Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 40: Alliance, retreat.

Indeed, Wen Shi’s unborn child.

Wen Shi had no say in front of Liu Kangsheng, but what if Wen Shi gave birth to a boy? Liu Kangsheng, who eagerly awaited a grandson, might look at her differently. She presented the long-term benefits as a great opportunity, clearly laid out in front of the members of the third household of the Liu family. Could Lin Shi, combined with Wen Shi, compete against Wu Shi?

Liu Yu, excitedly clasping her hands, paced along the riverbank. The internal division and disintegration of their unity would be an excellent strategy.

No, there was no need for Wen Shi’s unborn child to be a boy. Although Liu Kangsheng favored the first household, the second and third households were not invisible. None of them were easy to deal with, but apart from Liu Kangsheng’s obvious favoritism towards his grandson, everything else seemed relatively fair. The other two households had little chance of retaliating against Wu Shi.

She had misunderstood. In the past, she had only been on guard against everyone in the Liu family, but now, the ones with malicious intentions were actually the couple in the first household. Why not sharpen the second and third households as her protective swords?

Liu Yu paced excitedly for a few steps, and her steps gradually slowed down.

No, she couldn’t place all her hopes on others. Wen Shi looked fine for now, but what about Liu Erlang and Liu Sanlang? Would Lin Shi and Wu Shi conspire together? All of these were uncertainties.

If this were true, even if she survived this crisis, the next one might be waiting for her at any moment.

However, Liu Yu also understood that in dealing with the current predicament, this could indeed be a partially feasible solution. When necessary, she could secure a few allies for herself, even if they were allies united by common interests.

As for Chen Sheng, Liu Yu had already stopped thinking about him. With only eight days left, she would see how things played out with that Mr. Li. But regardless of whether Mr. Li was good or bad, Liu Yu knew that she should prepare a few more escape routes for herself.

If things didn’t work out with Mr. Li, and the second and third households couldn’t balance the power of the first household, then it would be time to escape.

But how to escape, where to go, what about her identity and road permits, were the funds enough, and how to ensure safety—these were all questions.

Liu Yu now felt that she knew too little, both in her previous life and in this one. Had she truly ventured outside before? No!

During the journey to Yangzhou City, she had been drugged the entire way, and ultimately, she had no experience walking in the outside world. Whom could she ask about these things? Liu Yu mentally reviewed the people she knew, and only Lin Jiuniang and the proprietress of the embroidery shop might have some answers.

Yes, she should go and gather information.

At this point, it wasn’t that she was unwilling to face the people of the Liu family; it was that she truly couldn’t go back. However, she also couldn’t alert the snakes again as she did last time.

Liu Yu thought for a moment, walked to the north end of the bridge in town, and silently waited. True to her expectations, after about two quarters of an hour, a villager from the Liu family came to meet her.

She walked a few steps to greet them, calling out, “Auntie.”

The woman recognized Liu Yu and warmly asked, “Ah Yu, haven’t you gone back home today?”

Liu Yu nodded, smiling, “I have some things to do in town. Can you tell my mother to let her know I’ll be back later?”

The woman smiled, “Ah Yu, are you planning to release river lanterns tonight? Don’t worry, I’ll pass the message to your mother.”

Liu Yu was momentarily stunned, then remembered that today was the birthday of the River Goddess in Yushui. On this day, people in Changfeng Town could release river lanterns at night to pray for blessings. However, they lived far from town, and few people in their village were willing to spend money on those lanterns, so not many participated.

Thinking of her birth father, whom she had never properly memorialized, Liu Yu felt that it was the right time. She truly should pay her respects to her birth father, and there was no other reason that could be more acceptable to Wang Shi.

She smiled and nodded, “Exactly, Auntie, please tell my mother, so she won’t worry.”

As the two parted ways, Liu Yu watched the woman walk onto the stone bridge, then turned back towards Changfeng Town.

~

Meanwhile, in the Yian Hall, Zhou Ruyi was placed in the clinic’s inner courtyard, held by Madam Zhou. The senior physician applied acupuncture and administered medicine, stabilizing her condition for the time being.

Stepping aside, Madam Zhou finally had the chance to inquire about the cause of Zhou Ruyi’s illness. She heard the senior physician discreetly mention the use of low-quality medications, and her anger surged.

Ruyi was perfectly fine when she parted with her at the temple, and during this time, she had only interacted with Madam Chen and the two children from the Chen family. Besides the Chen family, there was no one else who could have tampered with her medicine.

