Li Mingwei walked strongly on her own for a while, but then grew tired and had to climb onto Liu Yizhu's back again. As they approached the town, she saw people from afar at the entrance and quickly slid off his back.
"What's wrong? We're almost there."
Li Mingwei squinted her eyes towards the front: "It looks like there are a lot of people ahead."
Dong Shan had the sharpest eyesight and nodded after glancing over: "Yeah, quite a crowd."
The one leading seemed to be Old Lady Wang.
They walked a few more steps, and the people waiting at the town entrance had come to meet them. Li Mingwei hurriedly hid behind Liu Yizhu, straightening her clothes that had become crumpled from leaning on his back.
Aunt Cui rushed over and pulled her out: "Hey! You little girl are finally back, why are you still hiding? It's been months since we last saw you!"
Li Mingwei called out shyly, "Aunt Cui."
"What's wrong, have you changed after becoming a mother? Acting all bashful!"
It wasn't that Li Mingwei was being bashful. After being gone for months, seeing so many people made her feel tense, worried that something might happen and spread through the whole town again.
"Sister-in-law."
Liu Cuicui couldn't squeeze through the crowd surrounding the child, so she came to greet Li Mingwei instead. Seeing the married woman's hairstyle, Li Mingwei froze for a moment, her heart skipping a beat.
"Who did you marry?"
"Who else could it be? Didn't my sister-in-law already know?"
Aunt Cui chimed in: "That second son from the Ye family."
Ye Cheng?
Li Mingwei quickly grabbed Liu Cuicui's hand, asking anxiously, "Does your father-in-law treat you well?"
Liu Cuicui didn't quite understand why she was asking about Ye Cheng treating her well. She hesitated before nodding: "I...I guess so."
Her father-in-law mainly handled business matters. Apart from sharing meals at the same table, they didn't interact much.
"And what about Ye Hui, does she treat you well?"
This time, Liu Cuicui hesitated. She tugged Li Mingwei's arm, signaling her to look elsewhere. Ye Hui was among the crowd surrounding the child. She leaned in and whispered, "Let's talk about it later."
Li Mingwei nodded. When she turned around, Liu Yizhu had already gone ahead with Dong Shan, pushing the cart. Just as she was about to catch up, she was held back by those who had seen the child and finally remembered to pay attention to her.
"You must have just finished your confinement period. Aren't you tired from walking so far?"
"Of course she's tired!"
"Let's go back first. The child shouldn't be out in the wind like this."
Those who came to welcome her back were either particularly fond of crowds or had a good relationship with her. They surrounded her as they walked towards the Liu family home, asking her questions along the way.
"We heard from your mother-in-law that the residence you stayed at in the county town was huge. And you didn't have to pay for it?"
"They said it was the county magistrate's residence. His son was a schoolmate of Liu Yizhu's."
"The county magistrate is so kind."
Li Mingwei smiled and nodded: "He's very kind."
She hoped Tang Juexin would pass the provincial examination smoothly. Otherwise, she wouldn't know how to repay him for all his help.
"What does the name you gave the child, Simuo, mean?"
"It expresses our hope that he will study well in the future."
"With his father being such a great scholar, how could the son not excel in studying? He must be an excellent student!"
"Exactly, I think that child is destined for good luck. He's so good-looking, just like Liu Yizhu when he was young."
When her mother-in-law said that before, Li Mingwei thought she was just trying to comfort her. But now, hearing someone else say it, she turned to the woman who spoke: "Really?"
"Really, really, they look exactly the same."
Aunt Cui, who had supported Li Mingwei on their way back after seeing the child, also nodded but was more cautious: "He does resemble Liu Yizhu quite a bit, but not exactly the same. I think those little ears look more like yours."
Li Mingwei chuckled wryly. So it seemed that after carrying the child for ten months, the only part that resembled her was the ears? She complained, "But I think his brows and eyes look quite like mine."
Aunt Cui stopped in her tracks, scrutinized Li Mingwei carefully, then waved her hand decisively: "You're mistaken!"
Seeing her disappointed expression, another woman quickly chimed in: "Well, if we're talking about resemblance to you, the mouth does have a bit of similarity, doesn't it?"
"Yes, yes, it does!"
"Now that you mention it, the more I look, the more I see the resemblance!"
Glancing at their insincere faces, Li Mingwei forced a smile, not wanting to press them further on the topic.
She choked back a sob. She should have looked in the mirror more often during her pregnancy instead of constantly gazing at Liu Yizhu. No wonder the child ended up favoring him.
Before she could fully recover from her disappointment, she was stunned by the sight of tables set up outside the Liu family home, with people seated and standing around. It seemed even more crowded than their wedding.
Led by a few others, Old Lady Wang approached and was immediately surrounded by a noisy, laughing crowd doing who knows what. But the child's grandmother still cared deeply for him and, after briefly glancing at the others, took him inside.
Fearing she might become the next target, Li Mingwei tugged Aunt Cui and hurried to hide behind Liu Yizhu, who was unloading items with Dong Shan.
Startled by her, Liu Yizhu turned around but then continued his work upon seeing it was her.
Li Mingwei shook Aunt Cui's arm and pleaded, "Auntie, I'm tired. I want to go inside and rest. I don't feel like talking to them."
Aunt Cui gave her a helpless look, tossed a "wait here," and hurried into the courtyard.
Liu Yizhu smiled at her: "I've noticed you seem closer to Aunt Cui than your own mother. When did you two become so familiar?"
Li Mingwei thought for a moment, then snorted: "The day you performed the formal farewell ritual, before you were about to leave me."
Recalling that incident, Liu Yizhu glared at her. She was the one who said those hurtful words first, leaving him heartbroken for a long time. Now she was acting as if it was his fault!
"What attitude is that!"
Li Mingwei kicked him, but Aunt Cui, who had rushed back out, grabbed her hand.
Pulling Li Mingwei towards the house, Aunt Cui called out loudly: "The child is crying, I think he must be hungry. You should go check on him."
Sure enough, those who had wanted to approach and talk saw her enter and retreated, not wishing to disturb further.
Li Mingwei covered her face, embarrassed. The goal was achieved, but not exactly the way she had wanted.
Old Lady Wang handed the still-sleeping child to her: "After such a long journey, he must be tired too. If you don't want to go out, just rest here. I need to keep an eye on the kitchen, and Aunt Cui, you should go and help entertain the guests."
"Alright!" Aunt Cui nodded in agreement, giving Li Mingwei a meaningful look: "You rest well."
"Okay, you two go ahead."
Old Lady Wang and Aunt Cui left, closing the door behind them. Li Mingwei finally relaxed.
So many people made her feel quite intimidated. It wasn't that she had never seen large crowds before, but those were usually more formal occasions where unfamiliar people rarely dared to approach and talk to her. Here, everyone seemed eager to come over and say a few words.
Sometimes she didn't even know how to respond.
*Knock knock*
Hearing someone at the window, Li Mingwei put down the child in her arms and opened a small crack. Liu Yizhu passed her some snacks and candies, whispering: "There are too many children today, probably not enough to go around. Take these first."
Li Mingwei lowered her voice too: "Okay."
After she had securely taken the items, Liu Yizhu winked at her and closed the window to continue his work.
Li Mingwei looked down at the food in her hands and shook her head with a smile.
