Trials of Love in Ancient Times Chapter 2

At this point, Iris Yu and some of the maids in Yuan's house could only sigh silently. The room was silent for a while. Iris Yu came over to comfort Ivy Yuan and said, "Madam, don't be discouraged. It will be New Year's Eve in a few days. Then you will definitely be able to see the second young lady. Then you can find a chance to give the Cao family a good scolding!"

Ivy Yuan sighed: "What's the point of choking people? It's bad to think that the problem is not solved. It's just that Shuang'er is too soft-hearted. Sometimes she only reports good news and not bad news. I was wondering why I didn't see her come back recently. It turns out that something like this happened."

Iris Yu sighed: "The second young lady is a little soft-tempered. If she were half as capable as you..."

Ivy Yuan curled her lips sarcastically: "What can I do? I am just a woman. If my father were still alive, or if I had a brother, you will see whether the Cao family would dare to be so arrogant."

This touched upon the lady's sore spot, and she dared not speak.

There was silence in the room for a moment. Ivy Yuan glanced at them. Everyone knew what was said. Ivy Yuan was silent for a while and avoided the topic: "The New Year is coming soon. Those who want to go home should pack up in advance after the snow stops, so that the roads will not be difficult to travel. Iris Yu, you can calculate the wages and the year-end bonuses, and pack them all for everyone. I will just take a look later."

After hearing this, the atmosphere in the room became lively again, and the maids hurriedly thanked her: "Thank you, my lady!"

Iris Yu also said: "Don't worry, my lady, I have started preparing early, and I will get the account tomorrow. But..."

"But what?"

Iris Yu smiled and said, "The fourth young lady said she wanted to buy a horse for the New Year. She must have taken a fancy to the horses of the Hu people that have recently arrived in Chang'an. I went to take a look and found that one horse costs about fifty taels."

Ivy Yuan had a headache: "What kind of horse costs fifty taels?! Our old horse only cost eight taels when we bought it!"

Iris Yu smiled: "The fourth young lady likes these and says they are good horses."

Ivy Yuan: "This kid is getting more and more outrageous now. What kind of a thriving horse is this? A real thriving horse is worth a fortune. She was deceived but still treats it as a treasure. Where is she?!"

Iris Yu laughed: "I had a quarrel with Miss San yesterday and I am sleeping now..."

The four sisters of the Yuan family include Ivy Yuan, the second sister Willow Yuan, and two little ones, Felicity Yuan who just came of age this year, and Harper who is thirteen years old.

Felicity Yuan is the most quiet and well-behaved one in the family. She is gentle and likes reading. Ivy Yuan is most confident in her. However, Harper is a worrying one. Ivy Yuan was busy with business in the past two years and ignored her. Then, no one knows where this child got a lot of martial arts novels from. She was obsessed with reading them every day and her temper became wilder day by day.

Not only did he refuse to study, he also insisted on learning martial arts. He got himself a lot of knives, guns, sticks and clubs. Just looking at him gave Ivy Yuan a headache.

In the autumn, he threatened to teach her how to ride a horse by going on a hunger strike, and Ivy Yuan had no choice but to agree. Then he did learn how to ride a horse, but he was also injured and had to lie in bed for three months. Then, he wanted to buy a horse again!

Ivy Yuan couldn't control Willow Yuan after she got married, so she didn't believe she couldn't control her family members either!

So Ivy Yuan rushed directly to Harper's room accompanied by Iris Yu, "Harper! Harper, come out!"

Ivy Yuan angrily searched around but didn't find anyone. Iris Yu was sharp-eyed and finally found the paper pressed under the candlestick on the table. When she saw it, she was shocked!

"Sister, I'm going to travel the world, don't worry about me."

When Ivy Yuan saw it, her face turned pale instantly.

...

At night, the Yuan residence was brightly lit. After Harper was found, she was severely beaten by Ivy Yuan herself with a dogma, and now she was lying back on the bed and unable to get up.

