12 Cesarean Section Birth Twelve

If Luo Meinang were a man... A man who discovered his wife secretly plotting against him, even threatening his life, would have immediately imprisoned the culprit and then found a young and beautiful woman to marry without a second thought.

But she is a woman, and what she did seemed unconventional and rebellious in every way. Yet, if one were to judge right from wrong, Luo Meinang was not at fault.

Li’s father rubbed his forehead. “I’ll go ask.”

Li’s mother was uneasy. “I’ll go with you.”

The two hurriedly changed clothes and stepped out.

Elsewhere, Chu Yunli’s health had improved greatly, recovering faster than Mr. Luo. Since the father and daughter had long neglected the shop, the moment she was able to move about freely, she immediately went to the shop to check the accounts.

The numbers were numerous and dizzying. Chu Yunli felt a bit faint and set down the ledger, listening instead to Hu Yi’an’s story.

To be precise, he spoke of the hardships he had encountered.

“At the time, the employer could have paid wages in advance, but the pay was low. I just wanted my mother to get her medicine quickly, so I didn’t care about much else,” Hu Yi’an said with a crestfallen expression. “Those two years, trying to treat my mother’s illness, the family went deeply into debt. Relatives and friends would avoid me when they saw me. During festivals, many came to collect debts, and I was too embarrassed to ask for more help. I thought, once my mother was cured, I could work a few more years. Unfortunately... that employer cut corners, even the planks for the workers were too thin. I carried heavy loads and fell right then and there. He sent someone to take me to the clinic but soon after, he fired me.”

As he spoke, his head began to spin, and he rubbed his forehead.

“That’s truly unfortunate,” Chu Yunli said. “What about the debt you owe him?”

“The IOU is still there. I owe him three taels of silver. I thought he wouldn’t ask for it, assuming he compensated me with that silver. But two days later, thugs from the gambling den came, saying that IOU had been lost to them in a bet.” Hu Yi’an sighed. “Luckily, the eldest brother of my neighbor is a key official there and managed to suppress the matter. But I was forced to sign another IOU, with compound interest. Now I owe seven taels.”

Chu Yunli slammed her palm on the table in anger. “Who is that employer?”

Hu Yi’an chuckled bitterly, but the pain in his head worsened and his vision blurred. Thinking a sip of tea might help, he raised his hand but suddenly collapsed.

With a thud, the tall figure fell unconscious on the floor. Chu Yunli was startled and hurriedly bent down to check his pulse.

His body was weak from overexertion but showed no other ailments. Chu Yunli was somewhat speechless; he was so frail, she didn’t know how long it would take to recover. She instructed someone to carry him to the bed and prepared medicine.

While the medicine brewed, Chu Yunli sent someone to inquire about Hu Yi’an’s former employer.

The matter had caused quite a stir, and many had heard of it. The man’s surname was Yao; his family was small — aside from wives and children, there was an elderly mother. His business methods were somewhat rough. He transported goods from other regions to profit from price differences and was quite successful. In fact, he had some connection to the Li family.

Because about eighty percent of the goods Yao Qiushan brought belonged to the Li family, in other words, he was sustained entirely by them.

Therefore, the Li family should have heard of Hu Yi’an’s injury during the transport. Luo Meinang had been resting at home for nearly a year due to pregnancy, and Li Hualin had not told her; she had nowhere else to learn this.

Chu Yunli planned to find an opportunity to meet Yao Qiushan or to dig up other dirt on him. Such a man likely bullied more than just Hu Yi’an. Leaving him in the city would only bring disaster.

Meanwhile, Hu Yi’an lay in a restless sleep, frowning deeply.

Chu Yunli moved to the adjacent room. She had barely sat down when the Li couple arrived.

This was a pastry shop with many customers downstairs. A quarrel here would undoubtedly disrupt business.

Recently, the Luo family had suffered continuous misfortunes, and business was far worse than before. Since Chu Yunli had taken over, it had slightly improved. This was not the time for disturbances that would worsen matters. She was unwilling to let the Li couple’s quarrel affect the shop’s trade.

Thus, it was easy for the Li couple to go upstairs.

Seeing Chu Yunli seated behind the desk in a neat dress, Li’s mother lost her temper first and blurted out, “I heard you hired a new accountant?”

Chu Yunli retorted, “Is that any of your business?”

To Li’s mother, this daughter-in-law who had sent her son to prison was utterly unforgivable, and now wanting to turn to another man was even worse. She snapped, “Answer me when I speak!”

Chu Yunli didn’t look up. “Even if I hired a hundred or a thousand accountants, it’s none of your concern. You meddle too much.”

Li’s mother was furious. “Hiring an accountant might be your business, but if you want to remarry...”

Chu Yunli interrupted, “What’s it to you? Whether I marry again or not is none of your business. Do you expect me to stay loyal to a scoundrel like Li Hualin?”

Li’s mother was speechless.

