Chapter Twenty-Seven [V] Sowing Discord
Li Yanling was quick-witted and eloquent, leaving Li Jiaojiao speechless.
Li Jiaojiao suddenly realized that her stepsister had completely changed.
She has such a good speaking ability.
Not only is she eloquent, but she is also very clear-headed. With a clear mind and logical reasoning, her words are well-founded and supported by evidence. She doesn't come across as unreasonable; rather, she seems to be facing a situation she's helpless in.
But her helplessness made her feel utterly ashamed. Every word she uttered felt like a slap across her face.
After a contest, Li Jiaojiao naturally lost.
But Li Jiaojiao was not giving up. Even though she knew that Xue was doing it on purpose, she still made a last-ditch effort: "Second Aunt, as long as you don't pay the tuition fee for Xue's son, he naturally won't be able to study. Then, Zong'er will naturally be able to take over."
Li Yan smiled at her, her gaze rather sinister. Her voice was cold as she said, "Sister, you are kind-hearted, gentle, and virtuous. How could you say such selfish things? Is your own brother's future his future, but others' isn't? If you were suggesting that both children go to Scholar Weng's place to compete fairly, I might consider it. But what you just said, sister, what kind of talk is that?"
Li Jiaojiao was so embarrassed that she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground. She was shy and her face was flushed with embarrassment, showing a look of distress.
Knowing that there was no point in trying to reason with her, Li Jiaojiao decided not to stay any longer and humiliate herself, so she got up and said goodbye.
"Second Aunt, I'm sorry to have bothered you today. I'll be leaving now."
Li Yan immediately stood up to see her off, saying, "I'll see you off, sister."
The two sisters walked out of the main room one after the other, and the scene was fairly harmonious.
In the kitchen, Aunt Xue, who was cooking dinner, looked at the scene in the courtyard outside with a somewhat absent-minded expression.
While stir-frying vegetables in a wok, she accidentally burned her hand on splattered oil. Without crying out, Aunt Xue quickly scooped hot water from the water vat to rinse her scalded hand.
Li Yan only escorted Li Jiaojiao to the gate of the courtyard and did not go any further. However, Li Yan still said a few polite words: "Now that you know where I live, please come and visit often when you have time. However, my place is small and certainly not as comfortable as the Han family's place. I'm afraid I might neglect you."
Li Jiaojiao had fully recovered by now, and when she looked at Li Yan again, her eyes couldn't help but show a coldness.
“Second Aunt has achieved what she has today through her own efforts, which is truly remarkable. I admire you so much that I would never complain about your place.” Having failed to achieve her goal, and too lazy to continue the argument and waste time, Li Jiaojiao said directly, “Second Aunt, let’s go back. We’ll park the carriage at the alley entrance, and Cui’e can help me walk there.”
The maid Cui'e immediately understood, bowed slightly to Li Yan beside her, and said in a spirited manner, "With me here, there's no need to trouble the Second Miss."
Li Yan smiled and said, "Okay." She hadn't originally planned to give it to anyone.
As soon as the master and servant turned around, Li Yan immediately closed the door.
Hearing the noise behind her, Cui'e couldn't help but frown and complain, "What kind of attitude is that?" Cui'e was indignant on behalf of her mistress, "Before, when she stood with you, Miss, she wasn't even worthy to be your maid. Now, she's only made some money through opportunism, and she's acting all arrogant in front of you. Look at her behavior, she has no manners or etiquette at all, I can't stand it!"
"She thinks she's something special just because she has a little money now. Little does she know, with the Han family's status and your current status as a scholar's wife, she's still not even worthy of carrying your shoes."
"Pah! What a piece of junk."
Listening to the maid's nagging, Li Jiaojiao felt a little better, but she still had to stop her from continuing: "Alright." Her face was slightly cold and her expression was serious. "That's enough. She is my sister after all. Don't say any more."
Cui'e retorted, "Only you, Miss, are kind-hearted enough to treat her like a younger sister. She doesn't treat you and the young master like siblings at all."
Li Jiaojiao was actually quite troubled at the moment, because whether her younger brother Li Zong could successfully enter Xiaochun Academy was very important to her.
If Zong-ge'er can study hard and achieve some success in the future, she will be able to hold her head higher in the Han family.
