The refined servants of the grand estate led the four visitors straight into the main reception hall. The moment she sat down, Wang Dani completely ignored all sense of courtesy and immediately began stuffing pastries into her mouth one after another.
After wiping the grease from her lips, she snapped her fingers at a passing maidservant.
“Do you have any more of these sweet cakes? We left the village before sunrise to escort your family’s young miss back home, and I haven’t even had the chance to eat a proper meal yet!”
At that exact moment, Qin Lixin stepped into the hall.
The sight of these crude countryside relatives instantly filled her with disgust, but she maintained a flawless smile as she turned toward the servants.
“What are all of you standing around for? Hurry and prepare a proper banquet for our honored guests from the countryside. Honestly, do none of you possess even basic common sense?”
Wang Dani immediately grinned smugly, completely failing to notice the mockery hidden beneath Qin Lixin’s words.
“Ah, Madame truly has a kind heart toward us poor country folk.”
Li Xiyue and Zhu Qingshan exchanged a quiet glance.
Did this woman seriously intend to pretend they didn’t exist?
“Madame Li,” Zhu Qingshan said politely as he stepped forward. “My name is Zhu Qingshan from Zhu Family Village. May I ask whether Master Li is currently at home? I specifically came today to pay my respects.”
As he spoke, he handed over a modest gift package containing tea leaves and local specialties.
Qin Lixin casually swept her eyes over the cheap gifts with obvious disdain.
A poor farmer actually thinks he’s qualified to meet the master of this house?
“The Master is currently out handling business matters,” Qin Lixin lied smoothly.
In reality, Li Dong was resting comfortably inside the inner courtyard, but she had no intention of allowing random peasants into the manor to disturb him.
“If you have something important to say, you may tell me instead. I’ll pass the message along later.”
“Then I’ll trouble Madame,” Zhu Qingshan replied calmly, completely unaffected by her arrogance. “I came today because during the incident at the village pond, I accidentally damaged Miss Li’s reputation. I wish to formally ask for Master Li’s forgiveness and request permission to marry his daughter.”
Qin Lixin nearly laughed out loud.
Although she despised Li Xiyue and wanted her gone as soon as possible, she had never imagined marrying her off to a peasant. Even if she agreed, Li Dong’s pride would never allow a farmer to become his son-in-law.
Then suddenly, a thought struck her.
Wouldn’t this actually solve everything perfectly?
Though Zhu Qingshan was poor, he was tall, handsome, and carried himself well. If she could push Li Xiyue into marrying him, she would never have to see that irritating stepdaughter again.
More importantly, once Li Xiyue was sent away to live in poverty in the mountains, the entire Li estate would belong solely to her precious son, Li Xizheng.
This marriage absolutely had to happen.
Her expression instantly softened.
“Since the situation is somewhat delicate, you should return for now,” Qin Lixin said gently. “I’ll discuss the matter with the Master and send you a formal answer later.”
Then she glanced toward Li Xiyue.
The girl stood there silently with her head lowered, looking timid and weak as always.
Qin Lixin immediately relaxed.
Good. Still easy to control.
She deliberately sighed and rubbed her temples as though exhausted.
Under normal circumstances, any sensible guest would understand that they were being dismissed.
Unfortunately, Wang Dani possessed no such awareness.
“Madame, you must understand our hardship!” she complained loudly. “Xiyue lived under our roof for three whole years. My husband and I spent endless effort taking care of her! And because of her recent nonsense, we even had to spend silver repairing a broken bedroom door! Life in the countryside is hard enough already, and now everyone’s talking about disasters and famine. How are we supposed to survive?”
Qin Lixin was already desperate to get rid of her.
She immediately signaled for a maid to bring over a ten-tael silver ingot before turning and leaving the hall.
At this point, she had completely abandoned her original plan of marrying Li Xiyue off to the elderly restaurant owner. Sending the girl to become a poor farmer’s wife was far more satisfying.
Meanwhile, the moment Qin Lixin disappeared from sight, Wang Dani sneered at the silver in her hand.
“Hmph. Rich people are the stingiest of all. She thinks ten taels is enough to send us away like beggars?”
