At the town entrance, Li Yueshu held the ox rope while Shen Yimin, unconscious, lay on the cart.
On her way back carrying Shen Yimin, she had met Old Man Liu, who had helped place the man on the ox cart and gone to the academy to inform Shen Wei and the others.
Soon, several people rushed over.
"Big Brother!"
Shen Tingwen's face turned pale with fright upon seeing Shen Yimin lying there, unconscious and bloodless.
Shen Tingyi, holding the clueless Shen Zhiyu, trembled all over.
Conversely, Shen Wei, the father, kept his eyes fixed on Li Yueshu, not blinking.
Li Yueshu had wanted to pat his head, but seeing he was a head taller than her, she chose to pat his hand to comfort him, "I'm fine, don't worry."
Then, she looked at the twins, "Don't worry, Ah Min has just fainted for now. Let's go home first. He's injured and needs rest."
The twins breathed a sigh of relief and quickly climbed onto the ox cart, guarding Shen Yimin on either side.
As the ox cart jolted towards the village, Shen Tingwen, after personally confirming his elder brother was still breathing, finally let go of his worries.
He turned to look at Li Yueshu and hesitantly asked, "Where did you find Big Brother?"
Li Yueshu glanced at him and replied calmly, "Zhang Yang sold him to traffickers. I chased for over ten kilometers to redeem him, so I came back a bit late."
As she spoke, she took out a few copper coins and couldn't help but sigh, "Yesterday's effort was all for naught."
Shen Tingwen looked at the copper coins in her hand and then at her helpless expression, his lips unintentionally tightening.
After a long while, he said in a low voice, "When I earn money in the future, I'll repay you a thousandfold."
"What did you say?" Li Yueshu turned her head in confusion, seemingly not having heard him clearly.
"Nothing," Shen Tingwen turned away awkwardly, as if sulking, his earlobes betraying him by turning red.
A hint of a smile flickered in Li Yueshu's eyes. She turned her head and suddenly met Shen Tingyi's scrutinizing gaze.
The latter immediately averted her eyes, as if it had just been an illusion.
Li Yueshu raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Shen Tingyi tilted her head, her peripheral vision secretly glancing at Li Yueshu with a complex and conflicted expression.
This woman had truly changed, but what was the reason for her sudden transformation?
Thus, the ox cart arrived at the village in quiet procession, and everyone immediately saw the pale-faced Shen Yimin.
"Heavens, how could this Li Yueshu be so cruel to beat the child like this!"
Li Yueshu: "..."
Which eye of yours saw me beating him?
Upon hearing this, Old Man Liu immediately said, "You've misunderstood. This child Shen Yimin encountered traffickers and was frightened!"
"If it weren't for the third wife's timely intervention, who knows what might have happened to the child!"
Listening to Old Man Liu's explanation, the accusatory glances directed at Li Yueshu subsided.
Li Yueshu didn't bother arguing with these people. After sending Shen Yimin home, she went up the mountain alone.
The herbs needed to heal Shen Yimin were all on the mountain. As for better-quality medicine, she couldn't afford it, so she had to collect it herself.
Not long after she left, Shen Yimin, who had been unconscious, slowly opened his eyes.
"Big Brother, you're awake!" Shen Tingwen was the first to notice and rushed forward with surprise.
Shen Yimin hadn't fully regained consciousness and only felt someone pounce on him. He instinctively flinched backward.
Shen Tingwen froze, looking at him with confusion, "Big Brother?"
Shen Yimin looked at the familiar face before him and, after a long period of composure, gradually relaxed, "How did I get here?"
His face was somewhat pale, and he seemed to still be in a state of shock.
Shen Tingwen pursed his lips, "It was... that woman who saved you."
"You mean the vicious woman the Shen family married for Father?" Shen Yimin was stunned.
He suddenly remembered seeing someone who looked very much like that woman lift the curtain before he fainted.
Later...
Later, she used a strange object to kill that scoundrel and held him, comforting him.
Shen Yimin's expression was momentarily dazed.
Shen Tingyi frowned, "Big Brother, that woman said she redeemed you from traffickers. Is that true?"
Shen Yimin seemed to not react immediately.
Is that what she said?
Shen Yimin somewhat suspected he was dreaming, but facing his siblings' confused gazes, he nodded.
Regardless of the woman's motives for concealing the truth, it was the best outcome for him.
That was his nightmare, and he didn't want anyone to know, not even his family!
At this moment, Shen Wei walked in with a basin of hot water, "Wife said for you to wipe yourself down and change into clean clothes when you wake up."
Shen Yimin's eyes widened with surprise, "Father?"
Shen Wei put down the basin and tilted his head to look at him, "Are you my eldest son? Your name is Shen... Shen Yi?"
Shen Yimin was taken aback.
He, who had always been calm and collected, was experiencing an unexpected number of events today.
Shen Tingwen's expression darkened slightly as he explained, "Father injured his head and has gone senile..."
Shen Yimin's eyes widened. His first reaction was disbelief.
How could that wise and mighty person be foolish!
But that was precisely the case.
As Shen Yimin listened to his siblings recount the events of the past period, Li Yueshu also returned from the mountain after collecting herbs.
Shen Yimin looked at the woman before him, whose appearance was the same as in his memory, his eyes full of doubt.
Even with drastic changes, one person couldn't completely transform into another's personality in just a few days.
Who was she, really?
Sensing his suspicion, Li Yueshu showed no reaction.
Among these four little villains, Shen Yimin's intelligence was undoubtedly the highest.
If Shen Tingwen was a smiling fox adept at business, then Shen Yimin was a schemer who could make people willingly give him a good person card.
He was the most difficult of the four.
Li Yueshu adhered to the principle of "if the enemy doesn't move, I won't move," and ignored his suspicious gaze as she examined his body.
Watching her practiced movements, Shen Yimin's suspicion intensified.
He looked at Li Yueshu, but his question was directed elsewhere, "How did you know where I was?"
Li Yueshu's movements didn't stop, "I went to Zhang Yang's house and asked him directly."
Shen Yimin was surprised.
He naturally didn't believe it would be that easy, "Aren't you afraid Zhang Yang will retaliate?"
He knew very well how strong that man's jealousy was and how ruthless his methods were. He wouldn't kindly tell her his whereabouts.
Li Yueshu calmly glanced at him, a confident smile tugging at her lips, "Don't worry, not only will he not retaliate, he'll have to beg me."
Shen Yimin faltered, clearly not understanding her words, but Li Yueshu offered no explanation.
She retorted, "What grudge do you have with that Zhang Yang that made him do something so cruel?"
Mentioning this, a chill flashed in Shen Yimin's eyes.
It was so swift that Li Yueshu didn't notice.