Chapter 131 An Old Story
"Li Si had previously ruined the reputation of my sixth brother's wife without any explanation. Who would have thought that it was her mother who actually did the real work quietly. Isn't that ridiculous?"
"If you ask me, it's cheap for a woman like this to be thrown into a pig cage. Li Xinyuan looks impressive, but I didn't expect that he actually raised someone else's son for more than ten years."
"Second sister-in-law, please keep your voice down, or someone will hear you." Third sister-in-law said anxiously in a low voice.
The second sister-in-law was very angry about Li Si's frame-up and spoke without restraint. The Xiao couple in the nearby Xiao family tent were also shocked by what they heard.
"Master, what the Gu family said..."
"Let's not meddle in other people's affairs, especially when it comes to a man's reputation. Be careful not to get into trouble."
Although Xiao Hongyi has also joined the Gu family camp, he is cautious by nature. There are some things he can take care of, but there are others he has to pretend he doesn't know.
But Xiao Hongyi seemed to have forgotten that this was on the road to exile...
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xiao Li Ping sighed and spoke in a low voice.
"Master, it would be better if the Gu family didn't say anything. Once they said it, I remembered an old story."
"What old thing?"
Li Ping hesitated for a moment before lowering her voice and speaking.
"I remember that more than a decade ago, when the old lady of the Li family celebrated her birthday, she invited a famous opera troupe from the capital to the mansion. At that time, our family lived nearby and also received an invitation. Master, you said that Li Xinyuan was taking advantage of the opportunity to make money and said that you would not go.
But my mother loved to listen to opera, so she took me to celebrate the birthday of the old lady of the Li family. After that birthday banquet, the Li family often invited people to perform opera there. But suddenly one day, they stopped going. I even asked around for my mother, and they said that the troupe had gone to perform somewhere else..."
Speaking of this, Li Ping in the dark suddenly couldn't help but shiver.
"What's wrong with you...are you cold?" Xiao Hongyi said as he pulled the quilt for her.
"It's not cold, I just get more and more scared the more I think about it..."
"What are you afraid of? Isn't it just that you didn't go to the opera?"
"No, no, Master, you forgot that the old lady of the Li family died suddenly two months after her birthday celebration. Li Xinyuan was not there at the time, so it was Zhao Chunxiu, the daughter-in-law, who took care of the funeral and announced to the public that the old lady had an acute illness."
Xiao Hongyi frowned slightly, not understanding what his wife wanted to say.
But Li Ping's next words really made him break out in a cold sweat.
"I was sitting in the audience with my mother, watching the play. Zhao Chunxiu was so shocked by the way she looked at the actors on the stage. Less than eight months after Madam Li died, Zhao Chunxiu gave birth to Li Yuan. Do you think...is all this a coincidence?"
Xiao Hongyi didn't dare to think further, his heart was pounding. He tried his best to calm down before speaking quietly.
"I know what you mean, but this has nothing to do with us. It's best not to say this in the future, lest others hear it and get into trouble."
"The more I think about it, the more scared I am. Do you think that Madam Li's death is related to Zhao Chunxiu?"
"You... stop talking, keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone. If the Li family hears about it, who knows what Li Xinyuan will do when he's desperate!"
"Also, our family is now dependent on the Gu family. Before you are sure whether the matter will pose a threat to them, don't say a word, understand?"
Li Ping seemed to realize that the old story she casually mentioned might have serious consequences if it were told to others, so she immediately said that she would never mention it again.
The couple fell asleep soon after they finished their conversation. The night patrol officer sat by the fire and talked after making an inspection, occasionally leaning over to see if the Li family was behaving well.
Every failure makes one wiser. Before, the Li family’s escape almost caused them to go to jail. Now it mainly depends on this family.
After seeing that the Li family did not move, the officer leaned against the tent.
The Shang family and the Li family huddled together, relying only on the palm-sized campfire in front of them for warmth. Seeing that everyone except them lived in tents, Shang Bin's anger burned even more fiercely.
Their identities may have been different before, but now they are all prisoners whose homes have been confiscated and exiled. The disparity in their treatment is too great, so they naturally feel unbalanced.
Shang Zifan, the youngest son of the Shang family, curled up in his mother's arms and trembled, unable to help crying out loud.
"Mom, why don't we have a tent? It's too cold and I don't want to sleep outside. Can you ask Dad to ask the officer for a tent for me to sleep in?"
He Qin felt bitter. She didn't know why things had come to this point. Listening to her son's pleading, He Qin's resentment towards the Gu family grew stronger.
“Are other people’s things so good?”
Shang Bin said slowly while lying on the side. Shang Zifan in He Qin's arms trembled with fear, remembering the scene where his father almost beat him to death.
"Okay, go to bed quickly, then you won't be cold when you sleep."
He Qin felt sorry for her son, but she knew that even if Shang Bin gave in and begged, the Gu family would never give them a tent.
They had no money and no ability to catch fish like Ran Qingxuan. All they could do was watch as the officials gave them the mixed vegetable buns every day.
The Li family members were also unable to sleep due to the cold. Li Xinyuan originally thought that Li Si would make a big fuss, or even beg them to pay money to ask the Gu family for help, but he didn't expect her to just lie there quietly.
Li Xinyuan felt emotional about this, thinking that his daughter had finally grown up through lessons.
Those who had stayed in tents all night were grateful to Ran Qingxuan from the bottom of their hearts. After getting up, several families were all energetic and had rosy complexions. Even the officers couldn't help but sigh that this was the first time they had slept so soundly in the wild since they had been escorted.
Without waiting for the Gu family to take action, several families cooperated with each other to pack up and put away the tents. Ran Qingxuan also knew that they were repaying their kindness with actions, so he let them go.
Since he had promised Bu Wei last night to catch enough fish for two meals, Gu Yanchen took on the job, and Ran Qingxuan and his second sister-in-law stayed behind to make breakfast.
Bu Wei didn't think about having a free meal early in the morning, so he just got some food and waited for the Gu family to pack the fish before setting off.
Who would have thought that the Li family team, who had just woken up, would suddenly let out a shrill scream.
The officers looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhao Chunxiu pushing Li Yuan, who was lying on the ground, like a madman. When they rushed over, they were shocked by the scene before them.
Bu Fei subconsciously wanted to call Ran Qingxuan to come over and take a look, but was stopped by Qian Zheng's eyes.
All that could be heard was a series of suppressed roars coming from Zhao Chunxiu's throat. She was so grief-stricken that she kept pounding the ground.
"Why, why must my son's life be taken? Why!"
"Yuan'er, my poor Yuan'er!"
There was a cut of about ten centimeters on Li Yuan's neck. The wound was turned outward and looked hideous. Li Yuan's whole body had turned gray and white, and he had been dead for a long time.
Li Xinyuan knelt beside Li Yuan in a daze. At that moment, he seemed to have aged ten years and looked very dazed.
Ran Qingxuan also heard the noise. He walked forward and just one look revealed that there was no hope.
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