Call Me the Mother of Quick Transmigration

by Usui Takumii

not mine, from bubble tea translations.wordpress.

20. 187 to 193

Chapter 187 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 1)

The sky was slightly bright, and there was no one else in the room. Li Su quietly entered the space and saw that the things were still inside. She breathed a long sigh of relief. Fortunately, she had already prepared. There were eight boxes of RMB and US dollars, and two boxes of gold jewellery. She had planned to prepare a box of gold bricks, but she was afraid that the gold bricks would be too eye-catching and would not be easy to sell. So, she replaced it with gold bracelets, gold necklaces, and other things. There was some precious jewellery that she treasured. These were the magic weapons for her to settle down in the future!

Li Su proudly looked around, nodded with satisfaction, and then walked out of the space with a gold bracelet.

As soon as she left the space, she heard movement outside.

Li Su opened the door and a young woman knelt in front of the door with two children, a boy and a girl. The two children were twins, and their appearances were not very similar. It was likely that one looked like their father and the other looked like their mother. They were about five or six years old. When the young woman saw Li Su come out, she quickly kowtowed to her. "Mother, please, don't sell the girl! Your daughter-in-law will make more needles and thread in the future to make more money, so please!"

"It's early in the morning. What's the point of crying? It's unlucky." Li Su imitated the tone of the original body. "Who said I wanted to sell the girl? My son is a scholar. How can there be a scholar who sells their sons and daughters? You are not afraid of being embarrassed."

The young woman was overjoyed. "Is that true? Thank you, mother. I will do more needlework and make more money."

The boy next to her widened his eyes. "But grandma, I clearly heard you and Mrs. Xu say that the family owes a lot of debts, so you have to sell younger sister to pay the debts."

The young married woman hurriedly covered her son's mouth. "Boy Yuan, don't talk nonsense!"

"You two talk. Don't be afraid of being embarrassed!" Li Su said with a stern face.

The young married woman hurried in with the pair of children.

Li Su sighed. "A-Yu failed many times. It's not easy for him to study at home, and your father was seriously ill two years ago. In order to treat him, the family still owes a lot of debts. You know what the current situation is at home. Yesterday, Mrs. Xu came to borrow money. In order to dissuade her, I deliberately lied to her and said that there is no rice to cook at home and that I will sell the girl."

The young married woman was still very simple and immediately believed Li Su. Although her children were smart, they were still young and believed it.

"Thank you, mother! I knew that mother is the most kind-hearted!" the young married woman said quickly in order to please Li Su.

"Okay, stop talking nonsense. You all know the situation at home now. I have to sell some dowry. Yingniang, come here." Li Su beckoned her daughter-in-law to come over, and then took out a golden bracelet from her sleeve.

"This is a gold bracelet from my dowry. You can take it to the pawnshop quietly and see how much money you can get. If you can't get much, it's fine! These things are merely items. When my son is successful, how many gold bracelets will we be able to buy?" Li Su said. "You also need to do less needlework. Don't ruin your eyes. A-Yu will return as a first-class candidate who passed the provincial exam1. You are blind. Don't embarrass A-Yu!"

Yingniang was moved to tears. She was a very traditional woman. She considered her husband as her god. When her husband was absent, her mother-in-law was the god. She believed in her mother-in-law's words. There was no doubt about the origin of this gold bracelet.

On the other hand, Boy Yuan had some doubts. If this was really the old madam's dowry, why didn't she take it out when grandpa was sick and had to pay to see a doctor?

Boy Yuan couldn't understand it, but he knew that if the family had money, his younger sister would not be sold. Therefore, Boy Yuan was also very happy.

Li Su sighed after coaxing her daughter-in-law and grandchildren to leave.

Li Su didn't lie. The original owner did not plan to sell her granddaughter this time. She and Mrs. Xu were really joking. At that time, the original owner still had the spirit of a scholar, and disdained selling sons and daughters. She believed that, as long as she survived this period and her son passed the exam and became a successful candidate who passed the provincial exam, then everything would be different.

But, not long after, her son Li Yu came back in shambles. It turned out that Li Yu was arrogant and his words offended people. On the night before the provincial exam, he was beaten up. He missed the provincial exam and was angry and full of regret.

At that time, the original owner really panicked. Not only did her son not succeed, but he was also terminally ill. The family had no money to treat her son.

The original owner really had no choice. One day, she lied and said that she took her granddaughter, Girl Ru, out to borrow money, but Girl Ru was lost on the way. Yingniang cried a lot. She knew that her mother-in-law sold her daughter so that she could get a doctor for her husband. One side was her terminally ill husband and the other was her own flesh and blood. Yingniang had no choice.

Although Li Yu had recovered, he still needed to spend money to support his health and study. The original owner had no choice but to do the same thing again. She was reluctant to sell her only grandson, so she quietly sold her daughter-in-law to a passing trader. For the sake of face, the original owner also lied and said that her daughter-in-law had eloped with someone because her husband was seriously ill.

All of this was done secretly, so everyone believed it and accused Yingniang of being ruthless and shameless.

Li Yu knew everything his mother did, but for the sake of face, he pretended not to know. Even when outsiders accused and insulted Yingniang, he pretended to be in pain.

They relied on the money from selling Yingniang and Girl Ru. After Li Yu recovered from his illness, he went to teach in a private school and helped others to copy and write letters. The next 3 years for the Li family went by smoothly.

Three years later, Li Yu successfully passed the provincial exam. Then, he took part in the civil servant exam, but unfortunately failed. Li Yu did not lose heart and continued to study hard at home. Six years later, he finally successfully passed the civil servant exam and became a second-class graduate. During this period, many people proposed to Li Yu, but Li Yu refused. Because of this, he also gained a reputation for being an affectionate person.

Later, when Li Yu's family went to Gold Mountain Temple to offer incense, they happened to encounter the widowed princess of Prince Kang's mansion who was mourning the loss of her husband. The princess took a fancy to him and he was recruited as the princess' consort. Being the princess' consort was not as good as being the official son-in-law of the emperor, but he could enter the court as an official. Prince Kang was the younger brother of His Majesty. His Majesty trusted Prince Kang deeply. If his wife had such a family, then his future career could be realised!

But then something unexpected happened.

On the night of their marriage, in the bridal chamber, Li Yu and the princess drank a glass of wine lovingly. They had just put down the glass when they suddenly they both felt a sharp pain in their chests at the same time. After a while, they fell to the ground.

The servants in the room turned pale with fright and screamed. The princess was Prince Kang's only beloved daughter, and she was highly favored. Now that they had died tragically, the servants wouldn't be able to live anymore.

At the same time, there was a scream from Mother Li's house. Everyone saw Li Yu's son, Li Yuan, walking out of Mother Li's house with a sharp blade in his hand.

To everyone's horror, Li Yuan told them of Li Yu and Mother Li selling his younger sister and his mother. Li Yuan also said that Prince Kang's mansion helped force his younger sister to death. Then, in front of everyone, he slit his neck with the knife.

At the same time, the streets and alleys were covered with white paper that had all the actions of Li Yu and Prince Kang's mansion.

Prince Kang's mansion was caught off guard, so the matter spread.

It turned out that Li Yuan had guessed what Li Yu and Li Su did at the time, but he had no evidence. He had been secretly paying attention to the investigation for so many years. Finally, last year, he found the whereabouts of his younger sister. It turned out that his younger sister was sold into a brothel and became Prince Kang's mistress.

Prince Kang doted on his younger sister a lot, and Li Yuan felt a little relieved. He thought about taking his younger sister out of there. But, Li Yuan saw that his younger sister seemed to have really fallen in love with Prince Kang. He was afraid of making a rash appearance and hurting his younger sister. Therefore, Li Yuan was in a dilemma. But, he didn't expect that Prince Kang's older sister took a fancy to his father. Li Yuan knew that it was not good. When he went to his younger sister's residence again, he found that his younger sister had died tragically. From the mouth of the servant girl who served his younger sister, he learned that it was Prince Kang who strangled his sister to death himself. When his younger sister died, she was three months pregnant.

Li Yuan was full of remorse. He hated his father and grandmother. They were ruthless, unscrupulous, and shameless. He hated himself for not taking his younger sister away earlier. As a result, he ended up sacrificing his younger sister in vain. He hated that Prince Kang was ruthless and unjust. He hated Prince Kang's mansion, who acted with utter disregard for human life!

Li Yuan was determined to avenge his mother and younger sister, so he planned.

As soon as this matter came out, the officials and censors of the officials filed papers one after another. Some of them participated in Li Yu's immorality, and some of them participated in Prince Kang's mansion's disregard for life, and more.

In the end, the emperor issued a decree to deprive Li Yu of all his fame. Prince Kang had his position stripped and his salary reduced by 80%.

As for the dead Li Yuan, he killed his father and did something rebellious. Li Yuan's corpse was whipped for 3 days to set an example to others.

