The old lady quickly helped by taking out a gray money bag.
"Give...Jiaren an education, and help Jiayi find...a wife! Don't marry someone like me!"
Wu Cuihua forcefully stuffed the money bag into Jiaren's hand, then looked at the door, but unfortunately no one came in.
She was disappointed, the light in her eyes slowly dimmed, but she still lingered, "Mother, the grave, the grave..."
The old lady quickly replied, "Don't worry, I will definitely keep my promise. You will be buried in Broken Gold Beach, a beautiful place with clear waters and lush mountains. Jiaren and Jiayi will visit you and pay their respects during festivals. You are the second son's first wife, and no matter who he marries in the future, they will still kneel and worship you."
Wu Cuihua was finally relieved. A last tear rolled down her cheek as she finally let go of her son's hand.
Jiaren stared blankly at his mother's hands, which were withered and thin, completely different from the ones he remembered.
In my memory, my mother rarely did housework because she was lazy. Her hands were white and plump, and when she caught him and my younger brother, she would pinch them a few times, which hurt the most.
It seems like, in the blink of an eye, things have changed so much.
Why did it turn out like this?
"mother!"
In the courtyard, Jiayin heard her brother crying, and suddenly looked up at the side room, her eyes also reddening.
She had no feelings for Wu Cuihua, but she felt sorry for her brother who had lost his mother and her unfortunate second uncle.
Presumably, her family felt the same way. If they had a choice, they would rather Wu Cuihua be living a life of luxury somewhere than have her die so young in the early spring.
pity……
The head steward was also uneasy. If he had known that the old woman Wu who was washing clothes was Li's daughter-in-law, he would have definitely taken better care of her.
Now that this man has died in the backyard of the Marquis's mansion, in such a miserable state, how will he face the Li family in the future?
If the Li family takes their anger out on him, he will be resented!
Jiayin sat to one side and saw the head steward looking extremely uncomfortable. She comforted him, "Head steward, my godfather said that ignorance is no excuse."
The head steward almost burst into tears upon hearing this and immediately knelt down in front of his young master.
“Young Miss, this old servant truly did not know she was a member of the Li family. Moreover, after rescuing her, I treated her for a long time, but her injuries were too severe. The physician said she would be lucky to live for another month. I never expected that she would survive all the way to Xindu, but she refuses to take medicine, as if she doesn't want to live anymore.”
"I had no choice but to let her stay here. I didn't assign her any work, nor did I sign any slave contracts. She ate and drank the same things as everyone else. She's a bit crazy and has a disfigured face, so everyone keeps their distance and no one bullies her. In the spring, she suddenly started washing everyone's clothes, desperately asking for money, which everyone gave her. But she doesn't spend a single penny, and she refuses to see a doctor or take medicine. I don't know what she's saving the money for..."
Jiayin guessed that when their family came to Jiangnan in the spring, the Marquis often visited Suijintan. She guessed that Wu Cuihua had heard people in the Marquis's mansion gossiping about her. Originally, she had the will to die, but she changed her mind and decided to earn more money to leave for her son.
Just then, Old Lady Li came out, supported by Old Man Li. Having heard most of what was said, she quickly helped the head steward up herself.
"Don't worry, Steward. Our Li family is a reasonable family. First, you have no idea she's our daughter-in-law. She was just a dying woman on the roadside. We were already doing a good job by rescuing her and bringing her to Xindu, helping her seek medical treatment. No one can treat an outsider like their own mother. Second, she was about to die anyway. Thanks to you, she lived for two more years and saw her family before she died. Our family should be thanking you on her behalf."
The head steward breathed a long sigh of relief, finally able to put his mind at ease.
He quickly wiped away his tears and bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, Madam."
The old lady sighed, "It's all fate. Now that things are like this, no one can be blamed."
She sat in a chair, holding her granddaughter, and said, "I need to trouble the head housekeeper with one more thing. Could you please open the back door? We need to buy a coffin to carry the person back to Suijintan."
