Chapter 6 Chapter 6 The wicked must use wicked means to torture
"We are not on the same page. Please get out of the car." Zhao Qingyi's almond-shaped eyes were slightly cold as she pinched the teacup with her slender green fingers.
Luo was surprised by her reaction. She didn't even pretend?
"Are you driving me away?"
Zhao Qingyi took a leisurely sip of hot tea and said softly, "Since my mother-in-law despises me, I don't think she would bother riding in my carriage. Let's just treat it as a waste of time today."
Out of respect, Mrs. Luo snorted coldly, "Get off the car if you want. It's a good opportunity for everyone outside to see the wonderful daughter your Zhao family has raised!"
Luo angrily lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage. Li Susu was in a dilemma, but finally got out of the carriage with Luo.
Even though Tan Yue was a steady person, she couldn't help but mutter, "He doesn't know what's good for him."
Then came deep worry, "Grandma, the shop and farm you brought as a dowry, as well as your private seal, are all in her hands. She's unwilling to hand over the reins of the family, so how are we supposed to get all this money back?"
Qiao Yue gritted her teeth and said, "If she refuses, we will go to the government and sue her for seizing the dowry!"
"No need to go to so much trouble."
Zhao Qingyi was not angry about this. "Evil people must be dealt with by evil means."
She cut off the daily food and clothing supply for Luo's mother and daughter. In order to survive, Luo would naturally find a way to come up with the money. As long as she came up with the money, everything would be easy.
After finishing a cup of tea, the carriage drove back to Li's house.
Luo stared at the direction where the carriage was going away, limping along the street, and soon regretted it.
Why did she get angry with Zhao Qingyi for no reason? In the end, she was the one who was tired. She had just been released from the imperial prison, had been hungry all day, and had been whipped ten times. How could she have the strength to walk back to the Li family?
Luo couldn't help but think of the brocade mattress she had sat on in Zhao Qingyi's carriage just now. It was so soft.
Li Susu also regretted it and complained, "Mom, why are you trying so hard?"
Luo's image was far from decent. Her precious dark purple satin jacket was beaten to pieces during the torture and was forced to be stripped off. She was left with only a bloodstained undershirt. Her hair was disheveled and messy. As she walked along, people on both sides of the street stayed away and pointed at the mother and daughter from time to time.
Li Susu couldn't stand the strange looks, so she raised her hands to cover her face, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
This is not the worst part, the worst part is that someone recognized them.
"Aren't these the women from the family of Li Tanhua? Why are they so miserable?"
"I heard he committed a crime and was sent to prison..."
"Oh, they're not dead yet?" A curious person expressed surprise and glanced in the direction of the Northern Pacification Office.
"Isn't it? I heard that he was saved by his daughter-in-law in the end."
Another insider whispered, "Grandma Zhao is truly unlucky. Three years after her marriage, she's been a widow for three years. She also served her mother-in-law for three years without complaint, only to have her dowry taken away... In my opinion, Grandma Zhao should just leave it alone and let this old hag die in the Imperial Prison. She'll have peace and quiet!"
"Is this really true?"
Although the Li family was impoverished, they at least had a scholar who was the third place in the imperial examination, which made them a wealthy family compared to the common people. Due to their nature, they were curious about the affairs in the Li family's harem.
"My relative works as a servant in the Meng family. The day before yesterday, she went to the Li family to help Grandma Zhao move her dowry. The mother-in-law seized her daughter-in-law's dowry and refused to give it up. She even accused her of bullying others by taking advantage of her power and chased her into her room at night, cursing her..."
"Bah, how shameless!"
As soon as the words were spoken, many gossipy old women joined in and started talking at once. When they looked at Luo, someone had already started throwing rotten eggs at her and her daughter.
Luo and Li Susu held their heads and fled like rats crossing the street. When they ran back home, their heads and bodies were covered with rotten eggs and rotten vegetable leaves.
"I...I will report all these troublemakers to the government office!" Since Li Che graduated from high school, when had Luo Shi ever suffered such humiliation?