Prince Kang was the male lead of this story. He was a famous playboy in the capital. He really liked Ru'er, otherwise he would not have taken the risk of keeping her in an outside house as a mistress. It was just that, compared to his older sister's happiness, the prince decided to give up on Ru'er. After that incident, he changed his mind and worked hard. After his injury was healed, he went to the frontier to join the army, experienced all sorts of battles, and got to know the female lead of this story. The female lead was a foreign princess. The two experienced countless twists and turns, and finally ended up getting married, happily together forever.

Li Su shook her head helplessly when she thought of this. Although Prince Kang's mansion had deserved what happened to it, the original owner and Li Yu were the ones who started everything.

If it wasn't for them being ruthless, things wouldn't necessarily have ended up like that. Her task this time was Li Yu, Li Yuan and Li Ru.

Yes, because of gaining the space, Li Su's tasks had also increased. The system was really unwilling to take any loss!

But it didn't matter. Li Su would do whatever was necessary and adapt to the situation. She had nothing to be afraid of.

"Grandma, you really won't sell younger sister?" Li Su turned around and saw Li Yuan looking at her.

"Why would I sell your younger sister? Such a thin and small girl won't fetch much. It's better to sell you since you are much fatter than your younger sister!" Li Su said angrily.

But Li Yuan laughed. He knew that grandma liked him the most, so she would be reluctant to sell him! "Grandma is reluctant to sell me. I'm grandma's grandson!" When he finished saying that, he threw himself into Li Su's arms.

"It's good that you know that. Don't worry. Although life is a little more difficult now, it will be better when your father passes the provincial exam," Li Su said while holding her grandson.

"Grandma, I will eat less in the future and save things for my younger sister. My younger sister is young and can't eat much," Li Yuan said seriously.

After all, he was still afraid that grandma would sell his sister! He thought that as long as he coaxed his grandma well, grandma wouldn't sell his younger sister.

Li Su rolled her eyes. This clever little kid…

1.(舉人) this term is specifically used for a successful candidate in the provincial exams. I'm not sure how to properly translate this to English, so it's just this long descriptor for now

Chapter 188 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 2)

"Okay, grandma promises you that grandma won't sell your younger sister! Where's your mother? Is she out?" Li Su asked.

"Well, mum is out. Grandma, can I take younger sister to play in the yard?" Li Yuan asked.

"You can. Don't go to the edge of the well! If you fall in, you won't be able to get out!" Li Su threatened.

"Got it!" Li Yuan cheered, got off Li Su's lap, and ran out.

Li Su began to look at the Li family home. This was the ancestral house of the Li family. Li Yu and his mother were so difficult. They would rather sell the wife and daughter than sell the house. It was a closed courtyard with three rooms. The main room was in the middle. Li Su lived east of the main room, and the study was west of the main room. The west wing was where Li Yu and Mrs. Yingniang lived. The east wing was where the kitchen and miscellaneous items were kept.

There was a well in the east of the yard, and some vegetables were growing in the west. Although there were not many things in the house, it was clean and tidy.

Li Su nodded with satisfaction. This daughter-in-law was quite diligent.

Later, when she saw the clothes placed by the well, she couldn't help but frown.

Li Yuan, who was playing in the yard, saw it and quickly ran over. "Grandma, mother is not lazy. She is going to wash the clothes after she comes back."

"Okay, okay. I haven't even said anything yet. What are you in a hurry for?! Take your younger sister to play. I'll wash the clothes!" Li Su waved her hand and sent Li Yuan away.

Li Yuan's eyes widened. Since his father went for the provincial exam, Grandma stopped working. Now she suddenly says that she wanted to do the laundry. Has the sun risen from the west?

Li Su looked around the well. Apart from the dirty clothes, she only saw some plant ash. She blinked. Didn't someone say that the ancients used Chinese honey locust to wash clothes? Where was the Chinese honey locust? And what was the plant ash used for?

"Grandma, we can't afford Chinese honey locust at home. We use plant ash to wash our clothes," Li Yuan quickly said when he heard Li Su's mutters.

Li Su's eyes widened. She would need to wash the clothes with grass and wood ash. Could they be washed clean? Wouldn't it get dirty the more you wash it?! Li Su looked at the ashes with disgust and shook her head. Was there washing powder and soap in the space? It seemed not! Damn it! Why did she forget to stock up on laundry detergent and powder? She would be sure to remember it next time.

Li Su looked at the pile of dirty clothes and ashes. She was unable to start anything. She hesitated for a long time before she clapped her hands and left.

Li Yuan was relieved after seeing all this. He was just thinking, when did Grandma become so diligent?

After a while, Yingniang came back in a hurry. She closed the door quickly, and went to the main room. "Mother! Mother!"

"What's the rush? Are you being chased by a dog?" Li Su said angrily.

Yingniang came to the door and took out a tightly wrapped ingot of silver from her chest. "Mother, I managed to pawn the bracelet. The pawnshop said that the bracelet was in good condition and the craftsmanship is average. It wasn't made with much gold, so it was worth only twelve taels of silver. Here is twelve taels of silver, and some loose pieces of silver. It's all here."

Although Li Su didn't understand the market, she didn't know whether she made a profit or a loss. However, the pawnshop would definitely not lose money.

"Okay, you can keep it. When you go back home, get whatever you need. As for the family's debt, I'll find another way!" The family still owed thirty taels in debt. This was far from enough! In addition, Li Yu will return with an injury soon, so the family was in desperate need of money! Li Su thought that the protagonist could take something random and go to the pawnshop to pawn it off for thousands or tens of thousands every time. How come it was not her turn?

But Yingniang thought that Li Su's other solution was to sell children, so she knelt down in front of Li Su. "Mother! I will find a way to make money, don't sell Girl Ru!"

Li Su glanced at her and said angrily, "You are a talented lady, don't kneel down! Who said that I want to sell your daughter? I said another way is to pawn off something else. This time I will go by myself!"

Li Su had just thought of an idea, but she didn't know if it would work. As a result, her daughter-in-law gave her such a trick. This was a disappointment!

Yingniang stood up, resigned. "I'm sorry mum. I misunderstood you."

Li Su gave her a look. "Keep the money. Don't mess around. Go and wash the clothes!"

Although Li Su's tone was not very good, Yingniang was happy inwardly. She didn't dare to take the big ingot of silver, but went out with only the small ones.

Li Su shook her head, turned, then entered the bedroom. In fact, she went into the space. Because red wine could be used as a beauty treatment and to maintain a youthful appearance, she had collected a lot of red wine in the space. She also had red wine glasses.

She remembered that although this book was impractical, the time period and main social structure was probably the Song Dynasty. Historically, glasses did not appear until the Ming Dynasty, so glasses should be very valuable now!

Li Su was reluctant to drink the red wine, but she still wanted to drink it. After thinking about it, she took out a red wine glass, found a wooden box and packed it in the box. She then prepared to go out.

When Li Su passed by the yard, she saw Yingniang doing laundry. Yingniang was really washing with the plant ash. Li Su watched with interest. She then remembered something, and asked, "Which pawn shop did you go to?"

"Heng'chang'long!" Yingniang didn't understand what her mother-in-law meant, but she replied immediately.

Li Su nodded. "Okay, I see. You stay at home and close the door. Yuan'er, don't just focus on playing with your sister. Read more books if you have nothing to do and carefully ask your father about your homework!"

Li Yuan and his younger sister were happily playing with ants. When they heard Li Su's words, they rushed over with a smile. "I know. Grandma, do you want to go out?"

"Mm. Obediently practice calligraphy at home. Grandma will come back and bring you back something delicious." Li Su pinched her grandson's face. She then looked at Li Ru, who was standing not far away while looking at her obediently.

Li Yuan was a lively and cheerful child. His appearance and temperament were similar to Li Yu. He was also a boy, so he had always been loved by the original owner and her son. Compared with Li Yuan, Li Ru was a little timid and didn't like to talk much. Even if there was no difference between men and women, the original owner and her son loved Li Yuan more than Li Ru. Children who cried and made trouble had candy to eat. It had been like this since ancient times.

Li Su had the intention to change things, but she was afraid that it would be too late. It might cause Yingniang and Li Ru to panic, so she had to take it slowly!

"Yuan'er, teach your younger sister how to read and write. Our family is a scholarly family, and if the girl doesn't know one big character, then she will be laughed at!" Li Su said.

Yingniang looked terrified. Just as she was about to speak, Li Yuan spoke first. "Grandma, I understand. I will teach my younger sister."

Li Su nodded in satisfaction, then went out.

Yingniang looked at her son with a sullen face. "Girls should learn some needlework. What is the point of recognising characters?!"

Li Yuan looked at his own mother helplessly. Fortunately, he knew what his mother was the most afraid of. "Mother, grandma has spoken. Do you dare not listen to grandma?"

Yingniang suddenly stopped talking.

