Chapter 138 City Streets 38

Chapter 138: City Life 38

Seeing that Tao Yu had not returned to the kitchen, Liu Guyu carried the food tray out himself to find him.

When Tao Yu spotted Liu Guyu emerging, he hurried over, took the tray from his hands, and delivered it to a customer’s table.

With a moment to spare, Liu Guyu leaned against the accounting counter, watching Qin Rongshi do the bookkeeping.

Though only eighteen, Qin Rongshi already wrote with remarkable skill—his strokes bold and incisive, his brushwork as sharp as an unsheathed sword. Each sweep and dot exuded strength and integrity.

It bore no resemblance to the handwriting of a young scholar but rather that of a master calligrapher.

“What exquisite penmanship! Someday you must write a scroll for me to hang in the shop!”

Qin Rongshi readily agreed, nodding as he asked, “What should I write?”

Liu Guyu: “Sit and wait for money.”

Qin Rongshi: “?”

Even after years of knowing Liu Guyu, Qin Rongshi felt he could barely keep up with his train of thought—yet sometimes he was utterly baffled.

He asked again, “What should I write?”

Liu Guyu chuckled twice but didn’t answer. Instead, he snatched Qin Rongshi’s brush and scribbled four haphazard, crooked characters on a scrap of paper.

Qin Rongshi fell silent for a long moment, unsure whether to laugh first at the terrible handwriting or the absurd content.

After a while, he finally said, “Some impressive large characters.”

Liu Guyu clearly heard the teasing in his tone and let out a snorting laugh. “What’s the use of good handwriting? Making money is what counts!”

As he spoke, he picked up the scrap paper he’d written on, puckered up to kiss it—but the next moment, Qin Rongshi snatched it away.

His tone was somewhat resigned: “It’s not dry yet.”

Liu Guyu shrugged and leaned back against the counter, continuing to watch Qin Rongshi work. As he watched, he added, “But your fine handwriting does have its uses.”

Qin Rongshi chuckled softly, paused to think, then told Liu Guyu about Manager Yang’s earlier visit.

Liu Guyu didn’t take Manager Yang’s provocation seriously—or perhaps he’d anticipated it all along. Having launched this unconventional food business, he had long expected envy and known trouble would eventually come.

Yet he still leaned weakly against the counter, gazing at Qin Rongshi as he said, “Ah, what I truly miss is a sugar daddy… You’ll have to work hard, Scholar Qin, so you can protect me later!”

Though smiling, Qin Rongshi replied, “Why add ‘little’ before ‘scholar’?”

Liu Guyu tilted his head and said, “Great Scholar, Great Scholar Qin! Is that better?”

“I’ve made osmanthus milk tea—let me get a cup for Great Scholar Qin right now!”

With that, he dashed back to the kitchen and got back to work.

In the afternoon, Zhang Yun returned with news.

The Sun family had learned of Sun Yueqin’s situation. Her parents and brothers were furious and, without hesitation, followed Zhang Yun into the city.

However, Sun Yueqin’s two elder brothers were already married with children of their own, each having established their own households. It remained uncertain how long they could support their married sister.

*

Fruit Lane, Li Household.

Sun Yueqin lay weak and ill in bed, a two-year-old girl sitting beside her.

The little girl’s face was flushed, her eyes red-rimmed, as she solemnly fed Sun Yueqin spoonfuls of chicken soup like a miniature adult. With each spoonful, her lips trembled, threatening tears.

Yinzi was still very young—even feeding herself, she sometimes got food on her nose. Feeding her mother was even messier, with spills and splatters. Yet the clever little girl quickly learned after a few attempts, taking only half a spoonful at a time to avoid spilling.

Of course, the Li family—having failed to produce a grandson—had no intention of stewing chicken to nourish Sun Yueqin.

The chicken soup had been sent over by Cui Lanfang. Her family ate well—meat daily, and stewed bones or chicken every few days.

That day, they happened to make chicken soup. Thinking of Sun Yueqin next door, who had just given birth and needed proper nourishment, she had Ping’an deliver a pot.

