Chapter 140 City Streets 40

Chapter 140: City Life (Part 40)

Sun Yueqin did not leave the city immediately. After exiting the Li family’s courtyard, she went next door and knocked on the Qin family’s door.

It was already evening. Liu Guyu, Qin Rongshi, and Qin Banban had all returned home, finished their meal, and were now relaxing and chatting in the main hall.

The commotion next door at the Li family had been loud—yelling and fighting echoing clearly through the walls, impossible to ignore.

Cui Lanfang answered the door and saw Sun Yueqin standing in the cold wind, her face pale, clutching her crying child in her arms.

Her heart went out to her, and she nodded warmly with a smile. “Come in, all of you. You’ve just had a baby—you mustn’t catch a chill. Please, come inside.”

Sun Yueqin entered, while the rest of the Sun family, for whom it was their first time here, seemed a bit reserved.

But Mother Sun knew—this was the family who had sent a message to Wuxi County earlier that day.

Tears streaming down her face, she grabbed Cui Lanfang’s hand emotionally, extremely grateful. “Thank you so much for today! If you hadn’t sent someone to inform us in the county, we’d still be in the dark! My poor Yue’er, who knows how much more she would have suffered!”

A parent’s heart understands a parent’s heart—Cui Lanfang, being a mother herself, understood completely. She sighed and said, “It was just lending a hand. I have a daughter too, ah…”

“Don’t stand in the wind anymore, come in and talk.”

The group entered the main hall, moving stools and chairs to sit down.

Sun Yueqin briefly explained what had happened, ending with another round of sincere gratitude.

Liu Guyu asked with concern, “Are you planning to take the child back to Wuxi County? How will you get by there?”

Sun Yueqin patted the baby in swaddling clothes in her arms. The little one had already fallen asleep. With all the noise and arguing at home over the past two days, she hadn’t slept well. Except during feeding times, Chen Qiaoyun hadn’t allowed her to see the child, so she could only listen as the baby cried, her voice growing hoarse.

Now, finally, the baby could sleep peacefully, and the adults felt relieved.

Sun Yueqin said, “I have my dowry—it should last us a while. Once I’ve recovered a bit, I’ll make Sweet Oil Balls to sell in the county.”

“These past few years with the Li family, I didn’t gain much else, but I did learn how to make their Sweet Oil Balls. They aren’t as popular here in the city anymore, but in the county, they’re still a delicacy. If I work hard, I should be able to provide for me and my two children.”

She spoke lightly, but her oldest daughter, Yinzi, was only two years old, and the baby in her arms had just been born. Raising two young children alone while trying to earn a living would undoubtedly mean a long and difficult road ahead.

Come to think of it… Yinzi had just turned two when Sun Yueqin got pregnant again.

It seemed the Li family had been eager for a grandson. As soon as the first child turned one, regardless of whether Sun Yueqin had fully recovered, they pushed her to have another child.

Mother Sun added, “My grandchildren at home are all older now, and their parents can look after them. They don’t need an old woman like me anymore. Once Yue’er returns home, I can help take care of the two little ones—it’ll make things easier for her!”

Sister-in-law Sun looked around without saying anything.

She knew how much her in-laws doted on this youngest daughter. If they wanted to support her and spend time and effort on her, that was their business—as long as it didn’t affect her own family.

Her daughter was seven and her son four. She was planning to send her daughter to an embroidery workshop and save up to send her son to a private school in the county in a couple of years—all of that cost money.

People are inherently selfish. She felt she had already been generous enough as a sister-in-law and aunt.

Her sister-in-law truly had a tough life, ah.

Sister-in-law Sun added, “Sweet Oil Balls are a good idea! Yueqin, you can leave half at our shop to sell. Our mutton soup restaurant does good business—we should be able to sell quite a few! You can take the rest to hawk them on the street. You should be able to earn a decent amount each month!”

“That former mother-in-law of yours had a nasty temperament, but her Sweet Oil Balls were really good! They might not be a novelty here in the city, but back in our county, they’ll definitely sell well!”

Mother Sun nodded in agreement. “Your sister-in-law is right! Once you’ve recovered, we’ll give it a try!”