Li Yuan then took his younger sister to wash her hands, then brought the sand table and started teaching his younger sister to read.

Yingniang shook her head helplessly and squatted down to continue the laundry.

Holding the long box, Li Su walked down the street according to the original owner's memory. Not long after, she saw the pawnshop, Heng'chang'long. Li Su walked over without looking around.

She remembered that there was also a pawnshop that had always been in competition with Heng'chang'long, right? What was it called? Yong'an'dang!

Where was Yong'an'dang? Xining West Street!

Li Su found Yong'an'dang and went in. When the man saw her, he was very enthusiastic. "Hey, how come the old lady is free today? Come in quickly. Have some tea!"

"I'm here to pawn things. Where's your shopkeeper?" Li Su asked.

"Does the old lady want to pawn something? This way, please," the guy said with a smile.

"What does the old lady want to pawn?" A man with a hooked nose and white beard came out. He was the chief shopkeeper and rarely attended in person. Usually, the second shopkeeper was responsible for the reception. He heard from his buddy that it was Scholar Li's mother who came to pawn things, so he came in person.

"Everyone is from the village, and the shopkeeper knows our family's situation. I won't say anything else. This is from when my father was a businessman in his early years. He rescued a merchant from the Western Regions. The man gave my father a glass of wine to repay his kindness," Li Su said. She saw a trace of disappointment flash in the shopkeeper's eyes. Li Su continued. "The wine is secondary, and the most important thing is the receptacle used to hold the wine. It is invaluable and is my family's heirloom. If it wasn't for my family facing some hard times at home, I wouldn't take it out."

A hint of curiosity flashed in the eyes of the shopkeeper. Indeed, although wine was rare, it could not be called precious. The shopkeeper was very curious about this priceless wine vessel.

Li Su cleared her throat, and the shopkeeper understood. "Old lady, please come this way." He led Li Su into the back room and closed the door.

Li Su took out the red wine glass when she saw that there was only herself and the big shopkeeper left in the room. The big shopkeeper's eyes were bright! "Is there such a crystal clear cup in the world? It's a miracle!"

The big shopkeeper swallowed his saliva. "Old lady, do you really intend on pawning this glass cup?" To be honest, he definitely wanted it. The prince was worried about his empress mother's birthday gift. This was a rare treasure, so the lord would be happy if he presented it to his lord. At that time, he would receive a great benefit, and he might even be able to transfer to the head business in the capital!

"Of course!" It was just a red wine glass and it was worthless. There were several more in Li Su's space. Outwardly, though, Li Su pretended to be difficult. "Things are dead, people are alive!"

"Old lady said it well. Since it has come to this, I will not treat old lady's people badly." The big shopkeeper hesitated again and again. This glass was invaluable. It was an exaggeration, but they couldn't lose money when they ran a pawnshop. But, if he gave less, it would be inappropriate. What should he do?

"Then how does eighty thousand taels sound?!" The big shopkeeper gritted his teeth and stomped his feet.

Li Su took a deep breath. Damn, the gold bracelet she bought for tens of thousands of yuan was worth a dozen taels, but a red wine glass that cost tens of yuan was worth 80,000 taels!

The shopkeeper saw that Li Su did not speak. He thought that she was not satisfied with the price, and hurriedly said, "Old lady, this is already the highest price within the range I can decide. If you want more, I need to ask for instructions from above. However, this will take a lot of time." He knew that anyone who came to the pawnshop would definitely need money urgently.

"I will! But I have a condition. You, the shopkeeper, are not allowed to reveal to anyone who pawned the wine glass to you, or tell anyone how much money I was compensated for this item!" Li Su decided. Damn, after this mission was over, she must buy a few more red wine glasses to put in the space. No, she should buy a box!

The shopkeeper swore to God that he would not reveal to anyone Li Su's identity and how much the item was worth.

Li Su was relieved. The ancients were still in awe of ghosts and gods. If the shopkeeper could make such an oath, it should not be leaked.

Chapter 189 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 3)

Li Su carried a silver note in her arms and a hundred taels of loose silver in her sleeve. She walked out of the gate of Yong'an'dang. The shopkeeper and the man personally escorted her to the door, warmly and politely. The big shopkeeper even called the top sedan chair for her. The guy didn't understand what the old lady pawned off and didn't know how much money she got, but when he saw the big shopkeeper like that, it must have been a good thing.

Li Su had already felt the gaze of several people and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Damn, this was because she was afraid that others would know that she was rich! If there were sinister people around, then she was afraid that they would target Yong'an'dang.

Li Su didn't refuse their hospitality. She got on the sedan chair. Once she entered, she put all the banknotes and the money into the space. It was still the safest location.

The sedan chair swayed for a while, then suddenly stopped. Li Su lifted the curtain and saw that the sedan chair was parked in an unfamiliar alley.

"Old madam, you are interesting. Hurry up and leave the silver. Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude," the lead bearer said proudly. One of his relatives worked in Yong'an'dang, and he had sent someone to tell him that someone had made a large transaction and was heading out. That was why he deliberately carried the sedan chair and waited near Yong'an'dang.

When he saw the big shopkeeper personally take the old lady out, he knew that his relative wasn't wrong.

There was no fear on Li Su's face. She slowly got off the sedan chair and looked left and right. This was a dead end and there were no people around. It seemed that these people were already prepared. They might have done this often.

Li Su tilted her neck and moved her limbs. She hadn't done this for a long time, so she really missed that feeling. She looked around but couldn't find any handy weapons. She turned her head and saw that the shaft of the sedan chair was about the same thickness as her calf. She pulled the shaft from the sedan chair out using all her strength.

Those tall and big men stared at the boss. Wasn't she an old lady with no strength? How could she be so strong?! Was there something wrong with their eyes?

Li Su vented heartily. Her waist was no longer sore and neither were her legs. Her entire body was full of energy. She looked at the few people on the ground. "Hey kid! Who do you think this grandma is?! The next time I see any of you, I'll beat you up!"

Then, she clapped her hands and walked out.

Li Su was not familiar with this area. After walking for a long time, she could not find the way back. She walked like a headless fly for a while. She was about to ask someone when she saw the man who had just greeted her rush over out of breath. When he saw Li Su, the man's eyes lit up. "Old lady, are you alright? Our shopkeeper did not feel at ease, so he let us come over and take a look. We searched all along the way. We heard that the bearer had carried you here, and we rushed after you. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine! Those idiots who are sitting on the ground wanted me to hand over the money. I refused. I won't take their sedan chair," Li Su said fondly.

The guy's eyes widened and he blinked. "Really? Where are they?"

"I don't know. I think they've worked hard too, and I gave them some money. I guess they went to go for a drink!" Li Su's ability to talk nonsense became increasingly more powerful.

The guy scratched his head, embarrassed. "Really? That's good, that's good!" Did they discover a conscience? It couldn't be? Just after the old lady left, the shopkeeper suddenly remembered that there had been several malicious robberies before. The shopkeeper was a busybody and made him lead people to catch up to the old lady, hoping it would not be too late.

As a result, nothing happened!

"Okay, send it here. I know the way." Li Su said with a smile, and then touched her sleeve. She touched the twelve silver ingots Why didn't she think of putting some loose silvers in her sleeve?

But she still gritted her teeth and took out the silver. "I'm bothering you to make this trip today. Take this silver for tea!"

The guy didn't refuse. "Thank you, old lady!"

When Li Su returned home, Yingniang had already washed the clothes and was preparing lunch in the kitchen. Li Yuan and Li Ru were writing and drawing in the sand table.

When Li Yuan saw that Li Su had returned, he cheered and ran to Li Su's side. But, when he saw that Li Su was empty-handed, he stopped. "Grandma!" Didn't she say that she would buy something delicious?

When Yingniang heard the movement, she came out of the kitchen. "Yuan'er, don't mess around." Then, she smiled. "Mum, you're back? You've worked hard. Mum, let's drink tea!"

"Today is not good for Grandma. Grandma forgot. Grandma will make it up for you later!" Li Su patted Li Yuan's head and smiled.

"Mother, don't give in to him all the time. Now that the family is like this, it's good to have a few hiccups," Yingniang said quickly.

"Go to Taibai Building to call for a feast, then go next door to have Ling Erlang help entertain the guest of honour. Invite the families over to have a meal in order to pay back the money you owe! "Li Su said.

Yingniang's eyes lit up and she said excitedly, "Mother!"

Li Su nodded. Yingniang's eyes were red with excitement. Then, she felt guilty for a while. Her mother pawned her own dowry for this family. When her husband came back, how would she explain it to him?!

Liu Yingniang had completely forgotten that, at this time, her dowry had already been pawned clean.

"What are you still doing? Hurry up! Bring Yuan'er with you," Li Su said as she tapped her arm. This body was really not good. After fighting for a long time, she was very tired. She still had to bribe some people when she returned. She couldn't let Yingniang lose face and be in the limelight.

