Jiang Huaixu swallowed the cake in his mouth and shook his head, "My cousin is not at home."

Liu Ye'er nodded and said nothing more.

"Cousin, aren't you hungry?" Jiang Huaixu stuffed a pancake into Liu Ye'er's mouth. "The meat sauce made by my sister-in-law is delicious. You'd be missing out if you don't try it."

Now they had two horse-drawn carriages and a donkey-drawn cart, and Zheng Li Niang would cook simple meals in the carriages, which was very convenient. Ever since Zheng Li Niang mastered the use of the seasonings Jiang Huaixu had bought, she had become obsessed with them. She had even made the meat sauce after hearing Jiang Huaixu talk about it.

Liu Yeer took the pancake and smiled, then sat down with Jiang Huaixu to nibble on the meat-paste pancake. As they ate, she couldn't help but confide in him, "I heard from my mother that my brother was very smart and well-behaved when he was young. He would argue with my father when he beat her, but later..."

She choked up and continued, "Ever since I can remember, I've never seen my brother help my mother. I always thought she was lying to me. I hate my father so much. If he hadn't drunk, he wouldn't have beaten or scolded me and my mother, and our family would have lived a peaceful life..."

"Cousin, you must have heard the saying, 'A red flower becomes redder when it's near vermilion, a black flower becomes blacker when it's near ink.'" Jiang Huaixu said softly, "When flowers and plants are overwatered, they may appear harmless at first, but in reality, their roots buried in the soil are already rotting. The same is true for people. You should be thankful you didn't witness your cousin's complete decay, otherwise the little beauty he had left would have been destroyed."

Liu Ye'er stared at Jiang Huaixu blankly. After a long moment, she suddenly smiled through her tears. "Xu Jie'er, you're really unique when it comes to comforting people."

Jiang Huaixu also laughed and wanted to say something, but was interrupted by the little maid from the Lian family.

"Miss Jiang, are you free now? My lady wants to talk to you."

Liu Ye'er patted Jiang Huaixu and said, "Go ahead. I feel much better after telling you."

Seeing that she looked fine, Jiang Huaixu followed the maid towards the Lian family's resting place.