Unable to convince Old Lady Wang not to worry, Li Mingwei looked pleadingly toward Liu Yizhu, who had just entered the room. He paused, then closed the door tightly behind him.
"What's wrong?"
Li Mingwei said urgently, "Mother is worried you won't have enough money and wants to sell the house."
Old Lady Wang held Liu Yizhu's hand mournfully, grieving, "We've worked so hard all these years, and it's only just now that everything has fallen into place. But to disappoint your late father and the ancestors of the Liu family, and to let you down as well – that I cannot do."
Liu Yizhu gave Li Mingwei a subtle look, and she shook her head vigorously. Older Sister Chunhua had already fainted once; she didn't want to see Old Lady Wang faint as well.
He could only fabricate, "Mother, you really don't need to worry so much. Lord Tang has already arranged everything for us. He said it doesn't matter if it's one person or two or three, it's all the same – he won't charge us."
Old Lady Wang's eyes brimmed with tears. "Lord Tang is so kind!"
Liu Yizhu said sincerely, "Yes, Lord Tang is wonderful. You can rest assured."
"Rest assured, rest assured. To have a great magistrate like Lord Tang looking out for us is truly a blessing!"
"Yes, yes, of course."
Liu Yizhu agreed, glaring at Li Mingwei, who was struggling not to laugh behind Old Lady Wang's back.
Li Mingwei suppressed her laughter. If Lord Tang heard all this, he would certainly be very pleased!
"Mingwei~"
Catching Liu Yizhu's pleading look, Li Mingwei exhaled slowly twice, then took Old Lady Wang's hand and patted it soothingly. "All right, Mother, you don't need to worry about the money anymore."
"That's right, Cui Cui just asked me to come in and see if you wanted to start preparing dinner. Why don't you go check on that?"
Only then did Old Lady Wang come to her senses. They had so many guests waiting for dinner; what were they doing hiding in this room?
She was about to leave when Li Mingwei pulled her back. "Mother, why didn't you tell me about Cui Cui's wedding?"
Even if Li Mingwei's pregnancy prevented her from coming back, they could have at least held a ceremony.
Old Lady Wang waved her hand dismissively and said in a low voice, "They didn't invite anyone, just had a simple family meal."
"Why not?"
Li Mingwei was astonished. It was unheard of not to hold a celebration for a wedding, and the Ye family was not lacking in funds.
Old Lady Wang sighed, "Well, it's not really the Ye family's fault. It's just that their astrological signs were not very compatible."
When Ye Cheng told his family he wanted to marry Cui Cui, they initially refused because of the rumors surrounding her. Later, when Ye Cheng kicked up a huge fuss, Yu's Mother took Cui Cui's astrological signs to the temple to ask for a reading, and it turned out the two were indeed quite incompatible.
The Ye family then adamantly opposed the marriage.
Old Lady Wang sighed again. "At the time, Cui Cui felt terrible and, worried about upsetting her mother, she came over and cried in my kitchen. That's when Older Sister Chunhua saw her."
"Older Sister Chunhua?"
"Yes, since you were all in the county town, my daughter-in-law came to see me every day, sometimes even bringing the grandchildren to play. When she saw Cui Cui crying, she asked what had happened and told them to go to the Yuqing Temple for another astrological reading."
Li Mingwei glanced at Liu Yizhu, suddenly feeling uneasy.
As expected, Old Lady Wang went on, "My daughter-in-law said that you had gone to the Yuqing Temple for a reading before, and that you and Liu Yizhu were destined to be childless, called a 'blessed infertile union'. But now that you have a child, she told them to go back and get another reading. If even the Yuqing Temple said it wouldn't work out, then it truly wouldn't."
Of course Liu Yizhu knew what a "blessed infertile union" meant. The corner of his mouth curved up slightly as he raised an eyebrow at her. "When did you go for that reading?"
Li Mingwei cleared her throat and pushed him aside, taking Old Lady Wang's hand. "And then what happened?"
"Then they went."
