Looking at the burly child in front of her, who was clearly mentally unstable, Li Xiangru sighed.
She turned and instructed the coachman beside her, "Take him into the carriage."
The coachman frowned, but still clasped his hands in agreement, "Yes."
He was actually reluctant to deal with this orphan who was worse off than a beggar, but he had to obey Li Xiangru's orders.
Although the master's backyard was not short of women, he had not yet won this woman over, and the master was still very interested in her.
If she were to whisper in his ear later, he would be the one to suffer.
And so, Li Xiangru brought the child back to the inn.
...
On the other side, Li Yue Shu was slowly driving the ox cart home.
She looked back at Mo Lian and suddenly asked, "A Lian, how did you get to know Li Xiangru?"
Mo Lian answered honestly, "She donated money to the academy and brought pastries twice. Everyone at the academy knows her."
Li Yue Shu was surprised, "Why did she donate money to the academy?"
Mo Lian was also confused and shook his head.
Shen Yi Min, standing nearby, seemed to think of something and frowned slightly, "I feel her target might be A Lian."
At this, everyone actually looked at him in surprise.
Shen Yi Min calmly explained, "There are so many students in the academy, why is she treating you differently?"
"I asked the teacher yesterday. When she inquired about students from poor families, she also mentioned my name. Yet, my performance in the academy is superior to yours in every aspect. Why has she never asked me a single question?"
If it were anyone else saying this, Mo Lian would definitely suspect them of being jealous.
However, since it was Shen Yi Min saying it, he had no such thoughts.
Mo Lian frowned, "When she first came to the academy to deliver pastries, I had already noticed something, but I didn't think much of it at the time."
He then looked up in confusion, "I don't understand, what is her reason for deliberately approaching me?"
Shen Yi Min fell silent.
This was also something he could not figure out.
Li Yue Shu, who was driving the ox cart in front, guessed the reason and raised her eyebrows slightly.
She remembered that in the original book, the reason why Mo Lian, who became the Grand Chancellor, sided with the Crown Prince, besides being taken as a disciple by the Grand Tutor, was also because he had received kindness from the female protagonist in his childhood.
Now, it seemed that as a reborn woman, Li Xiangru's "kindness" was probably not simple.
Li Yue Shu felt no guilt about snatching the original female protagonist's opportunities.
After all, her four children were destined to be villains and enemies of the original protagonist.
With this in mind, Li Yue Shu turned back and earnestly admonished, "A Lian, stay away from Li Xiangru in the future."
Mo Lian nodded obediently, "Madam, don't worry."
Seeing this, Li Yue Shu smiled with relief.
...
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the Shen family was somewhat strange.
Since returning last night, Shen Wang had stayed in his room and refused to come out. Shen's mother and Yang Shi had tried to persuade him repeatedly, but he had only cursed them out.
Not only that, but he had also made Yang Shi boil a pot of hot water for him to bathe in during the day, and he still hadn't finished bathing.
Just as Shen's mother and Yang Shi were at a loss, Shen Cheng Cai finally returned.
Yang Shi saw him as a savior and quickly pulled him, "Cheng Cai, hurry in and check on your father. He's been bathing for over an hour and won't let us in. I don't know what's going on."
Shen Cheng Cai was in a good mood today and didn't say much. He pushed the door open and went in.
Yang Shi waited nervously outside, wanting to go in but not daring to.
At this moment, she suddenly heard a startled shout from inside: "Ah—get out!"
Yang Shi was startled and was about to go in when she saw Shen Cheng Cai rush out in a disheveled state, looking like a drowned rat.
Yang Shi looked at him in surprise, "Cheng Cai, what's going on?"
Shen Cheng Cai looked a little bewildered, "I don't know either. Just… as soon as I went in, father suddenly yelled and splashed water all over me."
Yang Shi was astonished.
Shen Wang normally doted on his son like a precious gem and wouldn't even say a harsh word. What was going on today?
"Is your father okay?"
Shen Cheng Cai was silent for a moment and then asked, "Mother, did you have a fight with father?"
"What?" Yang Shi didn't react immediately.
Shen Cheng Cai frowned, "Father's body is covered in bruises, and he has a bite mark on his buttocks. Mother, even if you were going to fight, you didn't have to be so vicious!"
Yang Shi's face turned pale. Recalling Shen Wang's strange behavior since he returned, she suddenly understood something.
Her lips trembled, and she looked at the room in shock, her face completely devoid of color.
"Cheng… Cheng Cai, go change your clothes first, don't catch a cold."
She quickly sent Shen Cheng Cai away, wanting to confront Shen Wang directly and find out the truth.
But as she stepped over the threshold, she suddenly stopped.
She had been married to Shen Wang for so many years, and she knew his personality very well. If she rashly went in to question him, she might end up bearing his anger.
With this thought, Yang Shi withdrew her foot, pretended to know nothing, but had already decided to investigate the matter thoroughly.
...
Compared to the gloomy atmosphere in the Shen family, Li Yue Shu was very happy.
Every time Shen Yi Min and the others returned from their leave, she would personally cook delicious meals for them, and this time was no exception.
This time, she was going to make hot pot.
The ingredients had been bought the day before, and she only needed to simmer the broth.
A few days ago, Li Yue Shu had instructed Shen Wei to build a small stove in the courtyard, and the pot was a customized Yin-Yang pot from the blacksmith's shop.
Considering Mo's mother, who was ill, Li Yue Shu specifically simmered a clear chicken broth and used less chili in the spicy broth.
But as soon as the pot was brought out, the surging aroma made people drool.
Hot pot was always more lively with more people. Paired with the sparkling water Li Yue Shu had secretly brought from her space, the feeling was simply unparalleled.
Even Shen Yi Min, who always paid attention to his demeanor and was as gentle as jade, couldn't help but wipe his sweat with a handkerchief from time to time.
The one who was happiest should be Shen Ting Wen.
The more he ate, the brighter his eyes became.
The brightness in his eyes not only reflected his admiration for the hot pot and sparkling water but also the glint of silver.
After a gulp of sparkling water, Shen Ting Wen couldn't help but burp.
He held his chopsticks and moved closer to Li Yue Shu, smiling brilliantly, "Stepmother, how did you make this thing called hot pot? And this… sparkling water, what is it made of?"
Seeing his eagerness to learn, Li Yue Shu put a slice of beef into his bowl.
She smiled at Shen Ting Wen and raised her eyebrows slightly, "Call me Mother, and I'll teach you."
Shen Ting Wen pouted. He was immune to her occasional demands and directly changed the subject, "Wow, this beef is delicious!"
Li Yue Shu chuckled and was about to tease him when a milky voice suddenly sounded from beside her, "Mother, A Yu wants some too."
Li Yue Shu turned around and saw the fourth child, Shen Zhi Yu, holding a small bowl, looking at the beef in Shen Ting Wen's bowl with anticipation.
Sensing his fourth brother's gaze, Shen Ting Wen didn't think and put a mouthful into his mouth, burning himself and almost jumping up.
Li Yue Shu smiled helplessly and gently patted Shen Zhi Yu's head, "A Yu is so good, Mother will cook some for you now."
Shen Ting Yi, sitting on her other side, silently watched this scene, a dark gleam appearing in her eyes.