Full House Spring

Chapter 121: Difficult to Achieve Greatness
Kuang Yuru put down the embroidery frame, pinched her fingers, let out a long sigh, and said like a little adult: "Second Aunt is really bad at raising her children. My eldest sister is a girl, and it's okay if she doesn't behave properly and marries far away in the future.

But I think my second brother is unlikely to achieve anything great. If he is a hopeless case, he will definitely bring trouble to my eldest brother and sister-in-law in the future."

Yu's face darkened. She suppressed her anger and said, "Don't even think about it! No matter how high your eldest brother's official position becomes in the future, the West Courtyard should not even think about getting involved. We will separate sooner or later. I won't force you while the old master is still alive. Once the old master is gone, the West Courtyard will get lost as far away as possible!"

Yu and Cui had a long-standing grudge against each other. Although they were both the legal wives and the two wives shouldered the responsibilities of the two families, it was obvious that when Kuang Anping was alive, he favored Cui Jinqiu more and gave her any good things he got in private.

If it weren't for the pressure from the old man, Yu might not have been able to give birth to two sons and a daughter. Her hatred was engraved in her bones. It was impossible for her son to raise Cui Jinqiu's son.

Back then, she had thought about letting Chengrui study for the imperial examinations, but Kuang Anping refused on the grounds that the family was short of money. She could only watch her son fight on the battlefield. Even though Chengrui is now a fourth-rank military officer, she still cannot forgive Kuang Anping in the underworld.

Although Xia Li didn't know why Yu reacted so strongly, she didn't want to deal with the people in the West Courtyard endlessly. She said a few words of comfort and changed the subject to teach Kuang Yuru how to embroider. The little girl didn't have a skilled embroiderer to guide her, so she could only learn some basic needlework from Yu. It was already very good that she could embroider like that.

With a little guidance from Xia Li, she immediately got the hang of it, and the two sisters-in-law got along very well. Yu now had a satisfactory daughter-in-law, her sons had a promising future, and her daughter was also taught by her sister-in-law. She lived a happy life, with a sense of relief as if she had gone through a lot.

Xia Li didn't know what her mother-in-law was thinking. She stayed with Yu Ru for a while and then went back to her own yard. She had a lot of things to do. In addition to being the housekeeper, she also had to worry about the perfume shop. Although there were people doing her work, she still had to make the decisions herself.

Hu Wanyou came to deliver the account book yesterday. She didn't have time to take a closer look at it. As soon as she came back from the East Courtyard, she sat down at the desk and started reading it. The shop in Laizhou made a lot of money, and the initial investment in Kyoto was also not small.

After reading the account book, she began to formulate the next work plan. She didn't need to rush into other skin care products, but let the perfume gain a firm foothold in the high-end market, so that she could go further in the long run.

She revised it several times and finally came up with a satisfactory new plan. Just as she told Shi Mi to keep it, a maid came in with news that the county magistrate of Laizhou, Hu, wanted to see her.

Xia Li was a little dazed. She didn't expect that Hu Yongyun would come back from Kyoto and come to see her specially. Xia Li felt that this meeting would be sooner or later. She was afraid that Hu Yongyun had a lot of feelings in his heart. She didn't know how he avenged Xiao Fengxian.

She stood up and said, "Take County Magistrate Hu to the front hall and send someone to tell the old master. I'll be there in a moment."

The maids took the order and immediately went their separate ways. Shi Mi walked to Xia Li's side, held her arm and said, "Master, I will go with you."

Shi Mi also knew about Xiao Fengxian's affair. Since it involved her old master, she could not help but be more concerned. This was human nature. Xia Li nodded slightly and took her and Nanny Zhou with him.

At this moment, Hu Yongyun was wearing moon-white brocade clothes, standing there looking sad. His only dream in this life was gone, which was a big blow to him. The servants of the Kuang family invited him into the front hall and then respectfully served him tea.

Hu Yongyun was still immersed in the memory of his sister and did not notice how well-trained the servants of the Kuang family were. He waited for a while and saw Xia Li appear with the maid.

He clasped his fists and bowed, saying sincerely, "Thank you, Grandma Kuang, for everything you have done for my sister. Now I have moved her to Laizhou for burial. My sister and I are finally reunited."

Xia Li's eyes showed deep sympathy, and she said softly, "Your sister will be relieved if she is still alive. Now that the matter is over, you should live your life well. You must always look forward."

Hu Yongyun nodded slightly and said, "You are right. I have avenged her personally, and the thief who hurt her has paid the price. I will not dwell on the past."

Seeing that he took the initiative to bring up the matter, Xia Li asked carefully: "Have you ever hurt anyone else in the Lu family?"