"Mom, please stop making trouble." Li Susu was already tired. "Look, people in Beijing are talking about our Li family everywhere. If you continue to make trouble, your daughter will lose all her face!"
Luo's eyelids suddenly lifted, "Your mother has been harmed like this, and you still think I'm embarrassing you?"
After hearing this voice, many neighbors poked their heads out. The Li family's house was in Fuxue Hutong, and some scholars from Fuxue who had just finished school were also looking this way.
Li Susu was about to cry. It was humiliating in the street, but these scholars from the palace were her targets for choosing a husband in the future.
Her face flushed red, and seeing that she couldn't convince Luo, she stamped her feet angrily and pushed the door open and went into the house.
Luo didn't give up until the maid came out to greet her.
Luo was injured and shouldn't touch water, but she couldn't stand the bad luck and insisted on asking the maid to boil water for her to take a bath. She was also a patient person and screamed in pain, but she still endured it and washed her hair and body. She also asked someone to fumigate her with incense, and finally she no longer smelled the rotten eggs.
As Mrs. Luo was dressing, she thought of her daughter's words and said thoughtfully, "I remember that Mrs. Liu, the magistrate of the Dali Temple, seemed to like Susu very much. She sent me an invitation a while ago to meet her at the teahouse today. I might as well go and meet her so that we can put Susu's marriage on the agenda."
Mother Luo uttered an "Ah" and lowered her head again, "Is that true?"
Mrs. Luo rolled her eyes at her. "When my son was first transferred, Mrs. Liu sent a visiting invitation, but I didn't have time to deal with her then. I just happened to remember her today. Go to the Liu family and tell them that I'm waiting for her at the teahouse."
Mother Luo hesitated and gently advised, "Old lady, why don't you rest at home and then..."
"Just go when I tell you to! What are you talking about?"
Mother Luo had no choice but to obey.
Mrs. Luo felt that she had worried herself to death about her two children, so she put on a veil and forced herself to go to the teahouse. However, half an hour passed and no one showed up for the appointment. She sent someone to urge them again, but after another half an incense stick of time, still no one came.
Mrs. Luo was furious. She stood up angrily, hired a sedan chair, and staggered to the door of Liu's house. Mother Luo knocked on the doorknob three times, and the door opened a crack.
Just as Mrs. Luo put on a smile, the person in the crack of the door saw that it was Mrs. Luo and quickly closed the door again.
Even if Mrs. Luo was slow to react, she knew she was being rejected. She immediately became furious. "What do you mean? Huh? A while ago, Mrs. Liu was eager to invite me over, and now I'm personally inviting her, and she's turning me down?"
Even though Luo was injured, he still had plenty of energy, and his voice was heard directly behind the door.
Mrs. Liu was afraid that Mrs. Luo would make a scene, so she opened the door in a hurry.
Seeing Mrs. Liu come out in person, Mrs. Luo's expression eased a little. She cleared her throat and tried to change her tone of voice.
Mrs. Liu said, "My dear sister, please go back. I did intend to marry my son to your daughter, but now I think I was too hasty. The Li family is too high for my Liu family to reach. Please go back now!"
Now the news has almost spread throughout the capital. Everyone says that the Li family is a den of tigers and wolves, a pit of fire that one cannot jump out of. The mother-in-law not only does not appreciate the Zhao family's kindness in marrying their daughter to the Li family, but is also jealous of her daughter-in-law's noble family background and generous dowry. After the marriage, she not only seized her daughter's dowry, but also beat and scolded her all day long, and even spoke ill of His Majesty. If this is investigated, it will be a serious crime punishable by death and extermination of the entire family.
A daughter raised in such a family will bring disaster to her husband's family if she is married, so she is absolutely unacceptable.
After Mrs. Liu finished speaking, the heavy door slammed shut again.
Luo was so angry that she was stunned. She clutched the handkerchief tightly, not wanting to believe it. She returned to the Li family and dug out the old visiting cards. She went door to door to send invitations. However, after waiting for most of the day, those cards fell into the sea and there was no news. This went on for seven or eight days.
As June was approaching, Luo's injuries had mostly recovered. At noon, she looked at the plain porridge and vegetarian dishes on the table and became furious again.