Li’s father sighed, “Meinang, the Li family owes you an apology. If you want to abandon Hualin and remarry, we can’t stop you. But as long as there are children, we are bound by blood. I worry for you. That pretty-faced man is good for nothing besides his looks. He has ulterior motives; he doesn’t truly love you. Plainly put, he’s after your money!”

Chu Yunli scoffed, “As if Li Hualin wasn’t after money too.”

Li’s father was dumbfounded. “You two have been married for years. Hualin voluntarily became part of your family because he truly cherished you.”

“You said ‘at the time,’” Chu Yunli was impatient. “If you keep talking, I will set the engagement tomorrow. If you don’t believe me, try and stop me.”

That was rash indeed.

They had only known each other a few days. The Li couple thought these were just angry words from the former daughter-in-law, so neither took it seriously. Li’s father bluntly said, “His family is poor and has a sick mother. If you feel lonely, keep him by your side, but don’t marry.”

Li’s mother disapproved.

No matter how much she hated Luo Meinang, she did not want her to get close to another man. To her, that was betrayal.

Chu Yunli smiled. “Who are you to interfere with me?” She raised her voice and ordered, “Official Yu, prepare some things and invite matchmakers to the Hu family for the proposal.”

Outside, someone acknowledged and went off.

The Li couple were stunned, speechless for a while. Li’s mother was the first to react, jumping up and down, “No!”

Chu Yunli glanced at her disdainfully, saying nothing.

Li’s father grew anxious. “Marrying such a poor man, what do you expect to gain?”

“I expect his wholehearted devotion, his loyalty,” Chu Yunli said earnestly. “Most importantly... I expect him to be good-looking.”

The Li couple were silenced.

They exchanged a glance. Li’s mother rushed out, probably to stop it.

Li’s father pleaded earnestly, meaning that if the marriage didn’t happen, they could always find someone else. But if it did, it would inevitably involve the family’s money. If they raised the man’s hopes, the Luo family father and daughter would again be in danger.

Chu Yunli ignored these words and had the guests sent away.

Li’s father was helpless. “You act as if I’m forcing you to get engaged. Don’t be impulsive out of anger. Your father will never approve, and you will regret it. Let the official come back first...”

Chu Yunli frowned. “If you stall again, I’ll set the wedding date for half a month from now.”

Li’s father was speechless.

With the former daughter-in-law so determined to get engaged out of spite, how could he stir trouble?

The Luo family was not an ordinary household; the wedding date would soon spread in a small circle. Breaking off the engagement would ruin their reputation. This marriage was final.

With that thought, he dared not say more and followed the official downstairs.

Li’s mother chased after the official, first trying to bribe, then threaten, but all was in vain. She watched helplessly as the official packed a large bundle and invited matchmakers to arrange the proposal.

Mrs. Hu was frail and had been bedridden for a long time. Recently, she saw a skilled doctor and received good medicine, so she had been able to get up and cook these past days, and today she even went out to buy vegetables.

Her face was still sickly as she met the neighbor woman outside. The Hu family owed the neighbor money, so Mrs. Hu was especially polite.

The neighbor had been unhappy with the Hu family before, but lately Hu Yi’an had found new work and even met a wealthy lady who sent a doctor to treat Mrs. Hu. Though no one said it openly, they all understood Hu Yi’an had likely found a benefactor.

He was handsome; it was natural for a rich girl to like him.

As for the debts owed... to the Hu family mother and son, it was a mountain, but for the wealthy lady, it was a mere trifle. Thus, the neighbor was quite courteous and even carried the basket for Mrs. Hu. “Is Yi’an busy lately?”

Mrs. Hu nodded. “He’s finally learning accounting, a skill to rely on. He must be diligent. Besides, he still owes debts. If he had to rely on physical labor, he might never repay. Accountants earn well; anywhere, they get good monthly pay.”

In other words, they had not forgotten their debts and were thinking of ways to repay quickly. Once Hu Yi’an mastered accounting, he could soon settle them.

The neighbor smiled warmly and teased in a low voice, “Has he caught the eye of that employer’s daughter?”

Mrs. Hu was shocked. “Don’t speak nonsense. Marriage requires matching social status. Our families are worlds apart. The employer has been very kind to us; we must not tarnish her reputation. If this rumor spreads, we’d be ungrateful.”

Seeing her serious face, the neighbor found the mood dull but understood the misunderstanding. She chuckled awkwardly, “Just joking, don’t take it to heart. Only you and I know; it won’t get out.”

Mrs. Hu warned, “Sister-in-law, don’t say such things. We are not worthy of them...”

Before she finished, she saw the matchmaker standing at the door and was immediately at a loss for words.

Someone had come to propose marriage?

Moreover, the matchmaker was dressed elegantly, unlike the common marriage brokers on the streets. This was clearly someone moving among prominent families.

And the only wealthy family the Hu family knew was that employer’s daughter. Beside her, the neighbor whispered congratulations, “My mouth must be blessed. If the girl becomes wealthy, she mustn’t forget us neighbors.”

Mrs. Hu was speechless, as if dreaming.