The news was confirmed – Huiyuan Bank’s fleet had indeed been attacked by wokou pirates.
This was reliable information that Luo Wenqian had obtained from the Maritime Trade Office in Ningbo. According to reports, Huiyuan Bank’s fleet was targeted by pirates about ten li from Ningbo port, and an intense battle ensued.
This group of wokou was unusually powerful, with dozens of large ships equipped with cannons. Although Wang Cuiqu had a pirate background, she had reformed, and her merchant ships, while armed with some anti-pirate weapons, couldn’t compare to the pirates’ cannons.
They were at a disadvantage from the start.
In the end, though they managed to sink several pirate vessels, Huiyuan Bank also lost several ships. Others were boarded and captured by the pirates, who only retreated when Ningbo’s military forces arrived. Huiyuan Bank salvaged their remaining ships, which were now being repaired in Ningbo.
Overall, Huiyuan Bank had suffered significant losses.
Since Yihousheng had goods on these ships, Luo Wenqian headed to Ningbo immediately upon hearing the news.
However, there was no word about Li Zhengping. Those who brought back the news knew nothing about his fate, and all signs pointed to a grim outlook.
At dusk, the sunset painted the sky crimson.
In the Li household, Madam Fang’s wails could be heard: “Seventh Aunt, what fate haunts the men of our Li family? Why can’t they just stay safe and sound? How could I have been so foolish? How could I let him go on such a dangerous voyage? He just wanted to reconcile with Sister Qiu, didn’t he? If that’s what he wanted, so be it! Even a single night of marriage creates a hundred days of affection – if he chose her, why did I have to oppose them? Seventh Aunt, I regret it so much…”
Madam Fang sat on the couch, crying and slapping her thighs. Her face was full of regret. Since Li Zhengping had gone missing, she’d broken down completely and was now running a fever.
“Jingming’s wife, this is fate. But don’t think the worst – no news might be good news. Remember Jingfu? Everyone said he couldn’t have survived, but didn’t he return alive? Besides, we need to see a person to confirm they’re alive, and a body to confirm they’re dead. Without either, we can’t assume the worst…” Old Madam Seven counseled.
“Yes, you must stay strong. Jingming, Jingfu, Zhengshi, and Zhengliang have all gone to Ningbo. Once they find Captain Wang, we’ll have definite news about Zhengping. He might be perfectly fine right now. Look at you – what good will it do if you cry yourself sick?” The Li family’s eldest sister-in-law, Madam Chen, added with tears in her eyes.
“Yes, yes. Sister-in-law, you should take care of your health,” Madam Huang and Madam Tian joined in consoling her.
Madam Tian had returned to the Li family after recovering the Tian family fortune from Tian Benchang.
“Seventh Aunt, you don’t understand. These past two days, every time I close my eyes, I see Zhengping covered in blood,” Madam Fang wailed again. Zhenniang, bringing in a bowl of porridge, felt her heart twist at these words.
“How could we not understand? Haven’t we all been through this?” Madam Huang choked up. The scene before them stirred painful memories.
Feeling unsettled, Zhenniang urged, “Aunt, have some porridge, please eat something.”
“Zhenniang, don’t bother, your aunt can’t eat anything,” Madam Fang waved her hand, wiping away tears.
“Eat. Li family women aren’t this weak. Even if – heaven forbid – something happened to Zhengping, you as his mother would need to arrange his funeral. How could you do that if you’re too weak to stand?” Old Madam Seven said firmly.
She had experienced too many deaths – her husband, then her son, even her grandson. She had handled the funeral arrangements for each one.
“Ah, Seventh Aunt is right.” Hearing the old madam’s words, Madam Fang suddenly came to her senses. Indeed, she would need to handle her son’s funeral. She wiped her tears forcefully, grabbed the porridge from Zhenniang, and began eating large mouthfuls, nearly choking herself.
Unable to bear the atmosphere, Zhenniang left the room.
“Zhenniang, is there no news of Zhengping?” Just then, Hua’er arrived with Ge Qiu, who immediately asked Zhenniang, her face pale.
“Sister Qiu, don’t worry too much. Ningbo is far away, and the situation isn’t clear. My father and brothers have already gone there,” Zhenniang said.
Hearing this, Ge Qiu turned to leave.
“Sister Qiu, where are you going?” Zhenniang asked.
“To Ningbo. If Zhengping is alive, I’ll return with him. If something happened to him, I’ll wear mourning clothes for him,” Ge Qiu said resolutely.
“Sister Qiu, why put yourself through this?” Zhenniang tried to persuade her.
“Yes, Sister-in-law,” Hua’er added tearfully, unconsciously using her old form of address.