Sun Yueqin had little appetite and stopped eating after a few bites. Enduring the pain below, she reached out to touch her daughter’s face and soothed, “Mama’s full, sweetie. You finish the rest.”

Then she lifted her head and called toward the door, straining to raise her voice: “Mom! Mom!”

After a moment, Chen Qiaoyun reluctantly entered, holding the bundled newborn. She glanced sideways at Sun Yueqin and asked, “What is it?”

“If you’re unwell, you should rest properly.”

As she spoke, she eyed the soup bowl in Yinzi’s hands—but wasn’t cruel enough to snatch food from a postpartum mother and a child.

Sun Yueqin didn’t answer but reached out toward Chen Qiaoyun, saying, “The baby? Give her to me. She’s probably hungry. Hand her over so I can nurse her.”

Chen Qiaoyun reluctantly walked over and passed the bundled infant to Sun Yueqin on the bed, watching as Sun Yueqin opened her clothes to breastfeed the baby.

Midway, Chen Qiaoyun suddenly smiled and said, “Yueqin, how about we discuss something?”

Sun Yueqin didn’t answer—but instinctively sensed nothing good would follow.

Unfazed by the silence, Chen Qiaoyun continued on her own: “Your younger cousin—remember her?”

“She and her husband have been married six or seven years without a child. I suppose they’re simply not meant to have one. Last year, when your father and I visited for New Year’s, she mentioned wanting to adopt a baby—not necessarily blood-related, even a girl would do! Just having a child would be enough. Raised from infancy, it’d be just like their own—and the house would feel livelier.”

She left the rest unsaid, but Sun Yueqin clearly understood Chen Qiaoyun’s implication. Instinctively, she tightened her arms around the baby in her embrace and glared fiercely at Chen Qiaoyun. She no longer even called her “Mom,” demanding directly:

“What do you mean?! You want to give my baby to her to raise?!”

Chen Qiaoyun nodded with a chuckle, even adopting a sincere expression as she persuaded, “It wouldn’t be for free! She’s willing to pay twenty taels!”

“With that money, our family would be better off. We have another girl now—raising her would just mean she’d belong to another family someday anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to let her go now? The family would have an easier time.”

“You know her family—though they’re not in the city, they’re brewers! They do well financially! Liuer would have a good life there!”

Sun Yueqin retorted angrily, “What ‘Liuer’! My baby doesn’t even have a name yet! That’s not her name! And I won’t give her away—not for any amount of money!”

Chen Qiaoyun smiled kindly, looking at Sun Yueqin as if she were a child throwing a tantrum. She didn’t take offense at the rudeness, instead wearing an ‘understanding’ look.

She added, “It’s not like you don’t know our family’s situation. The fruit business isn’t doing well, and your father-in-law’s bees were ruined! How can we afford another mouth to feed?”

“If Liuer stays with us, she’ll have a hard life! If you let her go, she’ll live well later—might even thank you for it!”

“And there’s Yinzi! With twenty taels, we could save it for Yinzi’s dowry. Later, she’d have better marriage prospects. Isn’t that great? Raising two definitely takes more work than raising one!”

Sun Yueqin shouted furiously, “I won’t give her away! Put that thought out of your mind! And you call yourself the child’s grandmother! Talking about having no money—if I’d given birth to a boy yesterday, would you be talking about sending him away?!”

As the adults argued, Yinzi grew frightened and began crying. She clung to Chen Qiaoyun’s leg and begged, “Want little sister, Grandma… Yinzi wants little sister… Don’t send her away, don’t send her away.”

At that moment, the door burst open—and Li Youliang charged in, eyes blazing with anger.

He pointed at Sun Yueqin and scolded, "You vicious woman, how dare you speak to mother like that! Look at yourself—do you act even a little like a proper daughter-in-law? Talking back like this is utterly unfilial!"

After Li Youliang finished yelling, Chen Qiaoyun pretended to slap him lightly, then turned to close the door.