It's not that Li Su thought it was bad for women to show their faces and be in the limelight, but that was how the world was. In addition, it was better to be cautious so as not to fall into the limelight.

Yingniang quickly took Li Yuan and left together. Only Li Su and Li Ru were left in the house. Li Ru stood timidly to the side. Li Su looked at her, a little helpless, and waved. "Ru'er, come here. Grandma is here."

Li Ru hesitated for a moment, but then walked over slowly.

Li Su took her hand and looked her over. This little girl was really good-looking, and she couldn't blame Prince Kang for taking a fancy to Li Ru and taking her as a mistress. It was just that her dress looked old, as if it was altered from Liu Yingniang's old clothes.

"Tomorrow, let your mother get a few pieces of good material and make you some good clothes to wear. What are you wearing?" Li Su thought about this family. The original owner, Li Yu, and Li Yuan often had new clothes. Li Yu, as the head of the family, had a reputation, so he had to wear new clothes when he went out to meet friends every day. As for the original owner, who considered herself the mother of a scholar and as an old lady of a scholarly family, wanted to save face and refused to wear old clothes. Li Yuan, as the only son in the family, could also have a few new clothes. Only Liu Yingniang and Li Ru wore old clothes every day.

Li Ru heard that Grandma was going to make new clothes for her, and was a little happy, but then she remembered the gloomy look of the family from before. Li Ru said, sensibly, "Grandma, there is no money at home. I don't want new clothes."

Li Su touched Li Ru's hair. "Children don't need to worry about this." There were some things that needed to be done quickly. After all, Li Yu should be on his way back, injured.

Li Su was unable to prevent Li Yu's injury. Even if she could, Li Su did not intend to intervene. She also wanted to take a good □□ while Li Yu was recovering.

Liu Yingniang came back soon. Not long after, the staff from Taibai Building brought a table full of food, and then the creditors of the Li family also came. Li Su was getting old, but regardless of this fact, she settled the debts they owed in front of the big guy.

The creditors were a little puzzled about the Li family's sudden ability to pay off their debts. There was no impermeable wall in the world. They only heard that the old lady of the Li family had pawned off a family heirloom.

The debts owed by the Li family had been paid off, and Li Yu still had a reputation. Although he had failed many times, he was still young.

It was better to cultivate a good relationship in everything.

After paying off the debt, Li Su and Yingniang felt more at ease.

Then, Li Su found a human broker again and bought a few servants, who happened to be a family of three. The man was a crippled mute, the woman was deaf and dumb, and the daughter was healthy, but looked very thin. This family was unwilling to be separated from each other in life or in death. If one wanted to buy them, then they had to be bought together. Fortunately, Li Su took a fancy to the family of three and bought them for five silver taels.

"In the future, your family will live in the east wing. Boil some water first. The three of you will wash up and throw away all the clothes on your body! Yingniang, find some old clothes for them to wear first. I'll make a few clothes for them later. From now on, I will make two new clothes every month. Zuo Kui, was it? You are responsible for the housekeeping, and the rough work of chopping firewood and carrying water. The kitchen will be left to your wife to handle. As for Yan'er, I'll have her serve Ru'er in the future, and play with her!" Li Su decided.

Liu Yingniang was a little lost. "Mother, what should I do?" She used to do these things, but now they would all be taken care of by others. What would she do?

"You? Go and make some new clothes for your husband and Yuan'er and Ru'er! Make them for Ru'er first," Li Su said angrily.

When Liu Yingniang heard that she had something to do, she felt relieved. "I know, mother." Then, she returned to her room happily.

Seeing that his sister had a little girl as a companion, Li Yuan ran to Li Su's side. He took Li Su's hand and said, "Grandma, I want one too."

"You're still young. When you're a little older, I'll get you a study partner! Go study hard first!" Li Su laughed.

Zuo Kui wiped his tears, gestured to his wife. He pointed in the direction of the east wing, and then pointed to the well. Then, Zuo Kui went to the well to draw water. His wife went to the stove to boil water, and the family of three happily took a bath. They then wore the clothes given by the host. Although the clothes were old, they were clean.

At dinner, they ate whatever the host ate, but they refused to eat at the same table.

At night, the family of three slept on a bed. Although the quilt was not new, it was sun-dried and soft. Yan'er fell asleep quickly. Zuo Kui and his wife had red eyes and sighed. They had met a good master! They were grateful!

Chapter 190 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 4)

The benefits of having a few more servants in the family were obvious.

Early in the morning, when Li Su and the others got up, the hot water had already been boiled. After washing up, breakfast was ready. Although Zuo Kui's wife couldn't hear her, her cooking skills were really good. She had leftovers from dinner last night.

This morning, she cooked a pot of thick rice porridge, steamed 3 fresh buns, and made fragrant Chinese chive pancakes.

After breakfast, the Li family recognised her culinary ability.

Li Su was particularly satisfied. As she was now, there was no other higher pursuit than the pursuit of food. "Your culinary ability is good. Keep up the hard work!"

Although Zuo Kui's wife could not hear her, after Zuo Kui made some gestures, she realised that Li Su was praising her, and she was very happy.

She quickly finished her breakfast and took out the dirty clothes that the Li family had changed from. Zuo Kui was chopping firewood and carrying water for her. Yan'er clumsily tried to help, but was called over by Li Su, who was afraid that Yan'er would fall into the well.

"Yan'er, come here and play with Ru'er."

Zuo Kui and his wife motioned for their daughter to go quickly.

Over there, Li Yuan was teaching Li Ru how to read in the sand table. Yan'er looked at it and hurried over. Because of long-term malnutrition, Yan'er was obviously about the same age as Li Ru, but she was a head shorter than Li Ru. "Young Master, Young Miss, can I follow along and learn?"

"Sure, let's learn. My younger sister just started," Li Yuan said indifferently.

Yan'er was overjoyed. Li Ru had a little friend and was also very happy. She held Yan'er's hand, and the three children chatted together.

Li Su sat under the porch and basked in the sun. Liu Yingniang did needlework by the window. The atmosphere was beautiful.

But then, there was loud banging on the door, which broke the silence in the courtyard. Zuo Kui glanced at Li Su, put down the axe in his hand, and limped to open the door.

The children were also frightened by the sound of the door and ran behind Li Su.

The door opened and several people came in with a stretcher.

"This is Mister Li Yu's house, right? Our young master asked me to escort Mister Li Yu back. Now that he has been escorted back, I will leave." A man who looked like a servant bowed, turned around, and wanted to run away, but was caught by Zuo Kui.

"Wait, let's make it clear first. What's wrong with him?" Li Su strode over.

"Ahem! I'm not sure who Mister Li Yu offended. He was beaten with his head covered, so his inner organs were injured and he missed the exam. My son and Mister Li Yu stayed at an inn, and he was kind-hearted. He couldn't bear to see Mister Li Yu like that…so, he asked me to escort Mister Li Yu back. My young master is still waiting for me. I have to go back quickly." Seeing that the man wouldn't let him leave, he had to explain the reason vaguely.

Then, while everyone was unprepared, the man ran away. The others who carried the person saw this and ran after him.

Liu Yingniang had already rushed out at this time. She cried when she saw Li Yu like this.

Li Su rolled her eyes. "Why are you crying? Help me take him into the house first."

At this time, the neighbor, Ling Er, heard the movement and rushed over to help. Together with Zuo Kui, they carried Li Yu to the bed in the west wing. Li Su turned around and took a piece of silver, and said to Ling Er, "Sorry to bother the second master, but I will have to trouble you to ask a doctor for help. Be quick!"

Ling Er nodded, took the money, then left.

"Don't cry! Open the window to get fresh air in. Hurry up! Boil hot water and change A-Yu's clothes." Li Su saw that Li Yu's clothes had not been changed for more than ten days. They were dirty and blood stained. One couldn't even tell what colour they were originally.

Zuo Kui and his wife quickly got to work.

Liu Yingniang wiped her tears and turned to look for clothes.

Li Su stood in front of the window and instructed. "Yuan'er, stay in the house with your younger sister and Yan'er. Don't run around, do you hear me?"

Li Yuan nodded. He held his younger sister's hand tightly and ran to the west wing. They stood at the door and did not dare to come in. There were tears in Li Ru's eyes. What's wrong with Daddy? Li Yuan hugged his younger sister and comforted her silently.

When Ling Er brought the doctor, Li Yu had already been changed out of his dirty clothes. He looked a little more refreshed.

After the doctor checked his pulse, he opened Li Yu's eyes and said a lot of words that no one could understand.

Li Su rolled her eyes. "Doctor, what are the important points that we need to know about my son?"

"The young man has an injured heart and he has also hurt his lungs. He needs to take good care of himself," the doctor said while stroking his beard.

"Doctor, please prescribe the medicine and just say whatever he needs," Li Su said.

The doctor wrote a prescription and Li Su took it. The doctor's handwriting was so flamboyant that she couldn't understand it.

