Husband, Be A Gentleman

Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

Widow Li carried a bowl of food and a bowl of medicine from the kitchen to a small chamber.

'Older cousin, eat your meal,' widow Li said.

'Why are you feeding rubbish for someone ill to eat?' old Li asked and knocked over the bowl of food.

Widow Li cried while she was kneeling and picking up the fallen food and broken bowl.

'The cost of your medicine rose,' widow Li said. 'There is only a few silver taels left.'

'Don't you know how to demand more silver taels?' old Li asked.

'Princess Kang Hua said she's not going to give me anymore silver taels,' widow Li said.

Old Li threw a cup at widow Li's head. 'You have a hold of Princess Kang Hua's tail but you're scared of her. If you're this dumb then die.'

Widow Li's head hurt and more tears flowed down her face.

'You only know how to cry!' old Li said. 'You won't be satisfied until I die. In the past it was a waste to take care of you.'

'It's not like that,' widow Li said.

'If it's not like that then hurry and go to the Yan Manor and demand more silver taels!' old Li said. 'You can threaten Princess Kang Hua that you'll tell Prime Minister Yan and ninth prince's wife if Princess Kang Hua doesn't give you the silver taels. If I wasn't bedridden I'll go there myself. Go! Buy proper food on the way back... useless woman!'

Widow Li tidied the small chamber, changed into dry clothes and walked toward the Yan Manor.

Xiao Zai who Pei Jin asked to follow widow Li was hiding on the roof. Pei Jin instructed if he didn't find out about widow Li's situation then he wasn't allowed to return to the manor. But he didn't expect to find out Princess Kang Hua was had a secret she didn't want Yan Shi Ning to know. He was anticipating Pei Jin's praises and finally the other guards couldn't mock him anymore for his poor fighting skills.

Xiao Zai spat on old Li's head through a roof hole.

'Coward old man!' Xiao Zai cursed softly and rushed back to the manor.

On the way to the Yan Manor, widow Li was burdened with guilt and anxiety. She didn't like going to the Yan Manor to ask Princess Kang Hua for silver taels. She wished she never betrayed her conscience and never confided her secret to her older cousin.

Widow Li remembered her life with her older cousin far south from the imperial city. Although they worked hard to survive, he didn't verbally or physically abuse her. She thought perhaps it was her retribution. Every year on the anniversary of big sister Dung Thi's death, she would have nightmares and mumble in her sleep. Her cousin asked her why she had nightmares, she confessed what she did and everything changed for the worse.

Widow Li's older cousin dragged her to the imperial city, called her a dumb woman for being easily chased away by one thousand taels and intimidated her to go to the Yan Manor. She listened and asked for money for the first time in her life. Princess Kang Hua gave her another two thousand silver taels. Her older cousin spent all the two thousand silver taels on gambling and women at brothels.

The second time widow Li's older cousin told her to go ask for silver taels, Princess Kang Hua gave her another one thousand silver taels. But her older cousin also received retribution, he fell off a horse and his legs were crippled. She spent the one thousand silver taels to buy his medicine.

So that day it was the third time widow Li was forced to ask for money, she was truly scared what Princess Kang Hua would do to her. She vowed it was going to be the last time she asked for money and her older cousin's health would be left up to his fate.