Chapter Twenty-Six [V] Seizing the opportunity, he stood up for the original owner...
"Mother will go with you." Madam Yue also wanted to go.
"No need, Mother, I can go by myself." Li Jiaojiao thought that her mother was in a bad mood right now, and if she went there and couldn't control her temper, they would end up arguing and making things worse.
Li Shangping was also afraid that his wife's going would cause trouble, so he said, "Let Jiaojiao go." He didn't say that he would go himself, because he knew in his heart that the father and daughter had already fallen out, and his going would not only be useless, but would also make things worse.
Jiaojiao is now a scholar's wife, worldly-wise and steady in her actions, and she is also her elder sister, so it would be best for her to go and talk to her.
Before Han Yue went home to find his wife, he had already found out where his wife's younger sister, Li Yan, was living. He also told his wife where his sister-in-law lived.
Therefore, after leaving her parents' home, Li Jiaojiao drove directly to Tongye Hutong.
After a flurry of activity, by the time Li Jiaojiao's carriage arrived at the alley entrance, it was already quite late.
The Han family's residence was much better than this Tongye Hutong. Li Jiaojiao disliked the narrowness of the hutong and was also worried that it was unclean and would dirty or damage the family's carriage. Therefore, she asked the driver to park the carriage at the gate and wait there, while she and her maid Cuie went into the hutong.
In the alley, every household was cooking, and smoke was rising from their chimneys. As soon as you entered the alley, you could smell the aroma of meat.
In particular, the closer you get to the place you're looking for, the stronger the aroma of meat becomes.
Finally, Li Jiaojiao found a place to stay, only to see a slightly dilapidated car parked in front of the house.
Before I could even peek inside, I saw a young woman dressed in plain clothes walk out of the courtyard.
"Uncle Yuan, the braised pork is ready." The woman's voice was delicate and soft. Li Jiaojiao had thought that this man, who looked so big and strong, actually had such a good voice. But when the woman turned her head to look at her, Li Jiaojiao was completely stunned.
"Second Aunt?" Li Jiaojiao called out softly.
Her silhouette was clearly that of the second wife, Li Yan, but upon closer inspection, her features were much more delicate, and her skin was whiter and smoother. Compared to how she looked when she got married three months later, she was practically unrecognizable.
She has changed so much in just three months.
More than three months ago, on the eve of Li Yan's wedding, Li Jiaojiao, as the eldest sister, returned to her parents' home to see her off.
Li Jiaojiao's impression of her stepsister was naturally still based on what it was back then. A broad face, dark skin, a large frame… her physique was much more rugged than it is now, lacking any feminine softness. In fact, she was even more robust than many men.
Although she's not considered pretty now, she's much more delicate-looking now than before, and her figure is also much slimmer.
The changes in Erniang Li Yan brought her a great deal of shock.
Li Jiaojiao stared at the person in front of her, scrutinizing him without any attempt to hide her gaze.
Suddenly, the mechanical voice in Li Yan's mind sounded: [Congratulations, host. The system has detected a change in the mindset of the nearby Li family members. While not malicious, it's not exactly a benevolent change either. After calculation, the system has decided to increase the host's beauty value by 5.]
Li Yan: "?" Huh?
Originally unaware of the identity of the beautiful woman before her, Li Yan instantly guessed her identity after gaining the [Beauty Points].
So she immediately greeted him with a smile, saying, "Sister, what brings you here? Please come in quickly." She then called to Uncle Yuan, "Uncle Yuan, we have a guest, so I won't help you carry the meat onto the car. Please do it yourself."
Uncle Yuan said, "Madam Li, please rest and entertain the guests. I can handle this work by myself."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Yuan." Li Yan replied and took a few steps closer to Li Jiaojiao.
"Why are you standing there, sister? Come in quickly!" Li Yan greeted her warmly again.
Li Jiaojiao never expected that not only her appearance, figure, and voice had changed, but her personality had also changed so drastically.
Before, she would always avoid him when she saw him. But now, not only does she not avoid him, she even takes the initiative to talk to him.
Is this... is this still the same Second Madam?
After a moment of confusion, Li Jiaojiao managed a weak smile and replied, "Yan Niang, why did you move here?"
"It's a long story, sister, please go inside first."
Leading Li Jiaojiao and her maid into the courtyard, Li Yan loudly said to Aunt Xue, "Mother, my sister from my maternal family has arrived. Please cook a few more dishes tonight so she can stay for dinner."
Li Jiaojiao immediately declined: "No, I'll leave in a bit. I won't stay for dinner tonight, so don't bother."
Li Yan knew she wouldn't stay, and was only being polite, which is why she said those things about inviting her to dinner in front of her.
Since she said no, Li Yan didn't insist and just invited her to sit in the main room.
