Chapter 24 Great Man Li Yin
Shaking her head to dispel strange thoughts, Mammy Li proposed, “Let me do some needlework to support the family. You made the Lord unhappy last time because of your problem with the First Madam. No matter how aggrieved you are, you must not meet him.”
Mammy Li was somewhat clever. She knew Su Li shouldn’t meet Su Huanli.
With her eyes glistening, Su Li gently said, “I know. Don’t worry.”
“Ah! Second Miss, have a rest. I’m about to prepare lunch.”
Mammy Li replied and went to the kitchen.
Bending down, Su Li gently closed the Copybook of Dahan from Su Zipei’s room and walked lightly toward the Main Courtyard like a fair maiden.
“Lord, the Second Miss would like to see you.”
Butler Li told the Lord at the door of the study. Putting down the accounts and slightly frowning, Su Huanli said: “What is she doing? She just gets better.”
“She may pay respects to you.” Butler Li said with a smile.
Su Huanli snorted, “I don’t think so. Let her in.”
The intimacy with his second daughter resulting from Zongzi had faded away because of her problem with the First Madam. Without the support of The Zhu Family, the business of his silk shop became difficult.
What’s more, the First Madam told him that Erya, owning the Jinyuan Court, went to the counting house to make trouble. She wanted the regular money of 500 taels every month, larger than the sum of Qinghao’s and Zipei’s.
Zhu Yan did not want to give it, and Erya made a big trouble in the counting house. In the end, she took away 300 taels. There was no such a rule!
A little while, Su Li, in a plain dress, came in slowly outside the door.
There may be psychological effects. Seeing his second daughter, Su Huanli didn’t brighten up any more. Instead, he felt a slight nausea because of her greed.
“I came to pay respects to Dad. Dad spent a lot of money on healing me before.” Su Li went to the desk and saluted with an apologetic face.
Su Huanli was unmoved, and his tone was cold and perfunctory. “You still have a conscience. What are you doing here?”
Su Li seemed to be frightened by Su Huanli’s tone of voice. With a slightly pale face, she stepped back and said, “I just want to explain things occurring in the accounting room.”
“OK!”
Su Huanli thought Su Li was quibbling and immediately burst out laughter out of anger, “Your mother has told me about it. What else do you want to say?”
“My mother has told you about it!” Su Li was shocked and said “Dad, things were not what she said. 300 taels are really too much. I only need 30 taels.”
“What?”
Su Huanli heard something wrong. If Su Li said she did not take 300 taels, he would not believe it. But he did realize they had completely different topics about regular money.
Lowering her head, Su Li burst into tears like pearls and whispered intermittently, “I only needed 30 taels and didn’t need an increase. Dad is busy with business and definitely has to bear a huge cost. How could I be so wasteful? I only took 30 taels…”
“You meant your mother gave you extra regular money?”
Su Huanli was confused. The more he listened, the more confused he became. He couldn’t help but ask.
Su Li seemed to be startled and raised her head showing a fair face like white flowers with dew in the morning.
Su Huanli was touched. Any normal persons would be distressed seeing such a picture, let alone that it was his daughter that was standing in front of him.
“Yes… It was said by Butler Li. I only let Mammy Li took thirty taels. It’s really my willingness… Dad shouldn’t blame my mother. Ah! Wrong. It’s…”
Su Li seemed to have lost her mouth but didn’t know how to remedy it. For a while, she didn’t know what to say.
Standing at the door like a sculpture, Butler Li tilted his mouth slightly and couldn’t help but sigh. Such a silly girl! Zhu Yan did not see her as a person, but she was still trying to protect her mother.
The clumsy approach did not prevent him from showing a deep feeling of pity for Su Li. He would protect such a kind and simple girl, even if the old guy Qi Xianqing did not tell him to do so.
“Okay. I knew what happened in the counting house. Erya, didn’t cry. This was sticky rice cake I bought from the town. Take some back.”
Su Huanli’s cold face like snow changed. The kind father came back.
Feeling flattered, Su Li held food containers, showing crescent-shaped eyes like black gemstones. “Thank you, Dad! Mammy Li is preparing lunch. Doctor Qi said thrift was a virtue. I won’t eat until I am hungry in the afternoon.”
“Haha haha, good girl, go ahead.”
Su Huanli laughed heartily. After saying goodbye to Su Li, he returned to the room with a look so gloomy that he may drip water. He asked in a low voice, “Butler, what’s the matter?”
The old butler said slowly and orderly, “Last night, the First Madam went to the counting house. She raised Erya’s regular money from two hundred taels to three hundred taels and then took it away. She said that it was sent to Erya. It seemed that the Second Miss got only thirty taels.”
“What she said was a lie. There is no such a rule!” Su Huanli was furious and said, “Why didn’t you tell me something so important?”
