“So, what was that all about?” Olivia asked, pouring hot water into their cups and placing mint bags in both. Or rather, a pair of mugs that Olivia had dug out of her saddlebags; the cups from before were more comparable to those shot glasses Olivia would see in stores.

And we’re going to need a lot of mint water for this conversation.

The poor woman was still a little shaken from what happened, though she had done an excellent job hiding from her children until both had gone out to tend to the small garden.

And Olivia had tried to not stare at the streaks of violet-blue and teal in Ping and Min’s hair the moment they stepped out into the sunlight.

Gipp had gone with the pair at Olivia’s suggestion; she didn’t want the avian mimic to overhear and repeat anything said at the table. It was a blessing that Gipp got along well with children, even if the only reason was for him to beg some fruit or veggies off them.

Hopefully, Ping and Min would have the restraint to not give into the parrot’s demands. Still, Olivia wasn’t holding much for that. For a bird, Gipp had a good pair of sad puppy eyes.

“I…don’t know where to start,” Ju admitted, eyeing the small mass-produced bag of tea-free leaves.

“Well, how about I tell you what I think is going on, and then you can correct me,” Olivia offered.

“…Okay.”

“Right, so,” Olivia leaned back, keeping her eyes focused on the wooden ceiling above. “You come from a simple background, your husband from a wealthier one. That didn’t matter to you, and you decided to marry regardless of his parents’ thoughts on the matter. Maybe you both hoped they would come to the idea of you being together.”

Taking hold of the bag’s string, Olivia dunked it repeatedly. “But something happened. An accident may be, and it ended with your husband’s death. It left you as a single mother with two kids to raise. You likely don’t have any family left to help you raise them, and instead of supporting you, your in-laws decided to charge you fees. I have no clue what those fees are, and you’ve been fighting them about it ever since.”

“So,” Olivia turned her eyes back on Ju. “What did I miss?”

Ju swallowed. “Except for the specifics, not a lot.”

“It’s true I don’t come from a well-off family. My parents were farmers, tilling the soil to grow crops to sell; they both passed away when I was fifteen from illness.”

Ju’s face turned wistful. “One day, I met a man, Xiàn, who was the most charming I had ever met. He was so gentle, kind, and thoughtful; he even made time out of his day to talk to me when I was selling. I knew he was of high status, but I couldn’t help myself.”

Olivia quirked an eyebrow. “You fell in love?”

“Hard.” Ju smiled, reminiscing the happy memories. “When it was announced that he was engaged to a woman from the Wu family, I wasn’t surprised. A little hurt, but not surprised.”

“The day after the announcement, Xiàn came to see me. I thought it was to tell me we couldn’t see each other. I was prepared for that. I wasn’t prepared when he asked me to marry him that day.”

Olivia choked. “What? He asked you to marry him just after he was engaged to another woman?”

“I know it sounds strange,” Ju removed the bag from her cup and took a sip. “This is delicious.”

Olivia grinned. “I know, right. Mint is always great for calming nerves.”

“But back to the subject,” Olivia went on, “he seriously asked you to marry him right after his engagement?”

Ju nodded. “Xiàn, he hadn’t wanted the engagement. He told me that his parents went behind his back and arranged with the Wu family to have him marry their only daughter, Wu Chu when the only woman he loved was me.”

“Seriously? His parents were so desperate to have him hitched that they went behind his back for it? And they didn’t even ask if he already loved another woman?” Even my folks wouldn’t stoop to that. Introduce me to guys they thought I’d think were cute, sure, but marriage? No way.

“It’s a common practice for parents to engage their children without their knowledge. Especially among those of higher class, though Xiàn said his engagement was more of a business deal.”

At Olivia’s confused look, Ju explained, “The Wu has the biggest silk production in the province, and the Bǎozhèng control several tailoring shops.”

“So, they were trying to get a monopoly on the silk trade here? Could they even legally do that? I don’t know the laws here, but I know some laws prevent this back home.” And some laws have prevented parents from spreading the wealth among their kids during the past centuries.

Ju shook her head. “I’m not sure, but the Bǎozhèng was certainly going to try, and the Wu family was desperate enough to agree since they haven’t had the best of luck with their heirs. Their four sons perished over the last decade in various accidents.”

Olivia grimaced. “Ouch. Sure, they used their daughter as part of a business deal, but still, ouch. So, what did Xiàn and you do?”

Ju took another sip. “Well, I agreed to marry him. Probably the naivety of youth, but I truly loved Xiàn, and he loved me. We both worried about what his parents would do if they found out about us. It was a hard decision, but we both thought it best that Xiàn went along with the engagement. He planned to claim me as a second wife if we were discovered.”

Ju quickly added, “It wasn’t meant to be a permanent arrangement. Xiàn told me that day he only intended to stay with Wu Chu until she had a child to be heir; then, he would annul the marriage, give his family’s fortune to the child, and we could live our lives. In peace.”

“Huh.” Olivia drained her cup. “That seemed like a good plan if not one I’d go with. I’m guessing something happened?”

Ju nodded. “Yes. Xiàn had hoped that Wu Chu and I would give birth around the same time. It would have been hard to prove which of the children was older and avoid any issue regarding inheritance. Yet, it took two years for Wu Chu to become pregnant. I heard rumors that her parents were giving her something to keep her from becoming with child. Perhaps a way to have some leverage against with the Bǎozhèng.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow. “So even the Wu didn’t trust the Bǎozhèng?”

Ju finished her cup before refilling. “I wouldn’t know. Xiàn never went into detail when we were together, but I did suspect that the two families were fighting with Xiàn and Wu Chu caught in the middle. I heard everyone was happy that Wu Chu finally was pregnant, but who knows if it was genuine for everyone.”

“Xiàn planned to wait for the child to turn a year before annulling the marriage,” Ju continued. “But then the child was discovered to be a girl at birth.”

“And, of course, that’d be a problem,” Olivia sighed. “So, what did you and Xiàn plan to do after Wu Chu had her baby? Ping would have been what, two? You had to be getting looks, especially if you were pregnant again with no man around.”

Ju blinked. “What?”

Olivia grinned. “I’d have to be blind to not see that there’s at least a two years difference between Ping and Min. Given that Wu Chu didn’t have a kid until two years later, figures Xiàn and you would have another.”

“Oh, yes, you’re right,” Ju fished the bag out of her cup. “Sure, people stared, but they were kind enough not to ask questions. Or if they did, it was usually about if I was married.” Her smile turned a bit sharper. “All I had to do was direct them to the Province’s Keeping of Records and said they were welcome to search for the document.”

“At which they’d bid you a ‘good day’ and be on their way,” Olivia snickered. “Guess your confidence answered their question, huh?”

“I suppose so,” Ju giggled before sighing, face becoming gloomy. “Xiàn said that he and Wu Chu would try again, but he was going to try convincing the Wu family to allow Wu Chu to inherit her family’s fortune on the off chance that a second daughter could be born.”

“But that didn’t happen, did it?” Olivia asked softly.