Chapter 12 Oh no! The young lady has set herself on fire!

Li Qingluo: "Luo'er... cannot explain to Grandmother now, but please believe me. It would be better if nothing happens, but if something unexpected does happen, please ask your people to help me look out for anything strange or unusual."

Madam Pei stared intently at Li Qingluo, her gaze growing increasingly profound.

Is this girl really someone who grew up in that mountain valley?

If she had truly grown up in the mountains and never seen the world, how could she have known what the General's Mansion was like, or even foreseen that something unexpected would happen?

However, Li Qingluo merely nodded slightly in the face of Madam Pei's probing gaze, seemingly not intending to explain anything at this moment.

Madam Pei granted her request and instructed Zhang Mama to immediately arrange for the necessary personnel.

The Li family residence, in front of the general's mansion.

As the carriage slowly approached, everyone in the Li family was ready to welcome it.

However, one person was still missing from the crowd.

This person is none other than Li Qingzhu, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Li family, who is still publicly proclaimed as the fake heiress.

When Li Chaojing saw that his daughter, whom he usually cherished like a jewel, had not yet appeared, he frowned and asked the lady beside him in a low voice, "What's wrong with Zhu'er? If it were just her sister coming back, it would be fine, but knowing that her grandmother was coming back, why is she being so stubborn and not coming out to greet her?"

General's wife, Madam Qu, hurriedly explained, "Husband, Zhu'er truly did not mean to disrespect her grandmother. It's because lately, she has felt uneasy and ashamed towards... towards Cao'er, and has been overwhelmed with worry, which is why she suddenly developed a fever last night. She's still delirious and unable to get up."

As she spoke, Madam Qu wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with heartache.

Li Kechuan sneered from the side, "What a wicked woman! If anything happens to Zhu'er, I won't let her off!"

Li Chaojing did not agree with his eldest son's words.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Your sister hasn't even stepped foot in the house yet!"

Li Kechuan: "She's already made Zhu'er sick before she even entered the house. If she's not a jinx, then who is? Father, if she clashes with Zhu'er, I will definitely kick her out of the house!"

Mrs. Qu never expected that her son would be so resistant to his own daughter.

She couldn't help but advise, "Chuan'er, Cao'er is still your sister after all. You mustn't do such a thing!"

As they were talking, the carriage slowly came to a stop.

Li Qinglu helped Madam Pei down from the carriage.

Li Chaojing stared intently at his mother, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

After a long while, his gaze finally turned to the side, to the thin, dark-skinned young woman.

His eyes trembled slightly.

That was...his own flesh and blood?

Two months ago, when they learned the truth, neither he nor Ms. Qu could accept it.

After all, the daughter they had raised and cherished for over a decade was suddenly told one day that she was not their biological child.

And their own flesh and blood turned out like this.

Seeing Li Qingluo's appearance, Li Chaojing felt extremely disappointed.

Qu was not much better off. She thought to herself: Heavens, no wonder Chuan'er had such a big problem with Cao'er. How could he be so crude and ordinary?

Compared to Pearl, she's worlds apart!

If Pearl is the bright moon in the sky, then she is truly nothing more than a blade of grass by the roadside!

In her current state, even if she were to serve in Zhu'er's courtyard, she wouldn't be able to do the menial work.

Qu was greatly disappointed and heartbroken.

Why isn't Pearl her biological daughter?

She wished none of this had ever happened!

Seeing their gazes, Li Qinglu couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Such an undisguised disappointment was something he hadn't noticed in his previous life.

No, perhaps she did notice, but in her previous life she was also ashamed and felt inferior about her appearance, so she chose to ignore their gazes.

But her current appearance is not something she was born with!

Wasn't all of this caused by Li Qingzhu's own grandmother, out of selfish malice?

The old woman from the Liu family swapped their lives.

Li Qingluo was made to take Li Qingzhu's place and endure all the hardships of the world.

If she hadn't toiled for years, if she hadn't served the entire Liu family like an ox or a horse for over a decade, never having a full meal or a full night's sleep, she wouldn't be in this state now.

If Li Qingzhu were to live her original life, she would certainly not be the pampered, noble, and flawless person she is today.

They would not possess the fair skin and captivating beauty of ice-cold bones.

Li Qingluo kept her cold smile to herself and waited for Li Chaojing and the others to come forward and greet Madam Pei first.

"Son, I have met your mother. I know you must be tired from your long journey."

"Daughter-in-law Qu greets Mother and welcomes Mother home."

"Grandson Li Kechuan greets his grandmother."

In her previous life, when Li Qingluo returned, only Li Chaojing and Madam Qu were waiting for her at the gate of the mansion; Li Kechuan never appeared.

Moreover, all the servants in the mansion came out to greet them this time.

This must be because of the changes that happened to my grandmother.

Madam Pei simply nodded indifferently, without giving Li Chaojing another glance.

Li Chaojing felt a sense of unease. Before he could speak again, Old Madam Pei had already given Li Qinglu a push.

"Go, go and meet your parents and family."

Li Qingluo slowly stepped forward: "Luo'er greets Father, Mother, and Eldest Young Master."

Madam Qu forced a smile and took half a step forward: "Luo'er? Is that the name your grandmother gave you? It's good that you're back."

"Luo'er, you should call Chuan'er 'brother'..."

Before he finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the inner courtyard.

Li Chaojing frowned and whispered, "Go and see what happened. Today is the old lady's return home. We mustn't make a fuss. What trouble has this caused?"

After saying that, Li Chaojing turned to Madam Pei and invited her respectfully, "Mother, let's go inside and talk."

Before Madam Pei could even lift her foot, people rushed out of the inner courtyard in a panic.

"Master, Madam, Young Master, something terrible has happened! It's the eldest young lady! The eldest young lady left a letter, and then... then she set herself on fire!!!"