But she hadn't met the two men before and couldn't make a decision right away, so she cautiously said, "Madam, may I meet the two gentlemen first? Miss Nannan is still young, and she's a girl. When she grows up and gets married, she'll need to find a good uncle to rely on..."
When Old Lady Li heard that she was truly thinking of her master's best interests, her expression softened.
"Alright, I'll have my second son take you to see the two Mr. Suns. We won't interfere with whichever family you choose to stay with, or whichever family can take you in."
After saying that, she pointed to the two packages and said, "Back then, Madam Sun gave you a necklace, saying it was a pair with Nannan. I'm afraid Nannan's is lost, right? Take this back with you, it'll be a keepsake."
Furthermore, Madam Sun gave our family one hundred taels of silver, and our Li family will now repay it tenfold…”
Fearing that the old lady might say something about cutting off her mobility again, Sister-in-law Li quickly kowtowed again.
"Madam, I don't want any money. Our mistress has passed away. Please have pity on this orphan girl and help her one more time."
Tao Hongying exchanged a glance with the old lady and asked, "How do you want us to help?"
After pondering for a while, Sister Li quickly replied, "With this money, could you ask the old lady to help you buy a small estate or some kind of farmland or shop?"
"At least there will be some produce each year. The servants and young ladies can rely on any family they want, and they won't have to depend on others for their livelihood. When the young lady gets married in the future, it can also be used as part of her dowry."
"Also, could you please have that servant and young lady kowtow to the old lady during festivals? We'd just ask for your protection, as I'm truly afraid I won't be able to protect young lady as she grows up..."
The old lady immediately shook her head. "No! If it's inconvenient for you to take the money, you can leave it here temporarily and come back to collect it later. But buying land and estates is not something our family can handle. You'll have to arrange it yourself."
"Furthermore, you don't need to visit during holidays. Tomorrow I will have my second son escort you to the Sun family, as a final act of gratitude to Madam Sun. From now on, take care of yourselves."
Before Sister-in-law Li could say anything more, Tao Hongying had already called Granny He to send them back to the Ye family's side room.
Li's sister-in-law was very disappointed, but she didn't dare to say anything more. She hugged the baby girl, kowtowed again, and then left with her head bowed and eyes lowered.
The next morning, Li Lao Er changed into a brocade robe, Ye Shan drove the carriage, and together with Granny He and Li's wife and servants, they entered the city.
Sister Li and her daughter dressed up specially, but instead of cleaning up, they smeared a lot of black ash on their clothes and faces, looking as disheveled as refugees.
When Grandma Li and Tao Hongying saw them off, they were startled to see them like this, but then they understood.
With this kind of mindset, even without the Li family as their backer, the future of this master and servant will not be much worse.
The Sun family in the north of the city received an invitation from the Marquis of Zhongshan yesterday, saying that he would visit today, so Sun Chengjian specially suspended his classes for a day.
At this moment, he was sitting with his cousin Sun Siyuan drinking tea, both wondering what Zhongshanbo had come to visit for.
Surely you're not going to send your kids to school here?
Because Sun Siyuan worked in the government office, he was more familiar with the history of the Li family's rise to power.
He even knew that Li Jiaren, a student at Hanbo, was the eldest grandson of the Li family.
But Li Jiaren only studied at the academy for a few months and was not his last disciple. Even if he knew where the Li family was, he didn't have the nerve to visit them.
Zhongshanbo is Jiaren's father. Could it be that he came to visit today to invite him to be a teacher in the village?
He had heard that there was a school in Suijintan...
The two brothers were each preoccupied with their own thoughts, and their minds were racing when Li Lao Er and the others arrived.
The Sun brothers hurried to the door to greet them, and were somewhat bewildered to see that a woman and a child had also alighted from the carriage.
After welcoming Li Lao Er into the house and exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Lao Er and Sun Siyuan bowed to each other.
"I am very grateful to you for your careful guidance of my son back then. I never expected to see you here again."
