Chapter 42
Li Shan held the rattan cane that Aunt Wang had specially procured for her, waiting at the courtyard gate. Half an hour earlier, she had arrived, and the servants had gone to notify Li Ming. However, Li Ming had not seen her yet.
Li Hui, Li Chou, and Li Guang walked past Li Shan one by one and entered the study room. It wasn't until late at night, around the yin hour, when Li Shan would normally have already gone to bed. But today, she could only persevere and not dare to complain.
The three of them, Li Hui, Li Chou, and Li Guang, finished their studies and exited the study room. As they passed Li Shan, Li Chou looked at her as if he wanted to say something but was pulled away by Li Guang. Aunt Wang and Auntie An did not get along well, so their children, boys and girls, did not have much contact. But every time, Li Shan would look at the two with disdain. Naturally, Li Chou and Li Guang would not be friendly with her either. In their eyes, Li Shan was truly inferior to Li Xia. Not to mention anything else, Li Xia would always greet them politely as "Brother" whenever they met.
"Third Miss, the Master has asked you to go in," Li Chuan came out and said to Li Shan.
Li Shan took a deep breath to compose her expression and went inside. Seeing Li Ming, she immediately knelt down, saying, "Father, Shan has made a mistake, please punish me," and raised the rattan cane with both hands.
Li Ming put down his tea cup and looked at Li Shan. Knowing that Li Ming was watching her, Li Shan's eyes were filled with hot tears. "Father, I was wrong. I should not have been so strict. I just didn't want to disappoint you. This opportunity to become the housekeeper, I know it was you who fought for it on my behalf. I wanted everyone in the manor to know that your decision to make me the housekeeper was correct, and that I can do a good job." As she spoke, Li Shan's tears fell pitter-patter, and her face, as big as a palm, was covered in tears and stubbornness, which softened Li Ming's heart. He got up, walked towards Li Shan, and bent down to help her up.
"Father," Li Shan threw herself into Li Ming's embrace and cried in grievance.
"Don't cry," Li Ming stroked Li Shan's head. What could the little girl understand?
Thinking that Li Ming had forgiven her, Li Shan thought she was off the hook. But a few days later, her duties were changed from the kitchen to the garden. The garden didn't have as much grease and oil as the kitchen.
Upon receiving the news, Li Shan didn't bother with anything else and ran to the Bingqing Courtyard. "Auntie, my duties have been taken away from me."
Aunt Wang was playing with Li Yao and, upon hearing Li Shan's words, waved her hand to let the wet nurse take Li Yao away. "It was my suggestion to the Master and the Madam to change your duties."
"Why? Why would you do that, Auntie?" Li Shan was almost going crazy.
What else could it be? During the period when Li Shan was in charge of the kitchen, she didn't make much profit from the grease and oil, nor did she arrange the staff properly. She even offended everyone in the manor. If Aunt Wang let Li Shan continue, she was afraid she would lose her position as the Auntie.
"Who said I didn't arrange the staff? I didn't drive away Lame Auntie but assigned her a position," Li Shan felt that Aunt Wang had underestimated her ability to get things done.
On this point, Aunt Wang gave Li Shan an unpleasant look. "You were the one who drove Lame Auntie away. But you also created a loyal subordinate for Li Xia. And the cook you assigned, is she your person?"
"Of course she is. She is Cui Liu's mother," Aunt Wang had previously mentioned arranging her own people, so Li Shan had considered and arranged for her personal maid Cui Liu's mother to take the position.
"And then you ruined Cui Liu's face. Do you think her mother would still work for you?" Aunt Wang's rhetorical question left Li Shan speechless.
After a while, she argued, "But I did give Cui Liu five taels of silver for her to recover."
Five taels of silver in exchange for a beautiful face. Aunt Wang was so angry she cried. She hadn't realized how na?ve Li Shan was.
"Mother, how much silver do you think I should have given her?"
