"You're cooking?" Ye Yunniang looked at Li Pan in surprise. "When did you learn to cook?"
"We learned from Aunt Mai Miao today," Li Pan replied.
"Mother, you just sit here and rest. Let us handle the cooking." Li An took Ye Yunniang's hand, led her to a small stool, and made her sit down to rest.
Li Pan and Li An washed the vegetables, chopped them, lit the fire, and cooked the meal.
Several times in between, Ye Yunniang tried to get up and help, but was stopped by Li Ping each time.
Li Pan and Li An worked together to make vegetable noodles and a cold wood ear mushroom salad.
The noodles were a bit undercooked and a bit salty. The vegetables were a bit bitter, but Ye Yunniang felt this was the most delicious bowl of noodles she had ever eaten.
"Mother, we'll help you cook from now on," Li Pan said after finishing his last bite of noodles.
“That's not right. We'll be eating the food too, so we can't call it 'helping,'” Li An rebutted Li Pan's words.
Li Pan thought about it and agreed. "I misspoke. Mother, from now on we'll cook more often, so you can have an easier time."
Ye Yunniang wanted to say that cooking wasn't tiring for her, but then she thought about how sensible the children were being and didn't want to dampen their spirits.
"Alright."
With just two days left until New Year's Eve, Ye Yunniang decided to take the children to Sanxi Manor to burn paper money and pay respects to their grandfather and father.
They rented an ox-cart to the manor and first went to the gravesite to burn the paper offerings.
Cai Damei was already there.
"Mother."
"Grandmother."
Ye Yunniang and the children gathered around her.
"Yes, yes, are you all cold?" Cai Damei reached out to touch the head of Li Pan, who was closest to her. Her eyes caught sight of a mark on Li Pan's neck.
With swift movements, Cai Damei pulled open Li Pan's collar. "What happened to your neck?"
"I-I'm fine," Li Pan blinked, insisting he was okay.
Cai Damei stared into his eyes. "Pan'er, tell Grandmother the truth. What happened?"
Li Pan looked left and right, unsure how to explain.
"Grandma, a thief got into the..." Li Ping started to speak.
"Pingping!" Ye Yunniang reached out and covered Li Ping's mouth.
"Yunniang, what happened to your hands?" Cai Damei grabbed Ye Yunniang's wrist, examining her hands closely.
Due to a secondary injury, Ye Yunniang's hands were still bandaged.
"It's nothing, I just accidentally cut my hands while chopping vegetables," Ye Yunniang made an excuse, not wanting Cai Damei to worry.
"Chopping vegetables can injure both hands? Tell me the truth, don't try to fool me with excuses." Cai Damei knew Ye Yunniang inside out and could tell she was lying immediately.
"Grandma, a thief broke into our house," Li Pan didn't hide it anymore. "Mother got hurt grabbing the thief's dagger to save me. It went all the way to the bone, you could see the bone." Li Pan started crying as he spoke.
After hearing this, Cai Damei was filled with self-blame. She shouldn't have left the house.
"Mother, the thief has been caught. We're all fine now." Ye Yunniang supported Cai Damei, worried her body couldn't take the shock.
"Come with me." Cai Damei composed herself and led the mother and her four children to her carriage.
A female physician was waiting by the carriage.
Cai Damei had the physician examine all four of them and only relaxed after confirming there were no problems.
She let the three children go play to the side. Cai Damei pulled Ye Yunniang aside. "Tell me in detail everything that has happened since I left home."
Ye Yunniang recounted everything that had happened at home after Cai Damei left.
"Did Tong Mo's parents come to bother you, Mother?" Ye Yunniang was worried they might have caused trouble for Cai Damei.
"They came." Cai Damei recalled the situation that day.
After Bao Min settled Cai Damei in the villa, he had only one thing on his mind: he must secure his status.
He delegated most of the official business at the yamen to his deputies.
No matter what Bao Min said, Cai Damei would not agree.
Cai Damei always stuck to the same line: "In life, I am a member of the Li family; in death, I am a ghost of the Li family."
