Aunt Charlotte's Kindness

"Lily, in a few days, our family will be breaking ground to build a new house. If you and your mother are free, come help out in the kitchen—fifty copper coins a day, and we'll feed you two meals. And your husband, too, he looks like a strong worker. Have him come along, we'll make sure he's well fed. It's spring plowing season and good labor is hard to find in the village. You coming would be a huge help." Aunt Charlotte assumed Lily's family was struggling, so she kindly made the offer, careful not to hurt their pride by saying it was just to help.

Lily understood Aunt Charlotte's good intentions, but she would never go to the Evans' house. She smiled and said, "Aunt Charlotte, we truly appreciate your kindness, but Grandma doesn't care for our family. If we go, it might just make everyone unhappy."

Aunt Charlotte thought for a moment and nodded. "If that's the case, it's probably best not to go. Lily, Margaret, if you ever need anything, just let me know. We're all family—if I can help, I will."

Lily and Margaret exchanged a glance. Aunt Charlotte was clearly raised as a proper lady in the city—well-mannered and kind, nothing like the troublemakers in the Evans family.

"Thank you, Aunt Charlotte. If anything comes up, we'll definitely let you know." Lily took Aunt Charlotte's hand warmly. "But Grandma doesn't like us mixing with the Evans family, so it's best not to let her find out, or she'll be upset. It's fine since we've moved out, but I don't want you to get in trouble."

Aunt Charlotte noticed how tactful Lily was, always considerate of others, and Margaret was gentle as well. She wondered how such a good mother and daughter could be spoken of so poorly by the Evans family—maybe there was some misunderstanding?

But Aunt Charlotte was new to the village and didn't know them well enough to ask more. After chatting for a while, she said goodbye and headed home. Before she left, Lily put a wild rabbit she'd caught the day before in Aunt Charlotte's basket, and Margaret gave her a handkerchief she'd made herself.

Aunt Charlotte couldn't refuse, so she accepted the gifts with a smile and left.

After Aunt Charlotte left, Margaret said, "Lily, I don't think your Aunt Charlotte is a foolish person. I just wonder what your Uncle Arthur is like."

Lily sighed, "We're not really part of the family, so we don't fit in. Aunt Charlotte is so kind—Uncle Arthur must be decent too. Sigh, they've only just come back and already the Evans family is coaxing them into spending money to build a house. I feel bad for Uncle Arthur, looks like the Evans family is going to bleed him dry."

The Evans family was making a big fuss about building a new house. Old Mrs. Evans started showing off again, and Aunt Zhao even came over to Lily’s place just to brag, saying she’d soon be living in a big new house.

Lily had no interest in meddling with the Evans family. Recently, a batch of rental contracts was about to expire, so early in the morning, she took Lucky with her to Tenmile Hill to talk with the tenants about renewing.

There were about ten tenants, most renting shopfronts. Lily thought it would be a simple matter of renewal and collecting rent, but when she arrived early, she found all the tenants gathered together, discussing something.

"Lady Evans, since there are so many of us, why don’t we find a place to sit and talk?" said Zhang Ming, one of the tenants.

Lily sized up Zhang Ming. He looked sly and a bit unruly—clearly the troublemaker of the bunch.

"Alright, let’s go book a private room at the restaurant," Lily agreed.

The group entered the restaurant, ordered tea and snacks, and as soon as Lily sat down, Zhang Ming said, "Lady Evans, our rental contracts are about to expire, so about the renewal... we really need to talk it over."

"Oh? How do you want to discuss it?" Lily glanced at Zhang Ming, her expression calm.

Zhang Ming smiled, "Everyone here is your tenant, and they trust me to represent them. They've asked me to talk to you about the rent."

"Go ahead," Lily said, calmly sipping her tea.

Zhang Ming rubbed his hands together, "Tenmile Hill is so deserted, there's barely any business, and each year gets worse. Life is getting harder for all of us..."

Other tenants chimed in, "Exactly! This place is a wasteland, and the rent for a single shop is so high! Are you trying to rob us?"