Chapter 7 The Power of Life and Death Should Be in Your Hands
Madam Pei seemed to have misheard.
"What did you say--?"
She couldn't help but laugh at Li Qingluo's fantastical idea.
"You want me to go back to the Li family with you? Girl, do you know that I have been living in seclusion at Qingsong Temple for thirty years? I have long since stopped stepping into the turmoil of this world!"
Li Qingluo looked up at her and said, "Grandmother, are you really willing to accept this? Back then, because of that Deng family's little trick, you were rejected by your son, neglected by your husband, and betrayed by the entire Li family."
"All the fame, fortune, honor, gold and silver treasures you gained by fighting on the battlefield to save your husband and kill the enemy have been given to others to enjoy."
"And you, because of a moment of temper, because of disdain and aversion to competition, because you saw through worldly conventions, blood ties, and even the bond between husband and wife, you willingly chose to leave, confining yourself to this small, isolated world, and thus living out your life in desolation. But, by what right?"
"It should have been yours to begin with, why did you have to let someone else take it?"
"Even if you don't want it, it's still yours. The glory of the Li family, the power of the Li family, everything of the Li family, the power of life and death, should all be in your hands."
Even if Grandmother doesn't want it, you can't let people you don't like enjoy it. Would that really make Grandmother happy?
Li Qingluo gazed sincerely at Madam Pei.
Madam Pei didn't say anything, but just quietly looked back at Li Qingluo.
Li Qingluo knew she had overstepped her bounds. Perhaps her grandmother was already regretting bringing her back from the mountain valley and finding someone who would interfere in her life.
But this is my only chance!
If she couldn't win over her grandmother, she would still be in a passive position. Even if she returned to the Li family, she would still have no backing, no power, no money, and would be abused in everything she did.
Since Madam Pei remained silent, Li Qingluo continued speaking.
“Grandmother, I know I have overstepped my bounds. But I have no other choice but to come and bother you. I am all alone and if I were to go back to the Li family, I would surely be treated with contempt.”
Madam Pei frowned slightly before asking, "You and your brother have had some misunderstandings, but how dare you say such things before even meeting your biological parents?"
Li Qinglu smiled bitterly and said, "Grandmother, although I grew up in the mountains and have never seen much of the world, I understand things very well. I heard that Father and Mother adopted the Liu family's biological daughter."
"Although the Li family said that they had twin daughters born back then, and that I was raised in Jiangnan because of my weak health, and that I only returned to the capital now because my health has improved, it is clear that my father and mother did not hold a grudge against the Liu family or even Li Qingzhu. They were even afraid that she would be harmed by rumors, so they gave her a respectable background and made her the true eldest daughter of the Li family."
"My own brother is the same; he has never even met me, yet he treats me like a runaway slave. What hope can I possibly have?"
"They cherish Li Qingzhu so dearly, how can I not feel estranged from them when I go back?"
"When faced with injustice, does my grandmother think they would favor their daughter who had been raised and loved for sixteen years, or me, the daughter who came back halfway and had no feelings for them?"
“Grandmother, they don’t seem to value blood ties much. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have treated you like that back then.”
"For them, only those who win their hearts can gain a foothold in the Li family. And how rare is their sincerity? It cannot be achieved overnight."
Madam Pei's expression softened.
yes.
She never won her son's heart back then. She may have won her husband's heart once, but didn't she still lose it just like that?
This made her truly think of her own situation back then.
But she didn't say anything more, only telling Li Qingluo to leave first, as she needed to think about the matter.
After Li Qing left, Old Madam Pei summoned Zhang Mama.
"Did you tell her that she had such a clear understanding of the situation at the General's Mansion?"
Granny Zhang: "This old servant did mention it to the young lady a few times... Madam, what's wrong? Is the young lady completely frightened? What the eldest young master did was indeed quite outrageous..."
Madam Pei stared at her old servant who had served her for decades, sighed, and shook her head.
"You're such a fool! You've wasted all these years. How easily that girl has fooled you!"
Forget about being honest and simple, innocent and naive; she could tell that girl was actually quite shrewd!
However, she eventually stopped pretending in front of me, and her frank and open words to me sounded more like a surrender.
"Granny, what do you think will happen if I go back to the General's Mansion in Jinling now?"
Granny Zhang's mouth dropped open in astonishment.
Upon seeing this, Madam Pei grinned.
Heh, that's interesting.
The next day.
Li Qingluo was unsure of what choice Madam Pei would make, so she became somewhat anxious.
After patiently writing for an hour, she went to wander around the vegetable garden again.
The Taoist priests are digging sweet potatoes today.
Li Qinglu went over to help, getting her hands covered in mud.
The Taoist priests laughed at her, yet they also liked her for being so unconcerned about details and for not minding dirty work.
Before long, Li Qingluo started talking, naturally steer the conversation toward the nobleman behind Cangsong Mountain.
Ling Fengzi glared at her: "Shh! I advise you not to inquire about this important person anymore. Otherwise, your life will be in danger."
Ling Fengzi made a throat-slitting gesture.
Li Qingluo quickly raised her arm to protect herself.
Whether it was Granny Zhang or these Taoist priests, they all seemed to be very secretive about the people from the back mountain of Cangsong.
It seems that it's really not something I can inquire about myself.
Li Qingluo was sensible and knew her own limitations. She was nothing more than a small ant now, so she knew the danger and didn't want to get involved anymore.
She stopped mentioning it and instead picked up a string of sweet potatoes in her hand, smiling, "Fellow Daoists, would you like to have a sweet potato feast?"
When Li Qingluo was seven years old, she was sold to a wealthy man's family in a village at the foot of the mountain, where she worked as a kitchen helper for two years.
Those were the two most carefree years she spent in the countryside.
Later, when the wealthy family got into trouble, the kind-hearted old lady released all the servants before the officials arrived. Li Qingluo was then dragged back by Liu's "father".
She has always had some talent for cooking. She has seen many cooking methods in the kitchen, so she knows how to make sweet potatoes delicious.
In no time, she had prepared several sweet potato dishes in the kitchen.
Fried sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes in syrup, steamed sweet potato puree, candied sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes stir-fried with cured meat, sweet potato soup...
The dishes left Ling Fengzi and the others speechless.
Li Qingluo took a little from each of them and personally delivered it to the Green Bamboo Courtyard, leaving the rest to the Taoists.
That evening, the small courtyard behind the pine tree received several plates of fresh dishes.
The Taoist priest delivering the vegetables handed the basket into the courtyard. He shouldn't have been looking around, but he accidentally caught a glimpse of red stains on the ground and several already cold corpses.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