Hu Yongyun said indifferently: "Don't worry, I am not a person who kills innocent people. The life of the second master Lu is enough. I have never appeared in front of the Lu family. After finding out the truth, I only did what I should do."

Xia Li hummed lightly, not knowing what to say for a moment. Hu Yongyun could roughly guess what Xia Li was thinking, and he also wanted to confide in him, so he said in a low voice:
"I set up a trap and drugged Lu Jianfeng, causing him to die in a brothel. Not only did he lose his life, but his reputation was also ruined. He was the one who caused my sister to die with infamy, and he deserves this retribution!"

The hatred in Hu Yongyun's eyes was real. Shi Mi subconsciously stood in front of Xia Li, fearing that he would hurt her master. Xia Li was not too surprised. She signaled Shi Mi not to panic and sighed softly:

"Master Lu is the biological father of the Queen after all. Even if she is adopted into the eldest house, it cannot change this fact. His death is so ignominious that I am afraid that Queen Lu and Earl Cheng En will be implicated. If you do not do things cleanly, I am afraid that there will be no peace."

Although Lu Jianfeng is not the pillar of the Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion, he can manage the general affairs of the mansion and make money through business. He can provide some help to Lu Lingchuan and Queen Lu. His death will definitely be thoroughly investigated.

Hu Yongyun showed a scornful arc at the corner of his mouth. He said indifferently: "I only mentioned this to you. I didn't do it myself. They can investigate if they want. If they can't produce any evidence, they can't just convict me."

Xia Li knew that he was not simple, but she did not expect him to be so cautious. This matter had nothing to do with her, and Xia Li did not want to get involved, so she said calmly:

"The matter is over. County Magistrate Hu should be a good official in the future. That Third Young Master Zhang has been looking for you all over the world and making a lot of trouble in the mansion. You should take the time to deal with it properly."

A hint of disgust flashed across Hu Yongyun's eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "His affairs have nothing to do with me. I will soon marry the girl, and the bloodline of the Hu family must not be cut off."

Xia Li raised his eyebrows slightly and said leisurely, "Now that you have made your choice, don't hurt innocent people. I have done what I promised Xiao Fengxian. If County Magistrate Hu has something else to do, I will not keep you here."

Hu Yongyun knew that Xia Li had a prejudice against him because of Zhang Jun'an, so he did not explain much, but said seriously: "It is just a small favor for Madam Yu Kuang, but it is a great favor to me. I will remember it in my heart and will find a chance to repay you in the future."

Xia Li said calmly, "County Lieutenant Hu, you are too polite. This is the agreement between Xiao Fengxian and me. You don't have to take it to heart."

Hu Yongyun stood with his hands down, his expression peaceful and indifferent. One glance could tell his stubbornness and willfulness. He did not continue the topic, and said in a low voice: "I guess you still have something to do. I will not disturb you anymore. I will take my leave now."

Xia Li stood up, looked at him with a smile, and said in a gentle voice: "Walk slowly, County Lieutenant Hu. Let the nanny beside me see you off."

Nanny Zhou stepped forward immediately and respectfully escorted him out. When his back disappeared from sight, Shi Mi took a step forward and said hesitantly, "Master, are we really going to pretend we don't know about this?" Xia Li looked at Shi Mi with a sharp blade, carrying a deterrent force that could not be ignored. She frowned and said coldly, "I don't care whether you have correspondence with Shi Hu, but you must not reveal a single word about this, otherwise I won't allow you to stay by my side."

Shi Mi's heart was beating very fast. She tried to remain calm and said, "Master, please understand. I have never told my family about you before, and I will not talk nonsense in the future. Just pretend that I have never heard of this matter."

Xia Li looked at her with scrutiny in his eyes. After a moment, he said calmly, "You are always smart. You should know that the Lu family is now at the center of the storm. Queen Lu's muddy water is not something we can afford to mess with. It is better to have less trouble than more. What's more, the cause is not Hu Yongyun's fault."

Shi Mi lowered her eyes, forced herself to keep a straight face, and said calmly: "I understand, the master just doesn't want to cause trouble for the master. Right and wrong have nothing to do with us, we just need to stay away from it."

Xia Li glanced at the sky, frowned slightly and said, "Let's go to the kitchen to see what delicious food Qiao He has made."

Shi Mi quickly followed Xia Li, and the master and servant walked towards the backyard as if nothing had happened.

Xia Li did not go to pay tribute to Xiao Fengxian. The two of them did not have a very deep friendship. She had done her best by completing the task entrusted by the other party. Besides, when a person dies, it is like the extinguishing of a light. She did not need to put on an act for others.

After Xia Li sent someone to explain to the old man, he didn't ask any more questions. Xia Li continued to busy herself with her own things. For her, focusing on her career was more important than anything else.