"Take the medicine according to the prescription. Take it three times a day for a month. I will come back in a month to check his pulse. If the situation improves, I will change the prescription," the doctor said.

Li Su looked at Ling Er. "Erlang, I will have to trouble you to make a trip to get the medicine for me. Is there enough money? I'll get you more if it's not enough."

The doctor said, "This recipe requires ginseng and the price of ginseng can be…"

Li Su turned around and went to her room. When she came out, she took a bank note with a value of two hundred taels. "If the doctor's pharmacy has good ginseng, I will buy it. As long as my son can be cured, then it's okay to spend more money."

Liu Yingniang had been crying since just now. But, at this moment, she wiped away her tears and nodded repeatedly. Seeing that her face suddenly turned pale, Li Su softened. "Doctor, can you check my daughter-in-law too?"

The doctor received the bank note, happy in his heart. He nodded, sat down, and checked Liu Yingniang's pulse, only to find out that Liu Yingniang was three months pregnant.

Li Su was shocked. Damn! So Liu Yingniang was sold while pregnant? The original owner was really a sinner!

The doctor also said that Liu Yingniang had blood and qi deficiency, and she needed to take care of it. Without saying a word, Li Su took out another piece of silver and asked the doctor to prescribe the supplements.

Liu Yingniang was surprised and delighted when she learned that she was pregnant. After she gave birth to the twins, she had not been pregnant for several years and she felt sorry for her husband. Now that she was pregnant with great difficulty, her husband had become like this.

After sending the doctor away, Liu Yingniang's eyes were red. "I made my mother spend money."

"Stop talking about those useless things. It's important to keep your body healthy." Li Su waved her hand.

When Li Yu woke up, it was already dark and an oil lamp was lit on the table. When he found out that he was at home, he was relieved. Afterwards, he felt that his body was still a little sore, but it was clean and refreshed. He then remembered that he had missed the provincial exam because of his straightforwardness, and several years of hard work had been in vain.

"Husband Yu are you awake? Mother, Husband Yu is awake!" Liu Yingniang opened the curtain and came in to find that Li Yu was awake. She was very happy.

"A-Yu is awake? That is good timing. The medicine is ready. Drink it while it's hot." Li Su came in with the medicine bowl.

Li Yu looked at his mother and wife and finally calmed down a little. He was still a little ashamed. Li Su helped him sit up. She handed him the medicine bowl and let him drink the medicine. Liu Yingniang brought a glass of water and told him to rinse his mouth.

Just as Li Yu was about to speak, Li Su said, "Okay, wasn't it just missing the provincial exam? What's the big deal? Take care of yourself and go to the next one."

"Mother!" Seeing his mother's reasonable attitude, Li Yu felt even more remorseful. The family was originally a decent family, but in order to provide for him to study, coupled with his father's illness, they were already destitute. He was full of ambition and had prepared for a long time. He didn't expect…

"Okay. With regards to what happened, no matter how sad you are, you can't go back. You need to take care of yourself right now. I forgot to tell you that Yingniang is pregnant," Li Su said.

Li Yu looked at Liu Yingniang in surprise. "Is that true? Yingniang, are you really pregnant?" But then Li Yu thought about the fact that the family was already heavily in debt. Now, he was sick again. Yingniang was pregnant at this time, and to add to the family at this time was…

Li Su saw what he was thinking, and shook her head helplessly. "Yingniang, go see if Yuan'er and Ru'er are sleeping. I have something to tell A-Yu."

Liu Yingniang nodded and took out the empty bowl.

"Mother knows what you're worrying about. Don't worry, the family's debts have been repaid. There is also still money left for you to continue your studies and support your children," Li Su said.

Li Yu couldn't believe it. His mother never kept things from him. He knew the situation at home the best. Where did the money come from?!

Li Su sighed. "Your grandfather rescued a merchant in the Western Regions in his early years. The other party gave him a treasure in order to repay his kindness. Your grandfather regarded it as a family heirloom. It was a pity that your two uncles died young, and your grandfather had only one child left. Your grandfather gave the treasure to his mother before he died. As the saying goes, if you don't reveal your wealth, you can't touch this treasure if you don't think of it as a last resort. If you become an official in the future, it would have been put to good use. Son, there was really no way. I had to take that treasure out and sell it. Things are dead, but people are alive. Nothing is more important than a person."

Li Yu looked like he had listened to a book from heaven. "Mother, what was the treasure?"

"A crystal clear glass cup," Li Su said lightly.

Li Yu's eyes widened. "Mother! How much money did you earn when you pawned it?!" Such a cherished item would definitely be worth a lot of money. So much money…

Li Su glared at him. "What does it matter anymore? It's important to take care of yourself and study hard! Don't worry, the shopkeeper has sworn that he won't tell anyone who pawned the glass cup and how much it was worth. Outsiders won't know. I have kept all those bank notes well hidden. There have been several thieves around the house in the past few days, but they haven't found a penny! Besides, the neighbors are all kind-hearted."

Li Yu was a little relieved. His mother's ability to hide things was really good. After so many years, he had no idea that there was a family heirloom such as a glass cup at home. "Mother! Your son is useless and mother had to pawn the family heirloom!"

"It's good that you know! Work hard and strive for a high rank. If you can get a title conferred on to your wife and have your son inherit your title, your mother can also get an official title!" Li Su said bluntly.

Li Yu was speechless and almost suffered a heart attack. His mother's words took a while to digest. Couldn't his mother be a little more polite when she spoke? He was her son!

Chapter 191 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 5)

Li Yu was cared after for a month. He ate ginseng and cinnamon every day. Although he was not completely cured, he was a lot better and his complexion was rosier than before.

The sun was shining brightly that day. Li Yu sat on the bed and looked outside. He felt a little restless. "Yingniang, I want to go out and get some sun."

Liu Yingniang was walking in the yard holding her stomach. This was at Li Su's request. Li Su asked her to walk in the yard for half an hour every morning and afternoon. Liu Yingniang was now very convinced of her mother-in-law's words, and immediately addressed her mother-in-law after listening to her husband's words.

"Mother, Husband Yu said that he wanted to come out and get some sunshine."

Li Su came out of the main room. "Alright. Zuo Kui, take out the wooden armchair and put a blanket on it." Then she went over and helped Li Yu out.

Li Yuan took his younger sister and Yan'er to read on the sand table. When he saw his father come out of the house, he was very happy and quickly went over to him.

Li Yu was in good spirits. He had already inquired about his son's homework. When he saw his son, he said, "Mother, I think I'm doing well now. Why not let Yuan'er follow me to study every morning? Ru'er can also read with me every morning. Although my daughter doesn't have to be very proficient, it would still be good for her to know a few more words."

Li Su nodded. "We need to thank the second young master of the Ling family for these past few days. I was thinking that, since you want to teach, why don't you ask if the boys in his family would like to learn? If he wants, then you can teach them together."

There were not many people in the Li family left. Li Yu was the only one left. He didn't have any brothers or cousins. He understood that if there were no relatives, then he would have to get along with his neighbours.

"Of course this is possible. But the house is not big enough. There are too many children and there is no place to sit," Li Yu said.

"It's simple. Just teach in the yard. Make a shaded shed and get a few sets of tables and chairs or benches. Anyway, you can teach for half a day and they can rest on rainy days," Li Su thought for a while and said.

Li Yu nodded. "That's fine."

"Okay, then I'll go and talk to Ling Er." Li Su knew that Ling Er would definitely agree. These days, not everyone could read.

Sure enough, when Li Su went next door to discuss this idea, Ling Er's family was very excited and agreed immediately. Although Ling Er was the second child, his older brother died when he was not even an adult. He had several sisters who were also married. Ling Er was actually the only son in the family, but fortunately his wife was able to give birth. He married and had three sons in a few years. Ling Er was a carpenter, and the person he admired most in his life was a scholar. Therefore, he was very enthusiastic about Li Yu's family. Now that Li Yu proposed to teach his son to read, Ling Er was overjoyed.

That night, they played ping pong at home all night. The next morning, they got the tables, chairs, benches, and other things. Together with Zuo Kui, they built an awning in the yard of Li's house. In just half a day, a simple small class was ready.

Ling Er brought the eldest and the second child. The third child was still too young and was breastfeeding. In addition to Li Yuan, Li Ru, and Li Ru's companion, Yan'er, there were five children in total.

Li Su thought that if she wanted to read, she would always have books. There was the pen, ink, inkstone, and paper that needed to be prepared. She was thinking of going out to buy them.

Li Yu hurriedly stopped her. "Mother, I'm not busy." Then he slowly said to Li Su, "Except for Yuan'er, the others are all beginners. I have the enlightenment readings such as 'Three Character Classic'1, 'The Book of Family Names'2, 'Thousand Character Classic'3, 'The Rules of Disciples', 'Young Learning of Qionglin', and 'Master Zhu's Family Instructions' in my study. As for pens, ink, paper, and inkstones… Except for Yuan'er, they don't use it for the time being."