The old butler was servile and submissive and didn’t mention Su Huanli’s stupid appearance when he was deceived. He whispered, “I wanted to say it, but the Second Miss was coming. She didn’t want Lord to blame the First Madam.”
“No blame?” Su Huanli clapped the desk and said, “This is the Su Family, not Zhu Yan’s money shop! Butler… Are you hiding something from me?”
The old butler buried his head lower and said, “The First Madam didn’t take so much money before, and… even if I said it, Lord would believe I swallowed all money.”
Crack!
A white porcelain teacup was broken into pieces.
“There is no such a rule! Such a greedy woman! She even smeared Erya and told lies. Did she ever respect me? Even the Su Family!”
Su Huanli’s eyes were red and angry to the extreme. He was almost mad!
Sadly, he couldn’t be angry with Zhu Yan, otherwise the silk shop established with support of the Zhu Family could be destroyed.
“Lord, calm your anger. Your health is the most important thing.” Butler quickly persuaded him, “You still have Erya. How filial she is!”
Thinking of Erya, Su Huanli felt inexplicably comforted and calmed down.
Yes, at least there was a daughter truly caring about him in such a large family.
Deliberately reminded by Butler Li, Su Huanli seemed to find the home of the soul at this moment. He was alive and carefully said, “That girl is too simple. If she goes out alone and is sold, she doesn’t know it. If I go on a long journey in the future, how can I feel a.s.sured that she stays alone in the West Courtyard? Butler, you need to arrange more trusted subordinates to protect her.”
“OK, Lord. For the First Madam…”
Butler Li didn’t finish his words. With a slightly chilly expression, Su Huanli said, “Stare at her. If she bullies Erya again, you must stop her. When she has saved enough money, she will surely find an excuse to go out again. This time, I must find out the reason!”
Su Huanli then realized it was not her second daughter but Zhu Yan full of lies that had been embarra.s.sing him.
Previously, he ousted Zhu Yan and felt guilty for her. So he always tried to compensate her. When Zhu Yan described the thing occurring in the counting house, he immediately believed her. d.a.m.n s.l.u.t!
Crack!
Su Huanli slapped himself violently. His eyes were malicious and insidious, and seeds of suspicion took root and sprouted in his heart.
—
“Ah. Where were you going, Second Miss?” Mammy Li stood anxiously at the entrance of Jinyuan Court and asked as soon as she saw Su Li come back.
Su Li shed a few tears, but her eyes were not red. Instead, she laughed and said, “I just hung out. Mammy Li, I was hungry. Let’s have lunch now.”
Seeing her usual expression, Mammy Li felt relieved and said, “Food was ready. Go back to the room to have lunch.”
Su Li showed a more brilliant smile.
When Mammy Li was cleaning up the dishes after lunch, the old butler suddenly walked in outside the kitchen and asked, “Mammy Li, is the Second Miss in the courtyard?”
Seeing the old butler, Mammy Li felt worried and lied, “Second Miss is taking a nap. What’s the matter?”
With his ears moving slightly, Li Yin clearly heard Su Li’s short breath in the room. She was not in sleep. He squinted and laughed, “Since Second Miss was taking a nap, I would not disturb her. This was the compensation from Lord. Mammy Li, give it to her when she woke up.”
Mammy Li was slightly shocked when she heard his words. Subconsciously, she took over it in Li Yin’s hands and looked down at it in horror.
Silver, five hundred taels!
“Don’t worry. I have explained to Lord today. He is angry with the First Madam and lets me take care of Second Miss in the future. The Five hundred taels were given by the Lord. Mammy, rest a.s.sured to take it.”
Li Yin gently explained it, and Mammy Li’s surprise suddenly changed to joy. “Great! Second Miss doesn’t have to worry about being bullied.”
Li Yin smiled and thought Mammy Li was also a genuinely kind person. She cared about Second Miss in all aspects.
“Mammy Li, I often stay in the counting house. If the Second Miss has any troubles in the future, please tell me about them.” Li Yin said: “This was the order of Lord.”
“Sure!” Mammy Li was very grateful. “Butler, you are a great good man!”
Li Yin felt startled slightly and smiled wryly. What kind of a good man was he? He planned to make an explanation, but it was a thankless task. How could the master-servant relations.h.i.+p be closer than the relations.h.i.+p of husband and wife? It was the Second Miss that awaked Lord unintentionally.
After the butler left, Mammy Li was so happy that she hurried to the study without was.h.i.+ng the dishes. She said to Su Li, who was practicing her handwriting, “Miss, what a good thing!”
After Mammy Li described it, Su Li stopped writing with a sneer in her heart.
It was hard to see Su Huanli, a profit-seeking old guy, has such a soft inner world. If so, she was really embarra.s.sed to take action.
Su Li pretended to be surprised and said, “Really? That’s awesome. I’m still hesitating whether to meet Dad or not.”
Mammy Li laughed and said the Second Miss was still a child. She felt ashamed for her previous fears about the Second Miss.