After calming her emotions, she cried with tears streaming down her face, "To be honest, my earlier days were quite smooth. Our Liu family was immensely wealthy. Although life became more modest after we moved to your village, my husband was always considerate. I brought some money from home when we arrived, so we could get by. But my husband left too soon. How can a widowed mother and her child possibly survive?"
Thinking of how the other man's husband died saving her son, Mother Li was speechless.
"Don't be sad. Brother Wang died saving me. I will never forget this kindness. From now on, our two families will be like one. If you have any difficulties, just say the word, and I'll help with all my might." Li Youcai felt a pang in his heart whenever she cried. Hearing her praise Wang Yougen made him feel remorseful, wondering if he had been neglecting them lately.
"It's not a major issue. I need to take Rui'er to the city and wanted to ask for your help." Liu Yu finally stated her purpose.
"It's a small matter. I'll borrow an ox cart tomorrow morning to take you there," Li Youcai promised without hesitation.
Mother Li felt a surge of annoyance. Her intuition was right. You can't just choose a wife based on your son's preferences, or you'll end up with a wife and forget your mother. She ignored his earlier tug on her clothes. Her son was foolish; didn't he know how much it would cost to go to the city?
Li Youcai didn't care what his mother thought. The thought of having so much time alone with the woman he adored made the corners of his lips curl up even in his sleep.
They set off for the city early the next morning. Along the way, they chatted and laughed. Li Youcai savored the moment, but the thought of the formidable presence back home cast a shadow over his heart.
Seeing the two characters "Ling Chuan" on the city gate, Liu Yu was filled with emotion. Six years ago, she was a sheltered young lady, living a life of effortless ease from birth.
She had always been competitive, constantly clashing with her legitimate elder sister. If her sister had something, she had to have it too, or she would fight for it.
Fortunately, her concubine mother was favored, and each struggle would enrage her legitimate mother to no end, yet she could do nothing about them.
Back then, when Wang Yougen came to work for the Liu family, she was young and naive. Seeing how Wang Yougen always put her first, treating her like a precious gem, she fell for him.
When she told her concubine mother, her concubine mother adamantly refused.
So, she did the most outrageous and regrettable thing of her life: she packed all her belongings and eloped with Wang Yougen to his hometown, Xiao Zhai Village.
In the beginning, she believed that as long as there was love, they could be anywhere. She could endure the uneven dirt paths, the impoverished house, and the days without servants, because Wang Yougen would cook, wash clothes, and keep the house tidy.
Moreover, she had money. If she wanted gold, silver, or fine silks, she could buy them herself. For those few years, the villagers envied them greatly, and money flowed like water.
When the family's silver ran out, Wang Yougen began to worry. He and Li Youcai went on trading journeys. This kind of work was quite arduous, enduring harsh weather and encountering all sorts of dangers on the road, sometimes risking their lives.
From the moment she arrived in the village, she noticed Li Youcai had feelings for her. However, Wang Yougen was still around, and they had money, so Li Youcai felt unworthy of her and buried his secret desires deep in his heart.
The two families lived very close to each other, and they often saw each other when coming and going.
The last time she, Wang Yougen, and their son Xiao Rui came to the Liu manor, hoping to get her father's forgiveness, they were disappointed. Her legitimate mother sent word that she was now Wang family's wife and should live her life properly.
Accustomed to spending lavishly, she couldn't endure a life of poverty. The family's silver dwindled. Furthermore, when Wang Yougen went on trading journeys, she had to cook, wash clothes, and care for their son herself, always ending up disheveled and exhausted. She was fed up with such a life.
What if she were no longer Wang family's wife? Would the Liu manor accept her again? So, before they left on a trading journey, she "accidentally" ran into Li Youcai and spoke ambiguously, implying she was unhappy living with the Wang family and that Wang Yougen neglected her.
As a result, Wang Yougen never returned from that trading journey. Liu Yu dared not dwell on the specifics of what happened.
This time, she specifically wore mourning attire and knelt with Xiao Rui at the Liu manor's gate. They knelt there for a whole day. Xiao Rui couldn't bear it, but Liu Yu stubbornly made him stay down.
As dusk approached, her concubine mother couldn't stand it and quietly came to her side, pressing some silver into her hand. "Go quickly. The master said he wouldn't acknowledge you. You made the wrong choice back then, so you must see it through. Live your life well."
"Concubine mother, please beg for me. I don't want to live in that small village anymore. You don't know how hard it is there." Liu Yu swayed as if about to fall, quickly grabbing her concubine mother's hand.
"Do you think I don't want to beg for you? You are flesh and blood to me. But I've also been implicated because of you. There are younger, prettier mistresses in the backyard now, and the master hasn't visited my quarters in a long time. My words are useless." Tears welled up in her eyes; she was truly powerless.
Liu Yu watched her concubine mother's hurried departure and collapsed to the ground.
Li Youcai rushed over to help her up.
Liu Yu returned home in a daze and cried bitterly. Looking at her son, who was crying from hunger, she got up to cook, tears silently streaming down her face.
From that day on, Liu Yu became exceptionally proactive, often "accidentally" meeting Li Youcai, their gazes filled with unspoken affection.
Later, Li Youcai frequently neglected his own chores to go to the Wang family's house and work there all day. He often ate lunch there, much to Mother Li's displeasure, though no one paid her any mind.
You can't walk by the river without getting your shoes wet. Rumors about the two of them spread throughout the village. Li Youcai desperately wished Wu Caiwei would leave quickly.
"My conditions remain the same. If you agree, I'll sign the divorce papers. If not, let's see who lasts longer. I don't need to go out to know what the village is saying about the two of you. It's not like I'm the one in a hurry," Wu Caiwei said, looking at him with a half-smile as he ingratiatingly tried to negotiate with her again.
"You can take Zhu Tao with you. Can you reduce the amount of silver? The family doesn't have that much." Li Youcai was determined today to resolve this matter, no matter how harsh Wu Caiwei's words were.
"Not one cent less on the silver. Don't think I don't know that you give the silver from your trading journeys to your mother. The family has far more than that. Even if they don't, can't you borrow some?" Wu Caiwei knew the Li family had made a substantial amount of money in previous years, but some had been secretly taken by Sun Yuan Yue and sent back to the Sun family. She hadn't seen any silver since.
Later, a significant amount was spent on Wang Yougen's funeral and supporting Sun Yu and her son. The family likely had very little left.
Wu Caiwei's actions were twofold: first, to make them suffer, and second, because she and Zhu Tao would need considerable funds to settle down.
After discussing with Mother Li, they were both reluctant to part with the money and devised a wicked plan.