Remarrying Chun Yuan

Li Shu froze instantly, her face flushing slightly purple with embarrassment. She glanced at Wei Gongming before immediately lowering her head. "If Yue Niang says it's not, then it shouldn't be, right..."

She really doesn't know.

But deep down, she hoped it wasn't.

If it weren't for that, Liu Yuechu wouldn't have married him, and I would have had a chance.

Wei Gongming smiled confidently, "If Madam Li says it's not true, then it's not true. I believe you. It's getting late, so please get some rest. Farewell."

He pulled up his cloak, declined the Li family's offer to send him in a carriage, and stepped into the cold wind.

As Li Shu watched his retreating figure, tears of guilt almost welled up in her eyes, as if she had committed a grave mistake.

On the second day of the twelfth lunar month, at Jingchun Tower.

Liu Yuechu had a small gathering with Lin Mengyu and Li Shu.

The second day of each month is their gathering day. Last month, heavy snow blocked their door, so they couldn't get together. This time, the three of them were listless and their usual chatter was gone.

Liu Yuechu, reborn as a human, possesses the appearance of a young girl but the heart of two lifetimes, making her naturally more composed than before; Li Shu, preoccupied with her own thoughts, hesitated to speak, always wanting to ask her about the kite.

Before leaving, Lin Mengyu was annoyed by the warning and reprimand from Madam Lin. She said that she was allowed to socialize with Liu Yuechu, but she was not allowed to invest in Liu Yuechu's business.

"Moon Maiden, I'm so sorry. I'm not married yet, so I can only listen to my mother. Once I'm married and can make my own decisions, I'll help you with whatever you want to do."

Liu Yuechu had already guessed it. "Don't take it to heart. I've already asked Princess Chen for help. It's no big deal."

"I really don't understand. Is loyalty and affection really less important than rules and propriety?" Lin Mengyu was very annoyed these days. "You know about Yuan Cuo's medicinal ingredients saving my mother, right? Although my father met him, he didn't let him into the library. He chatted with him for an hour and then sent him away."

"I really don't understand. He was my mother's savior. Why can't we make an exception?"

Liu Yuechu was surprised, "Scholar Lin didn't agree?" She was a little angry when she heard this.

Lin Mengyu shook his head. "Father said that breaking a rule that has been in place for hundreds of years is tantamount to the death of the Lin family."

If you're dead, you're dead. What's the point of living?

Liu Yuechu murmured softly, "I finally understand why he had to travel all over the Great Qi to paint that masterpiece."

"Huh? What masterpiece?" Lin Mengyu didn't hear clearly.

"I think I caught a chill, my stomach is cold, I'm feeling a bit unwell, I'll go back first..." Li Shu had been holding back for a while, then said this and left with her maid.

Liu Yuechu wondered, "Has something happened to her family lately?" Her behavior was really unusual.

Lin Mengyu pursed her lips, "Before you came, she kept asking me if the kite we flew before was real."

"They've probably heard some rumors; the Vice Minister of Rites' household also cares about its reputation..."

Lin Mengyu's voice grew softer and softer as he spoke.

Wasn't her mother the same? How dare she criticize others?

"No, I still want to invest." Lin Mengyu suddenly felt a surge of resistance. "I have some savings. I'll secretly invest... The more you earn, the more dowry I can save. When I leave my parents' home, I won't lack money, and I won't be bullied by my in-laws."

Liu Yuechu stared in disbelief for a moment, then didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

She wanted to bring Lin Mengyu into the business so as to let her uncle and others know that she was not alone.

"Okay, I'll take you along, secretly."

Her best friend has already spoken, how could she possibly refuse?

The two sat for a while longer before going home.

On her way back to the mansion, Liu Yuechu happened to see Wei Gongming and Li Shu talking at the entrance of the county government office.

Bai Shao glanced at her angrily, "Li Niangzi is not being fair. Why didn't she just tell you directly? Why did she have to be so secretive?"

Liu Yuechu was also quite surprised. She hadn't expected the two of them to get together. But wasn't it a bit strange to choose the county government office as the meeting place? In her previous life, she married Wei Gongming too early and didn't notice Li Shu's heart. Perhaps she had already fallen deeply in love with her.

