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"Is this the Red Flower Wine?" Honghua stood aside, watching Xing Ruyi place some red flowers into the wine jar and shake it a few times. Curiosity bubbled within her. "Wasn't this wine already brewed? When Li Nan came, Lulu and I were not far away and we heard the girl talking to him. Could it be that this Red Flower Wine is different from what the girl mentioned before?"
"It's just Red Flower Wine; how could it be different?" Xing Ruyi glanced at the wine jar and playfully winked at Honghua. "If I had been partial to Li Nan back then, would Sister Honghua have been angry?"
"How could I be? Honghua is merely a discarded wife of the Li Family. Even if I weren't, I wouldn't have the right to be angry with the girl. To be honest, during the hardest times, I secretly hoped someone would help me vent my frustrations. But I have always been somewhat timid. My father taught me to be kind to others, and after marrying into the in-laws, I had to listen to my husband and mother-in-law, being a respectful and filial daughter-in-law."
"Being respectful and filial is correct, but it depends on the person. If you encounter a husband who understands your feelings and a mother-in-law who knows how to empathize, then naturally you should be respectful and filial. After all, harmony brings prosperity; who doesn't want their family life to be harmonious? But if you encounter someone like your former mother-in-law, who relies on her seniority to make things difficult for you, I think you should show her some color and let her know that there are people in this world who are even more formidable than she is."
"If only Honghua had half of Ruyi's capability! Unfortunately, it's too late for me to realize that now. However, Ruyi need not worry; I see that gentleman treats you very well."
"He wouldn't dare treat me poorly!" Xing Ruyi wrinkled her nose. "I am not one of those virtuous women from your Golden Tang Dynasty who learn about the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues. My principles are: First, if you don't offend me, I won't offend you; second, if you treat me well by one part, I'll treat you well by ten parts; third, if you respect me by one foot, I'll return it by ten feet. But if you try to bully me, sorry, even if it costs me dearly, I'll make sure to take you down with me!"
"Ruyi's views are truly unique!"
"I'm not just unique in my views; my Red Flower Wine is even more special." Xing Ruyi said as she shook the bottle of Red Flower Wine. "Actually, making this Red Flower Wine is quite simple: take 100 grams of safflower, 1000 milliliters of low-alcohol white liquor, add an appropriate amount of brown sugar. Wash the safflower clean and dry it under the sun to remove moisture. Place it together with the brown sugar into a clean cloth bag, seal it tightly, put it into the wine jar, cover it securely, and let it steep for seven days before drinking. This Red Flower Wine has benefits for nourishing blood and skin as well as promoting blood circulation; it's suitable for women with blood deficiency or menstrual pain. However, pregnant women cannot consume it."
"But I just saw that you didn't put those flowers into a cloth bag!"
"That's because this jar of Red Flower Wine is for your former mother-in-law; naturally, there's no need for such meticulousness in preparation. Besides, I still have one last important ingredient to add."
"An important ingredient?" Honghua looked at Xing Ruyi in confusion and asked, "What is it?"
"I need to take a portion of your kindness, a portion of your virtue, a portion of your respectfulness, three portions of your suffering, and four portions of your resentment, then mix them all into this Red Flower Wine!"
Honghua stared blankly at Xing Ruyi, thinking she was joking. But seeing her serious expression made her smile lightly and straighten up. "Whatever is within Honghua's being can be taken by Ruyi!"
"Don't worry; you won't feel anything!" Xing Ruyi said as her eyes turned icy and a strong aura of hostility radiated from her due to using ghostly techniques. Her hands swiftly withdrew strands of different-colored energies from Honghua's forehead, crown, heart area, and soles of her feet before gathering them together and placing them into the wine jar.
Through the thick wine jars, Xing Ruyi could clearly see the essence mixing with the red flowers, quickly breaking them apart. The dark red petals blended into the white liquor, transforming it into the same color as the flowers, and soon the unique fragrance of medicinal wine began to fill the air.
"It's done!" Xing Ruyi packaged the prepared red flower wine and then lifted the curtain, calling for Lingling: "Take this wine to my Rouge shop and give it to your brother Li Mao. Have him send it to Li Nan tomorrow afternoon."
"Aunt Ruyi, aren't you going back today?"
"I'm not going back. Aunt will stay here to accompany you and Si Niang, alright?"
"Aunt is just making excuses; she doesn't want to accompany Lingling and sister-in-law." Lingling playfully stuck out her tongue. "Even though Lingling can't see, Yin Yuan can. In this room, besides Aunt and Lingling's future uncle, there’s also a red flower aunt and a younger sister named Lulu. Aunt Ruyi, you're staying for them, right?"
"Smart little thing, nothing escapes you!" Xing Ruyi tapped Lingling's forehead gently. "Go on! After delivering the red flower wine, have Deer Lady make some delicious snacks for you to bring back. Look at you; since winter started, my Lingling hasn't just lost weight but has slimmed down quite a bit."
"Lingling isn't losing weight; she's becoming slender!" Lingling's face turned slightly red. "Sister-in-law, although we here favor plump beauties, someone as delicate as Aunt Ruyi is also quite charming. So Lingling plans to follow Aunt's example and grow up to be just like you."
"Don't! Please don't! Aunt Ruyi's look is not the mainstream beauty standard of our Golden Tang Dynasty. The reason I allow myself to be so thin is partly due to my constitution; no matter how much I eat, I can't gain weight. Secondly, I've already found my next home, and your future uncle isn't picky at all, so whether I'm plump or thin doesn't matter in his eyes. What about you? Do you think your future husband won't mind?"
"Down here, it's not just Uncle Fox Demon who is excellent." Lingling murmured as she picked up the wine jar and ran out.
