Divorced by her husband's family and rejected by her own! She defiantly turned her life around

"Zhou'er, don't rush off. Let me cook you two eggs before you go. You won't have the strength to argue with that woman if you don't have any food in your stomach."

"Okay, Mother still loves me the most."

Lu Yunzhou returned to his study and paced back and forth, imagining the scene when he went to Liujia Village. How should he deal with the villagers? What should he say to Liu Shi? What should he do if Liu Shi refused to see him? What should he do if Liu Shi saw him and rejected his request? What should he do if Liu Shi went crazy and beat him?

He pondered this over and over again when his mother's voice came from outside the door, "Zhou'er, come quick, the poached eggs are ready, eat them while they're hot, they're good for your health."

Lu Yunzhou went to the main room and ate a bowl of brown sugar and eggs. Feeling warm all over, he poured himself a glass of water and rinsed his mouth repeatedly, making sure there was no taste in his mouth and nothing stuck on his teeth.

"Mother, I'm leaving now."

"Don't go yet, Mother made you a new dress, put it on him."

"Mother, you don't need to change. This dress is fine; I'm used to wearing it."

Seeing the clothes he was wearing, he remembered that they were made by Zhou Xiangxing. Wearing them was indeed inappropriate. Liu Shi had prematurely given birth because she had caught him and his sister-in-law having an affair. If he were to ask her about it, how would he explain it?

As he changed his clothes, he thought to himself, "Yes, that's how it should be. He's a scholar, how could he do something so immoral? It was all his sister-in-law's initiative."

"Is this the gift you prepared for Madam Liu?"

"Well, it's nothing valuable, just a box of rouge and a silver hairpin. I can't go empty-handed, can I?"

"She got off too easy."

"You can't be too polite to Madam Liu. Women are all like that; the more polite you are to her, the more she'll take advantage of you. She likes you so much; if you just say you want to marry her, she'll probably jump for joy. She'll have someone to rely on, her daughter will have a father, and as you rise in status, their status will rise with you. I don't believe she wouldn't want that."

"Mother is absolutely right. If she were clear-headed, she would never have missed such a good opportunity."

"However, Mother, we need her help now, so we have to humble ourselves. Once we marry her, it's up to us to decide; she won't have a say anymore."

"My son, you've suffered so much. Go now, I can't bear to see you tormented by illness any longer."

Granny Liu helped him tidy his clothes, and Lu Yunzhou went out. The villagers were all watching his movements, hoping that he would quickly marry Liu Shi and bring her back to Bainiwan.

As soon as Lu Yunzhou stepped outside, he saw a group of people chatting near his house. "Lu Tongsheng, you're dressed so neatly today, are you going to Liujia Village?"

Lu Yunzhou bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, uncles and aunts. I am on my way to Liujia Village."

"Can you go alone? Do you want the aunties to go with you? There's strength in numbers, and they can support and cheer you on."

"We appreciate the kindness of our aunts, but it would be unpleasant if too many people went. We shouldn't let others misunderstand that we're going to cause trouble, or we won't even be able to enter the village."

"Yes, scholars are different; they think more thoroughly than we do. Go on, we'll wait for your good news in the village."

Lu Yunzhou bid farewell to everyone, his back ramrod straight, and walked steadily and lightly towards the village entrance.

"Look, scholars are different. They walk with such energy. Look at the rest of the village. They walk with their backs slumped and their heads down, without any spirit."

"Yes, we pray that Lu Tongsheng can marry Liu Shi as soon as possible."

The women in the village began to pray to the gods and Buddhas in the heavens, hoping that Lu Tongsheng's journey would be smooth and successful.

Lu Yunzhou walked quickly out of the village, but he was exhausted. Walking like this was too tiring. When he was almost at the fork in the road, he saw people heading towards Liujia Village.

Although the two villages are not far apart, he had never been to either of them before. He had no idea where Liu's family home was or where his second uncle lived. He only knew that her family home was in the middle of the village and her second uncle's family home was at the end of the village, and that she also lived at the end of the village now.

Oh dear! No, he should have suggested something less respectful to avoid being impolite. No, her return might be facilitated by the gift; if the gift for Liu is hidden on her person, who will see it?

Lu Yunzhou turned around and walked back. This time he walked very fast. When he got to the village, he saw that the group of people had not dispersed yet. "Lu Tongsheng, why did you come back so quickly? Are you too scared to go?"

"It's alright, your aunt will go with you this time."

"Auntie, you've misunderstood. I was in a hurry and forgot to bring the gift. It's not appropriate to come empty-handed."

"That's right, that's right, a gift is a must. We were careless and didn't notice it at first."

"Hurry back, don't waste any more time."

Lu Yunzhou banged on the door, "Mom, open the door, I'm back."

Hearing her son's voice, Granny Liu was startled and quickly went to open the door. "Zhou'er, why are you back so soon? What happened?"

"Mother, nothing happened. Look, I hid the gift for Liu Shi on my person, so no one can see it. It shows how sincere I am. Find me a nice pastry box that I brought back before, and pack two bags of the pastries you bought last time. Also, bring 10 eggs from home. That way, it will look presentable and generous."

"Okay, Mother will go and get it ready right away."

Before long, Granny Liu came out carrying a pastry box, which she had wiped clean. She opened the box, took out two packets of pastries and put them in the box. "These pastries are the best I bought. I planned to use them when you were getting married. You can use them first. As long as things go well, I can buy more later."

"Thank you, Mother, for all your hard work for your son."

Lu Yunzhou put two pieces of jewelry in. Five items were incredibly valuable to country folk. If they heard the price, they would be terrified. Only the daughters of wealthy families in the prefectural city could afford this rouge.

He came out carrying the box. As soon as he opened the door, there were many people blocking the entrance, including the village chief. "Uncle Village Chief."

"Yunzhou, I heard you're going to Liujia Village, so I came over to give you a few words of advice: 'Whether things go well or not, don't ruin the relationship. We have plenty of time in the future, understand?'"

"Uncle, I understand. To show my sincerity, I have prepared a generous gift."

Lu Yunzhou opened the box, and the villagers all craned their heads to look inside. There were two packets of pastries, 10 eggs, and two other boxes, but they didn't know what was inside.

"Lu Tongsheng, what's in those two boxes? Is there any significance to your five gifts? Isn't it said that good things come in pairs?"

"These are the rouge and hairpins I bought for my wife from the prefectural city. The rouge costs 13 taels of silver per box, and the hairpin costs 5 taels."

The reason I brought this gift is to symbolize the arrival of five blessings: the first is that I was able to marry my wife, the second is that I brought my daughter home, the third is that my family is reunited, the fourth is that the villagers' wishes come true, and the fifth is that my wife accompanies me on my path to success.

"It seems that Lu Tongsheng is truly sincere towards Madam Liu this time, buying such an expensive gift. If Madam Liu doesn't agree, she would be ungrateful."

"Yunzhou, well said. I believe that Liu will be moved by your sincerity. She was reluctant to leave you and the Lu family back then. Now that you are going to marry her as a principal wife, what an honor that is."

Go ahead, we'll be waiting for your good news.

Full of confidence, Lu Yunzhou embarked on his journey to win back his wife, carrying the hopes of the entire village. She was his destined one, and they were destined to spend their lives together.

If she asked him not to take a concubine, he could agree, as long as she was willing to come back to him. There was still a long life ahead of them, and the present was the most important thing.