As for Bao Min's suggestion of him marrying into her family, that was even more impossible.
How could the esteemed Prefect of a region marry into a family?
Faced with Cai Damei's resistance to both soft and hard tactics, Bao Min was truly getting a headache.
What gave him an even bigger headache was the arrival of his elder brother and sister-in-law.
"What are you two doing here?"
"To see you, making a scene," Bao Shao's words were harsh.
Jin Huilan nudged Bao Shao with her elbow. "Min, we've come to spend the New Year with you," Jin Huilan offered the pre-agreed excuse.
"No need. You should head back early. I'm busy with matters here," Bao Min tried to decline, worried they would discover Cai Damei.
"Busy with what? Busy planning to marry into her family?" Bao Shao snorted coldly. They had just arrived, and without even a cup of tea, he was trying to shoo them away.
"Did Xiao Mo tell you?"
"Xiao Mo hoped we could all talk some sense into you together," Jin Huilan explained on Tong Mo's behalf.
"He hoped you could persuade Ye Yunniang to marry him, more like," Bao Min knew his nephew well.
Mentioning Ye Yunniang made Bao Shao even angrier. "Bao Min, I entrusted Tong Mo to you. Is this how you educate your nephew? Getting involved with a widow who lacks virtue, what kind of behavior is that?"
Bao Min was not pleased to hear this.
"He learned it from you." After saying this, Bao Min bowed to Jin Huilan. "Sister-in-law, my words are not directed at you."
Jin Huilan wouldn't be angry with her brother-in-law, but she was very dissatisfied with Bao Shao.
What did he mean by a widow lacking virtue? What did he mean by 'getting involved'? Had Bao Shao forgotten that she herself had once been a widow?
Jin Huilan turned and left.
Bao Shao realized he had said the wrong thing.
He glared at Bao Min and went to chase after his wife.
Ignoring his brother's glare, Bao Min confiscated all the items suitable for pregnant women, new mothers, and infants that Bao Shao and his wife had brought, and returned to the villa.
Bao Min didn't hide it from Cai Damei, telling her his brother and sister-in-law had come.
"Madam, my brother and sister-in-law are both here. How about we get engaged first?"
Cai Damei concentrated on her needlework, ignoring Bao Min's words. He talked about this every day; her ears were getting calluses from hearing it.
"Since Madam doesn't speak, she agrees. I'll go make the arrangements right now." Bao Min got up to leave, talking to himself.
"If you dare make arrangements, I'll return to Sanxi Manor tomorrow." Cai Damei's words made Bao Min stop in his tracks.
"Madam, I was wrong. I shouldn't have acted on my own." Bao Min apologized quickly, though he would likely do it again next time.
"You're still young. Why waste your time on me?" Cai Damei tried to persuade Bao Min. Wouldn't it be better to find a young girl and live a harmonious life?
Bao Min took Cai Damei's hand.
"Madam, I won't try to persuade you, but please stop always trying to push me away, alright?"
Cai Damei looked at Bao Min and said very seriously, "In this lifetime, I, Cai Damei, have only one husband, and that is Li Min."
"If you only want your husband, why did you lead my brother on? What do you take my brother for, a male entertainer from a brothel?" Bao Shao burst in.
Bao Min stood up and shouted at Bao Shao rudely, "Get out!"
A male entertainer? Was this something an elder brother should say?
“Bao Min, is your brain full of water? I'm standing up for you!” Bao Shao is dissatisfied with Bao Min's attitude.
"I don't need you to. Don't cause more trouble here." After speaking to Bao Shao, Bao Min turned to comfort Cai Damei. "My relationship with him isn't good. His words don't represent mine."
"Bao Min!" Bao Shao clenched his fists. This younger brother really needed a good lesson.
"What are you yelling for? You're not welcome here. Get out!" As Bao Min spoke, he gave Bao Shao a push.
How could a frail scholar push a military officer like Bao Shao?
Bao Min stumbled, but fortunately, Cai Damei behind him caught him.
Bao Min turned around to support Cai Damei. "Madam, it was my fault for bumping into you."