However, Li Su shook her head. "You only have one book in your study. Could it be that they will only read one book in class?! Since they want to be taught, they have to come in an orderly manner. It's just a few books, so how much could they be worth? When you were not at home, Ling Er helped us a lot."

"Mother, that's not what I meant. I just have nothing to do during the recovery period, so I can teach them. If our family buys books and provides pens, ink, paper and inkstones, other neighbors will see this, and they will also send their children. Should I accept them?" Li Yu said. He didn't plan on opening a school to be a teacher. He still wanted to continue the imperial examinations.

"If that's the case, then just open a school and teach as a private tutor." Li Su had this idea. These days, she had been thinking about how to reform Li Yu. After she pondered this for a long time, she came up with this method. She didn't know what the effect would be, but it would at least let him know that life was not easy. "What? Do you still expect to be like before? Doing nothing but focussing on studying? Do you expect your family to save money and continue to support you?"

Li Yu blushed a little when Li Su said that. He didn't know why the topic suddenly shifted to this. "Mother! Don't you have money at home?"

"That's my money, and the money from selling my family heirloom has nothing to do with you. You said you're in your twenties and you can't do anything except study. You used to rely on your parents and wife to support you. Now that your father is gone, your wife is pregnant, and I am getting old. Shouldn't you shoulder the burden of supporting your family? Now, instead of letting you continue your provincial examinations only, you should teach children part-time. You should earn some living expenses and support your family. You always decline this using all sorts of excuses. Are you not a man?!" Li Su said righteously.

Li Yu didn't know how to speak for a while, so he could only stare at Li Su in a daze. It took him a long time to organize his thoughts. "Mother, you were not like this before. Didn't you say before that all things are inferior, but reading is superior? You said that I only need to study hard and that I didn't need to worry about the rest."

"Yes, but that was before. In the past, when your father was here, and your father worked in the government office, the family had some income so you could afford to only study. But what about now? Will the old lady and your pregnant wife go and earn money by doing needlework in order to continue to support you?" Li Su said with a stern face.

"But, but…" Li Yu said.

"It's nothing to worry about. This is the decision! Besides, you shouldn't start worrying about opening a private school to teach classes. Maybe people won't want to hand over their children for you to teach. Let's wait and see!" Li Su rolled her eyes and said.

Li Yu felt that something was wrong with his mother. His mother gave birth to three children, and he was the only one who survived. His mother had always treasured him, and she would not allow others to say anything bad about him. His mother would never say such a thing.

His mother was still very good to him. He had been ill these days, and the food and clothing were all good. He also looked at the prescription he was taking. Ginseng, cinnamon and other things in the medicine cost three taels of silver. His mother paid for it without hesitation.

But… How should he put it… His mother was full of disgust towards him! This was not right! In his mother's eyes, he was the number one in the world. How could she despise him?!

The more Li Yu thought about it, the more wrong it was. When Yingniang was delivering food for him, he invited her to sit beside him and asked in a low voice, "Yingniang, did anything special happen at home while I was away? Was mother ill?" Could it be some kind of ghost who took advantage of his mother's illness and possessed his mother's body?

Liu Yingniang shook her head. "Nothing special happened to the family. Mother is in good health, but Ru'er has always been frail and fell ill when the seasons changed. Things are now better at home, and Ru'er rarely gets sick. Now that she has a playmate, Ru'er is also much happier. My mother also said that Ru'er is much better than before."

He saw that Liu Yingniang didn't understand what he meant. Li Yu had a headache, and at the same time felt a little disgusted in his heart. The reason why he married Liu Yingniang at the beginning was because she was good-looking. He had never seen a better-looking girl than Yingniang from all over the world, so the young and frivolous Li Yu insisted on marrying her.

Later, Li Yu himself felt a little regretful. The Liu family was just an ordinary family, and they valued sons over daughters. They didn't pay much attention to Yingniang. As soon as Yingniang got married, his in-laws moved south. In the past few years, there had been almost no contact. They were basically estranged. Li Yu regretted saying that his in-law's had nothing to do with him.

Fortunately, Liu Yingniang's belly was very good. She gave him twins, a boy and a girl, which symbolised auspiciousness. The regret in Li Yu's heart was a little lighter.

In addition, in the past few years, Yingniang had played the traditional role of the wife well. She had been very diligent, and had been filial to his father for three years. Now that she was pregnant again, Li Yu was very satisfied with Liu Yingniang. Only now when he saw her silly and sweet appearance did Li Yu feel a little uncomfortable.

Forget it. He couldn't ask her.

Li Yu called Li Yuan again, and said, "Yuan'er, during these days when dad was away, did anything unusual happen at home?" Yuan'er was smart, and he would definitely be able to notice something.

Li Yuan shook his head. "No!"

Li Yu frowned. "How about your grandma? How is she?"

Li Yuan shook his head, "Grandma is still the same as before." She was the same person who was lazy and enjoyed food. Only, she was a little more generous, and her attitude towards his younger sister was a little better than before. But this was not surprising. Before, there was no money. Now that they had money, it was naturally different.

Seeing that Li Yu couldn't get anything from his son, he felt helpless. Could this be a delusion? He always felt that something was wrong.

"Yuan'er, tell your father the truth. Don't you think your grandma is a little different now than before?" Li Yu asked directly.

"Grandma is a little different from before, but wasn't it because we had no money?" Li Yuan sighed and said. "In the past, there was no money at home. Dad, you are grandma's most treasured person and I am the apple of grandma's eye. Even grandma had a hard life. The family was still in debt, so grandma was in a bad mood at that time! Now that life at home is better, and grandma is naturally different from before. Dad, you have to work hard. I also need to work hard. We men can't let the women support us! Dad, what do you think of my calligraphy? Can I go to the bookstore to copy books for some money? What kind of heirloom do you think Grandma had? How much money do we have to earn to get it back for grandma?! Dad, what do you think?"

Li Yu was stunned by his son's words. He had only been gone for a month, so how did things change so much?

1.(三字經) Three Character Classic – 13th century reading consisting of Confucian tenets in lines of 3 characters.↩

2.(百家姓) The Book of Family Names – anonymous Song dynasty reading listing 438 surnames.↩

3.(千字文) Thousand Character Classic – 6th century poem used as a traditional reading

Translator Note: I just need to say that there is some talk about the contents of the Three Character Classic. All the lines in the Three Character Classic have only 3 Chinese characters in them. However, the meaning is hard to translate into English using only 3 words, so I haven't done that. The parts that Li Yu mentions are as follows, and I'm not sure if I've even translated it correctly.

人之初，性本善，性相近.

In the early records of humans, it is said that humans are inherently virtuous, and their natures are similar.

Chapter 192 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 6)

After Li Su came back, she bought a lot of books, along with pens, ink, paper, and inkstones. Li Yu was very distressed when he saw them in the room. It would have been nice to spend the money to buy him some books.

"Prepare well and start teaching them tomorrow. Teach well, and let people know that your talent is not just for the sake of vanity. In the future, if you repeatedly fail the imperial exam, then you can open a private school to teach. Some people will be willing to pay for it," Li Su said rudely.

Li Yu felt that he had been severely hit, and he simply asked, "Are you really my mother?"

Next to him, Liu Yingniang was startled. She was speechless.

Li Yuan frowned. Li Ru was timid and jumped off the stool to hide behind Li Yuan. She showed half of her head timidly.

Li Su thought it was a little funny. "If I'm not your mother, do you think you can stay here well? I have too much money and nowhere to spend it, right? I not only raised you, but also your entire family, so my brain must be broken, right?! I have raised you for over twenty years, but now I just want you to teach well, open a private school in the future, and make some money to support the family. But look at you! You even suspect that I am not your biological mother! What kind of sin did I commit in my past life for me to give birth to such an unfilial beast!" Li Su said, getting increasingly more angry. She looked around to find something that she could get her hands on.

Then, she saw the feather duster stuck in the vase on the table and took it out.

Liu Yingniang was so frightened that her face turned pale. She stood in front of Li Yu, knelt down, and begged. "Mother, Husband Yu is confused. He didn't mean to disobey you. Don't be angry. If you want to hit someone, then hit me. His injuries haven't healed yet!"

Li Yuan and Li Ru also knelt down. "Grandma, don't be angry. Dad is still injured. It's not too late to hit dad after his injury has healed."

Li Yu listened to his mother's familiar words and actions and most of the doubts in his heart disappeared. When he saw Yingniang kneeling in front of him despite her being pregnant, he was a little moved. Then he heard his son's words and felt helpless. "Mother, I was wrong. Don't be angry."

Li Su sneered and squinted at Li Yu. "You're wrong? You know you're wrong?"

Li Yu looked at his mother's mean appearance. It was the same as when she quarreled with his father before and he sighed. "It's because I shouldn't be lazy. I should work and accomplish something. Mother, don't be angry. It's this son who is useless."