“Madam, you’re too kind. It’s all my duty. Also, is the back door for servants to enter and exit, or should we use the front side door…” the head butler suggested, but the old lady immediately refused.
"No need, Steward, let's go through the back door. We've already caused the Marquis's mansion a lot of trouble. If we go through the front door, outsiders might gossip about what happened to the Marquis's mansion, which wouldn't be good for the Marquis."
The head housekeeper was extremely grateful for the old lady's understanding.
He quickly sent someone to help Li Laosi buy funeral clothes and a coffin, which were then carried in through the back door.
The old lady asked for warm water and a cloth, and personally wiped Wu Cuihua's body, hands and face. Then she changed her into clean undergarments and burial clothes. Li Lao Er and Jia Ren carried Wu Cuihua and placed her in the coffin.
The back door wasn't far away, and the Li family didn't need any outside help. Li Lao Er and Jia Ren carried the head of the coffin, while Li Lao Si carried the tail, and they made it out of the back door without any problems.
The old lady was afraid that her granddaughter was too young and might be affected by some evil spirit, so she entrusted Jiayin to the head housekeeper.
"Will the Marquis be back tonight? Then let Fu Niu stay here tonight. The house will definitely be a mess. It's best for her, a little child, to stay hidden."
The head housekeeper quickly agreed, and Jiayin didn't make a fuss about going home.
With the family busy setting up a mourning tent, choosing a burial site, and preparing for the funeral procession, there was simply no time to attend to her needs.
Moreover, my second aunt had done many evil deeds in the past, so it's truly lamentable that she met such an end.
Her family members must be feeling very conflicted; even if she went back, they would only be anxious and helpless.
The head housekeeper dared not make another mistake, and spent the whole afternoon playing with Jiayin in various ways.
Lunch was also plentiful, with six dishes, a soup, white rice, and steamed egg custard.
Jiayin ate her fill, didn't cry or fuss, and even took a nap.
In the afternoon, the Marquis finally emerged from the palace.
The servants of the Marquis's mansion were guarding the palace gate. When they saw their master, they quickly recounted the whole story from beginning to end.
The Marquis frowned, also finding this matter extremely surprising.
He knew about this second daughter-in-law from the Li family's past.
I thought that with all the chaos of the previous capital relocation, this person must have died in the north. Unexpectedly, not only did he survive, but he also passed away in his marquis's mansion...
"Back to the manor!" The Marquis immediately mounted his horse and galloped back to the manor, heading straight into the main courtyard.
In the east wing, Jiayin was still asleep, and the kang (heated brick bed) was very warm.
A maidservant stood guard to one side, dozing off with her chin in her hand.
As soon as the Marquis entered the room, the maid knelt down, not daring to raise her head.
The Marquis asked, "How long has the young lady been sleeping?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, it has been an hour," the maidservant quickly replied.
The Marquis waved for the people to leave, then picked up the chubby girl, touched her forehead and found it wasn't hot, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiayin woke up groggily and saw her godfather. For some reason, she suddenly felt a little aggrieved.
"Godfather, sob sob, my second aunt is dead, and my brother is crying so hard."
“Father knows,” the Marquis gently patted the little girl’s back, softly comforting her, “Father knows you feel sorry for your second uncle and brother.”
"No, my second aunt was very mean, she bullied me, I didn't like her. But she's dead, so it's very pitiful..."
Jiayin choked up, thinking of her heartless parents from her past life. Perhaps one day when they died, her feelings would be just like her brother's at this moment.
She has been here for over two years now, and her counterpart in that other world has probably already perished. She wonders when her parents, who always saw her as a burden and a stain, discovered that she was no longer there.
Or rather, even if they did discover it, they probably wouldn't care.
She always believed that having such a loving family in this life would heal the pain from her past life.
I never expected that I would suddenly burst into tears at a time like this...
"Godfather, I miss Grandma, I miss Dad, I miss Mom..."
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