The Exiled Life of the Noble Girl

Chapter 105

Carrying a stack of paper home, Li Mingwei was thrown into the nightmare of copying books again. She estimated that with her speed, it would take no less than a month to finish. Just thinking about it made her hands go weak.

Right then, the female embroiderer Yu came to the door. Since Li Mingwei was not going to the embroidery workshop to get work, she directly brought the work to her door.

Li Mingwei stared with wide eyes. These two were really afraid she could not earn money. Did they know she went to the county and had little cash left?

Wang Chunhua came looking for her several times, either to see her embroidering or copying books, thinking she was short on money and desperately trying to earn more. When she went home, she brought some over to Li Mingwei.

"Sister, why are you giving me money?"

"You covered my stay in the county for so long. I should share the burden since I also stayed there."

Li Mingwei pushed the money back to her, "No need. Don't stand on ceremony with me. You know I still have money."

Only then did Wang Chunhua recall this. How could her sister be short of money? She put the money back in her bosom and looked at Li Mingwei's busy hands, "Then why are you hurrying to copy books and embroider every day? You don't lack money. Isn't this tiring?"

It was a bit tiring, but with work piled up, Li Mingwei felt uncomfortable not doing it. She wanted to finish it quickly.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead, put down the pen and took out a letter from the drawer, "Sister Yun wrote that the Wan Family over there wants to adopt a child for them. She doesn't know if she should accept it. Qing Yang said to ask her."

She had no experience in this. Her mother said she was unwilling to adopt a child. She didn't want to raise another's child. But she and Sister Yun were different. So she decided to ask Wang Chunhua.

"Which family is the child from? Are they close relatives? Why are they willing to let the child be adopted? Did she explain everything clearly?"

Wang Chunhua fired questions rapidly, leaving Li Mingwei dazed. She looked over the letter again and answered Wang Chunhua's questions one by one.

"The relationship is quite close. The child is also surnamed Wan from their village. Their family is not as wealthy as the Wan Family. But they have several sons and said they could give the youngest to them for adoption."

"How young is the child?"

Li Mingwei shook her head. She didn't know. The letter didn't say.

"It would be fine if the child is around one year old. After raising the child for a while, they would be familiar. But if the child is three or four years old, he would have memories. No matter who raised him, he would remember. Since they are from the same village, if he runs into his birth parents every day, wouldn't he be raised for others?"

No matter how big, a village was still limited in size. Who wouldn't know about such a big matter? When the child grew up and understood things, hearing gossip about his birth parents, what if he went back to them?

Wang Chunhua had given birth to and raised two children. She was clear what children did at each age. She asked Li Mingwei to reply to them that they must adopt a young one, the further away the better.

Li Mingwei held the pen, unable to write. "They want to adopt so the child will have the Wan Family bloodline. Adopting one from far away would not have the Wan surname."

"Adopted or not, what's it matter if he's surnamed Wan? Bring one back and change his name, then he'll be surnamed Wan."

Wang Chunhua urged her to quickly write and tell Sister Yun not to adopt from so close, where the family was not wealthy. What if the child's birth parents whispered in his ear when he grew up to send money back home? It would be better to adopt one from far away who could not send anything back even if he wanted to.

Li Mingwei stared at Wang Chunhua for a long time before following her words to write the reply, adding at the end that it was Sister Chunhua's opinion.

After finishing the letter, she put it in an envelope, sealed it and Wang Chunhua left, not wanting to disturb her further. She took the letter to find someone to deliver it.

Just as she wanted to pick up the pen to copy more books, she felt a trace of fatigue. Putting down the pen, she lay on the bed and stared blankly at the canopy above.

Old Lady Wang came back from outside and saw Li Mingwei lying asleep on the bed. Just as she wanted to close the door for her, Li Mingwei turned her head and called out, "Mother."

"You're not asleep?" Old Lady Wang walked in quietly and saw the books and writing materials on the desk. She figured Li Mingwei was tired and advised, "Money can't be earned in a day or two. Our family is not wealthy but not so poor we urgently need money. Don't take so many jobs if you're tired."

Li Mingwei didn't know how to explain that this was both a job and a punishment. Whether she wanted to take it was not the question. Mr. Jin was angry so she had to bear it.

She sighed and pointed to the embroidery basket next to the desk, "Mother, I embroidered a handkerchief for you too. Go take a look if you like it."

"What's the need for you to make me things at my age? Where would I use such stuff!" Old Lady Wang said so but her feet kept moving towards it. She took out a handkerchief from the basket and looked at the bright yellow flowers on it, hesitating, "What flower is this?"

"Chrysanthemum."

Meaning longevity.

"How's this different from the ones I saw on the mountain? The yellow is the same but the ones on the mountain were so small. Yours is huge!"

Old Lady Wang kept murmuring with the handkerchief. Li Mingwei turned to look and saw her smiling, knowing she liked it. She lay back down and gradually fell asleep amidst Old Lady Wang's fussing sounds.

Not getting a response for so long, Old Lady Wang looked up to find Li Mingwei had fallen asleep. She tucked the handkerchief into her bosom, gently covered Li Mingwei with a quilt and left.

Then for several days after, there was an extra fried egg in Li Mingwei's bowl.

When Liu Yizhu came back on break and saw the egg in her bowl, he subconsciously glanced at his own bowl which had none. Thinking his mother had served the wrong bowl, he was about to laugh when Li Mingwei said, "I told you, this one is mine. Mother's already been bought over by a handkerchief from me."

Liu Yizhu was still doubtful when Old Lady Wang hurriedly came out with a small bowl. She put the fried egg from the small bowl into Liu Yizhu's bowl, "Mother forgot you were back. I just fried one for Mingwei. Here, this is yours."

Seeing him in a daze, Old Lady Wang urged, "Don't just stand there, eat while it's hot."

Liu Yizhu nodded.

Li Mingwei saw Old Lady Wang return to the kitchen. She picked up the egg in her bowl and took a bite, happily swinging her head, "I told you this one is mine."

This was the first time Liu Yizhu was forgotten by his own mother. Looking at the egg and noodles in his bowl, he had mixed feelings. His mother not only forgot he was back, she even forgot he didn't like noodles anymore.

But he was still more happy that they were getting along so well. He smiled, "My wife is so capable to have won over Mother so quickly."

Li Mingwei proudly lifted her chin, "Of course. Mother is learning etiquette from me every day now. I'm half a gentleman to her."

Liu Yizhu guffawed and pinched her chubby cheeks, deferentially saying, "Yes, yes, Mr. Li."

When Li Mingwei recalled their first meeting, she nearly choked.