Everyone in the Yuan residence was silent. They had never seen the lady so angry before.

Ivy Yuan was really furious. She cried and beat her with a Willow Yuan stick: "How old are you? You ran away from home? I will make you forget your own limitations! I will make you say such nonsense again!"

Harper cried loudly, Ivy Yuan cried too, Felicity Yuan also cried and tried to persuade them, the three sisters cried together and made a big fuss in Yuan's house all night. The neighbors were alarmed, but when they knew that the child next door who ran away from home had just been found, they closed the door silently again.

"Oh, I've said it before. It's hard for a widow to have a good life with three sisters. It's better for her to remarry as soon as possible."

"That's right, a woman must learn how to do business... Look, now my little sister is in such a bad condition due to lack of discipline. I think it's not all Ali's fault, the child is just so young..."

There is always a lot of gossip around a widow, so such rumors naturally spread quickly.

Ivy Yuan had black eyes the next day, but she didn't even get angry after hearing such words.

Iris Yu was so angry that she poured a large basin of water at the door and deliberately shouted: "Just live your own life! You are meddling in other people's affairs. You are really meddling in other people's affairs!"

After saying that, he slammed the door of his house shut.

New Year's Eve is approaching, but Ivy Yuan has no intention of celebrating the New Year at all.

Iris Yu returned carefully, and seeing that Ivy Yuan had no strength left, she said distressedly: "My wife, I'll ask the kitchen to stew some blood swallows to nourish you, you don't look very well..."

Ivy Yuan was indeed too tired. She asked softly, "Iris Yu, do you think I really did something wrong...?"

Iris Yu was shocked: "Madam, what are you talking about! Madam, I'm just too tired recently. The fourth young lady is young and naive, she will be fine when she grows up. Look at how obedient the third young lady is, it's all because of you, madam. You also married the second young lady off with great fanfare. Have you forgotten how many sour words those people said to you? They just can't stand seeing you doing well."

Ivy Yuan chuckled: "Shuang'er didn't marry well either..."

Iris Yu: "How can you be blamed for this? If you want to blame someone, it's the Cao family who are ungrateful. You are the one who was bitten by the dog. My lady, people should not be too burdened when living in this world. You have done very well. It is not easy for women in troubled times. You raised three sisters by yourself and have achieved your own success. How can you be so self-deprecating..."
 
After Iris Yu's sincere advice, Ivy Yuan felt better, but she knew that many things were indeed difficult to change.

For example, the second sister's marriage was full of difficulties at the beginning. In fact, it was because the other party felt that there were too many women in the Yuan family and they were a burden. Ivy Yuan had to work hard to make money in order to save some confidence for the family.

If there really is someone who doesn't dislike them at all, Ivy Yuan can't help but think of Wyatt Jiang.

Wyatt Jiang indeed, even though there were problems of various kinds after marriage, he had nothing to say about the sisters. At that time, there were wars and famines, and starvation was a very common thing. However, the younger sisters not only did not starve at all, they even grew taller.

Ivy Yuan didn't understand how he made the money at that time, she only knew that Wyatt Jiang had a hard time too. She lived frugally and was reluctant to even make a new piece of clothing. That year, Wyatt Jiang even gave her a hairpin on her birthday.

Ivy Yuan was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth.

Of course, the feeling of being touched did not last long. Ivy Yuan suffered a lot that night, and that bit of emotion was destroyed by Wyatt Jiang.

However, Wyatt Jiang at that time still gave her a lot of sense of security.

Sometimes Ivy Yuan feels that it’s not bad to live like this.

Iris Yu went to buy New Year's goods, and Ivy Yuan just lay there and thought about random things.

The charcoal fire in the room was burning hot and her head was dizzy.

She recalled many trivial things, such as the time when she had a fever and Wyatt Jiang held her and comforted her for the whole night. The usually carefree man became gentle and considerate, and he changed the basin of hot water again and again.

