Chapter 79: Preparations

Tang Yichen saw her brimming with confidence, and since he truly had no better solution himself, he simply let her take charge.

Tang Yixiao and Tang Lvwuu looked relieved at the change of tutor. If given the choice, they would certainly rather study with Qin Huiyin. They didn’t know if she had methods that suited them, but anything was better than having Tang Yichen smack their palms. Their own elder brother, when it came to matters of learning, seemed to become a different person—brotherly affection thin as paper, ready to shatter at a touch. When he struck, he meant it, and it truly hurt.

It was getting late, and there was much to do tomorrow—they couldn’t afford to stay up. Tang Yichen waved his hand, dismissing the two pitiful children to their rest.

Qin Huiyin lay in bed, her mind busy with thoughts of how to organize her teaching plans. Just as she was pondering, faint, fragmented sounds drifted into her ears, leaving her stunned and then deeply embarrassed.

Next door was the room of Tang Dafu and Li Taohua. Previously, Tang Dafu’s injured leg had required quiet rest, so the adjoining room had always been silent. But now, he could walk again. Though not fully healed, his strength was returning, and, being still in his prime... the wedding night’s festivities seemed inevitable.

Moreover, Li Taohua was just past thirty. In modern terms, she would be considered a beautiful young lady—still a charming and youthful wife—so sharing intimacy with her husband was perfectly natural. Qin Huiyin understood.

But the house was terribly lacking in soundproofing. Even though the couple were clearly trying to be discreet, everything filtered through with painful clarity. The only solution, she thought, was to earn more money, rebuild the house, and move the newlyweds’ room farther away. Otherwise, the four “children” would be forced to face this awkwardness on a daily basis.

“Be gentle, the children might hear,” Li Taohua scolded, annoyed.

Her voice, however, was so coquettish that her “anger” only made her husband more eager rather than deter him.

“It’s late, they’re all asleep,” Tang Dafu whispered. “Wife, you just said, for every character I recognize, you’ll give me a kiss. I recognized eight…”

Qin Huiyin: “…”

So, the joke was on them all along.

The next morning, Qin Huiyin rose with dark circles under her eyes.

She noticed that aside from herself and her mother, the Tang men all seemed in fine spirits.

“Second sister, did you not sleep well?” Tang Yixiao asked with concern.

Qin Huiyin replied, “You look like you slept very soundly.”

“I was so tired during the day that I fell asleep the moment I lay down and only woke up at dawn,” Tang Yixiao said.

Tang Yichen, having washed his face, overheard their conversation and called out to Qin Huiyin, “Come with me.”

Yawning, she followed him.

He handed her a bundle of incense. “I prepared this earlier. Light it tonight.”

“What is this?” Qin Huiyin asked curiously. “There haven’t been any festivals lately, and it’s not the first or fifteenth, so we don’t need incense.”

“This is calming incense, harmless. It just helps with sleep,” Tang Yichen replied, avoiding her gaze.

Qin Huiyin: “…”

Suddenly, she understood. Though she almost wished she didn’t.

So he had already guessed what would happen the previous night and had prepared a solution in advance.

How much more awkward could things get?

Tang Yichen was only fourteen, but precocious children mature early, and his knowledge was broad.

Blushing, Qin Huiyin accepted the incense. “I understand.”

Tang Yichen also felt the awkwardness of discussing such matters. But she was, after all, a young girl—constantly overhearing such things was hardly appropriate. He couldn’t very well order his father to become a monk. Since the source couldn’t be changed, he’d found a way to resolve things for everyone.

Qin Huiyin took the incense away.

When she came out, she saw Li Taohua feeding chickens with wilted vegetable leaves, Tang Dafu holding her hand and playfully tussling over the scraps. The two pushed and teased each other like lovers in the throes of romance.

Tang Yichen cleared his throat.

Tang Dafu and Li Taohua glanced back at the sound, then continued their playful banter.

Qin Huiyin: “…”

“Father, come help me,” Tang Yichen called, pulling Tang Dafu away.

Grumbling, Tang Dafu followed him. In this household, he was most afraid of his wife, and second to her, this son.

Today, preparations had to be made for the goods to be sold the next day, so that day’s meals were left to Li Taohua and Tang Dafu, with the others lending a hand to help with the ingredients.

Qin Huiyin made sure all ingredients were ready, but didn’t braise the meat until evening. Cooking meat during the day would draw unwanted attention, and the seasoning was already prepared; slow-cooking overnight meant it would be ready by morning. Besides, as the weather was turning cooler, chilled noodles and jelly would soon be out of season, so it was time to update the menu.

“When the new well is finished, I’ll return to the private school,” Tang Yichen said. “The next examination will be held in the provincial capital.”

“Your injury is nearly healed—it’s time for you to return and make the final push,” Qin Huiyin replied. “Don’t worry about things here; I’ll keep an eye on everything.”

After counting the chicks, Li Taohua came over in a huff. “Those useless men actually asked what you were busy with and why you weren’t the one cooking. It nearly made me explode!”

That day, Li Taohua had made three dishes and a soup—two with meat, one vegetarian. By village standards, these were quite good, but compared to Qin Huiyin’s cooking, the difference in taste was obvious. Qin Huiyin never used expensive ingredients, always making do with what was on hand, relying on skill alone. Li Taohua had learned some of her tricks after a few days, but watching and doing were not the same, and she admitted she couldn’t match her daughter’s skill. Still, being criticized was hard to swallow.

“Are you angry, mother?”

“Of course I am!” Li Taohua huffed. “I’ve never claimed to be magnanimous.”

“But tomorrow you’ll still be cooking, and they’ll have no choice but to eat your food even if they complain. Doesn’t that feel a bit satisfying?”

Li Taohua tilted her head, suddenly enlightened. “That’s true. They may not like my cooking, but what can they do? Tomorrow it’s still my food on the table.”

She walked off humming a little tune.

“So Aunt Li is actually easy to appease,” Tang Yichen said with a smile.

“My mother has never been a complicated person,” Qin Huiyin replied. “If she had a more calculating mind, she’d be a wealthy lady in some grand residence now, not stuck in the countryside.”

“Aunt Li may not have it in her, but you certainly do. Have you never thought of finding her a better future?”

With Li Taohua’s looks and Qin Huiyin’s brains, the two of them could easily scheme their way to a better life if they so wished.

“How do you know the path I’ve chosen isn’t the best one?” Qin Huiyin said calmly. “A steady, honest life is the true broad road. The gates of wealth are filled with rotten corpses—I do not seek that kind of fortune.”