Li Shan huffed and ignored her, shuffling into the house with his tobacco pouch held behind his back.
"Gu’er, dear, go on and chat with your cousins. There are plenty of us here; you don’t need to be busy."
Seeing how awkward the atmosphere was, Bai Erni didn’t want things to get too ugly. She pulled Gu’er aside, urging her to join the younger crowd.
"Sister Gu’er, co over here! Let’s talk together."
Li Zhi’er waved to Gu’er, beckoning her over. She was six years younger than Gu’er, only twelve this year. She took after her mother, with a slightly dark complexion and a bit of chub, but her eyes were bright and dewy, and she had a small dimple. She was quite cute. Her temperant was also like her mother’s—she was a sensible, easy-going girl.
Gu’er had a good impression of this cousin. She nodded at her, accepting the kind gesture, and walked over.
"Sister Gu’er, that’s just how my mom talks. Don’t take it to heart. Can you talk to our auntie later and ask her not to be mad at my mom?"
Li Ying was four years younger than Gu’er. Although she was Cui i’s daughter, her personality was nothing like her mother’s; she was a kind-hearted girl.
Gu’er rembered this cousin. She was quite pretty, with fair, clear skin. Though she had monolids, her gaze was pure, and her small, red lips made her very likable. Her mother, Third Aunt Cui i, had insisted on marrying her off to soone in Liu Shu Village. Li Ying had been against it, feeling that the young man from the proposed family had a shifty look in his eyes, but she couldn’t defy her mother and ended up getting married anyway.
After she married, her mother-in-law treated her poorly. Her husband doted on her for two years before having an affair, later even getting together with a widow. In the end, Li Ying couldn’t take it anymore and divorced him. At that ti, divorce was still considered a scandal, though it wasn’t unheard of. But Cui i couldn’t accept it. She berated Li Ying horribly and forbade her from returning to her maiden ho, calling her a disgrace. She even insisted that Li Ying remarry the man. Finally, in a fit of anger, Li Ying ran away from ho, saying she was going to another city. Gu’er never saw her again after that.
Looking at this delicate-featured cousin, who was now apologizing on behalf of her own mother, Gu’er sighed internally. ’People’s fates are truly unpredictable.’ Although she disliked Cui i, this cousin was a good person. She rembered a ti when she had been beaten so badly by Zhang Da that she couldn’t get out of bed. Li Ying, who was visiting the Zhou family, heard about it and made a special trip to see her, even bringing so gifts. She had spoken to her from the heart, suggesting that if things were really unbearable, she should get a divorce. At the ti, hearing those words had scared Gu’er to death. But thinking back now, she knew Li Ying had ant well.
’If she could, she didn’t want to watch Li Ying marry into Liu Shu Village like in her last life. She didn’t want to see Li Ying et such a fate again.’
But this was all from her past life, and Gu’er wouldn’t say any of it out loud. Her thoughts shifted, and she greeted her cousins.
"Hmph. What are you trying to prove? Don’t you know whose house this is? If Grandpa really sent Third Aunt packing back to her family, I’d like to see you show your face here again."
Li Yu, however, spoke to Gu’er with great displeasure, her eyes full of disgust, as if Gu’er were the most detestable person imaginable.
Gu’er gave her a half-smile. Li Yu was the sa age as her, but her birthday was earlier. ’At least, that’s what the adults said. I don’t even know my own birthday.’ At this thought, Gu’er’s expression dimd. ’This is what it’s like to be a foundling. You don’t even know when you were born.’
Li Yu was already engaged to a man from the neighboring village. His family was of average ans, and he was the youngest son. He was average-looking but treated Li Yu well. After they married, Li Yu was critical of everything. She eventually decided her husband was worthless and ran off with a traveling rchant from their village, even abandoning her two-year-old son. She was truly heartless.
’What a pity.’ Her husband eventually struck it rich in business, while Li Yu was dumped by the rchant. When she went back to find her husband, he had already married another, better woman and naturally wanted nothing to do with her. Her son wouldn’t acknowledge her either, and she was left to just get by.
Seeing Li Yu’s spiteful expression and thinking about her future, Gu’er no longer felt angry.
"Sis, that’s enough! No matter what, Auntie and Sister Gu’er are guests. How can you talk to Sister Gu’er like that? Didn’t Grandpa tell us not to say any more?"
Li Zhi tried to reason with her older sister. She didn’t know who this sister of hers took after, to be so unpleasant with her words. ’She’s just like Third Aunt,’ she thought.
"Is she your sister, or am I? Are you stupid? You don’t even know to take my side. I doted on you for nothing. If you’re going to keep being so clueless about who’s on your side, then don’t call your sister anymore."
Li Yu glared at Li Zhi, furious that she hadn’t backed her up.
Hearing her sister’s words, Li Zhi’s cheeks puffed up in anger. Her mother often told her that being a family wasn’t easy. Back in the day, their maternal grandfather had led her mother and uncles as they fled a famine. One of her uncles starved to death on the road. If it weren’t for the help of other relatives and friends who were also fleeing, their whole family might have perished. That was why her mother always told her and her siblings to look after one another and to get along well with their relatives. But why was her oldest sister always so infuriating?
Gu’er couldn’t care less about Li Yu. In her last life, she had been afraid of Li Yu, but this ti around, her mindset had completely changed. Watching the fuming Li Zhi, she found it rather amusing. ’This is a cousin I could get to know better in the future.’
"Alright, Zhi’er, don’t be angry. Next ti your big sis cos, I’ll buy you a popsicle."
As Gu’er spoke, she pinched Li Zhi’s cheek. Although Li Zhi’s face was dark, her skin was smooth to the touch. After the pinch, Gu’er felt a little reluctant to let go and gave it another gentle rub. But after rubbing it, she froze. Li Zhi loved popsicles. She loved them so much that life wasn’t complete without them.
She used to say that she couldn’t afford them when she was little, so after she grew up, she developed a special craving for them. Even in the dead of winter, she had to eat two a day to be satisfied. Once, she ate two while on her period, ended up with a stomachache, and had to be taken to the hospital. Gu’er had even gone to visit her. She had grabbed Gu’er’s hand and complained for a long ti, whining that she wouldn’t be able to eat popsicles for ages and that the craving would surely kill her. Gu’er rembered comforting Li Zhi back then, promising to buy her popsicles once she got better.
Li Zhi had been over thirty at the ti, but she had still laughed like a child at Gu’er’s words. It just showed how much she loved those popsicles.
But that was all from her past life. Right now, popsicles were a rare treat for them. Besides, they weren’t even called ’old-fashioned popsicles’ yet. That was just a na later generations gave to the popsicles from this era.
Gu’er sighed. ’I’ve let it slip again. I can never keep things from my past life and this one straight.’
"Really? Sister Gu’er, you’ll really bring a popsicle next ti you visit?"
Li Zhi, however, knew none of this and didn’t catch the slip-up in Gu’er’s words. She no longer cared that Gu’er was pinching her cheek. She just tugged on Gu’er’s sleeve, her eyes sparkling as she looked up at her.
Gu’er almost laughed out loud. ’Why does Li Zhi’s eager expression right now remind of a little puppy?’
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