"Xiangli, what are you thinking about? Why are you so quiet?" Aunt Chen nudged Li Xiangli back to her senses.
Li Xiangli snapped out of her thoughts and laughed awkwardly. "Ah? Oh, I was just thinking how unfortunate it all is."
After all, the man was already dead. Feeling a little sorry wasn't going to hurt anyone.
But to Aunt Chen, Xiangli's words carried a different meaning. Her expression turned mischievous. "Xiangli, you're still young, and you're good-looking. If you want to remarry, it wouldn't be out of the question. Though I personally think remarrying isn't particularly dignified, I know how hard it is for a woman to raise kids alone. If you truly want to find a man, I think the hunter Jiang Dong from the village would be a good match…"
Li Xiangli quickly interrupted her, waving her hands. "Aunt Chen, please don't trouble yourself. I feel fine raising the kids on my own. Xiaozhu and Le'er also don't want me to remarry. I think it's best if we just…"
Aunt Chen frowned. "What's wrong with these kids? Don't they know how hard life is for you? What, do they want you to grow old and lonely? This won't do. I need to have a word with them!"
Li Xiangli couldn't help but laugh. "Aunt! It's not the kids' fault—I don't want to remarry either. I'm confident I can take care of them and provide a good life for us."
Aunt Chen sighed. "You're such a stubborn girl. Well, fine. As long as Xiaozhu grows up filial, you'll be fine, even without a man in your life."
Li Xiangli agreed wholeheartedly and smiled warmly.
Aunt Chen leaned closer and whispered, "But you really don't think Jiang Dong is a good match?"
Li Xiangli, feeling exasperated, replied, "It's not that he's bad. I just don't want to marry anyone right now. Aunt, please don't play matchmaker for me. Jiang Dong's a great guy, but what would he get out of marrying a woman with two kids? It'd be unfair to him, and besides, I just don't like him."
Only then did Aunt Chen let the matter drop.
Li Xiangli wasn't against the idea of marriage itself, but she wanted it to be based on love. Without love, she'd rather stay single—even if her late husband somehow came back from the grave!
Elsewhere, a certain man sneezed out of nowhere. Was he catching a cold?
Li Xiangli started considering bamboo shoots for her next business venture. If properly pickled, they could sell well. Pickled foods were convenient to store, and pickled bamboo shoots could last up to a year. She had already researched the market. In this era, there were very few long-lasting pickled vegetables available—just some basic salted and spicy options. This meant there was a large gap in the market.
Whether it was Sichuan pickles or Korean-style kimchi, Li Xiangli had mastered the recipes. If she was going to set up a stall, it might as well focus on pickled vegetables. She could even try making preserved sausages from the pig offal she had bought. The profit margins were promising!
Excited by the possibilities, she decided to go into town the next day to buy supplies. However, her money was running low. To make ends meet, she gathered medicinal herbs from the mountain to sell at the Jirentang.
Bringing the kids to the bustling market would be inconvenient, especially since it was market day, and the streets would be packed. She decided it was safer to leave them with Aunt Chen for the day.
Early the next morning, after breakfast, Li Xiangli locked the house carefully, even sealing the windows. The Guo family, who were just heading out to the fields, saw her doing this.
Old Lady Guo sneered sarcastically. "What's the point of locking up so tightly? Who would even want to steal from such a broke and pathetic household?"
In reality, her fingers itched to get inside. Ever since Wei had told her about the little treasures Li Xiangli had been hiding, she'd been eyeing them greedily.
Li Xiangli picked up a sickle from the firewood pile and stabbed it into the ground with a sharp motion. Old Lady Guo took a frightened step back, remembering Xiangli's previous outburst.
Li Xiangli's tone was icy. "I don't have anything valuable, but if some shameless thief tries to take even that, they'd better pray I don't catch them. I'm not one to forgive easily."
With that, she walked off with Xiaozhu and Le'er in tow, not sparing the Guo family another glance.
Old Lady Guo paled at the sight of the sickle. This was a blatant threat! Flustered, she started yelling. "Who wants your stupid junk anyway? Acting like you're rich just because you've got a few coins! If you're so well-off, why don't you move into a proper house? Ridiculous!"
Wei-shi quickly tried to calm her down. "Mother don't stoop to her level. Ever since she woke up from her accident, she's been like a crazy woman. Let's just leave her be."
As they walked, Li Xiangli couldn't help but think about her current home. The run-down shack wasn't worth repairing. It would be better to build a brand-new house in a better location, far away from the Guo family. But that would cost at least 30 to 40 taels of silver—a hefty sum. Still, she was confident she could make it happen.
"When Mother makes lots of money, we'll build a big house for our family," she said to the kids, smiling.
Le'er's eyes sparkled. "As big as Grandma's house?"
Li Xiangli frowned slightly. "Bigger."
"Really?!" Le'er exclaimed.
"I promise, by winter, Xiaozhu and Le'er will be living in a warm, cozy new home," she said with determination.
As they chatted and walked, a bullock cart approached. It was Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu.
"Xiangli, are you heading to town?" Uncle Liu asked, a bit hesitant.
Before Li Xiangli could reply, Aunt Liu jumped off the cart and greeted her warmly. "We're heading to town too. Let's go together!"
Li Xiangli hesitated. "Oh, it's okay. I've arranged for Dazhu to take me on his cart. Thank you, though."
Aunt Liu didn't have it. "Nonsense! We're going the same way. Right, old man?"
Uncle Liu looked uncomfortable, glancing at the others already on the cart. He was clearly worried they wouldn't like the idea.
Sure enough, the women on the cart cast disdainful glances at Li Xiangli. Aunt Liu, however, glared at them fiercely. "What's the matter? If you don't like it, you can walk! This is our cart, not yours!"
Disclaimer:
I am not the original author of this work. This is a translated version of the original text, shared for reading and reference purposes only. All rights to the original content belong to the original author. I do not claim ownership of the original work or its characters. This translation is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes.