It turned out that not long after Cai Wei left, Gao Sanchun was caught by her cheap father, Gao Jia, and sent back. On the night she returned, she was married off to Li Jingui, the son of County Magistrate Li, to become his concubine.
Lady Yin couldn’t handle this blow and fell ill. She was bedridden, unable to do anything, requiring medicine daily. The silver flowed like water, and the ten taels of silver that Cai Wei had left for them were spent in just a few months.
Now with no firewood at home and her mother, out of medicine, Zhao Di, out of options, was forced to sneak behind her mother’s back and beg Gao Jia. Gao Jia was ruthless, completely disregarding his ex-wife’s daughter. His new wife, Lady Bai, seeing that Zhao Di had the nerve to come to their door for money, immediately rolled up her sleeves, exhibiting the demeanor of a mistress, and slapped Zhao Di out of the house.
Zhao Di didn’t get any money and had been hit. She didn’t dare to go home for fear that her mother would be upset when she saw the palm print on her face, so she wandered outside, waiting until it was wholly dark before going home...
Looking at the pitiful little face of the young girl, Cai Wei felt a pang of heartache. She bent down, touched Zhao Di’s head, and said with a smile, "Would you take me to your house, okay?"
Zhao Di nodded her head and obediently walked ahead.
Passing by a dim sum shop, Cai Wei stopped to buy several jin of pastries, soft osmanthus cakes, colorful preserved fruits, roasted melon seeds, and sugared winter melon strips...
After purchasing, she carried the food into a narrow alley with Zhao Di, walking unevenly to a small courtyard. She pushed open the door and invited Cai Wei in.
The small courtyard is divided into front and back sections. The landlord lives in the main house in the backyard; the three rooms in the front are separated by a narrow corridor. The larger two rooms on the east side were rented by a couple who sold pancakes and cooked food for five hundred coppers a month. One small room on the west side was rented to Lady Yin and her daughter Zhao Di for a hundred and fifty coppers a month!
"Mother, are you asleep? I’m back."
Zhao Di pushed open the door of the Western room, ushering Cai Wei in, and softly calling out.
The room was pitch-black, with a strong smell of traditional Chinese medicine, but no light.
In the darkness, a stifled coughing sound came, "Zhao Di’er, where have you been running off to? I haven’t seen you all day, don’t you know your mother is worried sick!"
"Mother, I’m back now, aren’t I?"
As she spoke, Zhao Di took off her shoes and climbed up onto the kang. She took a candlestick, covered with thick wax, from the cabinet on the kangtou’er and lit the short piece of candle on it.
The dim candlelight illuminated the small room, and Lady Yin, withered and weak, was leaning on the kang. As soon as she saw Cai Wei, she was shocked.
"Cai Wei, is that you? Really you?"
Cai Wei smiled and nodded her head: "Aunt Yin, it’s been a long time, you don’t look well!"
Seeing Cai Wei, Lady Yin became emotional and began to tear up: "Ah, you see, our home isn’t a home anymore, my Sanchun was taken away. We were planning to go to the capital to find you after I recovered, but...ah!"
Lady Yin heaved a long sigh, and her tears fell even more fiercely!
Cai Wei sat on the edge of the kang and put the pastries she bought on the kang table. She took a seal out and opened it.
"I’ve heard about Sanchun, Aunt, don’t just be upset, haven’t you had dinner yet? Have a pastry to fill your stomach first!"
Lady Yin took the soft osmanthus cake and couldn’t help but look at Zhao Di. Seeing her mother looking at her, Zhao Di quickly picked up the rusty water pot with her back to her, and went to the makeshift stove in the middle of the room to boil water.