Sun Siyuan quickly returned the greeting, smiling as he said, "Your Excellency, I am truly humbled. Your son is intelligent and polite, and also has a talent for studying. Although I only taught him for a few months, I still feel honored. I just wonder, where does your son study now?"
Li Lao Er listened with a smile, unable to suppress his emotions.
He remembers vividly how cautious and reserved he was when he brought his son to Hanbo Academy, even afraid of stepping on ants.
The Mr. Sun in front of us was the best teacher in the academy at that time, and also the brother-in-law of the dean, in charge of all the academy's affairs.
Although she treated the father and son fairly well, she still maintained a somewhat condescending attitude.
In just three short years, he went from a peasant to a local magistrate, while the academy teacher became a minor official in the government, having to address him as his subordinate.
How unpredictable things can be!
Of course, he couldn't say these things, but he replied, "Not long after we moved here, Jiaren went to study at Luoan Academy, and now he doesn't have time to come home often."
Mr. Sun nodded and praised, "The eldest son has accumulated a lot of experience and will surely make a name for himself and pass the imperial examination with flying colors."
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate your kind words!"
The two of them chatted animatedly, completely ignoring Sun Chengjian.
He was already concerned about his reputation, and he was also angry that his cousin hadn't mentioned his acquaintance with the Li family beforehand, so he couldn't hold back any longer.
He began, “Lord, your presence today is a great honor to my humble abode. I have given the students a holiday in recognition of your presence.”
"I wonder if Your Excellency has come to our door with any favors for us brothers? If so, please do not hesitate to ask. My cousin Siyuan works in the government office; even if he is not up to the task, he still has his useless older brother, me."
The implication was that Sun Siyuan was too busy, and the Li family had no choice but to choose him if they needed someone to serve them.
Sun Siyuan raised an eyebrow, lowered his head to drink his tea, and remained silent.
Li Lao Er smiled faintly and gestured for Granny He to bring Li Saozi and Nannan forward.
“Mr. Sun is right. I have indeed come here today on business. However, it is not about our household, but rather to bring a member of your family to seek refuge.”
“Previously, my elder brother encountered this mistress and servant traveling together on his return journey from Quanzhou. Since our family had met them once before, we helped them along the way. Today, we have specially brought them to your residence!”
Did their clansmen seek refuge with them?
Sun Siyuan and Sun Chengjian were both stunned. They had considered countless reasons, but they never expected that the Earl had come to visit for this matter!
Sister-in-law Li hugged her daughter and knelt down, then began to cry and complain.
She was clever enough not to say that the Wang family uncle had poisoned his master, but only that the master had disappeared, the mistress had died of illness, and the uncle's house was no longer safe to stay in.
Fortunately, he remembered that his daughter's uncle was here, so he came to seek refuge with him.
When Sun Siyuan heard that his second cousin had gone missing and his cousin's wife had passed away, he was very surprised and asked her questions for a long time.
But Sun Chengjian didn't say a word, his brows furrowed tightly.
As Li's sister-in-law spoke through tears, she clearly observed the expressions of the two Mr. Suns out of the corner of her eye, and then she made up her mind.
She grabbed Nannan, went straight over and hugged Sun Chengjian's trouser leg, and cried loudly.
"Please, sir, for the sake of our deceased master, take in my servant and young lady. Young lady is still very young; she was raised on just a single meal."
"This servant is capable of working and sewing. When Miss gets married, I will earn the money for her dowry and will definitely not be a burden to the master."
Sun Chengjian was already unhappy. When his father remarried and had his younger brother, he disliked him in every way. Over the years, he had not received any support from his family.
Now that his younger brother has died, he actually wants to help raise his child?
He's being taken advantage of!
But with Lord Li present, if he refuses, will the Li family think he is cold-hearted and ruthless?
Just as he was hesitating, a woman outside the door suddenly shouted, "No! Master, you can't accept them!"
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