"Don't cry, don't cry!" Madam Li bent down and picked up Li Shan, then pulled her to sit down. "Shan'er, this has nothing to do with you. It's a matter between elders. From now on, just pretend you don't know anything about this, okay? Don't carry such a heavy burden."
Li Shan shook her head: "Second Aunt, Brother, you won't do anything to my mother, right? You'll let her peacefully eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures in the Buddhist hall, right?"
Her expression was so genuine, so unpretentious, that it made everyone who heard her question feel heartbroken.
No one doubted her, because Li Shan was only an eleven-year-old girl. Her mother had done something wrong, and she had no choice but to accept it, but she couldn't bring herself to ignore it.
Such a dilemma would be difficult for many adults, let alone children.
Lady Li and her son, along with the Duke and Duchess of Rongguo, all felt great sympathy for Li Shan.
Only Gu Shouxin and Cai Xiaolian watched Li Shan coldly. The couple hadn't forgotten what Gu Xin had mentioned about falling from the second floor, and they both felt something was off.
Although they knew that Madam Li wanted to harm Madam Li and her son, and that the incident might have been Madam Li's doing, the couple still couldn't feel any sympathy for Li Shan.
Perhaps they're used to only caring about their own daughters and don't like to worry about other people's children!
“Yes, Shan’er, don’t worry. Your aunt used to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist prayers in the Buddhist hall. Now, apart from not being allowed to come and go freely, there’s no difference from before. Shan’er, you can still go and accompany her and visit her. No matter how old or young, people should be punished if they do something wrong,” Li Muyan said.
“I thank you, brother and second aunt, on behalf of my mother. I understand. Second aunt taught us from a young age that we must act with a clear conscience. My mother made a mistake and deserves to be punished. Second aunt, brother, please tell me if you need me in the future. I will do my best to atone for my mother’s sins!” Li Shan wiped away her tears and said sincerely.
"You silly girl, do you think your aunt and I couldn't handle you even if this hadn't happened?" Li Muyan asked with a smile.
"No, no!" Li Shan shook her head and waved her hands repeatedly in fright. "I am, I am..."
"Alright, Muyan. Stop teasing this child. She's such a pitiful child, her father is gone, and her mother is like this. Muyan, you have to treat her like your own sister from now on, understand?" Xie Shi spoke up for Li Shan.
She really liked Li Shan so much; Li Shan was exactly the kind of daughter she imagined.
Soft and chewy, cute and endearing.
She missed out on her daughter's childhood, and whenever she sees little girls, she always thinks about being good to them.
“Okay, Grandmother! I understand. Even if you didn’t say it, I would still consider them sisters! You can ask my eldest sister and third sister if you don’t believe me,” Li Muyan said with a smile.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. We've troubled you both with today's matters. You've heard who we are, so I'll make a promise here: the Rongguo Duke's Mansion owes you both a favor. If you ever need our help in the future, just let us know!" The Rongguo Duke said, looking at Gu Shouxin.
"You're too kind, Duke!" Gu Shouxin cupped his hands in greeting, neither asking for the favor nor saying he didn't want it.
This attitude, on the contrary, made the Duke of Rong look at him with more respect.
“Shouxin, Xiaolian, I think Muyan and Niannian are a good match. They are about the same age, so why don’t we…” Madam Xie suddenly brought up Li Muyan and Gu Nian, but was interrupted by Madam Li.
"Mother, please don't make things difficult for Xiaolian and Gu Er. Their family made their own decisions. So did ours." Madam Li knew exactly what her mother was going to say.
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