"Son!" Li Su put the feather duster away when she heard his words. She walked by Liu Yingniang, who was kneeling on the ground, and sat beside the bed to hold Li Yu's hand. "Son, when your father was here, mother treated you as a child. You have been smart since you were a child, and your teacher who taught you praised you. Your father and I saved money to let you study. But now with your father gone, and you are also the father to three children, it's time to grow up. Everything your mother has, including this home, will be yours sooner or later. But, if you don't stand up by yourself, if your mother gives you a golden mountain, can you keep it? What about your children? Yuan'er is getting older, and it is time for him to go to school. Although Ru'er is a girl, you will also need to prepare a dowry for her in the future. There is another child in Yingniang's belly. As a father, you must leave something for the children. It's not that mother doesn't want you to continue the imperial examinations, mother just wants you to teach classes in your spare time. It doesn't matter how much money you can earn, but you at least need to know that life is not easy!"

Li Yu sighed. "Mother, I know what you said, but as long as I pass the imperial examination, all this won't matter."

"You have already missed the provincial exam this time. The next provincial exam will be three years later, but what if you don't pass it then? Will you still fail after three more years? Are you going to keep going like this? There will come a day when the money at home runs out. What are you going to do then? Are you going to sell your wife and daughter?" Li Su asked.

Li Yu's face turned red. "Mother, what are you talking about? Do you think our family will reach that point?"

"If there was not a so-called family heirloom, don't you think it would have reached this point now?" Li Su said with a dark face.

Li Yu thought about it for a moment. If his mother had no family heirloom, the family would have still owed debts. He had been injured, so the family had no income and could not continue. Maybe…

"The so-called cultivation of one's character in order to regulate the family and rule the state is important. You should think about what mother said. Yingniang, Yuan'er, Ru'er, you should all go out and let him think about this." Li Su stood up.

Liu Yingniang was a little worried. She looked back at Li Yu, then left obediently.

Li Yuan looked thoughtful. "Grandma, I think what you said makes sense. Younger sister, don't you agree?"

Li Ru nodded, but halfway through, she felt that it was not good. She was afraid that her father would be angry, so she turned her head and glanced over. Li Ru then sighed in relief.

Nobody knew what Li Yu was thinking. When Li Su saw him again, Li Yu's expression was sincere. "Mother, your son was wrong. Don't worry, your son will listen to you in the future. Your son will do whatever you say!"

Li Su rolled her eyes. "What's the use of listening to me? You are the head of the family, so you have to be assertive. I am old. Who knows when I will go and find your father?!"

Li Yu smiled slightly. "Mother, don't talk nonsense. You will live a long life. Just wait for your son to give you an official title."

Li Su snorted coldly. "I'll wait!"

After that, Li Yu was almost ready to start teaching.

Li Su asked Zuo Kui and Ling Er around to talk. The next day, class started. They were to drop off their children at around 7-9 am, then pick up their kids before noon as there would be no class in the afternoon.

Early the next morning, Ling Er brought his two sons and carried two chickens in his hand. He tossed them without saying a word, then ran away.

Li Su had no choice but to accept them. Then, she glanced at Li Yu. People also adhered to social niceties. So, they should accept these chickens.

Li Yu smiled slightly, but did not speak.

On the first day of class, Li Yu first gave Li Yuan homework to practice calligraphy. Out of the other four, one was given the 'Three Character Classic'. He then started the class. "In the early records of humans, it is said that humans are inherently virtuous, and their natures are similar…"

A few children followed along with a confused look. Their thoughts were in disorder.

Li Su watched from the side and couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Stop, stop! Is this what your class is like?"

Li Yu looked at Li Su blankly. How else should it be?

Li Su sighed. "Shouldn't we start with recognising the characters first? You just gave them the Three Character Classic. Do they know what it means?"

Li Yu blinked. He was enlightened by his father at that time, and then he went to a private school. That was how the teacher taught him!

Li Su thought for a while. "For today, go back and prepare a few sandboxes so you can first teach them to learn their own names. Then, you can start teaching the Three Character Classic, but it should first be about recognising the characters, and then they should recite them from memory."

Li Yu had other plans in mind. He didn't want to worry too much about these little things with his mother, so he agreed. "Alright. So, memorise the first four sentences today. Then, I'll teach you how to write these words tomorrow."

The children looked up at Li Yu with an expression of trust.

The eyes of the children were the most innocent. Li Yu felt a little strange when he saw it. Then, he began to teach the children to memorise the characters, sentence by sentence, "In the early records of humans…"

"In the early records of humans." The childish voices of the children filled the room.

"It is said that humans are inherently virtuous."

"It is said that humans are inherently virtuous!"

Next door, Ling Er's family leaned against the corner and listened. When they heard Langlang, their son, reading aloud, they were very happy. Ling Er wiped his eyes, turned his head, and left.

"Head of the family, where are you going?" Ling Er's wife asked.

"Didn't you hear that auntie say to prepare a sand table? I'll make a sand table. You go to the river to get some fine sand and come back to sieve it a few more times." Ling Er said. He had seen the sand table used by A-Yuan of the Li family and knew how to make one.

Ling Er's wife nodded. "Okay, I'll go right away!"

Li Su was still thinking about the sand table. When Ling Er came to pick up his children at noon, he brought four sand tables and two bags of fine sand.

"Auntie, this is the sand table I made. Can you see if you can use it? This fine sand, which my wife has sifted several times. Take a look," Ling Er scratched his head in an embarrassed manner.

"Second young master, thank you so much. I was thinking of letting Zuo Kui do it in the afternoon, but I didn't expect you to have done so already," Li Su said with a smile.

"It's good if you can use it. Dalang, Erlang, come home with dad." Ling Er said. Ling Dalang and Ling Erlang glanced at Li Yu and saw him nod. They just packed up their books and ran to their father happily.

"Wait a minute, take the book with you. There's no need to come to class in the afternoon. Don't forget your homework. I will check it tomorrow morning," Li Yu said as he knocked on the table.

When Ling Er saw that each of his children had a book, he immediately shook his hand and said, "No, no, these books are very precious. I can't take it home. What if they get damaged?" A book cost seven or eight taels, which was too expensive! He must not take them!

Li Su said with a stern face, "There's no need to be polite. In order to study this, you need to listen to my family's A-Yu. You and your wife are both careful people. It is just taking good care of the books." It was only after she went to the bookstore to buy the books did she realise how expensive ancient books were. A Three Character Classic cost eight thousand coppers! This was about 300 yuan! Ha ha! Four Three Character Classics cost more than 1,000 yuan. This was impossible in the future!

It was precisely because she knew that ancient books were precious, Li Su remembered that there were so many books in the study at home. If they were sold, they would probably be worth a lot of money. But here, Li Yun would rather acquiesce that the original owner sold his wife and daughter than sell those books. Ha ha! She didn't know whether to call him pedantic or cruel!

Ling Er held one in one hand and ran away.

Li Su didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "It's fine if he doesn't take it. Just leave it here. Zuo Kui, when the chicken is ready, you can send a plate to the next door."

Zuo Kui responded in a muffled voice.

Seeing this, Li Yu smiled slightly.

But Li Su was a little puzzled. From the inside, Li Yu was scheming and ruthless. He would not be easy to change. She reckoned there were still some tricks up his sleeve, so she had to be careful. She would take her time!

Chapter 193 – The Old Madam is from a Scholarly Family (part 7)

Li Yu's body was getting better day by day. Liu Yingniang's belly was also getting bigger day by day. The small private school at home was also open. Li Yuan and Li Ru had more playmates and were happier. The yard was filled with the laughter of children.

There were also neighbors who knew that the Li family opened a small private school. They also knew that the Ling family sent their children there, so they also wanted to send their children to the Li family to study. Li Su said that Li Yu's body had not recovered yet, so he would not accept many people for the time being. After he recovered, then he may find a place to open a private school. At that time, everyone would be welcome to send their children to study.

When the neighbors heard that they were going to open a private school that would be done in a formal and regular way, their enthusiasm was not very high. After all, in this day and age, not everyone could read.

Li Su did not force it either. Seeing this, Li Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that those people would agree without saying a word if his mother really made him open a private school to teach and educate people.

The life of the Li family seemed to have leveled off.

Li Su had been waiting to see when Li Yu's fox tail would be exposed.

One month later in the event after Li Su had washed up, she suddenly heard movement outside when she was about to enter the space to pour a glass of red wine.

Li Su hurriedly sat upright and saw that it was Li Yu knocking on the door. "Mother, can I come in?"

When Li Su heard it was him, she got up, put on a coat, and sat down at the table.

"Come in."

After Li Yu came in, he saw that his mother had changed into her pajamas. It seemed that she was going to sleep. Li Yu lowered his eyes. "Mother, I hope I didn't bother you?"