In the future, if Zong-ge'er can enter officialdom and obtain a position, he will not only be able to support his brother-in-law, but it will also be a source of confidence and a reliable backer for her.
If one wishes to achieve academic success, Weng Juren's Xiaochun Academy is the best choice.
In the entire Huating County, who among families with some money and who wanted to send their children to school wouldn't want to attend Xiaochun School?
Even in Jiangning Prefecture, many people came because they admired Weng Weng's reputation as a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.
But the scholar only accepts a few students a year. If you miss this year, you'll have to wait until next year.
But who knows what the market will be like next year?
Moreover, she knew that, in terms of aptitude alone, that Scholar Weng wouldn't even look at Zong-ge'er. It was only because her husband had achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations this year and was enjoying great success that Scholar Weng, out of consideration for her husband, decided to make an exception.
Who could have imagined that just when things were about to succeed, Xue Xu would suddenly appear out of nowhere?
Li Jiaojiao not only had a headache, but she was also feeling quite angry.
After getting into the carriage, she closed her eyes to rest. Seeing this, Cui'e, who was standing nearby, immediately shut her mouth.
The carriage didn't head towards the Han family's house, but instead headed towards the Li family's house.
Before the problem was resolved, Li Jiaojiao had to talk to her parents immediately and then work together to find a solution.
At this moment, Li Shangping and his wife, Madam Yue, were also anxiously waiting for news of Li Jiaojiao. The couple stood in the night waiting. As soon as they saw the Han family's carriage drive around the corner and into the alley, the two of them hurried over to meet it without prior arrangement.
"So? What did she say about your brother?" Yue asked.
Li Jiaojiao helped Cui'e out of the car, her face looking rather pale.
Seeing her expression, the couple knew without asking any further questions that things had definitely not gone through.
Madam Yue couldn't help but cry in distress: "That heartless wretch! How could she side with outsiders? Zong-ge'er is her own brother. She's not asking for any help from Zong-ge'er, but instead she's just making things worse!"
As he spoke, he reached out and hit Li Shangping again: "Look at the good daughter you raised! Look at the good daughter you raised!"
Li Shangping's anxiety was no less than Yue Shi's. Why was he working so hard? Naturally, it was for his only son to have a bright future and, as his name suggests, to bring honor to the family. He, as the father, could then enjoy the good life as well.
If it weren't for the fact that he wanted to attend the best school in the county, why would he sell his big house in Qingshan Town and move to this tiny courtyard in the county?
Now the house has been sold, and the family has moved, but there's no going back.
"That brat! I'm going to break her legs!" Li Shangping was so angry that the veins on his face were bulging.
Not only did Yue not stop her, but she added fuel to the fire: "Anyway, she's your daughter, so you can handle this yourself. I don't care if you break her legs or something else, the important thing is that Zong'er gets into Xiaochun School."
The next morning, after waking up, Li Yanmei was sitting by the window combing her hair in front of a bronze mirror.
Yesterday, she gained another 15 beauty points. When she woke up, Li Yan looked at her face carefully in the mirror.
Whether it was her imagination or the effect of those 15 beauty points was really that obvious, she felt that her face looked better today.
The face was still the same, and the expression in the eyes and eyebrows was the same as yesterday, but the smoothness of the overall facial contours was slightly better than before.
Li Yan took out a face cream from a drawer, scooped out some, applied a little to her cheekbones, and then gently rubbed it in until it covered her entire face.
No girl doesn't love beauty. Li Yan doesn't ask for a face that could topple empires; she just hopes she can be pretty, so that at least she can find her own face pleasing to the eye.
Li Yan's work is all in the afternoon, so she doesn't have much to do in the morning. Therefore, she still has time to take out her calligraphy practice books and practice her handwriting.
Just as I calmed down, I heard a banging on the door.
Then, very quickly, a voice that was both somewhat familiar and completely unfamiliar rang out.
However, from the words he uttered, Li Yan guessed his identity.
After rolling her eyes at the sky, Li Yan got up and went into the courtyard.
Aunt Xue went out to buy meat early in the morning and wasn't home. Right now, besides Li Yan, only Xu Ge'er and Yue Jie'er were at home.
Hearing the commotion outside the door, Yue'er was frightened and hid behind her brother.
When Li Yan reached the middle of the courtyard, she instructed Xu Ge'er to take Yue Jie'er inside and forbade them to come out without her permission. After the siblings obediently went inside, Li Yan removed the latch from the courtyard gate and opened it.