"Let's go to the South City," Liu Yuechu thought of Yuancuo.

She recently invested in a bookstore; the shop is small, but it has a lot of manuscripts.

Song Liu'er initially disagreed with investing because the costs were low, the profits were meager, and most importantly, there was no one to help. It was run by an old scholar who tragically passed away due to a relapse of a cold caused by a snowstorm. His son, having no means of livelihood, wanted to sell the bookstore to focus on the imperial examinations and had no time to manage it.

Liu Yuechu gave him the money to focus on his exams, and told him to put the bookstore aside for now. Today, Lin Mengyu mentioned Yuancuo, which reminded her of the diverse collection of manuscripts in the bookstore; perhaps he would find something he needed.

Her father's map of the southwestern frontier was still in the Liu family's trading company, and she couldn't take it out to show Yuan Cuo. She hoped to help Yuan Cuo and contribute to the prosperous future of the Great Qi.

But just as her carriage stopped at the entrance of the narrow alley, she saw Lin Mengjun coming out of Yuan Cuo's courtyard.

The two looked at each other, both surprised.

Lin Mengjun was shocked to see her here. "Yue Niang, what are you doing here...?"

Liu Yuechu was speechless for a moment, never expecting to see him at this time.

"Is Madam Lin running out of medicinal ingredients again?" she asked, her voice tinged with resentment.

Lin Mengjun looked embarrassed, her toes digging into the ground. She guessed that her sister must have complained to her. "Well, I am... well... never mind, I have something to do, I'll go first."

He walked hurriedly, as if fleeing for his life.

Yuan Cuo stood gracefully at the entrance of the small courtyard, remarking, "I never imagined that Lady Liu was so sharp; she scared people away with just one sentence."

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" She didn't want to answer.

Yuan Cuo stepped aside and extended an invitation, saying, "It's an honor."

He glanced at Bai Shaohuajiao's hand; it was empty. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and finally didn't take any more tonics.

This was Liu Yuechu's second time entering the courtyard.

Last time I was looking at the paper kites made in Suzhou and didn't get a good look at it, but today I examined it closely and realized that his courtyard was elegant and his style was simple and beautiful.

It is neither extravagant nor understated; it is naturally elegant and aloof.

Just like him.

It is inconspicuous, yet impossible to ignore.

"As you've probably heard, I wanted to borrow the Lin family's library, but the Lin family has a rule that it's not passed on to outsiders, so I was refused. Young Master Lin felt guilty, so he acted as my eyes, finding out what I wanted to know and then relaying it to me."

Yuan Cuo spoke gently, explaining the messy, uncollected papers on the table.

"Does Scholar Lin know about this?"

"It should be tacit consent."

"It's alright, not ungrateful."

Yuan Cuo paused in his tea-making, a smile playing in his eyes. "Why does it sound like Madam Liu is a little angry?"

Liu Yuechu paused for a moment, unwilling to admit it, "How did you know I would know about this?" She changed the subject.

"Hmm... have some tea." Yuan Cuo rinsed the broken tea leaves twice before serving them to her.

Liu Yuechu didn't delve into the details, but instead savored the fragrant tea.

Seeing the satisfied smile on her face after tasting the tea, Yuan Cuo thought to himself, "She really doesn't know how many people in the capital are watching her."

Liu Yuechu leisurely sipped her tea, also considering whether or not to bring up the matter of the bookstore.

He had thought the Lin family was foolish, which had put him in another predicament, but unexpectedly, Lin Mengjun had become a gentleman and perhaps no longer needed his help.

Seeing that Liu Yuechu remained silent, Yuan Cuo said, "I heard that Lady Liu has taken over a bookstore, which contains many manuscripts and miscellaneous writings by scholars from various places."

"I am not very talented, but I enjoy reading interesting anecdotes and stories from various places. May I borrow some? I will not read them for nothing; I will bring my page to help you organize and categorize them, and compile a list of manuscripts. I am sure that Lady Liu will be satisfied..."