Although her life is much better now than it was three years ago, it is easy for people to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. She can't bear to go back to living on plain porridge and vegetarian dishes.
Damn Zhao, if the Li family marries her, nothing good will happen!
Luo picked up a broken white porcelain bowl and threw it on the ground to vent her frustration.
Li Susu, who was eating next to them, was disheartened. She propped her head up and stirred the bowl with her chopsticks.
She knew that her mother had been busy arranging her marriage recently, but she didn't expect that no one in the family would respond to the Li family's invitation.
Thinking that she might die of old age in the Li family and never get married, Li Susu felt like the sky had fallen and her life was completely hopeless. She only hoped that her brother would return to Beijing as soon as possible to restore her and her mother's reputation.
Just as the mother and daughter were wailing miserably, the steward suddenly came to the door excitedly, "There's a reply! There's a reply!"
The mother and daughter stood up together. Luo was so excited that the wound on her body was moved. She gasped in pain, but a smile appeared on the corner of her thin mouth, and she was so happy.
"God has eyes! I knew my Li family wouldn't do this..."
Before she finished speaking, the smile of the steward holding the card froze. She turned it over and said, "This, this seems to be a visiting card for Grandma."
Luo's expression changed immediately and he tore the post into pieces.
Luo's mother watched from the side and whispered, "Old lady, why don't you let Grandma know? After all, it's her that's the post."
"What do you want to inform?" Mrs. Luo said sharply, "I'm the boss of this family! How can she have the say?"
Mother Luo and the manager lowered their heads and dared not say a word.
Luo was still angry for a while, staring at the things on the table, and suddenly asked, "What about Lanyue Pavilion? Whatever they eat over there, I have to have it here!"
The steward was speechless again. "Grandma... she always pays for everything herself. She cooks whatever she wants."
It has been like this for the past three years, but in the past, the eldest grandmother would take care of all the food, clothing and other expenses for the entire mansion, but now she is unwilling to be the one who is taken advantage of.
Luo took another deep breath to calm herself down. After hesitating for a long time, she gritted her teeth and took out half a pair of cards and a small tourmaline seal from her sleeve pocket.
"Several shops in the East Market have been quite successful. I have deposited all the earnings over the years with the Sifang Bank. Take the matching cards and this private seal and withdraw 500 taels from the account first."
The eyes of the people present widened. The manager said in shock, "These... these are all from Grandma's dowry shops. The money they earn should belong to Grandma. If you want to withdraw the money, do you have to inform Grandma?"
What's more, five hundred taels is not a small amount.
"idiot!"
Mrs. Luo rushed over and slapped the housekeeper. "That bitch married into the Li family. Her money is the Li family's money, and it's my money! Do you understand?"
Unless she had to, Mrs. Luo would not be willing to use the money in the bank. To her, the money was very useful and could help her earn more money.
Thinking of this, a fierce look flashed across Luo's sinister triangular eyes.
The housekeeper covered her swollen face and took the seal of the match card with trembling hands.
Mrs. Luo was worried. "Susu, you go with her to avoid any problems. Also, after you get the money, go buy yourself some decent headgear. The marriage proposal can't be delayed."
When Li Susu heard that it was to withdraw money, she immediately jumped up excitedly and hugged Luo's arm and said coquettishly, "Thank you, mother! You still love me the most!"
Yes, at least she and her mother still have so much money and so many shops. Even if she can't get married, she won't starve to death with her mother around. She was really stupid. She even had a rift with her mother a few days ago.
Li Susu snatched the things from the steward's hand and walked out excitedly. The steward's mother could only follow closely behind. However, just as the two of them were about to step out of the gate of Qionghua Hall, they suddenly stopped and began to retreat in fear.
At the entrance of Qionghua Hall, Zhao Qingyi was standing in front with two maids. Behind them were twenty or thirty burly men. They were even more frightening than the servants who came a few days ago.
Zhao Qingyi's eyes swept across the private seal of the card held in Li Susu's arms, and her red lips raised slightly, "Auntie, why are you in such a hurry? Is there something wrong?"
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