Chapter 17: One Should Not Rely on a Man to Get By

“You said it yourself: Huo Heng was the one who sought her out, and she rejected him. What does that have to do with her? We cannot control other people; we can only control ourselves.”

Fan Xiaowei was rather curious about Miss Qin. She was different from the two Qin sisters.

After hearing what she had said today, Fan Xiaowei could not help admiring her. She was also certain that Miss Qin would never agree to anything with Huo Heng. She was far too proud for that.

Qiuyi was still worried. “What are we going to do? Should we tell the Old Madam and ask her to restrain the son-in-law?”

Fan Xiaowei glanced at her and replied calmly, “No.”

“They are my husband’s parents. Even if they find out, they will merely put on a show and reprimand him a few times. They will not truly restrain him. Instead, they will think that I, as their daughter-in-law, am not generous or virtuous enough, and that I cannot hold on to my husband’s heart, which is why he went looking for someone else.

“My husband will also grow resentful of me because of it, and in the end, it will drive a wedge between us.”

Qiuyi was filled with indignation.

“Then are we just supposed to do nothing—to endure it and indulge him? We still have a long life ahead of us. How is Madam supposed to go on living like this?”

Fan Xiaowei smiled. “You silly girl, I married him and share my life with him, but that does not mean I must rely on him for the rest of my life. I lived perfectly well for the first dozen years without him, did I not?

“Now that he is part of my life, if we can get along well, then we will be a loving couple. If all we can manage is mutual respect, that will be good enough. And if we come to detest the sight of each other, I will still live my own life well.

“My life does not consist of my husband alone. I also have my parents, my brothers and sisters, my relatives, and my friends. In time, there will be children as well. All of these things are important.”

After a pause, she added, “And if all else fails, I still have my own interests and pleasures. I cannot spend my life relying solely on him. Otherwise, how unbearable would life become?”

As she spoke, she smiled again. “But enough of that. Let us go look at the account books and see how much money I have brought in this month.”

Meanwhile, after Qin Hanxiao had bought everything she needed, she hired an ox cart to take her home.

With the cart piled high with goods, she passed through the village and was immediately questioned.

“Second Brother’s wife, why did you buy so many things?”

“There’s grain and meat too. That must have cost quite a bit, mustn’t it?”

“You cannot live this way. You must be frugal and plan for the future.”

Whoever asked, Qin Hanxiao gave the same answer.

“How could I possibly have money to buy all this? Young Master Huang the Seventh saw that I was pitiful and gave these things to me.”

She even made a point of telling the villagers, “The Old Madam Huang’s illness is unlike ordinary illnesses, and her medicine cannot be prepared in the usual way. It has to be specially made into pills. It takes a great deal of time and effort. That is why I brought all the medicine back to prepare it myself.

“The Huang family are kindhearted people. Knowing that my family was having a difficult time, they gave me some things they no longer needed. Of course, they may be things they do not use, but we can barely afford to eat. How could we be choosy? We should already be grateful beyond words that they were willing to give them to us.”

Naturally, she had to play up their hardship. She did not want those greedy people from the old family home blocking her door and demanding money again.

At least for now, while they still lacked the ability to protect themselves, they could not afford to reveal their wealth.

When she entered the courtyard, she saw her mother-in-law, Madam Bai, basking in the sun. Ah Hui and Yingying were watering the peonies and camellias they had planted.

“Hanxiao is back.” Madam Bai was the first to notice her. “Why did you buy so many things? Ah Hui, go help your second sister-in-law. Yingying, you go too.”

As Qin Hanxiao carried the goods inside, she replied, “They are all things the family needs.”

Only after seeing the cart driver off did she explain, “People asked me about them when I passed through the village just now, so I said they had all been given to me by the Huang family. In truth, Young Master Huang the Seventh gave me money to prepare the medicine. I was afraid that if those people found out, they would come here and cause trouble again.”

Qin Hanxiao lowered her voice, so only the four women could hear her.