Sun Yueqin seemed to find a ray of hope. Looking at her mother, brother, and sister-in-law, she felt that nothing was like family.

After the Sun family finished talking, Cui Lanfang said, “So you’re planning to head back to Wuxi County now? You should hurry, then—the night is getting deeper and colder.”

It wasn’t that she was trying to kick them out; she genuinely had Sun Yueqin’s best interests at heart.

But Sun Yueqin said, “I came not only to thank you, Auntie, for your help, but also to ask Scholar Qin for a favor.”

Qin Rongshi, sitting further back, had initially thought this matter had little to do with him and hadn’t been paying close attention. He was surprised to suddenly hear his name.

He lifted his eyes and looked over, asking softly, “What is it?”

Sun Yueqin said, “You’re the only scholar I know. I’d like to ask you to pick new, proper names for my two daughters.”

“What’s wrong with the name Yinzi? The child is used to it, isn’t she?”

Liu Guyu immediately asked, then added:

“Hmm… she should be called Jinzi! That’s even better!”

“But it’s true—she could use a proper formal name with a good meaning. Yinzi can stay as her nickname.”

His head was always full of money, thinking in terms of gold and silver. He’d even called his dog “Fortune” and genuinely thought Yinzi was a fine nickname.

But Sun Yueqin smiled bitterly and said, “That’s not the meaning they intended.”

“The Li family wanted a grandson—the name meant ‘welcoming a son.’”

Liu Guyu: “…Ah?”

Liu Guyu was stunned, scratching his head in embarrassment.

He muttered, “To disrespect money like that? It’s silver, after all!”

Qin Rongshi glanced at him with a faint smile, a hint of exasperation in his eyes.

Then, he stood up and walked over to Sun Yueqin.

She was holding the younger daughter in her arms, while her elder daughter was being carried by her second brother. Both children were exhausted and had fallen asleep.

He looked at each of them thoughtfully for a moment, then said, “From the line ‘The riverside flowers, the islet’s orchids, / So sweet, so fresh, so green①’—since they are sisters, let’s take names from the same verse. One shall be called Yuzhi, the other Qinglan.”

“Both ‘riverside orchid’ and ‘islet orchid’ are elegant, fitting for girls. ‘Lush and green’ evokes the vitality of spring. May these two sisters, after passing through this winter, enter a season of warmth and brightness.”

Qin Rongshi, though reserved, was thoughtful. Worried that the literary names might be difficult for Sun Yueqin to remember, he went back to his room, wrote them down, folded the paper twice, and handed it to her.

“Yuzhi, Qinglan… Good, good. Beautiful names, truly beautiful…”

Sun Yueqin hadn’t had much education, but Qin Rongshi’s words sounded elegant and pleasant to her ears. Holding her child, she thanked him repeatedly.

After expressing their gratitude, the Sun family finally departed. This time, it was likely Sun Yueqin would never return to the city again.

With this matter settled, the Qin family gradually shifted their focus back to their own pursuits—earning a living, studying, learning medicine.

Strangely enough, there was one peculiar thing: although it was Liu Guyu who had asked Zhang Yun to summon the Sun family, and thus the Qin family was indirectly involved, one would expect the Li family to hold a grudge. Even if they weren’t openly angry, wouldn’t relations be strained?

But Chen Qiaoyun quickly composed herself. A few days later, she knocked on Cui Lanfang’s door again, greeting her warmly and inviting her to go grocery shopping together.

This took Cui Lanfang by surprise. Seeing her stunned expression, Chen Qiaoyun smiled magnanimously and said, “This matter wasn’t your fault. I know your character—you’re kind-hearted and always willing to help others. I truly don’t blame you.”

Cui Lanfang thought it was odd.

Everyone likes a kind person, but being this kind felt fake.

Looking at Chen Qiaoyun's smile again, it was like seeing a wooden statue of a Bodhisattva—outwardly tolerant and compassionate, but rotted hollow from the inside by disgusting maggots, their ugly mouthparts scrambling to crawl out.

Cui Lanfang still remembered what Sun Yueqin had said to her on the day she gave birth: that Chen Qiaoyun had *a Buddha's mouth but a snake's heart*...

