Chapter 23: Is that dog hole easy to get into?

Li Qingluo almost lost half her life in that painful ordeal.

Even if she was in perfect health, that ordeal still wore down her body.

Afterwards, although she did not again observe the forty-nine days, Li Kechuan coldly stared at her and said, "Your lowly life is really hard to kill."

At that time she finally knew that her own older brother truly wanted her dead.

He wanted her to die as a burial companion for his beloved younger sister Li Qingzhu, the only one he truly loved.

Unfortunately, Li Qingluo did not die for a long time.

As for Li Qingzhu, let alone her soul being uneasy, she never lost her soul, playing everyone like a fool, and Li Qingluo was even made to lose her life by her.

The worst part is that these people of the Li family actually sweetly accept it, not thinking Li Qingzhu's conduct is wrong in the slightest.

It's truly laughable.

In this life, Li Qingluo feels no guilt over Li Qingzhu's death, which she shouldn't have felt anyway, and she has no expectations whatsoever for these blood relatives.

So, Qu Shi's cold attitude at this moment also did not make her feel disappointed.

Qu Shi only glanced at her, then turned her head away.

"Mother, the daughter-in-law has been busy with Zhu'er's funeral these past few days, so she hasn't had time to settle Lu'er's lodging, thus disturbing your tranquility."

"Fortunately, the daughter-in-law has some free time today, so let her move to Hongfenguan."

Pei Lao Furen heard this and slightly frowned: "Hongfenguan? No one has lived there for over ten years, right?"

Li Qingluo raised her head to look at Qu Shi.

In her previous life, she lived in a dilapidated small courtyard without even a name, only one-fifth the size of Jingci Tang.

In this life, being able to reside in the named Hongfenguan is already an unexpected blessing for Li Qingluo.

Although she knew in her previous life that Hongfenguan was not only dilapidated but also haunted, Li Qingluo, having already died once, would not fear any ghost.

Regardless of what Qu Shi really had in mind, Li Qingluo also made preparations to respond.

Qu Shi's expression flickered with panic: "The daughter-in-law had people repair and clean it before Lu'er returned."

Pei Lao Furen pondered for a moment, then nodded: "You are her birth mother; you would surely not mistreat her, so let it be arranged this way."

Upon hearing Pei Lao Furen's agreement, Qu Shi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

She hastily rose: "Mother, the daughter-in-law will now take her leave."

Qu Shi had come to pay respects to Pei Lao Furen; as she left, she didn't even spare Li Qingluo another glance.

Li Qingluo, however, had to half-crouch to see Qu Shi out.

Pei Lao Furen shook her head, and before Li Qingluo could rise, she suddenly slammed her palm heavily on the nearby table.

"Lu'er, do you realize your mistake?!"

Li Qingluo's heart skipped a beat; she immediately turned to face Pei Lao Furen: "Grandmother, I do not know what I have done to anger you."

Pei Lao Furen let out a cold snort: "That dog hole, can you even crawl into it?!"

Li Qingluo's heart sank; she knelt on both knees: "Lu'er knows her fault."

Pei Lao Furen: Admitting fault is quite quick!

But seeing her act as if it were just an itch, not painful, Pei Lao Furen's anger did not diminish in the slightest.

She continued to pound her fists on the table, angry at her lack of competitiveness, asking: "Why on earth did you do such an outrageous thing?! If it weren't for Zhang Mama noticing something abnormal, going inside and catching Cui Er red-handed, and me realizing this must be your wicked scheme, I would not have spared her skin!"

Li Qingluo: "Grandmother, this matter indeed has nothing to do with Cui Er; I forced her to do it. If you wish to punish, punish me alone."

Cui Er lay on the ground behind Li Qingluo, wailing: "Old Lady, it's all my fault; please don't blame the young lady, just punish me!"

Pei Lao Furen snorted coldly: "You master and servant are now so devoted. You have no one else to use; if I punished her, I would truly be acting as that wicked person."

However, you only have Cui Er by your side, yet when your schemes grow large, you are truly lawless! Que'er!

Following the call, a maid aged thirteen or fourteen walked in from outside.