“You did the right thing.” Madam Bai smiled. “You are a cautious child. From now on, just do what you need to do.”

Just then, three burly men emerged from Pei Yuantang’s room, leaving Qin Hanxiao momentarily stunned.

Had bandits gotten into the house?

These “bandits,” however, were remarkably polite. They all bowed to her.

“Greetings, Second Sister-in-law.”

So they were not bandits.

Qin Hanxiao returned their greeting with a curtsy. Before she could ask anything, Pei Jinghui introduced them.

“These three are all Second Brother’s friends. They came to deliver his account books.”

One of the men said, “We have delivered the account books and said everything that needed to be said. We should not disturb you any longer.”

The other two chimed in. “It is time for us to leave. We will come again next month to collect the account books.”

Although the three men were exceedingly polite, it was clear that they were all rather uneasy—and that their unease was because of her.

Why? She had never even met them before.

Was she some kind of terrifying person?

Qin Hanxiao felt that she could not simply let them leave. It was easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to offer warmth in the snow.

Pei Yuantang had fallen upon hard times, yet these men had still come to visit him. Clearly, they were people worth befriending.

Besides, one person would have been enough to deliver the account books. Why had three come?

And making the journey back and forth to deliver and collect the books was not something an ordinary friend would do.

“Do not rush off. It is almost noon, so stay and have a simple meal with us. I will start the fire and cook. It will be ready soon.”

As she spoke, she handed Yingying a handful of copper coins. “Yingying, go to the village entrance and buy two pounds of wine.”

Yingying took the coins and left, making it impossible for the three men, who had still been politely declining, to refuse any longer.

In the end, it was only after Pei Yuantang called from inside and asked them to stay that they remained.

“The weather is fine today. Let us eat in the courtyard. Please help me bring Second Brother out so he can enjoy the sun as well.”

Thus, one of them went inside to help Pei Yuantang, while the other two carried things into the kitchen.

Once everything had been arranged, Madam Bai also went into the kitchen to tend the fire, leaving the four men in the courtyard to drink tea and talk.

The three men had come to discuss something with Pei Yuantang; they had not merely come to deliver the account books.

Jiang Qing poked his head toward the kitchen and glanced inside. He saw Qin Hanxiao washing meat.

“Second Sister-in-law, just fry a few simple dishes. We are not outsiders, so there is no need to prepare meat. The Pei family’s circumstances are clear to all of us. That is why we did not intend to stay for a meal.”

Qin Hanxiao replied, “Since you say we are not outsiders, then stop being so polite. Just wait and taste my cooking.”

Pei Yuantang was also watching the woman bustling about in the kitchen, and his expression softened without his realizing it.

He called out to the three men, “Enough of that. Ever since my accident, we have not sat down and shared a meal together. Let us have a proper one today.”

“All right, then. We will wait to eat.”

The speaker was Luo Fangxu. He was naturally broad-hearted and outspoken, and he had nearly burst from holding his tongue until now.

Grinning widely, he said, “Second Sister-in-law looks gentle and capable at first glance, and she does not have the temper of some spoiled young lady. Heh heh… Second Brother is truly blessed.”

Jiang Qing had come several times before, but had never once met Second Sister-in-law. This was their first time seeing her, and Luo Fangxu thought she was completely different from what they had imagined.

She was even more beautiful than they had expected, and she had a pleasant disposition as well. She did not look down on them.

Pei Yuantang gave a slight nod and admitted with a smile, “I am the blessed one.”

Another man, Ji Wei, looked several times at the injury on Qin Hanxiao’s forehead, which had not yet fully healed. Then he lowered his voice and assured Pei Yuantang, “The moment I get back, I will speak to Old Zhu. I guarantee that Pei Yuanqin’s shop will not be able to stay open.

“He dared lay a hand on Second Sister-in-law? Whether he thought he had the courage of a bear or the gall of a leopard, I will claw it out of him.”