The old lady looked at Li Shi, then at Ye Shuang in Li Shi's arms, and smiled enigmatically: "Well, then sit down. I'll have your sister-in-law prepare a meal for you."
Li Mantian gave half of the only remaining long bench to Li Shi.
After sitting down, Li handed Ye Shuang to Li Wenyi, saying, "Take your sister out to play."
Some things are really not suitable for children to hear.
Li Wenyi, holding Ye Shuang who still seemed a little confused, quickly stepped out of the room and closed the door. If it weren't for the New Year, he really wouldn't want to come to this house even once.
"She's just a lowly girl. Look at your faces. It's not like we're asking you to open your hearts. Do you really think she's a treasure?"
The old lady's shrill voice came out as soon as the door was closed. Although only a few words came out through the door, Ye Shuang, who had excellent hearing, heard them clearly.
"Having taken her in for so many days, shouldn't someone who knows how to repay kindness think of sending some money back?"
...
Li Wenyi quickly carried Ye Shuang away. Ye Shuang hugged Li Wenyi's neck, her face buried in his collar, full of gloom. How dare these lowly ants repeatedly have the idea of selling her into slavery!
The last time she spoke was just a warning, but instead of treating her only remaining granddaughter well, she went even further. Now, her face is deathly pale, and she is definitely not going to have a peaceful end.
Wait... not a peaceful death?
Ye Shuang curled the corners of her lips into a smile with a peculiar meaning. She touched the ring on her hand, thinking, "Why don't I add fuel to the fire and see what fate awaits this old lady!"
Suddenly, a clear, melodious bell rang out from the doorway as it drew near. The sound was extremely pleasant to the ear. Then came an old man in a Taoist robe, with a full head of white hair and even a pure white beard.
He held a piece of wood with a tattered cloth wrapped around it, and only when it fluttered in the wind could one see the words written on it: "The Man of the Heavenly Calculation".
As he walked to the courtyard gate, he looked at Li Mandi, who should have been squatting there, sighed, and shook his head: "What a pity, what a pity!"
Li Mandi looked up and saw that the Taoist priest had a kind face, so he hesitated and said, "My family has no extra grain, only a bowl of water to quench our thirst. Does the Taoist priest need it?"
Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest nodded with a smile and sat down on the steps by the door: "Alright, since you are so kind as to offer me a bowl of water, I will tell you a few words from the heart. You were destined to have two sons and two daughters, and to be blessed with a house full of children and grandchildren. However, someone committed a sin, and the retribution has come upon you. Now you probably have neither son nor daughter left, right?"
Li Mandi, who was about to get up to go back to fetch water, suddenly stopped, his voice filled with panic: "Master Dao, please don't talk nonsense."
The Taoist priest smiled and waved his hand at him, saying, "You should know in your heart whether I'm talking nonsense or not."
Li Mandi didn't want to make a big fuss, so he strode in, picked up a bowl of water, and headed for the door.
Ye Shuang curled the corners of her lips and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, brother, look! There's an old Taoist priest with white hair at the door!"
Li Wenyi didn't even have a chance to stop this little rascal from speaking. Seeing the gaze his uncle was casting, he smiled awkwardly and whispered to Ye Shuang, "Shuang'er, keep your voice down. How do you know he's a Taoist priest?"
It's no use whispering now; Ye Shuang's sweet, childlike voice has successfully made sure everyone in the room hears her.
Including Huang Juan, Li Mandi's wife, in his own room.
When Huang Juan came out, her pale face still bore traces of tears, her half-disheveled hair fluttered in the wind, and her clothes seemed to hang loosely beneath her. She walked unsteadily but still resolutely toward the door.
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