Madam Zhou had long set her sights on this marriage proposal, but Madam Chen had been avoiding the subject. However, when Madam Chen suddenly invited her for incense two evenings ago, Madam Zhou hadn’t given it much thought at the time. Now, with her daughter facing such an issue, how could Madam Zhou not connect the dots? It seemed that Madam Chen’s unexpected visit to Zhou’s residence had underlying motives. Although Madam Zhou wasn’t sure about the details, she was convinced that the Chen family was behind this.

She clenched her silver teeth, ready to settle the score. However, that’s a story for later. Let’s focus on the current situation.

Madam Chen was not one to willingly endure losses. Feeling guilty about her clandestine actions, she took Chen Sheng to another small clinic for medicine instead of the Zhou family’s clinic. Afterward, she intended to go straight to the Lu family to settle the matter with Madam Lu. However, Chen Sheng stopped her.

With his mind preoccupied with the marriage proposal involving Liu Yu, Chen Sheng held onto his mother and said, “Mother, you agreed to my request yesterday. If I don’t find Zhou Ruyi appealing, you will go to the Liu family for a marriage proposal. I’ll be clear—I’m not interested in Zhou Ruyi. Mother, don’t bother with anything else; help me find a matchmaker to negotiate with the Liu family.”

Chen Sheng felt the urgency and held onto his mother. There was an additional layer of worry. Lu Chengxiao was well aware of Chen Sheng’s feelings toward Liu Yu. He feared that the Lu family might not be aware of the situation, and if Chen Sheng’s mother went to the Liu family to create a commotion, Madam Lu might find out. If Madam Lu supported Lu Chengxiao and went to propose marriage ahead of them, it would ruin his plans.

Chen Sheng, anxious to prevent such a scenario, held onto his mother. Mrs. Chen didn’t want her son to be in such a state yet still insist on proposing to the Liu family. She thought about her carefully laid plans being disrupted by unexpected obstacles. If the Zhou family figured out what had happened, it would only add to her troubles. She felt a lump of frustration and regret lodged in her chest, an unprecedented level of frustration in her life.

Mrs. Chen, at this moment, truly wished she could give her troublesome son a slap to wake him up!

However, she was a person who could endure and felt that her son was just temporarily blinded by Liu Yu. Twisting the handkerchief in her hand, she said, “No, let’s not. Shall we let Lu Chengxiao beat you up for nothing?”

She immediately shifted away from the topic of proposing and started heading towards the Lu family.

Chen Sheng didn’t dare to let his mother go to the Lu family. He quickly grabbed her and headed back towards their home, temporarily putting aside the matter of urgently sending his mother to hire a matchmaker.

~

As for Liu Yu, she chose to confide in the female shopkeeper of the embroidery store, Lin Jiuniang, instead of the matchmaker.

Since the two had known each other for some time, Liu Yu had some understanding of the shopkeeper. She sought shelter under her wing and vaguely inquired about some precautions for navigating the outside world.

The female shopkeeper was also a widow who was capable of managing her business on her own. She handed over the store to the embroiderer to watch over and invited Liu Yu to sit in the backyard. They enjoyed good tea and refreshments. The shopkeeper didn’t ask much about the reasons for Liu Yu’s inquiries but shared all the information she knew.

Towards the end, the shopkeeper offered some advice to Liu Yu, “I’m a few years older than you, so I’ll call you little sister. Though I don’t know what difficulties you’ve encountered to make you ask about these things, let me give you a piece of advice. In the outside world, everything can be manipulated if you have money. The most challenging thing for you, little sister, is your beautiful face. Sometimes it’s not entirely a good thing. If there comes a day when you need it, let me teach you a trick.”

Liu Yu’s eyes lit up, “What trick? Please, sister, teach me.”

The shopkeeper smiled and said, “It’s not worth much, but nowadays, married women all like to dress beautifully. However, as a single woman going out, if you want to be safe, it’s best to disguise yourself as plain and unattractive.”

However, she looked at Liu Yu and shook her head. “But with your foundation, no matter how you disguise yourself, you can’t make yourself look unattractive. Little sister, listen to me. The world outside is unstable. Given your appearance, if you can avoid going out, it’s better not to.”

Liu Yu understood this as well. She nodded, “I’ll remember that. Going out is a last resort for me. Thank you for your hospitality today, sister.”

