Li Yue Shu did not answer her. "Ah Yi, go fetch the item from under my pillow."
Shen Ting Yi's eyes lit up, clearly knowing what it was, and immediately ran towards Old Man Liu's house.
Before long, she returned with a small cloth bundle.
Under the curious gazes of everyone present, Li Yue Shu opened the bundle, revealing slender silver needles.
At once, those who had seen her treat Zhang Yang instantly recalled that scene, including Madam Yang.
Her already pale face lost its last trace of color. Her eyes widened in terror. "Don't… don't come near me!"
Li Yue Shu walked towards her with a smile. "I'm here to treat you, of course I have to walk over."
As she spoke, she deliberately dangled the silver needles in her hand.
"Ah—don't stab me!"
Madam Yang screamed and, disregarding her physical discomfort, fled in terror, leaving Mother Shen sitting on the ground, stunned for a long time.
Li Yue Shu's lips curved. She turned to look at Mother Shen, smiling innocently and harmlessly. "Since Elder Sister-in-law has left, I'll treat Mother first!"
Mother Shen scrambled up on all fours, terrified. "No, no, no, I'm not sick. I don't need you to treat me, I'm fine!"
Under the shocked gazes of everyone, Mother Shen ran so fast that she lost a shoe, no longer exhibiting the appearance of someone in extreme pain.
"Pfft ha ha—"
Someone couldn't help it, and everyone else burst into laughter.
Everyone thought that Mother Shen and her daughter-in-law were deliberately trying to extort money from Li Yue Shu now that she was wealthy. They soon dispersed to attend to their own affairs, and no one believed that the two of them had truly suffered from stomach pain.
After everyone had left, Shen Yi Min approached Li Yue Shu.
"A Min, is something the matter?" Li Yue Shu put down the broom.
Shen Yi Min's smile faded, and his expression turned somewhat serious. "You are not her."
The young man raised his head. Though he was looking up, his demeanor was no less imposing, completely at odds with his frail appearance.
Li Yue Shu blinked. "What are you talking about?"
Shen Yi Min seemed very certain, without a hint of hesitation. "Your medical skills, your cooking, your martial arts, and that strange hidden weapon—none of these are things Li Yue Shu knows. Who exactly are you?"
Li Yue Shu patted the dust off her hands. "Is this what you've observed about me for so many days?"
She knew that Shen Yi Min had been observing her these past few days. In the original story, he was a cautious and skilled individual. Even at the tender age of seven, he was not someone who could be easily fooled.
However, she had no intention of revealing the truth. After all, speaking of such things would either get her labeled as insane or as a demon.
Shen Yi Min looked at her warily. "Who sent you? What is your purpose? Are you trying to deal with me? Or..."
"Slap!"
Shen Yi Min's head was suddenly slapped, and his words abruptly stopped.
Li Yue Shu shook her hand, which stung, and gave him a glare. "You little brat, do you have persecution complex? If it weren't for me, your family would have nothing left. What do you think I would want from you?"
Shen Yi Min touched the back of his head and stood there, stunned.
Indeed, they had nothing left to lose. Even if those people found out their whereabouts, they could simply send an assassin to finish the job. Why would they go to such lengths?
Seeing such a bewildered expression on his usually calm face, Li Yue Shu inexplicably found him a bit endearing.
She couldn't help but reach out and gently touch the back of Shen Yi Min's head where she had just hit him. "Don't worry, I will protect you until you all grow up."
Shen Yi Min was taken aback, his face blank.
This woman… is so gentle.
Just then, Shen Wei suddenly appeared from somewhere. "Wife, I want a pat too!"
Li Yue Shu and Shen Yi Min were both startled and looked speechlessly at the tall, yet foolish-looking man.
"Okay, okay, a pat." Li Yue Shu reached out and ruffled his hair perfunctorily. "Where is the water you were boiling?"
Shen Wei grinned, looking completely satisfied. "Wife said to come find you when the water started bubbling, so I came."
Looking at his silly appearance, Li Yue Shu couldn't help but tousle his hair again. "That's great, I'll reward you with an extra piece of meat tonight!"
"Wife, you're so good! When I grow up, I'll be good to you too!"
"Heh, you're already the tallest person in our family, how much bigger do you want to grow?"
"Mmm… then I won't eat meat. I'll give it to my wife, so my wife can grow taller than me!"
"...That's hardly necessary."
They walked and talked, their retreating figures exuding an indescribable warmth and harmony.
Shen Yi Min watched this scene and had a fleeting thought of, "If only life could always be like this."
But then, he immediately thought of his father's utter foolishness and vehemently rejected the idea in his heart.
He absolutely did not want it to be like this forever. He still wanted his wise and mighty father.
...
Li Yue Shu was oblivious to these thoughts and visited the old house daily to check on the renovation progress.
Because she paid generously and provided delicious meat daily, the workers worked with enthusiasm. The house was repaired in just over half a month.
The house was designed by Li Yue Shu, with a hint of courtyard style, simple, elegant, and spacious. In addition to bedrooms and a kitchen, it also had a study and a bathroom.
Afterward, Li Yue Shu specially took Old Man Liu to the town several times to replace all the furniture and bought everyone sets of good quality new clothes.
If not for the limited size of the land for the old house, people would have thought it was the home of some wealthy official.
To thank everyone, Li Yue Shu also gave each worker an extra day's wages.
By the time they moved into the new house, not much of her three hundred taels of silver was left.
But she didn't feel any heartache. After tidying up the house, she took the few of them to town and bought several packets of exquisite pastries and bolts of cloth.
Shen Ting Wen felt a pang of regret. "Aren't we sending Big Brother to the academy? Why are we buying these things?"
Li Yue Shu looked at his thrifty nature with some helplessness. "Your Big Brother has been recuperating at home for over half a month. When he returns to the academy, he'll have to see the teacher and pay next year's tuition, right? And what about the classmate who alerted us the day your Big Brother had his accident? Now that our family affairs are settled, shouldn't we go and express our gratitude?"
She pinched Shen Ting Wen's pouting cheek. "A Wen, when conducting business, one must have a long-term vision and understand righteousness. One cannot solely focus on immediate profits."
Shen Ting Wen seemed to understand, yet not fully. Although he still felt a twinge of regret seeing these items, he said nothing more.
Shen Yi Min, listening to her words, glanced at her but quickly averted his gaze, no longer with the probing suspicion from before.
Li Yue Shu noticed the change in him and her smile deepened.
Soon, they arrived at the academy to pay the tuition. They learned that Zhang Yang had also taken leave during this past half month, and the Zhang family had even moved away from town.
It turned out that about half a month ago, two men in black had broken into the Zhang household, injured all the guards, and even nearly killed Zhang Yang.
Later, Mr. and Mrs. Zhang sought medical treatment everywhere. After curing Zhang Yang, who had been frightened into illness, they hastily moved away.
Only then did Li Yue Shu understand why the Zhang family hadn't troubled them. It seemed heaven itself was helping them.
However, upon hearing the news of the two men in black, a fleeting expression flashed in Shen Yi Min's eyes.
Li Yue Shu did not notice this and inquired with the teacher about the student who had alerted them that day.
"Madam, are you looking for Mo Lian?" The teacher suddenly sighed. "If you are looking for him, I'm afraid Madam's trip will be in vain."