After settling everyone in, Li Yan finally took a closer look at Li Jiaojiao.
As expected of the female protagonist in the book, her appearance is indeed remarkable. She has a gentle and virtuous look, not a stunning beauty that could topple kingdoms, but she is certainly pretty.
It is already quite rare for a woman from a humble family to be so gentle and graceful.
There was a lot of commotion in the courtyard outside; Aunt Xue was helping Uncle Yuan move the meat.
Originally, they had already added three jin of meat to the daily production, bringing the total to fifteen jin. Some time ago, Manager Huang came over again and asked Li Yan to add another five jin of meat each day, bringing the total to twenty jin, otherwise it wouldn't be enough to sell.
Li Yan happened to be short of money recently, so she agreed.
Adding five catties of meat a day would earn an extra eighty or ninety coins, which would amount to more than two taels of silver a month.
Li Yan was fortunate to have the partnership with Yuanbaolou as a safety net; otherwise, she wouldn't have dared to easily start her own business selling beverages.
Only after the commotion outside gradually subsided, and Uncle Yuan said goodbye to Aunt Xue, drove away with a "whoosh," did Li Jiaojiao finally withdraw her gaze from the doorway and turn it back to Li Yan.
"Second Aunt, what's going on?" Li Jiaojiao wasn't a man and didn't go out every day. After marrying into the Han family, she stayed at home, taking care of her husband while trying to conceive.
She had only been to restaurants like Yuanbaolou two or three times.
But I haven't been there in the past two months.
Therefore, even though her husband Han Sanlang had mentioned that Yuanbaolou had added a new signature dish, braised pork, and she had even had the pleasure of tasting a few pieces that her husband had brought back, she would never think about who made this new signature dish.
Not to mention Li Jiaojiao, even Han Sanlang, despite having eaten there more than once, had never investigated the details.
He was a scholar, and his mind was entirely focused on his studies. No matter how delicious the food in the restaurant was, he would eat it and then leave it.
Li Yan glanced at her and said casually, "I have a business partnership with restaurants outside, and this meat is being shipped to those restaurants."
"Which restaurant?" Li Jiaojiao already had a vague answer in her mind, but she still asked the question.
Li Yan laughed and said, "Yuanbaolou."
Li Jiaojiao gripped the handkerchief even tighter, squeezing it even more firmly.
For a moment, she didn't know what to feel. She should have been happy that her second aunt had become successful, but... she actually felt a slight jealousy towards her second aunt.
Realizing that this was wrong, Li Jiaojiao immediately suppressed her emotions.
But it was obviously too late. The system had already detected the jealousy emanating from her and immediately sent Li Yan more beauty points.
This time, there were as many as 10.
Looking at the blurred screen in front of her, Li Yan almost couldn't contain her joy.
At this moment, the beauty value has accumulated to 25.
The thought that her appearance would be enhanced to a new level after today filled her with overwhelming joy.
She roughly understood the situation: the "beauty points" obtained through the system cultivated one's bones and spirit. Meanwhile, her daily diet and self-care cultivated only her skin and outward appearance.
The original owner's large frame, as well as the broad bones and horizontal muscles of her face, could not be changed much by her daily internal and external treatments.
Therefore, to build a good skeletal structure, one naturally needs to rely on the system, which is like a cheat code.
Li Jiaojiao forced a smile: "Is it the braised pork from Yuanbaolou?"
Li Yan nodded: "Exactly."
Li Jiaojiao: "I was fortunate enough to have tried it once, and it was indeed very delicious." She couldn't help but start looking at the person in front of her again, "Second Aunt, I didn't know you had such skills. I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, sister," Li Yan replied politely.
Li Jiaojiao naturally hadn't forgotten the purpose of her visit, so after some pleasantries, she got down to business.
She looked around and, seeing that none of the Xue family members were there, spoke up: "Second Madam, I heard you sent this young master of the Xue family to Xiaochun Academy?"
"How did you know, sister?" Li Yan asked in surprise.
Li Jiaojiao's smile was bitter: "That's exactly why I came to you."
"What do you mean by that, sister?" Li Yan was even more confused. What did it have to do with her sending her husband's nephew to school? Why was she coming to her about this?
It wasn't until Li Jiaojiao briefly explained the reason that Li Yan suddenly realized what had happened.
It turned out that the day Brother Xu took them to see Scholar Weng, who, after passing the exam on Xu Ge'er, was willing to keep him on, but had given up on another student. And that student was none other than her half-brother, Li Zong.
"Zong'er is, after all, your own brother. If he becomes successful in the future, he will always remember the kindness of his older sister. It's not that I'm criticizing you, but since the second son of the Xue family is gone, you will have to remarry sooner or later. Once you remarry, you will have no connection with the Xue family anymore. No matter how much money you spend on this young master Xue, it will be like throwing meat buns to a dog—it will never come back."