For example, on his birthday, Ivy Yuan only perfunctorily embroidered a purse. Wyatt Jiang didn't think it was a big deal on the surface, but he wore it around his waist every day and refused to take it off. He was even laughed at by his friends and was forced to wear it even when he entered the blacksmith shop, saying that he was a sissy.

For example, that year when Xiaoli had a high fever and the doctor said she might not be able to be saved, she cried so hard that Wyatt Jiang rushed back from the neighboring county, got several doctors and bought good medicine at a high price...

Ivy Yuan thinks.

She was indeed ashamed of him.

This guilt has become more and more intense in the past six months. She doesn't know if it's because she hasn't visited him in Bailie Mountain for too long and Wyatt Jiang is resentful, or because Ivy Yuan's business is now on track and she is not as busy as before.

she does not know.

"Madam, madam!"

Ivy Yuan's thoughts were interrupted again. Iris Yu came back, carrying two large baskets of New Year's goods. She smiled and said, "My dear, the snow has stopped. Tomorrow will be a good day. There will be a wedding next door!"

Ivy Yuan: "Happy event?"

"Yes, I heard that the bride will be married tomorrow."

I see.

The kid next door was also old enough, Ivy Yuan smiled and said, "Then give him a gift of your own."

Iris Yu: "I know, don't worry, ma'am."

Ivy Yuan put her thoughts aside and nodded.

-

The next day, the alley was indeed lively with music and dancing.

The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and many families choose to hold weddings at the end of the year to add some joy to the New Year. Ivy Yuan also wanted to share in the joy, so she had people hang up all the big red lanterns early, open the door, and sweep away the snow in front of the door.

Everyone in the yard quickened their pace unconsciously. Isn't it a happy thing to be able to eat wedding candy today and go home to celebrate the New Year in two days?

Ivy Yuan stood in the yard, looking at the snow on the trees and the red persimmons. Her mood improved a little. She turned around and asked, "Where is the fourth young lady? Is she still in a bad mood?"

Yun Que did not dare to hide it: "I drank some porridge last night and I am still asleep now."

Ivy Yuan sighed, finally softening her heart: "I'll go take a look."

This time Harper was well behaved and stayed at home, but she was also very angry. She was still angry even when she was sleeping on the bed, with a trace of tears in the corners of her eyes.

Ivy Yuan sat by the bed and watched for a long time. Although she felt sad, she did not regret it.

It was her fault that the fourth sister was not disciplined and dared to run out in such a snowy weather. Who knows what kind of trouble she will get into in the future.

Ivy Yuan sighed and tucked the quilt for her, but unexpectedly she heard Harper talking in her sleep the next moment: "Brother-in-law..."

Ivy Yuan's hand suddenly froze in mid-air.

...

Brother-in-law?

Ivy Yuan knew who her younger sister was calling.

When she was in Shenmu Town, Harper was already nine years old, so she naturally remembered Wyatt Jiang. Everyone in the family remembered Wyatt Jiang, but no one dared to mention him in front of her.

Because the younger sisters all know that their elder sister doesn't like her brother-in-law.

But Yuanli likes it.

When she was a child, her brother-in-law would take her into the mountains to dig wild vegetables, catch pheasants, and fish and shrimp. Yuanli liked all of these.

Willow Yuan and Felicity Yuan were already old at that time, so they naturally wouldn't be very close to Wyatt Jiang, but Harper was different.

When she was naughty, she would ask Wyatt Jiang to lift her up high, and she would sit on Wyatt Jiang's neck and laugh happily. Although she would be scolded by Ivy Yuan soon, it was one of her few good memories.

My brother-in-law is a man of many talents, he is good at hunting and martial arts, Yuanli has admired him since childhood.

If only my brother-in-law hadn't died...

Thirteen-year-old Harper shed another tear from her eyes, completely unaware that her elder sister had been sitting by the bed for a full half hour, and when she finally walked back, her steps were a little unsteady...