As Liu Yu bid farewell to leave, the female shopkeeper said, “Wait a moment.”

She went into the house and returned with a small purse. Holding Liu Yu’s hand, she stuffed the purse into her palm, saying, “Since you called me sister, I may not know what troubles you’re facing. However, if it’s not a major crisis, you wouldn’t be willing to take such risks. Take this bit of money. In case of an emergency, having money on hand provides more options.”

Unguardedly, Liu Yu’s eyes welled up with tears.

“I’m surnamed Cui, called Cui Erniang. I’ve accumulated some blessings, and to think that a fairy-like girl like you would address me as sister. This silver isn’t much, only two taels, just enough for your immediate needs. I wouldn’t be willing to give you more.” Cui Erniang chuckled, delicately pinching Liu Yu’s fingertips to enclose the purse in her palm. She said, “Take it. I hope you’ll never have to use it. If you don’t, you can return it to me or help with some embroidery work.”

The slight moisture in Liu Yu’s eyes gradually turned into a warm blur. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear away the teardrops. However, the tear beads seemed to have a will of their own, unaffected by her efforts. She struggled to control herself, but they still fell steadily.

Liu Yu quickly wiped her cheeks, let go of her hand, and smiled brilliantly at Second Sister Cui. “Thanks, Sister Cui. I might indeed need this. My surname is Liu, given name Yu. If, in the future… I’ll treat you as an elder sister.”

Cui Erniang chuckled, “Then I’ve hit the jackpot, having such a beautiful girl calling me sister for free.”

With that, she walked Liu Yu to the door, seeing her off with a smile.

At this time, with the setting sun casting long shadows, Longfeng Town, which would typically quiet down, still had many people moving about. Seeing some individuals holding river lanterns, Cui Erniang asked Liu Yu, “Do you want to buy a river lantern?”

Liu Yu nodded and said, “It happens to be the birthday of the Lady of the Yusui River. I want to offer sacrifices to my relatives.”

Second Sister Cui understood, patting her hand and said, “Then head to South Street. There’s a candle shop there that sells river lanterns.”

Liu Yu thanked her and bid farewell to Cui Erniang.

Heading south in Longfeng Town, Liu Yu had an impression of the candle shop. As she walked towards it, just as she was about to enter, she encountered a familiar face coming out.

Madam Chen, accompanied by a girl about the same age as herself.

Madam Chen, who had been seething with anger towards Liu Yu these past two days, had an unpleasant expression. With a disdainful snort, she passed by Liu Yu with Chen Xiaomei in tow.

Chen Xiaomei, however, frequently turned around. She had seen this girl outside the Temple of the Goddess earlier today and heard that she was called Liu Yu when she was chased by Lu Chengxiao.

Having walked about seven or eight steps away from the candle shop, Chen Xiaomei couldn’t hold back and pulled Madam Chen aside, asking, “Mother, is she the girl that my brother likes?”

Madam Chen’s face suddenly darkened, thinking about her son who had been urging her all afternoon to find a matchmaker for a proposal. She felt frustrated at the mere thought and gave Chen Xiaomei a stern look, saying, “Don’t talk nonsense!”

However, when Madam Chen looked back at the candle shop, her eyes flashed with an indescribable emotion. Suddenly, she said, “The river lantern is bought. You go back first; I have some other matters to attend to. I’ll return later.”

Chen Xiaomei, still preoccupied with the stunning glance exchanged with Liu Yu earlier, didn’t notice her mother’s unusual behavior. She replied with an “Oh” and glanced several times towards the candle shop until Madam Chen lightly pinched her, prompting her to go back.

As she left, Madam Chen, feeling uneasy, instructed, “Don’t tell your brother that you’ve seen her.”

Chen Xiaomei reluctantly responded with an “Oh,” wondering why her mother was being so difficult and why she compared such a stunning beauty with Sister Fang.

She dismissed Madam Chen’s words as if they were a passing breeze, claiming that she would definitely tell her brother secretly.

Sansukini: If you’re wondering who Sister Fang is, I really have no idea as well. I’m guessing it’s a character of a certain literature, but I really have no way of knowing because I searched and searched but Sister Fang is such a common name and there’s no point of reference in this novel that can help me research further.

Saving the drowning damsel in distress coming in the next chapters. And some deviation that ruined Liu Yu’s plans.

Merry Christmas everyone! I wish everyone is having fun this Christmas day.

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