Chapter 23 Is that dog hole easy to crawl through?

Li Qing was in such excruciating pain that she almost lost half her life.

Even though she was very healthy, that incident ruined her health.

Afterwards, although she did not repeat the forty-nine days, Li Kechuan stared at her coldly and said, "Your worthless life is really hard to kill."

It was then that she realized her own brother truly wanted her dead.

He wanted her to be buried with his beloved sister, Li Qingzhu.

Unfortunately, Li Qingluo did not die for a long time.

As for Li Qingzhu, she was not only not at ease, but she didn't even lose her soul. She made everyone run wild, and Li Qingluo even lost her life because of her trickery.

What's most despicable is that the Li family members actually relish it and don't think Li Qingzhu's actions are wrong in the slightest!

That's ridiculous.

In this life, Li Qingluo no longer felt any guilt about Li Qingzhu's death, which she shouldn't have felt in the first place, and she had no expectations for her blood relatives.

Therefore, Qu's indifferent attitude at this moment did not make her feel disappointed.

Qu only glanced at her before turning her head away.

“Mother, these past few days your daughter-in-law has been busy with Zhu’er’s funeral, so she hasn’t had time to settle Luo’er’s accommodations, which has disturbed your peace and quiet.”

"It just so happens that my daughter-in-law has some free time today, so let's have her move to the Red Maple Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, Madam Pei frowned slightly: "Red Maple Pavilion? Hasn't it been uninhabited for over a decade?"

Li Qingluo looked up at Madam Qu.

In her previous life, she lived in a dilapidated little courtyard without even a name, but it was only one-fifth the size of this Jingci Hall.

For Li Qingluo, it was already an unexpected surprise that she could have a named and established Red Maple Pavilion in this lifetime.

Although she knew from her previous life that the Red Maple Pavilion was not only dilapidated but also haunted, Li Qingluo had already died once, so why would she be afraid of ghosts?

Regardless of what Qu was really planning, Li Qingluo had already prepared herself for the consequences.

A hint of panic flashed across Madam Qu's face: "My daughter-in-law had already had someone clean and tidy it up before Luo'er came back."

After pondering for a moment, Madam Pei nodded and said, "You are her biological mother, you would never mistreat her, so let's arrange it this way."

When Madam Qu heard that Old Madam Pei had agreed, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

She hurriedly stood up, "Mother, then your daughter-in-law will take her leave."

Madam Qu came to pay her respects to Old Madam Pei, and when she left, she didn't even glance at Li Qingluo.

Li Qingluo had no choice but to half-squat down to see Qu Shi off.

Madam Pei shook her head, and before Li Qingluo could get up, she suddenly slammed her hand heavily on the table beside her.

"Luo'er, do you know your mistake?!"

Li Qingluo paused for a moment, then immediately turned to Madam Pei, "Grandmother, I don't know what I did to upset you?"

Madam Pei scoffed, "That dog hole, is it easy to crawl through?!"

Li Qingluo's heart sank, and she knelt down on both knees: "Luo'er knows her mistake."

Madam Pei: You admit your mistake quite quickly!

But seeing her seemingly indifferent attitude, Madam Pei's anger did not subside in the slightest.

She continued pounding her fist on the table in anger, asking, "Why did you do such an outrageous thing?! If it weren't for Granny Zhang noticing something was wrong and catching Cui'er red-handed in the room, and if I hadn't realized this must have been your scheme, I would have skinned her alive!"

Li Qingluo: "Grandmother, this matter really has nothing to do with Cui'er. I forced her to do it. If you want to punish someone, punish me alone."

Cui'er lay prostrate on the ground behind Li Qingluo, crying, "Madam, it's all Cui'er's fault! Please don't blame the young lady, just punish Cui'er instead!"

Madam Pei sneered, "You two, mistress and servant, are quite affectionate now. You have no one else to rely on. If I punish her, wouldn't I really become the villain?"

"However, with only Cui'er by your side, you really become lawless when you get carried away! Que'er!"