“No, I have a feeling Zhengping isn’t dead. He can’t be dead.” Ge Qiu said with absolute certainty before turning to leave. Zhenniang sighed and let her go. Ge Qiu had always been strong-willed; once she made up her mind, no one could stop her.
More than ten days passed in sorrow.
By mid-February, Zhenniang was organizing things in her room when she overheard her grandmother and mother talking beneath the window.
“Next month is Zhenniang’s wedding. With this happening in the family, should we postpone it?” Madam Zhao asked Madam Wu. Although Li Jingming’s branch was a side branch, he was now one of the managers of the ink workshop. It seemed inappropriate to hold a wedding while his family might be in mourning.
“We can’t delay any longer. Zhenniang is already twenty. In Huizhou, you can barely find unmarried girls at eighteen, let alone twenty. It would be unlucky to postpone further. Let’s keep the wedding date,” Madam Wu said, patting her thigh.
“You’re right,” Madam Zhao nodded, secretly relieved. In truth, Zhengping’s situation wasn’t her main concern – she was more worried about the Old Madam, who was over eighty and had been in poor health for years. Every day with her was precious.
The Old Madam understood this too, which was why she had set Zhenniang’s wedding date for March as soon as the mourning period ended. She wanted to oversee Zhenniang’s wedding herself and also worried that if she passed away, Zhenniang would have to wait another year.
As the main family’s matriarch who had raised Zhenniang, her death would require Zhenniang to observe mourning. While there were provisions for men to marry while in mourning, a woman marrying while in mourning would invite gossip.
Though Madam Zhao knew Wenqian wasn’t the type to mind such things, others might talk, and it was better to avoid such gossip.
Listening from her room, Zhenniang felt uneasy. With this situation in the family, the joyous atmosphere had been dampened considerably. But these matters were for her grandmother and mother to decide.
As they were talking, the front gate opened. Li Jingfu and Luo Wenqian had returned from Ningbo with their group.
“How is it? Any news of Zhengping?” Madam Wu, Madam Zhao, and others gathered around. Madam Du quickly took their bags.
Li Jingfu shook his head, his expression grim: “No news at all.”
“How can there be no news? We should at least know if he’s alive or dead?” Madam Wu asked, puzzled. Good news would mean he was safe; bad news would mean death or capture – how could there be no news at all?
“Here’s what happened: The day before the pirates appeared since the fleet was nearly at Ningbo, Li Zhengping took a small boat with several others to go ahead and notify people at the dock to receive the cargo,” Luo Wenqian explained.
“So Zhengping didn’t encounter the pirates?” Madam Zhao interrupted, her face showing hope.
“The problem is, after delivering the message, they took the boat back, but we’ve asked around and found no trace of them. We’re worried they might have encountered the pirates on their return. I had Zhengliang stay in Ningbo to continue searching,” Li Jingfu added.
So that was the situation – no wonder there was no news.
“Father, Brother Luo, did you meet Sister Qiu?” Zhenniang asked.
“Yes, when we were returning, she was still out at sea in her boat, asking every vessel she encountered. I never realized Sister Qiu’s feelings for Zhengping ran so deep. What a shame his mother opposed them back then,” Li Jingfu sighed.
Zhenniang’s heart ached. She knew that although her father said there was no news of Zhengping, his tone suggested little hope remained. Otherwise, there would have been some word by now.
That evening, upon hearing the news, Madam Fang broke down crying again.
As darkness fell, Zhenniang returned from Uncle Jingming’s home to find Luo Wenqian leaning against the wall by her gate. She approached, and he took her hand. They sat together on the stone steps, watching the setting sun.
In the following days, Huizhou’s main topic of conversation remained Huiyuan Bank and the pirate invasion.
The Li family’s eighth branch quietly continued preparing for Zhenniang’s wedding.
Uncle and Aunt Jingming, after their initial breakdown, had grown stronger, burying their grief deep inside – life had to go on. Recently, Aunt Jingming often asked Zhenniang about Ge Qiu, and upon learning she was still in Ningbo, would sigh deeply.
“Perhaps it’s better we opposed them back then. Otherwise, we would have held Sister Qiu back too.” One evening, after chatting with Zhenniang, Madam Fang turned to head home.
Zhenniang had been about to console Aunt Jingming, but her gaze fell on the end of the path, and her lips curved into a smile of joy: “Aunt, turn around and see who’s back!”
At the end of the stone path, Ge Qiu was supporting Li Zhengping, both carrying packs on their backs, walking quickly forward.
“Mother…” Li Zhengping called out from afar.
“Zhenniang, am I hearing things?” Madam Fang didn’t dare turn around, asking Zhenniang anxiously.
“Aunt, you heard right. Brother Zhengping is back,” Zhenniang said with a bright smile, her face full of joy.
Then Madam Fang let out a cry that was half laugh, half sob: “Zhengping, you wretched boy, you scared your mother to death…”