What he said struck Li Jia Da Bo as odd, as if he were part of the Nan Feng Guan, supported by women. Though it was true in reality, being pointed out directly was quite a blow to his pride. Just as he was about to reprimand the other person, he suddenly heard a “plop” sound from the backyard.
“Who?” he blurted out after a moment of stunned silence, then quickly rushed to his backyard with his son. He thought a brazen thief had dared to steal from their home, unaware that they were now destitute. The backyard was empty. If not for the dirt on the ground, he would have truly believed he had imagined the sound.
Seeing no one outside the yard, he could only resign himself to bad luck and return, assuming a petty thief had come to their home, found nothing worth stealing, and left. In this day and age, not even petty thieves bothered with their home. Li Jia Da Bo couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow. Once, he had been the richest man in the village, and everyone had looked at him with envy and jealousy.
Once he was sure they were no longer present, the young widow limped out from the nearby bushes. She had stumbled while climbing over the courtyard wall, causing the noise. Fearing they would pursue her, she ignored her pain and quickly found a place to hide. As she cautiously made her way away, tears began to fall. She had thought she had found a good patron, only to realize it was all for show, and they expected her to support them with her money. Fortunately, she had noticed something was amiss today and followed them. Otherwise, falling into this pit of fire would not be so easy to escape. She did not possess the same capabilities as Madam Li to easily divorce. Her status could not withstand scrutiny, and many in the village coveted her possessions. If her husband had not, on his deathbed, taken the hands of his elder brothers and made them swear to protect her and care for their property after his departure, preventing others from seizing it until she remarried, she might have already been divvied up by the clan.
The thought of her deceased husband brought fresh waves of grief. If he were still alive, with their combined hard work, their lives would undoubtedly be prosperous. Alas, there are no ifs in this world.
She felt a sense of confusion about her future. Walls have ears, and the village had somewhat caught wind of her dealings with Li Jia Laoye. Whispers and gossip had begun to circulate. If he were to propose marriage tomorrow and she refused, he might spread rumors of their affairs far and wide, leaving her truly desperate.
She was not an artless person. Having emerged from a brothel and then resolutely returned to rural life with her husband, she possessed considerable wit. She made up her mind, packed her belongings, and fled under the cover of night.
The next day, Li Jia Da Bo spent the last of his few dozen copper coins to send a matchmaker to propose. He found the door locked. After inquiring with his neighbors, he learned that the young widow had left the previous day with a small bundle.
He stood frozen. The unusual commotion in the courtyard yesterday, could it be related to her? He had been too careless, allowing her to escape. She had told him she was not from here and had no relatives. Her silent departure clearly indicated she had discovered their true nature. Indeed, a woman's words could not be taken seriously; one should keep his distance from them.
Without the young widow's support, and with the villagers looking down on their family's conduct, Li Jia Da Bo had no choice but to return and stare blankly at his sons and daughters.
Knowing that times were hard and fearing their father would send them out to work, they all lowered their heads and behaved exceptionally well. Even their third son, usually prone to mischief, made an effort to minimize his presence.
“We don’t have a single coin in the house now, and we’re about to run out of food. Are we all going to become beggars? I have raised you all to adulthood, which is more than I owe you. Your future paths are your own to forge. Think about what you can do.” However, Li Jia Da Bo had summoned them today precisely to get them to earn money and would not allow them to evade their responsibilities. He was too old to be burdened with the family’s responsibilities when he should be enjoying the fruits of his children’s labor.
“Our family isn’t at that point yet, are we? Don’t we still have our fields in the village?” His fourth son, seeing everyone else’s silence, hesitated before stepping forward and speaking softly.
“What good is that little bit of land? Besides, that’s our Li family’s last asset. What will I use for my retirement when I’m this old? Those are my retirement savings, and none of you should have any designs on the land. Our daughters are a bit better off; they can marry into wealthy families. After all, they’ve been raised like daughters of prominent families since childhood, proficient in qin, go, calligraphy, and painting. As for you men, you need to stand up. Otherwise, how will you marry a wife? How will you support a family?” Li Jia Da Bo’s gaze fell upon them. Speaking of his daughters, he suddenly remembered he had several beautiful daughters. Seeing them retreat, he was filled with anger. Now they knew they couldn't find good matches and were all backing away, but when he hired tutors for them before, why were they all so lazy?
However, he was overthinking. The girls initially refused, but then they considered that with the family’s current state, there was nothing more they could offer them. As their father said, if they could marry into a wealthy family and continue to live like ladies, it wasn't an entirely bad prospect.
Unfortunately, the ideal was grand, but reality was harsh. The Li family was no longer what it once was, and they could no longer reach the level of families that were once considered suitable matches. If their younger brother were still alive, he would definitely help them marry into wealthy merchant families. Now, it would be fortunate if they weren't suppressed. Those willing to marry their daughters either disdained that they hadn't worked before and couldn't be the mistress of a household, or they were put off by the family's numerous burdens.
The scruffy men in the village were not to Li Jia Da Bo’s liking, and neither were they to his daughters. They would rather die unmarried in the Li family than marry into such households, where they would not only go hungry but also work day and night. The thought of living such a life was unbearable.
But these girls had survived in the Li family's backyard for so many years for a reason. If their father couldn't help them find satisfactory matches, they would find their own targets on the streets.
Although they were all dressed simply and their hair ornaments were plain, their inherent气质 could not be concealed. Those with a strong sense of curiosity approached them, and with mutual interest, they soon became entangled.
Such women often already had wives at home, but at this point, they no longer considered such matters. As long as they didn't have to marry and work, they were content. As for the struggles within the inner court, they had lived in the Li family mansion before and were no strangers to jealousy and infighting. Returning to the scheming inner court felt like finding their element.