Li Su was helpless. Why did he come over here? "Come in and sit. It is late. Is there something wrong?" Li Su poured a cup of tea for Li Yu.

Li Yu said that he had not made any progress in his studies for a long time and wanted to go out to study.

Li Su understood as soon as she heard it. He was here to ask for money. "That's a good thing. But before you go, you have to get the children settled. How much money do you need?"

Li Yu cleared his throat. "Money is secondary. I thought about how inconvenient it would be to go out alone, so I wanted to buy a book boy to follow me. It would be good to have someone to take care of."

Li Su thought about the scholars in the TV series. A book boy and a little servant seemed to be standard, so she nodded. "Okay, go back and pick one yourself." So sleepy. Li Su couldn't help but yawn. Then she kept yawning and couldn't stop.

Seeing this, Li Yu was secretly happy. It was the best time to talk when his mother was dozing off.

"Mother, can your son ask you a question? How much money does our family have now?"

Li Su yawned. "You want to know?"

Li Yu took the opportunity and said, "Mother, you said before that I am now the head of the family and I have to take up the responsibility of the head of the family. So I think that, in the future, I will take care of these things. What do you think? Of course, every time I spend money, it will give mother a purpose."

Li Su laughed twice. "You are very reasonable. Yes, I'll answer!"

Li Yu was ecstatic in his heart and his hands were shaking with excitement. He didn't expect it to be so easy! It's a shame he spent so long preparing!

Li Su opened the cabinet by the bed and took out a locked box. "All of our family's property is here."

Li Yu stared. Wasn't his mother the best at hiding things? Why was it so casually placed without even a lock?

Li Yu took it. No, this weight was wrong! It was too light! It was possibly all silver notes. Li Yu comforted himself like this, and then opened the box.

"This…" Inside was the family's household registration and the deed of the old house. Li Yu was stunned. This was not what he wanted!

"This is all our family's property. It isn't much. Oh, and the Zuo Kui family's deed. But the Zuo Kui family was bought by me with my money, and they are mine so the deed is not in here." Li Su yawned with tears leaking from her eyes.

"Mother, that's not what I said," Li Yu said anxiously.

"Then what are you talking about? Oh, I see. You are thinking about your mother's dowry, aren't you? Haha, Li Yu, Li Yu, you are really promising! After spending your wife's dowry, you have started thinking about your mother's dowry!" Li Su folded her arms and sneered.

Li Yu stood up quickly. "Mother, I don't mean it that way. We are all a family, so there's no need to be so clear about it!"

"You are bullying me for not having read about Daqi's laws, isn't that right?" Li Su said angrily. "Even if you don't talk about Daqi's laws, a woman's dowry is the woman's own property, I'm also still alive. It is my dowry and not things for you to do as you see fit!"

"Mother! You were not like this before." Li Yu was embarrassed.

"Yeah, I wasn't like this before, so get used to it! After you've finished with your wife's dowry, you've begun to think about your mother's dowry. I have raised you for so many years, and the money I spent on you is enough to raise a man well. But what about you? After reading books for so many years, you are only a scholar! You haven't accomplished anything! I don't only have you as a son, but I also have my grandchildren and the one in Yingniang's belly! If you annoy me, I'll throw you out the door. We'll see who you can rely on then! Do you expect a silver tael that month?" The more Li Su said, the angrier she became. She took out the feather duster from the vase and struck.

"Mother! Mother!" Li Yu knelt down quickly, not daring to hide much. He took a few hard blows. The pain was terrible.

The movement in the room alarmed the others. Liu Yingniang came over. When she saw that Li Yu was being beaten, she immediately knelt in front of Li Yu, holding her stomach. "Mother, calm down. Don't get angry."

"I have nothing to be angry about. I haven't raised a good son in my life so I deserve this!" Li Su said angrily while sitting there. She threw the feather duster in her hand to the side.

"Mother! What did Husband Yu do to make you so angry?" Liu Yingniang was relieved to see Li Su throw away the feather duster.

"He… Why are you still standing there? Help your wife get up first. She is still pregnant with your child!" Li Su said angrily.

Li Yu quickly helped Liu Yingniang get up. He then graciously helped her sit down.

"He's my son. What else can I do to him? Why are you here when you're pregnant? It's dark outside. What if you fall?" Li Su looked at Liu Yingniang's big belly and complained. "However, you are only six months pregnant, so why is your belly so big? Could you be having twins again? Have you seen the doctor? What did the doctor say?"

Liu Yingniang shook her head. In the past few months, she ate well, slept well, and didn't feel uncomfortable, so she didn't see the doctor.

"How can you not see a doctor? I'll ask the doctor to check your pulse tomorrow to see if you are having twins. Go to the doctor early tomorrow, and also invite Doctor Xu from Tongren Pharmacy. He is best at gynecology and obstetrics," Li Su ordered.

Li Yu was still in pain. When he heard that, he nodded quickly. "Got it."

"Also, don't go on your study tour. Just now, I didn't have a clear mind and didn't think much about it. Your wife is about to give birth, so what kind of study are you travelling for?" Li Su said.

Li Yu's eyes widened. Yingniang would give birth to a child. What did that have to do with him? Why couldn't he go to study abroad? But he was still smart. He knew that his mother was in a bad mood right now. If he said this, then he may be scolded again. He had to bow his head and acquiesce. But, it was also strange. His mother was not like this before!

This was indeed his mother. After all, some of her habitual gestures and expressions proved that this was his mother.

So what was going on?

The next day, when Li Yu went to Tongren Pharmacy to invite Doctor Xu. Seemingly unintentionally, he asked, "Doctor Xu, you have a lot of knowledge. What do you think of a person, who is good-natured, changing their temperament? But, their usual movements and expressions are the same as before!"

Doctor Xu stroked his beard. "In the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor1, it is said that when women reach a certain age, they will show obvious signs of aging. The three yang meridians are weakened at the top, the surface is all scorched, and the hair begins to turn white. As they continue to age, the Ren meridian is deficient. The Taichong meridian also declines, they stop having their period, and they become illogical. Their body shape is bad and they can't have children. Most women in this age group are moody, irritable, easy to anger, and have mood swings."

Li Yu suddenly realised that his mother was turning 45 this year. No wonder her temperament had drastically changed. It was almost like she was a different person. It turned out that this was an illness! He just said it!

"Doctor, is there any medicine for relief?" Li Yu asked quickly.

"She can eat some sweet barley and red date soup. This disease is a knot in the heart, and the patient needs to adjust by herself. The medicine is only an aid," said Doctor Xu.

Li Yu nodded. Okay, he considered himself to be a dutiful son. Now that his mother was ill, he didn't fuss over her anymore. He was so benevolent and righteous. He was very relieved to think that his mother would recover in the future.

Li Su did not expect that Li Yu would associate her transformation with menopause. In fact, Li Yu's guess was correct. The original owner did indeed have menopause, but she was reluctant to vent at her son. Liu Yingniang was the only target of her venting. Therefore, the image of the original owner in Li Yu's heart was always so wonderful.

After Doctor Xu checked on Liu Yingniang, he confirmed that she was indeed pregnant with twins.

Li Yu was overjoyed. Having more offspring was the foundation of the prosperous family! His eyes were full of joy when he looked at Liu Yingniang's towering belly.

Li Yuan and Li Ru were also happy!

Li Su was a little worried. When a woman gave birth, she was risking her life. It was dangerous. Even in the era when Li Su lived, the medical level was so high, but there were still dangerous situations such as amniotic fluid embolisms. The current medical level was far worse…

Additionally, Liu Yingniang was having twins.

Li Su was worried, and said to Doctor Xu, "Doctor Xu, how is my daughter-in-law's health? Should she eat less? If the child is not big, would it be easier to give birth?"

Dr. Xu was a little surprised. Most people only asked how the foetus was, and rarely asked about the pregnant woman. This old lady was not bad. She deserved to be an old lady of a scholar family. She was more knowledgeable than the average person.

"The lady is in good condition during this pregnancy and her body is okay. As for what the old lady said about eating less, it's fine. If you supplement too much, the foetus will be too large, and the lady may suffer a lot when giving birth in the future," said Doctor Xu.

Li Su was relieved. "Doctor Xu, until my daughter-in-law gives birth, I would like to invite Doctor Xu to come to my house on the first and fifteenth day of every month to check the situation for my daughter-in-law. When my daughter-in-law is giving birth, I will have to trouble Doctor Xu too. I will pay double the consultation fee!"

As soon as she said these words, everyone was stunned. Liu Yingniang was a little embarrassed. Li Yu also said, "Mother, there's no need for it. Women giving birth to children is a common occurrence, so there is no need to be so cautious."

1.(黃帝內經) The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor: a medical text from 300 BC that has been treated as the fundamental source for Chinese medicine for more than 2 millenia. Not sure if I translated the doctor's meaning accurately though, sorry :/

wiki/Huangdi_Neijing