Lü Jiefang’s face turned green from being retorted against. She stood up and pointed at the strikingly handsome young man, scolding, “Zhu Liyue is just a concubine, yet you dare look down on my Mo Shu? You’re nothing but someone who can’t even stand in refined society!”
The young man was not angry at all. Calm and composed, he replied, “Second Grandma, your words are mistaken again. Although my mother is a concubine, our eldest mother has always treated us brothers as her own. It’s nothing like the chaos in your household.”
“You—!” Lü Jiefang was so furious she stamped her foot.
“Enough. We’re all family. Why argue?” At that moment, the Old Master spoke to stop them.
Lü Jiefang fell silent and glanced at him, not daring to act out in front of him.
Just when it seemed the argument was over, the Old Master continued reprimanding, “And you, Jiefang. Your mind is as narrow as the tip of a needle—don’t assume others are the same. You’re an elder, how can you argue with children?”
“Master…” Lü Jiefang felt deeply wronged.
“Be quiet. If you can’t behave, go back to your courtyard!”
Lü Jiefang: “……”
She understood that although the Old Master appeared to be fair, his heart had always been with the main branch. In his eyes, the second branch was nothing more than air!
Suppressing her anger, Lü Jiefang stood up and left with her people.
The large courtyard fell silent again.
Wanwan sat in the Old Madam’s arms, blinking her lively eyes as she curiously observed the two young men.
The Old Master pointed at the tall, refined young man in black. “Wanwan, this is your eldest brother, Li Mocheng.”
Li Mocheng looked at the little girl’s soft, chubby face—fair and tender like two fluffy buns—and couldn’t help reaching out to gently brush her cheek with his fingertips.
Wanwan immediately burrowed into the Old Madam’s arms. Her big eyes darted around, and her lips pouted slightly—she was clearly shy.
“Wanwan, quickly greet your eldest brother. We should be polite, right?” The Old Madam chuckled at her bashful reaction.
Beside them, the Old Master’s gaze was also filled with warmth. “She must have been frightened earlier. In the future, let her have less contact with those from the second branch.”
The Old Madam nodded seriously.
After a moment, Wanwan’s shyness passed. She turned back to look at Li Mocheng.
Big brother was so tall! She stretched out her tiny hand, trying to mimic his earlier gesture and touch his face—but she couldn’t even reach his sleeve.
“Oh my, this clever little one—won’t greet him but wants to be held instead?”
The one speaking was the other handsome young man in a floral shirt. He walked over to Li Mocheng and spread his arms toward Wanwan, smiling charmingly with a hint of coaxing.
“Call me second brother, and I’ll hold you, how about that?”
Seeing the unfamiliar but handsome face so close, Wanwan blushed again.
She hid back in the Old Madam’s arms, shyly curling her lips as if playing hide-and-seek.
“Why are only you two back? Where’s your father and your younger brothers?” the Old Master asked.
Li Mocheng replied respectfully, “Father went to pick up Fifth Aunt. As for Third Brother and the others, they should be arriving soon…”
As soon as he finished speaking—
Li Lixuan entered with the main wife and several concubines. Since Zhang Nan was the newest, she followed behind the others, and behind her were the rest of Li Lixuan’s children.
Seeing so many people suddenly fill the room, Wanwan froze.
Then she spotted Zhang Nan in the crowd. Her face lit up, and she called out brightly, “Mommy!”
Zhang Nan was startled and embarrassed. Bound by household rules, she gently shook her head, signaling Wanwan not to speak out of turn.
The Old Madam softly comforted her, “Wanwan, you can find your mother later. Let’s first meet those you haven’t seen yet…”
Next, the Old Madam pointed to a middle-aged woman standing beside Li Lixuan. She wore a dark green qipao, her black hair neatly tied up, her features sharp and serious when she wasn’t smiling.
“This is your eldest mother.”
“Eldest Mother,” Wanwan greeted obediently, sensing the tense atmosphere and no longer hiding shyly.
“Such a good girl. Behind her is your First Aunt—she is your second brother’s birth mother.” The Old Madam pointed to Zhu Liyue, then to the second brother, Li Mobing.
Following her gaze, Wanwan saw it was the same handsome young man. Looking at Zhu Liyue, she found her even more beautiful and sweetly called out, “First Aunt.”
“This is your Second Aunt…”
“Second Aunt.”
In this way, every time the Old Madam introduced someone, Wanwan greeted them obediently and tried hard to remember their faces.
When it came to her brothers, she was a bit slower in remembering which mother each belonged to, but in the end, she managed to remember them all.
“Alright, you’ve all met Wanwan. You’ll get to know each other better over time. You may all leave now—Lixuan, stay,” the Old Master said, waving the others away.
They withdrew, leaving Li Lixuan to step forward.
“Father, now that your health has just recovered, have you had another medical checkup?” Li Lixuan asked. He had been developing business in the mainland and rushed back as soon as he heard the news.
“My health is fine. But Wanwan and her mother have just arrived from the mainland and are still unfamiliar with many things here. Tell A Zhen to take good care of them,” the Old Master instructed.
Li Lixuan was puzzled. His father had always disliked favoring concubines over the main wife and led by example—so why was he showing special attention to his newly married fifth concubine now?
His gaze fell on the little girl in his mother’s arms. She was holding a piece of pastry, squinting happily as she ate like a little glutton.
For a man who had fathered six sons, this soft, milky little dumpling was irresistible. He couldn’t help but feel his heart soften.
“I understand, Father. Don’t worry—A Zhen has never been jealous. Even if I don’t say anything, she will treat them well.”
“Good. Then you may leave.”
Just as the Old Master was about to reach out to the Old Madam, Li Lixuan didn’t move.
“Father…” He smiled sheepishly. “I just got back and haven’t held the child yet. Can I hold her before I go?”
The Old Master’s face darkened instantly. “I haven’t even had my turn yet. Stand aside!”
Li Lixuan: “……”
…
The afternoon sun slanted across the sky, no longer as harsh as at noon.
Wanwan woke up to the chirping of swallows, let out a small yawn, rubbed her eyes, and sat up from the soft couch.
“That old woman from the second branch has been scolding all afternoon—so noisy!”
“The temperamental girl from the second branch broke a vase and even cut her own hand.”
“Serves her right, serves her right!”
“Ah! The big demon king is here—run!”
The swallows outside scattered all at once.
Just as Wanwan walked to the doorway, her path was suddenly blocked by a pair of long legs.
She tilted her head up and saw a young boy with a cold expression, his brows tightly furrowed as if covered in frost. She recognized him as her third brother, the son of the eldest mother.
Wanwan’s lips curled into a sweet smile as she was about to greet him—
A gust of wind swept past her eyes, and she instinctively blinked.
Her third brother had disappeared?
At that moment, behind Wanwan—
Li Moying turned his head, looking at the little girl searching for him in confusion. A trace of disdain flickered in his cold eyes.