Zhu Tiezhu hurriedly covered his wife’s mouth and dragged her outside before she managed to offend someone enough to lose even that silver.
As they walked toward the gate, Zhu Qingshan quietly spoke to Li Xiyue.
“Your stepmother clearly has her own agenda. Right now, she probably believes marrying you to a poor farmer is a far crueler fate than marrying that old merchant. You don’t need to worry about the household politics. Just wait peacefully for my formal betrothal procession.”
After speaking, he disappeared into the crowded streets.
Left alone, Li Xiyue relied on the original owner’s memories to make her way toward her old courtyard.
“Tsk. This place is practically abandoned.”
She pushed open the old wooden gate, which creaked loudly under her hand.
“So this is where they drove poor Zhu Muyin insane.”
Dust and spiderwebs covered every corner of the courtyard, but Li Xiyue quickly noticed that the furniture and woodwork were made from expensive materials. With proper cleaning, the place would actually be quite decent.
Of course, she had no intention of cleaning it herself.
That was something the original owner would have done.
The moment she shut the bedroom door, she immediately summoned the cloth bundle from her pocket dimension.
Her heart pounded violently with anticipation as she untied the knots.
The instant the cloth opened, brilliant golden light nearly blinded her.
Gold.
Solid gold bullion.
Li Xiyue almost screamed with excitement.
“I’m rich! I’m absolutely rich!”
Judging by the weight, there were at least fifteen or sixteen catties of gold inside.
Under the current dynasty’s currency system, one tael of gold equaled ten taels of silver.
This meant the entire stash was worth at least fifteen hundred taels of silver.
A luxurious courtyard residence in the county only cost around seventy or eighty taels.
Old Master Zhu Shou had truly left behind an enormous fortune.
As she reached deeper into the empty bag, her fingers brushed against a folded piece of parchment.
It was the legal deed to the Zhu family estate back in Zhu Family Village.
The excitement in Li Xiyue’s heart slowly faded, replaced by melancholy.
The depth of a parent’s love truly knew no bounds.
After realizing too late that he had welcomed a heartless wolf like Li Dong into the family, Zhu Shou had hidden away this fortune in secret so that his daughter and granddaughter would still have a chance to survive in the future.
When dinner time arrived, Li Xiyue finally met her biological father again.
Although nearly forty years old, Li Dong remained remarkably handsome. His face was smooth and refined, making it obvious why Zhu Muyin had fallen so deeply in love with him back then.
Seated around the table were Qin Lixin and her two children.
Li Dong glanced coldly at his eldest daughter.
Her face resembled Zhu Muyin more and more with each passing year, and looking at her only reminded him of the humiliating days he had once spent living as a son-in-law in the Zhu family household.
“I’ve already discussed your situation with your Aunt Qin,” Li Dong said indifferently. “Although that young man is merely a farmer, he did save your life. If rumors about the pond incident spread, your reputation will be ruined, and it could affect your younger siblings’ marriage prospects as well. Therefore, I’ve agreed to this marriage.”
He waved his hand impatiently.
“Spend the next few weeks preparing your wedding clothes. The sooner you marry and leave the city, the better.”
Li Xiyue instantly pinched her arm hard enough to bring tears to her eyes.
She grabbed Li Dong’s sleeve desperately.
“Father! That village is unbearably poor! During these three years, I barely had enough food or warm clothes! I had to wash clothes, cook, and do endless labor every day, and Aunt Wang constantly beat and scolded me! Father, I’m your daughter too! Please don’t force me back there!”
Looking at her crying face, Li Dong hesitated slightly.
After all, she was still his first child.
Sensing his wavering, Qin Lixin immediately stepped in.
“My dear child,” she said gently, “your father is doing this for your own good. Given your current reputation, no respectable merchant family in the county would agree to marry you now. At least the Zhu family lives in your late mother’s ancestral village. You already know them well.”
Then she added the final push.
“Besides, your mother and grandfather are buried there. Since our family rarely travels back to the village, marrying into Zhu Family Village means you’ll finally be able to care for their graves personally.”
Li Xiyue lowered her head and forced herself to appear completely defeated.
“Your Aunt Qin is correct,” Li Dong declared firmly. “This matter is settled.”
