Yu Sirou told the Tong family that her stepmother forced her to become a concubine, and she had no choice but to come to the capital to seek refuge with her only cousin.
Having lived for so many years, Shumulu could easily tell that the woman's words were incomplete, but since this person was indeed Liu Shaoyi's only direct cousin, she said nothing and kept her in the mansion, settling her in properly.
When Liu Shaoyi learned of this, he felt quite embarrassed. He actually wanted to move out after the mourning period was over, but Alhatu said that it was convenient to live in the mansion, and that there were many books in the mansion. He said that even if he wanted to move, he should do so after the imperial examination.
He then stayed at the Tong residence and continued to live there.
It's fine for him to live alone, since his parents entrusted him with their care. But his cousin moved in with him, and although the Tong family said it was nothing, he felt it was inappropriate.
So he decided to move out.
He told this to Shumulu.
"Aunt Tong, there's something I need to tell you."
Shumulu was very friendly to Liu Shaoyi: "Go ahead and say it."
“My cousin is the only child my aunt left behind. My uncle has mistreated her, and I can’t just abandon her. So I thought I’d take my cousin and move out with me.”
Shumulu was somewhat surprised that he would bring this up.
"Why move out? There's plenty of room in the mansion. Si Rou is your cousin, not a stranger. You can stay here."
Liu Shaoyi: "Thank you for your kindness, Auntie, but I'd better move out. If it were just me, it wouldn't be a problem, but now that my cousin has come, it's too much of a disturbance."
Shumulu tried to persuade him to stay several times, but he was adamant and could not be persuaded. Shumulu sighed and agreed to let him move out.
"You may move out, but you must come to the mansion often. We can't be estranged."
Liu Shaoyi nodded with a smile: "Of course."
He still cares about the people in the Tong family! Of course, he'll come back often.
Shumulu smiled and said, "Alright, finding a suitable house will take time. You can stay at the manor for now. Please don't refuse again."
Liu Shaoyi: "Then thank you very much, Auntie."
Shumulu: "You're being too polite."
Shumulu said again, "There are some familiar maids in the manor. I will have Granny Fu take the maids to your place later. You can decide what kind of house to choose."
Liu Shaoyi was touched by what he heard. The fact that they could think of him so thoughtfully in such a small matter showed that they truly cared about him. He remembered the kindness the Tong family had shown him.
After leaving Shumulu's place, Liu Shaoyi went to Yu Sirou's place.
Yu Sirou was arranged to stay in a guest courtyard. She was quite surprised when she came in with the maid from the Tong family. This small courtyard, which was reserved for guests, was a bit too exquisite for her.
Her family was also a family of officials. Her father had some extra income from his official position, so the family was quite wealthy. But no matter what, it was nothing compared to the Tong family.
Even a guest house was more exquisite and unique than the one her father lived in, which inevitably touched Yu Sirou's heart.
When Liu Shaoyi came in, she was accompanied by people. Although she was his cousin, there was a difference between men and women. In an era where cousins could also get married, it was not appropriate for them to be alone together.
When Yu Sirou saw her cousin coming over, she quickly went up to greet him and said, "Cousin, what brings you here?"
Liu Shaoyi: "I've come over to tell you something."
Yu Sirou: "Cousin, you say it."
Liu Shaoyi said, "I plan to take you to stay somewhere else."
Upon hearing this, Yu Sirou frowned slightly, looking somewhat guilty, and said, "Cousin, is it because of me?"
It was indeed because of her.
Therefore, Liu Shaoyi remained silent.
Yu Sirou misunderstood. She thought that it was because her coming to seek refuge had given the Tong family a bad impression of her cousin that they wouldn't let her and her cousin stay at the Tong residence.
So Yu Sirou blamed herself and said, "Cousin, maybe I should go back to Jiangnan!"
Liu Shaoyi was completely bewildered. Why was he going back to Jiangnan?
Why would someone in a perfectly good state want to return to Jiangnan?
Liu Shaoyi was quite puzzled by Yu Sirou's words.
Yu Sirou said, "If I hadn't come, my cousin wouldn't have... and he wouldn't have said he wanted to move out. I'm the one who's dragging him down."
Liu Shaoyi frowned. Something about what he said sounded off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
"You're not a burden to me, don't overthink it."
Yu Sirou said in a soft and weak voice, "Before I came, my cousin was living comfortably at the Tong residence. But as soon as I arrived, he wanted to move out. He even said that I wasn't a burden. Isn't that just lying to me? Since the Tong family can't keep me, I'll just go back to Jiangnan."
Liu Shaoyi sighed, realizing that's what she was thinking.
So he quickly explained, "I just came from my aunt's place. It was my idea to move out. My aunt and uncle are both kind people and they didn't mean to kick you out. I just thought you wouldn't be comfortable living there, so I decided to move out."
The Tong family was friendly and treated him no differently than the other young masters in the mansion. However, he also had some difficulties adjusting when he first arrived. After all, it wasn't his own home, so no matter how nice it was, he still felt like he was living under someone else's roof.
If a man like him can feel this way, his cousin, a woman, must feel it even more strongly, which is why she's thinking of moving out.
Yu Sirou blushed: "So it was my cousin's idea. I misunderstood."
Liu Shaoyi smiled and shook his head, saying, "It's alright, just get ready and move out once you find a suitable place."
Yu Sirou said softly, "Okay, I'll listen to my cousin."
Although Yu Sirou said this, she couldn't help but feel a sense of loss that she herself was unaware of. She was somewhat reluctant to leave such a prestigious mansion.
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