She hypocritically added, "Enough now, your wife just gave birth! She shouldn’t be upset. And you—a woman who just had a baby shouldn’t be exposed to drafts. Couldn’t you have closed the door when you came in?"

Anyone hearing her words might mistake her for a kind and virtuous mother-in-law!

Li Youliang sneered disdainfully, "So what if there’s a draft? It’s not like she can have more children anyway! You’ve practically made me heirless, and you still have the nerve to ask, ‘What if it had been a boy?’"

He pointed at Sun Yueqin and cursed, "You vicious woman, disobedient to your in-laws, and now you can’t even bear a son to carry on the Li family line. You should be grateful I haven’t divorced you! How dare you talk back!"

Sun Yueqin was furious, gasping for breath, but the pain from her deep wound made her tremble with every gasp. Soon, her face turned pale, and large beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

"You... you... shameless! Utterly shameless!"

Chen Qiaoyun remained unbothered. She smoothed her hair and even chuckled, continuing in a condescending tone, "You should rest well after giving birth. Don’t get so worked up. Youliang, take the child. She’s probably full by now. Bring her to my room so your wife can rest undisturbed."

She smiled faintly, her expression kindly, as if she genuinely had Sun Yueqin’s best interests at heart.

Li Youliang nodded and stepped forward aggressively, trying to snatch the child from Sun Yueqin’s arms.

"What are you doing? Li Youliang! What are you doing!"

"This is my child! How dare you take her from me!"

"Don’t touch her! Don’t! This is my child! Get away! Get away!"

Sun Yueqin fought desperately to protect her baby, but the infant was tiny, soft, and fragile—she hadn’t even dared to hold her tightly before. How could she possibly struggle forcefully now? In no time, Li Youliang had snatched the child away.

"May you die horribly! All of you! Give me back my child! Give her back!"

Sun Yueqin screamed herself hoarse. The little girl, now in Li Youliang’s arms, burst into loud wails. Yinzi, enraged, rushed over and hit Li Youliang’s legs, shouting,

"Bad Dad! Give back Yinzi’s sister!"

With the adults arguing and the children crying, Li Youliang grew extremely irritated. He kicked away Yinzi, who was clinging to his leg, and glared impatiently at Chen Qiaoyun. "Mother, since you wanted her, you take her. I don’t know how to calm her down. If she soils my clothes, it’ll be such bad luck!"

Chen Qiaoyun shot him a glare but took the child anyway, scolding, "Yinzi is just a child—why kick her? If she gets hurt, you’ll be paying for the treatment!"

As she spoke, she patted the baby’s back and gently rocked her, humming softly.

"Oh... there, there, good girl, don’t cry. Did Mommy upset you? Hush now, no more crying... Let’s go to Grandma’s room to sleep. It’s quiet there."

"Eh... what’s wrong with this child? She’s been fed, yet she’s still crying nonstop..."

Muttering to herself, Chen Qiaoyun left Sun Yueqin’s room with her son, locking the door behind them. The mother and son acted as if they couldn’t hear Sun Yueqin’s alternating screams of rage and desperate pleas from inside. They even chatted and laughed as they walked away.

Li Youliang said, "Mother, once we get the money, I want to buy some..."

Before he could finish, the closed gate was slapped loudly—whoever was knocking was clearly impatient, as if they wished they had iron hands to pound a hole through the wooden door.

"Who is it?" Li Youliang grumbled impatiently.

"Could it be the Qin family next door again? They just won’t give up!"

But Chen Qiaoyun frowned and said, "It can’t be Cui Lanfang. She’s too polite to knock so rudely."

"Go on, open the door and see."

She had just taken two steps toward the house when she heard the gate slam open, followed by Li Youliang’s cry of pain as he fell.

"Huh?"

Chen Qiaoyun stopped, turned around with the child in her arms, and saw four people barging into the yard.

Two men and two women—one of the women, about Chen Qiaoyun’s age, seemed to be the leader.

But it was another younger woman who spoke first, planting her hands on her hips and yelling,

"Hey! Does the Li family think they rule the world? Do you really think the Sun family is dead and gone, that you can bully our daughter like this?!"