The Kuang Mansion is not as big as the Duke's Mansion, so it doesn't take much time to manage the miscellaneous affairs. Xia Li has enough energy to think about all kinds of new products, and Kuang Chengrui's visit to the garrison will not cause her any trouble.

However, after a few days of relaxing, something happened in the West Courtyard again. Xia Li was thinking about where to buy some good land to plant flowers when Nanny Zhou came running in from outside in a hurry. She said with a grim look on her face:
"Master, please go to the front and take a look. The second master owed a gambling debt in the gambling house. The creditor came to our house to collect the debt. The old master was so angry that he fainted. The manager of the front yard asked you to go over and make the decision."

Xia Li looked cold and said, "I am the mistress of the head of the household, not the second master's biological mother. It is his mother's job to pay back the debt. Why are you looking for me? Please ask the second wife of the West Courtyard to come over."

Xia Li's anger was rising. No one in the West Courtyard was quiet. If it weren't for the old man, she would have kicked him out of the house long ago. He kept challenging her bottom line and was really asking for his own death.

Although Nanny Zhou was also upset, she still patiently advised, "My dear girl, I know you are upset, but we must always consider the overall situation. The master is busy in the garrison, the old master is angry and fainted, and the first wife can't handle the situation. Who else can you count on if you don't step forward?"

The feeling of annoyance pierced Xia Li's heart like a needle. She said gloomily, "Madam, don't worry. I know what to do. Even if I am not happy about it, I can't let outsiders laugh at me."

Who made her marry Kuang Chengrui? In ancient times, people believed that when one prospers, all prosper, and when one suffers, all suffer. After this incident, she secretly made up her mind to separate the West Courtyard. She wanted to live a few more years of comfortable life.

Xia Li changed into a short-sleeved jacket from the Changgan Temple and walked towards the front yard with his maids and servants.

Kuang Chengming had been addicted to gambling for some time, but he had not lost so much in the previous few times, so he could still make ends meet. However, this time he was maliciously flattered, and he lost so much money that he lost more than 3,000 taels of silver and was unable to repay the money.

There were bruises on the corners of his mouth, and he was standing in the house with his head down, looking out the door from time to time. The gambling house owner Yang Botao glanced at him with a contemptuous expression and said coldly: "Second Master Kuang, your old man has fainted because of you. Is there anyone else willing to pay off your gambling debts for you?"

Kuang Chengming turned around and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Boss Yang, my mother has money, she will definitely be able to pay off my debt..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard hurried footsteps coming, and Cui ran over with a pale face and shouted: "Ming'er, what's wrong with you? What's going on?"

When Kuang Chengming heard his mother's voice, he immediately went up to her as if he had found a supporter, "Mom, I'm fine, I'm fine..."

Cui saw the bruises on the corners of Kuang Chengming's mouth and said with great distress: "Who was the bastard who beat you up? You just owed me some money, it's not like you can't pay it back. Why would you kill me? You are such a bastard!"

Xia Li heard Cui's words clearly. She came over and said in a stern voice,

"Second Auntie, you are so tough. Since you can afford it, then just pay it back yourself. Don't make a scene all the time. If it gets out, how will outsiders look at our family?"

Cui was in the wrong and dared not say a word, and Kuang Chengming did not dare to talk back. The mother and son took a step back and followed Xia Li into the house.

Yang Botao stood up immediately after seeing Xia Li. He knew the situation of the Kuang family very well, so he didn't dare to be unruly in front of Grandma Kuang. He smiled shyly and said respectfully, "My humble servant greets Grandma Kuang. I have no choice but to come to your house to collect the debt. I hope you will forgive me."

Xia Li said coldly, "Boss Yang, you don't have to tell me this nonsense. How much money does Kuang Chengming owe you?"

Yang Botao knew that it was difficult to get close to a noble lady from an aristocratic family. He did not mind the other party's cold face and humbly said, "Second Master Kuang owes the gambling house a total of three thousand taels. Do you think you should pay for this silver?"

Xia Li sneered, "Kuang Chengming is not my son, so there is no reason for me to pay for it. Didn't Second Aunt just say that you can just show her the IOU?"

Cui's eyes were about to burst out as she said, "How could my son owe so much money? He was clearly staying at the teacher's house and studying hard, how could he go to the gambling house? You must have set a trap for him."

Yang Botao was respectful to Xia Li because of her status and position. Cui Shi did not receive such treatment. He said with a half-smile:

"If the Second Madam doesn't believe me, you can report it to the police. I have signed and stamped my fingerprints on this IOU. It is only natural that debts should be repaid."

Cui stretched out her hand to snatch the IOU, but Yang Botao raised his hand, his eyes gleaming with ferocity, and said viciously: "I advise the Second Madam not to make the wrong calculation, lest you end up with a lose-lose situation and ruin your son's future!"

(End of this chapter)