A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 227: Lao Zhou Fights for the Li Family

After coming out of Qingyun Garden, Li Yunye went to Plum Garden to visit his mother first, but Madam Li had just fallen asleep, so he did not stay long.

The winter wind withers all the flowers, only the red plum blossoms bloom in the snow. Looking at the plum blossoms blooming on the silver tree branches, Jiang Siyao stopped where she was and suddenly remembered the scene when she first arrived at the Li Mansion last year. She had gone from being estranged and cautious with the Li family in the beginning to having an inseparable kinship with them now. It turned out that only a short year had passed, but this change made her feel as if she had experienced the pain of half a lifetime.

"Parting and reunion, life and death, separation and reunion are all human nature, and you should learn to accept it."

What his father said to him half a month ago lingered in Li Yunye’s mind. He didn’t expect that it would come true so soon. Now he had to learn to accept it.

At this time, all the servants of the Li family were busy hanging up the mourning notice under Ange's arrangement, and the mourning hall was also redecorated in preparation for the funeral which would begin tomorrow.

"I never thought that Mr. Li would suffer such a disaster."

When the people of Qile City heard about the misfortune of the Li family, they were all sighing. Even the prefect You Zhiji was surprised when he found out.

"I heard that they encountered bandits from Jiugang Village when they passed through Jicheng." The captain Zhou Bing behind him replied with a stern look on his face.

"Hmph, Jiugang Village has been doing evil for years and is truly a scourge to the area." You Zhizhou had a gloomy expression on his face. He slammed his palm on the table beside him and gritted his teeth. If it weren't for the fact that Jiugang Mountain was in a dangerous terrain and easy to defend but difficult to attack, how could the government allow them to be so arrogant?

"But please rest assured, sir. There is no Jiugang Village on Jiugang Mountain now. A few days ago, the Jicheng government received an anonymous letter saying that the head of Jiugang Village had died and it was almost in name only. It was a good time to attack the mountain and wipe out the stronghold. When the Jicheng prefect saw the letter, he hurriedly sent people to investigate. As the letter said, most of the people in Jiugang Village were killed a few days ago, and only the old and weak were left on the mountain. So yesterday, the Jicheng government went up the mountain and wiped out Jiugang Village." Seeing that his Excellency was angry, Zhou Bing hurried forward and comforted him.

"Great, it's a great relief!" Zhou Bing's words also made You Zhizhou very happy, but he felt sorry for Li Xingyuan's tragic death. Then he ordered: "This old man Li did a lot for Qile City when he was alive. He helped our government to share the worries. Now he has suffered this disaster and unfortunately died. If the Li family has any difficulties in the future, we will help them as much as we can."

"Yes, my lord."

After Old Zhou followed Mu Liang to the Li Mansion last night, he felt deeply sorry for what happened to the Li family. But he was an outsider after all, and he had just arrived in the south of the Yangtze River. Seeing that everyone in the Li Mansion was busy with the funeral, he didn't want to disturb them, so he went out and strolled around Qile City.

"Have you heard? That Mr. Li was killed by bandits."

The famous Li Cloth Shop in Jiangnan on West Street was open as usual without being affected by the Li family's misfortune. In the teahouse opposite, three curious people sat around a table, looking at the cloth shop outside and whispering:

"Oh, Mr. Li is so unfortunate. He was harassed by bandits just before the New Year."

"I heard that Butler Fang was killed along with Master Li, and last night Concubine Xin in the mansion also hanged herself. All of a sudden, the Li family is left with orphans and a widow."

"Don't we have an adopted son? However, this adopted son is not a good person. When Master Li was alive, he could manage four shops far away in the capital. Li Yunye is young and has always been an idle dandy. How can he be his opponent? Once Master Li is gone, the famous Li in Jiangnan will probably change hands."

"If Young Master Li fails, then Madam Li will not sit idly by and watch the famous Li from Jiangnan being snatched away by someone else, right?"

"Tsk, who do you think Mr. Li got this cowardly character from? How could a man as courageous as Mr. Li give birth to such a waste? It must be all thanks to that Madam Li!"

"Brother, please don't make rash conclusions. Don't you think about it? Master Li loved Concubine Xin the most when he was alive, but when he died, Concubine Xin hanged herself. Why? I don't believe there are really people in this world who are stupid enough to commit suicide for love."

"What you said makes some sense. When Master Li was alive, Madam Li didn't like Concubine Xin. Now that Master Li is dead, how can Madam Li tolerate her? Tsk tsk, women are indeed the most vicious."

"Alas, what a pity! Who knows what will happen to the famous Li from Jiangnan who was once so glorious? The world is so unpredictable!"

"A big tree attracts the wind. The business of Jiangnan famous Li is getting bigger and bigger, and the source of wealth is abundant. How can it not attract the envy of mountain bandits?"

"Yes, those bandits just rob people and steal their property to make a living. They are so hateful!"

"If you ask me, the Li family is just too ostentatious. When Mr. Li was alive, he often liked to set up soup kitchens to help the poor. The Li family is not the only wealthy family in the huge Qile City, but they like to act like they are kind and generous. Isn't this just showing off their wealth?"

"Oh, nowadays, is it a crime to be kind and charitable?" As soon as the busybody finished speaking, Lao Zhou suddenly appeared in front of the three people with a cold face and sneered.

After walking around Qile City for a long time, Lao Zhou felt like drinking. However, he thought that it was not appropriate for him to drink since he was living in the Li family. So he planned to go to the teahouse and order a pot of tea to see if he could relieve his craving. However, as soon as he went upstairs, he heard these three grown men gossiping about the famous Li family in Jiangnan like gossipers. Lao Zhou, who was already addicted to alcohol and in a bad mood, naturally wanted to fight for the Li family.

"Who are you? What does it have to do with you if we talk about our own things? Mind your own business..."

"Snapped!"

The man who had just mocked Mr. Li for his charity showed disgust and contempt when he saw the sloppy and unkempt Old Zhou, but before he could finish his words, he was slapped loudly in the face.

Hearing the crisp slap, everyone turned their eyes over, and the two people who were sitting with the person who was beaten were so scared that they quickly stood up and ran away.

"You...you dare to hit me..." The man who was beaten opened his eyes wide in surprise, covering his left cheek and said angrily.

"Snapped!"

There was another louder slap, and the man's right face instantly became red and swollen.

"What's wrong with hitting you? You're so talkative and it's disgusting to see you!" Lao Zhou knew that people like him could just be taught a lesson, so he only used 20% of the strength in his hands. But the man was so weak that his face became swollen after just a slight blow.

After being slapped twice for no reason, the busybody was angry but dared not say anything. He ran away, covering the swollen side of his face.

Seeing the other party panicking, Old Zhou sneered with disdain. After venting his anger, his alcohol addiction seemed to have subsided. He was too lazy to sit here alone and drink tea, so he went straight back to Li's house.

As soon as Old Zhou arrived at the gate of Li's mansion, he bumped head-on into Manager Li who was holding a ladder. Old Zhou dodged swiftly, but when he lowered his head, he was surprised to find Manager Li's unusual steps.

"Mr. Zhou didn't meet him, did he?"

"No, no, you're busy."

When Old Zhou was puzzled, he heard Manager Li speak, then he waved his hand, smiled, and turned away.