him into adulthood.
Taking a step forward amidst the moderate morning chill, Li BaoGui said something Li Yan never dared to say in his world:
"I... Huan'er and I are going to be waiting for you."
Su Jian considered Li Yan a heartless man on different occasions, and also considered him someone indifferent to the suffering of others; he never expected such words. He only looked back and nodded with a smile.
Having heard the words, he had always longed for during his life, Su Jian left to fulfill his duties in the field.
• • • • • • • • • • •
1. Gufu.
Uncle. Husband of the father's sister. Husband of the paternal aunt.
2. Qiufen.
Autumn equinox. It is the sixteenth of the twenty-four solar terms.