In the past, Madam Zhou had Li Shu completely under her control. Li Shu had never been the type to lie, nor dared to lie, so Madam Zhou never imagined she would face a situation like this.
Li Shu sat there, eyes wet with tears, wanting to cry but not daring to, her mouth slightly open as she whined softly: “Maybe… I was… bitten by ants… I-I’m fine…”
“…” Madam Zhou’s mouth twitched twice.
This girl… she’s acting like she’s dying!
Who is she putting on this act for?
Madam Zhou quickly glanced around, feeling guilty: “I didn’t touch you—”
The neighbors let out awkward chuckles, as if they had caught Madam Zhou in a secret, making her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Li Shu raised her hand, signaling Madam Zhou to help her up. Madam Zhou wanted to pull her harshly, but after what just happened, she didn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of the neighbors, so she held back.
In reality, everyone knew she and this stepdaughter were at odds. In earlier years, she had beaten the girl many times.
But in recent years, things had changed. As her children grew up and marriage arrangements came into play, a reputation for being excessively fierce could cost extra silver to marry a daughter, and the daughter herself would have difficulty negotiating with her in-laws. So, Madam Zhou had learned to restrain herself in public.
Li Shu’s wrist rested lightly on Madam Zhou’s hand. The frail gesture made Madam Zhou instinctively bend down, but the action made her feel subtly wronged—as if, despite being the elder, she had become a servant to this “little girl.”
I’ll deal with her when we get home! Madam Zhou silently vowed.
Soon, they entered the house.
As soon as the door shut, Madam Zhou was about to shake her off, but Li Shu had already withdrawn her hand and straightened her posture slightly.
The Li family wasn’t poor. Their two-compound courtyard and the dozens of acres they rented out should have ensured that the original mistress, even if not living like a proper young lady, would not go hungry.
But in fact, the original mistress had been the family’s little slave since childhood.
She did all the laundry and cooking, suffering physically and mentally.
She was scolded and mistreated, yet never seemed to please anyone. Madam Zhou often spoke ill of her outside the home, calling her picky, difficult, dark-minded, and socially awkward. Over time, children in the alleys avoided playing with her.
Outsiders could see that Madam Zhou treated A-Li poorly, but they never spoke up—and for a reason.
A-Li had long had a reputation for being silent and cold. Under the exaggerations of Madam Zhou and Li Chutian, the girl appeared pitiful, but not entirely innocent.
People said she was unfeeling, stole the household’s silver, deliberately broke the younger siblings’ belongings, and sometimes secretly dirtied the rice jars or oil containers… Whenever something went wrong in the house, the blame fell on her.
After enough incidents, outsiders assumed the Li couple needed to discipline her. Even if Madam Zhou occasionally went too far, it seemed deserved.
Li Shu had just returned from a major grievance, so she could maintain a brief facade of weakness.
“Just because you spent one night in prison, you think you’ve grown clever? Just now, acting all sly outside—I could’ve thought I beat you myself! You little brat! Your father was right—you’ve gone bad!” Madam Zhou glared at her, furious. “Do you realize how much trouble you caused for the family? The court even made us pay silver to the Qi family! We raised you all these years—you didn’t repay us as a daughter, and now you drag us into trouble! What sin did I commit to have such a daughter?!”
“It’s just silver. I have a way to make sure you don’t lose out,” Li Shu said casually, casting her a glance.
Madam Zhou froze, then fell silent. “What way?”
“If the Qi family had no one left, you wouldn’t need to pay the silver, right?” Li Shu said matter-of-factly.
Those words made Madam Zhou shiver. “W-what do you mean by that?”
“The Qi family has few relatives. Qi Yanfeng is gone, and his mother is alone. If you don’t want to pay the silver, just quietly deal with her—problem solved, right?” Li Shu continued nonsense. “Another way is for you and my father to throw yourselves into the river with the three children. Death cancels debts—one and done.”
She finished speaking and grinned at Madam Zhou.
Madam Zhou had expected some reasonable words from her, but this nonsense was outrageous, making her furious.
Yet she was not one to be trifled with, and she could not tolerate her stepdaughter stepping on her. She shouted angrily: “Your mouth is sharp, but don’t think that just because you spent one night in prison, saw the county magistrate, and have Captain Ma backing you, you’re impressive. I’ll tell you—Yao family and Ma family are in conflict now. Your marriage is completely ruined. In the future… if you don’t want your father and I to marry you off to some widower as a secondary wife, you better behave!”
“I can get one murder case, so I can get a second one too,” Li Shu retorted fearlessly. “Go ahead, try it.”
Madam Zhou’s heart tightened. She thought of Qi Yanfeng’s death and felt unease.
In this small town, apart from the military families, who dared kill someone?
Yet A-Li did it, and came out of the yamen completely intact!
“You… tonight, no dinner for you! Let’s see how tough your bones really are!” Madam Zhou spat, full of hatred.
She wanted to strike, but this little brat had changed. Just now, she had pretended to be weak at the gate. If Madam Zhou hit her, Li Shu could easily trick others into seeing it—she couldn’t leave evidence!
Dealing with a little girl like this required finesse. Madam Zhou had plenty of methods.
Li Shu didn’t continue arguing with Madam Zhou and returned to her room.
Her room was in the far west corner, small, with only a few sets of old clothes.
The Li family couldn’t let her live luxuriously. Even if she knew how to avoid losing out, Madam Zhou fussed, Li Chutian was selfish, and the three half-siblings weren’t easy to deal with. Arguing with them daily would be a huge hassle.
Her household registration was in the Li family. Without it, her movement would be restricted. She had to think of a permanent solution.
Li Shu rested in her room for a while. Soon, Madam Zhou’s three children returned.
Madam Zhou’s eldest son was just under two years younger than Li Shu, ate a lot, grew strong, and had learned some martial training from the military household, planning to become a city guard in a couple of years. The thirteen-year-old daughter was delicate, raised like a flower, pretty and refined. The youngest, eleven, had been studying from a young age and was most favored by Li Chutian.
Though still young, the three were used to treating Li Shu like a beast of burden, always bossing her around.
“Mother, I heard the fool came back? Perfect! Have her come out. I’ve gathered a lot of dirty clothes these past few days for her to wash. By the way, my friends are curious how she managed to turn the tables on Qi Yanfeng. Tomorrow, I’ll bring her along outside so they can see,” said the eldest son, Li Linsheng.