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During the pregnancy, Old Madam Li passed away. At that time, Mr. Li believed that Lady Li's health deteriorated due to her longing for Old Madam Li, which led to her death. After a thorough investigation by the butler, it was discovered that Shuixin had bribed the servant in the kitchen who prepared medicine for the old lady, tampering with it to cause her death. This woman sought revenge for Old Madam Li's earlier attempt to drive her away, revealing how malicious her intentions were.
A few months later, when the time came, Shuixin gave birth to a son. From then on, her suppressed ambitions resurfaced. Her son was the legitimate grandson of the Li Family and would surely inherit Li Garden in the future, making her the matriarch of Li Garden with a prestigious status. However, three months later, Li Huai Le was born. On the surface, Li Huai Le was recognized as the legitimate grandson of the Li Family, while her son had no right to be included in the family tree. Shuixin felt that Li Huai Le obstructed her son's path and regarded him as a thorn in her side, secretly plotting to eliminate him while neglecting her own son, which ultimately led to her son's death from typhoid.
Shuixin was psychologically resilient; after losing her son, she did not wallow in despair for long and set her sights on Mr. Li. She believed herself to be more beautiful and talented than Lady Li and thought that if she made a move, Mr. Li would surely fall for her just like Elder Brother Li did. Unfortunately, she overestimated herself and underestimated Mr. Li's character and his feelings for Lady Li. Her seduction failed, and Mr. Li saw through her disguise and wanted to expel her from Li Garden. It was only because Lady Li felt pity for her after losing both husband and child that she allowed Shuixin to stay.
Lady Li treated Shuixin and her sister very well, providing them with good food, drink, and housing. She even arranged for Shui Ling to marry into a good family as Lady Li's sister. That family was surnamed Lin and was quite affluent. After marrying into that family, Shui Ling became a young mistress and would surely have a happy life (this is Lin Shiyin's mother). Shui Ling was a grateful woman who understood contentment; in the original story world, after Shuixin's plot was exposed, Mr. Li did not blame Shui Ling and even took their daughter into his home to raise after they passed away.
Since Shuixin's attempt to seduce Mr. Li was rejected, he saw through her true nature and secretly warned her for his wife's sake. Shuixin had no choice but to suppress her resentment and unwillingness deep down, leading her to wait over a decade before secretly plotting revenge again. Fortunately, Bai Tang impulsively went to Li Garden to investigate the situation and saved Lady Li's life; originally, Lady Li was on the verge of dying from childbirth complications. Mr. Li's heartache over his wife caused his health to decline rapidly. Shuixin secretly poisoned both him and Li Huai Le, resulting in their early deaths. Without proper guidance from elders, Li Xun Huan ultimately handed over the family's century-old estate to others—an extreme act of unfiliality. He should be grateful to his father; if it weren't for his father's discovery of Shuixin as the mastermind behind everything before he died, it is likely that the legacy of the Flying Dagger would have been lost forever.
"Master, leave Shuixin to me!" Lady Li said firmly. Although she was kind-hearted, she was not soft-hearted. How could she possibly spare someone who coveted her husband and endangered both her and her son's lives? She would not leave any future troubles for them.
"Alright! It's all up to you." Although Mr. Li wished he could execute Shuixin himself, since his wife had spoken up, he decided to let her handle it. His wife was quite capable as the matriarch of the Li Family.
The two continued discussing household matters while Bai Tang found it boring; seeing that it was getting light outside, he used his swift movement technique to return to Bai Family Manor. By this time, some servants had already risen to work; Bai Tang's family ate what they prepared themselves, so the servants only made their own meals. Bai Tang entered the kitchen and cooked a pot of mixed grain porridge using rice, glutinous rice, cornmeal; fried eggs into sunny-side-up; there was still a bit of oil left in the pan which he used to make potstickers with two packs of dumplings; he diced radishes mixed with salt and sesame oil; cut century eggs added with soy sauce and vinegar; shredded pickled vegetables stir-fried with meat; blanched potato strips made into spicy potato shreds—a simple yet rich breakfast was ready. Karen quietly walked into the kitchen to help Bai Tang serve the food in the dining room.
"Karen!" Bai Tang called out.
Karen stopped in his tracks; they stood back-to-back close yet distant.
Bai Tang took a breath and said: "Tomorrow I will go to the future world; at that time, let's dissolve our contract!"
"..." Karen fell silent for a moment before uttering one word: "Okay!"
"Your abilities in the future world will undoubtedly be top-notch; you and your organization will surely have a huge impact on that world. I only hope you can guarantee not to harm Sun Senwen and Ye Feng along with their families or Sean Family. This is my only condition," Bai Tang stated.
"I promise you!" Karen solemnly assured before striding out of the kitchen.
Bai Tang threw the rag into the pot, feeling too unmotivated to continue working. She simply squatted down and stared blankly at the floor.
"What are you daydreaming about so early in the morning? Hurry up and come out for breakfast!" Bai Ma walked into the kitchen and called her daughter, "You haven't cooked in a while; your skills seem to have faded."
