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The mother-in-law's attitude immediately changed, and she begged Li Mengdie to stay in the Zhou family and remain a widow for Zhou Sheng with a kind and gentle demeanor.

Li Mengdie did not agree immediately, but went home to ask her elder brother for his opinion first.

After her parents passed away, her older brother, Li Mengchen, took charge of everything at home.

No, if she wants to remarry, she can remarry. Why use Li Mengchen as an excuse?

[Don't you understand? In ancient times, one obeyed one's father at home, one's husband after marriage, and one's son after the husband's death. Li Mengdie had no son and her husband was dead, so she could only obey her father's arrangements. Since her father was also dead, she had to obey her father's son, her brother.]

[So you have to listen to so many people but not to your own opinions, right?]

There was nothing we could do; that's just how things were back then.

Li Mengchen thought for a moment and said, "Mengdie, I also think you can't remarry at this time. The Zhou family has lost a son, and if you remarry, people will say we have no conscience."

Her sister-in-law held Li Mengdie's hand, having made up her mind, "Besides, our house is so small that you won't have your own room when you go home. It's not appropriate for men and women to squeeze together."

It turns out her room had been converted for her nephew's use.

She doesn't even have a room in her own home.

Li Mengchen sighed, "Mengdie, you and Zhou Sheng have no children. If you could remain chaste in the Zhou family for more than ten years, you could get a memorial arch for your chastity and leave it to your nephew, making him famous."

He will definitely take good care of you in the future, allowing you to enjoy your old age in peace.

"That's right, we're all family, and family members should think of each other," the sister-in-law agreed.

Li Mengdie stood up and bowed, "Brother and sister-in-law are right, let's settle it then."

That single decision sealed Li Mengdie's fate.

Li Mengchen is still using Gu Qingfeng's face.

Chang Xi, who was related to him by blood, was furious. He was deeply immersed in the scene and, in Li Mengdie's eyes, frantically waved his fists, a destructive desire to tear everything apart welling up from the depths of his heart.

In Li Mengchen's eyes, Gu Qingfeng was an innocent victim. What did Li Mengchen's decision have to do with him?

He's not that kind of person.

Changxi is not only his sister, but also the child his parents have been searching for for over twenty years. If he dares to force Changxi to remain chaste, his parents will skin him alive.

Moreover, he and Changxi were twins, a boy and a girl, sharing the same belly and the bond of mutual dependence that no sibling could ever replace.

To put it bluntly, they have a bond forged through sharing the same amniotic fluid.

Zhou Sheng was a newly appointed Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and many people came to pay their respects.

People from all over the village came to his funeral.

"Li's parents passed away early, and she only has one older brother. Her brother asked me to come and share some experience as a widow," the elderly woman said.

Others chimed in, offering to come up with ideas.

Li Mengdie knelt in the mourning hall to listen to the instructions.

"Mrs. Zhou, do you know that there's always trouble around a widow's door?" The old woman had a cloth wrapped around her head, and her whole body looked dusty and grimy.

Another woman instructed him, word by word, "Don't feel that remaining chaste is hard. A woman's life and death are for her husband; this is an unchanging truth."

"While your husband is alive, you will stay with him and live your life; when your husband dies, you will stay in your thatched hut and live your whole life."

"If the thatched hut collapses, you will guard the grave mound; if the grave mound is leveled, you will guard your husband's withered bones."

"And another thing," an old woman with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face added, "all your colorful clothes, pear-shaped mirrors, rouge and powder must be put away. You can't use them anymore."

"Whether it's flower viewing or temple fairs, just remember that the excitement outside will no longer be relevant to you, and you can no longer participate."

"Keep your home secluded and closed every day, ideally never stepping out of your house. Do this every day, year after year, and after several years, a memorial arch will naturally be erected in front of your grave."

Li Mengdie nodded in agreement, but she couldn't hide the panic in her heart.

The old women in the room had distorted faces. In her eyes, these women had ashen faces, and an aura of decay and death swept over them.

Even Chang Xi was affected by this unease.

Looking at these women, Li Mengdie felt as if she had already encountered the rest of her life.

The days of being a widow are not easy, but for Li Mengdie, it made little difference, since she had been a widow ever since Zhou Sheng went to the capital to take the imperial examination.

Viewers in the live stream watched her life.

Silent, mediocre, and lonely.

This stagnant life not only overwhelmed Li Mengdie, but also affected the audience, making them feel increasingly heavy-hearted.

[This is terrible! Why did I even watch this?]

[I can't laugh every day, I can't go out and play. Being a widow is like becoming a nun. Even nuns can go down the mountain to paint a picture.]

[A widow's door is always a source of gossip; I guess this is a way of protecting her.]

[If you're so capable, then legislate! Put those who mistreat widows in prison. What's the point of just restricting widows?]

Li Mengdie bent down to draw water from the well and filled the water tank in the backyard. It would only last for a day or two. Her father-in-law was already sickly, and now her mother-in-law had also fallen ill. The family of three was left with only Li Mengdie as the only able-bodied person.

As Chen Han entered the courtyard, he immediately saw her half-submerged in the well, a pound of pork lying on the ground. He rushed forward and pulled her away, saying, "What are you doing? Human life is so precious! Even if you're heartbroken for Zhou Sheng, you shouldn't take your own life!"

Li Mengdie was stunned by his barrage of scolding. She silently withdrew from his embrace, lowered her eyes, and said, "Young Master Chen, you misunderstand. I was going to fetch water, not to commit suicide."

Chen Han's eloquent speech froze, and he awkwardly scratched his head, "I see, I misunderstood you, sister-in-law."

"What brings you here, Young Master Chen?"

Chen Han picked up the pork from the ground and said apologetically, "Sister-in-law, just call me Chen Han. I heard that the old lady has fallen ill, so I came to see her."

Actually, he couldn't bear it. The tea shop was already open for sale, but he always felt that the situation of the three Zhou family members was caused by him. Zhou Sheng even ordered him to have more contact with Li Mengdie.

He just wanted to help as much as possible.

"Let me do it," Chen Han snatched the bucket from his hand, shoved the pork into her hands, and went off to fetch water.

Li Mengdie was momentarily at a loss, but then she realized that it wasn't appropriate for a lone man and woman to be alone in the backyard, so she took the pork and went to the front yard to cook.

Men and women do not sit at the same table. Chen Han sat in the courtyard eating with his bowl in his hand, while Li Mengdie served her parents-in-law their meal inside the house.

As the seasons changed, Chen Han often came to visit, and over time he became familiar with Zhou's parents.

He helped chop wood, carry water, and carry manure. He often chatted with Zhou's parents. Even when Zhou Sheng was alive, he did not do as well as he did.

Zhou Sheng was only interested in studying the classics and never cared about household affairs. Even his father was the same way. Before Li Mengdie married into the family, it was all his mother-in-law who took care of things.

Zhou Sheng from the neighboring county was transferred to participate in the procurement of military supplies and was away for a year.

"Sister Xiaodie, Sister Xiaodie," a little girl pushed open the door and went straight into her room.