She had no idea about this before, and now that she knew, she felt even more relieved.
She knew perfectly well who was closer to her, Li Zong or Xue Xu.
Even if she were the original owner, she probably wouldn't be willing to help that little ancestor of the Li family.
It's easy for Li Jiaojiao to say such things; she's just talking without understanding the situation.
They've taken all the advantages and gotten all the benefits, yet they turn around and speak ill of the original owner in this way.
Originally, she was the female protagonist of the book "My Lucky Koi Wife," supposed to be the embodiment of truth, goodness, and beauty. Indeed, in that novel, her character was portrayed as gentle, kind, and possessing both inner and outer beauty.
In the book, she is devoted to being a good wife and mother, and she is also the kindest of the three sisters-in-law in her husband's family, where she is constantly vying for power with her mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law.
Many times, she only takes action against others when she has no other choice.
But now, stepping away from that book and placing Li Yan on the opposite side, looking at her again, one can't help but feel that she is not entirely upright and pure; she has her own selfish motives.
For example, when she came to find her and said what she just said, she only thought about herself and that family of three. She never thought about standing on the side of her stepsister or considering whether her stepsister had suffered over the years.
Forget about being sisters or brothers. All these years, the original owner of this body has lived in the countryside. Only she and Li Zong are biological siblings with whom she has a real bond.
Since she didn't bring up the past, Li Yan took the initiative to ask, "Sister, over the years, have you ever felt even a little bit guilty towards me?"
Li Jiaojiao was taken aback by what she had just heard and was momentarily stunned.
But she quickly composed herself, forcing a slightly awkward smile, and said sincerely, "Second Aunt, I understand that you've lived a rather poor life with Grandma in the countryside all these years, and that's been unfair to you. But... but when Father sent you to the countryside, you were very willing. And Grandma liked you too, and she was willing to take you with her."
“Okay.” Li Yan agreed with her statement. “Even if it was my own choice to go and stay with Grandma back then.” But then she said, “Why did the three of us live with Grandma in the city when my mother was alive? But after my mother passed away and my father married your mother, Grandma insisted on moving to the old house in the countryside? That house could support two or three servants, but couldn’t afford to support an elderly person? Or was it that the house couldn’t accommodate an elderly person anymore?”
Li Jiaojiao knew that it was because her mother and grandmother didn't get along and couldn't stand each other. That's why her grandmother took the initiative to suggest moving away.
In this respect, her mother was in the wrong.
Stuck on by her words, Li Jiaojiao had no choice but to bite the bullet and admit her mother's mistake.
“My mother had just given birth to Zong’er and was weak and anemic, so her temperament inevitably changed a bit. Therefore, she was somewhat disrespectful to Grandma. But later, after she gradually recovered, she regretted it. Moreover, she mentioned many times that she wanted Grandma to come back and live with her. It was Grandma who said that she didn’t like living in town and preferred the beautiful scenery of the countryside, so she never came back to live with her.”
"Second Aunt, if you resent my mother because of this, I apologize to you."
Li Yan shook her head: "An apology is fine, we've already suffered enough. Can an apology erase everything?" She smiled, a hint of mischief in her smile. "I really admire the deep bond between you and Zong'er, sister. It's a pity that, although we're related by blood, Zong'er isn't close to me. Not only is he distant, but he also shows no respect for me, his second sister. He's still young, and he's already like this. What will he be like when he grows up and achieves success? I'm not stupid; I won't create problems for my future. So, I'm afraid you've made this trip for nothing."
Li Jiaojiao was still not giving up and continued, "Zong'er is inevitably a bit spoiled by his parents, but he is still young. He will naturally get better after he goes to school and learns manners. When he becomes more sensible, he will definitely be closer to you."
Li Yan didn't believe any of this nonsense.
Besides, even so, does that mean we should make her give up on Xu Ge'er, who is already a very good person?
How could that be?
Li Yan remained smiling, not openly breaking off relations. Suddenly, she thought of something else and couldn't help but ask Li Jiaojiao curiously, "Why did you come looking for me, sister? Your husband is a scholar, could you have asked him to plead with Scholar Weng on your behalf instead?" Li Yan put on a helpless look, "Sister, I didn't intentionally try to take Zong'er's place. I just took Xu'er to see Scholar Weng, and the old man tested Xu'er on the spot and immediately decided to take him as a student."
“It’s not good. Now they’re asking me to go back and say they won’t let my husband’s nephew study, and they want to give the spot to my brother from my own family. Don’t you think so? What will Mr. Weng think of our family of sisters and brothers?”
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Author's Note: Hehe, today's update~~~
This article is absolutely awesome!
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