Aunt Wang suppressed the anger in her heart. "As for Cui Liu's situation, you don't need to worry about it. I'll handle it. Just remember, in the future, use your brain when you do things. Don't be so foolish and easily fall into someone else's trap."
Someone else's trap? Li Shan pondered Aunt Wang's words. "Mother, are you saying someone set a trap for me? Who set it? I'll tell Father." Li Shan realized what had happened and was furious, about to go and report it to Li Ming.
"Come back," Aunt Wang took two steps forward and held Li Shan back, not letting her go.
"Mother," Li Shan called out unwillingly.
"Why are you calling me? You were schemed against. Do you know who schemed against you? How were you schemed? Do you have any evidence?" Aunt Wang's barrage of questions made Li Shan stop in her tracks. She was unwilling to let it go, but she indeed had no evidence. If she went to Li Ming now, she would only annoy him. "Mother, what should I do?"
"Remember this incident, and find a way to get back at them later. What you need to do now is to properly manage the garden." Aunt Wang was also furious, but they had to accept this matter for now.
"What is there to manage in the garden?" Li Shan had no intention of going to the garden. Although the Governor's residence had a large courtyard, the garden was not very big and had nothing worth managing.
"You really are foolish," Aunt Wang reached out and tapped Li Shan's head. "The Master has taken up his position in Liuzhou and will have to host banquets and such in the future. Where else would the guests go besides the garden?"
Aunt Wang's words made Li Shan understand immediately. If Li Manor was to host banquets or anything of the sort, this garden would be her domain. At that time, she could introduce herself as the manager and showcase the garden she had tended to, truly a matter of both honor and reputation. Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Li Shan's face. "Auntie is still as thoughtful as ever."
"Not angry anymore?" Aunt Wang looked at Li Shan with a half-smile.
How could Li Shan still be angry? She could hardly contain her excitement. "Mother, don't worry. This time, I will make sure to manage the garden well. I'll make the people of Liuzhou know that the garden of the Li family is beautiful." After declaring her ambitious aspiration, Li Shan hurried off to get busy.
The kitchen duties were returned to Li Xin's hands. Not only did the food quality return to its former state, but it also improved considerably. Everyone in the manor praised Li Xin. With Aunt Wang's encouragement, Li Shan didn't get too upset upon hearing these comments. The happiest was Li Xia, as she could order dishes from the kitchen again.
Under Li Ming's urging, Li Guang passed the county examination, ranking in the upper tier, much higher than his previous county examination. Li Guang became a lower degree candidate along with Li Chou to take the Imperial Examinations. Li Ming hoped that both of them would pass, but unfortunately, neither of them succeeded this time.
Previously, Li Guang had performed well, giving Auntie An hope. After the results were released, she boasted that Li Chou and Li Guang would definitely pass the Imperial Examinations. But now that both of them had failed, Auntie An fainted upon receiving the news. When she regained consciousness by having her acupressure points pressed, she cried and lamented about her ill fate.
She hid in the Dream Cloud Courtyard, feeling sorry for herself for several days. Here, she even refused Mrs. Lu's visits to inquire about her well-being. To the outside world, she claimed to be sick and unable to pass her illness to the masters of the manor. As for the real reason, everyone in Li Manor knew. They didn't hesitate to mock Auntie An behind her back.
Li Ming had no patience for Auntie An's melodrama, so he went to the Dream Cloud Courtyard himself. After that, Auntie An returned to normal. Li Chou and Li Guang's failure to obtain the scholar degree disappointed Li Ming, tinged with a hint of regret. He thought that perhaps he should have placed them under Mrs. Lu's tutelage from the beginning.
Mrs. Lu and Li Ming had been married for many years, so how could she not know what he was thinking? She inwardly sneered. If those two were under her guidance, she would not have put much effort into teaching them. In Li Ming's eyes, Li Hui, Li Chou, and Li Guang were all his sons, with no major differences. But in Mrs. Lu's heart, she only had one son.
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