Li Wenshan looked around and said, "Is Dad okay? He's still sleeping?"

  "I've already been to the yamen." Mrs. Xu complained with a smile, "Your father, since he became the county magistrate, his position is not high, but he's busy to the point of being footloose and sleepless, those two advisors are really... like they haven't slept all night, originally your father wanted to see you off..."

  Li Wenshan's heart skipped a beat, busy like this... Is it that thing Mr. Qin said that has started? Don't think about this for now, I have to hurry and talk to Mother about the proper matter.

  "Mother, I have something to tell you." Li Wenshan got up to close the door.

  "What's wrong?" Mrs. Xu looked at her son with a serious face and closed the door, her heart was already raised.

  "Mother, I hurried back just to tell you this. " Li Wenshan pulled Xu's wife to sit on the kang, leaned forward and lowered his voice.

  "Mother, I think this is definitely Wu Tong talking nonsense. Wu Tong told me that Mother asked him to follow me to Wansong Academy in order to lead me into the brothel district and make me learn bad things. Wu Tong also said that Mother asked him to spread rumors about me everywhere, ruining my reputation so that Master Wang and others would not care about me."

  Mrs. Xu was stunned.

  "Must be Old Lady Yu's nonsense, isn't it, Mother?" Li Wenshan glanced at his mother's expression, feeling a chill in his heart. How could Mother believe that Clock Granny wanted to harm him, harm their family...

  "Wutong also said that Zhong Yiniang said that our family is a low-born breed, and it's already excessive to live in this Hengshan County government office, and still dare to think about going up, simply doesn't know how to die..."

  Li Wenshan hadn't finished speaking when Mrs. Xu suddenly let out a few choking sobs, and just as she was about to cry out loud, she hastily covered her mouth tightly with her handkerchief, her face turning pale from stifling her emotions.

  "Mother! Mother!" Li Wenshan was frightened out of his wits.

  Mrs. Xu's other hand was clutching her son convulsively, unable to speak, only shaking her head repeatedly, it was unclear whether she was indicating that she was fine or telling him not to make a sound.

  "My son!" After a while, Mrs. Xu suddenly let out a loud cry, and with tears streaming down her face, she exclaimed, "I... you... your father... is gone..."

  "Mother, take a deep breath first and don't speak yet." Li Wenshan was anxiously pacing back and forth.

  The noise in the house had already startled Li Dong, who also got up early, and he kept knocking on the door outside, "What's wrong with Auntie? Fifth brother? Fifth brother!"

  Mrs. Xu pointed at the door, indicating for Li Wenshan, who was busy with his hands and feet, to open it.

  Li Dong rushed in, Li Wenshan quickly opened his arms and blocked Su Ye who was following closely behind him. "Nothing's wrong, don't worry about it, you go check on A Xia, hurry up, and also Lan Ge."

  Li Dong rushed to Mrs. Xu's side, looking at Aniang's pale face in horror, hastily poured her a cup of tea, and pressed on her back, stroking downwards to help her catch her breath.

  "I'm fine, Shan Ge, you come over." Mrs. Xu said, but her tears kept flowing, "It's all because of your mother... Your mother had already... At that time... When your father passed the imperial examination and was going to take the civil service exam, it was she who..."

  Mrs. Xu thought of the year when she had just married, and her husband had just passed the imperial examination to become a jinshi (a high-ranking scholar-official). He was full of vigor and ambition then, and everyone said that with his literary talent, even if he didn't pass the exam this time, he would definitely pass it in the second or third try...

  He suddenly said he wouldn't take the exam and wanted to make a living on his own... He got so angry that he fell seriously ill, and while still sick, he set off for Taiyuan Prefecture...

  "Now she's going to ruin you!" Mrs. Xu was so angry that her whole body was shaking.

  Li Dong looked at his mother in a panic and then turned to his elder brother, "Fifth Brother?"

  "Mother Zhong had Wutong take me to the brothel, Smoke and Willow Lane, to corrupt me, ruin my reputation, saying we're a family of low birth, not worthy of living a good life. Mother said that Father was also blocked by her from taking the imperial exam, and tricked Father into cutting ties with the Hou estate." Li Wenshan's and Li Dong's words were even more straightforward.

  Li Dong was stunned, but his expression didn't change much. "Aunt Hong said this before, in the backyard of the county magistrate's residence, she can still sit in the position of an old lady and act arbitrarily. If Father rises further or Fifth Brother becomes successful, it will be impossible for her to continue like this. She wants to drag us down with her to pretend to be a filial son and grandson to support her until the end."

  Li Wenshan looked at Li Dong, his eyelids blinking so fast they almost made a sound. His usually taciturn sister was not simple either...

  Mrs. Xu raised one hand and covered her face.

  Li Wenshan didn't blink, glanced at Li Dong, and winked at her while speaking, "Mother, don't be sad. I know this is unfilial of me. She raised Father, without her there would be no Father, and without Father there wouldn't be our family. Our family making sacrifices for her is only right, it's the way of filial piety. I'm just telling you, otherwise I won't go to school today or ever again, and I'll stay home to take care of Grandma."

  "Brother Five is willing to sacrifice himself, to become a filial piety and good conduct for Mother and Father, I am too, Xia Ye and Lan Jie will definitely be willing too, Mother don't cry." Li Dong's drumming on this side was still quite awkward.

  Mrs. Xu's hands trembled as she slid straight down from her face, staring straight at her son and daughter, "You... rest assured, Mother will fight to the death... Mother will even fight with her to the end... Mother..."

  Mrs. Xu's lips trembled and she couldn't speak anymore, her son and daughter's words were like thousands of sharp knives stabbing into her, turning her into a bloody mess.

  "Hey, don't worry, take a deep breath!" Li Wenshan hastily stepped forward and helped his mother catch her breath, just like Li Dong had done earlier.

  Li Dong fanned the air in front of Ah Niang with a handkerchief, "Ah Niang, don't worry, if you want Fifth Brother to be well, he will be fine, just don't rush."

  "Shan Ge'er." Mrs. Xu took a few deep breaths, straightened her back, "Don't worry, you're a child with a mother, go back and study hard, there's your mother, Wutong... He told you these things, take him along for now, this family... Don't worry, Mother will fight to the death..."

  Mrs. Xu stopped talking, her face stern and fierce. This time, either that old scourge would leave or she would leave with the child, letting him be a dutiful son and grandson to that old scourge alone!

  "Ah Niang must be driven away!" Mrs. Xu gritted her teeth, not only had she harmed the old master, but now she also wanted to harm her son, she would fight her to the death!

  ………………

  Li Wenshan rode into Hangzhou city in one breath, reined in his horse, and turned around on the spot. It's best to go find Mr. Qin first, enter the academy, and then think about how to get out, it's not easy! The two things Ah Xia said, the first one is okay, but the second one is better done as soon as possible!

  Wutong is now more loyal than ever, whatever Li Wenshan says goes.

  Mr. Qin had gotten up early, and Li Wenshan had rushed back to Hengshan County suddenly yesterday. He was preparing to go outside the school gate to wait, if he didn't return before the morning class, he would have to hurry and send someone to Hengshan County to see what happened.

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