Cui Lanfang was on guard and didn’t want to deepen her friendship with Chen Qiaoyun, but the woman was thick-skinned—even if politely rejected today, she’d come back smiling the next day.

By late October, the weather in the city grew colder, and people wore thicker clothes.

Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi returned home together and, upon entering, saw Cui Lanfang looking upset. Further ahead was Chen Qiaoyun's back as she strode away.

"Mom, what’s wrong?" Liu Guyu asked.

Cui Lanfang said angrily, "I’ve completely had it out with her today! You really can’t judge a book by its cover. When I first met her, I thought she was such a kind and warm person! She even said she was worried we hadn’t eaten and went out of her way to bring us fruit! It’s true—*you can know a person’s face, but not their heart*!"

Qin Rongshi also asked, "Mom, what exactly happened?"

Cui Lanfang glanced at Liu Guyu and didn’t answer immediately. After thinking for a moment, she said, "It’s nothing serious, really. We were just talking about Yueqin, and it made me so angry I got into it with her... Ah, let’s not talk about her anymore!"

"Gu Yu, I bought some winter bamboo shoots—they’ll be perfect stir-fried with preserved pork! You cook this dish better than I do. You go ahead and make it. I’ve already prepared the sliced bamboo shoots, preserved pork, scallions, and ginger!"

Liu Guyu didn’t sense anything amiss and cheerfully went into the kitchen, waving as he called out, "Erlang, come quickly and help me stoke the fire."

He entered the kitchen, but Qin Rongshi didn’t follow immediately. Frowning, he looked down at Cui Lanfang and asked again, "Mom, what really happened?"

Cui Lanfang sighed and said, "You'd see right through me anyway!"

After saying this, she quietly glanced back toward the kitchen before continuing in a lowered voice, as if worried Liu Guyu might overhear:

"Chen Qiaoyun just came to propose a match!"

"A match between her son and Gu Yu. She said your elder brother has been gone for years, and we can’t keep Gu Yu tied to our family forever. He’s still young and could still find a good match!"

"She also said her son is a scholar and could even pass the provincial exams someday, and that he wouldn’t mind Gu Yu having been married before... Since our families are on good terms, becoming relatives would make it even better!"

"It made me so angry! As soon as I heard, I showed her the door! And I told her never to come to our house again!"

Cui Lanfang was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling—clearly furious.

Qin Rongshi quickly helped Cui Lanfang sit down on a bamboo chair, then crouched beside her to comfort her: "Mom, don’t be angry. Someone like her isn’t worth upsetting yourself over."

Cui Lanfang took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh.

"I shouldn’t be angry. What kind of person is that Li family? They’re not even worth one of your Brother Liu’s toenails! It’s a toad lusting after swan's meat!"

"But her words did hit a nerve with me. Gu Yu is a good man—he’s worthy of anyone. Sometimes I get in my own head too much, wondering if our Qin family is holding him back."

Qin Rongshi also glanced toward the kitchen, where he could faintly see Liu Guyu bustling about inside.

He suddenly smiled and said, "Mom, you’ve lived with him all these years—don’t you know him by now? Since when is he someone who can be tied down? He stays with our family because he wants to. He calls you 'Mom' because he means it."

"If he ever..." Qin Rongshi paused, fell silent for a moment, then said solemnly:

"If he ever wants to find a good match, I can find someone for him."

Cui Lanfang was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood and repeatedly patted Qin Rongshi’s hand, saying urgently, "Yes, yes! If that day ever comes, you must screen them properly for him! You have a better eye than I do—you’re a better judge of character. We can’t end up with a two-timing rat like Li Youliang!"

Just as they were speaking, Liu Guyu’s voice came from the kitchen.

"Qin Rongshi! Come in and help me stoke the fire!"

He was hanging onto the wooden kitchen door, leaning against it and swaying with the door's creaky rhythm, his head swinging along.

Qin Rongshi looked over and couldn’t help but laugh. When he spoke to Liu Guyu, his voice automatically went soft.

"Alright, I’m coming right away."

Author's Note: ① From Fan Zhongyan's "Memorial of Yueyang Tower."