Have you heard?
"That goes without saying! Now the whole courtyard knows that Qingduan and Qingyi were playing in the garden when they accidentally bumped into the old lady and knocked her into the lotus pond."
"Now the old lady is unconscious, and young masters Qingduan and Qingyi have been forced to kneel in the Tianhua Garden courtyard by the second master."
"I wonder what the old lady's..."
"You brat! Shut up right now! This is no place for you to talk!"
The few cleaning maids who were gossiping by the roadside were all startled when they saw Lian'er, who served the old lady.
"Please spare us, sister!" the maids quickly begged. If the madam found out, they would be in big trouble.
"Now that the old lady's safety is unknown, you lot still dare to gossip. You're incredibly audacious! With such a major event happening in the manor, you act like young ladies with nothing better to do!"
The girls repeatedly said no, and scattered like birds.
Lian'er spat a few times, feeling anxious. She had gone to the front yard to fetch the doctor, but unexpectedly ran into these unruly monkeys, making a fool of herself in front of outsiders. If something happened to the old lady, this would be a big problem!
Lian'er didn't dare to think too much and quickly led the doctor, who was pretending not to have heard anything, toward Tianhua Garden.
Tianhua Garden
The Li family has all gathered at Tianhua Garden. The Li brothers are all known for their filial piety, and now that the old lady is in trouble, they are all serving her at her bedside.
The old lady had been unconscious since being rescued from the lotus pond. Several doctors had been called to the mansion. Just now, there was even news that the old lady had woken up but was having a fit of hysteria, crying and laughing, and then suddenly stopped breathing. Fortunately, after several doctors examined her repeatedly and gave her ginseng slices, she was brought back to life and her breathing returned.
The Li family dared not relax and had several doctors handle everything.
Two handsome young men were kneeling at the entrance; they were the two young masters the girls had mentioned, Li Qingduan and Li Qingyi. They were soaked to the bone, having knelt for quite some time, as the area where they were kneeling was completely wet.
Li Qingduan and his younger brother were playing when they accidentally knocked their grandmother, who was walking along the lotus pond, into the water. He and his brother immediately followed the servants into the pond. After their grandmother was rescued, the two knelt at the gate of the courtyard to beg for forgiveness, without even having time to change their clothes.
The grandmother is currently in a coma, and the two of them are only fourteen years old. They are terrified out of their wits.
“In the past, you two brothers were illiterate and lazy in your studies, but I let it go because you were still young. Who would have thought that you would cause such a disaster today? If anything happens to your grandmother, I will beat you to death with my own hands!”
Li Xushi held a bamboo stick, cursing and whipping the two men. The bamboo stick was thin and tough, and it hurt a lot when it hit them.
"Father! I didn't mean to bump into Grandmother." Li Qingduan was beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding. He was cold and in pain, and he couldn't hold back his tears. He felt very wronged.
Li Qingyi, who was standing next to her, was already crying uncontrollably. He had never experienced anything like this before. The thought that something might happen to his grandmother filled him with fear and worry.
"You still have ulterior motives! You still feel wronged! You still dare to cry!" Li Xushi became even more ruthless and hit harder. His son had caused such a disaster. How could he face his mother, his elder brother, and his younger brother?
Mo Qiaoniang was also terrified, her face turning deathly pale, tears welling up in her eyes. As the biological mother of Li Qingduan and Li Qingyi, she naturally felt sorry for her two sons, but she dared not stop Li Xushi. If beating her mother-in-law would bring her peace, then she might as well go ahead and beat her.
The mother-in-law was hit by her own son. If anything were to happen to her, her two children's lives would be ruined. Mo Qiaoniang didn't even dare to think about the reputation of causing her grandmother's death. She could only pray to the gods and Buddhas in her heart, hoping that her mother-in-law could live a long and healthy life.
"Second brother, stop!" Li Xuming quickly stopped him. "Mother is still receiving treatment. What kind of behavior is this? Besides, Mother always dotes on the younger generation. If she knew that Qingduan and Qingyi were beaten and scolded by you like this, she would be heartbroken."
“That’s right, Master is right. Second sister-in-law, have someone take Qingduan and Qingyi down to change clothes and apply medicine. Don’t wait until Mother is better, then the two little ones should lie down too.” Liu Yun, the matriarch of the Li family, chimed in. The two children were in such a pitiful state that she couldn’t bear to see them suffer.
“That’s right, Second Sister-in-law. Qingduan and Qingyi went down to rescue Mother immediately. Besides, our lotus pond was already shallow, so Mother will surely be blessed with good fortune.” Qi Wan from the third branch also spoke up.
Upon hearing his elder brother speak, Li Xushi angrily threw down the bamboo branch. Li Qingzhang, Li Qingruo, and the others quickly stepped forward to help Li Qingduan and Li Qingyi up and escorted them back to their courtyard.
Mo Qiaoniang dared not leave, as she still had to keep an eye on her mother-in-law's condition, so she could only watch them leave.
While things were raging on the other side, Pan Jinhua opened her eyes.
Pan Jinhua was an old woman who died peacefully in her sleep. She thought that once she closed her eyes, she would never open them again. Who would have thought that her eyes would open again after she closed them?
Just then, the old lady of the Li family fell into the lotus pond. Immediately afterwards, she saw the old lady wake up, crying and laughing at the same time, which terrified her.
Not long after, the old woman's breathing became rapid, and soon she fell silent. Then, she came back to life inside the body of the old woman named Li, who, coincidentally, was also named Pan Jinhua.
Lying in bed, Pan Jinhua flipped through her memories and realized that the old lady Li who had fallen into the lotus pond had actually been reborn. In her memories, the Li family was a prominent clan in Nanze County. A month later, the main branch of the Li family—the Li family in the capital—was implicated in a salt smuggling case and convicted. The clan head was beheaded, and the entire Li family was exiled.
The Li family suffered a series of misfortunes. Pan Jinhua, who should have been enjoying her retirement, witnessed the collapse of the Li family's mansion and was imprisoned. She became depressed and her health gradually deteriorated. After that, the Li family suffered one misfortune after another. First, her grandson was rejected after being imprisoned, and then her granddaughter was murdered.
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