"A young lady? Li Shan's wife doesn't want to see her?"
Qi Zhenzhen was a bit confused. What was going on?
"Hu Zi said his mother hasn't been feeling well these past few days..."
Qi Zhenzhen couldn't sit still. She got up from the heated brick bed, putting on her shoes as she spoke, "Mother, I'll go over and take a look. Sister-in-law Li Shan is pregnant, and Hu Zi is just a child. Brother Yi isn't explaining things clearly. What if something has happened..."
Yun Shi was also a little worried and nodded, "Alright, go and come back quickly. We'll talk about anything when you return."
Qi Zhenzhen scurried over to Li Shan's house. In the main hall, she indeed saw a young woman dressed in white, looking as delicate as a wilting willow. Her face held a hint of timidity, and her large eyes were watery...
What a pure little white flower.
"Who is this young lady?"
Before Qi Zhenzhen could speak, the little white flower, acting like the hostess, approached her.
"I think I should be the one asking. Who are you, to be casually staying in someone else's home?" Qi Zhenzhen asked, glancing at her with impatience.
"I, I was brought back by Brother Shan Zi. I'm staying here temporarily," the little white flower said softly. "Brother Shan Zi is a kind person. Seeing that I have no home..."
Although the truth of the matter was still unknown, this little white flower had made it clear that she was brought back by Li Shan.
Brought back by the head of the household, *heh heh*...
"Hu Zi!" Qi Zhenzhen ignored the little white flower and called out loudly.
Hu Zi darted out from the east room. "Cousin Zhenzhen is here! My mother is in the room. You can go in and talk."
Qi Zhenzhen walked towards the main room. Li Shan's wife was sitting propped up by the quilt, her eyes red and tearful. She looked like she had lost a lot of weight, and her face had lost all its luster.
"Sister-in-law, what happened? Why didn't you say anything when something was wrong? Were you planning to bear it all yourself? Don't forget, you're pregnant now! Torturing yourself like this, what, are you planning to give up on this child?" Qi Zhenzhen spoke rapidly, her face showing a hint of concern.
Seeing Qi Zhenzhen, Li Shan's wife felt a surge of grievance. She threw herself into Qi Zhenzhen's arms and sobbed, crying again.
Intermittently, she managed to explain what had happened.
Li Shan had gone out to sell pickled cabbage and had rescued this girl, named Bai Xuelian. Qi Zhenzhen's eye twitched. The name was indeed fitting, looking just like a little white flower. The name itself seemed to have bloomed. Bai Xuelian was from Wali Village, sixty li away. Her parents had both passed away, and her uncle and aunt had colluded to seize the houses, land, and property left by her parents. The young lady had been kicked out of her home. So, Li Shan had encountered her. The girl was crying rivers of tears, looking so pitiable that she could easily stir a man's protective instincts.
Li Shan, in a moment of impulse, had brought her back.
This was a life-saving favor, and the young lady had nothing to repay it with. Following the stories in the plays, she offered herself in marriage. She would serve both Li Shan and his wife.
What did that mean? It meant becoming a concubine.
After hearing this, Qi Zhenzhen was furious. They had only been living good days for a few days, and now this had happened. She had thought Li Shan was honest and kind, and also caring. She hadn't expected him to be such a "big pig's trotters." Never mind that the girl was willing, but if Li Shan had no ulterior motives, would he have kept her here? Previously, he had spoken so nicely, saying his wife was pregnant, and he wanted to open a shop, and this and that. Now, he was about to have both left and right, enjoying the bliss of having multiple wives.
"So, she stayed? What is her status?" Qi Zhenzhen gnashed her teeth. If Li Shan were here, she would have slapped him without hesitation.
"As soon as they asked her to leave, the girl knelt in the courtyard, not begging, just sobbing softly. Seeing this, your Brother Shan Zi..."
Seeing this, he couldn't harden his heart. So delicate, so pitiful, so in need of care. How could he turn her away? It was unthinkable. She had to stay at home, to be comforted and cherished.
"Sister-in-law, don't tell me you can't see Brother Shan Zi's intentions. Men, you can tell if they have such thoughts or not, right?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"Shan Zi told me he just treats her like a sister," Li Shan's wife said, wiping away her tears, her voice choked.
How many good sisters do you have? Is it that men don't have many sisters?
Such clumsy tricks could only fool Hu Zi's mother, who had never doubted Li Shan.
"Zhenzhen, your Brother Shan Zi has always been very good to me," Li Shan's wife added.
"He was good to you before, but what about now? If he were still good to you now, why would he keep someone here to upset you? You're carrying a child now. Tell me, with your condition, can you last until you give birth? You've only been pregnant for two months, and you've already lost so much weight. How will you endure the remaining seven or eight months? Tell me yourself, can you endure it?"
"Besides, if a girl just moves into your home like this, what will people say when they hear about it?"
"I can see this girl is determined to latch onto your family. With your straightforward nature and no cunning schemes, tell me yourself, can you outplay her?"
Li Shan's wife lowered her head, silent.
"Brother Shan Zi, you're back? Come inside and warm up. I'll pour you a cup of hot water to warm your body."
A clear and joyful voice reached the ears of Qi Zhenzhen and Li Shan's wife.
"Lian'er, it's quite cold outside. Hurry back inside. You don't need to wait for me here all the time."
"I'm not cold, I'm not cold. Brother Shan Zi, drink some water quickly. I just see you out in the wind and rain every day, working so hard. Sister's condition isn't convenient now, so she can't take care of you. I just want to do more for her."
Qi Zhenzhen shivered. This girl was quite skilled. Her娇滴滴 (jiāo dī dī - delicate and charming) voice, her timid appearance, coupled with her admiring gaze. Any man with even a slight inclination would be unable to resist such a girl. And Li Shan, who kept telling Hu Zi's mother that there was nothing going on, but the way he called her was intimate enough. Lian'er, what the hell is Lian?
"Sister-in-law, you rest here. I'll go out and take a look," Qi Zhenzhen patted Li Shan's wife's hand.
When Qi Zhenzhen went out, she saw Li Shan drinking water, being served by the little white flower.
"Brother Shan Zi is back?" Qi Zhenzhen asked, trying to remain calm despite her anger.
Li Shan didn't know Qi Zhenzhen was there and seemed flustered. "Zhenzhen, why are you here?"
"If I didn't come, how would I know that Brother Shan Zi's hands are so weak from working that he needs a young lady to hold the cup for him. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have given Brother Shan Zi so much pickled cabbage, tiring him out like this," Qi Zhenzhen said sarcastically.
Li Shan quickly waved his hands. "No, no, my hands are fine."
After speaking, he quickly took the tea cup from the little white flower.