"Of course, just look at how talented your daughter is!" Bai Tang smiled as she got up, casually linking arms with Bai Ma and walking out of the kitchen. "Mom, let's fry some Crispy Meat this afternoon! I want to go see Sun Senwen; he loves your Crispy Meat."
"Alright, I'll also fry some meatballs and Radish balls for the two of them as snacks." Hearing that someone appreciated her cooking, Bai Ma was very pleased and cheerfully began making plans.
When the two arrived at the dining room, everyone was already sitting around the table waiting for them. As soon as they finished preparing, everyone eagerly dug in. Although it was just simple home-cooked food, it was incredibly delicious thanks to Bai Tang's master-level cooking skills.
"Dad, Mom, let's discuss the wedding arrangements with Yubao today!" Bai Tang said while drinking her porridge.
"Huh?" Yubao looked up in confusion. Did he just hear wedding?
Bai Tang shot him a glance: "You no longer have any worries; what reason do you have not to marry Mei Mei?"
Yubao shook his head vigorously: "No, I'm very willing to marry Amei. I—I’ll go find a matchmaker right away."
He was about to use Lightness Skill and dash out of the courtyard.
"Come back!" Bai Tang called out with a frown. This person was too impatient; was the matchmaker even awake at this hour?
"First, let's discuss the preliminary preparations for the wedding."
"Right, right, let's talk about how to hold the wedding." Bai Ma echoed repeatedly, and the two of them started teasing Wu Xuemei, who blushed deeply.
Unfortunately, as modern individuals, the Bai Family has no understanding of ancient wedding ceremonies, nor can they expect Yubao, the former spoiled young master, to know about these things. Bai Tang simply opened the Tablet to search for the information stored on the hard drive.
"Engagement requires three letters and six rituals. The three letters refer to the Engagement Letter, Ritual Book, and Welcoming Letter; the six rituals refer to Betrothal, Inquiry of Name, Na Ji, Na Zheng, Request for Date, and Personal Welcome. The Engagement Letter is the document for engagement, formally binding both parties in a marriage contract, used during Na Ji (the ceremony of formal engagement); the Ritual Book is the document for rituals, which is a list of gifts detailing the types and quantities of gifts, used during Na Zheng (the ceremony of presenting gifts); the Welcoming Letter is the document for welcoming the bride, used on the wedding day when receiving the bride. Betrothal is the first step in ancient weddings; when a man intends to marry a woman, he invites a matchmaker to mediate, known as Betrothal or 'Proposal'; Inquiry of Name refers to the man inquiring about the woman's name and birth date and time, known as Inquiry of Name or 'Matching Birth Dates'. Upon receiving the Geng Tie (the document indicating compatibility), it is placed before a deity or ancestor's altar to seek auspiciousness, confirming that both parties' birth dates do not conflict. Once it is confirmed that there are no conflicting signs, the marriage is tentatively agreed upon; if Inquiry of Name indicates good omens, a matchmaker is sent to present a small gift, known as Na Ji or 'Formal Engagement'; gifts such as cash, pastries, and offerings are formally presented as Na Zheng or 'Presenting Gifts'; a fortune teller is invited by the groom's family to select an auspicious date, known as Request for Date or 'Seeking Date'; finally, the groom rides in a ceremonial vehicle to welcome the bride home, known as Personal Welcome." Bai Tang read aloud from the computer screen. Although Yubao was shocked by this novel item Bai Tang had produced, he wisely refrained from asking questions. He believed that once he integrated into this family, its mysteries would gradually be revealed to him.
Bai Tang continued reading: "After completing the six rituals, there is one more ritual called Bed Setting. An auspicious date is chosen for moving the new bed to an appropriate location before the wedding by a Fortune Teller. Then, before the wedding, the Fortune Teller will also be responsible for making the bed with mattresses, sheets, and dragon and phoenix quilts laid out on it, along with various auspicious fruits such as Red Dates, Longan, Lychee Wood, Red Green Beans, and Red Envelopes. After Bed Setting is completed, no one may enter the new room or touch the new bed until the newlyweds enter on their wedding night."
"Now what my future Brother-in-law needs to do is find a matchmaker for Betrothal and Inquiry of Name." Bai Tang looked up at Yubao. "Future Brother-in-law, do you know where to find a matchmaker? If not, I can ask my mom for help; there are matchmakers in our village that she knows."
Yubao quickly replied to Bai Tang: "Auntie, please help me!"
Bai Ma cheerfully patted her chest and promised: "Leave it to me."
Finally, they set the wedding date for one month later; however, they would need to consult an Almanac to determine which specific day would be best. They could not rely on Wu Xuemei for making wedding garments; fortunately, there was an embroidery shop in town where they could place an order. The dowry and betrothal gifts were merely symbolic; Yubao and Wu Xuemei decided that after their marriage they would live in the Manor. Yubao did not care about others' opinions while Wu Xuemei did not want to leave Bai Ma and Bai Dad's side; thus Yubao became a son-in-law who moved into his wife's family. After all, apart from Yu Luocha, he had no other relatives or elders; Bai Dad and Bai Ma were essentially his elders now.
The joyful atmosphere did not affect Karen Adrian; he silently stared at Bai Tang, sketching her outline with his eyes and gradually engraving her into his heart... (To be continued)
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