"Why must I suffer such a hard life? I give birth to you worthless things, only to end up having to cook for you at my old age."
Madam Lai was so angered by her own daughters that real tears sprang from her eyes, and she sniffled as she spoke.
Ye Shiqi heard the noisy quarrel outside but couldn't go out to watch the drama; Siwa, that honest child, stayed by her side, not daring to venture out—undoubtedly terrified by Mrs. Lai's usually fierce demeanor.
She could only turn over in bed, yet couldn't sit up, feeling as if her body was too small, she yearned to grow up quickly.
Mrs. Li went to pick up her children and saw them returning from the mountain. Daya was carrying two bundles of firewood, while the two smaller children were clutching the firewood they had gathered.
"Daya... my children..."
"Mother, it's Mother who has returned." Daya quickened her pace, and the two smaller ones hurried along, nearly stumbling and falling.
Mrs. Li, with tears brimming in her eyes, threw down her bundle of firewood to embrace her children. Their hair was dry and yellow, their faces gaunt and sallow, skinnier than before she left. Holding her emaciated children, her heart ached, and she wept with them.
"Mother, you won't leave again, will you?" Sanya, with her little four-year-old face, looked up with hope.
"Mother doesn't want to leave either, but I have to go out to work as a housekeeper, so I must leave. This time, Mother has brought you some nice things, including pretty clothes and shoes, oh."
"Ohh!" Daya and her sister cried and laughed at the same time, delighted to hear about the clothes and shoes.
"Let's go, let's head home." Mrs. Li tied the children's firewood to Daya's bundle, picked it up herself, and walked home with the children. Along the way, the villagers they encountered merely nodded at them.
The villagers were very curious about Mrs. Li's work in a wealthy household, and some elder women walked with her, bombarding her with questions.
Mrs. Li answered only with simple phrases, not uttering a word about anything she shouldn't speak of.
When they arrived home, they discovered that besides their own carriage, there was also another horse in the courtyard.
By the thatched pavilion where tea was served, in addition to the driver, there was also a new house servant.
Upon seeing Mrs. Li enter, the house servant politely greeted her with a bow, "Mrs. Li, I am a house servant sent by the housekeeper from Tang Mansion. The Young Master woke up crying, refused breakfast, and later started showing signs of fever."
"What? He was fine when I left; how could he have developed a fever? Has the doctor been called?" Mrs. Li was alarmed. The Young Master was very attached to her, and she surmised that he must have woken up crying and fussing for her. Perhaps his craving for milk had returned, making him sick.
"I heard from the housekeeper that a doctor has been summoned, and Madam ordered me to come and get you to return quickly," the house servant said.
"Oh, I'll just change my clothes and then I'll head back," said Mrs. Li, and after washing her hands she went into her room followed by the patter of her children to close the door and change into the clothes she came in.
"Mother, why are you leaving again so soon?" Daya and her sisters crowded around Mrs. Li.
Ye Shiqi blinked and, using her thoughts, materialized the bundle from the space in her hands, fondling the fabric and murmuring "to follow rules."
Mrs. Li paused her dressing and said to her children, "Mother must go to work; there's no other choice. In the bundle Wuwa is holding, there are clothes and shoes I made for you. Behave yourselves at home, okay?"
"Clothes and shoes..." Daya took the bundle from Wuwa's hands, unfolded it, and saw exquisite clothes made of fabric they had never seen before. She distributed the clothes to her sisters and ensured everyone received their share.
"Hehe, so pretty." Er Ya shed her dirty clothes and donned the beautiful new ones. She tried on the shoes but didn't want to wear them out of reluctance.
Except for Wuwa, who hadn't put on his new clothes, all four elder sisters were wearing theirs. Siwa could dress herself now, and they happily hugged their shoes, jumping around, completely forgetting the displeasure of their mother having to go to work.
Ye Shiqi lay there sympathizing deeply with her elder sisters. These children were so pitiful, a new set of clothes and shoes, and they had forgotten about their mother.
After changing her clothes, Mrs. Li hugged the children briefly, picked up Wuwa and kissed him, and said, whether he understood or not, "Wuwa, be good at home, okay?"
Ye Shiqi stared with her big innocent eyes, unsure whether to shake her head or nod in agreement.
Her mother returned and didn't feed her, not even while holding her, how heartbreaking! Her mother's affection had moved on to the young master of the main house.
When Mrs. Li was ready to leave, the children clung to her legs, unwilling to let go as they cried, "Mother, don't go..."
"Be good! Listen..." Mrs. Li's reluctance caused tears to stream down her face, and she had no choice but to forcefully break away from the children's grasp and step out of the room, opening the door.
The children hugged Wuwa at the doorway, watching Mrs. Li mount the horse carriage.
"Wife, take care..." Hongji's father's reluctance was evident in his eyes.
"Husband, take good care of the children. I will be back next month." Mrs. Li said, her eyes filled with tears. She got into the carriage and sat down. After she was settled, the driver started the carriage and rode away, followed by the horse servant.
Mrs. Lai, who had been eagerly awaiting her daughter and Mrs. Li to cook, cursed bitterly after they left, "Housekeeper, always the housekeeper. Mrs. Li must be having an affair with that housekeeper, hmph..."
When Hongji heard Mrs. Lai defame Mrs. Li , afraid that her mad ramblings would be heard by the villagers and tarnish his wife's reputation, he quickly shut the gate and stared sternly at Mrs. Lai:
"Mother, you can eat anything, but words must not be carelessly spoken. How am I to preserve my dignity if you talk ?"
"Hmph..." Mrs. Lai was reprimanded by her son, and seeing the children at the doorway dressed in new clothes, her eyes flared with fury. She'd searched for the clothes earlier and couldn't find them, thinking it was a waste of good clothing.
"Take off those clothes, you dirty no-accounts. You've dirtied such beautiful attire!" Mrs. Lai said as she made her way toward them, her plump body trying to run.
Daya and the children cleverly ran into the room, bolting the door from the inside.
Upon hearing the door closing, Mrs. Lai reached the door and kicked it furiously: "Bang, bang, bang, damn good-for-nothings."
"Mother, what is it now?" Hongji came again to stop her.
"I must scold them. They're wearing such fine clothes when it's not even a holiday or festival, these wasteful things."
"Mother, my wife made those clothes for the children, just to have them try them on, and besides, those are their clothes; they look so sprightly wearing them."
"Hmph..." Mrs. Lai stopped kicking the door, yet she felt some discontent.
"Hongji's mother, aren't you cooking yet?" Hongji's father, who had been silent, glanced at Mrs. Lai. He was used to her nagging and complaining and knew her thoughts, but he didn't want to upset his son.
Grumbling and cursing as she went to cook, Mrs. Lai said, "I cook and serve you ingrates, yet you don't come out to help with the fire."
In the room, Daya and the children quickly changed out of their new clothes and neatly folded them, placing the clothes and shoes inside a bundle. Heeding Siwa's advice, they handed the bundle to Wuwa.
"Big sister, Second Sister, Third Sister, grandmother only came into the room looking for these, but she didn't find them," said Siwa.
Siwa's words made Daya, Er Ya, and Sanya all laugh.
"Little sister, guard them well. We can't let grandmother take away our clothes and shoes," Sanya said, causing laughter among the elder sisters.
Listening to her sisters, Ye Shiqi blinked. They trusted her so much? She was just a little baby over two months old, but all right then!