Chapter 86.1

Translated by Aviana

On the days when Yang Tiezhu was away, Lin Qingwan followed a consistent daily routine.

Each morning, when she woke up, Yao-shi would come and prepare breakfast, who routinely came to her place. She would then enjoy her morning breakfast with the entire third branch’s family.

After breakfast, Yao-shi would clean up and head over to Yang-shi’s place to make Laweixian since it hadn’t been relocated to the workshop in Lin Qingwan’s yard yet.

Meanwhile, Lin Qingwan would stroll in the backyard or engage in leisure activities. At noon, Yao-shi would return to prepare lunch, and they would all sit together and share a meal. After the mid-day meal, everyone would either get busy with their own affairs or take a nap.

In the afternoon, after waking up from her nap, Lin Qingwan would engage in embroidery work, taking short breaks in between.

In the evening, Yao-shi would return once again to prepare supper. Once everyone had finished their meals, they would retire to their rooms.

Notably, when Yao-shi or anyone from the third branch visited, they would use the small gate connecting the two courtyards directly. Since Tiezhu’s departure, the main gate was rarely used except when a few guests came to greet Lin Qingwan.

To Lin Qingwan’s surprise, recently many women, young and old, had developed a penchant for dropping by her place. Although she couldn’t decline them once they arrived at her doorstep, she found herself perplexed by their increasing visits.

As she was alone at home these days, she had been residing in the rooms at the rear of the house and rarely came to the front. However, due to the increasing number of visitors, Lin Qingwan had to move her essential belongings to the room in the east at the front, which also had a kang, making it a cozy place to stay.

Lin Qingwan didn’t dwell too much on the situation. However, Yang-shi, aware of the inconvenience she faced while opening the gates and receiving guests with a big belly, couldn’t help but feel vexed.

Nevertheless, the visitors were innocent and had no malicious intentions. They simply wanted to see Yang Tiezhu’s newly built house, engage in pleasant conversations, and exchange sentiments. The entire village knew that Yang Tiezhu had amassed enough wealth to construct such an astounding residence. However, the source of his wealth remained a mystery to the villagers.

Anything mysterious naturally piques curiosity, resulting in a rush of young girls and elderly women visiting Lin Qingwan. However, the cause of her predicament was also a result of her own habits. Unlike the villagers who usually kept their gates open during the day for the sake of convenience, Lin Qingwan disliked leaving her gates open. Furthermore, their residence was located on the outskirts of the village, and with her being alone at home, Yang Tiezhu had advised her to keep the gates closed at all times. Thus, she could only begrudgingly albeit cheerfully torment herself by repeatedly opening and closing the gates. Fortunately, she had moved to the room in the front, shortening the distance.

Lin Qingwan truly enjoyed the liveliness brought by the visitors, as she was often alone at home, surrounded by silence. The influx of visitors relieved her boredom. But of course, what truly alleviated her boredom, however, was the abundance of gossip and tidbits possessed by these young ladies and elderly women.

Initially, when visiting Lin Qingwan, these women were driven by their curiosity to find out how Yang Tiezhu had amassed such great wealth. At first, though reserved, Lin Qingwan treated them with genuine sincerity, going out of her way to serve them water and various snacks like fruits and melon seeds, winning their hearts. Eventually, someone couldn’t contain their curiosity and eagerly asked Lin Qingwan about Yang Tiezhu’s source of income. Naturally, Lin Qingwan would never reveal the truth. Feigning ignorance with a perplexed expression, she replied that she was also clueless since her husband rarely discussed such matters with her.

Upon hearing her response, everyone found it inappropriate to press her further, considering it normal for men to keep their affairs outside of their relationships. Besides, Lin Qingwan was heavily pregnant, and they didn’t want their curiosity to lead to any unpleasant incidents. Thus, everyone refrained from asking any more questions.

As time passed, these women gradually stopped visiting. With never-ending chores keeping them occupied at their own houses, they couldn’t find the time to drop by. Eventually, only two young women, Daju and Liuzhi, who found Lin Qingwan’s temperament and generous disposition appealing, came over every other day to chat.

Over time, their interactions fostered a sense of friendship among the three of them. Both of them were married way before Lin Qingwan but were relatively younger.

The former was the second daughter-in-law of the Pang family in the village and had a strong-willed temperament and a sharp tongue. Her big eyes and oval face deterred anyone from underestimating her.

Liuzhi, on the other hand, was the daughter-in-law of the Mao family in the village. Adorned with almond-shaped eyes and an oval face, she always had a smile on her lips and possessed a simple and pure disposition.

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