Xing Ruyi gently nudged Si Niang and asked, "Does Lingling have someone she likes?"
"A young man who often comes looking for her; he seems quite handsome, but I don't know which family's young master he is." Si Niang sighed. "Though a sister-in-law is like a mother, I'm still not her mother. As Lingling grows up, she has some thoughts that she’s reluctant to share with me as her sister-in-law. Now that she calls you 'aunt,' there are some matters in the future that will require your help."
"I think I know who that young man is."
Xing Ruyi nodded thoughtfully, picturing a Toad in her mind. It seems that Toad Spirit has taken an interest in Lingling; but should she intervene in this relationship or not? Xing Ruyi felt uncertain and decided to wait until after returning from Qingqiu to make a decision.
Red Flower Wine has been prepared, and the next step is to have the remains of Red Flower and Her Daughter relocated. As for where they will be buried, that can be decided later. The relocation of the remains needs to be reported to the Government Office. Once the Government Office is informed, Xing Ruyi will no longer need to worry about the subsequent matters.
Since the death of Red Flower and Her Daughter, Li Nan's Mother has never slept as soundly as she does tonight.
At this moment, it is Midnight. The surroundings are eerily quiet. A beam of moonlight filters through the paper window, landing on the quilt made of Silk Satin on Li Nan's Mother's bed. Not far from the bed, on a table, sits the Red Flower Wine that Li Nan just brought back in the afternoon.
She took a sip and found it quite pleasant. The Medicinal Wine has both the spiciness of white liquor and the unique fragrance of flowers. As the wine slowly glided down her throat, it brought a gentle warmth, making her whole body feel warm as if her stiff joints had come back to life. It has been a long time since Li Nan's Mother felt this relaxed; she felt as if she had returned to her youth, and even in her dreams, she slightly curled her lips in a smile.
A breeze slipped through the cracks of the window. Li Nan's Mother turned over, her eyelids fluttered slightly before she closed her eyes tightly again.
Just as she was drifting in and out of sleep, a sudden chill rushed in from under the quilt against her back, startling her awake.
She propped herself up and looked outside; it turned out that the door to the Bedroom was wide open, and the wind was blowing in from there. Just as she was puzzled, she suddenly noticed someone standing outside the door!
The silvery moonlight spilled into the dark courtyard outside, illuminating a figure standing right in the middle. The person wore an incongruous black long robe and stood dazedly at the entrance of the Bedroom. The moonlight made his skin appear pale as snow, devoid of life, with a pair of dark eyes staring directly at her!
"Who are you?" Li Nan's Mother mustered her courage to ask while fumbling to put on her outer garment, squinting to get a better look.
The person stared at her without saying a word.
Li Nan's Mother felt a chill run down her spine but insisted on asking again: "Who exactly are you? I can tell you that my Son is going to be a future Top Scholar, a high official!"
The person still did not respond.
"If you don't speak, I will call for help!" Li Nan's Mother panicked and was also frightened. In her heart, she kept calling out her Son's name: "Li Nan, oh Li Nan, why aren't you getting up? There’s an intruder in our yard!"
"You should get up!" The person finally spoke. Although the tone was stiff, it sounded somewhat familiar to Li Nan's Mother.
She squinted hard, trying to see the person's face clearly. But suddenly, the courtyard became empty, and there was nothing left.
Just as she was about to rub her eyes and continue searching, she heard the voice of her deceased mother-in-law.
"From the Da Kui family, why are you still asleep? Don't you see what time it is? I’ll tell you, once it gets light, Da Kui has to go out to work. If you can't bring him hot soup and noodles, just wait and see if I don't have Da Kui deal with you!"
Li Nan's Mother felt a bit dazed. The voice was definitely her mother-in-law's, but the tone didn't quite match. Li Nan's father was named Li Kui, but his mother preferred to call him Da Kui. Ever since she entered the family, no one had used her given name anymore. Her mother-in-law referred to her as Da Kui's wife, while outsiders either called her Sister Da Kui or Daughter-in-law Da Kui. Eventually, they simply started calling her Li Nan's Mother. She had almost forgotten what her original name was.
Her mother-in-law was a devout Daoist. Although the family was poor, ever since she joined the household, any good food or useful items were always given to her first. Gradually, her personality changed; she began to feel that all the good things in the family should belong to her. After all, the Li Family was extremely poor, and marrying Da Kui and giving birth to a son for them was already a blessing for the Li Family's ancestral tomb.
Da Kui had died unexpectedly while working away from home. After that, her life became increasingly difficult, and she treated her mother-in-law worse and worse. But it seemed that her mother-in-law never complained. Even until her death, she still took out half-new clothes and bedding for Li Nan's Mother to pawn for money. What happened next?
Li Nan's Mother recalled carefully; it seemed she took those things and muttered as she went to the pawnshop. Because the items were worn out, they didn't fetch much double silver coins. When she returned home, she found her mother-in-law had already passed away, clutching two uneaten shriveled buns in her arms. At that time, she didn’t feel heartbroken at all; she only thought about how the money she had just pawned would soon be gone.
To save costs, she ordered a very thin coffin and hastily arranged her mother-in-law's funeral. At that moment, she felt particularly fortunate because her mother-in-law had been so malnourished for a long time that there was hardly anything left of her; the coffin fit loosely around her. Originally, these memories had been buried deep within her mind, but tonight they inexplicably resurfaced, and she felt a vague discomfort in her heart.
Li Nan's Mother touched the damp corner of her eye and spat towards the courtyard, "Bah! She's dead and gone; her bones have turned to dust! Why come back to scare me? When you were alive, you were already under my thumb; can you still act tough after you're dead? Bah!"
As soon as that "bah" left her mouth, Li Nan's Mother was slapped off the bed and onto the floor.
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