The maid's name is Que'er, and she looks as fresh and tender as a narcissus flower.

Que'er is the biological granddaughter of Deng Mama; Pei Lao Furen directly bestowed her upon Li Qingluo.

From now on, Que'er will follow you; if your words and deeds are improper, she will report them to me, so that you will have something to fear.

Li Qingluo let out a faint sigh in her heart, but could only reply: "Yes, grandmother."

Pei Lao Furen: "Now you ought to tell me properly—what did you go through all that trouble to sneak out of the Jiangjun Fu to do?"

Li Qingluo raised her head to look at Pei Lao Furen.

After a moment's thought, she chose to be honest: "Grandmother, I wanted to go out to earn some silver. The small box of inferior pearls that the eldest son gave me, I have already sold off."

"You… you actually did it for money?"

Pei Lao Furen looked utterly bewildered: "If you were short on money, you could have told me; I would surely not refuse you. This is indeed my oversight, and your mother never thought of it either. But Lu'er, you are ultimately a young lady—do you understand the danger of such recklessness?"

Li Qingluo: "Grandmother, I dressed as a man, and no one noticed."

Li Qingluo has no pierced ears, her skin is dark, and her eyebrows are naturally grown; if she dressed as a man, it would indeed be hard for anyone to suspect.

But Pei Lao Furen was still furious: "Is anyone discovering your problem? Grandmother said you shouldn't behave like this!"

"If you were discovered, your reputation throughout Jinling would be completely ruined!"

Li Qingluo buried her head: "Grandmother, I don't care about reputation."

Moreover, with Li Kechuan and Zhuang Wei sabotaging her from behind, she wouldn't have a good reputation in Jinling City anyway.

Pei Lao Furen: "…You! Could it be that I've been too protective of you, letting you speak such ungrateful words?!"

Li Qingluo remained silent, but this made Deng Mama and Zhang Mama beside her extremely anxious.

"Young lady, the Old Lady is only worried about you. Hurry up and apologize to her; she doesn't intend to harm you."

Li Qingluo was quite receptive to advice, and indeed did not want to continue angering her grandmother, so she obediently said: "Grandmother, Lu'er truly knows her fault."

Pei Lao Furen, angry and panting, said: "First tell me, what does a woman rely on to stand in the world?"

Li Qingluo sincerely replied: "At home, follow the father; without a father, follow the elder brother; after marriage, follow the husband; when the husband dies, follow the son. But I believe that even as a woman, one should rely more on oneself."

"In this world, fathers, elder brothers, husbands, and children are all beyond one's control — not following the heart, not following the body, not following oneself. Mountains have a day they collapse; the earth also has a day it sinks. Only oneself will never abandon oneself."

"She knelt ramrod straight; her words, though soft and gentle, each character slants into the ear, resonant and forceful, striking straight at the heart."

"Pei Lao Furen gazed at her for a long time."

"\"Luo'er, I've looked into your background and found you, and promised to bring you down the mountain back to the Li family to protect you — not to let your family turn against each other, to drive relatives apart! Grandmother has been through this; how could she not understand the taste of lacking a truly close relative's companionship! \""

"\"Now you have come to believe, deep down, that you cannot rely on your parents, your elder brother… Forget it, I won't mention him, Li Kechuan, but what grudge do your parents and you have against each other? \""

"\"They have merely never properly looked at you, never had any contact with you, yet because of Li Qingzhu's death, they have developed a little involvement of emotion toward you, and thus grown resentful. \""

"\"You feel they're all unreliable, so you want to go out on your own to find a way to make a living. \""

"\"You don't even think — they have just lost Li Qingzhu, and may not yet be able to accept you right away, but you are after all the flesh that fell from their bodies! If you take this opportunity to comfort them, to show your filial devotion as their child, how could they still not accept you, upon seeing you? \""

"\"From now on, I will no longer protect you in this way! \""

"\"Each month, Jingci Tang can give you a stipend; as for your mother's side, I will also have her give you what is due. \""

"\"I will have someone block that dog hole, so you won't even think of running out! \""

"\"Go on down; tomorrow you will move to Hongfenguan. \""