As the shouts rang out, a maidservant who looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old walked in from outside.

The maid's name was Que'er, and she was as fresh and delicate as a daffodil.

Que'er was Deng Mama's own granddaughter, and Old Madam Pei gave her directly to Li Qingluo.

"From now on, Que'er will follow you. If anything you say or do is inappropriate, she will tell me, so that you will have something to be wary of!"

Li Qinglu sighed inwardly, but could only reply, "Yes, Grandmother."

Madam Pei: "Now you should tell me properly, what exactly did you go to do after all that trouble to run away from the General's Mansion?"

Li Qingluo looked up at Madam Pei.

She hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth: "To be honest, Grandmother, I want to go out and earn some money. I've already sold the small box of inferior pearls that the eldest young master gave me."

"You...! You did it for money?"

Madam Pei looked puzzled. "If you need money, just tell your grandmother. Why wouldn't she give it to you? It was indeed my oversight that led to this, and your mother didn't think of it at all. But Luo'er, you are a girl after all. Do you know how dangerous it is to take such a risk?"

Li Qingluo: "Grandmother, I dressed as a boy and no one noticed."

Li Qingluo has no pierced ears, dark skin, and completely unshaven eyebrows. If she were to dress up as a man, no one would easily suspect her.

But Madam Pei was still furious: "Did someone discover your problem? Grandmother is right, you shouldn't have acted this way!"

"Once this is discovered, your reputation in the entire city of Jinling will be completely ruined!"

Li Qingluo bowed her head and said, "Grandmother, Luo'er doesn't care about reputation."

Besides, with Li Kechuan and Zhuang Wei interfering, she wouldn't have a good reputation in Jinling City anyway.

Madam Pei: "...You! Have I been too protective of you? That you've said such ungrateful things!"

Li Qing remained silent, which greatly worried Deng Mama and Zhang Mama who were standing nearby.

"Young lady, the old lady is just worried about you. Quickly apologize to her, she wouldn't want to harm you."

Li Qingluo listened to advice and didn't want to upset her grandmother any further, so she obediently said, "Grandmother, Luo'er really knows she was wrong."

Madam Pei was so angry she was panting heavily: "Tell me first, what is this woman relying on to survive in this world?"

Li Qingluo replied sincerely: "At home, one obeys one's father; if one has no father, one obeys one's elder brother; after marriage, one obeys one's husband; after one's husband dies, one obeys one's son. But I believe that even as a woman, one should rely on oneself."

"In this world, fathers, brothers, husbands, and children are all beyond our control, beyond our own will, and beyond our own desires. Mountains may one day collapse, and the earth may one day crumble. Only oneself will never betray oneself!"

She knelt upright, and although her words were soft and gentle, every single one was sharp, resonant, and powerful, striking straight to the heart.

Madam Pei looked at her for a long time.

"Luo'er, I investigated your background, found you, and promised to go down the mountain to return to the Li family to protect you. I didn't do that so that your family would turn against each other and your relatives would be separated! Grandmother has been through this before. How could Grandmother not understand what it's like to not have a true relative by your side?"

"Now, you've come to believe deep down that you can't rely on your parents, your brother... Never mind, let's not talk about Li Kechuan, but what grudge do your parents have against you?"

"They haven't even really looked at you properly, and they haven't had any contact with you yet, but you're already harboring resentment towards them because of Li Qingzhu's death and their slight involvement with you?"

"You feel that they are all unreliable, so you want to go out and find a way to make money on your own?"

"Don't you think about it? They've just lost Li Qingzhu, so they can't accept you right away. But you're still their flesh and blood! If you take this opportunity to comfort them and show your filial piety, surely they'll accept you and see you?"

"From now on, I will no longer protect you like this!"

“Every month, Jingcitang can give you a monthly allowance, and I will also have your mother give you what you are entitled to.”

"I'll have that dog hole sealed up, so don't even think about running away!"

"Go down now. You will move to the Red Maple Pavilion tomorrow."