Li Shangping pounded on the door quite fiercely, and seeing that the door remained closed, he assumed that his daughter was afraid to face him, so he pounded on the door even louder.
Li Yan opened the door at that moment. Li Shangping lost his grip and stumbled in, nearly falling to the ground. He looked quite disheveled.
"You brat!" Li Shangping, already furious, thought his daughter was deliberately playing a trick on him, so he became even angrier. He glared at her and cursed, "You traitor, I'll beat you to death!"
Li Yan is very healthy. Even though she has lost a lot of weight compared to before, her physical condition has not diminished at all.
Because of her weight loss, she was very agile. With a single, easy dodge, she avoided Li Shangping's rude attack.
Li Shangping's banging on the door had already attracted the attention of many neighbors. Now, with the father and daughter nearly coming to blows, it drew even more onlookers.
Li Yan had a very good reputation in the alley, and many families had received favors from her. At this time, the small favors she had previously given out naturally came in handy.
Nowadays, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have the best relationship with Aunt Hua's family next door, so Aunt Hua was the first to find fault with them.
“You’re really unreasonable, brave man. Why did you come here and start a fight? This is the county town, and the government office isn’t far from here. If you really hit someone, I’ll report it to the authorities right away.”
Li Shangping glared at Aunt Hua and said fiercely, "This is our family matter, none of your business." He then pointed at Li Yan and cursed, "She is my daughter, I can hit her whenever I want."
Aunt Hua took the lead, and other neighbors couldn't stand it anymore, so some others stood up as well.
“You can’t hit your daughter, even if she’s your daughter. Besides, she’s married into the Xue family now. She’s a member of the Xue family, so you can’t lay a hand on her.”
Seeing her neighbors helping her, Li Yan seized the opportunity to cry and complain: "When you hit me, did you treat me like your daughter? Ever since my mother passed away, have you ever treated me like your daughter? You married a new wife and had a son, and you only get close to your new wife, son, and the daughter your new wife brought with her. You've long forgotten my mother, and you don't care about me at all. You treat other people's daughters much better than you treat me."
Li Shangping exclaimed, "Jiaojiao is gentle and virtuous, unlike you, who are utterly lifeless. You've become even more detestable since your mother passed away. If you had even half of Jiaojiao's good character, wouldn't I treat you well?"
Li Yan snorted: "Since Father thinks my sister is good and thinks she is your lucky star, then why are you coming to me now? If you encounter difficulties, go to your lucky star daughter. Don't come to my house, lest you get all your bad luck."
Li Shangping was so angry that his goatee trembled: "I'm warning you, don't ruin your brother's future. If you don't listen, see how I deal with you."
Li Yan is a tough nut to crack; she'll talk to him politely if he's gentle.
If he cannot, Li Yan is unwilling to yield an inch.
Seeing that he was being rude, Li Yan simply told the truth as well.
"Regarding Zong-ge'er's enrollment at Xiaochun Academy, I advise Father to give up as soon as possible and find another way." She laid bare the truth that Han Yue was unwilling to tell him. "That Scholar Weng was able to decide to keep Xu-ge'er and replace Zong-ge'er after only meeting him once, which shows that he values talent more. If I cut off Xu-ge'er's tuition now, Scholar Weng will definitely send someone to find out why. If he finds out that Zong-ge'er is my brother, do you think Father, given his temperament and temper, will take Zong-ge'er back?"
"Hmph, when that time comes, I'm afraid they'll be even more prejudiced against Brother Zong."
“Besides Xiaochun Academy, there are other schools in Huating County. Even if Zong-ge’er can’t go to Xiaochun Academy, he can still find a second choice. Don’t end up offending Scholar Weng and making it so that Zong-ge’er can’t attend any school. That would be ruining Zong-ge’er.” After finishing, she didn’t forget to sow discord between the father-in-law and son-in-law, “Brother-in-law knows Scholar Weng’s temperament well, how come he didn’t even understand this? He even let my sister act as a mediator to try to persuade me.”
"Could it be that he did it on purpose?"
"They think Zong-ge'er is a burden, and they resent you for forcing him to use connections. So, they want to take this opportunity to completely cut off Zong-ge'er's path to school."
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Author's Note: Update is here~~~
There might be another chapter tonight~
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