The matter of the dowry was also exposed due to Li Shan's poor management of the servants. However, since the Zhao Family benefited from it, there wasn't much to be said. Nevertheless, the two young ladies of the Li family hadn't done anything too outrageous. They hadn't taken all the servants, leaving two behind.
Auntie Wang assisted Li Shan in renting out the shop, using the monthly rent to make ends meet. Now, the most important thing was the child in Li Shan's belly.
Li Shan, unable to contain her anger, wrote a letter to Aunt Wang about this incident. Upon reading the letter, Aunt Wang merely instructed her maid to go back and advise Li Shan not to overthink things. The child in her womb was now the top priority; everything else could wait until after the delivery.
Li Shan's pregnancy was affected by this stress. As a result, the Zhao Family became even stricter in managing her. Li Xin and Li Xia were completely unaware of these matters, and even if they knew, they wouldn't have cared. Li Shan was no longer part of their family after her marriage. There was no need to concern themselves with her affairs.
Li Xia was inspecting the new bookstore. The location had changed, and some customers found it too far and stopped coming. However, quite a few people from this area started visiting. So overall, the customer flow was still decent. The newly opened reading area also attracted many people to come and read. However, some people would discuss loudly, disturbing others. Li Xia had two private rooms arranged for those who wanted to discuss, so as not to affect the readers in the main hall. Satisfied, Li Xia said to the manager following behind her,
"Everyone has worked hard. This month, all staff will receive double pay." After Li Xia finished speaking, the manager, delighted in his heart, cupped his hands towards Li Xia and said, "Thank you, miss."
"You all deserve this. Keep up the good work, and I won't let you down."
As she left the store, Li Xia saw people from the Beining Marquis Manor. Lu XuanNing, the husband who had died in a previous life according to Li Yao. It had been a long time since she had heard any news of him.
"How is Young Master Lu doing now?" Li Xia asked Qiu Ling beside her. These days, Li Xia was usually accompanied by Qiu Ling and Qiu Chan when she went out. Qiu Shui was responsible for managing the entire courtyard at home. Qiu Kui and Wu Auntie together managed the small kitchen in the Orchid Courtyard.
"This servant doesn't know. Would you like me to inquire, miss?"
"No need," Li Xia declined. Regardless of whether Li Yao's words were true or not, Li Xia had no intention of interacting much with Lu XuanNing.
Li Xia returned home to find, unusually, that Li Hui hadn't worked overtime and had come back early.
"Big brother, you're home early today."
"XuanNing has woken up," Li Hui said. Although he and Lu XuanNing hadn't met many times, they were kindred spirits. Lu XuanNing had been in a coma, and Li Hui couldn't do much to help. Now that he had finally awakened, Li Hui was visibly pleased.
"Big brother, have you been to see Young Master Lu?"
"Not yet, I'll go tomorrow on my day off." While Lu XuanNing was in a coma, the Beining Marquis Manor rarely went out or received guests except for major events. Li Hui had gone twice but hadn't been able to see Lu XuanNing. He didn't go again regularly, only personally delivering some gifts during festivals. He didn't dare to ask too much about the situation.
The next day, Li Hui went to the Beining Marquis Manor. He followed a servant to Lu XuanNing's room. This was the first time Li Hui had seen Lu XuanNing since he returned injured.
Upon seeing Lu XuanNing, Li Hui's expression changed briefly before quickly recovering. He walked forward with a smile, "You're finally awake. That was quite a long hibernation."
Lu XuanNing smiled at Li Hui's words. As he smiled, the two long scars on his face moved, making his entire face look particularly gruesome.
Li Hui felt distressed seeing this. His friend was so young, not even married yet, and now his face was ruined. It would be difficult for him to find a good match in the future.
"I had a dream. Didn't want to wake up, so it took this long," Lu XuanNing said in a hoarse voice.
"It must have been a good dream," Li Hui sat down, poured a cup of water, and handed it to Lu XuanNing.
Lu XuanNing took it and sipped a little to moisten his throat. He also used this to hide the unusual look in his eyes. After a while, he said, "It was a good dream."
Li Hui took back the cup and put it aside. "What are your plans now?"
"To be an idle, wealthy marquis," Lu XuanNing already knew that the Emperor had awarded him a marquis title. With his injury, he could no longer go to the battlefield. Staying in the capital to accompany his grandparents in their old age wasn't bad either.
"Are you content with that?" Li Hui didn't believe Lu XuanNing would be satisfied with this.
Lu XuanNing smiled. If it were the old Lu XuanNing, he wouldn't have been able to accept this, wouldn't have been content, and would have tried everything to return to the battlefield. But that dream had made Lu XuanNing see things differently. Being able to live peacefully and not cause his grandparents to bury their grandchild was good too.
"You've changed a lot after this sleep," Li Hui sighed, seeing that Lu XuanNing's expression didn't seem fake.
Lu XuanNing didn't want to say more about this and congratulated Li Hui instead, "I haven't congratulated you on your promotion yet."
"It's nothing compared to you, just a sixth-rank official," Li Hui felt he was very ordinary.
"At your age, reaching this position is already impressive. It will only get better in the future." Lu XuanNing was genuinely happy for his friend. Li Hui was capable and hardworking. Such a person wouldn't do poorly anywhere.
"I hope your words come true." Li Hui spoke modestly, but his expression showed that he believed he would indeed do well.
"By the way, I haven't congratulated you on your marriage yet," Lu XuanNing remembered that Li Hui had said he would get married after passing the imperial examination. Now that he was an official, he must have married.
Li Hui's smile faded, "I'm not married yet."
"What happened? Did the girl's family break off the engagement?" Lu XuanNing was surprised.
"No, Miss Wang fell seriously ill and passed away." Li Hui recalled Wang Lan from his memory. She was a good girl, but unfortunately, her life was cut short.
"I'm sorry," Lu XuanNing apologized to Li Hui, not expecting to have touched upon Li Hui's painful memory.
"It's all in the past." In fact, Li Hui didn't particularly like Wang Lan, but the thought of such a young woman losing her life in the prime of her youth made Li Hui feel a bit sad.
"Has your family arranged a new match for you?"
"No, I've decided to mourn for Miss Wang for a year. We'll discuss marriage again after that."
"I knew you would do something like this," Lu XuanNing wasn't surprised at all.
Seeing that Lu XuanNing was getting tired, Li Hui proposed to take his leave and come visit again another time. Lu XuanNing stood up to see him off.
"There's no need for such formalities between us," Li Hui stopped Lu XuanNing from getting up and left.
Zhou Heng entered with medicine, "It's time for your medicine. This is a new prescription I've developed."
Watching Lu XuanNing take the bowl and drink it in one go without any sign of discomfort, Zhou Heng asked, "Don't you find it bitter? Several herbs in this medicine are even more bitter than Coptis."
"It's not too bad," Lu XuanNing felt that as long as he could live, this bit of bitterness was nothing.
Zhou Heng sighed inwardly, "People really are different." Li Xia didn't like bitter medicine, not wanting even a hint of bitterness. Even when her medicine pills were soaked in honey, she could still taste the bitterness.
Lu XuanNing looked at Zhou Heng, recalling Xiao Changyou's words. "How did you come to know the second young lady of the Li family?"
"Because of you," Zhou Heng's response left Lu XuanNing puzzled.
"Me? Please elaborate," Lu XuanNing inquired.
Zhou Heng hooked a stool with his foot, pulled it over, and sat down. "It's a long story," he said. Zhou Heng then proceeded to explain his original background and how he came to know Li Xia.
