The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits
Chapter 450 - 454: Shang Family Girl (15)

Chapter 450: Chapter 454: Shang Family Girl (15)

The weather was splendid, with the sunshine just right.

Su Li had people move a soft couch outside the door and lay there indolently.

On one side, a maid was feeding her washed grapes; on the other, another fanned her.

Two old women, one at her shoulder and one at her legs, massaged her with just the right amount of pressure.

Elsewhere, two guards stood with stern expressions a short distance from this line of people, keeping watch.

What enjoyment～

Sensing a burning gaze, Su Li propped up an arm and glanced over nonchalantly.

It was Yuan Jiaming and Yuan Xiaoxiao, the sibling pair.

Having suffered the ordeal of a failed intrusion, they looked at the two grim-faced guards with dread.

But their eyes turned resentful as soon as they looked at Su Li.

Hey, they still hadn’t learned their lesson.

Su Li didn’t speak, just looked at their little beggar-like appearance with equanimity.

In just a few days, the twins who were once cared for meticulously by the original owner, looking radiant and carefree, were now forced to mature.

Their proud heads were bowed, wearing patched, ill-fitting coarse cloth clothes.

Their faces darkened, and their once bright eyes now appeared timid.

The delicate skin of their palms had coarsened a great deal, and their bodies were tanned and thinner.

What hadn’t changed was the anger they directed at their mother.

Heh, the heart of a mother, always soft towards their own children, even if the children were ungrateful, she couldn’t bear to see them suffer.

Only, it was a pity that Su Li was not their biological mother and naturally had no tender feelings for them. Watching the siblings suffer didn’t prick her conscience at all.

Yuan Jiaming’s eyes were fixed intently on Su Li, his mouth clenched stubbornly.

However, after a long wait, he only saw his mother’s interested gaze circle him a few times, then, losing interest, shift away as she lazily lowered her propped-up arm, showing complete disregard for them.

Mother, how cruel your heart is.

Yuan Xiaoxiao, more unable to hide her emotions than her brother, was angered by Su Li’s indifference.

Her earlier intention to humble herself before her mother was now gone, replaced by grief as she shouted, "Mother, don’t you see the state my brother and I are in?"

"We are living such difficult lives, yet how can you enjoy yourself alone like this?"

Yuan Xiaoxiao’s gaze slid over the grapes in the maid’s hand, her throat swallowing water involuntarily.

Forget about fruits, sweet soups, and snacks, even having enough to eat every day was a problem for her.

It wasn’t that the Yuan Family was so poor they couldn’t afford to eat; it was just that Yuan Xiaoxiao, who was used to fine rice and delicacies, couldn’t swallow the coarse and unpleasant food.

And Old Mrs. Yuan was especially keen on saving, especially when it came to a girl.

Just look at the condition of Da Niu, Erniu, and the little girl’s lives from the second branch to know.

The reason she had previously pampered Yuan Xiaoxiao was that the granddaughter was looked after by her mother, not costing her a grain of rice, and because her own daughter-in-law was wealthy and genuinely fond of her daughter, Old Mrs. Yuan was happy to put on the appearance of a benevolent senior family member.

Su Li couldn’t be bothered to talk to such an idiot.

A nearby old woman chided on her behalf, "Lack of manners! Is this the upbringing of the Yuan Family?"

"Besides, isn’t this the life you asked for yourself?"

Several maids and old women present had a clear view of the events that had unfolded in the Yuan Family over the past few days.

Because they saw everything so clearly, they felt even more sympathy for their lady.

Su Li, "Don’t mind them anymore. Clean up a bit, we’ll go out soon."

Yuan Jiaming’s gaze seemed to flicker as if she had made some sort of decision.

"Mother, why be so stubborn? Can’t we live a peaceful and harmonious life as a family? Why must you make such a fuss?"

"You’re already married to father. What benefit is there for you in seeking a divorce?"

"After the divorce, with no sons or daughters by your side, even with a large sum of money, what kind of good life can you lead?"

"Moreover, father is about to take his exams soon. Once he passes, you’ll be a scholar’s wife. Isn’t that glamorous? My sister and I will also show you filial piety."

Yuan Jiaming’s logical words caused Su Li, who was about to head back to her room, to stop in her tracks and turn around, "Those words must have been your father’s analysis, right? But do you truly believe your father can pass the exam?"

"Besides, I need to correct you on one point: even if I get divorced, my days won’t be difficult."

"With money and leisure, servants to attend to me, and no family to irritate me, life can’t get much more comfortable."

Yuan Jiaming, "You’ll regret it, you’ll definitely regret it."

Father was right, wasn’t he? Mother, with her sizeable dowry, acts so high and mighty, paying no heed to anyone else.

Remembering father’s suggestion...

After Su Li left with a group of people and then returned, as soon as she entered the room, she sensed that someone had been inside.

The comb on the dressing table had been moved ever so slightly, the wooden doors of the wardrobe were never fully closed—leaving a gap as wide as a strand of hair.

The bedsheets, though smooth, had acquired two or three additional creases.

To the common eye, everything in the room seemed exactly as she left it, but to Su Li, the subtle differences were unmistakable.

Su Li smiled faintly, not in a rush to investigate. Instead, she instructed a maid to settle the pair of boys and girls she had brought back.

Once she was alone in the room, she slowly lifted the bed board.

Sure enough, where the small box used to be placed, there was a faint palm print, like the trace left by someone’s repeated groping.

The child had made his choice.

Su Li stayed in the room for a while, but outside, a quarrel and commotion erupted.

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Yuan Jiaming and Yuan Wen, father and son, both had sullen expressions, their ominous eyes fixed on a pair of children who were not supposed to be there.

Yuan Xiaoxiao, who had been carefully instructed by her mother in the etiquette of a lady, had none of that left in her. Instead, she resembled Old Mrs. Yuan and the villagers’ manner of quarreling.

Though she was small, her behavior was crude, and the harshness on her face spoiled her beauty entirely.

At the moment, she was cursing at a pair of children younger than her, only two or three years old.

Upon seeing Su Li’s arrival, the other two daughters-in-law from the Yuan family cast a glance at Su Li, full of sarcasm and pity.

They then looked at their older sister-in-law’s beloved children with schadenfreude.

Especially Zhang Qiaoqiao, who found it delightful.

Seeing her own carefully raised children becoming like this, the woman she envied must be agonizing inside.

Zhang Qiaoqiao felt she finally had one thing better than her: although she had three daughters, each one was obedient and filial.

Although she did not see disappointment or sadness on Su Li’s face, Zhang Qiaoqiao was convinced the other was merely putting on a brave face.

Not only did Zhang Qiaoqiao think so, but Wan Xixi thought the same.