Hearing the familiar voice, Li Yue Shu was stunned for a moment. She quickly went to open the door and, as expected, saw Wei Tong Hao.
Wei Tong Hao was still the same impetuous and rough man, but when he saw Li Yue Shu, he still cupped his hands politely, "Madam Shen, we meet again. I must thank you for Zimao and Ling'er's affairs!"
Li Yue Shu returned the greeting, "Lord Wei, you are too kind. Young Master Wei and Ling'er are both at home, please come in."
Wei Tong Hao immediately stopped talking and hurried inside.
As soon as he entered, he saw his son, who had always been frail and pale, standing there with a ruddy complexion, looking like a handsome young gentleman.
In his hand, he held a little girl who didn't look much like the daughter he remembered, but bore a slight resemblance to his son.
Wei Tong Hao suddenly stopped in his tracks, not daring to approach for a moment.
Over the years, he had tried everything to find traces of Lian Yi, but each time he was met with disappointment.
When he finally found her, he learned of her death.
Now, knowing that Lian Yi had a daughter left in the world, he felt a pang of timidity.
If it weren't for his impulsiveness back then, Lian Yi wouldn't have eloped with that scoundrel, and they wouldn't have failed to see each other one last time.
As Wei Tong Hao was observing Wei Ling, the little girl was also curiously looking at the person before her.
She had already heard about her background from her uncle.
Looking at the person before her, the little girl proactively spoke, "Are you my grandfather?"
The word "grandfather" brought tears to Wei Tong Hao's eyes, "Yes... yes, I am your grandfather. Are you called Ling'er?"
Wei Ling nodded obediently, showing no shyness towards a stranger.
Wei Tong Hao instinctively took two steps forward and slowly crouched down, "Ling'er, can... can Grandpa hug you?"
Wei Ling looked up at her uncle, who was holding her hand. He smiled gently and nodded slightly.
Seeing this, she then let go of Wei Zi Mao's hand and willingly opened her arms to embrace Wei Tong Hao.
Wei Ling's frame was larger than that of ordinary children, which was why Li Yue Shu and Li Xiang Ru had mistaken her for a boy the first time they saw her.
Now, it seemed she had inherited traits from Wei Tong Hao, as the backs of the grandfather and granddaughter looked almost identical, apart from their size.
Since it was a family reunion, the others tactfully did not intrude, leaving them space.
Due to Wei Tong Hao's early arrival, Li Yue Shu's dinner arrangements naturally had to be adjusted.
Wei Tong Hao had brought many guards, so there were more people.
Li Yue Shu decided to make hot pot and even brought over pots from Aunt Liu's house.
Shen Wei followed her to the kitchen to help, but all he could do was tend the fire.
Having served in the army on the frontier for over a decade, he had mastered the skill of fire tending to a tee.
This was also why Li Yue Shu liked to have Shen Wei tend the fire whenever she cooked.
His control over the heat was as convenient as a modern gas stove.
Soon, the fragrant and tempting aroma of hot pot wafted out from the kitchen.
While everyone else was having hot pot and their appetites were whetted, they were not particularly amazed by it.
Wei Tong Hao and the guards he brought were different.
"What is this?" Looking at the red, bubbling pot of hot pot, Wei Tong Hao was full of curiosity.
"This is called hot pot, a way of eating invented by Madam Shen..." Wei Zi Mao explained as he demonstrated how to cook in the hot pot.
The new guards, eating this novel way of cooking, couldn't help but nudge each other, "We thought we were following the young master to suffer in a poor and remote place, but we didn't expect to taste such delicious food!"
The guard next to him rolled his eyes, "Madam Shen knows more than just this. If I could, I would truly want to stay in this poor and remote place forever!"
They ate well and slept well here, with no distinction between superiors and subordinates. They could even chat with the elderly villagers when they had nothing else to do. Life was simply too pleasant.
Li Yue Shu was unaware that she had already won the hearts of a group of people. After eating their fill, the task of cleaning up was handed over to the guards.
Wei Tong Hao watched as his household guards, who normally wielded swords and spears, were all happily carrying pots and bowls, with smiles on their faces, and he couldn't help but be surprised.
These fellows usually adhered strictly to the principle of "a gentleman stays away from the kitchen." Why were they so enthusiastic now?
Wei Tong Hao's gaze shifted to Li Yue Shu, who was not far away.
Though not particularly intelligent, he understood that it was all thanks to Madam Shen.
He had a premonition that this Madam Shen would never be just an ordinary woman hidden in the wilderness.
With this thought, he found Wei Zi Mao and had a talk. The father and son then took Wei Ling and proactively approached her.
Li Yue Shu looked at the three of them curiously, not knowing what they intended to do.
The next moment, Wei Tong Hao and Wei Zi Mao suddenly bowed respectfully to her.
Wei Ling, seeing the actions of her grandfather and uncle, followed suit and bowed.
Li Yue Shu was startled and quickly stepped forward to help them up, "Lord Wei, what are you doing?"
Wei Tong Hao and Wei Zi Mao did not rise immediately but completed their bows properly.
Wei Tong Hao's tanned face was full of gratitude, "Madam Shen, Zimao told me that Ling'er's brain was damaged before, and it is thanks to Madam Shen's treatment that she has recovered now."
Wei Zi Mao nodded, his face sincere, "My father's bow is to thank Madam Shen for burying my sister, avenging her, and saving her daughter."
"My bow is to thank Madam Shen for saving my life and saving my Wei family from the brink of annihilation."
"Ling'er's bow is to thank Madam Shen for curing her brain and taking such good care of her."
"The Wei family's debt to Madam Shen is immeasurable in this lifetime."
Li Yue Shu had not expected them to say this. After a moment of stunned silence, she gently shook her head, "Although I helped Madam Wei, she gave me a restaurant, so we are even. Saving Young Master Wei was a doctor's duty, and exposing the wet nurse was incidental. I didn't exert much effort."
"As for Ling'er, she is betrothed to A Min. It is only right that I, as her future mother-in-law, take care of her. There is no debt involved."
As she spoke, Li Yue Shu's expression was candid, indicating that every word was from the bottom of her heart.
Shen Wei watched her from the side, a subtle smile forming on his lips that even he didn't notice.
She was resolute, decisive, and seemingly never suffered losses, yet she always carried a trace of kindness.
However, her regard for Wei Zi Mao was more than just simple kindness.
As expected, after a moment of silence, Li Yue Shu spoke again, "If Young Master Wei truly feels indebted to me, why not agree to one condition?"
Wei Zi Mao was slightly taken aback, but then he nodded, "Madam Shen, please tell me."
Li Yue Shu looked at him, a flicker of an unreadable expression in her eyes, "I hope that when my four children need your help in the future, you will not refuse for any reason."
Although she had severed Wei Zi Mao's opportunity to seek refuge with Crown Prince Qin Ye Xiu, her children were not yet grown, and the future was uncertain. She needed to have multiple safeguards.