Chapter 401 - 401: Chased Away

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Laidi,” Li Yu interrupted Laidi. “I’m not the closest person to you. I’m just your cousin. You have to understand that Aunt and Uncle are the closest people to you. You don’t even listen to your parents’ words and feel that they’re targeting you and looking down on the man you found. Are my words more important than your parents’ words? Laidi, touch your heart and ask yourself if Aunt and Uncle are really that unreasonable. Did they not like your Fengqi from the beginning? If you’re here to catch up with me, your cousin, I welcome you. If it’s anything else, you don’t have to mention it.”

Laidi looked at Li Yu and didn’t expect her to reject her directly. She looked at Li Yu in a daze and couldn’t say anything.

Li Yu glanced at Laidi’s stunned expression and couldn’t bear to see her like this. She said earnestly, “Laidi, don’t think that others are targeting you. You have to think about why it’s the same you, yet everyone’s attitude towards you is so different from the past. You have to think about what you did wrong. You have to look at the problem from the other party’s perspective. I believe that with your intelligence, you’ll understand after thinking about it. Also, we have to take things one step at a time.”

When Laidi heard this, she thought to herself that her cousin was the same as Ah Qing. They were both on her mother’s side. Even her tone was the same as her mother’s. However, how could her high and mighty cousin understand her heart…

Laidi looked at Li Yu in disappointment and shouted, “Cousin, I don’t understand. Is it wrong for me to want to live a more dignified life? Why do you think like my mother that I can only marry those sweaty villagers or merchant families with abacuses? I also want to be as high and mighty as you and be envied by others. Is there anything wrong with that? Fengqi also has the ability to let me live a good life. Cousin, please let Cousin-in-law guide him. Why should my mother stop you and Ah Qing from helping us?”

Was this still the Laidi who had shouted that she wanted to be the head shopkeeper and said she could live a good life on her own? When did this child become so self-righteous and vain? Li Yu looked at Laidi in disappointment. No wonder her aunt and uncle were so disappointed in her. Compared to the days when they didn’t have enough food to eat and didn’t have enough clothes to cover their body, Phoenix Village was now protected by the Four Seas Bank and the Zhou family. Everyone could live and work in peace. If someone sheltered her, she would also want to live like that.

Li Yu looked at Laidi and finally understood what it meant to be greedy. She looked at Laidi coldly. “Why did Aunt stop Ah Qing and me from helping you? You have to ask yourself. Also, why should Ah Qing and I help you? Let me tell you, helping you is a favor, but not helping you is my duty. I’m not your Heavenly Ladder. The kind of life you want is your business. You don’t need others’ approval. Leave! Don’t come to my house again.”

Laidi panicked when she heard Li Yu’s words. “Cousin, I didn’t mean that. I…”

Li Yu looked at Laidi and said calmly, “I know what you mean. It’s useless to say anything else. Xing Hua, send the guest off!”

Seeing that Laidi had angered Li Yu, Xing Hua walked up to her angrily. “Miss

Cousin, please.”

Seeing Li Yu’s expression, Laidi knew that it was useless no matter what she said. She regretted being so brainless to say what she was thinking.

Laidi arrived at the outer courtyard dejectedly. When Li Fengqi saw Laidi’s expression, he knew that something bad had happened. The couple came out of the Zhou family and got into the carriage to head back.

Li Fengqi looked at her and asked, “Did you tell your cousin? What did she say?”

Laidi didn’t dare to tell him that Li Yu had chased her away, so she could only make things up. “Cousin’s family just arrived and haven’t sorted out the matters at home. Seeing that she’s busy, I’m too embarrassed to talk about it.

Let’s do so in a few days!”

Li Fengqi heaved a sigh of relief. “From the looks of it, I thought you were chased out by your cousin.”

Laidi turned to look out of the window and said quietly to herself, “Didn’t I get chased out? How can my cousin say no so directly? She doesn’t leave anyone any leeway. Mother, what did I do wrong to help my husband? Why aren’t you willing to put in a good word for me?”

When Zhou Jia and Li Qing returned home, they told Li Yu about the marriage proposal to the Fan family. Zhou Jia looked at Li Yu worriedly. “We don’t have any good friends in the capital. Who should we invite to propose marriage to Ah Qing?”

Li Yu smiled and said, “What’s there to worry about? You’re Ah Qing’s teacher and brother-in-law. Wouldn’t it be better if you personally went to propose marriage?”

“You’re the one who deals with things cleanly. While there are still a few days, let’s quickly settle Ah Qing’s matter and Zhao Cai’s matter so that I can report to the Ministry of Revenue.” When Zhou Jia mentioned reporting, he suddenly remembered that he still didn’t know where Li Qing worked. He turned to look at Li Qing. “Ah Qing, have you decided where you’ll work?”

Li Qing smiled and nodded. “It’s fixed. I’ll be a seventh-grade editor at Hanlin Academy.”

Zhou Jia smiled and said, “Good kid, work hard and fight to stay in office.”

“Yes, Brother-in-law.” Li Qing looked at Li Yu again and said, “Sister, Aunt also said that after I obtain the scholarly title, I’ll make a trip back to West

Mountain Village and move the graves of our grandparents and parents to Phoenix Village. In the future, Phoenix Village will be our root. What do you think?”

Li Yu nodded. “That’s good. Father and the others originally fled to West Mountain Village from other places. Phoenix Village’s environment is better than that of West Mountain Village. How’s Brother Pig doing with his studies? Can that child study?”

Li Qing smiled at the mention of Brother Pig. “That child is very smart but mischievous. When he was studying in school, he was often slapped in the palm by his teacher who complained about him. Once, he angered Aunt so much that she fainted. He was so frightened that, from then on, he became much more sensible. If he could calm down and study, someone should be able to change the Liu family’s path.”

“I asked Ruyi to ask Aunt and Uncle. We’ll know the outcome when Ruyi comes back. Go and ask for marriage and also check on Zhao Cai. Settle it quickly while you’re free these few days. Remember to invite a teacher for Yang’er.” After Zhou Jia agreed, he brought Li Qing to propose marriage.

Li Yu watched the two of them leave and felt that they had just gotten familiar with one place in the past few years and had started to move. In this era, they had to travel a long way every time they moved. It was simply too tiring to travel for a few months. Li Yu sighed to herself. “Sigh! I hope it’s settled this time and we don’t have to move again.”

Zhou Jia and Li Qing had just walked through the door when Uncle Liu walked in. “Master, someone from the palace said that he’s here to announce the decree. ”

Zhou Jia hurriedly said, “Zhao Cai, quickly invite him in. I’ll go back and prepare to receive the decree.”

Just as Zhou Jia returned to the main courtyard and was ready with Li Yu, Zhao Cai brought Shen Zhong in. Zhou Jia smiled when he saw Shen Zhong. “General

Shen, long time no see.”

Shen Zhong cupped his fists and said with a smile, “Lord Zhou, Madam Li, I’m here today to read the empress dowager’s decree and the emperor’s decree. I shouldn’t have come to announce them, but I thought that we hadn’t seen each other for a long time, so I snatched Eunuch Zheng’s emissary.”

After the couple cupped their fists at Shen Zhong, they knelt down and kowtowed to accept the decrees. Shen Zhong read the empress dowager’s decree which was an invitation to Li Yu to the palace two days later. Zhou Jia also would also enter the palace two days later. One of them would meet the emperor, and the other would meet the emperor’s mother..