“Then… what about my dowry?” Li Xiyue asked softly. “The countryside is poor, and I’ve never done farm work before. If I marry with nothing, how will I survive?”
“Sister,” Li Ximin said sweetly, “once a woman marries, supporting her becomes her husband’s responsibility. Surely a grown man won’t let his own wife starve.”
Li Dong immediately smiled warmly at his younger daughter.
“Your sister is right. We’ll naturally provide a dowry to preserve appearances, but since you’re marrying a farmer, one hundred taels is more than enough.”
Qin Lixin watched Li Xiyue sit there in silent misery and felt utterly delighted.
Normally, she wouldn’t have allowed even a single copper coin to go to the girl, but completely denying a dowry would damage Li Dong’s reputation.
One hundred taels was a small price to permanently get rid of Li Xiyue.
Meanwhile, Li Ximin secretly glared at her younger brother, Li Xizheng, who remained focused entirely on eating roast duck.
Why should that miserable girl receive even a single tael?
Everything in this estate should belong to her and her brother.
After dinner ended, Li Ximin and Li Xizheng immediately returned to their luxurious rooms.
Li Xiyue, however, quietly followed behind Li Dong and Qin Lixin like a ghost.
“Why are you following us?” Li Dong snapped impatiently.
“Father…” Li Xiyue whispered pitifully. “I don’t have anywhere to sleep tonight.”
Li Dong frowned.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Your courtyard is where it’s always been.”
“That courtyard hasn’t been used for three years,” Li Xiyue replied quietly. “It’s full of dust, trash, and rats.”
Li Dong’s expression immediately darkened as he looked toward Qin Lixin.
Internally cursing Li Xiyue, Qin Lixin still maintained her graceful smile.
She immediately turned toward the servants and scolded them harshly.
“You useless fools! The eldest young miss returned home today, and none of you prepared her courtyard? Hurry and clean it immediately! If the eldest Miss is dissatisfied tonight, I’ll deduct half a month’s wages from every servant responsible!”
Terrified of losing money, the servants moved with astonishing speed.
By the time Li Xiyue returned an hour later, the courtyard had been thoroughly cleaned and fresh bedding had been prepared.
Late that night, after Li Dong and Qin Lixin finished their evening activities and fell asleep, Qin Lixin suddenly heard something strange.
A faint, eerie voice drifted through the darkness.
Her blood instantly turned cold.
Shaking violently, she grabbed Li Dong awake.
“Li Dong… wake up…”
The two sat upright in bed as the room seemed to grow colder.
“W-Who’s there?” Li Dong shouted shakily.
Silence.
Then suddenly, Qin Lixin pointed toward the window with trembling fingers.
“Master… look…”
Li Dong followed her gaze.
A floating human-shaped silhouette hovered outside the second-floor window.
“Li Dong…” the hollow voice echoed coldly. “You ruined my life… stole my family property… destroyed my descendants… and abused my only granddaughter…”
“Tonight… your debt must be repaid…”
“Li Dong… give me your life…”
Li Dong nearly collapsed from terror.
“It’s Zhu Shou! Old Master Zhu Shou’s ghost has returned!”
Beside him, Qin Lixin fainted on the spot.
“Father! Father, I was wrong!” Li Dong screamed as he threw himself onto the floor and kowtowed repeatedly.
“I was blind! Please spare me! I swear I’ll treat your granddaughter properly! I’ll prepare a huge dowry for her! I’ll return everything! Please don’t kill me!”
For several minutes, he continued smashing his forehead against the floor.
Finally, the ghostly voice echoed once more.
“You had better keep your promises…”
“Otherwise… I will drag you into the underworld with me…”
“I swear! I swear!” Li Dong cried desperately.
Only after the shadow vanished into the night did he finally collapse weakly onto the floor.
The next morning, Li Dong immediately interrogated every servant and guard stationed nearby.
Yet every single person gave the same answer.
No one had heard or seen anything unusual.
However, the dark circles beneath Li Dong and Qin Lixin’s eyes were undeniable proof of the terror they experienced.
Li Xiyue had spent three peaceful years in the countryside without incident.
Yet the moment she returned home, a vengeful spirit appeared.
There could only be one explanation.
That girl had brought something evil back with her.