Chapter 345: When the Gourd is Pressed, Another Rises

Old Lady Li, sporting two dark circles under her eyes, nevertheless set to work with her daughters-in-law packing their grandsons' belongings.Jia Yin also took this opportunity to gather her brothers...At this moment, Li Lao Si also found his third brother and quickly stopped the car. He rushed forward a few steps, grabbed the reins, and protected his third brother as he safely dismounted. "Third brother, how did you ride a horse Why didn't you take a carriage What if you get hurt"

Li Laosan finally got his feet on the ground, and his complexion improved somewhat. But remembering something, he quickly asked, “Where’s mother Has she arrived”

"Here they are, right in the carriage!" Li Lao Si pointed to the horse-drawn carriage. The window opened, revealing the faces of an elderly woman and a young girl—Li Lao Tai and Jia Yin.

"Mother!" Li Lao San, like a child who had been bullied, found his mother and rushed over to cry.

"Mother, son came home and caused trouble, now he is locked up!"

The old woman's face changed, and Li Lao Si even exploded with anger, "Who turned off the family celebration, what on earth is going on"

The old woman also pushed open the car door and called her son in, "Old Three, take your time and talk. There's still our family to rely on if anything happens. Don't be afraid."

Jia Yin also quickly handed the water gourd to her third uncle, “Third Uncle, drink some water.”

Li Lao San gulped down a few mouthfuls, sobered up a little, and said, "Mother, actually I don't know exactly what happened. Just now, Zhao Ru and I were busy picking vegetables, Jia Huan went to the academy for a stroll, and on the way, he brought some baked cakes to Jia Ren. Recently, Jia Ren has been very busy with his studies, and he doesn't come back for lunch. Jia Huan was afraid he would be hungry."

As a result, Jiahuan hadn't returned home for a long time. I stood at the door and looked around. A woman from the academy walked out and barged in. She glared at me and said fiercely that Jiahuan had been secretly involved with the daughter of the academy master's family and was now being held captive. She demanded an explanation from our family, threatening to report Jiahuan to the authorities if we didn't cooperate!

The old woman frowned deeply, always feeling that something was amiss. "Jiahuan is a steady child and shouldn't do anything disgraceful, but young love could cause him to be smitten with some girl…"

Li Laosan nodded vigorously, “Mother, the boy is hardworking and never talks back. He’s not a bad child! But that woman keeps saying he's having an affair, and we can’t do anything about it. We have to hurry home and ask for your advice.”

"Are you saying this woman keeps claiming an affair" The old woman seized upon the key point. "What's her husband's last name"

"Mother, his surname is Peng. He's the tutor for Jiren." Li Laosan quickly said, "I've met this man a few times. He's quite famous in the academy."

“So it’s Mr. Peng then, this is much easier.” Li Laotai let out a sigh of relief and instructed Li Laosi, “You ride into the city to have a look. When Mr. Wen finishes his duties, if he has some free time, invite him over here. If he’s busy, just wait until evening, and ask him to come after work.”

Li Laosì immediately responded and mounted his horse, riding away.

Li Laosan, having found his bearings, also hurried back to his shop in a carriage.

The clicking sound of Jia Yin's abacus echoed in her mind. She realized that the silk ribbon given to her by Jia Huan's brother must have been crafted by the daughter of this Mr. Peng.

She was still thinking about finding an opportunity to come over and check the situation, but she didn't expect things to escalate so quickly.

And, the fact that Aunt Peng speaks so freely without any regard for others shows that the Peng family is probably not easy to get along with.

But Jiaren brother had said when he came back home before, this Mr. Peng was witty and knowledgeable, very beloved by the students. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have taught a servant to be so unrestrained and disregard his own young mistress's reputation.

Unless...

She had a flash of inspiration and quickly leaned into her grandmother's ear, whispering a few words.

The old woman's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but chuckle as she patted her granddaughter's hand. "You have such a sharp mind, just like me! You really think alike."

Jia Yin giggled and hugged her grandmother's neck, "Grandma is the best! I learned everything from you!"

The old woman kissed her granddaughter and sighed, "It's like water that never stops flowing. There's always something going on in this house, one thing after another. When will you all grow up, and then grandma won't have to worry about you anymore."

"No, no!" Jia Yin wriggled in her grandmother's arms, acting coquettishly, "Even if Fu Niuer is a hundred years old, Grandma still has to worry about Fu Niuer!"

"Silly girl, when you are a hundred years old, grandma will have been reincarnated many times over. How could she possibly care about you then!"

The old woman was amused by her granddaughter's coaxing and laughed heartily, her mood improving considerably.

Li Lao San was driving ahead and heard his mother's laughter, which completely baffled him. He couldn't understand why his mother was so happy when disaster was looming.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the door of the shop. Zhao Yu-ru cried with red eyes. As soon as she saw her mother, she rushed forward and burst into tears again, "Mother, woo woo, you're finally here! Mother, quickly save Jihuan, he's in big trouble and was locked up."

The old woman glanced around. It turned out that people on both sides had heard the noise and came out to take a look.

She pulled her daughter-in-law inside and scolded, "Shut up, it's just a small matter, what are you panicking about Go to the backyard and talk!"

Although Zhao Yuru was scolded, her heart strangely calmed down. She quickly hugged her niece and went into the backyard.

Under the eaves of the east wing in the backyard was a set of tables and chairs, originally where the family ate their meals.

At this moment, a gray-clad woman sat beside the table, idly cracking melon seeds with her feet up. The plate of snacks was empty, showing that she had eaten quite a bit.

Seeing Zhao Yuru help the old woman in, the woman not only didn't stand up but also glanced at them disdainfully and asked loudly: "Well, has the head of your household arrived Then quickly tell us, how do you intend to handle this!"

"Don't blame me for not warning you, our mistress is very angry. You haven't shown sincerity, and our mistress is going to have the cook who seduced our young lady sent to the government office for punishment. At that time, he will either be banished or serve ten to twenty years of hard labor. Don't blame our family for not giving you a heads-up beforehand!"

Zhao Yuru's arms were trembling, and tears welled up in her eyes.

A son is the apple of his mother's eye, she would rather die herself than have her son sent to labor in exile.

The old woman patted her hand and whispered a few words in her ear.

Zhao Yuru was stunned and wanted to speak, but the old woman pushed her, "Go quickly, the more carefully, the better."

Zhao Yuru could only nod and hurried out the door.

The midwife had some suspicions and was about to speak, but the old woman had already sat across from her, her expression full of worry. She pleaded softly, "Elder sister, you saw it too, we're just a humble family. It's not easy raising one child, let alone letting him be destroyed like this."

"Old lady, please help us. What can we do to make amends for our child We mustn't let this go to the magistrate! "

The old woman had been somewhat worried because Zhao Yuru had left, but now, listening to Li Lao's words, she was completely at ease, her face beaming with satisfaction.

After a long while, she finally put on a stern face and said, "This matter isn't without solution. Your son has been secretly communicating with my daughter, and I caught them! Besides, our madam is afraid of upsetting the old master, so she hasn't told him about this yet."

“That’s wonderful!” the old woman exclaimed, chanting sutras happily. “Little sister, please tell me, how can we ask Madam to show mercy As long as we keep this secret from outsiders and protect your young lady’s reputation, my child can return safely. We are willing to do anything.” around. Before he could even think of a plan, Chen Chuan had already lunged forward and grabbed his collar fiercely."Second brother, you say! Did mother die because of you Was it you who sent Chen He...