Their astrological signs were a bit incompatible, but the monk saw their sincerity and chose an auspicious date for them, telling them to keep a low profile, live well without quarreling or making a fuss, and not disturb the heavens.
Since the young couple was willing, the elders had no choice but to grant their wish. But the wedding could not be celebrated extravagantly, so they simply went through the formalities with a simple ceremony that no one was invited to.
Li Mingwei didn't know whether this was good or bad, but seeing Cui Cui's rosy complexion today, she seemed to be doing alright. As long as Cui Cui was content, that was what mattered.
Seeing her dazed expression, Liu Yizhu ushered his mother out of the room, then turned and embraced Li Mingwei. "Mingwei, when did you go for that reading that said we were a 'blessed infertile union'? How come I don't know anything about it?"
"Hmm?"
Li Mingwei didn't want to tell him. Back then, she thought he would bring her misfortune, so she brushed it off, "It was a long time ago, I don't even remember."
Liu Yizhu narrowed his eyes, backing her up step by step until she was pressed against the bed, then he leaned over her menacingly. "Don't lie to me."
They hadn't known each other for that long. It couldn't have been so long ago that she'd already forgotten something from just a couple of years prior, could it? Her memory couldn't be that bad.
"Oh!" Li Mingwei turned her head away, giving in. "It was the winter before last."
"Hmm?"
That was earlier than Liu Yizhu had expected. Back then, they had only just met, hadn't they? Could it be that she had also...
Seeing the smile on his face, Li Mingwei knew what he was thinking and slapped him. "Don't get any ideas! Back then, I was determined to defy fate!"
Liu Yizhu looked at her pitifully. If she wanted to defy fate, why did she bother getting a reading about their marriage prospects?
She gave him a kick. "Get off me!"
"No!" Liu Yizhu pressed down on her even harder, grumbling, "In the end, you didn't manage to defy fate, did you?"
Li Mingwei sighed and rubbed her forehead. It wasn't that she hadn't defied fate – she just hadn't managed to defy him.
"Get off now! There are so many people waiting outside. Go do some work instead of lazing around in here."
Liu Yizhu pouted, then leaned in close again. "Well, can I laze around tonight then?"
"No, the doctor said another month or two at least."
"No way!"
Liu Yizhu wailed. He had already abstained for so long. At this rate, he might as well just shave his head and become a monk.
He rolled off Li Mingwei, lamenting, "Mingwei, let's go to the Yuqing Temple tomorrow."
Li Mingwei sat up, straightening her clothes and hair. "What for?"
"To become a monk~"
"Get out of here!"
"No, really." Liu Yizhu said seriously, "I think the Yuqing Temple is quite efficacious. Why don't we get another reading?"
Li Mingwei smiled and patted his face teasingly. "Are you getting cold feet now?"
It wasn't that he was getting cold feet, but...
Liu Yizhu looked at her deeply. When it came to scholarly pursuits, he was no longer as carefree as before. It wouldn't hurt to go seek some reassurance.
After a long gaze, Li Mingwei finally nodded. If he wanted to go, they would go. It wouldn't delay anything.
It was May, and the roadside vegetation was lush with new growth, brimming with vitality – her favorite time of spring, when even the breeze felt pleasant.
Seeing her joyful expression, Liu Yizhu felt a little better too. He had never been to the Yuqing Temple before. Li Mingwei led him to kneel down, just as Older Sister Chunhua had guided her previously, and handed him a wooden divination slip. "Go ahead, tell the monk what you want to ask about."
When he shook his head, Li Mingwei frowned slightly. "Why not?"
Liu Yizhu handed the slip back to her. "I have too many wishes, you do it instead."
This person...
Did she not have many wishes too?
But for now, the most important thing was him. Li Mingwei closed her eyes and silently made her wish, then tossed the slip onto the ground, her heart fluttering with the motion.
Once the dust had settled, she exhaled softly in relief. The monk was truly kind to her!
When she got back, she would have to make a generous donation, heh heh.
